Outdoor seating is popping up cafes everywhere. Some NYC restaurants brave even the snow and declare year-round outdoor seating is doable even without heat lamps. (I’m talking about you, Sidewalk Cafe!) The rest of ‘em whip out the tables and chairs when it feels like it’s time to eat al fresco. Seeing more people on the street and leaving work while there is daylight makes the days much brighter.

Despite what felt like an endless winter, I managed to stay more active than usual. I’m proud that this is the first winter in nine years that I didn’t gain 15 pounds over the dreary, frigid season. While I could have done better, I did well enough. I attribute it to a few things, each of which took way more effort than it sounds like:

1. Making cocoa a limited treat. Winter screams cocoa so this was hard, but last year I had two per day at work and another one or two at home. Mike still had it every night, but I cut back. I even stayed away from Eataly’s warm liquid chocolate on all but one occasion.
2. Swapping the “I don’t know what to eat so I’ll just have Macaroni and Cheese” for “…I’ll just have salad.” Last year I had mac and cheese no less than four times per week. This time, no more than twice a month.
3. Add in the good food. Crowd out the bad. I let myself have the comfort food, but by adding in more vegetables I ate far less of it. When I started noticing bad food habits creeping in, I tried a (very modified) juice cleanse from Liquiteria. They want you to drink six juices and only those six juices a day for three days. I dropped it down to four juices for 4.5 days plus solid fruit, raw veggies, and a reasonable dinner, but boy was I less hungry and my vegetable cravings returned. Doing it right before Christmas helped me stay on track.
4. Move. As much as energy permits. Going to the gym at least once a week was mandatory, twice was preferable.
5. Sweatpants in public. Yes, I looked like a college student or a freak wearing sweatpants on my way to work every day. But by putting sweatpants over my work clothes and bundling up to the max, walking to the subway or even the whole way to work became possible. Clocking an extra 7 miles of walking per week made such a difference, and my wallet thanked me for skipping the post-work cabs that I took way too often last year.

While my desire to go to the gym five times a week hasn’t returned yet, I’m still walking to or from work a few days a week, or at least the subway every day. We’ll get there. But for now, I’ll pat myself on the back for making a huge improvement to benefit my health that I wasn’t able to do for nearly a decade.

The recipe comes from The New York Times, and it’s extremely simple. The only caveat is that it takes a little bit of waiting. On days Mike and I are getting home from work at 8:00pm or later, I’m not going to whip this one up. The good news is that when you make it ahead, its flavor only improves as a leftover.

To create the dish, you’ll need 1.5 pounds of tomatoes, an eggplant, parsley, garlic, sugar, chickpeas, olive oil, and pomegranate molasses. I like a mix of Campari and grape tomatoes.

Slice the eggplant into half moons, spritz a piece of foil with a mist of olive oil, lay the eggplant down and spritz again. Bake the eggplant with the foil open for 20 minutes, and when lightly browned, wrap the foil up to steam while the rest of the ingredients cook.

I don’t fully seed the tomatoes, nor do I peel them, but I do take the juicy part out of the Camparis while chopping them. The tomatoes are simmered with the garlic for about 15 mintues, and then the eggplant gets added back in along with the rest of the ingredients.  The full recipe lists a lot of waiting in between steps, but you can skip the layering process and toss it all back in when the tomatoes have cooked down. It doesn’t make much of a difference. I also use less oil (less than 2 Tbsp.) because with the misto, you only need a couple grams – and let’s face it, who needs 4 Tbsp. of oil in a dish?

The official name of the recipe is “Sweet and Sour,” and it’s a little bit misleading. In no way is this the “sweet and sour” you get at a fast food Chinese restaurant. There’s also no vinegar, so there isn’t much sour. Pomegranate molasses are straight up sweet with a slight kick. We found the bottle in the Indian spice market down the block. Any specialty store featuring exotic ingredients should have some in stock. I’ve yet to use the molasses in any other recipe, but the bottle is already almost gone. That’s how much we like this meal!

Give me bowl of just the eggplant, tomatoes, and chickpeas and I’m content. When serving 4, each portion contains about 250 calories, 9 grams of fiber, and 7 grams of protein. It also packs in 50% of your Vitamin C, 30% of your Vitamin A, and 20% of your daily iron needs. (Pictured above is only 1/8 of the recipe.) If you need a little more variety or need more greens in your diet, add in a mesclun salad. A piece of crusty bread also complements the flavor, and it works well – especially if you want to spread the eggplant mixture on top like a baba ghanoush.

Care to join us? We made plenty!

