Some New Artwork

I thought I'd take the time to put up some of the new artwork I've done in the past few months. I have a few additions to the Anatomy Angels plus a healthy start on my "Nature" series which will include dandelions, jellyfish, dragonfly wings and seahorses. These natural being seem to have a translucent quality or glow to them. At least right now that's the only common thread I can think of right now! I plan on working on both series throughout the winter then I will have another showing at Effe Leven plus a few other possibilities.

I will also be under a pound of flour from now till X-mas. I literally bake 400 cookies each holiday season for family and friends. Every year the list gets a bit bigger. I try to give everyone a nice variety but then there's always that one person who is like, "These are great but why didn't you make any ricotta cheese cookies those are my favorite."

Happy Thanksgiving

I’ve been super busy. I can’t believe Thanksgiving is this week! I’ve been working on artwork and some writing for other blogs too. Yeah! I’ve also been dabbling in hypnosis. I have to say I’m thankful for having an i-pod and being able to download lots of cool free hypnosis recordings. The Know More Trances podcasts caught my eye or shall I say ear. Michael White is the Hypnotist Extraordinaire behind those. I had hypnosis years ago and while I thought is was good; I just didn’t think it was great. I was kind of like, "Oh it’s just affirmations". I think my brain needs the repetition of something I can listen to nearly everyday. I respond well to Michael’s creativity. My sleep has improved as Michael says, “you’ll be the sandman’s employee of the month”. I think it’s important to find someone that you resonate well with. I also did a one-on-one session and while I'm not a completely altered human being; I notice subtle changes. I'm giving more importance to my artwork. My ideas are flowing more. I'm more in touch with what is really important to me. I notice subtle improvements in diet, less cravings for sugar, and even my digestion has improved.

Maybe it’s because I just turned 38 but I feel like I have come to really value creativity above just about everything. Is there nothing cooler than creativity? I think creativity trumps all addictions. You have to remember that this blog is coming out of Chicago, which is the land of binge drinking and more coffee consumption than Seattle. Tom Colicchio of Top Chef was quoted as saving this about the Chicago diet, “Sausage is a like a religion.” Healthy living is hard here. I’m planning a big anti-candida diet after the holidays. I don’t eat “sweets” per se but I do eat way too much dark chocolate/cocao, raw food powders that have sugars and I well . . . I like the occasional nip. I will just do my best. I’m going to try this for about 3-6 months. A part of me wonders if it’s really worth it. I won’t be drinking too. No wine, beer, port—all the good stuff. I suppose I could have vodka once in a while but that would be it. Caffeine is out too. I can give up lattes for a while but I like the yerba mate for energy. I can’t imagine yerba mate would increase candida. Again, I do wonder if it is worth it. I may do one vice at a time, sugar first then see if caffeine is really necessary. If I do this will I emerge a brighter, younger, stronger version of myself? Or will I be bitter because of all the fun times I missed out on? I may need more hypnosis . . .

I'm the Queen of Protein Shakes

I just bought a fab e-book, Turbulence Training Fat Loss Workouts by Craig Ballantyne. This program is a nice mix up of traditional “gym class” style body weight exercises and weight lifting. I’ve never known anyone who is both overweight and fast. If you want to be lean, interval training is where it’s at. My legs are getting stronger and my abs are getting more toned. I change up my workouts every 4 weeks and learn new exercises. I highly recommend Craig’s work. He has some great fitness tips on You Tube as well. I’m a visual person so it helps me to see how these exercises should be done.

Along with working out, who doesn’t love a good protein shake? I’ve never had a better protein powder than Jay Robb’s Chocolate Egg White Protein. Due to a dairy allergy I can’t do his Whey protein powders. He makes a vanilla one which is good too. I also put his unflavored egg white protein powder into soups. It works especially well in vegetarian soups that don’t already have a lot of protein such as Trader Joe’s Split Pea. You can add it to oatmeal or cereals as well.

A Bunch O' Recipes:

My Everyday Yummy Chocolate Protein Shake:
Organic Cocoa powder or raw chocolate powder (with no sugar) – 1-2 TBS
Kefir – about half to one cup (I can’t do regular milk, only fermented dairy works for me)
Jay Robb choc egg white protein powder – usually 2 scoops, an awesome 50 grams of protein!
*Maca – 1 tbs
**Mesquite meal – 1-2 TBS which sweetens everything nicely without adding “sugar”
One raw egg (yep, you read right)
I’ll add a bit of water and some ice cubes to make it less thick and increase the blendability (is that a word? Can you tell I work with consultants?)

