Cashew Butter! ....Bless you!

A few weeks ago, I used a Groupon to a place called Elm Heath, a natural foods/grocery store. I had purchased one of these before, and while I thought they were really expensive, (higher priced than Whole Foods) I still felt I was able to get a good deal with the extra money the Groupon provided.

When it popped up on Groupon again I grabbed it, not realizing the location was different! This one was in the convenient location of 1st & 80th which is near no trains. Ah well. Getting exercise to get healthy food!

This time around I only picked up chia seeds, almond milk, pistachios and some packets of nut butters! I was super excited to find the packets because sometimes you don't want to commit to a $15 jar of something you're not sure you'll like!

That was a lot of babbling to get to my pretty breakfast! One of the packets I bought was cashew butter!  When I first tasted it, I thought... this tastes exactly as you think it would....sort of creamy cashews. Not sweet or anything. It seemed fine.

THEN I added bananas and *lightbulb* some honey. Holy moly!! This was SO darn delicious!!

Of course, I sprinkled chia seeds on top.

I will definitely be picking up a jar o' cashew butter!

What's you're favorite type of nut butter??

PS Peach's sleeping positions cracks me up.

Ramble ramble

Happy February 6th! Hopefully all of you woke up to a brand new day for the fourth time and are not stuck learning French, playing the piano or generally wooing Andie MacDowell.

I started February off right and headed to the gym! I did some cardio and was quite proud of myself!

Although it's already the easiest thing in the world for me, I want  to say that I've fully committed to healthy breakfasts. It's the other meals that I struggle with, but I have to say, starting off the day with something healthy really does get you in the right mind set for the day. All week I've been having oatmeal with banana!

Today I added a tablespoon of chocolate almond butter MMMMM.

steamy

Nom nom. I also added a tablespoon of chia seeds and had an iced coffee on the side. Peach thought it looked tasty.

In other news - look at this yellow wrapped subway I took the other day!

Tropicana shuttle

Random Link:

• I got completely stuck on this website the other day. This was where I started: 12 Things Happy People Do Differently, and then I got sucked into all the other links on the side. Some are interesting, some are dumb....all are good as time killers ;)

Thank you for reading through the ramble post. This concludes the ramble post.

Mad 4 Chicken

I'm love love lovin' summer berries and fruits. (Are bananas just year round guys? Because I love them too).

I've been enjoying the different flavors of 'naner, strawberry, and blueberries quite often. In fact, I bet you can guess all my breakfasts by now! I also enjoyed 1/2 a banana with pb in the center. I'm not actually a huge pb fan (shh don't tell anyone). I think it's ok, but I like that its a healthy protein that keeps me full for a long time. I'm itchin' to try almond butter & sunflower butter. I want to explore and see if I can find a sample of them though- I'm not ready to commit to an entire (and usually expensive) jar.

Last night Pete and I tried a place called Mad For Chicken. I've been hearing a number of different people rave about this place and decided to check it out for myself!

The place was decorated with lots of different record players that had been deconstructed. The exposed brick and metal tables made for an interesting decor.

I'm currently reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer which is about why he became a vegetarian and his exploration into the treatment of animals in factory farms. It's so eye opening (although I'm still on the fence about eating meat, kinda love it, and don't judge anyone for choosing differently). So I was surprised and found it quite coincidental and appropriate that Mad For Chicken uses chickens that are raised on an all vegetable diet, without antibiotics, growth hormone or artificial flavoring. How convenient!

We started off with a pitcher of Stella Artois. MmM.

No hops were harmed in the production of this beer

We ordered a 12 piece mix of wings and drumsticks and a side of fries.

Look at the leg on the left!!

The items on the menu were a bit pricey, but let me tell you - the "drums" (which are generally my favorite type of wings) were like full legs! HUGE! The wings were super flavorful and less greasy and heavy than traditional wings. They (and the fries) were wonderfully crispy and the sauce had quite a kick to it. I loved how they were cooked. It makes you think if you're gonna have fries and spend the calories, you  might as well have amazingly fresh, crisp & tasty ones like these instead of something that isn't so great.

Afterwards we literally wandered around with no particular destination in mind. We wound up at a divey bar, had a drink and headed home. Fun times! :)

La - Z- Weekend

This weekend was super low key. It included lots of coffee, berries, nail polish, movies & games. And laundry.

Lots of laundry :p. This is one of the two bags I lugged down to the laundromat. Fortunately, not many people were there for a Saturday afternoon!

