Travel – Sensual Foodist

Goodnight, Taipei, on Valentine’s Day

Do you love holidays? I love the idea of an unconventional holiday. Our writer, July spent some time in Taipei, and wrote about it to give you a taste of something you might have yet to try. Here’s your chance to experience a lil’ spice of Taipei.

Goodnight, Taipei, on Valentine’s Day | by: July Westhale

How do you ever been out on the streets on Valentine’s Day? Couples are all grinning at each other, giving each moon eyes, eating sitting next to each other instead of across the table, and generally just making the lives of those who are single pretty miserable. However, aside from big metropolitan cities, Valentine’s Day in the United States is more about packaged candy and stuffed bears then eating the same spaghetti noodle in a back alley of an Italian restaurant.…

30 second dinner

There’s no good reason to spend hours in the kitchen every day. I highly recommend an hour or two-maybe once a week? Otherwise,

[Tweet “I’m all about fast, efficient and nourishing. “]

My husband Joe and I were traveling this summer and we wanted all the time we could get on the beach in Miami (we dream about that bathwater frequently). In other words, we wanted to spend as little time inside as possible. However, south Florida is nothing like the San Francisco Bay area. The sensual food scene is sparse. We opted for preparing our own at home. We rent through airbnb when we travel and always look for a decent kitchen. This spot couldn’t be beaten.

We’re home reminiscing already.…

7 reasons the sugar ring pop sucks

Have you seen the trailer for the animated film Inside Out? I thought it was hilarious. I have referred to the “voices in my head” countless times. Haven’t you? I saw the trailer for this film just one day before boarding a flight to Philadelphia from San Francisco. My husband, Joe and son Joey and I are visiting New Jersey together for the first time in four years. I miss our life in New Jersey and reminisce frequently, and I figured it was about time to remind myself why we moved to the other side of the country. My first reminder came on the flight over.

My internal dialogue or voices in my head can be very loud and intense sometimes.…

Exploring the magical garden

What makes you feel lucky? How about having “good karma”? It doesn’t matter how it’s put, I felt it on my birthday this week! It was my third birthday at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. Our friends from Argentina accompanied us for this trip, and I love what Mercedes said as she walked into the garden,

“Is this a dream?”

If only I could have captured the look on her face. It was her and her husband Hernan’s first time to Big Sur, and their first time to Esalen. We love introducing this magical place to people, because it’s the closest to utopia that we’ve seen. We’ve been many times, for week-long retreats assisting our Tantra teachers. …

Love notes: Selfies with salads

When you’re feeling amazing inside and out, how does that affect your relationship? Conversely, how does a groggy, bloated, tired day affect your relationship? One thing that is incredibly important in my relationship is feeling really great when we’re together. You too, right? It’s so much easier to have an outstanding relationship-with anyone-when you feel so damn good that nothing can get you down.

What makes me feel that good? Sunshine and tasty food are pretty high ranking on my list. This week I’m in beautiful Hawaii, and my love, Joe is back home in California.

Even when we’re apart for a short trip like this; less than a week, we can connect through food.

I’ve certainly shared that one of our favorite things to do together is find delicious food while traveling around exotic destinations.…

Burning Man fare is essential …and dusty!

Just over one week ago, my husband Joe and I departed from the desert in Nevada, specifically, “Black Rock City.” We spent one week in the desert for the annual festival, Burning Man.

We were fortunate this year, as we camped with Red Lightening http://www.redlightning.org/ and were served two delicious meals each day. After the week we spent with Red Lightning, we realized there were a myriad of reasons we loved our camp, but of course, the deciding factor was the food.

For being in the middle of the desert, the quality of the food was excellent. I really cannot complain because last year, we lived on canned Amy’s soups, raw carrots, and a random handful or two of mixed nuts that someone gifted us. …

How snacks can save your marriage

…or maybe just your day.

Mexico was blissful. I’m sad it’s over, and yet so grateful for the time we spent in tropical paradise.

A few days before we departed, our photo shoot on the beach was the perfect opportunity to capture the essence of the trip. We woke up before sunrise; around 5 am and stepped onto the sand just as the breathtaking colors flooded the sky.

Everything was magical. It was quiet, peaceful, and the colors were stunning that morning. There was only one issue. As we rushed out, we discovered that our hosts were fresh out of bottled water, and it was too early for us to buy water anywhere. Sweating buckets in Mexico without water to drink isn’t the most pleasant experience, but we figured we’d survive, and departed without H2O.…

3 Foods to avoid when traveling with your lover

Is this your first visit to LanaShay.com? If not, you’re already familiar with the concept of Sensual Food and what it is. To sum it up, it’s real food, food that is unadulterated, unprocessed, pure, clean, natural, and organic. If we want to get really specific, it’s local and sustainable too!

It’s just scrumptious, colorful food.

It’s pretty simple when it comes to identifying the opposite, however I don’t talk about it much. I like to focus on what’s desirable, as opposed to what foods to avoid. Though sometimes it’s necessary. Right now, I’m in beautiful, sunny, sweltering Mexico. The heat is more than enough to get me feeling uncomfortable midday. I make sure not to add any element of discomfort with certain foods (that are very plentiful here).…