Deals in Martinsville

This week’s list of things to do includes an ‘80s classic coming-of-age film, an IRL appearance by Daily Show writers, and a 70-minute spectacle that has dancers flying in the air. Enjoy yourself, and as always, check Groupon for other great things to do in New York City. Hudson River Park Blues BBQ Midtown | Saturday, August 23 Tender, saucy barbecue from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Delaney Barbecue, and Mighty Quinn's Barbecue flavors this family-friendly festival, which has brought blues and roots musicians to Pier 84 for 15 years. It’s okay to eat your weight in brisket—just give yourself time to digest before the high-energy funk of headliners Big Sam’s Funky Nation calls up your best dance moves. The BBQ also kicks off the Hudson River Park 550 (#HRP550) fundraising initiative: visit the campaign page for more info. (Off W. 44th St.; 2 p.m.; free) Left Bank Picture Show: Stand by Me West Village | Sunday, August 24 Rob Reiner’s classic 1986 coming-of-age tale is the second-to-last to be screened in West Village tavern Left Bank’s summer film series. Guests nibble on themed sips and bites as a very young Wil Wheaton, Cory Feldman, and River Phoenix bond over their quest to locate a missing child in the woods near their small town. A baby-faced Kiefer Sutherland co-stars. (117 N. Perry St.; 8:15 p.m.; free) Widowspeak Midtown | Thursday, August 28 Moody, Western-tinged rock will fill MoMA’s Sculpture Garden as Brooklyn duo Widowspeak takes the stage for the last MoMA Nights event of the summer. Lead singer Molly Hamilton weaves her haunting, Mazzy Star–esque vocals in with Robert Earl Thomas’s ‘70s-psych influenced guitar. (11 W. 53rd St.; 6:30 p.m.; free with museum admission) Improv by Daily Show Writers Chelsea | Thursday, August 28 The men and women responsible for crafting Jon Stewart’s nightly quips venture out from their writers’ room for one precious night onstage at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. When they’re done blinking, naked-mole-rat-like, at the unfamiliar light of the sun, the jokesters perform an improv show based on audience suggestions. (307 W. 26th St.; 9:30 p.m.; $5; make reservations here) Fuerza Bruta: Wayra Union Square | Through January 4, 2015 Forget straining your eyes to see dancers onstage. In fact, forget stages at all. Fuerza Bruta: Wayra’s immersive 70-minute spectacle explodes the fourth wall, raising performers above audiences’ heads as they tumble through the air, climb suspended walls of fabric, or slip around a transparent water-filled pool. (101 E. 15th St.; $49–$59 with Groupon; buy tickets through GrouponLive here)

Our cave-dwelling ancestors got a few things right. Jenna Shannon tells us about the meat-centered paleo diet that got her to give up vegetarianism.A ready-to-eat paleo meal from Kettlebell Kitchen: grilled hanger steak, butternut-squash purée, and braised collard greens. Photo courtesy of Kettlebell Kitchen. Jenna Shannon spent 10 years as a vegetarian. Today, she’s an evangelist for a way of eating that’s all about meat.She says that while vegetarianism complemented her yoga practice, she knew she wasn’t feeling her best. So she did a dietary 180 and started eating paleo. Today, she swears by that meat-and-veggies approach: she’s written a book, and she also offers dietary coaching and writes about eating paleo on her website, Lean Machine NYC. For Jenna, the best part is seeing her clients get results. “It just makes my day,” she says.The paleo diet focuses on high-quality proteins, such as meat, fish, and eggs; vegetables; fruits; and healthy fats. It also eliminates grains, dairy, and legumes. Proponents argue that it’s the food humans evolved to eat. They’re “the foods we were eating before the Agricultural Revolution,” says Joe Lopez, president of Kettlebell Kitchen, which delivers ready-to-heat meals to CrossFit gyms across New York City.But it’s not all about cavemen. “The paleo diet, first and foremost, tries to eliminate processed foods and added sugars and things that shouldn’t be in your diet,” Joe says. While some people’s systems “may have evolved to be able to handle grains and dairy,” he says many people don’t realize these ingredients are causing “inflammation” in their systems.Both Jenna and Joe say they want others to discover the benefits of eating paleo—things like fewer hunger ups and downs, more steady insulin levels, and better workouts. New York City may not have caves, woolly mammoths, or lost time travelers blundering through the underbrush, but Jenna and Joe have plenty of tips for making the paleo lifestyle work here.Eating OutJenna says that the meat and vegetables nature of the paleo diet actually lends itself well to ordering at a restaurant. Paleo meals are “based on a protein, and that’s how chefs build their meals,” she says.She says that more upscale restaurants tend to use the kind of high-quality oils extolled by paleo proponents. But adherents still have to be careful. “There’s a lot of research that has shown that canola oils and vegetable oils are not good for you, especially when heated at high temperatures. They oxidize,” Joe says. “Some restaurants even reuse oils over and over.”Jenna and Joe both recommend Hu Kitchen, which focuses on unprocessed, natural foods. The chefs often cook with coconut oil, and they use grass-fed meat and other quality ingredients. Joe also enjoys ABC Kitchen, which brings in ingredients from local farms. Jenna’s family loves Monster Sushi for the “giant slabs of raw fish.” Paleo eaters should look for sashimi on sushi menus, she says.For people who want to go a little meat-crazy, Jenna says Brazilian churrascaria restaurants—renowned for their endless rounds of roasted meat—can be a fun choice.Grocery Shopping“New York has become a great place to be a home cook,” Jenna says. “That wasn’t always the case; it used to be all about the restaurants.” Today, you can find high-quality food at places such as Chelsea Market and Whole Foods, she says. Joe seconds the Whole Foods recommendation “because you can see exactly what you’re getting in your meals, and you can find paleo options.”But what you bring home is more important than where you shop. “It’s becoming possible for people to get very high-quality meat from very caring farmers and producers,” especially in New York State, Jenna says. “That’s important: to buy your products from people who really care about you (the consumer), the product they’re producing, and the environment.”“Keep your refrigerator stocked with [fruits and vegetables]—especially vegetables,” Joe says. That way, you’ll be a lot more likely to chow down on something healthy.Cooking at Home“The key to [eating paleo] is definitely learning to make some paleo recipes,” Jenna says. “If you can learn to make 5 to 10 really kick-ass recipes and they’re good,” the paleo diet will be a lot easier, she says.To build a paleo meal, Jenna says “you always want to start with your protein and build from there.” Next come vegetables and fats. Joe’s list of healthy fats includes coconut oil, macadamia oil, sesame oil, and olive oil.But don’t stop at a single meal when you’re cooking. One of the hardest components of eating paleo can be the need to cook more often—hence the niche market for Kettlebell Kitchen’s ready-to-eat paleo meals. When you can’t stop for fast food or microwave a frozen dinner, it’s more important to be prepared with your own healthy cooking. That’s why Joe recommends doubling up on ingredient prep. “If I steam a bunch of broccoli and carrots the night before, I’ll put it in a scramble with eggs for breakfast,” he says.Jenna says that a lot of recipes are actually pretty simple because they’re focused on high-quality ingredients that taste great all on their own. “You wouldn’t want to mess with a strawberry because it’s fantastic,” she says. You could say that’s the whole point of the paleo diet. It’s less about living like a caveman and more about regaining our ancestors’ simple appreciation for food.

