Jan goal reeval/ new Feb goals

In hindsight, I realize my January goals may have been a bit ambitious.  I really did try to do a lot of them, so let’s see where I ended up.

1. Take my first yoga class (well, I did buy a yoga for dummies pamphlet and tried a class on exercise on demand TV)

2. Go to spinning class (yup, I heart spinning, I should really go more often) 

3. Make my own sushi (oops, maybe next month…)

4. Dinner at Candle 79 with Jess  (yup, although we went to Blossom instead)

5. Draw (yup)

6. Get a massage (well, I ended up going to Mexico, so I think that counts as my relaxing pampering treat for the month)

7. Visit friends in Philly (oops, maybe next month?)

8. Try a new vegan restaurant (Nanoosh)

9. Volunteer (All the orientation classes were full, but I did donate to Meghann’s cause, so I think that should count)

10. Read (Remember Me, Twilight, etc.)

So, now I have to figure out where I can improve and what my Feb goals should be.  Stay tuned!

February goals

1. Take a weekend trip somewhere

2. Volunteer

3.  Go to the dentist

4. Go to a new vegan restaurant with Jess

5. Take another spinning class

6.  YOGA!

7. Make my own sushi

8.  Massage!

I figured this time I’d go with a smaller list so I can make sure to really tackle all of them.  Plus Feb is short month AND several require scheduling far in advance, so I’m nervous they won’t work out for reasons outside of my control. 

Here I come February…

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insert profanity here

WDE.  (I’m in a TLA mood). 

For those who aren’t too UTD…

Translations: worst day ever, three letter acronym, up to date

But in order to preserve my sanity I will do minimal venting here.  Remember the same horrible co-worker I b$%^ched about a few months ago?  Well, he’s AGAIN up to his evil, sly, scheming ways, and since his lazy apathetic nursing care was compromising the patients, I was forced to do my work AND his just to make sure certain people didn’t die.  AHHHHHHHHH!!!  I could have killed him.  I have never sworn at work before, but today I had to run into the pyxis room to scream.  Eff his effing lazy ass.  It’s aggravating just thinking about it.  Ok, breathe, relax, repeat.

Foods for the day.

AM coffee, duh.

Lunch “turkey,” hummus, and bell pepper sando.

Plus odwalla bar, figs, carob raisins, and apple.

And more coffee x2.

Thank god I had Twilight to read on the subway ride home, it really calmed me down.  I’m trying to stretch out the end because I don’t know what I want to read next.

Dinner was a mini-mexi fiesta.

I heart Amy’s burritos.  They are the perfect last minute meal…or in my case, quarter of a meal.

Veggie and black beans with half an avocado, greek yog, and salsa.

The second part of my dinner was an AMAZING bean chili concoction I made.  Heather was my inspiration for making it from its dried form.  And it WAS as easy as she said!

16 different beans, WOW!

Water and beans, that’s it.

I can’t believe I ate half a pound of beans.  That may be BNB (bad news bears) later tonight  😛

I mixed in greek yogurt and even MORE avocado and salsa.  For anyone who is thinking greek yog seems a super weird thing to have in mexican food, don’t hate.  Plain chobz taste like sour cream.

Check out this “creamy” chili.  I’m so proud of my last minute creation.

Dried fruit for deezer, APU (as per usual).

Dried pineapples and coconut date rolls.  Heaven.

Thanks for bearing with my ranting and abbrevs.  And also thanks for all the sweet comments regarding my profile info.  I honestly love  how supportive the blogging community is.  Even if I am blogging for nobody besides myself, it’s nice to know that there are others out there who struggle with the same challenges in life, whether they are related to work, food, family or friends.

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gymspired

I woke with a tummy ache today :(  so I started the day off with tea.

I had the last of my Holiday Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Tea, so my second mug was blueberry green tea. 

 

I really like the sugar cookie tea, I’m going to have to get that one again.  SO good.  Then I had some toasted Alvarado street bread with peanut butter and cinnamon and stevia sprinkled on top.  This bread is the best, and as we all know, peanut butter is the solution to everything IN LIFE, so I was feeling pretty solid after this.

Lunch was an egg scramble with egg beaters, tofu and Earthbound greens.

It was goooood and the protein loading gave me mega-energy, so I was off to the gym.  My work out was CRAZY long.  I did 60 minutes on the elliptical at levels 10-12, then 30 minutes on the tread mill (fast AND inclined), followed by 30 minutes of abs, arms, and stretching.  I actually could have kept going, but I didn’t want to be sore at work the next day.  Once I got home I had a snack to hold me over until dinner.  This PM snack was also the one I entered in the OhSheGlows contest

YUM!  Open faced PB&J with nanners and cinnamon on top.  The balance of all the ingreds can’t be beat.  It provides energy when you need it the most, but more importantly, it tastes good. 

