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The Perfect Recipes for Your Mexican Dinner Party

The weekend has definitely improved since yesterday’s long run.

I spent yesterday cleaning the apartment, relaxing some on the couch, putting my muscles through a much needed deep tissue massage, finally taking allergy medicine, and hosting a dinner party for our friends with Bo and Meg!

Oh yes, in case I forgot to mention it on the blog, Bo’s sister Meg is living with us for the next month. While it took some adjusting during the first 24 hours to figure out where things go and such, I’m sure it will be a lot of fun! She was the chopping guru yesterday, helping in the kitchen, and this afternoon she was a yoga sidekick!

The dinner party was a huge success and while I failed royally at taking pictures, I want to share the items we chose for the party. It was a perfect mix of flavor without a lot of work. Though the chopping and prep work took quite a while, the rest of the process was easier than normal.

Mexican Dinner Party recipes

I pinned the recipes on my Pintrest board yesterday which made it really easy to reference them when we were grocery shopping and cooking.

It was such a fun night complete with some dancing and funfetti birthday cupcakes! I think the bottom picture was during their rap off of Welcome to Atlanta. So fun!

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This morning we slept in and spent the morning organizing, enjoying delicious omelets made from last night’s leftover shrimp and peppers, and watching Friends season 4.

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Around 2, the three of us decided to head out for an easy 3 mile run along the East River. It was definitely hot out and super sunny but it was just wonderful being out there enjoying the views, company, some good music, and running pain free. Yesterday’s massage definitely helped as my lower back and hamstring muscles were way too tight. He thinks that running primarily outside this year versus indoor last year could be one of the contributing factors. In addition, he recommended more yoga which seems to be a common theme I’ve heard from everyone and anyone these days.

Inspired by his suggestion, Meg and I enjoyed an evening vinyasa yoga class at the Meatpacking Equinox (17th and 10th) tonight with Kristin McGee who was substituting for the regular instructor. As normal, she was wonderful. The class was a perfect mix of inspiring, challenging, featured a wonderful playlist including Dave Matthews and Simon & Garfunkel. and the views of the Highline didn’t hurt. I wish she taught more classes at Equinox!! In case you’re not able to enjoy your own dose of Kristin, here is a great yoga for runner video she posted on her blog a few weeks ago.

Question: What is your favorite Mexican recipe?

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Five Minute Asian Dinner

I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to easy, weeknight meals. After a long day of work sometimes I lack creativity when I get home, especially if it’s after an evening event or workout. Therefore, you see lots of omelets, veggie burgers, bowls of cereal, or salads around the blog.

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But, last night, after a five mile run in Central Park and a Pure Barre class with some fellow bloggers, I was not only ravenous but I was also craving an actual meal. Since it was already 9pm, there was no way I was going out to dinner. Instead, on the subway ride home, I started thinking about what was currently in our refrigerator and pantry that could create a nutritious and easy meal.

Thanks to the Asian Sea Bass we enjoyed Sunday night, the refrigerator was filled with ingredients such as minced garlic, ginger, bean sprouts, and vegetables. Within ten minutes of walking through the front door I had prepared a warm, satiating meal fondly called a Five Minute Asian Dinner.

Five Minute Asian Dinner

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Ingredients:

1 package shiritaki noodles

1/2 package defrosted Asian vegetables

1/3 cup bean sprouts

Drizzle of sesame oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 Tbsp scallions

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp orange marmalade

 Directions:

1. Par boil or microwave shiritaki noodles, according to directions, drain well

2.. While noodles are par boiling, defrost package of Asian vegetables.

3. Set aside 1/2 package of vegetables and well drained, par boiled noodles in a bowl together.

4. Drizzle sesame oil in a small saucepan on medium low heat on the stove.

5. Quickly saute garlic, ginger and scallions in saucepan.

6. Once warm, add peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and orange marmalade.

7. Stir with a whisk over medium low heat for a few minutes until combined and melted.

8. Pour sauce over noodles and vegetables, mix well.

9. Enjoy!

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Sunday & Monday Fun Day

Yesterday we woke up at 4:45am in order to make an 8:40 flight back to New York City. Having some time to breathe and relax was important to us this weekend as was making it down to Georgia to see some of my closest college friends.

We were back in New York by 11:30 and were greeted by the best gift ever- no taxi line!

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By 3pm we were on the rooftop of our friends Tribeca apartment building enjoying beers, laughs, delicious food, and sunshine!

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We contributed to the afternoon by bringing Emily’s delicious soba noodle salad, chips, salsa, and two summer beers!

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The views from their rooftop were amazing especially as the sun started to set and the clouds cooled off the afternoon heat.

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As the afternoon heat turned into a cool, clear evening we enjoyed burgers and more beers while enjoying the night scene.

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An evening of beers and homemade cocktails made waking up to meet my friend Genna for my first hot flow yoga class at Prana Power Yoga. I’m going to do a separate post which will get more into the differences between a regular yoga class, but let’s just say that it was an hour filled with sweat and faster flow than I’m accustomed to these days.  The studio is located right above Union Square and offers an average of six classes per day ranging from 6:30 in the morning to 8 at night!

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After class we met Bo in Union Square for some Farmer’s Market shopping. It’s been ages since we’ve had a stocked fridge complete with produce and fresh cheese!

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After stocking the fridge Bo and I headed out for a run along the East River to soak up the day’s beautiful sunshine and blue sky.   IMG_2619   IMG_2622  

The heat and sun cut our run down to a 5k versus the original four miles we’d planned. Regardless, I’m still proud of us pushing through the heat and of myself for squeezing in two great workouts on this one Memorial Day Monday.

Our afternoon and evening plans include relaxing with a movie at home and a healthy homemade dinner complete with marinated lemon and garlic chicken, zucchini carpaccio, Caprese salad, and nice cold Pinot Grigio.

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Until tomorrow, make sure to check out these two great workout opportunities!

1. Today kicks off Runner’s World Summer Running Streak. I’m super excited about giving this opportunity a chance! All you have to do is run at least one mile per day, every day, starting today Memorial Day (Monday, 5/28) and ending on Independence Day (Wednesday, 7/4). That’s 38 consecutive days of running. It’ll be tough but I feel like I can always squeeze in at least a mile!

2. On June 9th I’m going to be busting out a sandy and sunny workout with the amazing Jackie Warner thanks to Well+Good NYC and Evian! Want to join? Luckily they are giving away 6 VIP passes! Enter here to win!

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