Rainy Day Baking

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to try a new baking recipe.  Attempting to stay away from processed ingredients, but refusing to give up on taste, I tried a recipe out of Bethenny Frankel's book, The Skinnygirl Dish.  I have to say I'm pleasantly pleased and I hope my young guests coming over to watch Sunday football will be too.  

He looks like he wants one too.

Vegas, Baby, Vegas!

We just took a trip to Vegas last week to celebrate...our anniversary, graduation, CPR's birthday, having two incomes, etc., etc.  I had always heard that Las Vegas is over the top.  That is an understatement.  Vegas is so gaudy, tacky, and artificial, that I couldn't help but find it absolutely charming and fun!  The main purpose of the trip was to relax and spend time together, so we booked a room at the Vdara, a beautiful boutique-type hotel and spa right on the strip, adjacent to the Bellagio.   What made this hotel incredible is that it didn't have a casino which made relaxing oh-so-easy to do.  Our days included a  morning workout at the gym, a delicious brunch, afternoons reading by the pool, and fun dinners out.  I had no idea that someone like me (one who doesn't gamble or go to clubs...really, I am fun!) would end up loving Vegas as much as I did.  

 The living area in our room at the Vdara.  Look at that view from the 43rd floor!

 Nothing beats a breakfast that includes OJ, bacon, and fried hashbrowns.

 Enjoying fruit smoothies by the pool kept the 90 degree heat at bay.

Our favorite meal at Spago was to die for.  Unfortunately, this is the only photo that was taken at the restaurant.


There are two things that make up a perfect vacation:    relaxing and experiencing new sights and places.  I'd consider this trip a winner.

Anniversary!

It's been four years since we've tied the knot, two of which were spent living apart in different cities.  Excited that we could spend the *actual* anniversary together, we made plans to "do it up right" by having a nice dinner at a swanky NYC restaurant.  Fast forward to a monsoon, a heavy lunch at the Olive Garden with a dear friend, and a strong urge to trade in my high heels and jeans for a pair of elastic-waisted sweatpants, we decided to ditch the fancy dinner and to stay in.  What do you expect from two people who managed to go to bed at midnight every single night when they were in Vegas?  The first night we crawled into bed at midnight and proceeded to watch a documentary about dogs.  True story.

So, the night's agenda included watching the third season of Breaking Bad and clogging our arteries (but warming our hearts) with burgers and shakes from the Shake Shack.  We may not have spotted any celebrities at a fancy restaurant, but  at least we were able to celebrate a wonderful four years with our entire family which includes this guy.

Ben loving life in Central Park

Yum!

Unemployment volume 2

Part of unemployment is embarking on a three-week guided cleanse.  It's not as scary as it sounds, and it's more about committing to three weeks of healthful and wholesome eating.  And if done correctly, one gains a deeper understanding about their relationship to food as well as determining which foods they must have to be happy and nourished and which foods are better left by the wayside on a more permanent basis (I said buh-bye to cheese, bread, and pasta).  

The first week is all about easing in and cutting out all processed foods, dairy, gluten, sugar, and caffeine.  What's left to eat you ask?  Everything!  We've had healthy and nourishing meals with grilled chicken and/or fish with a ton of vegetables.  And in lieu of grabbing the granola bar for a snack, we've grabbed a piece of fruit instead.  

Week 2 is a little more challenging.  It's continuing the behaviors from week 1, but phasing out animal proteins and sticking with juice and veggie based soups and smoothies. This gives the digestive system a well-deserved break.  The first time I did this cleanse, I came up with a butternut squash puree which ended up being super tasty.  Maybe I was euphoric from being so healthy, but I'll let you decide for yourself by perusing some photos.

{roasted butternut and acorn squash, red onion, and jewel yams with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt}

{pureed the mixture from above.  Trust me, it's tastier than it looks...}

(...but my witty husband thought it reminded him of a witch's gruel.  Apparently it was made in the year 1642. Hardy har har}

My husband has been struggling with the cleanse so I "treated" him to homemade croutons made from day-old whole wheat everything bagels.  Cheater!!

