Nutmegger

Things I know....

2010-11-29T10:11:00.010-05:00

I will have pies at my wedding.

Glazing makes anything prettier.

I love marshmellows. Especially authentically roasted in your house fireplace.

I'm terrible at chopping/cutting/peeling, anything involving knives.

I prefer cookie cutters. Or in fact, you don't need one to make lattice pies - just a square shape in your dad's desk will do just fine.

Cranberry is an awesome christmas color!

Burned pumpkin pies will sink.

You can always fit more pie filling in the pie dish.

Egg whites can be whipped into perfection.

Hand written recipes always turn out the best.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nature vs the City

2010-09-30T22:19:00.009-04:00

Last weekend, the weather was gorgeous, the air was crisp and ready for fall, and these legs were itching for a good walk! Make that an 8 mile hike in beautiful Mohonk. It was a perfect day, and me, my camera, a backpack full of delicious treats, and an entertaining walking buddy ;) hit the trails!

There were rock climbers, wildlife, and rock scrambles [oh my], and after 8 miles of going up and down vertical ladders, squeezing through crevices and walking through the woods, I was exhausted.

The views here are spectacular - especially at the Mountain Lodge! There was a wedding going on at the time, and lets just say the bridesmaids and bride herself were definitely indulging in the afternoon celebration ;) !!

And of course my afternoon snack had to be portrayed - a MASSIVE sandwich, which had to be specially wrapped to stay together, complete with turkey, half an apple, a little smidge of fig jam, cucumber slices and tomato slices. Perfect for the half way point :)

The weekend is supposed to clear up here in the city this weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed - pretty please??
Adios folks!

Just Dessert :)

2010-09-15T23:01:00.007-04:00

TOP CHEF SPOILER ALERT***

I can't believe Kevin won top chef!! Honestly, thorughout the season he wasn't my favorite and I'm not sure how he made it to the end, but he pretty much nailed the finale - what an insanely ridiculous moment that must be!!

Now getting ready to watch what I'm betting will be my new favorite, Top Chef Just Desserts!

And as fate would have it, I walked out of my office building today and low and behold...

GIving out free desserts - wahooo. Of course the line was incredibly long with 9-5'ers looking to get a nice lil sugar kick on their way home, so I skipped the dessert truck and instead headed to my gym for a KettleBells demo class that was being offered. I've never taken kettlebells but they look like this:

The class was an hour long and while it wasn't the hardest workout, it definitely kicked my thighs to the core! Currently stretching them and dreaming of sugar and buttercream... mmmm

Night!!

Oo just found out that no recipes are allowed in Just Desserts. That's crazy!!

A Moment of Silence to the Last Days of Summer

2010-09-13T21:34:00.022-04:00

Not Completely but Almost [Free]Tatta

2010-07-22T13:32:00.008-04:00

I heard on the Today Show today that Thursday is one of the "unhappiest" days out of the week, based on a recent poll. I'm going to have to agree with the newscasters and say that I just do not agree! Like one of the ladies said, "I'm in a great mood today! ... Because tomorrow is Friday". Nothing wrong with that ;)

Because my weeks are getting more and more scattered with travel for work and play, I'm trying to be pretty frugal about buying groceries. There is nothing I hate more than having a ton of great looking produce and letting it go to waste because I end up traveling for the week. On the other note, sometimes when my fridge is full of fresh fruits and veggies, I end up eating waaaay too much because I'm afraid that it'll go bad. So, in an effort to try and just use anything perishable in my fridge, along with buying as minimal as possible I baked a delicious yet simple Frittata on Tuesday night!

In my fridge already was 4 organic eggs, some Jarlsberg cheese slices and 4 slices of Turkey bacon - (clearly I had a hankering for a bacon/egg/and cheese sandwich sunday morning). So I popped on down to the Chelsea Trader Joes which just opened and is the best thing on earth, literally :) Smiles appear on my face when I talk about it :) :)
...and I bought some mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and spinach for ~$5. Unbeatable.

Then I pranced on home, feeling pretty happy with myself and continued to bake the following:

Simple Frittata

Ingredients
- 3 eggs and 1 egg white
- 2 cups of mushrooms*
- 8 grape tomatoes*
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 slices of turkey bacon
- 2 slices of jarlsberg cheese
- coconut oil
- salt & pepper
- Thyme (1/2 Tsp)
*Use as many of these ingredients as you want and feel free to switch them up. That's the beauty of something like this, tons of different veggie combos can taste fabulous.
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Use butter or cooking spray to coat the bottom of a square baking pan (I assume any would work fine)
3. Put bacon on pan and cook until they look browned and crispy; place on paper towel to cool
4. Cut up mushrooms if they are not already sliced, and tomatoes in half
5. Saute cut veggies in 2 Tbs of oil until mushrooms are browned
6. Put veggies into baking pan to cover the bottom
7. Place spinach on top of veggies to add an additional layer
8. Scramble up eggs and egg white in a bowl and add a little water (or milk if you prefer)
9. Add in salt and pepper to your liking, and some thyme (Rosemary could work here to)
10. Add bacon to egg mixture
11. Pour egg mixture into baking dish
12. Pop into oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until egg looks well cooked
13. Take baking dish out and place cheese on top. Throw the pan back into the oven for an addtional 5 or so minutes, or on broil, to get a nice melted and crispy top.

Take out and enjoy!!

I was able to create 4 portions of this meal and use for lunch every day. Couldn't ask for anything better than a $1.25 lunch huh??

Happy thursday all - and feel free to enjoy it since tomorrow is Friday :)

Vegetarians Beware

2010-07-14T09:43:00.008-04:00

I have never claimed to be a vegetarian, however sometimes I realize that I haven't eaten meat, chicken, or even fish, for a few days or a week at a time. Which then makes me question my overall protein intake and I end up dining on said meat, chicken, or even fish for the next weeks to make up for it. Ironically, I haven't been lacking protein in the past few weeks (mostly due to my stash of chicken sausages from whole foods - too many flavors to ever get bored)! However, I somehow managed to consume more meat in 1 meal this weekend, than I think I ever have, or will again... at least until my next bbq excursion ;)

Yes, that's right, on Sunday night (when nothing counts right??) I headed to Hill Country in Flatiron/Chelsea. I heard plenty about this unique place, but have never ventured inside. It's a little intimidating at first because it looks like a market where you bobble around with trays and pick and choose what you want. Not so fast though because there is a hostess at the front with a vibrant pig tattoo on her arm, and she is taking names... Needless to say, the staff is very friendly and explained how everything would work, once the initial shock of entering into this haven for meat-lovers wore off. Basically, each diner gets a ticket and you have a waitress for drinks, but otherwise, you bring your ticket up to each individual counter and the staff will check off what you order -- super simple!

First stop -> BBQ. Seeing as how we were totally out of our element, we asked the man with the giant meat cleaver for suggestions. He promptly stated that for the two of us: "3 lbs, moist brisket and pork spare ribs". Mmm Done and Done.

The sides table was where I really got excited and picked up a "Healthy Eatin'" Portion of smashed sweet potatoes and a cucumber salad. We may have snagged a piece or two of cornbread on the side ;)

Dig In!

Diner TIP - 3 lbs of meat is waaaaay too much, even for two people. I loved the pork spare ribs and had about two, but the moist brisket was just way too fatty for my liking. It comes with white bread so I put a few pieces into one slice and folded it over, but the texture and taste are just not my cup of tea. My dinner guest, on the other hand, just couldn't get enough of it! :)

Needless to say I had to be rolled home, but it was a fun dinner date for sure.

Additional recommendations: There is live music here! Check out the music schedule if you are planning on going and make sure you get in a good square dancing round!

Stuffed [my face off] French Toast

2010-07-11T19:16:00.005-04:00

Hoboken is continuously climbing the list of the top cities to find good eats! I know I know, I live in New York, the city of a million cultures and cuisines and good good food! But, alas, sometimes too many options are not a good thing...

A few weeks ago I was home in CT playing around on the tv and settled on Bobby Flays' show "Throwdown". B Flay was in the midst of challenging a poor soul on his Stuffed French Toast. Lo-and-behold, this restaurant was located in Hoboken, NJ! La Isla - oh i have walked by this cute little awning and fake bamboo trees multiple times on Washington street, however, never managed to stop in. The head chef, Omar Giner, definitely held his own against Mr. Flay and won the competition! So, I said to myself, I must try this delectable looking french toast that clearly rocked the judges socks off.

O - M - Y - G- O - S- H

I think this may go down as the best thing I have had for breakfast ... ever. I clearly tried to make my own version of this brunch specialty right after watching the episode, but after tasting this creation today, my was an embarrassment - to put it lightly.
Two thick slices of egg bread, dipped in a cinnamon batter, coated with crushed almonds and corn flakes, and then stuffed with a strawberry and guava cream cheese filling.

I was a little afraid that the filling was going to be a little too overbearing or sweet, but it was just perfect. And no syrup necessary :)
But honestly, the kicker to this culinary perfection was the crunchy cornflake crust. That little boost of texture on french toast makes such a world of difference! When I tried to make this at home, I burned the pieces pretty spectacularly - so I'm thinking there is a trick to this cooking technique that I will master one day.

If you are ever in the area and have a hankering for some delicious sweet breakfast, stop in at La Isla, order the Stuffed French Toast and an Iced Cuban Latte and give Chef Omar a pat on the back because you will not be sorry ... ahh love sunday eats !

Restaurant Review: 2.5

2010-07-06T12:46:00.008-04:00

Summer time makes me crave good food and good people, and being out in the city definitley finds opportunity for some great eats. Somehow, I've found the extra $$ to fund this little hobby, but all for a good cause :)

Restaurant 1:
A few weeks ago, a girlfriend from college came in for a short and sweet little visit (Hey Jessie!!). I love having friends visit, especially now, because my I have a great group of college girls in NY but we all have our own lives and schedules and it's hard to get together - much harder than living in the same [pink & purple] house :) :)

So in Jessie's honor, we made reservations at Bond ST Sushi. They have a great upstairs restaurant, as well as swanky downstairs lounge. The lounge was perfect for us because with this many girls, our appetites are all over the charts. Sometimes going to restaurants and having everyone order just appetizers or just wine makes for an unhappy waiter. Ironically, this time around we all could not resist the amazing looking menu:

Tuna Avocado Tartare

Spicy Yellowtail

Mish-Mosh of delicious food

Amazing girls

Restaurants 2:
So part of my busy schedule the last month has been....APT HUNTING! I wish I was exaggerating in saying that it was slightly miserable, but - alas - it was painful. However, after mis-matching schedule conflicts, broker lies, $$$$, lots of walking/emails/phone calls to strangers and strangers apartments, we finally found a place! We felt like this a few times along the way, so we continuously decided to treat ourselves to a glass of wine/nice dinner to celebrate. This included one stop to Barbounia. The photos are beautiful on the wall and the decoration of the restaurant and the food was great! However, I think their AC may have been broken (??) so slightly uncomfortable, especially close to the kitchen!
Still we ate a really good meal to celebrate our new apartment and new roommates!

Munching food

Charred Octopus with shaved fennel salad, mint,
grapefruit & extra virgin olive oil

Red Snapper Ceviche with Tabbouleh, cherry tomato, cilantro, olive oil & lemon juice

Restaurant Review .5

Finally, what is a good meal without a great dessert? Especially with this ridiculous heat wave that has been coming through the city, some cold ice cream always does the trick. However, it's nice to throw a little curve ball in there and try something new right!? I stumbled upon this place in Hoboken, NJ called Miami Rice (creative name huh?) It's all these different flavors of rice pudding!! Flavors like Pistachio, Cinnamon Bun, Apple Pie, Canoli, Plain, Chocolate, etc. Then...there was gelato flavors - which you could mix and match with the rice pudding...and THEN there were toppings! Like graham crackers, chocolate candies, syrup, cereals, gummies galore.
Apparently some avid fans had created their own combinations that became so popular they got their name and recipe on the board (ummm yes please?)

Our two creations:
"Pistachio Bashio": Pistachio Rice Pudding, Vanilla bean gelato, graham crackers
"Holy Canoli": Rice Pudding, Canoli gelato, whipped cream, chocolate fudge, sprinkles

Holy Cow - a must visit :)

That's all for now folks - restaurant week is coming up so I'm hoping to get some more good ones in! Stay coooool

Galaxies Collide

2010-06-22T15:53:00.005-04:00

Okay enough of this sporadic blogging! Clearly nothing that interesting has been going on..?? Or perhaps waay too many things that I just can't capture it all on film...you decide.

No but really with work/traveling/apt hunting, I have been completely MIA and hope to pick this blog up again very soon in full force!

However, I did want to make sure that I gave credit where credit was due, and I received a package from the lovely individuals at Galaxy Granola, and they definitely deserve 2 THUMBS UP.

