Goals & Weekend Update: bossy pets & new blog friends

I knew the weekend was off to a wonderful start after a great class at Uplift Studios. I've written about Amanda's Warrior Fight Club class before, a mix of yoga and boxing, but she has seriously stepped up the class. I was considering taking another class after, but by the end I was completely exhausted. And her abs section was absolutely killer! 

Later on Friday, I met up with Beth to pick up our race bibs for Sunday's Join the Voices! 5 mile race in Central Park. We grabbed salads, chatted, and had a nice leisurely walk around the Upper East Side. I finally headed back to work on my part of a group project paper (cue groans about working in groups) and ended up having a mini photo shoot as I walked around the Reservoir. Somehow a grey day turned absolutely stunning as the sun set.

I grew up on a lake so I love seeing ducks -- they remind me of home

sunset + skyline

Saturday morning, Sourabh and I took Mason to the vet. He got a clean bill of health, but apparently is rather "bossy" so that's something we'll be working on with him in the coming months. He's a rescue and is pretty issue-free, but he isn't the best trained little dog so it's something that we have to focus on more.

"me? bossy?"

We stopped by Magnolia Bakery as we walked back from the vet and I got a coffee to power me through the group meeting I had to attend all afternoon. More group project fun! (That's sarcasm, FYI)

Magnolia has the right idea about how to celebrate winter -- baked goods!

Thankfully, I had something really fun to look forward to. A yoga and dinner date with Ashley at Strala Yoga with an instructor I hadn't taken before (Priya -- she was wonderful!) and Angelica Kitchen. I hadn't met Ashley in person before but we'd tweeted many times and I was really excited to meet her.

I love this print in Strala's dressing room

We ended up having such a great evening! The class was so relaxing and left my legs and hips loose and open (which I think led to a good race performance the next day -- recap to come). Angelica Kitchen was delicious and I can't wait to go back and try more things. And I just loved Ashley. After a really difficult year, she was still so sweet and upbeat. It is so much fun to meet fellow bloggers and healthy-living-enthusiasts. We were already planning future yoga and dinner dates before the evening had even ended.

SO excited to dig into this over Christmas break!

To make the day even better, I came home to my Christmas present from Katie, my undergrad bestie who clearly knows me too well. She sent me The Sprouted Kitchen, a whole foods-focused cookbook filled with beautiful photography and recipes that I can't wait to try. But her note also said that, to balance out the healthiness of the book, I should expect some cookies. Cannot wait. She is the best. baker. ever.

Besides the race, Sunday also included Erica Sara Designs' Trunk Show, where I picked up another Christmas present. Meeting more runners, wine and cheese, and gorgeous jewelry -- perfect cap to a weekend (especially since the rest of Sunday has been spent working on that group project...)

I am CRAZY excited about today's race, but I want to write it up in a proper recap and there is so much I want to write about, so I'm saving it for tomorrow. For now, let's go to goals!

Last week's goals

Here's how I did last week:

• 1 spin session (check -- spin session with Holly Rilinger at UWS Flywheel and it was awesome!)
• 3 runs -- 2 speed sessions, 1 long run of 8 miles including a race! (check-ish -- one run wasn't super speedy, but the second was and it was successful! See tomorrow for race recap)
• 2 yoga practices (check-ish -- warrior fight club is half yoga so basically 1.5 yoga classes)
• 2 strength sessions (oops, only did 1)

Goals for this week
I'm happy with how well I did with goals last week and want to keep it up this week!
• 1 spin session
• 3 runs -- 1 speed session, 1 medium run, 1 long run
• 2 yoga practices
• 2 strength sessions minimum

What are your goals for the week? Did you run a race this weekend? Do you have a bossy pet?

Volunteering, Basketball, Cold Runs, and Election Tuesday

It's been a very busy past two days, but they've been wonderful and have, once again, served as a reminder of how much I love New York. It still seems odd to be getting back to a normal routine after last week, but here goes.

I almost cried when I saw the huge crowd of people clamoring to donate items and help victims of Sandy on Sunday afternoon. I love New Yorkers!

Volunteering for Sandy victims
Unfortunately, I live very far from the areas that were hardest hit and without subways, it's pretty difficult for me to get to the Far Rockaways or Staten Island. However, I was able to help out a little bit by sorting through donations at a drop off point on the Upper West Side on Monday morning.

the basement of Riverside Church, where volunteers were sorting donations 

A small FYI if you are interested in donating -- food (non-perishables), water, batteries, cleaning supplies, and cold weather outdoor gear are all very much needed. Glittery '80s prom dresses and used thongs are not (yes, I picked up both of those going through donations). I'm sure people's hearts are in the right place, but needless donations only create more work for volunteers and mean a longer wait between donating an item and it getting to those who need the items.

