Yesterday started off on a good note with [...]]]> Hey there! How was your Tuesday? Mine began in a hurry and ended with ice cream, and now I’m in bed watching Michael Clayton.   Ari’s leaving tomorrow to go Vigilante and we’ve all got things to do, so this is going to be a quickie!

Yesterday started off on a good note with a generous portion of Oats In A Jar.

In the mix:

• PB jar w/ about 1 T PB
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 dried apricots
• 1 dried fig
• dried cherries

Mighty fine, I tell ya.  I should finish jars of nut butter every day!

After breakfast, I hustled over to Starbucsk to get some work done.  I sipped on a Grande Skim Misto with a shot of espresso for a few hours…

… and spaced my lunch out over about four hours to maximize my efficiency.  Every 100 pages, for example, I could eat another part of my meal.  It’s a pretty good trick! I had honeydew…

… samples of marble cake and hazelnut-espresso truffle drink (too sweet for me)…

…mixed greens with fake chicken nuggets…

TJ’s plain nonfat Greek yogurt with YouBars‘ Chocolate Peanut trail mix…

… rebel carrots…

… and a grapefruit.   When I was really young I used to snack throughout the day rather than have square meals, and there’s something to be said for this! It works nicely when I’m trying to be productive, but I think I prefer eating three times a day, plus snacks.  Do you eat three meals or snack throughout the day?

Dinner was a really, really big salad.  I love these! I eat almost an entire head of romaine or bag of spinach at a time.

In the mix:

• 1 handful spinach
• 4 romaine leaves
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 Gala apple
• 1 TJ’s frozen salmon patty
• dulse flakes
• cilantro-chili vinaigrette

I overdid it on dessert a little bit… I just kept going back for more Edgies!  My tum was a little unhappy with me when I went to bed, but I’m pretty sure the brownies were worth it

I thought I was going to wait until tomorrow to share this with you, but today my physical therapist gave me the okay to run.  With the exception of the two minutes I ran on the treadmill during my first therapy session, I haven’t really run since I hurt my knee during my 10K race.  My therapist only let me run for 15 minutes, but it felt great! I didn’t feel any pain in my knee, and felt proud that I had followed the doctor’s and therapist’s orders to stay off my legs until the time was right.  But baby, I’m back!

What made you proud today?

I have a [...]]]> Good Sunday, y’all.  How are you spending the last hours of your weekend?  Dinner in bed? Catching up on shows from the week? It’s 8:30 and I’m just getting dinner ready, and will spend the rest of the night doing some internship stuff and possibly watching Thursday’s episode of Gray’s Anatomy.

I have a confession: I’ve been putting off blogging all day. Why? Well, I’ve been in kind of a weird place the last few days, and haven’t wanted to whine about it.  But whine about it I must (for a few seconds), or I have a feeling I won’t post for days.  Either that, or I’m having a blogging identity crisis.

There’s only so much time one can sit in front of the computer applying for jobs and reading blogs.  I haven’t been exercising at all… the thought of sitting on a stationary bike makes me cringe (and it’s a 45 minute ride to the gym, each way) and I haven’t been able to find enough energy, motivation, or opportune time to try a workout DVD. I feel like my muscles are weakening and that by the time I can run again, it’ll take me months to build back up to where I was.  There was one instance yesterday when I seriously thought about just going for a quick two mile run to blow off steam.  I’m not proud about it, but didn’t run, and won’t until I’m given the okay.  But frankly, what it comes down to, is that I’m just plain bored.  Bored and broke.

As happy as I was about quitting my table-waiting gig and spending that lost time looking for a “real” job, I think it’s gotten to the point where I might have to start looking for something like that again.  Hopefully it will be temporary, but I’m not generating any income and it’s getting pretty tight over here.  I haven’t started looking for another waiting position yet, but I really think it’s in my future again, unfortunately.  Unless I win the lottery… I never bought a ticket on my 18th birthday, and have put off doing so because I think I know that in the back of my mind, when I do it will be the winning ticket. Good logic, eh?

