Today was an absolutely lovely day.  I woke up earlyish and met [...]]]> Honesty is the best policy, and I’ve got to admit that there’s about a 70% chance that my eyes will close and this post will go up tomorrow morning instead.  Daylight Savings + changing time zones must be catching up with me!

Today was an absolutely lovely day.  I woke up earlyish and met my grandparents downstairs in the breakfast nook.

I had an English muffin with peanut butter, cinnamon and 1/2 banana and a bowl of plain yogurt with fresh raspberries and blueberries. 

As I was assembling my breakfast, my grandfather remarked that there were no redeeming qualities to peanut butter.  Of course, I loved having the opportunity to launch into my spiel about protein, healthy fats, folic, and plain ole great taste!

After breakfast, I gave myself a little time to digest before hopping on the treadmill and pounding out 2 miles.  Luckily, Saved By The Bell was on and I didn’t get bored…

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Nothing like a little Zach Morris to keep your heart rate up!  (Although, he’s clearly underage in this photo, and that makes me feel a little weird.  A little.)

On our way out the door to run some errands, my Granny fed me a carrot and told me about her new method for fast-cooking veggies: steam them in the microwave! Make a pouch out of waxed paper, moisten with a few drops of water, fill with veggies, and nuke for 3 minutes or until cooked.

Is this the end of rebel carrots?  Maybe, as long as the wax doesn’t break down and seep into the vegetables.

Everyone seemed to still be full from last night’s dinner,  so lunch was kind of informal.  I grabbed a Pink Lady apple on the way out the door…

… and got a Grande Skim Mocha at Starbucks.  Mocha?! Who am I and what have I done with LVP?

I must have been really thrown off my my choice, because I immediately spilled it all over my purse.  I’m a bit of a klutz!

An hour or so later, I had my first Nature’s Path product.  I’ve seen these Optimum bars all over the blogs, so I grabbed this when I spotted it on sale.

It was good… the taste and texture reminded me a little of a Luna Cookie.

This is my second lunch in a row that’s been supplemented by energy bars.  I’m not proud of this, but it happens when you travel.

Granny and I took a special trip to the grocery store to look for Celestial Seasonings’ Sugar Cookie Sleighride tea that y’all seem to love… we searched in vein, but I did find this Sweet Coconut Thai Chai tea that will hopefully taste like the coconut chai tea I love.

I also convinced my grandmother that she needs some POM in her life.

We had an early dinner at Spoonriver, one of my favorite restaurants in Minneapolis.  I was really happy when our waitress asked for my ID when I ordered a Moroccan Mojito (mint, lime, rum, cardamom and rose water).  I haven’t been carded in a few months, but this must mean my wrinkle is getting smaller!  It’s funny… two years ago I would not have enjoyed being IDed at all.

I had a slice of whole wheat potato bread…

… and my grandmother and I both ordered the Broiled Salmon Okisuki in a savory Japanese Ginger Broth with Fresh Udon Noodles. I think Grandpa was jealous… I am definitely going to recreate this at home.

For dessert, we all split a slice of butternut squash-carrot cake with pumpkin-cream cheese frosting.  Oh, mama!

After dinner, we went next door to the Guthrie theater to see an evening showing of Faith Healer.  It was a really, really powerful play told entirely in monologues.  I loved it.

When we got home, I took a deep breath of fresh air for Averie on the way up to bed.

If it weren’t so late, I’d ask Granny to tuck me into bed.  I used to visit them every summer when I was younger, and until I was 11 or 12 or so, my grandmother would put me to bed with this nursery rhyme.  I have such nice memories of sleeping in this room (when I first started visiting on my own, the floor was covered in a thick pink shag carpet) and being here.  Although I went to college in Minnesota as well and visited a lot, my memories from that time are sort of separated from the time I spent here as a kid.  Do you have any memories of nighttime rituals? If you‘re a parent, how do you put your kids to bed?

Around the blogs: Starting Monday, I am going to do my best to follow Angharad and Holly‘s lead and practice yoga thrice a week.  I am also going to take meal-prepping more seriously, so I don’t stand in front of the fridge with the door open for minutes on end, willing the empty produce drawer to magically refill itself.

Wish Jungwha a happy blogiversary and win big!

Have a great night!

Good afternoon!  I hope your day is off to a great start… I woke up thinking it was Saturday!  I slept in this morning, which was glorious.  Not too much on the agenda for today, which [...]]]> I asked Ari what this post should be titled, and this is what he deemed to be appropriate.

