ashleyd /

TGIF

By 7pm, I was so happy that it was Friday! We have summer Fridays in my office which means that “in theory” we leave the office by 1pm on Friday. That doesn’t always happen but, it does allow for VERY productive afternoons since there are no meetings and the quiet allows me to plug in and listen to Glee on Pandora while I work. 🙂

During my Weight Watchers meeting this morning I realized that I ran out of desk drawer oats. Therefore, I picked up a box of Weight Watcher Blueberry oats.

Weight Watchers BLUEBERRY HARVEST Instant Oatmeal 2 pts

They were 2 points and included 9 grams of fiber and only 2 grams of sugar. I’m not crazy about anything beyond pure, Quaker Oats but these made the cut today AND they were on sale!

Around 1pm, I met Bo for lunch and gave into my craving.

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Say what you want about the sodium in Subway but sometimes it just tastes delicious. When I was losing weight senior year of college via Weight Watchers, I swore by this as my fast food choice. They have 8 different sandwiches ranging from veggie delight to chicken breast which are under 300 calories and filled with protein and fiber! I enjoyed a six inch turkey on toasted wheat bread with apple slices. Yum!

We had dinner plans tonight with Kat, Bo’s friend from Georgia Tech who is in town visiting. We had a great time getting to know her high school friends who happen to be interning in NYC as well. After much debate, we decided on a 9:30 dinner at Barbounia. I reviewed the restaurant’s brunch but this was our first dinner experience.

We had another great meal tonight but it was a very different experience. Barbounia is definitely the “pre-club” location in Gramercy. There were 2 bachelorettes and at least one birthday party celebrating there. Their co-ed bathrooms are a social area and the place is definitely not conducive for intimate conversation. But, the food was amazing!

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We started with the mezze sampler which included hummus, tiziki, and other Greek goodness! The pita was absolute doughy goodness.

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The boys enjoyed the lamb terra cotta which was absolutely delicious and covered in a mix of crispy and chewy dough. Does it get any better?

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Kat chose the scallops and pumpkin risotto which were the table favorite. Luckily she was full and generous enough to share with us! They were tender and the risotto was filled with flavor.

I wasn’t that hungry after our delicious appetizer and therefore stuck with the Greek salad. It was over 1/2 cucumbers which was not a win in my book since I’m still acquiring a taste for them.

I highly recommend Barbounia for a Friday night dinner spot as it transitions very well from happy hour to dinner and the area is ready for everything from group parties to close friends hoping to laugh and catch up. The service is phenomenal if not too attentive and the food is always delicious!

Unfortunately, the rest of the pictures are on Kat’s camera so I’ll have to upload them tomorrow. Right now my uploading is getting in the way of downloading more Arrested Development and Modern Family. Can you tell what we’re about to do? 🙂

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ashleyd /

Amazing Night on Broadway

First and foremost, I apologize for not posting earlier. Today was a jam packed day and I was in customer meetings most of the day! But, I had the opportunity to do “research” for an hour at Saks Fifth Avenue, so at least that was fun.

This morning was a tough morning for me as I attempted running again. For those of you who missed this post, I was flipped off an ATV this weekend which was going approximately 60 mph! Needless to say, I’m thankful that I landed in a mud ditch Blog Pictures 2010 485

versus a rock and am doing as well as I am. I will shortly have a review of all the different pain patches on the market as I’ve had one on my back constantly since Saturday at 2pm. I’ve tried them all over the past few days including Icy/Hot, Tiger Patch, ThermaCare, etc.Blog Pictures 2010 483 Instead of letting my hurt back get to me I’ve done what I can and also watched my food by getting back to Weight Watcher points.

Each morning I’ve been at the gym by 6am and done an hour on the elliptical and then 10-15 minutes of gentle yoga stretches and arms. It has been challenging to make the elliptical a sweat session but I’ve tried! I’m very open to any elliptical workouts if you have suggestions! I had a bit of a melt down as I was leaving the gym. I decided to try the treadmill just to see how it felt. Well my right side is fine but the left side of my lower back still had some sensitivity. I guess I’m not ready to start running again. The good news is that I really miss running and will never take it for granted again. I am praying that another week off from running, combined with gentle yoga, and stretching will help. My goal is to start my NYC Marathon training on July 1st so I want to take it easy now. If you have any tips or experience with this I’d love to know of any back exercises I should do to help it heal!

Luckily, I had something exciting to look forward to this morning and all day while I was working hard.

Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Yes, that is THE Angela Landsbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones! A month ago I decided I wasn’t going to let the amazing opportunity to see them together on Broadway pass me by. I gathered Bo and a few of our friends together and was able to find 6 fabulous seats in a row for tonight’s show which ALSO happens to be the 3rd to last night they are on Broadway. A Little Night Music WAS THE MOST AMAZING SHOW I’VE EVER SEEN! It had comedy, sexual innuendos, drama, and wonderful Sodderheim music. The pair, and the entire cast, was perfectly cast and so talented. Though, I have to admit that the whole time all I could think of when I heard Angela’s voice was this old favorite:

What a wonderful NYC evening! It is experiences like this, that are so easy when you live locally, that make me value my time here in the city!

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Healthy and Easy Stewed Okra and Tomatoes Recipe

The other day I posted my easy, delicious lunch creation, okra and tomatoes. Many of you tweeted and commented regarding the recipe. Like many of you, I love okra but rarely prepare it myself. A few months ago Bo and I bought a bag of frozen okra at the grocery store to include in gumbo. Needless to say, that never happened and Sunday night I discovered it hiding in our freezer.

   Enter, inspiration!  I quickly scoured the pantry and fridge to see if I had the ingredients needed to make okra and tomatoes plus. I add the plus because this needed some protein for staying power. The recipe I put together was as follows:

 

Okra and Tomatoes Plus

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Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp Creole seasoning

1 small can corn, drained

1 pound okra, (about 5 cups), sliced

1 cup chopped bell peppers

3 cups chopped tomatoes, (3-4 medium)

2/3 cup reduced-sodium tomato juice or water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper or 1/2 minced jalapeno

4 oz protein (leftover chicken, shrimp, beans, etc)

Preparation
  1. Sauté onion, bell peppers, and corn in medium warm pan, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add Creole seasoning.
  2. Increase heat to high; add okra, tomatoes, tomato juice (or water), salt and crushed red pepper (or jalapeno) and cook, stirring often, until bubbling. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and the vegetables are very tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in added protein at end.

I enjoyed this delicious dish for lunch Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday adding a different protein each day. Monday I used beans, Tuesday leftover lobster, and Wednesday was leftover chicken.

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Enjoy!

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