Turn that Monday Frown Upside Down: The Resolution Edition

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Confession: Just over one month ago, I completed 26.2 miles in less than four hours at a pace of 8:59 per mile.

This morning, I struggled to complete 3 miles at a pace of 9:20 per mile. Uh oh. Someone’s slipping! I promised myself I’d stay in tip-top shape after the marathon, but it seems I’ve lost that running mojo. I cannot remember the last time I’ve had a good run, and even though I’m still running at least four times a week, I’m not challenging myself during my runs and most of the time it’s a battle to complete my goal mileage until the very last second. My oh my, how the mighty have fallen!

Confession: I didn’t blog all weekend, not because I was busy, but because I just didn’t do much that was worthy of writing about! If you’d like to catch up on my life over this weekend, read about my Soul Food craving. That’s all I’ve got for ya after a weekend of beautiful weather in the Big Apple. The line was too long at Sixteen Handles, due to the amazing weather, so I had to settle for some old school Tasti D-Lite. When you’ve experienced all-you-can eat yogurt and unlimited cereal toppings, Tasti-D just loses it’s luster…

Confession: I use Mint.com to budget my groceries every month and every month around the 20th, I receive an alert telling me that I’ve surpassed my previously established budget. BAD Sometimes Healthy Girl.

Lots of reasons to turn that Monday Frown Upside Down this morning, but for me it’s the chance to start fresh after a lazy weekend, some budget slip-ups and some less-than stellar runs.

Since I’m someone who get’s easily overwhelmed, my plan is to attack one slip-up at a time. Starting with the grocery budget. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Budget Diet, Lunch

Sometimes We All Need a Lil’ Soul Food

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Over the past couple of weeks, I got hooked on yet another reality television show, NBC’s America’s Next Great Restaurant. Give me Bobby Flay, Curtis Stone, cooking competitions and some innovative restaurant ideas, and I am hooked! The show featured contestants pitching quick-service restaurant ideas to a group of investors that included the celebrity chefs as well as the founder of Chipotle and another established restauranteur.

Go Soul Daddy!

Each week the contestants competed in various competitions while the investors helped them shape and improve their concept. The finalists included Spice Coast (an Indian concept), Brooklyn Meatball Co. (an Italian concept centered around meatballs) and Soul Daddy (a soul food concept with a healthy twist). In the end, the winner was Soul Daddy, brain child of Jamawn Woods, a self-employed cook. It was hard NOT to root for this warm, hard-working man! Each contestant had a wonderful back-story but his love for cooking and his family definitely shined above the rest. I’m sooo excited because one of Soul Daddy’s restaurants will be in Manhattan. I’ll definitely be coming by and can’t wait to sample some of that good ol’ home cookin!

Sometimes Healthy Soul Food

Watching Soul Daddy take the crown definitely had me craving some old fashioned soul food. I didn’t really have the ingredients to create a full on soul feast. So I threw together a little soul food Sometimes Healthy style… Continue Reading →

Posted in: Uncategorized

Friday Flaw-Day: The Home Edition

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A "Sometimes Healthy, FINALLY Clean" NYC Apartment!

Just in case you’ve had your fill of Royal Wedding talk, it’s time for another edition of Friday Flaws. As you recall, the purpose of this “theme” post is to share things about myself that some might view as “flaws.” However, being the eternal optimist that I am, I prefer to say these little quirks give me character!

In my first Friday Flaw Day, I discussed how I’m a bit of a messy girl on the home front. I’ve since “cleaned up” my act after having house guests last month (no one wants to stay in a pig pen, as my mother so eloquently puts it). But, even though the apartment is bright and shiny, there are still a few flaws that are worth pointing out. At the very least, these misfortunes will add a little humor to your Friday.

Friday Flaw Day- The Home Edition!

The Mystery Smell: I’m a scent girl. Despite the sometimes disheveled appearance, I love to smell good. I’ve been told I have the best taste in both gum and perfume (but I don’t like to brag). I’m the girl that throws on a few sprays of body splash before working out, because I’d hate to smell anything but fabulous while working up a sweat. I also like my home to smell so fresh and so clean.  So, these past couple weeks, the odd stench in my apartment has really gotten to me! I am very diligent about washing clothes, throwing out garbage and doing dishes. SO, what could it be? I couldn’t even identify the type of smell. I was at a loss….until I saw this. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Friday Flaws

Food Prep for the Royal Wedding…Viewing Party

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A SOMETIMES HEALTHY TEA PARTY WOULD NOT BE NEARLY THIS PERFECT! 😉

As I mentioned in my previous post, my office is having a “holiday” for the Royal Wedding tomorrow. While we don’t have the day off (like those in Britain), we’ll be celebrating the epic event in several ways throughout the day culminating in a viewing party of the highlights at 4 PM. We’ll be wearing crazy hats, playing royal wedding trivia, pouring royal drinks and of course eating British grub. And, not surprisingly, I was the logical option to prep these delectable goodies. The problem is, I tend to go overboard when it comes to food…

Since I left work tonight, I’ve been prepping for the big event tomorrow. Yes, I take my duties as the Royal Wedding Viewing Party Food Provider mucho seriously. No scone will go unturned in my quest to provide (sort of) authentic, Sometimes Healthy, yet enjoyable food.