For breakfast I enjoyed a Hazelnut coffee with Truvia, (trying to wean myself off the pink crack!!) and an Arnold's thin with peanut butter, strawberries and blueberries.

Saturday night me and Pete saw Crazy, Stupid, Love with Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. I really liked this movie! I thought it was super cute and loved the way it all tied together.

Sunday on Breakfast 20s I had the breakfast of all breakfasts!

Waffles with a schmear of peanut butter, bananas, strawberries and blueberries. MmM!! SOO GOOD.

Sunday day and night had awful weather here in NYC! I kept telling myself I was going to go out once the rain let up.... so I never did! :p Me & Pete had a relaxing dinner and spent the evening playing Scrabble and Scattergories. After we finished playing I thought, "Damn! I should've taken pictures!" LOL... still learning haha.

The One With the Box

Hi everyone! I took a little sabatical of boringness for a few days but now I'm back!

For breakfast yesterday I enjoyed yet another summer smoothie. I can't get enough of these in the morning!

Into the blender:

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup strawberries
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• handful of frozen peach slices
• big handful o' spinach

I made a smoothie the day before with so much spinach that it looked hideously gross (but tasted great!) You're welcome for sparing you.

Look at these cute mugs I bought from Crate & Barrel!!

I went in here recently and browsed the tabletop section for a solid HOUR. Pete was with me while I squealed over cute mugs and spoons. He must really love me!! :)

I threw that random mug photo in, not only because they are awesome and fun mugs and make me want to drink more coffee & tea, but to break up two breafasts. Breakfai?

This morning after craving egg whites for days and days, my craving was satisfied!! I sauteed some spinach in a pan with olive oil first, and then added about 1/2 cup of egg whites. I ate it on an Arnold's Sandwich Thin.

It was filling & tasty!!  Look at how the thin is perfectly toasted!

Sunday Pete & I went on a little shopping trip to Kohl's. Pete got an awesome deal on some sneakers, and Peach reaped the rewards in the form of a box.

Box!

She quickly jumped on in, rolled around and did cat things in it. By the next day the box had been reduced to half a destroyed box. We decided it'd be fun to carry her around the apartment in it so she could have her Temple Grandin moment in the cow machine.

Today, the box died. It is no longer a box, and more of a homeless person sign.

She even thought it would be a fun way to earn treats.

RIP Box!! G'nite everyone :D

Clearing the Fog

My brain feels foggy. I'm not sure where exactly my motivation has gone the last few days and need to explore why I feel this way.  Tuesdays are my "Mondays" if you will as far as eating and even though I've felt lazy and sleepy the last few days, I'm proud to report I was able to lose 2.2lbs this week!! That means I only have 16.8 lbs to go in my 29 x 29 goal! I have 7.5 weeks to get there and this week's accomplishment does help motivate me a bit. I need to focus on the longterm goals of becomming healthy & fit!



This weekend was an uber lazy one. We finally had time to watch Harry Potter 7, Part 1 (bad fan!). It was sorta underwhelming actually, but I think Part 2 will be where all the action is!

We had a quick easy meal of fish tacos. Really, it was just fish sticks from Target in a tortilla with shredded cheese, lettuce and a homemade salsa mixed with a little mayo. These were so easy to make and SO yummy!

I haven't had a fish stick since 1993, so the aroma in the apartment transported me straight back to a time that included roller skating, Tetris & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Watching HP7P1 on Saturday put me in the mood for some of the older movies and luckily there was a marathon on all day Sunday. I really like this picture because Peach was shoving her face in my cup and as I was trying to catch it with my camera, I really was only able to get Peach & Ron Weasley.



You're a witch Peach.

 Last night Pete made this yummy brown rice mixture meal. It was a lot of chopping but so worth it. I wanted to start sharing some of the recipies for things on here so it is posted below.

Brown Rice & Corn Salad (Mexican Style)

Ingredients
For rice:
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp butter
1 t salt

For Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp Frank's red hot sauce

3 cups sweet corn kernels
1 cup of radishes, diced
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped
1 cup kidney beans (from can, rinsed)
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 avocado, sliced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the rice into a baking dish (8" x 8").
Bring the water to a boil and combine with the oil & salt. Pour over the rice and cover baking idsh with aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour or until rice has absorbed all the water. Fluff with a fork and let cool. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, oil, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the corn, radishes, tomatoes, scallions, kidney beans, and half of the cilantro. Mix well. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the cooled rice and toss again until all ingredients are well coated with the vinaigrette.
Finish the rice by adding the rest of the cilantro & sliced avocado. Serve cool or room temperature.

