Lilveggiepatch » pumpkin

Briefly Noted

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:27:03 +0000

In favor of extra sleep, I postponed the two miles I was supposed to run yesterday and ran them this morning instead. This was the first real run since Thursday- I’m not counting that one mile blip on Sunday- and I expected the days off to give my knees (and mind) some time to rest. Unfortunately… after a mile, my right knee started hurting and hurt for the rest of the day. No amount of icing or Aleve seems to be making it better. So, in the next week and a half, I’ll be taking it easy, trying to cross-train to keep up my endurance, and come race day (March 21), we’ll see where I am. If I can’t run the half-marathon, I’m not going to beat myself up about it. Sound good?

Not too much has happened these past two days, but I did receive a lovely package in the mail from the lovely Amie! These mini Larabars are the perfect snack-size…

… and made a great addition to my breakfast this morning, which I had to eat at my desk due to an 8 AM dentist appointment.

I mixed 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup water in the microwave, then added a sliced banana, 1/2 packet of Justin’s PB, and a Coconut Cream Pie mini Larabar.

This was one of the best combinations I’ve had in a long time! It’s funny, because in the past I don’t remember liking this flavor of Larabar too much. I might have to buy a big one just to crumble into my breakfast!

Amie also sent me a bunch of tea, which is going to come in really handy at work. It may be getting warm outside, but my office is freezing!

After work I met Ada for dinner at Peacefood Cafe; we’ve been trying to make plans for over a month now, and it was so nice to finally get together again! I ordered the pumpkin sandwich mashed and seasoned with a little sea salt, ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil, topped with caramelized onions, ground walnuts, vegan goat cheese and seasonal greens (which I’ve ordered before and could probably eat every week without getting bored of it). We were talking so much that it probably took about 45 minutes to eat!

We split two desserts. The choices were endless and incredibly difficult to settle on, but we both enjoyed our selections.

The coconut cake (or “Funny Bone”) was moist and light…

… and the magic cookie tasted like a magic bar (/ 7-layer bar/ hello dolly) but was also made with shredded carrots. Mmm!

Regular posting will continue tomorrow. I had high hopes of staying up late to work, but I can barely keep my head up! All I want to do is sleep… have a great night.

Call me Lil’ Veg-Out

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:36:33 +0000

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement about the running situation… as of now, I’m still planning to run the half-marathon on the 21st, but I’m going to take it one day at a time.

This morning I had some things to do before work so I woke up at 5, headed to the gym for 30 minutes on the elliptical, and came home to git ‘er done. I had a delicious breakfast cookie waiting for me when I got home; I made a similar mixture last week and it was so good that I had to try it again!

1/3 cup oats
1/2 mashed banana
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
splash skim milk
1 tbsp chocolate PB2
1 tsp chia seeds
toppings: goji berries, Greek yogurt, pumpkin, dried fig, agave

I brought an orange and apple to work… I’m always paranoid about my apples being too noisy, so today I sliced it beforehand. Did the trick!

I also had a slice of Gluten Free Bran bread… I love more each time I have some! This recipe is a keeper.

My lunch salad did a good job of cleaning out the fridge…

In the mix:

mixed greens
steamed broccoli
celery
grape tomatoes
goji berries
dried cranberries
TJ’s Vegetable Marsala burger (I missed these!)
Goddess dressing (mixed in at work)

Danielle had bought a package of Lemon Poppyseed Heart Thrive bars and wasn’t a fan, so she gave me the remaining bar. I love these! They were great snacks when I was in Russia, and just as good today.

Dinner required little planning, but worked out perfectly.

I made SELF’s Creamy Lemon Shrimp, halving the recipe and making a few substitutions:

Greek yogurt in place of plain yogurt/ sour cream
celery in place of chives
agave in place of sugar
spinach in place of arugula

It may not look so pretty, but I really enjoyed this! It was healthy, voluminous, and filled me right up.

I packed half for lunch tomorrow; I love when I don’t have to think about what to prepare for the next day.

Dessert was Banana Soft Serve with a melted square of Bakers chocolate.

