Yesterday I woke up feeling a little adventurous and decided to try out Heather’s Asian Fusion oats using tahini, [...]]]> Afternoon and happy New Year’s EVE!  Last year I was working at a restaurant when the ball dropped… not ideal, but it could have been worse.  This year’s going to be a lot more fun!

Yesterday I woke up feeling a little adventurous and decided to try out Heather’s Asian Fusion oats using tahini, miso and honey.

It was good, but I guess in my heart of hearts I was still half-expecting a sweet, nutty breakfast and I just couldn’t get past that.  So, although I hate to waste food, I tossed that batch and made a new bowl of oatmeal with banana, almond butter, and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter.  I was a happy girl.

There was no time to waste.  After running some errands in the neighborhood with Ari, Josh and I went to a local deli to build-our-own-salads.  I got a small bowl of mesclun with chick peas, red beans, artichoke hearts, corn, carrots, cucumbers and sesame ginger dressing on the side.

Then I met up with my friend Will, who I haven’t seen in almost 2.5 years! Luckily we were able to meet up during his short visit to the city.  We went to Starbucks (and lamented the lack of independent coffee shops on the UWS); I got a grande skim mocha.  ‘Tis the season!

After coffee, I met up with Ari to do some last minute sale shopping (you can always find the best deals between Christmas and New Year’s), then found my little redheaded friend in the same neighborhood for dinner.

We happened upon a cute little Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side; we were so excited for dinner that we didn’t even take note of the name!

As soon as we sat down, we were given plates with soft, warm focaccia and olive oil.

We shared a bottle of Estrella Cabernet Sauvignon to warm our cores…

For my entrée, I ordered the Tre Colore Gnocchi with portobello and shiitake mushrooms, goat cheese and marinara.   A warm bowl of past was just what I wanted, and this was perfect.  Don’t you love gnocchi?!  I did a pretty good job on the dish, and just about finished it.

After spending a couple hours catching up and eating, we made our way to Magnolia Bakery for dessert.  I got the cupcake of the day: German Chocolate!

I wolfed it down in about two bites   Then I made my way downtown to meet Ari and the rest of the family and we piled in the car and drove to their parents’ house for the holiday.  Not everyone had eaten, so we made a pit stop at Roy Roger’s (more on that later!)…

Good times.

Have you sent me your questions entered my giveaway? Git ‘er done!

Have a safe, healthy and AWESOME New Year’s!!! What are you doing to ring in the New Year?

My Saturday was quite festive, starting with a morning spent at the soup kitchen. I haven’t been able to go as much as I would have liked in the past few months, but [...]]]> Evening and happy Sunday! I hope you’ve all had wonderful weekends, whether you celebrated the holidays or simply enjoyed the days.

My Saturday was quite festive, starting with a morning spent at the soup kitchen. I haven’t been able to go as much as I would have liked in the past few months, but it was so nice to be back there again.  There were many “regulars” I’ve known for almost 10 years!

After volunteering, my parents and I went to Peacefood Café for lunch.

This was their first time at an all-vegan restaurant.  I really appreciate how supportive my family has been of my diet!

We ordered an appetizer to split: vegetable tamale with jalepeño and tomatoes.

The last time I ate at Peacewood, I enjoyed Caitlin‘s sandwich so much that I had to order it! My dad and I split the Roasted Japanese Pumpkin Sandwich with mashed and seasoned with a little sea salt, ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil, topped with caramelized onions, ground walnuts, vegan goat cheese and seasonal greens. It was even better than I remembered!

We also shared the Pan-Seared French Horn Mushroom Panini with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, artichoke aioli, mint & basil pesto. It was good, but we both agreed the pumpkin was the best.

My mom ordered the special of the day: Kidney Bean Chili with rice, mixed greens and homemade cornbread. This wasn’t her favorite; I loved it, however, and was the lucky recipient of the leftovers.

It was only my second time at Peacewood Café, but it’s already become one of my favorite restaurants on the Upper West Side.  There are tasty, healthy options that carnivores, vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists and foodies alike can enjoy!

Last night when I got home I was quite the domestic goddess.  I set to work in the kitchen, making Gena’s Cashew Cheese with Meyer Lemon and Dried Cherries.

