Post-Surgery Distraction

by Emily

Yikes! The actual process wasn’t so bad (a very painful numbing shot, cauterizing, and cutting) but the aftermath is pretty horrendous. I’m at about a 7-8 on the pain scale and we can’t pick up my codeine for another hour, so this post is basically a distraction attempt.

Let’s back up. It’s my firm belief that one should look as pulled together as possible when going to the doctor. When Adam had to go to the hospital earlier this year I actually stopped on the way out the door to put on mascara in case it got us better care!

I drank a Brooklyn Winter Ale on the ride to calm my nerves.

Did it work? Hmmn, let’s look at this totally grown-up video Adam and I made in the parking lot – click here.

Leaving the office was a lot of hobbling and moaning on the other hand. When we drove to Walgreens with my prescription and the guy said we couldn’t pick it up for 1.5hours I thought Adam was going to cry! When we got home he tried to distract me with a homemade Bloody Mary.

Tomato juice, vodka, Siracha, olives/juice. It’s only ok but I will probably keep sipping until my codeine shows up!

Superhusband is currently making the Spanish Spaghetti we have planned for dinner, but I myself am leaning pretty heavily towards nachos. I’m not sure how with-it I’ll be this evening, but I am planning on a quick dinner post.

I was starting to cry when we got home but then I gave myself a reality check and snapped out of it. There are many countries where this amount of pain is a daily occurence for people and they aren’t waiting for codeine because it’s never coming. Not only am I fortunate enough to receive proper medical care in the first place, I have the option of modern pain relief. I should be so lucky to be in pain from a wart removal.

What reality checks have you gotten lately?

3Jan2010

Oink?

by Emily

Some people might view yesterday’s eats as motivation to get in some greens; I apparently saw it as a challenge. Prereading Disclaimer – do NOT try this at home, you will gain 15lbs in less than a year and it will make you sad. That said, eating crap and watching tv all day was fun.

I did leave the house for a little bit though –

Our friend Danielle (who we actually saw at the restaurant!) has been recommending Coles as a brunch spot for months.

Brunch = Bloody Mary.

And to eat I ordered the crab cake Benedict.

I ate about 2/3 of this before passing it off to Adam. Overall the meal was good, but it just couldn’t compare to brunch in NYC 😦

Afterwards we drove to Anderson’s for froyo.

I got cinnamon with Heath pieces. I only ate about half of this. I’m not sure why I kept wasting food, but I do know I probably should have wasted my next two eats –

And then I rounded out the day with a disgusting amount of popcorn.

Divided into two bowls so I could sample two flavors of Kernel Seasons sprinkles.

Yuck, I feel gross. I’m having foot surgery tomorrow so I don’t plan on moving any time soon but I could certainly eat a lot more cleanly this month!

Do you have a favorite brunch spot in your hometown? Cole’s was ok but we need to keep looking. I miss my Brooklyn brunches!

1Jan2010

New Favorites for a New Year

by Emily

If the first day set any sort of precedent, 2010 is going to be a great year! And in case I forgot that it’s not 2009, we got lots of new calendars for Christmas.

Today was all about errands; Office Max, grocery restocking, present returns. I have my foot surgery this Monday so I’m trying to get all standing activities out of the way. In between errands I had a lovely late lunch –

The pasta was a Lean Cuisine. I love how packed with veggies it was, lots of zucchini and the marinara was delicious.

The bread made the meal however. I don’t know how I managed to only eat half of this cheddar and jalopeno bialy!

Spicy and cheesey and yum! I also had a tasty bite of Adam’s cookie.

Our final errand took us to the mall, where I discovered my new favorite restaurant – Jack Astors. There were about 80 things on the menu that sounded good and pretty much everything was affordable. The booze prices were ridiculous low. Plus, they let you draw on the table!

Adam’s art was a bit less 6th grade than mine –

I promise I did my drawing before my drinking,

Raspberry Lemon raspberry vodka, lemon, sprite, and soda. Yums, my favorite drinks are always sour.

And dinner was a Chopstick Chicken Salad Grilled chicken breast on a bed of mixed greens, red pepper, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and cucumbers, drizzled with zesty sesame soy dressing. Topped with crispy wonton strips, spicy pecans, and sun-dried cranberries.

