Author Archives: Emily

Sample

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It’s been a fun evening but I probably should have been in bed hours ago so I’ll try to keep this short 😉

When the husband got home this afternoon we took a much-need 1hour nap.  Then we geared up to go to the gym.  I realize today probably didn’t provide the best circumstances for a work out (lack of sleep, not a lot of food) but I’m finding that if I take even one day off from gyming it that one day turns into two, and three, and so forth.  It’s like my lack of motivation snowballs.  So for the next 30days or so – the amount of time it takes to form a habit – expect to see some sort of formal workout from me every day.  Even if it’s just 10 minutes of stretching, hopefully making it “official” will keep me motivated.

Today’s workout was 30minutes on the elliptical.  I set the machine to level 6 random, and did backward pedal/forward pedal intervals as well as several sprints.

I gave it my all and was so tired afterwards I had a hard time raising my arms to wash my hair in the shower!  I think I managed to look pretty cute though, dontcha think?

The only thing I like more than ruffles is trying out new restaurants with the husband and that is precisely what tonight’s date entailed.

We’ve had SAMPLE on our radar ever since we wandered past it last month during the art festival.  The concept is that you get to SAMPLE a lot of little tastes.  It’s like tapas but the serving sizes are even smaller, single portion, no sharing.

The husband and I are a unit though (gag) so we managed to share a bit.  Like the cheese plate we split –

Carmelized onion, goat cheese, and roasted pear butter pannini.  Housemade ricotta cheese with fire roasted pineapple chutney. Aged provolone “fondue” with roasted tomato & basil pesto and baguette cubes.  I ate about 1/3 of this; it was ok, but nothing exceptional.

Or the 2-for-1 rum drink special that prompted us to order strawberry mojitos –

The husband’s entrée consisted of little sandwiches and “lots” of meat –

Cuban sandwich, steak frites, beef on weck, and pulled pork.

I got one sample plate to taste, Fish and Chip –

Beer battered salt cod served on a crispy potato guafrette with napa cabbage cole slaw.  The cole slaw was crazy good, but I was glad to only have a small bite of the fried fish.

I took the healthy route for my meal and choose something of the “Small Plate” menu instead of the “Sample” options.  Beet salad –

Tender green salad with roasted beets, gorgonzola cheese, and beet vinaigrette topped with housemade candied walnuts.  This was very good, but certainly not the best salad I’ve ever had.  I prefer this combo with goat cheese.

For dessert we split the Sample Some More –

Housemade graham crackers, chocolate peanut butter cream, bruleed vanilla marshmallow with dark chocolate sauce, and peanut brittle, served with dark hot chocolate.  This dish was a winner, you can’t go wrong with ‘smores!

In the end we agreed that we had a good time but probably wouldn’t go back (unless it was to sit at the bar and eat dessert).  The concept was wonderful but the execution wasn’t quite there.

I knew Adam would still be hungry but in my effort to feed him I shared too much of my salad and ended up a bit hungry myself.  We drove around for awhile and ended up grabbing a 4-piece chicken nugget kid’s meal at Wendy’s.

I know a lot of bloggers wouldn’t eat Wendy’s, period, but I was actually pretty proud of myself for this choice.  My meal wasn’t quite big enough so I had hunger and not appetite (look at that nutrition vernacular!) and this was a reasonable little meal.  We are going out of town again this weekend so our fridge is pretty bare and I can’t think of any fast food option that would be a better choice than a kid’s meal.  I could have probably done without the fries but Wendy’s fries are sooo good – I like the extra squishy ones – and I did share some with the husband.

How do you get/stay motivated for your work outs?  Any tips for me as I get back into shape?

Long but Loving

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Hello again!  I hope that everyone got over the week’s hump nicely.  I’ll describe my situation succinctly: I will never put off my work for 4 days in a row again!  It’s been a painful experience that I don’t want to soon repeat.  The last 48hours have been stressful, but my eats have all been so good that there was no way I wasn’t posting them; hence the long recap post.

Wednesday morning I made a breakfast that was truly a thing of beauty –

A serving of Van’s Belgian Waffles topped with 2T maple syrup, the last of the strawberry sauce, fresh blueberries, and a cinnamon sprinkle.

Gah!  I always used to think that I didn’t like waffles, pancakes, etc, but that was just because I didn’t know to top them off with fruit and cinnamon.

{study, study, study}

Lunch was some Allergaroo Spyglass Noodles.

These were super tasty, and just the right about of food.

I wanted to keep lunch light because it was Katie’s birthday last week and we had a cupcake date.  It ended up being too hot for cupcakes, but locally made ice cream certainly fit the bill.

