Good afternoon!  I hope your day is off to a great start… I woke up thinking it was Saturday!  I slept in this morning, which was glorious.  Not too much on the agenda for today, which [...]]]> I asked Ari what this post should be titled, and this is what he deemed to be appropriate.

Good afternoon!  I hope your day is off to a great start… I woke up thinking it was Saturday!  I slept in this morning, which was glorious.  Not too much on the agenda for today, which is A-OK with me

Yesterday was slated to be a long run day, so I woke up, guzzled some coffee, and fueled up with half a Dulce de Leche Luna Bar.

I stuffed some gummies into the little pocket of my shorts (which left me a tad sticky)…

I finally made a new playlist… the No Doubt song has been in my head for the better part of this week.

The run was fine… again, I just felt sleepy.  I think, for me, running distances is going to end up being more of a psychological challenge.  Obviously the physical aspects are also great, and every time I go out for a run I hope so hard that it won’t be the day that something goes wrong again.   The only thing that went “wrong” today was that my heart rate monitor didn’t register my actual heart rate…

Total distance: 6.4 miles

Total time: 1:07:55

I’m not sure if I should be concerned that I haven’t been increasing my speed for these long runs… and it’ll probably be time for me to increase my distance again soon, too.   I just signed up for my first 10K a couple minutes ago- it’s next WEEK- so I’m going to have to start working on this!

My “training schedule” is a little weak, since I only have 8 days, but here’s what it looks like, which I made on the Runner’s World website:

When I got back from my run, I made another excellent fall smoothie: Cherry Pumpkin Pie.

I made this using frozen cherries, canned pumpkin pie mix, homemade almond milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, and topped it with a little GoLean & granola.  After breakfast and a bunch of puttering around, I packed up my portable lunch.  I wanted to use up all the leftovers, which, combined, made for an… interesting salad:

The bottom layer was covered with sprouts, topped with corn & edamame salad and beets; the small compartment had leftover fish and a few noodles.  Some things, shall we say, do not taste great the morning after.

On the subway, I snacked on some TJ’s dried fruit. Balls to the wall, as my lady would say.

My dad had told me about a DMV that expedites all of their services, so luckily I was in and out (with a new picture!) in 20 minutes.  Must be some kind of record.  It was starting to rain, so I went into Starbucks and bought a Tall Skim Chai so that I could eat my lunch without getting drenched.

After taking a few minutes to read and decompress, I skedaddled along to an informational interview, then picked up a few books.  The first was a beautiful collection of poems by my friend and former professor, Kristin Naca.

The second was A Race Like No Other, to motivate and inspire.

Then, in the spirit of racing, I rushed home to see my traveling musician, who has spent the last three weeks on his own kind of race, driving back and forth across the country with Blink 182 and the All American Rejects.

We grabbed some friends and went for dinner at a nearby Thai restaurant.  I was still pretty full from lunch, so I only ate a little of my Massaman Curry with shrimp (with unpictured rice) and took the rest home.

A little while after we got home, however, I was hungry again, and dug right back into the take-out container   Ari and I went separate ways for dessert; I had a Double Chocolate Dream Vitamuffin with frozen cherries, Greek yogurt, and homemade almond milk.

Ari had Saltines with Nutella & peanut butter.

Nutella is made with skim milk, hazelnuts (healthy fat), and chocolate (antioxidants), so it’s practically a health food!

We had a little Domaine Lalande Pinot Noir (a gift from Howard on my last day of work), and watched Grey Gardens, which Caitlin had recommended.

It was a great night… I’m so happy he’s back!

I’m off to go cross-train, as my training schedule recommends.  What are your plans for the weekend? Enjoy it!

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Good morning! How are you today? It’s a blustery day so far here in the city, and I’m happy to say that the air conditioner is no longer running on its automatic circuit.  It seems like most of us have mixed feelings about birthdays, but… I think I’ve decided to be less of [...]]]>

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Good morning! How are you today? It’s a blustery day so far here in the city, and I’m happy to say that the air conditioner is no longer running on its automatic circuit.  It seems like most of us have mixed feelings about birthdays, but… I think I’ve decided to be less of a grinch and just enjoy seeing my friends and family, as usual.  Why not celebrate when you can?

