STT; Monday Afternoon – Tuesday Morning

by Emily

Tuesday

When I was finished on the computer yesterday I went down to the gym with my mom. I basically haven’t worked out consistently all year (fail!) but I’m hoping to kick start a routine during my extra free time this vacation. Just in time for 2012 resolutions, eh? Last night I did 40 minutes on the elliptical at random level 6, followed by 15 minutes on the stationary bike.

Then my mom took me to dinner at a salad bar.

The salad bar concept is fairly new in St. Thomas and people are more than just a little excited about it. Between my near-daily Wegmans consumption and extreme Whole Foods lust I consider myself a bit of a salad bar connoisseur. And this one was pretty good.

I got a small scoop of pasta salads,

a big scoop of cole slaw,

and romaine lettuce with a few chopped veggies (including lots of pickles!), raisins, peanuts, and vinegar for dressing.

And then my dad fed me this peanut brittle bar for dessert.

Monday

This morning I got up bright and early to catch a ride to the gym. 50 minutes on the elliptical at random level 3. I brought a book to start but ended up just wanting to spend some time with my thoughts.

I got home around 8:30 and crashed into what felt like the most necessary nap ever. I’m allergic to something in the air here and if my sniffles continue I foresee lots of naps.

Then I came back to school and snacked on a Jazz apple,

and some candy I stole from a teacher gift my mom got.

She’s the lower school (kindergarten – 5th) librarian at my old school and people are crazy about her. You should see the kinds of looks I get here when people find out who my parents are.

As soon as my mom goes on her break I’m going to run some errands with her and try to find some lunch. I’m making dinner for my parents tonight, so please think tasty thoughts for me!

13Dec2011

Forever And A Day

by Emily

Adam says he had a great 26th birthday.

And I’m just glad that I’m no longer the older woman.

No blogging yesterday because I spent the day sleeping, eating, working or playing. <– there was too much of the first two and not enough of the second

My first final of the semester (at 7:40 am!) did not go well. But I shook it off, literally, with a trip to the gym. 30 minutes on the elliptical, random level 6. I took my notes on the elliptical with me and my afternoon test went much better.

The food situation was pretty weak today. In fact, it was nonexistent. I was too busy fighting with the husband to pack lunch this morning (someone was cranky and it wasn’t him) and I didn’t want to spend the money to buy food on campus. Adam and I desperately needed to go to the grocery store so I had him pick me up from school, but that meant waiting on campus until after 5pm.

Since we both hadn’t eaten all day we ended up deciding to split a small plate at Wegmans.

I ate 2 dumplings and most of the veggies and Adam had the rest.

And I was extra glad that I got something into my stomach because it took forever and a day for us to figure out dinner after that. Finally, hours later, I sat down to a big plate of black bean nachos.

It’s been months since my full-on nacho addiction and I think they’ve officially broken their hold over me. Not to say I didn’t enjoy downing that entire plate, but I think I’m good going another 6 months before I have more.

11Dec2011

Not My Birthday

by Emily

It’s Adam’s birthday so I’m going to keep this post quick and cursory. Well, it’s sort of his birthday. But not really. I’ll explain in a minute.

This morning was about as lazy as it gets. I stayed in bed until past noon and it was glorious. Then Adam and I headed out for a late lunch at Mangoz, a new Jamaican place in our neighborhood.

We split a plate of stewed chicken with plantains and beans and rice.

It was amazing. The best Caribbean food either of us has had since leaving home.

And they had pink Ting.

We’ll be back.

My one accomplishment today was a quick trip to the gym. 30 minutes on the elliptical, random level 6. And I did some studying while I worked out. Followed by a super quick stretch/strength session.

But that was sort of where the productivity ended. We decided to spend the day doing fun stuff (in celebration of Adam turning 26 tomorrow). Adam opened all of his presents a day early.

And I even made an effort to fix my hair.

We went to the mall so Adam could use a gift certificate at Dicks, and cashed in a coupon for Aunt Annie’s as well.

We split this pretzel, slathered in mustard.

The husband’s choice for birthday dinner was Indian food. I got a fig lassi.

And we split a paneer pakora (fried cheese) for an appetizer.

I got the vegetable Korma, with extra okra, for dinner.

I demolished it. I made three plates, and ate every last drop (literally!).

I made myself a little bit ill, but that didn’t stop me from drinking 90% of this coffee milkshake I “shared” with Adam.

Whoops. And now we’re gleefully watching tv.

It’s been a good day, even if it’s not my birthday (or the husband’s!).

9Dec2011

Banana CheeseQuake

by Emily

I was really hoping we’d have a bit longer before this happened –

But the snow did hold off until December 9th, so I guess we’re pretty lucky.