I got a small scoop of A Date at the Zoo, coconut ice cream with wine poached dates, brazil nuts, and chocolate chips.  Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds!

{study, study, study}

When hunger hit (hard) later in the afternoon I sliced up a big plate of cucumber to munch while I studied.  Unphotograhed accountability note – I also ate ~ 1/3 of a salmon patty straight from the container.

The water-dense snack was a good choice, because when the husband got home at 6 we headed out for a run.

I didn’t wear my watch, so I have no idea what the times are, but it was a good workout.  We did a mix of running and walking (with a few stops so I could fuss with my socks, eek I’m not sure if it’s the shoes or the socks but something with my new shoes isn’t working) and covered 3miles in total.

When you have good leftovers a healthy tasty dinner can literally be less than 2mintues away!

Over a bed of spring mix lettuce I combined 2/3cup microwaved frozen corn, a salmon patty, and a big scoop of medium chunky salsa.

The flavors of this salad went together so well!  It filled me up but it tasted so good that I kept scraping at my plate so I wouldn’t lose any of it 🙂

{study, study, study} um, {study, study, study, study}

That’s right folks, I pulled an (almost)all-nighter!  I stayed up until 4am doing the reading I should have done over the weekend.  Ugh.

I fell into bed for 6hours or so and then got right back to my books.  My messed up sleep schedule messed with my hunger in turn, and breakfast just didn’t sound good.  I did nibble on a serving of Jammie Dodgers throughout the morning though.

Around 2:30 I was finally caught up on the reading, which meant that I was ready to study for and take my test, jeez!

I did break for lunch though.  I pulled a carton of Dr. McDougal’s Lentil Soup out of the depths of my fridge.

I gussied it up with a chopped string cheese, a dollop of plain Siggis yogurt, and some Sriracha.

With a Savory Kathy’s Krackers Flax Snax on the side.

All together now –

Then it was more studying, yadda, yadda, yadda, and FINALLY I took my exam.  And I’m pretty sure I got a 100%, phew!

and if you’ve stuck around through all of that, I’d like to reward you with some recommendations…..

A Few of My (Current) Favorite Things –

1. The new fishy measuring spoon set my mom sent me.

They are available at Fred Flare, but I have heart palpitations whenever I view the kitchen section of that store so I can’t give you an exact link!

2. This College Humor Article about us 90’s kids.

Although I was actually always partial to Treasure Mountain, the article is hilarious.

3. The free online game Red Remover –

It is based on actual principles of physics, it is wickedly entertaining, and it’s flipping adorable.

Any current loves you’d like to share with me?

Fish = Brain Food

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I’m not even going to talk about the work situation, just yuck.  But the food situation?  Fabulous!

Remember when I discussed how lovely today’s breakfast and lunch were?  Well dinner could hold her own.  (IRL at least, geez my photo lighting is el terrible!)

Gorgeous!

Roasted asparagus with lemon and evoo,

roasted edamame,

and my newest salmon patty recipe; Shallotta Salmon Burgers.

My parents bought us canned salmon at TJ’s last week and I think we put it to very good use.

We didn’t finish dinner until after 10:30 but somehow I talked myself into getting down on my yoga mat when I was done.  20minutes of stretching and strength training moves and I’d gotten in a workout for the day.  Something is better than nothing, and for how out of shape I am it wasn’t even a small something!

Tomorrow needs to be an early morning; think smart thoughts for me!

What is your favorite type of burgers?  Mine are turkey burgers, followed closely by salmon burgers.

Ch. 6 Was Actually About Protein

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I hope everyone is having a good week!  Panic is sort of an understatement for my current mindframe.  My stomach starts to hurt whenever I think about how much schoolwork there is to be done.  Between this morning and Thursday afternoon I need to read and take notes on 7 chapters, watch 7 online lecture videos, and complete 9 different assignments.  Oh yeah, and right now I’ve completed 1/7, 1/7, and 1/9; yikes!

I’ll get it all done in time, but I’m definitely not too happy.  The biggest problem is that it takes me so long to get started in the morning.  Thank goodness I ate a great breakfast to fuel me once I did start!

Just yum!  This bowl was a big mix of Siggis blueberry yogurt, strawberry sauce, blueberries, a sliced red plum, and a spoon of clover honey.

Who doesn’t love a breakfast that’s a beauty even after she’s all mixed up?

This bowl was super filling too; I didn’t eat lunch until after 2pm.

Lunch was a beauty all on its own.

