A Very Special Day

Hey Guys! This post is a bit of a departure but I wouldn’t have it any other way. You see, today is not only New Year’s Eve. Today is my little brother’s birthday. Sam is going to be 23 today! (I can’t believe it – it seems like just yesterday, wuppa was here, doesn’t it Sam?).

Anyways, even though Sam is always at least a good 8 hour drive from me (sometimes closer to 20!), we have grown very close over the last few years and I’m so grateful for it.

Sam not only is a good student and engineer, but he knows how to have fun…

 

Although he may complain a little bit, he’s usually game to try new things (even tofu!)…

He’s usually one of the best dressed (and good looking) at our holiday gatherings. He really does shine up like a new penny…

He’s always there to give me encouragement and laugh at with me.

And gives me ample opportunity to laugh at him, too….

I know that if I ever need him, he will be there for me. And will even pose for a picture when its just too weird that our u-haul is called “Lil’ Sammy Mover.”

Happy Birthday, Sam!! I love you!

Back Into the Groove

Hey guys! Happy Emilyday and New Year’s Eve Eve. Woot! How are things going? Do you all have tomorrow off like me? I hope so!

So, since my last visit, I’ve definitely been doing a good job of getting back to the “regularly scheduled programming,” or, more “regular” foods at more “regular” intervals. It feels super good to get back into the routine and I feel much more like myself (and have not had any stomach aches).  Its worth noting that my “regular foods” have involved chocolate (naturally), a glass of wine, a vegan brownie, and ginger cookies. These things are a good part of anyone’s diet, I’d say. :)

Moving on, though, I have been enjoying my fair share of veggies as well as a new favorite sandwich: Meet the sauerkraut, sharp cheddar, soy-marinated tempeh, mustard and spinach sandwich. Mmm…

I don’t know what got into me, but I got a huge hankering for sauerkraut at the grocery store on Tuesday and didn’t fight the urge. I’ve been enjoying it in various forms all week (along with the tempeh that I marinated in soy sauce and baked for about 20 minutes at 400). This salad was also quite tasty:

 

Last night, I was treated to delicious vegan and raw food at my favorite raw restaurant. We had an amazing appetizer of raw quesadillas that went unpictured. For my entree, though, I had a delicious “harvest bowl.” This had spinach, quinoa, butternut squash (!!), cranberries, walnuts, carrot, scallion, and curry dressing. It was SO good.

And tonight, I roasted a ton of broccoli and carrot and made some whole wheat shell pasta with chick peas in garlicky, spicy sauce. Mmm….

As you can see, things definitely have been tasty around here. Are you guys getting back into the groove after the holidays?

Back to the Regularly Scheduled Programming

Hey guys! Happy…Monday! (I had a hard time figuring out what day it is. I’d say that means it was a nice break.) This morning, I woke up to a winter wonderland. We got about 8 inches at my parents’ house. It was quite nice to sit inside with my mom, sipping coffee and doing morning things like reading blogs, the paper, and eating breakfast.

The past couple of days were filled with amazingly delicious food and I never felt overstuffed or denied of anything, but, I’ve found that I’m very sensitive to changes in my eating schedule (if I can call it that). I think because I eat so regularly (as in breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, treat) around the same times each day, when I graze or eat fewer bigger meals, it really affects my energy levels and I tend to get stomach aches.

Anywho, all that is to say that this morning, I was more than ready to get back on schedule and eat some more of my “normal” foods; while integrating delicious leftovers, of course. I made some oatmeal with skim milk, cinnamon and half of a nanner cooked in it and topped it with the other nanner half and some of my mom’s raspberry sauce (for the sour cream pound cake). 

The raspberry sauce is delicious and was so good on the oatmeal. Mmm…

After an intense yoga class and some packing, it was lunch time. There was some salad leftover which I added roasted asparagus, olives, stinky cheese and balsamic dressing to and had some whole wheat pita triangles with hummus on the side. Hit.the.spot.

 

I was pretty anxious to get on the road this afternoon so that I could get home before it got too dark and take my time on the snowy roads. I saw a few accidents but was lucky to be surrounded by people who were taking it slowly and carefully, just like me! I made it home safe and sound and quickly unpacked before making myself a veggie-filled dinner of fried rice (frozen mixed stir-fry veggies, two scrambled eggs, brown rice, soy sauce and chili sauce).