A superoon may have also sneaked its way in

Off to watch Gossip Girl! It’s a lovely, lazy night. Have a great one.

Cheerleaders

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:05:18 +0000

You guys are officially the best cheerleaders a girl could have. Thank you so much for all of the advice and words of encouragement about my sore knee. One of the things I love about being a food/health+fitness blogger is meeting other like-minded people who have been in similar situations. You’re a wealth of information! I’d like to share some of your comments:

Ada says: Try icing it and definitely see a sports doctor if it doesn’t improve within the next few days since he or she can give you exercises to strengthen it.

Heather says: Pain – I am lucky that I don’t have any long-term injuries, but I think like you said there’s discomfort and pain. I think it’s important not to run through pain and make something worse or do some permanent damage. I ran my second half with hip … discomfort I guess. I ran it because the feeling was not any worse than it was when walking. Probably dumb, but I am okay now. Follow Ada’s advice and rest it for a few days and then see. Three weeks is plenty of time to get all better & strong.

Anna says: Don’t push it!!! It’s not worth risking permanent damage to your knees (and never running again) just for one race. Could you see a doctor about it?

Tinabear says: 1.) how is your form? there should be a distinction between running (smooth strides, fully lifting your feet, landing each step and pushing off with the ball of your foot rather than the middle or heel)and the point where you’re trying to get mileage in. Form is a HUGE part of staying injury free, and if you get to the point where you’re shuffling or dragging to try and get through, STOP.

2.) stay steady: this ties in with #1. i know you’re running from a set plan, but from my experience it’s much better to increase gradually, with fairly consistent mileage. it works SO much better to run 3 miles every day, then maybe 4 or 5 for a long day, than running 2 miles avg. and 6 or 7 for a long day. after a few weeks you should be stronger and able to increase to 4 miles on average, with a 6 or 7 long run. You should be able to run SMOOTHLY during the entire run- when you’re form starts to break, you should slow down, and if that doesn’t work, try to make your shorter runs a little faster to build up endurance.

3.) check the soles of your shoes: if there’s excessive wear on the sides, heel, or anywhere other than where the ball of your foot would rest, then you need to A.) go to a running shoe store and see if they have any advice (some shoes are better for different running types, ex. a stability based shoe for those who overpronate)
B.) work to fix your form- it might be something as simple as lengthening your stride.

4.) Find a physical therapist/someone specifically for running rather than a normal doctor: every single time i’ve met with a normal doctor they’ve either given me textbook advice (stuff you could google) or they’ve given be bad advice (one doctor lengthened a simple injury, another suggested that i give up running for longer than a month, when all i needed was some tape)

5.) AVOID TREADMILLS- these kill form, and the only times i’ve ever been injured it was because of running on treadmills or increasing mileage too quickly.

I kind of hate how much people emphasize distance running as “just getting through” with a large amount of mileage. It’s so much better to gradually build up mileage, racing at distances that suit your current level of running comfort. The point of racing used to be pushing yourself to go faster, not longer…

Melissa says: i had knee pain start only a week before my 1/2 marathon at the end of january and didn’t know what to do. i basically stayed off of it that entire week and took the race at a more leisure pace and if my knee hurt, i would stop. pushing past pain like that is never good and can only lead to longer and even worse problems in the future. i suggest taking some time off, making sure to ice, massage and ice massage (freeze water in dixie cups and use them to massage your knee) and not do any sort of knee bearing exercises. sounds hard and sucks, but it does pay off. i haven’t been running much since my injury and a month later it’s feeling great!

The list goes on. I encourage you to go back and read through the comments if you’re having similar issues with your knees, or just need a little extra support if you’re on the fence and trying to decide whether or not to push it. I know what I need to do: stretch, ice, rest, strength train. Seriously, I don’t know how I got out of the habit of doing this last one, especially after all of the hours I logged at the physical therapist’s! There are many exercises (including the Clam Shells that Leslie highlighted) that I can do while lying in bed, so I WILL DO THEM.

Thanks again… you really are the best

Yesterday I found a new brand of pumpkin in the store. It tastes just like Libby’s, but is slightly cheaper at $2.19/28 oz. I do like a good bargain!