Dinner was hummus-y because after reading GlidingCalm’s blog, I was in a Sabra kind of mood. 

GN veggie burger, lettuce (Earthbound obvi), and a POUND of sabra hummus, all on a WW english muffin.  Boo-ya! 

The hummus MADE the dish.  These were Thomas english muffins because the store was out of Ezekiel ones (boo).  They were good, but not as thick and chewy as Ezek.  Still, they did the trick.  I also had some carrots with hummus.

Plus another hummus dollop and the rest of the baby carrots.

I was craving something sweet in a major way, and then I realized why.  I haven’t had any fruit (dried or fresh) ALL DAY!!  Whoa!?  So not like me…so I had some coconut date rolls.

Followed by MORE coconut date rolls, and an apple with coconut and cinnamon sprinkled on top.  Sugary fruity yum.

This is my first of 4 glasses of tea (sugar cookie sleigh ride)…it is almost worth making JUST to say the name. 

I creamed K in Rumikube :)  Yeah, we are that couple…board games on a school night.  I guess that’s what happens when it’s 10-20 degrees outside.  Can’t fight that.

Also I finally added an “about me” page if any peeps are interested.  I’m not too hip with computer stuff though so I hope the link works.

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popped my TJ cherry

I finally made it to the only Trader Joe’s in Manhattan.  Seriously, I’ve been doing walk-bys for months now (it is RIGHT next to work after all) and each time I venture close, I chicken out when I see the line.  You would think that having a line out the door every day of the week would clue them in to maybe open another store, but I guess not everyone is as business savvy as I am (right?). 

Ok, but let me back the eff up to the beginning of the day.

SBUX in the AM with a TON of silk.

“Turkey” sammie.

What an original lunch.  Btw, figs and carob raisins are officially my new OBSESSION!!!!

Work today was fairly boring.  Cardiac surgery seems to be at a stand still, so our unit is full of randos.  2 of my patients today were certifiably crazy (that’s my medical diagnosis not theirs), and I’m not big on psych, so it was a challenge at times.  Another patient was a prisoner, so the hospital stay was actually more like a holiday for him.  Don’t worry he was handcuffed with cops guarding him the entire time, but still, WEIRD.  And he had a bullet in him, so he couldn’t get an MRI…oh, the stories I have.  I should write down some quotes because you can’t make this stuff up!   

Moving on.

On the way home from work I decided I deserved a treat, having endured 3 days in a row of work – even though I am currently way over my weekly food budget (and it’s only Wednesday)!!!  I pretty much always think continuous shifts warrant treats, but whatever.  This usually means Whole Foods, but since I had a gift card to TJs and it was snowing/raining, I figured the line would be more tolerable…so I gave it a shot.  I L.O.V.E. Trader Joes.  I could have wandered around the store for hours, but I was starving, so I made it snappy.  And although the line was looooong, it was only 20 minutes of waiting rather than the typical 45.

Bag ‘o goodies includes: cubed sweet potatoes, cubed BN squash, figs, brocc slaw, frozen veggies, fake meat, tofu, pomegranate soda.  Score!

Dinner was a salad with “fancy” lettuce (love Earthbound Farms), edamame, steamed broccoli, tomato, and Boca chik’n nuggets. 

I chopped up the nuggets and added them to the top of the salad and drizzled on some BBQ sauce.  I had a second plate (not as exciting though) with more lettuce, tomato, and the rest of the chik’n nuggets.

And of course the best part of Wednesdays followed…Top Chef.  I really love Carla and Jamie.  Any one else a Top Chef fan?  I pretty much love all things Bravo.

I couldn’t resist this once I saw it at TJs.  I don’t drink soda, so this was a really bizarre purchase.  But I can’t say no to anything pomegranate.    This was GOOD!  I only bought one, though, so no worries, I won’t get hooked. When it comes to fake sugar, I’ve got a “just say no” policy (wellllll….I try).  Still a nice treat.

I had a big dessert plate, full of coco date rolls, FIGS, and carob covered raisins. 

I kinda continued grazing the rest of the night, too.

These figs were the new ones I bought from TJs.  WAY better than the other bin figs I have been getting from our local health foods store.  Sorry in advance for the coming months which will most likely be a series of blogs regarding my love affair with figs.  It’s inevitable (I’ve been savoring sub-par figs, can you blame me?)!

