Busy Bumble... and a product review

We stayed up very late watching All About Eve last night... what a great movie. Ari was quite taken with young Miss Norma Jean! I got a boxed set of Bette Davis movies for Christmas, and we're working our way through them.

I was feeling pretty snacky by the time I got home last night. I really wanted an orange, but we didn't have any, so I settled for the next best thing... an Orange Cranberry Gnu bar.


This morning (er, 12:30 PM) I had a big bowl of oats.


3/4 cup oats (made with skim milk)
1 tsp peanut butter
1 banana
1 tsp maple syrup
sprinkle of pecans
sprinkle of chocolate chips

I went to the gym and had a decent workout:

20:00 minutes stairmaster
16:00 minutes bike

ab series
stretching

total: 50:34 minutes
maximum heart rate: 174
average heart rate: 143
calories burned: 4- -?

I try to avoid eating a nutrition bar right after exercising, but since I slept so late and I'm eating dinner our at 7:30, I settled.

Product Review: Amazing Grass Organic GreenSuperFood


Ingredients: Organic dates, organic agave nectar , Amazing Grass Green Superfood (organic wheatgrass, organic barley grass, organic alfalfa, organic spirulina, organic spinach, organic chlorella, organic broccoli, organic açai, organic maca, organic carrots, organic beet, raspberry, organic rosehips, pineapple, green tea, organic flax lignans, L. acidophilus, alpha and beta amylase, protease, lipase, lactase, cellulase, organic peppermint), organic cashews, organic almond butter, organic rice crisps, organic almonds, organic sunflower seeds, organic dried cranberries, organic pumpkin seeds, organic dried coconut, organic vanilla extract


Nutrition Facts:
230 calories
8g fat, 1.5 g saturated
36 grams carbohydrates
5 grams protein


I liked this bar. Although the color was slightly off-putting (dark brown/greenish), I've definitely eaten more questionable things before. It had the texture of a Larabar, and tasted both earthy and sweet. The calories and fat are a little high considering the only moderate level of protein, but I would probably buy it again.

I came home and had a Sunkist navel orange:


And made the recipe I've gotten the most mileage out of: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Squares (and cleaned the bowl, thank you!).


I'll have a treat for you later tonight... stay posted!

MUPPETS FROM SPACE!!!

Yes, kids, remember when? And what about the even cuter Muppet Babies who kept us company during the day when our mommies and daddies were at work?


Ari and I are enjoying a glass of wine and Muppets From Space (okay, so not exactly like it was in pre-school). Pure genius.

This morning I was dismayed to discover that I'd eaten the last of the bananas, so I whipped up some hot PB & J oats.


1/2 cup oats
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp blackberry jam
1 tsp wheat germ
dried apricot, prune, craisins, currants

I should add that we slept a wee bit late and didn't have "breakfast" until 12:30! I haven't done that since I was at school (although I'm sure I'll be doing that again in a couple weeks when I'm staying up late studying... blegh). We spent the day doing some household chores and running errands (repeat this mantra: I will be a domestic goddess, I will be a domestic goddess...).

Around 4:30 I had lunch using the hummus I made yesterday:


Garlic-free hummus (this was accidental, but it turned out well):

1- 1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked and drained
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1-1/2 lemons
3 tablespoons tahini
1/4 teaspoons cumin
1/8 teaspoons salt
water as needed

Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy, adding water as needed to ease the blending process. Serve and enjoy!

I made a very strange sandwich that ended up being pretty tasty. Using two slices of rye bread, I spread hummus on one and stone ground mustard on the other. I added fresh spinach and sliced fresh tofu, which I sprinkled with salt and pepper. Yum!


I also had a Sunkist navel orange.


I went home to have a nice dinner with my parents... and take a long hot soak in the tub with my book and a glass of wine. My mom has been on a big Malbec kick recently. This guy had a black cork!


She prepared a lovely appetizer spread, from which I ate almost a whole carton of cherry tomatoes, some carrots, radishes and apple.



My mom made one of the best salads I have ever had. It was made of baby arugula, frisée, toasted hazelnuts, and roasted butternut squash.


We also had crab cakes from Citarella, steamed green beans, and leftover mushroom risotto. Now, I don't know if I've ever expressed my love of crab cakes to you, but they are one of my most beloved foods. (I almost got them at Ruth's Chris last night.) I'm not going to say that's why I'm dating Ari, but he is from Maryland, so...


All together with some ice cold milk.


We also enjoyed a lovely spread of mini pastries from Citarella, which we ate in the pre-school way (in keeping with our theme, of course): bite one, and pass it on...


I did do one Yoga Download today (Power Yoga 1) but I haven't had a sweaty cardio session in days and I'm pretty sure that's why my energy's been so bum. I'm setting my alarm early to make sure i do that tomorrow.

Off to save Gonzo... have a lovely night.

The girl with one left shoe

Hello and happy Tuesday! I'm currently blogging from the bathroom (hooray for WiFi) while I wait for my shower water to heat up. Yesterday was wonderful in terms of eats and movies, which makes it an A+ day in my book.

Last night before dinner, I had a glass of white wine as I caught up on the blogs. I wasn't a huge fan of it, so I sipped one glass throughout the course of a few hours.


My parents prepared a wonderful meal, starting out with a loaf of the first bread that my dad and I ever made together (way back when): Anadama bread.


