I had a quick breakfast of granola with a banana and skim milk.

Mid-morning I snacked on an apple; I saved my pumpkin yogurt (Stonyfield fat free plain yogurt + pumpkin puree + cinnamon) for after lunch.

I packed a stellar salad for lunch: mixed greens with 1/4 avocado, 1 orange, grape tomatoes, sesame tofu, almonds, and toasted seaweed.

Second try using a spice jar to carry my citrus salad dressing (leftover from the sushi bowl)… this time I just packed it right into my salad container.  No spillage!

After work, I met my friend Lisa for dinner at Blockheads, a Mexican(ish) restaurant that has several locations around the city.   Sorry about the dim lighting!

We started with festive drinks: she ordered their special, a frozen margarita with a tipped Corono.  It was surprisingly tasty!  I stuck to Negro Modelo, one of my favorite beers.

Blockheads steams their burritos (as opposed to frying the tortilla) and can make anything vegetarian.  They are also very accommodating about substitutions. I ordered a vegetable burrito in a whole wheat tortilla with brown rice, sautéed veggies, and plenty of hot sauce! I asked for tofu sour cream because I’d never tried it… I really liked it! I actually couldn’t tell whether it was real sour cream or not… I guess I eat a lot of ‘fu.  Lisa confirmed it was definitely not dairy.

Can you believe this was a mini burrito?! I was quite full when I finished!  It was delicious… I always forget how easy these types of dinners are to make at home.

When I got home, I had a Godiva chocolate-caramel-peanut cluster leftover from Christmas.  (A chocolate caramel sneaked out of the camera’s eye.)

My gym bag is packed, and I’m sleeping in my clothes to make sure I go to the gym tomorrow. My alarm is set for 6, and if I hustle, I’ll have enough time to get a decent workout in, shower, get to work on time, and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day.   To make that happen, my plan is to do a quick Lunar Flow and be in bed by 10:30.  It can be done!

Ari and I escaped to Philadelphia for a cozy and relaxing winter getaway.  Blogging was put on the back burner for a few days in order to give my eyes, fingers and tush a rest from sitting in front of the computer. (This may be one of my resolutions!)

We rang in the New Year with some fabulous food.  If you’re ever in Philly and looking for a great restaurant (conveniently located across the street from the Sheraton at Society Hill), I highly recommend Positano’s. We shared a LOT of food, and I found my new favorite drink (replacing my stale vodka-soda combination): the Manhattan! It’s fitting, eh?

A Manhattan, which I learned to make when I was licensed as a bartender, is made with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Bitters, and a Maraschino cherry. Try it out!

Eggplant Parmigiana

Rigatoni

Hands-down one of THE best risotto dishes I’ve had in my life, made with both truffle oil and truffle salt.

Yellowfin Tuna

We also sampled Triumph Brewing Company‘s famous pretzel bites…

Enjoyed a little naughty food…

… and even managed to squeeze in a salad or two.

We found an adorable bistro for brunch, the Metro Cafe.

It was light, cheery, and still festively decorated for the holidays.

I had a delicious bowl of yogurt + granola, which was perfect except I wish the granola:yogurt ratio had been reversed.

Ari got a cheeseburger.  The boy loves his beef!

It was such a nice way to ring in the New Year.

Here’s to a great 2010!

Regular posting will begin tonight.  In the mean time, check out Ari’s visit to Dos Toros and find the Coconut Bliss winners!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Night

Luckily I was only a little late to work, and if it had to happen, the week between Christmas and New Year’s was the time to do it.  I worked through the morning, then, when I found out my lunch date was canceled, ordered lunch from Free Foods NYC, Matthew Kenney’s eat-in/take-out deli/café in Midtown.  I ate there once before and loved it; lucky for me, they deliver! The only downside is it’s a little pricey.

When my meal arrived, the deliveryman called up from downstairs.  Easy peasy!

