Category Archives: Dessert

Introducing Mr. Monkers

Posted on December 17, 2009 | 7 comments

Good morning and happy Thursday. This post will be brief because I am feeling very tired again today and I have been running late with everything this morning. I even forgot to bring lunch and snacks with me to work today, so it should be interesting to see how I cope when hunger strikes.

BTW, before I forget – check out my most recent Examiner.com article: Give the Gift of Healthy Cooking .

Breakfast yesterday was oatmeal with banana and agave and a side of orange juice. Nothing crazy, but the banana and agave made this delish.

Lunch was lazy – I didn’t have any leftovers on hand, so I popped out to pick up a salad. Romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, walnuts, carrots, cranberries and chic peas.

Snacks for the afternoon were Greek yogurt (strawberry flavor) with granola and a small bags of walnuts and raisins.

I left work and headed home to finish up the cookies I started the night before. Here is the final result!

And here is the recipe:

Saucepan Fudge Cookies

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
3 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar – plus 3 tablespoons, divided
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 chopped nuts
1 cup flour mixed with 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a 3 quart saucepan over low heat, stir butter and chocolate until melted and smooth (turn off burner but leave saucepan there to get a little of the residual heat) and stir in 1 cup sugar, the eggs, vanilla and nuts til blended. Stir in flour mixture til well blended. Cover and chill 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. until dough is firm enough to shape. Roll into 1″ balls, roll balls in remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar (add more sugar if needed). Place on cookie sheet and bake in preheated 300 oven for 20 minutes. Remove to rack to cool. The cookies can be frozen.

They came out a little flatter than what I’m used to, but tasted good. I did discover, however, that the bottom rack of our oven is much much hotter than the top, so when I bake, I really need to use the top shelf rather than the bottom. The cookie sheet I placed on the bottom rack had some tougher cookies than what they should have been. I noticed this before, but this reconfirmed my suspicion. Annoying.

Does your kitchen have any quirks for you to contend with?

Bill decided to make us dinner last night. He is a HUGE fish fan. He loves it. I don’t really like am not such a huge fish fan. Last night he made haddock and that is one type I can tolerate. I do hate how it stinks up our apartment though – yuck.

Are you a fish eater? If yes, what’s your favorite kind?

Apparently, Bill also ordered a bunch of “holiday” movies from Netflix and they started rolling in yesterday. So we watched “Four Christmases” last night. Can you believe that I made him come see this with me in the movie theater when it came out last year? I really like Vince Vaughn, but I also kind of have a girl-crush on Reese Witherspoon (Natalie Portman is my other girl-crush). Reese been one of my favorites since I first saw her in: The Man in the Moon, way back in 1991.

Sorry to hear that she and Jake Gyllenhaal are dunzo. Oh well – I’m sure another gorgeous man will be falling at her heels in no time.

You probably think Hubby and I are movie-obsessed, but seriously these phases happen every now and then. It’ll probably fade out soon.

Final thought and photo from the night: Hubby did this to Murphy.

How unamused does he look? Actually he looks downright mad. That’s his buddy Mr. Monkers. He’s had that stuffed monkey since he was a few months old and it goes everywhere with us. He also bathes it like its his child and then attacks it and beats the heck out of it. Sometimes I think Murphy needs a little brother or sister…but our apartment is too small. So Mr. Monkers will have to be it for now.

Murphy seems to show up quite a bit on my blog – sorry about that! Sometimes I think he’s just too cute. I’ll try to control my Murphy picture-taking and posting from now on.

Happy Thursday!

7 Comments

Posted in Dessert, Recipes, Uncategorized

Tagged cookies, haddock, movies, Murphy, Recipes

Exhaustion Strikes

Posted on December 16, 2009 | 4 comments

Happy Hump Day! I feel like this week is flying by. Work is busy, I’m busy at home – there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I have to say that I’ve been a bit of a slacker this week in terms of working out. I made it to the gym on Monday night, but then last night I had some errands to run and I wanted to bake a bit, so the gym got cut from my “to-do list.”

I’m trying not to beat myself up about it, but my body also really seems to miss it.

How are you doing this holiday season as far as staying on point with your workouts and exercise routines?

Now here’s Tuesday’s eats:

Breakfast was a multi-grain honey English muffin (has extra fiber) with peanut butter and banana on top.

I also had some morning coffee I picked up on my way into work and then a mid-morning granola bar (not shown).

Lunch was leftovers from Monday night’s burrito bowl. I chose to eat this cold rather than heat it up and I think it was a good choice.

