Lilveggiepatch » apples

A Chill In Our Ears

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:55:46 +0000

Brrrrrr! Today was the first bitterly cold day, filled with numb fingers, toes, and unforgiving winds. This was also the first morning that Ari and I both woke up with the urge to run outside! We knew it would be cold, but since we only planned on a quick 2 miles, figured we’d be out and back in no time. Famous last words. We layered up: I put on leggings, a tank top, UnderArmour Cold Gear long-sleeve and a fleece. Ari wore something similar; we both had gloves, but couldn’t find our ear warmers.

We got outside and remarked, “Oh, it’s not so bad!” and took off. Soon the wind started swirling around us, almost propelling us down the street. On the way back, of course, we were running against it. The worst part was how cold our ears got. I tried running with my hands over them but then my peripheral vision was blocked. We’d had grand plans for a hot chocolate stop on the way back, but when the time came we just wanted to get back inside.

I think something about being outside in sub-freezing winds and then returning to a warm apartment did something to our inner-ears, because we both felt almost nauseous for a good ten minutes after we were safe indoors. Luckily, a hot shower and breakfast solved this problem! I had a cup of Blueberry Chobani with 1/2 banana, granola, and a cup of English Breakfast tea. (Since I had today off work, I didn’t feel like I needed to overly caffenate myself with coffee. Good feeling!)

Thank you for all of your suggestions about how to spend my vacation day! I listened to you and slept in (until 10!), exercised, and relaxed. I also spent some of the morning and early afternoon running errands, which made it a pretty good day in my book.

Since we ate a late breakfast, I didn’t end up eating lunch until almost 3. I made a mighty fine sandwich, if I do say so myself! I heated a whole wheat/flax pita and stuffed it with cashew “cheese”, spinach, Fuji apple slices and alfalfa sprouts.

I ran some errands with Ari (who is getting ready for a month-long tour), then met my parents for a very early (5:30) pre-theater dinner at Bali Nusa, one of our favorite Indonesian restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen. I started with hot jasmine tea…

… vegetable tamarind soup (which reminded me of some of the soups we ate in Russia)

… and the vegetarian sampler, which I’ve ordered every single time we’ve been. It’s delicious, and there are so many different things to try! It was pretty big, and though I made a significant dent in it, the leftovers were packed up for later.

For dessert, we all got banana islands: bananas fried in pastry and served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

My dad also got a very interesting cold drink made with condensed milk, jello, and fruit.

After we left the restaurant, bellies full, we headed over to the Signature Theater to see Part II of The Orphans’ Home Cycle. We saw Part I about a month ago, and while I really enjoyed tonight’s performance, I slept through the entire first act. It’s horrible! It’s bad enough that I sleep through movies, but I feel terrible that the actors can see me sleeping through their performance. I wish I could help it

We munched on Green & Black’s 85% dark chocolate during the first intermission (there were 3 acts) to boost our sugar levels, and it worked: I stayed awake for the last two hours.

After the play, I went straight home, put on my pyjamas unloaded the goodies my parents brought me back from the co-op: chia seeds, organic coconut oil, tahini, a spice grinder, and a tiny mortar and pestle. Do I not have the best parents in the world?

Now I’m in bed watching Defiance (which Brandi recommended). The story is really interesting and the film has an all-star cast, but my I’m fading fast! I think I’ll save the rest for tomorrow when I’ll be able to stay awake and appreciate it.

Check in tomorrow morning… I’ll be hosting a GIVEAWAY!

Night

Back to the grind

lilveggiepatch — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:30:35 +0000

Good evening and happy Monday! The vacation is very much over… I’m going to my internship tomorrow and waitressing three days this week. No matter… 10 days was just the right amount of time, and it feels good to be getting back into the swing of things again. My schedule’s going to be a little funky for the rest of the summer (and probably longer…) since I’ll be working nights a lot, but… welcome to the real world.

Yesterday (it already feels like so long ago!) we woke up bright and early for one last breakfast in Berlin.

I got my usual: sunflower-seed roll with jam and honey, one egg, veggies and fruit.

One last cup of coffee for the road…

I’m really going to miss this bread.

When we got to the airport, [after stopping by duty free and stocking up on Haribo gummies and dark chocolate] we hot-footed it to an outdoor café that provides a literally front-row view of all the planes taking off.

My allergies have been terrible recently, so I ordered a glass of freshly- squeezed orange juice.

Word to the wise: when you travel on a flight long enough for a meal, order the Asian Vegetarian option. It’s usually Indian food, and far more edible than the other cheese-packed options.

I didn’t take photos the rest of the day because it was completely out of whack. I’m still feeling pretty shoddy, and the airplane ride (during which I was surrounded by screaming babies on three sides) surely didn’t help. Even now, 36 hours later, my ears are still stuffed up and I feel like I’m under water. Whine whine whine… I did, however, get whisked away to a BBQ at Ari’s house, which was lots of fun. (I had Modelo & cheese, in case you’re wondering… a perfectly balanced meal if you ask me!)

