In most respects I am as much of a New Yorker as they come. I was born and raised on the island of Manhattan and do not plan to leave anytime soon. We might move someday if we decide to give baby girl a sibling and need more space but that would not be for several years. Even then, the farthest we would go is Brooklyn. As a NYC “lifer” I have been taking taxis practically since birth. I always know which route I want to take depending on the time of day and never, ever let the driver decide.  I still catch myself calling Manhattan “The City,” which I realize is a little closed-minded but old habits die hard!

Despite all of my native New Yorky-ness there is one quality I possess that in very un New York. I hate brunch! While most of my fellow New Yorkers look forward to long heavy meals on a saturday or sunday afternoon I have never been able to get into it. I don’t like eating allot during the day as I find it slows me down and makes me feel sluggish. I am not a fan of eggs, pancakes and other typical brunch fair. Nothing sounds worse to me than drinking Mimosas and Bloody Marys at noon and being hung over by 2pm!

My dislike of brunch aside, friends are family are always asking me for some healthy ideas to serve at their own brunches. While my first instinct would be to suggest a variety of green juice, I realize this is not what most people are looking for!

A healthy granola bar is a great idea for any breakfast or brunch gathering. Your guests can create their own bowls based on their personal tastes and desires. Similar to a Chia Pudding Bar it guarantees everyone gets what they want.

Granola Bar

• One or two types of natural, sugar free, gluten free granola. Besides my own homemade variety I like Hail Merry Grawnola and Purely Elizabeth 
• A few non-dairy milk options such as OMilk Almond and Cashew Milk 
• A variety of fresh fruits such as blueberries and raspberries
• A variety of dried fruit
• Some “fun” topping such as dried coconut or dark chocolate chips

1. Set out all of the supplies in various bowls and let your guests go to town! Much better than booze, pancakes and eggs if you ask me!

Have a great weekend! Mine includes my evening, cocktail party baby shower (as I said- not a brunch fan) and finishing up our nursery!

Happy first day of spring! I am very into spring cleaning. I hate clutter and always welcome the chance to get rid of anything that is taking up unnecessary space in my life. This year’s round  of spring cleaning chez Mercer was especially intense. On top of the usual purging we also had to transform my former office into a nursery. Needless to say our home has been throughly detoxed in preparation for spring and baby girl’s arrival.

Along with external detoxing, spring is the perfect time to do a little internal housekeeping! After a long, cold winter the body naturally wants to cleanse itself in preparation for a new season. One of the easiest ways to do this is by eating detox friendly foods. Don’t know where to start? Well, if you are in NYC on April 4th join me for another delicious Beauty Food Supper Club  at Sun In Bloom. This month’s dinner is all about beauty foods to gently detox and get you gorgeous and glowing for the warm weather ahead. You will also be treated to beauty, health and wellness tips from me, Rebecca and Jolene and leave with an exclusive gift bag full of get-you-gorgeous goodies! I hope to see you there!

 

(photos by Melissa Murphy melissamurphyphoto.com)

Last night’s Beauty Food Supper Club was a huge success. All of our guests had a wonderful time eating divine beauty foods, meeting new friends, and learning how beauty truly comes from the inside out! I personally loved that so many people felt comfortable to come solo. It was like a dinner party with the friends you never knew you had!

The menu was divine, Aimee Follette of Sun In Bloom is an incredibly talented chef whose dishes are truly nourishing inside and out. Everyone enjoyed the meal so much that most people bought soups, dressings and desserts to take home and enjoy over the weekend!

I could not have co-hoted this event with three lovelier women! Rebecca Casciano, Aimee Follette and Jolene Hart are true beautiues inside and out!

Our night started with a cucumber, pomegranate and ginger juice. Pomegrante boots the performance of nitric oxide, a chemical that keeps our circulatory systems young, our skin glowing – and gets us aroused! Ginger warms out bodies from the inside out while cooling inflammation that contributes to redness and breakouts.

