Tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty

You may have noticed an influx of blue bikes in NYC lately. Or perhaps you've embarked on your morning stroll, only to discover that a bike docking station has appeared along the street around the corner. Watching New Yorker after New Yorker whiz past on a metallic blue bike (front basket included) has made me pretty eager to discover what the deal is with Citi Bike.

Image from nytimes.com

Citi Bike is a bike sharing system that allows customers to pick-up and drop-off bikes at any docking station in the city. Residents (or visitors) of NY can choose to purchase a 24-Hour Access Pass ($9.95), a 7-Day Access Pass ($25.95), or an Annual Membership ($95.00). The only catch is that bikers must check their bikes into a Citi Bike station every 30 minutes, or 45 minutes for annual members.

So, is taking advantage of Citi Bike something you should look into? From an environmental standpoint, yes! NYC has no shortage of pollution output, so the more people that choose bikes over cars the better. In terms of your health, bikes are a great alternative to riding the train, or hopping in a cab. What about the financial aspect of purchasing Citi Bike passes? Ninety-five dollars is less than the price of a month-long metro card—so $95 a year for unlimited bike trips is much cheaper than a year's worth of subway fare!

The fact that bikes must be checked in every 30-45 minutes could be a hassle for those with a longer commute. If the distance from home to work or home to school can be traveled via bike, however, then I would definitely recommend trading in your subway card for a Citi Bike pass. Try it out for a day or a week to decide if you are able to take advantage of what Citi Bike has to offer. Even a day of biking back and forth from home to work has benefits for your health, and for the health of the planet.

As for me, I first have to overcome my fear of biking in the city! I think I'll ease into it by starting out with a bike ride in an outer borough, and then slowly work my way towards biking in Manhattan. It would certainly be nice to save some of the money that I spend on subway fare each month.

Another option is, of course, to purchase and ride your own bike without any time constraints. The advantage of Citi Bike is that you'll never struggle to store your bike, as there are countless docking station locations. If finding a place to lock up your bike is not a problem for you, however, then riding your own bike would be the financially superior choice.

That'll Be Five Dollars

This afternoon as I was passing through Union Square, I decided to stop by the Greenmarket to look for something to make for lunch. I had only been to the market on weekends, and was pleased to find that a Friday early afternoon was much less crowded than a Saturday early afternoon.

Having spent multiple occasions weeping while tossing out shriveled greens and molding squash, I knew better than to buy more than what I'd eat today, tomorrow, and maybe the day after. The Union Square Greenmarket is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, so it's worth making more than one trip a week, and only buying what I plan to make that day.

from Bodhitree Farm

I entered the market not knowing what I was in the mood for, but was immediately drawn to a pile of produce the color of eggplant, but the size of a hot pepper. The sign read "Fairytale Eggplant". I couldn't resist. 

I found some yellow and green squash further into the market, that could be roasted alongside the eggplant. I also picked up a bundle of broccoli raab, and an ear of corn (I realized that I hadn't had corn on the cob all summer, and somehow that felt very wrong).

I left the market with a wallet only $5 lighter than what it had been when I entered–not bad for a bag of produce that was certainly going to last me more than one meal. At home I discovered that I had a good amount of brown rice, a little bit of chicken in the refrigerator, and a hefty supply of spices and oils.

I washed the skins of the squash and eggplant, then chopped each one into bite sized pieces. I spread the produce out inside a casserole dish, and then added a little bit of pepper, salt, and olive oil. I opened the oven, which was preset at 400 degrees.

The smoke alarm went off immediately.

After a small battle with the smoke alarm (has anyone else found a more effective method for turning off a smoke alarm than taking it off the wall and giving it a few good smacks?), I reduced the temperature to 300 degrees and placed the dish in the oven. While the vegetables were roasting, I cooked the rice.

After 15 minutes I checked on the vegetables: still too hard. I sprinkled dried basil and some balsamic vinaigrette over top, and then left the vegetables to cook a little longer.

