It's Been Awhile

Sorry for the huge delay in new posts, New York has stolen my heart and my soul. At least it's gotten me into major shape. Every day is another epic trek across the humid city. The food here has been incredible. I forget to photograph nearly everything I've eaten, but I've gotten in some good shots recently and promise to get some of the markets before I leave.



On my first day full day out I ventured to Times Square and 5th Ave with one of my roommates. We ended up stopping for lunch at this dainty little sandwich place on 6th Ave. I got a falafel that lasted forever. It was huge and wonderful.





When my boyfriend came to visit the first weekend, we ended up splurging a little too much at this incredible resturant called Mama's Mexican. We spent 11 dollars on fresh made guacamole. . . they made it in front of us and it was delicious, but 11 dollars for one avocado is pushing it. I got a veggie enchilada plate with a side of veggies. Once again I left with leftovers :).


Sadly, this is all I have for now...I've been eating at these great places, all vegan, and I've completely forgotten all about taking photos. Good thing I still have four weeks left. I wanted to document everything!

A lovely brunch on Amsterdam Ave. in New York City

Ah, how glorious it is to be in the city. After walking a day of walking more than 115 blocks of the great New York I feel quite satisfied. Enough so that I think I will opt out of my run this evening. According to the rough math I just did, I've walked 10 miles today. A fantastic amount and I plan to do the same tomorrow. I may even go off on another journey in a little.

After an urban trek, I decided to stop for Brunch at this dainty little cafe on Amsterdam Ave. I ordered the parfait and a small ice coffee. It cost quite a large amount but was well worth it. People watching and eating so healthy, a great way to start my new life in New York.

Hmm...I think I will run off to Central Park. Yes? Still a few hours of daylight and a book to finish.

A little bit of this and that.

As the summer comes closer, my diet gets better. Recently I have been owning yogurt and frozen fruits to replace my winter indulgence of yogurt and muslie. In honor of my mother, who loves frozen blueberries on yogurt, I decided to try it. Instead of just blueberries I mixed in some other frozen fruit. It was fantastic.



Another great snack I had recently was Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie FroYo with fresh strawberries and frozen fruit. So delicious. Maybe I should talk Brendan in to taking me to get some...Hmmmm.



When I ran out of FroYo, I mixed Ben and Jerry's Cheese Cake Brownie icecream (they had a super sale at Meijer, don't judge me please), with fresh kiwi and frozen blueberries and strawberries.



After finally running out of my stock pile of ice cream (this took over 2 months to do and a boyfriend to help me out), I moved on to the healthier choice, Smoothies. I bought a huge bag of frozen blueberries and strawberries and have been making amazing smoothies ever since. I've been experimenting and making tons of my own recipes for fantastic smoothies. Here is the one pictured

Smoothie Recipe (2-3 servings depending):
1 cup plain low fat yogurt
1/2 cup milk (add more if you want it thinner)
1 cup frozen blueberries
4-6 strawberries (frozen or unfrozen)
2 bananas
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup granola (optional, but if you make this a meal it's more filling!)
Blueberries to garnish

Falafel Salad.

My boyfriend and I really enjoy making falafels, something that I am always for when it is made into a salad. We use a boxed mix, which takes about 20-25 minutes to make. I just cut up some ice burg lettuce, tomatoes, and made yogurt dill sauce.

The dill sauce recipe is super simple and quick, it really adds much needed flavor to the meal. Simply mix:
1 cup of yogurt
1/4 of a cucumber diced
1 tbs lemon juice
1-2 tsp dill
salt and pepper to taste

The perks of working at a Country Club? I get to steal desserts to enjoy with my coffee. This was my first experience with Macaroons and I loved every minute of it. This was during the insanely hectic work weekend during Easter, so I felt it was ok to indulge in a snack. I took 3 days and 3 cups of coffee to finish off all three of them, and I wish that I had more.

When I was back home, my mom made me this incredible roasted red pepper and low fat ricotta cheese sauce with steamed veggies, zucchini pasta, and a small amount of normal pasta. I finally got the chance to make this on my own and it was amazing. Without the pasta, it is super low calorie, even with the cheese in the sauce. The recipe is simple, 3 roasted red peppers (remove the skin), 8 tablespoons of low fat ricotta cheese (60 calories), 1 small onion, lemon, salt, and pepper blended in a food processor.

I am the proud owner of a Panini maker!

Today and yesterday I opted for the quick and simple dinner with my (or more my boyfriend's) lovely panini maker. As expensive as these may be, they make perfect sandwiches. Usually I opt for the simple vegan tosti, but due to the homemade pesto I made, felt like making a mozzarella, tomato, pesto melt.

Pesto Recipe (from The Moosewood Cookbook)
Makes 1 cup, Takes 10 minutes to make:
1 cup well-packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 tbls toasted pine nuts
1/2 tsp salt

blend until smooth.