Fridge Voyeur is a virtual visit into the chill zone of the Spoon Crew — our team, our friends, and some of your favorite wellness gurus. We may eat a lot of plants, but you better believe there’s a whole lot of variety, and a little bit of naughty, going on behind closed doors. We know you want a peek ;)
This week, we’re peeking into the fridge of New York-based nutritionist, Alexandra Rosenstock.
Splendid Spoon: Hey Alexandra! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Alexandra: Hi! I am a dietitian specializing in GI (think: food allergies, celiac, IBS… all that good stuff!). I describe myself as a “flexible” pesca-vegan. I mostly eat a plant-based diet with rare additions of wild fish, organic eggs, or Parmesan cheese.
I’ve lived in NYC since college. I’m now based in Brooklyn. I love exercise, the outdoors, combining those two loves (hi hiking!), yoga, jazz, dark chocolate, and good red wine. My friends joke that there’s nothing to eat in my home except powders, seeds, and spinach. I love grocery shopping and basically spend 90% of my time in the produce aisle. I’m constantly trying to be more mindful and balance a healthy lifestyle with letting loose and having fun.
SS: What are the 5 staples you can’t live without?
AR: Pre-washed organic spinach, nut and seed butters (especially almond butter and tahini!), homemade almond milk, coffee (with my almond milk!), and sweet potatoes.
SS: What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge?
AR: Barley Grass Powder, for sure. I think wheatgrass and spirulina get their fare share of press, but no one talks about barley grass. Barley grass is one of the tall green grasses. It’s full of nutrients including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B1, and several other nutrients. It’s great to add to smoothies, but you do need to mask the strong flavor with cocoa and blueberries!
SS: What’s your fave sweet and what’s your fave savory?
AR: My favorite sweet is undoubtedly chocolate chip cookies. I love them to be hearty with oats or buckwheat, barely sweetened with maple syrup, and made with dark chocolate. Sometimes they’re healthy enough to eat for breakfast! [We need this recipe! — Ed.] My favorite savory is sweet potato drizzled with tahini.
SS: If you were one thing in your fridge, what would it be?
AR: Almond butter! It makes everything better :).
SS: What food do you turn to when you want something comforting or nostalgic? Although we eat to keep our bodies strong and healthy, food also connects us to our past, to friends, and to different times in our lives.
AR: I always turn to pasta with olive oil and Parmesan, or pesto. Noodles (especially rotini!) are very comforting to me, and Parmesan is my favorite (although I don’t eat much dairy now). The only adult upgrade would be changing to chickpea or lentil pasta, which to me tastes just as good and boasts more fiber and protein.