For now, though, I think the key is to just do something outside of the house every day.  If I have to read, I should find a place to read.  Preferably near the gym, so that I’ll get myself moving again.  Things will look up, but I have to set that process in motion.  Ho, ho, ho!

Self-pep-talk over, I promise.

Breakfast yesterday was inspired by Katie‘s “brulée” style oats.  I zapped this banana in the microwave for one minute:

I combined it with a serving of steel-cut oats, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and almond butter.   A sweet and rich way to start the morning!

Ari and I spent the morning running errands, going back and forth between the city and home.  We got a lot done! I knew lunch was going to be late, so I snacked on some Greek yogurt to tide me over.

When I did get around to making lunch, it ended up looking a lot like the killer salads of recent days, and it was mighty fine.  I think I’ve figured out the formula for a perfect salad: plenty of greens, a variety of other veggies, fruit, savory protein, and a unique salad dressing.

This was made of:

• spinach
• shredded carrots
• red onion
• 1 Gala apple (yep, the whole thing)
• meatless meatballs
• Dressing: raw agave nectar, olive oil, rice vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & pepper

A little later, I snacked on a couple chunks of energy.

Dinner was another nod to college life; this time, I made a batch of Annie’s Mac & Cheese and mixed in a mashed sweet potato and black beans.  The result? Delicious! And oh so festive with the Halloween colors.  I realize you might not all be sold on this one, but try it!

After dinner, I went into the city to meet Caitlin at the 92Y Tribeca to see the premier of Sufjan Stevens‘ film The BQE.

Source

If it’s not 100% obvious from the above photo, he is a total fox.  And a ridiculously talented fox at that, so ladies, should you decide to join the ranks of rockstar girlfriends, he earned my seal of approval.

After the show I met up with Ari and Ilana, and we all went home together.  I wasn’t really hungry, but all I could think about when I opened the front door was how much I wanted ice cream.

Phish Food isn’t as good as I remember it being… I think there needs to be some peanut butter in there.

A few days ago, a reader asked for the recipe for my miso soup with collards and seitan.

It’s easy peasy: Simply take 1 cup of spicy miso soup , eliminating the tofu, and pour it into a pot over four loosely chopped collard green leaves, until just covered. Steam until leaves turn bright green, about 4 minutes.  Add 1 serving chopped seitan and heat through.  Serve and enjoy!

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

I’m off to get some work done.  Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

Don’t forget: you still have until 10 PM EST tonight to enter my giveaway.  You’ll score an album and some LVP treats… I’m a proud girl, if [...]]]>

THE UPWELLING’S FULL-LENGTH DEBUT, AN AMERICAN STRANGER, IS

IN STORES NOW!!! Click here to buy it on Amazon; it’s also available on iTunes, at Best Buy… the works!

Don’t forget: you still have until 10 PM EST tonight to enter my giveaway.  You’ll score an album and some LVP treats… I’m a proud girl, if ya can’t tell   What a great way to start the day!!!

Yesterday started out with a great breakfast: Puffins, Smart Start, and a banana, covered in my homemade raw almond milk.  This milk is incredible!  I think I’m going to make cashew milk next.  Has anyone ever made peanut milk?

A couple hours later, while I was getting some reading for work done, I snacked on an apple.  Right after the photo was taken, I sprinkled cinnamon on top, making sure not to touch my eyes!

Lunch was a Lilveggiepatch-approved “meatball sub”: an Ezekiel English muffin topped with tomato sauce, TJ’s meatless meatballs, and low-fat munster cheese. (It needed a little boost, so I went back and topped it with more sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and hot sauce. Mmmm!)

On the side, I had a salad with romaine, shredded carrots, tomato, hummus, and Bragg’s.

Pure belly-busting goodness.

For some reason I was hungry all day! A couple hours after lunch, I grabbed a fig bar on my way out the door.

I met a friend downtown for iced coffee at Joe. I always forget how much I like this place!

