Parents vacay - part I

I set my alarm for 5:30 am because that's when my parents' flight was set to arrive. But being so early after a work night, I fell back asleep in less than one second. I woke back up at 6 when they called from their hotel...it seems they were not quite ready to start the day yet either after the long flight. So, I had some coffee, dates and a soy yogurt before meeting the parents at their hotel. I walked to their hotel (that's going to be my exercise for the day) which took about 30 minutes...and helped work up my lunch appetite :)

For lunch we met up with Kyle (so my parents could go up and see his office and meet his coworkers) before going to a little cafe near his work. We went to Printon 56, which is a standard for the finance lunch scene (good enough, but not crazy exciting). I made my own salad, since I wasn't too hungry yet. I got chicken in the salad, which was weird, since I haven't had meat in months. But I already decided that while my parents are in town I would have to de-vegan for a few days. It just seems a waste when we are planning on going to such baller ass restaurants.


After lunch Kyle went back to work and the parents took me shopping. We all met back at our apartment for some pre-dinner drinks. Then we went to dinner at Klee. I have been waiting to go here FOREVER!! The chef (Daniel Angerer) was a patient of mine, and ever since I have been wanting to go to his restaurant. The week before he was featured on Iron Chef America in a duel with Chef Bobby Flay. The secret ingredient was beer (how fun!) and he WON. His menu was featured at the restaurant too as a tasting menu. We got some apps for the table including the Alsatian thin crust pizza with creme fraiche, smoky bacon, Vidalia onions. I ordered Murray's free range chicken, which came with grilled chicken-apple sausage, Brussel sprouts, and chestnut whip. It was mmmmazing...as were the rest of the meals. I tried some of mom's fish and there were a few extras sent out as compliments from the chef, too. We finished off the night with dessert and spiced apple cider. It was great to see Daniel and Lori, and the meal exceeded all my expectations. We explored the neighborhood on the way back to the subway (it was halloween) and there were great costumes everywhere. So fun. Once back in midtown we went for late night drinks at Faces and Names. The music was halloween themed, and we were having a blast, singing along, trying to guess who the celebs were in all the paintings decorating the bar. By 1 am I was yawning and ready for a snooze...so we headed back home.

did i mention i'm free?

So, I think I forgot to mention that I am no longer on orientation...as of this week I am officially FREE. I now get all the credit when my patients make amazing recoveries. Woohoo!

Let's just say, I am now thoroughly enjoying the fact that I don't have anyone following my every step - for christ's sake, I think I can dot my i's and cross my t's by now (it has been 6 months)!!
Ok, 5 am - Bruno's coffee. 1 pm - lunch. Side note: I made a lunch, and didn't even realize until I sat down to eat that I left it in the fridge. Soooo, I bought a (make-your-own) salad at Bruno's with corn, carrots, cranberries, and a double serving of avo. Their salads are good, but muy $$$. Looks like I shall be having the lunch I packed for dinner.

Here's the sando I had packed for my lunch. A street bread, hummus, ff greek yog, lettuce, and smart deli "turkey" (nothing too inovative). That wasn't enough to fill me up though (duh!). So I had some stawberry lemonade and a vanilla silk soy yog (I don't like this kind of soy yogurt, but it has been sitting in the back of the fridge forever...so I sucked it up and had it).

Needless to say, I will not be buying this brand of soy yogurt anymore.

At this point, I probably should have been full. But my mind is not as rational as it should be. In actuality here's what was going on in the inside of my head "Oh, why not have some more food...I'm not full enough to pop yet, so I still have a ways to go..." And so away I went. I had the above pictured hummus with 5 pieces of bread. Yes, I ate the entire container of hummus. BTW, this is a NEW kind of hummus. After falling in love with Sabra, I was reluctant to try another brand, but at the same time, I was eager to experiment with healthier versions. I got this kind at our whole foods, it has less fat and was more grainy because of the veggies that are in it. I really do like it. Probably not quite as much as Sabra, but Sabra is an indulgence, I can't really justify so much rich food.
Bed time, yes ANOTHER day of work tomorrow.

chronic corner

Dude. Work is exhausting. Most of the patients on the unit are chronics, so they should really have 1:1 care (which of course they don't). Post op day 57?! Oy vey! (yiddish words in honor of Beth Israel)

Anyways, the day began with coffee (Bruno's) and the paper (Metro). About 11 am I had this odwalla bar that I brought in. Second only to the superfood flavor, this flavor (strawberry pomegranate) is my fave. It's new. Actually, it may have just taken over the favorite spot.

For lunch I had a sando with hummus, mustard, smart deli, and broccoli slaw.

After work I had a decent work out. I ran outside because it was crisp and I just wanted to exercise at a medium intensity. It was nice, and I love using my PINK belkin ipod sport armband.

Today I felt like greens. Sometimes nothing sounds better than a big ol salad (which always reminds me of seinfeld).

Here's the edamame tofu salad that I added to the lettuce/salad.

