The Costume That Got Me a Husband

Halloween and I were made for each other.  What other holiday condones chocolate consumption while wearing costumes and glitter?  I can't think of another one that is socially acceptable since I fail to acknowledge the existence of holiday sweaters.

Ever since I can remember, I have made plans to go out and frolic among the ghouls and goblins, and drink a few tequila shots here and there (what?! tequila is good for digestion).  One year, exactly five years ago, I went to a house party and my friend and I dressed up as gold diggers- you know Kanye's little tune?  I can't find any of those pictures, but I can assure you it was fabulous.  I had big hair, lots of gold, and a shovel (get it? gold. digger). 

The next day I went on a blind date and met my husband.  He was also out the night before at a separate party with his friends.  His butler costume was quite the rage, from what I heard.  That morning, I wasn't feeling so hawt (i.e. tequila shots) but I went out to lunch anyways and we sat and talked for hours.  It was also my first and last blind date. 

Since then, Halloween has been our anniversary until we got married and stuff.  Our first year together, we paid homage to the entertainment masterpiece known as Flavor of Love.

This year, however, I felt the need to bring back my original costume because on Halloween my theory is either go big, or go home.  Also, that costume brought me luck and Forver 21 had this dress for a cool $15.

 The hubby was an oil spill- to raise awareness of environmental issues (and not for purposes of offending anyone)

We went to the Hilton in San Francisco and had a view of the city while enjoying dranks and dancing.

 Oh, and the costume?  Even after 5 years, I'm still diggin this guy.

 

And the leftover Halloween candy that I can finish while wearing my glittery dress. 

Happy Halloween!

Sometimes Multi-tasking Can Be Awesome

This past weekend, I found my crunchy granola Bay Area self far, far away in New York.  When I found out I was going on a six week travel binge for work and New York was one of the stops, I HAD to visit Mari of Namaste Mari- a dear friend who I have never seen in person but have had the pleasure of getting to know over the years. 
I was also excited to meet two of my other favorite bloggers, Missy of Missy Maintains and Gabriela of Une Vie Saine. See? Multi-tasking.

Mari and Missy were sweet enough to pick me up from my hotel, (clearly anticipating my lack of direction) and escorted me through the subway system to Spring Street Natural, a cute sustainable restaurant in SoHo, one of my favorite parts of the city.  The restaurant was fabulous- and the company was even better. 

We started with a beautiful basket of bread that was brought to our table before we had a chance to even sit.

The menu was amazing- I would have ordered almost everything on it, but I finally settled for the same thing as Mari- Pumpkin Ravioli. The cheese and crunchy hazelnuts made this dish.

Even better than the food was the company. The girls were just as eloquent, sweet, and witty as their blogs and I was so glad they each took time out of their day to come to lunch.  Since this was my first official blog meet-up, I wasn't sure what to expect, but the conversation was amazingly less focused on food, and more focused on normal conversation- except we paused to take pictures of our meals before we ate. 

Gabriela was the group photographer, with her fancy new camera. 
Missy and Mari:

Gabriela and I:

Group shot:

As we parted ways from Gabriela, Missy and Mari took me through the scenic route to get back to my hotel.  Some would call it lost, but I enjoyed walking through Greenwich Street, West 4th, and through Tribeca.  We stopped along the way for some pictures, mastering this whole multi-tasking thing.

When we got off the train, Mari and I continued our hot date and took an extra long walk to Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes.  Oh my word- these were fabulous.  I'm not sure if it was the chase of circling the block to find the place, or my excitement over my potential sugar coma, but I found these to be some of the best cupcakes I have ever had.

My hot date also treated me to mine, and it was just as good as it looked.

I killed mine, and Mari shared hers with the evil pigeons- but first a cute picture:

I am so glad that I stayed an extra day to meet up with these girls.  Of course no blog meet-up is complete without food and I'm enjoying the Godiva from Mari as I type this post.  Multi-tasking is fabulous.

New Post Coming Soon

Oh Hi!  I have a blogger meet-up recap coming soon but I'm having a few technical difficulties.  Hope you are all having a great Monday and see you soon!

I Eat the Same Food

Happy Monday or Sunday, depending on when you are reading.  I hope you are all doing fabulous today.  I've been around and making my way through work, work travel, and making sure that I show my face at home often enough to be recognized by my husband.  I'm not sure it's working.

I have found that since I started my first healthy eating journey, nearly 14 years ago, I have been a creature of habit.  I once went on a diet where I cycled boiled chicken breast, cottage cheese, and plain rice every three days.  That did NOT inspire me to stay on a healthy eating journey.  In the fat free haze that we all like to call the 90s, I ate gummy bears and bagels, because no fat = healthy. Duh!  I also watched way too many episodes of Friends, but I'll let that slide.  Let's not even talk about the lifetime supply of Balance Yogurt Honey Peanut bars that I hoarded for my 'protein needs' during the low carb madness.

Years later, I find myself still eating the same things over and over again, simply out of convenience and because I hate change.  Thank goodness I don't blog my daily eats, (for several reasons). 

Take for example the salad that I have been demolishing on a daily basis.

I started with the following ingredients:

• a ripe bartlett pear 
• my new favorite honey goat cheese (from Trader Joe's. run there and get yo'self some...no regrets)
• roasted tofu 
• almond slices
• a fresh bed of organic herb greens
• dressing of choice (I used balsamic)

It's easy, simple, healthy, hits all my food groups, and allows for my daily lunch dessert.

This salad, though not representative of my daily eats, is me.  In my brief time away from complete immersion in blogs, I realized that my way, is the best way for me.  I don't run- in fact, I have not done structured cardio in over a month.  Are you still reading? 
I don't eat/ingest/inhale protein powder because I don't need it.  I also haven't budged since canned pumpkin has hit the shelves and changed lives (we have it year round here- I didn't even notice the difference).  I love having an outlet to write and share and I have to admit I'm a sucker for chia seeds and almond butter.  I love yoga and strength classes, and a walk outside in the fresh air is ten times better than the dreadmill.  However, I eat the same food almost on a daily basis, and I'm cool with that.

Are there any foods you eat repeatedly?  I'm sure I'm not the only one :)

Sunday Picnic

Hi Guys!  I'm hoping you had a good Monday.  It was a little bit of a rough one for me, but on to bigger and better things.

Thanks SO VERY MUCH for those who voted for me for Project Food Blog.  I had a blast with the first two challenges but couldn't hang with the big kids.  I am looking forward to voting for my favorites.  Seriously guys- check out those entries!  One thing I learned is that I'm no gourmet and I just do things my own, stubborn, way.  Things are more fun that way- trust me.

Each Sunday, I do my food prep for the week and also cook a meal for the hubby and I to enjoy.  Husband has been working like a mad man on his thesis because he's smart and I wanted to spend some time with him.  Food always wins.  We don't really have structured meals during the week so Sundays are it.  It's a great way for us to wind down from the weekend and a good way for me to try to avoid the Sunday blues. 

The Menu:

Spinach, roasted beets, marinated onions, almonds, pomegranate arils, slivered almonds, honey goat cheese and honey mustard vinaigrette.

 Garlic roasted potatoes and stuffed peppers (zucchini, garlic, tomato, basil)

Ahi tuna 'cooked' in lime juice and spicy goodness, homemade guacamole, and marinated spicy shrimp

Fresh veggies for dipping and face stuffing (me mostly)

All enjoyed 'picnic style' in the comfort of our living room

This, my friends, is how we eat our fancy Sunday dinner- other days we sit on our bar stools in the kitchen and sometimes I like to pace around the kitchen while I chew ;).  
I drink water out of a coffee cup and we eat our chips out of the bag (but we don't double dip because that's nasty).
I like to sit on the floor with my legs crossed for complete comfort- because who sits on couches when they are on a picnic?  That's just silly.

Other dining habits?

• I eat breakfast on the run and usually show up to work with food on my face, unless my husband catches me before I get out of the car.
• I eat past 7:00 PM most days of the week because I rarely get home before 8:00 PM and have not turned into a pumpkin or melted yet.
• I eat out of the container if it's only my food- like almond butter and pumpkin butter.
• I prepare breakfast dessert on a weekly basis for my husband because I know he likes it and he gets to eat whatever he wants for his tournament training
• It almost hurts me to follow a recipe- I always have to tweak something for no reason other than my stubbornness

Tonight is my 300th post and I'm glad to have shared some of my quirks with you guys.  I never intended to keep this blog up for so long and wanted to quit many times but realized that it's something I love to do.  For those who read and comment, I'm truly grateful to have you here in my little home.  I invite you to come over for a virtual Sunday picnic.  Maybe I'll even let you sit on the couch and share some dark chocolate with you after dinner.

P.S. Any NYC bloggers up for lunch with me on Sunday, October 24?  I'll be in town and would love to meet you!  Email me onehealthyapple at gmail dot com