I needed staying power like breakfast so I made a Protein Packed Peas and Peanuts Pasta Bowl

  1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, pan-steam 1cup frozen peas in a splash of vegetable stock.
  2. Remove the peas to a separate plate and lower heat to medium.  Swirl 1tsp evoo in the pan and add 1cup precooked macaroni noodles, season with salt.  Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until browned and crusty.
  3. Meanwhile make your sauce.  Whisk together 1Tbsp peanut butter, 1/2Tbsp tamari sauce, 2T rice vinegar, and 1tsp sugar.  Tip # 1 – microwaving your pb for 30seconds can make it easier to stir.  Tip # 2 – use the bowl you plan on eating out of so you don’t waste any sauce that sticks to the sides.
  4. Return peas to pan with pasta, pour in sauce, toss to combine.  Cook 2-4more minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Break 1egg over mix and allow to mostly set before stirring in.

This was so fricking tasty!  I lowered the peanut butter and oil amounts from my usual recipe and I really didn’t miss them.

Fun fact, the egg came from the first of my winning cartons.

I always buy Eggland’s Best eggs but now I can get the really good ones!  (i.e. organic, vegetarian fed hens, etc)

And it’s back to work for me!

Nutrition Fun Fact – Quinoa is considered a high quality protein because it is easily digestible and contains all of our essential amino acids.

Red, White, and Late

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I hope everyone and their families had an incredible Independence Day.  No July 4th post for me, mostly because I was so ashamed by my lack of red, white, and blue foods; I always stick to theme!  We did dress festively though,

some of us more than others 😉

We did eat in an, ahem, celebratory fashion though, so I woke up today feeling pretty bloated and gross.  No better cure than testing out the new running shoes (an early birthday gift from my parents).

Since it was 10am already but we didn’t want breakfast before our run the husband and I split this pack of energy gels.

They were a free sample but I would probably buy them again, they tasted more like candy than gels and didn’t sit heavy in our stomachs.

I decided the safest route for new shoes was short intervals –

  • 5minute walking warm up
  • 5minute run
  • 3minute walk
  • 5minute walk
  • 3minute walk
  • 5minute run
  • 3minute walk
  • 5minute run
  • 5minute walking cool down

All total we covered 3miles in 39minutes.  I’m unsure about my new shoes still, they were far more supportive but I ended up having to stop and mess with my right foot halfway through because of a big blister forming on my right pinky, I’m hoping from my new socks.

After a quick shower we headed out to meet our friend Danielle for brunch.  I had a ton of work to do today (and did NOT get enough of it done!) but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity since the husband had the day off from the lab.  We headed to Panos.

I was feeling stressed about my work, but that’s nothing an extra spicy bloody mary can’t fix.

All the breakfast options were pretty big, but thankfully I talked the waitress into letting me order off of the kid’s menu.

I ended up with the 1-1-1.  One egg, sunny side up,

one piece of french toast,

and I subbed in hash browns for my one piece of meat.

I smothered everything in maple syrup and devoured, delicious!

While I was home not working I did random snacking.  Blue and I had some Rainbow Nerds.

A serving of Jammie Dodgers biscuit cookies.

An onion roll with Smart Balance, x2 actually, this was quick and tasty.

And I finally got in my red, white, and blue!

Siggi’s vanilla yogurt with strawberry sauce and blueberries.

O-M-G, so fabulous!  Doesn’t the yogurt just look like a scoop of ice-cream?!  The texture is practically like cream cheese!  The strawberry sauce I actually whipped up yesterday, the recipe comes from Healthy Food for Living.  I had to add ~1/4t of xanthan gum to keep it from being too liquidy, but other than that I highly recommend trying it yourself.

The husband came home this evening (he went to a water park with some friends) and insisted on getting me some veggies; my knight in shining arm took me on his steed to the Co-op hot bar.

I got a little bit of turkey Tetrazzini,

a piece of eggplant parmesan,

2 stuffed grape leaves,

and some side salad.

Now I’ve got to get to bed on the double, I panic a little bit whenever I think about how much work I have to do tomorrow!

Did you do anything fun to celebrate the Fourth?

Caramel Crab and Beef on Weck Roll

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It’s been a busy past 24hours, the husband I have managed to pack in a LOT of fun!  We started by staying up half the night watching “Dollhouse;” what are we, in college?!?  Adam shared one of his Kashi cookies with me around 1am.

This “morning” didn’t begin until after 10am 😉  But I did start the day off right with a tasty breakfast sandwich.

An onion roll topped with Crofter’s Superfruit Spread, a slice of reduced fat colby jack cheese, and 2 eggs.