Lovely Local Find - Columbus Natural Food
This is crazy, but I'd never stopped in the health food store right across the street from my building. I know, I am ridiculous. I finally dropped in to grab a quick lunch yesterday and promptly smacked myself for not checking it out sooner. Columbus Natural Food rocks!

fresh green juice and homemade soup across the street from me? yessssss 

I got a delicious green juice, a small salad, and kale chips (yummm). Can't wait to go back and explore the store more when I have time!

Barclays Center
Sourabh and I are big basketball fans. Although we root for the Knicks, we're always up for a good basketball game. Sourabh was checking out ticket prices on eBay for Monday night's Brooklyn Nets vs Minnesota Timberwolves game and found $60 tickets that were--no joke--three rows from the floor in the corner. We've learned that you can get some great tickets for really affordable prices if you check eBay the day of a game, especially approaching a few hours before start time.

I'm sure this doesn't look as good in daylight, but at night it looks really cool! 

The new Barclays Center is gorgeous, at least at night. The inside is really terrific with great views from all over. It was a bit chilly, but I think it just needs to work out a few kinks as it was only the arena's second Nets game.

action shot! ok, my camera sucks, but look -- Deron Williams taking a shot!

 We went to the Barclays Center with a friend of Sourabh's who is a Timberwolves fan, and enjoyed some delicious arena concessions pre-game. I can't lie, despite having a 90% healthy tooth, I am a huge sucker for greasy, disgusting arena food. I had some of Sourabh's fries and enjoyed a great bowl of nachos from Calexico (with real guacamole, roasted corn, and black beans).

requisite couple shot

We are totally spoiled for life. No way we could afford these tickets for a Knicks game, but the view was so amazing, I'm not sure I'll be able to go to another regular nosebleed basketball game!

Random note: I didn't take a picture, but free tattoos--yes, you read that right: real, permanent tattoos--were being given near the bar at the arena.

Early morning running with blog friends
I met Abby a few weeks ago at a Refine Method event hosted by Dori, and after a late night Twitter session, we decided to run this morning together. Holy crap IT WAS COLD. I feel even luckier that our apartment was unaffected by the hurricane -- I cannot imagine being without heat with this sudden temperature drop.

beautiful early morning Central Park -- Sandy didn't steal all the leaves! 

Thank you, Abby, for getting my ass out of bed early this morning! It was so beautiful in Central Park and was so nice to have a running buddy to keep me going in the cold. You are going to be SO amazing at the Philly Marathon in less than two weeks!!

it might look sunny, but it was COLD

Unfortunately he cold air appeared to trigger some sort of asthmatic breathing, and I'd forgotten I had to be at the class I'm a TA for a bit earlier due to cancellations last week, so I had to leave before we finished a complete loop of Central Park. The breathing got really bad on Cat Hill, so apparently I'm going to need to either get used to the cold air or get an inhaler if I want to run a winter half-marathon (spoiler: I'm going to run a winter half-marathon, details to come). Still, 5.5 miles in beautiful Central Park to start my Election Tuesday? Not bad.

SO pretty out this morning

Voting!
I did a different kind of exercising later in the morning -- exercising my right to vote! There was actually very little exercise involved, since I had to stand in line for about 20 minutes before I could get in to vote, which took another 25 minutes.

this was the front part of the line for my voting center -- I didn't realize voting in NYC would be so crowded!
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However, while waiting, I met some adorable older women who were so enthusiastic about voting that it made the wait worthwhile. One of them wanted a picture taken of herself outside the voting booth because she was so excited to be voting for Obama again. They were a lot of fun to stand by and made the wait a lot less painful (and it actually was painful because of the cold!).

It was especially nice to vote after being turned away from donating blood. My iron counts are apparently a bit low, unfortunately, so I couldn't give. I've never been able to donate, which has only made me more nervous every time I go in, building up the process in my mind.

"why can't I vote?" asks Mason
(disclaimer: I do not actually believe my dog has thoughts like this) 

Tonight, Sourabh and I are watching the election results come in over a bottle of Gewurtztraminer, one of my (and my mom's) favorite white wines.

Anniversary Weekend Recap & Weekly Goals: Post-Half-Marathon

Today is my boyfriend and my four year anniversary! We've been dating since our junior year of college. We became friends when we were both on the debate team -- obviously we were the coolest kids around -- and started dating a few months later. It's been a really great four years. I both can't believe that it's been that long and can't believe we were never together! We both feel so lucky to be with someone who inspires us to be our best. (Sappy, I know, I promise I'm not normally so gooey)

Last year, we found deeply discounted tickets for a flight to London online and did a whirlwind 4 day long weekend there to celebrate.

on the London Eye

It was so much fun, but not something we could repeat this year since he's now in his first year of law school, which is a crazy busy time. Instead we decided to do a traditional "dinner and a movie" date night.


Dinner and a Movie

Mexican is my favorite cuisine. I love Indian and Middle Eastern food, but I could literally eat Mexican every night for the rest of my life and be happy. Sourabh suggested we go to one of my favorite Mexican spots in the city, Hecho en Dumbo. They mainly do small plates, but they also have a five-course "Chef's Table" prix fixe menu for $60. If you live in New York, then you know that a $60 prix fixe five-course menu is actually a steal. 

The Chef's Table prix fixe menu sets you up at a bar looking into the kitchen so you can see all the food being made. I thought this was so fun since I like to cook. The kitchen is pretty quiet, so it's not like you can't have a conversation, it just makes for a fun added feature to your experience.

the chef's table bar
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I didn't take pictures because the dim lighting in Hecho en Dumbo, which makes it a great date spot, also makes it impossible to take a good picture!

Besides the main five courses, the prix fixe menu also included four little dishes "compliments of the chef," including tacos, corn with queso fresco, and delicious truffles.  The tacos were practically a course by themselves! The chef's table menu emphasizes "fresh seafood, local meats and seasonal ingredients." The menu changes seasonally, but right now it's made up of crema langosta (lobster soup), an avocado and chickpea salad, a seared jumbo scallop, quail with a mole poblano sauce (I gave my quail to Sourabh), and a sour cream panna cotta. Again, those were just the official courses -- there were also four extra mini courses!

see? perfect for a date night!
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The typical small plates are composed of tacos, sopes (corn masa medallions with black bean puree on top and then various toppings), and melted cheese dishes. I love their small plates since they have a lot of vegetarian and seafood options in addition to the typical beef and pork, but it was great to try their fancier menu. We were both really happy with our dinner.

We wanted to see Argo after dinner, but the 9:00 PM showing was sold out so we bought tickets for 9:40 PM and decided to make a detour to an ice cream shop I've been wanting to get to forever: Big Gay Ice Cream Shop on East 7th.

the menu and a giant unicorn mural

Oh man, this place was SO good. I was pretty stuffed from dinner but couldn't say no to splitting a fabulous Monday Sundae (twisted fro yo in a Nutella-lined cone with dulce de leche, sea salt, and whipped cream). If you're in the East Village and looking for an indulgence (or to scandalize some visiting relatives) then this is a great spot.

We got to the theater early and snagged great seats for Argo, which we both liked a lot. The film is set during the Iranian Hostage Criss, and it's about the rescue of six U.S. embassy workers who escaped from the U.S. embassy then hid in the Canadian ambassador's home. Without being very violent (the R rating is really for language), the film managed to create a palpable feeling of tension and really made a 30-year old revolution seem real. The film is even more relevant given the recent protests and storming of embassies in the Middle East. It was a great date night movie!

Tonight I made us a nice dinner at home since it was our actual anniversary. We sat down to a later-than-expected dinner after cheering the Patriots on to an overtime win over the Jets. I know, I know, the Patriots? Sorry guys, the boy is a huge Pats fan, and he needed the win after the loss to my Seahawks last week. Too bad the Seahawks couldn't have beaten the 49ers on Thursday, especially after I wore my Seahawks jersey to school and taught a TA session in it...

just got the flowering chinese lanterns -- so pretty and fall-like! 

Anyway, some delicious hard apple cider complemented crab cake-stuffed mushroom caps (courtesy of Whole Foods) and roasted fingerling potatoes and brussels sprouts. It was a nice Sunday meal and a sweet little celebration after last night's night out.


Recap of last week
I didn't post any goals for last week because I really wanted to take it one step at a time and see how I felt since my quads were SUPER sore after my half-marathon. I still got in several great workouts: I did a fun Refine Method class hosted by Dori at their new Upper West Side studio, worked out with my trainer Amanda, tried a 30/30 class of spinning and TRX at Pedal NYC, got stretched out at Ashley's second yoga for runners class (this time taught by Sarra Morton), and ran almost 5 miles today.

On my run today, I bumped into Abby in Riverside Park. Since I was just trying to get out and run with no goals in mind, I turned around to run a few miles to head back uptown with her at the end of her long run. She helped me push my pace on the last two miles and it was great to run with someone on such a gorgeous day.


This week's goals
Ok, enough of the gooey anniversary talk. Let's talk exercise! Now that my half-marathon is over, I don't have a structure to my weekly workouts, and I'm just looking to include strength training with some short and longer runs. I also want to continue to make yoga a priority and finally commit to speedwork to increase my pace in future half-marathons (which I'm still on the hunt for).

I'm flying home to Washington State on Thursday to visit my family, so I'm going to be doing some different things, like a trail run! I'm so excited since I've never done one before. I just hope the weather is clear enough that I'm not doing a mud run.

