Super Foods

Last year I read this book called "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall at the insistence of a good friend.

Don't be discouraged by the title. This book is not only for runners, and it's a great read for anyone into athletics or great story telling (or both).

McDougall's main focus throughout the novel is a tribe in Mexico called the Tarahumara- a group of "superathletes" who derive their unmatchable speed and endurance from seeds.

No, I'm not kidding.

For thousands of years, the Tarahumara have depended on a seed called Chia, a teensy tiny little thing PACKED with Omega-3's, fiber, protein, antioxidants, AND calcium. Basically these things make it possible for the Tarahumara to run sprint 100 miles (again, not kidding)... and enjoy it.

So I really shouldn't have been surprised when I was walking through Whole Foods and saw half an aisle dedicated to Chia. Chia seeds, chia drinks, chia powders, chia snacks, chia bars, chia shot packets.... the list goes on and on.

My mom and I, being runners and having read Born to Run, were pumped. We weren't saying it, but in my head (and I'm sure she was thinking it too) I was like "SWEET! Imma be a super animal beast runner, trick!!" So we bought a couple of things to try out the chia trend.

One being a drink called "Chia Mamma" (Cherry Lime flavor)

Ok, Imma say it. It was NASTY. Its slimy and tastes artificial, and I don't care if it gives me running super powers, I am NOT drinking that stuff again. However, if the idea of melted Jello is appealing to you, grab a bottle. But consider yourself warned!

Its funny how America is so bipolar in its eating habits. We're gorging ourselves on fast food, yet all these so-called "super foods" are showing up everywhere and being obsessed about.

The thing is, we can't eat like crap 90% of the time and eat super foods occasionally and expect to benefit from them. If you give your body crap, you'd better expect it to be crappy right back to you.

So here's my philosophy on food-

If a food has an ingredient that you cant pronounce- don't eat it.
If you don't know what an ingredient looks like- don't eat it.
If it's shelf life is suspiciously long- don't eat it.
If it's unnaturally technicolored- don't eat it.

Eat things that make your body FEEL good! If you eat something and feel sick or tired or nasty afterwords, listen to your body! Whatever you just put in it is no bueno.

Eat natural, eat fresh, eat simple, eat local- THAT is eating healthy, THAT is eating well, and I guarantee that natural, fresh, simple, local foods taste REALLY good!

Happy eating! And treat your body well :) Its the only one you've got!!
Martha

Summer Noms

Happy summer everyone!!

I've always loved summer (only a crazy person wouldn't)- the sun, the laziness, the traveling, the weather, the messing around, and, especially, the noms.

(noms= food)

This summer is really cool for me because I'm just chilling HARD instead of traveling all over the place like I normally do in the summer.

Except not really. I work five days a week for 7 hours a day in the oppressive Texas sun... and I LOVE it. Sure its exhausting, but I'm coaching sailing with some really cool people, and I'm basically getting paid (minimum wage... lawl) to mess around with my friends and some boats.

But I digress. People I write to you with heart-stopping, awe-inspiring, earth-shifting news.

....

I ATE SHRIMP, TRICK! AND TUNA, DOG!

Try not to die from shock.

It happened on the fourth of July. My incredible chef Uncle made us a primarily sous-vide feast of asparagus with prosciutto, French potato salad (in a vinaigrette, absolutely no mayo), ratatouille (courtesy of my Momma), shrimp cocktail and grilled tuna steaks.

The latter two things on the list made me go like this.... o.O

Except I was like, "Screw this. It's the 4th of July. There are no excuses on AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY, DANGIT!!"

So I ate some shrimp. And after my first bite, I was like "Aight, this is pretty good!" So I had some more.

And then I was like "Yea Shrimp I showed you whats up, Tuna you're going down!" And so I tried some and I was like "Where have you been all my life?!"

It was borderline magical. I would have eaten a lot more than I did, but it was such a new taste to me that I had to take it slow... that and I had already gorged myself on sides :3

But in all seriousness I'm not afraid anymore. Someone can put a shrimp in front of me now without sending me into disgust-induced scaredy cat lock down.

Eleanor, don't try anything!

Tuna salad, on the other hand, is going to be a different story.


Please comment and let me know about your summer eating adventures!!

Coming soon- a post on a famous Kemah dive with a whoooooleeee lot of quirkiness.

Martha

Kubo's

Sushi has always scared me. Raw fish? Seaweed? I was always like, "Count me out, y'all, I'ma pass on that nastiness."

