This morning I woke up a little hazy from last night’s escapades, but made do with a strong pot of coffee and a good breakfast. I ate in parts: Peach Chobani Greek [...]]]> What a good day.  I slept in, saw friends, ate well… what could be better? More hours in the day, but alas.

This morning I woke up a little hazy from last night’s escapades, but made do with a strong pot of coffee and a good breakfast. I ate in parts: Peach Chobani Greek yogurt, sweet potato cranberry coconut muffin, Honeybell orange.

After taking my sweet time getting ready and lazing around, I met Caitlin for lunch at Sacred Chow, an organic vegan (and Kosher) cafe downton.

We both got the Souper Hero Combo (soup + 1/2 sandwich); I got a bowl of Sweet Potato and Cassava Soup with dill and Orange Blackstrap Seitan (orange-molasses seitan w/ red-hot onions and Thai ginger bbq sauce on a whole wheat baguette).

This was so good.  My babysitter used to use cassava in her soups and I forgot how much I love it! The sandwich was quite hearty as well, and left my mouth burning (in a good way!).

We also hit up the In God We Trust sample sale, where I fell in love with this beret.  I’ve never been a “beret person”, but this was too cute to pass up!

Caitlin and I parted ways, and I met my friend Levi to see the new Mel Gibson movie, Edge of Darkness.  I really liked it! It reminded me a lot of Michael Clayton, with more blood.  We snacked on gummies in the theater.

I had big plans to do some work while using the bike at the gym, but it was 7:15 by the time I got home and I was just ready to wind down the day.  No biggie, but I really need to start being smarter about cross and strength training… I feel like I’ve taken a sort of lackadaisical approach to this half-marathon I’m supposedly training for. I have a 7 mile run scheduled for tomorrow but my knee still hurts from Thursday’s… if it gives me trouble in the morning, I’m just going to run myself over to the gym and get on that bike instead.

So, in place of gym tales, I present you with a tasty treat:

Sweet Potato Falafel Salad

I’ve been thinking of ways to recreated One Lucky Duck’s Falafel Salad at home without a dehydrator or pricey ingredients.  I’d planned on making a sweet potato version of baked falafel with chickpeas, but lo and behold: no chickpeas in the pantry! I made do with black beans instead, and it turned out mighty fine if I do say so myself.

Sweet Potato “Falafel”

Inspired by this recipe

• 1 handful parsley or cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 sweet potato baked or microwaved until fully cooked, mashed
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• salt
• garnishes: paprika, sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix first 6 ingredients together, gently mashing beans with a fork.  Season with salt, to taste.

Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.  Form balls out of 1 tbsp worth of sweet potato mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds and paprika. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once.

Makes about 12 balls.

Tahini Sauce

• 1/2 cup sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• salt to taste

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Lick spoon.

Raw “Tabouli”

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/3 head of cauliflower (about 2 handfuls)
• 1 handful parsley/cilantro

Pulse cauliflower in food processor until finely chopped. Pulse in red pepper. Pulse in parsley until the mixture resembles confetti.

Not a bad alternative, I’d say! My version is on the left… and doesn’t cost $17.

For dessert, I made strawberry banana soft serve with chocolate chips.  However, I got a little impatient and didn’t wait for the fruit to fully freeze; it ended up being more of a smoothie!

It’s 10:30, but I really want to get some work done before I go to bed, so I’m going to shower, make the bed, and read 100 pages or so.  Big plans for a Saturday night at home!

Speaking of childhood, I got a fun e-mail from my friend Jenny at 8 this [...]]]> As of 3 minutes ago, it’s officially Thanksgiving! I’m cozy at home in my bed, surrounded by my stuffed animals, Polaroids from high school, and hundreds of books, among other things. What was your childhood bedroom like?

Speaking of childhood, I got a fun e-mail from my friend Jenny at 8 this morning while I was sipping on my coffee. Jenny is hands-down my oldest friend; our mothers grew up together, and although Jenny and I have been separate by half a country for our entire lives and only get to see each other once a year, we’ve always been close. When my grandfather was still living, my parents and I visited him in Indianapolis every winter between Christmas and New Year’s; this photo is from the winter of 1988. (That’s me on the right, with the bowl cut.)

Here we are this past summer, in Lake Michigan.

I miss her so much during the year. We look forward to our week on the lake so much!