I enjoyed it today with a Gala apple, whole wheat and flax pita bread, and tabbouleh.  Delicious!

It was a cold and rainy day;  I wanted to have a cozy and comforting dinner and came up with this soup.

• 4 oz soba noodles
• 4 tablespoons white miso paste
• 2 cups roughly torn broccoli florets (about 1/2 large bunch)
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
• soy sauce
• salmon or protein of choice, such as fresh tofu, soft-boiled egg, or seitan
• optional: Sriracha sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions.  I used a package of green tea soba that I received from Asian Food Grocer, a Foodbuzz affiliate.

Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.   Bring 4 cups water to a boil.  Add ginger and miso, stirring until miso is dissolved.

Add broccoli and scallions (reserving some for garnish), cooking until broccoli is crisp-tender.  Remove from heat.

Stir in soba and divide into bowls.  Top with salmon (grilled, poached, etc. to your liking), drizzle with soy sauce and Sriracha (if using) and serve!

After dinner, I spent the rest of the night on my hands and knees… scrubbing the floors!  Since starting my job, I’ve been slacking a bit in the cleaning department, so I made up for it by sweeping, polishing, dusting and wiping into the wee hours of the morning.  I felt a bit like Kath!  It was actually pretty satisfying, and got my heart rate right up.

Now Ari and I are relaxing in bed, watching Gone With The Wind and sipping “The Big Red Monster”, a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Petit Sirah.

What was the best part of your weekend? Did you lay low or were you busy?

Don’t forget to send me your questions!

Have a great night!

This morning [...]]]> Evening! How was your Monday? Mine was lovely, but very long.  I’m about ready to roll over and go to sleep… then wake up and do it all again!  This is working life, I guess. I actually really like having a routine, I just wish there were  more hours in the day.

This morning I was a little rushed to get things ready (and left a few dirty dishes in the sink for Ari… whoops).  We’re still really low on groceries; I’ve gotten some little things here and there, but haven’t done a big shop.  I think I’ll probably wait until after the holidays, though.  Anyway, I wanted to make a pumpkin cake, but I really didn’t have enough pumpkin.  And thus, the pumpkin-banana cake was born! I just mixed up a banana, pumpkin, pumpkin butter and egg whites together and microwaved them for 3 minutes.  I topped the mixture with plain yogurt, lemon curd and flaxy peanut butter, and mixed that all up, too. Mm-mm good!

At work I snacked on a Mocha-walla bar; I wasn’t exactly hungry, but it was a little slow in the office because of the holidays so I think I just ate out of boredom.  These bars always make me think of my friend K!  This was pretty good… not my favorite, but I’d probably buy it again.  I like the chunks of chocolate!

I stopped at Whole Foods yesterday to pick up some things (mostly protein) that I can mix into salads for fast and easy lunches to bring to work.  I’ll be honest: I’m not too proud that I haven’t been able to cook as much as I’d hoped, but I think I’ll get a better hang of it once I’ve settled in a little better.

My salad today had spinach, edamame salad, cabbage slaw, corn salad and sesame-baked tofu.

I ate with a friend from work, who stopped at Pret-à-Manger for her lunch.  While there, I picked up a container of antioxidant vinaigrette to dress my salad with because it was made with blueberries!  The sales clerk didn’t even charge me for it.  Tis the season for kindness and generosity

Back at work, I snacked on an apple and did some research.  Yep, I get paid to read! I love my job

One of my coworkers made my day when he not only brought me a copy of Sarma Melngailis’ Living Raw Food (which I have been lusting after for months), but a raw coco-nutty treat as well! It had raisins, seeds, coconut, and all sorts of good things. I think it’s high time my food processor was put to work to make some of these goodies.

When I left work, I high-tailed it to the West Village to meet my parents, George, Judy and Anita for Judy’s birthday dinner at Il Mulino.  Almost as soon as we sat down, we were given an amuse boûche of marinated tomatoes, mussels and fried zucchini.

We were each also given hunks of parmesan (which I may or may not have brought home with me)…

…and a bread basket for the table with the most delicious smoked chili oil-soaked strips of crusty bread.

