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!

Good morning!  Sorry about my little disappearing act, but I had a late night and just wanted to hit the sheets!  I hope you had a nice day.

A couple days ago I went on a mini grocery shop to pick up a [...]]]> Ari was interviewed on Fret 12! Check out his videos

Good morning!  Sorry about my little disappearing act, but I had a late night and just wanted to hit the sheets!  I hope you had a nice day.

A couple days ago I went on a mini grocery shop to pick up a few things to hold me over until I had time to do a bigger shop.  While in the dairy aisle, I stumbled upon this Olympus Greek Yogurt.

It was pretty expensive ($2/ 6 oz), but I’d never seen it before so I gave it a try.  It was thick and very creamy, but I don’t think I’ll be buying this on a regular basis.  The Chobani yogurts were on sale for $.99, so I stocked up on those instead.

I mixed the Olympus with a banana, Trader Joe’s mini blueberry bran muffin, cinnamon and honey.

At work, I snacked on an orange.  I’m pretty sure I will turn into a navel orange one of these days; I eat so many!

Danielle and I had planned all week on going to Chop’t, a fun salad place that stands out amongst the more basic, boring salad bars in our work neighborhood.  We couldn’t remember quite where it was, though, and spent a good twenty minutes walking around in circles trying to find it!

It seemed like half the city must have had the same idea; the line was at least 30 people long. It went quickly, though, because so many people work, assembly-line style, to get people in and out as fast as possible.

I ordered the Vegetarian Powerhouse Salad (any salad can be made into a wrap), and added gouda cheese.

Each salad comes with a strip of whole wheat pita.   I dressed my salad with Rocket Fuel:  a spicy, oil-free dressing that kind of reminded me of cocktail sauce.

These salads were huge! Definite two-pounders… but we finished them!

Have you been to Chop’t or a similar salad bar? What did you think of it?

Danielle brought me two of Anne‘s Sweet Potato Cranberry Coconut Muffins.  Even though I was pretty satiated from lunch, I had to try one!

Delicious! They’re moist without being greasy, and have the perfect consistency: smooth and chunky.  I think I’ll be making these myself one of these days!

After work I went home to do a little cleaning to make the house presentable for my little red-headed friend.   Lunch held me over really well… until it didn’t.  Hunger hit me full-force, but not wanting to spoil my appetite, I just had a couple clementines.

Kalle and I went to Locale for dinner.   It was delicious as usual, but the service was so strange!  Our waiter literally came over upwards of 20 times, giving us about a minute in between each visit to ask if we were ready to order.  As a former member of the service industry I know it’s tempting to try to move a table along, but this was excessive and downright rude.  Grr!  But… we didn’t let it spoil our fun.

We started with Mario Maschio Cabernet Sauvignon…

… enjoyed foccaccia with olive oil…

… and I was so close to branching out and ordering a different dish, but in the end I had to go with the linguine with seafood.   I love it!  It was really salty this time, for some reason, though.

We shared an order of warm chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream and berry coulis for dessert.

After we left the restaurant, we went back to the apartment and pretended we were 15 again.  The hour got late, more wine was had, and after Kalle left I went back to the fridge and had a little party with the leftover pasta I didn’t finish at dinner.  And may have made myself a Reese’s cup or two.  What’s life without a night or two like this?  Nobody can be perfect all the time.

Well, I have a full day ahead of me so I’m going to sign off.  Have a great day!

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…

It’s hot pink!  Her name is Cherry Pie.  Of course, I’ll probably find my old one as soon as I take it out of the package, but c’est la vie.  Since my first day of half-marathon training starts [...]]]> Well, I did it.  I bit the bullet and bought an iPod Nano after work today.

It’s hot pink!  Her name is Cherry Pie.  Of course, I’ll probably find my old one as soon as I take it out of the package, but c’est la vie.  Since my first day of half-marathon training starts tomorrow, I knew I had to have some kind of music player to get me through miles and miles on the treadmill.  This is my fifth or sixth iPod in 7 years (although I’ve only paid for three of them, but I’m excited to start fresh!  Have any great workout tunes? Please send them along!

This morning I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in bed.

My hot bowl of oatmeal contained:

• 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 banana
• warmed frozen berries
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• walnuts
• cinnamon
• 1/4 packet Stevia

Since I no longer subscribe to the newspaper and the internet function on my Blackberry is broken, I’ve started using the mornings to both relax and watch the news.  It’s quite pleasant!