My afternoon snack was Rice Chips and an apple.

I left work a little bit late, which added to my decision not to hit the gym. I ran a few errands and stopped at the store on the way home to pick up the ingredients to make some cookies from a recipe my mom sent my way. These might just be my favorite cookies.

I started making them when I got home (probably around 7:15 p.m.)

The recipe then tells you to chill the batter for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours! I totally forgot about that. Well, by the time I got to that point it was getting pretty late. I checked with my mom and she said it should be okay to leave it in the fridge overnight. I was pretty tired so that’s just what I did.

So I stopped my baking efforts there and had some food instead. I’ll finish up the cookies tonight and post the recipe.

To be honest, I wasn’t really that hungry though or motivated to make anything. So…I am ashamed to show you my dinner. It was terrible and lazy. But that’s what my blog is all about right – accountability for what I eat and being more aware of my choices. So here it goes:

Know what it is? It’s triscuits with melted cheddar cheese and salsa on top. Pretty bad right? It’s my guilty little pleasure. (P.S. I also watched part of Sing Off so “guilty little pleasure” seems appropriate).

What is your guilty pleasure food? How often do you eat it?

To be fair, it’s not as bad as it could be. I mean the Triscuits are whole grains, okay cheese is cheese, but then salsa is just veggies! Trying to justify it.

Anyway – my night was pretty calm after that. I read Ahab’s Wife for a bit and then went to bed. I’ve been getting to bed kind of late recently and as you can see it’s been catching up with me.

This headline caught my eye today and actually made me sad:

Extreme diets: Life on 800 calories a day

People partaking in these very low-calorie diets (VLCD – as they are referred to) are missing out on so much and taking their bodies from one extreme to the other. It seems unnecessarily risky and I can’t believe these programs are allowed to run. Especially when these are just some of the side effects:

“Also, losing weight quickly could lead to gall stones and thinning hair because dieters are getting the minimum amount of nutrition, which can affect hair and bone density.”

I understand that once people reach such a high weight sometimes they feel like something drastic has to be done, but I don’t agree that this much limitation is the answer. It seems to me they are trading one kind of unhealthy for another.

What about you, do you agree with gastric bypass, VLCDs, pre-packaged food diets, etc.?

4 Comments

Posted in Dessert, Uncategorized

Annoyed Kitty and Fabulous Fudge

Posted on December 15, 2009 | 8 comments

I woke up today thinking it was Wednesday – getting a little ahead of myself. Happy Tuesday! Inching through the week. Here’s a quick recap of yesterday.

For breakfast I was lazy and had some Kashi Heart to Heart with Almond Milk and orange juice. I am really feeling much better and think I may have headed off that cold its very start.

My morning snack was two clementines. I also stopped and picked up a coffee on my way into work. I was needing a pick-me-up after our late movie night on Sunday. I try to limit how much coffee I drink because I tend to get a little addicted and then if I go without I get a caffeine headache.

However, yesterday I was swayed a bit by the following article discussing the benefits of coffee and tea. I also realize that just about every other week there is a new study out either touting the benefits or warning of the dangers of various food and drink. So I am taking this one with a grain of salt.

More evidence coffee, tea could prevent diabetes

How often do you drink coffee?

Here Are A Few Other Health Articles That Caught My Eye…
City takes its anti-soda campaign online
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Video

Fat in diet won’t affect weight gain over time

Next, for lunch I had a mish-mash of veggies (carrots, cucumber and grape tomatoes) with some cheese and balsamic. I also had a Greek yogurt (honey flavored) with granola.

My afternoon snack before the gym was a Larabar – Apple Pie flavor.

After work I hit the gym reluctantly (because I had a bunch of other things I kind of wanted to get done). I managed an okay workout:

4 miles on the treadmill in 35:26
85 crunches
35 scissor crunches
20 leg lowers

I stopped at the store and picked up a few things on the way home and then I set to making a really quick dinner. I called this dinner a Burrito Bowl. It’s basically brown rice, peas, corn, salsa, cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce all thrown together. I made the Hubby’s with chicken, so his bowl was a little larger. Here’s mine:

And yes, my bowl has a giant chip in it. I think it may be time to revamp some of my bowls. They are looking a little sad.

I forgot – just before I started dinner, I had to have one of these little babies. I was really hungry after the gym.