Fancy Version of Chocolate Protein Shake:
Do everything above but add:
A pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and and/or nutmeg
A pinch of sea salt
1 tsp of vanilla extract
You could even add chili spices and make it taste as yummy as an exotic Vosage chocolate

And Another Fancy Version of Chocolate Protein Shake:
This is for the person who is not on a low carb diet
Coconut water from young coconuts and blend the coconut meat too
Ice Cubes
Organic Cocoa powder or raw choc powder (with no sugar) – 1-2 TBS
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of nutmeg
Jay Robb choc. egg white protein powder – 1-2 scoops

Chai Tea Protein Shake:
Black tea (and or ice cubes made with black tea) – maybe 4-5 cubes
Cocoa powder – 1-2 TBS
Kefir or milk – half to one cup
Cardamom – start small 1/8 tsp build up to taste
Cinnamon – a pinch
Jay Robb choc. egg white protein powder
Maca – 1 tbs
Mesquite meal – 1-2 TBS

Chocolate Coconut Protein Shake:
Organic Cocoa powder (with no sugar) – 1-2 TBS
Coconut Kefir Water (as made per Body Ecology book recipe) or simply Coconut water if you don’t care about carbs, you can even add the coconut meat too
Or . . . 1/3 cup of coconut milk (light version works great too) with some ice cubes
Jay Robb choc. egg white protein powder – 1-2 scoops
Mesquite meal – 1-2 TBS
1-2 TBS coconut oil (I use it every day for my thyroid)
I’ll add a bit of water to blend easier

Vanilla Protein Shake
Jay Robb’s Vanilla protein powder – 1-2 scoops
Vanilla extract
A pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and or nutmeg
1-2 raw eggs (makes it nice and thick)
1-2 TBS mesquite meal
Kefir or milk - again half to one cup, you are the boss

Tahini-Vanilla Protein Shake
Jay Robb’s Vanilla protein powder – 1-2 scoops
Vanilla extract
1-2 TBS of Tahini
1-2 raw eggs (makes it nice and thick)
1-2 TBS mesquite meal
Kefir or milk - again half to one cup
*If you are not on a low carb diet, a banana (especially frozen) is a good addition too

*Maca is a root that grows in the high mountains of Peru. Rich in nutritional content (potassium, and calcium), it is a natural hormonal balancer which provides great health benefits for both, men and women. Due to its high nutritional value, it is not only popular as a sexual libido enhancer and menopause symptoms helper, but also greatly affects energy, stamina, depression, memory, and more. It’s great for the adrenals. I will warn you though, too much and you will be humping people’s legs like a dog. It really is a libido enhancer so start off small and build from there. You can find maca in raw powder form at health food stores or raw food stores. In Chicago you can get it at Lifespring Health Foods near Clark and Belmont or Karyn’s raw food store/restaurant on Halsted.

**Mesquite Meal is made by finely milling the seeds and pods of the Mesquite Tree. It can be used as a flour or a spice. It has a lot of calcium which is a nice counterbalance to all the chocolate powder, which is full of magnesium. It also has a slight butterscotchy taste plus it’s fairly low in carbs.

I swear these protein shakes taste great and I should now as I have suffered through a lot of bad protein powders. I’m picky too. I don’t like the taste of stevia either which the Jay Robb protein does have but not so much that it is bothersome plus the other ingredients (thankfully) overpower it. Of course there are a dozen more variations such as adding peanut butter or almond butter or your favourite choice of fruit, stevia or agave nectar. You could also give Starbucks a run for their money and use your favourite coffee as a base too or freeze into ice cubes and blend. Why waste left-over coffee or tea when you can freeze it and blend it up later.

Now I really want to figure out a way to make a good tasting but low carb version of Strawberry Quick or my old pre-dairy allergy fave the DQ butterscotch malt. I may be pushing 40 but I don’t think I’ll ever lose my childhood white trash palette.

Whirling Dervishes

Upon looking at my "Things to do List Before I Die" one thing I wanted to see was whirling dervishes dance. Some people want to swim with dolphins, I want to see Whirling Dervishes. Last Friday night I saw (and heard) the Ensemble Al-Kindi & Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, Richard Hagopian’s Kef Time Ensemble at Millenium Park. It was truly magical. There were two dancers. They did a total of four "sets". Every movement is a graceful symbol of their devotion. I noticed that one foot seems to pivot while the other moves about. Fascinating and beautiful.