Good afternoon!  I hope your day is off to a great start… I woke up thinking it was Saturday!  I slept in this morning, which was glorious.  Not too much on the agenda for today, which is A-OK with me

Yesterday was slated to be a long run day, so I woke up, guzzled some coffee, and fueled up with half a Dulce de Leche Luna Bar.

I stuffed some gummies into the little pocket of my shorts (which left me a tad sticky)…

I finally made a new playlist… the No Doubt song has been in my head for the better part of this week.

The run was fine… again, I just felt sleepy.  I think, for me, running distances is going to end up being more of a psychological challenge.  Obviously the physical aspects are also great, and every time I go out for a run I hope so hard that it won’t be the day that something goes wrong again.   The only thing that went “wrong” today was that my heart rate monitor didn’t register my actual heart rate…

Total distance: 6.4 miles

Total time: 1:07:55

I’m not sure if I should be concerned that I haven’t been increasing my speed for these long runs… and it’ll probably be time for me to increase my distance again soon, too.   I just signed up for my first 10K a couple minutes ago- it’s next WEEK- so I’m going to have to start working on this!

My “training schedule” is a little weak, since I only have 8 days, but here’s what it looks like, which I made on the Runner’s World website:

When I got back from my run, I made another excellent fall smoothie: Cherry Pumpkin Pie.

I made this using frozen cherries, canned pumpkin pie mix, homemade almond milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, and topped it with a little GoLean & granola.  After breakfast and a bunch of puttering around, I packed up my portable lunch.  I wanted to use up all the leftovers, which, combined, made for an… interesting salad:

The bottom layer was covered with sprouts, topped with corn & edamame salad and beets; the small compartment had leftover fish and a few noodles.  Some things, shall we say, do not taste great the morning after.

On the subway, I snacked on some TJ’s dried fruit. Balls to the wall, as my lady would say.

My dad had told me about a DMV that expedites all of their services, so luckily I was in and out (with a new picture!) in 20 minutes.  Must be some kind of record.  It was starting to rain, so I went into Starbucks and bought a Tall Skim Chai so that I could eat my lunch without getting drenched.

After taking a few minutes to read and decompress, I skedaddled along to an informational interview, then picked up a few books.  The first was a beautiful collection of poems by my friend and former professor, Kristin Naca.

The second was A Race Like No Other, to motivate and inspire.

Then, in the spirit of racing, I rushed home to see my traveling musician, who has spent the last three weeks on his own kind of race, driving back and forth across the country with Blink 182 and the All American Rejects.

We grabbed some friends and went for dinner at a nearby Thai restaurant.  I was still pretty full from lunch, so I only ate a little of my Massaman Curry with shrimp (with unpictured rice) and took the rest home.

A little while after we got home, however, I was hungry again, and dug right back into the take-out container   Ari and I went separate ways for dessert; I had a Double Chocolate Dream Vitamuffin with frozen cherries, Greek yogurt, and homemade almond milk.

Ari had Saltines with Nutella & peanut butter.

Nutella is made with skim milk, hazelnuts (healthy fat), and chocolate (antioxidants), so it’s practically a health food!

We had a little Domaine Lalande Pinot Noir (a gift from Howard on my last day of work), and watched Grey Gardens, which Caitlin had recommended.

It was a great night… I’m so happy he’s back!

I’m off to go cross-train, as my training schedule recommends.  What are your plans for the weekend? Enjoy it!

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Good morning! How are you today? It’s a blustery day so far here in the city, and I’m happy to say that the air conditioner is no longer running on its automatic circuit.  It seems like most of us have mixed feelings about birthdays, but… I think I’ve decided to be less of [...]]]>

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Good morning! How are you today? It’s a blustery day so far here in the city, and I’m happy to say that the air conditioner is no longer running on its automatic circuit.  It seems like most of us have mixed feelings about birthdays, but… I think I’ve decided to be less of a grinch and just enjoy seeing my friends and family, as usual.  Why not celebrate when you can?

Yesterday was another Fall-inspired breakfast: oats cooked with water and almond milk, topped with a small apple, pumpkin pie mix, and a scoop of peanut butter.

At work, fearing a grumbly tummy (I work in the same room as my boss) I took a water break and ate a Trek Mix bar in the reception area.

My mom and I were able to meet for lunch today, and dined at Baoguette, a chain of Vietnamese sandwich and noodle shops.

I ordered the Bu’n Fish, which was baked in spices and plopped on top a HUGE portion of noodles and pickled vegetables.  I ate so much, but still had at least a pound of leftovers to take home!

