Lilveggiepatch » salads

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.

Passion and Failure

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:49:16 +0000

Morning and happy Monday! I hope you’ve had a fabulous weekend. From what I’ve been reading, it seems that Spring has sprung around the world! It was nice and sunny yesterday, and although I didn’t spend as much time outdoors as I would have liked, I’m looking forward to taking some nice walks this week before the weather goes to pots again.

Yesterday I woke up nice and early to have breakfast with Beth and Ilana, and Pickles.

We had a nice little spread! (The Yellow Tail stayed in its bag, don’t worry.)

I was gearing up for a 12 mile run, so I had a big bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch with a banana and 1/2 slice of Blueberry bread with peanut butter.

After breakfast, I waited about an hour to head out. As I Tweeted, I was pretty nervous about it. Luckily I had a great support system to cheer me on!

Unfortunately, 12 miles just wasn’t in the cards. As soon as I started running my calves felt tight, my left shin was sore and my legs just felt heavy. Discomfort aside, my head was not in the right place. I was in a pretty bad mood, and while sometimes running outdoors helps me focus on something else and clear my head, this wasn’t the case today. After about a mile of trying to psych myself up and get into my groove, I knew it wasn’t going to work. Rather than torture myself, I turned right around and walked home. My mind was racing, worried about the half-marathon that is in two weeks: I couldn’t even run 9 miles last week due to pain, so how am I going to run 13.1?! This was supposed to be my last long run before starting to taper, and I couldn’t even do it.

That got me thinking. This is supposed to be fun. The only person I’m running for is me (…right?) and it hasn’t been enjoyable for the last few weeks, with a few exceptions. Instead, it’s become a stressful chunk of time that I usually feel guilty about not using for work and the passion that originally incited me to start this series of races has died. Moreover, since I choose to broadcast a lot of my life through various mediums on the internet, I felt embarrassed about not being able to complete this goal. Yesterday I felt like a failure, and it was a horrible, horrible feeling.

There are a few things I have been lucky enough to feel truly passionate about (reading, cooking, running) but recently they’ve felt more stressful than fun, and I’ve found myself procrastinating doing the things that I used to love. What’s with that? “Failures” are usually learning experiences, and I would love to learn a little more about myself while I evaluate:

1) Why it’s important for me to run long distances, and

2) Why my brain and head seem to be rebelling against it.

What is clear to me is that something needs to change. I’m not sure what it is; maybe I need to start my own happiness project and come up with new goals, or maybe I need to find something that doesn’t have a concrete “pass” or “fail” award. The one thing I do know is that I’m incredibly hard on myself, and the first thing I probably need to get better at is accepting who I am without thinking about things in terms of success and limitations.

While I was stewing this over in my mind, I made a big salad for lunch.

In the mix:

last of the Chopped Coconut Miso Salad
sauerkraut
dulse
spinach
grape tomatoes
goji berries
pumpkin seeds
sesame oil/rice wine vinegar drizzle

I also had two slices of Gluten Free Bran Bread… even veggie patches need comfort food.

One of my friends tried it out, and before I told her what it was made of she remarked on the moistness, comparing it to a chocolate-chip cookie fresh out of the oven. The rye bread was also super moist, so I think it has to do with the almond meal/flax base. I love it!

I fell asleep while doing some work in bed (never a good idea!) and when I woke up, snacked on an apple with maca and cinnamon. I wish I could bring this combination to work without making a mess!

Dinner was a bit of an experiment. I knew I wanted to keep my theme of comfort food, and what’s more comforting than macaroni and cheese? I wanted it to be really cheesy, and although I usually add all kinds of things to the noodles (nutritional yeast, laughing cow wedge, parmesan) they don’t usually increase the cheese factor. This time I mashed about 1/5 of a block of firm tofu, and it worked! I didn’t add any extra cheese (or cheeze) and it perfectly creamy.

I enjoyed it with a side of steamed broccoli, broc water, and a sprinkle of Emeril’s Original Essence.

Followed closely by a dessert plate, starring dried fruit, Maranatha almond butter, and one of Gina‘s Superoons. Speaking of Gina, a huge congratulations to her for finishing the Disney Princess Half-Marathon!!!

Well, off to go get ready for work. Have a wonderful day

Have any of your former passions turned into stressful chores? Do you evaluate yourself in terms of successes and failures?

Affordable Eating In New York

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:49:05 +0000

Sunday already? Lordy lord, where has the weekend gone. It has felt full, at the very least.

