At $80 per person, including tax and gratuity, the dinner is a worthy splurge. Seating is family-style in the chef’s table room, an intimate private space with views of the kitchen. Seating is limited, so snag tickets online at oliveandjune.eventbrite.com. 7:30p.

One of the most important things for leading a healthy, and thus happy, life is willpower. Willpower keeps us from subsisting on a diet of doughnuts and reality tv when we logically know we should be eating kale and reading Proust*. But some research suggests that you have a finite “bank” of willpower each day, so the more you use it, the more you lose it. This would suggest that you need to build systems and habits to prevent those willpower-sucking scenarios and save your reserves for the really tough situations.

The folks at Whole 9 Life discuss changing your habits here. They’ve got great tips and insight on the research. Personally, I don’t keep any junk food in my house, because I KNOW I’ll eat it if it’s there. That’s easy enough. But what about the other things that require willpower? As first a freelance writer and now self-funding my startup, I have no one to answer to, except my clients or you guys. I can wake up, post something, and go back to bed for hours. I can work out, ski, run, hike, do laundry—whatever distracts me from working without consequence. It sounds awesome, and IT IS. But I spend freely from my willpower bank to DO WORK, which people who have to be at an office from 9-5 do not (then again, I don’t have office birthday cake to fend off, so there’s that).

What I need to do with my willpower is make DOING WORK non-negotiable. Take the possibility out of working 9-5 like I took the junk food out of my cabinets. Then I have more willpower in my bank for food, distractions, workouts, and so on. I will always keep a flexible schedule, but you’ve got to have a schedule at all for it to be flexible.

What systems do you guys need to put into place to give yourself a willpower cushion?

*or at least reading at all. Chick-lit counts.

… then I went.

… and now, I will probably not ever go again either. (I also happen to be in Park City this weekend, yay!)

It’s awesome, yes, that X Games are in Aspen. But it’s really crowded, the views are not awesome, and the lines for the buses are beyond ridiculous.

However, the music in town for X Games is also ridiculous. Ridiculous. So we have to appreciate that!

Saturday the always-free Hi-Fi Concert Series at the base of Aspen mountain features AWOLNATION, at 5:30p. Although I enjoyed Big Boi last year, AWOLNATION is definitely a hot-hot act right now and sure to please the X Games crowd.

Belly Up has some stellar acts, a few of which are already sold old (Deadmau5 sold out in a flash and caused a lot of drama to boot):

Plus Sunday night TheGoodLife! & Louie Vito present Raekwon & Ghostface Killah with very special guests DJ Spider & 12th Planet.

Heading to the actual X Games? Map below:

Buttermilk Mountain Winter X Games Aspen 2012 spectator map. Click here to download the large version of this map.

EatAspen has a list of all the X Games deals in town here.

The second location of Chef Tyson Cole’s critically-acclaimed restaurant, Uchi, will open to the public on February 2^nd.  In the iconic former Felix space on Westheimer near the corner of Montrose. Offerings from the kitchen and sushi bar showcase his signature style of combining unexpected textures and flavors, pushing the boundaries of Japanese cuisine, drawing flavor inspiration from numerous points around the globe and mixing traditional master knife work with cutting-edge techniques.

Acclaimed pastry chef Philip Speer ends things on a sweet note with his ground-breaking desserts that showcase familiar flavors in completely original forms and combinations. Chef Cole is pleased to name Kaz Edwards of the original Uchi as chef de cuisine in Houston.  Monica Glenn, longtime protégé of Philip Speer, will be pastry chef.

The transformation of the building from the Felix space was helmed by (obviously) Michael Hsu, who also designed almost every impressive restaurant space in Austin including Uchi, Uchiko, Malverde, and so on.

“We have been looking forward to becoming a part of the Houston community for many months,” says Chef Tyson Cole, recent winner of James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southwest. “It’s a thrill to open our doors.”

904 Westheimer / Houston, Texas 77006

Oasis Texas now consists of five restaurants, four retail shops, entertainment, and office space. The rink is open through January 1. Admission to the rink is $10, which includes skate rental. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Marine Foundation’s Toys for Tots annual holiday campaign and get $1 off skate ticket. Oasis Texas is located at 6550 Comanche Trail. For more info: oasistx.com

Skating rink hours: Monday through Thursday 4-10p; Friday and Saturday 11a-11p; Sunday 11a-8p.
Christmas Eve: 11a-7p; Christmas Day: 1-10p; New Year’s Eve: 11a-10p; New Year’s Day: 11a-10p

Meanwhile, Whole Foods is introducing Disco Karaoke on Ice! Wednesday Nights Through January 15th from 7-9p . Disco Karaoke on Ice will include free hot chocolate, courtesy of Capital One Bank, to the first 50 guests. Plus, all karaoke guests will be entered into a chance to win a $250 gift card. Admission: $10/hour includes skates.

