His & Hers

Guess who's who? This was our cleaning getup; we scoured the house from top to bottom.

I had an apple-icious snack around 6. This wasn't the best apple, but it did the trick.


Have you ever had rotten tofu? I hadn't until today, and let me tell you, it is one of the foulest tastes I have ever had. It was supposed to make up the bulk of my sandwich, but instead I made another of my weirdo concoctions: hummus, Laughing Cow Light, and cilantro on rye bread. I also had a sweet potato with marjarine (my B&B disappeared) and maple syrup, but I zapped the potato for too long and it was a bit dry. Oh well.



I had a Hot'n Healthy bar (Chocolate Chip) a few hours later for dessert. Gosh, I love these things.


Waitress is on TV and Ari and I are watching. He's never seen it before, but it's putting us both in the mood for pie!

Night night :-)

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.

Look guys, no beard!

Well, maybe a little one, but nothing compared to the old guy! A couple nights ago when I came home from work, Ari told me he had a present for me. It was dark, so I couldn't really see him, and when he presented me with a little ziplock baggie I wasn't sure what was in it. Yep, it was beard hair!!! (We're weird, I know.)

My workout was pretty quick today because of my dentist's appointment.

20:00 stairs, levels 7-9

Arm machines (I don't know why, but the shoulder presses have been really difficult for me the past few times and I can't do more than two sets.)

No ab series today!

We were going to go to Whole Foods for lunch, but we peeped inside and it was pretty much all-around pandemonium. We went to Cosi instead (which didn't end up being much better). It's funny- I never go to Cosi (although it used to be my and Kalle's go-to place), but I've been twice in less than 24 hours!

Today I got a "Duo" with half a sandwich ("Fire roasted veggies" with feta spread) and a small salad (Signature Light- my favorite). I also got some sweet baby carrots, which I shared with Ari.


After the dentist (A+ in oral health!) I went to H & M. They were having a sale so I got some great stuff and a free sweater! I've been looking for a full black skirt (this is a high-waisted lacy tulip) so I was very happy to find one that fit well for a nice price! I'm also a sucker for accessories, and they had cute little hairpins so I got some of those and a boat-necked nautical shirt. Ah, materialism, how I love thee.

I picked Charley up from the groomers (note to self: do not wear Chucks and then walk 25 blocks in below freezing weather). No more Mop Dog!


I made a Fage / clemmies (2)/ prunes (2)/walnut snack:


I drizzled it with a little pomegranate syrup. It was a perfect addition: sweet and tangy. We got this syrup a while ago when we made a bulgar pilaf recipe. Thanks for the idea, Daddy-O!


To stay on my dairy kick, I also had a Laughing Cow Light cheese.


My parents have a yummy dinner planned. I might try to prep a few items to have later in the week... I haven't been cooking so much lately, if ya hadn't noticed!

Have a lovely Monday evening! (I STILL can't get last week's episode of Gossip Girl to play...)

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!

Naughty Chocoholic

It's still sort of morning for me, since I just took a little nap. I desperately needed that sleep, which was made very clear when I fell asleep for the first half of Slumdog Millionaire! It's too bad, because I've been looking forward to seeing it in over a month. What I did see, though, I loved, so I'd recommend it.

I had lunch with Greg, Kalle and Mike at the Metro Diner yesterday. I'd already had coffee (which doesn't usually stop me from having more) but I just felt like sipping on tea.


I've been having a lot of formatting problems with Blogger recently, so sorry about the double image. It doesn't want to delete.


The Metro makes THE best veggie burgers. They're literally over an inch thick, and made with a delicious blend of beans and spices. I didn't get the "deluxe" which comes with fries, but I ate a few of Kalle's.


One of the independent movie theaters we go to has THE best treats. Even though I was still pretty full from lunch, I had two cookies: a chocolate covered coconut macaroon, and a dried fruit and nut rugeleh. So yum, but don't know if I needed both of them...


Someone brought in two packages of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (you know, the milk chocolate hazelnut truffle kind?) and put them up on the little ledge where I sit. One of the waitresses and I (who is also a serious runner) and I tried ignoring them all night (hiding them under my seating chart, putting a glass in front of them, etc) but finally they got the better of us and we each ate one. Pure bliss, but they each have 16g of fat!


I got a salad with potatoes, artichoke hearts, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, romaine, onions and a hard-boiled egg (they forgot the avocado... sad).


Some of my friends from school (Mike, Greg and Max) came by when I was finishing up so I stayed and had my shift drink with them (note: we have to wait until the end of our shift to drink it, we can't have it while we're working).