I went home, made some tea (which I promptly spilled all over myself and the floor), snacked on some chunks, and fell asleep.

I woke up just in time to shower before having to leave to meet my parents.  We were going to a play with at 7:00 curtain and weren’t going to eat dinner until it was over, so I made myself a Greek yogurt/ warmed Mangolicious blend/applesauce snack.

The play, called Is Life Worth Living?, was a revival of an Irish play from the 1930s.  We all really enjoyed it! The perfect way to kick of birthday season.  Ahem.

After the play, we went to John’s Pizzeria for a late dinner.  This was a hotspot when I was in elementary and middle school… almost everyone had birthday parties here.  I don’t think I’d been for 10 years!

We ordered a spinach salad with apples, blue cheese, walnuts, onions and olives to share:

We also split a large Margherita pizza with basil and onion.

I had two slices.

I haven’t ordered pizza in so long, and it felt so good. It was a really, really nice evening.  When I got home, I finished off the last of the coconut milk ice cream and topped it with frozen cherries and homemade almond milk. I love eating straight from the carton… it feels so naughty!

I also dug into some snail mail from a certain buddy who must know I’m obsessed with pugs…

… a special note from Miss Gliding Calm!

This girl sure knows how to brighten a day

Well, I’m off to go get my license renewed.  Don’t you just love the DMV?  A certain someone might be coming home today, too… I’ll give you one good guess.

Have a great day!

Breakfast yesterday was mighty fine: an Ezekiel English muffin [...]]]> Good morning and happy Saturday! I hope you’ve had a fabulous Friday night, and your weekend is off to a great start.  I let myself sleep in again today, giving myself a whopping 9.5 hours of sleep! I could get used to this

Breakfast yesterday was mighty fine: an Ezekiel English muffin with almond butter, 1/2 banana, cinnamon and honey. I also had a carton of O.N.E. coconut water that I found on sale, and some wake-me-up-it’s-Friday! coffee.

I must not have washed my hands well enough before putting in my contacts, because the cinnamon from my breakfast really burned me up!

I didn’t learn my lesson, though, and snacked on an apple with more cinnamon sprinkled on top a few hours later

I’d planned on spending a couple hours at the gym, but somehow the hours got away from me and it was already 2:00 by the time I suited up.  I really wasn’t in the mood for a run, and turned back around after five minutes.  I guess the Fates must have been telling me not to force myself to exercise, because it started pouring on my walk back home. Sometimes I just have to let myself not work our when I’m not feeling it.

Lunch was something I’ve been craving all week: Gina‘s Raw Pad Thai With Spicy Almond Butter Sauce. In place of the cucumber, I added some shredded carrots. It was delicious! Sweet, spicy, and filling.

Speaking of Gina, she recently revamped the look of Fitnessista, and is having some problems with Google Reader.  Please re-subscribe to Gina’s site so you can keep up with her amazing recipes, cute puppers, and sweet husband!

I also had a container of Liquiteria’s Royal Flush:  Pineapple, pear, aloe & ginger juice with their liver-kidney detox blend. This was delicious! Lightly sweet, with that ginger kick that I love so much.

The story behind this juice? A customer at the restaurant, after hearing me rave (a little longingly ) about Liquiteria, produced one from his tote bag and gave it to me! Who says New Yorkers are unfriendly?

After lunch, I did some housework then dodged raindrops as I hustled into the city to meet my little red-headed friend and our friend Danny for dinner.  We went to Lantern, a Thai restaurant I found when looking up BYOB restaurants in the Union Square area.  This ended up not being the case, but we still had a nice time.  (Clearly, I did not know this photo was being taken…)

The three of us decided to split everything.  We started with an appetizer trio (L-R): Golden chive patties made with rice flour in a sweet black soy dipping sauce; summer rolls with baby spinach, rice noodles, carrot, celery and a peanut-plum dipping sauce; and Lantern’s Angel- shrimp wrapped with crispy rice noodles in a honey-chili sauce.  Kalle and I let Danny have the bear’s portion of all of these… growing boys need their nutrients!

We split two entrées: Pad Thai with shrimp…

… and Massaman Curry (a peanut-y soup with chunks of potato and onion) with tofu.

I enjoyed each dish with a little steamed rice, and it was just the right amount of food for me.

