The Runner's Kitchen

Yesterday morning I headed out to Central Park for a 4.5 mile recovery run. My hamstrings were a little tight from Sunday’s race, but otherwise I felt great! The sun was shining and my legs were thankful for the squishy softness of the dirt bridle path.

The rest of my day wasn’t nearly as carefree as my a.m. run, but I had fun evening plans to look forward to. After reading a review in the NY Times a few weeks ago, I was intrigued by The Meatball Shop. This new restaurant specializes in….you guessed it – meatballs!

The Meatball Shop is tucked away on Stanton Street on the Lower East Side. In fact, I walked right by it at first! The menu is blissfully simple and the quality of food, cozy atmosphere, and attentive service are top-notch. Bonus: Ingredients are locally sourced and humanely raised.

Once we were seated, I perused the menu. Diners are given the choice of meatballs (beef, spicy pork, chicken, salmon, lamb, or vegetable), sauce (tomato, mushroom, meat, or creamy parmesan), cheese (mozzarella or provolone), as well as an array of breads, pastas, and vegetables. I chose the “meatball smash” which featured 2 chicken meatballs, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese stuffed and grilled inside a brioche roll. The arugula and apple salad on the side was a nice addition. I can’t say enough good things about this meal – it was warm and hearty, without being too heavy. And all of the ingredients were super fresh - loved the arugula!

(Grr…dim lighting…blurry photos)

My dining companion ordered a classic beef meatball hero with melted cheese on a whole grain roll. The meat was described as being “fall off the bone tender”. Never mind that meatballs don’t actually contain bones….you get the point! And of course more of that yummy arugula salad on the side.

How do you top off a delicious dinner like that?

I know…

Cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar!!

Remember when I made a vegan version of Momofuku’s compost cookie? That was good, but there’s nothin’ like the original…

Last night I also snagged one of the cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookies and I think I like this one even better. It tasted like a chocolate chip cookie-rice krispies treat hybrid. Oh my heavens.

Wondering what the heck a fartlek is? Confused by interval workouts? Running Shorts comes to the rescue with explanations for the sport’s most common terms.

IT band pain? Watch this Runner’s World video to find out which yoga poses will help.

Love diet coke? I’ll admit…I can’t resist popping open a can of icy cold DC every so often. Fortunately, there’s a healthier stevia-sweetened alternative to all those chemicals. Yum!

What’s your favorite type of cookie?

Happy February! Here’s hoping that the worst of the winter weather is behind us…

I had houseful of boys (friends from college) staying with me this weekend, so I baked a batch of pumpkin muffins on Saturday morning. The muffins served as the perfect pre-run fuel!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• dash of salt
• tsp cinnamon
• dash of ginger and nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup whey that was leftover from my strained yogurt (you could use milk instead)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 F and lightly grease a muffin tin
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl
• In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients
• Using a spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry until combined – but don’t overmix!
• Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full and bake for about 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.
• Cool for about 5 minutes and then remove from the pan and enjoy warm with butter. Yum.

After a chilly, but pleasant 5-miler in Central Park, I was able to try someplace that’s been on my to-go list for ages: Community Food & Juice (thanks for the great suggestion Ada! We need to meet up soon!) This hip uptown restaurant is affiliated with the reknowned Clinton Street Baking Company. While it’s not a vegetarian restaurant, there are plenty of seasonal veggie options and the meats are organic, free-range, and grass-fed.

I was impressed by my homemade veggie bean burger that came atop a brioche bun and was accompanied by tomato jam, avocado spread, and mixed greens.

Saturday continued to be a day of good eats – for dinner I purchased a ball of organic whole wheat pizza dough for $1.69 and turned it into homemade pizza! After stretching the dough to fit an inverted baking sheet, I topped the pie with sauteed garlic and broccoli rabe, goat cheese, and sundried tomato chicken sausage. I baked the pizza for about 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees. The crust came out crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Buying the dough from Whole Foods saved me about 2 hours worth of work and it was quite economical. I’ve made my own pizza dough before and to be honest, I couldn’t really notice a difference! The whole wheat dough, naturally low in fat goat cheese, antioxidant rich broccoli rabe, and high protein chicken sausage made this a power packed dinner. Perfect for runners!

