Bloggie Award! September 30th

Just a quick update for today! The lovely Taylor at the Joy of Food blog has given my blog it's very first award! I'm not quite sure how this award thing works, so maybe my senior bloggers could inform me! I'd be ever so grateful!! :) Anyways, here's the award, and thanks again to Taylor!

Ok, so now that I've been informed on what to do, here are 7 things you don't know about me (at least, I don't think you know about me!):

1. When I was little my hair and eye color were at the polar opposite ends of the spectrum. My hair was white light blonde (from my blonde polish/german mother) and I had very dark brown, almost black eyes (from my italian father-- although my eyes are a darker brown than his!).
2. I had Lasik eye surgery a few years ago because my vision was so bad and had been damaged from just over a year of contact lens use (and I used them correctly too, my eyes just couldn't tolerate them from some strange reason!). Oh, and the results are astounding!! My vision is literally like 20/10 or something amazing! :)
3. I was born in Queens, raised on Long Island, and have lived in New York City for years, so I'm a New Yorker through and through!
4. I have a mini-obsession with dinosaurs... even after seeing Jurassic Park, I still would like to get to see one in person! (Yes, I'm an ass. lol)
5. My favorite holiday is Halloween and I'm jealous of little kids for getting to celebrate it the way I used to/still want to! :(
6. Politically I'm an independent, because I see too much corruption on both sides of the isle.
7. I love british mysteries (speaking of which, you've got to see Helen Mirren in the Prime Suspect mystery series!!!).

Daily Eats & Thoughts ~ September 28th

I feel a lot better today. I decided to take a long walk... sometimes I find that can actually make you better. Afterall I spent nearly the whole weekend in bed sick! :( I had some errands to run anyway... You wouldn't believe how much time is spent getting Peanut food! lol Since I had to head over to the east side to get his food anyway, I decided to stop in one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, Dang Lai Palace. After only having a Kashi cookie and juice for breakfast, this was my first substantial meal of the day, a very late lunch at nearly 2 o'clock. Here's what I had...

I started off with their taro spring rolls. Yum!

Then I had their wonton soup...

And I had only some of their steamed dumplings, as I wanted to save room for dessert!

I always get their cheesecake for dessert because it's SO amazing... I don't know if they make it there or get it from somewhere, but it's so creamy and delicious!

I snapped a few pics of Peanut when I got home...

For dinner I had leftovers of Mom's amazing lasagna that I was telling you about yesterday. Thankfully this time I remembered to take a pic! Now it may not look glamourous, but it sure tastes good!

I realize that 90% of the time I just eat Italian or Chinese food! To me those are two of the best kinds of food! So tell me, what are your favorite cuisines?

And on a side note, it's been a year and a half since I've done modeling, and I have to say it's almost a relief to not be part of that world anymore. It is SO nice to be able to eat and enjoy food. To allow (and embrace) myself to be a size 6 instead of a size 0. To eat whatever I want, whenever I want. To not be on a diet anymore. To never go on one again! :) I will always enjoy fashion. I am blessed with good genes, to be tall and slim, and it is important to never take that for granted. No matter what your build, size, etc. throwing your health away is the BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE! And it is not worth it. I am much happier now and I feel like such a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can only pray that other people will be able to let go of their eating disorder as I have! If you do have an ED and need support, remember I'm always hear if you want to talk!!! marinajc@rcn.com

That's all for now, my lovelies! xo

Sick ;( September 27th

The good news is that Peanut is all better! Dr. Sane did such a good surgery and Peanut is healing beautifully. He was back to his old self in a day or two. The bad news is that I started to get sick a couple of nights ago, and even with all the herbal preventatives I take, I still managed to get a terrible cold. I felt very sick this morning, but I think that the worst is over now *crossing my fingers*. It could be worse, especially with all the cases of flu going around. But I rarely ever get sick. I use a wonderful product called Get Well Soon. It's by a vitamin company called Rainbow Light. They make a lot of good vegetarian supplements. Anyways, this stuff is so good it works at least 80% of the time when you take it when you first start feeling sick. They are vitamins that you take 3 times a day until you feel better. Even if you do get sick, they can also shorten the duration of whatever you have, so I'm still taking them 3 times a day.... Here's what they look like (and P.S. you can shop around online and get them a lot cheaper depending on where you buy them from!!).

