Thursday morning was an earlyyy one – alarm went off at 6:25am. I stumbled out of bed and groggily made my way to the subway platform (stopping for at the coffee cart first , of course!). I had a doctor’s appointment at 8am, so there was no time to waste. All went well with my appointment and I actually made it to the office 30 minutes early. As I got caught up on emails, breakfast was eaten: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, and Heritage Grains flakes.
Work. Work. Work. Trying to be productive. Anyone else notice that there motivation dwindles as the weekend draws closer?? At lunchtime IÂ Â braved the very cloudy skies to return some library books. The library is about a 15 minute walk from my office building – it felt good to stretch my legs! Let me just say – The New York Public Library is the best deal ever!! I’m a pretty quick reader, so it doesn’t make too much sense for me to spend $15 on a book I’ll finish in a week or so. Hooray for free books!
I returned the following:
- Sophie’s Choice (classic novel about WWII/Holocaust)
- American Wife (semi-fictional novel based on Laura Bush)
- The Queen of Babble Gets Hitched (umm….chick lit)
Next Up: Wally Lamb’s The Hour I First Believed
Lunch was my usual cafeteria salad:
- romaine, carrots, onions, mushrooms
- ~1/3 cup Pinto & Black Bean Salad
- Feta cheese
- whole grain croutons
- 1 Tbs balsamic vinaigrette
- Spoonful of pesto pasta salad (with fresh mozzarella!)
- Some leftover roasted beets
After some meetings I decided to break out my peanut butter cookie lara bar. How can dates + peanuts + salt taste so amazing?!! I love that these count as a whole serving of fruit. This photo is prettier than the one I took (thanks for the photo larabar.com!)
I made it through the rest of the afternoon and then headed to my gym for a spinning class.
I warmed up with 20 minutes on the elliptical and then made my way over the the cycling studio. To avoid bothering my hamstring, I kept the resistance low and focused on a fast cadence (turnover). I finished up with some ab work and foam rolling. After pedaling my heart out, I was very ready for din-din. A refreshing shower and a short subway ride later, Nate and I landed at the Fire House Tavern on the Upper West Side. I love this place! I came here with my mom, sister, Nate, and Hannah after running my first marathon – NYC Marathon 2008!
Check out the cool firehouse-themed decor:
Nate had requested Friday off of work, so he started the weekend early and enjoyed a Geary’s Pale Ale. I had a few sips – I liked it! I was worried it would be too bitter (like an IPA), but it was very smooth.
For my entree, I ordered the veggie burger platter. I love the veggie burgers at Firehouse! I could see actual pieces of edamame, carrots, and peas in my burger. To make it a little healthier, I ate my burger without the top of the bun (white bread = empty carbs) and used ketchup/hot sauce instead of cheese or mayo. I also gave my coleslaw to Nate (he’s a bigger fan of it than I am). I made quite a few healthy swaps, but I still ate all of my waffle fries. Love them!
Close up of my plate – topped with iceburg lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a pickle.
When we got back to my place, I broke out the extra special treat I snagged from the cafeteria at work: a piece of Reese’s peanut butter cup pie! Thank goodness I have someone to share desserts with – this was very rich. But OMG delicious!
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Happy Friday!!
