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Six ways to save money on yoga in Boston

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Confession time: I have a little bit of a yoga addiction. Lots of people ask me how I have the… shall we say, resources… to practice so much yoga. If you pay full price for a la carte for yoga classes around Boston, they’ll run you around $15-$20 a class. Not cheap. So with further ado, here are my money-saving tips for you frugal yogis.

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1. Keep an eye out for deals: Yes, I hate a clogged inbox as much as anyone else, but it’s worth it to sign up for email newsletters and watch for online deals. Groupon and Gilt City are the best sites for yoga in my experience, but Livingsocial features some good local deals as well. Some studios also offer promotions via their own mailing lists and social media channels, so sign up for e-newsletters and be sure to “like” your favorites on Facebook.

2. Keep track of your deals: Yoga deals tend to have short expiration periods, and it’s easy to let them expire without using all of the classes. I have a very low-tech system for keeping track of my deals–I keep a post-it on my desk at work and cross off classes when I use them. I also use google calendar alerts for expiration reminders. Find a system that works for you and use it. You want to be sure you’re getting your money’s worth!

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3. Read the fine print: Yoga studios mainly use online coupons to entice people to try and hopefully fall in love with their classes. For this reason, some studios only offer their deals to brand new students (aka if you’ve been there before, no dice). I happen to think this is a terrible practice–where’s the consumer loyalty in that?? Super big ups to Back Bay Yoga for offering ALL of their fabulous deals to ALL yogis–like this one! $35 for 5 classes, which you have until December to use.  Talk about making me a happy repeat customer. Be sure to double check whether you are eligible for deals before you purchase.

4. New student deals: Most studios offer fantastic deals for first-time students, usually along the lines of $30 for your first 30 days unlimited. This is a wonderful way to give lots of different teachers a try without feeling cheated if you take a class you don’t like.

Eyes on the prize!
Eyes on the prize!

5. Try a new studio: Hit up some of the more affordable studios in the city, like Sweat and Soul Yoga (all classes are $10 cash) and Karma Revolution (pay by donation).

6. Use your discounts: If you’re a student, lots of studios have significantly discounted student rates. More to come on this when I start grad school in the fall!

All in all, on average I probably pay around $7 a class–and sometimes even less. Much more reasonable, if I do say so myself. What are your tips to save dough on yoga in Boston?

Beyond Boston, Gluten Free

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Happy summer, y’all! After an extraordinarily long, cold, and snowy winter, I’m loving being outside and soaking up the sun. For me, summertime means a whole lot of hiking in New Hampshire, lounging by the lake in Maine, outdoor concerts and festivals, long weekends and road trips, and lazy beach days. In the spirit of weekend getaways, I’m going to share a few of my favorite gluten free finds outside of Boston.

Green Lotus Cafe, Hyannis MA

Last August, the bf and I celebrated our first anniversary with a day trip on the Cape Flyer to Hyannis. We came prepared to bike around, lounge on the beach, and get some sun, but the weather had other plans in store.

Beachy keen (in the rain)
Beachy keen (in the rain)

Despite the rain, it was a fantastic day, and we stumbled upon a fantastic little vegetarian hole-in-the-wall with tons of gluten free options. Green Lotus Cafe has gluten free bread and wraps available, along with a fabulous selection of baked goods. Be sure to swing by if you’re headed down the cape!

Delicious vegetarian wraps at Green Lotus
Delicious vegetarian wraps at Green Lotus

Silly’s, Portland ME

My family’s summer getaway is in a tiny cabin on a lake in the middle of nowhere, Maine. The best way to make the 3 hour drive up there bearable is to stop off in Portland for a bite to eat.

Portland is one of my favorite New England cities, and it’s bursting at the seams with amazing restaurants. One of my favorites is Silly’s, which boasts kitschy decor, a fantastic outdoor garden/patio space, and well-labeled gluten free options on their extensive menu. Check out the incredible selection here and get yourself over to Silly’s!

Get in my belly!

The Mooring Restaurant, Newport RI

Last summer I had the incredible opportunity to go to the Newport Folk Festival. I was so excited about the lineup (Old Crow Medicine Show! The Decemberists! The Avett Brothers!) that I barely had time to think about what I was going to be eating.

The Avett Brothers at Newport

Luckily we managed to snag a reservation at The Mooring Restaurant in downtown Newport, which has a wonderful gluten free menu full of classic seafood fare. I chowed down on a lobstah roll (my first as a Celiac!) and they even brought me a delicious gf roll to start my meal. Bravo, Newport–I hope to be back at the Folk Fest soon!

