Last Week’s Top Five

{1}  Time with my husband.

Adam has been on his break for the past two weeks and we have had the absolute best time going out on date nights after my work days.  I love every single minute with him!

We loved the minutes so much that I couldn’t be bothered to take out my camera most of the time.  We ate some really fantastic meals over the past week and this post only has photos of three of them.  Plus an Instagram shot of the best ice cream of all time –

IMG_20151106_183932

Ice & Vice rocked our freaking faces off.  We got a fantastic trio: Milk Money = toasted milk, sea salt, dark chocolate ganache; Splinters = smoked whiskey barrel wood, cracker jack brittle; 9 am = vietnamese coffee, doughnut truffle.    All three were amazing (Milk Money was best) and they went together perfectly.

{2}  An eggcellent meal at Egg Shop.

I got the drink special – Vodka, St. Germain, fresh lemon juice, watermelon, mint, and a prosecco float.

DSC01102

And we started with the poached burrata -yolk stuffed burrata cheese, crispy chickpeas, tomato agrodolce, and truffle toast.  This was our first time trying burrata and it was wonderful.

DSC01106

For dinner I got roasted Brussel sprouts with lemon vinaigrette and two poached eggs.

DSC01107

This dish was so simple, just veggies with eggs, and so delicious, one of my favorite restaurant plates of all time.  I was literally shoveling it into my mouth.

{3}  Emily loves pizza at Pizza Loves Emily.

<– actually our meal was only ok, but the wordplay was too great to pass up.  Our Modern (double sauce, mixed herbs, garlic, basil, double pecorino, onion, and Sichuan oil) was light on cheese and a little burnt.

DSC01093

My drink was great though.

DSC01091

Dune Deck – Rum, Luxardo Maraschino, lime, and spiced grenadine.  I’ll love you if you stick a Luxardo cherry in my drink.

{4}  Dinner at home.

I’ll pat myself on the back, this was one of the best meals of the week.

DSC01075

Roasted green beans and Naan from La Brea Bakery.

DSC01081

DSC01085

Scrambled eggs with shredded chicken breast and sharp cheddar.

DSC01079

I cooked the eggs on high heat so they were almost burnt and we loved them.

{5}  Yogurt bowls for lunch.

Strawberry Fage with pumpkin o’s, pecans, blackberries, and pomegranate.

DSC01066

A very spring-y blackberry and lemon mix.

DSC01088

And then it was back to fall with pomegranate, chia seeds, pecans, and maple pumpkin seeds.

DSC01099

Now it’s back to work.  I hope everyone has a nice week!

Goodbye, Apple Month

Can you believe that it is already October?!  Time has felt like it is flying ever since we moved back to the city but this year in particular is booking it.  Never mind the fact that I am somehow 30 years old even though I still feel like high school was maybe six years ago tops.

breakfast

I kept this week’s coffee combo simple –

DSC00318

I wanted to be able to get a good feel for this stuff –

DSC00330

This was the perfect month to review* Rigoni di Asiago’s Dolcedì sweetener because it is made of apples!  10 kilograms of organic apples go into 1 kilogram of Dolcedì.

DSC00373

The liquid sweetener is USDA certified organic, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher, and can be used in the same ways you would use table sugar (1 teaspoon of Dolcedì would substitute for 1 teaspoon of sugar, a 1:1 ratio) in hot and cold drinks.  It has 15 calories per Tbsp (table sugar has 15 per teaspoon).  You can also use it in baking but I haven’t tried that yet.

The liquid is sweet but flavorless so it really doesn’t alter the taste of your drink – unlike honey and agave – and I found that it quickly dissolved completely into solution in my iced coffee.  I don’t typically sweeten my drinks but when I do I would definitely use the Dolcedì again in the future.

Along with my sweetened coffees I had bars

DSC00347

DSC00365

and orchard apples.