Mom gave me some "TLC" today, and she made some of my favorites... french toast and her fabulous home made lasagna! She made a vegetarian version of it with mushrooms instead of meat and it came out GREAT! I wish I had taken pictures!! But instead I'll leave you with some pictures I took of Peanut (and one with Peanut and me) the other day...

Peanut's Big Day ~ September 23rd

We dropped Peanut off at the Greenwich Village Animal Hospital for his neutering around 9 this morning. We didn't think that his procedure would be until this afternoon, but it turns out that he was the first of many surgeries today. So before 10:30 Dr. Sane called to tell me that Peanut was out of surgery and waking up. I was shocked that he did it so quickly! It went very well and he didn't even need stitches! We couldn't pick him up until 5 though, even though his blood work and everything else was good... I guess they just need to monitor them for a few hours after they are fixed. Peanut's a whole 7 pounds now too! Dr. Sane and I were talking about how we could hardly believe that the world's tiniest kitten is growing up so fast! lol

When we picked Peanut up, he was very groggy. As soon as we let him out of the carrier he started wobbling around. But he did eat and drink a bit. He was rubbing his head on everything to mark his territory when he got home. The vet said that he would be groggy and dopey, but that tomorrow he should be back to normal. Here are a few pics that I got of Peanut in his groggy state!

My poor little boy! But it's over now, and he's fine. I am very glad that he has a vet that could do this procedure with his eyes closed! Thanks for all the well wishes, and as always, I'll keep you updated on Peanut's recovery. xo

Fall is here! September 22nd

So fall is officially here (which is, by all accounts, the nicest time to be in NYC). And yesterday I finally met the "boyfriend to be" that I was telling you about... I'm happy to say that I think things will work out nicely. :) It was a great day to hang out in the park, and a nice way to end the summer (which always goes by in a flash)... As for the BF, I don't think I'll be posting pictures of him on here quite yet... but maybe one day. ;)

On to other things... I went downtown today and had lunch at Wild Ginger. I just love this place and have to stop by at least once a month. Several bloggers have requested to go to Wild Ginger with me the next time they're in the city, so I'm game! Just e-mail me and give me a few days notice so we can plan something. I know my veggie bloggers will especially love this place, although I don't see how non-veggies could not like their food either! I always get the same things every time I go... I can't help myself though, when I find a good thing, I stick with it! lol The lighting was not quite as good as the last few times I went, so bare with me!!

Not the most glamourous looking restaurant, but it's nice on the inside, well kept, and it has some of the best asian food I've ever had!

First I had their amazing spring rolls... I just love everything about them... they aren't as greasy as most, they taste delicious, and the sauce they give you with them is amazing too. :)

Then I had their steamed veggie dumplings... these are definitely more natural and not as an artificial green color as the ones I had at Suzie's the other night.

Then I had some of their amazing pineapple fried rice (again, NEVER greasy, just delicious and fresh tasting!). I got the rest "to go." They always package it up so nicely for you too.

When I got home Peanut and I were playing on my bed. Here are some pictures I took...

So it's almost the big day for Peanut... his vet is back, so tomorrow morning bright and early we're taking him in to be neutered. I'll definitely do a blog update tomorrow and let you guys know how he's doing, especially since so many of you have been following Peanut's life since he was a just a little baby! He has a wonderful vet, so that makes me feel better, although I'm already feeling nervous about the whole thing. So everyone wish my little teddy bear luck! :)

Birthday Dinners! September 17th & 18th

Today is Mom's Birthday, and the past two days I've been out to two different Birthday dinners for her. Last night my Uncle and Aunt took us out to Chat 'n Chew, a restaurant near Union Square. I had been by this place a thousand times, but until last night I never ate there. It was pretty good, very homey. lol Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of my dinner, but I did steal a few from the internet! ;)

The outside of Chat 'n Chew.