Yesterday I could not, for the life of me, figure out what I wanted to eat for breakfast. I finally settled on a little bit of everything, by way of a yogurt mess.

0% Fage Greek yogurt
1 banana
1/4 cup Bread Alone granola (my friend Miriam gifted this so long ago and I was happy to discover there was still a little left!)
1 scoop super chunky peanut butter
raspberry jam

I took myself to the coffee shop for a small skim latte. I sat in the window for about half an hour before heading home– the sun was shining so brightly through the window that I could hardly erad the words off the page!

Around 3, I met Ilana and Beth for a slice. It’s been so long since I’ve gone to a pizza parlor! I got a slice with basil and mozzarella.

When I got back home, I had a Granny Smith apple with cinnamon and maca.

In between chapters, I decided to get my hands a little dirty in the kitchen. Ever since high school I’ve always gotten the baking bug when there’s work to be done. Funny how that happens! After checking the pantry and fridge for ingredients, I settled on Elana’s Gluten Free Bran Muffins. Since I don’t have a muffin tin (I won’t go as far as to say that I can’t afford one, but some things- like groceries- take priority…) I baked it in a loaf pan instead.

I used the Egg-land’s Best cage-free, vegetarian-fed large brown eggs that I received a coupon for from Foodbuzz a few months ago.

The eggs come in a special 3-layer plastic case to keep them from being crushed in transit. I love this idea! However, I do wish they’d find a way to make something similar out of paper or cardboard to reduce the amount of plastic they produce.

I made a couple substitutions, subbing pumpkin seeds for sunflower and dried cranberries for raisins.

Ta da!

23 minutes later, we had a beautiful loaf of bread.

I was about to go have dinner, but who can resist a loaf of bread hot out of the oven?

I loved the different textures of the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. I can’t wait to have a full serving of this!

A little while ago, I received a question about the best affordable restaurants in New York. Well, I’m happy to say that last night my little red-headed friend and I discovered a new one! While searching online for a little Italian comfort food, I stumbled upon Paprika, whose prix fixe looked pretty incredible. Between 5 and 7, you have your choice of two courses for only $15! The portions were far from meager, and the atmosphere was so cozy and romantic. I couldn’t believe our luck!

We started with warm bread, olives and olive oil.

For my appetizer, I ordered an arugula salad with apples, walnuts and goat cheese. It was huge! Of course, being LVP, I gobbled up every scrap of salad, nut and apple, leaving only one of the two goat cheese rounds.

For my entrée, I had roasted arctic char with sautéed spinach (I believe it was cooked in orange juice) and thyme. Delicious! I left about 1/3.

I’m going to keep this as a running list, but other affordable restaurants I love in New York are:

Chains

Hummus Place (Read about my visit)

Maoz Vegetarian (Read about my visit)

Le Pain Quotidien (My mom and I go here a lot, there is something for everyone)

Other

Paprika- Italain, great prix fixe with vegetarian and pescatarian options.

The Flea Market Cafe- French, great prix fixe options. (Read about my visit)

Sura – Thai, great lunch specials. They have an amazing appetizer trio for $12. (Read about my visits)

Alice’s Tea Cup- One of my favorite cafes. You should check it out if only for the Alice In Wonderland decor! They have a great soup + 1/2 salad(/sandwich) for $12. (I’ve gone here so many times, but I almost always get the same thing.)

Peacefood Cafe- Relatively new, this has great raw, vegan and vegetarian options. Their pumpkin sandwich is delicious, and the desserts are to die for! (Read about my visits)

Bonobos- Raw food can be pretty expensive, but not here. For $8.95 you can get nori wraps, nut meat salads, veggie burgers, etc. Their coconut chai is unbelievable, as are their sesame balls. (Read about my visits)

Tips for Eating Out in NYC

Many places, particularly Thai & Japanese, have amazing lunch specials that are under $10.
Finding BYOB places (or having a little wine before or after your meal) is another way to slash your subtotal.
Keep track of when Restaurant Week is going on! Many restaurants, including Gotham Bar & Grill, keep their restaurant week lunch all year long.
Many restaurants have prix fixe, 2-3 course meals. They’re often set with a certain time frame (usually before 7) so double check before you go.
If you love sushi (as I do), you know it can get expensive. We’ve recently discovered that by splitting a “sushi for two,” you get more food than both you or a hungry man can eat, and it’s less expensive than ordering individual rolls or pieces. Bento boxes, which usually include soup, salad, a roll, tempura, and a small portion of an entrée, are also great deals.