I parked my (snow-covered) car on the wrong side of the street last night in the hopes that having to get up to move it would get me to the gym. And it did! I hopped on the treadmill and did 10 minutes walking – 10 running – 5 walking – 5 running – 5 walking. 2.7 miles and 35 minutes total. Followed by a short strength and stretch session on the mats.

After the gym I had to make an emergency trip to the store (we are out of soda and I’ve got 5 exams to study for!) and I came home to one of the biggest messes the dog’s ever created. It’s possible I sat on the floor and cried. But then I picked myself up (cleaned up) and ate two oatmeal cookies while I waited for my oatmeal to cook.

I should have just waited though, because this was one of the best bowls of oatmeal I’ve ever made.

Cooked: 1 cup water, 1 medium banana, 1 pinch salt, 1/3 cup oats

Stirred in: 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Topped: 1 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, 1 tsp light brown sugar

There was more dairy than oats in this oatmeal! And it was perfect. Like a slice of banana cheesecake, except not sickingly sweet and rich (just sweet and rich enough!).

5Dec2011

Presenting ..

by Emily

I had an important test today (it didn’t go well, but that’s another story) so I got up early to do some studying at Starbucks. Just as I was about to head out, Adam called. He’d left his pager at home and needed me to wait for him. At first I was annoyed; I needed every minute of studying I could get. But then I realized that he had a pager because he’s going to be a doctor, and that’s amazing. So I got over it.

When I finally did get to Starbucks at 6am I got myself a gingerbread latte.

Actually, I ordered a plain non-fat latte and added 1 Tbsp of gingerbread syrup from home.

Shhh.

When I left at 7:30 I did buy an actual fancy drink though, a short, non-fat, salted caramel hot chocolate.

The flavors in this feel very complex and gourmet for a coffee joint, but it’s pretty rich so the short size is perfect.

I also ate some leftover fruit salad.

Then I ~~failed~~ took my test, got myself in a tizzy applying for several jobs and internships, and did my group presentation on cultural food patterns. Our country was Ireland so we all dressed in green.

We also brought in Irish soda bread for the class to try.

In addition to my slice I ate a Peppermint Stick Clif Bar.

This flavor was good, but not great like I was hoping it would be.

After class I had so much nervous energy I needed to burn off that I actually went to the gym! 30 minutes on the elliptical, level 6 random.

I got home at 3:30 and had to unpack, shower, change, and eat dinner before my 4:15 orthodontist appointment, so this meal was quick but good.

My amazing turkey sandwich was 2 slices of toasted rye with cranberry relish, 2 slices of Applegate Farms roasted turkey, and 1 oz of reduced fat cream cheese.

Cream cheese on a sandwich is where it’s at.

I also had a pile of roasted green beans on the side.

I had less than 8 minutes to shovel my food in and this still tasted good! And I’m glad I did an earliest bird dinner because my teeth don’t feel like chomping with my new retainer set.

Webster and I are going to take a walk down Elmwood to pick up a friend and then she’s coming back here so we can work on yet another presentation. Exam week won’t be fun, but I still going to be so relieved when we have our last class of the semester on Thursday!

Which “fancy drink” are you going to Starbucks for this winter?

28Nov2011

“Leftovers”

by Emily

Did everyone have a fantastmic Turkey Day weekend? (I did!) We had a great last 1/2 day in Miami, including brunch with one of my best college friends, but got back into town late enough and with enough to do that I knew I was better off not blogging.

I didn’t have it together to pack food this morning but, though I got a little cranky around 1:00, I managed to make it through the school day without food. Fueled or not, I am so proud of myself for making it to the gym during the break before my last class. 35 minutes, level 6 random, on the elliptical.

I had an after-school errand that made me have to wait longer to eat, but I was ok with it. I was off to see a boy.

Love him. And I was so proud, when I went to the vet to pick him up they told me that he was perfectly behaved and everyone was going to miss him. I took him on a quick walk when we got home and he hadn’t forgotten any of his training during our five-day absence.

He’s a genius.

He’s also shedding like a mad man. When Adam got home we went out for a lint brush to remedy the winter coat/dog fur situation and also dealt with the food issue.

It’s worth not eating all day to get Wegman’s hot bar for late lunch. I got a heathy mix of fruits,

and veggies.

Delicious. I haven’t made brussels sprouts at home in ages but they are always my favorite thing on the buffet line.

Dinner was a winner as well.

Who says you need Thanksgiving leftovers to have a day-after-Thanksgiving inspired dinner? Into our bowls went a serving of pasta, some shredded rotisserie chicken, peas, a bit of parmesan, and a big dollop of cranberry relish.