Galaxy Granola is made with apple sauce instead of oil, so the calorie content and nutritional benefits are FAR better than the normal stuff. This is an amazing find for me because I have deemed myself a "granola addict". Seriously, I can add granola to anything. You name it. But mostly I could just eat it plain, which is where the stuff kills me. With Galaxy Granola, it's not as "clumpy" so the desire to eat it straight out of the package is a little lost saving me lots of unnecessary granola food comas ;)

However, the taste is still there and it comes in so many different varieties, so it's hard to get sick of them.

This is Vanilla Almond and Raspberry (I also received Not-so-sweet Vanilla, but that one is loooong gone)
Hip-hip hurray for a new found Galaxy of Granola!!

San Francisco loving

2010-06-01T20:53:00.015-04:00

I feel like my posts are getting few and far between but between work, friends, summer and sunshine I'm finding less and less time to sit in front of my computer! So I could feel guilty but really I'm still having a fabulous time and while my eating and workouts have potentially slacked from the way they used to, I don't think that I've lost all of the good habits that I picked up when I first started the blog, and I"m still feeling good!

As I said before work has been rather hectic and traveling has definitely been a part of it. Going back and forth between NYC, Boston and San Francisco is something that I'm still getting used to but just trying to make it as stable a transition as possible right now. I recently just returned from amazing San Francisco! San Francisco is pretty well known for their thai and asian food and so I did my fair share of testing the fare - and let me say it was de-licious! A few recommended spots in case you ever make your way out there:
1. Ozuma Sushi
2. The Slanted Door

and most importantly...

3. In-N-Out Burger! I'm normally not a big fan of fast food burgers but this was actually really good! I think probably because they toast the buns :)

Other than the spectacular restaurants, I was able to utilize the hotel menu a few times also

(Oatmeal with walnuts and bananas for breakfast)

- not to mention the mini bar staring at me for a few days. Man those prices are multipled by 5 what they should be, it's insane!
href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LtLxW9VtKxM/TAWw9Kmgw-I/AAAAAAAAAoQ/k0zbe-ooOZY/s1600/P1010082.jpg">

Until next time..!

Seriously, I need either a patio or rooftop in my next apartment - ah what a wonderful life that would be :)
I stayed around to relax a little after a busy week and have a drink (champagne actually) with some work friends, and [obviously] munch on the lovely spread that he had out.

I only stayed about an hour or so and then rushed home to eat a quick dinner and go to bed. I was getting up relatively early for a Saturday for this:

The Healthy Kidney 10K! I did this race last year, my first 10K, and really enjoyed it, despite the intense rain that started right away. This year however was absolutely beautiful weather :)
I haven't run 6 miles, without taking a mini walking/water break in a while so I was definitley nervous. However, the adrenaline and gorgeous Central Park surroundings really get you motivated and I ended up with a PB of 53:13! I was very excited :)

Having a great workout like that in the morning definitely kicked my butt for the rest of the day (after walking about 3 miles in addition home and running errands) so I napped up and rejuvenated just in time to celebrate with Sushi & Sake for lovely Erica's bday!! Happy birthday bebe!!

Hudson Terr[or]

2010-05-13T10:13:00.006-04:00

I've noticed that I do my fair share of play on words in this blog, and whether they are good or bad I think I'm pretty proud of them most of the time. Cheers to me! ;)
Anyways, the Hudson Terr[or] that I am referring to in the title, wasn't as terrible as it sounds but the saying works so hey, don't judge. On Monday night was another played out episode of a purchased Groupon, that I love o so dearly. My girlfriend Liz and I purchased tickets to an event at Hudson Terrace It was advertised as a night out with the girls that included free martinis, make-overs, massages, hair cut/styling, raffles, and a gift bag filled with samples all for $35! Of course we jumped at this thinking it would be fun, on a Monday night, to get together at a posh little hotel and get pampered (and maybe a little tipsy). :)

Unfortunately, when we got there we were at the front of the line, however they don't explain what really is going on. So we went to the top floor which had a few tables of promotional crap and then 100 calorie drinks, for $12 each. After asking a few of the unfriendly staff, they mentioned that the martinis on the floor below were the free ones. Ahhhh we said, and off we went to the floor below.

The floor below was clearly where we wanted to be! Massage tables, curling irons, piles of makeup and makeup artists...

oh and of course a fully stocked bar! Halleluia!

However, when we took a closer look, this was, how you say, a monet? You had to sign up for all of the free services when you got there and EVERY SINGLE ONE, was completely full. Well except for perhaps the BOTOX station??! Whaat?

So we headed to the bar, since clearly we weren't getting any pampering, and decided we might as well wash it down with an ice-cold *free* martini. Turns out it was only one kind that they were making in bulk, and tasted like robitussin, or some sort of sweetened metal (not sure if that even makes sense but believe me that's what it tasted like).

Okay...bar done.

Well, we might as well get our free sample bags and head on out right? WRONG? Well, yes we got the bags, but the insides left little to be desired.
1. A basketball keychain
2. A basketball nail file
3. Another nail file
4. Muscle Milk
5. A toothbrush with toothpaste already on it
6. A few coupons to use at some yoga studios (not half bad but that was the best of it all)

Seriously? It was a complete let-down. Sorry groupon, i love you, but I don't have to like you right now...

Ooh Casseroohles

2010-05-06T15:08:00.004-04:00

Yes I know that's not the actual spelling of casserole but give a girl a break - gotta be witty somewhere ;)
I have been on the hunt for some simple and healthy recipes that will allow me the least amount of time in the morning to prepare for lunch. Doing Jillian's shred in the morning along with a run sometimes has really made me late for work; thus was born the Santa Fe Casserole, adapted from Caitlin's recipe.
It was healthy, tasty, and so so easy to pop into a tupperware for lunch. Three cheers for Santa Fe!
Santa Fe Casserole

- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped dried chilies
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup organic skim milk
- 1 and 1/2 cup three gain rice, cooked (purchased from Trader Joes)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 head of broccoli, steamed

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a skillet, sautee the onion, garlic, and coconut oil until tender. Add the salt and chilies.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pepper, milk, beans, COOKED brown rice, eggs, cheddar cheese, and broccoli.
4. Pour mixture into casserole dish and sprinkle with extra pepper.
5. Bake casserole for 25 minutes or until center is firm. (Mine took a little longer ~ 35, and then I turned the broiler on to get a good crisp on top)
6. Let cool 5 minutes and top in a tupperware for lunch!

Lover of the Arts [& Music]

2010-05-05T16:55:00.007-04:00

Hi-yo! Wow my longest hiatus yet..my apologies. I guess my eats/events lately haven't been that blog-worthy? On the contrary, I feel like April flewwww and so quickly that I didn't even have time to take out my camera and document. Luckily, I had my handy dandy photo-taking device this weekend at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival!
Any one who lives in NY knows that there are these random street fairs that pop up on blocks or avenues throughout the summer and feature a plethora of sunglass stations, dress shops, street meat vendors and fried dough concoctions; aka they're faaabulous. This weekend, hoboken had their own version however it was much larger and more involved: there were art vendors from all over with really nice jewelry and paintings, photographs, signs, the works! Plus the street food - of course:

Sweet potatoes fries sprinkled/doused in cinnamon & sugar. Soo delicious! I kept searching around for the extra crispy ones :)

Kebabs! Decided on a chicken kebab with hot sauce. i tried to be bad-ass and it backfired tremendously. Apparently Franks Red Hot is tooo hot for this girl - my lips were on fire! Still, the two bites I had before running for the ice water were very tasty. My first time eating street meat!
It was so hot out that we didn't last long so a pitcher of red&white sangria was in the near future. mmm mmm

Beantown Bonanza

2010-04-21T09:05:00.006-04:00

For the past two weeks I have been lucky enough to start traveling for work; while it's sporadic and short-lived in nature, it's still an experience in a different city, which I have definitely been looking forward to. The destination: Cambridge, MA! The minute you step into this town I immediately feel smarter. Bordering both MIT and Harvard, there is a definite intellectual vibe in the both the coffee shops and numerous libraries that you pass by on the street.
I flew down to Boston on Sunday night and decided to take a stroll down Main Street and look for a little place to sit and read my new obsession : The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Low and behold I stumbled on this little joint -

Toscanini's
Technically, I guess it is an ice cream store ("the best ice cream in the world"), but they serve coffee and tea as well. One thing that I thought was incredibly cool was this brunch menu on the wall (Breakfast @ the big table)with a disclaimer that said you could not use your laptop during that time - guess they get that busy! If I ever get back here I am going to hit up the Strawberry Ice Cream, which is apparently unreal :) And lord knows I love a good ice cream!

Anyways, since it was a little on the chilly side, I opted for tea.

Vanilla Rooibos has been at the top of my list since I tried it a few weeks ago - it has such a strong flavor and it's herbal so perfect for night time when you don't need the extra boost of caffeine!

Unfortunately they were out of lids (??) so the barista let me have it for free - wahoo!

Along with the strawberry ice cream, my next visit will include knocking out a few of these coffee numbers in search for the ultimate goal of FREE ESPRESSO :)

Ah - Mazing [Grass]

2010-04-16T09:34:00.006-04:00

There is some thing so exciting and tempting about Fridays. The idea that it is almost the weekend, but you still have a little bit of suspense about finishing the day and what is in store. I love it! - well, I would love it a little bit more if it was Friday at 5 instead of Friday at 10, but oh well; it's 5o'clock somewhere!

I had an exciting week what with traveling to Boston again, buying new running shoes, two work happy hours, AND the most exciting part was receiving a shipment of Samples from Amazing Grass! I had been e-mailing back and forth with the lovely Teri and her shipment of goodies got to me on Wednesday - what a highlight! Amazing Grass is this "Amazing" (pun intended) company that really just helps people get the most out of their daily nutrition by making it simpler! They have a variety of products, all in different flavors, but all of them jam-packed with protein, antioxidents, and vitamins galore.
There is so much inside:

organic wheat grass, green superfood powder, berry superfood powder in acai and goji flavors, even Kidz Superfood samples in Chocolate (can't wait for that one!), and some protein bars.
I immediately set out to make my favorite breakfast, besides my beloved oatmeal of course - a smoothie!
The one that caught my attention immediately was the Amazing Meal Pomegranate Mango Infusion. This superfood is a combo of plant based protein, phytonutrient rich fruits and veggies, digestive enzymes and probiotics. All of which you can get more information about at their website. Each serving has 110 calories, 10 g of Protein (!!!), 13g of carbohydrates, and a ton of whole food ingredients.

I had a bunch of other fruit so into this smoothie went:
1 C skim milk
1 packet of Amazing meal pomegranate mango infusion
~1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 banana
some icecubes for a nice chill
Liqufied and poured into a transportable cup it made the perfect breakfast to walk to work with!
Overall the taste was great! I think in general pomegranate has a very faint taste but you could definitely taste a hint of the mango. In the future I will probably choose less overbearing fruit (such as bananas and blueberries) and maybe add some frozen mango to really add the wowza! factor to this bad boy but still, I finished it in about 10 minutes - oops...

Stay tuned for more reviews of Amazing grass and all that it has to offer :)

In other blogger news, Check out Chelsea's site for a Barney Butter give-away!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-04-14T05:07:00.001-04:00

I had to go home to CT last night for a rather lame and embarrassing reason (ahem traffic court), but it ended up being perfect because today is my mom's birthday! So between driving to a no-name town of Lewisboro, pleading down my measly little speeding ticket, and still paying an exorbanent amount of money - yes I am a little biter - I was able to bake some cupcakes for my mom. I feel like everyone in my family has a favorite kind of cake that they don't like moving away from; my dad's is Spice Cake, mine might be Carrot Cake (but nothing really beats confetti), my brother likes anything with sugar, and my mom has been really leaning towards Angel Foods Cake, if there is no chocolate souffle laying around ;). So I whipped together some super simple Angel Food Cupcakes with some whipped cream frosting and whatever fruit and other toppings we had around. Happy Birthday mom!

The Dining Room

2010-04-03T14:19:00.006-04:00

Hey there readers! Happy saturday - and seriously what a gorgeous one it is. I'm about to hop on a train back to CT for easter with the family so I'm going to make this quick but since the internet is hit or miss at mi casa I figured I had to squeeze in one fabulous restaurant review!
This morning I went to The Dining Room in Hoboken for brunch, which is a part of Anthony Davids located on Bloomfield and 10th (if you are familiar with the area). This place was recommended by a friend who considers himself to be an avid 'bruncher" and said that this was seriously the best. And ladies and gentleman, I can confirm that it was indeed the best. I ordered two poached eggs with bacon and whole wheat toast and my friend there ordered a steak and eggs (as per the waitress' recommendation). To top it off, like we hadn't had enough, we figured we just HAD to order the thing that Anthony David's is famous for - the bourbon doughnuts.
I can't remember the last time I had a doughnut - let alone bourbon - but they had this amazingly distinct yet not overpowering bourbon glaze covering the crispy outside and warm doughy center. They were, I will have to say, out of this world. Mmm Mmm.