My Art Opening at Effe Levin

My art opening was last night and despite the rain I had an amazing turnout. It literally went from summer to fall in one short day thanks to hurricane Gustav. I arrived at the opening with my shoes and pant legs dripping wet. I started to feel like I was getting a cold but after a few warm smiles and a glass of wine I managed to recover pretty quickly . When you take public trans everywhere there is no escaping getting wet on a day like that.

Effe Levin is a new gallery in River North, one of Chicago prime gallery districts. It's a beautiful space and I was proud to a part of this show celebrating Women Artists, also partnered with the Chicago Artists' Coalition. My work is very unusual so it always surprises me when people love my work. Anyway, here are some shots from my show.

Here’s My One-Woman-Probiotically-Enhanced-Frozen-Yogurt Review

I have dairy allergies although I can handle some dairy such as raw goat or sheep milk, fermented sheep feta and a small portion of these new frozen yogurts that are popping up everywhere. Even if you don’t have allergies these treats are pretty low in calories compared to the other colossal sundaes and "blasts". So here’s what I thought:

Starfruit
The nice people at Skirt PR sent me an invite for their opening night celebration. Let me go on record to say that Starfruit is the first of it’s kind to open a shop like this. I was treated to a free yogurt with any toppings that I wanted. Most of these yogurt places have a selection of various fresh or dried fruits, nuts, granola, candies or old-time favorite cereals. I tried some coconut flakes and chocolate chips but I think I prefer topping-less—I like it smooth like the DQ whippee cone. Maybe it's some sort of sick form of penis envy but that whippee cone shape really gets me.

Starfruit actually has real kefir not just frozen yogurt. Starfruit gets a big thumbs up. It’s a clean and beautiful store. They will let you try samples. The staff is friendly and helpful and yes, the product is delicious. I have been back a few times. The blueberry and peach are also really good. I have yet to try the smoothies, they were out of the cappuccino the last time I was there. I was a little bummed as the thought of coffee and frozen yogurt together is too good. Two vices in one! Starfruit is open till 11 pm which helps too.

Red Mango
Evanston has a small frozen yogurt shop from the Red Mango chain near the Davis stop. It’s a clean store but really small and gets packed fast. You are better off grabbing your yogurt and eating it outside across the street at the fountain on the corner. They have similar toppings like Starfruit (but not quite as many). One complaint is that I would love to see a shop with chocolate sauce or some sort of fruit sundae sauce. I’m not as into the dry ingredients. I have to say the green tea frozen yogurt is one of the best I have had. According to their Web site one serving is only 90 calories. You can you try samples. I’ve gone twice and the staff was helpful without being overly chatty, calm and helpful if you will.

Stone Cold Creamery
They now have a probiotically enhanced low-calorie frozen yogurt to compete with the rest. I avoided this store in my neighborhood because I’m more down with the local ethnic Mom and Pops than I am the chains but it was hot and I had just worked out so I thought I’d give it a shot. I had it plain and simple, no toppings or sauces and it was good but not the best. Plus there is something odd and seemingly unsanitary about the whole Stone Cold experience of how they take the ice cream plop it on a counter and mix it up. It’s just weird to me. Out of all the frozen yogurt places they are the unfriendliest. They will let you try samples if you ask, but you get a side of attitude if you ask any questions. I probably could get the yogurt with the sundae toppings but they were so unfriendly I hate to ask yet another question . . . hence the name “Stone Cold”. Their yogurt is probably the most expensive too. The “love it” medium size was nearly $5.00.

Berry Chill
I had read about this locally owned shop and was curious to give it a try. It’s usually crowded so I went on a weeknight right after work. The space is clean and funky although smallish. The staff is super helpful and don’t mind questions or giving out samples. I had the pistachio/original combo swirl and it was delish. Out of all the places I’ve reviewed they have the most toppings even including some local shops like Sarah’s Candies and pie crust parts from PIE. They have even more kooky cereal toppings than the rest of the competition—how about Lucky Charms with that tart yogurt? I sat outside before it got too crowded. This shop is open until 4 am on Friday and Saturday nights. I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Berry Chill has new flavors each month, I kinda wish I didn’t know this since I was hoping to give up frozen yogurt by September. Now I will want to try all these new flavors.