So when my friends suggested sushi the other night for dinner, I wasn't pumped. At all. Because I KNEW they would pull the "for the blog!!" line and then I would be forced to choke down raw fish nuggets. Lord, I'm dramatic.

Anyway, we went to this joint called Kubo's in the middle of Rice Village because its "Cheap, fresh, and always good."

Much to my surprise, this turned out to be true. Kubo's was good, y'all! And while I chickened out a little bit and got the vegetable rolls, I wasn't afraid to try what everyone else ordered.

Biggest deal of all? I tried a crunchy eel roll. O.o

It was scary, but I did it! It had two different kinds of caviar on it, and it made me gag a wee teensy bit (not gonna lie) because it was big, but besides that it was goooood.

Please enjoy this photo evidence of me preparing to eat the eel roll (and pleassseeee ignore my atrocious chopstick skills and the fact that my left hand is apparently unable to operate in stressful situations)

In other news, I'm going to try and incorporate some other stuff into this blog besides food... so enjoy this cover of Pursuit of Happiness by Lissie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQMJCOT2wlQ

Cookies.

I am a cookie girl. Chewy, crunchy, chocolatey, nutty, peanut butter-y, crispy... you name it, I love it. Unfortunately, I was never much of a baker (my first chocolate chip cookie baking adventure produced burnt masses of dough with more eggshell than chocolate in them... sorry 6th grade English class!), so keeping my addiction alive and well was wasn't as convenient as it could have been.

Until I made these:

Hellooooo my pretties! These cookies are straight up the prettiest things I've ever made, and aren't a total pain in the butt to make. If you're like me, then you are the least efficient baker ever, so they take a while to make, but no fancy skills are needed.

They are, however, particular. If the butter is too warm, they flatten like pancakes and get all greasy. If you bake them too long, they get super flat and chewy. AND DON'T FORGET THE PARCHMENT PAPER ON THE COOKIE SHEET!! If you do then you'll end up with one giant sheet of dough (no bueno).

They're a big hit with everyone- chewy, spicy, and flavorful. They go great with vanilla ice cream... but just a warning: its really hard to eat only one!

Here's the recipe:
Makes 2 dozen, 5 mins prep time (HA!!), TOTAL: 35 minutes + cooling time

1/3 cup granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light... I use light)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup light or dark molasses (NOT blackstrap!)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp ginger (same thing as ground ginger root)
1/2 tsp ground cloves (use a coffee grinder, or buy ground at the grocery store)
1/4 tsp allspice
be liberal with the spices!!
1/4 tsp ground pepper (grind very fine so no one gets a peppercorn!!)
1/4 tsp salt

Adjust oven wrack to middle position and heat to 375.

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, pepper and salt in medium bowl and set aside.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, about 30 secs. Beat in molasses until combined, scraping down the bowl and the beaters as needed.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. The dough will be soft and pliable.

4. Using damp hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough (I do a little less than this, about a tablespoon) into a ball and roll in granulated sugar to coat, then place on parchment lined baking sheets... leave about 2 inches between balls.

Bake ONE SHEET AT A TIME for 10-12 minutes, and rotate baking sheet half way through.

The cookies will be ready when they have cracks on the top. They will look underdone, but they continue to cook after coming out of the oven... just make sure the edges are set.

Enjoy and let me know how the come out!!

Happy baking,
Martha

Cafe Express

click the title to link to cafe express's website!

Who remembers the Zach Attack? It was pretty much my staple meal as a kid- shell pasta with marinara sauce and a side of fruit. Simple, simple, simple. No frills, just carbs (which pretty much describes how I ate ALL the time before I started to branch out).

If you remember the Zach Attack, then I applaud you. You, dear reader, are obviously as loyal to Cafe Yum Express as I am.

However, if you do remember the Zach Attack, you also remember Cafe Express in its early years. Whoever owned the chain sold the restaurant, and the new guys promptly screwed it up. The menu was boring, the service was sub-par, and the overall experience of eating there pretty much sucked.

So then the first owner got his head on straight and bought it back from those evil, evil people who ran it into the ground, and now its a better, more exciting version of its first self. Makeover!!

Cafe Express has something for everyone. Sandwiches, soups, salads, fancy-pants entrees, sides, and a SUPER simple kids meal (which is totally perfect). Its a true American menu, but with sophistication, prominent Mediterranean influence, and a side of awesome.

That being said, Cafe Express isn't perfect. The portions are on the large side, and sometimes the meals come out too quickly to be made 100% to order.