And a few more coconut date rolls…is it possible to have too much dried fruit?  Don’t answer that.  (I think I already know the answer)

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I smell like Mucomyst

And it’s NOT pretty…it may be the worst smell ever.

No.  It’s definitely the worst smell ever.  Yep, I just conducted a study.  9 out of 10 researchers agreed with me (I think the 10th guy was sleeping with the drug rep). 

I may be off “egg” products for a while because of this…

Lunch

Same sammie as ayer (bell pepps, “turkey,” greek yog, and hummus)

Plus the usual side-kicks, along with a NEWBIE (and new obsession).  Dude, figs and carob covered raisins = heaven.  Holy yum, talk about a party in my mouth!!  I like eating them at the same time, it’s, like, THE best.

Naturally a liter of Starbucks’ coffee made it’s way in there (12 hour shifts demand it, so I don’t feel remotely guilty).  .

Dinner.

Tofu, fresh edamame, fresh steamed brocc, frozen veggies, shirataki soy noodles.  In bulk.

Can you believe I took this pic only half way through?!  I was getting super full and the end was no where in sight…but of course I finished it.  Duh!?!  It looks yummy, huh 🙂

I was surprisingly stuffed after this.  I made a cup of tea with silk.

Obviously the entrepreneur mag is not mine…but the greenbox article was cool.  Hooray for being green!

Did I say I was too full for dessert?  Riiiiiight.  Coconut date rolls, figs, carob covered raisins…and more tea.  I think this was the first platter, but there were quite a few, so it’s hard to keep track. 

Time to shower.  This may have been one of the most necessary showers of my life. 

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have patients

Nope.  Not a typo.  I had QUITE a demanding patient load today at work.  Talk about a shock back into reality.  I’ve been off for about a week now, so I knew it was going to be an abrupt change from the lackadaisical days I’ve been having (lounging around the warm apartment without a hint of an agenda).

Anyways, today’s eats were as thrilling as ever.  Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m laying on the sarcasm pretty thick. 

Starbucks soy misto to get the day going.

Odwalla bar when I couldn’t ignore the growling in my stomach any longer.

Sammie with Alvarado Street bread, hummus, greek yog, bell pepps, and Smart deli “turkey” meat.

Figs and dried pineapple.

Round 2 and 3 in the Starbucks department.

Apple in the PM.

And HOME at last…I actually had a bit of energy when I got home, so I decided to whip up a stir fry. 

Seitan is not the devil, kids.

This literally took 15 minutes (even less for the “eggs”).

This was one of 2 plates piled to the very edges.

That’s also half a tomato sliced on top.  The seitan chunks were HUGE and sooooo flavorful!!  I really heart seitan.  It’s the easiest non-meat protein to cook with BY FAR.  You literally can’t mess it up, and it’s so healthy.  Mmmmm…

Anyways, no new Gossip Girl 😦

So I pretty much crashed right after dessert.

:)  Figs, papaya, pineapple, oh my!!

BEST.WEBSITE.EVER.  Create your OWN cereal!!

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bean vs. breast

Which has more protein, tofu or chicken?

My boyfriend asked me that question last night which got me thinking…and after doing a little research, I decided to share.

The bean vs. The breast

**I used www.nutritiondata.com for the info and further specified tofu as silken, firm and the chicken as broiled, cooked, breast meat only

	TOFU	CHICKEN
serving size	84 g	86 g
kcals	52	142
protein	6 g	27 g
fat	2 g	3 g
cholesterol****	0 mg	73 mg
carbs	2 g	0 g
fiber	0 g	0 g
sodium	30 mg	64 mg

Interesting, no?  Of course my fave stat is the cholesterol, being a cardiac rn and all (I can’t help it!)…sure some cholesterol is good for you, but watch this commercial and you’ll understand.  I know it’s actually an anti-smoking campaign, but it’s still plaque build up from cholesterol (smoking just makes it that much more likely to stick to your arteries).  Ok, enough healthify-ing chatter…

Anyways, on that note, I started the day with a bowl of wonderful (cholesterol lowering) oats. 

I added carob covered raisins into the oats before cooking them, which was SO good.  The carob melted and then I was left with subtle “chocolate” flavored oats with raisins.  Btw, I was hungry hungry this AM so I made the oatmeal super liquidy…more silk to fill me up :)     Nom. Nom. Nom. 

Plus coffee.  Obvi.  Like the butterfly in the froth? 

Smashed coconut date rolls, inspired by Erin, inspired by Katie.

