Yesterday I woke up at 8 feeling fully rested.  While I love sleeping in, I also like to be awake relatively early on weekend mornings without feeling a sense of pressure to do anything.  Relaxation is such a gift!  I did some things around the house for a little (including watching a little of Excess Baggage on TV… when it came out in the 90s, I had no idea who Benicio del Toro was!), then made breakfast.  A reader recently submitted on Ask Me Anything:

Lilveggiepatch is my favorite food blog. Hands down. I love your breakfast concoctions! What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? What seems to be the most satiable for a hard days work (I’m a college student stuck in a rut!) Thanks =)

First of all, thanks for the compliment! A little flattery is nice every once in a while In terms of breakfasts with staying powder, I find oatmeal to be the most satisfying. A good balance of grains, fruit, protein and fat is a safe bet when trying to find something to hold you over, and recently this has been my #1 combo:

• 1/2 cup oats cooked with 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana
• 1/2- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 T peanut butter
• lemon curd
• pumpkin butter
• cinnamon
• stevia

I used to only use 1/2 a banana, but using a whole one keeps me full so much longer.  Plus, it helps me meet my daily fruit & vegetable requirement! (Not that that’s usually a problem….)

This breakfast held me through an 8 mile run with Danielle in Central Park yesterday morning.  It may not look like it here, but I can tell Spring is just around the corner! I can’t wait to stroll outside, drink iced coffee, have picnics…

I haven’t really run in that park except during races, but I loved being out there with so many other runners on a beautiful Sunday morning! It’s also a LOT easier (and more fun) to run with a buddy.  Central Park is great for hill training, something I really haven’t focused on at all but definitely should.  The 15K I ran in December had practically vertical inclines, and the half-marathon is going to be in Central Park as well.  So, time to get better about that!  Our knees were both aching a bit- my right knee started hurting around mile 4- so we took a couple walking breaks to soothe them.  Danielle went home around mile 5.5 (she’d already run 1 mile to meet me) and I continued on, running myself right to Starbucks to use the bathroom.

I ended up running 8.17 miles in 1:23:23.  I tried to get the splits for this, but for some reason my computer (Mac OS 10.5.8) won’t accept the Garmin disc.  Has anyone else had trouble with this?

Risking my cool cred I stretched on the subway ride home, displaying impressive feats of balance   I made myself a quick lunch when I got home:

In the mix:

• baby spinach
• 1/2 avocado
• dulse
• 2 slices tempeh bacon
• hemp seeds
• Everything-flavored pretzel thins <— so addicting!
• macadamia nut oil/rice wine vinegar dressing

I iced my knees in bed for a while and took a little Aleve.  After long runs I occasionally get what I think is Runner’s Knee; it doesn’t happen all of the time  (didn’t happen during either of my last two 7 milers), but it usually goes away after a day or two.  Right now it feels fine!

A couple hours later I had a snack to get me through a little work and hold me until dinner: Fage 0% yogurt with 1 orange, chia gel (1 tsp chia seeds soaked in water), and Cocoa Spice Kaia Sunflower Seeds. Good combination!

We hadn’t had sushi for a while, so Ari and I went to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants.  We had green tea and shared some hot sake…

… had bowls of miso soup…

….and ordered the Sushi & Sashimi combination for two.

It was a lot of food.  We didn’t finish it all, so I’m bringing the leftovers to work for lunch today.  Sushi isn’t great the second day, but we’ll see!  When we got home, we each had a Peanut Butter Bar from The Lite Choice.  I scraped mine off the stick and covered it with cocoa powder and stevia.  Yummy!

Off I go to start the week.  Have a great Monday!

The alarm went off at the usual time this morning.  I’d smartly left my alarm clock (i.e. cell phone) across the room so I’d have to get up and turn it off.  Genius, no?  Not if it means I’m just going to get back into bed again.  Two hours later I woke up, completely disoriented, and with only forty minutes until a coffee date.  Oops.  Luckily, my date was understanding and we pushed the time back a bit, but I hate rearranging plans at the last minute! It’s my own fault.  I’ll just have to find a better system for waking up… or go to bed before 2 AM.

