Resetting for Fall

All I want for Christmas is to not feel so damn unhealthy! Ever since I left for my work trip at the end of May - it's been a whole lot of false starts getting back on the healthy train. Which was fine for making the most of summer. But for the next 95 days (that's how soon Christmas is, crazy huh?) I'm attempting to chillll on the all you can eat dinners, fancy and indulgent restaurants (unless they're healthy...) and beer guzzling nights. 

(Normal for the past few months)

(Oops)

I may be sad to say goodbye to summer, but with the fall season I'm welcoming weekends spent running and immediately snuggling back into bed. Weekdays where an outdoor happy hour isn't tempting me after work. 

Some things I really want to focus on are drinking more water! And cutting out fake sugar - I am addicted to aspartame and I know it's SO BAD. 

MORE VEGGIES! Yes I eat a ton of carrots and avocados, but I need to be better about broccoli and string beans and spinach and all that good stuff. I'm a fruit girl. And eating a lot of fruit is fine, but it's a ton of sugar. And it's not that I don't like vegetables, so I should definitely make the fruit to veggie ratio a little more even. 

Less alcohol. Sadly, it needs to be done. And no, "I'll just have a few glasses of wine." No, I need to learn to go out and confidently hold my glass of water with lemon, still having a great time. Or, you know, more Netflix dates. 

Stop eating so late at night! I have a really bad habit of eating dinner around 8:30 every night, sometimes as late as 10 if I wait until the end of a shift at the running store to eat dinner. No more! It always leaves me super hungry in the morning.

As I sit here at my desk snacking on dry Special K cereal - I know this is the BIGGEST habit I need to break. Not as much snacking! And NO BUYING CEREAL AND GRANOLA! It is way too easy for me to not even realize I'm eating an entire box of it in 2 days when it's sitting at my desk. 

So to kick things off this week- 

Breakfast was some Chobani yogurt with pecans, half a banana and chia seeds to keep me full longer! 

I may have also snacked on some Special K - once the box is gone I'll be better, promise ;)

Lunch was a Juice Press protein shake. The. best. flavor. 

Pre-running store snack was a huge, juicy Gala apple and Spark! There were a bunch of free samples of Spark in our work pantry one day and I actually love it - I actually notice that I have more energy after drinking it. 

For dinner I made myself a delicious salad FULL of greens. My problem with salads is they usually end up a total mish mash of random ingredients. I guess that's not really a problem but Sunday night at the grocery store I tried to pick a theme for my salad - Asian! Mmmm. 

Spinach
Broccoli
Snow Peas steamed with Bragg's Liquid Aminos and Chili Flakes
Avocado
BABY CORN
Cashews
Annie's Lite Gingerly Vinaigrette 

It turned out so good! And there's definitely something to be said for not just tossing a ton of random crap in with your spinach. 

When I got home at 10:30 I knew I should eat, but I was HUNGRY. So instead of grabbing chocolate, which is what I really wanted, a made a bowl with frozen banana slices, a scoop of peanut butter, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It totally hit the spot and got rid of any dessert cravings, plus filled me up! 

Today, I also finally checked out Vitacost - a website so many fitness and health bloggers I follow use to buy their healthy kitchen staples. 

Living in Manhattan, I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the prices! For sure cheaper than Fairway, Whole Foods, Morton Williams, etc. 

Here's what I ordered: 

1) QuestBars - Double Chocolate Chunk
These are my favorite. I eat them as dessert or breakfast - heated up in the toaster oven. I've been eating them for about 3 years, but recently they've becoming SUPER popular - 7 Eleven even sells them now if you want to try all the different flavors instead of ordering a box of just one kind - but you do save money buying them in bulk! They're full of protein, low on carbs and sugar, under 200 calories, and delicious. They totally fulfill my sweets cravings without making me feel guilty. 

2) Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
I've been meaning to pick up a container of this for awhile now - ever since Rebecca used it in delicious spinach dip and Kayla used it to season roasted cauliflower! It makes things taste super cheesy - without using cheese! 