Cha-Cha-Cha Chia!

2010-04-02T10:03:00.006-04:00

Ever since I joined the blogging community dedicated to health / nutrition / fitness, I have heard gobs of bloggers refer to the amazing taste and benefits of the infamous Chia Seeds. 2 TBS of Chia seeds are jam packed with 7g fiber, 2g protein, 205mg calcium, more Omega-3 than atlantic salmon, more antioxidants than blueberries, and more protein/fiber/calcium than flax seeds (whoo!).
I have looked far and wide for them in my neighborhood and can't.find.them.anywhere. Apart from ordering them online, I thought that I was going to have to suffer without ever trying some straight from the grocery.
To my great shock I finally!! found them at the Organic Market near by - still not plain and packed on their own, but chia seeds none the less. Enter:

I thought the flavor "Cranberry ginger" sounded delicious as an oatmeal and maybe even I could throw a few goodies on top.
Overall, the oatmeal had a great taste - especially the cranberries! However, the directions left little to be desired. Instructions read:
1. Pour 2 Tbs of chia seeds in bowl
2. Add 1/3 C of water (hot - cold) whatever your preference.
3. Let sit about 3-5 minutes

Mmm I did as the recipe instructed and still 15 minutes later there was a liquidy mess. So I packaged them up and took them too work and popped them in the microwave for about 40 seconds - that did the trick. I guess you just have to experiment!

Does anyone have any suggestions on what else I could do to cook these guys??

Have an amazing Friiday! Weather in NYC is b-e-a-utiful so if you have sunshine, use it!!

I.Love.Pilates

2010-03-29T22:05:00.006-04:00

Hello there! I am writing from the lovely city of Boston (Cambridge to be exact) tonight as I'm traveling for work. We just had dinner at this amazingly delicious restaurant called Chez Henri - kind of french cuban cuisine it is considered. I ordered the pan seared trout with langoustine & gremolata, a cauliflower puree, and smoked bacon. There were some green beans thrown in there for some good measure so all in all a seriously delicious and well-balanced meal if I do say so myself! Sorry no photos :(

While I enjoy traveling for work, some things I don't like about it are the fact that I have to miss out on some things that I plan ahead for - such as my pilates classes! I've been buying these classes off of groupon.com and now am on to my five mat classes at Pilates on Fifth. The cool thing about this place is that a mat class also covers this special Barre class (such as a ballet bar?). I haven't tried it yet but eventually!! I had a spot reserve this week but had to cancel due to work obligations ... ah priorities. This place is on the top floor of a building and the first time I walked in I immediately was reminded of a gymnasium when I was little. Pilates is fabulous and if you haven't tried it I seriously recommend them - I think it can do wonders for your body! ... but that being said, it's kind of wierd! Sometimes walking into these pilates studios can look like some sort of torture chamber with machines and chains and wheels and pulleys. Very strange.

Still, a great workout. Hopefully I'll get another class or two in before the weekend!

Goooo Knicks!

2010-03-25T10:38:00.006-04:00

Happy Thursday! I love thursday because it means the week is almost over but it's not quite over yet so the weekend anticipation / brain dead feeling that occurs on friday hasn't hit.
This week has been flown by so far since I was traveling for work yesterday and on Tuesdsay I got to go to the Knicks vs. Nuggets game at MSG! The last time I'd been there was actually with my brother and his friends for a Knicks game (yes I spent an evening with some high school boys chauffering them around and had a great time thank you very much). But this time I had better company and ridiculously better seats! We were in the fourth row at center court - aka I didn't even need my glasses, although they were readily packed in my purse in the horrific event that I would actually need to put them on (Im not the biggest fan of them in case you couldn't tell).

While the game was fun and all, especially because they WON, I spent most of my time trying to celebrity site. Spotted: Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) and Chloe Sevigny (Big Love) - not to shabby!
Undocumented eats included 2 beers and some chicken fingers. I confess, there was a sushi bar down where we were which I debated but something about sushi at MSG didn't sit right, not to mention I was at a sports game where it's kinda an unsaid rule to eat hotdogs and beer!

Do you like going to sporting games?? What do you get to eat when you are there?

Cupcakes are HOT

2010-03-23T09:32:00.008-04:00

Or at least that was the tag line for the Cupcake Workshop 101 that I took on Sunday night at the Institute for Culinary Education. It was a night of learning all about baking, meeting strangers over a common passion, and baking / decorating some delicious things!

Full Circle

2010-03-21T16:38:00.023-04:00

Looking back on my first post from this blog, and thinking about why I started it in the first place, really makes me feel accomplished regarding what I've created here. I was in a "rut" of sorts and just needed to spice things up, so to say; or at least try to put my thoughts and actions into words and photos so that I could better see what was missing and what things were apparent in my life. Even though this site is still new, and I have [recently] not followed through on continual updating, especially in regards to what I eat and how I exercise, I still think that the posts that I have written have helped to reshape my outlook on the past few months and the future ahead that I have in New York. While there are a number of things that have changed, for the better, in my life since this blog started, I think that it really has come full circle when last Thursday I attended a blogger potluck at the lovely Leslie's apartment.
Getting together to meet, eat, and chat with five other ladies such as myself who have been able to find an interest and a common ground around food, exercise, and the blog-o-sphere was definitely the highlight of my "blogging career".

When is the last time you've contributed to a potluck and were you nervous about making something that everyone would like!?

While I do not proclaim to be a chef by any means, it was fun to experiment and add to the gorgeous potluck spread that not only looked unbelievable but tasted so good.

Katie's Peanut Hummus which added a nice and unique flavor that I had not yet had in regards to hummus, especially with some Mary's Crack[ers].
In the background there is a creation from Leslie's of white bean pesto with asparagus and roasted peppers which went great with the crackers as well.

Leslie also made this coconut sweet potato dip which I could have/did eat au naturale. Anything with sweet potato is unbelievable in my book and this was no exception.

Danielle's quinoa and broccoli bites - so simple yet so good.

Sophia's Lentil and Roasted Tomato bruschetta that tasted so delicious I think due in part to the fabulous spices and marinades that she explained went into it...mm mm

I prepared some spinach balls that consist of an easy mixture of frozen spinach, 1 chopped sweet onion, some butter, thyme, smashed bread crumbs, and salt and pepper. This recipe was easy to put together and was especially convenient for me because I had 20 minutes from the time I got out of work to get to the dinner - and therefore knew that I would have to make something before hand. After baking these guys for 20 minutes or so you can pop them in the freezer and then reheat them whenever you need!

And last but not least...

Megan's homemade peanut butter and chocolate cups. There is something so satisfying about homemade desserts that always makes me enjoy them just a little more than that store bought ones.

All in all a delicious night of wonderful people and wonderful food. I can truly say that these ladies were a joy to meet and I can't wait to do it again soon!! Not to mention I get to start catching up on all of their blogs now, which is always a treat...

Domestication

2010-03-16T21:41:00.007-04:00

Do you ever wonder when the time will come when you are ready to settle down, move to the 'burbs, start cooking dinner for a family every night and seeing your girlfriends once a month when you all get together and sit around reminiscing about our crazy / wild twenties?? While I understand that things can always change on a dime and something I say right now may not be true in the future....right now I'm saying that this time is a looong way off for me.
While I may be too immature (is that the right word?) to start thinking about this now, I can appreciate some of the high points associated with this kind of life - a domesticated life...and I have a genuine admiration for girls my age who are makin' it work!

This saturday I had the pleasure of meeting a girl who is my age who I have a lot in common with, except for the fact that she lives way outside the city with her boyfriend. A bunch of us went back to their place to have dinner and have a few drinks and some conclusions that I drew by the end of the night were 1. This couple rocked 2. Their place rocked 3. They can still party like the best of us and 4. This girl could cook!! Having a fully stocked kitchen and cooking for two definitely has it's perks.
We (/ she) made penne a la vodka and a salad that was so delicious!!

Oh yes and the obligatory glass[es] of wine... :)
It was so great to be in a real apartment and have a home cooked meal on a Saturday night that I could really see the positive in living this kind of life... :)

So much so, I even did a little "faux" baking tonight! One of my family recipes is a yogurt pie, which I will make eventually on this blog. However, this weekend I picked up a little Greek Yogurt and some Agave Nectar and decided to try a slight variation on the classic.
Introducing: Berry Tart Yogurt Pie

It was delicious if I do say so myself! And healthy!

Highlights

2010-03-12T20:40:00.009-05:00

Hey hey! Again, I have not kept up with my daily eats, but in all honesty, they really haven't been anything special: morning oatmeals, lunch ab&j's (which I am so happy to have reinstated), fruit as an afternoon snack, yada yada.
However...I have had a few highlights this week that I am happy to report:

1. Grocery Shopping at Chelsea Market last Sunday! The fruit exchange has amazing produce and is NOT expensive - who knew! I picked up a few goodies, including some almonds, tomatoes, apples - the basics.

2. My family came in for dinner, since it's my brothers Spring Break, and we went to Market Table It's this nice little restaurant in the west village with great ambiance (personally I think it would be better for a date with a boy, than a date with a my family, but...ah well) The food was really good though...
I had a cod dish with butternut squash risotta; I forgot how much I loooove risotto. Must be the italian in me ;)
My brother god a whole fish -- legit whole thing. And he completely butchered it. I triiied to teach him how to do it correctly, since I lucked out the other night and had my own lesson, but boys will be boys...c'est la vie

Topped off with a fabulous homemade gelato from an ice cream shop on Bleeker.

And 3. saving the best for last...I have been walking by the Cake Boss in Hoboken for the last few weeks just dyyying to go inside but the line is OUTRAGEOUS! Always! All I want are some cannolis...and I don't know how I got so lucky but I got a little gift later that day <3 and let me just say they were everything I dreamed of and more. mmm mmm mmm

Headed to a beer garden tomorrow to resume my favorite past time of day drinking [in the rain]?! Have a great weekend!

Disappearing Act

2010-03-04T13:14:00.012-05:00

Whoa, it's been a while since my last post! Between a plethora of vacations and trying to fend off this little cold that I will not let get the best of me, I have been so tired and overwhelmed and as a result have not been eating well at all. I figured, there is not better way to stabilize and regroup than to return from my disappearing act and starting accounting for all of my eats! And having all of you keep me in check ;)

I lucked out last night and had this ah-maze-ing dinner at Barbuto. Seriously so delicious, I'm not joking. I started with a grapefruit salad and then ordered the Seabeam as an entree. The fish comes whole (eyes and all) so I got to cut off the head and take off the spine. There is no harm in playing with your food as an adult!

Fun Fact: if you are stranded on an island, eat the eyeballs of fish for hydration. (Yes I learned this last night...and no I did not eat them, I had a glass of water / wine in front of me so I was all set)

Dessert was an indulgence but well worth it: coffee semifredo icecream, lemon almond pound cake and mint gelato. Mm mm. No worries! I split this between 5 people, but I wish it was all for me :)

After my extra-large dins last night, I started off the morning on the right foot with a killer spin workout (I created 40 wats of energy on the new Green Revolution bikes!) and a protein shake:

1 C organic skim milk, 1 Scoop vanilla protein powder, 2 T ground flax, handful of frozen cranberries. This was delicious, and pink!

What is your take on protein powder? Is it chemicals? Is it better to get protein from "real" foods? I don't know that much/anything about it so any information would be helpful and interesting!

Great to be back folks!

Laugh a Little!

2010-02-23T20:07:00.004-05:00

I am so looking forward to NOT traveling this weekend!! whoo hoo. Seriously the past three weekends I have been go go go in different states and different countries and every mode of transportation that is available...I can't wait to relax and maybe sleep 8+ hours (maybe!) this weekend in my newly cleaned apartment. Yes, my roomie and I caved on Sunday and begged the cleaners to come and clean out our dirty excuse for a living situation. It was sooooo worth the $$. If anyone in NY needs a cleaner, get in touch with me. I swear the place looks 3x as large :) yaay

This past weekend I traveled to lovely Beantown for a BC Charity Ball! Remember the dress I said I was going to get hemmed?? Ta - da!

The dressed turned out great. Not as slimming down the legs as I would have liked but great all the same. I'm really proud that I finally made use of a dress that's been hanging in my attic for 6 years!

A collection of my college and high school friends drove the 5 hours to boston, relaxed, did hot yoga (that was amazing), danced, dressed up, drank, play, and had an all around good time. :)

While it definitely took a lot out of me, I'm glad I went. Any excuse to dress up really..it might be one of my favorite things. Now, back in NYC, I'm excited to get back to rejuvenating, recharging, and detoxing; for the next few days at least ;)

A little factoid that I heard today that both depressed and motivated me: Babies laugh 300 times a day. The average adult laughs 10 times.