Next up was the Divine Creamy Green Radiance Soup made with romaine lettuce, cucumber, parsley, avocado, lemon, garlic and sea salt. Avocado is one of the healthiest fats you can eat. It burns easily for energy and fires up the natural detox processes of the liver which helps skin stay clear and radiant. Lemon is full of collagen-building vitamin C, detoxifying for the liver and highly alkaline. A glass of lemon water first thing in the morning will do wonders for your internal ph keeping your body alkaline and healthy!

Our main course was a Hearty Balancing Macro Platter with quinoa, beans, tempeh, roasted butternut squash, steamed greens, wakame, raw sauerkraut, and Sun In Bloom’s famous ( and to die for) Live Sesame Ginger Dressing. Seriously, I could eat a bowl of that dressing! Wakame is packed with beauty minerals like calcium and magnesium to build your skin, hair, nails and bones. In my case it also helps with building the little one I am growing! Raw Sauerkraut is a natural probiotic that promotes healthy digestion. If your digestion is not working properly it will show in your skin. Healthy digestion=glowing skin!

We finished our meal with a truly decadent, divine dessert. The Chocolate Mayan Spiced Fudge Cake was one of the best sweet treats I have eaten in a long time. I adore anything that combines chocolate, cinnamon, spice and sea salt as is reminds me of Mexico! This cake was a perfect example of how something great tasting can also be great for you. Cacao improves skin hydration and reduces redness by increasing the supply of nutrients, blood, and oxygen to the skin. Cinnamon stabilizes blood sugar preventing insulin spikes that contribute to breakouts and advanced aging.

On the way out the door everyone was given a beauty gift bag featuring goodies from Tata Harper, Jane Iredale, Kahina Giving Beauty and Gnois Chocolate. The night was truly special and I cannot wait for our Spring Beauty Food Supper Club in April!

 

 

Party planning is one of the great loves of my life. Few things make me happier than throwing a great fete with fun people and delicious food. Tonight I am hosting the first in a series of Beauty Food Supper Clubs with green makeup goddess Rebecca Casciano and Beauty Is Wellness founder Jolene Hart. This evening’s four course dinner at Sun In Bloom aptly called Eat. Drink. Love. is all about beauty foods to get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day. Not only will we have sexy food, but each guest will leave with a special beauty gift bag loaded with goodies from Tata Harper, Jane Iredale, Kahina Giving Beauty and Gnosis Chocolate.

Sounds like a good way to spend the night before a snow storm yes? We still have a few tickets left which can be purchased here, so grab them while you can! Hope to see you tonight!

xoxo

I hope you enjoyed my video on How To Throw a Healthy Holiday Party! Over the next few days I am going to be sharing more details on the tips featured in the video starting with party food and cocktails.

A great party is nothing without delicious food for your guests to enjoy. Sadly, most holiday party fare tends to be rich and heavy. Nothing makes me feel lees like celebrating than being put into a food coma! Instead of the typical bloating holiday bites try some of my healthier ideas. You want your guests merry, not miserable!

All of these recipes are easy to make and can be made either entirely or partially ahead of time. In the hours before you party you should be focusing on getting yourself gorgeous and party ready, not catering! The one exception is the guacamole which tastes and looks best when made fresh. However, as long as you have all of your ingredients ready to go it can be thrown together right before your guests walk in the door.

Black Truffle Salted Almond Bark 

Instead of traditional holiday cakes, candies and cookies try making this Almond Bark. Dark chocolate is low in sugar and there is an added bonus of healthy fats and protein from the almonds.

Pomegranate Guacamole

I like to update guacamole for the holidays with the addition of pomegranate seeds, one of the few fruits in season during the winter.  They are packed with antioxidants, have a wonderful sweet-tart taste, and the color is oh so holiday appropriate. I serve my guacamole inside of a romaine leaf, and as a dip for crudités!

