Shape Up Series: A Cooking Demo from Chef Thomas Frost and Chris Chafe of the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda!

"Island and the sun..."

One of the questions I get the most is, “Finance Foodie, given you weakness for Papa John’s pizza and the fact that you’re constantly dining out, how are you not 500 pounds?”

Well, in another life, I was probably that 500 pounder because I can eat a lot (in fact, I won second place in a pie eating contest in college)! However, I am also pretty disciplined (ex-the holidays) about exercise and nutrition (ex-my one can a day Diet Coke habit) because I hope to live a long and healthy life (anyone watch that show on A&E, Heavy…yikes, don’t want that to be me!). Yes, I often eat a number of large multi-course dinners at restaurants in any given week, but I also balance that out by eating lighter fare and hitting the gym the rest of the time -- MODERATION IS THE KEY! Although I might never be supermodel skinny, I’m pretty sure I’ll never be dangerously obese either -- and that’s A-OK in my book!

Taste Testing Omaha Steaks: Great for Low-Carb Dieters + Better and Cheaper Than NYC Supermarket Meats!

By: Anne M. Raso

When you've got a low-carb diet in the works for the new year, one of the biggest indulgences you can get away with is some really tender, juicy meat. Interestingly enough, we have found that ordering through Omaha Steaks has been the easiest and most economical way to do a low-carb diet! With steaks at New York supermarkets like Gristedes' and D'Agostino's being 16 bucks a pound and up, Omaha Steaks actually offer better bang for the buck--plus they delivery directly to your door in those cool, insulated styrofoam boxes. I like to thaw out their meat in my fridge for at least 15 hours before preparing, so that it cooks faster and comes out more tender.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Nintendo, Jewels, Richie Sambora and more in the "Lounge Life"

By: Anne M. Raso

Fashion week can be a lot of fun but it can also be a big mess of too many events in one day and too many snooty pr people who have to accomodate Anna Wintour types and put you on the back burner. In case you don't know it, unless you edit Glamour mag, press people have to get on the end of the line. At the Simon Spurr show, we waited 45 minutes to get in but of course the previously mentioned Anna Wintour got in exactly when the show was suppose to start -- even though a clueless security guard did not know who she was (and a publicist for the designer had to be called in). The camel-colored-cashmere-coated Miss Wintour was heard saying, "They are expecting me inside!"

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Haute Looks for Fall Travel

“Flying first class up in the sky…”

As Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has come to an end and Lincoln Center resumes its daily schedule of ballet and opera performances, I couldn’t help but reflect on some of the fashions I had seen during the past week. Given my own busy travel plans scheduled for this upcoming fall and winter (because being a student=more vacation time), my main goal this season was finding pieces and looks that would be suitable for gallivanting across the globe. Namely, I was looking for stylish yet multifunctional garments that would not only make me the trendiest tourist in the land, but also get me through airport check points (without the dreaded pat-down).

Shape Up Series: Taste Testing the New McDonald’s Chipotle BBQ Bacon Angus Third Pounder

“Red, hot, and heavy…”

This week in my Shape Up series, I taste tested the new McDonald’s Chipotle BBQ Bacon Angus Third Pounder. “What? That can’t possibly be weight loss friendly!” you say. Correct and incorrect – yes this massive 800 calorie burger is almost ½ of the recommended daily caloric intake, BUT as I have always said – everything can and should be eaten in moderation! As a food lover, I am a firm believer that no food is “off-limits”. In fact, after much trial and error, I find the more I try to “restrict” certain items from my diet, the more I “fall off the wagon” (aka the disastrous Papa John’s incident).

Esperanto NYC: A Little South of the Border in ABC City!

"Walk with me down Avenue C..."

No trip to New York City for me is complete without trying a new restaurant, especially since I am the Finance Foodie! Since I had only had one fashion week show to attend on Saturday, I utilized the opportunity to break free from the tent at Lincoln Center and head east that night....in fact, waaay far east into what is known as Alphabet City in Manhattan. On the corner of 9th and Avenue C, I stepped into a lively little Brazilian restaurant  called Esperanto.

Shape Up Series: Trying to Eating Well While Eating (Take) Out!

"Take my order cause your body like a carry out..."

Last week, delivery.com, an online nationwide delivery service that delivers everything from food to flowers, asked me if I wanted to test drive their ordering system for lunch. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about taking on this task, as I was afraid that eating takeout everyday would my hinder my Shape Up series weight goal, especially coming off a rocking awesome weight loss week. However, I do find packing my lunch everyday annoying and I was assured that there would be healthy options, so I obliged and got ready for a week of lunch sent straight to my door!