This week’s list of things to do includes a hip-hop reunion tour, a 165-foot zipline, South Indian dancers, and Hamlet as performed by Gary Busey (not really). Enjoy, and, as always, check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City. Photo of Ragamala Dance by Alice Gerbura. Summer Streets Lower Manhattan | Saturday, August 2 Pedestrians and cyclists will rule Park Avenue for a few brief hours this Saturday, when the city shuts down a 7-mile stretch of asphalt for the first of three Summer Streets events this August. The car-free stroll from Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park would be pleasant in itself, but the city’s also provided a multitude of free amusements along the way. Inside the Park Avenue Tunnel, a seven-block-long immersive sound installation mimics the sonic effects of diving deep under the sea. At 34th Street, the Whole Foods City Picnic keeps crowds nourished with free food and drink samples. Further downtown, a 165-foot zipline sends harnessed participants zooming across Foley Square. Performances by African drummers and jugglers, parkour and cooking demonstrations, and a PAWS dog park round out the day. (Park Ave. from the Brooklyn Bridge to 77th St.; 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; free) Jurassic 5 Midtown | Saturday, August 2 Fresh off a globe-trotting reunion tour, Jurassic 5 shows no signs that their energy’s slackening. The “Quality Control” group brings their nostalgic old-school hip-hop to Best Buy Theater this Saturday. The best part of J5 has always been the interaction between the rappers’ voices: anchored by Chali 2na’s deep baritone, they play off each other like a barbershop quartet that just happens to spit rhymes. Their first post-reunion single, the White Stripes–sampling “The Way We Do It,” is evidence that the years haven’t erased that playful vibe. (1515 Broadway; show at 8 p.m., doors at 7 p.m.; $42.50–$50; buy tickets here) The One I Love Sunset Park | Monday, August 4 The directorial debut of famed author and Twitterer Charlie McDowell, this indie romantic comedy made a splash when it premiered at Sundance this January. Some of the reasons were obvious, including moving performances from Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed) and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, Top of the Lake). But some are more obscure, like the surreal, high-concept plot twist that most reviewers have refused to reveal. (Feel free to scrutinize the trailer for hints.) Come see what the fuss is about at Rooftop Films’ sneak-preview outdoor screening at Industry City, which will be followed by a Q&A with the director and stars, plus an after-party sponsored by New Amsterdam Spirits. (220 36th St., Brooklyn; doors at 8 p.m.; $13; get tickets here) Ragamala Dance in Song of the Jasmine Upper West Side | Thursday, August 7 Classical South Indian dance meets contemporary jazz in this Walker Art Center–commissioned show, whose Lincoln Center Out of Doors performance is also its New York premiere. Composer and saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa interweaves his meandering melodies with traditional Indian instruments to soundtrack the elegant, flowing movements of dance troupe Ragamala Dance. Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers and the Chinese-American Arts Council Dancers open. (Damrosch Park Bandshell, between Amsterdam Ave. & W. 62nd St.; 7:30 p.m.; free) Fringe Festival Multiple locations | Friday, August 8, through Sunday, August 24 Now in its 18th year, this sprawling multi-arts event will fill more than 20 theaters this month with off-the-wall indie performances from around the globe. Offerings range from Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet (which doesn’t actually feature Gary Busey) to Dust Can’t Kill Me, a folk musical about the 1930s Dust Bowl, to Njozi Ensemble Company’s Ain’t She Brave: an Ensemble of Poetry. ($18 per show, $85–$500 for a multi-show pass; buy tickets here)