Sunday was designated long run day and since I knew it was probably going to be cold outside, I procrastinated for as long as possible. About an 1.5 hours before I planned on heading out the door I chowed down quite a few servings of Nature’s Path peanut butter granola. I was a little bit worried about how this would sit in my stomach, but it ended up working out great. I felt awesome during my 14 mile long run! Maybe this granola is magic running fuel?

The sun was shining and eventhough it was only about 25 degrees, it didn’t feel all that bad. I ran my first 6 or so miles with Alma, mostly on the bridle path, and finished up the remaining 8 miles solo. My legs felt good enough that I threw in a few quick “pick-ups” around mile 11. The only annoying thing was that I started to get really thirsty around mile 12 – can’t wait till they turn the water fountains back on in Central Park! I ran for 2 hours and while I’m not positive about the distance, I’m going to call it 14 miles. Best part of the run (and weekend)?? No back or hip pain, woo! Maybe this physical therapy stuff is working….

What was the best part of your weekend?

Free Ways for New Yorkers to Get Healthy in February:

• Every Saturday in February, the JCC Manhattan offers an Afro-Caribbean dance class with live drums.
• Check out the Winter Jam in Central Park on February 6: snowshoeing, snowboarding and more.
• The new mind-body venue Studio Anya lets you try out your first group Pilates or yoga class on the house.

I was up in the air about my long run this week – when should I do it? Where should I run? The temps on Saturday were pretty chilly – 21 degrees (11 with the wind chill!), but I had a group of running buddies to keep me company, so an outdoor long run didn’t seem too daunting.

My pre-run routine included the usual coffee with a splash of milk:

Herbal tea (to warm me up even more!), a sliced apple sprinkled with cinnamon, peanut butter, and a luna bar.

The run itself was pretty uneventful, a little chilly, but at least the sun was shining. I ended up running a relaxed 10 miles in about 1 hour, 28 minutes (~8:48 pace). I wore my Wesleyan cross-country zip-up and someone gave me a shout out at mile 5. Running into (pun intended) friends and acquaintances in Central Park is one of my favorite things – it makes me feel like I’m “at home” in this city of 8 million people

After a quick change-a-r00 (definitely a made-up word) I headed to Hell’s Kitchen to meet Joe for some eats. I selected Route 66 Cafe as our destination and it served a decent brunch. The decor is a little strange (nothing to do with Route 66 or the American West), but the food is always fresh and tasty.

Bonus: Our waiter brought us complimentary apple cake to start! I was hungry after my run, so this was much appreciated. Joe was ready to dig in:

Lately I’ve been craving meat (iron + protein), so I listened to that desire and ordered the Bison burger. It came with coleslaw, a pickle, and french fries and was exactly what I wanted. This was a pretty hearty platter of food and I was able to finish about 75%. Post-long run meals are the best – everything tastes better when you’re hungry!

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, shopping, and spending too much $$ enjoying a decaf misto from Starbucks.

And then a few squares of sea salt dark chocolate when I returned home. This chocolate is my favorite thing of the week!

After pretty-a-fying (another made-up word?) ourselves, Alma and I headed out on the town for the annual Central Park Track Club holiday party. It was held at the Harbour Lights Restaurant in South Street Seaport and the views of the Brooklyn Bridge were great!

Some nibbles went un-documented throughout the night, but I started off with a glass of white wine and some bruschetta for an appetizer.

Yikes, I’m still getting used to my new camera – I definitely should have changed the settings for the food photography! Sorry about the blur…

Dinner involved lots of green – salad with dressing, steamed veggies with a sprinkle of parmesan, red bliss potatoes, and a bit of salmon.

And a little taste of everything for dessert – the mini cheesecake was my favorite. The dessert selection at this year’s holiday party was far superior to last year’s offerings – thank goodness! Crappy desserts (or worse – none at all!) make me a very unhappy girl.

2 glasses of wine + heels + dancing + 1am bedtime was probably not the best pre-triathlon routine (umm…yes, that was scheduled for the very next morning!), but I had a lot of fun with my teammates and the holiday party only comes once a year! I DID survive my first triathlon, so stay tuned for a recap

Over at True/Slant Matt and I discussed the effects of sleep on running and race performances – check it out!