Friday Oct 14 / Congress Avenue and Fourth Street / 8:30a–5p / Cook-off 12:30–1:30p / Parking lot opposite Frost Bank Tower

… sometimes I miss working downtown. Perfect lunch break!

Recipe: Homemade Thai Spiced Eggplants

It may be the end of September but it’s not too late to have another barbeque or two. I love eating out in Austin and Aspen, but sometimes it’s nice to eat in the comfort of my own home. An in season vegetable is eggplants, which is packed full of flavour when marinated and here is an easy recipe that I’ve found to make homemade Thai Spiced Eggplants.

Ingredients to serve 4

4 medium eggplants
2 hot red chillies, seeds removed
2 sticks lemongrass
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp fish sauce
100g creamed coconut
The juice of 2 limes and finely grated zest of 1 lime

Method – less than an hour to prepare and cook

1. Start by cutting the eggplants into thick slices (about 2 cm thick).
2. For the marinade, peel and discard the outer layer of the lemongrass, then very finely slice the stalks. Add the lemongrass, garlic, red chillies and the creamed coconut into a food processor and blitz before adding the fish sauce.
3. Next, stir in the lime juice and lime zest.
4. In a shallow dish, lay the eggplant slices down and spoon the marinade all over them. Make sure they are all covered in the paste and leave for an hour, or longer if you can, to let the flavors soak in.
5. Turn on the barbeque or grill to a high to medium setting, then place the eggplants cut side down onto the barbeque/grill.
6. You’ll need to watch the eggplants quite carefully so they don’t burn but cook them until the marinade has formed a light crust on the underside. This usually takes between 10-15 minutes depending on the heat.
7. Keep turning the eggplant slices over until they have softened completely
8. They are now ready to be served!

Why not make the most of the sunshine and enjoy homemade Thai Spiced Eggplants? They are so easy to make so you won’t need to be thinking about getting cheap restaurant insurance or hiring staff for help when you are cooking!

We sat on the middle patio, a level down from the Hyman Avenue mall but above the dining room. You can order from the bar menu, lounge on couches, and still be outside. It’s pretty awesome.
So is the Vermonster’s face … he’s pretty excited about the drinks. The creative concoctions feature fresh juice.

We really did order one of every app on the bar menu. Calamari (legit), roasted artichoke, ceviche (so fresh), spinach salad, and crab cakes, which were sweet enough to be considered dessert. For three drinks and five apps plus tip, we got away for under $100. That’s a total win in Aspen!

The service was impeccable, the atmosphere just right, and the food outstanding. No wonder there’s such a buzz on Ellina. We’ll be back for more of you.

Click here for the full schedule; below are my top three can’t-miss events of the weekend!

1) Saturday and Sunday, 10a-5p: ECO Marketplace featuring vendors and demos of all things handmade, remade, recycled, organic, or reused; products must be at least 50% local materials! Bonus: Sustainable Food Court with delicious, healthy, local goodies.

2) Film Screening, Saturday, 1-2p: Vanishing of the Bees presented by Honeybee Organic Juice Bar (click here for my review!) at Wheeler Opera House. Check out the trailer here.

3) YoGroove Yoga In The Park by King Yoga, Saturday, 2-3p. Join Aaron King (my fave instructor EVER) and Evan Rachel in Wagner Park for “Yogroove” with live music by Cameron Williams of the local aspen band Jes Grew.

Of course, there’s also a Green Tie dinner and ball, but these are the three things I will be, without a doubt, checking out personally.

This trailer is for FORKS OVER KNIVES, a film examining the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods*.

*You know that I am a meat-eatin’, raw milk-drinkin’, cheese-lovin’ omnivore. I don’t eat a lot of grains or sugar or corn or soy. I am very interested in health and wellness and firmly believe in the premise of the film: that diet, what you eat, can and WILL affect your health. When I first heard about this film, I loved the idea, but didn’t necessarily agree with the vegetarian/vegan message. That’s A-OK. What’s important here is the notion that processed foods are killing us, and we need to eat more whole foods, plant or animal based.

Back to the synopsis of the film … The major storyline traces the personal journeys of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional biochemist from Cornell University (and yes, the controversial author of The China Study), and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. Inspired by remarkable discoveries in their young careers, these men conducted several groundbreaking studies.

Their separate research led them to the same startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented—and in many cases reversed—by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. Despite the profound implications of their findings, their work has remained relatively unknown to the public. Bringing these scientific concepts to life, cameras follow “reality patients” who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes, and are taught by their doctors to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments. The film features leading experts on health and tackles the issue of diet and disease in a way that will have people talking for years.

*GIVEAWAY* WIN one of FIVE pairs of tickets to an advanced screening on Monday, May 9^th at The Regal Arbor in Austin. Just leave a comment below or email me at thisislifeinaustin@gmail.com BEFORE Sunday, May 8th, at 6PM CST.