Yesterday was another Fall-inspired breakfast: oats cooked with water and almond milk, topped with a small apple, pumpkin pie mix, and a scoop of peanut butter.

At work, fearing a grumbly tummy (I work in the same room as my boss) I took a water break and ate a Trek Mix bar in the reception area.

My mom and I were able to meet for lunch today, and dined at Baoguette, a chain of Vietnamese sandwich and noodle shops.

I ordered the Bu’n Fish, which was baked in spices and plopped on top a HUGE portion of noodles and pickled vegetables.  I ate so much, but still had at least a pound of leftovers to take home!

I went home, made some tea (which I promptly spilled all over myself and the floor), snacked on some chunks, and fell asleep.

I woke up just in time to shower before having to leave to meet my parents.  We were going to a play with at 7:00 curtain and weren’t going to eat dinner until it was over, so I made myself a Greek yogurt/ warmed Mangolicious blend/applesauce snack.

The play, called Is Life Worth Living?, was a revival of an Irish play from the 1930s.  We all really enjoyed it! The perfect way to kick of birthday season.  Ahem.

After the play, we went to John’s Pizzeria for a late dinner.  This was a hotspot when I was in elementary and middle school… almost everyone had birthday parties here.  I don’t think I’d been for 10 years!

We ordered a spinach salad with apples, blue cheese, walnuts, onions and olives to share:

We also split a large Margherita pizza with basil and onion.

I had two slices.

I haven’t ordered pizza in so long, and it felt so good. It was a really, really nice evening.  When I got home, I finished off the last of the coconut milk ice cream and topped it with frozen cherries and homemade almond milk. I love eating straight from the carton… it feels so naughty!

I also dug into some snail mail from a certain buddy who must know I’m obsessed with pugs…

… a special note from Miss Gliding Calm!

This girl sure knows how to brighten a day

Well, I’m off to go get my license renewed.  Don’t you just love the DMV?  A certain someone might be coming home today, too… I’ll give you one good guess.

Have a great day!

The night before last, I’d planned a really unique breakfast as I was lying [...]]]> Good morning and happy Wednesday! I can’t believe the week has flown by so fast… and I’m that much closer to being 22.  I think I’ve turned a little anti-birthday, but maybe not.  How do you feel about your birthday?

The night before last, I’d planned a really unique breakfast as I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep.  When I woke up, though, I was doubting my creative abilities and sent a frantic Tweet asking for some breakfast suggestions.  A few minutes later, though, I went with my gut, and am I glad I did! I present you with: The Fall Smoothie.

This is made with:

• homemade raw almond milk
• 1 banana
• 1/3- 1/2 cup puréed butternut squash
• nutmeg
• cinnamon
• granola for garnish

Uh-MA-zing! If you make this and don’t have almond milk you’ve made yourself, I suggest throwing in a few whole almonds for thickness and added flavor.

As usual, I puttered around for a few hours before I was ready to go for a run.  To hold myself over, I snacked on the last piece of butternut squash banana bread with a smear of peanut butter:

The run itself was uneventful, but I did have some lovely new music to keep me going.

Total distance: 4.5 miles

Total time: 43:46

Maximum heart rate: 186 (93%)

Average heart rate: 172 (86%)

Calories burned: 494

Lunch was exactly the same as dinner (hence the re-used photo). Blegh. Soup is finally all eaten up, though!

I made a pineapple spritzer using the juice that was left in the can and a little seltzer.

Both the run and lunch were starting to put me to sleep, so I brewed up some “Magic Feeling” tea that I got in Berlin (only in Germany, eh?).

I felt a little too magical, because I conked out for the next two hours.  Whoops!  When I woke up, I was ready to get cookin’.  I snacked on three chunks of energy to get me moving again…

I’ve had the ingredients to make Veganomicon‘s Corn and Edamame-Sesame Salad for a while now, and at the very last minute I decided to add some diced grape tomatoes to the mix as well.

I also whipped up SELF‘s White Bean Consommé with Almond Milk, and halved the recipe so I wouldn’t have another soup sitch like last week!