I made an extra serving too and I’m excited about having this again as leftovers.

I tried to do some drinking with dinner.

But this Angry Orchard Hard Cider was too sour (it tasted almost rotten!) for me and I only managed a few swigs.

What did you make with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

27Nov2011

Best Ever

by Emily

It’s a good thing I decided not to blog after dinner yesterday because we ended up staying out for drinks! It was a late, fun night.

We started our evening with dinner at Las Culebrinas, Adam’s favorite Cuban place on the planet. They have rolls with the best garlic butter.

We also ordered some appetizers to share.

Fried plantain with shrimp in red sauce and mozzarella sticks.

For dinner I got Mahi Mahi crusted in corn flakes and topped with a honey mustard sauce.

It was a little too fried for me but the sauce was so good.

And it came with a side salad with great dressing.

We did lots of sharing (though no one went near Adam’s beef because he was moaning so loudly – and whispering sweet nothings to his chocolate flan – and we were all a little afraid). I ended up eating the equivalent of 3/4 of my plate.

Afterwards we walked around Coconut Grove for some more people watching. And somehow ended up at Uncle Moe’s for drinks. Like the Cow Tipper.

Here’s a shot with my hand for size comparison.

My mom and I split this one, obviously. It was tasty, but not as strong as it sounds.

Which is good, because I was feeling good this morning. I decided to skip the hotel breakfast, which was lackluster yesterday, and get in a quick gym trip instead. 15 minutes on the treadmill for a bit over a mile.

I ate my stolen pear for breakfast.

Along with a NuGo Dark bar packed from home.

And we stopped by our old favorite Thai place for a bubble ~~tea~~ smoothie.

Strawberry coconut smoothie with bobba.

So freaking good!

Plus a few peppermints for freshness.

Amid the day’s exploration we also spent some time at the mall. I know shopping seems like a strange vacation activity, but my parents live on an island so it’s more exploratory for them than the beach. My dad shared a pretzel with me while we were there.

I ate about x2 what’s pictured. We were practically frozen so I also bought an earl grey with steamed skim milk.

A few stops later, and we were at my favorite place on the planet.

Where I made the biggest cup of froyo I’ve ever eaten.

Everything chocolate and caramel, smothered in marshmallow.

Heaven. Pure heaven.

And the evening only got better. The plan was to go to Joe’s Stone Crab, but a 2-hour wait scared us away. The disappointment was very serendipitous, because we ended up having a best ever dinner at Joe’s less formal take-away spot next door. You ordered your food at a counter and brought it to the booth yourself and it ended up being just perfect.

To start, Adam and I split a seafood bisque.

It was creamy and tangy with big chunks of fish.

Then the four of us split an order of stone crab.

Stone crab is like the best crab you’ve ever had, on steroids. It is meaty, yet tender and buttery.

I got most of two claws, dipped in butter and mustard.

I drank a spicy bloody Mary with my food but I was too excited about the crab to remember to photograph before a few sips in.

For the rest of the meal, my mom and I split two sandwiches.

The shrimp po boy and the lobster Reuben.

The po boy was good, though I mostly ate the shrimp out of the bun, dipped in remoulade.

The Reuben was out of this world. Everything that’s good about a Reuben but with the added amazingness of lobster.

Everyone kept laughing at me for chewing with my eyes closed but I just couldn’t help it. The big pieces of meat were absolutely perfect.

I thought I couldn’t be happier, but then Adam bought me this t-Rex juice container.

Best trip souvenir ever.

My favorite activity in any city is bike riding, and for the hour after dinner that’s just what we did.

It was so much fun, though our times in the sand basically left my thighs burning! Then we spent another hour walking down the club strip on South Beach for the ultimate people watching. It was the best vacation day ever. The best.

25Nov2011

Lincoln On South Beach

by Emily

The day’s not yet done, but I can already tell that I won’t feel like blogging after dinner so I wanted to get a post in now. This vacation is tiring me out, whee!

We started the morning with complimentary breakfast. I made oats to eat, and stole a pear and some granola for later.

I topped my oats with skim milk and peanut butter.

Plus had a cup of hot chocolate.

And then we went to the gym! I realize the first morning of a vacation is an odd time to break my months’ long gym hiatus, but what can I say? There was one in-house, Adam could go with me, and Sleepwalk with Me by Mike Birbiglia was begging to be read. I actually extended my workout so I could finish the book; 45 minutes on the stationary bike.

Our first stop of the day was Lululemon for an exciting Christmas gift. I also grabbed a piece of candy.