MORNING! How are you? I was so happy to wake up to a Saturday (at 10:30, no [...]]]> *For those of you who asked, my houndstooth tights are Betsey Johnson, masked by T.J. Maxx prices.  There’s a new(ish) store on the Upper West Side, and I’ve gotten great deals on stockings and workout clothes there.

MORNING! How are you? I was so happy to wake up to a Saturday (at 10:30, no less!)… this week has been endless.

I was up early yesterday to walk the pup; I was pretty hungry, so my breakfast had a lil’ bit of everything.

• 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill 5 Grain hot cereal, cooked in 2/3 cup water then drained
• 1 banana
• 1 prune
• 1 dried apricot
• 1/2 dried peach
• cottage cheese
• 1 scoop Teddy’s Super Chunky peanut butter
• agave

Before lunch I snacked on the usual suspects…

… and had a feast of leftovers for the main event: Mushroom Wild Rice Soup; steamed kale, roasted tomatoes, broccoli rabe & carrots with tamari peanut dressing; and fresh mango.

Later in the afternoon I had a Cranberry Nut Forze bar. Last one

We had late-night movie plans, so I made a quick dinner: sweet potato with SmartBeat, cinnamon & agave and leftover Chopped Miso Salad.  Amazingly I don’t mind eating this salad three days in a row!

After dinner we piled into the car and drove to Brooklyn to see Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 3D IMAX.  As we pulled in, we saw a van outside hosting a blood drive, so I went in and gave blood for the first time.  I was a little worried my iron levels wouldn’t be high enough and would disqualify me, but I passed the finger prick test and was able to give!  It took about 10 minutes to do, but the lounge chairs were really comfortable and the nurses on duty were hilarious and a riot to talk to.  In a few weeks I’ll get a card in the mail (and a free movie ticket) telling me my blood type, which I’ve always been curious to know! Do you know your blood type?

I needed to re-stock my sugar supply after the drawing, which justified this (and a couple pretzel bites):

I was worried that I would be lightheaded and fall asleep during the movie (which I’m known to do on normal days) but I stayed awake and really enjoyed it!  I was excited to recognize Alice as the actress who plays Sophie on In Treatment, an HBO show Ari and I really like.  I won’t give anything away, but as you can expect it’s really beautiful to watch- and I don’t just mean Johnny Depp .   I did feel a little woozy when it was over, but as soon as we got home I hopped into bed and slept for 9.5 glorious hours.  I love the weekend.

Click here to find the winners of the Maranatha Giveaway!

Have a great day

I loved my oatmeal combination so much  yesterday that I made the same thing today (minus the jar)! Oatmeal with cinnamon, stevia, pumpkin, pumpkin butter, lemon curd and chunky peanut butter. [...]]]> Right now I’m in bed, under the covers and watching Spanglish… and I have nothing to do tonight!  Life is good

I loved my oatmeal combination so much  yesterday that I made the same thing today (minus the jar)! Oatmeal with cinnamon, stevia, pumpkin, pumpkin butter, lemon curd and chunky peanut butter. Sorry to bore you, but this may make a reappearance tomorrow, too!

I was too tired to make lunch last night, so I got up a little earlier to pack it today: carrots, orange, blueberry Chobani and a big salad.

In the salad bowl:

• spinach
• small Granny Smith apple
• 1/3 block tofu
• grape tomatoes
• walnuts
• dried cranberries
• feta
• Herbs de Province salad dressing borrowed from Danielle… someone pilfered the bottle I keep in the fridge at the office!

Around 3:30 I dug into the snack drawer for something to chew on (I really need to get some gum!) and came out with a Caramel Chocolate Forze bar.

While there wasn’t a whole lot of “caramel” flavor here, it was still yummy!  It tastes like a sweet, chocolatey cookie.  It’s probably ranked #3 right now out of the flavors I’ve tried (Chocolate Peanut Butter and Chocolate Decadence are tied), but I still have on more to try.

I was zonked when I left work at 5:30 but I had two miles to run (according to my half-marathon training schedule) so I headed to the gym after work. My heart rate monitor took thirty minutes to start working… I am so close to getting a Garmin.

Mile 1-1.25:  5.8 mph

Mile 1.25-1.95:  6.5 mph

Mile 1.95-2.0:  5.8 mph

Total distance:  2.0 miles

Total distance:  20:00

Average heart rate:  165

Maximum heart rate:  189

Calories burned: 213

This was supposed to be an “easy run” at a 10:54 pace, but… on a treadmill, that felt like an eternity, and I wanted to get it done as quickly as possible! So I got a little impatient, but I think I paced myself pretty well and would have been able to carry on a conversation throughout. So, I think that’s my new definition of an “easy run”!  What is an “easy workout” for you?

Dinner was quick and easy: leftover fettuccine with mushrooms- to which I added a slice of tempeh bacon to make “vegetarian carbonara”- and steamed cauliflower with Emeril’s Original Essence, à la Miss K.