Now, here comes the funny part.  I pretty much planned my entire day around going to a 90-minute yoga class at 7 PM.  But, when the time for class rolled around, I really just wanted to go home.  I was feeling the pressure of work, and didn’t want to stay up until midnight getting it done.  Still, I popped into a deli and picked up a banana to fuel up for class…

I even checked in at the gym, wrote my name down on the list to reserve a spot for class, and went down to the locker room… but it was completely packed, people were waiting in line to use the shower, and it just wasn’t for me.  Instead, I went home, threw on my running shoes, and ran back out the door before I had a chance to talk myself out of that, too.  I ran a good 2 miles.

I’m going to have to start working on speed soon, because I registered for my first 5K!  It’s two weeks from Sunday.  It’s really important to me because, almost the same time last year, I was signed up for a 5K and then promptly broke my femur. I’m going to be smarter about racing this time; if it goes well, this will hopefully be the first of many

When I came home, I made an old favorite: a sweet potato topped with cottage cheese and black beans.

I also steamed up some broccoli. It was too hot to drink the broc wat!

Sweet potatoes are starting to get some love again… not that I ever stopped liking them, but I ate them SO MUCH at school that I wanted to give myself a little break.  Consider the hiatus over!

I finished off the Ashley Brooke Pinot Grigio.  Happy Monday!

For dessert, I had two of Jenna‘s chocolate-chip biscotti.  I wanted more, but I restrained myself.

Off to work I go! I’ll announce the giveaway winners tomorrow morning.  Have a great day

Yesterday, I started my morning with [...]]]> Good morning and happy humpday! The week goes so fast when you’ve had a long weekend.  I can’t believe Boston is in two days!  I still don’t know who all is going to be there, so if you’re reading this and are going, please drop me a line!

Yesterday, I started my morning with another awesome parfait.

• plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 white peach
• 1 plum
• 2 cherries
• cinnamon

Yum!

This didn’t hold me too well, sadly, and I had to break into one of my snacks on the way to my internship.   I’m running dangerously low on fig bars; a trip to TJ’s is greatly needed!

I went to Starbucks on my lunch break.  Even though I brought lunch with me, I wanted a place to sit and get out of the sun.  It was almost 100 yesterday! I ordered a tall iced coffee (and added skim and sugar in the raw) to grant me a chair.

I brought 1/2 serving of my leftover spinach fettucine con vongole:

I still had some leftover dressing from my raw “peanut” noodles, so I brought that and dipped leftover steamed kale and romaine in it. Deliciously messy.

With an apple, it made a pretty good for a lunch on the go!

After a few more hours of work at the office, I headed across town to go to the restaurant.  I’d been craving a smoothie all day, so I stopped at Elixir.  Every day they have $5 specials, so I went with that and got the Smart Start: banana, apple cider, orange juice, strawberries, melon, gingko, and protein powder.

A pretty hefty “snack”, but I thought I was going to have to power through another 8-hour shift.

Thinking I would have to wait until 11 to eat dinner, I split a Ginger Snap Larabar with my friend Cornelius around 7.

Unfortunately, by 7:45 I’d only had one table (whose grand total came to $11.92), so I went home with a wrinkly dollar in my pocket. I should have only made $.65 after tip-out (we have to give back 35%), but the busboys, bartender and manager didn’t want the $.10.

I took a salad to go; new policy says that wait-staff can only have plain lettuce or plain pasta, so I took my dinner home and beefed it up.

I added tomatoes, goat cheese, a chik’n patty, hummus, red pepper flakes and lemon vinaigrette.

I was craving chemicals for dessert and had a Skinny Cow vanilla-flavored Skinny Dipper.

While watching Almost Famous for the 23rd time, I did some therapeutic laundry-folding and felt a little better.

Sorry for that little rant. Today will be better! Ho ho ho.

Happy Humpday, bloginas and bloginos! I hope your day is going fabulously so far.  We’re scheduled to have thunderstorms today, but so far it’s beautiful out.

Yesterday I started my morning with a big ole mug ‘o yogurt.

I used Fage 0% and Chocolate PB2 to make a chocolate peanut butter mousse, then layered bananas, [...]]]> [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWXcjYNZais]

Happy Humpday, bloginas and bloginos! I hope your day is going fabulously so far.  We’re scheduled to have thunderstorms today, but so far it’s beautiful out.

