Pie Sisters and Metro Halal Food Cart – Washington, DC Eats

Posted on January 24, 2012 by


Like to travel? You don’t have to bust your healthy eating while on the go, that’s for sure! I love traveling and my husband does too. Recently, we went to Washington, DC, with our friends Randy and Kym, for a work trip and stumbled upon lots of unexpected, good eats.

Some tips: For breakfast, have some of the hotel’s fruit, whole wheat toast or a bit of oatmeal, and coffee – black. Just pick what you like and stick with it – no need to try a little bit of everything on the hotel’s breakfast buffet – it’s probably not all good anyways. Go to a coffee shop, have some good coffee, and don’t feel like you need to put cream and sugar in it. If you must, try skim milk and one sugar packet.

Definitely add in a workout on your trip. Every other day, or everyday, if you can. Don’t leave the gym sooner than 30 minutes! Lots of hotels have gyms now. Utilize this, in addition to all the walking you’ll do on your trip (this counts as exercise, too!). I did 40 minutes on the elliptical and some weights a few times during our stay, and worked out 3 of the 4 days we were in DC. I definitely felt good about myself before starting the day.

Don’t feel you have to say “no” to desserts, for goodness sakes. Plan out your meals and portion control your desserts. We were in Georgetown one day and out of Serendipity 3, Georgetown Cupcakes, dolcezza artisanal gelato, and Pie Sisters, we decided to go with Pie Sisters. Imagine our disappointment when we arrived there late, trekking in at 8pm when they closed at 7pm. But one of the sisters, Alli, let us in! She was so nice, and her pies were amazing.

I tried the Key Lime pie, P had the apple pie, Randy had the banana cream pie, and Kym had the cherry pie. I had a bite of everyone’s pies – they were so, so, so good. The Key Lime pie was creamy, and not bright green from artificial coloring, but pale green from the key limes. The graham cracker crust was thick and crumbled in your mouth. P’s apple pie was comfort in a bite. Perfectly spiced apples, flaky crust, yum. Randy’s banana cream pie was fresh and was the best banana cream pie I’ve ever had – definitely not from those pudding mixes they have at the store. Kym’s cherry pie was tart and sweet – I loved it. It’s a good size for those of you who want portion control, coming in a mini-pie size.

Kym’s cherry pie


Alli, who let us in when they were closed. Thanks Alli!

My key lime pie. Yum!

For lunch one day, we Yelp’ed some reviews and this food cart place always came up. We decided to try it, and gosh, was it good! It was very clean and cheap – $6 for a lot of food. We could have easily shared a plate. It’s located near Macy’s in Arlington, Virginia. We simply bought some food and brought it in the food court in the mall across the street to sit down and have lunch (it was freezing outside!). It’s called the Metro Halal Food Cart (halal meaning the animals are slaughtered in a humane way, according to Islamic law). If you’re taking the metro, it’s off of the orange line, off of Ballston Metro. Here’s the address:

4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA


P had the chicken and rice, with some saag (cooked spinach) and salad on the side:

I had the chicken korma, with spicy potatoes and salad:

The owner told me he makes his own food, five days a week (they’re closed on weekends). I asked him what he put in his potatoes and he wouldn’t tell me (dangit!), except at one stage he adds in homemade pickles. Mum on the seasoning. I think there’s fenugreek in there anyways. I loved P’s saag – you must get that. It was creamy, you’ll fulfill a veggie requirement of the day, and you’ll be happy you ordered it.

You’ll do a lot of walking in DC. You can use the Metro system and get to a lot of places without a car, which is good. Just museum-hopping will burn a lot of calories, and take you a few hours! Thanks, Kym, for being my museum buddy while the guys were at work!

At the Freer Museum Gallery of Art

Posted in health and nutrition tips | 2 Comments

Blackberry Cobbler Oatmeal

Posted on January 17, 2012 by


I used to hate oatmeal. I thought it was so disgusting. One time, I ate Peaches ‘n Cream (from the box) oatmeal and I gagged. I think it was that particular flavor, but over time, I got used to oatmeal and one day loved it. Now I make my own oatmeal, full of berries, nuts, and spices. It’s delicious, warm and comforting, especially on cold winter mornings.

You can use this base (oats, milk, water) and make variations of your own – add in bananas, dried fruits, almond butter, anything. I made this version and was greeted with a “Mmmm…good…” from my sister-in-law. Here are some more oatmeal possibilities for you – change it up!

- Pina colada oatmeal: Unsweetened, shredded coconut + diced pineapple + vanilla extract
- Comfort-in-a-bowl oatmeal: Almond butter + dates + cinnamon
- Banana bread oatmeal: Banana + walnuts + unsweetened, shredded coconut
- Apple pie oatmeal: Cubed apples + walnuts + cinnamon + pinch of nutmeg
- Carrot cake oatmeal: Grated carrot + raisins + walnuts + brown sugar + vanilla extract

Oats are a fabulous whole grain. Not only are they chock-full of soluble fiber, they can help lower your cholesterol. Additionally, they can help maintain blood sugars and prevent diabetes. Oats can help maintain your weight by keeping you fuller longer – longer than those sugary cereals out there. They’re good at also decreasing your blood pressure, and can reduce your risk of heart diseases and strokes. Full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, oats will also keep you regular, if you know what I mean (I’m sure that will make you happy!).

What do you like to put in your oatmeal?

