Lilveggiepatch » edamame

Il Mulino!

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:36:52 +0000

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.

The 3 O’Clock Buzz

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:19:40 +0000

Good evening, duckies! How are you this fine Monday? I’m feeling pretty darn fine myself, sipping tea in the comfort of my kitchen after a great day at work, a fabulous din with MVP (Mama), and a quick flash of friendly faces at home. What made you happy today?

Last night while I was working in the kitchen, I thankfully had the foresight to whip up enough oatmeal to last me the week. I had enough time to make steel-cut oats; it really only takes 25 minutes total, and it’s definitely worth the extra effort.

This morning I reheated a portion and topped it with warmed frozen berries, ground flax, agave and almonds. For some reason I prefer whole nuts to nut butters when I eat steel-cut oatmeal… it must be something about the nutty texture of the grains.

I said it a week ago and it still rings embarrassingly true: we need to go grocery shopping. However, while we don’t have a lot of fresh produce, we do have ingredients that, with a little creativity, can make up a pretty good meal.

When I was living in France, I noticed that a lot of people had lentil salads for lunch or to supplement their dinners. Lentils are high in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Lunch-Break Protein Salad

3/4 cup canned lentils
1/3 cup frozen edamame, thawed
1 tbsp crumbled feta
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
crushed walnuts

Gently stir ingredients together. Serves 1.

This lentil-edamame salad was all made with ingredients that had been sitting in my fridge, pantry or freezer for at least a month. I should shop here more often! I also brought carrots, hummus, and a honey-flavored Oikos Greek yogurt with me.

Today was my first day at work on my own, without being trained or supervised. It was a little overwhelming, but a lot of fun. There’s a lot of information being thrown at me, but I’m taking lots of notes, asking questions, and doing my best.

New York has a lot of hidden gems, many of which are public parks like this one. Surrounded by office building, they have waterfalls that drown out traffic and city noise, open plazas and cafe tables for socializing, and trees to bring a little zen into your day. I spent my lunch in on of these parks today to clear my mind and recharge.

When I got back to the office, I quickly realized one of the keys to a successful work day: a strong cup of coffee between 2:30 and 3. I already have pretty low energy (which I’ve discussed here several times), and this little jolt of java really helped keep me going. Whatever it takes!

Throughout the day I also snacked on a Raisin Spice Heart Thrive Cake…

… and before I knew it, it was 5:45 and time to go home! On my way out the door, I opened up a can of coconut water to hold myself through dinner.

I met my mom for dinner at our usual Japanese restaurant.

We toasted the future with hot sake…

… and shared some steamed shrimp shumai.

Anticipating lunch tomorrow, I ordered a bowl of tofu nabe (broth with vegetables, tofu, and seasoning). I ate most of the vegetables but packed up a lot of the broth, which I will beef up and bring to work tomorrow.

When I got home, I cozied up with a mug of Gingerbread Spice tea and a sugar cookie my mom brought all the way back from Santa Fe! The cookie did not last long

My knee is still hurting from the 15K yesterday, but the official times were finally listed! I came in at 1:33:26. Not any kind of rank, but I’m still just proud I finished

It’s past my bedtime. Goodnight!

Happy Halloween!

lilveggiepatch — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:12:04 +0000

Happy Halloween! I hope you are all having a wonderful night, whether you’re at a party, parade, or staying at home watching movies. Ari and I decided to do the latter, although we’ve been sitting in our costumes all day waiting for Trick-or-Treaters!

Yesterday I started the day with my first (ever!) batch of Oats in a Jar.

I added 1/2 cup of oats and 1/2 cup of water to the almond butter jar and microwaved it for one minute.

I topped it with 1/2 banana, 2 chopped prunes, 3 walnuts, a little skim milk and brown sugar. It was delicious! I may or may not have rescued an empty jar of peanut butter from the trash so I can make this again…

My mom gave me an idea about how to solve the Ester-C powder problem… try mixing it in something else! I put a scoop into a little bit of plain yogurt.

It’s still really disgusting, and I had to down a cup of coffee right away after I ate it. But… it did the trick, and it went down a lot faster than if I’d had to drink it. I’m out of yogurt, though, so I’ll have to find some more creative ways to eat this.

I wanted to get an early start to my day, so I said goodbye to the hair this guy and headed to the gym.

Time was limited, so I just did some arms, abs, PT stretches (which I will post at the end for Melissa) and 18 minutes on the elliptical. Short and sweet. Afterward, I met George for lunch at Pizza Gruppo. Always one for deals, I ordered the salad + 1/2 sandwich special. The salad was bigger than I’d expected, and came with mushrooms!

My panini came with goat cheese, pesto, and roasted vegetables. It was really good! I haven’t had a sandwich I didn’t make myself in a looong time.

After lunch I stopped by Paragon to pick up a foam roller. There was so much pre-marathon mania going on… very exciting to be around! When I got home, I sprinkled 1/4 packet of YouBar‘s YouShake Blended Bliss into the last of my yogurt.

I also split an apple with cinnamon with Ari (who proudly told me he had green juice for lunch!) while we ran some Halloweenie-errands.

For some reason I was snackier than usual, so I had some chunks of energy while getting ready to meet my little redheaded friend for dinner.

Kalle and I found a Japanese restaurant with a great dinner special. It’s so easy to spend a lot of money when ordering sushi, so the specials are imperative. I ordered the Sashimi+Roll combination, which came with miso soup and salad.

The sweet potato roll was delicious… and my second in one week!

The sashimi was beautifully presented.

It came with two pieces of cucumber-wrapped fish… what a great alternative to rice!

The special also came with shrimp shumai and edamame.

Kalle’s rolls were also creatively presented and looked delicious.

After dinner, we went back to her apartment to talk and drink Malbec out of black goblets. I broke the cork in half, but managed to get it out of the bottle! Looks like my waitressing skills are falling by the wayside…

I got home pretty late and didn’t end up going to bed until almost 3… the night was definitely worth it, though.

And now, onto the physical therapy!

One exercise that I’ve been working on with my PT is called the clamshell, which strengthens quads. Lying on my side in bed or on the floor, I stack my knees at a 90 degree angle. Clenching my glutes and quads, I slowly raise one knee while keeping my feet together. I repeat this twenty times, then switch to my other side. Repeat series.

Another exercise that strengthens quads and calves is done by sitting on a chair or on the edge of the bed. Extend one leg straight out and flex glutes, quads, calves and toes. Twist leg to the side, then back to center. Repeat until leg is fatigued, and switch legs.

Around the blogs: Jungwha is giving away a Sodastream!

Happy Halloween from the Upwelling and LVP… have a great night!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S03bPXh4FFI]

NaCl + YOU: Salt & the Athlete's Body

lilveggiepatch — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:02:28 +0000

Over the past few weeks, I have been craving salt. I’m careful about the amount of sodium I take in from packaged foods, but I’ve never been too concerned with table salt, one way or the other. (In fact, only 10% of sodium found in packaged food occurs naturally; it’s okay to use real salt!) Recently, however, it’s been going on everything from my salad bar meals at Whole Foods to a scoop of peanut butter on my oatmeal. Sunday night, I caught myself doing the unthinkable: salting the butter on my bread! My dad and I have poked endless fun at my mother for requesting salt for her butter when we are out to eat. Well, looks like they’ll have to bring some for me, too. I brought this up to my dad, who immediately thought it was because I’ve been running almost every day, and for longer distances that I’ve been used to in the past.

I’ve been investigating salt intake and the athlete’s body, and found a very helpful response to a runner’s concern about sodium on the Runner’s World website.

The National Academy of Sciences, the government organization responsible for setting nutrient-intake guidelines, recently lowered the daily recommended intake of sodium from 2,400 milligrams (mg) to 1,500 mg-or about 2/3 of a teaspoon of salt per day. The reason: Diets high in sodium have been linked to high blood pressure.

But the Academy’s new recommendation was designed with sedentary folks in mind and may not be sufficient to replace the sodium losses of many runners. During an hour of running, most of us lose about 1,200 mg of sodium. Combine this with the rest of your daily sodium losses (through sweat and urine) and the new recommendation could fall short. Low sodium levels can cause dizziness, low blood pressure, and an abnormal heartbeat.

How much salt is safe for runners? Up to 3,000 mg of sodium per day should adequately replace the sodium lost through an active lifestyle. Keep in mind that most of us easily take in this amount simply by eating processed foods (salt is almost always added during processing), drinking sports drinks, and salting foods while cooking. So there’s no need to go out of your way to add salt to your diet. And if you have high blood pressure or other health concerns, your doctor may still advise you to limit your salt intake even if you are a runner.