Question: What’s your winter-time workout routine? Do you stick to the gym? Run outside no matter what? Hibernate ’till April?

Earlier this week I took a personal day from work to spend some quality time with my sister. She wasn’t due to arrive in the city until mid-morning, so I woke up at my usual time and hit up the gym. My back’s been bothering me a bit lately, so instead of running I hopped on the elliptical for 35 minutes, swam laps for 15 minutes, and finished up with some strength training. It’s 2 days later and my butt and hamstrings are STILL sore. Do these moves at your own risk:

• 3 x 10 curtsy lunges
• 3 x 10 squats
• 3 x 10 calf raises
• 3 x 10 tricep dips
• 3 x 10 bicep curls w/ 12.5 lb weights

My pre-workout mini breakfast was a key lime pie lara bar and after the gym I met my sis for a Starbucks latte.

While doing a little shopping (J. Crew sales!), I finally found the elusive Lindt dark chocolate and sea salt bar and treated myself to a few squares. Probably not the healthiest mid-morning snack, but if sure did taste good. And dark chocolate contains iron and antioxidants – that has to count for something, right?

Next on the agenda: Indian food! Rachel loves this cuisine, so I found a little place nearby and off we went. Basera had a great lunch special – naan, rice, and any vegetarian, chicken, or lamb entree all for $8.95.

Along with my rice and naan, I ordered the saag masala (spinach and chickpeas). So good! I had a generous second helping and left feeling stuffed.

I usually eat at my desk during the work week, so it was nice to enjoy a relaxed lunch with friends.

With our bellies full of naan and vegetables, Rach and I headed over to Broadway for the day’s main event, Wicked. The show tix and the day together were my birthday present to my sis

After the show, Rach and I popped into a nearby bar so she could enjoy her first legal drink in NYC (she just turned 21!). The appletini looked good, but I had a long night of writing and other work ahead of me so I opted for a diet coke instead.

Isn’t she cute? hehe.

Alma offered to make dinner and I definitely appreciated the night off from cooking. My roommate made a yummy whole wheat cous cous, peppers & onions, & tofu combo. Topped with a little salt, pepper, and hot sauce it was a perfect filling meal for a wintry evening.  I think Alma has plans to guest blog about the recipe, so stay tuned!

Dessert was a warmed up vita brownie topped with lots of peanut butter and a container of Fage 0% greek yogurt on the side.

Check out my newest article on True/Slant: How to love running more

Green tea, beans, and low fat dairy – see why these foods are the best at firing up your metabolism!

Apple? Pear? Athletic? Check out the best workouts for your body type!

Simple tricks to make your dishes more yummy.

Question: What’s your lunch hour like? Do you usually eat at your desk? At a restaurant? At home?

Getting up early to run on Wednesday morning = FAIL

Some days (i.e. when I have Alma to run with) I can get up and go without a problem. Other days, I sit drinking coffee and reading email for way too long and before I know it my time window for running has disappeared. Fortunately yesterday morning wasn’t completely unproductive – I was able to put the finishing touches on my tirade against running skirts and blog about crepes and cupcakes. I drank my coffee black yesterday morning because I was too lazy forgot to buy milk. Black coffee is growing on me.

Once I got to the office I was about ready to chew my arm off, so I picked up a protein-packed breakfast from the cafeteria: whole grain bread with pb & jam, mixed berries with cottage cheese, and egg whites with sriracha hot sauce. Except most of the egg whites were already eaten when I snapped this photo….

Hunger > Patience for food photography

With the first of two decaf cappuccinos. I can make them for free at work and they’re actually quite delicious.

Lunch contained the vegetables that were so elusive last week.

• romaine, mixed greens, carrots, onion, mushrooms
• 1/4 cup each of homemade guacamole, black beans, & corn
• feta cheese, whole grain croutons, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds
• Tbs balsamic vinaigrette

I really wanted something sweet for my afternoon snack, so I picked up some toppings from the frozen yogurt bar (crushed oreos, shredded coconut, granola crumbles) and mixed them into a plain Stoneyfield Farm yogurt. Sweet, but still mostly healthy!

