A Weekend Filled with the Perfect Ingredients

Good evening! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and aren’t suffering from the Sunday Slumps.

This weekend included some great food, friends, volunteering, a long run, and some cooking.

Bo nor I got home from work on Friday night until after 8pm. After a week of traveling we were both craving a date night together. We took advantage of our NYC location and decided to find a dinner location during our walk. After a few attempts we were lucky to find 2 counter seats at Casa Mono.

Casa Mono is Batali’s Spanish tapas restaurant which is also known for its wonderful wine selection. We often see lines around the block for this favorite and therefore were surprised and excited to find two counter seats available. For two foodies, sitting at the counter of an open kitchen restaurant is a dream come true. We spent most of our dinner watching their sure handed techniques and ingredients.

More pictures and a full review will come later.

Saturday Bo and I woke up bright and early for an early morning spin class complements of Fly Wheel and Fit Chick in The City, Jes. The class was VERY different than our Equinox classes as it did a lot of low resistance and high speed drills while standing. However, the coolest part was the mini arm workout at the 40 minute point. This was totally unexpected but a nice little treat.  This is how Fly Wheel describes their studio and classes:

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Rides at Flywheel are engineered to provide you with the best and most fun workout possible. Each ride is set to a high energy music playlist, ranging from hip hop to rock and roll to pop. The lineup also includes specialty classes such as post-natal, “sweat into summer”, post-natal and “combo” combination classes that utilize our adjacent yoga studio for multi-faceted workouts. Additionally, for those who thrive on competition, Flywheel has developed the TorqBoard– an in-studio display that provides riders with the option to compare their performance against the rest of the class in real time.Blog Pictures 2010 230

Blog Pictures 2010 231I love healthy and fun ways to catch up with local readers and get to know other bloggers and readers! Thanks Jes!

The rest of my Saturday included volunteering up in Harlem with the New York Junior League. We were taking part in the Playground Improvement Project in St. Nicholas Park. Each year the Junior League adopts a different park in the city to restore! The park was absolutely gorgeous and the flowers were in full bloom! Blog Pictures 2010 236Blog Pictures 2010 235

It was definitely five hours of manual labor as we painted a hand ball court and scraped paint off benches. But, it was a great opportunity to get to know the women on my committee better and enjoy the sunshine. Blog Pictures 2010 233The lovely ladies of the CHAMP (Community Health Advocacy Module Program) committee taking a lunch break. Blog Pictures 2010 232The delicious veggie sandwich I snagged from the boxed lunches. I was pleasantly surprised with the freshness and flavor. I need to add sprouts, cabbage, and carrots to more of my sandwiches! It adds great flavor and texture.

I came home to take a quick nap and walk to the Union Square market for fresh flowers before Bo and I met up with Lauren and Casey at Dos Caminos for margaritas and dinner. From there we went to two great bars that Bo nor I had ever experienced before. Amity Hall, the second bar, was awesome! Over 50 beers on tap and great atmosphere! Thanks Casey for the recommendations! We even ran into Melissa and Frank at Dos Caminos. Congratulations on your graduation Melissa.

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Be sure to check out Bobbi’s bake sale tomorrow! My vegan macaroons will be up for sale!

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The Photo Tour Down Memory Lane Continues..

So who knew that South Bend was the place to go for amazing Italian restaurants and huge farmer’s markets!

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Friday night six of us crammed into my parent’s rental car for my favorite pizza EVER! (Only my dad would rent a Crown Vic just so he could have both his ENTIRE family in the car the whole trip.) We enjoyed dinner with more than 10 of my family members. It was filled with laughter, memories, and great food. Rocco’s has been a South Bend institution since 1951. My dad and his siblings grew up eating pizza in the corner booth every weekend with their parents and friends. We kept that tradition alive Friday night. The best moment was when three of the siblings walked in together and gave Rocco’s wife and daughter huge hugs and the laughter started. Three of the children, Rusty, Will, and my dad are known for their stories, loud voices, and gift of gab. They kept the stories flowing Friday night. Blog Pictures 2010 164Blog Pictures 2010 168   Delicious gooey cheese, chewy crust along the edges, thin crust along the rest of the slice, and only fresh vegetables! Rocco’s doesn’t believe in using any canned goods so you know that their sauce and mushrooms are fresh. Blog Pictures 2010 165 Blog Pictures 2010 166 Blog Pictures 2010 167 Who do you think I favor? My mom or dad? We’ve had better pictures but hey who cares! 🙂 We can’t wait around for only the best pictures.

Saturday morning I had to forego my long run due to the weather. It was 35 degrees and raining. That was not a good combination considering that I didn’t bring a running jacket or long sleeve top! I did my reliable gym workout:

6 miles on the treadmill (not my fastest as the legs felt like LEAD..58 minutes)

25 pushups, 25 lunges, 20 pushups, 20 squats

Ab workout on the ball (obliques, weight ball, center)

In keeping with the walk down memory lane, we headed over to the South Bend Farmers Market Saturday morning. Our trip included tasting rhubarb for the first time both raw and cooked, sampling head cheese, and practicing my photography skills. Blog Pictures 2010 169The Farmers Market was incorporated in 1924 and is now one of the largest indoor farmer’s markets in the Midwest. There were 96 stalls in addition to some outdoor stalls which included an ice sculptor Blog Pictures 2010 181(HE USED A CHAINSAW!!) and camel rides. I was amazed by the quality of the South Bend Famers Market and immediately wished I could buy everything in sight.

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How I wake up at 4:25

   

The alarm went off WAY too early this morning at 4:25. I knew that the only way I’d wake up and feel ready for travel was if I got my blood flowing. Therefore, I did a 5 minute bootcamp routine in the living room that left my heart pacing and my mind awake. This morning’s five minute quickie consisted of the following:

-20 pushups

-1 minute jumping jacks

-20 pushups

1 minute jumping jacks

1 minute abs

50 toe squats

1 minute jumping jacks

My next step was getting dressed and ready to dash. Normally I’d opt for a quick shower since it always helps me wake up but I really didn’t want to risk getting my hair wet since I’ll have no time to go to my hotel and freshen up when I land in Dallas. This also meant that I couldn’t travel in Lululemon or other comfortable clothes. I think getting dressed in “real” clothes helped me wakeup and mentally prepare for the day. Luckily real clothes were able to include a super cute jeans outfit that I randomly put together Saturday night before we headed out to the beer garden.

Kentucky brand dark jeans from my Fitness Magazine jeans fashion shoot

White crisp tunic blouse from J Crew – The top is more fitted than the bottom which is very complimentary and it has lots of cute details like button up sleeves, pockets, and princess seams. This was one of my hot JCrew Outlet finds 3 weeks ago when we were up in Vermont

Bright yellow, green, and white summer scarf- Our friend Geoff makes constant fun of girls and their obsession for summer scarves since it really makes no sense to most guys. But, if you’re on an airplane or a chilly airport you want something to help keep you warm and this also has a wonderful cozy factor

Wide braided brown belt- Talk about great investments. This Banana Republic belt was a random purchase 4 years ago in my attempt to buy a FULL outfit straight off the mannequin versus just pieces. My mom taught me long ago that if you buy outfits it will be MUCH easier to get dressed and put together different combinations. Therefore, I rarely buy just one top or pair of pants. If I buy a top I’ll buy the cute necklace or belt they’ve paired it with.

Giant Coach tote- this has quickly become my favorite briefcase/purse when traveling. It is chic enough to carry into any restaurant or store without horrible embarassment, it’s slim lines keep you from feeling bulky yet it expands easily. It is soft which means it can easily slide under your seat on an airplane even when stuffed to the hilt like it is now. In addition it has 2 zipper side pockets and a zip top that ensure nothing falls out when you’re dashing through security or pulling it out of the cab.

This outfit will stay crisp during my 3.5 hour flight, full day of store checks and strategy sessions, and easily take me straight through our team dinner this evening at a local Dallas restaurant.  🙂

Now, back to this morning’s mad dash. I always use Limo Res when I need airport transportation as it is reasonably priced, allows me to rack up Delta miles, and is very trustworthy. However, this morning I had been pacing in my lobby for 10 minutes when I frantically called their dispatch center. It turns out my driver had been at the BACK entrance to my apartment building for 15 minutes. I was immediately nervous that my bag wouldn’t be able to get on my flight since last minute I had to use a bag too large to carry on. Our trusted Tumi finally bit the dust last night and will be returned today for replacement/repair. I quickly asked the driver to go as quickly as possible to Newark Airport. He slowly pulled off and started making his way down the dark roads. I felt like he was going VERY slowly but hey, maybe I’m just accustomed to the midtown taxi drivers who drive like mad men. After getting myself situated and checking my flight status on my Blackberry I looked up to find that he wasn’t stopped at a red light. Oh no, he had stopped to look at a map! Are you kidding me?! Did they really send a driver who didn’t know the area. Luckily I knew how to get him to Newark and quickly started barking directions. I say barking because I know I was not the friendliest passenger this morning. What can I say? It was early, I was worried i’d miss the 45 minute bag check requirement, or worse miss my flight.

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He redeemed himself once we hit midtown where he started buzzing down the streets and swerving in and out of other lanes as quickly as he could. Thirty five minutes later he pulled up to the Continental terminal and immediately ran my bag straight over to the curb check with me running behind. I had exactly 2.5 minutes to spare when my bag was put on the conveyer belt. Phew!

This was actually my first time in Newark Airport. It was a madhouse! The security line length reminded me of the Atlanta airport accept it was far less organized. They were directing people into different lanes and it wasn’t until 15 minutes later I realized they’d put me in the family and leisure traveler lane. *sigh*  Since it was now 15 minutes before my flight departed, I asked the cute couple two rows in front of me if they’d let me cut them in line. I felt like I was in elementary school all over again. They were on their way to Florida and in no hurry since their flight didn’t leave for 2 hours. I guess grandparents like to be REALLY safe and relaxed at the airport.

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I bolted through security and made a mad dash for the gate as I heard them announce my  name over the intercom. Like that my visions of breakfast and a grande tea from Starbucks evaporated into thin air.

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However, Continental has been one refreshing surprise after another! Not only was the flight only half full which meant we all have our own rows (sorry Continental I know this isn’t good for you but it’s great for the passengers) but they’ve also offered us beverage refills 4 times thus far, and served a continental breakfast. While it wasn’t necessarily the breakfast of champions, it far exceeded my expectations. We each received a carton of skim milk, 90 calorie bag of raisins, and a box of Chex Honey Wheat. 

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My closest seat mate offered me his banana since he doesn’t eat bruised bananas. Therefore, I was able to save the raisins and enjoy some cereal and banana for breakfast. While the cereal had very little staying power alone (90 calories, less than 1 gram of fiber) I’m hoping that the milk protein and banana will help give it some substance.

Now it’s time for some quality time with my Kindle. I have three books on there now that I can’t wait to read!

Iron Ambition: My Journey Seat 2A to Ironman

Once a Runner: A Novel

Omnivore’s Dilemma

Happy Tuesday! I’ll check in later with more of my Big D adventures!

Don’t forget about Ulta’s FREE FEKKAI BLOW OUTS this week! Click here for more information!

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