When I came across this recipe I had to read it twice. I was skeptical with a capital S that you could bake cookies with mashed bananas. What? Really? But the picture was so inviting that I had to give it go. And I am so glad that I did! Continue...

This has been one of my go-to recipes for years. In fact I can whip it up from memory it is so easy to make. It is quick, healthy and makes the house smell delicious. The best thing is that you can swap out the fruit seasonally. During the summer months this simple cake can be made with stone fruits - peaches, plumbs, apricots and cherries. Delicious! Continue...

FROM: Maria Earle, owner of the Pilates Loft in Barcelona

HOW SHE GOT TO BARCELONA: When I was 35, I was facing the pressure to adult-up, which at the time meant buying an apartment and expanding the Pilates studio I co-owed in New York City. But my heart was telling me I would thrive elsewhere, so 10 years ago, I made the transatlantic leap to Spain—the country where I was born. Ten years ago I traded my urban life in Manhattan for a provincial one on the outskirts of Barcelona, bringing my life story full circle. Continue...

Let me set the record straight - I love a crispy fried falafel as much as the next person. But when it comes to cooking at home I just cańt bring myself to deep frying anything. A baked falafel is a healthy and delicious alternative. Sprouting your chickpeas takes this falafel recipe to the next level in terms of nutritional value. To learn more about how and why sprouting your chickpeas is a good idea check out what Nele Liivlaid has to say about it. Continue...

When the elevator doors opened on the top floor of New York University´s TISH School Of The Arts building on 2nd Avenue I would be greeted by the sounds of springs, classical music and the voice of Kathy Grant teaching two or three people at a time in her little Pilates studio. It was a tiny studio; there was a Reformer, a Cadillac, a Ladder Barrel, a Wunda Chair, a Spine Corrector and various small accessories like little balls, and pillows, tennis cans, and pinwheels. Like an orchestra conductor, Kathy would correct, advise and scold us from her chair next to the window (and the radiator). It was not a quite place but the concentration level was palpable. Her students were mainly made up of TISH dance majors and professional dancers. But there were others too. Actors, musicians, painters and even a few who where not artists. We all knew the protocol of the studio. We all knew what we did. We all knew that then we arrived we were expected to get the accessories we needed, to find a place in the room, and to get started with our warm-ups. In the thirteen years that I studied with Kathy I never had a private session. This model made me re-evaluate the one-to-one session model that dominated the studio culture that I had been working in. Continue...

I often reflect back on what I call my “old-school apprenticeship” with Kathy. For over a decade I took weekly lessons that lasted anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours. When I could, I went twice a week. There was nothing formal about my apprenticeship; it evolved organically. In fact, we never talked about it. On the days I would go to Kathy’s studio, I would keep the whole morning free from other obligations. It was expected that lessons did not end until she said you were done. I would then simply stay to do little things for her around the studio until I had to head uptown to teach at my own studio in the afternoon. Continue...

Recently I came across a quote from Newton that said, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” It got me thinking about my foundation and the people who hoisted me up on their shoulders so that I might see further.

My mentors have played a profound role in my professional and personal development. They’ve been there to cheer me on through the prolific moments of my career and more than once, they’ve guided me back on track when I’ve lost my way. Mentors encourage us to make deeper connections, to better understand our strengths and weaknesses, and steer us towards the manifestation of our greatest potential. I think it is safe to say that none of us have achieved success, or gotten this far, entirely on our own. I know this to be true in my case. Continue...