Daily Eats ~ November 30th

Decided to do a "daily eats" post today to finish off the month (which flew by!). My personal life has been it's usual chaotic state. If anybody's seen my boyfriend, please let me know! lol In all seriousness though, I barely even have a boyfriend anymore, due to a whole host of problems (much of which that he's created). But in all fairness, this economy is ruining everybody's lives. Men do not do well under financial pressures... as a result, I've gone on the back burner. But enough about my problems... I met a friend for drinks and cheesecake this weekend and I'm happy to report that I'm not eating as healthy as I should, and you know what? I just don't care! And there is truly something magical about not caring. I basically eat whatever I want now and I'm happy with that. I've come along way and I'm proud of that fact. :)

Breakfast:

I had some orange juice and 3 of these adorable mini chocolate chip muffins that I got on sale at the Whole Foods Market this week!

Lunch:

I was in the mood for a nice omelette, and went to a famous restaurant downtown called Jane (on West Houston St.). I got an egg white omelette with a side of toast. It was good, but I was a little thrown by the goat cheese that they put in it... I'm not really a fan I suppose. lol Next time I have to try their french toast, which I hear is excellent!

Snack:

Ok, so it's not quite Christmas yet! But December is already upon us, and I found this chocolate Santa while I was browsing CVS today. I had it after lunch, as I didn't eat much of the omelette.

Later on I had a strawberry Wallaby organic yogurt with some Kashi GoLean Honey Almond Flax cereal on top.

Dinner:

Mom and I got a pizza from Pomodoro's. They are famous for their vodka sauce, so we tried their vodka pizza. It was good, but I think I still prefer their regular that I've gotten a few other times at the restaurant (you can see the difference between the slices here).

Dessert:

Ok kids, this is the real deal. I'm obsessed with these Betty Crocker Warm Delight bowls! And their new one, creamy chocolate cake is HEAVEN. Enough said!

Peanut has been getting into EVERYTHING lately and last night he broke the cute owl salt shaker that I got for my Mom. Speaking of which, does anyone want to adopt him?! lol Just kidding of course, he's my fluffy little boy.

Happy Thanksgiving! November 26th

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Surprisingly I'm not a big eater on holidays... more of a nibbler. So believe it or not, but I don't have a lot of "eats" pictures today! lol I just spent a quiet Thanksgiving at home with my parents... It's kind of nice having both of your parents together in the same room for a change. I got up early (not intentional, but it just happened), watched most of the parade, and ate my turkey (see below!). Here are some more shots from the parade which took place live, up my block this morning (as I said in my last post, I stayed home in my PJ's and watched it on TV :).

I found this huge (8 oz.) chocolate turkey at Manhattan's one and only Pathmark on the lower east side last weekend. My Mom used to get the mini version of this for me all the time for Thanksgiving, so you can imagine my delight when I saw this baby! lol I actually had some for breakfast this morning, but I'm saving the rest for tomorrow. :)

For lunch and dinner, I had these amazing stuffed mushrooms. They are completely vegetarian, with extra cheese in lieu of the shrimp that is in Mom's recipe. I had SO many of these. Literally 10 or so... but keep in mind, this is more like a main dish for me because I obviously don't eat turkey! I also had some rolls, corn, cranberry sauce, and a sliver of chocolate cream pie (sorry, not pictured!).

Peanut helped us with the cooking... he loves to lay in front of the open refrigerator. (How helpful! ;)

This was Peanut's very first Thanksgiving, and while he loved all the smells coming from the kitchen, surprisingly he turned his nose up at the turkey (he's just like me after all! haha).

Peanut was "on guard" when Dad came. My Dad loves cats, but Peanut is not used to having males around... it took him a while, but he warmed up to him.

Despite the problems I've had over the past few years, I have much to be thankful for... My family, my health, baby Peanut, and re-connecting with some old friends, including one "more than a friend" on Facebook. :)

So tell me, what are you thankful for?

Pasta, Parade, & Peanut! November 24th

Today I was up by Macy's for a job prospect, so I decided to go over there and check it out. BIG MISTAKE. There is no more crowded place on earth than Macy's before Thanksgiving. It was late, and I was hungry, so I decided to push my way through the crowds and head downstairs to Cellar Bar & Grill, Macy's restaurant. I had eaten here a few years ago with my Mom and it was really good. I got the same exact dish that I did years ago too (it was $2 more, but came with a piece of bread this time lol)! And luckily, it was just as good as I remembered! Here's what I had...

Penne caprese with mozzarella... one of my all time favorites! :)

Despite all the craziness, there is something magical about Macy's around this time of year...

Security was tight and as I mentioned there were already tons of people around, being that the parade is in just 2 days! (Note: Even though it's up the block from me, I'll still be watching it on TV! :)

As for Peanut, he's been up to his old tricks as usual!

Behind Mummy's computer desk, threatening to chew on the wires!