After dinner, I set to work making some fudge to bring into work next week. This will also go in the freezer until Sunday. Here it is:

And here’s the recipe, courtesy of my mama:

Chocolate Fudge

1 lb. Confectioners sugar (1 box)
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In medium saucepan, heat butter and milk – add sugar, cocoa, salt and vanilla, stirring over medium heat until well blended and smooth. Remove from heat, stir in nuts (optional). Spread mixture quickly in a buttered 9×5 inch loaf pan or 7×7 square pan. Cut into squares once it has cooled. (I put parchment paper in the dish, bringing it up two sides, so once it has cooled, you can lift it out of pan to cut easier.)

I made mine without nuts. I had a few pieces once it cooled and it was yummy!

After dinner Bill and I decided to watch a movie. But not before I showed him the Surprised Kitty video on YouTube. This thing has been making the rounds and it makes me smile.

Surprised Kitty

I love it so much that I decided to try it with Murphy.

Murphy was not amused. The last is him basically attacking my hand. He does a great “Annoyed Kitty.” If you haven’t seen “Surprised Kitty” check it out. Hope my link above works okay. If not, just search YouTube by that title.

After annoying Murphy we settled in and watched “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” with Jack Nicholson. My father has been insisting that we watch this movie for years! It won a slew of awards back in the day and has co-stars including Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd. It was a pretty funny movie. I think Bill and I were both expecting way too much after the way my father built it up for us. We thought it was pretty good – not absolutely fabulous. Sorry Dad – but at least we finally watched it!

Have a great Tuesday!

P.S. – I will leave you with this Murphy lounging photo, just to show that he didn’t stay annoyed for too long…

8 Comments

Posted in Dessert, Running, Uncategorized

Movie Mania Continues

Posted on December 14, 2009 | 2 comments

Weekend Recap
Saturday: Cold Weather Weekend Warrior
Sunday: Not Such a Warrior

Happy Monday. I can’t believe it’s here already. My weekend didn’t fly by as fast as usual, but they are always too short to begin with anyway. I can’t believe it’s already mid-December!

As I mentioned, on Sunday morning I was supposed to go for a fun run with some local bloggers, but I wasn’t feeling great and didn’t want to chance making it worse. So I went back to bed and slept until about 9:30. Then I got up and had a breakfast of oatmeal with apples, pumpkin butter and cinnamon with a side of orange juice and cold medicine. Lovely.

After breakfast I popped out to the store and picked up some ingredients to make sugar cookies. I’ll be bringing these to our holiday potluck on the 21st, but I wanted to make them now and freeze them until the night before. I used my mom’s recipe:

Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/4 cup Crisco – regular or butter flavor (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together Crisco, butter, sugar and vanilla. Add egg, beat till light and fluffy. Add dry ingredients and blend into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half, wrap in glad wrap and chill for 1 hour.

On lightly floured surface, roll to 1/8 inch thickness, cut in desired shapes and bake on cookie sheet at 375 for approx. 6 to 8 minutes. Cool slightly and remove. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting the cookies: confectioners sugar, a pinch of salt and milk.

I was so busy baking that I didn’t really stop for lunch. So when the baking was done, this was my “lunch.”

Dinner was much better than lunch. I was craving soup, so I tried Amy’s Tuscan Bean and Rice soup and it might just be my new favorite. It was so yummy. I also had a side salad with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, goat cheese and walnuts with balsamic drizzled over it.

Finally, I needed something sweet to end my night, but I also wanted something that might help thwart an impending cold. I had half a grapefruit with one packet of Truvia sprinkled over it.

The best part of my Sunday was when Bill arrived home earlier than expected and we decided to watch another movie together. We’ve sort of been on a movie kick lately. I think we’re subconsciously trying to get the most out of our Netflix subscription.

Last night we ended up watching “Notorious.” I know what you’re thinking – it must have been awful. But actually, I was somewhat surprised with how decent this movie was. It was a solid 2 hours, but it didn’t feel like it was dragging and it never became too much about rap. I mean, it definitely was about rap, but I was never overwhelmed. I thought the actor who played Biggie was absolutely great and the little boy who played the child biggie was really good as well. Come to find out, he’s actually Biggie’s son! The resemblance was uncanny.

Anyway – I wouldn’t rank “Notorious” as a favorite by any means, but it certainly was a decent, different kind of movie. If you’re looking for something to mix up your movie line-up a bit, I would recommend it.

My final comment: the guy who played Puffy looked nothing like the real Puffy. For the first few minutes he was in the movie I kept telling Bill there was no way that this “Puffy” character they were talking about was supposed to be Sean Combs. The casting on that one was way off.