After interviewing a few friendly locals, we were shown how to tear them open using your hands to reveal the edible fruit inside…

Both are translucent globes once peeled. If the succulent fruits are punctured, juice trickles out. We tentatively gave them a bite, and were pleased to find they are both sweet, but the smaller one has a more pleasant and even sweeter flavor than the larger.

We were told they were related to lychee, but nobody knew the proper names. A some more research, we discovered we were eating rambutan and duku.

Breakfast also brought some Thai Apples (pictured in front of the teapot)…

Some passion fruit (purple, white, and yellow covered seeds on the right)…

And dragon fruit.  Tastes just like Vitamin Water!

A delicious, surprising start to each day!

This lazy Saturday’s homemade plate of pancakes were a celebratory stack, a labor of love. Typical pancakes are not very time intensive. Throw a couple ingredients in a bowl while the pan heats up, pour ‘em on, and behold: pancakes. Clinton Street-style pancakes, however, with their eleven ingredients and folded whipped egg whites managed to make a sinkful of dishes… along with some of the lightest pancakes on the planet.

Why all the effort, you ask? It’s been an eventful summer. These pancakes mark the perfect end to a job well done. A reward after four solid months of wedding planning every single day. Our wedding, that is.

Mike asked me to marry him in May, and I said without a doubt, yes. We knew we didn’t want a long engagement and we jumped right in.

Everything was pushed to the wayside as we planned what he hoped to be a unique wedding that celebrated both of us a couple. After the day unfolded, we both felt we succeeded.

On our one week anniversary I asked my new husband what he wanted for breakfast, and he asked for pancakes. Special ones. And so, along with our new “Mr.” & “Mrs.” Mickey and Minnie Mouse mugs filled with frothy, steamed milk and coffee, we sat down to a piping hot Clinton-Street-style stack and a side of warmed maple butter. With a belly full of pancakes and a heart full of love, I’m looking forward to all of the “Mrs.” mornings to come.

I finally jumped back into cooking with a recipe that I love. One of Mama Pea‘s famous veg*n recipes (vegan or vegetarian, depending on whether you use real or mock cheese) has become a go-to in this household. For our second trip down memory lane, I’d like to share Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna.

These pictures were taken back in October during my first attempt at the dish.  I’ve since made it five or six times and have yet to be disappointed. Instead of pasta, the recipe calls for long, thin slices of zucchini layered with marinara sauce and a quinoa mixture.

It’s not your traditional pasta and cheese lasagna, but the flavor of the quinoa is reminiscent of noodles, the creaminess of just a couple spoonfuls of cream cheese adds richness, and the the tender zucchini slices give a lot of body to the meal. Eating one sixth of the recipe is incredibly filling, and don’t forget quinoa is a complete protein. The nutrition analysis is my own using caloriecount.com’s recipe analyzer, using low-fat cream cheese and the sprinkle of mozzarella on top. My love affair with cheese means I’ll never go vegan, myself, but feel free to try it with tofutti and Daiya or another vegan “cheese.”

Low-calorie and incredibly filling. Go on, I dare you to try it.

I’ve mentioned a few times that I, the non-athlete, have had a few spurts of dedicated exercise throughout the past year. Some were specifically dedicated to running, but life took some serious turns in December and I was never able to complete my training as planned. I found myself working two jobs and struggling to find time to eat breakfast and dinner, let alone run or write. Everything was going to calm down soon, but the time when everything would shift gears coincided with the weekend of a race for which I’d already registered.

I seriously considered bailing. When I told people why I was headed to Florida in a few short days, friends and family fell into two camps. Some said, “There’s no way you can do this. You haven’t trained, you’re going to hurt yourself. You just aren’t capable of completing 13+ miles.” Others said, “Eh, you’ll be fine. You’ll be surprised what you’re capable of if you don’t give up. Just do it, you’ll really be okay.” Most of the people who thought I’d be okay never saw me run. Trust me, it isn’t pretty.

Until I got to Florida, I didn’t have time to weigh my options. I accepted everyone’s opinions (usually with a smile), stored them in a little piece of my brain, and carried on. There were more immediate issues at hand that needed my attention than $150+ in non-refundable fees.

And then it was here: Race Weekend. We flew down Thursday after work, and I spent Friday relaxing the day away. During dinner with Mike, Lauren, and my brother that evening, we joked about our attempt at this race. Should we skip the race, wear running clothes in the park, and take pretend photos as “proof” of our participation? Would we have more fun just going to Magic Kingdom than we would subjecting ourselves to this physical test? The boys were serious about skipping the marathon, but Lauren and I knew that we wanted to go through with our plan. When we picked up our race packets and purchased our tiaras the next day, we clocked 13 miles driving in the car… it was frighteningly long.

But when the alarm clocks went off at 2 AM yesterday, I knew it was go time. I could still hear the naysayers in my head, but the supporters won out. I told myself, “I’ve accomplished many things of which I am proud, endured some difficult challenges, and this is no different. I have the strength to win. And for me, finishing is winning.”

We left the house at 3 AM, ate strawberries and grapes in the car, and arrived at the reception area by 4:15.

Lauren and I said goodbye to the boys, and we set out on a long, dark, quiet walk to the starting line. With loud music, a wish from the Fairy Godmother, and sets of fireworks exploding, the race began. A mentally and physically grueling 3 and a half hours followed, filled with cheers, runs, walks, Powerade, fruit chews, water, and photos of our accomplishments (some still on cameras, I’ll post a follow up with more pictures after they are downloaded).

Our start time was 6:03 AM, and the first five miles of the course stretched along the parkway in the dark. There weren’t any crowds aside from a small one at the starting line and one high school marching band, but some photo-ops (with long lines a la Disney) dotted the early path. Adrenaline was high, along with our motivation to prove we really could do this. Halfway through the race, the sun rose and we made a few cheers to keep our focus.

Finishing is winning! Waffles are for Winners! A long nap when we get home!

Not exactly clever on all counts, but they pushed us through. The boys took the monorail between the parks and found us four times throughout the race, delivering us some extra pep. Even with muscle cramps starting at mile 6, foot pain beginning at mile 9, and rain coming down at mile 11, we endured.

It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t fast… but I did it.

So, for a series of ten posts, I’m going to take a step back into 2010 and 2011.  Whether it’s from trips I’ve taken, restaurants we’ve tried, or some food we cooked up in the kitchen, I’ll share some of my fondest food memories not-yet-shared from the past year and a half. To kick it off, I’m starting with my absolute top go-to recipe.  One that I almost can’t believe has never made it’s way on here, but I sort of can because, after all, this is not purely a recipe blog.

Memory Lane #1: A Recipe  - Chard and Beans

The photos below are from my first week in the new apartment.  If you look in the background you’ll see our entryway mirror still on the ground, not yet hung up on the wall.  I’m sure I made this dish because between our repainting, rearranging, and redecorating, it was so easy to whip up and the beans make it a really satisfying meal.

My first attempt at this recipe happened when we got Swiss chard in our CSA pickups last winter.   I found a recipe online, and modified it a bit because (1) I’m personally not a great fan of garbanzo beans and (2) I didn’t have any green onions at the time.  The aromatic lemony sauce that forms from wilted greens, shallots, tomatoes, and lemons is one that I adore, and I can easily eat this dish every week.

First up, put a couple of drops of olive oil in a pan with a diced shallot or two and some halved little tomatoes.  I only use 2 or 3 grams of oil, but you can use more if you like. I’ve used a whole tomato and diced that instead of the little ones too – either way works.

Let that cook for five minutes or so until it becomes fragrant and the shallots are turning translucent.

Next, add in your beans. I like white beans and will either drain and rinse a can if I don’t have any cooked up, or I’ll take a cup of beans out of the fridge if I’ve boiled some up for the week. If you know you’re going to make it ahead of time, you could defrost some frozen beans too.  Any which way works. Sometimes when I’m feeling a little spicy, I’ll add in a few red pepper flakes here too.

Let those warm through, and then top with your washed greens.  Don’t dry them off though – the droplets left behind from washing make a nice sauce for the dish.  If you’re using pre-washed greens, just run a handful under water to get some extra moisture in the pan.

Pictured above, I skipped the chard and used the spinach and arugula I had on hand.  I’ve used all sorts of greens – Swiss chard, escarole, spinach and arugula.  The Swiss chard is my favorite, but they all work out well.  Cover the pan, and let the greens steam.  If you’re doing chard or escarole, they will take a bit longer to cook through and a few turns in the pan with some tongs will help it along.  Add in a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice at this point, and it’ll make a bit of a sauce that brightens up the whole flavor.  It’s only vegetables and cooked beans, so it’s done when you say it’s done.

Looks done to me!

And miraculously, this very meal was waiting for me – piping hot on a plate – when I walked in the door this evening after traveling all day.  It really is magical.

I need to learn a better way to share this information with people in conversation.  Whenever I’m telling someone face-to-face that I’m heading to the airport, I’m inevitably met with an excited, “Ooo, have fun! Where are you going?” Problem is, it’s not always a pleasure trip.