I’ve often found myself feeling faint after long runs, even after I’ve more than adequately re-hydrated with water. Could a little salt be the solution? In their July 2009 issue, Runner’s World has a list of various pre- and post-run beverage options. They list vegetable juice as an option for runners who crave salt after runs… remember when I was on my carrot juice kick and deemed it my recovery drink of choice? I guess my body enjoyed its benefits as much as my taste buds!

I did not have a hydration or sodium problem yesterday, as I was more or less sedentary for the entire day. At 10 in the morning, I walked to the mailbox, and at 10 at night, I took out the trash and went across the street to the diner. With half a heart, I did 8-minute abs, but even my tummy seemed a little zoznked. Oh, to be unemployed!

When I woke up, I quickly came to the sad realization that all of my homemade almond milk had gone bad. I’m out of almonds at the moment, so it’ll be a while before I make a fresh batch. I rooted around my stash(es) of goodies. (Yes, I admit it: I hoard food in the closet. I’ve already taken over more than an entire shelf in the pantry and the refrigerator is filled with my things, so rather than be that obnoxious roommate, the closet it is!) Out came a sample of Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal, which I’ve had back there for several months.

I ended up pulling together a pretty random breakfast… Greek yogurt, (salted) peanut butter, Honey Sunshine, a peach, and cinnamon.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this cereal. It was very sweet, and reminded me a lot of Cap’n Crunch. Not that there’s anything wrong with sugary cereal, but I prefer to eat those as snacks or dessert and enjoy something a little heartier in the morning.

In between housework, chores, and applying for jobs, I grabbed some chunks of energy to keep me awake.

Lunch was an “everything but the kitchen sink” type of salad so I could use up some ingredients that are on the cusp of going bad.

I topped the last of the sprout salad with an egg over medium (microwaved for 30 seconds), corn, edamame, feta, hummus, and beets.

I think I must have overdone it on beets; I’ve eaten them so often since summer started that the last few times I’ve had them they’ve made me gag. Mr. Beet, we need to spend some time apart. It’s you.

My Edible Arrangement provided a festive lunch dessert; we’ve eaten everything except some chocolate-covered strawberries, which will probably make an appearance at breakfast soon.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to stay awake finishing my book, during which I snacked on an apple with cinnamon.

I got dinner almost entirely ready, but at the last minute Josh and I decided to go to the diner. I knew Tuesday was going to be a late-ish night, so at least dinner would be all prepped and I’d be able to eat as soon as I got home. Josh and I both ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna Wrap w/ Whole Wheat Chips, wasabi aioli on the side. The chips were deep-fried and a little greasy, so I only ate a couple.

The sandwich came with a mixed-green salad, which I enjoyed… I haven’t been very good about eating dark green veggies lately.

When we got home, I tore into the last cupcake.

Do you even have to guess the flavor? My oh my, do I love pumpkin.

Well kiddos, Ari is almost home and I have to get Green Lantern all queued up for his arrival. Yep, we’re big dorks Before I say goodnight, I have an important question for you: what do you think about the F.T.C.’s ruling that blog writers must disclose their connection with companies whose products they review? I’m still mulling that one over, but it was a hot topic in the office at my internship today.

Bonne nuit!

Ari is awesome.

lilveggiepatch — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:47:10 +0000

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!

Smooth Moves

lilveggiepatch — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:57:47 +0000

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!

A little bit of home

lilveggiepatch — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 03:54:24 +0000

Hi all! I’m having a wild and crazy Saturday night!!! Juuuuust kidding, but at least I can keep my sense of humor about it.

This afternoon I snacked on an orange. Betty was feeling very emo about it.

When I go home, I always eat my favorite things that I can’t get here. Usually that just means good sushi, but recently I’ve inherited my dad’s love of udon soup and have enjoyed it here and here at the Japanese restaurant Ari and I go to in the ‘hood. So, when I saw a package of these udon noodles at Target for $.99, I knew I had to get them.

Aside from the absurdly high sodium content, its nutrition (noodle-trition) profile is pretty decent and the ingredient list is short and comprehensive. In the future I could have used vegetable stock instead of the “flavor packet,” but I don’t think I’ll keel over from having it once.

