Weekend Bites: Rethinking the “Comfort Bowl”

Good morning and happy Monday! I hope no one was too burdened by the snow storm… flights were canceled and the power went out in some areas, but for the most part, our area fared pretty well.

Earlier in the week, my friend Ilena and I met for dinner at Il Bambino.

To keep our trip down memory lane going strong, here are Ilena and I in, oh, 1997?

We split an order of crostini with apricot jam and goat cheese to start. Cheese + jam is such a good combination.

For dinner, we each ordered a roast mushroom panini with caramelized onions, dirty potato chip, truffle spread and fontina. It was pretty good, but I didn’t realize the “truffle spread” would taste like mayo. There was enough for leftovers, though, which is always nice!

For Sunday brunch (i.e. breakfast… I can never eat just one meal between 8 AM and 7 PM!), my dad, B and I went to Cafe Bar. Cafe Bar has great egg dishes- I almost always get the Mediterranean: Scrambled Eggs & Country Fries, Spanish Onion, Tomatoes, Scallions And Olives, With Tahini, Tzatziki And Warm Pita Bread. The tahini and tzatziki are great for dipping!

We did a lot of cooking, too! One night, I made cheezy mashed cauliflower with green beans and this gravy. SO comforting, but not heavy at all! One of my new favorites.

Another night, I made creamy polenta (stir in a spoonful of Greek yogurt at the end!) with spiced lentils, tomato sauce, feta, and steamed broccoli. Another quick, healthy, hearty meal.

I’ve also been eating egg salad like it’s my job. Seriously… this is an everyday habit.

I tried out Melissa’s Sweetheart Shape-Up yesterday, and loved it! It’s a seven part circuit (repeated twice) that focuses on moves inspired by Pilates and ballet. It targets “micro muscles,” and the best part? I did it from home! It also didn’t make me want to throw up, like many tabata-style workouts that are aimed to hit you hard and fast. (I think I’m done with that kind of thing, for now.) I’ll definitely be adding this to my yoga rotation!

This morning- helloooo, Monday!- I got up early, did my 20 minutes of yoga, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast (we have so many leftover bagels!) and am now off to a meeting.

How will you care for yourself today?