We left the restaurant and headed to Brooklyn to check out Kalle’s new apartment and drink the bottle of wine I’d brought. Notice the frame on the left by Danny’s arm… it’s a picture of Kalle and me on prom night. MAYBE, if I’m feeling feisty, I’ll post some of those pictures later.

The wine we shared was a bottle of Orovales 2007 Rioja, a gift from my friend Howard. Here’s what Howard says about the wine: “The Orovales Rioja 2007 is pure Tempranillo, expertly crafted by Manuel Ruiz Pedreira. It was aged in American oak for 6 months. The 2007 vintage was a challenging one with difficult weather conditions; however, even though yields were down, quality was high with lovely concentrated fruit. The wine is a smooth, vanilla-scented, oak-aged red. The wine is near maturity but can be laid down for 1 to 2 years. It has medium tannin and should be had at 64 degrees Fahrenheit. It pairs well with beef, cheese and tomato-based pastas.”

We enjoyed the wine “solo”, but quickly went out to Yogo Monster for some frozen yogurt.  Wine must be had with dessert! I had a cup of Original Tart and Raspberry (both fat free), topped with coconut and fresh raspberries.  Nom!

Since Ari’s still away, I decided to spend the night at my parents’ house.  When I got there, even though it was after midnight and I was pretty full, I made myself a bowl of Puffins with a sprinkle of Mueslix, topped with blueberries.  I don’t know what it is, but in high school and college whenever I got home after a late night, I always had a bowl of cereal when I got home. I guess you just don’t mess with tradition.

I watched a little TV and fell asleep in a pool of mail and magazines.  Yes, I am a sloth sometimes

Good morning, everyone! Ready for Tuesday? I pressed snooze one too many times this morning, so I’m a little less prepared than I would have liked, but you can’t win ‘em all.

Yesterday, first thing in the morning, I popped a square of Amadei’s 70% [...]]]> For some reason this post didn’t go through this morning…

Good morning, everyone! Ready for Tuesday? I pressed snooze one too many times this morning, so I’m a little less prepared than I would have liked, but you can’t win ‘em all.

Yesterday, first thing in the morning, I popped a square of Amadei’s 70% Toscano Black chocolate.

This is apparently the way chocolate “should” be eaten, and I agree… having chocolate in the morning made me feel like a queen!

In terms of real “breakfast” food, I decided to break into my new stash of Amazing Grass. From the reviews I’ve read by other bloggers, the Grass can be a bit… strong, on its own, upon first taste.  I decided to play it safe and blended the Berry Green Superfood flavor with water and a banana.

Upon first taste, it was a little thin, so I added a scoop of chunky peanut butter.

It was perfect! I took my green smoothie outside, to enjoy it in its natural habitat

After breakfast, I hit the books for a few hours before work.  In the middle of my reading, I shared an apple with my interim boyfriend, Monster.

When I work, I try to keep myself on track and away from distractions the same way I do when I run. “In fifty pages I can have a snack…. When I get to the next chapter I can check my email….” (“In two minutes I can walk for thirty seconds…”)  When I could stand my hunger no longer, I broke for lunch.

I’ve had this package of Fantastic World Foods Spicy Thai Vegetarian Soup for-EVAH.  I bought it when I was still in school and have seriously carted it all over the place, thinking it would make a good, quick meal.  I even brought it with me to the Summit! (Sounds like a security blanket, hmm?)

I’m not a huge fan of packaged noodle soups, but these noodles are baked, not deep-fried, unlike conventional ramen soups. The nutritional profile is pretty good, too, and the ingredient list is short and comprehensive.

I bulked up the meal, making it LVP-friendly.

I took advantage of my leftover steamed kale and GC-tofu and stirred them into the soup.

Not bad! It did need a little more flavor, however, so I added some miso paste, Bragg’s, and Sriracha. Noodle-slurping good

Dessert was something really special.  I’ve been meaning to make Gena’s Lemon Chiffon pudding for a week, and I thought I deserved to have it on a Monday.  It was so, so good. Who would have thought avocado would make a good dessert? The lady’s a genius.

During work, I had an Amazing Grass Organic Green SuperFood Whole Food Energy Bar.

I reviewed this bar way back when, and still enjoyed it. I liked it more with every bite! I was paranoid that it was getting stuck in my teeth, though, so it took me over an hour to eat so I wouldn’t humiliate myself in front of the customers!

Ramón was in a ridiculously good mood yesterday, and said we could have whatever we wanted to eat! I went with the special salad (mixed greens, a sliver of avocado, apple, tomato, walnuts, and goat cheese), topped with…

GRILLED SHRIMP! I was a happy girl.

I stopped at a new frozen yogurt place, Yogurt Station (one of FOUR fro-yo places on St. Mark’s) and got a huge cup of nonfat peanut butter, chocolate, cake batter, and green tea. I went a little crazy with the toppings and added mango, mochi, Heath bar, and a chocolate-covered pretzel.

All that for $3.73! A gal’s gotta treat herself sometimes.

Have a great day!

Last night, I was shocked when Ari took me up on my offer to make him a breakfast cookie. Brace yourself for some majuh [...]]]> It has been a long, long Monday.  I hope you’ve had a great start to your week… it should be a short one, no? Any exciting Fourth of July plans?

Last night, I was shocked when Ari took me up on my offer to make him a breakfast cookie. Brace yourself for some majuh cheez: I made His & Hers cookies and coffee (I used almond milk in mine, on the left… for some reason it doesn’t turn the coffee as creamy).

As I mentioned last night, I had a LOT of reading to do today, so I packed myself up and headed into the city to work in a quieter spot.  When I got there, I was starting to get hungry again, and dug into the leftover rhubarb from over a week ago. It may have even been better today!

I worked for a little while before breaking for lunch.  My parents have both been away and I didn’t know how stocked the house would be, so I brought my own food with me.  I had a can of Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Minestrone Soup:

I also brought some fresh blubes with me:

And a container of TJ’s Organic Greek Style Nonfat honey-flavored yogurt.

Product Review: Trader Joe’s Organic Greek Style Nonfat Yogurt, Honey flavor

Nutrition facts, found here:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 container (150g)

Pros: The honey flavor was subtle and not overpowering, perfectly blended. The $1.19 price tag is pretty seductive, and it felt so good to go Greek again.

Cons: While it was creamy and thick, it wasn’t nearly as thick as Fage/ Chobani/ Oikos.

Would I buy this again? Yes. Again, the price is much better than the aforementioned Greeks.  Honey was the only flavor of this they had, but I’m curious to try the others. Overall, I’d give it a B+.

I ate topped the yogurt with blueberries, and ate the rest of the carton throughout the afternoon.  (My parents also had half a carton in the fridge, while I gobbled up, too… I don’t know what it is with me and finger-fruits, but once I pop I just can’t stop!)

Product Review: Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Minestrone Soup

Nutrition Facts (found here):
Serving Size: 1 can (10.75 oz)

Pros: I always have a hard time just eating half the can, so I liked how small this was.  It was hearty but not too filling, thick but still had enough flavor for me to taste each ingredient.

Cons: I ended up having to add salt and sriracha sauce to it, defeating the “low sodium” purpose.

Would I buy this again? Yes! It’s handy and portable, and didn’t weigh down my purse like a regular-sized (15-16 oz) can.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading on the couch with Charley, who looks more like a mop than a poodle right now.  But ain’t he cute?

I don’t know who perked up more when UPS dropped this package outside, but Charley and I made it to the door at the same time.  My PB2 arrived!

I can’t wait to try this out.  Knowing I’d be carrying these in my bag tonight, I didn’t want to open the packages. I used some of our Co-Op crunchy peanut butter when I made my toasted PB&J snack instead.

After working some more, I did something totally un-food related. I used Smooth Away! There have been ads all over for this recently so I figured I’d try it out.  It’s marketed as a “pain free” hair removal kit suitable for men and women alike.

Product Review: Smooth Away

Each kit comes with:

• 1 large applicator
• 1 small applicator
• 5 large replacement strips
• 5 small replacement strips
• travel case

Pros: You don’t have to get in the shower to use this (although you are supposed to wet your legs and then dry them first), so if you only have to shave your legs you don’t have to don’t have to go through with the whole shebang.  I’m also the person who still, after 10 years of shaving, nicks myself almost every time I use a razer. No risk of that with this!  Smooth Away also exfoliates dead skin cells; I have really dry legs which cause additional problems when I shave. After “smoothing,” my legs were smooth without any dry skin.

Cons: You can’t do this if you only have 10 minutes, because it takes a LONG time. You have to Smooth in patches, so it takes a while to make your way through each leg.

Would I buy this again? Yes, but I’ll probably keep a razor on hand anyway for when I’m in a rush.

When my parents got home from work, we went to Sura for dinner.  I started with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc:

My dad got a tall glass of fresh lychee lemonade, which tasted like the cocktails in Berlin. So refreshing! I’m getting this next time.