Then I had a long-lost favorite: a dessert plate!  My lovely Jess reminded me that it’s been a while since I had one, so I re-stocked my dried fruit stash.  This plate had two Medjool dates, a dried peach half, dried apricot, dried fig, prune, almond butter, and Peppermint Chocolove. Have you ever made a dessert plate? How do you make it?

Spanglish is a-callin’… I really like it!

And in honor of Groundhog Day, one year ago today: February 2, 2009!

But first…

This morning I woke up at 5, a good hour and a half before the sun came up.  No matter!  I was actually surprisingly alert after 5.5 hours of sleep; I packed up my work, laced my sneakers and headed over to the gym.  I planned on just [...]]]> This guy came home today!

But first…

This morning I woke up at 5, a good hour and a half before the sun came up.  No matter!  I was actually surprisingly alert after 5.5 hours of sleep; I packed up my work, laced my sneakers and headed over to the gym.  I planned on just zoning out on the bike and getting a good chunk of reading in, but the bike turned off after 20 minutes so I moved to the stairmaster.  It’s a little harder to read when you’re trying not to fall off a five-foot tall machine! I climbed for 15 minutes, then headed home to work some more, shower, and get ready for work.  Days are a lot longer when you get up early!

Quick side note: I used to post my exercise statistics after a workout (with time, calories, etc.) but I didn’t know if that was “useful” or not… I’ve gotten a few e-mails recently requesting them, so please let me know if you’d like me to post them!

Breakfast was another darn fine jar of oats.

• 1/2 cup oatmeal cooked in 1/2 cup water
• canned pumpkin
• pumpkin butter
• 1 tbsp chunky peanut butter
• l tsp lemon curd
• stevia
• cinnamon

I left for work an hour early to get some things done at the office.  Because I’d been up so long I ate all three of my snacks before lunch: apple, orange, and Haribo gummies (how’d those get in there?!).  When you’ve been up since 5, eating candy at 8:30 in the morning doesn’t sound so crazy.

For lunch I had a Pomegranate Chobani and a big salad.

In the mix:

• leftover salad
• plantains
• sweet potato falafel balls
• Goddess dressing

I ate at my desk and worked through lunch… busy busy day!  Around 3:30, I snacked on a Chocolate Peanut Butter Forze Bar.  I know this is Melissa’s favorite flavor!

This bar reminded me of a combination Chewy granola bar, Oreo granola bar (remember those? I used to bring them to day camp in my lunch box), and Reese’s crisp.  In other words: I can’t believe it’s not loaded with chemicals!

Ari got home while I was at work, and we set up a last-minute dinner date at David Burke Townhouse for Restaurant Week.

We started with warm rolls and fancy butter that was carved into a tree.

I started with the Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake and Sweet Chili Prawn with orange confitand poppy seed honey.  Sweet lordy, this was one of the best crab cakes I’ve ever had, and I’ve tasted my fair share of crab cakes.  8/10

Ari, mushroom fiend that he is, got frothy mushroom soup.  This was good, but a little bland… no salt on the tables.  6/10

For my entrée, I took the Scottish Salmon with braised Napa cabbage, charred tomato and curried apple slaw.  The salmon was very tender and I liked all of the different textures, but again, was a little bland. 6/10

Ari ordered the Mustard-Crusted Tuna with mushrooms and chicken consommé. I didn’t taste this because of the chicken, but Ari gave it an 8.267/10.

Dessert was an easy choice for both of us: we both chose the Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with peanut butter mousse, roasted banana ice cream, caramelized peanuts and marshmallow. 8/10!

It was a lovely evening with delicious food and fabulous company.  We decided to save money and have wine at home instead, so we’re sipping a little white and watching Gone Baby Gone in bed.  I’m hoping to be asleep by 11… I’m a grandpa even on date nights!

I watch a lot of movies, so keep those suggestions coming!

Whew, this day has been long! Still going strong, though [...]]]> Thanks for all of your movie suggestions! Here’s what’s on the running list:

• Lars and the Real Girl
• Up In The Air
• The Soloist
• Away We Go (I just saw this… loved it!)
• The September Issue
• In The Loop
• Inglourious Basterds

I watch a lot of movies, so keep those suggestions coming!

Whew, this day has been long! Still going strong, though

I knew I was going to have to work from home after leaving the office at the end of the day, so I woke up at 5:45 to get my 6 mile training run in.  Somehow, even though I’d laid out all of my clothes the night before, I didn’t end up leaving the house until 6:15! This was partly because my heart rate monitor wasn’t working and I was waiting for it to kick in… I think this weekend I will cave and finally pick up a Garmin.  Coincidentally, my former boss just e-mailed me to tell me he’s fallen in love with the Garmin he got for the holidays!

Before I headed out, I fueled up with a mini Clif bar.

I haven’t wanted to run early in the morning because I was concerned about safety; it’s dark when I wake up and my route takes me through the park.  This morning I stayed in populated areas, wore my neon reflective running jacket, and strapped on my RoadID.  By the time I was halfway through my run the sun had risen and it was starting to snow!  There is something immensely satisfying and calming in being out and about while people are just waking up and starting their day.