I got their famous macaroni & cheese for dinner. It was really good. "Time Out New York" has a nice pic of it... here's what it looked like...

We had fun... even though my Aunt and Uncle live in Brooklyn, we only see them once every few months, mainly because they are so busy with work all the time.

Peanut was happy when we came home. :)

For Mom's actual Birthday dinner tonight, we went downtown to one of Manhattan's only sit-down chinese restaurants, Suzie's (on Bleecker St.). We've been here a couple of times, but we haven't been since the beginning of the year in January when we were apartment hunting. I like that Suzie's has a big vegetarian menu as well. :)

Here's what I had for dinner...

First, a spring roll, which tasted good, but was a bit too greasy for my taste.

I had steamed vegetable dumplings... I don't know why they are green, but they were tasty!

Then I had their vegetable fried rice. This was good, although nothing tops Wild Ginger's.

Overall I really like Suzie's. It reminds me of a lot of chinese restaurants we used to go to in the past.

Mom was happy with the cupcake that I got her, and I had my last piece of a Trader Joe's cheesecake. :)

Have a good weekend everybody!

Change of plans... September 16th

Last night we got a phone call from the vet's office saying that Dr. Sane (Peanut's vet) was on vacation, so instead of having another vet do the procedure, we put off Peanut's neutering until next Wednesday, September 23rd. So Peanut has a week's reprieve! lol Instead, today I went down to Soho to chill out and get my Mom a Birthday treat. Literally everyone I know is born in September, all within the same WEEK, so it is a very busy time of year for me! One of my dear friends from Boston that I used to see all the time when we were both modeling in NYC, and my new "boyfriend" (which I put in quotes because I still don't quite know what we are yet! lol) were both born on September 15th. My Mom was born on the 18th. And I have two Birthday dinners to go to the next two nights (on Thursday and Friday)!

I was too lazy this morning to have breakfast, so around 1 o'clock I was STARVING. I went to one of my favorite restaurants in Soho, Cafe Bari (on Broadway & Spring). They have the most amazing vodka penne there, and all their food is really delicious. They even tempt you by putting popular dishes outside their restaurant on a table, so people passing by will see it and come in! (You can see it in the picture below.)

I decided to splurge on an appetizer today, because I've been craving mozzarella sticks for a long time and haven't had them in so long. I was really pleased with theirs. Although I didn't finish them all because I was saving room for my entree that I have had before, and I already knew was amazing!

I got the vodka penne with mozzarella (yes, more mozzarella... I'm Italian, leave me alone! lol). Couldn't finish all of this either, but I enjoyed what I did eat of it!

I got an adorable Birthday cupcake for my Mom at the Bowery Whole Foods Market. I have to hide this in the refrigerator until Friday! ;)

Peanut on the other hand has been a busy boy... He's discovered how to climb up high (this is an instinct of ALL cats). Here are some pictures I took of him on top of Mom's sewing box in her room.

Sadly Peanut came crashing down one night with the sewing box... he wasn't hurt, but now Mom had to put the sewing box in the closet. So that's the end of that!

Oh, and thanks for all the kind words about Peanut in my last post! I really do appreciate them and read each and every one. I especially like when blog reader's come forward and post comments for the first time! I always get a kick out of that. ;)

6 Months Old! ~ September 13th

Peanut turns 6 months old today! :) It seems like yesterday he was just 6 weeks! Peanut will be neutered this Wednesday the 16th, so check back to the blog then for updates!! In the mean time, here are some recent pictures that I took of him... as you can see, he's in his favorite spot!