After my trip down memory lane, I made a quick breakfast: Ezekiel English muffin with almond butter and a banana, raspberry jam on one side and pumpkin butter on the other.

I went to the post office to mail something; it didn’t open until 10 (which seems a little later) but there was a machine that got the job done. Then to physical therapy I went! It as a particularly good appointment. I learned some new exercises to stretch my hips; I can easily do them from the hotel room in Russia. After PT I raced back home to eat lunch before I had to turn right back around and go to an interview. I made a quick salad:

In the mix:

• romaine
• celery
• tofu
• leftover roasted veggiesM

It was one of the rare occasions where I could not finish my meal. Usually, once I’ve dished a certain amount of food out, I will eat every last scrap even if I’ve long since reached capacity. (Last night’s pasta plate was an example of this.) However, today I started getting a stomachache about partway through, and just picked out what I wanted (roast vegetables, tofu, hummus), leaving a fair amount of spinach.

I felt guilty about throwing the rest out (I won’t be back at the house for two weeks), but it was better than making myself sick. As it was, my tum hurt for the next two hours. My eyes are bigger than my head sometimes, and I think the most important thing I need to remember to do is slow down while I’m eating. I’ve been so rushed these past few weeks that although I’ve been eating foods I love, I’ve barely tasted them as I’ve had to practically inhale them to get from appointment to appointment on time. It’ll be nice to have a little break

There’s always room for sweets, though! I had a couple of these strawberry gummy candies from the Japanese grocery store in our neighborhood. Not bad!

I was starving after my interview. Luckily I had about four different snacks in my bag, so I ate one of the apple-flavored Heart Thrive bars that I was sent to review. I’ll do a formal review once I’ve sampled all of the products, but I liked this a lot!

When I got home I folded laundry and did some preparatory packing for my trip to Russia. I am one of the worst packers ever. I always take too much and forget crucial items, like spare contact lenses or pajama pants. Do you have any fool-proof (or LVP proof!) packing tips?

I snacked on some Concord grapes that were about to go bad while I waited for my dad to help me pack some things up. These grapes are really addicting. There are seeds, which I thought I wouldn’t like, but are actually kind of fun to work through and take longer to eat. Plus, these are the kind of grapes used to make grape juice, so they’re the perfect combination of sweet + tart.

While my dad was at a holiday party, my mom and I had dinner at watched Hannah And Her Sisters. Not only is this a really good Woody Allen film, but it’s told between two years’ worth of Thanksgivings! I ordered a bento box for dinner, which came with a spicy tuna roll, tempura, sashimi & shrimp shumai. (It came with rice, salad & miso soup as well, but I’m saving those for tomorrow.)

I also had a glass of Black Box Wine’s Sauvignon Blanc.

My mom brought home dessert from Billy’s Bakery, the same shop she ordered my birthday cupcakes from.

She bought one pumpkin cupcake and one pumpkin bar; we split them three ways. De-lish.

I’m off to bed. There’s a lot on the agenda tomorrow! Have a great night, a happy holiday, and safe travels wherever your day takes you.

This morning when I woke up at 8:30, I panicked for a few minutes before remembering that my boss (at my internship) had canceled work for the day. I was up and ready [...]]]> Evening! How was your day?  Mine was just fine, but I’m ready to crawl into bed and call it a night!

This morning when I woke up at 8:30, I panicked for a few minutes before remembering that my boss (at my internship) had canceled work for the day. I was up and ready to go, though, which things to do and people to see!

I was excited to try these goji berries with my breakfast.  I’ve only ever tasted these chopped up and mixed into other things, but when I snatched them right up when I spotted this bag on sale for $2.19 at the food co-op this weekend (they’re usually almost triple that price).  Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, and among their many benefits they are touted to improve eyesight (they’re rich in beta carotene), boost immunity, and spice up your sex life

I tossed them in with Greek yogurt, 1/2 toasted Trader Joe’s Berry Mango muffin, warmed frozen berries and flaxy peanut butter. The goji berries are firm but chewy; the texture really complemented the rest of the mess.

This held me over for a really long time.  The rest of the morning was spent reading, researching, and waiting until I was digested enough to go for a run.  I warmed up with a 20 minute hip opening flow, then set out for an easy 2 mile run.

Total distance: 2 miles

Total time: 20:09

Most of my runs are going to have to be in the morning now that it’s getting dark earlier; I’ll have to crank out some long runs on the treadmill when I’m in Russia, however.  I’m a little nervous that I won’t be able (psychologically) to run 7 miles on a treadmill…. What are you tips for making it through a long treadmill session?