Future reminder to myself: Stop taking yourself so seriously!! No one else does :)

Worthwhile Break

2010-02-16T21:16:00.008-05:00

Wow I didn't realize that it had been so long since my last post! However, I do have a worthwhile excuse...

I spent all of last week basking in the beautiful views of St. Johns in the US Virgin Islands. A vacation in the middle of February is probably the healthiest, most relaxing activity that I could think of doing - and since this is a healthy living blog, I figured it had to be featured ;)

There was snorkeling, hiking, sunsets, swimming, reading (I read three books!), sleeping, running, and eating of course...while I didn't get a ton of food photos, I did manage to snag a few of my favorites!

Delicious Breakfast Burrito

Stuffed Waffles with Fresh Mango and Bananas

This was the menu from La Tapa restaurant that we went to on our last night - the owner shuts down during Hurricane season and travels the world to find new recipes and ingredients. She then comes back to St. John and incorporates them into her menu and changes it every night! I had the Yellowfin Tuna, which was absolutely spectacular!

Lots of banana smoothies were consumed :)

Home sweet home - and another trip to Boston this weekend to look forward to! Have a great week everyone :)

L O S T?

2010-02-03T09:25:00.008-05:00

Happy hump day folks! After Wednesday's are over I feel so much more refreshed...it's amazing what little things can do for your spirit huh?

In case you live under a rock and were unaware of last night's festivities, it was the LOST premiere (or in case you have more productive/educational hobbies that preoccupy your time - to each his own)!! My roommate was so excited she almost printed out these:

We were having a little get together at our place with some friends from college that we hadn't seen in ages! LOST was something we all used to look forward to at school and watch together so getting together for an ol' pasttime was half of the enjoyment in my opinion. :)

Dinner consisted of take-out pizza and beer (did I mention we were with boys??).

We loaded upon on a Cheese pizza with mushrooms, mozzarella sticks (for the veggie in the house!), meatballs, and a salad. Random combo I know. I don't particularly like the cheese on my pizza, unless it's mozzarella or super fresh so I ate two pieces of pizza sans the cheese, half a meatball (no, I am not the veggie - I would never survive), and some of the salad since I have been feeling seriously devoid of greens these days!

This was the beer we picked up from our snow tubing trip. Gets better every time!

The premiere was great! However, while this might make me sound like an idiot (unlike all of the other incredibly intellectual things that I say ;) ) I seriously do not understand time travel and this show is chock-full of it - I was LOST, pun intended. I'm hoping that it tones down a little this season or at least gets explained a little better!

Overall a great night, topped off with a great spin class this morning and a clean and simple breakfast of vanilla protein powder shake with lots o' cinnamon . mm mm.

Note to self:

2010-02-02T18:05:00.006-05:00

Do not put protein powder in oatmeal after it is already cooked. I made that mistake this morning and literally felt like I was inhaling dry pretzels er something to that extent...it was not good to say the least. Having a crummy breakfast didn't put my day off to a good start, and I don't think that it got the blood flowing to my brain because I walked all the way to work, sat down at my cube, and realized that I had forgotten my laptop on my bed. A-W-E-SOME. 24 minutes and $45 later (I had to buy a new subway card) I finally got the day started..oof!

The day did get a little better though...In 3 weeks I am going to a Charity Ball in Boston!! I am a huge (HUGE) fan of dressing up and getting out on the town ;) so of course I jumped at the chance to 1. Road trip with some girlfriends to Boston for the weekend 2. Donate some $$ to a good cause and 3. play dress up :)

I have waaay too many dresses as it is, but of course I was thinking nothing in my closet would work! ;) My mother might disagree with me.....However, in the spirit of staying on budget (January was difficult to say the least) and the reality that I actually do have plenty of things to wear, I decided to do a little makeover of the wardrobe kind. I have so many long prom dresses back home that are just sitting there, accumulating the terrible attic smell that some clothes can never say goodbye to. So, I figured I would re-vamp one of my favorite dresses and make it into a sleeker, sexier, more mature version of the high school prom dress! I wish I had an old prom photo to show..but alas, they have been burned/buried to keep my dignity ;)

Picture this - but red. Anyhow, I trecked down to the lower east side today for my lunch break to this place called Nelson's to get this dress hemmed. There will be some after photos assuming all goes well - but I did hear some great things.

The highlight of my day was passing this cute little bakery that I have been wanting to try:

I didn't actually make it in (since my hour lunch break was nearing a close!) but now I know right where it is for next time. I'll have to "step inside and find out" what the heck they were talking about on this chalkboard outside ... ;)

Sweet Escapes

2010-01-31T19:12:00.008-05:00

I feel like most of the time the weekends just fly by and it's hard to recount what actually even happened. Luckily, that was entirely not the case this weekend. Friday night was lazy, which as any one who has read my past entries knows are my favorite :) This weekend though I was staying in because I had to be up at 6:30 AM on saturday for a super special event....

Snow Tubing and Beer Tasting!!

Another Groupon.com fabulous find ... this site is amazing in case you haven't checked it out. This particular event was put on by Urban Escapes. They have trips in Boston, NY, DC and Philly and basically offer a chance for city-livers, such as myself, to get out of the concrete jungle for a day and do somethings that they love and miss about the country! Rock climbing, hiking, white-water rafting, snow mobiling; the list goes on and on. My roommate and I definitely enjoy getting out of the city and doing something a little different so we paid the discounted fee and got all of this:

My toes fell off somewhere between the 5th and 6th run, so after lunch I sat with my wet foot on the furnace until I could feel something resembling my pinkie toe. ouuuchhhh.

In the afternoon we hopped back on the bus and drop to Captain Lawrence Brewery for a little beer tasting with the group! I am a big fan of microbrews and we got a short explanation of how they make the beer there.

Interesting Fact: a major differentiating factor in beer is water. Soft water is what makes for good beer brewing which is how the major beer cities get started (Munich, NY, etc). I had no idea!

There were five types of beer that we tasted: Liquid Gold, Pale Ale, Imperial IPA, Brown Ale, Espresso Stout. My favorite type of beer in general is Guiness, so it was no surprise that the Brown Ale was so good!!! My roomie and I ended up walking out with a growler (yeaa picture a 40 of good beer) of Brown Ale, and a little buzz ;)

Getting out of the city even for just one day was a really great way to relax, have a great time, and let loose!

Tonight I'm doing a little laundry, which had to get done and trying out a new recipe to fulfill my sweet potato craving that has been taking ovaaa lately.

[Faux] Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

2/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup organic skim milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

6 to 8 tablespoons melted butter (just used about 1 pat)

1/2 cup granulated sugar (used Stevia packets and just sprinkles)

1/2 package of phyllo dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed sweet potatoes, toasted pecans, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well, until fully combined.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Place one sheet of the phyllo dough down and brush on a thin layer of butter, sprinkle sugar on top. Add another sheet of phyllo dough on top and repeat. I did this with three layers all together, but you can do up to four. Then cut the sheets in half.

4. Place a heaping spoonful of the sweet potato mixture at the bottom of the dough and roll the phyllo up diagonally to make a triangle (remember folding a flag a girlscout camp? exactly like that). Fold the triangle of phyllo over straight, then diagonally, continuing the pattern until you reach the end of the sheet and the filling is completely enclosed. I cut the "flags" in half so the dough eventually was exposed but this was just to make the pastries/pies smaller.

5. Place them on a tray and throw 'em in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they are browned. Finito!

Final Disclaimer: I am a huge fan of sweet potato but this wasn't my favorite dessert evaaa. I kind of just liked spooning out the insides. ;)

Happy sweet sunday folks

The Scheduler

2010-01-26T09:25:00.005-05:00

Shout out to my jersey shore fans! It's a guilty pleasure, but I was recently introduced and can see myself indulging in it shamefully. Oh well!
The Scheduler is now my official Jersey Shore nickname, designated to myself by myself. After 2009 ended, I went a few weeks without a new planner and felt utterly and entirely lost and incompetant; picture the equivalent of a chicken with its' head cut off. I'm not sure if I just like to see things written down on paper, or if I really am so scatterbrained that plans, mentionings, appointments, etc. just go in one ear and out the other. However, if you ever talked to anyone that knows me, they would say that I am completely organized, on time and definitely Type-A. This is all due to my handy-dandy planner. I finally took myself to a bookstore and found this delightful little organizer/calendar/savior that was just perfect for me :)

See, I literally write down everything along with post-its and stickies (I swear I don't color coordinate...??) This way I know I won't forget things and I just feel calmer. Scheduling is definitely my way of feeling at ease and peaceful.

Is there anything that you do to make yourself feel more together?

Chi-caaaa-go!!

2010-01-24T21:06:00.012-05:00

Hey all! I hope you had a great weekend, because I definitely did...I have been in Chicago since Thursday! Every time I go out there I have such a good time and I say to everyone, "I can't wait to move out here".... eventually I think I would like to but for now, I'll just stick to my weekend celebrations in the Windy City. Here's a recap of some seriously fabulous eats that took place :)

A coffee and reading at Newark prior to take off (I've been trying to get through Emma ever since my Jane Austen kick. It's taking a little longer than expected...)

I decided to skip the complimentary turkey sandwich and kit kat bar and instead snacked on a Larabar and a bag of mini carrots. I wanted to make sure that I didn't get full because I know that myself and some co-workers were going to be hitting up this later....!!!
Mercat a la Planxa! Mercat is Chef Jose Garces restaurant, the winner of Iron Chef this year. I've been waiting to go to this place since I heard we were headed to Chicago so clearly I studied the menu in extravagant anticipation :) While I didn't take photos of everything, here are some of the star studded tapas.

Seasonal Red Sangria

Croquetas de Mariscos

Diver Scallops

Bruschetta, Cana de Cabre (goats milk balsamic strawberries), and Costillas de Ternera (braised shortribs flatbread)

Serrano Ham and Fig Salad

Seriously everything was unbelievably amazing..and these were only a few of the things that we ordered! My favorite was the Pelotas de Calabaza y Cordero (butternut squash dumplings, lamb ragout, Beech Mushroom escabeche, black truffles) holy cow - holy incredible. mm mm mm

On to the rest of the weekend! On Friday I left the beautiful Westin River North and headed to Lincoln Park to stay with two of my girlfriends from college. We went out had a great time and caught up, and ended the night with a burger at Five Guys. Have you ever been there?? I haven't had a burger in [I can't remember how long ago]...needless to say this will add to the story later.. We woke up on Saturday and headed to brunch at Ann Sather Cafe.

Apparently I just had to try the cinnamon buns, and so I did, and they were fabulous.

So warm and gooey! Along with that I got multigrain pancakes with fresh strawberries and a side of turkey sausage. I felt great while eating that..but as the day went on, my stomach got more and more uneasy. I could feel the Five Guys burger just chillin in my stomach and my stomach was NOT happy about it. Long story short, by the end of the night I felt like I had a mini dose of food poisoning or my stomach was just in shock from eating that greasy food again -- it's pretty crazy/incredible how things like that can effect your body!

Has this ever happened to from eating something terrible and that you're just not used to??

Unfortunately I ended up curling up in a ball and falling asleep super early :( I woke up this morning and felt sooo much better, just a little weak. I'm hoping I regain some strength by tomorrow, but I dont think I will be eating burgers anytime soon!

I ordered some snacks at O'Hare for my trip back, and the nice man at the Starbucks station gave me some free nuts to try!

First time I tried Vanilla Rooibos Red Tea - Two Thumbs Up!

Are there any other teas that you recommend?? I'm trying to get into tea...vs. my coffee addiction ;)
Ooof sorry for the long post but clearly I had a jam packed weekend and ate some jammin food! Looking forward to a great week :) except for the JETS loss :( Everyone at the airport was watching the end of the game lookin' sad .. tear

Memorable Weekend Eats

2010-01-19T08:13:00.005-05:00

I swear I didn't eat this whole thing...but I wish :)

My mom and brother came into the city on a whim (definitely a perk to having my family close by!) and we all went out to lunch! If you are ever in New York and are having a hard time deciding what/where to eat, Chelsea Market is a no-fail solution. There is sooo much going on in there! After perusing the mutliple options available, we ended up at Friedman's deli. I was seriously in the mood for a sandwich, so I got the Vegetable with Turkey on sourdough bread.

It was HUGE and delicious and messy. Just perfect :) Oh and a side of sweet potato fries. If they're on the menu, they are being ordered, let's be serious.