Ah-maze-ing! Next time I would ask for dressing, etc on the side but it tasted awesome. We were running a bit late to see a movie and I ended up bringing the second half to the theatre and eating it with chopsticks mid-show. Strangest movie snack ever?! I also split a small popcorn with butter with the husband.

The only thing that could have distracted me from that salad was an incredible movie, and Sherlock Holmes delivered. It was my new favorite movie! It was funny as hell and fully captivating for 2hours. I love love loved the costumes and setting and artistic shooting.

Now I’m planning on settling in to fill out my new planner before bed. There is something deeply satisfying to me about a fresh, crisp planner and I’m so excited I could burst!

Do you use a planner to keep track of your life? Love or loath it?

30Dec2009

Monday Night – Tuesday Night

by Emily

Yikes, this is going to be a looooong recap. And that’s if I keep the details breif! We’ve had lots and lots of good food and fun the last couple days.

After my last post we drove out to Ashley’s to get chicken patties. They were beyond delicious, but my camera seems to have eaten the picture, whoops! Then my parents, Adam and I went out to The Point to explore a bit. We sat and watched the waves hit the rocks and it was wonderfully serene.

For dinner we went to Lotus, my favorite restaurant on St. Thomas. We took my parents along, even though it was our anniversary dinner!

First we stopped at Fungi’s for a beer,

and then we went to Lotus. We did lots and lots of sharing and it was a pretty fabulous meal. Uptown Wonton Soup chicken/cilantro/crispy shallots/white truffle oil.

We got some amazing rolls to share – 1. Joe’s Stoned Crab sea scallop/jicama/scallion/topped with sesame seeds and hot sesame oil.

2. Shaggy Dog tempura shrimp/scallion/avacado/topped with spicy kanikami crab mix/sweet amai yuzu drizzle.

3. Soho House smoked salmon/spicy blue crab/asian slaw/scallion cream cheese/entire roll tempura/spicy yum yum and amai yuza glaze.

Here are all of my servings –

I also had a few small bites of my parents Green Apple Pad Thai,

and a few bites of Adam’s Muy Thai Tofu.

For dessert we I got the Blond Brulee white choclate ginger mousse/crisp banana brulee.

I let everyone else take a small taste but mostly I dominated this, I was swooning!

When we got home I also had a small slice of my dad’s Lindt Sea Salt bar.

We got up beyond early Tuesday morning to join my aunt’s family over in St. John. Due to our lack of planning and 7:30 ferry time breakfast ended up being less than stellar –

No matter, it’s hard to be hungry when these guys are staring into your car!

My family picked us up and we drove to Ram’s Head Bay for a day at the beach and a hike. The hike was 1.6miles each way and absolutly amazing. These are only a tenth of my fabulous pictures.

The hike was very, very hilly and quite a workout. I drank water on the way and had a few big swigs of Adam’s soda and a cheese cracker when we got back.

Then I spent hours shell collecting.

Before we took a second shorter hike over to Drunk Bay. The beach is covered with rock sculptures people have made over the years.

Adam added a unicorn before we left.

I was burnt to a crisp at this point – in spite multiple applications of 70spf – so we headed to Skinny Legs for lunch.

My Painkiller was nasty so I ended up leaving most of it.

But my sandwich hit the spot. I got the grilled cheese with tomato and onion and asked them to add as many veggies as possible.

Devoured. Then we went back to their rental house for showers and naps. And more cheese crackers.

My parents came over in the evening and we got take out from “The Chicken Man.”

Plantains,

coleslaw,

small piece of white meat,

fries with amazing bbq sauce.

Mmmn.

My portions were pretty small and I definitly ended up getting nachoes once we got back to St. Thomas!

Finally, just so you know I am “skipping” the last two days of December. I have a long flying day tomorrow and don’t want to start my new year with an “old” recap.

30Dec2009

Friday Night – Monday Afternoon

by Emily

Hello, hello, hello! I hope everyone had a great holiday, we sure did! I am actually typing at an internet cafe downtown so I’m going to try to keep this as quick as possible, sorry!