Lunch was pretty basic (and very green): the last of the spinach and rice soup and a crunchy salad (spinach, broccoli slaw, celery, roasted almonds; sesame oil/rice vinegar/sesame seed dressing).

My interview was at 3:30; when it was over I hopped right back onto the subway and headed home.  I had 1/3 of a Key Lime Pie Larabar on the ride back:

I found myself in one of the rare instances when I didn’t have anything to read on the subway… it was completely disorienting.  I always have a book with me (sometimes two!); I would have brought one to prom if it had fit in my clutch!  Ari calls me his word nerd.

When I got home, I went straight to the kitchen to unwind and get dinner started.  I’ve had my eye on Martha Stewart‘s recipe for Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta and Lemon Zest (in the November 2009 issue) for quite some time… a little too much time, because the head of cauliflower I’d bought in anticipation a couple weeks ago had started to mold.  But have no fear! I just sliced off the offending areas. I’m frugal, what can I say?

While slicing onion, I remembered what one of my cooking teachers always said: always cut out the middle greenish part of an onion.  I can’t quite remember why that is; I think it has something to do with it not being fully developed yet and causing stomachaches.

I was eager to try out this pasta… Nature’s Place is Hannaford grocery store’s natural, minimally processed brand.  Fresh (not dried) pasta always tastes so much better to me.

Plus, they look like little nests! Two “nests” make one serving.

When the veggies finished roasting (perfectly crispy!), it was all I could do to keep myself from eating them all right off the baking sheet.  I’d already made quite a dent in the cauliflower while I was chopping it… if I wasn’t careful, I wouldn’t have any ingredients left for dinner!

I tossed the roasted cauliflower with the pasta and added lemon zest, fresh parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil.

When it comes to parsley and other fresh herbs, I’m of the “more is more” mindset.

Lest you think this was a dainty, “ladylike” portion…

I had enough fuel to run a marathon with this baby.  Come November 6, you just might find me eating it!

There wasn’t too much room in my tum for dessert, but in the words of Tim Gunn, I made it work.  Dried figs and prunes stuffed with dark chocolate chips are so good… and they just keep me going back for more.  They kind of look like frogs, right?  I seem to have successfully eaten nuts in some form or other for every meal and snack today.

I’m off to seal my day with a lunar flow practice and hope to be in bed by 10.  I’ll make it work.

Bonne nuit

Edited to add: Kristina from Stonyfield Farm wants me to let you all know about a fun “Greek” opportunity!

“When consumers buy our quarts instead of single-serving cups, they pay less for their yogurt, but we know that a quart is not as convenient as single-serving cups for on the go consumption,” says our President and CE-Yo Gary HIrshberg. “The reusable yogurt cup gives our quart buyers the convenience of the Stonyfield 6 oz cups by providing a way to create easily transportable single servings for anywhere, anytime.”

Yogurt lovers just have to buy four Stonyfield yogurt quarts through December, and mail in the foil lids (describing this offer), and they’ll receive the reusable, eight-ounce yogurt cup made by Preserve®. Made from 100% recycled plastic, the cup is perfect for yogurt-lovers on the go, the ideal size for breakfast or a snack, with room to stir in fruit or granola. It’s dishwasher safe, BPA-free with a screw-on lid – and it’s made in the US.

Consumers will also get  $4.50 worth of Stonyfield and Preserve coupons along with the cup.

Our recycling partner since 2000, Preserve uses innovative methods to turn used materials (including used Stonyfield yogurt cups) into stylish, useful household products like toothbrushes, colanders, cutting boards and tableware. Preserve products are 100% recycled and recyclable too.

Consumers can mail clean foil lids, with name, address and phone number on an index card or 4” x 6” sheet of paper by February 28, 2010 to:

Stonyfield Farm
Reusable Cup Offer
PO Box 4840
Manchester, NH 03108-4840

Cups will be shipped starting in January, 2010 with delivery in 10 to 12 weeks. This offer is good only in the US, while cup supplies last, and is limited to one cup per household (to better spread the love around).

So save those lids!

Last night before bed, I had a Stonyfield Farms nonfat blueberry yogurt topped with GoLean (Crunch & regular). That’s stress eating for ya!