Yesterday I started my morning with a big ole mug ‘o yogurt.

I used Fage 0% and Chocolate PB2 to make a chocolate peanut butter mousse, then layered bananas, apricots, and cherries to make a bombdiggity parfait.

I spent the rest of the morning reading and writing furiously, and broke around 2 for lunch. I heated up a pouch of Trader Joe’s Indian Fare Carrot, Lentil & Onion Soup.

I’ve had this once before, and I really like it.  The ingredient list is simple, it’s not calorically dense for the amount of soup you get, and the flavor is awesome! The only thing that would have made it better is a little shredded coconut or chopped peanuts, like I used to do at school.

I also made a melty wrap with TJ’s meatless meatballs, light munster cheese, and roasted red pepper hummus.  Our hummus stash is running dangerously low… I think I need to hit up Elise‘s fridge.

This was my second cup of coffee for the day, and I was WIRED.

A couple hours later, I had an apple to fuel me through the last of my work.  I had a minor freakout when my computer froze and wouldn’t turn back on… but all is well.

I finally got my booty to the gym around 6. Note to self: never go to the gym at 6 on a weekday AGAIN.  It was unbelievably crowded; all the machines were taken, I couldn’t get a locker, and it was sheer pandemonium.  There was a DJ spinning by the weight machines, which was cool, but I’d rather be able to work out.  Instead, I did arms, abs, and five minutes on the treadmill… I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked. I did one-minute intervals at a range of 5.8 and 6.8 MPH, which keeps me from getting bored.

After a quick shower (which I don’t usually had to wait for… another reason not to go at this time), I ran over to Whole Foods for some dinner.

In my box, I got:

• spinach
• bok choi
• seaweed salad
• farro with apricots and almonds (!)
• broccoli
• sesame-glazed rainbow carrots
• BBQ tofu
• baked tofu

I wolfed down my meal on the subway and rushed over to the B. B. King Blues Club to meet Leslie, Stewart, and my mom for the Lovin’ Spoonful concert.

Leslie snuck her cup of Coldstone into the club…

It got a little messy! This was a tasty coffee ice cream with cheesecake combination.

We hid it by some equipment under the table…

Very stealthy.

The show was a lot of fun.  I think my mom, Stewart and Leslie were a little startled by the band’s appearance… a lot has changed since the above video was made.  They still had a great energy, however, and everyone had a great time.

When I got home I remembered it was “trash night”, so I took  all the recycling and household garbage outside.  One of the main garbage cans didn’t have a bag, so I tried to tip the can into a giant garbage bag.  Unfortunately the can was chained to the fence, so it snapped back, spilling foul-smelling liquid all over me.  And what was this liquid? Rained-on doggy poo.  I did my best to clean it up, and in doing so, covered the already-bagged garbage in the poo.  I went back inside to get some new bags, but forgot to bring my keys with me.  So I was locked out of the house, covered in poo, for about half an hour. Luckily the problem resolved itself and I got in about half an hour later, and took my third shower of the day.  P-U!

I figured that ordeal deserved a special treat, so I went for one of the fancy chocolate squares we got at Tony Caputo’s.  According to “the chocolate guy”, Amadei chocolate is the best on the planet right now.  Tony Caputo’s is the only store in Utah that is licensed to sell it.  Amadei has one all kinds of awards, and in 2006 Food & Wine magazine named it “The World’s Best Chocolate”.

The Chuao variety combines notes of plums, red fruits, and conserves.

“The chocolate guy” said the only way to really taste all of the flavors in a chocolate is to eat it first thing in the morning, before you’ve even had a glass of water.  I’ll have to do that next time.

I ate it along with a big plate of dried figs, prunes, apricots, and dates (which were smeared with almond butter).

I washed it all down with some Trader Joe’s Bedtime Tea.

The combination of tea + a long day wiped me out! I couldn’t even get through Strictly Ballroom, a 90s Australian spoof that’s a cross between Dirty Dancing and Best In Show.  It was really good, so I’m going to finish it before I go to work!