After 92 years on Earth, my Grandfather has passed on.  He stayed with us through the end of the year, only letting go on the morning of December 31st. My Grandma and Grandpa lived out in Anaheim, California frequenting the Disney fireworks on warm west coast evenings. Southern California is where I’m headed now to say my goodbyes.

Grandma and Grandpa had a beautiful big house filled with so many rooms that in addition to a den in the front of the house and a massive living room in the back, they had a “bonus room” just filled with board games. I’m not sure what the square footage is compared to my childhood home, but every time we walked in to visit, it looked like a palace to me. Lemon and avocado trees grew in the backyard along with an apple tree that my Grandfather loved.  Grandma, on the other hand, hated the apples.  She’d pluck them off one by one, look me in the eye and say “Don’t you tell your Grandpa, but these crabapples taste disgusting and they have no place in our yard.” Then she’d chuck the piece of fruit over the railing, down into the open air below.  We’d watch as the apple bounced and tumbled along all the way down the hill to the reservoir, giggle a little, and pick another one off the tree. I let our little secret out ten years ago at Grandma’s funeral. Grandpa graciously forgave us.

Grandpa was a man who loved his family and believed in doing what’s right. (I think the stubborn streak that my father passed onto me came from Grandpa.)  But along with will of steel, Grandpa loved his family dearly.  We never made the flight out to California as often as I would have liked, and I was always a little jealous that my aunt and two cousins lived next door to them. We had such a great time whenever we were there, so much that my brother and I would cry in the car when we had to leave. I always promised that when I was a grownup I’d visit more often. My promise materialized into a few weekend visits one summer when took courses at UC San Diego with my cousin Julie, and again on an extended trip for her wedding.  I only wish I’d been able to visit more.

No matter how old I am or where I might be in the world, there’s one thing that – without fail – reminds me of my grandfather: the taste of M&M candies.

Sight alone doesn’t always conjure up memories, but the second I taste an M&M, I’m thrown back to 1986, running around Grandma and Grandpa’s massive living room floor, eyeing a glass jar full of bright M&Ms.  I know Grandma couldn’t open a bag of Hershey’s Kisses without devouring the whole thing herself, so I’m not sure how she managed to keep away from the M&Ms.  But I remember Grandpa scooping a small handful out of the jar, and other members of my family following suit and giving me the candies to eat as Muppet Babies played on the television. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a pure memory or one reinforced by watching an old VHS documenting our trip that year.  Either way, the connection is so strong that I can’t not think of Grandpa’s strong, quiet, observant smile whenever I bite into an M&M.  I’m certain it’ll be that way forever.

2011 was a tough year for my family, as a dear family friend “Uncle” Dennis passed away early in the year and then my mom’s Mom passed on this past May. It’s weird knowing that my immediate family is now just two generations. Neither my brother nor I have any children yet.  My two cousins both have kids now, including Jeanne’s gaggle of four beautiful children and Julie’s baby boy whom I haven’t met yet.  I remember one evening maybe fifteen years ago or so in Grandma and Grandpa’s “bonus room” talking to Julie late into the night.  We were talking about boyfriends, falling in love, and someday having families of our own.  It’s hard to believe so much time has passed and she’s now a mommy herself.  It’s amazing how quickly time passes in retrospect and how much changes. Some things don’t change, though. Family is all we have. Whether by blood or a family you’ve chosen for yourself, the people you love mean the world to you, and essentially become your world. I’m grateful I have such wonderful family in my life – both those by blood and those who’ve become a part of it over the years. I’m sure this weekend it going to be really rough, especially when everyone’s gathered in the same room. But at least we’ll all be there together.

I love you, Grandpa.

One of my goals since the summer of 2010 was to become a healthier, fitter version of myself.  I’ve had ebbs and flows of commitment to this goal, so really January 1st is as good a time as any to remind myself that this is something I want.  It’s not something other people want for me, or something I feel pressured to do by others.  It’s something I really want. 2011 was full of changes for me, from recommitting myself to spending my time well and taking big steps in changing my life to lead one that leaves me feeling more fulfilled and happy in the days to come. It wasn’t born out of a date on the calendar, but a feeling inside that time was slipping away from me and I wasn’t doing things that make me happy or the world a better place to live. So, it’s time to re-acknowledge these things.  I don’t want to set goals of numbers and figures, but ideas.

1. Focus on health.  Not in a way that’s boring or tedious, but in a way that reminds me of the good flavors of wholesome real food and the intrinsic energy I feel when I move more.  On this quiet, winter morning when all I could think of were pancakes, I shifted my thoughts to sweet, delicious fruit, which always gives me pep. I could always have the pancakes later if I still want them, but once I had the clementines, the pancakes became a distant thought.

2. Drink more water.  An item under the category of health really, but worth recognizing on its own.  When I drink more water, I eat better and feel better.  Lately I’ve been sliding back to more iced teas and hot cocoas and less water.  I want to remember that the sugary teas and cocoas are a treat, and not a daily one at that.

3. Appreciate myself for who I am.  Sometimes I beat myself up over little things, or replay events trying to fix them. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t help. I’m sure there are things I can do better in the future, so I’d rather focus on that than reliving what’s done.

4. Spend time doing good things.  Not everything has to be world-changing, but I do like having an impact.  If the things I spend my time doing are a vapid time suck, they’re pretty pointless.

and most importantly

5. Wake up each day grateful that I have the next 24 hours ahead of me to do things that are exciting and good. Be appreciative of this time and don’t let it go without gratitude.

I keep writing and rewriting what I want to say about this point, but I’m having trouble putting it down in words. Maybe I can come back to it, because I can’t seem to do it justice.

Here’s to you, readers and friends.  Here’s to a happy, healthy new year.

Crazy as it may seem, I had the perfect job come knocking on my door at precisely the right moment.  If you’ve been following along with me for the past six months, you may have picked up that I’ve been doing a bunch of freelance work for some great non-profit organizations while I figured out what I want to do for the next five years of my life.  (Thinking beyond five years is just plain silly at this point.  Really, did you know you’d be where you are five years ago?)

And finally, I found it.

When I got the call to interview, I was elated and surprised. Some time had passed since I had submitted my application, so I wasn’t expecting anyone to reach out, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.  Fast forward through a lightning round of interviews over two days, a writing assignment, an offer, and now a little over a week on the job…  I can safely say

I love my job.

I collect toys and give them away to kids in need.  Millions and millions of toys. To lots and lots of kids. What’s not to love about that? I’m working with a great team of two brilliant women, and I can already tell there is a great year ahead and I couldn’t be more excited.  There is a ton of work to do, but I do love keeping busy. And by busy I mean work on all the toy stuff, help my alma mater transition their online learning classes to a new system on nights and weekends, write my beloved blog after that, submit a few guest posts on other blogs, train for a half-marathon in the mornings and attempt to cook (something… sometime).

Which brings me to these peanut butter truffles.

I have had litte time to pause in the last 48 hours. I left one job to come home to another, and thank my lucky stars Mike was happy to cook for us while I caught up with the side gig. I now need to nod my head in honor of Chocolate Covered Katie for my second blogpost in a row, as her facebook update caught my eye at precisely the right moment.  While Mike was whipping up dinner, he had opened the cupboard and yelled, “What’s with all the dates?! Are you going to eat these or what?”

I confess, I had bought two packages of dates several weeks back and never opened them.  I had my first date just a few months ago, given to me by my former-professor-turned-friend while I helped her out with her museum’s benefit. They’re powerfully sweet and I wanted to try them in a recipe, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.  But tonight, Katie’s facebook post mentioned her “Peanut Butter Babies,” and while the name itself conjures some weird images in my head, the simple recipe had me wondering.  Just three ingredients, that’s all it is.  Dates, natural peanut-only peanut butter, and I’ll let you check out her page for the last ingredient.  To make them chocolate, I added in the fourth ingredient of 15 grams chocolate chips.

Holy hell, they do taste like peanut butter cookie dough.  I didn’t think it was possible. Fruit turned cooke dough? But they do. They really, really do.

Is that enough to make you run out to buy some dates?  I couldn’t let this discovery sit for another day so I just had to share. The recipe made 20 truffles, each the size of a nickel or so.  They come out to 26 calories apiece, and I was really satisfied with just two. (Full disclosure: Mike ate ten.) The only sugar in them comes from the fruit and a smidge from the peanuts, so it’s not like you’re eating the typical mounds of processed sugar in chocolates, and even four truffles equals just over 100 calories. I’m not well versed in the health benefits of dates, but I do know they have fiber, antioxidants, and potassium. I really couldn’t have been more surprised by how delicious these are.  I think I’m still in shock.  I’ll try Katie’s whole peanut version one day, but for now I’ve got dates and PB on hand, so dates and PB it is.

An awesome day of surprises.  The perfect new job and some health-conscious peanut butter truffles.  Cheers.