Gluten free lobstah roll!

Rein’s Deli, Vernon CT

This one is slightly further off the beaten path, but if you’re driving from Boston to New York City this summer, you won’t be able to miss the gigantic billboards on Route 84 pointing you towards Rein’s Deli. I make a point to head down to NYC at least two or three times a year, and we always stop off at Rein’s for a deli sandwich and pickle or two–my brother and I literally cut our teeth on Rein’s famous pickles on family road trips as kids. A few year’s ago, Rein’s introduced a gluten free menu, a meticulously maintained separate preparation area, and hands-down the best gluten free bagels I have ever had. If you’re jonesing for a corned beef on rye or a classic bagel with with a thick shmear of cream cheese and a heaping pile of lox, head on down to Rein’s and I promise you’ll leave full and happy.

Where are your favorite New England summer vacation spots? Any can’t-miss gluten free hidden gems you’d recommend?

Happy summer road tripping!

Gluten free baking and the best brownies ever

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Everyone needs a great standby dessert recipe. Whether it’s a gourmet homemade layer cake or Funfetti cupcakes from a box, there’s a tried-and-true recipe for every kind of baker, no matter what your laziness level is. I definitely fall towards the lazier side as a baker, and I’m pretty adamant about the fact that I don’t get into buying a million different kinds of flour in order to bake gluten free stuff. Potato, sorghum, tapioca, xanthan gum, brown rice, white rice, coconut flour, almond flour–just reading some of these recipes makes my head spin! I’m not a chemist, and I don’t have unlimited time on my hands to measure out minuscule amounts of obscure ingredients.

Enter: the gluten-free flour mix. Through years of dry, crumbly, metallic-tasting  trial and error, I have finally found two relatively failsafe options: King Arthur and Better Batter. These pretty much work flavor-wise in recipes for things like loaf cakes, muffins, and brownies. Beware, though: the really tricky part of GF baking is keeping things from flattening out all over the pan. Gluten is the stuff that gives your baked goods springiness and structural integrity, so things like cookies and cakes can be challenging. Not impossible, but don’t assume that subbing out the flour cup-for-cup with a gluten free version will work. Also, be sure that your GF flour blend contains xanthan gum, which takes care of some of the structural integrity conundrum.

With those tips in mind, I’m about to present to you my previously secret, always rich and fudgey, super simple family brownie recipe. This recipe is so gosh darn easy it actually takes less time and effort than a boxed mix, and it is so delicious you may even be able to fool your friends into thinking it is chock-full of gluten. (Yes, I have tried this at a party.)

Keepsake Brownies

  • 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 cup butter or margarine
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 1 cup GF flour blend
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave. Cool. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla. Mix.

Add nuts if you’re using them. Mix flour and salt. Add gradually and mix well. Pour into greased and floured 9″ square pan, or something slightly wider and more shallow if that’s your preference. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes (subtract 5 min or so if you like em really gooey). Cool and cut.

This recipe is super fun to play around with. Check out my melted peanut butter swirl and candy corn versions, and feel free to experiment with your own. Happy brownie baking and brownie eating!

Peanut butter swirl brownies
Peanut butter swirl brownies
Candy corn brownies--a fall favorite
Candy corn brownies–a fall favorite

What are your favorite dessert recipes? Do you have a favorite gluten free baking mix?

6 things that will happen when you run your first half marathon

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Greetings from the couch, where I’m resting up from my sixth half marathon. I ran the Runner’s World Heartbreak Hill Half this morning–congrats to any other runners for completing a tough and sweaty race!

Running is a funny thing. Most (all?) runners have a love/hate relationship with the sport–myself very much included. I forced my way through plenty of treadmill slogs in college with the vague goal of “getting in shape” and hated every second of it. Something flipped for me a few years ago, though, and I actually started enjoying running. The fresh air and sunshine, the endorphin high, the increased endurance and overall fitness–I was hooked. Pretty soon, I had a couple of short races under my belt and I was ready to take the plunge and sign up for my first half marathon.

My first Boston Athletic Association half marathon--still smiling at mile 7!
My first Boston Athletic Association half marathon–still smiling at mile 7!

For all you running newbies (and veterans), here is my very unscientific list top six list of things that might happen to you while you’re training for your first half.

1. Spit, sweat, and snot: Let’s get the gross stuff out of the way right at the beginning. Running is a gnarly sport. Moving your body pretty quickly, especially in the extreme heat and cold, will lead to spitting, sweating, and nose blowing galore. Just be prepared for this and make sure you look behind you before you hawk a loogie. Welcome to the glamorous world of running!

Spitting like a lady, always.