This morning I made a breakfast sandwich with a Flatout Kids wrap, egg whites, pepper jack cheese, arugula, and hot salsa. Green grapes rounded out the meal and quenched my thirst… I’ve been so dehydrated lately!

We lounged around this morning and caught up on some Netflix before I finally hauled my booty out of bed and went for a run. I haven’t exercised in almost two weeks, and it felt great! I only went out for about 20 minutes, but… sorry to be gross… it felt so good to just sweat. My heart rate monitor was working, which helped make it a stress-free workout.

Total time: 25:13 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 202

Average heart rate: 180

Calories burned: 315

I was craving green things and vegetables, so I went to a make-your-own salad place for lunch. My bowl had mixed greens, grape tomatoes, carrots, kidney beans, cucumbers and hummus.

I drank a large iced coffee with skim milk and Sugar in the Raw.

I got honey mustard dressing on the side, but I didn’t end up using it… I really like mixing the hummus into my salads instead.

Ari and I both had some work to get done, so we went to Starbucks. It’s the only place in our neighborhood that has WiFi, but it’s $3.99/2 hours! That’s half of what I paid for an entire MONTH in my apartment in St. Paul. We got robbed, huh? The AC was on full-blast, and totally uncharacteristically I neglected to bring a sweater. It was pouring outside (also no umbrella!) so we stayed in the Bizzle for more than 3 hours until our lips turned blue.

We haven’t gone grocery shopping and the boy was really hankering for Panera, so that’s where we went. I got 1/2 Strawberry Poppyseed Salad:

And 1/2 Veggie Mediterranean Sandwich. Yeah, I can eat hummus 2 x in one day if I want!

The apple tasted strangely like butter…

I just snacked on a Pecan Pie Larabar while packing, cleaning, and watching Fanboys… how’s that for multi-tasking?

Work is going to feel pretty early tomorrow morning, so I’m off to beddy. I’m ridiculously behind on blog reading, but know that I’m thinking about you! I’ll catch up ASAP

Bonne nuit

Banana Recovery

lilveggiepatch — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:22:10 +0000

Morning! Er, afternoon. I’ve actually been up for a few hours but due to last night’s excursions I’ve just been lying in bed watching Heroes. Thanks for encouraging me to go out and have fun… it was nice to kick back and catch up with people I haven’t seen in a while. Unfortunately I’m paying for it right now, but I’m sure I’ll feel more like a human in a few hours.

Yesterday I had an Ambrosia apple snack.

Dinner was leftover Tomatoey Spiced Chickpeas. Gourmet suggested that I mash them up into patties and fry eggs on top of them, but the chickpeas weren’t soft enough to do that so I just reheated them and poured eggbeaters on top.

I served it with spinach that I steamed in green tea for added antioxidants and dressed with rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds, Oikos plain Greek yogurt, and the leftover breadstick. I added more mint and cilantro to everything, and made a strange discovery: eggs and yogurt are really tasty together! Who knew?

I drank the “spinach tea.”

I made POM vodka tonics to enjoy at the party.

When I came home, I attacked the Ben & Jerry’s Light Phish Food and had twice what’s shown here. I finished the pint in two sittings… that must be a record for me. Four servings, my tush!

This morning when I woke up I just wanted a really basic and comforting breakfast. I used my leftover steel cut “marzipan” oatmeal as a base:

1 banana
cinnamon
1/2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
brown sugar

Even though there was already about 1/4 of a banana in there, I wanted more. I’ve read a few articles about bananas’ restorative properties, and restoration is what I wanted. I’m going to spice up my question today and ask: what are your hangover cures?

I’m going to nap do some housework and start my work. Hope your Saturday is filled with sunshine!

Rise and Shine in Sunny St. Paul

lilveggiepatch — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:39:42 +0000

Morning and happy FRIDAY! I have no class today so I stayed up late watching L.A. Story and still got 8 hours of sleep. If you haven’t seen this, rent it now! It’s already one of my favorites… it reminded me a lot of Punch-Drunk Love, which is also genius (and one of my top 5) if you haven’t seen it.

For breakfast I re-heated yesterday’s oatmeal base and added quite a few other toppings. The addition of almond extract to the cooking oats is definitely something I’ll be doing again; the aroma was so much stronger this morning and smelled like marzipan.

1/2 Ambrosia apple
2 chopped dates (added before microwaving, to soften)
cinnamon
mixed nuts (cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, 1 Brazil nut)
1/2 tsp honey

I think I’m going to keep using the coffee maker until I run out of the ground coffee I already have… it only makes a cup at a time and is a little messy, but it still works!