In another ten minutes or so, the squash and eggplant were ready. I mixed them in a bowl with the rice and heated chicken, and then sat down to enjoy the meal. It was easy, quick, and the vegetables were fresh and flavorful. Next time I would probably add tomatoes, and definitely some more eggplant, as my squash-to-eggplant ratio was a little off.

I have enough roasted veggies left over to have for lunch tomorrow, as well as the corn and greens that I can use for dinner. Combined with the abundance of legumes and grains I found in my cabinet after cleaning out my shelves last week (I am embarrassed to admit I couldn't even remember buying half of what I found), I can make it through the weekend without spending more than that $5 on food.

I think that's a price that I can come to terms with.

If you're interested in checking out a Greenmarket but Union Square is a little too far, never fear. There are many locations throughout NYC, open various days and hours. There is more than one market located in every borough, featuring local farmers from upstate New York, New Jersey, etc. If you have a question about what something is, how to tell if it's ripe, or how to cook it, don't hesitate to ask the sellers! Everyone I've talked to has been more than helpful in their recommendations.

P.S. You can now find The Penny-Pinching New Yorker on Instagram! Look for @pennypinchingnewyorker, or #pennypinchingnewyorker.

A Morning at the Hudson River

Monday morning 8 am. Wake up to the sound of a power drill in the hallway. Remind myself that it's my day off, and that I should just ignore the noises and go back to bed.
8:01 Get out of bed. Decide that listening to power drills is my personal hell on earth. Must leave immediately.
8:15 Teeth brushed, face washed, contacts inserted. Remember that I haven't done laundry in at least two weeks. Manage to find a pair of bright pink gym shorts bought in my last year of middle school. Scold myself for having no choice but to wear these shorts in public. Secretly applaud myself for not spending money on new gym shorts.
8:20 Out the door and debating where to go. Can't spend money. Wearing gym shorts.
8:25 Start walking towards Christopher Street. Head west on Christopher towards the Hudson. Visiting Hudson River Park is free, and peaceful in the mornings. Peek into a few store windows along the way. Linger outside of a restaurant that smells like coffee. Cross West St and narrowly avoid colliding with a bike.

8:35 Reach Hudson. Inhale, exhale. Begin walking south.
8:55 Start to feel inspired, because everyone around me is running. Decide I'll start running too.
9:02 Bad idea. Remember why I don't like running. Determine that walking is equally inspiring.
9:05 Pass by a couple playing tennis in one of the courts. Pass by some dogs running around in a fenced off area. Pass by benches occupied by readers, meditators, and quite a few nappers.
9:15 Try not to look alarmed as I pass by a man who seems to have lost his pants. Note that New York has probably given me a pretty killer poker face.
9:20 Pause by a grassy area and sit down in the shade. Look over at One World Trade Center. Take a moment to imagine how high up those workers must have been when they attached the building's spire. Decide that the Top of the Rock is the highest up that I'd ever like to be, besides airplanes of course.
9:40 Can no longer ignore my stomach's vocal demands for nourishment. Decide to head back.
10:00 Realize I have 35 cents in my pocket. Enough for a $0.25 banana from the food cart by the subway.
10:30 Arrive home, banana in tow, thoroughly ready for some Penny-Pincher's Morning Oatmeal. Thankful for the close proximity of a calm place to walk, a magnificent view, and a budget-friendly place to go when escaping from indoor construction.
10:40 The power drill noises recommence.

Chatting with Kelly Buwalda- Eating Well on a Budget

When you're living on a tight budget, one dollar pizza might seem like the solution to all of your financial problems; it's food, it's cheap, and it's fast. But how long can we survive off of cheap pizza, cheap hot dogs, etc., before we start to feel the affects of these less-than-healthy meals? Does eating affordably have to mean eating poorly?

Not according to Certified Health Coach, contemporary dancer, and healthy-eating-on-a-budget expert Kelly Buwalda.

Image provided by Kelly Buwalda

This weekend I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with Buwalda, in which she shared her experience living in NYC as a dancer, health coach, and teacher of both dance and nutrition. 

1. How long have you been living as an artist in NYC? A dozen years and counting! 

2. What do you love most about living in the city? I love the diversity of the people and the concentration of artists and art.