My salad had arugula, barbecued tempeh, spiced mangoes, grilled vegetables, roasted beets w/ orange zest, goat gouda (!!!) and pear cider vinaigrette. I asked for a whole grain roll and instead got a hunk of baguette, which was still good even if it wasn’t quite what I’d wanted.  I was happy to get to know some of my coworkers over lunch; we enjoyed a relaxed hour together in the conference room.

In the middle of the afternoon, when my energy was lagging and my tum was starting to growl, I reached into my snack drawer and pulled out a Cashew Cookie Larabar.  I should make these.

After work, I met Greg at Starbucks.  He’s visiting for the holidays, and it was so nice to see him!  In the last three days, I’ve been able to meet up three friends I haven’t seen in a while.  I love my life, but sometimes I don’t get to see the people I love as much as I’d like.

While we caught up, I sipped on a tall skim Vanilla Rooibos tea latte.

When I got home, I heated up the last of the Miso Soup with Salmon and Soba and watched an episode of Glee.  I love that show! I love when an actor is on two separate shows that I watch, concurrently, like Jayma Mays, who is also on Heroes.

I had ice cream with cardamom chocolate sauce for dessert… I’m going to to keep the brand and flavors a secret until I review them! Stay tuned

While we finished Gone With The Wind (it only took 3 viewings!) I had a small glass of Luis Felipe Edwards’ Sauvignon Blanc.  I liked this wine! I think it’s the first Sauvignon Blanc from 2009 I’ve had.

Off to read in bed! Can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow, although I don’t want to waste the day.  I really appreciate my days off now.  How would you spend a vacation day?

Bonne nuit

Yesterday I got up very early to finish some work before going into my internship.   I drank a pot of coffee, opened my eyes a little wider, and finally started feeling my appetite.  I made a yogurt bowl with vanilla Oikos, a Gala apple and granola.  Hit the spot!

There wasn’t a whole lot for me to do at work… I mailed some things, ordered some more things, and read some other things.   As vague as that sounds, I actually really like working there and am learning a lot about the industry!  No experience is bad experience in my book (with a few exceptions).

I got off a couple hours earlier than usual and had some time to kill, so I decided to go next door and get a workout in before meeting my mom for lunch.  I fueled up with half of a (very stale) Chocolate Chip Clif Bar.

Has anyone ever used the Expresso bike at the gym? It looks like a regular stationary bike, but the handlebars move so you can navigate the path that is shown onscreen.  It’s pretty neat, and kept me from getting too bored! I did about 5 miles, then worked on arms and my PT exercises.   I left just in time to meet my mom for lunch.

We went to Café Angelique, a cute café in the West Village.

I got the Mango & Goat Cheese Salad… it was really good, but there was about a pound of cheese on top!  My mom and I thought about saving the excess and bringing it home in a doggie bag… but I’m not that desperate (yet).

I spread some of the cheese on whole grain toast.

Lunch left me surprisingly full, and while I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted any frozen yogurt, as soon as I saw the flavors The Lite Choice was serving, I knew they had “LVP” written all over them.   Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Truffle… I was powerless!

We finished our treat; my mom went back to work and I walked across town to Trader Joe’s and did a massive grocery shop. I thought my little arms were going to fall off on my walk home!

Proteins

Fruit & Veggies

Dairy, Grains & Miscellaneous

With this haul, I was ready to get in the kitchen! There was a Lovely spirit in the kitchen there with me.  First on the agenda was homemade kale chips!

Except… my farm stand was out of kale.  So I improvised with escarole… a lettuce variety with much thinner leaves than kale. Oh well.

I loaded up the food processor with the dressing’s ingredients.  Look how nice and clean he is!  I think I’ll call him Lenny

Blended until almost smooth…

I should have halved the recipe, because this made quite a bit of topping.  But I really could have eaten it straight, so I saved half for salads and dipping…

… and put the rest on half a head of escarole before massaging it all in.

I don’t have a dehydrator, so I followed Mama Pea‘s lead and baked them in the oven at 300 for 40 minutes.  Foil may not have been the best choice, as it was kind of a hassle peeling them off.

They were really yummy, though! I think next time I’ll use a bit more lemon juice… I squirted a little on the chips while I snacked.

