sunny weekend

I LOVE warm weather.  And being that this was the first nice weekend we New Yorkers have had this season, I decided to take advantage.  Obviously, I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea…apparently the rest of New York was on the same wavelength.

I wish I had a photo of Central Park…the great lawn was PACKED like nothing I’ve ever seen.  Not an INCH to spare!

“Not an square to spare.” – anyone?

AM Montage: frothy java, chobz, & coconut date rolls

I went on a supah long run in the Park before lunch time, and it was grrrreat.  Sun shining, endorphins flowing = love!

According to www.mapmyrun.com I ran just over 8 miles in 53 minutes (wha!?!?).  Ummmm, not to toot my own horn but isn’t that like a 6 min/mile pace!!!  I had no idea I was THAT pumped up!

When I got home I made a monster salad (aka a HUGH JASS bowl ‘o greens).

Included in this challenger: spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, tomato, shredded carrots, and CHICKPEAS

…and my latest purchase…

Sweet white miso paste (and some balsamic) on top.

For the record, I’m not a fan of this miso paste.  It was SO salty (and I freakin’ love salt!!), so I can hardly imagine how I’m going to use it up.  It was $12 so I don’t want to just throw it away, but at the same time, our fridge space is SO coveted, I’m torn…any suggestions?

Lunch dessert/PM snacks: apple, carob raisins, dried papaya

After some afternoon errands, I arrived home to a fun package…thanks Foodbuzz!

Buitoni’s new flavor FLAAAAAVE.

Since there is dairy in the Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, Kyle was the official taste-tester.  Look at him, chopping garlic like Chef Boyardi Emeril.

We already had marinara sauce and pesto (also Buitoni), so the prep was minimal…

Review: Well, does the fact that there are no pictures of the finished product speak for itself?

He loved it, and he doesn’t even like mushrooms, so that should speak volumes.  Also, the quantity was perfect, since it didn’t feel heavy like some pasta dishes do, while still filling him up.  Well done, Buitoni, this will definitely be a repeat-er.

As for my (vegan) dinner, I went with simple.  I was lazy, and after my PM mega-nosh-fest, I wasn’t even that hungry.

LightLife veggie burger with steamed brocc and hummus.

The hummus love didn’t stop there though…I polished that container RIGHT off (obvi) – this time with a toasted english muffin.

OK, I really should have stopped after this, I was full…but I had a race Sunday morning, so clearly I had to carbo load the night before, right? 

(and by carbo load, I mean, nut butter load)

Ummmm…sure?

Soynut butter on a ww/flax tortilla. 

But the bomb weekend eats didn’t stop there.  Sunday was even more fun – including a 4M race and a rooftop BBQ!

I woke up bright and early (7:45), threw on my running gear, and headed off to central park.  I jogged to the starting line (East 68th area)…which was a nice 2 mile warm up, and found that I was somehow placed in the 9:30 min/mile pacing group.  WTF?!? 

Saturday I did 8 miles at a 6+ minute/mile pace, so this was bad news bears.

I tried to inch up a bit, but we all know what a type A rule abiding girl I am, so I basically stayed in my group.  BIG MISTAKE.  HUGE.  I was dyyyyyying as the race started…even after we finally made our way to the starting line, I still couldn’t move for the first mile.  I actually considered just ditching the race it was so bad.  By the second mile I could finally swing my arms, so I slowly began passing people, which is what I continued for the rest of the race…I think my first mile took 14 minutes, and the rest were 6ers.  It was kinda annoying.

Next time (?) I will make sure I’m not in that pace group. 

Kyle met me at the finish line and stole my bagel (just kidding, I got it for him).  And look what I saw on the way home!!!  ANOTHER sabra truck.  Ummmm, are they stalking me?!?  I made Kyle take a picture of me with the truck 🙂

Shower.  Coffee.  Coffee.  Coffee.

I spent the rest of the day trying to fight off the zzzz’s.  SO tired.

Smart Balance light on ww bread. 

Honestly, I think the main reason I like races is because they make me feel like I can re-fuel, guilt free.  Anyone else with me on this one?

Oranges x2 and dried pineapples x2

For lunch I went with another massive salad creation.  This is the kind of challenge I like!

For the main protein, I heated up some Boca “chik’n” nuggets.

 

Boca “chik’n” tenders, 1/2 avocado, sprouts, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, and 1/2 tomato on a (hidden) bed of spinach.

 

I really really really loved this one.  Avo and chopped chik’n nuggets are SO good together.  I am LOVING all my salad creations, and I owe it all to Leng for this wonderful challenge, which inspired me to be more creative with my salads.  I’m so excited I have another whole week left!!!

Laundry.  TV.  Snack.  TV.  Snack.

BBQ!!!

Looks like everyone else wanted in on the action.  Our apartment has a rooftop with several communal BBQs, and it was THE happenin’ spot, without a doubt.

The sunset view from our rooftop (and the Jerz/Hudson river).

I haven’t had the most successful cooking experiments with tempeh…but I’m not one to give up so quickly (especially when the rest of the food blog world is so darn obsessed).  So I went with LightLife’s three grain flavor instead of the one I tried last time (soy), and marinated it with some good ‘ol Country Bob’s all purpose sauce.

After the two BIG chunks soaked up the marinade…

…we popped this baby open…and brought it up to enjoy while Kyle the ‘cue master did his thang on the grill.  The breasts were for the boys and my tempeh was in the tin foil.

The finished products:

Chicken.

Tempeh.

Corn.

My portion (corn on the cob x2, tempeh steaks x2, & squared slices of Alvarado street bread x2 with hummus)…NOM!!

This meal hit the spot…I LOVE BBQing, and I hope this is the first of one million summer bbqs to come.

Kyle and I enjoyed made sarcastic comments throughout the Miss USA pageant while sipping on wine. 

After dessert, which was 2 apples sliced up (1 McIntosh and 1 Gala), we hit the sack. 

Sorry this post was so insanely long!!