Source: Buzzfeed

2. Second (and last, I promise) gross one: chafing, blisters, and missing toenails. This stuff just happens when you engage in repetitive, pounding motion for a couple of hours at a stretch. The bright side here is that once you get the right gear and especially the right sneakers, you’ll be able to mostly avoid these problems. Be sure to buy your sneakers at least a half a size larger than you normally would to avoid ugly black and blue toenails and even uglier toes sans toenails. Also, invest in proper running clothing (no cotton) and bodyglide.

3. Money, honey: Running is awesome because it’s free, right? Strap on your sneaks and hit the open road! Or… not. Start factoring in race registration fees, running shoes, insoles, techwick shirts/shorts, high viz/awesome neon layers, compression gear, fancy bras (well-endowed ladies, you feel me), foam rollers, fuel belts, GPS watches, running apps, etc. and you’re going to be out a pretty penny. Keep an eye out for an upcoming post on my must-have gear for new runners!

4. Unflattering photos: Heads up–there are generally several photographers stationed along racecourses who will be snapping pictures of you as you run. If you happen to get a flattering photo like this guy, it’s an awesome souvenir. But most of these photos are horribly unflattering and may make you look like you are about to pass out on the pavement even though you were actually feeling awesome. My advice is to be prepared! Keep an eye out for photographers, and when you see them, stand up straight, smile (if you can), and even flash em a quick thumbs up or fist pump.

Left side: typical race photo. Right side: lookin' like a runner!
Left side: typical race photo. Right side: lookin’ like a runner!

5. Eating all of the things: Running is serious business cardio, and with cardio comes a monster appetite. I’m pretty much always hungry all of the time anyway, but even more so when I’m training for a half. Keep this in mind and plan accordingly. I tend to get ravenous about 45 minutes after I finish a run, so I have a meal ready to roll by then. Also, I won’t eat less than an hour before I run (cramps are the pits) but if you can, try to eat something with carbs and protein (like toast and peanut butter) at least an hour before a long run to fuel up. Click here for much more in-depth advice from the pros.

Gluten free post-race crepe at Paris Creperie in Brookline
Gluten free post-race crepe at Paris Creperie in Brookline

6. You’re going to want to do it again: My biggest and most important tip is this–you might actually learn to love running. It’s possible you’ll want to keep on doing it, and maybe even doing more of it. You may find that running clears your mind and makes you feel powerful and strong and free. You might lose a few pounds and gain a few friends. You might be counting down the days until your next race 🙂

All smiles at the Disney Princess Half Marathon
All smiles at the Disney Princess Half Marathon

I want to hear from you: do you have a love/hate relationship with running? What surprised you most when you first started running? Any other tips for first time half marathoners?

Happy running!

Leah

Top five Pinterest recipes

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Hello, my name is Leah and I really really like reading blogs. In fact, about 95% of my motivation to branch out in the kitchen comes from my blog reading/Pinterest-ing. (You can follow me on Pinterest here!) However, like pretty much every single other Pinterest addict out there, I do not make the vast majority of the things I pin. Of the recipes I do attempt, I attempt most of them only once–usually because they were either too much work or I just didn’t love them enough to incorporate them into my eating plan (I’m a bit of a creature of food habit, especially when I’m busy!)

So without further ado, here are top five favorite recipes from the land of the internets! I’ve made all of these many, many times and they are incredibly delicious and (for the most part) simple to make.

Breakfast: I absolutely adore these no-bake chocolate peanut butter breakfast bars from 86 Lemons. They are easy to make, super adaptable (try subbing out the nuts/seeds/fruit for your favorites), and healthy. They’re gluten free (duh), vegan, refined sugar free, AND they have both the whole grains and protein you need to keep you full until lunch. My big tip here is to store these in the freezer–it helps them keep their chewy texture.

Healthy lunch: Salads are my go-to for lunch, and this yummy kale salad from my friend Jennie’s amazing nutrition blog is one of the very best. I add some protein to the basic recipe and it’s a full meal. I’ll be writing a longer ode to my love affair with kale in a future post, so stay tuned.

Massaged kale salad and chicken stew
Massaged kale salad and chicken stew

Hearty dinner: This is probably the most time-consuming recipe on the list, but it’s worth it. The Cookin Canuck’s Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa is healthy comfort food at it’s very finest. It has veggies, whole grains, and protein galore, and the way the flavors all blend together is just magical. A bowl of this on a chilly evening is the best!

