Lilveggiepatch » green beans

The Snooze Game

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:10:53 +0000

Even though I went to bed on the early side last night, I could not get up this morning. I had a lot of reading to do for work so I had planned to get up around 5:30 and read on the bike at the gym, but when my alarm went off, my eyes felt like they were glued shut. I snoozed until 6, and continued to delay getting out of bed until 7:40, at which point I really had to move in hyperspeed in order to get to work on time. Needless to say, only the bangs were blow-dried, and I sported a ballerina-style topknot all day. Pretty hot.

Breakfast (inhaled in under five minutes) was a bowl of pumpkinyogurtPB&J oatmeal… there are oats under there, I promise.

1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
0% Fage Greek yogurt
pumpkin
Maranatha no-stir creamy peanut butter
raspberry jam
cinnamon

Luckily I’d gotten my lunch and snacks ready the night before:

apple
orange
baby carrots (two days’ worth)
big salad with spinach, small Gala apple, celery, grape tomatoes, tempeh bacon, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, tamari peanut dressing

I had lunch with three lovely ladies (including a surprise visit from my friend Ilena!)… we spent our meal dishing over our favorite 101 Cookbooks recipes and how great life will be when we can collect social security and reap the benefits of life among the elderly.

Danielle was nice enough to share some of her Ritter Sport milk chocolate w/ Cornflakes… it had a nice snapcracklepop! feel to it.

When I got home, I was greeted with a HUGE package from Miss Blue Eyed Heart: the prize from her blogiversary giveaway.

I couldn’t believe all of the great things in the box: cozy socks, a journal, a candle, crossword puzzles, White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter (!) nutrition bars, chocolate, pretzels, and more! Thanks so much, Miss Blue.

She sent a gorgeous pair of earrings that would have gone perfectly with my outfit today… I haven’t quite acquired her ear photography skills, but I’m working on it

I was pretty hungry, so I dug into a bag of steamed broccoli while I played with Charley…

… and some crudités and cheese…

… and raw carrots with sea salt when my mom got home. I certainly can’t be criticized for not eating enough veggies! (My tum is feeling that fiber, though…)

My mom picked up a great dinner at Citarella: Crab cakes (these have been my favorite for years), pasta salad and green beans.

My dad picked up two equally delicious desserts at Silver Moon Bakery, which we split three ways: a pear tart and chocolate-hazelnut bombe. Mmm.

Now I’m off to go do some work in the tub. Warm water + candles makes it so much more bearable! A bath will also be good for my knee; it’s better than yesterday, usually the worst after I’ve been sitting for a while. I see some yoga in my future this weekend, which will be perfect because the weather is supposed to be quite shoddy.

Have a great night!

Two Apples A Day? If you Insist.

lilveggiepatch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:48:55 +0000

Good morning, sunshines! It feels just like monsoon season over here… when I woke up yesterday it was raining, and it still is now! At least I’ve been getting better about bringing my umbrella (or parapluie, en français) so it’s actually been kind of nice. There’s something so pleasant about being indoors and cozy with the rain outside, don’t you think? When I was in fifth grade our teacher had us make a list of things that helped us write… “rain” was on there!

Yesterday I made another batch of Sarah‘s Microwave Pumpkin Pie… so, so good. I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to snack until lunch since I had to go to my internship, so I made it a little heartier with a container of Trader Joe’s Organic Nonfat Greek Yogurt, one whole Gala apple, and cinnamon.

I read some interesting things at work until lunchtime, when I met my mom at Pinto, a Thai restaurant that has a great prix-fixe. For $8, you get a salad, appetizer, and entrée. Pretty good price, especially for New York City!

We both warmed up with jasmine tea. It was served in a coffee press, which neither of us had ever seen used for tea before.

In addition to my salad (which came with a fabulous lemon dressing), I started with the tofu seaweed soup. I was surprised to find glass noodles at the bottom of the bowl!

My mom and I both selected the Thai Basil for our entrée.

Mine came with shrimp, hers with beef.

I had a couple bites of rice, but focused on the main event. I did a pretty good job on it!

After lunch my mom took me to buy some vitamins, then she went back to work and I walked across town to the gym. It wasn’t raining, but was very damp. The city is beautiful, but needs a little wringing out.

At the gym I biked for 30 minutes and did some ab work. I didn’t do the “cool down” today; I know I should, but it usually depends on how anxious I am to get off the machine. On Monday I was reading an interesting magazine, so I stayed on for 50 minutes. Do you stay for a cool down?

On the way out, I tore into the Jonagold apple my mom brought me from upstate. It was huge! I had to violate the “absolutely no photography” rule to show you how big it was.