However, that doesn't keep me from eating there pretty much once a week. You can't keep me from those sweet potato fries (swoon) for too long until I start to get grumpy. Its so close to my house that its become my go-to, and I haven't been disappointed in the quality since I've become a regular.

My favorites are the Chicken Rustica sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries (lunch) and the Pasta Amore (dinner).

The sandwich is, no lie, one of the best ever to grace my taste buds. The acidity of the tapenade, pesto, and vinaigrette work perfectly with the carbs of the grilled chicken and ciabatta bread. And the red onions and spring mix salad top it off with a really fresh taste. Deeeeeeelish!

Pasta Amore is just that- LOVE. Olive oil+tapenade+artichoke heart= ZOMGYUM (OMG, YUM! I feel the need to explain some of my terms every so often)!!!

So the next time you're looking for a quick meal that's more on the healthy side, find your nearest Cafe Express (there's a good number of them all across Houston)... Maybe I'll see you there!!

HAPPY EATING!

PS- I'd love to hear about what you order, because my usuals are great, but I'm always looking for something new!

PPS- Tell me what I can do better! Leave a comment with suggestions on content, PLEASE... I'd appreciate any and all constructive criticism!

DEDICATED TO PAR, MINDY, AND ANONYMOUS x 2!

Ok, y'all are the cutest. This week has been 'rill (read: really) exciting for this little 'ol blog here.

My lacrosse girls showed my site to their Spanish teacher ("blog" was one of their vocal words) and she likes it! People seem to enjoy my writing, which is actually super awesome for me, because I recently figured out that I want to be some sort of journalist or columnist when I'm all growed up (sorry, 3 year old self, being a princess is out of the question, especially now that William is almost a married man :( ).

Anyway, I got on to my account just now on my phone and saw something that blew me away...

4 COMMENTS ON MY LATEST POST.

Guys? 4?!? You outdid yourselves!! Honestly, that made me so excited!! Especially since one of them was from a mysterious "PAR". I feel like I should know who this is... But I uhh... Don't.

Awkward. So, PAR, if you're reading this, THANK YOU. Also, shoutout to "anonymous",Mindy, and other anonymous- I love you guys!!

So the point of this post was to say Thank You! Thanks for reading, for sharing, for commenting (PAR, Mindy, and anonymous x 2) and for eating (LAWL felt like I needed another and "eating" sOUNDS pretty lame but it's there so oh well).

Keep checking back for a new post on Park City restaurants and one very popular Houston chain!

Happy Eating,
Martha.

PS- please excuse any words that look out of place. I'm on my phone and I'm too tired to fix the autocorrects/proofread

Haven

Sometimes, things are so wonderful and amazing that there is only one way to describe their existence.

Magic.

Literally, there must be unicorns and garden gnomes running around in the kitchen at Haven, because there is some serious mystical magical energy goin' on in that restaurant.

The folks at Haven describe their restaurant as "a seasonal kitchen." But I say enough with the fancy terms. They should just call it "really super duper yummy delish and fresh things that you will enjoy stuffing in your face." Because that's the best description there is (yeah, I'm not narcissistic... AND OH MY GOD I SPELLED THAT RIGHT ON THE FIRST TRY!!)

I've been to Haven a few times, and my parents go literally anytime they can. My mom swears there's voodoo magic in their cheese grits (she's probably right) and has ordered some for everyone at the table without being asked to on more than one occasion. People may protest, but once they get a bite of that carb-y, cheese-y, buttery goodness, they shut up real fast. One time my mom brought home leftovers and we FOUGHT each other for the last bite. I really wish I was kidding right now.

Anyway, the first time I went to Haven, I thought it was just pretty good. At that point, the restaurant was relatively new, so I'm sort of giving that meal a pass. Don't get me wrong, parts of it were INCREDIBLE (Hello, lemon/olive oil ice cream??)... I just wasn't blown away.

Well. The magic got to me. Last Friday my parents and I went for lunch, and holy moley I don't think it could have been better. Lunch came out super fast, Willie Nelson was playing, I had a coke with REAL sugar, and we talked to our waiter about all the best truck stops/gas stations between here and Austin.

Oh yeah, and our lunches were yummy enough to knock you over and leave you begging for mercy.