This morning I made a big, belly-busting batch of oatmeal.

For work, I packed an orange, apple, strawberry yogurt, and leftover stew.

I also had a Thai Peanut Primal Strip…

… and an Apple Clif C bar.

I like that these are easy to break apart, under 150 calories, and only $.99 at Whole Foods like other Clif/Luna products. I do wish the sea salt flavor was present, or that the apple had a little tartness.

After work, I met my parents for dinner at Lime Leaf, a Thai/continental restaurant on the Upper West Side. Right after we ordered, we were brought out these little rice puff crackers with peanut sauce.

We split two appetizers: Tofu + Veggie Curry Puffs…

…and (spicy) Mushroom Ravioli.

For my entrée, I ordered Green Coconut Curry with tofu, vegetables, pineapple, basil and chili.

I ate half with jasmine rice, packed the rest up for lunch, and had a few bites of my dad’s Tofu Pad Thai.

After dinner, we walked next door for dessert at The Lite Choice. I used my punchcard from the tour to get us free cups! We each had almond butter; my dad and I both added chocolate chips.

When I got home, Ari and I tried to watch Willow, but I fell right asleep because I’d been up since 5. I was supposed to run 2 miles this morning but I decided to sleep and either go tonight when I get home or tomorrow morning instead, depending on how my knee is feeling.

I think we’re going to venture out to get bagels before work… I’ve been having such a craving for good lox and cream cheese! Have a great day

Diary of a Snackerton

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:56:37 +0000

4:55 AM GAH! What time is it? Squint in vain trying to read clock. Should have located glasses before removing contacts… which I remind myself every morning.

5:01 AM WHY am I awake?!

5:08 AM May as well get up and go to the gym…

5:48 AM My brain (and calves) are not having any of this. Why did I want to run a half-marathon again?

6:20 AM Done! 6 miles in 58 minutes. I really don’t feel like working my abs right now… okay, maybe just a few sit-ups.

6:38 AM Breakfast!

Rye Bread with SmartBeat and honey; 0% Fage with diced apple, pumpkin, peanut butter and agave.

7:05 AM Post iHerb giveaway. (Have you entered?)

7:5 AM Is there any point in straightening my hair if it’s snowing out? Only if I don’t want to look like a broom.

8:38 AM “Ladies and gentlemen, we are being held by the dispatcher because of the train traffic ahead of us. Please be patient.” This always happens when the weather is a little off…

8:53 AM “Ladies and gentlemen, we are being held by the dispatcher because of the train traffic ahead of us. Please be patient.” Key heart palpitations.

9:02 AM Made it!

9:50 AM Starving already?! Hello, orange!

10:25 AM Hungry again already?!

10:38 AM Apparently.

What, you don’t eat jerky before 11?

11:50 AM Lunch is going to be a little later than usual today… apple time.

12:30 PM Oof. Too much fiber…

1:20 PM Trek out into the slush and rain to meet…

1:30 PM Ilena and Eileen!

Eileen treated us to lunch at FreeFoods NYC, Matthew Kenney’s midtown restaurant. I’ve been here once before with Ilena, but it was such a treat to be able to meet for lunch in the middle of a workday! I ordered the Chopped Mexican salad with red chili chips, avocado, black beans, jicama, chopped tomato, cilantro, white corn, goat gouda, tomato-chili dressing.

Ilena gave me a small bite of her vegan hazelnut-white chocolate blondie. Mmm!

Thanks again for lunch, Eileen and Ilena!

2:15 PM Dodge puddles and raindrops on the way back to work while thinking about smuggling a space heater into my office.

3:59 PM Tiiiired. Hungry? Tired. Hungry.

This is Clif’s answer to the Larabar. It’s gluten-free, 70% organic and made with dried fruit, nuts and sea salt. I was pretty excited when I found these in stores the other day! Today I tried the blueberry flavor. It has two layers: dates on the bottom, blueberries on the top. The dates have an almost cakey texture that I loved. I was expecting to see (and taste) big grains of sea salt, which I think would have made the bar a little more interesting. It was still pretty good though, and I’d buy it again.

