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Original Cyn

A Journey Through Life

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Some Favorite Summer Salads

June 21, 2017 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

Over the years I have been looking for healthier recipes to enjoy as either a side or entree. Here are a few recipes that I have enjoyed, especially during the summer months.

 

Deconstructed Guacamole Salad

I found this recipe when I was looking for something to make with ripe avocados. I didn’t want to do my usual quick-prep of cutting them up and adding to my basic salad. I love guacamole so when I found this recipe I was thrilled and gave it a try.

I loved how refreshing and satisfying it was by itself. I baked some pita chips and used them for some crunch with the salad.

For an alternative recipe I would add some red onion to kick it up a bit.

Click here for the original recipe.

 

 

Strawberry, Almond and Spinach Salad

I found this fabulous recipe on the Taste of Home website. Since strawberries aren’t always in season, I used dried strawberries and pre-sliced almonds over my spinach. I used the oil and vinegar but I didn’t add any of the sugar. I thought the strawberries were sweet enough.

Click here for the original recipe.

 

 

Balela Salad

I found this recipe as I was looking for vegetarian options to decrease my meat consumption. I figured the chickpeas and black beans would be a great substitute. The first time that I tired this I fell in love with it. It is so great that I have never needed to change or alter it. I felt very satisfied after eating it.

Click here for the original recipe.

 

 

Filed Under: Adventures, Culinary Tagged With: adventure, choices, Culinary, Green, Health, healthy, journey, Love Yourself, Loving You, salad

Forgotten Boardwalk – Craft Brewery

January 3, 2016 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

One Posing with the Forgotten Boardwalk Tap Room Signevening in 2015 Dave came home with a new craft beer called Funnel Cake by Forgotten Boardwalk. Its’ style is a cream ale. It was smooth and creamy with a hint of vanilla. I liked the light, sweet beer because it was so different from what I was drinking. It was the first cream ale I had tasted in a long time.

During a trip to South Jersey, Dave and I stopped by the tap room with another beer connoisseur friend. It was delightfully decorated with nuances from the Jersey Shore Boardwalk including a skeet ball game and distortion mirrors. After taking a tour of the facilities, we stepped up to the bar and took a sampling of several different beers. My samples included:

My List of Beers I tried at Forgotten Boardwalk Tap Room

My List of Beers I tried at Forgotten Boardwalk Tap Room

  • Funnel Cake
  • What the Butler Saw
  • Round Trip
  • #19

Since I had already tried Funnel Cake I knew that I would love it as it had become one of my favorite go-to-beers. The tap room had two versions, CO2 and Nitro. There is only a subtle difference between the two. Cans come in CO2 version and kegs come in both CO2 and Nitro. The Nitro is a bit creamier and blends the flavors together, however, I still love Funnel Cake in a can. (Click here to learn more about the difference.)

What the Butler Saw was equally enjoyable. It is classified as an undressed wit brewed with spices. As a wit lover, I was thrilled to find another one great option.

Round Trip is a hoppy saison. If you like a hoppier beer, this is definitely a good choice. Along my craft beer journey I have started to appreciate beers along this line but I realized during the tasting how far I still have to go.

#19 is saison farm ale that I can’t remember that much about except it was very hoppy. I am not sure if it was a one off beer or if they have released by another name. All I know was it was way to hoppy for me to get through the sample.

UPDATE: Since our adventure to the tap room, Dave and I have discovered Morro Castle. It a great smokey porter which successfully balanced out the various flavors in the beer. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good porter.

I am also thrilled that I have been able to find my favorites distributed on a more regular basis as it was difficult to find them in Northern NJ in the summer of 2015.

 

 

Filed Under: Adventures, Culinary Tagged With: adventure, Beer, Bucket List, Craft Beer, Forgotten Boardwalk, NJ Beer, Woman, Women

Not All Salads Are Created Equally

July 10, 2015 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

Healthy SaladIn my journey to eat healthier and cleaner I have looked to salads for lunch and dinner options. I learned that not all salads are healthy. What makes a good, healthy salad depends on what you put into it. I have researched a variety of options looking to create a savory salad while watching the caloric, sodium and sugar intake.