After dinner we walked over to 16 Handles for dessert. I loaded my cup with Euro Tart and Peanut Butter soft serve, strawberries, milk chocolate crunch, peanut butter cup and a chocolate-covered pretzel. Delish!

On our way home we took advantage of the short line at Trader Joe’s so I could pick up some essentials (Masala Burgers, frozen strawberries, Kerrygold butter, Harvest Grains Blend, coffee, red licorice) and Kalle could check out the wine shop.

When I got home Zombieland sucked me in… as did this bag of popcorn.

Call it fuel for the 12 mile run I’m about to attempt. Honestly, I’ll consider myself lucky if I can make it through 7 miles pain free. Fingers crossed. Wish me luck!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Down the Rabbit Hole

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:24:00 +0000

*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

Ice Ice Baby

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:34:12 +0000

Looks like you guys really want to win some nut butter! Keep the entries coming; you have until tomorrow

Yesterday I was up at the crack of 4:50 to get my booty to the gym and log 7 miles before work. I popped an Aleve and grabbed two Clif Peanut Butter Shot Roks (the company sent these a while back) on the way out the door… I liked them! Not two “protein-y” and just hearty enough to satiate me at 5 AM.

Luckily I was so worried about hurting my knee that I didn’t find myself getting too bored on the treadmill.

Warm-up: 5.8 mph

Mile 2-5.5: 6.4 mph

Mile 5.5-6: 7.5 mph

Mile 6-7: 6.2, 5.8., 5.0, 4.5, 4.0, 3.5

Total time: 1:07:55

I dropped my iPod twice while I was running, and the first time after I had to stop and retrieve it and then start up again it really hurt. It was pretty sore on the walk home, too, so while I ate breakfast, I iced.

Breakfast was the first breakfast cookie I’ve had in months!

This was a particularly good one.

1/3 cup oats
1/2 banana
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
splash of skim milk
1 tsp Maranatha No Stir Creamy Peanut Butter
1 tsp chia seeds
toppings: goji berries, cinnamon, Greek yogurt, pumpkin, dried fig, agave

As soon as I got to work, I go an ice pack out of the freezer and kept it on my knee for most of the day.

Despite my long run, breakfast held me over really well! I only needed an orange to hold me until lunch (I ate the apple later in the afternoon).

For lunch I had leftover Chopped Coconut Miso Salad and Everything Pretzel Crisps.

One of our coworkers thought Danielle and I were sisters… I don’t really see the resemblance, do you?

In addition to the apple, I also had a Caramel Chocolate Forze Bar in the afternoon.

After work I went to a networking happy hour (hello, $4 Absolut cocktails!) then came home to a delicious meal grace à Daddy-O: sautéed broccoli rabe, roasted tomatoes, octopus braised in red wine, and brown rice.

I also had a small bowl of mushroom and wild rice soup.

For dessert I had a bowl of Ciao Bella’s Blackberry Cabernet sorbet with chocolate sauce… somehow it was a little camera shy Before I got into bed, I took one of my coworker’s suggestions (she’s run three half-marathons) and took a warm bath, then rolled out both IT Bands and glute muscles. My calves are pretty sore today and I have a feeling my knee isn’t going to be much better. I’m instating a “no running until Sunday” rule.

Off to go walk the pooch and get ready for the day. Have a great weekend!

It’s Never Too Late

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:29:28 +0000

Morning and happy weekend! I hope you’re out sledding or playing in the snow. It seems like this storm swept all across the country! We’ve been up but have yet to go outside; it’s a cleaning day at LVP headquarters. The closet was a good start, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. Most of the clutter comes from magazine and newspaper clippings for recipes and workouts. Recently I’ve started going through old magazines and making meals I thought looked great when I first saw them years ago, so now I can finally throw a few things out. What piles up fastest in your household?

Somehow my breakfast photo was deleted from the camera, but I had a bowl of Kashi GoLean, Kaia’s Cocoa Bliss Buckwheat Granola, warmed frozen berries and skim milk.

It was tough for everyone in the office to get to work; a lot of people who have long commutes didn’t even make it in at all! The roads were really bad. I snacked on the usual suspects (orange + apple):

For lunch I had a spinach salad with beets, tempeh, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes and a mix of Raspberry and Vidalia Onion viniagrettes; I also had a cup of lemon yogurt.

We ended up closing the office around 3, which was a nice surprise for everyone. Before I left, I snacked on a Teriyaki Primal Strip.