4:52 PM Canceled plans with Leslie Darn “snowicane”! I miss you, L!

5:12 PM Head back into the freezing rain, plunge my foot ankle-deep into a dirty, icy puddle, but get home in one piece.

5:59 PM Ari is starving, orders Thai. I’m still pretty full from all of my snackage, but we share fresh vegetable rolls. Rather, he takes one bite and proclaims, “I do not like these!” and I eat the rest.

6:27 PM Finish watching Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (loved, and am now in love with Marisa Tomei)… it’s only taken me five days to watch.

7:40 PM Make a batch of Annie’s mac & cheese with a can of salmon, Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge, chili flakes, salt, pepper and nooch. Have possibly been daydreaming about this all day. (Ari gagged when he smelled it.)

8:15 PM Break out The Lite Choice‘s Hazelnut Fudge soft serve while watching Glee.

8:27 PM There’s not that much left in the carton… I should probably go finish it. So I do.

9:02 PM Grey’s Anatomy is a re-run My night of vegging will now consist of lying horizontal, soothing my food baby. Life is pretty exciting, let me tell ya!

Have a great night

Restaurant Week and Morning Pancakes

admin — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:18:16 +0000

Hi there, long-lost friends! I am so, so sorry I disappeared for a bit; there was literally no down time for me to post. The past few nights I’ve gotten home after midnight; Thursday I went to a variety show with Paul Rudd (sadly anticlimactic; he hardly said anything!) and last night I went to a delicious Restaurant Week dinner (read on!) then out for drinks after. I’ve been a busy girl!

I haven’t been able to get enough of this banana/pumpkin/peanut butter oatmeal combination. No lemon curd this time, but still so good!

Ari happened on a cute little cafe in Tribeca called Cosmopolitan Cafe. The walls are made of old wood paneling, and it’s lined with books. The space was the first Lady’s Waiting Room in New York! There was a little sign by our table that said the cafe is a place to read, write and enjoy. No laptops, please! I wanted something simple, so I just got a tuna melt. Sorry for the low lighting!

We went for a Tasti nightcap… dare I say I enjoy The Lite Choice more?!

Last night, my family and Caitlin’s went to I Trulli for Restaurant Week. It was trulli fabulous. We started out with a Southern Italian white wine that my dad picked.

They served focaccia with the freshest, fluffiest ricotta cheese spread I have ever had.

For my appetizer, I ordered the burrata: creamy centered cheese with puntarelle salad.

My mom and I split two entrées: cavatelli: Pugliese Flour Dumplings, Broccoli Rabe and Toasted Almonds (the almonds were such a good touch!)…

… and spada: Swordfish Gratinato, Dora’s Braised Kale, Bottarga. Both were delicious, but the swordfish almost melted in my mouth. MMM.

For dessert, I had one of the best-and most interesting-things I’ve ever tasted. Fichi d’India : Cactus Pear Parfait. It was layered with what tasted like tapioca made with condensed milk. Heaven on earth. It came with a lacy honey cookie.

Total foodgasm. Two RW meals in one week? Big success!

This morning I got up late (even by my new standards) and made pancakes for breakfast using the Multi-Grain Baking & Cooking Mix I got at Trader Joe’s, oh, six months ago. I decided to make His & Hers pancakes; I made Ari’s with the recipe on the back of the box, and made my Pumpkin Chia Pancakes for myself.

Pumpkin Chia Pancakes

Serves 1-2

1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Multigrain Baking & Pancake Mix (or other whole grain mix)
1 tbsp flax meal
1/4 cup skim milk
3 tbsp pumpkin puree
2 tsp chia seeds

Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Coat pre-heated pan with cooking spray and pour batter (amount depends on how big you want your pancakes to be) in pan. Once edges begin to set, flip with a spatula and cook until both sides are slightly golden.

I topped my pancakes with cottage cheese and agave, and ate them with a side of tempeh bacon.

At the last minute, I added 1/2 a banana to the mix. Make these now! They are so, so good.