When I got home I researched and applied to some temping agencies; hopefully I’ll hear something soon. Ari was working in the kitchen, so, friendly girlfriend that I am, I went out quite a bit to visit. That may have been more about the bag of pretzels that he had next to him, though…

I was on my own for dinner, which I made while catching up with some friends and enjoying some pinot noir. Recently, I’ve really been enjoying drinking cold red wine. Do you chill your red or keep it at room temperature?

I made a quick batch of roasted Brussels sprouts:

Basic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1/2 pint Brussels sprouts, washed
2 T olive oil
salt
fresh cracked pepper
balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450. Chop stems off Brussels sprouts, and cut in half, top-to-bottom. Combine olive oil, salt and pepper in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Add sprouts, and toss to coat evenly.

Put dish in oven and bake 20 minutes. The outer leaves should have begun to brown, but the rest should be bright green.

Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over the sprouts. Less is more, so start with about 1 tablespoon and add additional balsamic if desired.

I combined the sprouts with spinach, steamed green beans, grape tomatoes, julienned carrots and TJ’s Meatless Meatballs, and made a simple EVOO/balsamic/mustard vinaigrette.

FYI: I eat my salads out of a 3 quart Pyrex baking dish! No ordinary bowl can handle these beasts

For dessert, I finished up the Light Phish Food and mixed in a teaspoon of Nutella. Mmm.

When Ari came home, we watched It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which I hadn’t seen in years. I haven’t laughed so hard at a non-Hangover-style in a while. Thank you, Charlie Brown.

Five Minutes or Less

lilveggiepatch — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:14:11 +0000

Hi there! How was your Monday? Mine was nice… everything is going to be A-OK! It’s like Shakespeare’s Wheel of Fortune: what goes down must go up again. I just need a little reminding from time to time, so thanks for coming to the rescue.

On Sunday morning, Josh, Ilana, Ari & I got up and headed over to the diner for brunch. No such luck! Not only was it packed, but there was a long wait! Too bad, because I’d finally decided I was ready to have one of their omelets again after having burned out on them a few months ago. Next time! Instead, we went to Locale. I’ve only been there for dinner before, but their menu looked pretty good.

I ordered the Baby Spinach & Goat Cheese Omelet, and asked for it to be made with egg whites and tomatoes as well. Instead of homefries, I ordered shoe string fries.

I added ketchup, hot sauce, salt & pepper… any and all condiments, please! In retrospect, I should have gone with a salad instead of the fries. Since I was little, I’ve never been a huge fan of French fries (except when they’re made with sweet potatoes), and these just didn’t do it for me. I was more than happy to share, though!

After brunch, I attempted my Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares. Now, I’ve made these about six times in the past year, and Anna even blogged about them! For the second time in a row, they have not turned out. I don’t know if it’s because I had to use regular whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour, or that I used about 1/8 cup vegetable oil with the olive oil, or what. But they were gummy and had a sort of “oatmeal-y” texture, as Ari reported. Very frustrating, because these are pretty much my go-to treat for Fall!

Brunch filled me up for the rest of the day, but I snacked on an apple with yogurt and cinnamon around 5. I had to eat it in another room because Ari HATES the smell of yogurt!

This open bag of pretzels also kept me company on my trips to the kitchen.

I wanted dinner to be easy and nutritious. I baked one sweet potato and 2/3 of a block of tofu in a little olive oil and Emeril’s Original Essence at 400 for about 30 minutes.

When it was ready, I plopped half of the mixture on top of a spinach/carrot/tomato/red pepper salad with pumpkin-miso dressing.

With half a glass of the end of a bottle of wine, I ate my dinner while catching up on Grey’s. This is what my “TV rig” looks like when I have to stream old episodes! Pretty classy.

Dessert was more light Phish Food.

Yesterday morning I woke up determined to change the pattern, get out of my rut and be productive. I started with a good breakfast.

As soon as Sarah posted the recipe for her Microwave Pumpkin Pie, I knew I had to make one. They only took three minutes to make…

…plus 30 more seconds to dump a container of Trader Joe’s Organic Greek Vanilla Yogurt and crushed walnuts on top.

Really, this is too fast and delicious for you to miss out on. I made it again this morning!

After breakfast, I packed up my things and took myself to Starbucks. Goal 1: Get out of the house. Mission: Accomplished! I got a grande skim misto with a shot of espresso, and was given a free packet of their new Via instant coffee to try out.

I always put all of the different powders (Vanilla, Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Chocolate) in my foam.

A little later, my eyes started to droop despite the caffeine. I snacked on a Trek Mix bar and woke right back up!

Ari stopped by around 12:30 and we re-located to Panera so he could get lunch. When his free WiFi expired, he ran some errands and I ate my lunch while keeping him company. I had leftover baked tofu & sweet potatoes with black beans and red peppers.

I also had an apple…

… and, when I got home, a package of Kay’s Naturals Lemon Herb Protein Chips. I wasn’t exactly hungry, I just felt like mindlessly snacking

These were good! They did, as usual, make me feel like Edward Cullen wouldn’t go anywhere near me, they had so much garlic…. I also always forget that one bag is 1.5 servings, not 1. Very tricky!

Soon after, I left to accomplish Goal 2: Go to the gym. I brought a magazine and hammered out 45 minutes (+5 minute cooldown) on the bike, arms and abs. I have physical therapy tomorrow, so I’m not going to work my legs out until the therapist tells me what to do. The PA at the orthopedist’s office returned my call yesterday; the bone density test results showed I don’t have a problem with osteoporosis or anything like that, so I can rule it out as a cause of my injuries. We’ll just have to keep looking!

I left the gym and headed over to Starbucks to meet my friend Lisa for tea. She had Passion, I had Green. (Didn’t end up using the honey.) Lisa just got hired full time after months of sending out resumés and cover letters, so I have hope!

When I got home, I followed my 5-minute meal plan and based my dinner around Trader Joe’s Lentil Rice Biryani.

I sautéed 1/3 block of tofu in olive oil and Emeril’s Original Essence, and added it to the rice. I also steamed some green beans. Fast, easy, and just in time for Gossip Girl.

For dessert I gave Gena‘s raw banana soft serve a go.

I got a little impatient, which is why it looks a little smoother than it should… I melted Pure Dark chocolate and made a little sauce, and sprinkled cinnamon on as well. Yum!

Erin tagged Lilveggiepatch the other day as an “Over the Top” blog. If you haven’t read Erin’s blog, “Living and Loving in LA” yet, you really should! This lady ran her first marathon a couple weeks ago, and is a really sweet blogger I am proud to call my friend. Here are some fun, random questions and answers…

1. Where is your cell phone? Charging
2. Your hair? Down, bangs pinned up. I need a haircut!
3. Your mother? Lunch tomorrow
4. Your father? Dinner Thursday
5. Your favorite food? Ice cream!
6. Your dream last night? Hmm.
7. Your favorite drink? Water. Vodka-soda. Wine.
8. Your dream/goal? Food. Books. Arts. Travel.
9. What room are you in? Bedroom.
10. Your hobby? Cooking, running, reading, playing.
11. Your fear? Unemployment.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Settled.
13. Where were you last night? In bed watching Heroes.
14. Something you aren’t? Settled.
15. Muffins? Vita.
16. Wish list item? A job…
17. Where did you grow up? Manhattan.
18. Last thing you did? Made banana ice cream.
19. What are you wearing? Two shirts, a cardigan, and leggings. It’s all about the comfy layers.
20. Your TV? Gossip Girl!
21. Your pets? Leila Chihuahua.
22. Your friends? Love them.
23. Your life? Close to perfect.
24. Your mood? A little rickety, but on the mend!
25. Missing someone? QT
27. Something you’re not wearing? Socks, a ring, a watch. They always come off first when I get home!
28. Your favorite store? Owl’s Lab
29. Your favorite color? Never chose one…
30. When was the last time you laughed? A couple hours ago.
31. Last time you cried? Saturday.
32. Best Friend? Several. You know who you are.
33. One place that I go over and over again? Subway tunnels.
34. One person who emails me regularly? Mama.
35. Favorite place to eat? Cozy in bed or at a favorite restaurant.

Thanks again, Erin! Because I hate to choose my, everyone should feel free to answer the trivia!

For Greek yogurt lovers: Kristina from Stonyfield Farms wants me to let you know about a great coupon opportunity that’s going on on Facebook. When you buy any two (2) containers of Oikos organic Greek yogurt, you get a coupon for $2.00! Check it out here.

Off to my internship! Have a great day

Cassoulet for a Crisp Fall Day

lilveggiepatch — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:21:09 +0000

Good afternoon, Lovepies! I hope you are having a fantastic day, although by the time you read this it might very well be nighttime for I am once again on the World’s Slowest Computer (WSC).

We are really running low on fresh supplies (although I have oodles of chocolate!), but I’m going to be out for a few meals in the next few days so I’d rather not buy produce only to have it spoil. Yesterday I turned to the freezer for inspiration, and heated some of Trader Joe’s Mangolicious blend, which I mixed with a crumbled Apple Berry Vitamuffin and nonfat yogurt.

I’ve been wanting to make a pretty parfait again, but the only clear glass in the house has gone missing.

After I worked around the house for a little, I grabbed an apple and headed into the city for some speedwork at the gym.