I hadn’t had time to go shopping for produce, so I tried a Chocolate Cherry Almond Luna Protein Bar as my mid-morning snack.  This was so. good. It tastes just like candy! The next time I’m craving a crummy chocolate bar, I think I’ll reach for one of these instead.

For lunch, I had a nice big salad.

In the mix:

• TJ’s Champs-Elysée salad blend
• 1/3 mango
• 1/3 block tempeh
• cherry tomatoes
• feta cheese
• steamed carrots
• TJ’s Goddess Dressing

I also had a container of TJ’s vanilla Greek yogurt, with a side of Zoë Heller.

I stayed at work a little late today and had to run some errands afterward, so by the time I got home I was starving. I whipped up this quick recipe from Health magazine for Cheesy Polenta with Roasted Vegetables.

The eggplants didn’t look so hot on the store shelf, so I substituted one large sweet potato instead.  I also subbed feta for goat cheese, quartered the recipe ingredients for polenta but only halved the veggies.  Easy way to load up on the good suff!

I had an extra plate of roasted vegetables with a glass of heart-healthy red wine.

I really should cook with polenta more often; it’s easy to make, goes with so many things, and is oh so delicious!  While eating, I watched The Believer, which I think I added to my Netflix queue years ago because Ryan Gosling is in it.  It’s a very disturbing film, but it’s funny: this is the fourth piece of media I’ve come into contact with in the last day about fanaticism!

For dessert, I had a chocolate chip biscotti that I picked up on the way home from my local Italian bakery.

Crunch and sweet, it really hit the spot.  I always forget how much I love it!

Well, I’m off to shower and do a quick Lunar Flow.  I don’t get to stretch my psoas muscles all day, and it feels so good to get into half-pigeon!

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

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

In the cookie:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yesterday I woke up feeling a little adventurous and decided to try out Heather’s Asian Fusion oats using tahini, [...]]]> Afternoon and happy New Year’s EVE!  Last year I was working at a restaurant when the ball dropped… not ideal, but it could have been worse.  This year’s going to be a lot more fun!

Yesterday I woke up feeling a little adventurous and decided to try out Heather’s Asian Fusion oats using tahini, miso and honey.

It was good, but I guess in my heart of hearts I was still half-expecting a sweet, nutty breakfast and I just couldn’t get past that.  So, although I hate to waste food, I tossed that batch and made a new bowl of oatmeal with banana, almond butter, and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter.  I was a happy girl.

There was no time to waste.  After running some errands in the neighborhood with Ari, Josh and I went to a local deli to build-our-own-salads.  I got a small bowl of mesclun with chick peas, red beans, artichoke hearts, corn, carrots, cucumbers and sesame ginger dressing on the side.

Then I met up with my friend Will, who I haven’t seen in almost 2.5 years! Luckily we were able to meet up during his short visit to the city.  We went to Starbucks (and lamented the lack of independent coffee shops on the UWS); I got a grande skim mocha.  ‘Tis the season!

After coffee, I met up with Ari to do some last minute sale shopping (you can always find the best deals between Christmas and New Year’s), then found my little redheaded friend in the same neighborhood for dinner.

We happened upon a cute little Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side; we were so excited for dinner that we didn’t even take note of the name!

As soon as we sat down, we were given plates with soft, warm focaccia and olive oil.

We shared a bottle of Estrella Cabernet Sauvignon to warm our cores…

For my entrée, I ordered the Tre Colore Gnocchi with portobello and shiitake mushrooms, goat cheese and marinara.   A warm bowl of past was just what I wanted, and this was perfect.  Don’t you love gnocchi?!  I did a pretty good job on the dish, and just about finished it.

After spending a couple hours catching up and eating, we made our way to Magnolia Bakery for dessert.  I got the cupcake of the day: German Chocolate!

I wolfed it down in about two bites   Then I made my way downtown to meet Ari and the rest of the family and we piled in the car and drove to their parents’ house for the holiday.  Not everyone had eaten, so we made a pit stop at Roy Roger’s (more on that later!)…

Good times.

Have you sent me your questions entered my giveaway? Git ‘er done!

Have a safe, healthy and AWESOME New Year’s!!! What are you doing to ring in the New Year?

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!