Now, its relaxation time before back to work tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll enjoy some of my mom’s ginger cookies (thanks Mom!) while watching Dexter. Have a great night, friends!! Stay warm and safe.

Em

Christmas, Take Two

Hey guys! Happy Sunday! I hope that you are doing well and have been enjoying the day. We had a pretty low key Christmas yesterday. We ate a big lunch/dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant and then hung out and enjoyed each other’s company.

Today, though, we had a chance to see our extended family, which was great. My mom outdid herself with the food, as usual, and it was a wonderful time. The appetizers alone would have been enough to keep me happy…especially the stinky cheese…mmm…stinky cheese.

I don’t have pictures of the meal (too busy eating) but there was a ham, a turkey, scalloped potatoes, cranberry relish, delicious rolls, roasted asparagus and a beautiful salad. I made a sandwich of scalloped potatoes and cranberries with plenty of salad and asparagus. I know it sounds strange but it was SO good. :)

Of course, there was dessert too – a homemade sour cream pound cake with fresh raspberry sauce as well as ginger cookies, Italian nutballs (or thumbprints) and Lindt truffles. Needless to say, I have a happy belly.

We’re bracing for a huge storm here on the east coast. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to rush back to work tomorrow. Stay safe and warm!

Em

Merry Christmas!!

For those of you celebrating, I hope that you and yours have a wonderful holiday! Make sure to spend lots of time with the people you love (and let them know it, too!!). Thanks for stopping by this little spot. :)

 

XOXOXOXO

Em

The Cardio Kickboxing MBA Returns

Hi Guys! I apologize for my extended absence. Time has been flying by with Christmas shopping, craziness at work and finishing up with school!

Speaking of that last little bit… tomorrow marks my very last day of MBA classes! I still remember speaking with my Dad two years ago (mostly because he reminds me regularly of it in the friendliest ‘I-told-you-so’ kind of way possible) about whether or not I should start the program. I was mostly nervous about the workload – would I be able to do homework again? What about my weekends (and weeknights for that matter)? Would I, a dreamy, flowery, word-loving English major be able to handle a business course load? You know what my Dad said? He said: ‘Em, in two years you could be 26 with a masters degree in business administration, or you could just be 26.’ And that was that. And here I am, 26 with an MBA. Thanks Dad (and Mom, and Sam, and all of my friends and classmates who have supported me). It has truly changed me, I think. In a good way. I feel like I have truly grown. It’s very satisfying indeed.

Enough about that, though. I have managed to fit in some other exciting things, as well. Namely, this past weekend I was treated to a cardio kickboxing class by an old friend (she’s not old, we were just good friends in high school). We recently reconnected and it’s been marvelous – and not just for the gym classes! :)

We met at 7:15 am to attend the hour long kickboxing class. As it was my first one, I was a little bit nervous but Sarah found us a nice spot towards the back where I wouldn’t be directly in the instructor’s view (and was nicely out of the way of our extremely buff classmates) and I settled in. First thoughts: amazing. The energy and music was great. I didn’t get all of the moves correct but it didn’t matter – it was an amazing workout. And quite empowering, I’d say. I’m normally the kind of girl that refuses to even hurt a menacingly big spider (I’ve come to accept them as my apartment mates) but there were times during the class that I literally felt like I could kick someone’s butt. It was kinda cool.

With all of the kicking, lunging and jumping jacks, I was fearful for my ability to move Sunday morning but surprisingly (‘but’ being the operative word here) my gluts and traps were the only parts of me that were extremely tender. After a nice walk on the treadmill and some time spent on the foam roller, I was feeling good as new! I’m so excited to try another class. I can’t believe that I’m such a gym rat and have managed to avoid exercise classes for so long. No more!

What about you guys, do you like exercise classes? Have you tried kickboxing? Any other favorites that I should try??

Just Call Me Julia Crocker Garten

Hey guys! I hope that you’ve had a great weekend. After a few weekends in a row of traveling, it was really nice to have one at home. I was able to get my Christmas shopping done, am nearly finished with my Christmas cards, did a deep clean of the apartment and…I cooked and baked like a mad woman. I’m not really sure what got into me.