The ladies ordered Manhattans…

… and we toasted Judy.

My dad and I split two appetizers: fresh calamari sautéed in a spicy herbed tomato sauce…

… and black squid-ink linguini with scallops, shrimp and calamari.  I only had a few bites of this (although it was quite delicious)… I wanted to save room!

For my entrée, I ordered the branzino special.  This was the most tender sea bass I’ve ever eaten: light, fluffy, and oh-so delicate.  It really only needed a bit of lemon!

After Jud blew out her candle…

we split three desserts six ways:  The best flourless chocolate cake I’ve had in my life, with the best whipped cream I’ve had in my life.  Seriously.

The sweetest fresh strawberries with cinnamon sabayon…

…and ricotta-mascarpone cheesecake.

We were also brought out glasses of grappa, and toasted again.  (I only had a sip, and gave the rest to George.)

Happy Birthday, Judy!

It was a wonderful night.

Last night, after we got back from the wedding, I hunkered down to do some reading and prepare for my interviews.  All of that brain stimulation must have shot my metabolism into [...]]]> Good evening, Upper East Siders!  How are you? I’m taking a little work break to blog and catch up on my Gossip.

Last night, after we got back from the wedding, I hunkered down to do some reading and prepare for my interviews.  All of that brain stimulation must have shot my metabolism into overdrive, because only a couples hours after dinner,  my tum was a-grumblin’ something fierce! I thought I might just be thirsty, but that didn’t seem to be it.  Finally, I put down my book and headed into the kitchen to make a bowl of Kashi GoLean and Smart Start. Problem solved!

This morning, I woke up bright and early to see Ari off.  As I mentioned, he’s going Vigilante through December, and had to leave at 7:30 this morning.  I tried to go back to sleep, but my mind was already up and ready to go.  I had to be at physical therapy at 10 anyway, so I just got up and made breakfast.

Taking Jess‘s advice, I heated up half of a Trader Joe’s Berry Mango Bran Muffin, crumbled it up, and tossed in on top of 0% Fage with some warmed frozen berries and a scoop of flaxy PB.  I really like this peanut butter, by the way.   It’s both crackly and crunchy and adds great texture!

Quite the mess!

My therapy session went well… I still have a lot of tightness in pretty much each muscle in my legs, so I have to keep working on that.  Repeat after me: yoga, rolling and stretching, okay!  When I got back, I briefly chatted with the guest who is staying with us, made myself an apple-cinnamon snack, and retreated to my room to be interviewed (via phone) with the HR department for the company I’m interviewing with.

It shaped up to be one of those days where I was constantly hungry, so I made something as soon as the clock showed that it was even remotely close to lunchtime.  Ellie reminded me yesterday about the beauty of the crack wrap, so I made one with a whole wheat wrap, three-layer hummus, and a slice of Jarlsberg cheese.

I ate it with half a can of Progresso’s Fat Free Lentil soup.   This isn’t the tastiest of the canned variety, but I had a hankering for soup.  I’ll definitely be making my own in the near future!

Finished up the meal with a piece of salt water taffy for a sweet end.

I’ve been searching in vain for the seasonal Celestial Seasonings teas (like Sugar Cookie and Gingerbread)… any New Yorkers know where I can track it down?  I settled on a cup of Sweet Coconut Thai Chai, which was a good substitute…

…but it knocked me right out!  Ari caught me snoozing at 5PM when he woke me up with a phone call.  Whoops! I snacked on some carrots to perk me back up…

… then did Yoga Download‘s Hip Opening Flow #2.  I have trouble practicing yoga for more than 20 minutes when I’m not in class… does anyone have tips for staying in the moment? Turning off my phone would probably be a good start!

I heated up some leftover Coconut Barley Pilaf and made a quick salad with kale, broccoli slaw, grape tomatoes, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar.

Honestly, as much as I love my fancy salad dressings, I could probably make a sesame vinaigrette every night and be happy.  It’s simple, but so delicious.  I don’t even use measurements or mix anything together… the vinegar and oil just get drizzled on.