I don’t know about other runners out there, but I have a really hard time staying on the treadmill for more than two miles, and even that is a challenge for me. It’s just so boring! There was nothing but reality and sports showing on the TVs, and running in place feels a little depressing to me. I can’t stop myself from staring at the screen as minutes and distances slowly tick by, even if I cover it with a towel. I think I can also run faster when I’m outside; on the treadmill, running less than a 10-minute mile is really a challenge for me. One more reason that I need a Garmin! Finally, Behind The Music: Pink came on, and I actually kind of really like her, so I watched that and the time passed a little more quickly. I ran 4 miles at speeds ranging from 6.0 – 7.5, taking recovery breaks at 4.0, and cooled down for 3 minutes.

Total distance: 4.15 miles

Total time: 42:28 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 192 (97%)

Average heart rate: 176 (89%)

Calories burned: 496

After a very fast shower, I hurried to the subway, eating my Whole Foods meal (which I had wisely bought before working out, to save time) on the way. I actually wasn’t so excited to eat this… I think I’m beginning to suffer from Food Boredom.

In the mix:

spinach
broccoli
roasted sweet potatoes
bok choi
baked tofu
vegan chicken salad
seaweed salad
sweet & spicy dumpling (1)

I almost got a soup to accompany my salad, but I was low on time and wanted to save room for my afternoon treat. I hopped on the subway, transferred, and made my way to Babycakes to meet Ellie and Leslie.

I’ve dreamed about Babycakes cupcakes and their icing shots for far too long. Even if their pickings were horrible (which is far from the truth, their store is one of the cutest places I’ve seen. The bake staff have the most adorable little Waitress-style outfits (that I would definitely wear in a non-working environment) And, even better, these treats are actually good for you! Have my prayers been answered yet again? Here’s what they say about the sweets on their website:

In a city dominated by cupcakes overflowing with sugar, flour and butter cream, it’s easy for those with persnickety diets to feel left out. BabyCakes offers all-natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Rest assured, all sweeteners have been chosen responsibly and used sparingly. White sugar will never be found in our bakery, nor will we ever use toxic chemical sweeteners. Instead, most products are sweetened with agave nectar—a natural syrup from a cactus which is low on the glycemia index and often a safe alternative to most non-insulin dependant diabetics. Occasionally, unprocessed and unrefined sugar is used in certain goods, although sparingly.

The menu of the day:

It was very hard for me to choose…

As soon as I saw the Vanilla Cupcake with Chocolate-Fig Ganache and Cinnamon-Nutmeg frosting, however, I knew what I needed.

Leslie got this as well. We both thought that the cake itself tasted a bit like sweet cornbread, which wasn’t a bad thing! The filling was amazing, and the frosting was un-freaking-believable. I need to go back and get a shot of that before they stop making their seasonal flavors.

It was really nice to chat with the girls; I met Leslie in Boston at the Summit, and we really have to get together again soon. Lucky for me, I’ll be able to see Ellie again on Friday for dinner! After we parted ways, I headed home. Ari is leaving on Sunday for Europe, and I wanted us to be able to have a nice dinner together before. I was mighty thirsty when I got back from the grocery store, and sipped on Goya coconut water while cooking. This stuff is great… it’s cheap (6/$3.50) and has small chunks of young coconut meat on the bottom!

I also snacked on this silly-looking carrot.

I whipped out my Vegetarian Times Cooks Mediterranean cookbook, which I do not use nearly enough. Melissa Clark is one of my present-day culinary heroes. I wanted to make something with either mushrooms or chickpeas (Ari’s favorites, after steak ), and decided on Garbanzo Cassoulet

The recipe calls for either homemade or store-bought tomato sauce; since the cassoulet was already going to take 2+ hours to make, I picked up a jar of Newman’s Own Sockarooni sauce.

It’s not organic, but the ingredient list is short and comprehensive.

I threw in a couple shakes of Emeril’s Original Essence for good measure…

Instead of using regular breadcrumbs, I used whole wheat panko.

Two hours later, the cassoulet was done. There is a recipe for “Quick Cassoulet” on the opposite page of the same cookbook, which would be nice if you don’t have time to make this one. However, if you do have the time, it really pays off.

I served it with some steamed green beans. We got more than our fair share of veggies!

After a few bites, Ari remarked, “Hey! It’s vegetarian and I love it!” I’m glad it was a hit. We both went back for seconds, which we enjoyed with some Gato Negro Sauvignon Blanc.

After dinner, we had to run some errands and somehow ended up walking out of Coldstone with huge cups of ice cream. The photo didn’t turn out, but I got a “Like It” (or “small”, if you are Coldstone-illiterate) with Sinless Sweet Cream ice cream, cookie dough, and hot fudge. Oof, my tum was not happy about that choice.

Well, I’m off to get some reading done. Enjoy the rest of your day!