It was lacking a little something, so I “remixed” it with alfalfa sprouts, chili flakes and Bragg‘s.  Much better!

For dessert, I tried out my last new flavor of Vitamuffin, Deep Chocolate.

I crumbled it on top of a container of Trader Joe’s nonfat Organic Vanilla Greek Yogurt, and topped the whole thing with homemade almond milk. I don’t know if I’ve expressed how much I enjoy this yogurt before, but it’s amazing!  You can actually see the specs of vanilla bean.

Well I’ve literally got to run out the door so I’m not late for my internship.  Have a great Wednesday!

Yesterday I dug into my [...]]]> This morning I woke up with the line “Couscous is a traditional North African dish…” running through my head.  I guess I’ll be making some of that soon!  I don’t always remember my dreams, but when I do, they’re usually pretty vivid.  What dreams have you had recently?

Yesterday I dug into my stash of Vitamuffins and pulled out a new flavor: Double Chocolate Dream.

Look at those bubbling chocolate chips!

I crumbled the muffin and topped it with Greek yogurt, 1/2 banana, and a fresh batch of almond milk.  It hit the spot.

A little later, I snacked on an apple:

Yesterday was one of those days when I really needed that extra push to get me moving. I had some reading to do but was starting to get a little stir-crazy and needed to get out of the house.  There was a 1:30 yoga class I was thinking of going to, but I made every excuse not to go:  I’d have to take a 30-minute subway ride each way, which takes away from my reading time.  I’d have to pack my lunch, but would it be too cold to eat it outside? And once I was in the city, I might as well stay there for a little and get some work done, but where would I go? Every excuse in the book.  Lucky for me, Sarah and Will were on gChat, and kicked my booty into shape.

Sometimes a little nudge is all it takes.  I loaded up on 1/2 banana with almond butter before I left:

The Vinyasa was good; I’m glad I went, but there was a moment when I looked around and all of the other students were getting into a certain pose, and I had no idea how to do it.  I could have just asked the instructor for some help, but I was too frustrated with myself and just sat on my mat instead.  I’ll work on getting my pride in check for next week’s class.

After class, I brought my lunch and ate it in the park (it was not too cold).  My dad had found this amazing sprout salad (which I snatched up as soon as he showed me):

This whole box- almost 1 lb of pure sprout- was less than $3!

I piled sprouts, carrots, corn, beets, tomatoes, dulse and nooch into one side of my container; 3-layer hummus went into the other.

It was a salad of girth!

I also brought a package of Kay’s Naturals Golden Butter Twists Gluten-free/High Protein Pretzels.

I loved these pretzels! They’re crunchy, perfectly salted, and were perfect dipped in hummus.

After finishing up, I headed over to Everyman Espressso, ordered a skim cappuccino, and worked diligently for three hours.

After I read 100 pages, I enjoyed a Godiva Pumpkin Truffle that my mom got me.  These seasonal truffles hold a special place in our family tradition; we get them every year, and after the first bite, you know Fall really has begun.  How do you reward yourself to stay motivated and power through work?

When I got home, I wanted something quick and easy for dinner.  I toasted up an Ezekiel English muffin with asiago cheese, and had a bowl of lentil soup.  (I’m not going to lie, I am so tired of this soup! I’m sure you are, too. Only one serving left, I promise!)

Dessert was mighty fine, and complemented Gossip Girl quite nicely: Vanilla Coconut ice cream with frozen berries, cherries and almond milk.

Around the blogs: Remember this beautiful little princess? Well, she started her very own blog! Check it OUT.

This photo was taken in Giverny, France in Spring 2008.

Enter Erin‘s puffy necklace giveaway!

I’m off to read.  Bonne journée!

Yesterday breakfast was based around a BlueBran VitaTop.

I crumbled it up and [...]]]> Good morning and happy Friday!  The weather is pretty shoddy over here, and going outside is not sounding so appealing right now! I don’t have work today so I slept in, but honestly a few more hours under the covers sounds heavenly.

Yesterday breakfast was based around a BlueBran VitaTop.

I crumbled it up and topped it with one banana, one apple, and almond walnut milk.