Spiced Fruit & Nut Oatmeal
serves 1-2

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup water
3 oz blackberries
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 5 minutes, then serve.

Posted in breakfast, grains | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mung Bean Dal

Posted on January 14, 2012 by



I probably just said three words that confused you. Mung beans are a bean used everywhere in Vietnamese cuisine, from savory dishes to sweet. They’re used to make sweet soups, cakes, and even their paste is used to make noodles. I always have some in my pantry. The green ones are whole, and the yellow have been split in half. You’d probably fare better buying them at an Asian grocery store, where they’re sold for around $1 for 12 ounces. I saw a bag of them at my local grocery store for $7! Ludicrous! I’m sorry if you got ripped off, but I had to tell you before you made the same mistake again!

Additionally, dal is an Indian word for any sort of beans you use. When I was in college, my dad would pick me up on Fridays and we’d either have sushi or Indian food. One time, P and I were in DC and ate Indian food for Valentine’s Day. It’s always been like a comfort food to me and I associate it with good times.

So, the other day, as I was leafing through Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters cookbook, I saw a recipe for dal. I love this cookbook – it’s chock-full of veggie-heavy recipes. You could use any small beans or lentils you have, but I used mung beans since I already had them. I added a little light coconut milk to it, which gave a slightly sweet, full flavor to the dal. I also used a cauliflower too and ate this with whole-wheat naan bread. My baby loved it – I’m so proud that she likes a variety of foods. I’m going to brag, but she even likes brown rice, tofu, lentils, and kabocha squash along with other things. She’s definitely not one of those kids raised on pre-packaged ravioli or Mac ‘n cheese!

Mung Bean Dal
Serves 4
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters Cookbook
1 cup split (yellow) mung beans, rinsed and picked over
1 can (13.6 oz) light coconut milk
1 small cauliflower (or 1/2 large), cored and cut into chunks, optional
2 tablespoons mined ginger
1 tablespoon mined garlic
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 fresh Thai bird chili, or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
1. Soak the beans in water (change out the water a few times before soaking – the water will be yellow from the beans) for about two hours; drain.
2. Combine all ingredients (except salt, pepper, butter, and cilantro), and bring to a boil over high heat in a Dutch oven on the stove. Bring the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 35 minutes, until the mung beans are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the butter. Serve with chopped cilantro on top.

Posted in vegetables, vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Soft Tofu Sushi Rice Bowl

Posted on January 8, 2012 by


I’ve been craving sushi rice lately – that vinegary, slightly sweet flavor you get when you bite into some nigiri sushi, for example. I figured, how good would it be to make a vegetarian sushi rice bowl, complete with seaweed salad, pickled ginger, and brown rice, spiked with a little rice wine vinegar? Pretty satisfying, if you ask me.

To add some protein, add some sushi-grade tuna or salmon. You could also add in a hard-boiled egg, but I chose to add in some marinated soft tofu.

Wakame is a sea vegetable that is just great, in soups (you’ll find this in miso soup) and salads. Simply soak it in water for a few minutes before using, to rehydrate it. You can find this product in a lot of places nowadays. I bought mine at a local Asian grocery store, but I’ve even seen it at Whole Foods.

There’s no recipe to this – I just did everything quickly, on the spur of the moment. You can just prepare everything to your taste. In the wakame salad, simply rehydrate the amount of seaweed you want to use (not too much since it really expands in water), add rice vinegar, mirin, and granulated sugar to taste. Ta da!

Soft Tofu Sushi Rice Bowl
Soft tofu recipe (also called silken tofu)
Avocado, diced
Wakame salad (rehydrate wakame in water, drain, then add rice vinegar, mirin, and sugar to taste)
Cucumber, sliced
Pickled ginger
Short or medium-grain brown rice

Posted in main entree, vegetables, vegetarian | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy New Year and Mulled Wine

Posted on January 4, 2012 by

Happy New Year!  Here’s to wishing you a new year full of joy, because that’s what matters in life.  A lot of people may say that this past year was the worst year of my life, and I should be especially happy to ring in the new year.  But you know what? I don’t feel bad for anything.

I’m not sad (don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy either) that the accident happened.  I’m also not sad that I spent seven months in the hospital, because that’s where I met some of the kindest people.  Same with the six months of rehab after being discharged from the hospital.  Not sad either.  Is that weird?  I met some of the nicest people in rehab, and funny, too!  Through this accident I learned who is truly on my side and who isn’t.  It’s a hard lesson to learn, but I’m very grateful for those that have stayed close to me.  I’m grateful that my husband stayed my best friend.  He’s had stress upon stress, and I admire him for dealing with it all.

So, this year, we decided to do it low-key for the day. I made a mulled wine, something that P heard of a lot when he went to London for business.  I’ve never had it before but it was quite tasty and improv for a drink-I just threw whatever I had in there.  We rang in the New Year eating cheese, crackers, and drinking wine on the kitchen countertop.  It was the perfect way to spend the holiday. :)

Mulled Wine

Serves 6

1.5 L red wine (I used cabernet sauvignon-reminding you, this is a big bottle of wine, not your typical size)

3 cinnamon sticks

5 cloves

5 star aniseeds

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp star anise extract

In a medium soup pot (I used a French oven), mix together all ingredients.  Set on low heat and allow to brew for an hour.  Serve, with cinnamon sticks if wanted.

Posted in Drinks | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment