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RECIPES

RECIPES

Recipe: Open-Faced Hummus, Tomato, Cucumber, Feta Sandwich

Sometimes you just need a quick, healthy, “no cook” meal that can be prepared in a few minutes. When I am short on time and want a fresh, healthy lunch, I turn to this open-faced vegetarian sandwich with hummus, tomato, cucumber, and feta. With toasted whole grain bread and a drizzle of BBQ sauce for a touch of sweetness, this sandwich has just the right amount of crunch, savory and sweet.

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RECIPES

Recipe: Chicken Thighs with Edamame, Butternut Squash and Curried Brown Rice

Back when I lived in Boston, I would challenge myself to cook something new every week. While I haven’t been able to keep up the weekly cadence since moving to London, I still try to make a delicious home-cooked meal when I can.

For this recipe, I paired a few favorites together for a simple, yet healthy meal with chicken thighs, edamame, butternut squash and brown rice. Curry and tumeric, plus salt and pepper add additional flavor to the dish. I love making a vat of this and portioning it out for my lunches for the workweek. It keeps really well over the course of a week.

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RECIPES

Recipe: Hearty Kale, Sweet Potato, Avocado and Grilled Chicken Salad

When I was a child, my mother could not get me to eat anything besides hot dogs and mac ‘n’ cheese. As an adult, my culinary preferences could not be more opposite. I crave healthier, whole foods and love tucking into a massive, satisfying salad. Inspired by the left overs in my fridge, here is a quick and easy salad that I whipped up recently over the weekend featuring kale, sweet potato, avocado and grilled chicken.

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LIFE UPDATES

April 2015 In Photos

It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’re not traveling a ton. Compared to March, where I was quite the jetsetter, April found me exploring London, trying new recipes and other fun unexpected adventures.

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The month started with lots of long walks around London. The above photo is from my happy place – Regent’s Park, but I also ventured to a number of other places, including…

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A lovely walk along Embankment Bridge and South Bank on a sunny day.

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…And exploring a very cool hidden garden within one of London’s ugliest buildings, The Barbican.

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I also got to partake in a mixology class. My first ever – suffice to say, mixing up amazing cocktails is a LOT harder than it looks!

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For a country that has a reputation for being grey and rainy, there sure seemed to be a lot of sunshine this month. I definitely appreciate sunny days a lot more now that I live in London – a bright day like this immediately turns into an outdoorsy day! Here I am pictured exploring Hyde Park.

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An interesting trend in London has been experiential museum exhibits from luxury brands. A great way to immerse oneself in the brand’s history and craftsmanship, I loved exploring Hermès Wanderland at London’s Saatchi Gallery. Fun fact: this gallery always has really cool exhibits on and is free!

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This month also resulted in a number of cool discoveries – including a velvet-wrapped Rolls Royce. Only in London!

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I also explored a few cool spots around London, including The Artesian at The Langham, repeatedly named one of the best cocktail bars in the world!

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On a healthier note, I finally got to try a juice to go at Roots & Bulbs in Chelsea. The green apple, strawberry and coconut H2O was a refreshing pick-me-up after tons of walking.

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I also discovered a new favorite place for hot yoga and green smoothies – Triyoga! Very calming, I am smitten and will definitely be back. The Soho location adjacent to Carnaby Street also makes for a nice spot for grab & go smoothies and healthy vegan/vegetarian eats.

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Unfortunately not all of the month generated zen-like bliss. I had a stressful morning when my shower blew a major fuse and knocked out all of the power to my flat. I’ve never lived in a flat where everything is electric – including the shower! It’s kind of like a scene in a horror movie when you’re in the shower and everything goes black. It took about a week to get my shower back up and running – THANK GOODNESS I had a gym 10 minutes away.

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Luckily, the £2 morning coffee and pastry deal at Carluccio’s is EXACTLY what one needs to ‘recover’ from such traumatic experiences.

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As is getting AMAZING and unexpected presents from dear friends. My friend Betsy Weber totally made my month by sending me my lego mini me in the mail! Side bar: When you’re an expat, mail from home is always an amazing surprise. It may be hard – and expensive – to send large packages, but a simple letter is always a thoughtful gesture!

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I also went to Pret A Diner, a very cool bohemian traveling dinner party. This one was hosted at the posh Hotel Cafe Royal in London and was an incredible experience. I would have blogged about it, but the lighting doesn’t do it justice.

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I also cooked up a storm this month, including a Chicken, veggie and brown rice stir-fry.

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And chicken thighs with edamame, butternut squash and curried brown rice. Yummmmm!

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Spiced cauliflower couscous was also a success!

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As was a breakfast treat in the form of a matcha, banana, watermelon and protein smoothie.

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Thank you April for a great month. Who’s ready to ‘hop’ into May? 🙂