3. When you first moved here, what was it like trying to buy and prepare food on a smaller budget? Do you recognize now the things that you could have done differently in those initial years of eating in the city? When I first moved here I would do anything to survive (which included making a little nest on the floor instead of buying a mattress for over a year!). Survival for me meant rent and money for dance class. I remember one specific day where I realized I had enough money for class OR lunch—and I figured out a way to have both by making lunch one banana so I could take class. I give myself an A+ for survival and the pursuit of art, but a C- in nutrition. I survived too much on protein bars and the cheap coffee and bagels from the street vendors. "No sugar, please," I'd say. "Oh, sweet enough already!" they'd reply with a wink. At least flirting was free.

Though I wasn't getting the best nutrition I did make some good choices; I cut out processed food like cookies and chips because I knew it was waste of money and wouldn't nourish me. I spent money on real food instead. I also drank mostly water, cutting out soda and drinks that were expensive (no lattes, just regular cup of joe). Because "necessity is the mother of invention" I learned to cook a lot at home and combined my pantry leftovers in new ways.  

I did neglect myself at times and remember eyeing, but not buying, the salad greens which I thought were too pricey—I regret those days. The days of not listening to what my body was crying out for—I indulge more now that I take those messages seriously, whether it be buying a nice organic salad, wild fish rather than farmed, or local berries at the farmer's market. Needless to say, those vendors haven't seen me in a while. :)

4. What habits have you developed throughout your time living here that have made cooking and eating a pleasurable experience, and not a Penny-Pinching nightmare?

Image from The Kitchn

Be resourceful.  I would use my salsa jars as glasses when I was in my first apartment. They were free and didn't break like the cheap ones from Ikea. I still have clothes from high school that I mix up with new pieces—rocking my high school cut-off jean shorts allows me to spend more on food.  I've always thought that if you feel good in your own skin you look great in anything.  Being resourceful is like anything else—a muscle that gets stronger with practice, so think outside the box!  

"Cook once, eat twice."  This was a big mantra at my nutrition school, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Make a pot of rice for the week and continue to mix up different veggies and proteins each day, saving you time and energy.  

Prioritize.  While you can't go out for dinner every night, you should still enjoy sitting down now and then and experiencing the culinary pleasures New York has to offer with a friend. So budget in a weekly or monthly night out. Mine used to be Sunday brunch where I would enjoy a larger-than-normal meal amongst shared stories and laughter with my friends.  

Being healthy is only partially about food—it's also about feeding your soul. There is SOOO much to do and see in NYC without spending a lot of money. The summer is jam-packed with events like Shakespeare in the Park, Celebrate Brooklyn and Summerstage. Here are some more year-round ideas:

•                Galleries—enjoy a day of art for free by checking out galleries in Chelsea, Soho, or Williamsburg or visit MoMA for Target Fridays. [Penny-Pincher's note: See my post on MoMA.]

•                No need for a gym membership—make the outdoors your gym and enjoy running on the west side path, biking all over town, bouldering in Central Park, or skipping the subway for a long walk home. [Penny-Pincher's note: These are great ways to avoid paying for overpriced gym memberships. If you'd still prefer to work out in a gym, check out my post on the affordable Blink Fitness.]

•                Usher for events at your favorite venues (mine is BAM) or consider volunteering for companies you love. In my early days I interned for Doug Varone and Dancers and truly enjoyed being a part of their events, even if it just meant helping sell t-shirts in the lobby of the Joyce Theater. Seeing the company and getting to know new people was invaluable.

•                Watch the sunset—anywhere. This always fills me with gratitude, gives me peace amongst the stress of the city, and makes me feel abundant.

5. We often hear that eating healthy is ‘too expensive’, and that fast food places like McDonalds or Wendy’s are much more affordable. Do you feel that this is the case?

When you look at your life over the course of a long time and not just now, you see that while the meal is cheap, the cost to your health is really expensive. It's definitely a harder thing to do when you're a teenager or have a feeling of invincibility, but if you are recovering from being sick, from an injury, or noticing your body changing as you age, it's a more immediate connection. If you are an artist living without health insurance (which I was for nearly 10 years in NYC), you know that the cost of going to a doctor or having a medical condition will quickly squash the money you saved going to McDonald's instead of choosing a healthier option. 