3) Vitacost Peanut Butter SLIM
This is essentially a generic brand of PB2 powdered peanut butter, which I used to use CONSTANTLY and have been meaning to restock in my cabinets. I mainly add it to my oatmeal or smoothies instead of spoonfuls of actual peanut butter because it's literally half of the calories and still tastes great. We'll see if this brand is a good substitute for PB2! 

4) Let's Do Organic COconut FInely Shredded Flakes (Unsweetened)
I used to hate coconut, but now, it's nice to add some shredded coconut to my oatmeal, chia seed pudding, yogurt and smoothies! 

5) Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads
I've been hitting the gym a lot during my lunch breaks to do my Kayla Itsines circuits (yay, 30 minutes and done!) - and don't always have a chance for a full on shower afterwards, usually just a rinse. I don't want that to translate into awful breakouts - so I thought I would give these a try - seems easy enough to toss the container in my backpack and use them to wash off my face after each workout. 

		Item(s) Ordered		Qty.		Price			Discount			Total
		Quest Nutrition QuestBar Protein Bar Double Chocolate Chunk -- 12 Bars	1			$	24.99					$	24.99
		Item No: QST 9000241
		Bragg Premium Nutritional Yeast Seasoning -- 4.5 oz	1			$	5.59					$	5.59
		Item No: BRA 5066054
		Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads - Original -- 50 Pads	1			$	5.39					$	5.39
		Item No: DES 4220406
		Vitacost Peanut Butter SLIM(tm) Powdered - NON-GMO - Gluten Free -- 6.5 oz	1			$	3.25					$	3.25
		Item No: VCT 7019670
		Let's Do Organic Coconut Finely Shredded Flakes Unsweetened -- 8 oz	1			$	2.29					$	2.29
		Item No: LSD 2005203

Can't wait for my goodies to arrive :) 

One thing I was thinking of ordering but held off on is a protein powder to use in smoothies- any recommendations out there? 

If you click this link and make an account on Vitacost, you'll get $10 off your first order! STOCK UP! 

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Happy Birthday Peter! Hanging Onto Summer

Everyone warns you that you shouldn't wait until something's gone to appreciate it. You know, "Don't it always seem to go, that you you don't know what you've got til it's gone." 

But lately, I've been suffering from something we'll call "Missing Something While It's Here." I'm trying desperately to cherish every last bit of summer we have. Soaking up every last ray, taking advantage of every opportunity to eat outside or run at dusk in shorts and a tank-top. But it's making me SO SAD thinking that any day now, restaurants will be packing up the al fresco dining option and going out for a run will require a whole lot more "hmm, which layers do I need?" 

Luckily, while it's creeping into late September, we had another week of beautiful weather. 

Monday was Kayla Itsine's leg day workout and DAMN was it a killer. No joke, my legs didn't feel fully recovered from it until Saturday. X jumps, weighted step ups, jump lunges (does anyone else find these to be the most difficult thing ever?), tuck jumps, sumo jump squats, split squats, weighted walking lunges and broad jump burpees.  My legs hurt all over again just thinking about it. 

A closing shift at the running store made for a late night. 

Tuesday was arms and abs with a little post-work yoga session. Then, I finally got back into the world of theater - writing a review of the Off-Broadway play Laugh It Up Stare It Down. The story wasn't my cup of tea, but the creative design was wonderful and one of the actresses from the cast of 4 graduated high school with my aunt and played for the same field hockey coach I played for! I stuck around after the show to introduce myself and Amy Hargreaves (Homeland) was extremely friendly and gracious. 

This was a first - during intermission, my friend was really hungry so we successfully took a pizza break in 15 minutes and didn't even miss the start of the second act! 

Wednesday morning Peter and I went to 5:30 November Project where we ran a whole lotta stairs! My ankle and shins still aren't all too happy about it. We had planned to do the 6:30 workout until around 7 but one of the worst things for IT Bands are stairs and hills so I didn't want to push it. Instead, we went for a nice flat 2 miles along the river. 

(Nothing like it!)

And again, a night at the running store. 

Thursday was PETER'S BIRTHDAY! He's old. Basically 30, now. We started the day with a 5:45 a.m. wake up call and journey downtown to Yoga to the People for my first ever hot vinyasa class. It was sweaty. And our teacher LOVED plank and chaturanga. My arms didn't love our teacher. But it was a good class - and for $20 for Peter and I ($5 class + $2 towel + $1 water bottle + $2 mat), it didn't break the bank either. (Although WHY does the NYSC yoga class schedule SUCK?!) 

During my lunch break I finished Kayla Itsine's workouts for the week with abs and cardio. 

After dinner it was time to celebrate! Peter had picked out a restaurant he wanted to go to for his birthday and DAMN did he pick well. Marc Forgione is an Iron Chef with a restaurant in Tribeca called...Marc Forgione's. There will be a review to come, but first, I need to see if it helps me win a Time Out New York contest that I entered to find the next NYC food critic! I'll let these pictures that I spent a lot of time perfecting speak for themselves. 

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(There was even champagne waiting for us when we sat down!)

No birthday is complete without birthday cake, so after dinner I told Peter we were walking over to Parm for their famous, ginormous slice of ice cream cake. Pistachio, Strawberry and Chocolate ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. Doesn't get much more classic than that! While there was certainly a TON of ice cream (think: Ben & Jerry's container) it was served super frozen and the chocolate crunchies in between each layer of ice cream just didn't measure up to Carvel. 

The fancy diner interior of Parm, though not at all what I expected, was cool and made me want to stop by for an eggplant parm hero at a later date. 

We went to bed fairly early because Friday:

Up at 5:00 a.m. to run 6.5 miles down to Pumphouse Park near Brookfield Place for a November Project workout. AND we did the workout - loops of the park + pushups + squats + dips. The pace was a little slower than our run to Southstreet Seaport the previous Friday, but both of our bodies were still functioning relatively pain free so SUCCESS. 

Then Peter did a million and one push-ups because that's what you do when it's your birthday at NP. And when you want to show off but forget that yesterday you did chaturanga approximately 1 million times. 

Friday during lunch I went to my favorite yoga class and stretched it all out. 

That night I honestly don't remember what I did. A lot of laying around watching Orange is the New Black and baking a LOT of cookies. Bed early so I could get up and workout before Peter's birthday party on Saturday. 

(S'Mores and Snickerdoodles!)

First up on Saturday morning, 50 laps at the pool. Each and every time I go I feel a little better, and this was no exception. It's probably the most I've swam in one workout too! After swimming I went to a 45 minute spin class. 

The spot for Peter's party was Loreley - a German beer garden on Steuben Day at the start of Oktoberfest. So fitting. We had a great time, and I even had avocado toast with my free beer from the keg they tapped at the bar to kick of Oktoberfest. 

They also paraded around this POOR LITTLE PIGGY!

My millions of cookies were a hit, and I unintentionally followed a German tradition when I decided to bake Peter a cookie shaped like a heart. Oktoberfestherzen are gingerbread cookie hearts! Mine was a snickerdoodle but close enough. 

During the day drinking we took a TO to stop by Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream which is supposedly one of the "Finest" Ice Cream "parlors" in NYC.  Peter and I disagree. 

Yes, you can tell that this stuff is definitely made fresh and with care. Each is in a TINY container. Like, I have bigger tupperware in my apartment. Talk about small batch! And yes, they have some interesting flavors. But you'll never know which ones are good because each customer is only allowed one sample. So when we tried one and didn't like it, obviously we weren't going to spend money on "Salt and Pepper Pinenut" without because able to give it a taste. That's not exactly a flavor I can conjure up in my mind and decide if I'm a fan. So instead we went with Raw Milk and plain old chocolate with their "homemade" whipped cream that was literally soup. For $8, I'm going to give this place a big old "OVERRATED." 

Anyone else have a better experience with Morganstern's?

The night went on, we moved locations, we had fun, we ate nachos. I helped myself to a piece of cake when we got back that night because Peter's mom is a wizard when it comes to baking. 

Sunday when we awoke I was the least hungover but that didn't mean I was feeling refreshed. There was a lot of lounging around (and maybe another slice of cake) before exploring the 92Y Street Fair on Lexington Ave. I finally bought some succulents to hang in little glass orbs about my bed! One is up and hanging and he other WAS up and hanging for about 5 minutes before crashing down, shattering, and spilling dirt all over my bed. 

At the street fair I also bought 3 beautiful fall/winter colors of ESSIE NAIL POLISH for $10. Favorite part about street fairs, for sure. 

The weather on Sunday was ridiculously gorgeous. The sun was hot, there was a cool breeze and not a cloud in the sky. We were lucky enough to snag one of the four outdoor tables at Meatball Shop for brunch where, after considering everything on the menu for a solid 10 minutes, I ended up ordering what I order every single time. Everything But the Kitchen Sink with veggie balls and pesto. Sunday's plate included broccoli rabe, zucchini, red cabbage slaw and fennel. It made for a great brunch/dinner. 

After Meatball Shop, we were too close to 16 Handles NOT to go.  A heaping cup of Graham Cracker and Birthday Cake froyo later and I was in a sugar coma. I left the boys to watch football and promptly passed out in bed. 

(This is how I could get into football...)

When I woke up I managed to motivate myself to do a 50 minute yoga video from YouTube and then headed out for some speed work in Central Park because it was such a beautiful night and I really wanted to get a picture of the sunset at the reservoir. So why not run, right? Right. A ran .5 miles to Engineer's Gate and another .5 miles on the Bridle Path. When I hit a mile, a kicked things up a notch for .5. Slowed down for .25. Kicked it up for .5. Slowed down for .25. Kicked it up for .5. Entered the reservoir loop and did two quarter mile intervals. My ankle was bothering me a little bit, so while I initially wanted to do 3 miles of fast running, I settled for 2 and comfortably ran myself back home for a total of 4.25 miles and a beautiful picture of the sunset. 

And a huge case of "Missing Something While It's Here."

Next up was grocery shopping, food prepping, an episode of Orange is the New Black, leftover Meatball Shop and bed. 

My alarm this morning was supposed to get me to the gym for Kayla Itsine's leg day but - that didn't happen so it will have to be a sweaty lunch hour today since I have work at the running store tonight. 

Here's to hoping this week is just as wonderful and filled with happiness and sunshine as last week! (Although there was a definite chill in the air this morning!) 

Funny story: Friday night I was shaving and, since I'm terrible at shaving, somehow managed to shave off a LARGE strip of skin on my ankle. It WOULDN'T stop bleeding! And of course, I had no bandaids in the apartment. So how did I improvise? Pantyliner wrapped around my ankle and held in place with an Ace bandage until I could get to Duane Reade in the morning. When I unwrapped it in the morning, it was STILL bleeding! Ugh. 

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Restaurant Review: Libertador

For months, Peter and I have passed Libertador in Yorkville and thought that it looked super cute. It's always full of people, and has a really nice outdoor seating area with a spacious dining room and bar. 

On Sunday, when my parents came in for a quick day visit, we stopped by for brunch. Despite an iffy forecast, it had turned out to be a wonderful morning to spectate at the Fifth Avenue Mile and remained nice for brunch al fresco. 

Libertador is an Argentinian restaurant - but don't let the ~ethnic~ name scare you off! There's something for everyone on this menu. 

We started by sampling four different empanadas, one of my mom's favorite things! None of us were very impressed with the beef saltena empanada, but the ham and cheese, chicken and potatoes and black bean and mozzarella ones were delicious! I liked that they weren't just giant fried blobs. The casing was doughy with a crunch - and they didn't skimp on the fillings. 

I went the brunch route, ordering poached eggs over asparagus with hollandaise sauce and a side salad (instead of the fingerling potatoes that it usually comes served with). Not anything life changing, but solidly tasty. 

(Simple yet satisfying) 

My mom ordered a salad - which they offer many varieties of. You can add steak, chicken or tuna to any of the salads, which is definitely what I would do if we go back for lunch or dinner one day. 

Mom's salad was the Mozzarella and Avocado Salad with tomatoes, black olives, and grain mustard in white vinegar olive oil as the dressing.  

My Dad ordered meatballs (see, I told you they have everything) and Peter got a prosciutto and mozzarella omelet that was BURSTING with meat and cheese. 

I'd also like to give a shout out to Libertador's cocktail menu - I ordered a drink that was St. Germaine, White Wine, fresh mint, and a bunch of fruit. It was super refreshing! 

If you're a Brooklynite, Libertador has another location in your borough! 

Though not particularly inspiring, Libertador was a solid choice for brunch, and may be worth a return visit to check out their lunch and dinner entrees - if only for the nice atmosphere!

After our meal we walked off the full-ness through a street fair on 3rd Avenue! I'm going to miss these summer weekends with good weather and fresh air :( 

(Thanks for checking out the hood with me Mom and Dad! And I promise you'll get to go to Heidelberg some day dad - in the winter!)

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Restaurant Review: Two Hands

Last weekend, I convinced Peter to journey to Little Italy to get breakfast (ok, it ended up being lunch) at one of the places on my bucket list. 

Sure, I could have gotten an acai bowl at Juice Generation on the Upper East Side - but traveling to different neighborhoods in search of new food is fun to me. Plus, we ended up finding ourselves in the middle of the San Gennaro festival, which was fun to wander through for a little while. 

(Obviously needed a picture with this awesome street art that we passed!)

Our destination was an Australian Cafe called Two Hands, located on Mott Street. Two Hands is my favorite type of place. Small, healthy, with a great atmosphere and attention to presentation. These people know how to plate a meal to make it Instagram worthy! And like many places on my bucket list, I discovered it through Instagram. Mouthwatering pictures of fresh fruit, perfectly captured yolk porn and carefully crafted cappuccinos are what convinced me that I needed to make a visit. 

(So damn trendy. Look at all the basic b's brunchin')

Unfortunately, though expected, there was a solid 40 minute wait for a table. We opted to place our order at the To Go window. 

The salads on the menu made a really strong case for straying from my original craving for an acai bowl, but in the end, I stuck with my gut. Their acai mix includes blueberries and bananas with cocoa and acai powder and almond milk. It was topped with all the yummy goodness you could ask for - granola, hemp seeds, chia seeds, coconut, cacao nibs, blueberries and raspberries. I also tasted some dates in there! 

The wait wasn't long at all, and soon enough my to-go cup was placed on the counter. Everything was super flavorful, and I was able to taste each other the ingredients. 

Peter ordered a slice of the banana bread topped with fresh ricotta (so creamy) and honey. 

(I didn't get a picture of Peter's banana bread - so here's another picture of my acai bowl!) 

The menu is jam packed with options - and I'm pretty sure I would like every single one of them! From Avocado Toast to smoothies and corn fritters. Depending on the season, the salads and soups change to include the freshest ingredients. 

"Good Food by Good Dudes" is the restaurant's motto. I love looking at the menu and seeing so many nutritious, fresh meal options! 

Where did the name come from? They explained in an interview with Eat Boutique that: 

The name was originally inspired by Heath Ledger’s first film by the same name. The initial appeal came from both the film and Heath being Australian, without it being too obvious. Heath was inspirational to both of us, in his acting career and in his vision to open Five Leaves in Brooklyn, which we both love so much. But even beyond that, we felt that it had so many meanings; you use your two hands to create things, and that’s what we did with the cafe. It also represents the handshake that started this business and the many high fives we’ve given each other during this crazy process.

More and more Australian Cafes are popping up around NYC, and if you don't believe me you can read this New York Times article about it! Bluestone Lane, Little Collins (highly recommend!), Brunswick and Toby's Estate just to name a few! 

(My sister and I ate at Little Collins last year and absolutely loved it. In this pictures is the Avocado Smash (avocado and FETA smash on toast with chili flakes and pepitas!) and the Big Dill (cured salmon, scrambled eggs, dill, mascrpone and chives)

Two Hands features a tribute to it's owners' homeland with the Outback Cap - a cappuccino with cocoa powder dusted espresso served with chocolate-covered Tim Tam Cookies!

So basically, I would recommend Two Hands for breakfast, brunch, lunch OR dinner if you're looking for a ton of healthy options and you're okay with getting it to go (though later in the day the wait may not be as long!) It's not necessarily worth the 40 minute trip from the Upper East Side, but if I ever find myself in the area again, I would certainly stop by to try something else from the extensive menu. 

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Review: Blue Apron!

For WEEKS I have been trying to successfully receive my free trial box of Blue Apron Delivery (thanks, Tina!) 

The first two times my delivery was supposed to come, it never showed up! I was convinced it was stolen from the lobby of my building. 

Luckily, both times, Blue Apron Customer Service was phenomenal - putting a new credit on my account so I could try again. 

Well it turns out I had the wrong address inputted into my account settings, and someone at that address received two complimentary Blue Apron deliveries. Oops! 

But before I figured that out, I had changed my address to have the third box delivered to me at my office. It arrived, and it was embarrassing. A giant box with giant ice packs filled with food that I had to take out and refrigerate in the tiny little pantry refrigerator. I then transported all the ingredients back home over the course of two days. 

So - the moral of the story is this:
1) Make sure you have the right address in your account. Duh, Lauren.
2) Blue Apron Customer Service is wonderful
3) Probably best to have the delivery sent straight to your apartment 

I was amazed at how well organized and labeled the shipment was. There's really no way to mess this up. 

(Everything in its own little package with labels!)

The first night I got home and realized I had failed to bring ANY of the tomatoes home with me (the featured ingredient in all three recipes). 

Luckily, they weren't really necessary for two of the recipes, so I powered through without them. 

First up were the Thai Chicken Burgers with Hoisin Mayo & Roasted Potato Wedges. 

Each meal comes with a recipe card with a lovely description of the meal, a list of the ingredients (and calories per serving), and step by step directions (with pictures!) 

Of the three meals, Peter and I liked this one the best. The hoisin mayo was tasty and there was a lot of flavor to the burger. Looking back, I probably would have made three patties with the meat instead of 2 - the burgers were huge! 

(Thickest burgers ever!)

That night, I also whipped up the Crispy Catfish & Freekah with Corn-Cherry Tomato Saute and Marjoram so that Peter and I would have meals ready to go on Wednesday night - he was heading home to Long Island to feed his kitty and I had work at the running store. 

(Just an excuse for Leo to make an appearance on the blog)

While making crispy catfish sounded intimidating, it was surprisingly easy! They forgot to send me the recipe card for this - but all of Blue Apron's recipes are online as well so I just looked it up there. 

My Corn-Cherry Tomato Saute was just corn saute, and I discovered that I DETEST the taste of marjoram. You know how some people CAN'T eat cilantro? I was immediately repulsed by the taste of marjoram and had to pick every piece out of my Tupperware. 

Other than that, it wasn't the best meal ever, but it was definitely better than a pita, hummus and an egg which is probably what I would have thrown together otherwise. 

The last meal included in this delivery was Seared Steaks with Romesco Sauce and Roasted Potatoes. Peter helped me with this one - we discovered that finely chopping roasted veggies into a sauce consistency is very time consuming and that leaving it chunky tastes just the same ;) 

Another cool feature is that people comment on all the recipes with tips - and after perusing them, I noticed a lot of people saying to go light on the sherry vinegar, which I did. 

This was my first time cooking steak - it was definitely a little tough but I'm not sure if that was just the pieces of meat they gave us, or my lack of skill. 

Again - my mind wasn't blown away by the taste, but I definitely enjoyed it! 

(My favorite part were the crushed pistachios on top! My not favorite part was attempting to chop the pistachios without them shooting off the cutting board and all over the kitchen. Proper nut crushing technique - help?)

Final thoughts: 

-I'm not going to tell you to milk the system, but...when I signed up, I was given three codes to give friends free meals - you can definitely use another email address to make a new account and I plan on sending one to Peter so we can use them. 

HOWEVER - you need to stay on top of this. Once you make an account, Blue Apron automatically schedules deliveries. You  need to actively go on and skip deliveries in order to avoid charges. 

Each delivery of 3 meals (with 2 servings per meal) is $60. When you think about it, that's $10 per meal, which really isn't awful! 

-I originally thought I would use Blue Apron during busy weeks when I didn't feel like thinking of dinners. But after trying it - I would definitely not suggest Blue Apron on a busy week. It's time consuming to cook all of the meals! Not overwhelming, but definitely more enjoyable if you don't have to rush around. That's how I did it, and I made a complete mess of my kitchen (not to mention a LOT of dirty dishes to clean). 

-I love knowing exactly what I'm putting into my dinner. And not going to lie, knowing the calories is a good thing too. It helped me decide if I really needed to eat alllll the potato wedges. All the fresh, real ingredients are the way I like to eat. 

Plus, there's no doubt it makes you feel like you have your shit together when you sit down to eat a meal that you cooked that has fancy names like "Steak Romesco." 

"NBD, whipped up some Crispy Catfish and Freekah for dinner." "My laundry is overflowing and I desperately need to clean my room, but my Thai Chicken Burgers were really bangin'."

-Make sure you have olive oil! It's the one thing included in the recipes that Blue Apron doesn't provide you with. 

-I've heard that if you select the vegetarian option, you end up getting a lot of pasta based dishes. 

-I love that you can look at the weeks ahead and see what the three meals are before deciding if you want them delivered or not!

I know there are a ton of other services like this out there - I'm curious, has anyone tried some of them other than Blue Apron? What did you think? 

Happy cooking!

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Toronto, Eh?

Last week I hopped over to Toronto for a quick work trip - and a visit to the newest November Project tribe! 

Tina and I ran the 3.5 miles from our hotel to Casa Loma and as soon as I saw the stairs I'm pretty sure I cursed.  110 of them! 

Everyone was super welcoming, and Sam and Claire led a team relay-style workout. Each team went through a series of exercises while rotating through and sending one runner to go down the stairs and up a hill around Casa Loma. The hill was no joke, and the view at the top was beautiful! Bummer I failed at getting a picture. 

I felt pretty good, and was going to run the 3.5 miles back to the hotel, but then it started drizzling, I didn't want to push it, and Tina was getting a cab soooo - I opted for the cab option. 

I was a lazy foodie this trip - I had done some research but just had no energy to actually follow through and get to any of the restaurants I had read about. 

The first night I found some take out falafel and froyo and ate it in my hotel room. 

The second night we went to Canyon Creek for dinner - and I had a tasty salad. 

The third night I spend way too long walking around and taking pictures of the sunset and then when I was starving for dinner, all the fast-casual takeaway places were closed, so I plopped down at a British Pub across the street from my hotel. 

Feeling like I had wasted away an opportunity to explore the culinary offerings of Toronto, I tried to make amends by ordering poutine and a beer flight of local beers. AND a wrap. Because why not? 

My favorite of the beers was the Barking Squirrel. I also tried the Steam Whistle, Brickworks Ciderhouse Cider, andddd two more that I can't remember. 

I also DID enjoy a Tim Horton's maple donut, All Dressed chips and maple popcorn too.

Other things to note about Canada:
-They are obsessed with the credit card chip reader and I felt like they all hated me because you need to swipe my card.

-It's weird that they bring the card machine over to the table at restaurants and then stand there as you fill out the tip.

-They have lots of weird potato chip flavors like All Dressed, Ketchup and Dill Pickle! And Poutine!

-They have lots of British candy like Mars Bars and Aero Bars. 

While I didn't have much energy for exploring I did manage to find the energy for 2 Kayla Itsines circuits, an NP workout, and a swim in the lap pool! 

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