In case you're not familiar with Anadama bread, the history is as follows (courtesy of The Food Timeline):

"Anadama bread. A bread made from cornmeal and molasses. The term dates in print to 1915, but is probably somewhat older. If it were not for the frequency of their citation, it would be difficult to believe the story most often cited is of a Gloucester, Massachusetts, fisherman's wife named Anna, who gave her husband nothing but cornmeal and molasses to eat every day. One night the fisherman got so angry, he tossed the ingredients in with some yeast and flour and made a bread in the oven while muttering to himself, "Anna, damn her!" A more affectionate story has a New England sea captain referring to his wife with the same name expletive as a phrase of endearment. This Anna was apparently adept at bread-baking, and she became well known for her cornmeal-and-molasses loaf among the fishing crews who appreciated this long-lasting, hearty bread. There was, supposedly, a gravestone to this legendary woman that read, Anna wes a lovely bride, but Anna, Damn'er, up and died. One source contends that a commerical bakery called ist product "Annadammer" or "Annadama bread."
---Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 6)

The meal was a joint effort on my parents part (my role being happy recipient). My mom made a delicious risotto using seven different kinds of mushrooms, with a shaved parmesan garnish. My dad made a lovely spinach curried with Greek yogurt and supplemented with tofu to make a complete protein.



We all split an avocado, which was drizzled with tangerine vinegar, salt & pepper:


The house is being painted, so we had a cozy TV dinner while we watched Midnight. Oh, go see this now... Claudette Colbert is lovely and funny (and plays a girl from Indiana!), and it takes place in Paris.


And then came the desserts. There's a small bakery in the West Village, Patisserie Claude, that my dad sometimes stops at to pick up tasty treats for us. "Tasty treats" is the understatement of understatements, by the way.

Chocolate chestnut cake:


Cappuccino mousse with brulée topping:


Apple tarte tatin:


Heaven, pure and simple. We split each dessert three ways.


When I got home, Ari was finished with work so we decided to make it a movie night (part II, for me). We watched Atlantic City, with Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon (and Wally Shawn in a cameo as a waiter). It's gritty, grimy, and wonderful.


This morning I had another PB&J breakfast cookie. It started off as a peace sign but ended up looking more like a flower...


1/2 cup oats
1/2 scoop protein powder
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 sunkist orange
1 tsp + extra strawberry jam for garnish
dried fruit (craisins, currants, apricot, dates)

I also ripped off a hunk of Anadama bread.


I had a large coffee with skim on the subway; it was too much liquid for me so early in the morning (well... at 11 AM) so I only had half.


I got all the way to the gym (about a 45 minute subway ride in the opposite direction from both of my apartments) only to discover I had left one sneaker at home. Whoops! I went chez maman et papa to do a 20 minute detox flow from Yoga Downloads so at least I could do something active.

Picked up some staples at the grocery store...


This was my first experiment with butternut squash fries. TASTY.


I made a very voluminous salad for lunch.


baby arugula
1 chopped apple
chik'n strips (Morningstar Farms)
cherry tomatoes
raw green beans
dressing (fig infused vinegar, EVOO, grey poupon mustard)


I'm off to go play with Greg, then hopefully cook something scrumptious. I'm on my own for dinner tonight (movies! empty kitchen! debauchery!), so I'll try to think up something fun.

Have a lovely evening!

Yes, kids, I finally got my Twilight on. It was better than I expected, but still not entirely satisfying, if that makes any sense... I thought Bella was okay, but Edward was a little strange. He definitely took cues from Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands, but not in a good way.

Anyway, at the movies I had some snacks: two mini butterfinger bitelettes (not pictured, we couldn't find the box in the dark), a Peanut Butter Z Bar and a new kind of cappuccino they're selling at the movie theaters. It was definitely NOT skim, and came pre-sweetened, but it reminded me of the coffee from the machines at my school in Paris so I drank half of it anyway.


I was starving and pressed for time when the movie got out, so I got a Tomato Basil and Mozzarella sandwich on wheat at Cosi, with a small baggie of carrots. I went back to the bread sample bin several times... Why does it have to be so addicting?!


During work I had some orange slices and an oyster. For dinner, I ordered a California veggie burger (avocado & cheese) with blue cheese, no bun and a side salad. I ate almost everything on that plate! I also ordered a glass of Albariño (Spanish white wine).


My dad brought be half a Macadamia nut brownie in the car...


I also had an orange before bed.


My breakfast cookie this morning was delicious (and purple!):


1/2 cup oats
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
remainder of yogurt container
1 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp jelly
dried fruit

I'm off to run loads of errands (gym, dentist, pick poodlepie up from groomers). Have a wonderful day!

Behold the healing powers of miso!

All your well wishes seemed to do the trick; I feel almost 100% now. Of course, I do have to give a little credit to the good food I had tonight. I'm obviously not a doctor, but I'm a firm believer that unless you've got some kind of stomach bug, it's best to eat foods that both comfort and nourish when you're not feeling your best. Anyway, on to the eats! I've been lucky enough to eat with my parents almost every night this week, and we've had quite the spectrum of food.

We started off with some edamame:


Some much-needed green tea and miso soup:


I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish all of my usual dinner, the sashimi bento box. I ordered it anyway...


And ate every last bite! (Except for the rice.) It was delicious. I could really eat this every day. In the box was green salad, shrimp and vegetable tempura, tuna and salmon sashimi and a California roll. Finger-lickin' good!


I came home and did some cute little domestic things, like fold laundry and arrange my closet. My idea of a Friday night! Ha, actually I didn't even know it was Friday until my parents reminded me, and I'm all for having a relaxing evening at home. I had the perfect nightcap: a navel orange and a rectangle of Dagoba New Moon (yes, I may have bought it for the name) 74% dark chocolate.


I'm all snuggly in bed watching Charlie Bartlett, but I have a feeling I'll be falling asleep before the movie's over. It seems pretty brilliant so far though, so I hope I can stay awake for it.

Have a lovely evening!