Now, before I show these next pictures, I'm giving you fair warning... they are DANGEROUSLY cute! So please brace yourselves!!

I present to you, 6 week old baby Peanut...

Baby Peanut eating out of a measuring cup. He's on a kitty blanket, so you can hardly even distinguish him from the other cat drawings!

Sleeping in my baby blanket.

In his carrier... he looks like a toy doesn't he?! And incredibly, he was not much bigger than Pellet, the beanie baby that's in the carrier with him!

Daily Eats on 9.9.09!

Ok, so why does everyone go nuts on days like this? So it's 9.9.09. Last year it was 8.8.08, the year before that 7.7.07, and then of course my favorite, 6.6.06 (the day of the Devil, of course! lol). I can hardly wait for next year's 10.10.10!! (Someone stop the insanity! lol) Anyways, I figured I'd share some of my daily eats today...

Lunch:

I had a fabulous bagel from Murray's (that's right, I've become a Murray's Bagels whore! lol), with some baby swiss cheese & mustard, plus a cute little bag of Pringles minis chips, and a Mott's peach medley apple sauce.

Snack:

I had one of my favorite finds... QB's!! I am in love with these babies... you can see my review on them here. This time I cut one open to show you the inside though!

Dinner:

I made Yves veggie dogs wrapped in Pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls, with Annie's single serve mac & cheese and Birds Eye single serve peas mixed in... always a favorite!

Dessert:

These only come 'round but once a year! My favorite Clif Kid Z bar... Spooky S'mores! I got addicted to these last fall, and I was happy to see they brought them back. I got a whole box of them! :)

Now Peanut's not one of my daily eats, but he sure is a tasty little guy! :)

I can't believe my little baby is almost 6 months old! We got him when he was just 6 weeks! Time sure flies... It's already time for him to get neutered (next Wednesday). He's grown up to be such a handsome boy. He thinks up the most adorable things to do. He still has a lot of growing to do, although he sure has made lots of progress!

That's all for today, my lovelies!

Daily Eats & Peanut ~ September 8th

I went to one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants today, and it's actually in the Meatpacking District of all places! lol This restaurant used to be called "Highline" and truthfully it was much better then. Now it's called "Sea Thai Bistro" and it's at the same address as the other place was on Washington St. It's still good, and you still get your complementary appetizer, but you no longer get the complementary dessert.... and they no longer have this delicious egg noodle dish that I liked. But anyways, it's still pretty good and one of the best deals in the city for an upscale restaurant in the Meatpacking District!

I started off with their crispy spring rolls... these are really good, and the sauce that they give you with it is amazing!

For my entree I had their pad thai noodles with tofu. This was good, but definitely not as good as the noodle dish I use to get here. I ate and ate and barely made a dent in it!

I was really full after eating my spring rolls and only a few bites of the pad thai. Since they no longer gave out a complementary dessert (which was usually a small square of cheesecake), I just got the check and decided to have dessert later. Still, only $8 plus tax is a really good value! This is a really nice restaurant (the atmosphere and all) too. Almost all of their dishes they can make vegetarian or vegan by adding tofu instead of chicken, shrimp, etc. So for you NYC veggies, it's definitely worth checking out!

I went to Whole Foods today to get one of my favorite desserts instead. The Union Square Whole Foods Market makes the most amazing chocolate chip cheesecake! So later this afternoon I decided to have a slice.

Peanut has been up to his old tricks... he was doing that cute little move I like to call "the duddy" where he puts his arms over his head. (You can also see him doing this here.) He loves to ham it up in the Scrabble box when Mom and I are playing! :)

I hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend! I wish I could say I did... the plans that I had with my "boyfriend to be" got cancelled because he had to work last minute. And it's never good when you literally have a guy telling you that you're too good for him, and yet you still chase after him. But oh well, my life is always a drama anyways.

I'd rather hear what's going on in my reader's lives! How has everyone been?