During the last few blocks I started getting pain in my right knee (what I think I can now safely refer to as “Runner’s Knee”… probably no meniscus damage) so I had to take a few walking breaks.  I ended up running through most of the pain, though, so I wouldn’t be late to work!  It felt great to have 6 miles under my belt before the day even started, and not have to crank it out on the treadmill later on.

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to eat breakfast, but I managed to have a nice, filling bowl of oatmeal.

• 1/2 cup oats cooked with 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• Gala apple, microwaved with cinnamon for 90 seconds
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• stevia

The snow was really coming down while I walked to work.

Snacked on an orange at work…

My mom met me for lunch at the Atrium, a Greek cafe in the Onassis Towers in Midtown.

I was ravenous when we sat down, and ordered just what I was craving: spanikopita (spinach and phylo pie) with Greek salad.

No scrap was left behind!

I was still hungry when I got back to the office… must have been that run!  I tore into the Forze bars I won from a contest Melissa hosted…

My sweet tooth demanded Chocolate Decadence.

I really liked this!  It tastes just like candy… must be a new trend in energy bars!  The texture reminded me of a delicious European cookie, crunchy and sweet.  It had an almost Nutella-like taste… must be the roasted almonds used in the bar!  Can’t wait to try the other flavors.

I stayed at work a little late to maximize what I did in the office so I would have less to do at home.  An apple held me over until I got home, although honestly, I was still really hungry after that bar! I don’t know what’s going on with my appetite…

I was excited to use my new toy to make dinner.

Finally got a spiralizer!  I’ve actually had this for a couple weeks, but haven’t had time to give it a test run.  I had a little trouble with it at first (which may or may not have resulted in a slew of profane mutterings), but finally my zucchini was given new life.

I should have just made a really simple sauce for this, but since I’ll be out for dinner tomorrow I wanted to use up the leftovers in the fridge.  And when I say “leftovers,” I mean all of the leftovers.  Oh lordy.

Yep, that would be grape tomatoes, broccoli, teriyaki-glazed tofu, mushrooms and broccoli pesto.  And if that wasn’t enough?

I dipped it in crab soup!  This was a definite “What was she thinking?!” moment.  It’s never a good sign when you already have a fiber belly from nibbling on veggies before you even begin your dinner.  Oofdah.  But, after I gave myself some time to spend some horizontal time on the couch, I was ready to devour a homemade peanut butter cup.  It was so good that I almost made another one, but I was all out of the dark chocolate I like so I just had an orange.

Back to work I go… it’s going to be a late night, and an early morning.  I’m very behind in the Reader… I guess I’ll just have to catch up with ya over the weekend.

Have a great night! Bonne nuit

Last night I made a breakfast cookie for this morning using chia seeds!  I figured they’d have time [...]]]> Hey there, chickadees.  Talk about a humpday! I didn’t even realize it was Wednesday until it was almost 5:00… this week is going by so slowly.  It must be an after-effect of the holidays, but seriously!

Last night I made a breakfast cookie for this morning using chia seeds!  I figured they’d have time to plump up and turn into the “gel” if they soaked over night.

In the cookie:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• big splash of skim milk
• 1 tsp almond butter
• toppings: cinnamon, 1 almond nose, 2 prune eyes, goji berry smile (makes Jim look a little bit creepy!)

I made Ari one, too, but added more oats and left out the chia.  (He must not have been feeling this particular mixture; there were only two little spoonfuls missing when I got home from work.)

I thought I took my time to get ready this morning, but when I got to work I realized that while I’d thought I’d applied brown eyeliner, it had really been purple!  Whoopsies.  But hey, why not pretend you’re at the club when it’s 9 AM on a Wednesday? Spice up your day!

Around 11, I snacked on a tangerine (and ate another one at 3).

For lunch, I had the last of the Tomatoey Spiced Chickpeas with mixed greens and pita bread.   I actually ate with my coworkers and not at my desk,  but since I’m still new I didn’t want to explain the blog to a big group of people all at once (although some do know).

At 4:30, as the work day was coming to a close, I had half of a Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Clif Bar.   I really wasn’t all that hungry, I just wanted something to chew on.

When I got home, the band was packing up and getting ready to leave for tour.  I helped load the van (no need to strength train when you date a musician… music gear is heavy!) then made dinner.  I’ve been wanting to make Heidi Swanson’s Sushi Bowl for ages, and I did!  I made a few adjustments for time and taste, starting with substituting her tofu for Gliding Calm’s.  I also added sesame seeds to the marinade.

Instead of cooking a new batch of rice, I used up the last of the Harvest Grains blend.  This is a keeper! You don’t even really need to use the recipe (although the dressing is mighty fine).

I sipped a glass of The Big Red Monster wine with dinner… the beast was unleashed.

Anticipating the next month’s Arilessness, I made myself a huge bowl of Coconut Bliss ice cream (Mint Galactica, Naked Coconut, Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge) with homemade chocolate sauce (two kinds of melted chocolate chips + water).

You can bet you’ll see a lot of that in the next few weeks.  I miss my boy already.