DSC00368

We were not impressed with the scant variety available for apple picking but these ended up being some of the best apples any of the four of us have ever eaten.

lunch

Plain yogurt with blueberries and pomegranate, sea salt caramel apple granola and chia seeds, and an apple on the side.

DSC00326

Plus I brought in turtle pretzel magic bars for my coworkers and I totally snagged one for after lunch.

DSC00334

DSC00313

The other days I stuck with THIS for dessert –

DSC00377

Omg.

Kodiak flapjack on the go and TJ’s freeze-dried Fuji apple slices.

DSC00345

I hated the pancake cup – it was like choking down raw batter – but those apples are amazing.  I shared a taste with two coworkers who said they were the best they’ve ever had.

Plain Siggi’s with blueberries, strawberry preserves, and caramel apple granola and chia seeds.

DSC00357

The caramel apple chia combo has rocked my world this month, though I have had to start carrying floss in my purse to deal with errant seeds.

“dinner”

Dinners this week were exceedingly weak.  Apparently our busy weekend of walking wore us out because Adam and I have been unbelievably tired.  Like on Monday we got into bed at 7:30 pm tired.  And then on Tuesday we took a nap before bed.  I guess maybe I do feel thirty!

Monday I ate a Starbucks chicken Santa Fe sandwich on the train.

DSC00338

It was good, and thank goodness because when I got home I ate this strawberry Cow Tail under the covers.

DSC00341

Hence “dinners.”

Tuesday I at least legitimately included some vegetables in my snack-based dinner.  Carrots with hummus.

DSC00352

Several rounds of pretzels with string cheese.

DSC00350

And roasted green beans.

DSC00355

This was actually a pretty balanced meal.

And Wednesday I cooked a grown-up dinner.

DSC00396

Can you call heating up a package of TJ’s Palak Paneer cooking?

DSC00381

I had to make the brown jasmine rice and roasted zucchini we served it with so I’m counting it.

DSC00390

With a dollop of goat’s milk yogurt on top.  And my final La Brea Bakery review* on the side – flatbread.

DSC00384

They were all good but this was our favorite bread so far.  It had that perfect naan texture, fluffy yet chewy.  And the flatbread includes sprouted whole wheat flour (along with white flour) which made the flavor just a bit more interesting.  A+.

P.S. Now it’s October it is finally Pumpkin Month!!!

*These products were provided to me free of charge to review.  I was not provided any additional compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.

This Week’s Top Five

{1} Coffee.

I know this gets repetitive but coffee is just so freaking good!

DSC00057

DSC00098

DSC00050

The winner this week was the double espresso with ice and cream from a coffee shop near my hospital.

{2} Chocolate with pretzels.

I brought the toffee candy to work and my co-workers lost their minds over it.  We did too; it was a good thing I got it out of the house or I think Adam and I could have finished the tray in a day or two.

DSC00071

Also yummy pretzel chocolate from Lindt.

DSC00081

Yes, I had dessert every evening this week.

{3} Apple month stuff.

Apple-pear pouch.  I sprinkled the SuperSeedz on a pretty killer salad from the cafeteria salad bar.

DSC00073

Salted caramel apple granola (with chia seeds) on my yogurt.

DSC00091

And this apple explosion lunch.

DSC00107

Caramel apple oatmeal, TJ’s freeze-dried apples, and Salty Road caramel apple taffy.

{4} Loaded baked potatoes.

These bowls were fantastic.

DSC00086

Baked potato / roasted broccoli with green onions / homemade baked beans / topped with plain yogurt, sharp cheddar, and green Tabasco.

DSC00090

For the baked beans: Sauté tons of white and yellow chopped onions.  Add sliced turkey hot dogs, pinto beans, and tomato sauce and let things cook for awhile.  Then season with brown sugar and Gochujang.

DSC00099

They were so yummy I ate the leftovers cold.

{5} Dinner at Mile End.