This morning for breakfast, I had my new favorite oatmeal alternative: cooked [...]]]> Heya.  Sorry for the delayed post; I’ve been out of the house all day, running around like a busy bee.

Last night before bed, I had a Stonyfield Farms nonfat blueberry yogurt topped with GoLean (Crunch & regular). That’s stress eating for ya!

This morning for breakfast, I had my new favorite oatmeal alternative: cooked muesli. I microwaved 1/2 cup muesli with 1/2 cup skim milk, for about 3 minutes.  It takes a little longer to cook than oatmeal, but if you decide to make it for yourself, keep an eye on the microwave.  There’s nothing worse than an exploded mess at 8 AM.

I sweetened it with some leftover light pear syrup…

…and added the other usual toppings.  They taste quite different when combined with hot muesli, though!

• 1/2 banana
• pumpkin
• 1/2-1 tsp chunky peanut butter

You can buy Michael Jackson’s velvet gloves, among other strange things.  As bizarre as Jacko is, I felt a little sad for him when I read that he’s shutting down Neverland.  A little.

My prof brought some tempting treats to our session today that she picked up from The Butter Bakery Café.  The name says it all, but they were pretty good. I’d just eaten so I wasn’t very hungry, but try to sit in front of these babies for two hours and not say no!

Blueberry scone:

Cinnamon pecan coffee cake:

Frosted lemon poppyseed muffin:

These aren’t usually my kind of thing, but they were pretty delicious.  I had a bite or so of each- I think the coffee cake was my favorite.

I went to the cafeteria for lunch so I could head straight to the library after.  I made a big salad with tofu, beets, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, and peas, dressed in oil and vinegar.

I kept lunch light because there was an “à la mode” bar today.  I got a vegan fruit crisp and topped it with fat free vanilla frozen yogurt instead of ice cream.  There was some backlash about this decision at my lunch table, but the crisp was so crumbly and delicious that I really couldn’t tell the difference.  I added a few mini chocolate chips, though, just in case.

It was still steaming even after I got to the table and took my photos, which is a rarity.

Before Step today I had an apple. (Yes, it’s balanced on my car.)

Tuesday is my short day, so I only had 30 minutes of Step.  I got on the treadmill and put it on the “random” setting, planning to run a mile, but it was pretty horrendous. I haven’t run since Saturday and haven’t been on the treadmill since before Spring break, and it was just really unpleasant. I ended up stopping after only half a mile, which was discouraging, but better than being miserable.

Total time: 35:16 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 186 (93%)

Average heart rate: 144 (72%)

Calories burned: 291

It was another “inefficient” workout, but I think it’s because, although I took two rest days, my body is kind of exhausted with stress and resisting physical activity.  I’m going to try to keep pushing it, although not as hard as usual; exercise is one of the best ways for me to clear my head and boost my mood.

I had a Chocolate Chip Z bar after leaving the gym.  It was sitting on the sunny side of my car and was warm and gooey and mighty fine.

I went to Whole Foods to do a mini shop for produce.  While there I decided to pick up some food from the hot bar and not worry about what to make for dinner.  I haven’t had it since Winter Break and I forgot how tasty it was! I don’t remember everything that went in there, but here’s what I do: Teriyaki tofu, Japanese baked tofu, jicama slaw, sesame kale, sesame broccoli, curried cauliflower, grilled zucchini/yellow squash, mixed greens, grilled pineapple (!) and my favorite: a small scoop of REAL macaroni and cheese.

For dessert, I had a Chunky Monkey No-Pudge brownie.

It’s not even 10 but I’m headed for bed. My schedule is a little off, but that comes with the territory this time of year! My blog reading is going to be a little behind for a few days, but as always, I will be thinking about you and love you all!

Bonne nuit

As promised, I had an almond 99% chocolate truffle. Holy yum.

I went to the cafeteria for dinner tonight and it was [...]]]> Heyo (listen what I say-o… anyone?)! This is going to be quick because I still have GREAT THINGS to accomplish. Well, I can’t guarantee they’ll be great, but they need to get done.

As promised, I had an almond 99% chocolate truffle. Holy yum.

I went to the cafeteria for dinner tonight and it was exceptionally tasty.  They had my favorite, chili-crusted tofu, although I got totally cheated and only got five little pieces. Boo. But I filled up with some roasted tomato and eggplant, brown rice and corn, and steamed cauliflower.

