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?

Another farewell

Hi, dreambugs! I hope your weekends wrapped-up beautifully.... maybe with a little football, maybe some sleep... whatever makes you happy!

I had sort of a blah workout today, but at least it was something. I did 20:00 minutes on the stairmaster (226 calories), then got on the bike but after a little more than a minute I got off. I tried to do some arm machines, but after two reps, I just wasn't feeling it and stopped. One of those days, I guess!

I went to Whole Foods with my dad for lunch today. It was a little bigger than usual, but after being so hungry during work last night I didn't want to deal with that again.

Here, I have mesclun greens with Indian curry tofu, BBQ tofu, and Thai "Chicken." I put a little oil and vinegar on the greens.


I also got an 8 oz cup of carrot, ginger and sesame soup. Mmm!


I also had a clementine...

... and a small skim cappuccino with a chocolate hazelnut biscotti.


After lunch, we went to Paragon to get new sneakers!!! They had me run on the treadmill so they could analyze my gait and "technique." Apparently, I pronate to the left, which either caused my stress fracture or is the result of it. Anyway, I got a pair of Asics that has an extra level of stability, and special insoles that support my arches so I won't get plantar fasciitis (OUCH).

Don't they look angelic?

Tonight was my last night of work, so I wanted to treat myself to a delicious sushi dinner. I ordered the sushi combo (7 pieces of sushi and a California roll), but Sunny, the oh-so-amazing sushi chef, sent me home with two extra California rolls and a Slammin' Salmon roll (salmon, lemon & cilantro).


I ate all the sushi, the Slammin' Salmon roll and two pieces of California.

For dessert, I had three clemmies and two pieces of Dagoba dark chocolate. This is one of the best combinations.


Eastern Promises is on TV, so I'm watching that in bed. Bonne nuit!

Gives you hell...

Sorry, but that song has been in my head all day. Moving on...

Another late morning! I don't know what's up with our sleep schedules, but it is funking me up. I had a lunch date in the early afternoon, so I just grabbed a banana and a coffee on my way out. This was not my finest coffee-making day... it tasted so watery!


I met Kalle for lunch and we went to our usual, Tomo, and had our oh-so-yum bento boxes. I had a bowl of miso soup (which also tasted watery! I poured in some soy sauce...) and a cup of hot tea.


Clockwise from leeft to right: tempura, California roll, brown rice, seaweed/ soybeans, tofu teriyaki.


I had one of my figgy bars on the street:


Kalle and I went back to my house and played with nail polish and watched silly TV, just like the goold ole days.


I rushed down to the gym for a quickie.

20:00 minutes on the stairs
arm machines
ab series

42:32 minutes total
maximum heart rate: 180
average heart rate: 142

I rushed over to dinner at Eatery, where I met my parents and Stewart.


The waiter brought out some kind of sweet and crunchy rice crisps. I forgot my wallet at home tonight, which meant no ID so no vino for me!


We split the shrimp spring rolls with grilled banana, Japanese eggplant and black sesame dipping sauce.


For my entrée, I ordered a salad with black tea crusted salmon, smoked tofu, grilled pineapple, organic mixed greens and avocado-jalepeño vinaigrette on the side.


I had a triangle of whole wheat pita. Bad contrast!


We were going to a play tonight, so I got a cup of coffee as a preventative method... it failed and I snoozed through the entire first act (Pal Joey is a musical, I might add, so sleeping should have been difficult...).


We shared a bar of this dark chocolate four ways.


I snuck two clementines on the way out of the theater.


I have a very exciting day day planned for tomorrow, so I want to get enough shut-eye so I can fully enjoy it to the max. Bonne nuit!

Edited to add: Head on over to Oh She Glows for a chance to win some delicious Honest Foods products!

Bon arès-midi! It's been a lazy morning chez Ari et Katie... we slept until 10:40, which hasn't happened in I don't know how long! It's kind of a nice change, although I do feel like I missed out a little on my day considering I have to be at work in five hours. Oh well! Let's backtrack.

Yesterday I had an amazing workout at the gym.

20:00 minutes stairmaster
13:00 minutes bike
10:00 more minutes on the stairmaster (I found a new magazine I wanted to read, which really makes all the difference)

arm machines (shortened to two instead of four; the gym was very crowded)

ab series (no plank)

I used my HRM Andrea-style and kept it on the whole time I was active (machines, stretching, abs, etc), and burned a whopping 600 calories in 1 hour and 8 minutes. Woohoo!


I was pretty hungry after my workout, so I headed to Whole Foods and bee-lined to the salad bar. I filled up the bottom with mixed greens, then proceeded to try every form of fake meat there: plain baked tofu, Indian curry tofu, seitan something, etc. I can't remember everything, sorry! I also had two dumplings, couscous, and this amazing fig and dandelion salad. I love figs!


Although I wasn't exactly hungry, I finished off "lunch" (at 4!) with a ThinkThin Brownie Crunch bar (sorry for the blurry pic, I took it on a moving subway car) so I wouldn't be ravenous throughout my work shift. I've put off trying these bars before because 1) the name kind of puts me off, and 2) they're pricey! I had a coupon for .50 off so I sucked it up and bought it. It was pretty good, although I'm not entirely sure why "glycerin" needs to be on the ingredients list.


I had some goldfish and white chocolate (blegh!) nibbles throughout work, and champagne for my shift drink.

I ordered a spicy tuna handroll:



And this is what's left of my Crispy Crunchy Salad. I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture!


Usual breakfast cookie this morning, although it was 36 hours old, so it was actually kind of hard like a cookie!


Gotta go, busy day. I'll catch up on your blogs tonight!

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!