Mile End Delicatessen is my new favorite deli, which is a big deal because the place I grew up going to had a pickle bar!  MED did have tasty hibiscus beer…

DSC00058

And poutine made with smoked chicken gravy.

DSC00062

And roasted cauliflower with caraway honey, harissa paste, and toasted pistachios.  This had the best texture, crunchy on the outside and silky soft in the middle.

DSC00063

I ordered the turkey reuben for dinner.

DSC00066

Did not disappoint.

{Bonus} New CDs.

My parents are amazing, and they send us mixed tapes all of the time.  They both made new ones recently so this is how my mother labeled them –

DSC00076

Lol!

This Week I Loved…

the start of apple month

September 1st means I go crazy eating all things {caramel} apple!

DSC09828

DSC09831

And breaking into this stash makes me feel less awkward about my growing pile of pumpkin items.

everything by George Ezra

But especially “Blame It On Me.”

my breakfast combo

Fiber One reached out to me about sending samples of their newest product – Cheesecake Bars!  I am not one to turn down something that has 5 grams of fiber and tastes like cheesecake.

DSC09805

They come in strawberry and salted caramel and they are freaking delicious.  Each moderately sized bar has 150 calories.  They certainly aren’t as healthy as a bowl of oatmeal, but I can handle the 3.5 grams of saturated fat occasionally for something quick that keeps me full through the morning and really does taste like dessert.

I paired a caramel bar with a caramel macchiato one morning and it was a bit too much but also amazing.

DSC09833

But most mornings I kept my coffee pairing low-key, Community Coffee with cream and milk.

DSC09821

DSC09823

DSC09848

DSC09849

Yum, I love it when we have (fat-free) half and half in the fridge.

yogurt bowls

2% Fage with strawberries and Heritage Flakes.

DSC09817

Plain Skyr with cotton candy grapes(!!!) and sea salt caramel apple granola.

DSC09843

Omg, kids, the granola was insanely good.  It took a lot of self-control not to go through and pick out all of the caramel bits.

salads

Loaded from the cafeteria.

20150901_124807

Greens with ranch, peppers, tomato, cucumber, black bean and corn salsa, green olives, cheddar, and Sea Salt SuperSeedz from home.  The pumpkin seeds gave this just the right amount of crunch.

At home.

DSC09857

The little strawberry glass is holding strawberry beer – Abita’s* deliciously juicy Strawgator.

DSC09855

And my “salad” – which had no greens because we ran out of spinach – was tons of chopped cucumber and sweet red pepper topped with TJ’s insanely spicy Sriracha ranch, shredded cheddar, roasted pecans, and a huge pile of pulled chicken with roasted garlic and honey bbq sauce.

DSC09862

DSC09836

Also I ate Chipotle salad two days in a row.  No shame.

* apparently Abita makes a milk stout?!  I want it so badly I can practically taste it.

Weekend Highlights – Rockaway Beach And Roberta’s

We have got to squeeze every last drop of fun out of this summer before fall hits.  We made the most of our weekend with a beach trip and ice cream all day every day.

I’ve been crazy hungry lately so these pictures are just a drop in the bucket, but here are the highlights…

Coffee!  While I made my grocery list.

DSC09538

The Vietnam blend from Starbucks is great with cocoa, cinnamon, and sugar.

DSC09543

And the maple latte at Caffé Bene is on point.

DSC09579

Toasted turkey cheese sandwich.

DSC09548

Multi-grain bread with smoked turkey, colby jack, mayo, and lots of pickles.

DSC09555

Plus roasted broccoli on the side.

DSC09549

More roasted broccoli (and more of that plate).

DSC09561

This time with truffle salt.

DSC09571

And Applegate chicken nuggets with a Sriracha honey mustard dipping sauce.

DSC09575

Frozen yogurt.  Birthday cake topped with chocolate stuff and Nutella.