Since my morning run didn’t happen, I headed to the gym post work. My motivation for running after a long day in the office (and sitting for 9 hours straight) is never super high, but I always feel better afterward. I ran 5 miles in about 43:30 – a nice and comfortable pace for me right now. My left hip/butt started acting up about 3 miles into the run, but I was able to finish without too much trouble. I think my lower back muscles are really knotted up and this is causing tightness and pain in my hips and butt. I spent a good 10 minutes foam rolling and stretching and I plan to switch to my new running shoes ASAP, so hopefully that will help things along.

The best part of my whole day was meeting Katie (check out her hilarious survival guide for New Year’s Resolution gym-goers) for dinner at a new vegan restaurant called PeaceFood Cafe. I first heard about this place in a Vital Juice newsletter back in October and it has been on my radar ever since!

I ordered the roasted japanese pumpkin sandwich and o.m.g. was it delicious. I was so busy chatting during my meal that I didn’t realize how good it was until it was almost gone, but I’d go back for this sammie in a heart beat! The pumpkin was mashed and seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil and then sandwiched between two hearty slices of spelt bread, caramelized onions, ground walnuts, seasonal greens, and vegan goat cheese. The flavor and texture combinations in this sandwich worked really well together and it was filling, without being too heavy.

Alongside my sandwich I ordered the hangover cure juice (apple, orange, carrot, celery, and ginger root). I did not have a hangover, but I figured I might by tomorrow morning (New Year’s Day!), so why not get a headstart on curing it?

After some MUCH needed grocery shopping (my fridge has milk again, yay!) it was time for the other half of my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cupcake. I was too busy eating to take a photo, but the one from yesterday makes me want to lick the screen, so you should go look at that.

And then I had a few bites of Ben & Jerry’s light phish food, you know, as a palate cleanser… I was really excited to get this pint for FREE. I had a not great experience at a scoop shop this summer and after writing to Ben & Jerry’s headquarters about my complaint, they sent me a coupon for a free pint. The coupon expired today, so I redeemed it just in the nick of time

Question: When you are unhappy with a restaurant dish or purchased food product, do you complain or just let it slide?

ALSO – HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!

It’s been a busy year -

• My first blog post of 2009 (why didn’t I include recipes???)
• Travelled to Mexico City
• Got picked up by a police car during a 20 mile run
• Explored the culinary offerings of Manhattan compliments of Foodbuzz’s 24,24,24 program
• I ran the Boston Marathon!
• Won 1st place in my age group in Central Park’s Annual Couple’s Relay Triathlon
• Spent the weekend in Montauk
• Discovered cross-training activities (spinning and yoga!) to keep me sane during time off from running
• Healthy Living Summit in Boston
• A trip to the beach and the Dogfish Head restaurant!
• A much-needed reunion with my college roommates
• My first post-injury 1/2 marathon
• A new writing gig with True/Slant
• A PR in the annual Thanksgiving Day Run for the Diamonds 9-miler
• Christmas with the fam – including my very own slanket!

How do you feel about running skirts? I have some pretty strong (and maybe controversial) opinions about them. Head on over to the Running Shorts column on True/Slant for the full story.

Yikes, Tuesday was a cold one in NYC! With the windchill, the temperature neared the 0 degree mark. On days like this, I’m happy to have a gym membership and to the gym I went! On my way, I stopped for a Starbucks misto with a pump of gingerbread syrup. I’m going to miss the holiday flavors when they’re gone!

Since my hips have been tight (and I haven’t been so good about taking days off from running) I decided to cross-train on the elliptical. I had the latest issue of SELF magazine and the 3rd hour of the Today Show to entertain me for 90 minutes on the elliptical. The first and last 30 minutes were nice and easy, but I threw in some intervals in the middle to keep things interesting. Post sweat session, I grabbed a banana and a luna bar and then headed to the showers.

I loved being able to go to the gym mid-morning! Unfortunately, it’s back to work today…

Around lunchtime I finally got to visit a place that’s been on my to-go list for ages – Crepes on Columbus! The service was slow (we waited over 30 minutes for our crepes….), but I was happy with my order. I happily chowed down on a buckwheat crepe filled with goat cheese, mushrooms, and caramelized onion.

Remember when I said I was going to cool it with the holiday treats and cookies? Umm, well I’ve decided to make an exception for cupcakes. I had half (portion control!) of a delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cupcake from Crumbs Bakery.

And a decaf cappuccino. Starbucks twice in one day? That’s what Christmas gift cards are for

I call this photo “pensive cupcake”.

Later on in the evening as I watched Mad Men diligently crossed things off my to-do list, I heated up some Amy’s Tomato Bisque and melted some cheese on toast. With some baby carrots for crunch. Gourmet this was not, but it served its purpose.

Before I left Pennsylvania, I used a few very ripe bananas to make a loaf of banana bread. I followed my tried and true chocolate chip banana bread recipe, but used all white flour (Mom didn’t have whole wheat), cut the butter to 2 Tbs, and upped the greek yogurt to 1/2 cup. I’m not the biggest fan of measuring ingredients (I know, I know – it’s important in baking…), so I was really happy with how well this turned out. It’s a good recipe – try it, you’ll like it!

In attempts to warm up, I had multiple cups of tea last night (my favs are Yogi detox and Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride) and a thick slice of banana bread with a dollop of crunchy peanut butter.

Andddd maybe a few Jacques Torres chocolate crunch puffs. Apparently I’m not as tired of sweets as I thought I was

Whole foods to ditch the chocolate, go back to its healthy roots.

Think winter is a lame time for fruits and veggies? Mix things up with this super food!

Home-brewed kombucha? Icing shots? Yes, please! Vital Juice rounds up NYC’s tastiest offerings of 2009.

Question: What was the BEST thing you ate in 2009? It’s a tough call, but I’m pretty sure the Cuban sandwich I had at Gus & Gabriel’s topped my list.

Maybe someday I will wake up in a cheerful mood and ready to run lots of miles sans coffee. Wednesday was not one of those days. When my alarm went off, I couldn’t help pondering – “Megan, why did you ever think it was a good idea to plan an interval workout for 7am??” But alas, early morning was the only time I had to get my run in. I poured a cup of coffee to go and fueled up with 1/2 clif bar.

Work/holiday parties precluded me from attending any CPTC practices this week, so I did a modified version of the Tuesday night workout.

1 mile warm-up
4 x 800m @ 10K pace (3:29, 3:29, 3:26, 3:24)
800m easy running between each faster interval
1 mile cool-down

Felt kind of groggy at the outset and wasn’t exactly excited about running fast at 7am, but as always I’m glad I did it. Hamstring and IT band felt GOOD! A few episodes of Saved by the Bell entertained me during this run. Love those shoulder pads and tube socks, Kelly Kapowski.

I haven’t been as good about packing my breakfast and lunches, so I hit up the cafeteria on my way into work.

Scrambled egg whites with sriracha sauce, mixed berries, and whole grain bread with pb & raspberry jam. Yum.

Plus a cappuccino! Not decaf today. I was le tired.

Lunch was delayed (I thought Christmas week was supposed to be quiet? I am so busy, gah!), so I snacked on some prunes around 1pm.

And then finally, some vegetables. I forgot my camera and didn’t snap a photo of my actual salad, but this photo is a good stand in

• romaine lettuce, sliced onions, shredded carrots, mushrooms, olives
• beans, blue cheese, whole grain croutons, balsamic vinaigrette

And BBQ pop chips! Love, love, love.

I had long meeting that didn’t end until 4:30pm and by this point I was in need of a snack. Thankfully, I had a vitabrownie in my desk drawer. I also sipped on some un-pictured hot cocoa.

Later on in the evening, I met a friend for dinner at Djerdan, a restaurant that specializes in Balkan cuisine. It’s cozy inside and never super crowded – a nice respite from the crowds of Penn Station.

The vegetarian options were not abundant, but I managed to find something. I ordered the vegetarian Sarma – cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables with a side of steamed vegetables. This dish certainly was packed with fiber and antioxidants, but it was a little lacking on the protein front. I was hungry again a few hours later!

I was kind of jealous of my dining companion’s cevapi sandwich - mini sausages tucked inside pita bread and topped with onions and red pepper sauce.

Once I got home I attempted to make chocolate dipped pretzels using candy cane hershey’s kisses. Hmm. This did not work so well. I think that the peppermint oil in the kisses made for a weird texture (sort of lumpy?) when I tried to melt the chocolate. The pretzel creations were not exactly blog-worthy, so I just snacked on some (un-melted) candy cane kisses and pretzels separately. Eh, you win some, you lose some. Anyone have tips on melting hershey’s kisses in the microwave? Does it ever work?

I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve morning already! I just ran a lovely (but chilly) 7+ miles in Central Park with Alma and am finishing up some work before I head to Pennsylvania. Safe travels and Happy Holidays!

Live in the Boston area? Check out the upcoming  “Food for Thought” lecture series offered by the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

Are you a runner? If so, I bet you’ll get a kick out of the Running Doc’s 12 Days of Christmas. Thanks for sharing Katherine!

Interested in Christmas Eve dishes eaten around the world? Check out this article on the healthiest global specialities!

Question: What do you typically eat on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day?

My Sunday was just as jam-packed as the rest of my weekend, but at least I was able to sleep in until 9:30am! After a few hours of  breakfast, blogging, and organizing my life, I headed to the gym. I had a long run on the schedule, but the weather was just awful (cold with heavy rain). I try to run outside whenever possible, but today was definitely a treadmill day. How do you run 12 miles on the treadmill without dying of boredom? Well, first you should read my True/Slant article with Tips for Surviving the Treadmill! I tried to follow my own advice and while the run wasn’t thrilling, It went pretty well.

I split up the run into 3 parts:

• 5 miles on treadmill #1
• 5 miles on treadmill #2
• 2 miles on treadmill #3
• Total: 12 miles in 1 hour, 46 minutes, 17 seconds (~8:51 pace)

Breaking up the run into smaller chunks makes it seem more manageable and it helps me get around the machine’s 60 minute limit! I jog from one treadmill to the next, so the break isn’t that long – 30 seconds tops.

After showering, I re-fueled with a grapefruit, Clif bar, and a few Goji Gourmet cookies.

I received the cookies as a free sample (they’re made super-close to where I work) and I loved them! The top 3 ingredients are: organic whole wheat flour, organic goji berries, and organic oats. They’re sweetened with organic buckwheat honey and contain other goodies such as: raw wheat germ and almonds. Each cookie is 25 calories and contains a decent amount of vitamins and fiber. Plus they taste GOOD! This is definitely something I’ll be buying again once my samples are all eaten

Later in the afternoon, I headed downtown to meet Chelsea for a class at Yoga to the People.  The class featured some deep hip openers and gentle IT band stretching – exactly what I needed post-long run!

After yoga, Chelsea and I braved the rain and ventured to a cozy macrobiotic  restaurant near Union Square called Souen. Curious about what macrobiotic actually means? Check out the description on Souen’s website – they describe it very well!

I started off with a pomegranate juice seltzer.

For my entree, I was adventurous and chose the broiled tofu okabe. A thick slice of tofu was covered in a delicous and savory sesame seed sauce. It tasted a lot like tahini!

I received brown rice on the side.

And my favorite thing of the day – a big plate of steamed vegetables! Seriously, the kale and acorn squash made me SO happy

I finished this dinner with a happy tum and then booked to the W. Village to hear Alma perform at Le Poisson Rouge. The concert venue was transformed into a jazz club-esque space: low tables,  flickering candles, etc. It was a fun show! Very different from anything I’ve been to lately.

When I got home, it was nearly 11pm. After a snack and some email writing, I was ready to crash. Busy weekends and long runs will do that to a girl!

‘Tis the season:

In honor of the latke-making class I’m headed to tonight (so excited!), check out this healthy Hanukkah recipe from the gals at Skinny & the City.

Check out these tips for making healthy choices at the holiday buffet.

Need a gift idea for your active friend? Nancy Clark, R.D. offers up some recipes for yummy, edible gifts. Will someone make me those peanutty energy bars?? Hehe.

Question: What’s your favorite weekend ritual? Pancake breakfasts? Sleeping in? Afternoon yoga classes?

Saturday was such a whirlwind of activity, but it’s been a fun weekend, so I can’t complain! I woke up bright and early (7am) because I had plans to volunteer with Girls on the Run Manhattan. I fueled with some coffee and a Kashi granola bar and then ran 3 miles to where the Girls on the Run Winter 5K was being held.

Courtney and I were trying to stay warm, brrr…

Girls on the Run Manhattan (Hundreds of them showed up to run in the early morning cold. Bravo girls!)

Despite dressing in many layers, I was f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g! But the little girls were SO cute that they made it worth it. I was paired with an adorable 10 year-old and she insisted 1) that I get my pony tail painted with colored hair spray at the Happy Hair station and 2) we line up at the very front of the starting line. She was ready to run!

We started off fast and then finished up the 5K with a mix of sprints, skipping, and power walking. My favorite thing about running with kids is that they just want to have FUN. And isn’t that what running should be about?

After the race, I said my goodbyes and ran the 3 miles back to my ‘hood. My fingers were like popsicles, so I stopped at Starbucks and treated myself to a decaf misto with one pump of gingerbread syrup. SO good.

I was in a rush to get out the door, so breakfast #2 was quick – sliced pear and a plain greek yogurt with a Tbs peanut butter mixed in.

I rushed down to Canal Street for a fun event at The French Culinary Institute!

Pastry Scoop and Texasweet Ruby Red Grapefruits were sponsoring a recipe demo and dessert tasting with Jansen Chan, executive pastry chef at Manhattan’s Oceana restaurant.

I started off with a grapefruit juice eggnog. Fancy! 1pm is totally an appropriate time for a cocktail, right?

And then the recipe demos began! Jansen was very interesting – he worked as a professional architect for years before realizing his true passion was baking.

Did you know?

• Grapefruits have NO fat, cholesterol, or sodium
• High in vitamins A & C
• Contain lycopene and fiber
• Grapefruits will keep on the counter for 2 weeks of in the fridge for 6 weeks!

And Jansen demonstrated how to properly peel and cut a grapefruit – remove all of the bitter, white pith!

Although a cocktail + dessert tasting was probably not the best choice for post-run fuel, I guess I could do much worse than grapefruits and dark chocolate!

Dessert #1 – Steamed chocolate cake with creamy grapefruit filling (I only ate about half because I wanted to pace myself!)

Dessert #2 – Tarragon grapefruit soup with mascarpone gelee and dark chocolate sorbet (loved this – my favorite!)

Dessert #3 – White chocolate grapefruit parfait with honey sabayon

Dessert #4 – Floating island if grapefruit anglaise and milk chocolate sorbet

Dessert #5 – Chocolate tarts with grapefruit marmalade and coconut tuiles (the marmalade and dark chocolate flavor in this one were a little intense for my liking).

We also received goodie bags full of grapefruits, recipe cards, and gourmet chocolate chips (definitely nibbled on a few of those already!). This event was fun and delicious, plus I got to spend some time with one of New York foodie friends (thanks for coming Darien!). If you’re interested in creative grapefruit recipes, check out the Texas Citrus recipe page!

All that chocolate gave me quite a bit of a sugar rush energy, so I headed to the gym for….a swimming workout!! Gah. Remember when I signed up for an indoor triathlon? Um, yeah. That’s in less than a month. My goal is to survive the 10 minute swim and then really focus on the bike and run portion. I’ve been putting off getting in the pool for as long as possible, but on Saturday I finally bit the bullet. I hopped in the water and swam for about 10 minutes (freestyle and backstroke) and then alternated between laps and kickboard drills for another 10 minutes. My form is horrendous and I’m sure the lifeguard got a good laugh, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. Hooray!

By 6pm, I was ready for some dinner (no, chocolate doesn’t count). I met my friends Joe and Chrissy at a little spot called Georgio’s Country Grill. The menu was simple, but the service really made the place stand out. I got to the restaurant a little early and was seated right away (some places make you wait until the entire party arrives). Georgio’s was warm and cozy and I really liked the ambiance – bottles of wine and San Pelligrino on the table made the dinner feel special.

After all my running, walking, and swimming – I was HUNGRY! I started off with a cranberry and walnut roll with butter.

For my entree I was craving vegetables so I ordered the grilled portabello mushroom salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, onion, artichoke, olives, and goat cheese. I ordered the balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the side, but the veggies were so fresh and flavorful, that I only needed to use a bit. The grilled portabellos look sort of like bacon, but I assure you this salad is vegetarian

I met a date for a un-pictured glass of red wine at Barcibo and stayed out past my usual Grandma bedtime.

However, I couldn’t totally abandon my old-lady ways. I finished the night with a cup of tea and slice of pb & j toast.

Question: Do you like grapefruit? I think people either love it or hate it…

p.s. Matt and I just posted a new article on Running Shorts – How to manage the pain of racing and running hard!

Good morning blog readers! I intended to publish this post last night, but once again fell asleep at my computer. I think I need more sleep….

I’ve been feelin’ good since Saturday’s long run. I ran a quick 7 miles on Sunday morning and my legs felt surprisingly fresh!

Monday morning began with some coffee in the Frida mug and an easy 9.5 miles in Central Park.

My weekend contained a lot of foods high in sodium (canned soup, salty popcorn, triscuits, etc.), so I tried to balance it all out with a potassium-packed breakfast. I mixed some PB2 (powdered peanut butter) into a plain Oikos greek yogurt and had an apple and a banana on the side.

And a cappuccino to warm me up. I do not like the cold weather, boo.

Lunch began with some carrot sticks (leave the peel on for extra fiber!).

And leftover black bean enchiladas topped with avocado.

My afternoon snackeroos included two vitatops (blueberry bran and chocolate). Each of these muffin tops has 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, 100 calories, and good amount of vitamins & minerals. I keep them frozen (they don’t contain preservatives), so I like to warm them up in the microwave for about 25 seconds.

And then I was still hungry….

Around 4pm I made a snack creation by topping a vanilla light ‘n fit yogurt (not my fav brand, but oh well) with a few peanut butter covered pretzels, shredded coconut, and a sprinkle of granola. This was certainly sweet, but at least the yogurt provided some calcium and protein.

I diligently worked through the rest of the day – I had a fun dinner planned and didn’t want to get stuck in the office!

Around 7:30pm I ventured to the East Village to meet Katie for dinner at the Organic Grill.

The inside of this little veggie spot was super cute and cozy. The wooden tables and benches made me feel like I was at an indoor picnic!

I started off with some freshly brewed ginger-apricot tea.

And for my entree, I chose the grilled tofu sandwich. My sliced tofu was sandwiched between 2 slices of spelt toast and topped with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, and vegan mayo. With homefries, coleslaw, and mini-pickles on the side! My meal was simple, but exactly what I was craving.

My long day began catching up with me around 9 o’clock, so I took my dessert to go. After studying the dessert case, I chose the vegan peanut butter-chocolate cream pie to take home. Wow, this was rich. The graham cracker crust base was topped with a creamy chocolate-peanut butter cream. However, since the pie was vegan, I assume that silken tofu was used in place of eggs/cream. The topping featured chocolate ganache and crunch peanuts. It was a delicious dessert, but I could only eat about 2/3 of the big portion I brought home. That’s rare for me – I always finish dessert!

If you’re in the E. Village looking for simple, vegetarian food, the Organic Grill is a good option. I would definitely go back for another sammie and a piece of pie!

Exciting News: For this week only, Jamba Juice is offering their steel cut oats for only $1 (get the coupon here)!! Each steaming bowl of oats contains approximately 300 calories, 6 grams of filling fiber, and 9 grams of protein. In addition to fresh banana, blueberry-blackberry, and apple-cinnamon, there’s also a brand NEW flavor – berry cherry pecan. I know what I’ll be having for breakfast this week…

What vegetables are in season during the winter? And what the heck do I do with an artichoke? Luckily, FoodFit.com has the answers!

Holiday stress getting you down? Eat these super foods to feel better fast!

Question: Have you ever prepared steel cut oats from scratch?