Christmas

We did a huge (40+ people) family and friend dinner at my aunt’s house. I hit this selection of cheeses and spreads pretty hard.

I had one nice cold Coors Light, but mostly I stuck to club soda.

Dinner was buffet style, my plate had tomato, sweet potato casserole, cheesey potatoes, turkey, and coleslaw.

And I filled up this small plate for dessert.

When I got home I was actually still hungry so I made turkey and cheese sandwiches on two small rolls.

It was a pretty fantastic day.

Saturday

We got up early and hurried to the spa with my aunt and cousins, I love my snazzy purple nails! Afterwards we got food at Barefoot Buddah, my favorite spot! I had a yummy mango coconut smoothie,

and a Bigfoot Bagel Sandwich.

Holy.Yum!

We hit up another favorite spot later on, Udder Delight, the milkshake shop run by the local dairy.

I got a Jamocho Shake, made with skim milk.

That night we went to another party. I wasn’t feeling the buffet dinner, but I might have had a few of these jello shots!

We went out with friends later that night and Adam was the best husband ever, ordering me a grilled chicken caesar salad so I wouldn’t be hungry.

Good thing too, we closed down three bars and didn’t get home until 3:45!!!! I had one or two beers, unpictured, but mostly stuck to soda. We had a really good time catching up with some old friends!

Sunday

Remember our 4am bedtime? Especially awesome because we woke up at 7am to go run in a race! We participated in the Kwanza 7k (for the 7nights of Kwanza). I tried out one of these for “breakfast” 5 minutes before the race.

My leg(s) have been hurting like crazy and I know I’m out of shape so my plan was to do the Galloway method, slowly! Adam stuck with me and we just might have come in 2nd to last!!! I didn’t care though, I was just happy I finished, the course was super hilly! We finished in an astonishingly slow 54minutes.

Overall it was a great experience, I LOVE TO RUN!!! Plus on the last lap there was a young (high school?) boy in front of us walking and we made him run with us and finish strong.

My uncle and two cousins ran the race too so afterwards we all went back for a refueling breakfast. The star of the show was this –

Aunt Else’s, who I sampled in SF, generously sent me an Aebleskiver pan and mix.

Aebleskivers are like round fluffy pancakes that you can fill with all sorts of things savory and sweet. I made the entire mix so I spent a looong time in front of the stove.

The first few batches took a little getting used too, but then I figured it out and started cranking out some beauties!

We filled them with chocolate chips, cheese, chocolate and cinnamon, and jam! De-lish-ous! Thank you so much Aunt Else’s!!!!

I actually was so busy cooking that I missed the rest of breakfast, all I managed to eat was three ableskivers. I was pretty hungry when we went to the movies that afternoon so Adam and my dad snuck in some healthy snacks for me –

cheese, apple slices and baby carrots! We saw “Up in the Air,” and sadly the snacks were the best part.

When I got home I snacked on some cole slaw too.

Then we met the family for a nice dinner at their hotel. First we watched the sunset and drank some wine.

I started my meal with two slices of bread and butter.

Then I ate half of a conch fritter with mango.

And a bowl of Callaloo, a traditional island soup made with crab meat, spinach, and okra.

Soooooo good!

Unfortunately my dinner wasn’t quite as tasty.

Jumbo shrimp with veggies and chive mashed potatoes. I just wasn’t feeling it so I ended up giving away 2 of my 4 shrimp.

We played games afterwards and had a blast, but once we got home I was starving. My mom pulled two slices of pizza out of the freezer and baked them for me.

Super tasty, but I was stuffed, I should have stuck with one slice.

Monday

This morning I had another tasty pineapple Chiobani.

And a teeny (adorable) glass of locally made eggnog.

And when we set out Adam and I split a soda.

Now we are trying (once I get off the computer!) to walk around downtown. Gotta split!

P.S. Sorry for the lame-o post.

P.P.S. Today is Adam and my 2 year wedding anniversary!!! I promise some wedding photos once I get back to Buffalo if anyone is interested.

12Dec2009

A Party in Pictures

by Emily

My eats (you can multiply the cracker and dip times like 10!).

And to all a good night!