DSC09536

Pizza from Roberta’s.  We will definitely be back!  Cheesus Christ = mozzarella, taleggio, parmigiano, black pepper, and cream.

DSC09611

Sunday afternoon we went down to Tacoway Beach.  They put rum in our watermelon juice and guacamole on our fish tacos.

DSC09581

Plus we got Tostilocos, a big back of chips, black beans, seasoned cabbage, cojita, and Japanese peanuts.

DSC09586

Then we spent some time on the beach.

DSC09592

DSC09595

DSC09600

DSC09590

And stopped by Connolly’s for the all-time best frozen piña coladas.

DSC09603

Have a great week!

DSC09604

My Year Is Off To A Good Start

enjoyed all week

Coffees.  Also naps.

DSC09010

Apparently my parents wore us out; I had a to take a nap before I could make dinner the first three nights of the week.

Diet chocolate soda from Polar.

DSC09013

I know it sounds a little strange but we were fans.

Our leftovers from The Smith.  Eaten cold while standing in front of the open fridge.

DSC08965

DSC08979

My mac and cheese was fantastic leftover and so was my mom’s Mexican corn.

A big box of free samples {free as in provided free of charge / no other compensation for this post / yada, yada } from Super Seedz.

DSC08970

I wouldn’t have thought of pumpkin seeds as a favorite of mine but I’ve loved all of the flavors we’ve tried so far.  Flavor options include: Really Naked, Sea Salt, Cinnamon & Sugar, Coco Joe, Tomato Italiano, Curious Curry, Somewhat Spicy and Super Spicy.  They pack a nutritional punch – see the infographic (provided by the company) below – and Super Seedz are allergen friendly – peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, fish-free, shellfish-free, soy-free and made with gluten-free ingredients.

SuperSeedz_5x7Infographic_FINAL

breakfast

After we dropped my parents at the airport on Monday, Adam and I went on a doughnut(plant) and coffee date before work.  Because apparently we hadn’t eaten enough crap over my birthday weekend.

DSC08950

My strawberry-filled vanilla got two thumbs up.

DSC08954

As did my maple latte from Gorilla.

Coco pumpkin seeds and cold-pressed watermelon juice.

DSC08976

TJ’s came through on this juice, it was wonderfully refreshing.

Chocolate-cherry smoothie.

DSC09004

Vanilla almond milk with coco powder, frozen cherries, and dates.  I enjoyed this combo and want to make it again soon.

Snack plate.

DSC09018

A cheese stick, cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds, and a medley of grapes.

lunch

Chocolate chip cookie oats.

DSC08960

With an apple and coco pumpkin seeds.

Sweet and spicy tuna salad.

DSC08999

With grapes and cinnamon sugar pumpkin seeds.

I didn’t have to provide my own lunch the rest of the week!  I attended a lunch-and-learn on malnutrition in surgical patients on Tuesday.

20150728_121121

They gave us education, salad, and yummy sandwiches with hummus and roasted eggplant.  And I mainlined coffee (with tons of milk and cream) when I got back to my desk.

20150728_145646

On Thursday the hospital threw an employee appreciation bbq.

20150730_122526

Very sweet!

dinner

Pizza, pizza.

DSC08983

DSC08991

We used TJ’s frozen crusts and were so impressed with how they turned out.  Topped with marinara, mozzarella, and tons of garlic and onion sautéed mushrooms.

DSC08995

Plus super simple salads on the side.

DSC08993

Just arugula blend with ranch dressing.  They were a bit depressing.  But we also had beer.

DSC08986

I carried this Southern Tier Compass all the way back home from Buffalo but unfortunately it was a bit hoppy for our tastes.

Burger night.

DSC09021

I made my Buffalo Blue Bean Burgers.  They don’t look like much but this is one of my best recipes!

DSC09033

With a trio of roasted veggies: Brussels sprouts, green beans, and broccoli.

DSC09029

Served with maple bacon kettle chips, aka my favorite chips because they are the best chips of all time.