To make this!

Que delicioso! Too tired to elaborate on much else. Work again tomorrow, so time for the zzzz's.

homebody

Today's highlights include: wearing my sweatpants all day, having 3 cups of coffee, and football (lots of football). The rest is just details.

All the way to the last drop. Not very much foam today, I guess? Still the same magic formula of skim plus and ff vanilla "creamer."

I went to the gym to watch the Giants game. This year, having 2 fantasy football teams is really confusing. I can never remember who is on which team, and when to cheer and when to boo. Sometimes I go an entire game thinking one player is on my team, and then find out that after rooting for him for 2 hours, he is actually playing against us. Grrr...

Lunch=strawberries+chocolate o'soy yog

That didn't hold me over too long, so next up was an apple (healthy!)

Dinner = Soup or salad? No, soup AND salad!

Looks like I kinda went overboard with all that corn in the salad, huh? Well, nothing wrong with corn...

This soup was a squash soup with TONS of veggies in it. Unfortunately, it was WAY too healthy and did not taste good at all. I dumped salt in it to try to salvage it, but it was a lost cause. After 4 spoonfuls, I dumped it. I should have known not to stray from my fave split pea.

Too tired to write more. I'm lazy and I have work tomorrow. Night!

rain rain go away

Initially, the plan for today was to be mellow in the AM, and party hard in the PM...BUT the rain would not let up!! Plans for celebrating my b-day got scrapped, and I opted for a pajama party instead ;)
My boyfriend was a real sweetheart and grabbed me a soy misto on his way home from the gym. I was definitely still in bed when he got home!

I was just sitting down to breakfast (ok, the starbucks and the vanilla silk soy milk) and Kyle was already practically out the door for tutoring...I'm such a bum on the weekends.

I went to the gym for a nice solid workout, alternating intensities of cardio. Yeeea!

I had a fully loaded open faced breakfast sando after I got home from the gym. First, I toasted Cali soy A street bread, then I put on a thin layer of blueberry rhubarb jam, followed by eggs fresh of the grill, and finally I slathered on some ff greek yog.

BOMB ass!

Saturday laziness...fill in the blanks...

Dinner was macro and vegan tofu and rice salads and vegan sushi.

It's the same roll I always get with texturized protein, carrots, spinach, etc.

Here's a zoomed in pic of the brown rice with tofu chunks. I have never seen this dish before, which is why I grabbed it. There was a nice contrast of crunchiness with the veggies (carrots, brocc, onions, etc.) with the mixture of brown rice and texturized protein and flavorful tofu chunks. I hope our whole foods starts carrying this more, because it is definitely in my fave 5.

Here's my plate all loaded up with goodies.

I was so full from all this food I didn't even have room for dessert. Now THAT'S rare.

living like a grown up

The day after my birthday I had to work, so it was back to reality. The C pod was super mega patient overload (to quote black rob, it was "like whoa"). Each patient was so heavy, there should have been 5 more nurses at least, but of course there were just two of us left to hold down the fort. The day started off with a nice starbucks soy misto, but since I was running around like a mad woman all morning, my stomach was growling by 9 and eating itself by 10. Thank the lord I had my vegan oatmeal raisin cookie from the night before (my BDAY cookie!!). It was awesome! Dense (but not in a heavy way), crumbly, oaty, so good. I may have to find out the recipe.
I didn't get away for a lunch break until way late in the afternoon, so it's a good thing I had the cookie to hold me over. I made a sando with california style A street bread (see pic below).

The picture of the sandwich is nowhere to be found. My camera is dying. Now in addition to crappy pictures, they are spontaneously deleting, apparently. Anyways, for the record, the sando had smart deli "turkey" with hummus, mustard and lettuce. I also had a baggie full of dried edamame and raisins (can't beat salty and sweet).

I hit up the gym after work, but only for a mini run. I was done after 30 minutes. I was really in the mood for comfort food. The weather got COLD all of a sudden, and I seriously wanted something warm and hearty. (Shockingly) I had the self control and presence of mind to come up with a healthier alternative. I settled on "Boca" chik'n nuggets with lots and lots of dip (I love mixing BBQ sauce with honey mustard).

I don't know why they consider one serving 3-4 nuggets. I don't even know what that MEANS? How do you eat 3-4? How do you not eat all of them? Confusing.

Wow, my camera is barely hanging on...

I ate a few dates and soooo many yogurt covered raisins, but all I captured was this little bit. Makes me look like I have moderation - well, looks can be deceiving!

Birthday #26!!

Hooray, it's my birthday!! I am going to do nothing all day, and not feel the least bit guilty about it. I grabbed a soy latte from starbucks and then curled up to watch the view...now that's just my idea of heaven. Once I woke up a little bit more, I headed to the gym and got my endorphins going.

For lunch I had a GN veggie burger with hummus...lots and lots of hummus.

I LOVE sabra.

I then headed out to go shopping and brought a bag of edamame with me for snacking.

I didn't end up buying anything, but window shopping is sometimes just as fun. I then walked down to midtown to meet Kyle at his work for our dinner reservation at Candle Cafe. I have been wanting to go here FOREVER, since it is one of the best rated vegan restaurants in the city. Kyle and I got edamame to start as well as vegan wine. For my entree I got the Tofu Club with grilled tofu, tempeh bacon, lettuce, & sprouts on mixed grain toast with coleslaw, pickles and vegan mayo. OMFG! Then I got a vegan oatmeal raisin cookie for the road, after stealing some bites of Kyle's Chocolate Mousse Pie. I actually ended up being too full to eat my cookie, so now I'm saving it for tomorrow.

my last day of 25

The day flew by. My LAST day of 25 years old. I had a soy latte before work and an Iced Oatmeal Luna Bar in the morning.

For lunch I had a sando (packed from the night before). Bread with sabra classic hummus, mustard, and smart tenders "chik'n tenders" (lemon and herb flavor).
Normally I like some greens in my sando, but then it would have been so fat, I wouldn't have been able to take a bite.

Way fat!

I also had raisins and an apple...then a coffee for the road (only 5 more hours left).

I took a break from the gym today...too tired.

Dinner was salad.

I made the BEST curry tuna for on top the salad, too!! Two cans of tuna, vegan mayo (ff veganaise), mustard, one apple, a handful of raisins, and a dash of curry powder.

Once mixed in with the lettuce...tuna is why I could never be a true vegan.

10 dates for dessert. I ate them too fast, so no photo!

the final countdown...

Yes, the days are dwindling...I will soon be on my own, saving lives. Work was work. I did manage to make it to the gym after 12 hours of slaving away.

I had a Bruno's coffee (NOT sbucks!?) with a min amount of leche...I'm gonna try to reduce the $$ this week...and then for lunch I had a sando (seen below).

A Street cali style bread with lettuce, smart deli turkey, mustard and hummus. Can't go wrong with classic...never fails.

My gym workout was kinda weak to be honest, but the important thing is I did go. I actually only ran for 30 mins because the 90210 ep was a rerun, and that was kinda the only thing that was motivating me to go in the first place.

I was salivating thinking of dinner the whole time...I heart HUMMUS!

First, pitas.

Second, veggies.

Also, apple slices.

And finally, the creamy classic hummus...(notice Kyle trying to steal my yummy food).

Then later I had some dessert (organic apple sauce)

...to which I added some cinnamon

Also, I had bunches of yog covered raisins...can't help it.

back from boston

Well, I have been pretty bad about blogging, that's a given...

I think it is safe to say that I am going to be playing catch up for a few weeks! I have been good about taking photos, but that's about it. So here goes nothing...

Kyle and I were in Boston for the 18th and 19th, which was great. I have never been so I wanted to see it all. The most noteworthy thing for my foodie blog was the dinner we went to on Sat night called Top of the Hub which was AWESOME! The view, the food, the company, it was all just perfect.

We also managed to hit up whole foods, like, 3 times while we were there...and even more times for starbucks. Who am I kidding, I couldn't pass up a WF hot bar or a soy latte if my life depended on it.

So, now I am back in NY after the longest bus ride (I think I could have flown to CA in the same amount of time) and poor Kyle has to get right back into the real world this Monday - whereas, I have the day off (woohoo). So I have a day to get back into the swing of things after the weekend away...and (drumroll please) this week is my LAST one on orientation.

The morning started off with my new OBSESSION (the milk foamer pump thing)...since I am now nearing expert status, I am starting to get creative as I pour in the milk. Notice the design I made below :)

Basically, I'm in love and I could eat foam and foam alone for the rest of my life after being introduced to this little gadget...thanks mom!

After coffee, I decided to get my butt to the gym - it has been WAYYYY too long since I built up a sweat (like a week, gasp!!). I have been seriously struggling with motivation lately, I don't know what my deal is. I should be excited to run and yet, all I feel is apathy. Where did my former enthusiasm for excercise go? It's a work in progress, I guess. Still trying to get the balance of gym, work and eating (my life long mission it seems).

Anyways, for lunch I was pretty starving...so I made myself 2 sandos (anticipating the fact that I would inevitably make myself another one after finishing the first, I just cut out the middle step of putting all the ingredients away in between). I may have nibbled off the corner of the bread before the sandwich was completed ;)

The sandwich contains smart deli turkey, lettuce, mustard and hummus (Sabra, naturally).

Apple!

Din Din was my classic soy noodle, tofu, edamame dish...only this time I had west soy pre-made asian flavored tofu (yeah, I was lazy).

Shirataki soy noodles

Edamame

West soy asian flavored tofu

.....and all together!!

Despite being totally full, I still had a couple (ok, 5) handfuls of corn nuts - yeah, I'm in a phase, be prepared to hear about corn nuts and how delicious they are for a while.