It`s Sunday morning. I haven`t had breakfast yet. My wonderful husband is doing the dishes from last night, and then I will make coffee and enjoy a bowl of homemade granola, which I prepared yesterday before starting work.
Toasted Coconut, Second Try
Mixing Oats, Canola Oil, Honey, and Sugar
Toasting Walnut halves, pumpkins seeds and pine nuts in butter
Granola with vanilla yogurt and bananas
As for Friday, I trained Eve in the morning. She, Paul and Elise left for NY city yesterday at 5 am, so I spent extra time playing with Elise on Friday. I`m going to miss her!
Elise in the morning
Kristin and Elise
After my one and only training for the day, I did a Pilates/Exercise ball workout at my place and went to my Ragga dance class in the evening. It was fun and my wonderful teacher had added in some moves to the routine inspired by some b-girling I taught her. I felt special. Also, in the afternoon I went shopping for my granola ingredients on Rue du Faubourg Saint- Denis, where there are inexpensive, good quality produce stores, which also sell many types of nuts and seeds.
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis
Produce at Fbg. Saint-Denis
Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis
On Saturday I woke up at 8.30 after eight hours of sleep. I feel so much better when I sleep enough. Then I did the granola thing. That recipe comes from Bon Apétit February 2011, which after waiting two months, I received in the mail on Thursday. Kimberly bought me a subscription for my birthday in December. BA`s got great recipes, but they aren`t the quickest with oversea travel.
While enjoying my granola I prepared for my three upcoming trainings. The first was a group class which varies from two to four people. Everyone in this class in bilingual so I teach the class in English. We usually do kickboxing, core work and finish up with an intense cardio challenge, inspired by Zuzana at BodyRock TV.
Getting off the metro to train Juliette and company
It was raining so I took the metro around all day, instead of riding Apache (my mountain bike). She got to rest in the warm storage room with the other bikes all day.
By Metro Bibliothèque F. Metterrand
Next I headed to Nancy`s for a training consisting of cardio, upper body strength training, and to finish, spinal flexibility work based in Kundalini yoga.
On the metro
Top floor of this apartment might be nice to own.
After training Nancy, I was starving! I stopped at an Organic Boulangerie on rue de Monge and picked up what turned out to be a very mediocre ham, cheese and butter sandwich. I also purchased a chocolate macaron, not that good. It really is hard to find a superb macaron in this city. I don`t usually buy them at random Patisseries, but they looked very nice at this particular shop.
Chocolate Macaron
This little lunch fueled me for my next class with my Colombian clients, who kindly allow me to teach the class in Spanish, so I can practice. I have lost a lot of my Spanish ability since moving here, but I am starting to get it back by teaching in this language. We did lots of kickboxing, core work and timed cardio challenges. I was very tired at the end of our session. I took the metro to Ledru-Rollin in the 8ème. I was planning on going to my dance class after picking up a few items for dinner, pasta with sausage, shrimp and pepperoncini, another recipe from this month`s Bon Apétit. I went to Nicolas, a wine store chain in Paris that carries some hard to find spirits, picked up a bottle of red from Chile and a bottle Mezcal to make Mezcalritas. I love the smoky flavor of this agave based liquor. Next I walked through the rain to one of my favorite covered markets whree I used to shop when I lived in the 8ème, last year, Le marché d`Aligre. Here I got my dried spices, herbs, and bottled spanish peppers (couldn`t find pepperoncini) at a small boutique in the market where a lovely young woman works. She remembered me from when I used to frequent her shop. She was very impressed that I had succeeded in starting my own personal training business. She also thought my French had improved. I really appreciated her encouragement. Sometimes it is very draining being an immigrant, uplifting words always help.
I picked up some shrimp at the seafood stand. Then I went to one of my favorites, the italian stand. They have many wonderful imported items that I haven`t found elsewhere in Paris. I waited in a fifteen minute line which consisted of 4 people; The French like to take their time with quality, at the end of which I decided I would not be going to my dance class a half hour late. Just as well, I was exhausted. I then took my sweet time to pick out several sumptuous items: Italian sausage, a huge cut of Asiago cheese from a giant wheel, Di Cecco penne pasta, and two bottles of tomato sauce.
Italian Cheeses
Dried meats and prepared pastas
A rainbow of pastas
Finally, weighed down with all my fine purchases, I headed home. The lighting was beautiful when I left the market.
Outside Le Marché d`Aligre
At home Michael and I enjoyed our Mezcalritas during a photo shoot of me removing shrimp heads, and cleaning out their poop and veins. Myam myam.
This pasta better be good!
Shrimp always come with heads in Paris.
It took about one and a half hours, and then my reward, an exquisite pasta dish which I will definitely make again.
Sauteing and boiling
Pasta, Chilean Cab and green salad
Michael and I ate while watching, Annie Hall, an older Woody Allen film. I liked it very much. Diane Keaton is in her thirties in the movie. She was great back then too. Well, I look forward to dinner tonight, hopefully some friends will join me. I`ve got plenty of pasta to finish.
Fire-cakes 