DSC09026

They were doing a promotion and handing out mini bags at my railroad station and it was very exciting.

Last night I met up with a girlfriend for dinner in Brooklyn.  We checked out Elbow Room, the mac and cheese window at Morgan’s BBQ.

DSC09036

Milk stout.

DSC09039

Old School Mac – NY state sharp cheddar, béchamel, and garlic breadcrumbs.

DSC09042

With collard greens that were spicy and vegetarian.  Dinner was good but dessert was better.

DSC09034

Salted crack caramel and honey peanut butter ice creams from Ample Hills.  But they were supposed to have key lime pie ice cream available and they didn’t so now I need to go back immediately and it’s a problem.

Criminally Good

Is there some kind of “Criminal Minds” rerun support group out there?  I am a woman obsessed.  I need to finish the old seasons in a hurry so I can start going to bed at a reasonable hour again.

I’ll let the pictures (mostly) speak for themselves…

breakfast

My coffee combo for the week was on point.

DSC08076

Community Coffee’s Dark Roast (part of a set of free samples that I have continued to love) brewed double strength with low-fat milk, ice, and a scoop of dulce de leche!

DSC08088

One day I even paired my brew with a KIND salted caramel Popped Bar.

It’s obviously no fun that my husband regularly works nights and weekends, but it is nice that his schedule allows us to occasionally go on mid-week breakfast dates.

DSC08121

We enjoyed doughnuts – and matcha – and a walk before I had to go to work.

lunch

This week I was all about the sandwiches and I didn’t have many of my usual yogurt bowls so I had to make this one count.  Plum on plum!

DSC08071

Chobani’s new 2% Plum Greek Yogurt with chopped up pluots and KIND maple chia granola.  The yogurt wasn’t bad, but wasn’t as special as I had hoped; a pretty plain base with chunks of plum throughout.

I got an okay sandwich in the cafeteria.

20150616_115837

Sliced turkey and muenster cheese with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and peppers on an onion roll.

And brought a fantastic sandwich from home.  TJ’s sliced sourdough with Applegate smoked turkey, haloumi cheese, and olive oil mayo.

DSC08105

Plus an apple and sliced Persian cucumbers on the side for crunch.

The cafeteria came through on salad day.  Romaine topped with black beans, black olives, peppers, sliced carrots, cheddar cheese, tabouli, and ranch.

20150618_135502

With pita chips from the hummus bar (where I found the tabouli) on the side.

snack

Polar’s peach seltzer is amazing, practically juicy.  I’ve got two of the summer flavors waiting in my fridge too and I’m pretty excited about it.

DSC08089

Pb&j.

DSC08094

Guava cheese empanada on the train.

DSC08135

Latte from Café Dada.

DSC08124

Let’s be real, this was one of many coffee snacks this week but the pictures were getting repetitive so I’m only sharing the pretty one.

dinner

A kitchen-sink leftovers salad whose components ended up pairing together perfectly.  A big bowl of lettuce topped with TJ’s sesame soy ginger vinaigrette, Applegate chicken hot dogs, peanuts, edamame, and Persian cucumbers.

DSC08079

With cinnamon toast on the side.

DSC08083

Seriously, how good is cinnamon toast??

This meal was super simple but it was the tastiest of the week.

DSC08108

TJ’s frozen gnocchi with tomato sauce and mozzarella didn’t knock our socks off, but for frozen gnocchi that comes together in 7 minutes it was certainly fine.

DSC08111

But this spinach is one of the best damn things I’ve ever made.  Fresh baby spinach (8 cups worth that cooked down into practically nothing!) steam-sautéed with salt and evoo with low-fat sour cream, minced garlic, raisins, and toasted pine nuts tossed in for the last few minutes of cooking.

DSC08116

I seriously would not shut up about how yummy this was – I even paused “Criminal Minds” to rave about it!