My aunt and uncle are coming in and we’re going to Trotter’s for lunch. I haven’t been in a while, and it’s one of my favorite Minnesota cafés. Having family nearby has definitely made my college experience more enjoyable!

Any plans for the weekend? Have a lovely Friday!

The End of The Affair

lilveggiepatch — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:01:37 +0000

Well, it’s happened. Chefmate and I have decided to take some time off. Rather, I broke his glass basin and he retaliated by fudging my morning fix. I rigged it up so the coffee would brew right into my mug…

… but alas, Chefmate wasn’t having any of it.

After some elaborate straining I got a single cup, but I don’t think we’re going to stay friends after this.

Thursday mornings are pretty luxurious because class doesn’t start until 3, so I whipped up a big pot of steel cut oats.

In the pot:

1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups water
2 cups skim milk
1 tbsp flax meal
1 tsp almond extract
raisins
dried apples
1 banana

In my individual bowl (the pot makes four servings), I piled on the toppings (there’s oatmeal underneath, I promise).

1/2 Ambrosia apple
mixed nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and 1 brazil nut for selenium)
cinnamon
brown sugar

The apple was a great addition and went really well with all the nuts. Stove-top oats are great not only because they taste better, but if I’m going to spend the time preparing them I might as well make a lot and have breakfast taken care of for the next few days.

Do you make anything in batches for the week, like oatmeal or rice?

Last up: you’ve seen them everywhere, but now enter for a chance to WIN some PURE bars over at Carrots ‘n Cake!

Have a happy Thursday!

Our Founding Fathers

lilveggiepatch — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:20:23 +0000

Look at me, sleeping the day away and ignoring my blogging responsibilities! Very naughty. Last night was fun, but I got home so late! I’m turning into such a grandmother that staying up past 1 really wipes me out. Things have changed from freshman year, and probably for the better!

Last night, Jalene and I made personal pizzas. It looks small, but it was the amount of dough for 1/2 a normal sized pizza, we just didn’t roll it out.

Whole wheat pizza with marinara sauce, spinach, mozzarella, dehydrated tomatoes, 1/2 TJ's salmon patty, black olives & chili flakes.

It was so good! Very doughy, and it gave my stomach the strength it needed for this pomegranate cocktail.

1 part vodka, 5 parts club soda, 2 parts POM juice.

When I got home I was exhausted, but not too tired for cereal! I mixed a bowl of Fiber One and Kashi Autumn Harvest with skim milk, but I didn’t photograph it. Almost like it didn’t even happen! Cereal has been my go-to late-night snack for years.

This afternoon morning, we woke up and stumbled, bleary-eyed and glasses-clad, to campus for brunch. I had quite a big meal, but brunch is by far the best meal (and best value) in the cafeteria.

Egg whites with ketchup and 1/2 multigrain bagel wtih cream cheese.

Canteloupe, grapes, honeydew and pineapple.

Flashback to about 10 years ago when these were new in stores!

Reese's Puffs with granola and skim milk.

We were so tired while we were eating (which was probably why I ate so much) that I’m surprised we even made it home. I went back to bed for 3 hours (Miss Jalene is still snoring away in her room) and then woke up and had an apple with peanut butter.

I’m having dinner out at 6:30 so I probably don’t need much more than that to tide me over, although the dried figs just gave me the eye so I might need to dig into that jar.

Do you have any fun Saturday night things planned, or are you going to laze it up at home?

Wrap me up in Monday

lilveggiepatch — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:31:11 +0000

Hola. I am so glad that this day is almost over (I still have a night class). I don’t know that I’ve felt this stressed out in a long time… maybe ever. Finals and midterms are pretty horrible, but now that I have to think about what I’m going to “do” with my life three months from now… AH.

Thanks for your sleep advice. Over the past three years, I’ve tried Ambien, Ambien CR, melatonin, Sleepytime/ Sleepytime Extra tea, pillow spray, deep breathing, etc. I’m trying to be less reliant on taking pills, but sometimes it’s the only thing to do! Hopefully after this week it’ll be easier, when I’m not feeling so overwhelmed.

I took a little time this morning to do a Yoga Download: Power Yoga #4 (a 36-minute donation class). It was really challenging, but felt great to push my body and wake it up.

For lunch, I had a weird wrap:

On a piece of Lavash bread, I spread hummus, a Laughing Cow Light wedge, half a mashed sweet potato, Tofurky, and spinach. It was a great combination of textures and flavors… very tasty! I think the sweet potato was what brought it from good to great.

I also had a navel orange and a 99% chocolate truffle.

I’d been planning on going for a run outdoors, but there’s still a little too much ice on the ground. Skipping two days of cardio won’t kill me… but falling and getting hit by a car might! If I have time after class tonight and I’m not too tired, I might try to squeeze in another yoga session.