I added shrimp, scallions, edamame and spinach to the broth, and topped the whole bowl with microwaved Egg Beaters. It actually ended up looking a lot like the udon I have at the restaurant, minus the tempura.

As they do, I served it in a huge bowl and dished it out into a smaller one.

It was finger-lickin’ (and noodle-slurpin’) good. Other than not sitting across from my squeeze, I could almost pretend I was home.

Dessert was the new standard (which I will never be able to stop raving about, sorry): dried figs, dates, and apples with almond butter. I have successfully had nut butter with every meal! I might turn into a nut myself one of these days. I also had some milk chocolate that Ari brought me back from Switzerland… it is SO much better than Hershey’s and tastes like it was made with honey.

I’m taking place in the Blogger Book Club, and one of the book choices is Animal,Vegetable, Miracle. I’m going to try to read one chapter a day, depending on my workload, and again, time depending, I’ll share a few things I learn with you. I hate sounding preachy, but try to bear with me.

Lessons learned, Pt. 1: “… all the world’s farms currently produce enough food to make every person on the globe fat. Even though 800 people are chronically underfed… current food production can sustain world food needs even for the 8 billion people who are projected to inhabit the planet in 2030…. If efficiency is the issue, resources go furthest when people produce their own food, near to where it is consumed.”

“Food is the rare moral arena in which the ethical choice is generally the one more likely to make you groan with pleasure. Why resist that?”

For further information, check out Heifer International.

Night night!

Sushi-Grade Cornbread

lilveggiepatch — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:34:33 +0000

Afternoon! This is going to be quick (how many posts have I started with that disclaimer? Don’t answer that…) because I am in the library where I am meant to “learn” and not blog. Blogging can be a learning and teaching process too, but that is a tangent for another day. Moving back to food, my grandparents and I went to Redstone American Grill for lunch today, and it was quite a treat, let me tell you!

My grandparents went last weekend, so they knew all the tricks. Trick #1: mimosas are FREE if you ask! We asked.

Trick #2: the table was also brought a giant (read: plate-sized) complimentary sticky bun.

I just love free things! It was pretty good, and I picked at it all through lunch, but I’m a sticky bun snob and nothing beats Mama Patch’s pecan rolls (vintage LVP). I also had some coffee with 2%… I don’t think “fat free” are words that are frequently uttered at Redstone, but that was just fine.

We ordered a skillet of cornbread to share, and I have to say that this was, hands-down, the best cornbread I have ever had. The consistency was perfect; I’m a believer of actual corn kernels being integrated into the mix in addition to cornmeal, and they had this down pat.

It was served with maple butter which was pure heaven. Don’t worry, I brought some home and will be enjoying it with dinner.

For my entrée, I ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna: sesame seed and black pepper crusted sushi grade tuna, Asian slaw, wasabi, and soy-lime sauce. This was technically a “small plate,” but with all the sweet breads it was more than enough.

Well, time to end the fun and get a-crackin’ for the week ahead. It’s really nice out so I’m hoping to finish up here and squeeze in an outdoor run… it’s going to be rainy the rest of the week so this might be my only chance. Hope you’re having a nice day!

Greek, Indian & Japanese

lilveggiepatch — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:15:26 +0000

Happy Friday night! It’s only 11 here (10 Minnesota time) but I am in my PJs and ready for bed. I am wiped! 6:30 AM flights are not fun, let me tell you. I’d planned on saving some (a lot) of cash- money by taking the air train from the airport into Manhattan, but my bag felt like it was literally breaking my back and I decided to take a cab… I just won’t eat for the next month or so. Riiight.

When I got to the apartment, I had a small bowl of Mueslix with skim milk.

Charley kept me company while I passed out in bed for a good three hours. He’s a very good bed buddy.

For lunch, I had a vegetable paratha- Indian flatbread made with whole wheat flour, spices and vegetables.

Using these two chutneys…

I took my dad’s suggestion and topped the paratha with Greek yogurt, chutney and a Pink lady apple.

HOLY freaking YUM! When the bread was all used up, I mixed the extra apple with chutney (that’s fresh-made below) into the rest of the yogurt. I have to do this more often. The best combination was a little mango and a lot of tamarind. So good.

