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 [...]]]> 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.

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

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 [...]]]> 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

But first…

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

But first…

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

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

Breakfast was another darn fine jar of oats.

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

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

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

In the mix:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This morning I woke up a few minutes earlier than usual, spandex-ed myself in hyperspeed, and tore out [...]]]> Evening! This post is going to be so quick, it’ll be over before it’s done.  It’s 11:45 and I’ve been home less than an hour, and am only now climbing into bed.  Old biddy strikes again!

This morning I woke up a few minutes earlier than usual, spandex-ed myself in hyperspeed, and tore out of the house for a 2 mile run before work.  I didn’t even remember my watch (or RoadID), but I know I was fast today.  When I got back, I kept the fast track going and got all ready with enough time to enjoy breakfast without leaving for work a minute late than usual.

Breakfast was a big bowl of yogurt, granola, banana + cinnamon.

Mid-morning, I snacked on a navel orange.

Lunch was over a pound of chili and cornbread.  I was full for the rest of the afternoon!

My new water container was quite a hit today… it stands up all by itself, and holds 16 oz of liquid, more than the average bottle!

Sadly, while at work I missed The Upwelling‘s interview on Fearless Radio… did anyone happen to catch it?

When the workday ended, I met my parents at Turkish Cuisine in Hell’s Kitchen for an early pre-theater dinner.  We toasted Tuesday; my mom had a glass of Chardonnay while I had Pinot Grigio.

Before my dad arrived at the restaurant, my mom and I split an order of Zucchini Cakes with tzatziki sauce.   These were so good.  Dr. Praeger, you’ve got nothing on these little fellas! We raved about them so much that my dad had to order them for himself.

We ate it with warm pita.  I wasn’t too hungry for it at the time, but don’t worry… the remaining pieces came home with me!

For my entrée, I ordered grilled salmon with salad.  The salad dressing was fantastic; it had all kinds of spices in it, like cumin and coriander!  I’ll have to try this.  I ate all of the salad but filled up about halfway through the salmon.  Dads are good at times like these.

Before the play, I popped across the street to The Lite Choice for a small cup of almond butter frozen yogurt with chocolate chips.

The play we saw was the third and final in the Orphans Home Cycle series.  It was my favorite of the three, and I was sad to see it end!  I even stayed awake for all three acts.

I’m off to dreamland.  Have a fabulous Wednesday!

Last night I tried to stay awake and watch a [...]]]> 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…

My Saturday was quite festive, starting with a morning spent at the soup kitchen. I haven’t been able to go as much as I would have liked in the past few months, but [...]]]> Evening and happy Sunday! I hope you’ve all had wonderful weekends, whether you celebrated the holidays or simply enjoyed the days.

My Saturday was quite festive, starting with a morning spent at the soup kitchen. I haven’t been able to go as much as I would have liked in the past few months, but it was so nice to be back there again.  There were many “regulars” I’ve known for almost 10 years!

After volunteering, my parents and I went to Peacefood Café for lunch.

This was their first time at an all-vegan restaurant.  I really appreciate how supportive my family has been of my diet!

We ordered an appetizer to split: vegetable tamale with jalepeño and tomatoes.

The last time I ate at Peacewood, I enjoyed Caitlin‘s sandwich so much that I had to order it! My dad and I split the Roasted Japanese Pumpkin Sandwich with 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. It was even better than I remembered!

We also shared the Pan-Seared French Horn Mushroom Panini with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, artichoke aioli, mint & basil pesto. It was good, but we both agreed the pumpkin was the best.

My mom ordered the special of the day: Kidney Bean Chili with rice, mixed greens and homemade cornbread. This wasn’t her favorite; I loved it, however, and was the lucky recipient of the leftovers.

It was only my second time at Peacewood Café, but it’s already become one of my favorite restaurants on the Upper West Side.  There are tasty, healthy options that carnivores, vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists and foodies alike can enjoy!

Last night when I got home I was quite the domestic goddess.  I set to work in the kitchen, making Gena’s Cashew Cheese with Meyer Lemon and Dried Cherries.

I enjoyed it today with a Gala apple, whole wheat and flax pita bread, and tabbouleh.  Delicious!

It was a cold and rainy day;  I wanted to have a cozy and comforting dinner and came up with this soup.

• 4 oz soba noodles
• 4 tablespoons white miso paste
• 2 cups roughly torn broccoli florets (about 1/2 large bunch)
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
• soy sauce
• salmon or protein of choice, such as fresh tofu, soft-boiled egg, or seitan
• optional: Sriracha sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions.  I used a package of green tea soba that I received from Asian Food Grocer, a Foodbuzz affiliate.

Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.   Bring 4 cups water to a boil.  Add ginger and miso, stirring until miso is dissolved.

Add broccoli and scallions (reserving some for garnish), cooking until broccoli is crisp-tender.  Remove from heat.

Stir in soba and divide into bowls.  Top with salmon (grilled, poached, etc. to your liking), drizzle with soy sauce and Sriracha (if using) and serve!

After dinner, I spent the rest of the night on my hands and knees… scrubbing the floors!  Since starting my job, I’ve been slacking a bit in the cleaning department, so I made up for it by sweeping, polishing, dusting and wiping into the wee hours of the morning.  I felt a bit like Kath!  It was actually pretty satisfying, and got my heart rate right up.

Now Ari and I are relaxing in bed, watching Gone With The Wind and sipping “The Big Red Monster”, a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Petit Sirah.

What was the best part of your weekend? Did you lay low or were you busy?

Don’t forget to send me your questions!

Have a great night!

I seem [...]]]> Hey hey-yo! How are you? How was your Wednesday? I can’t believe that one week from tomorrow is Thanksgiving!  I usually try to wake up early enough to catch some of the parade, then my mom and I make our famous sticky buns.  Do you have traditions you keep up every year?

I seem to have unleashed the oatmeal beast within me yesterday, because that was just what I wanted this morning.

In the bowl:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• frozen berries
• frozen pineapple
• flaxy peanut butter
• cinnamon
• agave

The rest of the morning was spent preparing for an interview.  I went into the city an hour and a half early so, subway problems or not, there’d be no chance of being late.  I had so much spare time that I went into a deli to go over my notes and read some Canadian snail mail.  To secure a seat, I bought some fruit salad.

The interview went well, I think; I was given an assignment to complete for Friday, so I went straight home to get started.  I needed some brain fuel, so I made a quick salad:

Our house guest came into the kitchen while I was assembling it, took one look at the bowl, and said, “Are you really going to eat all of that salad?! You must have a really fast metabolism!”  It was a salad of great girth, I’ll give him that. But of course I ate every scrap

In the mix:

• spinach
• grape tomatoes
• 1 grapefruit
• 1/2 avocado
• leftover salmon
• dressing made with rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds & chili flakes

The Lindt store on 5th  was handing out holiday truffles on the street today, so I snatched one up and had it for dessert.

My body must have needed sleep because I nodded right off after lunch! Today is the fourth consecutive day I’ve gotten up significantly earlier than I’m used to, and the rest of the week will be no different.  Hopefully in the next few weeks there will be more early mornings and regular hours, if you catch my drift! When I woke up, I made some coffee and snacked on these Jalepeño Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks from Kay’s Naturals.

These are my favorite of the Kay’s products I’ve tried; they’re satisfying, and didn’t leave me with horrible garlic breath the way the protein chips did.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent working.  When it was getting close to dinner time, I simmered and marinated some tempeh using the recipe for Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh from Veganomicon.

After about an hour, I plopped the tempeh onto the George Foreman, the apartment-dweller’s best friend.  Aren’t grill marks satisfying?

I proceded to make one of the best sandwiches on earth: The LVP Reuben.

A reuben sandwich is traditionally made with corned beef, Swiss cheese, saurkraut, and creamy salad dressing.  I don’t remember eating one even when I did eat meat, but my version is much more appealing to me.  It’s based on one of my all-time favorite sandwiches: grilled cheddar with Granny Smith apple slices on Peppridge Farm Cinnamon Raisin Swirl bread.  Tonight, I went a step further…

Grilled cheddar with Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh, Gala apple slices and baby spinach on Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel bread.  My tum is grumbling at the memory.  I also had a bowl of Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Leek Soup, garnished with cinnamon, nutmeg, shredded coconut and parsley.

Dinner for 1, at home, does not have to be boring.

Luckily I had the foresight to plan my dessert early in the day; I had two bananas sitting in the freezer and  waiting  to be processed into Chocolate Banana Soft Serve.  Three words: Move over, Stögo! I topped mine with roasted almonds and walnuts.

It was rich, creamy, and far better than anything packaged I’ve bought recently.  You better believe I licked up every last trace of “batter.”

I can’t wait to play around with this! There are so many options based on what’s in the pantry alone.

After dinner I finished my reading, and just as I was about to e-mail my notes to myself (I type everything out on my Blackberry… it’s an odd habit), the memo deleted itself.  I searched IT message boards, asked people I knew with Blackberries if there was any way to retrieve data that wasn’t backed up on a computer… nothing.  Seven hours of work has been LOST.   So… tomorrow will be another early morning.  It’s not the end of the world.

Bonne nuit