UFoodGrill
Although not really a “yogurt” place they do have really yummy frozen yogurt. You can get the tart original. “Tart” is their word not mine for the "plain" flavor or raspberry, you can get a mix of both. I had the original, which was very good although I had bit of tummy bloat from it. UFoodGrill is a new healthy lunch spot and all I can say is “finally”. The other food is really good there and it is very crowded. The staff does not have time to chat about frozen yogurt but I wouldn’t call them all out “rude”.

A few honorable mentions:

Annette’s Italian Ice
Annette’s doesn’t have frozen kefir but the Italian Ice is non-dairy and they do have some really creamy flavors like chocolate hazelnut. Speaking of flavors I have never seen an Italian Ice shop with so many different flavors. I like anything with coconut too. Their staff is near the Armitage brown line and on hot days they have lines outside their window. Again, friendly peeps and they will let you try a few flavors.

Dunkin Donuts
I have to give DD an honorable mention here. While I doubt it has a lot of probiotic gusto their non-sugar frozen yogurt is really good and you can get it in sundae format if you chose. Surprisingly, it didn’t bother my tummy.

So overall I would say:

Best Tasting goes to Red Mango and Starfruit a very very close second

Best Atmosphere goes to Starfruit

Most Helpful Staff ties Berry Chill and Starfruit

Best Toppings goes to Berry Chill

Easiest to Digest goes to Starfruit, I think their product is the real deal and probably the most fermented out of all the others. Now enjoy the food porn, ohh ahh.

Festivals-A-Go-G0

I have been a very very bad blogger. I just got really busy at work with a special project and trying to go to all my fave festivals. I managed to hit the Whole Foods Flavor Fest which is always worth the price of admission. Talk about scoring a bunch of freebies and lots of wheat free stuff too. I was hoping Temptations ice (soy) cream was there this year but no such luck. Although this summer I have eaten my weight in probiotically enhanced frozen yogurt. I’ll include a review in another blog.

The Glenwood Park Arts Fest didn’t disappoint. I really enjoy the relaxed vibe of the creative community in Rogers Park. Lake Side Café provided some yummy vegan corn dogs (my only one all summer) and I had some good beer from Morseland. I've actually been enjoying beer this summer. I used to hate it. I have to say moderation is key. It’s so great when I can just have one or two and be set. After have one major hangover this summer I definitely learned the hard way what I can/can’t handle. It’s ironic the healthier you get the less likely you are able to handle toxins, or perhaps your body is just more aware of the affects. Being hypoglycaemic too makes it hard for me to put it away in typical Chicago binge-drinking fashion. Drinking makes me want to eat crap. My pattern is usually something like this = have a drink, start craving crappy food. Have another drink then I need protein to balance out the “wobbly”, then I have to have coffee to sort of wake myself up again. Nourishing Traditions author Sally Fallon believes that cravings for alcohol are really about our body craving fermented drinks like Kombucha Tea. I buy it every now and then when I want the taste without the hassle.

I also went to Greek Fest for the first time which was lovely. I went during the day for lunch. I think night time would probably be even more fun with the rousing music. I had a glass of Rodity’s wine. I usually don’t like Roses but this hit the spot with my Greek platter. I’ve been craving a Gyros for the least two weeks. I usually eat really clean but summer is hard for me to be completely 100%. Once fall hits I will probably do another cleanse of some sort. I enjoy the ethnic fests more than I do the A-typical fests with the same lemon shake-ups, bands and the inflatable fringed figures waving in the air.

Over the weekend I went to Jazz Fest and the summer night was perfect. I have to make one summer trip to the Buckingham Fountain. The night light show is lovely. Sunday I went to Polish Fest, another first time for me. Elevation was playing so I thought—why not? Elevation is a U2 Cover band and they are awesome. The have a way of gathering a nice crowd of people. I was watching this hilarious (“wobbly”) older man dancing with as many girls as he could by the front of the stage. Good beer here too. I tend to like the foreign beers. I’m kind of all over the place. I like the light Stella Artois as well as some of the new dark chocolate brews. I ate way too much . . . I had a stuffed cabbage plate with kraut, then I had a frozen cappuccino and beer. The music helped me dance off some of the bloat. Reminder to self: your stomach is only the size of your fist.

This is the first summer that I have been sad to see fall come. Although there are more festivals this September. Next weekend is Oktoberfest, then the Celtic Fest and I think that’s it. Next year, I will try to hit only the ones I missed or really really like. When your fun starts to feel like “a to do” list it’s no longer fun. Fall will bring a cleanse and some time to go “within” and work on my art and re-build my insides for next summer.