When I'm in pinch, I hit up Pret (their hard-boiled eggs and spinach is only $1.99), grab a 2 for $5 salad, sesame tofu or quinoa pot at Whole Foods, or spot a mix like apricot and almonds at a deli. I still abide by my banana-in-a-bind snack, though I eat more than just that for lunch! This is my version of fast food.

6. Do you have a favorite grocery store that has both affordable and nutritious options? My work takes me all over Manhattan and back to Brooklyn so I can't just mention one! So here it goes:

WholeFoods is a solid choice. I prefer it to Trader Joe's because more of the produce is whole and fresh (meaning it hasn't been cut into pieces already or is frozen or canned). If you're on a budget look for their 365 brand.  

When I am teaching near Joffrey Ballet School, I go to LifeThyme to get energizing "green champagne" which is a blend of greens and ginger. Their "chunks of energy" also go a long way - they have several varieties including cacao with spirulina and as I recognize ALL of the ingredients I know these are more nutritious than most protein bars on the market.  

When I am in my own neighborhood, Williamsburg, I like to shop across the street—at KeyFoods. This might come as a surprise to most, but the KeyFoods in my neighborhood has great choices including organic lacitano kale, oatmeal that is usually on sale, and a great variety of organic beans, soups, and local fruit—I bought Jersey blueberries this week for under $3. 

7. Can you give us your top three tips on shopping and preparing healthy food, without breaking the bank?

 1. Rice and beans! They are so inexpensive and packed with nutrition (hello amino acids, fiber, and protein!)—just add in some fresh goodies so you don't feel like you're being cheap with yourself. With black beans and rice I add cilantro and avocado; with chickpeas I add curry, cumin or some spicy harissa or hot sauce. An easy and nutritious combination to remember is bean, green, and grain. There are so many combinations of these if you just add your own creative spirit, spice and sauce (turmeric tahini is a favorite of mine) you'll feel your kitchen is a 4-star restaurant.

2.  Shop in the bulk section of Whole Foods—no, I do not mean getting huge packages if "bulk" to you means getting large amounts (I'm from the midwest where our bulk products mean for a family of 10 and there is no room in NYC apartments for such supplies). I mean the aisle where you can get exactly how much rice, grain, trail mix, lentils, etc., you want. You weigh it by pound and eliminate paying for packaging so it's better for the environment and you're not swayed by marketing. It's great for beginners in the kitchen too—start with a small amount of oats or quinoa to experiment in small doses.

Image provided by Kelly Buwalda

3.  Shop at your local Greenmarket. Yes, some of the prices will blow your mind but I guarantee if you buy quality foods you will not waste one bite. Rather than buying salad in those plastic boxes and having half already be rotten, you can choose exactly how much you want. The farmers are often generous too, allowing you to sample, telling you how you can prepare what you are buying, and nearing the end of the market day there are often great deals as they want to sell the produce while it is fresh. 

8. Do you have a favorite budget-friendly recipe that you could share with us? Here are two of my favorites below- this salad is simple and delicious, anyone can make it. I have shared this stir-fry with clients and in a cooking class and there was not one bite of leftovers, even from someone who said he had never liked cabbage before he tasted this dish. For more recipes and tips, please join my Facebook page, Kelly Buwalda Nutrition & Wellness 

Favorite Simple Salad

Ingredients:  Arugula, Olive Oil (to your liking), a squeeze of lemon, a dash of high-quality salt and pine nuts

Directions:  Simply place arugula in a bowl and add olive oil and lemon.  Mix salad and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pine nuts.  

Ginger Tempeh Stir Fry (my very own recipe!)

