Like Sandwich, Like Omelet

Apparently I have an over packing problem.  I struggle to close sandwiches, wraps and omelets in the same way that I struggle with my suit case every time I travel.

This morning I woke up and decided it was an egg day. The sky was dark and a misty rain was present in the cold air. I thought about oatmeal and pancakes but knew I needed something a bit more savory. My solution: egg-white omelet with spinach, broccoli, mushroom, tomato, vegetarian sausage (I crumbled up a Yves and heated it with my veggies) and feta cheese, a side of whole wheat toast with raspberry jam, coffee and orange juice. I do not make omelets for breakfast often (they are more of a dinner dish for me) because I have an extreme “sweet breakfast” complex, so when I do I tend to go a little overboard. I somehow managed to get it on my plate in a presentable manner, and topped it with Sriracha hot sauce and cracked black pepper. It was the perfect breakfast for this cold morning, and filled me well.

After breakfast I went to a Vinyasa yoga class.  Let me tell you there is nothing better than doing relaxing yoga in a warm room when it is miserable outside. It brings out a whole new uplifting mood! When the class was finished the clouds parted, the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue. Although the temperature was still in the upper 40’s it was an amazingly beautiful day! After class I stopped by the grocery store to visit my co-workers and pick up some produce. I think that my 10am yoga class followed by grocery shopping is becoming my Sunday routine. I picked up some goodies for dinner and headed home for lunch.

I was parched after yoga and shopping so I wanted something refreshing for lunch aka a green monster, granola and raw almonds bowl, apple, carrot, green grapes and Medjool dates with almond butter. I mixed up my green monster a bit, my combination was: 1 large frozen banana, 3 large fresh strawberries, 1 scoop chocolate whey protein, 2 big handfuls of spinach, 1 cup unsweetened original almond milk, cinnamon, cacao and vanilla extract. The strawberries gave it a darker color so it looked like sludge. Since it wasn’t an exciting lunch I neglected pictures but it looked something like this (didn’t I have the same thing last Sunday haha…yep!) with about a cup of big green grapes and a large carrot.Miss Congeniality is on TV and I have a bunch of work to do so it is going to be a stay-in day. I have something nice planned for an early dinner before going to a 7pm meeting.  I love having relaxing Sundays. When I was younger my family would attend church together, have a great brunch, do yard/house/school work all day and gather for a thoughtful and comforting dinner. It was the perfect way to end a hectic week, and refresh ourselves for the week to come. I now see why Sunday is meant to  be a day of rest.

Peace and Love,

Nora

Do you usually do something special on Sunday?

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Diner Food, Purse Snacks and Refreshing Salads

On Wednesday morning, I woke up to sunshine, a blue sky and mild temperature in NYC. My dad and I enjoy running, so we took advantage of the rare weather conditions, and ventured out to Central Park. In such a crazy and busy city, this plot of land provides some serenity. It was absolutely beautiful. When we got back to our hotel, I needed some fast fuel so I dug into my “travel food” stash and had a cup of Greek Yogurt, Bear Naked Fruit and Nut Granola, and a big Jonagold Apple.For breakfast the other days we found a small, family-run diner around the corner. It was charming, and one of the few places in the city that didn’t charge an arm and a leg for a bowl of cereal. I ended up ordering the same thing both times we went:  Spinach, Tomato, and Mushroom Egg White Omelet with Potatoes and Whole Wheat Toast.It was huge, but so delicious! Naturally I covered the omelet in hot sauce and ate every last bite of goodness! It came with 2 pieces of this toast (I had about 1.5 slices) which I smothered in Concord Grape Jelly. The potatoes were fresh, but a bit bland so I didn’t finish them. I am not big on hash browns/potatoes for breakfast, but I cannot resist the crispy topping that is generated when they are cooked in a skillet! This breakfast was simple, and had such a familiar, traditional taste.

The basketball games were from about 12pm-4pm and 7pm-11pm each day, so a variety of snacks found their way into my bag:

Fruit and Nut Delight (so hungry...needed a pre-picture bite)

PB&J LaraBar

How'd this get there?

Beer that comes with a pretzel...genius.

I love snacking on LaraBars and KIND Bars. They satisfy my hunger, are portable, and delicious. I also found a Haagen-Dazs Vanilla and Almonds ice cream bar in my bag…weird. My sweet tooth always needs tending to after dinner, so I had to buy one of these during a 7pm game. The last picture was a necessary 12pm beer for the Syracuse game. There was a place in the stadium that sold beer in cups with a pretzel in the handle. It was my only overpriced beer of the Big East Championship, but the pretzel TOTALLY made it worth it.

A few of the days we ended up having late lunches or early dinners. When I am not particularly starving for a meal, nothing is better than a satisfying salad. I had a

Rotisserie Chicken and Grilled Vegetable Salad for a light lunch.And for an early dinner, I had a Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese, Arugula and Hazelnut Salad completed with a multigrain roll from the bread basket. I had to take a picture of the basket because I have never seen so much variety. It contained: sourdough, multigrain, rosemary, and fennel-raisin.I also had some of the fennel-raisin roll, and was shocked by the anise flavor;  it was interesting and amazing. A lot of the food that I tried on this trip has inspired me to try new flavors and varieties in the things I make at home. I wish I had more time to explore the eateries and markets while I was there, I love how much culture is contained in one place.

To Food Ventures,

Nora

In your opinion, what major city has the best food? Do you plan places to eat before you travel, or stumble upon them when you are there?

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