For dessert I had frozen Thin Mints! I love Girl Scout season.

My parents and I met for dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant. My mom and I got there first and split some hot sake.

We also got some edamame… leaving some for my dad was a bit of a struggle.

I started with miso soup…

And though I tried to break from my ways, I ended up ordering my usual bento box with salad, tempura, a California roll and tuna/salmon sashimi. It’s my comfort food, what can I say?

We made a pit stop on the way home for some Edy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (which now costs EIGHT DOLLARS. $8!) and topped it with Stonewall Kitchen’s Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce and pecans. Divine. My mom and I were just saying that Stonewall Kitchen can do no wrong… everything they turn out is perfect!

We all fell asleep watching Masterpiece Theater (yes, yes, shush) so I’m going to bed before I perk up again. Hope you’re having a great start to the weekend!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

lilveggiepatch — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:12:54 +0000

Hi lovebugs! Sorry I’ve stayed away so long… posting probably won’t be so regular while I’m home, which is bittersweet… it means I’m BUSY and not holed-up somewhere! Anywho.

Yesterday I got to the airport around 5:30 with no problem. It was PACKED… I guess a lot of people start their weekends early! Minnesota is also a pretty big business hub, so people were probably heading out for some kind of work-related trip. Not me! Muahahaha.

I got to the gate way early, but didn’t see anyone else INCLUDING a gate attendant. Good thing I checked the board, because my flight was canceled! I managed to keep a clear head and get my flight switched to a different airline, but I was freaking out that I wouldn’t be able to go home. But it all worked out!

At the gate, I had a sandwich I packed: Crunch PB, mashed banana, and pumpkin.

I almost didn’t eat this grapefruit because I didn’t want to completely humiliate myself by making a mess in public, but mess or no mess, I ate it anyway.

I also had a bag of almonds on the plane, but I couldn’t use my camera because we had “begun our initial descent.”

Pretty much as soon as we found each other on the street, Ari and I headed over to Coldstone, which was conveniently located across the street from the movie theater. Two birds with one stone! This is why I love us.

I’m a total Peanut Butter Perfection kind of girl, but satisfied with a bite of Ari’s I decided to try something new. They’re serving a “sinless” version of Cake Batter now, so I had a small (sorry, “Like It”) cup mixed with caramel, graham cracker crumbs, strawberries and blueberries, and told myself it was basically a health food.

We saw Coraline, which, if you haven’t yet, stop reading and go see NOW. I really can’t even describe it except to say that it was aesthetically beautiful, creative, and totally creepy. “Kids’” movies today have such adult themes… WALL-E, anyone? Some parts were really scary… I would have (and probably will) gotten nightmares from it.

We spent the day running errands, and had “lunch” around 5 at a little sandwich shop called Benvenuto. I got a sandwich with avocado, tomatoes, pickle relish, and olive tapenade on ciabatta.

I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I started scarfing eating… that baby was gone pretty fast.

We had a late dinner at Linn in Queens. This place is so good… I’d only been once before but it’s just lovely. Although they do have sushi, they also have other kinds of Japanese fare.

They brought out a little amuse-boûche of seaweed and some kind of seafood… it tasted like octopus and had the texture of a mushroom, so I really have no idea what it was. Very tasty though.

And some hot sake, of course.

We split some edamame.

I really wish this picture had come out better, because it looked kind of beautiful in the bowl. In honor of my dad, I ordered a big bowl of nabe udon with a piece each of shrimp and vegetable tempura, seaweed, and an egg in a delicious broth.

We had some Golden Girls and Fresh Prince for dessert, and hit the hay pretty early.

This morning we went to the diner, comme d’hab.

I got an egg white omelet with spinach, feta, tomato and mushrooms. I ate most, and a lot of the home fries.

And yummery, buttery toast. I had three triangles with grape jelly (I only like it when I’m at a diner, isn’t that strange?).

I stopped at a little coffee cart on Wall Street before my interview (don’t you love the Tiffany-blue cup? Only in the Financial District…), and got a coffee with skim and its necessary counterpart: gum.

As far as the interview went, I have a job assistant-teaching pre-schoolers for this summer! I’m very excited, but kind of terrified… I know a lot of you are teachers/ in school to be teachers too… any things I should know about?

I’ll try to catch up on reading tonight… love you all! Have a great weekend!