This morning I had some things to do before work so I woke up at 5, headed to [...]]]> 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.

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 [...]]]> 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!

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

Guess who went to bed at 9:30 last night?  Yep! But apparently that wasn’t enough sleep for me, because when I woke up this morning to run my 7 miler, I just couldn’t get out of bed.  I ended [...]]]> I’ve joined the rest… ask me anything! It’s easy to do and completely anonymous.

Guess who went to bed at 9:30 last night?  Yep! But apparently that wasn’t enough sleep for me, because when I woke up this morning to run my 7 miler, I just couldn’t get out of bed.  I ended up sleeping until 7AM!  I’ll admit that my fear of running such a long distance on the treadmill made it easier to pull the covers over my head and go back to bed! But tomorrow… tomorrow I will get my run in.

Breakfast was an old favorite: a yogurt mess with 0% Fage, a crumbled Blue Bran Vitamuffin, banana, chunky peanut butter and honey. Never gets old!

At work I snacked on an apple and orange…

…and had a bit of an unconventional brown-bag lunch: shirataki noodles with a Gardein Tuscan Breast, Black Cherry nonfat yogurt, and mixed greens with tomato and raspberry vinaigrette.

I heated the noodles and the “chicken,” and mashed a laughing cow wedge on top.  Hello fake chicken parm!

Danielle is pretty tolerant of my interesting food choices.

My snack drawer was running pretty low (I’ll give you a tour once I’ve re-stocked) so I had to dig into my last “bällchen” from that I got in Germany eight months ago.  It nearly cracked my tooth!

I debated whether or not to go to the gym after work, but I decided to try again in the morning and conquer my fear of the closet instead.  Please don’t judge me… observe Ari’s tidy area, with clothes on hangers that neatly keep to themselves.

Now on to my space…

This isn’t even supposed to be my shelf!

Doesn’t your food processor live at the foot of the bed?

Yes, some people would call this “hoarding,” but there isn’t any other place to put this stuff!

I’m really not a slob by nature, and having clutter around really stresses me out.  Things are hard to find, clothes are wrinkled, and there just isn’t as much space as there could be! So, in honor of The Happiness Project and my promise to Ari, I cleaned the closet.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a start!  I even cleared Ari’s shelf out again.

Satisfied with my hour of domesticity, I decided to make myself a nice dinner.  While I was preparing my meal,  I snacked on some baby carrots to hold myself over until it was ready.

I made Gourmet’s Buffalo Salmon with Sautéed Watercress, substituting almonds for pine nuts. I also had a slice of toast.

Tempted to save time and money, I almost used a frozen salmon patty from the freezer, but I ended up stopping at the store for a fresh filet.  Boy, am I glad I did! It was tender and felt special and indulgent, even though I made it for myself at home.  There’s nothing wrong with making yourself a nice dinner every once in a while! I tried out my new fancy spatula; when you squeeze the handle it opens like tongs so you can grab things easily without making a mess. Thanks again, Mom & Dad!

I enjoyed a dessert plate while watching Grey’s Anatomy for the first time on TV; I usually have to watch it on the computer weeks later!  The plate had a medjool, apricot, prune, fig, 85% dark chocolate and chocolate almond butter.  Holy yum, this is going to make for one fabulous batch of oats in a jar!

I’m off to get ready for bed… wishing and hoping I’ll get up in time to run tomorrow!  I can do this…

Does your stress level lower over the weekend? Are extracurricular chores just as difficult for you?

Don’t forget to ask me anything!

This morning I woke up a little hazy from last night’s escapades, but made do with a strong pot of coffee and a good breakfast. I ate in parts: Peach Chobani Greek [...]]]> What a good day.  I slept in, saw friends, ate well… what could be better? More hours in the day, but alas.

This morning I woke up a little hazy from last night’s escapades, but made do with a strong pot of coffee and a good breakfast. I ate in parts: Peach Chobani Greek yogurt, sweet potato cranberry coconut muffin, Honeybell orange.

After taking my sweet time getting ready and lazing around, I met Caitlin for lunch at Sacred Chow, an organic vegan (and Kosher) cafe downton.

We both got the Souper Hero Combo (soup + 1/2 sandwich); I got a bowl of Sweet Potato and Cassava Soup with dill and Orange Blackstrap Seitan (orange-molasses seitan w/ red-hot onions and Thai ginger bbq sauce on a whole wheat baguette).

This was so good.  My babysitter used to use cassava in her soups and I forgot how much I love it! The sandwich was quite hearty as well, and left my mouth burning (in a good way!).

We also hit up the In God We Trust sample sale, where I fell in love with this beret.  I’ve never been a “beret person”, but this was too cute to pass up!

Caitlin and I parted ways, and I met my friend Levi to see the new Mel Gibson movie, Edge of Darkness.  I really liked it! It reminded me a lot of Michael Clayton, with more blood.  We snacked on gummies in the theater.

I had big plans to do some work while using the bike at the gym, but it was 7:15 by the time I got home and I was just ready to wind down the day.  No biggie, but I really need to start being smarter about cross and strength training… I feel like I’ve taken a sort of lackadaisical approach to this half-marathon I’m supposedly training for. I have a 7 mile run scheduled for tomorrow but my knee still hurts from Thursday’s… if it gives me trouble in the morning, I’m just going to run myself over to the gym and get on that bike instead.

So, in place of gym tales, I present you with a tasty treat:

Sweet Potato Falafel Salad

I’ve been thinking of ways to recreated One Lucky Duck’s Falafel Salad at home without a dehydrator or pricey ingredients.  I’d planned on making a sweet potato version of baked falafel with chickpeas, but lo and behold: no chickpeas in the pantry! I made do with black beans instead, and it turned out mighty fine if I do say so myself.

Sweet Potato “Falafel”

Inspired by this recipe

• 1 handful parsley or cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 sweet potato baked or microwaved until fully cooked, mashed
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• salt
• garnishes: paprika, sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix first 6 ingredients together, gently mashing beans with a fork.  Season with salt, to taste.

Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.  Form balls out of 1 tbsp worth of sweet potato mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds and paprika. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once.

Makes about 12 balls.

Tahini Sauce

• 1/2 cup sesame tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• salt to taste

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Lick spoon.

Raw “Tabouli”

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/3 head of cauliflower (about 2 handfuls)
• 1 handful parsley/cilantro

Pulse cauliflower in food processor until finely chopped. Pulse in red pepper. Pulse in parsley until the mixture resembles confetti.

Not a bad alternative, I’d say! My version is on the left… and doesn’t cost $17.

For dessert, I made strawberry banana soft serve with chocolate chips.  However, I got a little impatient and didn’t wait for the fruit to fully freeze; it ended up being more of a smoothie!

It’s 10:30, but I really want to get some work done before I go to bed, so I’m going to shower, make the bed, and read 100 pages or so.  Big plans for a Saturday night at home!

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!