Ari was close by, so we met up and went to see The Crazies. I was shocked Ari wanted to see this; he HATES scary movies, and the only way I can even get him to watch a thriller is by telling him it’s a “drama”! (Probably shouldn’t give away that secret…) The movie was pretty bad… we both gave it a 4/10. It’s a remake of a 1973 horror movie and we were expecting it to be “good camp,” but… there really wasn’t anything redeeming about it (except the very fact of going to see a movie, which has become quite rare).

In the theater I snacked on a Raspberry Clif C bar (photo taken on the floor, sorry for the poor quality); it was good, but I liked the blueberry flavor better.

After the movie, we headed to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse for a belated birthday celebration (Ari’s birthday was in November). I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before, but the boy loves his steak. One day I’m going to learn how to cook it (without having to taste it first) and win the girlfriend-of-the-year award.

We started with warm bread…

…and a Jack on the Rocks for me, Jameson for Ari.

I ordered grilled salmon with roasted vegetables, hold-the-butter. This was a pretty large portion, so I boxed up the rest to take home.

Ari ordered a NY Strip Steak, which arrived to our table sizzling.

We split a side of sautéed mushrooms (leaving the half inch of butter behind).

When we got home I made us each peanut butter cups, which we ate in bed while watching Bill Maher. Ari wanted milk chocolate and peanut butter; I made mine with dark chocolate and chocolate hazelnut butter. Mmm!

It’s never too late to celebrate a birthday!

P.S. It’s also never too late to enter BlueEyedHeart’s one year giveaway!

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

Peek In The Drawer

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:28:57 +0000

Evening! Had another tough awakening this morning… I overslept and only had time to run a mile on the treadmill. Better than nothing though, right? It stopped raining so hopefully that’ll make it a little easier to get up and run six miles before work tomorrow, although it’s also supposed to snow. Winter, it’s time to go!

Breakfast was a little different than usual this morning.

1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
pumpkin
1/2 banana
cottage cheese
1 T Mararnatha No Stir Smooth Peanut Butter
Cinnamon
Stevia

This held me over pretty well (no loud tummy growling) without leaving me feeling stuffed, which usually happens.

In my lunchbag I packed an apple, orange, peach yogurt, and salad with spinach, beets tomatoes, beets, dried cranberries, feta, tempeh, Goddess + Vidalia Onion dressings.

Somehow I found myself at the office candy bowl and pulled out a Caramel Apple lollypop. Remember these?

Danielle made lemon poppyseed muffins last night and brought one in for me. Oddly enough I was just thinking of making these myself!

In case I ever run out of snacks at work, all I have to do is open up my desk drawer! I keep nutrition bars, packets of nut butter, and whatever samples I have lying around. I also keep silverware so I don’t have to keep throwing away plastic utensils, health items like Band-Aids, ibuprofen, Wet Ones, Diva Drops (I think that’s what they’re called… these changed my life! I can finally wear high heels comfortably), and a shot of Red Bull (in case I need an emergency boost). What do you keep in your desk or purse? Do you carry emergency snacks?

I’ve successfully gone without doing a major grocery shop this week, and I’ll probably be able to make it until Sunday! I had a smorgasboard dinner; an open faced sandwich with tempeh bacon, cheddar & asiago cheese, Ten Minute Vegetable Soup, and sauerkraut.

For dessert, I had a bowl of The Lite Choice‘s Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge soft serve that I had in the freezer. I was shocked how soft it was! All I did was let it thaw for about 10 minutes before eating.

Back to Wall Street! Check in tomorrow for a giveaway! It’s good one

Ten Minute Vegetable Soup

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:31:45 +0000

Good morning! I’m glad you enjoyed the virtual tour of The Lite Choice… you can read it here if you missed it!

Yesterday I woke up knowing I was going to be eating quite a bit of soft serve in a few hours, so I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. (Oatmeal holds me over much longer than cereal does.) My bowl had Kashi Autumn Harvest, muesli from the Food Co-Op, banana and skim milk.

Over breakfast, I read the March issue of Bon Appetit, and stumbled across this:

What do you think about taking photos in restaurants? Do you do it, or get annoyed with people who do? Does it make a difference if you don’t use the flash?

While touring The Lite Choice, I sampled everything without gorging. I wanted to try all of the goodies but knew I would feel really sick if I’d eaten all of it (which probably wouldn’t have even been possible!) so I kept my tastes small. After the tour, I went to Whole Foods to pick up a few things, including lunch from the salad bar.