After catching up on some reading and letting breakfast digest, I head out on a 4.5 mile run.   The first 20 minutes or so were really slow… I was still very sore from Buff Yoga and didn’t want to convince myself that turning around and going home was a better idea. I also had to stop for more traffic than usual, so the run itself wasn’t so fluid. Still, I powered through, and got my mileage in.

Total distance: 4.5 miles

Total time: 45:40 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 187 (94%)

Average heart rate: 174 (87%)

Calories burned: 520

Since my race is on Sunday, I’m not going to run today or tomorrow.  I’m hoping to do some light yoga at home, but I really don’t put any strain on my legs that would hurt my performance at the race.  The September issue of Runner’s World has an article specifically catered to 5K races, whatever your level, and Caitlin wrote a really useful post about pre-race tapering.

I came back and had a bowl of TJ’s low sodium minestrone soup (with added Bragg’s and Sriracha) and a big salad with hummus, spinach, mashed curried tofu & Annie’s Light Gingerly Vinaigrette.

I went to the guitar store with Ari in Brooklyn, then went into the city to get a snack before work.   I popped into Bonobo’s and got a Coco Malt:  fresh young coconut water and meat blended with raw organic mesquite fruit.

Uh-MA-zing!  I also spied these Coco Chews on the counter and somehow they ended up coming home with me, too.  I can’t help it… I’ve recently become addicted to coconut! I didn’t used to like it AT ALL.

I went to work, but it was so slow that after three hours I packed up my $6 and went home.  Although I took my salad to go, I picked up a brown rice rainbow roll on the way to the subway just in case the salad was a little flimsy.

I really should have peeked in the container first, because Gregoria made my favorite salad: mixed greens with apples, carrots, red peppers, goat cheese, and GRILLED SHRIMP!

So I ate both.  Yes, two full dinners… left me feeling a little too full, but with enough room to chow down on this organic “nutella” bar that I brought back from Germany. Yum!

Well, off to shower and meet up with my lovely for lunch.  Have a great weekend!

Thanks for all of your enthusiastic responses to my grandmother’s post about her time in culinary France… [...]]]> Good morning, lovepies.  I had a reeeeeeally difficult time waking up this morning, so I’m going to forgo my my morning run and hope that I can squeeze in a little treadmill action during my lunch hour.

Thanks for all of your enthusiastic responses to my grandmother’s post about her time in culinary France… I’m sure it will make her very happy.

Yesterday I rolled out of bed, two hours later than planned, and laced up for a run.  Before I left, I had coffee and 1/2 banana with almond butter.

Towards the end of my run, I started getting really painful stitches in my side.  I remember reading an article in Runner’s World that said that when this happens, you should push on the spot and bend in its direction. I ended up running with my fingers pressed into my side, and it helped, but there has to be a better way! How do you run through stitches?

Total time: 44:52 minutes

Total distance: 4.5 miles

When I came back, I had an awesome breakfast, centered around two key ingredients:

Homemade raw almond walnut milk:

Apple Berry Vitatop:

I spent the rest of the morning working at home, then scrambled together a quick lunch.

The night before, I decided to continue my adventures in mashed tofu and made a curried tofu salad.  Using a fork, I mashed 1/2 block of pressed firm tofu.  I added chopped onion, curry powder, freshly ground ginger, cumin, and rice wine vinegar. For my lunch, I plopped a big glob of the curry onto a bed of arugula with sprouts, an apple, and a slice of Ezekiel bread, and drizzled it all with Annie’s Light Gingerly Vinaigrette.

Although I’d packed snacks for work, I was still feeling noshy from the run so I popped into a deli and picked up a cup of Stonyfield Organic Nonfat Chocolate Underground yogurt.

At work, I drank a glass of Wild Berry Greens Plus and snacked on an Apricot Clif bar.

I’ve decided that using the entire packet in one serving is entirely too much. It’s very sweet, so I’d recommend reducing the serving size to about 1/4 of the packet.

After my shift at the restaurant, I had a mixed green salad with apples, tomatoes, oranges, and walnuts.

Work itself was a little unpleasant, but hopefully I’ll be able to figure something else out soon.