I also was able to make myself a little quick and easy dinner on friday by following this recipe from Nourish Network with a few tweaks to suit my needs:

White Bean and Kale Ragout with Sweet Potato and Sausage

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 Chicken sausage (roasted red pepper but choose whatever flavor you like)

2 sweet potatoes (cut into cubes)

3 minced garlic cloves

4 cups of de-stemmed and chopped kale

1/2 cup of vegetable stock

1 can of cannellini beans, drained

1/2 can diced tomatoes, undrained

sea salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and sweet potato until bronzed. Sprinkle with S&P and then add the sausage and garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes, add kale and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender. Finito!

Feeling good by Doing good

2010-01-18T09:34:00.004-05:00

By now, I know that everyone is aware of the destruction that has taken place in Haiti. 80-90% of the buildings in Port-au-Prince have been destroyed, and although is it unconfirmed, there is talk of around 20,000-30,000 dead. While I have done my fair share of traveling overseas, and to other countries, I still live a rather privileged life in New York and do not pretend to know or understand the devastation that the Haitians and other inhabitants of Haiti are experiencing right now. I confess, I do not generally consider myself to be overly philanthropic. Yes I have been a part of Charity Leagues, and have volunteered a considerable amount of times over the past 4 years in college, and have even done Meals-on-Wheels in the city, it is not something that I dedicate a large amount of time in my life to, as selfish as that may sound. Still, something about the Haiti coverage really moved me (yes I cried at the Today show footage...) and I decided to do something about it. A girlfriend of mine works at CNN and has been doing some research of an organization called Charity:Water. Charity:Water is organizing a plane to leave New York on Tuesday (yes tomorrow!) and requested some items to fill 'er up! Working at a consulting firm, people are constantly bringing back toiletries that they pick up during their hotel stays for the few other charities that my company helps out. I made a special request and was able to gather up a rather large amount of soap and shower gels to donate! My girlfriend and I headed out on Saturday to donate and it was really incredible to see the large amount of items that they had collected already...

Another thing about Charity: Water that I find particularly interesting is the photos. They have some amazing pictures around the office of bringing clean, fresh water to developing countries, and their website photos are incredible as well. If you get a chance, definitely check them out. And if you live in New York, you can still donate! Just go to this site for details. Getting my butt out of bed on Saturday and doing something that would benefit other peoples lives really made me feel good. Perhaps that still makes this a selfish move, but if I can make myself feel better by doing better, and making someone else's life better, than I'll take that hands down ;)

23 or 70?

2010-01-15T09:22:00.004-05:00

Clearly I have been MIA via the blog this week, but after reading you'll understand why, and maybe be able to relate? I started this week with a fabulous energy; I had a great weekend, work was looking manageable this week, I had a fun dinner planned for Thursday. And then, Monday hit. Mondays are always slightly difficult, but this one particularly drained me (for no apparent reason). Then Tuesday came along, and a similar draining effect took place. Wednesday was no exception and then Thursday, well lets just say I think I hit a wall. While I was able to make it to the gym on these days (working out in the morning I have learned that exhaustion and a slight sleeping haze are part of the routine) my eating habits were [slightly] off. Take yesterday. Below is a picture of some fruit combos, a handful of soy crips, and a 1/2 a chicken and spinach sandwich. Looks relatively normal and as though I covered all the bases huh?! Just so happens that this was after my normal lunch, plus an additional handful of chips and another half a sandwich...And this was just my lunch!
Needless to say I went home, after my dinner date was cancelled, and crashed. I'm pretty sure a 70 year old grandmother goes to bed later than I did last night! I cannot pinpoint what is making me so exhausted...lack of concentration/motivation, hormones, multi-tasking, diet?
Does this ever happen to you? Any suggestions?!

All I can say is TGIF and I'm looking forward to getting my 23 year old body back to feeling like a 23 year old should! Well, I might act like a grandma again tonight... ;) welcome back friday night lite

What did you do today?

2010-01-12T20:26:00.007-05:00

Living up to my mantra this morning, I...

Definitely sweat :) Today I did interval training on the treadmill:

- 1 mile @ 7.0

- 10 minutes @ 5.0 incline

- 1 mile @ 7.2

- 10 minutes @ 6.0 incline

- 1 mile @ 7.0

- 10 minutes @ 5.0 incline

Followed by a killer Magic Circle Pilates Class at Power Pilates :) I've been doing pilates for a few years, not regularly though until I moved to New York. Since joining NYSC, I take these two pilates classes at the gym every Tuesday and Thursday. I thought they were great, until I started taking classes at Power Pilates. My body gets WORKED! And it feels fabulous!

Any one have any other good workout suggestions?

On another note, got this in the mail today!

I love love love ab, and had heard about this kind but they don't sell it in any of the grocery stores near me :( but if you go to the website you can request some free samples! I also love love love free stuff ;) in case you couldn't tell. Speaking of free stuff, Eat Move Love is giving away a Gluten free cookbook - so go to the website and apply if you a) like baking b) like winning stuff or c) love baking. Good luck!

What did you do today?

Jump Start your Life

2010-01-12T07:34:00.005-05:00

Good morning !!

I saw this billboard on Caitlin's site last night:

There are six inspirational/motivating quotes on this board that I think ring so true to everyone and it's something that I want to try to incorporate in my daily routine, or make a part of my daily mantra [if you will].

Friends are more important than $$ - well DUH! but I want to keep this at the forefront of a lot of the decisions that I make in the future.

Stress is related to 99% of all illness - I had/have no idea if this is true or not, but it's a good rule to live by. I do know that stress has a visibly negative effect on my body, personally. When I was a Senior in high school I started having migraines so badly that I would get sick and need to go home from school. They stopped when I received my first college acceptance letter. Coincidence? I think not!

Dance, Sing, Floss, and Travel - Well hip hop classes and singing in the shower are a part of my weekly routine anyways so check ;) but seriously I think I probably need to floss better haha. Travelling, well ironically that comes with the job title but I need to travel for pleasure this year. A few trips planned already: St Johns (oh yea!!)

Boston

Snow Tubing in CT

Miami (still in the works)

Vegas??

Looks like I'm doing good so far!

Sweat once a day - I realized that my mood has become directly related to whether or not I get some sort of physical activity each day. Does this happen to you?? I'm going to try to keep fitting in some sort of workout/movement each day to keep me sane and healthy - any suggestions of fun activities are greatly appreciated!

Do something once a day that scares you - I think this is the best one on the board, as well as the hardest. Living life on the edge, or at least taking chances, keeps me motivated, energized, and appreciative of the things that come easy. In the future, I'm going to try to look back on each day and be able to pick out at least one moment where I did something exciting that I'm happy about or proud of. Any takers on joining me? :) I think this is going to be hard, because let's face it a cubicle doesn't exactly open doors to wild and crazy adventures. However, I think that it will be that much more rewarding if I manage to accomplish this (at least a few times a week).

How do you feel about these messages?

Spicy Sundays

2010-01-10T20:26:00.006-05:00

My roomie and I started doing Spicy Sundays every week to fulfill A) our love of thai food and B) a nice romantic date for the two of us! Candles are involved of course ;)

For Christmas I got this Thai & Asian cookbook so that we could start making our own Thai food at home - budget friendly ideas are always on my mind.

This cookbook is pretty cool because it includes appetizers, snacks, poultry, meat, veggie and dessert recipes! Also, the whole beginning goes into details about the culture and traditions involving food and ingredients in Thailand, China, Japan, Burma, etc. It then goes on about the different types of noodles, spices, veggies, sauces, [everything] that are in the book and how they are used and kept best. So much information and it was great to read while eating. Tonight I opted for a simpler recipe, there are a ton of ingredients and kitchen utensils that some of these recipes require that I don't have at the moment...future Christmas gifts?!

Stir-Fried Crispy Chicken

1 chicken breast **you can substitute in tofu as well

1 tbs coconut oil

1 tbs Thai green curry paste

2 tbs light soy sauce

1 tbs sugar

2/3 cup veggie stock

2 stalks of broccoli (cut to florets) **you can substitute in asparagus or carrot sticks as well

2 tbs of chopped roasted peanuts, unsalted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook the chicken for 30 minutes - or until done.

Heat the coconut oil in a wok (definitely don't have this but a deep pan works just as well!) and add in the curry paste over MED heat. Stir continuously for about 1-2 minutes.

Stir in the soy sauce, sugar and veggie stock and mix well. Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce the head to LOW so that the mixture is simmering.

Add the broccoli (or veggie of choice) and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add in the chicken (cut into pieces) and the chopped peanuts. TOSS and voila!

I hope you had a great weekend :)

Pancake Breakfast!!

2010-01-10T20:07:00.004-05:00

Spelt Pancake Recipe

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

sea salt - just a pinch!

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbs flax seed

1/2 cup organic skim milk

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together and slap it on the griddle! It made about 5 silver dollar pancakes.

I didn't have any syrup so instead I just used some strawberry jelly and some almond butter. On the side I had a banana w/ almond butter and raisins (seriously an unbeatable combo). Such a delightful sunday breakfast!

The Po' Girls Drink

2010-01-07T10:35:00.005-05:00

I have tried to fight the addiction numerous times, but my love of coffee keeps coming back in full vengence. Unfortunately, my coffee machine broke a few months ago and the coffee at work, while free, is not.good.

Enter Christmas, where I asked Santa for some Starbucks gift cards. Seriously, what more could a bonafide coffee addict who passes 3, count 'em 3, Starbucks on her way to work want (and that's when I take the subway, forget about walking)! However, as much as I love it, Starbucks is expensive $$$ Here are some tips and tricks I've learned so that I can indulge as often as possible!

Poor Man's Latte

An iced doppio. Add milk.

Poor Man's Chai Latte

A chai tea misto with extra foam, two tea bags and a half pump of cinnamon syrup and half pump of vanilla syrup.

Refills

This happens to be something that I am definitley guilty of. Refills are only 50 cents! ($.54 with tax). If you buy a coffee in the morning and save the cup, then you can refill it whenever for cheaper than the carts on the street (for those non-NewYorkers, this is unheard of)! One downfall, the policy is actually for 50 cent refills if you are sitting in the 'buck only. However, I dont think that alot of baristas keep to this policy strictly; hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones.

Starbucks Cards

One kind gentleman informed me yesterday that if I registered my Starbucks card then the refill would be free. Um whaaaat? I could have hugged the man. Be sure to register any gift card you get for some super sweet rewards!

**Just as a disclaimer, while I do use some of these cheapskate/genius tactics occassionally, I do also support the company by purchasing my $5 grande soy vanilla mistos pretty regularly :)

Ta ta for now - I think my coffee definitley kicked in this morning

Stonyfields and Greens

2010-01-06T22:32:00.004-05:00

I'm really not entirely sure where this week has gone. I cannot believe that it is already Wednesday. I feel like once Wednesday is over with, the rest is just a breeze :) Don't you??

Nothing too exciting today but I did have a few of my favorite things pop into the picture..

First, I started off with another great workout - this time working my arms :)

Lateral cable raises (3 sets of 12)
Stability Ball Pushups (these were super hard and I only got out 3 sets of 10 -- and they were pathetic looking :/ )
Tricep dips (my favorite!! 3 sets of 15)
Treadmill for 15 minutes (CLIMB: warm up 5 min, increase the incline 1 level every minute for 10 minutes, decrease by 1 level for 5 min)
Dumbbell Tricep Extention (3 sets of 15)
Stability ball chest press (3 sets of 12)
Dumbell shoulder press (3 sets of 12)
Treadmill [again] (SPRINT: vary speed each minute - sprinting 1, jog 1, etc. for 15 minutes)
I followed this up with a nice and sweaty 30 minute "power walk on an incline" bc I had some time to kill :)

I came back to the apt and created one of these:

Oh yes, yes a green monsterrrr. Alas, I had no fruit :( so this was kind of more of a protein shake + a few handfuls of spinach. It wasn't bad actually because I added a secret ingredient. (a few drops of vanilla extract cures anything)

Midday I had one of my favorite snacks that I have recently discovered. A Stonyfield Organic Yogurt! I usually will add some almonds, granola, or fruit to these, unless it's the Key Lime Pie flavor. So strange I hate actual Key Lime Pie, but the Stonyfield yogurt is unreal!! I love it so much I just entered this Stonyfield give away: Check it out!

I started eating Organic Dairy a few months ago, after my dermatologist recommended it for my skin. She related it to all of the hormones, etc. that can go into typical dairy that you might by at the store. I had never really considered eating organic but at the time, my skin was in such disarray that I would try ANYTHING. I have found that there are a ton of benefits to eating organic foods. For example, by switching to organic dairy alone you are:

Avoiding hormones and antibiotics
Supporting sustainable agriculture
Creating less waste and pollution
Helping to reduce global warming
Making yourself pretty from the inside out ;)

While I think that eating organic dairy has helped my skin and overall feeling, that doesn't mean I stay away from cheese and cracker platters at parties, or skimp on my usual ice cream fix topped with chocolate. But as an general shopping/stocking my refrigerator move, I try to follow this plan. Give it a try, see how you feel!

