We Need A Weekend to Recover from Our Weekend

It’s official! As of 2pm on Saturday we have the keys to our Brooklyn apartment! It was a jam-packed weekend including a lot of new apartment adventures, fun with friends and a perfect long run.

Our weekend started with a Saturday morning long run with Theodora. We spent four miles together, running down Summer Streets and over the Brooklyn Bridge before parting ways. She headed back towards home while Bo and I explored Brooklyn Bridge Park and finished our run near our new apartment.

Summer Streets with Theodora

Brooklyn Bridge Park

We refueled with a sesame bagel and lox while driving to Randolph, New Jersey. The wine portion of our sea shipment was separated from our furniture due to FDA rules and customs. We figured we’d pick it up to ensure it wasn’t sitting in the heat.

Bagel and lox

IMG_3165

As soon as we finished that adventure we made record time back to Brooklyn to meet our landlord for the key exchange. Oh yes, I’m still in my long run clothing 5 hours later.

New apartment keys

We spent the afternoon in our back yard with paint samples and taking lots of before pictures of the apartment.

Saturday evening a few friends came by for beers and a preview of our place before the work of moving in begins.

New Living Room

IMG_3199

We spent the rest of the evening sipping wine from our friend’s rooftop and dining on a delicious Summer meal including a corn Chorizo dish as well as grilled Branzino.

 

 

Rooftop

Branzino Dinner

Instead of heading back to Manhattan we opted to sleep in our new apartment using a friend’s air mattress. If you need an air mattress, Bo and I are amazed at how wonderful this mattress worked!

IMG_3228

After grabbing an iced coffee from our corner coffee shop, we found ourselves in line at Ikea 10 minutes before it opened, hoping to get in and out as quickly as possible. We had one goal – design and buy an Ikea Pax system for our office area. We had great success due to the very helpful staff and early hour.

Around 11:30 I left Bo, Russell and Meg with the mountain of Ikea boxes as Theodora and I headed out to New Jersey to shower Gia with love and laughter. I am so glad that I was able to see her and celebrate their good news. The party was perfect from the delicious food, super fun photo booth using the app Simple Booth Event Addition and hanging out with fellow NYC runner friends Meggie and Jocelyn. I’m also thankful that Theodora and Taylor Swift kept me company for the drive out to New Jersey.

phot booth

The rest of the afternoon was spent laughing our way through new apartment adventures. We were a bit over-eager in thinking that we’d grill dinner only to realize minute by minute we were lacking key tools such as oven mits, tongs, matches, olive oil and just about anything else.

IMG_3253

Multiple beers later we went to bed at the early hour of 9pm.

While the weekend was just a preview of the adventures we’ll have this entire week as we move into a new home, it felt amazing to go to bed smiling and knowing that we picked the right neighborhood and that we are surrounded by such wonderful friends and family members who are always willing to help!

Share Button
Follow:

A 3-Course Meal for $12.50

Since moving back to NYC, Bo and I have done a better than expected job avoiding the Seamless trap. Seamless is the food delivery service of choice for many New Yorkers, and while convenient, it isn’t exactly cheap nor healthy. Don’t get me wrong, there are, of course, some healthy and inexpensive options on Seamless, but often Bo and I tend to over-order which causes us to waste money on food we don’t need.

So far, it seems like Wednesday nights are when we find ourselves yearning for Seamless or another easy option. Our Wednesday runs tend to be a bit longer which means we don’t get home until 8 pm. We’ve made our way through our weekend produce haul, and we’ve eaten our way through leftovers.

kitchensurfing 1

That’s where the crew at Kitchensurfing, a brand new NYC start-up can come to the rescue! Their goal is to bring healthy, delicious, chef-prepared meals into the comfort of your home. Imagine opening the door to a chef, complete with their ingredients and tools, and then sitting down to dinner just 30 minutes later.

Chef

Last night we had the pleasure of experiencing Kitchensurfing first hand, and it’s safe to say this is a game changer. This service, offered Monday through Friday, is the perfect option when you just haven’t had time to shop for ingredients and don’t have the energy to cook.  For $25 per person, a private chef will prepare, cook and serve you fresh three-course meal and clean up the kitchen in just 30 minutes. Keep in mind that this means that you get to enjoy three courses for $25; a good deal in New York City.