Was I able to eat well, keep the willpower in check, and lose weight? Let’s find out!

Clearcutmeals.com: Quick and Easy Homemade Meals for Urbanites on the Go!

By: Anne M. Raso

When I was handed a flyer for clearcutmeals.com at the 77th and Lexington subway a few months ago, I was quite intrigued by its promise to send you free same-day delivery of ingredients for the entree and sides of your choice and that most cooked in 18 minutes or less. So I had to try the service for myself (delivery is only available on the Upper East Side of Manhattan -- where I live -- otherwise you must pick items up yourself at their location at 218 East 81st Street between Second and Third Avenues). Each recipe has three to five ingredients already cut up an carefully placed in plastic bags with a number to correspond to each. The attached recipe card tells you when to put in each numbered ingredient! How easy is that? We are pleased to say that each ingredient was super fresh and that the meats were of prime quality (for instance, the steak meat was Black Angus skirt steak from Creekstone Farms and chicken breasts were from Bell & Evans).

Shape Up Series: Tuna Sandwich Snackers!

"On the rebound..."

 And I' m back!...Back on track that is! Stemming from the disastrous week previous (and the extra pressure of looking my best for the upcoming Mercedes Benz Fashion Week), I was uber motivated to eat well and exercise this week, despite it being busy season at work and added stress over attending grad school next fall. Two pats on the back, this is one for the record books!!

And the results you ask?...

Bellissimo Fiesta: Dinner at Taranta Boston for the North End City Feast!

“Simply delicioso…”

Given the sub zero temperatures and snow mountains outside, I totally have been hermitting indoors the past few weeks. It takes a very special event to make me leave my toasty-like-an-oven apartment these days, and last Sunday’s North End City Feast dinner at Taranta was just what the doctor ordered! The North End City Feast is an annual event held to benefit the Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hope Fund. Carla Gomes, owner of the popular North End eateries Antico Forno and Terramia (and mother to a son who has been living with Type 1 diabetes for the past 18 years), started the City Feast to raise awareness about this disease and support Joslin’s mission of conquering diabetes in all of its forms. I had previously attended this event last year and had a deliciously wonderful time, so I was totally pumped to support this dinner again this year.

The Half King: Royally Great Gastropub Fare In Chelsea!

By: Anne M. Raso

There is no better way to end a year than with a final supper before the big diet starts for the New Year! One of my best dinners was at Chelsea’s The Half King, which definitely has the feel of a “neighborhood hang” and serves gastropub fare with a big thank you to classic French, Mexican and Italian fare thrown in for good measure. Scott Anderson, Nanette Burstein and Sebastian Unger opened the restaurant about ten years ago, and Gregory Baumel serves as Executive Chef. Sebastian Unger is known outside the foodie world as the bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, which become a hit movie starring George Clooney.

APORKALYPSE NOW: High on the Hog at the NYC Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival!

By: Anne M. Raso

The Whole Hog session of the recent Beer, Bourbon & BBQ event this past weekend at La.Venue in NYC promised "unlimited samplings of beer, bourbon, food, and a pulled pork BBQ dinner plate with fixins"--so how could any foodie pass that up?!? Four different BBQ joints--Hill Country, And...The Little Red Pig (Marshville, NC), Kloby's Smokehouse (Laurel, MD) and Blacksauce Kitchen (NYC)--served up every part of the hog (you probably could have asked for the snout or feet if you really wanted them)! And if you wanted bourbon, hard cider, booze and whiskey--it was unlimited and all the big and small makers were there...but we have to admit, we got some "small to medium" pours in the designated BB & BBQ glasses we got on the way in.

Free Coffee Days in Boston from SeamlessWeb.com!

"409 in your coffee maker..."

Back in my investment banking days, I was used to work 80-100 hour weeks. Now if you do the math, that mean a lot of dinners in the office, 5-7 days a week. Our firm (and most of the other Wall Street banks) used a service called Seamlessweb.com, an online meal delivery system that allowed account holders to order off the menus from a variety of local restaurants and delis. Although eating from a takeout box almost everyday for two years was less than ideal for a food lover like me, I had to give Seamlessweb a ton of credit for their wide variety of options that included everything from the $5 bodega sandwich to $20 rolls of sushi dusted with gold flakes. (Plus, I shudder to think what we would have had to eat if Seamlessweb did not exist…)

Working hard for the $$ dinner!