Up and [Atom/Adam]?

2010-01-05T09:37:00.004-05:00

I started writing the title to this post and realized that I have no actual clue as to how this saying is spelled, or what it is saying at all. Turns out, after a little research, that the saying is Up and At 'Em! I guess I could have figured this out if I had used my brain a little, but it's early...and this guy hasn't kicked in yet...

Oh and just for reference, we got the saying from Duke Wellington's command orders at Waterloo, "Up Guards and At 'Em!" in case this ever shows up on Trivia night ;)

I woke up early this morning and hit the gym with a new killer workout that I read about on Meg's Blog.

PART 1:
Warm up for 3 minutes at 6.5
3-5 minutes at speed 6.8
3 intervals (1 minute each) at speed of 8.0,6.8,8.0
3 minutes at 6.8
2 minutes recovery at speed 6.5
PART 2:
5 minutes at speed 7.0
5 intervals (1 minute each) at speed of 8.0, 7.0, 8.0,7.0, 8.0
5 minutes at speed 7.0
5 minutes recovery at speed 6.8
PART 3:
3 minutes at speed 7.5
3 intervals (1 minute each) at speed of 8.6,7.2, 8.6
3 minutes at speed 7.5
5 minute COOLDOWN @ 6.5
1 minute walking at 3.5

Followed by an additional killer leg workout from Gina's blog:

Forward and reverse lunges (3 sets of 12 on each side)
Squat Jumps (25)
Sumo squat and leg raise (3 sets of 10 on each side)
Burpees (15 - these killed me!)
Stability Ball Hamstring Curl (3 sets of 10)
Pulsing Plie Squat (60 seconds/pulses)
Bosu Calf Raise (3 sets of 15)

It was a great way to start off the morning, along with a green monster and one of Angela's Be Fit Bars. Clearly i was very impacted by the blogosphere this morning :) Have a great day!

Eat for Good Luck!

2010-01-04T21:34:00.006-05:00

I feel like I am doing all of my new years/twenty-ten posts a little late, but better late than never right!?? As a partial food slash better living blog, what could be more appropriate than a posting on food that will bring better luck in the new year ... nothing were my thoughts exactly :)

For as long as I can remember my family would make sausage and sauerkraut on New Years Day for dinner (a polish tradition). Sound appetizing? It's really not actually...but all in the spirit of having a happier and healthier year ahead. Here's the theory:

Cabbage (or greens in general) can be associated with money and will bring good fortune and wealth.
Sauerkraut, in particular, has long strands which symbolize long life.
Pork has a rich fat content, again standing for wealth and prosperity, as well as progress since pigs dig with their snout in a forward motion.

Cabbage is not necessary the best tasting thing, but it is super good for you! It's rich in fiber and has TONS of Vitamin C. Most importantly/interestingly, cabbage has a naturally occuring compound called indoles. Some research has shown that indoles can actually lower the risk of certain types of cancers (hello long life).

In keeping up with tradition, I made my New Years Day dinner tonight! Only about 4 meals late oops..

I had sauerkraut and [chicken] sausage, with asparagus and a sweet potato on the side. I had no idea how to cook sauerkraut so I just threw it in the pain with the sausage and a little soy sauce? We had slim pickins in the freezer/pantry today and clearly I couldn't even buy any actual pork. Ahh the joys of living on your own :)

Here's to wealth, progress, and a long and healthy life!

[Someone Elses] Words of Wisdom

2010-01-03T21:35:00.003-05:00

A friend forwarded me this 2010 Handbook right before the New Year and I thought that it had some pretty interesting things to get me thinking about what twentyten will have in store...I threw in whatever popped into my head when I read them.

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants...
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.

5. Pray more often.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12 Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24.. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.....

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29.. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up..
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, be thankful for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Appreciate all that is in your life, and tell everyone that you should, that you love them.

[My] Words of Wisdom addition:

Health:

I'm going to try and stick with a healthy appetite of veggies and fruits and oatmeal and whole grains. I think that the amount I have learned about diet and nutrition this year surpasses anything that I have known the past 10! I'm going to keep reading and learning about what I am putting into my body and get to know my body better so that I can better serve it! Oh, and I definitely want to play more games :)

Personality:

My favorite point was to make peace with the past so it won't spoil the present. Alot of things have happened in 2009 that I may not be happiest with, but I definitely learn from my mistakes and 2010 is a clean slate! And I like to day dream so that's gonna continue - everyone has to have their own fantasy world to live in!

Society:

Forgive forgive forgive. Life is too short to hold grudges. However, don't keep people around who don't benefit you in a positive way. It's okay to be a little selfish ;) And call your family!! At least they'll always forgive you too..

Life: the best is definitely yet to come ;)

Happy 2010 everyone! Cheers!

Tartine, New York style

2010-01-02T17:40:00.005-05:00

Happy 2010!! I'm waiting to get my hands on some New Years Eve photos, since my camera battery didn't make it :( so once those make it to my computer, there will be a full recap of NYE in NYC. Of course, at the start of the new year, everyone makes their new years resolutions, or revelations, as we have started referring to them. One of my "revelations", along with the whole big picture theme of this blog, is to start seeing New York for all that it has to offer, while I am still young and able to enjoy it! The roomie and I talked about making a list of restaurants that we want to try out and make an active effort to go out and try these places. New York is the stomping ground for fabulous food and someone's gotta taste test it all, right!?

I have been a follower of Jenna's blog for some time and recently have been reading about her new found addiction to Tartine. I've never been there myself, but it just so happens that there is one in NY as well - go figures! Figuring I would start out the new year right, me and my two cousins headed out to Tartine in the West Village for brunch this morning. It's a 15.95 prix fix, with a complimentary coffee/tea and oj. Not to shabby if I do say so myself [for new york that is ;)]. In past experiences of brunch with girlfriends, I would always order an omelette or eggs benedict and finish off the meal saying, probably verbatim, "Wow that was good, but I wish I had gotten something sweet." Now, I have shot myself in the foot one too many times, and my friends won't let me order eggs for bfast. Good thing, because I opted for the Apple Pancake from the Tartine menu, thinking about these paste brunch experiences, and it was sooooo good. The menu literally said "Apple Pancake", no extras, not even plural pancakes. I asked the waiter if it came with anything else and he said no, just an apple pancake. When it came out, I understood why. Ladies and gentleman, this is no ordinary pancake (hence the photo up top). I think it is more of a Dutch apple pancake/turnoveresque concoction. Needless to say, it was [I repeat], sooooo good.

Are there any other fabulous brunches/meals that you have had recently?? I'm up for suggestions and will be adding to the fridge list consistently ;)

In keeping with NYE revelations, the roomie and I are headed out to dinner at The Bowery Hotel with a girlfriend of ours from college. Not sure if its kosher to snap photos in there, but I'll try to be discreet. Tata for now..

As Promised...Sweet Tooth Recipes

2009-12-29T23:06:00.007-05:00

Chocolate Covered Popcorn w. Sea Salt

3 tbs veggie oil

1/2 cup of unpopped popcorn kernals

2 - 3 tbs of butter (or to taste)

12 oz dark chocolate

1 tbs kosher salt

Heat the veggie oil in a medium sized sauce pan. Once hot throw in the popcorn kernels and cover with lid. Once the kernels start popping make sure the hold the lid down and continuously lift the pot up and shake.

You want to be sure that all the kernals are touching the bottom of the pot so that none of them burn. Same as you would in a microwave, once the kernals stop popping (i.e. about 15 seconds of no-poppage) take off the heat. In a separate pan, or in a double broiler, melt the chocolate and butter together. Pour over the popcorn until evenly covered. Place the popcorn on a tray and sprinkle with sea salt. Let it cool (or throw in fridge). Finito!

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Sugar Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 ounces dark chocolate chips
6 crumbled candy canes
1/4 cup white chocolate

1. Line a cookie tray with wax paper and preheat oven to 325°F (convection).

2. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl.

3. Beat butter in medium bow until smooth and then gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Next, beat in vanilla, then egg yolk.

4. Gradually add the flour and salt mixture, just until blended.

5. Drop dough by spoonfuls into the cookie tray and space them as evenly as possible. Use water to wet the tips of your fingers and press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

6. Bake the sugar cookie base until light golden brown - this took about 18 minutes, but will vary based on your oven.

7. Once finished, take the tray out and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Once you see that the chocolate is starting to melt, spread it into an even layer using a spatula. Then, sprinkle the chopped candy canes over the top.

8. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, or over boiling water until smooth. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

9. Once the cookie is cooled, you can easily take it off the wax paper and break it up into as big or small pieces as you want!

Christmas In Connecticut

2009-12-29T22:46:00.006-05:00

So Santa made a nice little pit stop in Connecticut last week! It was so nice to be home and to see my dogs, and my family, and the tree (not in that order..). I have been appreciating the country life and my house in Connecticut so much more now that I live in the most hectic city in the US. It's amazing what a little fresh farmland air can do for the psyche ;)

And Santa left me a large package of Angela's Oh She Glows! bars. Seriously they are soo good!

I also had my first interaction with a real pomegranate. It was a lot easier to tackle than I had been expecting, and they were gorgeous to boot! Of course the seeds ended up making a beautiful addition to my oatmeal that (and most) morning/s of my holiday break. There were plenty of other food concoctions that came about..but those were more for satisfying my sweet tooth - and I'll post the recipes later ;)

Now if only I could get my family to eat oatmeal and organic skim milk for bfast with me...instead of whole milk and dunkin' donuts....I think it's a lost cause ;)

The Photo Elf!!

2009-12-29T22:33:00.005-05:00

Although I have been away from the ol' blogosphere for about a week (sorry!) it did not go undocumented. Here are a few Christmas photos for your viewing pleasure:

Snowshoes

2009-12-20T20:45:00.005-05:00

It's officially winter out :) The blizzard that roared through the North East this weekend certainly did not put a damper on my spirits. Although I was, at first, dreading the thought of trampling around New York in slush and flurries, the white flakes brought nothing but smiles to my face this weekend. I was able to get out on Saturday, pre-snow, and return to the last farmers market in Union Square. I really love this and all of the fresh produce, organic products, and local farm support that this market embodies. Not only was I able to pick up some Pink Lady apples and a Carrot Raisin Vegan cookie that I had been eyeing from last week's market trip, I also finished up my Christmas Shopping. In the rare event that my mom/dad/brother actually read this blog, I'm not going to divulge where/what I bought. Gotta keep 'em guessing! Let's just say that this weekend is not a cheap one ;) Not to mention I have to tip my door men (all four of them) plus the super, handyman, and relief doorman (?). I don't even know who some of these people are to be honest...and I'm not sure it's such a relief to me to shell out all this [nonexistant] cash. But it's Christmas and everyone deserves a little love!

Do you have to tip your doormen? What is the protocol on this? Roomie and I weren't quite sure...

Saturday night, during the snow storm, I headed to the upper east side to have a little get-together with some old high school friends who were visiting for the weekend. To make a long story short, I was a little disheartened by the weather and the fact that my boots had ZERO traction (there was some intense sliding/falling going on), but by the end of the night I can honestly say that it was one of the best I've had in a while. How many people can say they have made a snow angel in the middle of First Avenue. Or had a snowball fight in between passing cabs on 76th street. It was such a silly fun night of piggy back rides, pathetic snowball making, slipping and sliding. All in all ... :)

A little photo-op when I managed to walk around today:

I hope everyone had the change to get out and have a little fun in the snow this weekend. I think the snow brings out the kid in a lot of people, and that is never a bad thing. Maybe it'll even make us New Yorkers a little less unhappy... ;)

Scrooge??

2009-12-18T20:43:00.009-05:00

When I went to the gym this morning, the big TV's right above the treadmills blasted me a BIG disappointment! All I could see was the words underneath the newscaster saying "New Yorkers are the Most Unhappy People in Entire US". Whaaaat?! I mean, sure, we definitely definitely complain, and are hostile, and a little curt at times - in fact I even started this blog in an effort to be happier in New York. But in the whole country? pssssh I don't think I necessarily believe that.. here is the link to the video so you can see for yourself (I tried to upload it but haven't quite figured it out yet): http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/cdc-survey-new-yorkers-unhappiest-in-u-s-17194563

I was immediately determined to bring about some CHEER to the people of New York! So I opted for this holiday sweater to wear to work.

See the reindeer! Not so sure this is business casual..but ehh I love it!

On my way to work I thought about all the things I love that you could only get in New York...

First: The fact that I can walk to work at all! It's about twenty blocks (aka 1 mile) but I just listen to my ipod and shuffle down the streets...it's a nice way to clear my head in the morning and not be staring at a computer/tv screen :)

Second: HUGE, Sparkling, inspirational signs

on the side of Macy's nonetheless.

Third: The landmark Coffee&Bagel men who serve us "cranky/unhappy" new yorkers our daily dose of caffeine every morning for $.75!!

