Good Food And Workouts for the Win!

It’s Sunday evening and four of us are curled up on the couch watching SNL reruns from Hurricane Sandy and sipping wine. I am so incredibly relaxed that I actually dozed off for a few moments. The past 36 hours have included an equal number of great workouts and meals.

After yesterday’s post went up, Bo and I spent the rest of the afternoon together preparing for our dinner party. We headed to Eataly in search of fresh pasta, cheese, and bread for our Italian inspired dinner. Our stomachs reminded us that we’d yet to eat lunch even though it was already 1:30. I guess sleeping until 10 and then enjoying a relaxed long run will do that to you. Not having to wake up at the crack of down to beat the heat is my favorite part of winter running.

We snagged counter seats at Il Pesce, Eataly’s seafood restaurant. We spent the next hour people watching, sipping a big white French wine, enjoying fresh crudo, and their take on breakfast classic, bacon and eggs. There was no bacon in this dish though. Instead the eggs were accompanied by slow salt smoked cod, tender on the inside but bacon crisp on the outside. It was a unique dish unlike anything I’ve ever tried. Sitting at the counter allowed us to interact with the chef and kitchen which was a treat.

Shopping in Eataly is always such a treat as you never know what you’ll find as the assortment of pastas and breads change daily.

We decided to try their agnolotti, a small ravioli like pasta, in two different types: truffle porcini mushroom and veal spinach ricotta.

Cooking yesterday afternoon was especially fun last night since as we both had our courses we were working on and I was especially excited to conquer my fear of pomegrantes.

The rest of our evening menu was inspired by this month’s Food & Wine Magazine.

• Ricotta, walnut, honey bruschetta
• Roasted Hazelnuts and Pomegranate Brussels sprout salad (AMAZING)
• Agnolotti with 2 sauces: primavera and alfredo

These supper clubs have become a night every six weeks we all cherish. The group of six is small but it has been a great way for us to get to know each other over the past 2 years and have some wonderful laughs. Last night we went through plenty of red wine which led to an earlier than normal dance party. Luckily Mike and Liz stopped by after their dinner to add to the fun!

Yeah, I’d say these are some pretty epic pictures that summarize the evening. I truly believe that laughter and solid workouts are the cure for any ailment.

Speaking of workouts, I ended the weekend with a second strong run, this time with lots of lovely ladies.

Kristin organized a Run+Brunch which took our group from Fifth and 59th over the bridge to the borough of Astoria for brunch at Queens Comfort.  There were 2 organized groups, Rushing to Brunch and Sunday Drive. How fun is that? I told Theodora that I wanted to push myself and would rather run with the faster group. While I couldn’t throw down the 8:30 miles that a few of the faster girls ran, Theodora helped push me over the bridge at a pace that was definitely faster than normal. Though my hands were freezing, I loved every minute of the run and it was great catching up with her as we explored a new to us route.

While I immediately had order’s remorse after my brunch was served, everyone’s food looked and smelled amazing. I’ve never been more thankful to have friends who like to share bites and tastes. The clear winning dish, in my opinion, was the chicken and waffles. Their chicken batter included jalapeno spice and the waffle was perfectly crisp and sweet!

After a weekend like this, I’m feeling refreshed and ready to take on a new week. In preparation for the long hours, Bo and I have both recommitted to morning workouts in order to ensure we don’t have to sacrifice a workout due to a long workday.

How about you? Are you ready for the new week?