Have a splendid day

Yesterday I overslept my alarm by TWO HOURS, so I was very happy to [...]]]> Once again, I am blown away by how sweet you all are.  Thanks so much for being so nice and understanding, and sticking with me even though I’m not always able to give you my 100%.  You make me blush!

Yesterday I overslept my alarm by TWO HOURS, so I was very happy to have followed my rules and prepared a breakfast cookie the night before.

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 T skim milk
• 1 T PB2
• 2 strawberries (topping)

Reading furiously must make burn more calories, because I was a hungry girl all morning! A couple hours after breakfast, I had a cup of TJ’s Organic Nonfat Greek Honey Yogurt.

An hour or so later, I had a Golden Delicious apple:

I finally finished my work around 2.  (On days I work at the restaurant, I like to eat lunch as late as possible since I eat dinner at 11 or later.) I took Jess‘s suggestion and made a Meatless Meatball sandwich, on a wrap (microwaved, not grilled, to save time) with hummus and light munster cheese.

I also had a huuuuuge arugula salad with red and yellow pepper, sprayed with Bragg’s.

It didn’t make the photo, but I smothered the wrap in salsa and Frank’s Red Hot.

At work, I snacked on a fig bar.  I first heard about these from our favorite Michigan girl, and I just love them! They’re like big, smushy Fig Newtons.

We weren’t very busy at work last night, but the hours actually flew by pretty quickly and I was surprised when it was time for Ramon to ask what I wanted for dinner.

He made me a big salad with mixed greens, vegetables, and a can of imported Italian tuna (in oil). Very yummy!

On my walk to the subway, I stopped at the deli across the street from the restaurant for a fruit cup.  I ate it all in less than five minutes! It’s hard to beat fresh fruit.

All in all, a busy, but not bad, day.  And hey, at least I’m not bored! I’m enjoying an evening to myself tonight, watching Fracture.  I do love me some Ryan Gosling

I’ve also been working on doing many things at once… here’s what my days have been looking like.

At home:

1. “Cook” breakfast cookie [...]]]> Good afternoon, friends! Sorry I’ve been out the last few days… things have been incredibly busy lately. Not everything has been recorded, but of course I’ll share what I have with you.

I’ve also been working on doing many things at once… here’s what my days have been looking like.

At home:

1. “Cook” breakfast cookie overnight, so in the mornings I can just pull it out and…

2. Put clothes in dryer while coffee is brewing.

3. Eat breakfast while reading 600 pages of manuscripts.

4. Perfect art of speed reading (thoroughly).

5.  Stretch in shower (not recommended… especially if you don’t have a shower mat!).

6. Shave legs while conditioning hair.

At work:

7. [En route]: sleep on subway.

8. Staple one check together while printing out another.

9. Flex abs and arms while running orders.

10. Do squats (AKA rest legs) during slow hours.

11. Sleep on subway home (but remember to get off the train).

Here are some of my eats:

Huuuuge bowl of Puffins & Smart Start w/ 1 plum, 1/2 banana, strawberries, & almond milk:

A Gliding Calm-style snack plate with red and yellow peppers, okra, and a fake chicken with melted lite munster:

I made a spicy peanut sauce out of PB2 and sriracha… so good!

Okra + peanut sauce may just be the strangest, most delicious new combination for me.

I’ve been snacking on my spiced chickpeas at work… I put them in the fridge and they got a little soggy, but they’re still great for instant energy.

After a rough night at work on Saturday, I stopped at 16 Handles for a big cup of Eurotart, Green Tea tart, and PB topped with peaches, kiwi and a huge glob of PB cup.

Daisy Brand cottage cheese w/ a peach, strawberries & granola:

Zucchini egg white fritatta w/ fontina & mozzarella cheeses:

Last night was the first night in a while that I’ve been able to spend time with Ari alone. We’d been planning on going out to dinner and a movie, but it started storming.  Instead, we ordered Thai, popped In Treatment into the DVD player, and a picnic on the floor.

We each had a glass of Frizzante (and thought about how I need to organize my closet area):

Grilled tofu satay:

Fried spring rolls (I had one… didn’t really want it, but they were free!):

Vegetarian coconut vegetable soup:

Dark chocolate:

Ari’s sister also brought me back some chocolate from Israel.