Next on the list:  Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Snowballs!  Again, it wasn’t quite true to Averie’s recipe because this cocoa wasn’t so dark, but no matter.

This was one of the easiest things I’ve ever made.  My salads take longer to prepare!

I was a little worried that the “batter” was too dry, but stuck it in the freezer as it was.

A few hours later, they were ready to be “balled”…

I was so proud of myself! They really look like macaroons!

There may have been some nibbling along the way, and some of the mixture left over that will make a fabulous breakfast addition.  Try saying “Chocolate Snowball Oats for me!” ten times.

Dinner was pretty low-maintenance (unlike Blair and Serena, who kept me company)… I had leftover Japanese Cucumber Salad and Tomatoey Spiced Chickpeas.  I added dulse flakes to the cukes this time, which worked a lot better than the nori.

For dessert, I had a strawberry-flavored Oikos and a chocolate snowball.

I love Greek yogurt as you’ve probably noticed… the only problem is that when I stock up, I eat it all so fast that it’s all gone in only a few days!

What recipe have you loved recently? What should I make next with my food processor?

Yesterday I got up on the very early side to finish some reading and writing for my internship.  I caffeinated myself and prepared this lovely (if not very random) breakfast.

In the mix:

• Stonyfield Farms organic fat free plain yogurt
• Trader Joe’s Mangolicious mango/berry blend, warmed
• 1 kiwi
• 1/2 Silver Moon pumpkin muffin, smeared with peanut butter

On Tuesdays when I intern at the office, there’s usually only an hour or two of work for me to do.  When there, I file, run errands, and read manuscripts; when I’m at home, I read and write in the comfort of my bed.  Yesterday there were a few outdoor things to do; I always enjoy a trip outside to stretch my legs and a chance to re-start my energy with a snack.  On one such occasion, I snacked on a Great Date w/ Chocolate YouBar.

I really liked this bar! I will write up a full product review once I have tried all of the samples I was given, but should you decide to make a purchase at YouBar in the meantime, enter the code “Lilveggiepatch” at checkout for a 5% discount.

At noon, right as I was leaving the office, I got a call from an orthopedist’s office letting me know I had gotten a last-minute appointment with the doctor to figure out just what’s going on with my knee.  I had just enough time to pick up a salad at Ready To Eat, an upscale takeaway deli near work.  I picked up a curried shrimp salad, which came with mixed greens, avocado, orange, tomato, and lemon. It was on the pricey side ($9.95) considering I hadn’t planned on buying a meal (had to cancel a lunch date with my mom for the appointment), but the salad was really big and very filling.

In what’s becoming true LVP-style, I inhaled my lunch on a bench in the subway in less than ten minutes.  Sadly, in my frenzy to eat and make my appointment on time, my poor tomato flipped out of the container and onto the ground. The 5-second rule does not apply in NYC public transit, sorry.  It was a good thing I took the time to sit and eat, however, because I bumped into a good friend I hadn’t seen in an embarrassingly long time, and who now lives in California!  It was a very nice surprise, but we were both in a hurry and had to rush off.

I got to the hospital an hour before my appointment to take X-Rays.

The X-Ray technician was great. Each time she moved me or took a photo, she explained exactly what she was doing and why.  Here is the X-Ray of my right knee:

Unfortunately, the appointment with the doctor himself left me frustrated, confused, and really irritated.  He did not go over the X-Rays at all, explain what he was doing as he manipulated my leg, and only gave me information when I asked him directly.  Do I have a sprained mensicus? No. I was told that I did… is it possible that it healed itself already? No.  My knee-cap clicked a bit just now… is that normal? You have a little arthritis.   He did say that it was caused my overdoing it, and that low calcium + vitamin D is probably part of the culprit.  I should take Citrical supplements, and get a bone density scan. (I used to take a massive quantity of vitamins every morning, but didn’t want to spend the money re-stocking when I ran out.)