Up on Mom's shelf that he scratched the paper off of! (The evidence is in the pics, but he looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth now! lol)

Waiting for Mom to throw a crumple of paper... that is his favorite thing to chase!

Sleeping like an angel with his beanie baby, Pellet.

I'll be updating of course again on Thanksgiving, so please check back then! Are any of my veggies out there doing a tofurkey this year? I've gotten them in the past, and to be honest, haven't found them to be very good. :/ So I'll just be filling up on my vegetarian stuffed mushrooms this year! :)

New Restaurant & Review! November 19th

My time here in the village is running out, as I'll be moving again in January (as I mentioned in my last post below). So I want to make sure I try all the vegetarian restaurants the village has to offer before I move (because Brooklyn, or wherever we ultimately end up moving will have it's own new veggie restaurants for me to explore!). So for lunch today I went to Red Bamboo. It is pretty much right next door to Vegetarian's Paradise 2 (as both are on West 4th St. off 6th Ave.). Red Bamboo is nearly identical to Vegetarian's Paradise in every way... the seating, the space, atmosphere, food, etc. It kind of makes you wonder why they bothered to put two nearly identical restaurants on top of one another! But hey, I have no complaints! The menu at Red Bamboo is slightly different though. They focus on more southern food, although I got nearly the same things at both restaurants. lol Anyways, here is what I had...

Of course, I started off with spring rolls. These were delicious as always! They are generously sized and not tiny like some other places.

Then I had their asian spinach dumplings... these were excellent and I loved the sauce that came with them as well! (Oh, and the dumplings came on a bed of salad, which I didn't eat.)

In the blurry picture below you can see everything that I had, including a side of steamed brown rice. (The lighting, angles were not the best for food blogging... at least not where I was seated! lol)

I was too full to have dessert there, but I couldn't resist getting a slice of their vegan oreo cheesecake to take home with me!

This was pretty good, but I've had better. I much prefer REAL cheesecake (sorry vegans, but that's the truth!).

When I got out of the restaurant it was already raining out, and when I got home, I was quite wet. Peanut, however, was not-- he was nice and cozy. :)

Later we played with a feather toy...

Now on to another great find... One of my favorite things in the world is coffee cake. There's something about having cinnamon in the morning that gets me going! So one day when I was shopping at the Whole Foods Market, I happened upon these...

Organic coffee cakes made by a company in New Jersey called Organic Pantry. They're in the frozen section and come 3 to a box. I just take one out of the wrapping, stick it on a plate and microwave it for 30 seconds... perfection! It tastes like this amazing coffee cake that my Grandma makes, although I'm sure this one is healthier!

That's all for today, my lovelies!

Mini Update! November 15th

Can't say that I'm back for good, but I do plan on still updating the blog whenever I can! Things are going a little better for me now. This morning (well, actually afternoon) I decided to finally go to brunch at Quantum Leap. I had been wanting to try their brunch ever since last month's blog dinner there, and since we had a nice warm, non-rainy day, I decided to take a walk into the village and check it out! The place was really full, but I got a table right away (the service is really great there btw!).

I got the french toast combo, which was french toast, scrambled eggs (or tofu if you preferred), and 3 soy links (all for under $10 bucks!). Plus I got a glass of orange juice with it (not pictured). Sorry the pic didn't come out that well, the lighting was not the best in the restaurant!

I had one of those awful period related migraines yesterday and didn't eat much at all, but I felt all better today and my appetite was back! This was a really delicious, filling meal. The french toast was delicious, the eggs were good, and the soy links were really tasty too (and I'm not a huge fan of fake meats, but these were great). Quantum Leap advertises a "healthy" brunch outside, and I really felt that it was. So if any bloggers want to arrange a blog brunch there in the near future, I'm all for it! :)

As for Peanut, he's been doing well. He turned 8 months old on November 13th (if you can believe it!). He was having his brunch when I got home...

The other pressing issue in my life now is that in January I'm going to be moving again. And as it is, November is half over. That means that a LOT of work is headed my way in the very near future. That's why I'm not going to have as much time for the blog. We're even spending our holidays at home this year. Even though we'll still be moving in the NYC area (right now we're thinking Brooklyn), apartment/house hunting is very time consuming, not to mention the packing and arranging everything! So please bare with me! xo

P.S. ~ Being the nerd and foodie that I am, I'm already looking forward to all the new veggie restaurants to check out once I live in Brooklyn! :)

P.P.S ~ Listen up chocolate lovers! Taylor at the Joy of Food blog has an awesome chocolate giveaway going on now!! To enter, click here!

Blog on hold... again (November 9th)

Sorry to say, but I'm going to have to put the blog on hold again... I'm going through a lot in my life right now, so I'm not going to be able to give the blog 100% anymore. Please check back though, because hopefully I'll be blogging again in the near future. Thanks again to everyone who has supported my blog from day one, and all the new friends I've made along the way! I really do appreciate it. And just because I'm not going to be blogging at the moment, don't hesitate to send me any questions, comments, etc.! I may even be doing an FAQ's Part 2 soon, so while my blog is on hiatus, feel free to e-mail them to: marinajc@rcn.com. Thanks!