In the mix:

spinach
vegan chicken salad
edamame
edamame arame salad
curried cauliflower
1 piece each: bbq tempeh, lemon tempeh, lemon-baked tofu
corn
macaroni & cheese- I always have to take a tiny scoop!

When I got home I added some rice wine vinegar to the spinach, and had a Granny Smith apple on the side while I did some reading.

My reading sent me to dreamland for an hour or so, and when I woke up I was feeling pretty hungry! Even after all of that soft serve, I was craving a slice of whole wheat toast with Maranatha Cashew Butter and mango butter.

I went out to run a few errands and come back carrying five bags! Show me a New Yorker who doesn’t know the meaning of “schlep” and I’ll be a stunned girl. More than happy to take a load off, I didn’t feel like going back out to get groceries for the week. Instead, I looked in the fridge, freezer and pantry for any components that could possibly come together to make something resembling a meal, and ta da! I ended up using up old items in the fridge and things that had been in the freezer and pantry for months.

I almost feel guilty even calling this a “recipe,” but it was so delicious and so nourishing that I’m going to add it to the page!

Ten Minute Vegetable Soup

4 cups vegetable broth (I make mine from Better Than Bouillon)
1.5 cups carrots, sliced
2 boxes/bags of whatever frozen veggies you have around; I used collard greens and an “Oriental” veggie blend with broccoli and mushrooms
1 leek
1 can of beans, whatever you have (I used red beans)
Salt + pepper to taste
Chili (optional)

Heat vegetable broth over medium heat until warm. Add carrots and leeks and cook until carrots are slightly tender. Add frozen vegetables and cook until fully thawed and warmed through. Add beans, salt and pepper, and chili flakes. Enjoy!

Serves 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side.

I ate my soup with the last of the pesto; it was the perfect cozy meal!

For dessert, I had a slice of cake from The Lite Choice! Each piece of cake has both chocolate and vanilla soft serve with a layer of cookie crumbs in the middle. This slice was covered with chocolate sauce and peanuts… it was so good, I wish I’d gotten more!

And now, some more Ask Me Anything answers!

If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This one always gets me! I probably would have said “chocolate” or “bread” a few years ago, but now I just don’t know… there are so many things I like! But right now, I’m going to go with sushi. I could eat it every night and not get bored!

Are you vegan or vegetarian?

Technically I’m a “pescatarian,” which I’ve been for about 9 years. There was a year during that time when I cut out fish, but I really hate to use any kind of label when it comes to my food habits. I try to eat things that I feel ethically comfortable with, things that make me feel good, and things that I just like! Read more here.

That’s all there’s time for now! I’m off to go meet Danielle for a long run in the park. Enjoy your Sunday!

Answers!

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:34:33 +0000

Evening and happy weekend! Even though it was technically a short week, it feels like last Friday was ages ago. Today was a pretty good day: busy–>productive–> relaxing. Couldn’t really ask for more!

This morning was take number two of 7 miles on the treadmill. And… I did it! I was a little groggy when I woke up at 5:30, but I got myself up and dressed. On the way out the door, I grabbed a chocolate Clif Shot Rock (sent from the company) to get me through my workout.

It was pretty good! Initially it had a little of that “protein-y” taste, but after a couple chews it started to taste more like a brownie bite or a Milk Dud. I like that they’re not sticky; they’d be great for stuffing into the tiny pocket of my shorts for a quick energy boost during a long run. Click here for more info.

The run itself went much better than I’d thought, and I owe that all to my choice of entertainment! The Upwelling has been listening to Graphic Audio on the road (basically a graphic novel with sound effects), and Ari gave me chapter 1 (about 70 minutes) of Batman. Although I read comic books and graphic novels, I expected to find this version of it kind of hokey. I actually got really into it! My heart rate monitor wasn’t working the whole time, but my splits looked like this:

Mile 1 (warm-up): 5.8 mph@ 1% incline

Miles 2-6: 1600@6.9 mph, 800@ 6.2 mph (repeated) @ 1% incline

Mile 6-6.5: 5.8 mph@ 1% incline

Mile 6.5-7.0: 5.2-3.5 mp @ 1% incline

Total time: about 65 minutes

I made sure to get a good stretch in, and even now I don’t feel sore at all and my knees haven’t given me any trouble. Big success!