He left the room about two minutes later, and still didn’t know what I could and could not do.  When can I run? Can I strength train? What, if anything, should I do at the gym? Arthritis?! I got dressed and found him outside in the hallway, and, desperate for one more minute of his time, asked if I had arthritis.  He then examined me in the middle of the hallway, lifting the back of my shirt up all the way and having me bend completely over, as he stood very close to me and ran his fingers along my spine. I don’t think I need to elaborate on what that looked like from the side.  I’m sure the doctor wasn’t trying to do anything inappropriate and didn’t think that I might be a little uncomfortable in front of other patients with my shirt up, but I was really uncomfortable.  Uncomfortable, and angry that the doctor hadn’t made sure that I understood what was wrong with me, and how I could fix it without hurting myself again.  Not knowing how to improve is so frustrating.  I think I’m overly sensitive about it because running was a reliable way for me to structure my day now that I don’t have a job, and now I just feel like I’m floating in limbo.

On the way out of the office, I scheduled a bone density test for Thursday at 8:30 AM.  I also received a prescription for physical therapy, although the prescription is for work on my left knee, and not my right. (Mistakes can happen, and luckily this isn’t a serious one… I have a friend who had the wrong side of his body operated on a few years ago.) I talked to my dad, near tears, right after I left the doctor’s office.  He said this is usually how “network doctors” (doctors who are covered by insurance) work, because they have so many patients to see each day.  I understand that, but I also wanted some answers.  He called the office and asked them to call me back… the doctor’s assistant actually just called (a day later) as I was typing this post.  She didn’t know much else, except that I have a “knee sprain.”  I asked about the arthritis, and she said that, from the X-Ray, I don’t have it. I should only use the recumbent bike at the gym, and no strength training.   So now, I really don’t know what to think.  The doctor basically told me the exact opposite things that the physical therapist did last week.  I need to start seeing the physical therapist so I can gradually start running again, but I haven’t been able to get their office on the phone.

It isn’t news that doctors are overstretched and, unless they’re privately hired, don’t have time to work closely with patients.  I’m lucky to not have really needed hospital or serious doctor care until recently, and I need to learn to be patient with “the system.”  That patience needs to be transferred to my job search as well…. Om.

When I got home from the hospital yesterday, I was pretty hungry and made a yogurt bowl with a microwaved apple, cinnamon and granola.

After spending a couple hours decompressing, I set to work on a new baking project.  Since high school, cooking and baking has always been a way for me to relax and take a break from more stressful things like school work and job searching.  Even though the finished product might not be “perfect”, it’s finished, and I can feel good about that.  So, without further ado, I give you…

The Virtually Fat-Free* & Vegan Banana-Pumpkin-Date Tea Loaf! (And don’t let the name scare you off… it tastes pretty darn good.)

*Bananas have a very small amount of fat.

Adapted from Veganomicon‘s Lower-Fat Banana Bread.

Ingredients:

• 3 small ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin pie mix
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 crushed cloves, or 1/8 teaspoon ground
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chopped dates (about 7 medjools)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ and lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until no large chunks remain.  Add molasses, applesauce, and pumpkin pie mix and stir.  Mix in half of the flour, spices, and salt. Stir in the remaining flour until no clumps remain.  Fold in chopped dates.

Pour batter into pan.

It will be very thick.

Bake on middle rack for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.  Cool. It will be dense, but adorable.

While the bread cooled, I made a quick and easy dinner that was a tribute to my college days of yore.

I mixed a cooked sweet potato and a can of tuna into a packet of Annie’s Mac & Cheese. I always enjoy Annie’s with a little more cheeze than the packet comes with, so I added a scoop of nooch as well.  A sprinkle of chili flakes made it the perfect meal, taking me right back to long days procrastinating writing papers.

For dessert, I had two small slices of fresh low fat vegan banana-pumpkin-date tea cake, one plain and one with almond butter and raspberry jam.  It’s moist, soft, and perfectly sweet.  Possibly not the best idea to bake a whole loaf of bread when most of your roommates are on vacation, but…

I tried to hold out for as long as possible, but eventually went back for another plain slice.  What can I say? Blame Lexi Gray.

Alright, time to get a-movin’.  If the recumbent bike is all I can use, I’m off to bike-a-way.