Each day there are four menu options including a gluten free, nut free, vegetarian and healthy options.  They are posted on the website a week in advance so people can choose their favorite dishes before ordering.  Today’s menu options include Cuban-style skirt steak, miso-marinated chicken, salmon en papillote, and handmade pappardelle. Don’t each of those sound delicious? Even better, you can read the user reviews associated with each menu choice to help ensure you choose one that you’ll love!

Kitchen surfing

Last night Bo and I were able to relax on the couch and catch up while our personal chef whipped up dinner in the kitchen. Our menu included lamb meatballs with garlic tzatziki and Mediterranean couscous. It was such a nice change and delight to have someone do everything for us from preparation to cleanup. The aromas coming from the kitchen were a sign that the meal was going to be just as delicious as we’d hoped.


IMG_3119
IMG_3123

We couldn’t stop raving about the meal to each other and our friends. Just minutes after finishing our meal we both were texting friends, telling them how wonderful the service was and that they needed to try it one night. This would also be a great option if you wanted to have friends over for a small dinner party but didn’t have time to worry about the details.

Since I consider each of my readers friends, I want you to experience Kitchensurfing for yourself! You can get $25 of your first meal by using the code healthyhappier. This means that you and your friend or significant other can enjoy a three-course meal together for only $25 or $12.50 per person. That’s unheard of in New York City!

Share Button
Follow:

A Day In The Life: Working From Home

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been back in New York City for 5 weeks and working in my new role for just shy of a month. It has been a whirlwind but luckily my team is incredible and has made it a great experience! Since moving back to New York City, I’ve moved into a new role but am still working for Procter & Gamble. I am now the eCommerce Customer Team Leader, managing the relationship and overall business with four eRetailers based in the NYC area. I have four direct reports who are incredible women and have been lifesavers as I’ve transitioned into this role.

So now that everyone knows what I’m doing, let’s take a look at what my Tuesday looked like this week, as it was pretty representative.

5:15 AM: Wake up and quickly get changed into cycling gear and gulp down a glass of water and Daily Burn PRE.

5:40 AM: Cycle with Bo from Times Square up to Central Park, thankful for the bike lane and the quieter than normal streets.

AM in Central Park

5:45 AM:  The morning’s plan is to do 3 loops or 18 miles which includes more hills than I want to think about at this early hour.

6:15 AM: After the first loop meet our friend Scott for the final 45 minutes.

7:05 AM: Arrive back home and quickly shower, make coffee and prepare two peach yogurt bowls; one for me and one to-go for Bo.

Peach Yogurt Bowl

7:30 AM: Spend an hour reading, responding and sorting emails as well as organizing my to-do list and calendar for the day.

8:30 AM-11:30 AM: I have two conference calls with partners who are based in Cincinnati and then spend the rest of the morning working on a few projects.  As you can see, my temporary office isn’t exactly perfect but it does the job. I spend most the day with headphones on since the Times Square noise is still easily heard from the 20th floor.

Temporary home office

11:45 AM: Walk a mile to the P&G office where my team meets a few times a month for face-to-face meetings.  Do my best not to show up to the office looking like a sweaty mess by walking in the shade since it is an especially hot day in the city.

pic 4

12:00 PM: Pick up a salad from my old salad spot, Toasties, before heading to the office.

12:30-4:30 PM: Enjoy lunch with the team before spending the next three hours working through some business issues together and being trained on new tools and software.

4:30-5:15 PM: Catch up on emails from the day as well as responding to a few blog emails and comments.

5:30 -7 PM: Catch up over glasses of sauv blanc while enjoying views of the city from Upstairs at the Kimberly Hotel.

NYC views

7 PM: Talk to my brother on the phone for a much needed chat while walking the mile back to our temporary housing.

7:30: Sometimes food tastes even better the second day! Bo and I eat dinner of leftover pork tenderloin, sauteed mushrooms and onions and a side salad.

Pork Tenderloin

8-9:45 PM: Watch two episodes of Orange Is The New Black before dozing off on the couch.

9:55 PM: Bedtime comes early when the alarm is set for another 5:15 am wake-up call in order to make it down to the Fhitting Room for a 6 am class.

Share Button
Follow: