ashleyd /

Like Used Basil

Right now, I feel a bit like our poor, used Basil plant. After I made three Caprese salads tonight, this poor plant is asking for some rest to rebuild. 005The week was absolutely amazing in so many ways. There were three races including a new 10k PR, a few amazing meals, time with friends, and a very New York City evening last night which reminded me why we love this city so much. It’s hard to top a casual dinner with friends at Red Hook Lobster Pound followed by hours of wandering through a studio we stumbled upon while walking towards the river. 040041

Having the opportunity to meet an up and coming artist, Dustin Yellin, whose work will now be featured in the famed Lever House, was nothing short of phenomenal. Where else would this happen?

  045 046 048 054 076

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I was out West my sister in law, Meg, moved to New York City which means the start of Sunday night dinners and the joy of having family in the city. Yeah, I’m excited to have her in the city and look forward to many new memories! This picture is just an example of the fun times we’ve shared before in NYC, on her 21st birthday.

We started off our Sunday experiencing Soul Cycle at the Upper West Side location for the first time. The location was smaller than expected and lacked showers. But, what it lacked in space and showers, the teacher Sue made up for in an amazing class based on a classic rock and theatre playlist which made the ride fly by very quickly. We’d hop the 1 train up there again in a heartbeat for one of her rides. After the ride, we met our newly engaged friends, Tom and Molly for brunch at Ouest. The $29 prix fixe menu featured a wide variety of brunch standards such as omelets, hamburgers, and croque monsuires. We found the restaurant randomly on Open Table when trying to decide on a brunch spot near our UWS friends and were surprised how delicious the brunch was. While the service was a bit slow, their thorough menu left everyone pleased and my omelet was fluffy and delicious. We would definitely return!

Tonight’s Sunday night dinner, our first, was perfectly squeezed into Meg’s busy NYU weekend schedule yet still included an hour of dining at our dining room table while laughing about the week’s events. Bo and I spent only 30 minutes in the kitchen preparing dinner from start to finish thanks to yesterday’s epic Costco run. Yes, you can go to Costco and save ridiculous amounts of money in NYC in less than 2 hours, round trip!

001 002  004 Tonight’s meal included Caprese salad, roasted broccoli, quinoa with fresh roasted red peppers, and sockeye salmon. So good!!

Okay, these tired eyes are ready for bed! I’ll see you all tomorrow for a recap of last week’s meals from coast to coast.

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Sometime Motivation Is Only a Cubicle Away

Did everyone have a nice Memorial Day weekend? Bo and I loved having an extra day to spend together enjoying some of our favorite things such as running, cooking and planning a few upcoming trips together. In case you’re catching up, here’s what went down this weekend.

Last night’s dinner ended up being even more amazing than I expected! While we used to get bored with grilled chicken since we made it so often last night it hit the spot. Our menu was inspired by the fresh ingredients we found at the Union Square Farmer’s Market yesterday including peas, Jersey Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil plants, and zucchini!

IMG_0694 IMG_0696IMG_0697 IMG_0699 It was hand’s down delicious and the perfect summer meal!

Now that we’ve talked about the weekend, let’s talk about a different topic that is near and dear to my heart, motivation.

People often ask me how I find time or energy to workout 5-6 days per week in addition to blogging and a 55-60 hour work week. The easy answer, partially joking, is often that my metabolism requires it of me. But, in all honesty, I love the energy and high that I feel after a strong workout. Until last week, I considered myself a morning workout person. I rarely worked out in the evening and often found enough energy in my morning workout to forego a coffee. It helps wake me up and prepare me for the day. But then, a co-worker named Marcial came along. We’ve known each other a little over a year and during that time have often enjoyed “water cooler conversations” during which point we’d talk about our weekends. But, once Marcial found out that I was also a runner, the discussions turned primarily running focused. After a month of ignoring his Outlook Calendar invites for my office’s 5:30 run club, he finally asked me point blank last week.

“When are you going to join us? You run all the time but never with us?

Little did Marcial know that making someone change their habits is tough. The idea of working out, especially running, after a long day of work when I’m not “ready” to leave my desk yet is challenging and frankly not very exciting. I normally don’t leave until around 7 so the thought of leaving early started to stress me out more than excite me. But, finally, I gave in and ran with three of my co-workers last Wednesday on what was a longer than expected run. Due to my office’s location we ran to the park talking and laughing for six miles. Today I joined them again, this time for four miles in Central Park through the hazy, thick 87 degree summer air.