We ordered the appetizer sampler to share: Boston Lettuce Wraps with young ginger, shallot, roasted peanuts and toasted coconut; Coconut-Crusted Prawns with mixed greens and sweet chili sauce; and Virgin Summer Rolls with marinated tofu, carrot, jicama, glass noodles, sweet basil and horseradish peanut plum sauce.

We split two entrées three ways- Jumbo prawns in rice vermicelli noodles with scallions and mushrooms:

And a classic: Pad Thai with shrimp and tofu.  I haven’t had “real” Pad Thai in so long… it was worth it!

I had a little of each dish…

… and went back for another shrimp and a few Pad Thai noodles.

For dessert, I had a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich at home.  It tasted like the freezer, but it was still good!

My dad was nice enough to drive me home (for some reason I always end up with extra bags filled with stuff whenever I go home), and a little while after I got there, Ari’s sister brought over the newest member of our household:

Yes, we now have a Slap Chop.  Prepare yourselves.

Tomorrow’s going to be a long day… I’m going to try to squeeze in a workout before my internship, but I have a feeling the Snooze button will get the better of me.  Thanks for all your input on sleep… as my mom pointed out, it seems like a lot of you get to bed early! Kudos, and I hope to join you in that schedule soon!

Bonne nuit

Hey hey hey and happy Fri-dizzle!  Hope your weekend is shaping up nicely.  I’m headed to Maryland for the weekend… not sure what the blogging/internet situation will be, but as always, you will never be far from my mind.

Last night I stayed up [...]]]> *For some reason this didn’t post last night… sorry about that!

Hey hey hey and happy Fri-dizzle!  Hope your weekend is shaping up nicely.  I’m headed to Maryland for the weekend… not sure what the blogging/internet situation will be, but as always, you will never be far from my mind.

Last night I stayed up pretty late reading, so I got a little hungry and ate an apple.

Jim made a reappearance this morning at breakfast… I think he was channeling Jack the Pumpkin King.

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 banana
• 2 tsp skim milk
• 1 tsp PB
• 1 tsp black raspberry jelly
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
• face: orange smile, dried apricot eyes, pecan nose

I had a doctor’s appointment and they kept me waiting for a while, so I whipped out some trail mix and ate it in the waiting room.  A good girl is always prepared!

I got hit with a horrible wave of exhaustion after my appointment; I picked up a hazelnut iced coffee with skim and sugar and it helped a little.

The internet was a little ornery this morning so I couldn’t check to see what Day 3 of Gina‘s Summer Shape-Up was, but I remembered that it was some kind of cardio interval training so I hopped on the elliptical and alternated between levels 10 and 15, in 1-minute intervals, for 30 minutes with a 5 minute cooldown.  I also did one ab machine. Thankfully, my heart rate monitor decided to work today:

Total time: 39:22 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 176 (88%)

Average heart rate: 151 (76%)

Calories burned: 357

I snacked on an apple on the way out of the gym:

It was already 3:30 by the time I got home. While I was pounding away on the elliptical (and trying not to fall asleep on the subway), I came up with a serious crack wrap remix:

I smeared some Hummus Palace hummus on a one half of a whole wheat HP pita, and topped it with some extra sharp NY cheddar.

I smooshed the top of the pita on and heated both sides until they started to brown.

Then I pried open the sandwich, and plopped a pre-toasted Amy’s California Veggie Burger between the layers.

Holy Yum. Look at that ooze!  I enjoyed it with some leftover spicy mint pesto and hot sauce.

For dessert, I had two Fig Newtons and a three-hour nap.

My mom treated me to a nice Thai dinner at Sura.  The price is unbelievable and the food is delicious! For $12, we shared an appetizer trio: coconut shrimp, “Virgin” Thai summer roll, and seaweed-crusted tofu.

We also split the Almond-Crusted Trout with Rice-Noodle and Papaya salad.

All that was only $24! New York is expensive, but it’s definitely possible to find delicious and beautifully-prepared food that won’t break the bank.

When I got home, I had a mango with Fage 0%.  When I was younger I used to get a rash all over my face every time I ate mango! (I always did it anyway ).

I also wanted some chocolate, so I broke out the bar my friend Carlye brought me back from Russia, oh, six months ago! (Remember the FOR MEN chocolate?!)

It got a little melty on the drive home from Minnesota, but it still tasted like pure Ruskie heaven.

Well, almost time to go and I have to make sure I didn’t forget anything.  I always forget something big, like my glasses, and end up sleeping in my contacts for days on end!

Have a great weekend