Strawberry o’soy yogurt.  It’s SO THICK and RICH!!!!

I really do love Stonyfield.  Anyways, after I snacked the AM away I decided to head to the gym, but it was such a packed house, I peaced out after 45 minutes.  Blah.  I wasn’t that into it anyways.  I’ve had too many gym days in a row, so I’ll be looking to the coming few days off, since I work a TON this week.

After I got home from the gym I was famished, so I made some BN squash.

I cheated and used the pre-cut and peeled kind again, so it took a whole 3 minutes to pop these bad boys were in the oven.

While they were cooking I had the other half of my veggie burger from yesterday with some Sabra hummus.

Could these squash cubes have been more perfectly cooked with those browned edges! (no)

I had about half of them.

Kyle and I did a massive shopping trip in the PM and by the time we got home I was pretty lazy, so I decided to go with Karen Sisters’ thai veggie “chicken.” 

I also made a bunch of veggies to bulk it up, including steamed carrots, steamed broccoli, lettuce, brocc slaw, and BN squash.

Plus the thai “chicken” (seitan) and some greek yog

Round 2.

 

Stuffed.  Like, no room for dessert, stuffed.  Wow.  After dinner, I did my first yoga “class” on Exercise TV on Demand, I did a Flex and Flow course first, and then a Rhythmic Stretch quickie as a cool down.  I really liked the way this calmed me down at the end of the day.  The focus on breathing with repetitive movements that were not too challenging allowed me to get centered and kind of shut myself down for the night (like I’m a computer or something).  It was nice, and since it was my first time,I think it went relatively well, and I’m not completely scared off from further exploring.  Looks like that pamphlet was money well spent 🙂

Haha, did I say no dessert before?!?!?!…yeah right!

A few figs :)  yep I’m hooked!! 

Followed by a coconut date roll (or 3).  Don’t let the bed bugs bite!

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tempeh time

‘Aight kids, I’ve been meaning to take a stab at tempeh for a while now, so after going through tons of recipes, I decided I should prob start with something on the more simple side.  You know, get a feel for how this baby cooks, before I sink my teeth into a more “meaty” recipe (excuse the pun, I couldn’t resist). 

Here are some good websites for anyone else interested in doing a little experimenting in the tempeh department: Lightlife recipes, tempehinfo, and 101 cookbooks. 

I decided to go with BBQ tempeh…

Since I’d never tried Annie’s BBQ sauce before, I made half with the Bulls Eye BBQ sauce (above) since I know I like it, and the rest with Annie’s.

 

I rubbed the top of the triangles with the sauces and also sprinkled some BBQ seasoning on top.

Above (before going into the oven).  Below (after 20 minutes of baking).

I like my sauce tangy with only a little heat, so this flavor was perfect.  I made a little corn & bell pepper salsa/salad to go with it, too.

Broccoli slaw, red onions, yellow/orange/green/red bell pepps, avocado, BBQ seasoning, and S & P.

The corn/pepper salad and the avocado complimented the tempeh so PERFECTLY.  Wow, I’m so proud of myself.  This was so good.  Considering my first tempeh trial (which was basically just raw slices) was not the most successful, I was nervous to try the BBQ tempeh.  But after cooking it, all the bitterness was gone, and the barbecue sauce & seasoning was subtle enough to let the tempeh’s own texture and flavor come through.  A definite success.

Here’s round #2…told you I was a second helping girl lately :)  Oh yeah, I also tossed some carrots on this plate. 

Kyle and I watched the Miss America pageant (which was a little disturbing and basically reinforced most of the pageant stereotypes) while I had some coconut date rolls for dessert (like 3 times the amount actually shown).

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bad timing

Ugh.  Of all the mornings to wake up without coffee, this was def poor planning on my Kyle’s part (just kidding, I’m obviously the one that finished it and didn’t buy more).  Clearly, a trip to Starbucks was the first task of the day.

Nothing makes me happier than the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the AM.  Nothing!  We got the House Blend (with a free cup of joe).  Kyle headed off to MM, so I made myself some toast and sipped my coffee (only way to nurse a hang over). 

I kinda burnt the toast (I’m really dragging this AM), but luckily a pound of Earth Balance pretty much salvaged it.

A little later, some vanilla o’soy yogurt with figs and raisins…

And then some apple slices and coconut date roll…talk about a multicourse brunch.

Since Kyle was out, I enjoyed some ice skating (made me think of GlidingCalm) on TV while dillydallying around the apartment. 

Before heading to the gym I had half a veggie burger with some home-made hummus.  Now I’m enerrrrrrgized!