Ari would like you to know that his breakfast was also “Part of A Complete Breakfast.” He liked the tempeh bacon, but said it had no right to masquerade as the real thing.

I’m off to the ballet. Check in tomorrow for a race re-cap!

Have a safe and lovely evening

Visit From A Fairy

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:15:21 +0000

The macaroon fairy, that is! More on that to come…

This morning I had the best of intentions: my alarm went off at 5:30, and I had my clothes all laid out with my bag packed and ready to go… but I slept horribly last night and I just couldn’t push myself through the fatigue. An hour and a half more sleep proved much more beneficial to my body today, although I’m still exhausted right now!

As promised, I made my new favorite bowl of oatmeal.

1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
cinnamon
stevia
pumpkin butter
lemon curd
pumpkin
chunky peanut butter

For some reason my breakfasts haven’t been holding me over too well recently… I would guess it’s because I’ve been working out a lot, but I feel like in the past when I’ve boosted my mileage I was usually able to wait a little longer than two hours after eating! In addition, even though the races I trained for were for shorter distances than the half I’m training for now, I was running almost every day and ended up logging more miles than I am currently. So, it’s a conundrum!

In any event, I brought an apple and orange to work.

My mom met me for lunch at Le Pain Quotidien.

We split a bowl of vegan spinach soup to start…

I ordered the Smoked Salmon Salad with arugula, roasted beets, vegetables, goat cheese dressing and bread (I ate half of a slice of baguette, lightly buttered).

I’m so lucky to live in the same place as my parents. These mid-week visits are so lovely!

Later in the afternoon, I snacked on a Cranberry Nut Forze bar.

This reminded me of a combination Kashi Trail Mix Bar and Rice Krispie Treat. It was pretty sweet, but I liked it. Now that I’ve tried all four flavors, I’m ready to give you my bottom line. I like that these bars taste like treats, but don’t have the kinds of chemicals and additives that their counterparts do (like, say, a real Rice Krispie Treat or an Oreo granola bar). I also like that they aren’t a caloric commitment; at 150 calories, this bar is more of an appropriate snack than a 300+ calories energy bar when I need a little boost in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. Would I buy these? Probably, especially now that I know they’re sold at The Vitamin Shoppe, where I have a rewards card!

After work, I met Lisa for dinner at Blockheads. I think this is our new spot!

I started with a Modelo, but I was so enamored with Lisa’s “Red Nose Bull” (a Corona upturned in a frozen margarita) that I forgot to snap a photo. But it sure was cool and refreshing! I ordered the same dinner as last time: a mini Vegetable Burrito (and by “mini” I mean the size of my forearm) with brown rice, black beans, sautéed vegetables and salsa in a whole wheat wrap with tofu sour cream.

Eating out twice in one humpday? Unheard of!

I went home to the best dessert, courtesy of The Macaroon Fairy, Miss Gina.

I’ve dreamed of Gina’s raw macaroons for so long, and these were even better than I could have imagined.

She sent two kinds: plain ‘roon (although it was far from it!) and super’oon (cacao nibs, maca, goji berries. I can’t pick a favorite. Luckily I have a few more left to ponder! I gave a couple to Danielle at work, who also gave them two enthusiastic thumbs up. Gina, you’re a genius! Thank you so much

Tomorrow morning I will get up at 5:45 to log my 6 miles; I’m going to a special event tomorrow night so there won’t be any other time to do it. My iPod is loaded with fresh ‘tunes, so I can do it!

Have a great night

The Dessert Plate and One Year Ago Today!

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:25:46 +0000

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!

Hi all. I have not been the busiest of bees since last I wrote… which means I’m sort of in “cruch time” mode and this is going to be a bit of a quickie.

I tried my last True Delights flavor today: Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry.

