Friday, July 30, 2010

Three T's

It was Thursday.

I telecommuted.

Dave and I went to trivia. :)

We ate lunch at the Atlanta Bread Co.



I had the Bistro Press Sandwich which was grilled chicken, roasted red pepper spread, onions and cheese. With corn and black bean salad on the side.



I left the other half in Dave's fridge come to think of it. :(

He had soup and a half a sandwich. I think it was a turkey club.



We also ate 2/3 of this amazing cupcake.




I had pretzels and hummus as a snack in the afternoon.

Then we went to Dave's garden where we picked these lovelies.





Stuffed peppers are in his future. :)

I made pesto today with that basil. Delicious.

Last night was trivia but the lighting was blah. I had the usual. Pretzels and the BBQ Cheddar turkey burger. I ate 3/4 and about the same amount of fries.

So much for blogging more. I'm trying but it's the summer. I think it's because I'm outside more often and not online as much at night these days. And work has been isane as well. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon.

My friend Andrea is coming to NYC tonight!!! Brunch with the girls tomorrow and all sorts of fun for the weekend.

Stay tuned. :)

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast

In that order.

Lunch yesterday before I ran to the office was some steamed chicken gyozas with sweet chili and soy sauce and some edamame.



I bought a hot pretzel at Zarro's at Grand Central and spilt half of it with Dave when we got off the train. No picture - too hungry!

Dinner was a hamburger with sauteed onions on a sandwich thin with some potatoes on the side.



Second dinner :) was a glass (or 3) of Pinot Grigio and the Lasagna Fritta at an Olive Garden.





This was not a good idea because now I'm going to be obsessed with this dish. It was really, really good.


His and Hers breakfast. Mine had butter his had peanut butter. I know. Should have been the other way around.



Also - unpictured - I had a glass of chocolate milk.

Telecommuting today, trivia tonight. I'm telling myself I'm going to go running as I am sitting here dressed for it and staring at my running shoes.

I'll be back with more later.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Multitasking

First post at noon. Not too bad.

Today I woke at around 7. I threw on my gym clothes and sorted my laundry. I put my laundry on and walked across the street to the gym, ran 2 miles and then got back in time to shove the clothes in the dryer.

Curious thing though. I bought a microfiber mop to help clean my hardwood floors. I threw it in the wash today and I cannot find it now. I folded everything, went down and rechecked the dryer and nada.

So strange.

Then I came home and made a frittata. 2 eggs, spinach, asparagus, goat cheese. I ate half with some garlic toast leftover from my bruschetta.



I'll be back in a bit with lunch and stuff. I was telecommuting today but found out I need to go to the office by 1:15. I have to tell you - it feels great to be done with a workout so early in the day.

Catch you later!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Surf & Chirp, and Sno Cones

There's probably too much stuff here. I'm waiting way too long between posts and it's annoying me so I can only imagine how you feel. :)

The latest is that I am happy to report that my work misery from last week has morphed into a minor victory. I'm very much looking forward to being back on track. I really didn't have a plan for today but I walked home from work (2ish miles) and then went for about a 3.5 mile walk by the river and thought about things. I'm feeling kind of out of shape. The scale is inching up and not down. I haven't gained enough to make me really worried but I know I need to counterbalance my increased eating with moving around a little bit more.

And so, I shall.

Lots of good eats since Saturday. Let me show you.

Saturday I went to a reunion of sorts for Dave's family. The food was delicious, even if the brownies (made by me) almost beat the Grasshopper Pie (made by him). I also made tomato bruschetta.



My plate: Eggplant parm, asparagus, garlic knot, ziti, chicken, and yummy sausage and peppers. I also had another sausage on a roll around dinner time.



Dessert was a little fruit



and a sliver of each of these.





When we got home the kids ate s'mores made on the stove. I ate a few pieces of plain chocolate.



Sunday I made a pile of French Toast



With sausage, strawberries, syrup and cinnamon sugar.



For lunch we met Dave's sister and her family for lunch at Tabor Pizza.