I narrowed down my main ingredients with additional options. Here is what I found to be the salad that works best for me.

My typical salad starts with:

  • Greens – At least 2 cups of a variety of spring greens, spinach & kale and romaine lettuce
  • Cucumber – approximately 1/2 of a cucumber for plenty of vitamins including Vitamin K, C and B1 as well as magnesium
  • Celery – one or two stalks at most to add crunch and saltiness
  • Chickpeas – one cup for added protein (watch the various brands for sodium content if you are watching your salt intake)
  • Grilled or baked organic chicken – around 4-6 ounces
  • Red onion – just to add a bite to the salad

The previous list are my main staples for my salads. It has become the base for most of my creations made at home. I do add a few extra items but it all depends on my mood. These include:

  • Cheese – I get into the cheesy mood so I will add some Parmesan, sharp cheddar or feta. On the rare occasion, I will add a small amount of blue cheese. These add a little more fat and salt to the salad.
  • Green or Kalamata Olives – These add a pinch of salt
  • Tomatoes – I add about 5 grape tomatoes for a bit of sweetness
  • Bean Sprouts – They add a little added vitamin c and potassium
  • Nuts – I use a few slices almonds or pine nuts to add a bit of crunch
  • Radishes – To change things up, I will substitute the red onion for radishes just to give it a different flavor
  • Green Peppers – I add for a little crunch without a lot of calories. They are a great source of vitamins and minerals

Over the years, I have tried a few salads that contained fruit, however I don’t do it too often because the fruit contains too much sugar and I become hungry a short time after finishing the meal. I have found that the chicken and chickpeas add enough protein to keep me fuller longer.

For my salad dressing I tend to have varying tastes. If I use a store bought dressing, I read the label to make sure that besides being tasty the dressing doesn’t add a lot of unnecessary calories, sugar or salt. For something creamy, I will go after the yogurt based dressings found in the produce aisle. The two brands I purchase the most are Bolthouse Farms and Walden Farms when I am in the mood for a creamy dressing.

For a savory dressing, I make a extra virgin olive oil and red pepper infused rice wine vinegar. This allows me to get the level of heat that I want without a lot of added calories. The great thing about making the dressing yourself is you can make it to your taste.

My suggestion would be have fun mixing and matching until you find the taste that works best for you. You can keep changing and revising as your tastes change. That is the beauty of creating your own salad. And remember, not all salads are created equally.

Filed Under: A Little of This, Culinary Tagged With: choices, Culinary, food, salad

Spiced Tea for Pain Free

March 22, 2015 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

This week I tried a spiced tea that is suppose to work as an anti-inflammatory. The recipe called for cardamon pods, ginger and cinnamon. Since I was unable to locate cardamon pods, I have been using cardamon seeds. I also used ground ginger and cinnamon since I didn’t have any fresh when I attempted this the first time.

The original recipe can be found at Secretly Healthy. It also calls for honey if you wanted to sweeten it up.

This tea was refreshingly different from just having herbal teas. It reminded me of Indian and Thai teas that you would get at the restaurants. I did feel better after drinking it. The combination of spices were not only tasty but had healthy benefits as well.

Below is what I did to create this yummy spiced tea. I also double the batch so that I wouldn’t have extra for future consumption.

My Version of the Recipe

4 cups of water

1 teaspoon of cardamon seeds

1 teaspoon of powder ginger (using fresh is better but in a pinch the powder also works)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

4 black tea bags (I used Red Rose)

2 cups of Almond Milk Unsweetened

Boil the water and spices for 8-10 minutes. Add the tea bags and continue to boil for an additional 2-4 minutes, depending on how strong you want the tea to be. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond milk. Strain the liquid as you are serving or putting away as the seeds are still in the mixture. I used a yogurt strainer which works well.

I didn’t add the honey as I am attempting to reduce sugar from my daily diet.

