Bringing the edge back to vegetarianism?

Good evening! Thanks so much for your patience and understanding yesterday... sometimes blogging hiatuses (hiati?) are necessary for mental health, ya know what I mean? I'm still going to blog yesterday's eats, so here we go!

Enjoyed some subway java on my way into the city yesterday:


I thought I had an eye doctor appointment yesterday, but it was actually today. Whoops! I wish I could say that was the fist time I'd done that, but I would be fibbing. So, since I was in the neighborhood, I walked over to Bloomingdales to check out the sales and ended up staying there for over 2 hours! Since I put off lunch while shopping, I did the unthinkable: scarfed down sushi in the dressing room. I'm a classy lady, what can I say?


My mom and I went to Forty Carrots for a snack. According to Mama D, it was the first place in Manhattan to serve frozen yogurt. Pretty cool, but why was this the first time I indulged? I don't know if you can tell the scale of the yogurt from this photo, but apparently it was a "small." Friends, this thing was easily over a pint of ice cream! I could barely finish half of it. It was good, but too much sweetness!

The two flavors are Caribbean Coffee and Mango.


I hauled booty to the gym and had a great workout.


30:00 minutes bike
20:00 minutes stairmaster

arm machines

ab series

Totals:
Time: 1 hour 19 minutes
Maximum heart rate: 182
Average heart rate: 142
Calories burned: 635


I picked up one of these Primal Strips at Whole Foods the other day, and ate one in the locker room for instant energy.

Thai Peanut Primal Strip:

Ingredients: Non-GMO vital gluten (wheat protein), water, unrefined evaporated cane juice, naturally brewed soy sauce (water, non-GMO soybeans, wheat, sea salt), expeller pressed canola oil, peanut butter, vinegar, fresh Thai basil, sea salt, natural vegetarian spices. No MSG.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 74
Total Fat: 2g, 1g saturated
Carbohydrates: 8g
Protein: 10g

Well, I certainly felt "primal" ripping into the strip in public and shredding it with my teeth. Some bits of it got stuck in there, but that might not necessarily be a bad thing... who wouldn't want to save a little taste for later, without having to worry about self-restraint? It had a nice smoky flavor, and at 74 calories and 10g of protein, need I say more? It's a great snack, and a great way to fuel up on protein. I'd definitely try these again, and there are quite a few flavors to choose from.

Stewart had a dinner party at his house, so I high-tailed it over from the gym. He'd set up a nice appetizer spread: eggplant dip, chips, veggies, nuts.



Look at all that eggplant-y goodness!


My mom made Lemon-Pepper Parmesan Crackers from the May 1993 issue of Gourmet. They were delicious, especially when smeared with eggplant.


I had quite a few chips, crackers and veggie sticks, just so I could have more of that dip.

I had a glass of Chardonnay (and another with dinner):


Stewart made the best cod (no joke) I've ever had, marinated in soy and covered with bok choy. I have to remember to ask for the recipe...


My dad brought two onion loaves from the Fannie Farmer Bread Book.


We also had Japanese rice salad with tofu:


Gingered butternut squash:



And last but not least... dessert! Cranberry walnut clafoutis (très français):


Apple raisin walnut cake. YUM.


Stewart found a great way to clean the floor: with his feet.


Winding down with clemmies and dark chocolate:


I slacked a little on the groceries this week, and when found neither yogurt or milk in the fridge I decided to have one of my favorite Queens treats (I haven't seen these anywhere else in the city): an oat & raisin bagel with low-fat cream cheese. De-lish!


Good ole $1.10 coffee:


I had a banana on my way out of the doctor's office:


The drops that the eye doctor put in to dilate my pupils did not sit well with me today. I was disoriented, my eyes were very sensitive, and (sorry to be graphic) I thought I was going to throw up. I wandered around for awhile, debating whether or not I should go to the gym, but the thought of getting up on a machine was nauseating. So, I chose the smarter road and went home to relax.

A while ago I saw Jenna make an egg/broth soup when she wasn't feeling well. I don't remember exactly how she made it, but I tried one of my own.


2 cups water
1 whole egg, beaten
2 tsp Better Than Bouillon base
fresh lemon juice
chives (or any other fresh herb)
pepper

Heat water on stove and stir in Better Than Bouillon. When water is just about to boil, remove pot from heat and stir in egg. Season with lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon), chives and pepper. Slurp and enjoy!

It was a lot of soup, but was very tasty and comforting. The egg/chive combo reminded me of the scrambled eggs my mom used to make me when I was sick... classic.

I also had some papaya with Fage 0%, crushed walnuts and honey drizzled on. Perfection.


I met Ari at Starbucks and got a Tall London Fog tea latte. It tastes just like Earl Gray tea, but I think I like the Vanilla Rooibos tea latte bettter.


Off to put on my penguin PJs and do some housework. Hope you had a wonderful day! Do you feel different now that we officially have a new president? Relief? Anything at all?