On my walk to the subway, I picked up a blurry fruit cup.

Well, I’ve actually just come home early from work… I think I’ve caught some kind of bug.  Hopefully it’s something that’ll be cured by sleep, which is what I plan to do for the rest of the day.  Hope your Tuesday is going well!

Yesterday flew by in a blur… I’m glad I document my moments with photos, or I’d never remember [...]]]> Good evening and happy Labor Day weekend! Please excuse the delayed post… I overslept a wee bit this morning and my whole day has been thrown out of whack! No matter… change is good

Yesterday flew by in a blur… I’m glad I document my moments with photos, or I’d never remember what happened from day-to-day! For breakfast, I had a giant fruit bowl with 1/2 mango, 1 peach, raw almond milk and a sprinkle of GoLean! Crunch.  Heaven!

I love this breakfast because while it’s filling, it doesn’t leave me with that belly-busting-bloaded feeling.  It was substantial enough to power me through a 4.5 mile run… yep, you read that right! I took the same route as last time,  ran easily but didn’t stop, and listened to some of Beck’s covers of the Velvet Underground & Nico which my friend passed along to me.  I still can’t believe I can run long enough to listen to an album in its entirety… I am woman, hear me ROAR! But, again, I’m trying to be extra-careful with my legs this time around, and I don’t want to do too much too soon.  Learned that the hard way.

Total time: 45 minutes

Total distance: 4.5 miles

When I got back, I entered my data into my new training log.  I’m keeping track of sleep, miles (run), cross-training, strength training, yoga, ab work, and stretching.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to figure out what’s right for me this way.  I’m factoring in things like sleep and stretching to document how they affect my progress, and to make sure I don’t overstrain my body.

Sweaty beast that I was, I chugged the last of the carrot juice.

Lunch was a massive salad that filled up an entire 9-inch Pyrex bowl.

In the mix:

• 1 heart of romaine
• 2 chopped beets
• sprouts
• Ginger Tofu Peanut Salad
• Annie’s Light Gingerly Dressing

While I was getting ready for work, I munched on an apple and dreamt about France…  I need to go back as soon as possible.

I brought a baggie of dried fruit to work… and so did my friend Alexandra! Great minds think alike.  Many of the staff at the restaurant are Muslim and observing Ramadan, so at 7:30, after having fasted all day, they break to feast.  On their dessert plate are all kinds of fantastic sweet treats, including… walnut-stuffed dates! Who knew?! Siyab let me eat one.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to turn into a date-head one of these days

I also drank a packet of Greens Plus Original Superfood.  I mixed it with seltzer, and again drank half and re-filled the rest with club soda.  It has a very strong taste, but I like it… I just need a bigger glass!

Work was fine… not too much drama, which is always cause for celebration.  An exciting coincidence also happened last night… a few weeks ago, when Liz and I went to Bonobo’s, the owner and I were sure that we recognized each other from somewhere.  Well, turns out he and his girlfriend are regulars at the restaurant! I’ve waited on them oodles of times, but I guess we just didn’t recognize each other out of context.  I’m glad he reminded me! I explained my nori-wrapping woes (although I think I’m getting a little better), and he offered to give me some pointers the next time I go in there.  Small world!

Dinner was FABULOUS.  Ramon is on vacation for the next month, so Gregorio took his place.  I think he was trying to outdo Ramon, and made me a salad with mixed greens, apples, beets, avocado, walnuts, and GRILLED SHRIMP.  Mario also gave me a hefty slice of Bufala… I really couldn’t have requested a better meal.

Ari was in the neighborhood when I got off work, so we met up for some fro-yo. I loaded my cup with nonfat cheesecake, tart, and green tea tart; I topped it all with strawberries, blueberries, a blackberry, mochi, and coconut.

We went home and I, unfortunately, subjected Ari to a pretty horrible movie that left us both feeling weird, even though we turned it off after it was half over. Blegh.  Better luck next time!

We are hopefully taking a day-trip tomorrow; we need to go somewhere we can get to by bus or by train.  I really hope it works out! We could both use a little fresh air.  What are your plans for the long-weekend?