Update: The lovely Olga at the HealthingIt blog has passed on the Beautiful Blogger Award to me! :)

PMS Cravings ~ November 5th

If being a woman was easy, men would do it! lol But seriously, you know I'm right! At "that time of the month" I could literally eat my way through the refrigerator. But I also have all different cravings... salty, sweet, and of course, chocolate! I've had all of the above today, but here are just some of my eats...

I had some errands to run downtown, and I decided to stop in one of the city's few vegetarian restaurants that I haven't been to yet, and that is Vegetarian's Paradise 2 (on West 4th St. off 6th Ave.). Here's what I had...

I started off with their steamed spinach dumplings... These were really good, although they could've been a little hotter.

Then I had my usual favorite, spring rolls. These were excellent!

I was going to get their wonton soup, but at the last minute opted for something a little more filling, so I got their vegetable fried rice instead. It was good, not at all greasy, and the veggies were fresh. But all of the amazing pineapple tofu fried rice that I've been having lately has spoiled me!! The portion was huge too, it barely looked like I made a dent when I was done!

Overall I really liked this restaurant and I'll definitely be back! I've got to try Red Bamboo one of these days (especially since it's practically next door Vegetarian's Paradise!).

Last night I saw an Ihop commercial, and it made me really crave stuffed french toast! Unfortunately there is no Ihop near me, so I had to improvise! I went online and looked at a few recipes. I decided to make my own version by combining a few ideas from different recipes and it was fantastic! In fact I liked it so much that I decided to make it again today! I used 2 slices of Trader Joe's french toast, which tastes as good as homemade! (And I'm attempting to clean out the freezer! lol) Here's what I used to make the "stuffing":

A few teaspoons of cream cheese (2 or 3 heaping teaspoons)

Drop or two of pure vanilla extract

Drizzle of maple syrup (1 or 2 teaspoons)

Handful of sliced raw almonds

Stir together really well while the french toast is cooking, then just spread it on one of the slices, make a sandwich out of it, and viola! Serve with syrup (I also used Trader Joe's brand).

Close up of the filling... yum!

I love simple, tasty dishes that you can make really quickly, as I'm impatient and not much of a cook! Plus, the filling of this french toast tastes like cheesecake! (How could you go wrong?!)

Speaking of stuffed french toast...

:)

What foods do you crave?

Festive Finds & Favorite Foods ~ November 1st

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! I stayed in and watched some of my favorite Halloween movies... the Greenwich Village parade was too much for me (even though it went right by my building! lol). Since it's that festive time of year, with Halloween yesterday, and Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way, I decided to share some of my favorite festive eats, along with some of my favorite foods (both old & new)! Here's what I had today so far...

Breakfast:

For breakfast I had my favorite Clif bar, which is one of their seasonal flavors... Iced Gingerbread! Yum! (I was thrilled to see that these were back in Whole Foods! :)

Lunch:

Since I was going by it around lunch time, I decided to stop in my new favorite restaurant, Qi Asian Eatery. I got the same things as last time...

Their delicious mushroom spring rolls...

and their AMAZING pineapple fried rice!!!

Snack:

I stopped in Red Mango to try their new pumpkin spice frozen yogurt with free graham cracker topping! I thought this was pretty good, although I still prefer the original better. I thought the color was too orange (almost artificial) compared to what I saw in the ads, and a small with free topping still cost me $4.30 (which is not exactly a bargain!). Still, it's a cute idea!

Dinner:

I finally tried Boca's vegetarian chik'n nuggets, and I am SO glad I did! These were really tasty! In fact, they taste a lot like regular chicken nuggets, which makes me a little leery, but I did check the ingredients and it seems all good... I made my usual Annie's mac & cheese and peas with it (which is ALWAYS a favorite of mine!).

Dessert:

I had my new favorite Vitalicious product... their double chocolate dreams Vitatop! I've been meaning to do an extensive review of the Vita products for some time now, especially after the wonderful Katie (from the Vitalicious company) sent me a HUGE box of goodies (see here)! But this particular flavor is my new favorite, along with my old favorite, the Vita deep & velvety chocolate brownies, which I truly cannot recommend highly enough! (I have featured these many times in my "daily eats," so do a search if you want to see more!)

And for a last blast of Halloween, here is what I had for breakfast yesterday morning...

This is from a terrific company called "Fat Witch Bakery." They make lots of delicious brownies, and they actually make a breakfast brownie, with oatmeal and coffee in it! And yes, it is amazing! I figured there was no more appropriate day to have it than Halloween! :)

And finally, here's the Peanut Pumpkin lit up last night. Spooky, isn't it? lol

I decided to do just a food post today... hope you enjoyed it! If you enjoy some of these foods as well, I'd love to hear about it! xo