I also had a small salad of spinach, carrots, cabbage and pea pods tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.

My professor brought mini black forest cupcakes to class tonight… these were so good! They had dabs of jam on top of the frosting, and little dark chocolate shavings.  One day I will get into the kitchen and make these babies…

I had two.

I had this juicy mess of a grapefruit when I got home…

… and now I have to go shower, watch Giant, write a paper… so off I go! Have a great night.

I told him I kind of wanted to have a lick, but he said he made them four years ago. Good thing [...]]]> Whew! This girl is FULL.  Lunch at the club was fun today! They had it all decorated for Valentine’s Day.  One of the chefs made these two amorous flamingos out of frosting!

I told him I kind of wanted to have a lick, but he said he made them four years ago. Good thing I didn’t nibble!

The buffet was especially good today.

On my plate, I had:

• smoked slamon
• cottage cheese
• mixed greens
• beets
• artichoke hearts
• hearts of palm
• cucumber salad (I used this as dressing)
• raw cauliflower
• red peppers

I also got a big fruit plate with pineapple, honeydew, canteloupe, grapes and strawberries.

I ate two (dry) toast triangles with strawberry preserves.

All three of us got small slices of carrot cake… I never have this, so I wanted to treat myself. It was worth every delicious bite!

The server brought out some special house-made chocolates for Valentine’s Day, but we boxed them up and I took them home.

I did, however, have a tri-layer fudge square in the car.  I grabbed one of these on the way out, and it was just sitting right next to me…. (I parked in the driveway for the photo, don’t worry!)

I ended up giving the leftover chocolate to my friend Morgan.  I have all those truffles from my parents (!), so there are more than enough sweet things to eat in my apartment.

Well, off to work I go.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Ha! Wouldn’t that be nice.  But I did just watch The Core in class… and I’m getting credit for it.  Yep, you read that right.

This morning my breakfast didn’t hold me over for too long… I kept staring at the clock to see when an appropriate time to have a [...]]]>

Ha! Wouldn’t that be nice.  But I did just watch The Core in class… and I’m getting credit for it.  Yep, you read that right.

This morning my breakfast didn’t hold me over for too long… I kept staring at the clock to see when an appropriate time to have a snack would be!  I had this banana. (I think I’m turning into a monkey; I eat so many of these!)

Lunch was a little funky, but it tasted good so bear with me.  I know by now Snobby Joes are the last thing anyone wants to see, but I had them today… in a new and different way!

I heated the lentils on a skillet in some cooking spray and then added… egg whites!  I plopped the whole mixture on top of a piece of toasted Ezekiel bread with arugula, and smeared it with a laughing cow wedge.

What with my oatmeal, flax, banana, LENTILS, etc., I apparently didn’t think I had eaten enough fiber, so I finished my meal off with a Gala apple, strawberries and blackberries.

After class and before the gym, I had half of my baggie full of almonds. I should start a thread about the weird places I’ve photographed my almonds.

I had a pretty good workout today… the hardest part was walking to the gym in the freezing cold!

Bike: 30 minutes

Stairs: 20 minutes

Arm machines

Abs: I got lazy and did the “abdominal” machine instead of my usual series.  Shoot me.

Total time: 1:04

Maximum heart rate: 163 (82%)

Average heart rate: 132 (66%)

Calories burned: 465

I ate dinner in the cafeteria today since I have class from 7- 10 PM.  Sorry, I know these aren’t the most interesting posts!

Tofu curried with vegetables; lime-scented brown rice; celery with peanut butter and raisins, which are also known as…

Ants on a log!

I’m sad to report that the once all natural (only salt & peanuts) and organic peanut butter has been replaced with Jif. Hmpf! Hopefully this is just because of the salmonella outbreak, and will go away as soon as that’s cleared up.

I also had a bowl of curried cauliflower soup, which I garnished with crushed peanuts and parsley.

While watching The Core in class (yes, it’s as cheesy as it looks, but Aaron Eckhart is hard to turn my nose down at), I finished my almonds and had this Luna.

I don’t know why I’ve been so snacky today, but I’m about to eat this grapefruit as well.  It’s probably the cold… my hair was in hard, ice-like ringlets after I showered and left the gym (stupid me), my HRM strap froze (shouldn’t wash it before I get home from now on), and my hands were in so much pain as I drove home tonight.  Dang you, Minnesota!

Have a great night!