So far I have Switzerland, Germany, Russia…

Well, off to work.  I’m very beyond on your blogs… thanks for your patience!

Good Saturday morning! I hope your weekend is off to a fabulous start.  It’s a beautiful day here, made all the more so because, instead of working a double shift, I don’t have to go in to the restaurant [...]]]> Oh yes, that fire was burning last night.  So to speak.  More on that later!

Good Saturday morning! I hope your weekend is off to a fabulous start.  It’s a beautiful day here, made all the more so because, instead of working a double shift, I don’t have to go in to the restaurant until 4! Life is good.

Yesterday, Ari and I had a splendid breakfast at the diner.  Monday through Friday my omelet meal only costs $5 (including toast, coffee & juice), and you know I love a deal.

I got my usual egg whites with spinach, tomato, mushrooms and feta:

Dry toast with lots of HFCS grape jelly, of which I ate every bite.

After catching up with you lovely people, I went on a 2 mile run.  Heather told me Jillian’s going to be taking some time off from her radio show, so, to stretch out the back-episodes, I took a break and listened to some cheesy pop instead. (And by “cheesy” I mean Akon’s sweet, sweet tunes.) I ran faster overall, but took a few walk breaks (never for more than 30 seconds).

The HRM blinked 00 for a couple minutes mid-run, so these stats are a little off:

Total time: 21:45 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 188 (94%)

Average heart rate: 164 (82%)

Calories burned: 231

After my run, I had a little time to kill before work so I did some cleaning.  One of my house chores is to make sure there’s nothing that’s gone funk in the fridge, so, when I noticed half a can of chickpeas about to turn, I decided to use them for a recipe I saw in this month’s issue of SELF.

In the article this was featured in, Zooey Deschanel (one of my favorites) listed a lot of her favorite easy recipes, most (if not all) of which are vegan.  I wanted to make her “Vegan Chocolate Dessert,” but the ingredients were really expensive at my local health food store.  These spiced chickpeas will be great as a snack, though!

I went with Ari to the deli to get lunch, but I’m trying to save money so I just sat with him while he ate.  I didn’t realize how hungry I was, though, and I had to have some cherries so I wouldn’t eat my lunch before it was made! (That happens a lot.)

Lunch was a big, I-Miss-You salad:

• romaine
• arugula
• 1 orange bell pepper
• TJ’s Meatless Meatballs (finally, Jess!)
• hummus
• goat cheese
• Bragg’s liquid aminos (I can’t believe I’m just trying this! I LOVE IT.)

I also had a perfectly ripe peach and Trader Joe’s Nonfat Organic Greek Honey Yogurt (reviewed here).

During work, I snacked on my new Peanut Butter & Jelly Larabar.  (Their website says there are three new flavors; I only have the PB&J and Tropical Fruit Tart… does anyone know what the other flavor is?)

Verdict: Amazing.  It tastes just like a smooshed peanut butter & jelly sandwich, made with crunch peanut butter, that’s been sitting in your lunchbox all morning. Move over, Cinnamon Roll… this may be my new favorite flavor!

The undocumented snacks: iced coffee, fresh mozzarella.

At work, if you sell 10 specials, you get to have one for dinner.  I sold 9, but Ramon made me the special salad anyway! This is a jumbo shrimp and avocado salad with corn and tomatoes, served over mixed greens in a lemon-mint vinaigrette.

YUM.

My friend Howard came by and surprised me with some fruit salad.  Although I shared it with the rest of the staff, I ate most of it myself! It must have been 2 lbs of fruit… oof!

So… work was just fine until about midnight, when I was closing my last two tables and getting ready to go home.  There ended up being some more drama that lasted an hour, a visit from the cops, handcuffs, and, obviously, no tip.  Double oof.

Well, I’m going to get a little work for my internship done while I have the spare time.  I’ve done some kind of exercise for the last 5 days, so I’m going to give myself a day off.

I hope you’re up to something fun! Have a great Saturday