I just had this Gala apple… my last one! Time to make a stealthy trip to the cafeteria…

I think we’re watching Volcano in my class tonight, which should make it go by faster than three hours of lecture about felsic and mafic magma.

How’s your Monday going so far?

See you later!

Stew(ed) for thought

lilveggiepatch — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:01:30 +0000

Heya and happy Friday! Sorry about the lack of breakfast post… I fell back to sleep right after I ate it (yes, I had breakfast in bed, don’t judge!). I had leftover banana flax oatmeal and stirred in mixed nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans), frozen berries warmed to perfection, and agave.

After said nap, I had this apple on the way to meet Katey for coffee.

At Coffee News, I had a 16 oz skim dark chocolate mocha. The barista was totally in his element, and not only did he give me TWO punches (next drink is F-R-E-E), but he jazzed up the foam with a pretty little design.

I went to the gym, and had a pretty good workout that was all over the place.

I started on the bike (3.5 miles, then after a mile on the treadmill my calves were feeling really stiff, so I moved it over to the stairmaster and did 10 minutes.

Also did some arm machines, abs, and stretches.

Total time: 1:17 hours

Maximum heart rate: 175 (88%)

Average heart rate: 127 (64%)

Calories burned: 500 (I like ending on a nice, round number)

When I came home, I found a box of Legacy Chocolates waiting for me! My parents ordered me a truffle variety for Valentine’s Day… I can’t wait to try them! Thanks guys!

Lunch was superb; I’m glad I let it stew overnight. I made Cholent from Veganomicon, which I’ve had my eye on for quite some time! I halved the recipe, made a couple substitutions including some bean swappage (cannelloni for lima) and half sweet potato instead of all white.

Do you always dig out the brown spots in potatoes? There are so many!

This was such a good stew. It’s hearty but low fat, and has so many different flavors and textures!

I used some Lavash bread to “scoop” it, but I microwaved it for a little bit too long so it was kind of crunchy.

I also had a navel orange and a coconut water that Hope sent me.

Time to shower and nap work. Have a great day! What are your Valentine’s Day plans? I’m pretty sure I’ll be home doing work. It’s what all the cool kids will be doing, dontcha know?!

Mornings FOR MEN

lilveggiepatch — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:52:41 +0000

Bonjour mes enfants! I trust you’ve all slept wonderfully and are ready to take on your Mondays! No? Well, drink some coffee.

Sarah surprised me yesterday with some lovely treats from Russia! Honey, a fashionable notebook, and (my favorite!) MONARCHY KETCHUP with pictures of, yep, Catherine and Peter the Great! That girl is the coolest.

To keep in the Russian spirit of things, I enjoyed some of my FOR MEN chocolate (see the little “no women” signs?). x 2. I can feel my beard starting to sprout…

I had a Gala to help me study… an apple a day makes your brain grow each day!

Last night I was inspired by this recipe in SELF. Shrimp taco it is!

I mixed some cooked shrimp with parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper.

I tossed it on a soft taco and added goat cheese, shredded lettuce and another squirt of lemon. Quite a mess to eat, but mighty tasty!

I also had a great big grapefruit…

For dessert, I heated up a Chocolate Chip Z bar and sandwiched it between two scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Mm-mm good.

I watched Evening while I cooked; it’s a sweet little movie and has a crazy good cast. It should have been better than it was, but I’m not sad I saw it.

This morning’s oatmeal was bomb-diddly-icious again. I finished up the last of my Banana Flax oats and added some goodies:

-Frozen berries

-Agave nectar

-Mixed nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds)

I put my coffee in the teapot so I could use the little creamer. I need all the extra things to get me excited on a Monday morning!

I had to get my virtual news on this morning, because once again, my newspaper was not on the doorstep! WSJ, you’ll be getting a call from me shortly.

Head on over to Every Gym’s Nightmare for a chance to win a lovely purple item from Danskin, and have a great day!

Smile, Sugarpie!

lilveggiepatch — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:53:46 +0000

Good morning(ish)! How did you sleep? I slept alright; luckily my knight in shining armor rescued me from horrible, horrible dreams this morning so we could iChat. What a thoughtful boy.

I ended up eating until about 5 minutes before my head hit the pillow last night… just one of those days, I guess.

Juicy Gala:

TJ’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I made my breakfast cookie a little differently last night; instead of plain ole vanilla banana I made Banana Pumpkin Blackberry.

1/2 cup oats

1/2 banana

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

pumpkin

1 tsp PB

soy milk

blackberry eyes/mouth, cashew almond nose

And a big pot ‘o tea.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do today… I’m feeling better but still sluggish so, although I really want to run a mile or two, I’ll probably abstain and hang around the house. Unfortunately, schoolwork has a habit of not getting done when I do that… we shall see.

Have a lovely Friday! Any fun weekend plans? I’m going to see Lykke Li on Sunday if all goes as planned… love her little voice!