Prep: 5 min             Cook: 7 min

 Ingredients: Package of tempeh, 1-2” of ginger, 3-4 carrots, 1 small head purple/red cabbage (or half of a larger cabbage), safflower/sunflower/sesame oil, tamari

Optional: bok choy, tumeric

1.     Wash all vegetables and chop carrots and cabbage into small pieces.

2.     Slice tempeh into rectangular pieces.

3.     Peel ginger and slice into fine strips.

4.     Place all ingredients in a bowl and combine 1 TBSP oil and stir (if you are adding tumeric, do so here).

5.     Heat pan on med-hi and place all ingredients in pan, ensuring the tempeh pieces are laying flat on the surface. If needed, add more oil to pan (or water).

6.     After a couple minutes, stir vegetables and flip tempeh to other side.

7.     When carrots and cabbage are slightly softened and tempeh is brown on both sides add a splash of tamari and remove from heat. Serve in a bowl.

9. What do you enjoy most about your line of work? My work is a melange of teaching, creating, and performing—but in all of it I love witnessing transformation. As a Teaching Artist for National Dance Institute I see young people become dancers that have never danced before—I love seeing the spark when they achieve a new step. As a Certified Health Coach, I get really excited when a client achieves a goal like quitting smoking, losing weight, or loving how they feel in their own skin. This summer I've been inspired by the dancers at Joffrey Ballet School whom I've been teaching "Nutrition for Dancers." Some have reduced coffee, soda and energy drinks and have been feeling much more energy as a result. As a dancer myself, I love feeling connected and strong in my body and enjoy the transformation that comes with each performance experience.

Image provided by Kelly Buwalda

A big thank you to Kelly for this thorough advice on taking care of yourself and your wallet! Check out her Facebook and website for more information on eating well and caring for your body. 

Kelly Buwalda is a Certified Health Coach (American Association of Drugless Practitioners), Nutrition Teacher (Joffrey Ballet School), Teaching Artist (National Dance Institute) and contemporary dancer. She combines her knowledge from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Hope College (B.A.'s Dance & Psychology), and her personal experiences as an artist and athlete to support dancers, clients, friends, and family. 

Breakfast of Champions

On days when you've been running around all day, it can be pretty tempting to grab a quick lunch from the deli, or order in dinner rather than taking the time to make a home-cooked meal. Breakfast, however, is a meal that I can count on making at home every morning.

Because really, the thought of making myself look presentable to the world early enough to go out and buy breakfast? Not an attractive idea.

Today I'm going to share with you my favorite breakfast recipe that is affordable, healthy, and super easy to make. It is oatmeal, and the secret? Melted bananas. 

The Penny-Pincher's Morning Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of oats (quick-cooking preferred) 
• 1/3-1/2 cup of water 
• 1/3 cup of milk of your choice (dairy or non-dairy)
• 1 small banana, or 1/2 a large banana (sliced)
• cinnamon
• vanilla (powder or extract) 
• 1 tbsp nut butter (peanut, almond, etc.)

Optional:

• 1 tbsp of flax seed
• blueberries (fresh or frozen) 

Instructions:

1. Combine water, milk, and oats in a saucepan over low-medium heat. 
2.  Once oatmeal begins to simmer, add banana. 
3. Stir banana into oatmeal (very exuberantly) so that banana melts into oatmeal. The banana won't melt entirely, but try to make the chunks disappear. 
4. Once the liquid has been absorbed to your desired consistency, remove pan from heat.
5. Add a generous dash of cinnamon, and a small amount of vanilla. 
6. If desired, melt in frozen blueberries. You could also add fresh berries as a garnish. Add flax seed.
7. Pour oatmeal into bowl, and stir in the nut butter. 
8. Enjoy!

Melting bananas into oatmeal makes it taste like dessert (the riper the banana the sweeter the oatmeal). A standard package of oats should last you over two weeks, as should the nut butter. Bananas are cheap, as are most frozen blueberries (especially from Trader Joe's). This recipe is really filling, so you'll be good to go until lunch! 

This picture is my roommate's version of the same recipe. She added sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and a little bit of chocolate (who can blame her). The basic recipe lends itself to a lot of combinations. Experiment with different garnishes but keep in mind that the more ingredients you add, the more expensive it will become. 

I would love to hear your own versions of this oatmeal, should you choose to make it. I'm not going to lie, it's just as delicious when eaten at lunch or dinner, especially if you're craving something sweet!