It all started yesterday when I got back from Christmas shopping and was just in the mood to bake while listening to holiday songs. I decided brown bread might be a good thing to have around. I mean, when is it not? I used all wheat flour instead of half wheat, half white and it came out a bit dense, but its still quite delicious – perfect toasted with some butter on top. :)

And then today, I had the urge to try out the cranberry recipe, and oh, did I. I haven’t tried it yet, but somehow, there is a carton of vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream in the fridge just waiting to be topped with the cranberry goodness. :)

 

Shortly after the cranberries were done, it was time for lunch. What to have, what to have? How about kalamata olive hummus? I read about adding the olives on a blog (I can’t recall which!) the other day and couldn’t get the idea out of my head. This is super easy and really delicious. The olives give the hummus a great texture, taste and color.

My hummus contained two garlic cloves, a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas, about two tablespoons of tahini, lemon juice, cumin, 1/3 cup of water and about 20 kalamata olives. Yum. Try this – you will not be disappointed!

Finally, for dinner, I was craving pasta – specifically shell pasta and so I sauteed some green bell pepper, onion, carrots and tempeh cubes and then added some mushroom marinara sauce to make an easy pasta primavera. I had a hearty bowl of whole wheat shells topped with spinach and a bunch of the yummy sauce. Best part? Lots of leftovers. After this weekend, I’ll be thankful to avoid dishes for a while! :)

Cranberry Sauce for All Occasions

Hey guys! Happy Emilyday. How has your week been? Mine has gone so quickly. Its unbelievable, really. Work has been busy but I think it also has something to do with Christmas approaching and being busy busy with preparations. The cards, decorations and gifts are more than worth it, though.

Today, I’m here to talk a bit about cranberry sauce. This is not your run of the mill can-shaped sauce (not that there’s anything wrong with that). This is delicious, chunky, tart, sweet, homemade cranberry sauce. The recipe is my uncle’s and features not only cranberries, but raisins, apples, walnuts and lemon and orange juice.

As you guys now, this year we spent Thanksgiving at my uncle’s house and he actually made the cranberry sauce himself. It was delicious, as usual, and I even got to enjoy it the day after  Thanksgiving in my most favorite way ever – on vanilla ice cream. I know it sounds strange, but its  so delicious. Especially when the ice cream gets a little melty. Mmm…

Oh yeah, back to the post. So, because we were in Long Island, we didn’t get to actually bring back any cranberry leftovers. But, my mom did bring some turkey home and made her own cranberry sauce for the sake of sandwiches. And guess who benefits the most when there is a surplus of fresh cranberry sauce?

That’s right, I do. Well, you do too, since it inspired me to deliver the recipe. I haven’t officially made this yet, but I was so happy to see how simple it is. Here goes:

12 ounces cranberries
¾ cup sugar
1 cup water        
bring to boil until cranberries pop
add 1 grated apple
¾ cup raisins
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes
Remove from heat and add 1 cup chopped walnuts

Store in covered container in refrigerator and enjoy during the holidays and beyond –  I promise, if you try it on vanilla ice cream or with some yogurt, you will NOT be disappointed. :)

 

Veggie Fried Rice & Weekend Happenings

Hey guys! Happy Monday! I hope that you’ve had a great one. My day started off quite sluggishly but quickly gained momentum and before I knew it, it was nearly over and I was making my way to the gym.

I did a 45 minute treadmill hill walk while reading a case study for class. I always get weird stares, but somehow, it seems like I retain the information so much better than when I’m reading in a quiet room while sitting. I think I need the background noise and the walking keeps me from getting fidgety. Plus, its killing two birds with one stone. Who doesn’t like such efficiency? :)

As usual, dinner was the only thing on my mind when I got home. I quickly started some jasmine rice and started sauteeing frozen asian stir-fry mix in a skillet. I added two scrambled eggs to the veggies once they were heated through and then added the rice as well as some soy sauce and chili sauce. Mmm…this was so tasty. I think it was my subconscious recalling images of delicious fried rice from Sarena’s blog. So good. 

It tasted even better in my new adorable bowl from Pier 1. My mom picked me up the cutest little set this weekend. Thanks Mom!

I did manage to have some adventures this weekend – a trip to New York City with a good friend. It is always such a treat to visit during the holiday season (despite the enormous crowds). There are so many amazing decorations and fun shopping to do, of course (what girl can resist a trip to Tiffany & Co.??). We ended up eating delicious pizza, also. I don’t have pictures of the pizza, but I do have pictures of the fun. Enjoy!!