I use the microwave method for the eggs (which I whisked a bit of Buffalo sauce into) and they came out so fluffy.

Then we piled in the car for another mini roadtrip.  Adam’s friend from his lab invited us to her wedding reception and it was held upstate.  They actually got married in St. Thomas (hometown represent!) a few months ago, so the party had a tropical theme.

The husband and I split a strawberry daquiri,

and a small plate of chocolate fountain food.

We actually cut out early and missed dinner, so we decided to get sushi once we got back to Buffalo.

The husband has been craving sushi so we checked out a place we walked by a few weeks ago, Sea Bar.  They had great aqua accoutrements,

and complementary spiced popcorn.

For our actual appetizer the husband and I split a Miso Caramel Crab roll.

So tasty!  The roll was tempura’d with cream cheese, green onions, and crab, then topped with miso spiked caramel.

The four bites were enough to satisfy my sushi fix, so I went with salmon for dinner.

It came well done with roasted pineapple salsa and egg fu young.  I passed the eggs to Adam but devoured my fish.

Among other things, the husband ordered a Beef of Weck roll.

Fun!

After dinner we kept the date going with a trip to Delish for ice-cream.  I got a Love Potion # 9,

sweet cream raspberry ice cream with lavender.  Swoon, the lavender gave such a great aftertaste.

The salmon and ice cream were quite tasty, but honestly, I’m still flipping starving!  I’ve been hungry since I went to bed last night and it’s been driving me crazy.  Once I get this published I’m actually going to go get a sandwich!

What is your favorite type of sushi roll?  I’m not often brave enough to go beyond veggies, but one time in Brooklyn Adam and I had a roll with bananas in it that was divine.

Achoo BooHoo

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So it turns out that I scored a 100% on yesterday’s exam (yippie!).  Sadly, that news was pretty much the last high point of the day.  Today was just bad.  I woke up with bad allergies and a bad mood.  A terrible mood actually.  I have no explanation for it, but kittens and sunshine were just not in the cards.

I went out to get breakfast so I could take a cheer up walk, and I ended up with an egg and cheese biscuit.

Meh.

Even more meh was lunch.

I usually love Allergaroo, but this Spaghetti was bad.

The serving (or two!) of Lindt truffles I had for dessert did perk me up a bit though.

And once the husband got home things started to get better, love how that works!

Grocery shopping was obviously a necessity so we threw in a salad bar date.

Grilled veggies,

a little bit of sweet and sour chicken and curried chicken salad,

cabbage salad,

a lot of Asian green beans.

Realistically Friday night was not the time to hit up a hot bar, usually I lick my plate clean but I couldn’t quite swing it tonight.

I was still hungry post-dinner and when I was feeling empty a full hour later I decided that it was real hunger and made myself some mashed potatoes.

I mashed 7oz of baby potatoes with 1T skim milk, 1.5T butter, salt, and rosemary.

I’ll never understand people who peel there potato salad potatoes, the skins are the best part!

Do you have any allergies?  I am allergic to cats, dust, and tons of seasonal plants, but I’m so happy not to have any food allergies that it’s really all good.

Dinner at the Dollhouse

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I think I actually did pretty well on my test 🙂  But the amount of work to be done in the next three days is frankly a bit scary.  I’m decompressing before my nose hits the grindstone by watching Dollhouse with the husband.

Did you catch my vegan challenge recap?  This breakfast is so tasty that even though it’s vegan it’s the only thing I wanted.

A serving of Van’s Buckwheat with Berries waffles with my Berry Breakfast Topping.

I used Silk Almond Milk, a peach and some blueberries in my topping.  It is just so good!  Like at how juicy and big the berries get –

The rest of my day was decidedly UNvegan.

While we were out getting his new phone the husband bought me Coldstone.  I went with a kid’s size Oreo filling ice-cream with a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup mashed in.

It was the perfect amount, I’m so glad they let me get a kids instead of the “small.”

We still haven’t gone to the grocery store since our roadtrip, so dinner came courtesy of the bar downstairs.

My turkey grill had turkey, tomatoes, jack cheese, and 1000island dressing on sourdough; no butter on the bread.  With fries.

If I’m getting fat it’ll be on french fries please, not soggy fried bread; don’t be afraid to request modifications when ordering in a restaurant.  I was a bitter waitress for years but I never minded when people championed for their health.

What modifications do you make to restaurant orders?  I usually just throw away the bread, but when I plan on eating it I ask for no butter.  I also ask for things like Hollandaise sauce on the side.