The rice does take a bit to cook, but I'm sure you have loads of other things you could do for an hour. (Like chop all the veggies, pay a bill, read Unchartered 20s)

Being a new week led me to a healthy breakfast.

Above: Arnold's Sandwich thin, chunky peanut butter, 1 plum. mmm

So now I'm gonna head to the gym and try to break this mental fog!

*um, weird blogging thing - i cannot delete this last sentence- WTF??*
Did you enjoy my mental pep talk to myself? 

Drink My Rum

Having people over is the best excuse to keep your apartment tidy, isn't it?? ;)

Friday night I invited my friends Patrick & Mike over for some at home drink times. I was actually calling it a "Help Me Clean Out My Liquor Cabinet" party lol.
 

Can you spot the giant slug?



I bought a bunch of fresh veggies, hummus, sea salt Bagel Chips, Jalepeno Cheddar Sun Chips (new! And tasty!) and Chocolate Chex Mix.

 We had a blast just hanging out, playing with the dog and chatting. Pete made a brief appearance as well!

Peach attended the party, and then Duke would attend the party. The two would switch off haha. 

But look at the PROGRESS we're making!!

I mean, Peach is still hissing at the dog, but still! Much better than before!

For breakfast, I had a bit of a struggle with myself...you see..there is ice cream in the freezer.  Ice cream does not live long in this house! But I resisted and made myself a smoothie instead! Yay more progress! LOL

In this cup:

• 1 frozen 'naner
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 Chobani plain Green yogurt
• big ass handful of spinach
• 3/4 cup of chocolate almond milk
• 3 ice cubes

This was good - it was actually very strawberry banana flavored (I know, I know, that's what's IN it...) which I'm not a big fan of. I guess the protein powder I normally add makes a huge difference flavor-wise. It's fine though- a much much better choice than ice cream!

Later I took the pup for a walk. It's hot out- but not as bad as earlier in the week. A few times Duke and I would be walking, and then he'd find some grass and sit down. What does this mean? I wasn't sure if he was hot, tired or something else.

Along the way we found some pigeons to chase. Can you see them in this pic?

I love the action shot! Our walk was only about 20 minutes though as NY is still in an awful heat wave. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Smoothie Overload

Last night I came home, once again, to a lovely meal created by the hubs. It was a simple & comforting type of meal - spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were a mix of ground beef, ground lamb and something else....I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess ground turkey. ground veal & ground pork. 

They were delicious! The meatballs & sauce were fragrant & flavorful. I don't really mind Pete's use of different meats, although he usually uses ground turkey, but I am trying to get him to switch to whole wheat pasta. It's better for you and more filling! C'mon guys! Comment and tell him you agree! ;)

This morning I was up early again to walk this little guy.

I don't know what I'll blog about once the dog leaves next Monday!  I sorta hate the fact that he is crated all day when I'm at work but I shouldn't break the habits of his owners. Plus his only long days in the crate are today and tomorrow. Every other day me or Pete are home, or our work hours only overlap a few hours. It's really just my issue... I can't stand the whimpering and whining! I constantly feel bad for animals. If it were up to me we'd have 15 cats and 3 dogs. I always tell Pete I'm one trauma away from becoming a hoarder cat lady.



Nom nom nom


For breakfast I had another smoothie! I love making smoothies but hate washing the blender. I keep shredding my sponges. (Extra fiber?)

Doesn't it look like dessert?

I've been itchin' to switch up my smoothie contents. This morning I was craving something chocolatey which is actually very unlike me (I much prefer salty snacks.)
In the blender:

• 1 frozen 'naner
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (they were buy 1 get 1 at the store this week! Score!)
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup Chobani plain Greek yogurt (loving this option)
• 3/4 cup of chocolate almond milk (ZOMG)
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• extra large handful of spinach

I took my first sip of chocolate almond milk and let me tell you - this is not like the unsweetened vanilla variety, oh no! I quickly wondered to myself how bad I would feel if I drank the entire carton. IT'S SO TASTY!

I love moments of temporary insanity before 8am.

IIIII didn't do it! I only had the 3/4 of a cup and I was proud of me since that is one step of 9,000 that I need to take to meet my goals.

This smoothie was filling, chocolatey and thick.

TWSS

It was a great start for the day! I also did Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, Level 2 again, and walked the pup for about 20 minutes. Oh, and lost .8lb! LOL slow and steady right? Down 9 - only 20 more for the 29 x 29!