- 3 runs, including a trail run in Washington and a race up in Vancouver, BC
- 3 strength workouts
- 2 yoga classes, including one taught by my Dad (he's a part-time yoga instructor!)

Any suggestions for half-marathons I should consider running? What's your favorite race you've ever run?

Delicious Destination: Candle Cafe - Upper West Side

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Saturday afternoon I finally tried Candle Cafe on the Upper West Side. It was wonderful! The Cafe is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant that serves only plant-based, organic foods. According to its website, Candle Cafe also tries to source ingredients locally whenever possible. The restaurant also has a full-service bar with all sorts of organic wines and cocktails that would make for a great date night or girls night out.

Both my friend and I were looking for a nice brunch so we could talk about her job options, and this was the perfect place. Healthy, delicious dishes in a very classy but understated atmosphere. We splurged a bit and shared an appetizer and dessert, on top of our entrees and iced coffees.

Appetizer
To start, we had the heirloom tomato avocado tartare with lime dressing and wonton chips.

If you're a tomato or avocado lover (oh hey, I'm both), then you'd love this dish. The tomatoes were nice and firm, providing a great textural contrast to the silky smooth pieces of avocado. The dressing made it a light appetizer with a healthy dose of good fats. Both of us loved this!

Entrees
My friend got the avocado quinoa salad with quinoa, corn, cucumbers, avocado, and pumpkin seeds served with mixed greens and a chipotle dressing.

I didn't taste it, but she raved about it. And she's not even vegan or vegetarian!

I got a special, the vegan huevos rancheros, which was comprised of a tofu scramble with tomatoes and onions on top of corn tortillas with guacamole, salsa, and vegan sour cream.

This dish was so, so good. It was exactly what I want in a brunch dish: filling and slightly indulgent without being an insane calorie bomb. I need to figure out how to make a tofu scramble so I can replicate this at home. I could see myself eating this any time of day!

Dessert
Like I said, we splurged a bit! We shared the seasonal fruit crumb pie a la mode, which was strawberries and peaches with vegan vanilla ice cream.

I don't normally eat pie, despite loving it, simply because it's SO buttery normally that it leaves me feeling gross and greasy. This pie was perfect! It wasn't too heavy, and you could taste the nuts and oats that made up the crumb part of it. The fruit wasn't drenched in syrup so its natural flavors really stood out.

I'll be back!
I will be dragging my boyfriend to the cafe soon since it's close to my apartment and the food is amazing. He's always skeptical of vegan/vegetarian restaurants, but once he tries it he becomes a fan (this happened with Peacefood Cafe in the West 80s after he tasted their phenomenal chickpea fries!).

Although I'm not vegan (I'm a pescetarian who avoids most dairy products; yes, I know, I'm difficult), I love vegan or vegetarian restaurants that focus on creating healthy and delicious dishes with fresh, local produce. I try to eat a plant-based diet, so I am always excited when I find a great restaurant that fits that.

Mason says: "can I go next time?"

Delicious Destinations: Chobani SoHo Yogurt Bar

After an awesome STRONG class with Mike Taylor at Strala Yoga (review to come soon!), I dropped by Chobani's new SoHo yogurt bar. I had met up with an old friend at Strala so it was the perfect place to grab a post-workout snack and chat.

The boutique is quite small, but it's very pretty. The wood detailing is nice and the all-glass storefront makes the store stand out on its corner location.

Oh, all you care about is the food? Cool, me too. So I love Greek yogurt, but I don't always like Chobani (especially their fat-free) because it lacks that creamy factor. The in-store yogurt was perfect -- creamy and smooth, tangy and rich, without that cloying cream after-taste that I personally can't stand.

Blueberry + Power

I got the blueberry, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and agave blend. It was SO good. I love blueberries, and thought they mixed well with the chia and hemp seeds and the walnuts. And of course I love agave (who doesn't??). All the sweet combinations looked great, and at $3.75 each (and you get to keep the glass jars!), they're pretty cheap, too.

Yum! So good!!

While my friend and I chatted, we were given another dish! Apparently they made extra and didn't want it to go to waste. Thanks, Chobani!! We both were given a savory dish, the Plain Chobani + Cucumber, which comes with fresh cucumber, sea salt, and sprinkled fresh mint. It was really delicious, and if paired with some couscous or something, would have made a terrific lunch. I love that Chobani is offering savory yogurt options in addition to the sweet ones.

Plain Chobani + Cucumber

All the dishes come with plain Chobani yogurt in a cute little glass jar. You can keep the jar or return it and get a $0.25 off coupon.

The Details:
Address -- 150 Prince Street (at W Broadway)
Hours -- 9am to 8pm daily