We started with calamari and zucchini.




Dave and I split an antipasto salad (w/balsamic) and a personal margherita pizza.






Both were really yummy.

Sunday night I made some roasted chicken (with garlic and onion), roasted potatoes, roasted broccoli, tomato and mozzarella salad and some sauteed shrimp. Dave dubbed this dinner 'Surf and Chirp'. He was very proud of that name. Please let him know in the comments if you think he should quit his day job. ;)




Before (and after) dinner, my new boss Mora set up her Gourmet Sno-Cone shop. I believe my new title is cashier. I used to be a dishwasher so I guess that's a promotion. She also gave me her persmission to promote her store here. :)









She's not messing around. I think she has made more money with her sno-cones than I currently have in my wallet. I paid her $2 for my sno-cones and she paid me a nickel for working for her. Something's wrong with this situation I think!!!

Back in NYC I had cheddar and hummus for breakfast.



I made more bruschetta for class and tossed it with pasta for lunch.



For our last class we all brought in food. I tried Kale Chips (not going to convert me), corn salad, coconut bread (shaped like muffins and not that sweet coconut flavor - they tasted more like scones to me), a kumquat and my bruschetta (which was a hit if I do say so myself).



And that brings us to today - when I had Joe's O's for breakfast with chocolate milk.



Lunch was more bruschetta + pasta (with a little spinach mixed in) and dinner honestly was pretzels, hummus and a handful of nuts. I'm still full.

Whew. Another marathon post down. If for no other reason than for my own sanity in the next few days I'm really going to make an effort to be a better blogger and be a better healthy lifestyle-er.

Tomorrow's plans - laundry, going for a 2 mile run at the gym while it's washing, eggs for breakfast and chicken gyoza's for lunch.

Wish me luck.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Food Writing - Restaurant Review

Tonight's my last class. :( I'll be back with tales from the weekend including my new part time job at a Gourmet Sno-Cone establishment. But for now - here's my latest food writing offering. Comments and critiques welcome.

Northern Spy Food Co.



Tucked on a side street in the heart of Alphabet City, if you didn't know the Northern Spy Food Co. was there you might miss it.

And that would be a shame.

Named for a variety of apple cultivated in New York, the mission of the creators of Northern Spy is to 'hunt down' regional fruits, vegetables, artisan foods and sustainably produced meat and fish and feature them in the most charming locale. After my visit there I can confidently say they have succeeded.

The designers of the space used as many repurposed materials as they could get their hands on it seems, which fits perfectly with the culinary vision. The décor is reminiscent of a country General Store, with banquettes that look much like park benches. After your meal be sure to visit the counter where they sell a bevy of products such as Brooklyn Brine Pickles (housed in an antique chicken coop) and tasty local treats like Liddabit's Sweets' Caramels.

On this night our large group dined family style. First up, the Farmer's market salad which featured baby turnips, leeks, carrots and cucumbers in a yogurt vinaigrette. The crunch of the colorful vegetables tossed amongst the peppery arugula was the perfect start. It was served alongside gnocchi which was charred and swimming in a cherry tomato sauce with fresh peas and basil. The smoky flavor gave the dish a unique taste and it was definitely something you don't see at your local Italian place.

Next up was Freekeh risotto with zucchini, asparagus and mascarpone. Creamy and full of fresh vegetables it's a dish that proves Arborio rice isn't the only player in the risotto game.



We also were presented with the Long Island Market fish atop a bed of roasted mushrooms, crisp green beans and sweet corn. The fish was perfectly prepared and complimented the heavier risotto.

Stuffed but still anticipating a sweet ending to our meal we were served two fruit filled delights. A spongy yellow plum cake with basil ice cream and sugar crusted sour and sweet cherry pie with caramel ice cream looked and tasted like something you'd see pinned with a blue ribbon at the State Fair. Rustic and familiar, the unusual ice cream elevated these two desserts to something even more prize worthy.



Northern Spy Food Co. recently doubled their wine list, featuring many local varieties. Service is swift and attentive without being overbearing or making you feel rushed. It's important to note there's a brief period between lunch and dinner (4-5:30 PM) where only snacks are served. The space is cozy so be prepared to wait or call ahead if you are looking to dine during prime dinner hours.

If you're pressed for time, take out is always available.

Northern Spy Food Co.
511 East 12th St (between Avenues A & B)
New York, NY 10009
212-228-5100

Friday, July 23, 2010

Catching Up

My work life drove me slightly insane this week. To combat it there was alcohol, there were tears, a Zumba class and hours of bad reality TV.

I'm happy to say I'm nearly back to normal.

Whatever that is. ;)

So without further adieu, I give you my week.

Monday was dinner at Northern Spy. I will cross post my review here. I need to post it to my class blog. The short version is that dinner was very good and the place was quite charming.

When I got home from dinner on Monday I was craving something sweet. Our desserts looked yummy but they were fruit filled and not my style.

This, on the other hand, is right up my alley.





Tuesday.

Breakfast.

The usual.



Lunch. This was a BBQ Chicken wrap. In retrospect, kinda gross but I was starving. I ate half and threw out the other.



Tuesday night I went to an event at the Greenhouse and Rooftop.



Here's what I had. It was kind of difficult to take pics.

Some cheese, some chicken, some rice and asparagus.



And wine.



Then, more wine + diet coke.



And potato skins.




And sliders.



Split (well I didn't split the wine) three ways with Maddy and Patti at West 3rd Common.

Wednesday. I can't even remember what I ate for breakfast and lunch. It was a pretty harrowing day.

But that didn't stop me from meeting Cort and Carrie for margaritas (and more) at Rodeo Bar.






Carrie and I split the appetizer medley known as The Trough. Seriously? Yes. We did.



For the record, Cowboy Kisses are pretty hot.

That's what she said.

Cortney ate a more reasonable plate of grilled chicken, black beans and tomato.



I don't know how to tell you this next part. I fear it is totally a location joke but we were highly amused by the placement of this candle on our table by one of the waitresses.

I bring you - the world famous (or famous at our table only) Sexy Dinner Candle.




So amused that after our third margarita we proceeded to take pictures like this.



Yeah. So. That happened.

I fell asleep with the hiccups.

Yesterday I had an egg sandwich for breakfast. I can't find the picture.

I had a 97% fat free hot dog and oven fries for lunch.



I went to Zumba and Ben welcomed me back with open arms.

Or maybe made me lift my heel up higher when we were doing these plie type thingamajigs.

Either or.

After class I brought myself to the verge of hysterics about a work situation, consequently thought when Dave was a little late that he was mortally injured in a gutter or something, called my mom who told me she was going to come into the city and smack some sense into me, found Dave unscathed with a dying cell phone, stopped near the subway and ate really bad chicken wings (I insist they tasted like Weaver frozen drumsticks), called my mom to tell her Dave was alive, was asked by Jen if it was hard work making mountains out of molehills, refused to order a $23.00 grilled chicken sandwich and then went home and ordered from the diner down the street.

Someone named Anonymous who thinks he has a fan club :) had this sandwich.



And yeah. I ate a burger. It was that kind of week people. I cannot be held responsible.



And don't let him fool you. He ate his share of fries.

Today I had PB on an EM for breakfast, stopped on my way back to my apartment from an appointment for some pizza and ate this beauty for lunch.



And I had a snack of this delish root beer that I picked up with my pizza a bit later on.



Dinner could be seen as a representation of my current relationship.

Irish meets Italian. :)



This was whole grain pasta with just those 2 ingredients. I ate maybe 1/4 of it.



So the bottom line is I didn't really take care of myself food (and drink) wise but mentally I was a freaking mess. I'll just put it out there. So I'm not beating myself up too much. I'll be back on my game next week for sure.

I need to crank up the AC and get some sleep. I'm headed to NJ and then PA tomorrow morning.

Thanks for hanging in there while I dealt with life for a little bit. :)

Catch you later.