Sometimes Healthy NYC Adventures and a Lunch Break Workout

Hello and welcome to a Sometimes Healthy Friday!

I just got back from a jam-packed 24 hours in NYC, which involved many Sometimes Healthy adventures.

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Had to include the standard NYC coffee picture, since I know you all have come to expect it. 

The reason that I went to the city was to attend a culinary panel on health trends in the foodie world hosted by Celebrity Cruises. The breakfast panel took place at Rouge Tomate, a contemporary restaurant on the upper east side that is pioneering a sustainable, well-balanced and even nutritional approach to high-end cuisine. If the four star food wasn’t enough to drool over (and I did), the panel was moderated by the editor-in-chief of Food and Wine magazine, Dana Cowin and included Marc Murphy, Chef and Owner of the trendy NYC restaurants, Landmarc and Ditch Plain AND a judge on the popular Food Network show, Chopped.

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The Food Geek in me literally giggled with glee when I first saw the two of them sitting next to my table (but, don’t worry, I held it together ya’ll -gotta fake it ’til you make it right?). Though the panel only lasted about 30 minutes, it was extremely entertaining and chock full of information I had never heard before. I was writing furiously in my notebook the entire time and cannot wait to share the interesting tidbits that I learned from these culinary leaders in Monday’s post. Stay tuned!

Until then, let’s break down my 24 hour trip to the Big Apple into “Healthy” and “Sometimes Healthy” categories.

Healthy: Breakfast at Rouge Tomate

Not suprisingly, since the panel was about health trends, the breakfast was fresh and healthy too. From “Local Stone Ground Buttermilk Polenta” to Pumpkin Maple Scones with Lemon-Scented Ricotta, the was probably the most healthy, balanced and tasty breakfast that I’ve had in a long time.

The gourmet  meal kicked off with a Fingerlakes Honey-Scented Yogurt Parfait with Concord Grape Jam that bursted with different flavors in every bite. Here’s a preview:

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I’ll share more on the food Monday, but to suffice it to say, even though I always joke about my “unsophisticated palate” when you put high quality food in your mouth, you can taste the difference, no matter how refined that palate is. 

I also enjoyed the conversations before and after the panel. It was just plain refreshing to be in a room full of people that were just as passionate about healthy living as me.

Sometimes Healthy: Walking Straight to Dylan’s Candy Bar after Healthy Panel Continue Reading →

Finding a New Gym and a Sometimes Healthy Veggie Roast

Most of my weekends in the summer are full of indulgence and a little bit of health (Sometimes Healthy). Between all the traveling and beer, food and wine festivals up here, the weekends are the perfect time to let loose and enjoy all that my new area has to offer.

Typical weekend spread. Cupcakes. Wine. Cheese.

Typical weekend spread. Cupcakes. Wine. Cheese.

However, this particular weekend had the perfect balance of fun and fitness. Usually time is an issue, but for some reason, this weekend we seemed to have enough to do it all! Instead of boring you with every detail, I’m going to break it down with the top 5 Sometimes Healthy Moments of the weekend.

1. Learning a “New Release” at Kickboxing

Yesterday, I finally got to find out what it meant to have a “new release” at BodyCombat. I’ve mentioned my newfound love for BodyCombat in a previous post, and luckily, it’s continued to grow every week that I take the class. I always enjoy the energy in the class, but on “new release day” it was at an even higher level!

I tried to capture it...but I'm not the best at sneaking pictures!

I tried to capture it…but I’m not the best at sneaking pictures!

I’ll be honest. In many ways, as you can probably tell, I’m a very low maintenance Sometimes Healthy Girl. Plant me in front of the TV to watch Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition with some Swedish Fish or a scoop of sprinkle-covered ice cream, and I’m a happy girl. No need to wine and dine.

But with gyms, I’ve always been different.

Continue Reading →

WIAW: Snap, Crackle, Pop!

I’m proud to report that I’m feeling much better and can finally eat more than soups and ice cream! Just in time for “What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW).

This festive edition of WIAW features not only my meals, but also a workout for your holiday weekend and a tasty cookie recipe that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.

I have a lot to cover, so let’s dive right into breakfast!

Favorite Childhood Breakfast?

When I was younger, french toast was one of my favorite breakfasts. It always felt so luxurious! We never ate it at home, so I always ordered it when we went out to breakfast. I therefore assumed that it was very difficult to make it home.

Now, that I’m older, I realize that french toast is actually very easy to whip up, so easy that I can make it in a flash on a weekday! I dipped some wheat bread in a simple  mixture of 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup egg substitute and some cinnamon and vanilla . Then, I fried it up, and smeared it with a heaping tablespoon of butter and apple butter.

Sometime Healthy Chef Special...comin' right up!

Sometime Healthy Chef Special…comin’ right up!

Fancy breakfast in five minutes! I’m special.

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WIAW: The Ultimate Salad

It’s that time of the week again!

I must admit I’ve started to look forward to this whole WIAW ritual. I’m not sure how all my favorite healthy living bloggers take pictures of every single meal they eat, but for one day of the week, it’s kind of fun. Feels like a bit of a novelty if you will.

Every Tuesday, I put just a little more effort into my meals and snacks (must keep it real here – I DO try a littler harder than usual), so that I can post the on my blog Wednesday morning.

Last week, in honor of June being sensible snacking month, I shared some of my most useful Sometimes Healthy snacking tips. I’m no dietician (that is for sure), but I am a snacker by nature, so I feel that this qualifies me as an “amature expert”.

This week, I decided to use WIAW as a chance to share some tips for something else I happen to know a lot about: Salads. If you are a frequent Sometimes Healthy reader, you will notice that salads tend to make a regular appearance on the blog.

Nothing satisfies me more than a big, veggie/protein packed salad. Again, like snacking, this food habit can be traced back to my childhood days. Back then, I ate more than my fair share of chicken McNuggets, but unlike most children, I also housed my veggies and salads too.

What a dream child I was! (My mother may disagree on this point).

Anyway, as per usual salads will be featured in my WIAW, but this week, I’m going to share with you the method behind the madness of my monster salads.

Salad Collage

First, let’s do a quick run-down of the day’s meals:

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WIAW: Oh, Hello Summer!

So, it turns out there is something to be said for this whole “What I Ate Wedneday” concept. I had a great time posting all of my eats from last Wednesday and, you all seemed to love it. So, here I am again!

The weather here in the Hudson Valley has been beautiful the past few days, so this edition of WIAW is all about the summer! After all, it is just around the corner! I’ve been making an effort to get outdoors for my meals, and of course, we’ve taken advantage of something I could never even dream of doing back in NYC: grilling out! (Okay, the BF grills and I prep everything, watch him and take pictures).

WIAW Tittle Collage

But, let’s begin our WIAW with one of my favorite breakfasts…

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The Lazy Girl’s Workout Plan

In the great words of Bruno Mars, last night, “I didn’t feel like doing anythiiing. I just want(ed) to lay in my bed.”

Now don’t go getting all worried on me. There was no sadness, deep introspective thinking about the direction of my life or lack of motivation to go to the gym. I was just straight tired from staying up late to watch the Voice working sooo hard. Yet, despite running on only 3 Dunkin Donuts coffees and 5 hours of sleep, I still wanted to work out.

Thus, I found myself in a bit of a conundrum – I WANTED to workout but lacked the ENERGY to complete a quality workout.

Enter Sometimes Healthy Girl’s Lazy Workout Continue Reading →