Have a good Monday everyone!

2 Comments

Posted in Bloggers, Dessert, Recipes, Running, Uncategorized

Movie Date Debate

Posted on December 10, 2009 | 2 comments

It’s Thursday, which means tomorrow is FRIDAY!! Yipee! I am looking forward to a low-key weekend, hopefully with some good running involved.

So last night Hubby and I had a movie date night. We are Netflix members (best decision ever), but we had just returned two movies, so we checked our “online queue” where you can just download them straight from your t.v. There were a few on there to choose from. I really wanted to watch Food, Inc., but Hubby said I need to watch that one when he’s not around. No fun.

So we ended up going with “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.” I had never heard of it before, but it had some big-name actors: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Marissa Tomei.

The premise of this movie and the characters’ actions ended up really affecting me. I was almost in tears and was feeling very stressed and anxious throughout the whole thing. Hubby hates watching movies with me because I constantly ask questions and make comments. I really try not to do it, but most times I don’t even realize I’m talking. And during this movie I was particularly out of control.

At the end, I turned to Hubby and said I really disliked the movie and thought it was awful. He then claimed that if a movie could get me so riled up and upset, then shouldn’t we classify it as good because it did its job. So that is our movie date debate.

Even if you dislike a movie’s premise, turn of events and general feel, if it affects you emotionally, would you then classify it as good?

In this case, I do not. I would NEVER want to see that movie again and don’t even particularly like thinking about it. Maybe to some that makes it good, but to me, it will always be a “bad movie” in my book.

Sorry for that little tangent. Here are yesterday’s eats. Breakfast was a multi-grain hot cereal with flaxseed and soy. It was on sale at the store, so I gave it a try. I added raisin and agave.

It was just okay. Nothing to write home about. I’ll use it all up though and then try something else.

Lunch yesterday was leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. I ate it cold and it was actually quite good.

Wow – I really hate florescent lights. This looks just awful.

Afternoon snacks were initially going to include just Chobani Pineapple yogurt with granola and two clementines. But then the 4:00 hunger monster struck and I ate some trail mix that I had leftover from my L.A. trip.

After work I hit the gym for a quick workout. I was feeling really tired (perhaps b/c our office was an inferno today and the heat really got to me).

Does your office have a temperature problem like mine? It’s either frigid or sweltering, no in between.

I felt very weak at the gym today, so I did the following.

3.1 miles in 27 minutes
85 crunches
20 leg lowers (abs)
15 squats
15 lunges

And yes, I need to do some arm stuff. But I was just so worn out.

I stopped at the store on my way home, with the intention of buying some cranberries to make a little dessert I read about on another blog. Well, when I got home, I realized I had bought a bunch of stuff, but completely forgot the cranberries.

For dinner I made some quick curry couscous and added in some chopped up vegetarian “sausage.” Doesn’t look spectacular, but I was happy. Hubby went his own way for dinner last night since he “needed meat.”

Afterwards I wanted something sweet. The cranberry light dessert was what I had planned, but that was obviously not an option. So I made this little concoction.

Warm Apple Mush

1 apple chopped (with skin on)
1/2 cup of water
1 packet of truvia
1 tsp of agave nectar
1 tsp of cinnamon
handful of granola

Directions

Place chopped apple in a microwave safe bowl with water. Microwave on high for 1 minute – remove and smush some of the apple. Microwave on high again for 1 minute. Remove and smush apples again as desired. Add all the other ingredients and mix.

It was sooo good! Just what I wanted. It’s almost like applesauce, but not as smooth. It was the right amount of sweet and tart.

Just before we started our movie I browsed my new issue of Runner’s World. I was excited to see a “Marathon Guide” in the issue and was even more pumped to see two of the marathons I was considering ranked as “the fastest” courses. The Wineglass Marathon and the Bay State Marathon were featured and they are both races that Runnerbelle suggested previously as well!

After the movie I read a bit and headed to bed. My new book is very good. I’ll try to post a David Copperfield recap soon and will talk about my new book more tomorrow.

P.S. – Hubby texted me to tell me they are filming Gossip Girl on our street and actually right in front of our building! I saw them coning it off when I left this morning, but had no clue for what. I don’t watch the show, but still think it’s pretty cool our building might make a special appearance.

Have a great Thursday!