Have a great weekend.

Dinner Bowl

Do you have a preference for tableware and/or flatware?  Whenever possible, I eat out of a bowl, preferably with chopsticks.  Probably because it’s easier to chase every last bite when the food can’t roll off of the plate!  All of my dinners this week were delicious and I think it’s not a coincidence that they were all served in bowls.

breakfast

This was a weird week for me, I ate breakfast – as in chewable breakfast, not just tons of milk in my coffee – almost every day.

Sonja apple.

DSC07905

String cheese and my last mango coconut almond thin.  {p.s. Kate won the giveaway!}

DSC07864

String cheese and a KIND Salted Caramel Popped Bar.  <– very tasty and packs 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein for 140 calories thanks to the blend of whole grains.

DSC07933

Don’t get me wrong, there was coffee too!  This one was TJ’s cold-brew with skim milk and toasted marshmallow syrup.

DSC07857

And this monster was a Starbucks reward freebie that I took full advantage of – venti skim iced latte with extra espresso.

DSC07891

lunch

Yogurt bowls for the win.  Adam and I are both head over heels for the KIND granola.

Local vanilla bean Greek yogurt with KIND maple, chia, quinoa granola and yellow nectarine, black plum, and blueberries.

DSC07854

Plain Fage Greek yogurt with KIND granola and red plum and yellow nectarine.  Plus a serving of Lindt Pink Explosion on the side.

DSC07926

Honey Fage with blueberries and TJ’s bran flakes.

DSC07898

And Tuesday I had catered lunch thanks to a malnutrition policy education that I attended.  Dessert was chocolate-covered marzipan that a sweet coworker snuck to me.

20150609_120735

20150609_121855

snack

A picture’s worth a thousand words.  Apparently I was all about the freeze-dried produce.

DSC07890

DSC07906

DSC07937

DSC07941

dinner

Another reason we both like bowl-style meals is that it’s nice to have our grain/protein/veggie components layered together rather than served in separate piles on a plate.  I like to get a little bit of each flavor in every bite.

Honey-chipotle chicken Chipotle style bowls.

DSC07912

This week’s dinners had a lot of components so I’m going to break them down bullet-point-style.

DSC07870

DSC07872

  • sautéed local Satur Farms energy greens – aka a kale, spinach, etc mix
  • sautéed onions and green peppers with cilantro and lime
  • TJ’s Cuban-style black beans
  • pan-fried chicken breasts that were marinated overnight in chipotles in adobo, honey, evoo, lime juice, sherry, minced garlic, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper
  • avocado
  • shredded cheese / low-fat sour cream / cilantro

We were out of the onion and pepper mix for day 2’s leftovers so instead I served all of the other components on top of big bowls of kale and broccoli sautéed with garlic and lime.  Still good!  We decided that my version was almost as good as Chipotle.

DSC07919

Our rice bowls were a more Asian-inspired.  They would have been better with a runny egg on top but I was pleased with how incredibly juicy the chicken came out.

DSC07946

DSC07948

  • brown jasmine rice
  • browned mushrooms
  • roasted broccoli
  • baked chicken that was marinated overnight in soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, Sriracha, canola oil, lime juice, sugar, and minced ginger
  • bok choy, celery, green onion, and cilantro sautéed with a bit of the sauce from the chicken

Even on my night out I ate dinner in a bowl.  I met friends at Hanoi and ordered the Veggie Spring Roll Bun – room temperature vermicelli, lettuce, cucumber, scallion oil, shallot, peanut, fresh herb, and nuoc cham sauce.

DSC07893

Would you have guessed that there would literally be a chopped up spring roll on top of the dish?  We were surprised, but agreed that it was darn tasty.  The best part of the meal was dessert though.  Maple soft-serve from Corner of Vermont.

DSC07897

We ate our ice cream on a leisurely walk down 5th ave in Park Slope and the whole thing felt wonderfully summery!