Blog – Page 9 – Laura March

The Reluctant Vegan

March 7, 2009/0 Comments/in to do, vegan

Found out last night that I’m allergic to cow’s milk (not lactose, but the proteins in milk – whey/casein) as well as egg whites. Not good news for a lacto–ovo–pesca vegetarian! I had some blood tests taken after getting hives and feeling sick after eating seafood. Turns out scallops and tuna had nothing to do with it…but I still don’t feel comfortable trying them again.

Anyway, I’m supposed to cut out dairy and eggs for at least a week, and see how I feel. Then I can slowly start re-introducing foods and figure out what I can eat. Can you even imagine living without cheese, ice cream and milk chocolate?

To Do:
1. Buy rice and beans
2. Figure out how to cook rice and beans
3. Check out vegan chocolate, cookies, soymilk
4. Stop pining for a Shamrock Shake

In Like a Lion

March 4, 2009/0 Comments/in coupon, websites

March certainly made its entrance! In such terribly cold weather, there’s really nothing to do besides eat oatmeal and hang out indoors. Luckily, Jamba Juice is giving away $1 oatmeal with this coupon until the end of the month. Last night I had the blackberry/blueberry combo, and I’m wondering if I should get banana tonight. That might be oatmeal overload.

Anyway, I’ve also spent a lot of time working on my website (and not venturing out into the arctic wilds of the Upper East Side). If you have the time/inclination, check my progress at www.lauramarch.com. I’d love to hear any suggestions on how to make it better!

Warm thoughts!

Confessions of a Shopaholic vs. He’s Just Not That Into You

March 2, 2009/0 Comments/in movies

It was a double-feature chick-flick weekend, with Confessions on Saturday and HJNTIY today. I hate to admit it, but I really was excited to see them (esp. HJNTIY). However, they both fell a little flat.

Confessions just had terrible timing, and I’m not sure many twentysomething girls could empathize with Isla Fischer’s character — even if we love her hair. When it comes down to it, we’d much rather pay our rent than buy the next hot Gucci bag. And I’ve worked in publishing (albeit online, across the floor from our magazine counterparts) for awhile now, and I can promise you the field isn’t nearly that glamorous. I’m pretty sure no Editorial Assistants, Associates or even Managing Editors make enough money to afford the lifestyles described in the plot. Probably because we can be replaced so easily.

I really did have my hopes up for HJNTIY, but it felt a little like an extended lecture. Perhaps it would’ve been more enlightening if I didn’t already believe in its message — if a guy acts like a jerk, he’s not worth your time.

Girls, I’m serious. If a guy acts like a jerk, he’s not worth your time. Wouldn’t you rather be reading a good book or watching Lost In Austen?

Eggos and Lost in Austen

February 27, 2009/0 Comments/in TV

Had a long day at work and wanted to keep tonight really low-key. I heard about a TV series (Lost in Austen) that I really wanted to see — but it’s neither on Netflix nor playing on any of my TimeWarner channels for the next few weeks. So I did a quick google and found that surfthechannel.com had a few links to stream it online! It took awhile to load, but it’s now safe to say that I’m obsessed with the BBC miniseries.

And for my low-key dinner? Eggos with fake bacon. Yum!

Balthazar

February 25, 2009/1 Comment/in restaurants, to do

Checked out Balthazar, a downtown bistro, for the first time this past weekend. Dinner was great — I’m still worried about allergies so I opted for vegetarian fair. But the onion tart and house salad (with salted ricotta) didn’t disappoint.

Balthazar. What a great name. Makes me think of Vigo the Carpathian from Ghostbusters 2. Also reminds me of my favorite name of all: Hrothgar.

To Do List:
1. Make friends with Danes and ask if there are still any Hrothgars around
2. Rent Ghostbusters
3. Learn how to make an onion and gruyere tart (preferably in toaster oven)

Mac and Cheese

February 22, 2009/0 Comments/in comfort food, recipes

I don’t believe there’s anything better than homemade comfort food. Today my mother and I spent the afternoon making dinner. Well, I “made” the salad while she created her version of the Barefoot Contessa’s Mac and Cheese. It was fabulous!

I only recently realized you don’t have to follow a recipe exactly to make something good. For the mac, Mom left out the tomatoes, bacon, and breadcrumbs, and we were still licking out plates! Last weekend I made Challah French Toast (adapted from Epicurious’ Croissant French Toast recipe) but didn’t have any orange peel. I’m sure no one noticed. Man, that was a tasty brunch.

Anyway, I think I’m going to try that Mac and Cheese recipe soon, maybe even cut it in half and cook it in the toaster oven. I don’t use my oven very often, since I have to turn on the gas and manually light the bottom. I’m always afraid of catching on fire when I stick my arm that far back into the stove…

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