Q&A

Ask me anything! I’ll post answers here.

1. What are some of the foods you eat on a regular basis?

I eat a clean diet of (mostly) unprocessed foods that are easy for my body to digest. I have a sensitive digestive system and over the past decade or so, I’ve learned to select foods that taste great to me so I never feel deprived. A sampling of my common grocery list items and favorite foods:

• gluten-free oats (love Bob’s Red Mill)
  
• Love Grown Foods gluten-free granola
• Nature’s Path Organic cereals
• Attune Foods/Erewhon gluten-free cereals
  
• Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  
• fresh fruit – favorites include Jazz Apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, mangoes, plums, peaches & pineapple
• vegetables – favorites include kale, spinach, green beans, cucumber, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, sweet potatoes
• avocado – lots of avocado!
• raw or roasted nuts and seeds – favorites include almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds
• nut butters – almond, peanut
• salmon (grilled, baked, smoked, sashimi)
• free-range, organic eggs
• black beans, pinto beans
  
• black-eyed peas, chickpeas & lentils
  
• gluten-free whole grains – oats, brown rice, quinoa, millet
  
• hummus – there are many great store-bought brands, but I also make my own
  
• LÄRABAR and dried fruit/homemade trail mix
  
• dark chocolate
• green tea
  

Favorite spices, condiments, etc. : cumin, cinnamon, Sriracha, basil, rosemary, mint

2. What took you to Belize?  Did you enjoy it?

Billy lived in London for 1.5 years after law school, then moved to Manhattan, where he lived when we met in October 2008. After about 9 months in a long-distance relationship, we decided to do something adventurous and move to an island. So we spent a couple of months in the summer of 2009 researching islands, visited Belize for the 1st time in June 2009, and decided to move to the town of San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize in October 2009. We ran into all sorts of issues setting up a residence in a 3rd world country – all of which seem humorous in hindsight. We definitely had a lot of enjoyment with the incredible scenery, snorkeling and laid back island lifestyle. Our adventure ended sooner than expected when Billy’s father passed away and we moved back to Dallas. Our relationship grew significantly during our time in Belize, and continued to do so upon making the transition back to Dallas.

If you want any tips of traveling to Belize, please ask!

3. What are some of your favorite things to do in Dallas?

Billy and I both grew up in Dallas and while it’s home, we enjoy traveling and we’re planning to move to a new city in the next 6 months to a year. But while we’re here, we are making the most of our time by taking advantage of all that Dallas has to offer.  Dallas has great restaurants and we enjoy dining out once or twice a week. Dallas has a great Farmers Market which I’ve posted about here, here and here. Dallas also has a beautiful Arboretum. The recently expanded Arts District has some cool attractions, including the Dallas Museum of Art and The Nasher Sculpture Garden.

Dallas offers some outdoor activities although I wish there were more. The Katy Trail is a 3.5 mile concrete paved & soft track surface trail for walkers, runners, bikers and rollerbladers. It is typically pretty crowded as it runs through the heart of Uptown, a highly populated and upbeat area of Dallas. One end of the trail is at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the other end backs up to the American Airlines Center, a sports arena and concert venue near downtown. Another outdoor attraction is White Rock Lake, which is a popular place for walking, running and biking. Billy and I are ran the White Rock Half Marathon December 5th, 2010.

Dallas is also known for great shopping. The Galleria and North Park are popular shopping centers offering a wide variety of stores, restaurants and entertainment. There are plenty of fun boutiques at West Village and Highland Park Village has more upscale retail shopping.

This is just a general idea but if you are ever planning a trip to Dallas, I would love to offer more specific suggestions!

D Magazine is a great resource for all things Dallas.

Also, I’m sure many of your are familiar with Groupon, a FREE service that offers incredible discounted prices for deals specific to your city. In the past 2 months, I’ve purchased 30 days of unlimited classes at 2 different yoga studios in Dallas for $20! I’m a sucker for a good deal. Check it out if you haven’t already!

4.  How do you and Billy get to travel so much?

Billy is an avid traveler – since before we met. And his parents traveled a lot as well, especially at the beginning of their marriage. Our relationship started out being long-distance so we made it a priority to save our money and vacation days to travel to see each other. We are extremely frugal 99% of the time in everyday living (ex. we share a car) so we can afford to buy airfare. We also take advantage of discounted flight deals and we subscribe to travel alerts and notifications. In addition, because of the travel writing side of our work, we often have complimentary accommodations wherever we go in exchange for our marketing services. We realize how fortunate we are, and we know things will change once we have kids, so we’re taking advantage of it now!