Breakfast was quick and easy: whole wheat toast with peanut butter, honey, cinnamon and 1/2 banana and a strawberry Chobani (eaten using the “plunge” method) with the rest of the banana.   I used my laptop to take the next few photos… the quality is pretty good for what it is, I think, with the exception of the mirror effect.

Took the pooch out for a quick (yet efficient) romp, then headed out to coffee and got my standard skim au lait with a shot of espresso.  Boy, did I need that!  My parents are running very low on coffee, and the problem needs to be remedied as soon as possible.  When I got home, I made a huge salad and thought about how much I need to trim my bangs.

This was another salad winner.  I think I burned out on the beet/sprouts/hummus mixture (never thought that would happen!) and this was a welcome change.  I tossed in:

• spinach
• red chard
• 6 oz (dolphin safe) canned tuna in water
• 1 heirloom tomato (last one )
• pomegranate seeds
• baby carrots
• 1 kiwi
• dressing: olive oil, vinegar, Emeril’s Kicked-Up Horseradish mustard

The rest of the afternoon was spent scouring job boards and sending out cover letters and resumés.  It’s exhausting, let me tell you!  I broke for my second Chobani of the day… the pineapple is definitely my favorite, although after learning the right way to eat the fruit-flavored ones (from the bottom, up) I really love them all.  Too bad this was my last one    See that little wrinkle under my left eye? It keeps getting bigger and bigger! I don’t really care that much, but if anyone has a tip to slow it on down, I’d appreciate it!

My parents got home from the airport (they’ve been in France since Tuesday) around 6 and were starving for dinner.  We went to our regular Japanese spot.  The place was packed and they were understaffed, so the meal was a little slow coming out.  I couldn’t decide whether I wanted sashimi or a bento box, and ended up going with the bento.  It came with green salad, mixed tempura (I peeled off a lot of the batter), salmon teriyaki, one California roll, and rice.  They forgot our miso soups, so we got them to go instead.  I didn’t eat any of the rice, so I packed that up too.  (My mom has the same camera, so I borrowed hers for the evening.)

When we got home from the restaurant, we had a chocolate tasting.

Chocolove- one of my favorite chocolate companies- was kind enough to send two bars of chocolate to review for the blog.   I’d tried their 77%, 70%, and 55% dark chocolate varieties before, and their Crystallized Ginger in 65% dark chocolate is one of my favorite chocolate bars ever. (Really. Try it.)  I first stumbled upon Chocolove at Whole Foods when I was in college; I’m a sucker for packaging and loved their wrappers.  They make really interesting flavors such as Chilies & Cherries, Cherries & Almonds, etc., that come in dark varieties.  I love flavored chocolates, but I’m not a huge fan of milk chocolate and that’s often the only option for exotic flavors. And best of all? Each bar comes complete with a love poem! It’s the perfect special date/baby-I-done-you-wrong/you’re-my-best-friend chocolate.

Here’s a little page the Chocolove story from their website:

Timothy Moley is the founder, owner and chocolatier at Chocolove. A tall and slightly eccentric man, he reminds you a little of Willy Wonka. His laid-back attitude, wry grin, and lanky physique would never lead you to believe he is a man who lives and breathes chocolate, and has been consuming two chocolate bars, every day, for the past ten years. Seriously.

It all began in a cocoa field in Indonesia… Timothy was chewing on some cocoa beans doing volunteer work for USAID, a government program that promotes agricultural and technical education in developing countries. He had been living abroad on and off for two years, visiting over 28 countries, developing his palate with spices, teas and wines. And, like most of us, he had always dreamed of being his own boss, dedicated to something he loved. The idea of a career in chocolate inspired him and an idea began to form -  to create a premium chocolate bar, paired with the romance of love.

When he returned to the States, he began his chocolate education and quickly discovered a few key facts about the U.S. chocolate market: the average consumer could tell the difference between cheap chocolate and premium chocolate and they preferred premium chocolate; the available premium chocolate bar choices were limited, expensive and intimidating; no U.S. company was indicating the cocoa content on their wrappers; and flavors were boring.

I was excited to try two new flavors: Peppermint in 55% Dark Chocolate and  Coffee Crunch in 55% Dark Chocolate.

Peppermint:

This bar came with a poem by Robert Browning called “Meeting At Night.”