2 Comments

Posted in Books, Dessert, Uncategorized

An Official New York Road Runner

Posted on December 1, 2009 | 9 comments

Good morning blog world! It’s Tuesday – we made it through Monday – yipee! I was pretty darn tired yesterday and was still wondering if I was actually going to get sick. I woke up yesterday feeling a little bit better and hoped it was just a nasty allergy attack.

For breakfast I had 1/2 cup of oats, tsp of pumpkin butter, handful of raisins and a splash of milk.

It was really tough to get moving and get out the door on time. I had to stop and grab a coffee to help keep me sane and awake. Monday mornings at work are typically pretty busy for me, so I knew the coffee would help.

I was surprised that the day actually moved along pretty quickly. I ate my morning granola bar at 11:00 and then the one or two new projects I started to work on kept me occupied and before I realized it, it was 1:45 and I hadn’t had lunch yet!

I trudged out in the rain and got a salad from across the street. The usual stuff: romaine lettuce, peas, carrots, cheddar cheese, walnuts and craisins.

My camera was a little off, so pics are looking blurry.

After lunch, I went onto the New York Road Runners site and browsed some races. I decided I wanted to sign up for two in January. And then I just bit the bullet and became a member. It’s about time I started running races in NYC and not just upstate. I typically try to run all my races with my running buddy Lauren, but as my hubby said yesterday, “she’s not always going to be able to run with you.” Sadness. So I signed up for these two races:

NYRR Fred Lebow Classic (5M)
NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix: Manhattan

Lauren WILL be able to run the Half Marathon with me!! YAY!! I will tackle the Fred Lebow 5 miler on my own – just call me Miss Independent. Unless my hubby surprises me and decides to run it as well. 😉

Any other NYC bloggers planning on running either of these?

I am generally NOT a winter runner, but this will be my attempt to keep running strong throughout the winter. If you’re a runner, do you still race in the cold weather?

My co-worker tells me that she actually runs better in the cold. Not me.

Later on in the afternoon yesterday I had some Greek Yogurt with granola and oats and two clemetines (gotta get that vitamin C to stay healthy!).

BTW – today at noon you can sign-up for the NYC Half Marathon Lottery . Can you tell that I have racing on the brain after my Turkey Trot? It’s an addiction.

I didn’t work out last night after work for a few reasons: 1) I was tired, 2) I’m going away on Wednesday morning for a business trip and needed to run some preparatory errands, 3) I haven’t actually hung out with Bill in a while, 4) I was tired.

So I left work, picked up some traveling necessities and headed home. I made this quick and easy dinner:

Here is my made-up recipe for it.

Asparagus Chicken with Roasted Red Peppers

Ingredients

3/4 cup chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1/3 cup of diced onion
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 stems of fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1/3 cup shredded parmesean cheese

Directions

Heat the broth in a large skillet over medium-high heat with the garlic and onion. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and place in the skillet. Cook 15 minutes, until chicken is almost done.
Place asparagus and red peppers in skillet. Continue cooking 10 minutes until asparagus is tender. Place tomatoes in skillet during last 2 minutes of cook time. Sprinkle with vinegar. Top with parmesean cheese and serve.

It was yummy and the husband rated it as “pretty good.”

After dinner I had a small piece of the white cake with white frosting that Bill’s sister Christine made for his birthday and brought to Thanksgiving dinner. I was shocked that Bill was willing to share his cake. But then he told me that Christine made him promise to share with me – figures! It was great.

The rest of my night was quiet and I went to bed pretty early. However, Murphy decided to try to wake me up pretty much every two hours during the night, so I’m a bit tired again today.

I’m starting to get a little nervous about traveling tomorrow. I’m one of those people who is always afraid of missing a flight or forgetting something important or losing my luggage. Generally – just not a very relaxed traveler. Hence, I start prepping 2-3 days in advance.

Are you a good traveler – what are some of your helpful tips or tricks?

I AM excited about the possibility of running while we’re training in L.A. The weather there is looking nice and warm. I could certainly use a nice West-coast run. 🙂

Last note – I want to say congrats to my friend Becky for starting her new blog: Write On!! I’m so happy she is proactively seeking new creative outlets and will be able to share her passion and wonderful insights with others. Becky is one of the people in my life that I always “talk books” with. We typically like the same books and are ALWAYS asking each what the other is reading and for recommendations. Now I can just check out her blog and see that, as well as her feedback and reviews. I’m so excited – so be sure to check it out. She’s also on my Blogroll! 🙂 Love ya Becks!

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Posted in Bloggers, Dessert, NYRR, Races, Recipes, Running, Uncategorized