Girl look at that body

As a dancer I am a big fan of cross-training. While dancing is a workout in and of itself, it's a lot of stop and start, making it hard at times to develop consistent cardio. Pounding the pavement by the Hudson or through Central Park are great ways to fit in a cardio session, but running can be hard on a dancer's ankles and knees. I am a big fan of the elliptical, because it is a machine that allows you to run impact-free.

What I am not a big fan of are the prices of NYC fitness centers. 

Going to the gym can be expensive. Some gyms in the city can be upwards of $80 per month, causing you to feel guilty about those months when you're just a little too busy to make that monthly fee worth it. My first year in New York I was a member of one of those $80 per month gyms, and I cancelled my membership four months later. On a student budget, I just couldn't make that kind of financial commitment work.

This summer I was determined to make it back to the gym once again. This time I found a place for $20 a month.

And the name of this gym, you ask?

Blink Fitness has everything that I need in a gym: cardio machines, weights, strengthening machines, and a designated stretching area. I have specific places that I like to go for my Pilates and yoga classes, so for me, the fact that they did not have classes was not a problem. 

There are two types of memberships at Blink:

1. The BLUE Membership 
This is the membership plan that I signed up for. It is $20 per month, with an annual maintenance fee of $40. The price of the start-up fee will vary; I joined at a time when the fee was $0, but I am told that they routinely have special offers in terms of this fee. According to the website today, the start-up fee is at $5. This membership allows access to all Blink locations, one free personal training session, and unlimited guest privileges. This membership does require a full-year commitment, so should you choose to cancel your membership early, you would be required to pay a fee. 

2. The GRAY Membership
This membership is $25 per month, with an annual maintenance fee of $30. The start-up fee according to the website today is $15 but again, this price will vary, and may be negotioable. This membership allows access to a single location, and one free personal training session. This membership monthly fee is five dollars more because it does not require a full-year commitment, so members can cancel at any time (giving the gym 45 days notice) without having to pay a cancellation fee. 

If you're looking for a simple gym that's easy to join and easy to use, I highly recommend Blink. It's an ideal gym for a Penny-Pincher, since the monthly fee is the same price as a restaurant dinner. Joining Blink means spending one less night a month eating out, which is a pretty healthy sacrifice if you ask me.

Don't forget your water bottle, lock, and towel. There are plenty of lockers throughout the gym to store your belongings, but the lockers are not monitored. Make sure to bring a lock, since the gym isn't responsible for anything stolen. There are showers in the locker rooms but towels are not provided, so make sure to bring your own if you're rushing off to a hot date... or the office (both equally thrilling I have no doubt). 

We all scream for (how much we pay for) ice cream

I have a pretty serious sweet tooth. Unfortunately, in a city where a slice of cake is $6.00 and a frozen yogurt can easily be $5.00, the cost of dessert adds up. My sweet tooth is dangerous for my wallet, and dangerous for my waist line.

Alas, I have a solution. My friend PJ (check out his band Manner Effect) introduced me to a dessert that is cheap, easy to make, vegan, gluten-free, and tastes exactly like ice cream. Oh yeah, and it's good for you. The secret? Frozen bananas. 

Peel them, slice them, put them in the freezer, and then blend them in a food processor until it looks like ice cream. If you want, you can stop right there and eat it as is. I highly recommend adding peanut butter, or any other kind of nut butter; it tastes like peanut butter ice cream and it is fantastic! 

Since the ingredients are just bananas and nuts, you can eat it for breakfast and not have to feel guilty about it; when I told my friends at ballet that I had eaten ice cream for breakfast, they did not mask their shock! If you don't like nuts, you can add other ingredients too. I think it would be good to add fresh fruit as a garnish, or maybe you could try adding things like cinnamon or vanilla to the mixture as you're blending. I'd love to hear your comments if you've tried something out that you liked.

The best part is that bananas are cheap. Stop by a fruit cart and grab two bananas for 50 cents, and you've got yourself a big bowl of ice cream (depending on the size of the banana, one might even be sufficient). That's looking a lot better to me than that $5 cup of frozen yogurt...