I had their chicken puffy tacos with avocado, queso fresco, salsa verde, and sliced radish with a side of black beans. Crazy good. Everything was super fresh and light, the flavors were strong but not overbearing and the tacos were so gosh-darn pretty. The beans got a "meh" (read: alright-ish) rating from me, but I'm really not a black bean girl to begin with. I did like the texture though, they were a little on the al dente side, which added to the lightness of the dish somehow. And the tortillas were the best I've ever had. I live in Texas folks, I've had my fair share of tortillas. These made me want to march into the kitchen and demand to see the chef (a wonderful wizard by the name of Randy) so I could thank him for his existence.

My mom had the pulled pork sandwich.

Texans everywhere- rejoice. This was the yummiest pulled pork I've EVER had. Again, magic is the only explanation. SO many flavors working their booties off in there. Let me tell you, they were WERKIN' IT. God, that sandwich was unbelievable. My mom loved the cilantro cider slaw that came with it (super light, little to no mayo). And everyone practically cried when they tasted the hand cut potato chips.

My dad had the fried shrimp and onion rings (no I didn't try any shrimp- I know, shame). And after the first bite he closed his eyes for a good long time and leaned back to let all the wonderful-ness of it sink in.

Haven gets an A++++++++++. As far as I'm concerned, Randy can do no wrong. On top of all this, Haven is a green restaurant and the majority of the ingredients used are locally produced. It does a great job of reflecting the classic tastes of Texas onto newer, more thoughtful plates and adding new twists to old classics. The dinner menu may be daunting at first, but I promise you, if you're willing to trust Randy, you won't be disappointed. The atmosphere is great, the service is impeccable, and the food speaks for itself (not actually, that would just be weird).

So, the next time you're looking for something new, duck off of Kirby and roll into Haven for some really incredible food!

Happy eating!

(PS- if you liked this post, or if you like my blog, please send it to your friends, post my link to your own blog, or share through Facebook! I'd really appreciate it!)

Gigi's (click for website link)

Good golly, how tech savvy am I (click da title foolz)??

Ok, I've added a new restaurant to my favorites. Gigi's is literally the bomb. Its this super cool Asian bistro in the Galleria and its all secret and there's mood lighting and Russian men doing shots at the bar and fabulous women in sky-high heels and oh yeah THIS ROOM.

(photo courtesy of Gigi's website)

The "Cherry Blossom Room" is smack dab in the middle of the room with 2 bars flanking its side and acting as the entrances. They also have a room with private tables with curtains to separate you from the rest of the restaurant if you so wish (hot date anyone?).

When I walked into the Cherry room I practically face planted on the gorgeous dark stained floors (which could be due to the fact that I was wearing heels- something I NEVER do). Actually though, this room is the prettiest, most amazing thing I have ever seen, and I could have spent all night sitting on the floor and staring at the ceiling. I lurved it.

Not as much as I loved the food however...

Good lord, I waddled out of Gigi's feeling like I had eaten for 4 people for a week. And its not that the food was heavy, its that the food was amazing.

Also, don't judge me. I don't know the difference between its and it's (sorry Mrs. W!!)

I was there for a girlfrand's 16th birthday party and I had heard good things about Gigi's... but I was still a wee bit apprehensive. My family has ok-ish Chinese pretty much once a week, and I've never been wow-ed by Chinese food.

Well, ladies and gents, prepare to be wow-ed. And to have your socks knocked off, and washed, and bleached, and tumble dried, and placed gently back on your feet by the heavenly deliciousness that is Gigi's food.

We had crispy spring rolls, pot stickers and shrimp dumplings to start.

Wait a second... whaaaa? SHRIMP? YES MAM PRESSED HAM (props to Mr. Thibs for that line).

I ate a shrimp dumpling. 2 in fact, because the first one was so scrumptious that my taste buddies were just begging for more. So I threw 'em a bone and ate another.

All of the appetizers were perfect. The flavors were great, the textures were balanced, and everything looked so pretty on the plate.

For the main course we had "RETURN OF THE PHOENIX" and if that doesn't describe how awesome this dish was, then I don't know what will. It was a lot like General Tsu's chicken, but with this great crunch. Only way to describe it with justice: Magical. Like, so magical it was on the same plane as garden gnomes and unicorns.

We also had shrimp pad thai (ate some of THAT too- whaddap?), Hunan green beans, and veggie fried rice. All were as delish as the main course.

All in all, Gigi's gets a bazillion million gold stars. The entire experience there couldn't have been better, and the food. My god, the food. Words aren't enough. So get your skinny little butt down to the Galleria and feast on the perfection that is Gigi's.

Happy eating!