Here’s what I’ve gotten so far (I’m hoping it will all come together tomorrow…) Continue Reading →

Posted in: Recipes, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , ,

Sushi and Doritos…A Wacky Food Combo?

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Perhaps I'm not the only one who likes wacky food combos...

Two things I love: Sushi and wacky food combos. So, when I read an article on Today’s Bites blogs entitled “Doritos and mac ‘n cheese? Sushi gets a fast food twist,” I was pretty excited. And I was downright ecstatic to then discover the make-your-own sushi roll restaurant featured in the article, My Maki was in fact one block away from my office. If this is not sushi destiny, then I don’t know what is….

As the article explains, “Call it thinking outside the roll: The folks behind My Maki, a new restaurant in New York City, are letting customers DIY their sushi. The fun-loving pair (behind My Maki) thought about snack foods they liked, and then played around with rolls, pairing traditional ingredients with non-traditional ones. The result? Take the Big Bird roll, with chicken, Japanese mayonnaise, Craisins and potato sticks. If that’s not up your alley, fear not – this is customizable sushi, after all. Make your own!”

After reading the description of the Big Bird roll, I had to hold myself back from sprinting across the street to put my wacky food combo mind to work and make the best sushi roll ever created. Alas, it was only 9:00 and My Maki would not be open for at least 2 hours. I distracted myself with the leftover fruit from last night’s grill’s fest while reviewing the online menu (and of course working duh).

Grilled fruit for breakfast? Yes please!

Continue Reading →

Posted in: Lunch, restaurants

Grill It! With Sometimes Healthy Girl

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Summer Summer Summertime,

Time to sit back and unwind…. (CLICK HERE to play this song)

Forget Bobby Flay - You've Got ME!

This “classic” song has been playing in my head lately…Okay, I suppose it’s not yet summer or even close to it for that matter. BUT, two days of close to 80 degrees temp in NYC, combined with a weekend in Texas, had me feeling that summertime vibe. And then I started thinking about grilling.

Then I remembered that I live in NYC, not Omaha, and I cannot just throw a burger on the grill whenever my heart desires. Oh, and the fact that this Sometimes Healthy Girl couldn’t cook a good burger to save her life (or any other slab of meat for that matter). So what’s a girl to do when she’s lacking a grill AND grill skill. Well, she breaks out the Foreman Grill and goes to town… Continue Reading →

Posted in: Quick Dinners, Recipes \ Tagged: , , , ,

Word Up Wednesday: Couch Monster and the Great Greek Yogurt Debate

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Couch Monster [kouch mon-ster]

-noun

A legendary, persuasive piece of soft and comfy furniture that tempts otherwise Type A individuals to stray from their normal routine to watch television, steal some extra sleep or simply engage in excessive bouts of laziness; Note: Said monster is not the same as the infamous Cookie Monster – however, the two sometimes work together to really throw a Sometimes Healthy Girl off her routine 😉

The Couch Monsta!

I’ve decided that every Wednesday will now be “Word Up Wednesday” where I’ll devote a post to a “new” word of the day. I’m borrowing the concept from Steven Colbert’s “The Word” segment. I’m sure he’s okay with it, provided I’m giving him credit. In an ideal word, one of my word creations will catch on in the same way Truthiness captured the nation. Here’s to hopin’ 😉

So, today’s word is “Couch Monster.” Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Exercise Motivation \ Tagged: , , , ,

Chicken Soup for a Sometimes Healthy Soul

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Sometimes when I get sick, I start to feel a bit sorry for myself. Apparently my weakened immune system weakens my generally positive resolve. I usually sprawl out on the couch, watch sappy love stories and make a dent in my box of Kleenex. Granted, I realize I’m not required to be productive on a sick day, but I do think I could work a little harder to avoid self pity. So today, I got all the rest that I needed, but I also made an effort to keep up my spirits…

Chicken Soup for a Sometimes Healthy Soul

Here’s how a Sometimes Healthy Girl keeps it positive while feeling under the weather…. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Uncategorized

Runner’s Block in Gotham City and Sick Days

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Abort mission. We are breaking up Mr. Treadmill.

On Sunday, I took the day off from running after a bit too much celebrating in the great state of TX. I refused to feel runner’s guilt, considering rest days are a part of being a well-rounded runner. Next, yesterday morning, as you’ll recall, the couch called my name and enticed me into getting a little more shut eye. But I was determined to triumph over all of the “adversity” and get in a speedy, decently long run on my bff the treadmill last night….

No such luck. After 1.25 miles, I felt completely run down and out of gas. Watching myself in the mirror, it looked like I was running for the first time the way I was huffing and puffing! All of a sudden, I was the little engine that could NOT. Then it hit me: I HAD RUNNER’S BLOCK! Continue Reading →

Posted in: Mornings, Runs \ Tagged: ,

Wedding Recap Part II: The Party Continues!

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The Celebration Continues!

Well, the wedding might have concluded on Friday night, but that certainly didn’t mean the celebration was over. Here’s a recap of how it all went down on day two in Houston.

A Sometimes Healthy Start to the Day

I started my next full day in Texas just like the first: capitalizing on the delicious breakfast buffet. Again I was one of the only people in the restaurant at the early hour of 7:00. What can I say? The promise of a fresh made-to-order omelet woke me up sans alarm at 6:45 AM. Technically, that was 7:45 NYC time, which I think makes that statement a bit more normal… Continue Reading →

Posted in: Mornings, Runs, Weddings