IMG_2557

I promise there is a point to this long winded story. The point is that sometimes you can find motivation in the places you never expect it. If I’m going to make the New York City Marathon a charm this year (3rd time!), then I’m going to need to push my training in ways I haven’t previously while also being smarter. I already know that Gia wants to challenge me to fill DailyMile with longer mid-week runs. While I find daily inspiration from runners like Christine, it’s this small office group that has finally made me try and stick with evening runs that are farther and faster than I expected. The conversation comes easily since we work together, the miles fly by since I have company, the park’s hills challenge my legs, and the heat is great conditioning.

Next time you find yourself looking for motivation, step back and look to the people closest to you because sometime motivation is just a cubicle away.

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Sticking With What I Know

It’s another early morning in Houston! It has been a great trip thus far. For those of you who have asked, I spent most of yesterday in two of Houston’s malls, Galleria and Memorial City, participating in consumer research within the fragrance and cosmetic categories. It’s been very interesting thus far but it also meant that we spent all day yesterday on our feet. I also forgot how large suburban malls can get! We literally had to drive from one part of the mall to the other because it would have taken us over 20 minutes to power walk the distance!

I wanted to share yesterday’s foods with you because it is a perfect example of one of this week’s Tuesday tip: When in doubt, stick with what you know for the healthiest meal options.

My first year of heavy work travel I quickly realized that I couldn’t treat every work trip to a new, fun city like a vacation in regards to my eating habits. Within two months of travel I gained 5 pounds and found that I was exhausted and drained after every trip. Once I started eating better I immediately felt better about the heavy travel schedule. It was no longer as draining and I found I had more energy.

When I say to stick with what you know, I mean that sometimes, especially for breakfast and lunch it’s best to go with habit. Therefore, on most trips I will order Starbucks perfect oatmeal, banana, and a venti unsweetened iced green tea as this is my normal breakfast in New York. For lunch, I’ll choose a large salad with protein and dressing on the side if we’re dining at a sit down restaurant for lunch. I also do my best to snag a few apples or bananas from the hotel if they have complimentary fruit or I buy fruit or a bar from the gift shop. This ensures that for the first 10 hours of my day I have healthy fuel in my system to power me through a busy schedule. It also allows me to enjoy work dinners a bit more, which like last night, tend to be at delicious local restaurants!

Below is how I put this tip to work yesterday in Houston.

Breakfast: Low carb banana muffin whose nutritional information was posted in the café area (300 calories, 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein, and 6 grams fat), venti unsweetened iced green tea, Light & Fit Yogurt, and an apple for later.

IMG_2072

Lunch: Subway is always a great food court option when we’re traveling to different malls for store visits. While it can be high in sodium, this can be balanced out by lots of water and what I eat the rest of the day. This Subway had more toppings than the average location and even had spinach, avocado, and Frank’s hot sauce! My 6 inch turkey breast on whole wheat with all the veggies, except jalapenos, kept me going until 4:15. I also enjoyed a large water and bag of Baked Lays on the side! While many of my co-workers enjoyed Japanese from Sakura for lunch, I knew that this would have too many hidden ingredients and calories for a healthy lunch and would leave me thirsty all afternoon.

IMG_2088

Snack: Around 4:45 I had a small iced green tea during a Starbucks break and my apple from this morning. There were more chocolate filled Frappuccino drinks enjoyed by my co-workers yesterday than I’ve ever seen before. But, when you’re traveling with men whose metabolisms is still like a growing teenagers, you just have to keep yourself in check!

Dinner: Since I had a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack I was excited to enjoy one of Houston’s best steak restaurants, Perry’s, with my team. One glass of Pinot Noir, a salad with dressing on the side, splitting a cold seafood tower, and then a small petite filet was the perfect indulgent meal that was high in protein and lower in calories than I normally have at a steak restaurant. I stuck with protein early in the meal through the seafood appetizer which was healthy and absolutely delicious. This left me full enough during the main course that I wasn’t tempted by the steakhouse sides or dessert.

IMG_2094

Question: What is your best tip for staying healthy when you travel?

Share Button
Follow: