Weekly Mileage 22!

Let's do a recap of last week shall we? It's not a novel for once - things are settling into more of a routine and I can't say I mind!

Monday - Kayla Itsine's leg day and closing shift at the running store. 

Tuesday - Kayla Itsine's arm and ab day, a few extra arm exercises and a little night time yoga session. 

Wednesday - Double session at November Project for a total of 6.5 miles! Beautiful sunrise and RING POPS to celebrate the wonderful

Ali on The Run

's last workout as a Feyonce! Another closing shift at the running store. 

Thursday - Kayla Itsine's abs and cardio + 75 lengths of the pool after work! My most substantial swim yet! And then - Avenue Q for Peter's birthday! I think seeing it now was even better than the first time, when I was still in high school. So funny, and such a great concept with the puppets. On my way to getting Peter hooked on Broadway...hopefully! 

(Worst part of seeing a show? Dealing with this place.)

Friday - We woke up bright and early for the 7 mile run to Brooklyn Bridge Park! The sunrise and view were unbeatable and I spent the hour taking pictures instead of working out. So damn pretty! 

Saturday - I ran 5 miles total - to the running store and back - for a really interesting/exciting staff meeting in between. New York Running Company + JackRabbit Sports plus

all

Running Company's across the country are now "

JackRabbit

." A new and improved website is just the start of the exciting changes to come. 

When I got home I showered and made a smoothie and avocado toast. The avocado toast came out pretty damn delicious if I do say so myself! 

{Avocado + Olive Oil + Sea Salt + Chili Pepper + Sunflower Seeds}

The next 8+ hours were spent waiting in line for Global Citizen's Festival, waiting in line for the bathroom at Global Citizen's Festival, and finally, falling in love with Beyonce. 

(AND MICHELLE OBAMA!)

Sunday I went to Lululemon yoga and slept through the swim I had planned. Oh well! 

Later in the day Peter and I got some a pumpkin beer to celebrate fall and the one year anniversary of the day we met - aww! 

In total last week I ran 22 miles! My legs are feeling pretty tired though - so I think I'll dial it back a little bit this week before trying to go for a weekly total of 25. 

Happy Monday! 

Six Sunday Links

It’s Sunday morning, which means you’re probably scrolling through your Instagram feed, drooling at #brunch pictures and trying to figure out if you’re craving avocado toast, pancakes, huevos rancheros or all of the above.

Or maybe you’re a normal person who just woke up and sat down to a normal homemade breakfast – nothing wrong with a bowl of Cheerios to start your Sunday (although if you don’t at least slice up some banana with it, I can’t approve).

Either way, here are some Sunday links for you to peruse.

1)        “The Summer That Never Was”

The last thing I was is for the temperatures to drop and the mornings to be darker. But Pumpkin Spice Lattes have arrived (along with the new Toasted-Graham Latte

) and the first day of fall has official come and gone so I guess it’s time to say so long to summer. Sure, there are things that didn’t get done – a ride on my boat, a Broadway in Bryant Park concert – but this summer was certainly a wonderful one and now it’s time to plan some new adventures. One part of this article really spoke to me – since I’m hoping to make my way out west some day soon!

“God, how I long to go out West again someday — to drive some blue highway in Nevada or Utah until there’s absolutely nothing around me, then stop the car, in the middle of the road, maybe, and get out and just stand there, where I can see the horizon in every direction, and smell the air and feel the sun and listen to the silence of the desert. I have this idea that if I could do this, time might hold still for a second, and I would know, for just a moment, what it feels like to be here."

2) “No,your kid may not have a snack” 

Sound harsh? This was an extremely interesting article from the Chicago Tribune about the culture of snacking in today’s society among children – I remember having snack time in school (we made popcorn and played Nok-Hockey and had weddings for our Beanie Babies)– but now, kids are snacking up to 4 times a day!

3) “The  Myth of the Before-And-After Photo” 

We’ve all seen them on Instagram – amazing body transformations all thanks to hard work and healthy habits. On good days, these pictures motivate and inspire us. One bad days, they can make us feel discouraged and defeated. I liked this articles take on before and after photos. Maybe you will too.

And now, some videos!

4) “Workout Wednesdays” with Zach Anner

This guys is funny as hell and also super inspirational. He creates these “Workout Wednesday” Youtube videos despite living with Cerebal Palsy. Each one has a message of positivity!

5) "Toddler Players Peek A Boo with Gorilla – Internet Goes Ape "

WHY CANT THIS BE ME!? Ask Peter. I literally sat for like 20 minutes at the Bronx Zoo trying to get the gorillas to NOTICE MEEEEE!

At least I’ll always have the special kiss between Mindy and I in St. Louis…

6.)Helping the Homeless Back on their Feet – and Running

Let’s end with a feel good story… I think this is amazing, and I’m definitely looking into volunteer opportunities!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Five Friday Faves

Time to be super girly for a sec and talk about some of my favorite products - because I recently got 3 Essie nail polishes at a street fair for $10 and it made my day! Normally, I'm not very picky when it comes to beauty products - makeup, moisturizer, nail polish - I'll buy whatever is on sale. But there ARE some exceptions. 

Here are my girly Friday Faves:

1) Oil of Olay Moisturizer - I'm pretty sure I love this stuff just because it's what I grew up using since it's my mom's favorite. But, mother's know best, right? They have a bunch of different products and creams - and I'm not exactly picky - active hydrating, complete all day moisture, classic moisturizing - potato potato. I always try to use a base coat before applying makeup! And I also use a dab of it on a tissue to remove eye make up! Probably terribly since you aren't supposed to rub abrasive tissues all over your eyes - but it works like a charm ;) (Approximately ~$10)

2) Miracle Skin Transformer - My grandma picked his up for me and Costco once, and I've used it probably every day since. It's FABULOUS! It's like the most incredible BB cream ever. If I'm feeling lazy, that's all I'll put on as my "makeup" in the morning - moisturizer, SPF  and cover-up all in one! Apparently it's even been featured on Dr. Oz. Go figure - my Nanny is a genius like that! (~$48 on their website for a 1.5 oz tube but ~$28 on Amazon - and hey sell it at Costco at a discount too!)

3) e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen -  I have always been absolutely terrified of liquid eyeliner, but when I accidentally picked this pen up without realizing that it wasn't your typical eyeliner pencil, I fell in love. It's superrrr pointed so it's really easy to put on and looks so much better, darker and smoother than a pencil. It doesn't last very long, but  e.l.f. is SUPER cheap - $2! Did you know it stands for eyes, lips, face? 

4) Essie Nail Polish - Yes, the price can be steep (~$8.50) - but the quality and the way it goes on is just SO MUCH BETTER than a $2 drugstore polish. Plus, they have so many wonderful colors AND if you invest in Essie - they usually have tons of it at nail salons. That means when you get a mani, you can pick an Essie color you own so that when you inevitably mess it up on the way home, you can easily touch it up ;) If you leave in NYC, there's usually a cosmetics booth at every street fair that offers Essie polish for $4 (or 3 for $10!) I currently have "take it outside" on and I'm loving it - the perfect neutral for fall. It's a little gray, a little lavender and a little beige. But my all time favorite is "bikini so teeny"!

5) Body Shop Satsuma Body Lotion - Growing up, I had a strange obsession with the scent emanating from Body Shops at suburban malls. Literally - every time I passed one, I just wanted to stand there smelling it forever. At some point, I dragged my mom in and demanded to know "WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!" Turns out it's their "Satsuma" scent. I love it to this day. (Price of the Satsuma collection varies depending on the product, but the body lotion is ~$13! And free shipping!) 

Resetting for Fall

All I want for Christmas is to not feel so damn unhealthy! Ever since I left for my work trip at the end of May - it's been a whole lot of false starts getting back on the healthy train. Which was fine for making the most of summer. But for the next 95 days (that's how soon Christmas is, crazy huh?) I'm attempting to chillll on the all you can eat dinners, fancy and indulgent restaurants (unless they're healthy...) and beer guzzling nights. 

(Normal for the past few months)

(Oops)

I may be sad to say goodbye to summer, but with the fall season I'm welcoming weekends spent running and immediately snuggling back into bed. Weekdays where an outdoor happy hour isn't tempting me after work. 

Some things I really want to focus on are drinking more water! And cutting out fake sugar - I am addicted to aspartame and I know it's SO BAD. 

MORE VEGGIES! Yes I eat a ton of carrots and avocados, but I need to be better about broccoli and string beans and spinach and all that good stuff. I'm a fruit girl. And eating a lot of fruit is fine, but it's a ton of sugar. And it's not that I don't like vegetables, so I should definitely make the fruit to veggie ratio a little more even. 

Less alcohol. Sadly, it needs to be done. And no, "I'll just have a few glasses of wine." No, I need to learn to go out and confidently hold my glass of water with lemon, still having a great time. Or, you know, more Netflix dates. 

Stop eating so late at night! I have a really bad habit of eating dinner around 8:30 every night, sometimes as late as 10 if I wait until the end of a shift at the running store to eat dinner. No more! It always leaves me super hungry in the morning.

As I sit here at my desk snacking on dry Special K cereal - I know this is the BIGGEST habit I need to break. Not as much snacking! And NO BUYING CEREAL AND GRANOLA! It is way too easy for me to not even realize I'm eating an entire box of it in 2 days when it's sitting at my desk. 

So to kick things off this week- 

Breakfast was some Chobani yogurt with pecans, half a banana and chia seeds to keep me full longer! 

I may have also snacked on some Special K - once the box is gone I'll be better, promise ;)

Lunch was a Juice Press protein shake. The. best. flavor. 

Pre-running store snack was a huge, juicy Gala apple and Spark! There were a bunch of free samples of Spark in our work pantry one day and I actually love it - I actually notice that I have more energy after drinking it. 

For dinner I made myself a delicious salad FULL of greens. My problem with salads is they usually end up a total mish mash of random ingredients. I guess that's not really a problem but Sunday night at the grocery store I tried to pick a theme for my salad - Asian! Mmmm. 

Spinach
Broccoli
Snow Peas steamed with Bragg's Liquid Aminos and Chili Flakes
Avocado
BABY CORN
Cashews
Annie's Lite Gingerly Vinaigrette 

It turned out so good! And there's definitely something to be said for not just tossing a ton of random crap in with your spinach. 

When I got home at 10:30 I knew I should eat, but I was HUNGRY. So instead of grabbing chocolate, which is what I really wanted, a made a bowl with frozen banana slices, a scoop of peanut butter, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It totally hit the spot and got rid of any dessert cravings, plus filled me up! 

Today, I also finally checked out Vitacost - a website so many fitness and health bloggers I follow use to buy their healthy kitchen staples. 

Living in Manhattan, I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the prices! For sure cheaper than Fairway, Whole Foods, Morton Williams, etc. 

Here's what I ordered: 

1) QuestBars - Double Chocolate Chunk
These are my favorite. I eat them as dessert or breakfast - heated up in the toaster oven. I've been eating them for about 3 years, but recently they've becoming SUPER popular - 7 Eleven even sells them now if you want to try all the different flavors instead of ordering a box of just one kind - but you do save money buying them in bulk! They're full of protein, low on carbs and sugar, under 200 calories, and delicious. They totally fulfill my sweets cravings without making me feel guilty. 

2) Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
I've been meaning to pick up a container of this for awhile now - ever since Rebecca used it in delicious spinach dip and Kayla used it to season roasted cauliflower! It makes things taste super cheesy - without using cheese! 

3) Vitacost Peanut Butter SLIM
This is essentially a generic brand of PB2 powdered peanut butter, which I used to use CONSTANTLY and have been meaning to restock in my cabinets. I mainly add it to my oatmeal or smoothies instead of spoonfuls of actual peanut butter because it's literally half of the calories and still tastes great. We'll see if this brand is a good substitute for PB2! 

4) Let's Do Organic COconut FInely Shredded Flakes (Unsweetened)
I used to hate coconut, but now, it's nice to add some shredded coconut to my oatmeal, chia seed pudding, yogurt and smoothies! 

5) Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads
I've been hitting the gym a lot during my lunch breaks to do my Kayla Itsines circuits (yay, 30 minutes and done!) - and don't always have a chance for a full on shower afterwards, usually just a rinse. I don't want that to translate into awful breakouts - so I thought I would give these a try - seems easy enough to toss the container in my backpack and use them to wash off my face after each workout. 

		Item(s) Ordered		Qty.		Price			Discount			Total
		Quest Nutrition QuestBar Protein Bar Double Chocolate Chunk -- 12 Bars	1			$	24.99					$	24.99
		Item No: QST 9000241
		Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning -- 4.5 oz	1			$	5.59					$	5.59
		Item No: BRA 5066054
		Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads - Original -- 50 Pads	1			$	5.39					$	5.39
		Item No: DES 4220406
		Vitacost Peanut Butter SLIM(tm) Powdered - NON-GMO - Gluten Free -- 6.5 oz	1			$	3.25					$	3.25
		Item No: VCT 7019670
		Let's Do Organic Coconut Finely Shredded Flakes Unsweetened -- 8 oz	1			$	2.29					$	2.29
		Item No: LSD 2005203

Can't wait for my goodies to arrive :) 

One thing I was thinking of ordering but held off on is a protein powder to use in smoothies- any recommendations out there? 

If you click this link and make an account on Vitacost, you'll get $10 off your first order! STOCK UP! 

Happy Birthday Peter! Hanging Onto Summer

Everyone warns you that you shouldn't wait until something's gone to appreciate it. You know, "Don't it always seem to go, that you you don't know what you've got til it's gone." 

But lately, I've been suffering from something we'll call "Missing Something While It's Here." I'm trying desperately to cherish every last bit of summer we have. Soaking up every last ray, taking advantage of every opportunity to eat outside or run at dusk in shorts and a tank-top. But it's making me SO SAD thinking that any day now, restaurants will be packing up the al fresco dining option and going out for a run will require a whole lot more "hmm, which layers do I need?" 

Luckily, while it's creeping into late September, we had another week of beautiful weather. 

Monday was Kayla Itsine's leg day workout and DAMN was it a killer. No joke, my legs didn't feel fully recovered from it until Saturday. X jumps, weighted step ups, jump lunges (does anyone else find these to be the most difficult thing ever?), tuck jumps, sumo jump squats, split squats, weighted walking lunges and broad jump burpees.  My legs hurt all over again just thinking about it. 

A closing shift at the running store made for a late night. 

Tuesday was arms and abs with a little post-work yoga session. Then, I finally got back into the world of theater - writing a review of the Off-Broadway play Laugh It Up Stare It Down. The story wasn't my cup of tea, but the creative design was wonderful and one of the actresses from the cast of 4 graduated high school with my aunt and played for the same field hockey coach I played for! I stuck around after the show to introduce myself and Amy Hargreaves (Homeland) was extremely friendly and gracious. 

This was a first - during intermission, my friend was really hungry so we successfully took a pizza break in 15 minutes and didn't even miss the start of the second act! 

Wednesday morning Peter and I went to 5:30 November Project where we ran a whole lotta stairs! My ankle and shins still aren't all too happy about it. We had planned to do the 6:30 workout until around 7 but one of the worst things for IT Bands are stairs and hills so I didn't want to push it. Instead, we went for a nice flat 2 miles along the river. 

(Nothing like it!)

And again, a night at the running store. 

Thursday was PETER'S BIRTHDAY! He's old. Basically 30, now. We started the day with a 5:45 a.m. wake up call and journey downtown to Yoga to the People for my first ever hot vinyasa class. It was sweaty. And our teacher LOVED plank and chaturanga. My arms didn't love our teacher. But it was a good class - and for $20 for Peter and I ($5 class + $2 towel + $1 water bottle + $2 mat), it didn't break the bank either. (Although WHY does the NYSC yoga class schedule SUCK?!) 

During my lunch break I finished Kayla Itsine's workouts for the week with abs and cardio. 

After dinner it was time to celebrate! Peter had picked out a restaurant he wanted to go to for his birthday and DAMN did he pick well. Marc Forgione is an Iron Chef with a restaurant in Tribeca called...Marc Forgione's. There will be a review to come, but first, I need to see if it helps me win a Time Out New York contest that I entered to find the next NYC food critic! I'll let these pictures that I spent a lot of time perfecting speak for themselves. 

|

(There was even champagne waiting for us when we sat down!)

No birthday is complete without birthday cake, so after dinner I told Peter we were walking over to Parm for their famous, ginormous slice of ice cream cake. Pistachio, Strawberry and Chocolate ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. Doesn't get much more classic than that! While there was certainly a TON of ice cream (think: Ben & Jerry's container) it was served super frozen and the chocolate crunchies in between each layer of ice cream just didn't measure up to Carvel. 

The fancy diner interior of Parm, though not at all what I expected, was cool and made me want to stop by for an eggplant parm hero at a later date. 

We went to bed fairly early because Friday:

Up at 5:00 a.m. to run 6.5 miles down to Pumphouse Park near Brookfield Place for a November Project workout. AND we did the workout - loops of the park + pushups + squats + dips. The pace was a little slower than our run to Southstreet Seaport the previous Friday, but both of our bodies were still functioning relatively pain free so SUCCESS. 

Then Peter did a million and one push-ups because that's what you do when it's your birthday at NP. And when you want to show off but forget that yesterday you did chaturanga approximately 1 million times. 

Friday during lunch I went to my favorite yoga class and stretched it all out. 

That night I honestly don't remember what I did. A lot of laying around watching Orange is the New Black and baking a LOT of cookies. Bed early so I could get up and workout before Peter's birthday party on Saturday. 

(S'Mores and Snickerdoodles!)

First up on Saturday morning, 50 laps at the pool. Each and every time I go I feel a little better, and this was no exception. It's probably the most I've swam in one workout too! After swimming I went to a 45 minute spin class. 

The spot for Peter's party was Loreley - a German beer garden on Steuben Day at the start of Oktoberfest. So fitting. We had a great time, and I even had avocado toast with my free beer from the keg they tapped at the bar to kick of Oktoberfest. 

They also paraded around this POOR LITTLE PIGGY!

My millions of cookies were a hit, and I unintentionally followed a German tradition when I decided to bake Peter a cookie shaped like a heart. Oktoberfestherzen are gingerbread cookie hearts! Mine was a snickerdoodle but close enough. 

During the day drinking we took a TO to stop by Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream which is supposedly one of the "Finest" Ice Cream "parlors" in NYC.  Peter and I disagree. 

Yes, you can tell that this stuff is definitely made fresh and with care. Each is in a TINY container. Like, I have bigger tupperware in my apartment. Talk about small batch! And yes, they have some interesting flavors. But you'll never know which ones are good because each customer is only allowed one sample. So when we tried one and didn't like it, obviously we weren't going to spend money on "Salt and Pepper Pinenut" without because able to give it a taste. That's not exactly a flavor I can conjure up in my mind and decide if I'm a fan. So instead we went with Raw Milk and plain old chocolate with their "homemade" whipped cream that was literally soup. For $8, I'm going to give this place a big old "OVERRATED." 

Anyone else have a better experience with Morganstern's?

The night went on, we moved locations, we had fun, we ate nachos. I helped myself to a piece of cake when we got back that night because Peter's mom is a wizard when it comes to baking. 

Sunday when we awoke I was the least hungover but that didn't mean I was feeling refreshed. There was a lot of lounging around (and maybe another slice of cake) before exploring the 92Y Street Fair on Lexington Ave. I finally bought some succulents to hang in little glass orbs about my bed! One is up and hanging and he other WAS up and hanging for about 5 minutes before crashing down, shattering, and spilling dirt all over my bed. 

At the street fair I also bought 3 beautiful fall/winter colors of ESSIE NAIL POLISH for $10. Favorite part about street fairs, for sure. 

The weather on Sunday was ridiculously gorgeous. The sun was hot, there was a cool breeze and not a cloud in the sky. We were lucky enough to snag one of the four outdoor tables at Meatball Shop for brunch where, after considering everything on the menu for a solid 10 minutes, I ended up ordering what I order every single time. Everything But the Kitchen Sink with veggie balls and pesto. Sunday's plate included broccoli rabe, zucchini, red cabbage slaw and fennel. It made for a great brunch/dinner. 

After Meatball Shop, we were too close to 16 Handles NOT to go.  A heaping cup of Graham Cracker and Birthday Cake froyo later and I was in a sugar coma. I left the boys to watch football and promptly passed out in bed. 

(This is how I could get into football...)

When I woke up I managed to motivate myself to do a 50 minute yoga video from YouTube and then headed out for some speed work in Central Park because it was such a beautiful night and I really wanted to get a picture of the sunset at the reservoir. So why not run, right? Right. A ran .5 miles to Engineer's Gate and another .5 miles on the Bridle Path. When I hit a mile, a kicked things up a notch for .5. Slowed down for .25. Kicked it up for .5. Slowed down for .25. Kicked it up for .5. Entered the reservoir loop and did two quarter mile intervals. My ankle was bothering me a little bit, so while I initially wanted to do 3 miles of fast running, I settled for 2 and comfortably ran myself back home for a total of 4.25 miles and a beautiful picture of the sunset. 

And a huge case of "Missing Something While It's Here."

Next up was grocery shopping, food prepping, an episode of Orange is the New Black, leftover Meatball Shop and bed. 

My alarm this morning was supposed to get me to the gym for Kayla Itsine's leg day but - that didn't happen so it will have to be a sweaty lunch hour today since I have work at the running store tonight. 

Here's to hoping this week is just as wonderful and filled with happiness and sunshine as last week! (Although there was a definite chill in the air this morning!) 

Funny story: Friday night I was shaving and, since I'm terrible at shaving, somehow managed to shave off a LARGE strip of skin on my ankle. It WOULDN'T stop bleeding! And of course, I had no bandaids in the apartment. So how did I improvise? Pantyliner wrapped around my ankle and held in place with an Ace bandage until I could get to Duane Reade in the morning. When I unwrapped it in the morning, it was STILL bleeding! Ugh. 

Restaurant Review: Libertador

For months, Peter and I have passed Libertador in Yorkville and thought that it looked super cute. It's always full of people, and has a really nice outdoor seating area with a spacious dining room and bar. 

On Sunday, when my parents came in for a quick day visit, we stopped by for brunch. Despite an iffy forecast, it had turned out to be a wonderful morning to spectate at the Fifth Avenue Mile and remained nice for brunch al fresco. 

Libertador is an Argentinian restaurant - but don't let the ~ethnic~ name scare you off! There's something for everyone on this menu. 

We started by sampling four different empanadas, one of my mom's favorite things! None of us were very impressed with the beef saltena empanada, but the ham and cheese, chicken and potatoes and black bean and mozzarella ones were delicious! I liked that they weren't just giant fried blobs. The casing was doughy with a crunch - and they didn't skimp on the fillings. 

I went the brunch route, ordering poached eggs over asparagus with hollandaise sauce and a side salad (instead of the fingerling potatoes that it usually comes served with). Not anything life changing, but solidly tasty. 

(Simple yet satisfying) 

My mom ordered a salad - which they offer many varieties of. You can add steak, chicken or tuna to any of the salads, which is definitely what I would do if we go back for lunch or dinner one day. 

Mom's salad was the Mozzarella and Avocado Salad with tomatoes, black olives, and grain mustard in white vinegar olive oil as the dressing.  

My Dad ordered meatballs (see, I told you they have everything) and Peter got a prosciutto and mozzarella omelet that was BURSTING with meat and cheese. 

I'd also like to give a shout out to Libertador's cocktail menu - I ordered a drink that was St. Germaine, White Wine, fresh mint, and a bunch of fruit. It was super refreshing! 

If you're a Brooklynite, Libertador has another location in your borough! 

Though not particularly inspiring, Libertador was a solid choice for brunch, and may be worth a return visit to check out their lunch and dinner entrees - if only for the nice atmosphere!

After our meal we walked off the full-ness through a street fair on 3rd Avenue! I'm going to miss these summer weekends with good weather and fresh air :( 

(Thanks for checking out the hood with me Mom and Dad! And I promise you'll get to go to Heidelberg some day dad - in the winter!)

Restaurant Review: Two Hands

Last weekend, I convinced Peter to journey to Little Italy to get breakfast (ok, it ended up being lunch) at one of the places on my bucket list. 

Sure, I could have gotten an acai bowl at Juice Generation on the Upper East Side - but traveling to different neighborhoods in search of new food is fun to me. Plus, we ended up finding ourselves in the middle of the San Gennaro festival, which was fun to wander through for a little while. 

(Obviously needed a picture with this awesome street art that we passed!)

Our destination was an Australian Cafe called Two Hands, located on Mott Street. Two Hands is my favorite type of place. Small, healthy, with a great atmosphere and attention to presentation. These people know how to plate a meal to make it Instagram worthy! And like many places on my bucket list, I discovered it through Instagram. Mouthwatering pictures of fresh fruit, perfectly captured yolk porn and carefully crafted cappuccinos are what convinced me that I needed to make a visit. 

(So damn trendy. Look at all the basic b's brunchin')

Unfortunately, though expected, there was a solid 40 minute wait for a table. We opted to place our order at the To Go window. 

The salads on the menu made a really strong case for straying from my original craving for an acai bowl, but in the end, I stuck with my gut. Their acai mix includes blueberries and bananas with cocoa and acai powder and almond milk. It was topped with all the yummy goodness you could ask for - granola, hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut, cacao nibs, blueberries and raspberries. I also tasted some dates in there! 

The wait wasn't long at all, and soon enough my to-go cup was placed on the counter. Everything was super flavorful, and I was able to taste each other the ingredients. 

Peter ordered a slice of the banana bread topped with fresh ricotta (so creamy) and honey. 

(I didn't get a picture of Peter's banana bread - so here's another picture of my acai bowl!) 

The menu is jam packed with options - and I'm pretty sure I would like every single one of them! From Avocado Toast to smoothies and corn fritters. Depending on the season, the salads and soups change to include the freshest ingredients. 

"Good Food by Good Dudes" is the restaurant's motto. I love looking at the menu and seeing so many nutritious, fresh meal options! 

Where did the name come from? They explained in an interview with Eat Boutique that: 

The name was originally inspired by Heath Ledger’s first film by the same name. The initial appeal came from both the film and Heath being Australian, without it being too obvious. Heath was inspirational to both of us, in his acting career and in his vision to open Five Leaves in Brooklyn, which we both love so much. But even beyond that, we felt that it had so many meanings; you use your two hands to create things, and that’s what we did with the cafe. It also represents the handshake that started this business and the many high fives we’ve given each other during this crazy process.

More and more Australian Cafes are popping up around NYC, and if you don't believe me you can read this New York Times article about it! Bluestone Lane, Little Collins (highly recommend!), Brunswick and Toby's Estate just to name a few! 

(My sister and I ate at Little Collins last year and absolutely loved it. In this pictures is the Avocado Smash (avocado and FETA smash on toast with chili flakes and pepitas!) and the Big Dill (cured salmon, scrambled eggs, dill, mascrpone and chives)

Two Hands features a tribute to it's owners' homeland with the Outback Cap - a cappuccino with cocoa powder dusted espresso served with chocolate-covered Tim Tam Cookies!

So basically, I would recommend Two Hands for breakfast, brunch, lunch OR dinner if you're looking for a ton of healthy options and you're okay with getting it to go (though later in the day the wait may not be as long!) It's not necessarily worth the 40 minute trip from the Upper East Side, but if I ever find myself in the area again, I would certainly stop by to try something else from the extensive menu. 

Review: Blue Apron!

For WEEKS I have been trying to successfully receive my free trial box of Blue Apron Delivery (thanks, Tina!) 

The first two times my delivery was supposed to come, it never showed up! I was convinced it was stolen from the lobby of my building. 

Luckily, both times, Blue Apron Customer Service was phenomenal - putting a new credit on my account so I could try again. 

Well it turns out I had the wrong address inputted into my account settings, and someone at that address received two complimentary Blue Apron deliveries. Oops! 

But before I figured that out, I had changed my address to have the third box delivered to me at my office. It arrived, and it was embarrassing. A giant box with giant ice packs filled with food that I had to take out and refrigerate in the tiny little pantry refrigerator. I then transported all the ingredients back home over the course of two days. 

So - the moral of the story is this:
1) Make sure you have the right address in your account. Duh, Lauren.
2) Blue Apron Customer Service is wonderful
3) Probably best to have the delivery sent straight to your apartment 

I was amazed at how well organized and labeled the shipment was. There's really no way to mess this up. 

(Everything in its own little package with labels!)

The first night I got home and realized I had failed to bring ANY of the tomatoes home with me (the featured ingredient in all three recipes). 

Luckily, they weren't really necessary for two of the recipes, so I powered through without them. 

First up were the Thai Chicken Burgers with Hoisin Mayo & Roasted Potato Wedges. 

Each meal comes with a recipe card with a lovely description of the meal, a list of the ingredients (and calories per serving), and step by step directions (with pictures!) 

Of the three meals, Peter and I liked this one the best. The hoisin mayo was tasty and there was a lot of flavor to the burger. Looking back, I probably would have made three patties with the meat instead of 2 - the burgers were huge! 

(Thickest burgers ever!)

That night, I also whipped up the Crispy Catfish & Freekah with Corn-Cherry Tomato Saute and Marjoram so that Peter and I would have meals ready to go on Wednesday night - he was heading home to Long Island to feed his kitty and I had work at the running store. 

(Just an excuse for Leo to make an appearance on the blog)

While making crispy catfish sounded intimidating, it was surprisingly easy! They forgot to send me the recipe card for this - but all of Blue Apron's recipes are online as well so I just looked it up there. 

My Corn-Cherry Tomato Saute was just corn saute, and I discovered that I DETEST the taste of marjoram. You know how some people CAN'T eat cilantro? I was immediately repulsed by the taste of marjoram and had to pick every piece out of my Tupperware. 

Other than that, it wasn't the best meal ever, but it was definitely better than a pita, hummus and an egg which is probably what I would have thrown together otherwise. 

The last meal included in this delivery was Seared Steaks with Romesco Sauce and Roasted Potatoes. Peter helped me with this one - we discovered that finely chopping roasted veggies into a sauce consistency is very time consuming and that leaving it chunky tastes just the same ;) 

Another cool feature is that people comment on all the recipes with tips - and after perusing them, I noticed a lot of people saying to go light on the sherry vinegar, which I did. 

This was my first time cooking steak - it was definitely a little tough but I'm not sure if that was just the pieces of meat they gave us, or my lack of skill. 

Again - my mind wasn't blown away by the taste, but I definitely enjoyed it! 

(My favorite part were the crushed pistachios on top! My not favorite part was attempting to chop the pistachios without them shooting off the cutting board and all over the kitchen. Proper nut crushing technique - help?)

Final thoughts: 

-I'm not going to tell you to milk the system, but...when I signed up, I was given three codes to give friends free meals - you can definitely use another email address to make a new account and I plan on sending one to Peter so we can use them. 

HOWEVER - you need to stay on top of this. Once you make an account, Blue Apron automatically schedules deliveries. You  need to actively go on and skip deliveries in order to avoid charges. 

Each delivery of 3 meals (with 2 servings per meal) is $60. When you think about it, that's $10 per meal, which really isn't awful! 

-I originally thought I would use Blue Apron during busy weeks when I didn't feel like thinking of dinners. But after trying it - I would definitely not suggest Blue Apron on a busy week. It's time consuming to cook all of the meals! Not overwhelming, but definitely more enjoyable if you don't have to rush around. That's how I did it, and I made a complete mess of my kitchen (not to mention a LOT of dirty dishes to clean). 

-I love knowing exactly what I'm putting into my dinner. And not going to lie, knowing the calories is a good thing too. It helped me decide if I really needed to eat alllll the potato wedges. All the fresh, real ingredients are the way I like to eat. 

Plus, there's no doubt it makes you feel like you have your shit together when you sit down to eat a meal that you cooked that has fancy names like "Steak Romesco." 

"NBD, whipped up some Crispy Catfish and Freekah for dinner." "My laundry is overflowing and I desperately need to clean my room, but my Thai Chicken Burgers were really bangin'."

-Make sure you have olive oil! It's the one thing included in the recipes that Blue Apron doesn't provide you with. 

-I've heard that if you select the vegetarian option, you end up getting a lot of pasta based dishes. 

-I love that you can look at the weeks ahead and see what the three meals are before deciding if you want them delivered or not!

I know there are a ton of other services like this out there - I'm curious, has anyone tried some of them other than Blue Apron? What did you think? 

Happy cooking!

Toronto, Eh?

Last week I hopped over to Toronto for a quick work trip - and a visit to the newest November Project tribe! 

Tina and I ran the 3.5 miles from our hotel to Casa Loma and as soon as I saw the stairs I'm pretty sure I cursed.  110 of them! 

Everyone was super welcoming, and Sam and Claire led a team relay-style workout. Each team went through a series of exercises while rotating through and sending one runner to go down the stairs and up a hill around Casa Loma. The hill was no joke, and the view at the top was beautiful! Bummer I failed at getting a picture. 

I felt pretty good, and was going to run the 3.5 miles back to the hotel, but then it started drizzling, I didn't want to push it, and Tina was getting a cab soooo - I opted for the cab option. 

I was a lazy foodie this trip - I had done some research but just had no energy to actually follow through and get to any of the restaurants I had read about. 

The first night I found some take out falafel and froyo and ate it in my hotel room. 

The second night we went to Canyon Creek for dinner - and I had a tasty salad. 

The third night I spend way too long walking around and taking pictures of the sunset and then when I was starving for dinner, all the fast-casual takeaway places were closed, so I plopped down at a British Pub across the street from my hotel. 

Feeling like I had wasted away an opportunity to explore the culinary offerings of Toronto, I tried to make amends by ordering poutine and a beer flight of local beers. AND a wrap. Because why not? 

My favorite of the beers was the Barking Squirrel. I also tried the Steam Whistle, Brickworks Ciderhouse Cider, andddd two more that I can't remember. 

I also DID enjoy a Tim Horton's maple donut, All Dressed chips and maple popcorn too.

Other things to note about Canada:
-They are obsessed with the credit card chip reader and I felt like they all hated me because you need to swipe my card.

-It's weird that they bring the card machine over to the table at restaurants and then stand there as you fill out the tip.

-They have lots of weird potato chip flavors like All Dressed, Ketchup and Dill Pickle! And Poutine!

-They have lots of British candy like Mars Bars and Aero Bars. 

While I didn't have much energy for exploring I did manage to find the energy for 2 Kayla Itsines circuits, an NP workout, and a swim in the lap pool! 

The Running Update!

It's time for a recap on my fitness life for the past oh, I don't know...4 months? The last thing I blogged about was really the Brooklyn Half Marathon back on May 16. 

And unfortunately, that was my last real run where I felt good (well, I was even hurting by the end of Brooklyn). 

(Remember when I ran a 1:40:34 half marathon?)

If you remember way back to May - I had boldly declared that I would be attempting to BQ at the Suffolk County Marathon. Well, that race was on Sunday and needless to say, I wasn't there to even slowly run the half. 

The problem has been my IT band and it's been frustrating to say the least. For 4 months I've attempted to rest for weeks at a time (and by rest I mean no running) only to feel pain 2 or 3 miles into a run when I finally decided to give it another try. A run in Tampa - ended in stabbing pain. My first "training run" for the Suffolk County Marathon in Las Vegas - awful. The first attempt at 8 miles in Central Park with Peter? Frustrated tears and stabbing pain. There were a few three mile runs I was able to run without pain - but they mainly made me grumpy because I realized how much speed and endurance I had lost. 

Not to mention not exactly feeling my best in terms of the weight department either - if you've been reading my blog and reading about my summer - it pretty much consisted of a LOT of eating out and drinking. Pair that with practically no running - and I haven't been feeling super confident rockin' my bikinis. 

BUT I also had an amazing summer and just keep trying to tell myself that this whole not running thing won't last forever (please, don't last forever!)

The most frustrating thing about IT band pain is when you try Googling ways to fix it and half the Internet tells you foam roll, foam roll, foam roll and then other people tell you rest rest rest while simultaneously telling you to strengthen your hips and glutes and then other people tell you that foam rolling will only make things worse.

So, what have I been doing in an attempt to get rid of this awful tightness in my IT band? And still exercise? (By no means should you follow my lead here if you're trying to overcome ITBS).

1) Not running - but not exactly resting. 
I was pretty good about taking a serious break with running. Every two weeks or so I would lace up my sneakers and head out for a run to see if things had improved, but most of the time the answer was a big fat no. I listened when that was the case and I never went more than three miles (OK, except for the time I ran to NP Chicago). 

But should I have been going to spin class twice a week? Probably not.

I know it wasn't helping speed up my recovery - but it was low impact cardio and it didn't bother my knee when I did it. So that's what I've been doing - spin twice a week. Some days I was actually OK with the break from running because I was able to find other things I like to do. And one of those things was getting back to spinning. So while it may have slowed down my recovery, it at least kept me sane. 

2) Kayla Itsines 12 Week Bikini Body Guide. 
This chick is all the rage on Instagram. 

She's from Australia and she created a workout and nutrition guide that has completely taken off. The other day, myself and another girl were both doing the same routine at the gym! 

When I first saw all the posts, I rolled my eyes. And to be honest, I thought the workouts would be a joke. I'm hear to admit that I was wrong. 

I just started week 6 of the workouts and while I haven't noticed much of a change (I haven't exactly been following the whole nutrition aspect of this guide...) I am consistently sweaty and out of breath at the end of the workout. 

The way the program works is this:
3 days a week you complete a strength workout - either abs, arms or legs or some combination of those with some cardio. Each workout consists of 2 circuits that you complete twice each. 

Circuit one is 4 exercises. You set a timer for 7 minutes and go through the circuit as many times as you can. 

Circuit two is 4 different exercises. You set a timer for 7 minutes and go through the circuit as many times as you can. 

Then, you repeat circuit 1. Then, you repeat circuit 2. 

28 minutes of work and you'll good to go! 

The guides call for 30 seconds of rest in between each 7 minute circuit but I usually take more than that if we're being honest. 

Set-up to finish is usually 45 minutes for me. 

The other days of the week you're supposed to do either low-intensity steady state cardio or HIIT but I've just been doing my spin classes as cardio.

I really like these because they aren't super time consuming but I definitely feel like I'm getting a good workout in. After leg day, it's pretty daunting arriving at Peter's apartment and knowing I have to walk up 5 flights of stairs. 

Should I be doing 28 minutes of jump squats and lunges and burpees when I'm trying to heal my IT band? Debatable. I will say that my legs have felt stronger, which can't be a bad thing for a runner in the long run, right? 

3) Hip-Strengthening 
Last time I had IT band problems I consistently did a few hip strengthening exercises that I attribute to getting things working again. I've started to do them again. 

-Hip hikes

-Single leg squat onto box

-Clam shells with resistance band
-Leg lifts with resistance band
-Side shuffle with resistance band

Here's a video that includes some other good exercises. 

4) Foam rolling...sometimes.
My foam rolling game has, admittedly, been pretty weak. 

5) Icing when needed.
Sometimes after an attempted run, my knee would KILL. Any time I have knee discomfort just from walking or sitting, I try to ice it. 

6) Yoga.
I've been trying to get to yoga twice a week, even though sometimes it's only once. It's crazy how fast I lost my flexibility. During Pittsburgh Marathon training I was killin' it with yoga - sometimes going three times a week. Slowly but surely I'm getting back into it and it definitely makes a difference. The other day in the store, I told Peter my chatarunga was on fleek AND HE DIDN'T LAUGH! Someone tell me I'm funny. 

7) Daydreaming about all the things I'm going to do when I can run again. 
And that still includes a big fat BQ. Recently, I've allowed myself to start thinking about a spring marathon.

(This is what I do in my free time...anyone run any of these marathons? Suggestions for a good spring BQ course? Minimal travel? Early May?)


Even bigger than that is this crazy idea that has always semi-existed in my head of completing an Iron Man. I always said I was going to be a bad-ass 50 year old completing an IronMan but recently I've been wanting to do it sooner. But not soon. Like, 10 year plan soon. 

But that means that I'm gunna need to start somewhere in the world of triathlons! Which is why I am officially saving up to buy myself a bike (I'm also accepting donations! And recommendations, advice, etc.) I've got a loooong way to go - as in my current savings are at $35 and I figure I need $1,500. But what's important is that I've started! 

I already bought myself a pair of cycling shoes and cleats so I can start clipping in during my spin classes just to get used to it. 

And the biggest step in all this triathlon jazz is that I started...

7) Swimming. 
GULP. 

You're talking to the girl who DOESN'T put her head under water for fear of instantaneously getting swimmer's ear like she did as a child - ruining many a pool party or summer day. 

I can swim fine - just not for real. 

Peter has been enlisted as my swim coach. 5 minutes into my first lesson I was totally over it, getting cranky and frustrated. 

But I've been consistently going at least once a week and have improved a TON from that first trip to the pool - there's still so much work to be done though. I can basically get about 15 meters before I'm hanging onto the side of the pool gulping in lungfuls of air. 

Yes, I love lifting weights and strength training - but I need my cardio! So swimming has been good for that too.

8) Plunging. 
I bought a $7 sink plunger and I use it on my IT Band. Yes, this was a day I was feeling particularly desperate. But I've read a bunch about it and it's a real think! Similar to cupping - it's supposed to distract the soft tissue and increase blood flow to the area...or something like that. It feels weird but I'm willing to try anything at this point. 

You can watch it here. 

9. Reading a lot of running related books. 
It helps keep me motivated instead of convincing myself I'm over running completely just because it's going to be a lot harder now. Read these if you need to get yourself out the door!

Two weeks ago, I went to November Project for PR Day and Yearbook picture day. Really, I went for yearbook picture day. The PR day part I was dreading. I woke up and went out to get to the 5:30 workout and on my way there I swear I almost turned around and ran in the opposite direction. I suddenly felt so self-conscious. I know it sounds stupid, but I didn't want my seriously diminished running abilities to be out on display to a bunch of bad-ass, speedy-ass people pushing their limits to PR. 

But then I realized - if there was any place to make a comeback run, it was at NP - home to not only some of the speediest runners, but home to some of the most motivating, understanding, supportive people in Manhattan. Tons of these people know what it's like to come back after an injury. And the best part of November Project is celebrating everyone's accomplishments - not just the super fast and impressive accomplishments. A BQ is just as impressive as someone running their first mile without taking a walking break. 

So I made my way to the East River, got my bounce on, and threw down 3.5 miles that were far from a PR but were a start. 

And I am happy to report that I had a pretty good 3 miles last Sunday when Peter was on Long Island, and a solid 3.5 mile run to November Project Toronto on Wednesday of last week. So Peter and I set out to run the 6 miles to South Street Seaport for November Project on Friday - and it was wonderful! 

I was on cloud 9 when we reached the pier. I'm pretty sure I told everyone that I saw, "I JUST RAN 6 MILES! I JUST RAN MY LONGEST RUN SINCE BROOKLYN! I HAVEN'T FELT THIS GOOD IN 4 MONTHS!"
I was expecting to be super frustrated with my pace and had mentally prepared myself with a "Just be happy if you make it there pain free" speech, but with Peter by my side I was able to run close to my Pittsburgh pace! Granted, 6 miles vs. 26.2 miles is a lot different, but it was awesome to feel my legs underneath me and to feel them giving me a little power. 

I feel like a weirdo but on Friday it really felt like my body was telling me, "Okay, you can start running again - but ONLY if you promise not to be stupid about it!!!!" 

That second part is what I know I really need to focus on. Saturday I was already asking Peter, "Should I run the Hartford Half on October 10?"

The answer is most certainly no. 

But already I feel more like myself. On Sunday morning, Melissa and I jogged the mile and a half over to 63rd Street to cheer on November Project people running the 5th Avenue Mile. Just being back with running friends in the race environment on a crisp early fall morning made me so happy. I jogged with Peter to a Starbucks. I jogged the mile and a half home. Being able to use my favorite mode of transportation was exciting to say the least. More exciting? The half mile from 86th to 97th street where I really let my legs fly. And they worked! I flew! 

I am so ready to ease back into runs a few nights/mornings a week with a little longer run on Saturday mornings. With no humidity too! 

I just hope all this excitement and optimism isn't going to come crashing down this week or in the next few weeks... 

So that's the update. 

But enough about me. I'm also really happy that Peter's feeling better too, though still having some foot aches and pains, his hip seems to be holding up and he was able to break 6:00 at the 5th Avenue Mile this year :) And he looked good doing it too. Like a Disney Prince, some might say! 

The best part about being back to running is being able to do it together - I just hope we can both stay semi-pain free for the best running weather of the year!!

More running, more smiles!

The Most Perfect Weekend Ever.

Once you've "grown up" and moved out of your parents house - it's becomes very sentimental. At least for me, thinking about home makes me think about how lucky I was to grow up where I did - on the water, with aunt and uncles and grandparents a quick car ride or walk away.

Trips home are a time to visit the places I used to frequent - and absence makes the heart grow fonder - so the places that I used to be sick of are now some of the places that I miss the most. 

That's why if you ask me what my perfect summer weekend looks like, it's a weekend home in Miller Place where every moment is filled with family, friends and some very key places and activities.   

For Labor Day Weekend, Peter came to Suffolk County for my attempt to show him this ideal summer weekend. I don't know if he would agree - but for me, I'm still floating on cloud nine about how amazing it was. 

I headed home after work on Friday and was greeted by a new iPhone 5S...yep, I cracked already.

I spent awhile getting it all set up and then went to the beach with my parents for some live music and beers down by the water.

After that it was off to dinner at one of my favorite local restaurants - Alexandro's.  It was a beautiful night and we were able to sit outside. AND they had my favorite special - the tuna tartar tower! MMM! For an entree I got a giant Greek salad with shrimp. And of course I filled up on pita and their amazingly fresh homemade hummus.

We got home and watching some TV while I made myself a heaping ice cream sundae with Tonight Dough and Speculoos Core Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  

In the morning, I failed to wake up and work out before Peter arrived as planned - something about my bed at home just never lets me escape the covers in a timely fashion! Oh well. 

We ran a few errands - picking up a phone case, picking up bagels and cream cheese for Sunday morning, and stopping for breakfast and lattes at Crazy Beans. SO delicious. It's the kind of place I would love to open one day. Filled with odds and ends, cozy, offering music and art and open mic nights with wine and beer - all that it's missing is avocado toast and green juices. 

Salted Caramel Latte for Peter and a Rainbow Cookie Latte for moi. 

We got home and hopped in the truck for my dad to bring us down to the water for some kayaking! It was gorgeous out - a cool breeze, sun shining, and we paddled around the harbor for awhile before a quick relaxation break on beach. 

After showering it was off to the Yacht Club for a RUM BUCKET, a plethora of chips and pretzels with the world's best honey mustard (Ken's), and appetizers (wings, shrimp and mini tacos) and this delicious summer salmon salad that we split. All the while, Peter was enthralled in the Penn State football game. 

Driving away we caught the beginning of what was sure to be a beautiful Cedar Beach sunset (which to this day has never been beaten - not even by the sunset in Santorini). 

We picked up my sister and went back to Crazy Beans for some live music and beer. In the beginning if was kind of dead, but by 9 it was hoppin'. The best part was catching up with friends who I hadn't seen in wayyy too long. 

Not ready for the day to end, we headed Down Port where we wandered, complaining about every bar, before settling for a table outside at Tommy's.

We went home and I quickly fell asleep. 

In the morning, I managed to force myself into a circuit workout in my basement during which I felt every bite of food and every sip of alcohol threatening to come back up - luckily, that didn't happen. When I finished my pathetic attempt at a workout I woke Peter up and we went for a run - any perfect weekend in my book includes a run - and it was fun to show him what my usual little 3.5 mile route is when I'm home. The IT-band was hurting by the end, but nothing too terrible which left me feeling pretty positive. 

The run was followed by another Long Island staple - BAGELS! 

We then spent an hour helping my sister write a cover letter because we are SO KIND. 

I also showed Peter how to shuck corn in preparation for that night's barbecue. Can you believe he had never shucked corn before? 

Then Peter, my sister and I went down for a swim at the beach. Peter complained about the rocks and the murky water but I LOVED IT. 

We met my parents for a drink down at Ralph's where a local favorite was playing guitar and singing some good tunes (James Taylor, Jimmy Buffet!) The song of the weekend was "Southern Cross." 

Next up with BARBECUE time! My dad makes THE best hamburgers where he grinds the meat himself - I'm not a huge burger person, and I almost never order one out, but no summer is complete without one my dad's homemade hamburgers. 

To lead up to the main course, he served a ton of clams on the half shell with his homemade cocktail sauce. 

Despite my mother saying some not so appetizing things about clams, we all enjoyed them and we also enjoyed our giant margaritas (my dad ALSO makes the best margaritas!) 

Then, I forced Peter to play the guitar while I attempted to sing along and my mom and dad and sister looked on in horror as I butchered every song. 

I slowly and steadily devoured my burger - topped with mashed avocado, American cheese, ketchup + mustard (yes, I mix!), onion, tomato, lettuce and pickles on the side. PLUS two ears of fresh Long Island corn on the cob and my dad's tomato salad with fresh basil from our garden. 

(Could it be any more perfect?)

I was so content at the end of this meal. And by content I mean bursting. 

The last thing I had planned was a fire outside at my grandparent's house - complete with aunts, uncles and little cousins. We got there and I couldn't even touch the chips and guac, which shows how full I was from dinner. 

Eventually, Peter and I DID manage to join my little cousins in making some s'mores. Okay...we initiated the s'mores making...

AND we pre peanut butter and Nutella'd our graham crackers. We don't mess around when it comes to dessert. 

I wish I had more pictures from the fire because my grandparent's backyard is absolutely gorgeous! I'll have to be a more diligent photo taker next time. 

Sadly, with the end of the fire came the end of the weekend. Even though it was a long weekend, I had a 4:00 a.m. alarm on Monday morning to leave for a work trip to Toronto. So we got home, took a quick nap, and I was on my way. 

What could have made the weekend better was some time spent on the boat (with tubing and water skiing preferably) and Peter and I sitting to watch the sunset at the beach. But this was the absolute most perfect way to end my summer. 

I know I can be a demanding person - I basically gave my parents a list of things I wanted to do in two days and created a lot of work for them (we also cost them a lot of money in food and alcoholic beverages...) And from the second Peter arrived to the second I left I had him in constant motion. I invited about 10 people over to my grandparents house. But I hope everyone knows how much I appreciate them putting up with me and making everything happen and how incredibly happy the whole weekend made me. I'm the luckiest :) 

Finally All Caught Up!

Last week I went home for one of my first Long Island weekends of the summer! 

My grandparents picked me up from the train and I was immediately treated to a delicious sushi dinner (yes, MORE sushi - never enough!) at our favorite place in town - Benten. Kenny the sushi chef there is the man. 

We OBVIOUSLY started with the lobster tempura salad. Big chunks of battered lobster with a spicy mayo dressing. The lettuce is not even necessary. We picked on edamame for the greens! And then I meant to order the sauteed oysters (my dad is a huge fan but I'm not in love) and accidentally ordered the fried oysters instead. They were good - because what isn't made better with a little deep fried dough? 

For the three of us, I ordered 4 sushi rolls - and it was a struggle to finish them all. However - I managed, obviously ;) 

Benten 2: Eel, shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, crab stick, avocado with soy pepper
This one was probably my favorite! 

Green Dragon: salmon, cucumber, avocado outside 

John Jr.: Tuna, scallion, tobiko, spicy mayo, tempura 

Wrong Island: Tuna, eel, avocado, scallion, tempura, spicy mayo and a fresh salmon outside
This one's crazy! All the things! 

After dinner, Nanny insisted (and I didn't put up much of a fight) on stopping by our local homemade ice cream shop - McNulty's - for some dessert. I haven't been there in ages, and it brought back so many memories! 

We used to think we were so  cool in 6th grade when we were finally allowed to walk there all alone after school on Friday's. All .25 miles. FREEDOM! 

Nanny and I were both upset that they were out of Heath Bar but I went with Mint Oreo and Chocolate Pretzel with granola (?) on top. A definitely strange combo but you're talking to the girl who used to insist on ice cream cakes that were half mint half strawberry - so, whatever. 

When I got home, I set to work on cleaning out my childhood bedroom. 

I knew my parents would like me to straighten up, organize, and get rid of some things. Obviously, if I'm been living without it for 3 years (7 if you count college), then I don't really need it. 

Surprisingly, I was very productive and filled a bunch of bags with things I could donate or toss. The biggest struggle was figuring out what to do with CD's like Brittany Spears and Backstreet Boys. So sentimental! Will I one day what to pop them in for my kids to give a listen? Or will I just play them on Spotify and Youtube? So odd to think about. 

Saturday morning I woke up and attempted a run - and it was a pain-free success of 3 miles! I felt like I could have kept going but I didn't want to push it. 

Next, Mom and I parked our butts at the beach and soon, Allison joined. 

We followed the beach up with a rum bucket at the yacht club - ahhh, these are summers as they are supposed to be!

I got home and was quite burnt. I did a bunch of nothing, which was nice for a change.  

Sunday morning my parents and I went down to the yacht club for brunch - I ordered the "MYSC Open Face" which was English muffin with bacon, tomato, cheese and...no egg? That seemed super weird to me, so I had them throw an egg on top. Because everything is better with an egg on top. Especially at brunch. 

(Can you just LOOK at these prices? Not in Manhattan anymore)

After brunch I sat around the beach some more with Emma and Allison and it was so nice to catch up with everyone. We all have such REAL LIVES NOW and it's weird sometimes to think about - we used to do this every day, all summer long, and now it took an entire summer for us to finally find a day we could all lay on that rocky beach and gossip together. Sigh. 

Sadly - all too soon it was time to get back on a train and head home. 

This week was pretty uneventful. 

I find myself settling back into a more standard routine, which I suppose it a good thing. I work Monday and Wednesday nights at the running store and I hope to start reviewing some off-Broadway shows again soon on Tuesday nights. 

The highlight of this week was my first BLUE APRON experience, which I will write up shortly! 

Another highlight was Roots Hummus sending me a lovely little package to thank me for the kind words I had to say about them! A koozie, cooler, sticker, and some coupons! Awesome :) 

And there you have it - am I actually caught up?! Indeed. 

Today I head out to Long Island for a Labor Day weekend spent doing ALL OF MY FAVORITE THINGS and my favorite person will be along for the ride. Monday morning I leave at 4:30 AM (EW!!!) for a work trip to Toronto. 

Maybe the fall weather hasn't quite arrive yet, but the feeling that the crazy days of summer have come to a close has certainly arrived for me. And to be honest, the change of pace to more laid back and structured is actually pretty welcomed. 

Sushi For Days

One of my favorite things, besides peanut butter and besides froyo, is sushi. 

So naturally, when there was a Groupon for ALL YOU CAN EAT sushi on the Upper East Side - I told Peter he better buy one and come eat endless raw fish with me. Luckily, he agreed. 

Typically, the deal at Chinatown is $33 for all you can eat sushi and a little more expensive for the all you can eat and drink option. Our Groupon was AYCE + 3 drinks (wine, beer or sake). 

From what I gather, the place is pretty raucous on the weekends. But Peter and I went on a Tuesday night and it was pretty empty. 

I was kind of overwhelmed by the fact that the AYCE options don't only include sushi, but include Chinese dishes like General Tso's Chicken, egg rolls, dumplings, fried rice, etc. 

But you are quickly given the "rules" of this AYCE experience - and those rules include being charged for any food leftover on your plate at the end of the night. Including rice. 

While Peter and I joked around about just taking whatever we didn't eat into the bathroom to flush it away - I do see where the restaurant is coming from. With big groups of people, the waste could get a little out of hand. 

We started with an order of pork dumplings and there were SO many. Already we weren't loving this "no leftovers" rule - we wanted to save room for the main event - sushi! But the peanut sauce with these dumplings was STELLAR. We actually used it later on for dipping our sushi into - since the one dumpling we knew we would have to finish eventually sat there. And sat there. They definitely weren't going to clear it, and they were definitely going to charge us for it unless we ate it. Ugh. 

After the dumplings we moved onto sushi - ordering one at a time from the specialty roll menu to pace ourselves. I loved that some of their rolls were out of the ordinary - not just "spicy salmon" and "California roll."

First I tried the Spicy Yellowtail roll because it came with cilantro and jalapeno! 

Peter's first choice was the Sexy Roll - shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, topped with white tuna and avocado! The shrimp made it soo sweet and delicious. 

Next I got t he Spicy Salmon Roll - standard crunchy salmon with avocado on top - because when  you're eating all you can eat sushi - why not splurge and go for alllll the tempura. 

Peter got the Amaebi Roll - Spicy crab and crunch inside with sweet shrimp and avocado on top. The name kept reminding me of the little girl in the movie Signs who says, "Morgan took a sip and it's got his amoebas on it!" Anyone, anyone? 

Usually, I claim that sushi never fills me up, I can eat it all night. And typically, I can eat 3 or 4 rolls no problem. Seriously, ask my parents, they're always in awe of how much sushi I can eat. 

But Peter and I were both slowing down so we decided to split one more roll and order an eggroll because I reallllly wanted one. 

The eggroll was an eggroll. You basically like it for the fried outer part dunked in duck sauce. They may as well leave out the cabbage filling. 

The last roll we split was the Dancing Mango - lightly fried white fish, mango inside and topped with kani and tobiko. Kani = crab meat and tobiko = the little crunchy fish eggs! 

We left the restaurant stuffed to discomfort - as is typical for "All You Can Eat" affairs (see, Fogo de Chao). 

I would definitely recommend this place, if only for the hugeee variety of things you can order! 

Summer Weekends Wind Down

On Friday, after losing my cell phone, I treated myself to a later lunch/early dinner at a place that has long held a top spot on my bucket list - Jack's Wife Freda. 

I knew the chances of having the patience to wait in line for a table on a hungry Saturday or Sunday morning were slim to none - so I figured going at 3:00 p.m. on a random Friday would be a better bet. 

I left the office and made my way to their new location on Carmine Street (just around the corner from my old apartment!) To my surprise, they place was FILLED with people eating linner (lunch + dinner, duh). Every table was filled, but as it was just me myself and I, I was was able to grab a table at the bar. 

The restaurant was very chi and trendy looking - light colors made it seem open and airy despite being jam packed. 

What Jack's Wife Freda is known for are their brunch and breakfast dishes, although they do have some tempting sounding lunch and dinner entrees like the mustard seed crusted tofu served with spaghetti squash. 

My runner up dish was the Green Shakshuka (2 baked eggs in a green shakshuka served with challah toast), but I had just made it for myself the week before. Mashed pea and ricotta toast was tempting too. But ultimately, I decided to go with the Mediterranean Breakfast - a wonderful mix of 2 eggs (over medium), chopped salad (cucumber, tomato, onions), labne (Greek yogurt that is incredibly thick, rich and creamy), avocado and pita bread. 

I was incredibly saddened by the fact that I could only photograph this beautiful meal with an iPhone 4 camera - doesn't do it justice! I'm also kicking myself for not poking that yolk for a pop of yellow in the composition. No seriously, what was I thinking?

The chopped salad and labne were both excellent, and I loved loading everything up on the pita bread to make little sandwiches.  But at the end of the day, this meal wasn't anything incredible, and I'm not sure I understand the hype surrounded Jack's Wife Freda - aside from the fact that it's trendy and on Instagram a lot. 

After my meal, I walked around SoHo, taking in all of the stores where I will likely never afford to shop. 

I stopped at REI to check out bikes and cycling shoes, where I asked a bajillion questions and made it incredibly obvious that I was not a cyclist. Hopefully one of these days though! I didn't end up buying anything - but I did feel a lot more educated on the shoe-front. 

That Friday night I did a whole lot of nothin' - which was fine by me! I've started watching, and loving, Orange is the New Black, so it was me, my couch and Crazy Eyes for the night. 

Has anyone seen these advertisements around the city? I think they are hilarious and really clever. 

Saturday morning Peter was up and out early to run a 5K in Harlem. I was a bad girlfriend and didn't go to cheer - instead, I went to the gym for 2 hours. Might sound weird, but I love spending my mornings playing in the gym. 

And by playing I mean doing a shoulder/back workout, a couple minutes of spinning and a swim. 

Afterwards, I did some grocery shopping and went home to make myself a big delicious smoothie.  Well, it was big, and it was filling - but maybe I wouldn't use the term delicious. I thought skipping the step of brewing the coffee first and just throwing in the ground coffee beans would be an OK decision. It really wasn't. 

But anyway - besides for the bitter and crunchy factors - the flavor was pretty good! I'll definitely have to work on perfecting this as a post-exercise smoothie. 

1 Banana
1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon of coffee (mistake)
1 tablespoon of cacao powder
1 teaspoon of almond extract (MMM - new purchase)
1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
Ice 

I drank my smoothie on my way to Peter's apartment and decided he deserved a present for running the race that morning. So I stopped at the super German bakery on his corner, which I've heard has the best black and white cookies. Glaser's is a family-run business that's been closed a lot this summer as the owners traveled. 

Glaser's has been around since 1902. Crazy! 

Immediately upon entering, the two women working introduced themselves, gave each customer a GIANT smile, and were super helpful. 

I brought the giant, soft black and white cookie over to Peter's and it was most certainly enjoyed. The frosting was soo good and the cookie was crumbly but in a really moist, soft way. 

We headed down to 59th Street to pick up our vehicles for the day - CITI BIKES! Initially, we wanted to rent nice bikes from a store or Bike & Roll, but I guess a ton of people had the same idea as us because the store we called was completely out of bikes. Then we decided Citi bikes could be a good idea since we could check them into places as we went - stopping for food and drinks and ice cream along the way. 

For just $11ish dollars for each bike, it was a great deal! We spent the whole day with them - about 4 hours total. Checking them into Citi bike stations every 30 minutes was a little stressful, and we cut it super close sometimes - but we never got charged any late fees (and they're only $4 each time, anyway). 

We started off on actual streets which freaked me out, but soon enough we were on the East River path cruising along. The bikes were a lot nicer than I thought they would be, and I could adjust the seat nice and low since I'm a midget. 

Our first stop was Southstreet Seaport, where Peter tried a delicious Blue Cheese and Bacon sandwich from Melt Shop and a beer. And coffee (he assures me he can quit any time...) 

It was such a beautifulllll day - we went all along the island, down near the ferry to Governor's Island, past the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. I tried soaking it all in through my eyeballs instead of through my cell phone camera. 

We peeled off just before Chelsea Piers and headed to the Meatpacking district to enjoy a margarita at Dos Caminos outside in the sunshine. 

Their menu had so many tempting margarita options, but after much back and forth, I settled for a classic. 

Of course we couldn't sit there with no guacamole in front of us. We ordered the Orange Chipotle Guacamole. I wish that the orange had come mixed throughout the guac, instead of a few pieces on top - because when you took a bite with that fresh pop of citrus, it was wonderful. Sadly, we asked for medium and there's wasn't much (ok, any) kick to it. But I did love that it came served with chips and as a healthy option, cucumber slices! 

I guess the margaritas had their share of alcohol in them, because while my intention for the day was to start a streak of no alcohol, healthy eating, and being active, I found myself suggesting a second margarita at Bamboleo's - my favorite place in the West Village. 

So we hopped on our bikes and went over to Bleecker Street. We enjoyed a strong $5 margarita, made some friends at the bar, and decided we needed ice cream. 

So the next stop was Big Gay Ice Cream Shop (you can see how my resolution to not drink and to eat healthy ended up going...) Peter got a Monday Sundae which I took my fair share of while sitting on a stoop. Some guy  passed us and told us what a cute couple we are. D'awww. 

If you're wondering - the Monday Sundae is a Nutella lined cone filled with twist soft-serve ice cream, dulce de leche, sea salt and whipped cream. 

What did I suggest then? Beer pong. I wanted to play beer pong.

Luckily, my partner in crime agreed that beer pong should totally happen. 

We tried Down the Hatch but it was still dead. Same for 3 Sheets. Luckily, Off The Wagon had a little more going on. We sat at the bar to order a beer and were handed Fireball Shots. 

Ok. This day just kept veering wildly off course. But we went with it. 

Eventually we played some beer pong but I was just doing horribly. 

Time for more ice cream? Sure. 

Have you heard of 10 Below ice cream in China Town? It's all the rage on Instagram these days. There's usually an hour long line! The draw? They make ice cream "Thai Style" by using an extremely cold stone to scrape ice cream off into little rolls. 

Well, we just happened to notice a new shop on Macdougal Street called I CE NY that makes these same Thai ice cream rolls with NO line. And I've since heard some people saying it's even better than 10 Below! I wasn't expecting to be impressed with this kind of ice cream, but Peter and I found ourselves loving it! It was much creamier than we thought it would be which was a pleasant surprise. The fact that you get to watch them make it is a nice touch too! 

We got the vanilla ice cream with oreo mixed in and whipped cream and caramel on top. Definitely worth a try to see how you feel about this new craze! But I would check out I CE NY and skip the hour line! 

You would think I had strayed from my healthy active biking day enough to call it quits and head home. Nope. 

Next up was live music at the Red Lion and one final indulgence - a $1 slice from my all-time favorite pizza place -  Percy's! 

THEN we called it a night. 

Sunday I woke up and went to yoga at Lulu Lemon and then did a whole lot of lounging around, watching Orange is the New Black and cooking! I made myself a frittata for the week - 4 eggs, spinach, mushrooms, sweet potato, onions and a little cheese. It was good, except that I sauteed the veggies in coconut oil and I'm not too sure I loved that taste mixed with my eggs. 

I also realized that I had a pie crust in the fridge that needed to be used up - so I looked around and pondered what the heck I could throw together using ingredients I already had in my apartment. I came up with - SWEET POTATO PIE. 

Of course, I wanted to make this healthier than the butter, flour, oil - packed recipes I was finding. 

I made mine loosely based off of this receipt - but I only had 1.5 sweet potatoes so I guestimated the amounts...

3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 sweet potatoes, cooked
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
The best part was using the Kitchenaid for the first time! It's so nice!

I added some walnuts to the top of this, and voila! It was actually super tasty. Even Peter and my mom agreed! 

This was one of the few weekends I spent entirely in NYC with no big plans and it ending up being perfect and lots of fun. 

Running Is A Roller Coaster

Running is a roller coaster.

When I first started running regularly, I was a junior in college and I ran 27 laps of the indoor track at Quinnipiac University. 3 miles. I never timed myself.

My next encounter with running was as a graduate student at Baruch College where I consistently ran 3 miles on the treadmill at a 6.0 speed. 10  minute miles. I didn't think I was capable of going any faster.

That is until I started attending weekly social group runs around New York City. My fear of losing the group and being left behind translated into running faster than I knew I could. It also convinced me that treadmills are the absolute worst. 

Much like a roller coaster, the initial ascent is slow, shaky and stressful. Looking back, I don't even know how many miles it took until I was able to comfortably run 9 minute miles, and eventually, miles in the upper 8's. There were bumps along the way - achy body parts that needed to be iced and stretched, stressful days leading up to that first half marathon where I just wanted it to be over and done with or to never happen at all. A lot of that has to do with the fact that if we're using the top of the ascent as a symbol for race day - you have no idea what to expect. 

You can read statistics of the roller coaster you're on - height, material it's built from, top speed, biggest drop. Just like runners read race recaps of those who ran the race before them. You can study altitude charts and figure out where in your race it will feel like you're climbing Harlem Hill. But until you're at the race, running it, you just don't know what you're in for. 

Working up to a 5K, a 10K etc. is the hard part. It takes time. It builds up anticipation. 

And just like a roller coaster, the descent is the reason that you do it. The weightless feeling of joy and invincibility is what we hope running will feel like on race day. We hope the moments of psyching ourselves out, stressing about every little detail, those aches and pains we felt so acutely on the slow climb to the top all fall away.

We throw our heads back and scream out - "THIS IS SO SCARY BUT SO MUCH FUN!" "MY LEGS HATE ME BUT I DID IT!" "I'M GOING TO THROW UP BUT IT'S FINE!"

After a drop like that, after a race like that - you need some time to soak it all in. The track leading you back to the unloading area of a roller roaster is the recovery time. If you're anything like me, that time includes a lot of relaxing and deep breathing. 

During the days after a race, I tend to let go a little bit in terms of my healthy eating, drinking, sleeping and exercise habits. The effort of the race, the intensity of the roller coaster, determines how much time I need to decompress. 

But without a doubt, eventually, I'm ready for that next big thrill ride. Once you ride Superman, you know that eventually you need to put on your big girl pants and go for Kingda Ka.  Finished your first half? You knew the day you'd sign up for a marathon was inevitable.

It's important to take the time you need to feel ready for the next challenge. Unfortunately, while you take the time to feel mentally prepared, your physical preparedness takes a hit fairly quickly. 

You finished that half marathon with an 8:30 pace, so how come when the safety bar comes down and you start making your way back up to the top of the newest coaster, you're running 9:30 miles and it all feels so hard and scary again? 

That's what we as runners, and brave humans do.  We are to willing submit ourselves to hard work and uncomfortableness because we know what it feels like to reach that crest.

If we want to take the metaphor one step further, within The World of Running amusement park you have some other common attractions. 

The Ferris Wheel is like yoga and stretching. You usually forget about it, can't be bothered to take a second to slow down with so many other exciting things around. But when you finally do it, the view from the top reminds you of the bigger picture. In full bind when you finally feel that hip flexor relax, you're grateful for the tortuously slow and boring yoga class you dragged  yourself to.

The tilt-a-whirl is foam rolling because you have a total love-hate relationship with it. It works. As a ride, it succeeds in getting your adrenaline pumping. As injury relief, it succeeds in breaking up knots and releasing tension. But as a ride AND as injury relief - damn does it hurt! I think we all know the feeling of being crammed in a tilt-a-whirl with people who seem 200 pounds heavier than you. When you spin left, it's great. When you spin right, the life is being squeezed out of you. When you lay on the foam roller and crack your back - ahh, sweet relief. When you roll over that knot-ridden hamstring - Sweet Jesus!

Every amusement park is different - a different layout, a different strategy for making the most of your day there. Every race is different - different workout plans, different paces, different amounts of hill work.

And though there's a world full of races and a world full of roller coasters and amusement parks - sometimes it's nice to go back to ones we've loved in the past and experience it all over again. 

Especially if the line is short or the entrance fees are low. 

Six Sunday Links

Are you laying around, hungover after one of the last summer Saturday nights? 

Stay horizontal, it's okay. Here are some fun links to take your mind off the headache and dry mouth. 

Instead of feeling like you're completely wasting your day, click these links, read, watch - and do yourself a favor, drink some light blue Gatorade. That stuff is the ultimate hangover cure. 

1) The Wedding Toast I'll Never Give
"I want to say that at various points in your marriage, may it last forever, you will look at this person and feel only rage. You will gaze at this man you once adored and think, “It sure would be nice to have this whole place to myself.” Sound like love to you? No? Maybe it should! This New York Times article had me laughing and feeling feels - it's a reality check, for sure, but not one that will turn you off to marriage altogether. 

2) In The Grand Canyon with Lance
Have you read "Born to Run" by Christopher MacDougall? If you have, you'll likely remember the character Jenn Shelton - an ultramarathoner who is free spirited (and often intoxicated) and entertaining. Well, turns out, she's also an incredibly engaging writer who is friends with Lance Armstrong. On the longer side, but definitely worth it!

3) Split Image 

"Checking Instagram is like opening a magazine to see a fashion advertisement. Except an ad is branded as what it is: a staged image on glossy paper.

Instagram is passed off as real life."

This one is a bit of a downer, but so so important to read and think about. Please, if you read one of these articles - make it this one. 

4) How to Age Gracefully
I really loved the way this video was put together. I guarantee you smile at the end. 

5) Girl Power! 
Ever wonder about the first guy to successfully go over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Well it was a WOMAN, and you can read about it in this article. 

6) AVOCADO! 
I could watch this Vine on repeat for hours, honestly. 

Rolling for Roots Hummus

Luckily, the week following "One of Those Weeks," was a lot better. 

I got in all my workouts (I'll fill you in on what's been going on in that world coming up soon!) before work, which is always a victory! 

I've returned to working two nights a week at the running store for their busy pre-Marathon days, which is where I spent Monday and Wednesday evenings after real work. 

Tuesday night, I got together with Melissa and Laura to catch up and make a delicious meal! 

Melissa ordered a lemon herb whole roasted chicken from Munchery -which was delivered right on time! So convenient - I definitely plan on using them with the coupon Melissa sent me! We slathered on the glaze and popped that baby in the oven! 

Meanwhile, we prepared some string beans which we later let soak up some of the chicken juice/glaze that was left in the pan. 

We also put together a delicious quinoa salad with some kale/spinach, blueberries, nectarine and peppers and onions - again, topped with garlic aioli mustard sauce/olive oil dressing (I'm kind of obsessed). 

We finished up with some homemade cookies courtesy of Laura! All in all a very successful night.

Thursday morning, I lost my cell phone. 

It was a morning spent cursing my stupidity, calling Verizon, panicking, and ultimately reactivating an old iPhone 4 which is killing me softly with it's inability to use most apps since it doesn't support their updated versions. I could file an insurance claim and get a new phone for $180 OR I could wait it out with an iPhone 4 until NEXT MAY! Currently, I'm trying to grin and bear it - but I know that won't last forever and eventually I'll end up filing a claim. 

Luckily, that night I got to relax and try a free class at Pure Yoga called Yamuna Rolling. It wasn't so much a yoga class as it was a 75 minute rolling session - using these little plastic balls of varying size and density. They were a lot more forgiving than the grid foam rollers I'm used to - but it was very helpful to have an instructor go through each body part, giving it the proper time and movements necessary to loosen things up. And heck, rolling takes a LOT of core work. I felt like I was in a plank for half the class. 

While everyone around me was shocked at how effectively the rolling was loosening them up - I, as usual, felt that no amount of rolling could crack the conundrum that is my knotted, cranky calves, hamstrings, hips, glutes and shins. Wah. 

At least I could end the day knowing that I gave my body a little TLC. 

And, as always, Pure Yoga wins at being a gorgeous studio. 

As I was walking into my class, I noticed a table set up with my all-time favorite hummus! Free samples of Roots hummus made my night. 

Usually, when I read about "all-natural" "all-organic" blah blah products - I don't care as much as I probably should. Sure, I like healthy things. Sure, I love me a good vegan and vegetarian restaurant. But in my day to day life, I have had to admit that I am not perfect, and I am not rich - and I eat things with ingredients that I cannot pronounce. 

But with Roots hummus, you can TELL that this stuff is the real deal, made with real ingredients, and real good for you! 

They have some incredibly unique flavors, all of which were there to sample at Pure Yoga. I was super excited to try some that I hadn't been able to find in stores before. 

I let the sales rep know I was a fan, and let her know the nearest store to the studio so she could let people know when they stopped by the table. ( I immediately used my coupon to pick up a container on my way home from class!) 

I am a big fan of the Thai Coconut Curry and the Roasted Red Bell Pepper (SO fresh tasting). There's also Lima Bean and Mango Sriracha along with some other flavors. 

The company is based out of Asheville, North Carolina - and they've dubbed themselves the "microbrew" of hummus. Love it. Though on the pricey side at $3.99 for a container, I definitely recommend you check them out! 

One of Those Weeks (And A Wedding)

My first week back wasn't jam-packed - and it's a good thing. 

It was "One of those weeks." 

You know, ladies. The week before, "the week." 

When everything was horribly tragic. Or I was just incredibly dramatic. 

I didn't feel like doing anything. Nope. Nothin'. 

But Tuesday night, Peter and I had Restaurant Week reservations at Fogo de Chao. Usually a $60 "All-You-Can-Eat Affair," we dined AYCE style at this Brazilian churrascaria for just $38! The menu was slightly limited for those partaking in the Restaurant Week special, meaning that Peter couldn't get chicken hearts (true story, he wanted those) or the filet, but there was still a masssssive amount of food to try. 

Almost immediately upon putting our things at the table, we made our way to the massive salad bar. I could have happily eaten from the salad bar all night, but every time I went to reach for the tongs, Peter would say something like, "You are NOT going to fill up on KALE are you?" "Really, you eat carrots every day!" Ugh, fine. I managed to keep the salad to a minimum - though I ended up going back for seconds of the apple, celery and raisin salad which was delicious. I also had some lox and beets and mushrooms, along with a bunch of other stuff I can't remember. 

The way a churrascaria works is you get a little piece of cardboard that looks like a coaster. One side is red and one side is green. Once you flip your coaster to the green side, it's GAME ON and the servers will come to your table offering you slices of meat off of their giant skewers. 

They also brought out some sides. Mashed potatoes with cheese that we didn't touch because there was no way they were good enough to take up room in our stomachs, fried polenta sticks (yum), friend plantains (like a little side of dessert while you eat your dinner), and...Pao de Queijo. Those delicious little cheesy balls that I was first introduced to when my roommate made them and again at my birthday brunch. I had read on a Yelp review that they reminder one reviewer of Goldfish and as soon as I bit into it, I had a Eureka! moment. Just like Goldfish - except doughy, moist and warm. Again, I awkwardly smuggled some out in my bag - because now it's just a tradition. 

The meat started coming and we eventually sampled each and every kind. As they come over to slice, you take your little tongs and help them get the cut of meat onto your plate. Peter kept forgetting about the tongs and just grabbing meat with his fork because he's just TOO AUTHENTIC BRAZILIAN. 

No shock, I loved the sausage. The lamb was good too. But Peter and I both agreed that the bacon wrapped chicken was THE BEST. It was soo juicy. I liked the flavor of the parmesan encrusted pork, but it was a little dry. There were also ribs and sirloin. And something in a really good garlicky marinade. 

This was by far the most meat I've eaten in probably over a year. So by the end of the meal I was sickeningly full and ready to never eat meat ever again. I also never wanted to eat ANYTHING ever again because I was so full that it hurt. 

But that didn't stop me from eating my slice of key lime pie that came with our Restaurant Week deal. Oooof. Ouch.

Friday Peter and I met after work for a margarita before dinner with his two friends from Oregon. After that, we went to his work happy hour/bowling event where he beat everyone at throwing a ball ball as hard and fast as he could, breaking the speedometer without really even trying. Boys. 

The night went much later than anticipated, and we were up and out early the next morning to take a bus to Binghamton for a party at my friend Curly's house. 

This wasn't just any party. 

This was Jeff & Sarah's Wedding! 

For those of you a little confused by the pictures from that weekend - no, it wasn't a real wedding. No, Jeff & Sarah aren't a real couple. In fact, Jeff and Sarah aren't even the names of two people that we know.  We have just been complaining for awhile now that none of our friends are getting married and we wanted to dress up and celebrate. 

I'd say this party was wonderful. We got to wear fancy things, there was a tent, a taco bar, a real life wedding cake with a unicorn topper, lots of alcohol, lawn games like a giant jenga, and drinking games like beer pong and flip cup. 

Plus, it was the first time I had seen so many of my fellow Bobcats in SUCH a long time!

(They groan every time I make them take this picture but then when it goes up on Facebook YOU ALL LIKE IT DON'T LIE)

Because it was "one of those weeks," I had been dragging my feet about going. But I am so glad I did! 

When we got back to the city on Sunday, we used a Groupon we have been hoarding for awhile to a Mediterranean restaurant on the Upper East Side - Anatolia Mediterranean Cuisine. 

The servers were super attentive, and we got to sit outside with a glass of wine and some food that transported me back to my days on Paros Island. 

(Paros, Greece - not the Upper East Side)

Everything was good - not great, but good. We had Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), cheese pie (filo dough with feta, how can you go wrong?) and then we split the Turlu- vegetable casserole and lamb sautee (served with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers onions, garlic and rice pilaf). 

The veggie casserole was full of deliciousness - okra, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant onions, zucchini, string beans and a side of rice pilaf (white rice with chickpeas!) 

We mixed up all the leftovers which I ate for dinner later in the week. 

For dessert, I was beyond excited for Baklava and it didn't disappoint! 

(Though nothing will ever compare to this!) 

Just so ya know, Anatolia is BYOB - they serve wine as well. 

Bucket List

This bucket list grows by the day! Have a recommendation that HAS to go on the list? Let me know!

Items in bold have been completed :)

Lunch Spots

No. 7 Sub (59th Street between 5^th & 6^th)

http://www.no7sub.com/plaza-menu.html

*Creative sandwiches – vegetarian friendly

Glaze Teriyaki Grill (60 West 56^th Street, 638 Lexington Avenue, 139 4^th Avenue)

http://www.glazeteriyaki.com/menu

Natureworks (55th Street between 5^th & 6th)

http://www.natureworksrestaurant.com/

Westerly Natural Market (8^th Avenue & 54^th Street)

http://www.westerlynaturalmarket.com/retailer/store_templates/shell_id_1.asp?storeID=QWCSN3N89ASR2JS000AKHMCCQAB04FN2

-Roti (142 East 43^rd Street between 3^rd & Lex) 

http://roti.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Takeout-menu_NY_3-20141.pdf

GRK Fresh (Lexington Ave between 44^th & 45^th) 

http://grkfresh.com/menu/

Bluestone Lane (43^rd Between 5^th & 6^th) 

http://www.bluestonelaneny.com/coffee-shops/bryant-park/

Blossom du Jour (165 Amsterdam Avenue between 67^th & 68^th Streets, 617 9^th Avenue between 43^rd & 44^th Streets and 259 West 23^rd Street between 7^th & 8^th Avenues) 

http://blossomdujour.com/menu.html

Dishes (6 E 45th S between 5th Ave & Madison Ave.) 

http://dishestogo.com/

 

Spreads (441 Park Avenue South between 31^st & 32^nd)

http://www.spreadsny.com/menu/BREAKFAST/

Xi’An Famous Foods  (24 W. 45th Street between 5^th & 6^th) 

http://xianfoods.com/menu/

*Spicy Cumin Lamb Burger

*Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles

*Oxtail 

*Lamb Face Salad

Burrito Box (885 9th Ave. between 57^th and 58^th Streets)

http://www.burritobox.com/burritobox.php

The Grey Dog (242 West 16th Street, 90 University Place, 244 Mulberry Street, 49 Carmine Street)

http://www.thegreydog.com/restaurant-menu/

 

Untamed Sandwiches (43 West 39^th Street – between 5^th and 6^th) 

http://www.untamedsandwiches.com/

Melt Shop (135 West 50^th Street at 7^th Avenue, 53^rd Street and Lexington and 26^th Street and 6^th Avenue) 

http://meltshop.com/food/

Quick Healthy

Hu Kitchen (78 5^th Avenue between 13^th and 14^th) 

Juice Generation

Chopt

Just Salad

Dig Inn

The Little Beet

Beyond Sushi

Little Collins

Sun in Bloom

Chobani Soho

Oatmeals

Chickpea 

Hummus and Pita Co.

Terri

Organic Avenue

Sweetgreen

Creative Juice Co. (In Equinox locations) 

http://creativejuiceco.com/index.php

*Menu includes nutritional information

Green Bean Organic Café (1413 York Avenue Between 75^th & 76^th Streets)

http://www.beangonegreen.com/lunch-dinner/

*UES!

Bombay Sandwich Co. (48 West 27^th Street between 6^th & Broadway)

http://www.bombaysandwichco.com/#bbscmenu

Gingersnap’s Organic (113 West 10th Street between 6th Ave & Greenwich Ave )

http://gingersnapsorganic.com/menu/

Mulberry and Vine (73 Warren St.)

http://www.mulberryandvine.com/menu/

Zen Palate

http://www.zenpalate.com/

*Meh

Good Health Café (1^st Ave between 74 & 75) 

http://goodhealthcafenyc.com/food-delivery-TW/good-health-cafe-manhattan-consumer.9894.r?QueryStringValue=kfbiKQO+7hD6HHqUVYNl2w==

*UES!

Ceviche(15^th Between Union Square West & 5^th) 

http://www.cevich.com/

Hampton Chutney Co. (68 Prince Street and 464 Amsterdam Avenue) 

http://www.hamptonchutney.com/menu.php

*Dosas

UWay Café (5^th Avenue between 13^th & 14^th)

http://uwaycafe.com/index.php

The Cinnamon Snail 

http://www.cinnamonsnail.com/

*Food truck shut down- keep an eye out for a brick and mortar location soon!

Butterfield Market (114 Lexington Avenue between 77^th & 78th) 

http://www.butterfieldmarket.com/kitchen

Taim (222 Waverly Place and 45 Spring Street or Taim Mobile!) 

http://www.taimfalafel.com/menu

*Harissa

*Carrots

Yorganic (3 Hanover Square) 

http://yorganicnyc.com/food-delivery-TW/yorganic-new-york-city.9886.r?QueryStringValue=COg0ZCIFeTo/KG2maSX+Vg==

Salud (107 Thompson Street) 

http://www.saludnyc.com/salud_menu.html

Smile To Go (22 Howard St.) 

http://www.smiletogonyc.com/

Feel Food

http://www.feelfoodny.com/our-location/

El Rey Coffee Bar & Luncheonette (100 Stanton Street)

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/54ac67bbe4b0c309d030362f/t/54e794a3e4b02e8e022f6178/1424463011933/ERMenu_022015.pdf

Healthy(ish) Sit Down

The Butcher’s Daughter 

Sacred Chow

Quintessence

Vegetarian’s Paradise 2

Souen

V-Note

Blossom on Carmine

Siggy’s Good Food

ABC Kitchen (35 East 18^th Street between Park and Broadway) 

https://www.abchome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/abckitchen_dinner_1.21.14_red_snapper.pdf

*Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds and Citrus

*Mushroom and Farro

The Little Beet Table (333 Park Ave. South Between 24^th & 25^th) 

https://www.thelittlebeettable.com/

ABC Cocina (38 East 19^th Street between Park and Broadway)

https://www.abchome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Dinner-Menu_1.29.14_claws_on_cocina_menu.pdf

The Smile (26 Bond Street) 

http://www.thesmilenyc.com/?tab=the-smile-menus#the-smile

Natural Gourmet Institute $45 Friday Night Dinner (48 W. 21st St., 2nd floor)

http://www.naturalgourmetinstitute.com/html/friday-night-dinner.html

Good Enough to Eat (Columbus Avenue at 85^th Street)

http://goodenoughtoeat.com 

 

Lovely Day Café (196 Elizabeth Street between Spring & Prince) 

http://lovelydaynyc.com/

 

Caravan of Dreams (405 East 6^th Street between Avenue A & 1^st Ave.) 

http://www.caravanofdreams.net/downloads/DinnerMenu.pdf

 

Wild Ginger (380 Broome Street) 

http://www.wildgingeronline.com/

Quantum Leap (226 Thompson St. between 3rd St & Bleecker St)

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/quantum-leap/menu

 

Rockin’ Raw Vegan Café (171 Sullivan St. off of Houston)

http://www.rockinraw.com/menu-category/3-entrees/

Candle Café (1307 3rd Avenue Between 74th & 75th St or 2427 Broadway between 89th and 90th Streets) 

http://www.candleg/east/menu.html

Organic Soul Café (638 East 6^th Street between Avenue B & Avenue C) 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/organic-soul-cafe-new-york

Nourish Kitchen Table (95 Greenwich Ave between Bank St. and West 12^th Street) 

http://nourishkitchentable.com/menu/

Monument Lane (103 Greenwich Ave. at the corner of West 12^th St.) 

http://monumentlane.com/index.html

*$27 Sunday Supper, $15 prix fix lunch

Angelica Kitchen (300 East 12^th Street between 1^st & 2^nd Ave.) 

http://www.yelp.com/menu/angelica-kitchen-new-york

Ellary’s Greens (33 Carmine Street between Bedford and Bleecker) 

http://www.ellarysgreens.com/menus/brunch/

Northern Spy Food Co. (511 East 12^th Street) $27 “Sunday Supper” 

http://www.northernspyfoodco.com/menus/dinner/

The Green Table (75 9^th Avenue) 

http://www.cleaverco.com/green-table

 Family Recipe (231 Eldridge Street) 

http://familyrecipeny.com/menus/

The Fat Radish (17 Orchard Street)

http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile_menu.aspx?rid=55651&tab=1

*The Fat Radish Plate

Gustorganics (519 6th Ave)

http://gustorganics.com/Menu%20February%202014.pdf

Candle 79 (154 E 79th St.)

http://www.candle79.com/images/uploads/candle-79-dinner.pdf

Blossom (187 9^th Avenue between 21^st and 22^nd Streets)

http://blossomnyc.com/chelsea/dinner-menu/

Café Blossom (446 Columbus Avenue between 82^nd & 83^rd Streets)

http://blossomnyc.com/uws/restaurant-menu/

Red Bamboo (140 W 4th St.)

http://www.redbamboo-nyc.com/menu

Peace Food Café (460 Amsterdam Avenue at 82^nd Street and 41 East 11^th Street at University Place)

http://www.peacefoodcafe.com/menu/

-$$Rogue Tomate – 10 East 60^th Street

http://www.rougetomatenyc.com/#dinner

The Organic Grill (123 First Ave between 7st. & St. Marks Place)

http://www.theorganicgrill.com/OGMenu.html

GOBO (401 Avenue of the Americas between Waverly and 8^th Streets) 

http://www.goborestaurant.com/west/index.htm

Pure Food and Wine (54 Irving Place (between 17th and 18th streets)

http://oneluckyduck.com/pages/dinner-pure-food-and-wine

Josie’s West (300 Amsterdam Avenue at 74^th Street) 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/josies-new-york

Community Food and Juice (2893 Broadway between 112th & 113th Streets)

http://www.communityrestaurant.com/

Dovetail (103 West 77^th Street) 

http://dovetailnyc.com/pdfs/Dovetail.DinnerMenu.pdf

Monday night features a special vegetarian and vegetable focused four-course prix fixe for $58

Dirt Candy (430 East 9^th Street)

http://www.dirtcandynyc.com/

Kajitsu NYC Tasting Menu ($55, $85) (125 East 29^th Street) 

http://www.kajitsunyc.com/menu.html

Awash Ethiopian Restaurant (947 Amsterdam Avenue between 106^th & 107th OR 338 East 6^th Street between 1^st and 2^nd Avenues) 

http://awashny.com/menu.html

*Veggie Combo

Hangawi (12 East 32nd Street)

http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/menu_dinner.pdf

http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/menu_prix_fixe.pdf

*Mongolian Hot Pot

Westville (173 Avenue A, 210 W 10th Street, 246 W 18th Street, 333 Hudson Street)

http://www.westvillenyc.com/

Sit Down Restaurants

Spice Market

The General

Flex Mussels

Mercer Kitchen

Fishtag

Blue Fin

China Grill

TAO

Meatball Shop

Drunken Monkey

L’Asso

The District

Becco

Maya 

Mas (la Grillade)

David  Burke Fishtail 

Russian Tea Room

Panna II

Bare Burger

Cascabel Taqueria 

Heidelberg 

Gato

Zebu Grill
Fogo de Chao
Anatolia Mediterranean Restaurant
Chinatown
SOCCARRAT 

Nyonya (199 Grand Street- Grand St. between Mulberry St. & Mott St.)

http://www.seamless.com/food-delivery/nyonya-new-york-city.3017.r

*Curry Mixed Vegetable Casserole in Clay Pot

*Nasi Lemak

*Okra

Root & Bone (200 East 3^rd Street Between Avenues A&B)

http://www.rootnbone.com/

Red Farm NYC (529 Hudson St. or 2170 Broadway between 76^th and 77^th) 

http://redfarmnyc.com/site/wp-content/uploads/RedFarm-UWS-Dinner.pdf

The Cleveland (25 Cleveland Place) http://media.wix.com/ugd/4cf025_1bff3fa6794e488fa9d3f2077f46aaa1.pdf

*Cute outdoor seating

Upland (345 Park Avenue South at 26^th)

http://www.uplandnyc.com/index

Decoy (529 Hudson) 

http://www.decoynyc.com/

Catch (21 Ninth Avenue)

http://emmgrp.com/restaurants/catch/

ABV(1504 Lexington Avenue at 97^th Street) 

https://abvny.squarespace.com/dinner/

-Café Mogador (101 Saint Marks Place) 

http://www.cafemogador.com/eastvillage/?page_id=11

-Crave Fishbar (945 2^nd Avenue at 50^th Street) 

http://www.cravefishbar.com/menu/

-Lure Fishbar (142 Mercer Street)

http://www.lurefishbar.com/

 

-Louro *Nossa Mesa Supper Club ~$65 (142 West 10^th Street)

http://www.louronyc.com/

 

-Souvlaki GR (116 Stanton St (between Ludlow and Essex Sts) 

http://www.souvlakigr.com/Menu.html

-Narcissa (21 Cooper Square at The Standard – 5^th Street and Bowery)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/stnd-narcissa-prod/graphics/assets/000/000/036/original/Menus-Narcissa3.6-2.pdf?1396883042

 

-Empellon Cocina (105 1^st Avenue (Cocina) and 230 West 4^th Street (Taqueria) 

http://empellon.com/taqueria/menus#menu982242

http://empellon.com/cocina/menus

*Pistachio Guacamole

-Park Avenue Spring/Summer/Winter (26th Street at Park Avenue)

http://parkavenyc.com/menus/dinner/#/2

-Kefi (505 Columbus Ave.) 

http://kefirestaurant.com/

-Parm (248 Mulberry Street between Prince and Spring OR 235 Columbus Ave.)

http://parmnyc.com/assets/content/site/2013-ParmMenu-Placemat-110713.pdf

*ICE CREAM CAKE

-Alder (157 Second Avenue) 

*Grilled Octopus with chorizo, sweet potato and banana, Carrot Cake Sundae

http://aldernyc.com/menu/

-Ninja NY (25 Hudson Street) 

http://www.ninjanewyork.com/menu.html

*For the experience, not the food!

-Kellari Taverna (19 West 44^th Street) 

www.kellari.us/dinner/php

-The Musket Room (265 Elizabeth Street) 

http://www.musketroom.com/downloads/TheMusketRoomDinnerMenu.pdf

*Scallops and tofu gnocchi 

-Yefsi (1481 York Ave – between 98^th & 79^th) 

https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/reviews/yefsi

-Mulberry Project (149 Mulberry Street) and The Greenwich Project (47 West 8^th Street) 

www.projectgroupnyc.com

-Genuine (191 Grand St. at Mulberry St. or 600 11^th Avenue at 44^th Street) 

*Fried Tomato BLT

http://www.eatgenuine.com/

-Tasca Chino (245 Park Avenue South) 

http://www.tascachino.com/

Rebelle (218 Bowery) 

http://www.rebellenyc.com/menus/

-Pearl and Ash (220 Bowery *Between Prince St. & Spring St.)

http://www.pearlandash.com/dinner-menu.html

-Piora (430 Hudson Street)

http://www.pioranyc.com/#dinner

Mas (farmhouse) (39 Downing St.) 

http://www.masfarmhouse.com/home.html

Le Verdure at Eataly

www.eatly.com/nyc-le-verdue/

Black Tree (131 Orchard Street) 

http://blacktreenyc.com/menu/

-Momofuku Ko ($125, $175 chef’s tasting menu) (163 1^st Avenue at the corner of 10^th Street) 

http://momofuku.com/new-york/ko/

-Momofuku Ssam (207 Second Avenue)

http://momofuku.com/new-york/ssam-bar/

-Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 First Avenue)

http://momofuku.com/new-york/noodle-bar/

L’Artusi (228 West 10^th Street )

http://www.lartusi.com/

Mezetto (161 East Houston Street)

http://www.mezetto.com/menu/

Toro (86 10^th Avenue – Entrance on 15^th Street and 11^th Avenue)

http://toro-nyc.com/

Monarch Room 

http://nymonarch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/The-Monarch-Room-Spring-Dinner-Menu.pdf

*$1 Oysters!

Yerba Buena (1 Perry Street, 23 Avenue A) 

http://ybnyc.com/media/yerbabuena.html

Beauty and Essex (146 Essex Street) 

http://beautyandessex.com/food/dinner/

Esperanto (145 Avenue C) 

http://www.esperantony.com/

Bourgeois Pig (127 Macdougal Street) 

http://bourgeoispigny.com/about.php

Bar Bossa (232 Elizabeth Street)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/barbossa-new-york

Black Ant (60 Second Avenue) 

http://theblackantnyc.com/

East Pole (133 East 65^th Street) 

http://www.theeastpolenyc.com/home/

Moti Mahal Delux (1149 1^st Avenue between 62^nd & 63^rd Streets) 

*$13 Lunch Special

http://www.motimahaldelux.us/

Legend Bar and Restaurant (88 7^th Avenue) 

http://www.legendbarrestaurant.com/

Maharlika (111 First Avenue @ 7^th Street) 

http://maharlikanyc.com/#/

Alta & Cata Tapas Bars 

http://www.altarestaurant.com/?q=munchies

Café Clover (10 Downing Street) 

http://www.cafeclovernyc.com/home/

Black Tap NYC (529 Broome Street) 

*Burgers

http://blacktapnyc.com/ 

Pio Pio (1746 First Avenue) 

http://www.piopio.com/

Plataforma Churrascaria 

http://plataformaonline.com/about/prix-fixe

Sweets

Emack and Bolios

Doughnut Plant

Dough 

Dough Loco 

The Good Batch
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
Crumbs
I CE NY

-The Petite Shell (Lexington Between 85^th and 86^th)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-petite-shell-new-york

*Regelach

*Babka

Canale by Celine (82^nd Between 1^st and York)

http://canelebyceline.com/

-Chloe’s Soft Serve Fruit Co. (25 E 17th St. between 5^th & Park Avenues) 

http://www.chloesfruit.com/

-L&B Spumoni Gardens (2725 86th St.)

http://www.spumonigardens.com/outgoing-menu

*Pistachio Spumoni

-Holey Cream (796 9^th Avenue at 53^rd St.) 

http://holeycreamnyc.com/food-delivery-TW/holey-cream-manhattan-consumer.6618.r?QueryStringValue=VMmqwG+45lq8Hr7RLKf8cQ==

*Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches

-Melt Bakery (132 Orchard Street between Rivington and Delancey Sts.)

http://www.meltbakery.com/orders.html

-Serendipity(225 East 60^th Street)

http://www.serendipity3.com/food.htm

-Max Brenner(841 Broadway) 

http://maxbrenner.com/menus/restaurant-nyc/dessert-menu-nyc.pdf

 

-Cookshop (156 Tenth Avenue at 20^th Street)

www.cookshopny.com/menus/

*Dinner menu sounds good too!

*Crispy graham cracker crust sandwich filled with banana ice cream and brownie with salted caramel ice cream, rolled in pretzel pieces

*Apple Pie Nachos

-Momofuku Bakery and Milk Bar (207 Second Avenue)

http://milkbarstore.com/

*Crack Pie 

 

-Dominique Ansel Bakery (189 Spring Street near Thompson St.)

http://dominiqueansel.com/

*Cronut

-The Breslin (20 W 29^th Street near Broadway)

http://thebreslin.com/menu/25/brunch/

* Deep-Fried PB & J(served at brunch on Saturday/Sunday from 7 am – 4 pm)

 

-Sugar and Plumm (Bleecker) 

http://www.sugarandplumm.com/our-menu.html

 

-Ample Hills Creamery (623 Vanderbilt Ave.) 

*Salted Crack Caramel 

http://www.amplehills.com/flavors.php

 

-OddFellows Ice Cream (175 Kent Ave.) 

*Beet Pistachio Honey Goat Cheese, PB&J with Toast 

http://www.oddfellowsnyc.com/flavors.html

 

-Hay Rosie (204 Sackett Street)

https://www.facebook.com/hayrosie/app_117784394919914

-Morganstern’s (2 Rivington Street)

http://www.morgensternsnyc.com/

-Il Labratoria Gelato (188 Ludlow Street) 

http://www.laboratoriodelgelato.com/thelab.php

 

-Four & Twenty Blackbirds (439 Third Avenue)

Salt Honey Pie 

http://www.birdsblack.com/

 

-Mikey Likes Ice Cream (199 Avenue A) 

http://www.mikeylikesiticecream.com/

 

Petee’s Pie Company (61 Delancey Street)

http://peteespie.com/

Buttercup Bake Shop (973 2^nd Avenue – Between 51^st & 52^nd) 

http://www.buttercupbakeshop.com/

*Banana pudding that rivals Magnolia?

 

Snowdays (241 East 10^th Street) 

http://www.snowdaysnyc.com/

Quality Meats (57 West 58^th Street & 6^th Avenue) 

*Dessert – Grasshopper ice cream cake

http://www.qualitymeatsnyc.com/menus/dessert/

Quick Meals (Of the Unhealthy Variety)

Wafels & Dinges 

S’Mac 

Oat Meals 

Potatopia 

Peanut Butter & Co. 

Bark (155  Bleecker Street at the Corner of Bleecker and Thompson) 

http://barkhotdogs.com/

*Veggie Dog 

Cheeky Sandwiches (35 Orchard Street) 

http://www.cheeky-sandwiches.com/

Empire Biscuit (198 Avenue A)

http://empirebiscuit.com/

Mexican

Cascabel Taqueria 

Los Tacos No. 1

Toloache

Tacombi (267 Elizabeth Street)

www.tacombi.com

Café Habana (17 Prince Street)

http://www.cafehabana.com/new-york

La Esquina (114 Kenmare between Lafayette and Centre)

www.esquinanyc.com/menus.php

Mercadito (179 Avenue B between 11^th & 12^th Streets, 172 Avenue B between 10^th and 11^th Streets and 100 Seventh Avenue South at Grove Street) 

http://www.mercaditorestaurants.com/aveb/menus.php

*Guacs!

Mexicue (Sit down at Broadway between 40^th & 41^st, Take Out at 30^th & 7th, also a truck!) 

http://www.mexicue.com/menu/

Tehuitzingo Deli Grocery (695 10^th Avenue) 

http://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/reviews/tehuitzingo-deli-grocery

La Pulperia (1626 Second Avenue Between 84^th and 85^th Street) 

http://lapulperianyc.com/home

Breakfast

Little Collins

Bantam Bagels 

Uptown Lounge ($16 entrée + 2 cocktails)

Mexi BBQ 

Bocado
Jack's Wife Freda

Bluestone Lane Café (55 Greenwich Ave.) 

http://www.bluestonelaneny.com/cafes/west-village/

Dimes (143 Division Street) 

http://dimesnyc.com/#/menu/

Shopsins (120 Essex Street) 

http://www.shopsins.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/02/504_Layout-1.pdf

Chalait (224 West 4^th Street / 7^th Ave) 

http://www.chalait.com/

Banc Café (431 Third Avenue – 31^st Street)

http://banccafe.com/

-Café Mogador (101 Saint Marks Place) 

http://www.cafemogador.com/eastvillage/?page_id=11

*Weekday breakfast is a better deal!

*Middle Eastern Eggs

Café Habana (17 Prince Street)

http://www.cafehabana.com/new-york

Catch (21 Ninth Avenue)

http://emmgrp.com/restaurants/catch/

*$60 for two (Two appetizers, two entrees, one dessert, one bottle of champagne)

Murray’s Bagels (500 Avenue of the Americas) 

http://www.murraysbagels.com/

Pick a Bagel (77 & Lex)

Jack’s Wife Freda (224 Lafayette or 50 Carmine Street ) 

http://jackswifefreda.com/

Egg Shop (151 Elizabeth Street) 

http://www.eggshopnyc.com/

Two Hands (164 Mott Street)

http://www.twohandsnyc.com/

El Rey Café (100 Stanton Street) 

http://www.elreynyc.com/

Lobster Joint (201 East Houston Street between Ludlow and Orchard)

http://lobsterjoint.com/les.html

*$19 prix fix

Café Gitane (At the Jane Hotel at 113 Jane St. or 242 Mott Street) 

http://www.cafegitanenyc.com/index.php

*Avocado Toast

*Smoked Trout Salad

*Cous Cous tower

Cafe Mogador (101 Saint Marks Place) 

http://www.cafemogador.com/index.php

Jing Fong (20 Elizabeth Street)

http://jingfongny.com/menus.html

Baked (279 Church Street) 

https://www.bakednyc.com/baked-goods/morning-goods/

*TOASTS!

Lavo (39 E 58^th St., btwn. Madison & Park Aves)

www.lavony.com/Menu.aspx

*PB & Jelly Pancakes (Brunch)

Pil Pil (265 East 78^th Steet)

http://www.pilpilnyc.com/

Recette (328 West 12^th Street) 

*PB&J Pain Perdue 

http://www.recettenyc.com/home

Dranks

Proper West (54 West 39^th Street)

http://properwest.com/

$12 Cocktails 

*Grilled Chicken Quinoa – sliced balsamic grilled chicken breast served over quinoa cranberry almond salad

*Grilled Sriracha Salmon- wild salmon server over tri colored carrots, grilled Portobello mushrooms, and braised kale in an orange sriracha sauce

Mess Hall (2194 Frederick Douglas Boulevard) 

http://www.messhallharlem.com/

-Café Mogador (101 Saint Marks Place)

http://www.cafemogador.com/eastvillage/?page_id=11

*Each cocktail comes with 2 tapas!

Beekman Beer Garden (89 South Street) 

http://www.beekmanbeergarden.com/

Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden (2919 24^th Avenue, Astoria) 

http://bohemianhall.com/  

Back Room(102 Norfolk Street) 

http://www.backroomnyc.com/the-backroom-bar

Pravda (281 Lafayette) 

http://www.pravdany.com/

*Happy hour until 7 p.m. 

*$9 cocktails 

The Daily (210 Elizabeth Street) 

http://thedaily-nyc.com/

Outdoor Happy Hours

Vu Bar (32^nd Street between Broadway and 5^th Avenue)

*Happy Hour 5-7, all day Sunday - $5 beers, $3 shots

http://www.vunyc.com/

Bua Bar (122 Saint Marks Between 1^st Avenue and Avenue A)

http://www.buabar.com/

Schoolbreds (197 2^nd Avenue) 

http://www.shoolbreds.com/

*2 for 1 drinks until 8 p.m.

Boxcar Lounge (168 Avenue B)

www.boxcarlounge.com/

*Bring your own brunch for garden on weekends 

*Happy hour until late

China Grill (6^th & 53^rd)

*$7 Drinks and Appetizers

Margaritas and Guacamole

El Rio Grande 

Mexican Radio

Toloache Guac Trio
Dos Caminos

Pianos (158 Ludlow Street) 

http://www.pianosnyc.com/about/menu

Calexico (2 for 1 happy hour  = $3.50 margaritas!) (153 Rivington Street)

http://calexico.net/location/lower-east-side

Arriba Arriba (769 9th Avenue at 51^st Street) 

http://www.arribaarribawest.com/margarita_madness.html

*La Mama = 27 oz.

Agave (140 7th Avenue South (between West 10th and Charles streets)

http://agaveny.com/menus/

*Acapulco Spice

Barrio Chino (253 Broome Street at Orchard Street)

http://www.barriochinonyc.com/

* Habanero Grapefruit Margarita

Empellon Cocina (105 1^st Avenue (Cocina) and 230 West 4^th Street (Taqueria) 

http://empellon.com/taqueria/menus#menu982242

http://empellon.com/cocina/menus

*Pistachio Guacamole

Florenica 13 (185 Sullivan Street) 

http://www.florencia13nyc.com/#!cocktails/c1ghh

*Flaming Margarita

AG Kitchen (269 Columbus Avenue between 72^nd and 73^rd Streets) 

http://www.agkitchen.com/#menu

*Pineapple and Pomegranate Guacamole, Papaya and Mint

Food Trucks

Sam’s Falafel Stand (Cedar St. and Broadway)

99% Vegetarian Food Truck (Liberty Street and Broadway/Nassau) 

http://newyorkstreetfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/menu-99-Veggie.jpg

Snap! 

http://snaptrucknyc.com/

*Chicavocado Dog

The Squeeze (Union Square West and 17^th Street (Cart), 550 West 54^th Street between 10^th & 11^th Avenue and 2 World Financial 

http://thesqueezejuice.com/media/squeeze-menu.pdf

Green Radish 

http://www.thegreenradish.com/?page_id=17

Gorilla Cheese Truck 

http://www.gorillacheesenyc.com/menu/

Kelvin Natural Slush Co.

http://kelvinslush.com/products/our-flavors

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

http://www.vanleeuwenicecream.com/?page_id=15

Shuka Truck

https://twitter.com/shukanyc

Race Results

Races

Bold = PR

5K (2014 Mount Sinai Turkey Trot)
22:23:28 // 7:13 pace
1^st Place Female Ages 20-24

5K (2011 Mount Sinai Turkey Trot)
25:50:22 // 8:19 pace

4 Miler (2014 Run As One)
28:27 // 7:07 pace

5 Miler (Poland Spring Marathon Kick Off)
38:41 // 7:45 pace

10K (2014 Scotland Run)
45:23 // 7:20 pace

10 Miler (Run to the Blue Point Brewery)
1:22:06 // 8:13 pace

10 Miler (2014 Bronx)
1:23:56 // 8:24 pace

½ Marathon (2015 Brooklyn Half)
1:40:34 // 7:41 pace

½ Marathon (2014 Brooklyn Half)
1:46:50 // 8:10 pace

½ Marathon (2013 Suffolk County Half)
1:59:21 // 9:07 pace

25K (Caumsett Park 25K)
1^st Place Female Ages 20-24
2:13:57.35 // 8:37 pace

Marathon (2015 Pittsburgh Marathon)
19^th Division Place (Females 20-24), 97^th Female, 523 Overall
3:37:03 // 8:16 pace

Marathon (2014 Wineglass Marathon)
1:50:09 // 8:48 pace