Fourth: Bryant Park :) I love this park in the Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer. Right now the fountain was still a-running (i looooove fountains) and this one had some icicles forming (ya it's about 20 degrees here!)

and ice skating!!!!

Note to self: need to go ice skating at least ONCE this winter!!

Fifth: Daily Deals on anything and everything. Today, if you made a snowflake, you got a free coffee at Gregory's. No question, we sat and cut out snowflakes for those babies...

This was mine.

With a little help with a co-worker since apparently my snowflake making skills were below par (hmmph). I dont think the people at Gregory's minded however, and I got my free coffee (woohoo!!) and was able to add to the gorgeous art display

All in all a grrreat day - no scrooges here!

Let's Backtrack Shall We?

2009-12-16T15:35:00.007-05:00

So since I have seriously left any readers hanging on my activity since Friday here is a super-quick mini update:

Saturday: Tried out Sushi Samba for my friend's bf's bday. Two words: seabass appetizer (two words/three?) whatever it was unreal, melt in your mouth. So glad I finally made it down to this west village staple for food, and not drinks. Although the drinks are spectacular all their own and we definitely did our fair share of "classy" sake bombing :)

Sunday: in celebration of my slightly hungover self, I opted for a classic egg and sausage sandwich.

Totally hit the spot.

Mon-Wed has been nothing out of sorts. Just normal eats and workouts. The hardest part has been weathering this cold front that has hit NY like a ton of bricks! It's brutal out!

Today I finished off the last of my giant sized pack of spinach with another green monster!

(1 banana, some strawberry yogurt, 1 cup organic milk, 1/2 cup soy protein powder in chocolate - oh and spinach )

And a lunch of spinach, lentils, chicken and roasted butternut squash. mm mm good (as Campbells would say)

Dessert of Banana Bread Larabar (this might be my favorite flavor so far!! do I say that everytime?)

This afternoon I had a soy misto from Starbs and some leftover fruit from the pantry at work. best holiday platter I have seen in a while with figs and (da dada daaa) peppermint bark! this baby was gooood and definitely his my afternoon chocolate craving. yippee!

After work I'm heading with some co-workers to see Up In Air with George Clooney to revel in the life of a consultant...and then grabbing drinks with some "long-lost" high school friends which I am super excited about. I love catching up with people! TTYL ;)

Return of the Friday Lazy Nights

2009-12-11T23:44:00.010-05:00

After a mini hiatus I have reinstated my 'lite' Friday nights. I have been traveling the past two days for work and it took 2 hours in bumper to bumper traffic to get back into the city tonight when the trip is 30 miles! By the time I pulled into Avis I was ready for a large, and very strong, shot. While I had been so dead set on going to happy hour with a few kids from work, I ended up going home and crashing on the sofa. Tonight was the first night of Hanukah, which my roommate celebrates, so I joined her in lighting the menorah!! I love that we have a menorah and a Christmas tree in the apartment...so festive!

My roomie also made latkas and some cranberry applesauce [from scratch] my little chef!

Instead of a shot I opted for a nice large glass of wine

in my holiday glasses :) and some sushi while watching, for the second time, The Jane Austen Book Club.

Tomorrow I'm going to go and get Emma or Pride and Prejudice since I have never read either! I'll keep you posted on the progress..

For now, I'm laying in bad about the crash and downloading Amazon's 50 Free Christmas Songs (Thanks Amber for the rec!)

I Have a [Green] Monster Under my Bed

2009-12-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was officially a member of the Green Monster Movement!! For those of you unfamiliar with Green Monsters, I first heard of them from Oh She Glows! It's essentially a Spinach Smoothie which your choice of add-ins. The benefits include decreased appetite for sweats, increase in energy, and a natural glow-yness for your skin!

My Green Monster:

2 cups of Spinach

1 cup of Organic Milk

1 banana

1 scoop of Soy Chocolate Protein Powder

Okay I'm not lying, it was really good. So good that I took it down in like 2 minutes. Straws are no longer allowed because I just chug. It's absurd.

I'm excited to continue making these in the morning -- I even have a Costco sized container of spinach to make sure I do :)

Make a Green Monster and then post your own recipe!

"Food" for All

2009-12-09T20:36:00.006-05:00

I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to make this primarily a food blog... I'm thinking no because there are alot of other things that I want to bring to light/focus on such as just general healthy living and enjoying/surviving in New York. With that said, I do seriously enjoy seeing what other food bloggers are eating and learning about their healthy habits. So I promise to try, as a newbie to the blog seen, to document my meals / snacks / slip-ups as they occur!

I did my final bootcamp class this morning (which was seriously a killer)! I am proud to say that before 7:30 am I had done 250 pushups, 200 crunches, and more butt exercises than I ever thought physically possible. It was a rocking good time! Anyways, due to being at the gym and then going straight to work, I needed a portable breakfast. See exhibit 1:

Some instant oatmeal with 1/2 banana, a handful of blackberries and 1/2 scoop of Soy Chocolate protein powder.

When my mom came in on Sunday she brought me ... drum roll please...

a CROCK POT! This thing rocks. No seriously. Here is the recipe for the stew I made on Sunday night.

Veggie & Steak Stew

Ingredients:

~ 30 Carrots

1 chopped onion

1 can of tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

spices to tastes

3/4 lb of Stew meat (I chose steak)

1 cup of water or broth

Directions:

Throw everything into the crock pot! Let it cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-9.

This was the final product and it was a perfect lunch all week. You can put whatever ingredients in that you want and I'm sure anything would taste good :) Tip of the day: INVEST in a crock pot if you lead a hectic life. It can save you hours on food prep time.

Mid Afternoon Snack consisted of a LARABAR.

If you haven't tried a Larabar before I seriously recommend it. I've heard of alot of people who try not to eat things that have ingredients that they cannot pronounce (which unfortunately is the case with most food that we all typically eat!). The ingredients in a Larabar, depending on the flavor, are Almonds, Dates and then usually just whatever flavor it is. Trust me, you can pronounce everything in it ;) and they're tasty to boot.

Last but not least, I just munched on a dinner of greeeeeens ...

I steamed some broccoli and spinach, sauteed some tofu, and threw in some garbanzo beans. Pretty random but I have all this produce and I'm afraid it's going to go bad! It was good and did the trick none the less. It was a little lighter than some dinners that I have but I didn't get home from work until 8 and for some reason I really don't like eating post-8 pm. I think it's some sort of phobia that I have developed from hearing all these celebrity trainers saying they lock up the kitchen at 8 ??

Do you think there is any validity to this? What are your food faux-pas?

Looking forward to a great night of Top Chef Finale!! Gooooo Kevin :)

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time

2009-12-09T20:27:00.003-05:00

I finally put up my Christmas Tree! It looks a little Charlie Brown-esque but adorable none the less. Now I just need to put some gifts under it... :)

PS Christmas lights seriously get me in the holiday spirit, pretty much all year long.

What gets you in the holiday spirit?

Rainy Day [Saturday]

2009-12-05T19:53:00.010-05:00

It was pouring today but I went for a walk anyways...and I came across the cutest apartment! On the east side, right across from this fabulous Vegan restaurant Angelica's Kitchen. I want to live hereee

It has a white picket fence! haha

I kept walking and when I got to Union Square I found...

It is awesome! I'm taking my mom here tomorrow...

When I got home I was in a seriously festive mood, so I decided to bake a pumpkin pie! Because I have what I like to call a sweet tooth, but what some others might call overindulgence, I tried to make this a "healthier" version of pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Pie

Spelt Crust

1 1/2 cups Spelt Flour

1/2 tbs kosher salt

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup organic milk

Pumpkin Filling

1 can of pumpkin

2 eggs

8 packets of splenda

1/2 tbs ginger

1/2 tbs kosher salt

1 tbs cinnamon

3/4 cup organic milk

For the crust: mix all ingredients together and put into a pie tin and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

For the filling: Mix together sugar, ginger, salt, and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat together two eggs in a large bowl and then add in the pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually add in milk. Fill the crust and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 for 40 minutes (or until fork comes out clean)

Enjoy!!

Heading out for the night for my friends birthday on the upper east side -- I think the rain turned to snow!

It's that time of year...Office Holiday Parties!

2009-12-05T19:32:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was my office holiday party! While I was a little bummed because it was right after work and we had to wear business casual, it was still pretty fun. Normally I look forward to these things because I LOVE to dress up! Now that I'm not in college anymore there are no more formals or socials to wear dresses to so if I get an excuse to play dress up then I'm all in :)

On our way to the venue we passed the Rockefeller Xmas Tree so I had to take a picture. It looks awesome this year!
This shot didn't work, but I thought it came out kind of cool anyways...
I think that this year has been really hard on alot of people and a lot of companies, so it's nice to have events like this to keep people happy and to just relax and celebrate!

Back on the Band Wagon

2009-12-02T21:31:00.003-05:00

Since coming back from Thanksgiving I have been so slothlike (as my friend erica would say). Perhaps the five days at home were just too relaxing and enjoyable for me to jump right back into my working gal routine. On Monday, I seriously crashed at 8 pm. No joke! Perhaps I'm fighting off some sort of cold?

No excuses, tomorrow I am getting Back on the Band Wagon with healthier food (now that all my leftovers are gone) and a daily gym visit :)

But for now, I'm going to sit here in my pajamas and watch the tree lighting and then Gleeee!!

Fun fact about the town where I'm from: the tree was from Ridgefield in 2006 -- cool huh?

and the holiday season has officially begun!

Psycho 'Nilla

2009-12-01T19:41:00.006-05:00

Okay and here comes the holiday sugar coma in full force. I definitely had my fair share of pumpkin pie over the weekend, and I don't intend on stopping (look out for a pumpkin pie which I plan on making this weekend). And then, foolishly, I decided to make a batch of cupcakes to take back to New York with me. Knowing all well my tendency to indulge in sweets when I get home from work, for no reason except that they are there, I made these cupcakes (above) based on a recipe from Hungry Girl. Hungry Girl is a website that I subscribe to and a new entry is emailed to me every morning. This blog is from a girl who is just plain hungry! (like myself) and loves food but has tried tons of diets and fads and finally feels like she has it under control. Her website offers food tips and tricks for eating what you want but at a lower calorie cost. Some of the suggestions have been pretty cool!

Recipe for Psycho 'Nilla cupcakes:

For Frosting
1 1/4 cups Cool Whip Free, thawed
1 1/2 tbsp. Jell-O Sugar Free Fat Free Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix

For Cupcakes
Half of an 18.25-oz. box (about 1 1/2 cups) moist-style yellow cake mix
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup Sprite Zero (or another diet lemon-lime soda), room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup liquid egg whites or (about 4) raw egg whites

For Topping
3 tbsp. rainbow sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the frosting, combine Cool Whip with pudding mix in a bowl, and mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until cupcakes are ready t o be frosted.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix with baking powder and stir until free of lumps. Add soda and vanilla extract, and stir or whisk until batter is smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with a handheld electric mixer set to medium speed until fluffy, about 1 - 2 minutes. Gently mix egg whites into the cake batter until thoroughly combined.

Line 9 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute batter among the 9 cups. Cups will be VERY full -- this is okay!

Bake for 15 - 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out fairly clean. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Once cupcakes have cooled, top each evenly with the frosting and 1 tsp. sprinkles. Chomp chomp!

Some cool stats about these cupcakes: Calories: 164 and if you are a fan of Weight Watchers :POINTS® value 4

While I like the fact that these sweet treats are available for me to munch on, I don't think I would serve them to guests....

Races and Turkeys and Reunions, Oh My...

2009-11-29T19:10:00.008-05:00

Thanksgiving has never been one of my favorite holidays but this year definitely turned a corner and may creep to the forefront on the "Favorite Holidays" list (if I kept one). Great things about the past 5 days:

1. Got to go home and see my family and the puppies!

That would be Chloe :) My little girl!! (except she kinda looks creepy here eek)

2. I got to run my first race with my dad at the Ridgefield Turkey Trot. It was only a 5K but a little hangover and CT hills made this much more difficult than I was used to...

Chloe again! She loves the camera ...

3. Baking for Thanksgiving. I'm definitely not a chef but I do love to bake and this year I tried to add a slightly healthier touch to the pumpkin pie with a spelt crust.

I did make a pumpkin pie but also managed to burn it and now refuse to post evidence of my baking blunder it on this site. I did get an oven burn on my arm as proof though!