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms 

Stuffed mushroom caps are a party favorite. Most recipes call for breadcrumbs and tons of cheese. Gross! I stuff mine with a delicious dairy free pesto, which can be made days or weeks ahead of time and frozen. The day of your party just defrost the pesto, stuff the mushrooms and pop them in the oven a few minutes before your guests arrive. You may want to go easy on the garlic in your pesto when making these for a party. Nothing is worse than being caught in an intimate situation with garlic breath!

Food is great but let’s be honest, most people go to holiday parties for the drinks! Instead of a full bar I always serve a signature drink or two at my parties. Picking one or two speciality drinks saves you the time and money of offering a fully stocked bar. Everyone loves a great cocktail!

Almond Nog 

While delicious, traditional egg nog is loaded with sugar and fat. For my holiday gatherings I make Almond Nog with OMilk Almond Milk and a few extra spices. It’s a delicious alternative that is great on it’s own or for a more “adult” beverage add a few ounces of rum!

Prosecco with Pomegranate

While festive, champagne is quite pricy. Instead, I like to toast with glasses of Prosecco. A few pomegranate seeds at the bottom of the glass make for a very merry glass of bubbly!

Rosemary Ginger Lemonade

I always make sure to have a special non-alcoholic drink on hand for any guests who are not drinkers. Drinking plain water at a party just doesn’t feel special. Adding fresh ginger to homemade stevia sweetened rosemary lemonade gives a spicy, savory twist!

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed  lemon juice
• 3 cups of water
• 6 springs of rosemary
• 1″ knob peeled ginger chopped
• 2 squirts liquid stevia

1. Combine all ingredients in a pitcher or large bottle
2. Allow to “steep” for 30 minutes or so
3. Adjust sweetness to taste and serve!

 

 

It’s holiday party season! Over the next two weeks my calendar is filled with holiday gatherings to host and attend. From office parties, to friend’s holiday open houses, to intimate dinners, to Doug’s birthday my schedule feels as if it is bursting at the seams.

While it’s fun to dress up in something sparkly and celebrate with friends and family, most people associate the holidays with over indulgence, extra weight and added stress. Doesn’t sound like much fun to me! I personally like to fit into my clothes come January 1st.

There is no reason the holidays can’t be healthful, stress-free and fun. This video shares some of my favorite tips and tricks to throwing a holiday party the Clean, Pure and Simple way. From healthy snacks, to simple and chic decor, to holiday style when I throw a party I like to look and feel great doing it!

Happy Holidays!

Labor Day weekend is always a bit bittersweet. There is already a chill in the air and for the past few nights I have been wearing a light jacket to dinner. I am very excited for the fall season ahead but am sad to say goodbye to summer. This weekend we will be traveling via car and three ferries to a very dear friends wedding on the Connecticut shore. It should be quite a site to see us trek across both forks of Long Island and the Long Island Sound in a car packed to the brim including two adults and one small dog! It will be fun to spend the last few days of summer “vacation” on the other side of the sound, New England Style!

Unless you are attending a wedding like us, chances are you will be going to some sort of Labor Day BBQ or party. The recipes below are amongst my summer favorites and would make a great addiction to any end of summer fete! Now is the time to load up on those last bites of fresh corn and tomatoes before they go out of season for the year!

 

Heirloom Tomatoes with Basil and Sea Salt Heirloom Tomatoes and Avocado with Cilantro Pesto Heirloom Tomato, Peach and Corn Salad Peach and Arugula Salad Simple Zucchini, Tomato, Corn and Basil Saute Avocado PopsicleZucchini Pasta with Creamy Basil Sauce 

I cannot say enough wonderful things about OMilk and it’s founder’s Julie and Greg Van Ullen. I simply adore them and their wonderful nut milks. I hope you enjoy this video from our recent party together!

For more on OMilk including an interview with Julie and Greg click here!