I don't know what was going on with me yesterday, but the chocolate/fat/treat/whatever-you-want-to-call-it bug hit me hardcore yesterday. I had a Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme bar on the subway; I don't even really LIKE these and only eat them when I'm really caving them. Oh well, tomorrow is another day, tomorrow is another day...


I made a nice big bowl of overnight oats that I enjoyed around 8:45 this morning.


1/2 cup steal cup oats
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 banana (sliced on in the morning)

I was planning to go to an early yoga class, but I decided to go back to sleep and go to the 1:30 class. I'm off to do that now; hopefully "the hair of the dog" will ease my muscle soreness. Have a great day!

Yoga To The People!

Hello and happy Friday, my fine blogging friends! I hope you've all had wonderful days off, fun holidays, and all that fun stuff. I've been hopping around all over the place, so let's backtrack a little bit.

Yesterday Ari and I went to the diner for breakfast. We tried to learn the ways of the heart rate monitor over coffee:


Whole wheat toast with butter (whoops) and grape jelly. I've said this before, but for some reasons toast without butter at a diner is just plain wrong.


For the main event, I ordered an egg-white fritatta with zucchini, tomato, and ricotta cheese. It had sort of a funky taste that I likened to escargot... not exactly what I was expecting out of my breakfast eggs! I was starving, so I gobbled it all up (with ketchup, of course!) and had a couple of the home fries.


Ari's been working really hard, so I didn't want him to have to worry too much about dinner. I whipped up some Gliding Calm tofu and put it in the fridge, along with some steamed green beans and Lundberg brown rice blend.


I made the tofu a little differently this time; I dusted each piece with a little garlic salt on both sides, then dipped them in the combined maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger powder, and that spicy red sauce whose name I am forgetting.


I came home and took a much-needed nap before work; I'm on an early-morning schedule so I get up around 8 but then get really tired mid-day. When I woke up, I whipped up a quick soup using this as a base:


Combined with shirataki noodles and chik'n strips. Fast, easy, comforting.


I also had some Fage with strawbs and blubes:


And some cookies on my way out.


Since people were generous with the coat check tips today, I decided to splurge and get some sushi. I'm so glad I did! I got the sushi combo which comes with a California roll and 7 pieces of assorted fish. Scrumptious.


This morning our way into the city, Ari and I split this Hot'n Healthy bar. I've never tried the Cinnamon Roll flavor before, and we had to eat it cold, but it was still delicious. Ari's not a huge fan of nutrition bars, but he loves these because they taste just like cookies!


Grabbed a coffee with skim on the way to the gym. I only finished half of it because you're not really supposed to drink them inside.


Once I got there I realized I had forgotten my shorts, for the second time this week! I didn't want to give up my workout, so I shelled over another $26 for a new pair. Boo! Once I changed into them, I realized I had also forgotten socks, and I came to the gym wearing tights. (I am so scatterbrained since I also forgot my cell phone and have felt disoriented all day.) Lucky for me there was a yoga class just starting, so I joined that.

Now, I absolutely LOVE yoga, but I haven't done it for over a year. This class was a little advanced for me... I fell over when I tried to do a handstand but did manage to get up into crow pose, if only for a few seconds. I am SO glad I went. I've been a little stressed out recently, what with work and the holidays and very little down time, and yoga was just what I needed. I felt so relaxed afterwards and much more ready to take on the day!

I had a banana in the locker room before showering.


After leaving the gym I rushed uptown to have a girls' lunch with my family. Originally, we'd wanted to go to Alice's Tea Cup (which our very own Heather used to live right next to!), but the wait for a table was an hour and a half so we moved on to Le Pain Quotidien instead.

Because it's Friday and my day off, I had some sauvignon blanc with my water. Woohoo!


Cousins!


Sisters!

You'll have to tilt your head for this one: I ordered an open- faced sandwich with black bean hummus, avocados, zucchinis, radishes, diced peppers and tomatoes and lemon with a spicy tahini sauce on the side. This was delicious. I'm going to try to make the spread myself!


After lunch, we had to make a pit stop at Magnolia. Can you imagine a trip to New York without one of these luscious cupcakes?! I got red velvet with vanilla buttercream. It was good, but I should have gone with my old favorite, devil's food with mocha frosting. Lucky for me, my mama let me finish hers up!


Someone left this Texan cookbook downstairs in the lobby (what we apartment folks do when we don't want something). I'm so excited to use it! I just flipped through and saw great recipes for gazpacho, spoon bread, Texas toast...


Abby and I shopped the sales for several hours today (I didn't find anything, but she had her first taste of Betsey Johnson) and I am pooped! They're all at a play right now, and I'm meeting them for a pizza dinner at 6. Hope you all have a fun night planned!