The Panel

Mama LVP: There’s something odd about the mint flavor. The chocolate has a good texture, but I would like it more without the mint.  I don’t like the aftertaste.

Papa LVP: I don’t think the mint is odd! Just “minty.”  It’s refreshing, even though I don’t normally eat peppermint-flavored things.

LVP: Tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie! I love Thin Mints. The mint flavor is pretty strong, but it’s blended nicely and, as Papa LVP noted, very refreshing.

Bottom line: Would I buy this? If the mood for mint struck me, most definitely.  I don’t often find myself hankering for mint, but the next time it happens, this is my fix!

Coffee Crunch in 55% Dark Chocolate

This bar came with an excerpt from “The Dream” by Theodore Roethke.

The Panel

Mama LVP: I like the texture. It has a nice crunch to it.

Papa LVP: The chocolate has a smooth, deep, and dark flavor. I like the crunchiness of the grains.  I’m not normally a fan of filled chocolates, but I like this.

LVP: It tastes the way a good coffee shop smells: a rich aroma you can get lost in.  It’s crunchy, but the coffee grounds don’t distract from the good quality of the chocolate itself.

Bottom line: Would I buy this? Yes!  This is like a better version of a chocolate-covered espresso bean: it satisfies both my desire for chocolate and my need for coffee.  What’s better than a treat with a buzz?

Thanks again, Chocolove! And don’t forget to check out that Crystallized Ginger in 65% Dark Chocolate Bar.  If I had any money to bet, I’d reimburse each person who claims dissatisfaction with that flavor.  It’s that good.

Our tasting also included Côte d’Or with dark chocolate and hazelnuts that my parents brought back from France (and apparently can be bought at Dean & Deluca!) and dark chocolate “twigs” infused with orange.  So pretty! Wouldn’t it be fun to make a chocolate forest out of these?

I’m in a bit of a chocolate coma, so I’m going straight to bed.  I need to get up early (for real, this time!)  and do some work for my internship.  How was your weekend? What was the best part?

Bonne nuit

Speaking of body and soul, yesterday I made an awesome breakfast that was inspired by Body + Soul magazine.  I was craving an interesting eggy breakfast, so I steamed up some kale.  Then I poached a whole egg in the same water I cooked the cake in, to lock in some nutrients.

On an Ezekiel English muffin, I layered cottage cheese, the kale, egg, and tomatoes, and sprinkled it with a generous helping of chili flakes.

I also had an apple.

Delicious breakfast! Egg whites are good too, but it’s nice to have some yolk every once in a while.

After digesting a little, I went on a quick run, showered, and went to Brooklyn to meet my dad for lunch.  He took me straight to Perelandra, a health food store by his office.

We both got carrot/apple/beet/ginger juices. Like father, like daughter!

My dad just got back from an intense bike trip in the Alpes that basically mimics the Tour de France, going over 100 km/ day. Is he a rockstar or what?!

At Perelandra, there was a sample station set up for Counter Culture Coffee.

I had a shot glass-size serving of their Finca Nueva Armenia, a Guatemalan direct trade variety with chocolate notes. Mmm! Might have to get off the Folgers.

After leaving Perelandra, my dad and I went to Iron Chef House, a restaurant with one of the best sushi deals I have ever seen. It’s also mighty good! My entrée came with miso soup (ate all) and salad (ate half)…

I ordered the sashimi plate.  It has been so long since I’ve had sushi, and this really hit the spot! My dad and I exchanged pieces… I kept the white tuna for myself, though

After lunch, my dad had to get back to work, so I went to the bookstore to lust kill some time before work.

On the way to the restaurant, I got my hands all sticky by eating this juicy black plum that my dad wanted me to try. It was worth it!

At work, I snacked on a pack of cashews from Oh Nuts and Amazing Grass blended with 1/2 banana and a little coffee.  These were the best snacks! The Oh Nuts guys put these cashews in a perfectly portioned bag, and the Amazing Grass really kept me going through work.

For dinner, I had a mixed green salad with walnuts, beets, tomatoes, and oranges.  Mario, who makes the pizza, also saved me some Bufala mozzarella (my favorite!!!) so I plopped it on top. Mmm!

I went out for drinks after work, and to be honest, my head has felt better! Hopefully yoga will do the trick.  I really have to hustle, though… my goal was to already be out the door by now, and I’m not even dressed! Have a great day.

Good evening! I hope everyone enjoyed their day off to the fullest.  I don’t have a full-time job (yet, cross your fingers!) but this was my first Monday back home, which is certainly something to celebrate.

I started the “morning” (read: noon) with a bowl of oatmeal:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 banana
• cinnamon
• brown sugar
• 1 T Hell’s Kitchen peanut butter

(Ari had his own, man-sized bowl.  Sadly, he has not been convinced that oatmeal is best when at least 4 toppings are added.)

We met up with Ilana, Ari’s sister.  She pointed us in the direction of a street fair that was very close to our house.  Street fairs are ubiquitous in New York when the weather is warm and the sky is clear.  And with street fairs come street fair food; Ilana and I made a bee-line for the grilled corn-on-the-cob.

We got ours with lime juice, salt, and spices.  The corn was pretty hot (in all senses of the word).

I hadn’t had lunch and the salad place I wanted to go to was closed for Memorial Day.  Somehow, I found myself over at a crêpe stand, and in honor of the many 2 AM trips I made to the one crêperie that was opened in Paris near the Centre Pompidou, I ordered one with cheese, mushroom and spinach.

Talk about a crack wrap: this bad boy had a HANDFUL of cheese (which had already been plopped onto the griddle before I could protest).  So bad, but so good. (My tummy was a little angry with me for a few hours afterwards.)

It was really hot out, so we decided to cool off at the movies.  We wanted to see Star Trek; we had a couple hours to kill so we sat outside at a shady table and had drinks.

I had an unsweetened iced tea… I recently re-discovered it as something I never knew I liked!

The movie was great. I hadn’t seen too many of the old episodes, but the story was really fun and I was excited to see Sylar.

I snacked on a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar before the movie started:

After the movie, we did a major grocery shop (there are four people living in the house) which should provide enough meals for a little while.

We did, however, have one last dinner out.  I know.

We went to Linn; I had one glass of cold sake.

I ordered a small salad with mixed greens, dried fruit, nuts, and tuna sashimi.

I also got a California roll.

I came home and had an apple while I made breakfast for tomorrow… it’s going to be a pretty early morning so I figured I’d save some time.

This weekend was extravagant, to say the least.  On our walk home, we decided that we’re going to eat in from now on, unless we’re meeting someone else for dinner or it’s a special occasion.  We’re going to cook, economize, and be smart about money.  This weekend was exceptional; it was both of our first weekends back after a long time away, and it’s always nice to have a treat. But we’ll find ways to make eating at home fun; I love to cook and try out new recipes.  When I was at school, I almost always had all three meals at home and cooked every night.  Totally doable.  It’s hard in New York, as Brooke pointed out, but it’s doable.

Anyway, time to watch a little telly and get to bed.  Have a great night!

We didn’t have internet at the B&B we stayed at last night, so this is going to be a pretty long road-journal.  Bear with me!

Yesterday, after sleeping like a rock for a good 8 hours, my aunt made me and my dad a scrumptious breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast with Brummel & Brown (I first learned about this spread from her about 10 years ago)…

Fresh strawberries and blueberries with whipped cream (which I mostly ate around):

Lots of coffee but only a sip of the OJ:

We had excellent dining companions.

Scotty tried to lick up my whipped cream… I was just a little bit faster.

When we finally got our booties on the road, we pulled off the highway about two minutes later in search of a Barnes & Noble.  We always try to pick up a book or two to remember our trips by.  I needed a little pick me up so I got a grande no whip mocha light frappuccino.  I never get these, but for some reason I was in the mood.

After an irritating look around McDonald’s, we realized that unless I wanted a mini Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait for lunch, there wasn’t going to be anything I could eat there.  So we went back to Subway for the second lunch in a row; I got a tuna with one slice of pepper jack, all the veggies, and fat free honey mustard on honey oat bread. I also got a Light & Fit yogurt (which has an unbelievably long ingredients list) but no soda this time.

I snacked on a Chocolate Peanut Clif Mojo Dipped bar in the car, while listening to our book on tape.  This was so good! It tasted just like a candy bar (which, I guess, it kind of is).  I would definitely buy this again.