4. Thanksgiving Meal!!

Yeaaa that would be my plate.. there was no skimping on the dinner that night. I loaded up with turkey and gravy, my grandma's cranberries, a mushroom/hazelnut/barley stuffing, green bean casserole, veggies with a maple syrup and pecan dressing, and a sweet potato (which I threw in the microwave for 3 minutes prior to the meal because we had been too lazy to make mashed sweet potatoes during the day). It was aweeesomeeee. Not unexpectedly the post-Thanksgiving meal nap was in full effect with my visitor Mal and I curled up on the couch watching The Ugly Truth :)

5. My 5 year high school reunion!!

I can't even tell you how many times we have taken photos just like this one and its so funny to go back and see how much we've all changed. This are my best girls from high school catching up before heading over to our five year high school reunion! It was so great to see and catch up with people who I haven't seen in years, and just to hang out with good friends at an open bar ;) no complaints here!

I hope everyone else had as great a break as I did!

Next thing post-thanksgiving to get excited about: i can start listening to xmas music!!

Fueling a Thirst for Knowledge...and Hunger

2009-11-15T18:09:00.006-05:00

My grandma has been bragging for months now about her special privileges at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since she is a member. Basically, she gets to eat in the Trustees Dining Room (whoo whoo). So to celebrate her VIP status, my mom and I got to have a great brunch with her today! It's embarrassing to admit that I had not been to the MET yet and I have lived in the city for almost a year and a half. Clearly I need to educate myself more on historical things in the city. Unfortunately, I'm reeeeally not a museum person. I just don't get how people walk around and look at artifacts and trinkets from centuries ago. I did like the Photography exhibit though :)

When we finally got up to the Trustees Dining Room, it was so nice! With a gorgeous view overlooking the park and open tables, and people dressed up in blazers and women in scarves and heels for sunday tea. I kinda felt like I was surrounded by old money..or something. Or I just like making stories up about people I see :)

Like the avid blogger I am trying to be, I took photos of all the food, despite the man at the table next to us who my mom mentioned was very amused when I whipped out my camera for each course.

Complimentary mimosas and bread basket :)

Crab cake salad appetizer

Some pate concoction - the stuff never looks appetizing to me

I opted for the garden salad app. and the dressing was really good!

I got the vegetarian crepes for my entree with a squash and sweet potato puree and filling. It was delicious!!

The Bass

The gourmet rendition of eggs benedict

And of course...dessert!! I instituted the rule that no one could get the same thing. There was a chocolate torte, sorbet and berries, and a cheesecake.

It just looked so pretty :)

Both the chocolate and the cheesecake were super rich and heavy, which I didn't really like. But my sorbet and fruit was just perfect, light and refreshing!

Overall it was a great brunch with three generations of lovely women :)

Flashing Room

2009-11-15T11:17:00.004-05:00

Last night a huge group of us bought tickets to go and see 2 AM Club perform live at Union Hall in Brooklyn. This band is really good! They were signed about a year ago and are performing at concerts all over the US. I've been to two pretty low key concerts before tonight, and even without knowing the music (at first) they seriously know how to pump up an audience! We finally made it to Union Hall and this bar is a.w.e.s.o.m.e. There are book shelfs and couches and fireplaces right when you walk in. And then...drum roll please..

A bocce court!! How ridiculous. I was loving it.

Then we went downstairs for the concert and again, these guys out did themselves. The concert was unreal and so fun!

Super sweaty singer -- but no worries we were seriously all sweating just as much jumping around to the music :)

Can't wait for another show from these guys. Check them out!! I think I decided that Flashing Room or Dearly Departed are my favorite songs :) Or Worry About you.. they're all good

I decided that I need to venture out of my Manhattan bubble a little more and do things like go to Brooklyn for the day. It reeeeally isn't that far (a few subway stops). Brooklyn has really cute boutiques and coffee shops and in general just a really unique culture. People really seem to love it and I think I miss that sense of loyalty to a place. My goal before the year ends is to go out to Brooklyn and take photos or read one day and just take it all in. Maybe the flashing room at Union Hall finally turned on a light in my head...

Do you have any good concerts that you've been to recently?? Or how about any suggestions for cute places to go in BK?

Happy Happy Birthdaaay

2009-11-14T12:19:00.005-05:00

Last night we celebrated my friend Liz's birthday -- the big 24! It was the first time all of my high school friends that live in the city have gotten together in a while so it was really fun. We started with some cheese and cupcakes platters of course -- magnolia bakery is definitely a good way to celebrate.

And some wine of course :) I made everyone sing the whole happy birthday song, complete with the "How ooold are you?" and 24 hand claps. It's a family tradition. I managed to resist the baked goodies since I had a healthy dinner before hand and was pretty satisfied! Not to mention I don't actually like Magnolia that much - I'm a much bigger fan of BabyCakes. yay!

We headed over to Stanton Social afterwards which had a really cool atmosphere! I opted for a specialty drink called the Black Night (I think?) which was Guinness and Champagne. Such a cool combo! I looove Guinness and figured why not splurge and celebrate at the same time.

Until the next birthday celebration -- which is next week actually. Which I am already super excited for . ...

I plan on just spending the day lounging and I can't even watch the MIchigan game because it's only on the big ten network.booo

Thursday night line up

2009-11-12T20:39:00.004-05:00

Getting ready for one of my favv shows of the season! Can you guess where I got the title of my blog link for??

vampire diaries woot woot :) As Glamour magazine so poetically stated in their December issue - that "I'm a man jaw line" just never fails on me

The Diary of the Traveling Pants

2009-11-12T19:42:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned in my "About Me" section I work for a consulting firm out of New York. Consultants, as a general practice, do travel alot, but I really have not traveled that much in the past year. That being said this week I got to take a mini train trip and stay at a hotel for two nights. Even though I was only going to be gone for two nights and two days, I still seemed to waaay over pack:

Eating healthy while traveling is seriously the hardest thing I think, not to mention trying to work out in the hotel gym...it's mayhem and completely filled with other consultants btw.

The food at the hotel was actually really good! I ordered room service my second night there and got a chicken salad with the dressing on the side (key tip to cutting the calorie count by a good amount) and some steamed asparagus. From now on, I'm going to be very specific about the way veggies are cooked at a restaurant because it seems so silly to order something like vegetables, which are healthy, and have them show up slathered in butter. I'm definitely learning a good deal from The Biggest Loser this season (re: the episode where they go out to a mexican restaurant and just butcher the menu, i love it).

And then the nice hotel staff put some m&ms in a chinese rice box! so cute!!

This was just the beginning. My team had heard about a pizza place that apparently has the "9th best pizza in the WORLD :) So of course!! we had to go! As we pulled up I recognized the name Colony Pizza - a bunch of the guys that I was friends with in high school used to drive all the way to Colony to treat themselves (it's about 40 minutes from where I grew up). I texted my friend and he 1. was super jealous and 2. confirmed that he had no idea where we heard the rankings - Colony Pizza was definitely no 1. And seriously, this pizza definitely lived up to the hype. So - freakin - amazing. But...the caveat...you have to get your own "personal pie", and they're the size of a normal pizza. haha - it's kind of like the soup nazi in there. So there were definitely extras.

In case you are ever in stamford, ct - Colony Grill

Central Park in the Fall

2009-11-08T18:32:00.008-05:00

After my run in Central Park yesterday (I hit about 9 miles!) I realized I needed to get back up there and take as many photos as possible and capture the last of fall. I posted a few that I especially liked :)

Hangover Bfast?

2009-11-08T17:46:00.006-05:00

I woke up this morning with a huge hankering (sp?) for a bacon egg and cheese sandwich - the go to hangover breakfast. Ironically, I did not drink at all last night. hmmm strange how these cravings work...

Instead of running down to the Bagel Shop underneath my apartment, I decided to run to the grocery store and make one of my own by making a few modifications to "The Breakfast Sandwich" from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. If you haven't read the predecessor to this book, Skinny Bitch, I definitely recommend it. The two authors take a no-joke approach to getting healthy [and skinny] by following a vegan diet and give you recommendations and recipes along the way. While I do not follow a vegan diet by any means, I hardly would consider myself even a pescatarian, I think there are some interesting concepts in terms of animal treatment and what you are putting into your body that I don't mind incorporating into my diet. So for breakfast I made a pot of coffee in my fav mug:

For The Breakfast Sandwich itself, I used some leftover NAAN bread for an open faced sandwich which I toasted in the oven (oh the joys of a nyc kitchen sans a toaster). I topped that with some melted Veggie Mozzarella Cheese (my vegan addition), Turkey Bacon, tomato slices, two eggs over easy, and sea salt and pepper. On the side, I had some fruit and yogurt too!
This hit the spot and was soooo gooood. I then headed to the park for photo ops! coming up next...

Back on Track Month

2009-11-04T10:03:00.009-05:00

Since my post on monday declaring November "Back on Track" Month, I think I've been doing an alright job :)

Monday was a little tricky as I was super tired that day. And when I'm tired, I tend to snack, alot. But instead of snacking meaninglessly, I tried to think about what I was reaaaly craving and ate that instead. i.e. nachos for dinner. As anyone who lived with me throughout college knows, I ABSOLUTELY cannot have tostitos in the house becuase I will continue to make plate after plate of chips and cheese. they are just too good to not go back for.

To make this guilty pleasure of mine a little bit healthier, I opted for Stacy's multi-grain pita chips with some spicy jack cheese, black beans and a crumbled veggie burger on top. So good and hit the craving on the spot!

Yesterday I had one of my bootcamp classes in central park with Ariane Hundt. The woman kicked my butt, and it was great. For breakfast I tried this new thing that is apparently taking the blogging/health world by storm, the Fitnessista Cookie.

This cookie included 1/3 cup oats, 1/2 scoop of Soy Chocolate Protein Powder, 1 Tbls Almond butter, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup organic raisins. I mixed everything together and added some cinnamon to taste. Then just formed it into a cookie shape and stuffed it in the fridge the night before. It served as a great breakfast and kept me full the rest of the day!

I've realized that getting my morning off to a good start definitely sets the tone that I keep for the rest of the day. Does this happen to anyone else?

Also, to add to my back on track month plan, I purchased another groupon for 10 pilates classes for only $45! Seriously, this website is gold for someone looking to get back in shape and stay healthy, on a budget.

Until later :)

The Chocolate Show

2009-11-02T21:42:00.004-05:00

As promised, details on this weekends Chocolate Show are as follows:

1. This was completely random as my friend Laurie had a friend who was working the event and somehow found our names on the will call ticket list...(hint, it's all about who you know in this city - I don't really know anyone but I know people that know people that know someone. Its the same thing right?)

2. I didn't even know you could make chocolate people but...

3. A fountain of chocolate might be my equivalent of heaven

4. People can do some crazy things with chocolate. We tried chocolate with bacon and pop rocks?? PB Chocolate. White Chocolate Bark. And I think my favorite which was Spicy Merlot by 2 Chicks with Chocolate. Ooo or the Peanut Butter and Jelly Chocolate by William Dean.

Little fact about chocolate that you might not know...the melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature, about 97 degrees, which is why it literally melts in your mouth. AND dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, benefiting the heart by dilating vessels and improving blood flow. So you're basically doing your body good by indulging in this fabulous treat! Me + Free Chocolate = :)

Nutmegger

Things I know....

Nature vs the City

Just Dessert :)

A Moment of Silence to the Last Days of Summer

Not Completely but Almost [Free]Tatta

Vegetarians Beware

Stuffed [my face off] French Toast

Restaurant Review: 2.5

Galaxies Collide

San Francisco loving

Time Flies when you're having fun!

Hudson Terr[or]

Ooh Casseroohles

Lover of the Arts [& Music]

Beantown Bonanza

Ah - Mazing [Grass]

Happy Birthday Mom!

The Dining Room

Cha-Cha-Cha Chia!

I.Love.Pilates

Goooo Knicks!

Cupcakes are HOT

Full Circle

Domestication

Highlights

Disappearing Act

Laugh a Little!

Worthwhile Break

L O S T?

Note to self:

Sweet Escapes

The Scheduler

Chi-caaaa-go!!

Memorable Weekend Eats

Feeling good by Doing good

23 or 70?

What did you do today?

Jump Start your Life

Spicy Sundays

Pancake Breakfast!!

The Po' Girls Drink

Stonyfields and Greens

Up and [Atom/Adam]?

Eat for Good Luck!

[Someone Elses] Words of Wisdom

Tartine, New York style

As Promised...Sweet Tooth Recipes

Christmas In Connecticut

The Photo Elf!!

Snowshoes

Scrooge??

Let's Backtrack Shall We?

Return of the Friday Lazy Nights

I Have a [Green] Monster Under my Bed

"Food" for All

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time

Rainy Day [Saturday]

It's that time of year...Office Holiday Parties!

Back on the Band Wagon

Psycho 'Nilla

Races and Turkeys and Reunions, Oh My...

Fueling a Thirst for Knowledge...and Hunger

Flashing Room

Happy Happy Birthdaaay

Thursday night line up

The Diary of the Traveling Pants

Central Park in the Fall

Hangover Bfast?

Back on Track Month

The Chocolate Show