{bagels cut up and drizzled with olive oil and a bit of garlic powder}

{Gruel + homemade whole wheat croutons = more appetizing?}

Lastly, week 3 is very similar to week 1 and is all about transitioning back to normalcy.  But normalcy doesn't have to include bad foods.  Right? Right. 

Unemployment volume 1

I'm back in NYC, currently a freelance stay-at-home wife/dogwalker (my dog is my only customer)/annoying errand runner.  There are a few things that I've done that make me appreciate the downtime I have before I enter the rat race again.

Buying Fresh Flowers

Peonies are my favorite flowers and lilacs have such a dreamy scent.  I'd like to note that buying these flowers must have been such a dreamy experience because I dropped a $20 bill somewhere on the sidewalks of the Upper East Side.

Making Corn Salsa from Scratch

Thanks to my pal, I was able to make this great new salsa.  It's super easy with dicing pesky cherry tomatoes as the most challenging part of the process. 

1.5 cups grape tomatoes

1 cup corn

1/2 cup red onion

1/2 cup black beans

1/4 cup cilantro (or parsley)

1/2 of jalapeno

1/2 tsp cumin

salt

pepper

2 T red wine vinegar 

Super easy, right?  20 minutes later, and voila!

Stay tuned for more adventures from my days as an unemployed gal!  Be prepared to see pictures of dogs, food, and NYC sites.

Backed Up Pipes are No Fun

Don't worry, I'm not about to write about clogged drains and toilets. I'm going to talk about something that my friends and I tend to be a wee bit obsessed with:  Dropping the kids off at the pool, #2, etc.  Get my drift?  If not, you're not smart enough to be reading this blog which is always chockfull of thought-provoking anecdotes.  

My everyday bar:

(can be purchased here for a great price)

This will get the pipes going...in one tasty bar, it has 12 grams of fiber, which is almost HALF of what you need in one day. It's completely natural with no corn syrup (the evil of food) and enough sugar to taste good and fuel a workout.   I've been known to eat three in one day! (Note to self: Two weeks traveling in Asia will eff your digestive system up!) I wasn't alone, however, as one of my friends had such issues that it became a topic of interest of the professor with whom we were traveling.  Every chance he got he was inquiring about her "progress".  Can you say awkward?  

These bars also come in other great flavors that sound pretty yummy:

Peanut Butter

Chocolate Brownie (kind of funny considering the subject of this post!)

Banana Walnut

As a reward for reading this post, go here for some "sheets and geegles".  

Empire State of Mind

Yesterday marked the two month countdown until we pack our car with my belongings and drive south and west to New York City for one last time.  When I left for Boston back in the Fall of 2008, I was happy, relieved, and excited to leave The Big Apple for the smaller city of Boston.  

I've started to compile a list of things I want to do once I move back.  I guess the silver lining to the distinct possibility of being jobless on my return to the Upper East Side is that I can cross stuff off this list relatively quickly.  

1.  I can't count how many times I've ran in Central Park, but regardless of what's going on in life, the loop around the reservoir provides a sense of calm in a city of craziness.  I can't wait to resume my daily runs in the greatest park in the world.  

 

2.  Catch several games at Yankee Stadium.  As a daughter, sister, and wife of passionate maniacal Yankee fans, going to Yankee games has been a staple to my summer for many years.  

3.  Catch up with old friends at the Olive Garden.  Don't be judgey:  I've already explained my penchant for chain restaurants.  If you're judging me, you're not alone because I have other friends that like going to real NYC restaurants.  My favorite place in the city isn't really known for its food (quite frankly, it sucks), but I love it for the memories and scenery.  

4.  Until I land a job and can afford to buy myself an iPad (this name still reminds me of brands such as Kotex or Always) or an Amazon Kindle, I want to go to the New York Public Library to get books.  We live in a Manhattan rental apartment, where space is at a premium.  I don't want to buy more books that just end up collecting dust on an overstuffed bookcase.  Plus, my heroine Carrie Bradshaw *almost* got married here. 

I never thought I'd miss you, NYC.  Don't let me down when I move back!

Hiatus Schmiatus

Anything to not actually be proactive about finding a job, I spent a few days away in the southwest region of the United States. Specifically, I was on a jaunt in New Mexico and Arizona. It was an incredible experience of sorts, but adding to the list of foods that I love but should not eat is frybread. Being the classy gal that I am, I love bread and anything that's fried = Match made in heaven. (I blame my midwestern roots and a mom forever devoted to exercise for my lack of good taste in the culinary arts).

Unfortunately, my camera broke (RIP Kodak Easyshare), so here is a photo of my new love.

The fun did not stop there. Put beans, lettuce, cheese, and green chile sauce on top and you have a party in your mouth (TWSS). The party stops about 2 hours later right before bed, FYI. Just sayin'.

(photo via: www.blogchef.net)

New year, new obsession.

I didn't think it was possible, but I really got sick of the Reduced Fat Cheez-Its. I never thought the day would come, but it did. Now my snack of choice is Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt White Cheddar Kettle Chips. Good tasting, but bad for my waistline.

Since I've been back in Boston, I've had two really good workouts. I hope to be on my way back to a svelte almost-30-year old.

Seriously, after today, I'm SERIOUS about my diet. That means the half-eaten bag of TJ's White Cheddar Chips will be my last. Fo-shizzle.

Don't Hate the Chains

Most people would dream of going to cute Italian restaurants once they've been away from NYC for a few months, right? Not this girl.

Monday night, we went out for what was to be a very cool NYC outing...about 4 hours earlier than one would expect. We started dinner at around 5:30 in Little Italy. True-blooded cool people start dinner around 9:30. Whatever, we're old. Get over it.

It was a warm 60 degree night in December in New York City. We got off the subway at Canal Street, walked in the wrong direction for about 2 minutes (thanks to me) and finally found our way to what looked like a cute and charming Italian restaurant in the Little Italy section of the city.

It looked so quaint with its stucco walls tastefully decorated with nice wreaths and lights. We took a table outside and embarked on the night I'll call "Colon Blow". One delicious Sangiovese glass of red wine, 1/2 order of soggy calamari, and one order of pesto pasta with portobello mushrooms and sundried tomatoes later, I had one really disappointing meal. To add insult to injury, the total bill was $100 for the two of us. Bleechhh...

I won't even go into detail about what the meal did to my colon and my digestive tract for the next 24 hours. Basically, my colon hated me and wreaked havoc on Monkee's belly.

Fast forward to today. I met up with one of my beloved friends Kip at another Italian restaurant in Chelsea. What little find would that be, you ask? It would be the Olive Garden. Yes, that's right, the Olive Garden.
I love this place.

My meal cost $17 (with a generous tip and tax) which included: 3 (okay, 5, I lied) crusty yet soft garlic breadsticks, unlimited salad, one lunch-sized serving of whole wheat linguine with marinara sauce, and free refills on my favorite beverage - Diet Coke.

Based on these past two recent experiences, it will be a looong time until you'll find me an authentic New York City Italian restaurant. At the Olive Garden, it's WYSIWYG.

End of Year Resolution

No, the title is not a typo. I made the executive decision to start my new year's resolution ahora.  Why you ask? 

 It might have something to do with the fact that I lived in fear that the button on my oxford blouse would pop off and seriously injure someone while I was sitting in my finance class.  

I wish I could say that my button was at risk of popping off because of a growing bosom, but unfortunately that's not the case. Damn, I wish I were that lucky.  I'm afraid the problem is much more grave.  In fact, the problem is closely linked to my previous post about the muffin tops.  I'm on my way to gaining the First-Year-MBA-15!  Gulp. I never knew there was such a thing...

Just before going to business school, I successfully shed almost 9 pounds of the happy fat I had gained during my first year and a half of marriage.  I trained for triathlons all summer and saw a nutritionist.  As soon as I set foot in Beantown, *poof*!  My hopes and dreams of staying svelte and fit as a graduate student went to the wayside just like the Yankees' hopes of making it to the playoffs.  

So, as a December Resolution, I will cease the consumption of my favorite snacks colored by orange #9 until I lose some L-B-S. I heart pringles just as much, but I find myself being able to down a can in two sittings...that sort of behavior does nothing for my psyche.

 

Stop the Cheez-Its and Pringles.  STAT.