Filed Under: A Little of This, Culinary Tagged With: Culinary, food, Health, healthy, journey, Love Yourself, Loving You, spiced tea

My Green Juice Journey

March 10, 2015 by originalcyn 1 Comment

Getting Started

For several years now, I have started down a path of healthier eating. In 2014 I made the leap into juicing. I knew that if done properly, it would be a great alternative to certain meals and snacks that I was eating. I started doing research into the different juicers that were on the market as well as looking for experts who shared their knowledge and recipes. I found Reboot with Joe and Kris Carr websites to be a plethora of information on juicing as well as more tips on cleaner eating.

With the help of these two sites I was able to educate myself on the different juicers and which one would fit my need and budget. I determined that a Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed was the way to go. It was the middle of the road as far as functionality and pricing so I could get started without breaking my bank.

As soon as I got it, I started testing out a few recipes and I fell in love with it. Shortly after, I did my first three-day juice cleanse that I found on Joe’s website. His plan was easy to follow and provided the basic information as well as recipe with options for variety. I felt energized and ready to go.

Since then I have modified some of the recipes to fit my budget, every changing taste buds or availability of produce. My main staple is the Green Juice. For me, it is simple and has a lot of vitamins and minerals that my body needs. Below is my version of the Green Juice which combined several recipes and some tweaking of my own.

My Green Juice Recipe:

My Green Juice

My Green Juice

3-4 Cucumbers

Spinach and Kale Mix Bag

6 Celery Stalks

3 Granny Smith Apples

1 Romaine Heart

Ginger Root

Turmeric Root

Lemon (optional)

I found that this gave me the nutrition I wanted and wasn’t overly sweet. I prefer more savory juices when making them at home. If I am looking for a kick, I will add a jalapeno pepper into the mix.

Storing and Taking It With Me

I saw several people using glass jars to store their juices in. I picked up Ball Jars from the store in several different sizes. My favorite size to transporting is a 12 oz Ball Jar. It is slender enough to fit into the drink holder in the car and short enough to fit into my lunch box.

I have gotten into a habit of making at least the green juice during the week. I have more energy and less sluggish when I incorporate this into my weekly meal plan.

 

Filed Under: A Little of This, Culinary Tagged With: Cleaner, Culinary, food, Green, Health, healthy, journey, Juice, Juicing, snack

Oven Roasted Chickpea Snack

February 2, 2015 by originalcyn Leave a Comment
My Homemade Oven Roast Chickpeas snack.

My Homemade Oven Roasted Chickpea Snack

So this year I made a promise to eat cleaner. No crazy diets or fads, just make more stuff from scratch at home. That has been an adventure when it comes to snacks.

This past weekend I was given a recipe for homemade Oven Roast Chickpeas. I have loved using them in my salads but never thought about roasting them.

This morning I heated the oven and made them. For me the recipe had the right mix of spices to make them flavorful but not spicy. There are other versions where I could kick up the heat and I will try those, but I wanted to share the recipe that has started my latest snack obsession.

Here is the link for the recipe I used. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Simple-Roasted-Chickpea-Snack/

 

 

Filed Under: A Little of This, Culinary, Food Tagged With: adventure, Culinary, food, healthy, snack

Start of a New Year – 2015

January 1, 2015 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.

~ Oprah Winfrey

It is the start of 2015. 2015 Happy New YearSo what is in store for this year?

Walking in the woods, belly dancing at various events, improving my health and wellness, visit histroical locations and the list goes on. I'll be sharing my 2015 adventures with you.

I'll record stories of my adventures and childhood memeries. I'll share my favorite artists, photos and inspirational quotes. I'll write about hisorical locations and people of interest. 

I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy 2015. Let the Adventures Begin!

 

Filed Under: A Little of This, Adventures, Be True To You!, Bucket List, Culinary, Drinks, Food, Historical, Leisure, People, Places, Travel, Uncategorized, Various Tagged With: adventure, Bucket List, dream, historic, journey, places

Sons of Liberty Micro-Distillery

May 30, 2013 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

Visiting the micro-distillery in Rhode Island – Sons of Liberty

CIMG6187Over the last few decades I have had the opportunity to visit several different micro-breweries all over the country. It wasn't until this past March that I was able to visit a micro-distillery. On a trip to Rhode Island, I stopped at Sons of Liberty (SOL) which started creating a single malt whiskey.

It was an amazing experience where I was able to tour the distillery and taste a sample of the products. Their philosophy from the beginning was the whiskey is only as good as its core ingredient, beer. They created their own beer so that the whiskey would embrace its core flavor.

During the tour, Bryan was great. He took the time to explain the whole process from start to finish. Since I had already been beer brewing, I knew some of the steps involved in the process. The best part of the tour was getting to see the distillery. I had never seen one up close before and Bryan took the time to really explain how this one worked.  CIMG6191

The first creation of SOL was Uprising. It started with a stout created by the team at SOL and goes through the distillation process. It was then placed in Stainless steel containers with oak boards in it so that it would give the whiskey the right flavor. Upon trying it, I immediately loved it. It had great flavor with a bit of a bite at the end that didn't linger too long.

Our second tasting was a new creation that they were working on. They hadn't named it yet, but it was going to be offered as a summer seasonal. The taste was very different from anything I had tried before. They started with a hoppier beer and finished off the distillation process with some dry hops to enhance the flavor. I am not a huge fan of the hops flavor, however, if you are into the hoppy beers, you will definitely enjoy this whiskey.

CIMG6189The third tasting was their line of Loyal 9 Vodka which included a plain vodka, mint & cucumber vodka and dark chocolate & vanilla bean vodka. All three had great flavors and were very smooth. I have to admit, the last one was my favorite just because it had chocolate in it. Add the smell from the vanilla with the hint of chocolate and I could swear the creation was straight from a bakery. I also thought it would add another dimension to some of my favorite mixed drinks to enjoy during the summer months hanging out on the back deck.

The tour, tasting, and souvenir glass was reasonable for $10 a person. What made the experience was the guys giving the tour and tasting were the ones making the whiskey and vodka. I saw their pride and enthusiasm for what they are creating.

 

Sons of Liberty Spirits Co.

1425 Kingstown Road
South Kingstown, RI 02879

http://www.solspirits.com/home

 

 

Filed Under: Adventures, Culinary Tagged With: Culinary, Distillery, Whiskey

My Bucket List

April 6, 2013 by originalcyn Leave a Comment

my_bucket_list

According to the Urban Dictionary, a Bucket List is a list of things to do before you die. It comes from the term “kicked the bucket”.

In 2007 I saw a movie called the Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It told the story of two terminally-ill patients, one a blue-collar family man and one a shrewd business man, who went on an adventure fulfilling a bucket list. This list was about doing, seeing and experiencing life before they died. Their list contained witnessing a miracle, skydiving, seeing the Great Wall of China and driving a sports car.

Shortly after seeing the movie I started creating my own bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish, see, do or experience before I die. On the list are items like:

  • See the Taj Mahal, Aurora Borealis and Grand Canyon (there are many more locations on the list)
  • Stand in my family’s town of origin (at least the one attached to our name sake)
  • Swim with dolphins
  • Watch wild horses run
  • Get over my fear of snakes
  • Inspire and motivate others

Since then I have added a few other such as learn to bell dance, become a public speaker, and write a book (or two). It seems that my list grows everyday as I continue to learn about new things and places.

I have also started to realize that even as my list grows so does the number of amazing and breath-taking things I have already done. These include:

  • Walking on Henry VIII grave (During my trip to Europe with Granny, my dad’s mom, after I graduated college)
  • Standing in Stonehenge (During my trip to Europe with Granny after I graduated college)
  • Watching a North Atlantic Right Whale breach out of the water (During a family trip to Cape Cod/Provincetown)
  • Learning where my family’s surname,  Moricz de Tecso, came from (Meeting my Hungarian family and hearing the historical stories.)

These are a few items I have already crossed off. My goal with this blog site is to share my adventures in hopes of inspiring others to live their lives to the fullest.

“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.” ~ Les Brown

 

Have you wanted to start a bucket list but needed help getting started, check out http://bucketlist.org/ or google for ways to start dreaming.

Filed Under: A Little of This, Culinary, Leisure, Travel Tagged With: adventure, Bucket List, dream, dreams, historic, journey, places
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