fat hippo

This morning I woke up to Kyle crawling into bed.  “What time is it?” I asked…to which he replied “You have to get up in 10 minutes.” 

WHAT!?

He was working on this deal until 5:05 AM, but guess what?  IT’S DONE!!!  And my STUD of a fiancé was the leader of the entire project.  Sorry, I just had to brag a bit, now that I’m finally able to discuss it, and not sworn to SUPER secrecy.

ANYways…

New bread!  Okay, maybe not new new, because I would never stray from my beloved Alvarado Street, but it IS a new flavor (multi-grain).  I know, I know, life on the edge…

Here’s my lunch sammie, packed the night before.

YUM!

More lunch eats: Blueberry Clif, dried fruit mix, and an apple.

You didn’t think I’d forget the salad challenge, did you?  This is a bberry picture, sorry!  Into the tupperware went mixed lettuce, chopped apples, raisins, corn, and baked tofu chunks with greek yogurt and a honey mustard dressing.  I love tupperware salads because then you can shake them and get the dressing on each and every bite of the salad. 

I was chomping at the bit by the time 7 PM rolled around…so ready to get out of the office the hospital.  Not just because I wanted to be done with work, but ALSO because I had a fun dinner date planned with 2 of my girlies.  You may or may not remember my monthly dinners with these ladies…we each trade off choosing restaurants in our own neighborhoods.  And this month we had a LOT to celebrate (my engagement and Marisa’s recent B school acceptance).  Since this month was Heather’s pick, we were in the Lower East Side at a new restaurant called Fat Hippo.  A pretty cute name for a restaurant if I do say so myself…and pretty appropriate for my blog 🙂

Sorry for the poor quality bberry picture.  But this was a REALLY tasty dinner.  I got the veggie burger on home-made focaccia bread with brussels sprouts instead of french fries on the side.  The veggie burger had a good texture, and I love that it had a variety of colors and obviously fresh ingredients used in it.  Plus, the grill marks always win me over. 

I’m always a little nervous when ordering veggie burgers when dining out, due to the potential for the dreaded thawed hockey puck…but this one was no disappointment, and the fresh focaccia was the perfect fluffy, carby vehicle to transport it to my mouth.

The brussels were also quite tasty, and I know the restaurant’s theme is upscale comfort food, but it was light and classy, and hardly felt like down home eating.  My entire meal was only $8 so it was economical too.

Speaking of 8…

I was tagged by the lovely Quinn to complete my own “Set of 8’s” that has been all over the blog scene lately.  It’s a bit long, so feel free to skip ahead to the rest of the food stuff scroll away.  Here are some of my answers!

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To:

1. Getting married!!  (ok, so I’ve only been engaged, like, 2 weeks, but still…) 
2. Going to Babycakes with Jess.
3. My new dresser!  (I have to put it together myself though, so I may change my mind on this one).
4. Kyle’s BIG China deal being FINISHED!!!!!  (it was signed today so I get him ALL to myself this weekend)
5. Warm weather (I would say spring, but apparently that doesn’t actually mean sunshine on the East Coast)
6. My friend’s wedding in early May!  I get to go home AND see my friends and family AGAIN (I swear lately I’ve been spending more time in CA than NY).
7. Getting my NEW apartment all organized and putting together all the finishing touches. 
8. Running my first half marathon in a week!!  Eek!!!

8 Things I Did Yesterday (today since I’m blogging a day late):

1. Worked saved lives.
2. Went to dinner with 2 girlfriends I’ve known since we were 4 years old (see today’s post)…
3. Did the Metro crossword (as I do every single day).
4. Searched www.herecomestheguide.com for wedding sites.
5. Read New Moon (meh)…I need to just finish it so I can start the blogger book club book!
6. Had champagne as a night cap. 
7. Emailed back and forth with my entire family in a 50+ thread count (we are trying to decide on dog names that my parents are getting and it is proving to be IMPOSSIBLE)
8. Went on twitter.com to try to sort that shiz out (no luck)

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Take a yoga class (new year’s resolution? not so much)
2. Run a marathon
3. Reduce the amount of caffeine I consume (riiiight)
4. Live a more spontaneous life…sometimes I get annoyed that the type A person in me can’t let go.
5. Get a massage (I’m in $$ saving mode, so sadly pampering is the first thing to go)
6. Ditch fake sugar for real.
7. Find more time to cook…I can only do so much on my days off.
8. Dine out more often (it’s almost torture living in such a fantastically diverse, culinary-focused city while broke on a budget)

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Real Housewives of everything (even though I get SO worked up by how ridic the women are, I can’t NOT watch)
2. The Office
3. 30 Rock
4. The View [insert pathetic groans here]
5. Gossip Girl
6. Project Runway (when it’s on)
7. Top Chef (when it’s on)
8. Brothers & Sisters

*Bravo has a hold on me!!!

Anyways, back to dinner, after re-telling my engagement story for the millionth time catching up, I headed home to find a WONDERFUL surprise awaiting me…

So many things to celebrate!  A new apartment, a new engagement, and most importantly, to having my fiancé back!!!

Cheers!! (and goodnight)

PS I know I’m supposed to tag someone for the set of 8 thing…so I’m going to choose the one and only, little miss VeggieGirl.  Hopefully she can get it all (or at least some) in episode 12 of VGTV…I am predicting a long one coming up!!!