I made another quick dessert, starting with a tri-flavored chocolate sauce using Pure Dark cardamom chocolate, semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips.

I added a few drops of water, microwaved the bowl for 35 seconds, then mixed in some Brown Sugar ice cream.

And thus concludes another day’s passing without having spent a single extra dollar on food.  I’m going to have to buy some fresh produce soon, as we’re running low on fruit and vegetables, but otherwise the kitchen is pretty stocked.  It’s a satisfying feeling.

Back to work… it’s going to be a late night.  Bonne nuit

The rolled oats stash still hasn’t been replenished, and I haven’t gotten a new batch of steel-cut [...]]]> Good morning and happy Thursday! It’s going to be a good day, I can just tell   How has your week been going? What was the most surprising or thing that brought you the most happiness?

The rolled oats stash still hasn’t been replenished, and I haven’t gotten a new batch of steel-cut whipped up yet, so I had to think a little about what I wanted for breakfast yesterday.  I opened the fridge, pulled out the almond butter, and…

Oh no! Take me to a Trader Joe’s and make no stops on the way!  Well, I don’t know when I’m actually going to get to TJ’s, so I tried to leave a little nut butter on the sides to make oats-in-a-jar when the time is right.  That wasn’t enough for breakfast, though, so I pulled out a sample of Sunbutter that I’ve had lying around for a few months.

When squeezed out, it looks likes this:

One Ezekiel English muffin half had almond butter and TJ’s pumpkin butter, the other Sunbutter and raspberry jam.

The Sunbutter definitely tastes like sunflower seeds.  I think I still prefer almond and peanut butters, but this was a nice change.  I don’t know if I would buy a whole jar of this, but if I had more travel packets I would use them for on-the-go snacking.

I took all of my new vitamins with breakfast (except the melatonin, which is only for when I really can’t sleep at night).

Unfortunately I didn’t read the label carefully when I was at the store and bought the powdered Ester-C (which aids iron absorption) instead of the capsule, which means I have to drink it.  And let me tell you, this is one of the worst tastes I’ve ever known.

I worked and researched most of the morning, and broke for lunch around noon before I had to leave for physical therapy.  I made a big salad through my session:

In the mix:

• 1/2 head of romaine
• grape tomatoes
• 1 orange
• leftover roasted Brussels sprouts
• julienned carrots
• Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burger
• Trader Joe’s Three Layer Hummus
• Cayenne pepper-spiked agave- cinnamon dressing

It was a big salad! I almost couldn’t finish it, but I’m not usually one to leave greens on my plate.  I went into the city to get my H1N1 flu shot (seasonal flu shot has already sold out almost everywhere), then went across town to my physical therapy appointment.  I was early, so I popped into Tasti to get a treat and read a little.  I got a small cup of chocolate raspberry mousse:

My appointment went really well.  I really like my therapist; she’s a former marathoner and current Half-Iron Man-er, and just seems to know what she’s doing (a welcome change).  She  worked with me for over an hour, and came to the same conclusion as the first PT:  my muscles aren’t strong enough to support the kind of running I’m doing. If I want to be an endurance athlete and compete in races, my quads, glutes, calves, etc. have to be really strong.  I need to work on strength moves, increasing my flexibility (stretching, rolling out with the foam roller) and core moves every day. My knees do point in (the first PT diagnosed me with “squinting patellae”) but strengthening my quadraceps will force them back into place.  And the even better news? I can start back up again (slowly) in the next few days, and can run the 15K in December!!!

She asked if I’d be okay with running on the treadmill for a few minutes to analyze my gait, and you should have seen the way my eyes lit up.  Running? Now? Even though I hate the treadmill, I felt like I was flying.  I do pronate, and my hips do come out and come forward when they shouldn’t (which has caused tightness in my IT band that I didn’t even know about until she worked it through with her fingers), but it can all be corrected.  Woohoo!!!! I’m going back today; she wants to see me twice a week for a month or so.  Thank the lordy. If I had a job right now, I wouldn’t have this kind of flexibility!

On the ride home, I was hungry again so I snacked on a Trek Mix bar.