Dessert for one: If you haven’t tried mug cake yet, you really should. These little single-serve cakes that you make in a mug in the microwave are absolutely necessary when you need to satisfy a craving without wolfing down half a pan of brownies. This chocolate chip cookie mug cake recipe is pretty foolproof, and relatively healthy for a dessert. I usually tend to have the ingredients hanging around, so it’s a perfect last-minute treat. Plus it’s gluten/dairy/soy/corn/potato/egg/coconut free. I promise it still tastes great 🙂

My favorite mug cake
My favorite mug cake

Treats for your besties: I think everyone needs a go-to “wow” recipe to bring to a party–something that you know everyone will love. These Cookie Dough Truffles from Chocolate & Carrots do the trick for me every time. The recipe is a little time consuming (as you have to dip each truffle in chocolate), but they’re well worth it. I usually sacrifice aesthetics and melt the chocolate in the microwave rather than tempering it. They are gluten-free and grain-free but they taste exactly like chocolate covered balls of raw cookie dough, since they use a cashew meal base (easy to find at Trader Joe’s).

What are your go-to recipes? How often do you make things from Pinterest/the blogosphere more than once?

Boston gluten-free: my top three

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I’ve been documenting my GF adventures for a few years now, and have eaten my way through a fair number of gluten-free spots in and around the the city. Below, in no particular order, are three of my favorites. Why these three? They offer affordable, accessible, varied GF options that I keep going back to again and again. So without further ado:

1. Life Alive: Hippie-dippy veggie-loving clean-eating folks, if you haven’t been to Life Alive, get ready to discover your personal food mecca. This uber popular vegetarian Central Square (and also Lowell and Salem) restaurant serves up some of the most delicious bowls, smoothies, soups, and salads in the city. You really can’t go wrong here–every dish is chock-full of veggies, fruit, leafy greens, whole grains, and mind-blowingly delicious sauces. Don’t be dissuaded by the line out the door, Life Alive is worth the wait. Plus, if you’re in a hurry, you can always call in your order ahead of time and skip the line to pick it up! My personal favorite combo is a demi bowl (try the Green Goddess–avocado, broccoli, kale, brown rice, and sprouted legumes–I add squash for an extra treat) and an Eros Alive smoothie (strawberries, bananas, dates, and almond milk–heaven with the addition of vegan ice cream). The staff here are super helpful and can make almost any menu item GF. Every time I eat here I feel full, happy, and energized. Even if you’re not generally a super healthy eater, check out Life Alive. Your body will thank you. ImageThe goddess–one of my faves!

2. Otto Pizza: Enough waxing on about health food, let’s get down to business and talk about the gluten free holy grail: delicious pizza. I was super sad last year when my favorite Zing Pizza closed, therefore super jazzed to see that the Portland, Maine based Otto Pizza is now offering a GF crust. Otto is doing a great job with their GF offerings–you can get almost all of their crazy topping combinations on a small-ish 10” pizza cooked in its own separate pan. My favorite so far is the number 9: butternut squash, ricotta and cranberry. The crust has a little bit of chewiness to it and is thin but substantive enough to hold all of those delicious toppings. This pizza is not cheap, but it’s worth it–with a side salad the 10” pie could be two or so servings, and it clocks in at around $16. More to come in a future post on the other GF pizza options in Boston!

ImageButternut squash, ricotta, and cranberries.

3. The Friendly Toast: Moving one more step away from my first virtuous and healthy recommendation, we’ve gotten to my favorite meal of the week: the ever-popular brunch. Like pretty much every other yuppie, I can’t wait to roll out of bed on the weekends (after 10 am, naturally) and head out for some cheesy eggs, crispy potatoes, and the world’s most giant mug of coffee. Since I’ve started eating GF, though, I’ve been jonesing for a delicious stack of pancakes and a side of toast to mop up my yolks. Enter: The Friendly Toast! For just $1 extra, this kitschy Kendall Square spot will make most of their their plate-sized pancakes gluten free. Beware, these things are HUGE, and also fluffy, moist, and tasty. I usually can’t eat more than one! If you really want to indulge, I recommend the King Cakes–with bananas, peanut butter, chocolate chips, fresh whipped cream, and bacon. Their omelettes (served with gluten free toast if you ask) and pint-size mimosas are also not to be missed, so come hungry and thirsty. The waits here can get a little out of hand between 10:30 and 1:30ish on weekends, so I recommend picking your favorite friend and grabbing the first two bar stools that open up. Or coming any other time. Nobody said you can’t eat your GF pancakes for dinner!ImageThe ultimate indulgence–the king cakes! Pancakes with banana, peanut  butter, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and BACON.

What are your all-time favorite gluten free spots in Boston? Spill!

– Leah