"Well done Pig, well done."

Oof, I am stuffed.  Everything has finally settled and I'm a pleasant, satiated kind of full.  We dined like kings and queens tonight; everything was absolutely delicious and worth every splurge-a-rific bite.  Here's a little re-cap of the party:

Georgie D. playing some holiday jingle:

What's a party without a little champagne?

Daddy-O passionately guarding the shallot/endive/anchovy tart:

One of my oldest friends Niki:

Niki, who made said tart... très parisienne.

Appetizer spread:

Blurry appetizers (crudités, sliver of tart, marinated green & white asparagus):

Mama in her pretty green Christmas blouse:

These caviar/potato puffs come with Karen every year, and we all anxiously await their arrival.  They are the bane of our existences, I tell you.

Almost everything my dad made tonight came from this Marcus Samuelsson cookbook.   These tasty little items were curry-spiced chapatis with a layer of puréed eggplant and seared sushi-grade tuna, drizzled with black olive oil sauce.  These were amazing.  I had more than my fair share...

Happy Chanukah!

Shot of Armenian lentil soup:

Clockwise from bottom: couscous, molasses-glazed carrots, quince peanut salad.

Shot of another Moosewood soup, but I've forgotten the name.  It was made with sour cream, and tasted a lot like the paprika sauces that are all over Hungarian cuisine.

Now for the dessert! Here's the cake my mama and I made (chocolate gingerbread coffee bundt with hazelnut poached pear and coffee whipped cream):

Coconut tapioca over a lemongrass tangerine reduction, topped with a great big blackberry:

And, although I was positively stuffed, I just had to try one of Trying to Heal/ Rainforestgurl's cashew butter chocolate dipped cookies.  Oh my sweet lordy, I have died and gone to heaven.  This was the perfect ending to a delicious night. 

I'm off to see if the boy will watch A Nightmare on Elm Street with me... chances are slim, but I can always hope!

I picked up this protein powder on the way home... am I the only person who didn't know that Kashi made it?

Bonne nuit!

Brunch shenanigans

Good afternoon! It's actually starting to look a little like evening because we're supposed to get a whole bunch of snow. All the more reason to cozy up in bed!

Brunch was a whole lot of fun. It was actually a little sad because this was by far my favorite class this semester. Katie and I will be taking an independent study with this prof, though, so we have a lot to look forward to in the spring!

There was so. much. food. Once again I left with the too-full feeling, so I'm going to try to put dinner off for as long as possible.

A cup of tea:


Clockwise from left: apple-cinnamon bran muffin with blackberry jam, homemade veggie-filled macaroni and cheese (sooo good), roasted thin-sliced potatoes with rosemary, mixed green salad with pears, grapes, craisins and feta topped with Newman's Own Lighten' Up! sundried tomato vinaigrette (I brought the salad minus the greens).


I actually surprised myself by loving this muffin. I didn't try it plain, but with jam it was superb. Erin was right in calling this a "dense" muffin, but it was mighty tasty. I saved an extra for later.

Clemmie, x 2:

Reed made his own cinnamon roles!


They were rich and deliciously yeasty. Good thing I was super full because I definitely wanted more than one.


I'm going to spend the rest of the day napping (very much needed), deep cleaning the house, and studying.

Gobble Gobble

Well hello! I hope that anyone and everyone who is reading this is pleasantly stuffed and has had a wonderful time with family and friends. We had a really nice dinner this evening, as usual. Instead of saying what we were thankful for this year, my dad asked what everyone's last meal would be. They were pretty interesting! I said sushi if I was going out, and if I was making it myself, probably sweet potato, tofu and chocolate. I don't know if that's truly what I'd want, but that's the first thing that came to my head.

Mommy Dearest holding my Jack on the rocks:


The Thanksgiving table:


Crudité, one cracker with three cheeses (sharp cheddar, roquefort, camembert), and an olive that I ate before taking this:


I've decided to throw my vanity to the wind and post only horrible pictures of me. But everyone else looks very nice!


Judy oh so skillfully carving the turkey:


From left to right: sticky bun, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, vegetarian stuffing, steamed green beans, Georgie D's famous mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (that I mixed with pretty much everything). Missing is corn pudding, that I added right after the picture was taken.


Seconds on Brussels sprouts:


The pie spread! Pecans, maple cream, punkin'.


I had two little slivers of pie: pecan and maple cream. I cut the top crusts off; with a regular sized piece of pie, you can shave off about 100 calories by chopping off the crust. I ended up having three little pieces, so that probably equaled out to a normal sized piece.


Another sliver of pecan... I don't know what it is, I never used to like this! It's Ari's favorite, so maybe that's why I enjoy it now.


Daddy-o and George:



The Thanksgiving gang. I don't know what's going on with my sassy smile, but this was the only one that turned out.


I'm pooped! Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekends!