Thursday, September 30, 2010

1y + 13d

I woke this morning and got ready to hang out with my good friend Kay. She came over around lunch time and we chatted.

For Breakfast: Just Coffee. :/

After Cassi got home from volunteering at Haborview, Jenna came over and the four of us decided to grab some lunch. I totally broke my rule again, no eating out, which is hard to do when you are trying to have a social life, social activity is so often grouped with eating.

For Lunch: from portage a portobello mushroom sandwich with grilled eggplant and red pepper pesto with a side salad.

After lunch Cassi had to get ready to go to work and Jenna and Kay and I took a walk down to the new South Lake Union park. It is so great and such a close walk from our apartment!

At the very end of the day Kay and I went in to visit Cassi at work and grabbed more food! Can you believe it, I can't believe I ate out twice today, what a slacker!

For Dinner: Spinach salad with mushrooms, onions and crispy bacon pieces with a balsamic vinaigrette. I also had a piece of grille chicken on the side to get some protein.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

1y + 12d Biking With Mom

For Breakfast: Coffee.

Got up and went to work this morning. When I got there I had a bit of the "Family Food" they put out for the workers.  Just a piece of chicken and a cup of vegan butternut squash soup.

Work wasn't too bad, I got a little busy during the rush but was done early enough to help Cassi go bike shopping before she had to go in for work. We went to Gregg's near greenlake and got some pretty good ideas. the biggest idea we got is how darn expensive bikes are!

For Lunch: When I got home from bike shopping with Cassi I quick ate something before biking with my mom. I sauteed some tofu and eggplant and made a sauce using plum sauce, sriracha, lime juice, and peanut butter, sounds crazy but it was really good!

Mom and I took an awesome bike ride, I think we probably did about 18 miles. My knee feels fantastic and so does my body now that I am working out again. I want to keep riding as much as possible until the weather turns nasty. It's been pretty good lately.

After the ride I decided to bend the rule and go out with Mom and Cassi to Jhan-Jay our favorite Thai restaurant. I know I am not supposed to eat out but we did and I chose my meal very carefully.

For Dinner: Hot and sour Thai-style clear soup simmered with mushrooms, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chili paste, cilantro, and your choice of steamed tofu. We also had the fresh vegetarian rolls and hot ginger tea.




Tuesday, September 28, 2010

1y + 11d

For Breakfast: Scramble with zucchini, mushrooms, and black beans.

Cassi and I went for a bike ride, we rode all the way out to Golden gardens and back, I think we probably did about 12 miles. Feeling so good about bike riding!

For Lunch: I sauteed some tofu with mushrooms and zucchini.

I got ready for work and went in, it was so slow. Came home after a few hours, just when Cassi got there, and  we invited Jenna over to watch a movie. 10 Things I hate About You. So good!

For Dinner: I baked an acorn squash and for dessert I chopped up some apples and baked them with a touch of cinnamon. Yum.

Monday, September 27, 2010

1y +10d Thirteen Miles Down!

Woke up this morning and started to get ready to head off to work.

For Breakfast: Coffee and a pear.

Work was nothing amazing. It was slow.

For Lunch: Two eggs with mushrooms, bell peppers, and zucchini.

I went for an awesome bike ride! The first time since before the injury . . . or should I say re-injury. It was amazing and when I got home I calculated the distance and I was impressed that I think I did about 13 miles!

When I got home I made some sweet potato gnocchi. I wanted to see what the difference was between making them vegan and not vegan. So I literally just added an egg. They were a bit more firm but other than that not a big difference.

Goodnight people. So excited to be biking again.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

1y + 9d

After the soccer game Cassi and I drove straight up to Arlington for Dad's birthday. We got there and chateed with the gang.

For Dinner: BBQ chiken and grilled veggies. (Broccoli onions and bell peppers)

We ended up heading over yo Jodi and Greg's and hung out for a bit. Afterwards we walked home and chatted for a bit and then Cassi and I took off back to Seattle.

1y + 9d Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Cassi and I are getting ready to go to her soccer game and then we are headed up to Arlington to do something with the parents for my Dad's birthday! Big 54!

For Breakfast: So far just coffee, but I have my eye on a pear . . .

Saturday, September 25, 2010

1y + 8d Some Kinda Wonderful

For Breakfast: Two egg scrambled with bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms topped with avocado. Coffee. Cassi made it for me.

Today Cassi and I went and ran a bunch of errands together, got the oil changed, went to the pharmacy to pick up a few things, we even went to Recycled Cycles and had them look at Cassi's bike.

For Lunch: Romaine with black beans, radishes, onion, scallion, avocado, cilantro, salsa, and lime.

 Cassi made me breakfast and lunch today, she's some kinda wonderful, isn't she? Got ready for work after a bit. I went in and it really wasn't very busy, until I already got phased. Oh well. I came home and made myself dinner.

For Dinner: Garlic, fresh oregano, bell pepper, mushrooms, eggplant, and shrimp simmered in white wine and reduced then I added marinara and finally the zucchini spaghetti strands. It was very good!

Friday, September 24, 2010

1y + 7d Sad News.

Woke up this morning and made breakfast for Cassi and Jenna and myself. We were so exhausted after our kitchen aid adventure, Jenna decided to crash on our couch.

For Breakfast: Sweet potato hash with grilled veggies (zucchini, eggplant, onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Coffee.

It took me almost two hours to do all the dishes from last night, what a lovely treat. Cassi had to work so I stayed home and worked on some stuff and she was home before you know it.

For Lunch: Romaine lettuce with radishes, red onion, scallion, cilantro, black beans, avocado and salsa and lime.

As Cassi and I were getting ready for work a got a really bad call from my mom. She told me that  Josh was on his way home from college because one of Josh's friends in Arlington commit suicide. :( This was a guy that we all knew. He played football with Josh and he and josh were good buddies. All night at work I felt terrible and was on the verge of tears, I can't imagine how is family if feeling and I can't help but feel so sad. I talked to Josh before I got to work and he seemed very upset, he was on his way to meet up with some of the guys so they could all be there for eachother.

I came home tonight and basically went to bed. I just couldn't stop thinking about what happened. My thoughts are with his family.

1y + 6d Debut of the Kitchen Aid.

It's beautiful. I re-organized my kitchen shelves just so I could have a spot worthy of such a magnificent machine. KA stands for Katy Acker, but even more importantly it stands for Kitchen Aid! Today after I spent the morning working on the computer for Christina I invited my dear cousin over and set out on a mission to break in my newest kitchen toy. But this is no toy folks, this stretches far beyond the mango pitter, the mandolin slicer, the immersion blender even . . . this is a machine!

(And The Crowd Goes Wild!)


Since I was young I remember my mom's cobalt blue kitchen aid standing mixer. Not easy to get out or put away this machine was used only in serious situations; mashed potatoes, Ally's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, batter for funny cake . . . these are all things I remember licking off the beater as soon as I was given the go. For some reason I always had it in my head that I would wait to get one until I got married as part of a wedding gift. I don't know . . .  so as you know, Mom and Dad bought this marvelous masterpiece for me for my birthday! It has been waiting for me to return from my trip and today was the day.

We made Pumpkin Spice cupcakes with a cinnamon icing and everything was vegan. While we were skipping through the Bon Appetite magazine we came across a butternut squash gnocchi recipe and Jenna and I figured, Hey, not?

The tricky part about the whole day was that we made a decision to make everything vegan. For Jenna, the vegan cousin, yes, but for me too. For eggs we used a ground flaxseed and water mix, for oil we used applesauce, we substituted some of the sugar for pure maple syrup. We had so much fun and everything turned out great. The cupcakes were good, but they stuck to the cupcake liners pretty bad. The gnocchi were a little scary at first, we finally got the right and they were awesome. We ate them with fresh sage, pecans and a browned butter sauce, vegan butter . . . .yep.

As far of the rest of my day . . .

For Breakfast: Sweet potato hash with grilled veggies (eggplant, zucchini, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms)

I didn't really eat much during the middle of the day.  And Jenna and I started cooking and we munched on some butternut squash.

These are some pictures of our kitchen extravaganza . . .
The first time turning on my mixer.
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting
Gnocchi dough.
Forming the Gnocchis
Pre- Cooked but ready to go.
Each one scored with a fork by Jenna.
Really impressed with how they turned out. Simple, Vegan, Fun, Delicious.


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

1y + 5d Takin' it to the Burke

I woke up early again this morning and made Cassi and myself breakfast. I was scheduled to work this morning but I had a doctors appointment AND a physical therapy appointment this morning, so Cassi worked for me. What would I do without her?

For Breakfast: I made an omelet with one and egg and one egg white with mushrooms, bell peppers, jalapeƱo, black beans, cilantro, and scallion; topped with fresh avocado slices and salsa fresca. Coffee.

I went to the doctors office today and took X-rays and Dr. Larson examined my knee, he said that everything looks fantastic and now there are only three things I am still not aloud to do.

1.) No running on hard surfaces, however I am aloud to start doing light jogging on grass or a treadmill. In six to eight weeks I should be able to go for a light jog.

2.) No uncontrolled weight exercises in the gym, basically I am not aloud to do quad sets, because it puts so much pressure on the joint.

3.) No jumping or pivoting movements, so anything sports related is still a no.

All of this means a couple of really great things, I am aloud to go swimming any stroke for as long as I want . . . and I can go biking outside!!! I am so excited to ride my bike, it's been too long! Burke Gilman trail here I come!

For Lunch: I had grilled veggies (Eggplant, zucchini, onion, red bell peppers, and mushrooms) drizzled with a balsamic reduction. Yum.

Jenna came over and we hung out and I got to tell her about our trip, and she got to tell me how she's adjusting to Seattle, apparently the weather was pretty nasty while we were gone. I love Seattle and the weather is so not as bad as people say it is, so I hope Jenna doesn't think rain is all Seattle has to offer because we have so much more!

For Dinner: Grilled tofu and Broccoli sauteed with sliced crimini mushrooms and slivered almonds. Very good.

We watched a movie tonight and ate popcorn. The kind with just a little olive oil and salt. vegan for the cuz, healthy for me!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

1y + 4d Back to Basics

Well today was my first full day back to my regular life. Cassi and I woke up super early because we are on east coast time, but we got a lot done! We unpacked and did laundry and then went and did some grocery shopping.

For Breakfast: Just coffee.

I drank water all day long and I already feel better.

For Lunch: I just had a small pink lady apple and a small handful of raw walnuts. I really like walnuts.

I went to work and we got pretty busy. Mom and Dad came in and surprised us, it was so good to see them! I feel like it's been forever even though it's only been two weeks; Cassi and I see Mom and Dad usually a couple times a week.

Now we are home from work and feel good because we were very productive today and we made money at work. Also I feel better because I didn't eat a truck load of food. I am munching on an apple and then I am going to wash up and go to bed because I am exhausted. Tomorrow I have my 12 week knee appointment. I am not sure if I get cleared to do anything different but I certain;y hope so. After I get things in order I really need to start looking for a new gym to go to. I need to get off my butt and work out.

For these next few weeks I am really going to focus on getting myself back on a strict eating regimen. No eating out, no alcohol, and for the time being, little to no carbs. Gotta shed these pounds.

Monday, September 20, 2010

One Year/ 3 Days (Day 13 of Trip)

Both Cassi and I woke up this morning and sighed with relief that the next time we laid our heads down it would be on our own pillows.

For Breakfast: Wheat bagel with amazing locally made jam and some kind of peanut butter that absolutely blew my mind. We went to this Coffee shop by Katharine's place, it was great and reminded us of Seattle.

Cassi and I went into the city and did some more sight seeing.



Ben Franklin, sittin' pretty.
The Art Museum, what an incredible building.

The murals in the city are amazing.

By the river on the way over to visit the U Penn campus.

For Lunch: BBQ pork sandwich served with fries.

Now  we are on the plain home and I am excited to not eat for a week because I feel like a blimp.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

One Year/ 2 Days (Day 12 of Trip)


For Breakfast: Coffee and a couple of special cookies we brought Nana from NYC.

We finished packing up and went to the train station. Cassi was excited for the last leg of our vacation!


It was a quick ride into Philly and Katharine our friend met us there at the station. Katharine and her boyfriend Cam have an awesome dog named Sophie, even I fell in love with this dog.

For Lunch: Campos Cheese steaks and yuenglings. I had mine with steak, marinara, and sweet peppers, Cassi had a classic with steak provolone and onions.





After lunch we walked all around the city and saw the sights. This next picture is us in front of the Betsy Ross house.


City Hall
Yep.

For Dinner: Mixed greens with peppers, mushrooms, and olives and tomatoes. Sweet Italian sausage with peppers and mushrooms with fettuccine pasta with a tomato sauce.

We said we didn’t need dessert but our server brought some fresh cannolis for us anyways and they happened to be the best I have ever had. It was just the 3 of us and it was so good!
The three of us stuffed from an amazing dinner.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

One Year/ 1 Day (Day 11 of Trip)

This morning we slept in a little and went to the Amish stand to get fresh veggies to make a sandwich.

For Lunch: Grilled peppers, zucchini and eggplant with carmelized onions and mushrooms on a crusty bread with a garlicky aioli.

We went to an old perfectly restored movie theater and saw Get Low. Then we went to dinner at Fratelli’s. It’s an Italian restaurant that nana likes to go for special occasions and it was awesome!

For Dinner: Red wine, a spinach and arugula salad with pears and candied pecans with a pancetta dressing. Penne pasta with pine nuts, spinach and rotisserie chicken with a basil cream sauce.


For Dessert: Coffee, and a chocolate, caramel, hazelnut torte with shaved chocolate and coconut.

We got to take some great pictures on the deck before our dinner and movie night.









At the end of our wonderful night.

Friday, September 17, 2010

One Year of Blogging!!!!! (Day 10 of Trip)

I would like to say that I did something commemorative for my one year anniversary of this blog. I was so busy of my trip I hardly remembered. I have been gorging myself with east coast food and the thought of this blog has TEMPORARILY taken a recess from my mind.

I am so proud that I have kept up the blog for a whole year now, accounting for one whole year of my life and my relationship with food, however these past few months have been really hard. Trips and visitors have rattled my determination and I have been fighting feelings of discouragement and resentment in regards to my knee situation. I am going to be cleared to do some more things soon, but it's no excuse to be so lax about my health. When this trip os over, it's go time  . . .

We woke up today with big plans to go to the Central Market right in Lancaster. This is the oldest inoor farmer's market in the country and had amazing stands with fresh produce from Amish farmers, fres baked sticky buns and shoo fly pie and even our famous turkey jerky that we used to eat all the time when we were younger. I was really excited to share this with Cassi.



First Cassi and I had a little photo shoot with Barney in the back yard.



For Breakfast: Coffee.

After Central Market we went to the Green Dragon Market and basically ate everything that I ever remember eating at the markets. We tried Funnel cake and fink’s French fries and Cassi even had a pickle on a stick!




We also had Rita’s again. I had vanilla ice with chocolate custard this time.

For Dinner: We had Vegetarian pho noodle soup with tofu fresh rolls and hot tea.

We went to see The Town, the new movie with Ben Affleck. It was very good.




Thursday, September 16, 2010

Day 364 (Day 9 of Trip)


For Breakfast: Sausage and egg on English muffin. Coffee.

We got to Penn Station and got on our train back to Lancaster. We were glad to be out of the city and back with Nana where we could chill out for a bit. We went and got some food and of course another thing on our list was a real hoagie with good hoagie bread, however I am not a hoagie person but I didn't want Cassi to miss out on the experience. She had a hoagie and loved it.

For Lunch: I had an Eggplant parmagiana sandwich with no cheese.

We went back to Nana’s and took a huge nap and then met up with Aunt Gwynne and went to dinner.

For Dinner: The Iron Hill Brewery.  I had a Mediterranean Grilled Chicken salad with a cup of tomato soup and an amber beer.

Home and to bed.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Day 363 (Day 8 of Trip)


We woke up this morning and through on some clothes and took the subway into the city nice and early. We didn't want to waste any time.

For Breakfast: Sausage and egg on English muffin. Coffee.





We walked all over Manhattan today, seriously all over! Rockefeller Square, Chelsea, SoHo, Little Itlay, Times Square, and everyehere in between. Before we left Nana told us about Mario Batali's  new store called Eataly. It's an Italian food hall and it was amazing!!! I fell in love with the concept of it all and decided one day i'll open a food hall when I am a big successful chef.



Love this.






For Lunch: Lombardi’s Pizzeria in Little Italy. The pizza was awesome. We had some beer and it was a great time! Brooklyn Lager. Pepperoni and mushroom.

Yay for New York Pizza!


For Dinner: Italian place right in the heart of the city. Tagliolini with porcini mushrooms and arugula with garlic and oil.

We went to the musical Memphis tonight. We ended up right ext to the half price ticket office and figured, why not? It was very good! Then back to Brooklyn and to bed.