When I got home, I did some more searching and researching, and started to think about dinner.  It was going to take a couple hours to make, so when Ari ordered sushi for himself and Josh I politely requested my very own sweet potato roll.

Seriously, I don’t know how I didn’t know about these until now.  What would I do without Ilana and Ari? Amazing!

My own dinner was based on this recipe.   When I went to the produce store, I found a squash I’d never seen before.  It started with a G… Galaban? Galabaga? When I looked it up on this handy squash glossary, however, I discovered that it was one of the most popular squashes with bloggers: the kobucha!

These were sold already halved; each half was about 70 cents.

I changed the recipe a little bit; I halved the “pudding” recipe, only used egg whites (I don’t have whole eggs), didn’t use anise, and used red onions instead of scallions.

It took a long time to cook (about an hour and a half), but the results were worth it.

I ate one half of the squash and saved the rest for another day.  It was really satisfying, and so good that I ended up eating the skin, too! Oops.

For dessert, I smeared a pumpkin bar with peanut butter.  It wasn’t worth it: still tasted bad.  Into the trash they go!

Ari and I took Carlye‘s suggestion and watched the pilot of Psych.  We thought there would be a few more episodes on the first disc, but it was just the one! So off I go to the mailbox… must make sure there’s a Halloween movie here for Saturday!

Have a great day

P.S. Averie is giving away ProBar Fruitition bars!

Yesterday I woke up at a normal time, and made a normal bowl of fruity oatmeal.

I [...]]]> Hello there boys and girls, and happy Friday!  How are you today?  I’m just fine, although I knocked myself a little out of whack when I overslept, and my schedule is a little funky! Oh well, no matter.

Yesterday I woke up at a normal time, and made a normal bowl of fruity oatmeal.

I used:

• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1/2 cup water
• TJ’s Mangolicious blend
• 1 peach
• 1 scoop of peanut butter

After a little computer work, I accompanied the boy to the diner where he enjoyed a nice egg sandwich.  Then I hopped on the train and went to visit my poodle.  When I got there, I was greeted by many goodies!  I found the Zevia sodas (and cute T-shirt) I won from a contest Missy hosted…

A NuNaturals stevia sampler I won from Averie‘s contest…

POM Wonderful‘s new Kiwi and Nectarine flavored pomegranate juice…

A variety of Greek yogurts from Chobani…

And, best of all, gourmet Brownie Points brownies from Liz!

Pretty good mail day, dontcha think?!

I incorporated both new items and tasty leftovers into a fabulous lunch, starting with Daddy-o’s spicy corn chowder…

Gliding Calm tofu with brown rice, mango chutney & peanut sauce…

Low-Fat Pineapple Chobani, which I LOVED (review to follow)…

…. And Ginger Ale Zevia. Full review to come as well, but I did not like this at all.

While I ate, I read some more sad news about the demise of Gourmet magazine.

A little later, snacked on an apple to hold me over on a mid-distance run.

I tried to warm up slowly, run 3 fast miles, and cool down with one more mile.  It was hard to pace myself without knowing for sure how fast I was going.  When I got home, I was pretty pleased with my statistics; seems like I did pace myself pretty well.

Total distance: 4.54 miles

Total time: 43:41

Maximum heart rate: 181 (91%)

Average heart rate: 166 (84%)

Calories burned: 455

I finished up a baggie of baby carrots while packing up and getting ready… these are the perfect quick snack, except when you have bad allergies.  Sneezing while chomping on carrots makes for a HUGE mess.

I hurried back home just in time to have dinner with Ilana. We heated up leftover cassoulet and steamed some broccoli.  Ilana was finally introduced to the hippie juice, and I think she liked it!

After dinner, we dug into Liz‘s brownies while we watched Grey’s Anatomy and Project Runway.

There were a lot of flavors, and I wanted to taste them all…

These were so freaking good.  The hit of the night seemed to be Cookies & Cream… it tasted just like the middle of an Oreo!  I can’t wait to dig into the rest of them.  Holy yum, Liz!

I stayed up kind of late, and ended up eating another giant apple before bed.

Off to go meet some lovelies for dinner! What are you up to this weekend? I have my 10K on Sunday, but that’s about it! Have a great night

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!