When I got back I was pretty thirsty, so I combined a mixture of Clif Shot Electrolyte & Ester-C.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have suffered from pretty low energy for the past 6 years or so, and one of the ways that helps me manage it is to take iron supplements. Ester-C helps absorb the iron. It does come in a capsule form, but I bought the powder by mistake… and it tastes awful. I usually mix it with orange or POM juice, which are both sweet enough to mask the taste. (I have about 1/3 of a serving every morning). Unfortunately I must not have used enough Shot powder this morning, because it still tasted awful. Better luck next time!

After I showered and got ready for work, I climbed back in bed with a big bowl of oatmeal and relaxed for a few minutes.

In the mix:

1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
1 banana
pumpkin
1 dried peach half
1 dried prune
1 scoop Maranatha creamy almond butter
cinnamon
stevia

It held me over pretty well for a while, but I started to really feel the effects of those 7 miles at work! I had an apple and a mini Chocolate Chip Clif bar.

For lunch, I had a big salad with leftover buffalo salmon, tomatoes, and goddess dressing. It was actually too big for me to finish! (A rare sentence from LVP.) I did eat the vanilla yogurt, but I waited until I got back to my desk.

And last but not least… an orange. The people who work next to me must think I do nothing but snack, but no one’s said anything yet!

I was really looking forward to laying low tonight, which is just what I did.

I watched The Hurt Locker and Milk while eating dinner and sipping wine… I found a fabulous batch of pasta in the fridge that my parents had made earlier this week: pesto with potatoes, green beens, and sundried tomatoes.

Aren’t their new dishes pretty?

I added grated Manchego and a can of Trader Joe’s crab meat. Definitely didn’t need to take my Omega-3 supplement today! (I usually take two capsules, or one if I know I’ll be eating fish or seafood.)

For dessert, I had Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream with hot fudge and coconut. There was a second container in the freezer, so I went back for a little more, too!

Before I get into bed, I thought I would answer some of your Ask Me Anything (or “As,” as I miss-typed) questions! I’m going to keep the form open indefinitely and will answer questions as time permits. So feel free to ask away!

have you always been slender? i’m just wondering because i used to tip the scale at 150lbs but lost 40lbs and have been maintaining for 9 years (i’m 23 now).

Luckily I was graced with a pretty fast metabolism while I was growing up, and got away with eating whatever I wanted without really doing much exercise. It’s slowed down significantly in the past few years, so to maintain my weight and keep eating the foods I like, I do have to put some effort into it.

hi! I’ve been reading your blog a long time:) I am a huge fan of your foodie and blog I have random question..I am living in NY too. and I don’t know where to get haircut??? (i know its totally random…sorryyy) but I always thought your hair looks so good! could you give me suggestion? that salon that you are going??

Not a silly question at all! I went to Hoshi Coupe for years; it’s a Japanese salon that’s relatively inexpensive, and you can get a pretty stylish cut for a good price. My favorite stylist moved back to Tokyo a few years ago so I was floundering around for a while, then got a life-changing cut in May at 526, a salon that houses Bumble and Bumble. I get it cut there every time I go back to Minnesota! A friend recommended Bumble and Bumble in New York, and since I was so pleased with the experience in St. Paul that I tried it out here and loved it. It’s affordable, the stylist listened to what I wanted… and you get free lattes while you get groomed! If you’re interested, send me an e-mail and I’ll give you more details.

do you estimate/count calories in your head at all? do you know about how many you eat everyday?

No, I really don’t. There was about a month in high school when I joined SELF magazine’s online diet club (in a moment of adolescent insecurity) and tried to track my daily intake, but it was too time consuming and I didn’t feel like making the effort for something that was just causing me more anxiety. I’ve gotten to the point where I understand what my body needs, and although sometimes I have a hard time differentiating between boredom noshing and genuine hunger, I don’t worry about it too much. I do know that it takes a lot of food to keep me full, which is why I like to eat some foods according to their volume (big salads) and staying power (oatmeal).

favorite show?

This is a tough one! I rarely have time to watch things in real-time, so I often stream shows online or order them from Netflix. My favorite shows growing up were My So-Called Life and 7th Heaven; now I love Californication, Dexter, Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee, Heroes, Friday Night Lights, Big Love, Mad Men… the list goes on, but I’m not caught up with any of them!

do you know how many oz are in a cup of yogurt?

It depends on the container, but 6 oz is pretty standard.

More to come! In the mean time, Averie is giving away coconut peanut butter! Does that sound good or does that sound good?

Do you count calories? Have you ever? Why or why not?