Ingredients

WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, DRIED SWEETENED CRANBERRIES (SUGAR, CRANBERRIES), CORN SYRUP, CRISP RICE (RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, MALT EXTRACT, SALT), INFUSED DRIED CHERRIES (RED TART CHERRIES, SUGAR, RED TART CHERRY JUICE), CASHEWS, BROWN SUGAR, HONEY, OLIGOFRUCTOSE, SUNFLOWER OIL, INVERT SUGAR, GLYCERIN, COCONUT OIL, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF FRUCTOSE, SEA SALT, SORBITOL, SUGAR, WATER, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, VANILLA EXTRACT, MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL MIXED TOCOPHEROLS (ANTIOXIDANT), WHEY, SODIUM CASEINATE.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 140

Total Fat: 3.5g, Saturated Fat 1g

Carbohydrates: 24g, 3g Fiber

Protein: 2g

This bar was very sweet. A little salt would improve the flavor a lot, but then again I like my trail mix (this tastes very trail mix-y to me) to be both sweet and salty. It’s not as much of a pleasure to chew as the other two flavors were. Overall, the bar is still good, but I probably wouldn’t buy it myself.

Other Quaker True Delights bars I have reviewed:

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond

Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut

I’ve been having a bit of a love affair with Veganomicon recently. Tonight, I made my own version of Terry & Isa’s Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe With Rotelle.

Take some tempeh and cook it up with some spices…

Add a little braised spinach…

Toss it with pasta and voila! Delicious and healthful meal.

I don’t have time right now to type out the recipe, but if you’d like it, let me know and I’ll put it up as soon as I can.

For my “pre-dessert,” I took Sarah’s advice and had some frozen grapes. Amazing! It was like the perfect tart and sweet ice cream, but as finger food. How have I been living without this for so long? I just packed up the rest of the box and froze them, too. Yummy!

I’ll probably have a little chocolatey something while I study a little later. And maybe some tea. With caffeine. This Patch is T-I-R-E-D.

I just started listening to a new audiobook that my dad gave me for Christmas. It’s a book called I See You Everywhere, by one of our favorite authors, Julia Glass. What do you listen to in the car?

Night night!

February 2nd, 2009 | Tags: dinner, fruit, granola, grapes, pasta, product review, snack, spinach, tempeh, vegan | Category: Uncategorized | Edit this post

Guess Who I Found?

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:21:29 +0000

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:

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!

Family Dinner

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:41:01 +0000

It’s been quite the productive day, if I do say so myself!

I was up at 8:30 on my own and was anxious to get the day going. Now that I don’t have as much free time as I used to, I don’t like to waste any of it! I had a quick, scrumptious pumpkin cake to start the day on a good note.

canned pumpkin (last dregs of the last can… must restock ASAP before they leave stores!)
egg whites
1 tsp TJ’s pumpkin butter
0% Fage Greek yogurt
1 tbsp flaxy pb
1 tsp lemon curd
agave nectar
cinnamon
nutmeg

After breakfast I made a meal plan for the week, then went out to shop for it. Although I went to four stores, I got most of my groceries not at the expensive health food store, but in the ethnic aisle of my local supermarket! Get a load of this hot ticket:

That would be Coconut Oil from Guyana. If I had purchased a similar item at aforementioned health food store, it would have cost me $15. This little guy was $2.49! What’s the most interesting food item you’ve found where you were least expecting it?

I spent the rest of the morning making a few lunches for the week; I’m going to be out at least two nights so lunch will be one less thing I’ll have to worry about. Despite a gloomy forecast, it was beautiful out and still early in the day so I decided to go for a run. It was great! I really needed to get outside and breathe fresh air, see living trees (we have a fake plant in our bedroom), and just go. It was a success!

Total distance: 4.5 miles

Total time: 42:19 minutes

When I got back I did a quick ab series, then made lunch. Hugh dropped by, too!

In the mix:

curly-leaf kale
spinach
carrots
celery
tempeh bacon (finally found it!)
grape tomatoes
goji berries, soaked to plump
dried cranberries
pumpkin seeds
Rosemary Quackers
agave/rice vinegar/soy sauce/toasted sesame oil/sesame/salt/pepper vinaigrette

I made some of Mama Pea’s Vegan Energy Bars to put in my desk at work…

… which had to be sampled to make sure it was good, off course. It was

I got into bed to read for work nap, and woke up hankering for a crisp Fuji apple. (Recycled photo alert!)