We stopped in Knox, Pennsylvania for the night.  We always stay at the same Bed & Breakfast, go to the same restaurant for dinner and the same drive-in for ice cream…

At the Allegheny Grille, we started out with dinner rolls (I split two minis with my dad: one onion herb, one whole wheat).

We both got a mixed spring greens salad with walnuts, blue cheese, and dried cranberries, with strawberry vinaigrette on the side:

There was an absurd amount of cheese; I left most of it but still enjoyed the full blue cheese experience.

For my entrée, I ordered grilled salmon with sesame teriyaki sauce on the side, steamed asparagus, and rice pilaf.  I ate all the asparagus, 2/3 of the salmon, and 1/2 of the rice

We saved room for dessert.

I got a cup of sugar-free vanilla yogurt with hot fudge and Reese’s PB cups:

My dad got a banana split.

We look forward to this all year, and it never disappoints!

We got in to the B&B around 9:30.  It’s a beautiful old farmhouse that’s been converted into rooms… we always get the same ones, in a barn.  It’s so cozy inside!

We watched In The Company of Men in the living room.  The writer/director is one of my favorites, but I can promise that you will never be comfortable during or after watching any of his films or plays.

I had the best of intentions this morning to get up and go for a nice run.  (The most exercise I’ve gotten in the last three days is changing gears or unwrapping gum. It’s also a really beautiful part of Pennsylvania, and it’s a pretty rural area so there’s almost no one on the road.)  I woke up, put on my workout clothes and HRM, but then, somehow, I woke up two hours later. Whoops!

The woman who runs the B&B knows how much we love her pumpkin pancakes, so she makes them for us every time we stay.

Nothing beats real maple syrup.

Again, I had a lot of coffee, but I’ve found that juice is just too sweet for me in the morning.

After breakfast, I finished my book while lounging in the great outdoors.

My dad and I took a walk and explored.

We saw a lot of cows:

Can you imagine hauling that around with you? Poor mama!

But without mamas, we wouldn’t have these cuties.

Once again, as soon as we finally got a move on and started driving, we decided we were hungry again and went to Perkin’s for lunch. I’d had too much coffee (which has the adverse affect and puts me to sleep), so I got an unsweetened iced tea instead.

They don’t have veggie burgers or salads, so I decided to go with more breakfast food.  The waitress was very nice and let me substitute the hash browns and muffin for a side salad (which I ate dry)…

…and a small bowl of fruit.

I ordered an Egg Beater omelet with broccoli, onions, green pepper and cheddar.

The cheddar turned out to be “cheese product,” which I did my best to scrape off.

A couple hours later, the Golden Arches called our names… once you go Mickey D’s soft-serve, I don’t know if you can go back.

I snacked on a banana when we were stuck in traffic, which was 100% out of boredom.

We got home around 8:30 and unpacked the car and were at our favorite Japanese restaurant by 9:15.  I was starving, so I ordered my usual Bento Box.  It comes with miso soup:

Salad, shrimp & veggie tempurah, tuna & salmon sashimi, California rolls.

I swapped one of my salmon sashimi pieces for this little bite of heaven.  I think it’s yellowtail, and is stuffed with a leaf that tastes like a combination of mint + cilantro.

After dinner, I really wanted to want ice cream.  I tried so hard that both I and my dad picked up different kinds of fro-yo… but I think I may have over ice-creamed in the last few days.  I’d bought this fruit salad to have for tomorrow, but it was all the sweet I wanted tonight.

When I finally got a chance to go through the mail, I found a package from Erica.  A few weeks ago I won the PETA Vegan College Cookbook from a contest she was hosting.  It’s gotten mixed reviews in the blogosphere, but some recipes look pretty interesting (Boozy Beer Bread, Ice Cream Frizzle Drizzle, PB&C No-Bake Cookies).  Erica also snuck in two of my favorite Larabars… she’s the best.  Thanks again, Erica!

By the time I am now finishing, two hours after I started, the book-in-bed scenario seems far less likely than the crash-in-bed-with-contacts-in-and-makeup-on alternative.

Before you go, check out Pretty Green Girl’s Whole Soy giveaway.

I hope you’ve had a very happy humpday! See you tomorrow