I had a really good gym sesh so I thought I’d share one of my best gym tricks.  Personally, I love doing workouts that require me to change the various settings (rate, incline, etc) on the tread mill or elliptical – it keeps things interesting and challenging.  But I hate that it forces me to constantly stare at the monitor (after all – a watched pot never boils).  To avoid this, I create playlists that are upbeat and escalating in tempo and instead of changing the monitor on a specific time schedule, I change it after each song.  Each new tune gives me a burst of energy, plus I don’t have to look at the monitor and I can still remember to change up my routine (and thus avoid hitting a plateau in my exercise regimen).  Try it!

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Kirsten who?

Adios Caroline, hello Sen. Gilliweed.  Ok, ok, that’s not her last name…it’s actually a Harry Potter reference, but it’s kinda close?  Sen. Gillibrand is her real name.  I’m liking the recent fad of appointing female politicos to power (minus the near VP disaster). 

As for non-red/blue conversation, I had a pretty solid gym day, which consisted of 60 mins ellipticaling on the random setting (levels 9-15) and 15 mins of spinning (escalating intensity).  No abs/arms – it was a day of rest for the mat work :)  The random setting on the elliptical can be hard when you aren’t paying attention!

Post-gym/PM snack was none other than my newest fave (figs), along with a few friends. 

A cute little dried fruit spread, no?  I LOVE dried fruit, I think I go through phases with my favorites (figs being my latest obsession), but dates will always be my true love.  That coconut date roll is a serious front runner today, though!

After snacking, I got all dolled up for a night out on the town.  It was my BFF’s birthday so me and 2 of my girlies had big time celebration plans (with a strict no boys allowed policy).  I even wore a dress that’s how much I love this girl.  Granted I had some etoh to help warm me up, but still, braving the 40 degree weather in nothing but tights to keep my legs from freezing off is not something I plan on repeating.  That said, Jess is seriously my soul mate (aside from Kyle); we’ve been inseparable since she moved to the Bay Area in 7th grade.  Even after high school, we went to college together and now live only blocks apart in NYC.  She’s like my BFF/sister/lover.  Here’s a pic of us from college graduation (I’m left, she’s right). 

So we decided to start the night with dinner and drinks at Blossom (a vegan restaurant in my ‘hood).  Jess is vegan, and although our other friend is not, she’s very open-minded, so she was game.  I’ve been to Blossom before, and knew exactly what I wanted this time. 

We started the night with a bottle of Pino Grigio for the 3 of us to share, then moved on to appetizers.  Our waitress recommended the Crostini Tapas, which was perfect for sharing.

I came with six toasted crostini breads with hummus, spinach walnut pesto and tomato basil bruschetta mix dressed with kalamata olives – and it was AMAZING.  The hummus alone could have been my dinner, I literally had to use all self control to not shovel it in my mouth.  I think I may return to Blossom just to order 5 of these appetizers for myself!  The tomato bruscetta was good, too, but a little too onion-y for my taste.  I don’t like pesto, but Jess said it was her fave on the plate, so it must have been good.

For dinner I got the Porcini Rubbed Tofu with celery root puree and charred Brussels sprouts.  Last time I went to Blossom they were out of this dish, so I was so excited to get it.  It was really really good.  The tofu rub was a bit spicy, definitely had a kick at the end of each bite that I wasn’t prepared for, and the celery root puree tasted like a twist on a mashed potato dish (with a vinegar flavor to it).  So good.  Also, the brussels made up for my oven nightmare a few days ago. 

Hannah got the seitan scallopini (which I had last time) and is SO good.  It actually might still be my favorite…shhh, don’t tell the tofu.  Anyways, Hannah seemed beyond impressed that her meal was vegan.  She definitely enjoyed each and every bite.  A new convert?  Prob not, but still good that she could appreciate a fine non-meat meal. 

Jess got the walnut crusted seitan cutlet, which looked like a Thanksgiving dinner!  She definitely was blown away by this.  I can’t believe I got to take her vegan restaurant v-card (she’s been vegan longer than I have and has yet to take advantage of living in NYC)!  Looks like I’ll have to drag her around the city with me to conquer all the other amazing vegan places…something tells me she will be more than on board, though.

For dessert we got the birthday girl a slice of “cheese”cake (which we all split).  YUM!!!!  I heart vegan desserts and this one was so decadent, thick and rich.  I want to get desserts from this place every night from now on. 

After dinner we went to a couple of bars for some innocent fun, gin & tonics and dancing.  Cheers!  The rest isn’t PG enough for HHH 🙂

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