5Dec2009

Reindeer Run 5k

by Emily

Forgive me physical therapy gods for I have sinned – I ran a 5k when I was told to speed walk. But I didn’t run the whole time! I’ll go back to the beginning….

This was the morning of the Reindeer Run 5k. We signed up a month ago, before my tendonitis diagnosis, so that I could have some race experience before my Half in March. After my pt told me not to run we decided we would walk the course, so I could have the general experience and since we had already paid for our entries. Adam was even super-husband and agreed to walk with me. There was a little snow, but not much, so the setting was perfect.

The race was slightly themed, I saw several elves and one group went as Santa and all his reindeer. We don’t have a lot of cold weather running gear, but I borrowed an old sweatshirt of Adam’s and did my best.

We picked up our chips a little late and ended up running to the start line from the pick up point. And I just could not stop. I love running so much. I’m not very good and I’m not very fast, but it seriously fills me with joy.

We ended up doing some jog/walk intervals, and I always started walking whenever my leg hurt. In the end we ran about half of each mile. I don’t feel like I pushed too hard or set my recovery back too far and we had such a good time! Here’s an action shot the husband snapped –

Our final time was 33:25. I know most running bloggers are speed demons, and I’d love to keep up, but for jog/walking it and coming off a 1month hiatus that is pretty damn good! And I’m feeling much more comfortable with the idea of my half now.

Afterwards we hit up the post race party. They had hot dogs and pizza and cake. Here’s Adam’s plate –

That just did not appeal to me. My post-run breakfast was a little more my style –

But I’m not an angel, I did snag a beer!

All in all in my first race was a great experience. I’m proud of my self for running, and I’m proud of my self for not running the whole time. Everyone was super friendly and happy and the setting was perfect. I had so much fun!

There was even more excitement on the drive home. As we drove home from the Reindeer run 5k we saw a deer!

It was in a partially fenced in park. Adam pulled over and I got out to take some pictures. It go so close to me!

I’m not gonna lie, I was basically swooning, so fun!

Now I’ve got to hustle again so I can shower before Adam’s parents get here. They are coming up to do a mass birthday/Christmas/anniversary celebration since we can’t connect with them later in December. I can’t wait!

Have you run any races? Which was the most fun and why?

27Nov2009

Feeling Thankful

by Emily

Again, I’ll try to keep this quick, but it’s been a great Turkey Day. I’m thankful for family, good food, and my wonderful husband.

We slept in until 10:30 this morning (I’m feeling sick again, boo!) and then woke up to the world’s tastiest breakfast.

My grandma is so cool, she had Greek Gods’ Honey Greek Yogurt waiting in the fridge for me! I had a small bowl of fruit,

and honey Greek yogurt with berries and a sliver of homemade coffee cake.

Mmmmmmn! I was in love with this breakfast! If it wasn’t Thanksgiving I would have gone back for another bowl! I think I’ve got my aunt hooked on Greek yogurt now too 🙂

We went to a family friend’s house for Thanksgiving at 1, so we headed out around noon to socialize. Look how cute my grandparents are!

I’ve gone to Thanksgiving with this family ever year I’ve been with my grandparents and it’s always so much fun. They have the best decorations, I wish I could have gotten more pictures.

I made a small appetizer plate with pretzels, honey raspberry dip, and crackers with dirty martini dip.

And I had a light beer to drink.

As I mentioned before, I am actually not much of a Turkey Day food fan! I didn’t even eat any turkey meat! I tried to just take a small bit of everything.

Clockwise from the top – stuffing and mashed potatoes with gravy, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, roll, jello mold salad, cranberries. I finished everything on my plate (except for the roll which I gave away). I didn’t actually eat very much, but I didn’t do seconds because I knew dessert was coming.

I actually gave away that mini cake in favor of a second cookie!

It was great getting to catch up with people and Adam was definitely stuffed! He took a fat nap before we even headed home, and hit the couch asap. My grandmother and I wanted to take a nice walk but unfortunately it was raining. The other disappointment was that there was nowhere for me to volunteer. I really wanted to put in some time at a food bank or soup kitchen today but everywhere my grandma called had too many volunteers.

We ate dinner around 7, and I was actually hungry again.