Ilana, Christine and I had the first of many Family Dinners tonight, served pot-luck style.

“I’m cooking!”

We sipped probiotic cocktails…

Ilana made delicious green beans, mushrooms, and broccolini using a family friend’s trusted recipe.

Christine made a refreshing veggie-full salad with mixed greens, green + red pepper, grape tomatoes an scallions.

She also made vegetarian chili + cornbread!

We certainly did not go hungry; we feasted like queens! Everything was delicious, and I’ll be very happy to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

For desesrt, I made the same vegan chocolate mousse that Dynise (the Urban Vegan) made at the cooking demonstration on Saturday. It’s so easy: 3 ingredients, and it only takes 5 minutes!

My food baby (Claude) is quite content tonight

I’ve been having trouble fitting my huge metal water bottle into my purse to bring to work every day; Christine found these genius collapsible, BPA-free and environmentally friendly water bottles. Look how cool they are!

I’ll let you know how I like them.

Please excuse me while I take my time catching up on your e-mail questions… I’m a little behind. Off to do some reading for work… hope to be asleep by 12!

Have a great night

Late Night For This Old Biddy

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:36:55 +0000

David Letterman: Help In HaitiEvening! This is going to be a quickie; it’s already after 10 and I still have to shower, read, and get a decent night’s sleep! I’ve gotten spoiled with my early bedtime, and it’s hard for me to pass it.

Last night I tried to stay awake and watch a live steam of The Upwelling‘s show in Nashville, but I didn’t factor in the time change and fell asleep way before 2 AM. Sorry lovebug! This morning I woke up, naturally, at 6 AM. I was still exhausted, but decided to get out of bed and start the day. I did a light 25 minutes of yoga, then had oatmeal in bed.

1/2 cup oatmeal made with 1/2 cup water
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 banana
pumpkine
2 chopped prunes
almond butter
cinnamon
Stevia

Unfortunately as soon as I turned on CNN, I was bombarded with the news of the earthquake in Haiti. I had actually learned of the devastation in Port-au-Prince last night, when Jen tweeted about it (terrible that Twitter is now my primary evening news source). David Letterman tells you how you can help:

David Letterman- Haiti Aid

It’s strange to move on to a regular food blog post after something like this, but the show must go on, as they say. We were pretty busy at work today; I snacked on an apple in between projects (and saved the yogurt for lunch). I think Fuji’s are my new favorite! I’ve always been a Gala girl, but I really like the tartness now.

I packed a nice big salad for lunch.

In the mix:

Trader Joe’s Champs-Elysée blend
1/3 block tempeh
1/3 mango
grape tomatoes
One Lucky Duck Rosemary Quackers
Trader Joe’s Goddess Dressing

I ate lunch with my friend Danielle, who tried her first piece of tempeh! I think she was won over by the texture.

The rest of the day was sort of a blur, in a go!go!go! kind of way. I ended up having to stay later than usual and rushing out of the office at 5:45 to make a 6:00 wine-and-cheese appointment with my friend Caitlin at George and Judy’s. Luckily I’d snacked on an orange beforehand, because my hunger was fierce!

George and Judy had a great selection of cheeses, including Cowgirl Creamery! I had this the last time I was over, and it was just as good as I remembered.

We also had glasses of delicious red wine.

After our appetizers, Caitlin and I hustled over to The Flea Market Café just in time to make the cut off of their prix fixe deal. For $16, you get two courses and a glass of wine. Who says you can’t eat cheaply in New York?! We started with bread and French butter…

… and ordered the exact same thing: red wine (unpictured), mixed greens with shallot vinaigrette…

… and pistachio-crusted salmon with vegetables sautéed in lemon. It was perfect! I ate every scrap

After dinner, we walked a couple blocks to 16 Handles, my former home away from home. I loaded up my cup with frozen yogurt and toppings. Tyra Banks had the same idea and seemed very excited about DIY fro-yo as well. (She got banana, and expertly pumped the handle while looking as fabulous as ever.)

That’s all for now. It’s almost the weekend, and you know what that means…