Lobstah and F- Bombs!

Hi Kiddies!

Long time no chat. I hope you are all looking forward to a fun filled labor day weekend. This post may be slightly lengthy as I haven't posted since before my treck to Maine last Friday!

We finally arrived in Maine at 10pm on Friday night after the car ride from you know what... !  We literally hit EVERY possible traffic jam in the state of CT and MA. I have many dear friends in the state of CT, but I would like to keep them safe and knock the state off the map as EVERY single time I drive through it, I hit some sort of traffic back-up that seems to have no cause. 

Thankfully, my dear friend Valentine made a kick ass play list consisting of everything from Papa was a Rollin' Stone to  Nelly's Country Grammer. It kept us occupied and MOSTLY postitive until we arrived at our "destination" (hahah- Val).

 

My first cup of coff in Maine :) My parent's have the BEST mugs at their beach house (where we stayed) ,and I felt like this one was a perfect choice to kick of a weekend of rest and R&R.

Breakfast courtesy of LL. She was the house breakfast chef for the weekend :)

Beach Art.

Our first day in Maine was a beach day, and the perfect beach day at that. There was no humidity, a nice breeze, and clear blue sky. I get SO antsy just sitting on the beach. I need something to occupy my mind or body. Once I had made it through the two mags I brought, I decided it was time to refine my skimboarding skills. My Dad and I purchased a skim board a few summers ago, and had an awesome (hysterical!) time trying to master the art. I had an equally interesting time as I made a second attempt at getting it down. I was secretly hoping  some kid on the beach would take pitty on me and come and teach me the secret of the skim. No such luck.

So, I kind of got it! Check out that form! The shirt had to go on as I was wearing a strapless bathing suit top when I started and had a moment of overexposure on one of my (many) falls! OOPS!

Check out some bloopers:

Ouch.

Check out the onlooker's face (and mine!) !

I had a blast; however ,when I woke up the next morning every muscle in my body was sore! I guess it was a workout(or I'm getting old and the old bod can't take the rough falls anymore.) After the beach, we hit up the grocery store to prepare a feast for dinner in the cottage.

 

Cedar plank salmon

Oysters! Le-La shucked them for us :) I deem her the shucking queen.

Check out this oyster. Looks like a whale, right?! He was definitely a "shower not a grower" haha. When we opened up his shell, he was the smallest out of any of the oysters! Lesson learned: don't judge a book by it's cover, or an oyster by it's shell!

Guess which one was "the whale"?!

I apologize for the bad pic quality.  I present to you our feast: corn, steamers, oysters, mango salsa, cedar plank salmon, steak, and VINO!

How cute is this? One of my parent's friends gave this to them, and we were obsessed with it.

Clearly obessesed. What the F?! 

We walked the Marginal Way, which is a scenic cliff walk a little over a mile.

We went to Kennebunk and had lobstah rolls at The Clam Shack which was a Food Wars winner.

Get in my belly.

Happy girl after my lobster roll and clams!

We went on a boat ride (aka cocktail cruise).

My pretty little Greek.

After the boat cruise, we went to dinner at Joshua's, which is one of my favorite restaurants in Wells. We chatted up the waitress and we were able to meet the chef!

Our dinners were great too, but I have to run and can't locate the pics! If you are ever in Wells, do yourself a favor and make a reservation at Joshua's.

As all vacations do, Monday morning our girls getway came to an end. :( booo hooo. We hopped in the car and headed back to NYC. We stopped to see my mama and dad on the way home and feasted on a fab brunch! Thanks, Lynnie!

 

Baked eggs! There were many other delightful indulgences as well, but I didn't take photos :( Woops.

Ok, kids- that's it for my Maine adventures. I could have written so much more about our time, but I would be here all day! Check back later today as I have more to share from the past week. If you don't stop by until next week, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and SAFE Labor Day weekend.

xo

Sarah

 

 

 

I'm a Maine-iac!

Hi my little bloggy followers :)

Happy Friday! Yippee! So, today's post is going to be quick because I'm heading out in a few for a weekend getaway in Maine with two of my girlfriends!

I'll catch ya up on yesterday as there were a couple exciting things that occurred throughout my day! 

This made my day.

As many of my friends know, my territory for work is primarily the Bronx. I'll say up front, the Bronx gets a bad wrap. Sure, there are some not so great sections (like everywhere!), but there are some wonderful areas as well. In my opinion, one thing that makes the Bronx very special is their abundance of nail salons. Every street has about 5 salons (2 of which are probably adjacent to each other!) and because there is so much competition, the pricing is VERY competitive. You can get a mani/pedi at most salons for 19.99 on any given day. I have been trying to be smarter about my spending (I will post my strategies in a later post), so I wrestled with paying the 45 dollars plus tip it would cost me to get my nails did in Jersey City. When I walked by this salon yesterday, I hopped right in. I'm happy I did because it was one of the best mani/pedis I have EVER had. Ladies, I know like me your favorite part of the pedi process is when they give your calves and feet a nice rub down. I get angry when they skimp on the massage portion of the program. Well, let me say they rubbed my legs FOREVER! It was awesome. Question: To ensure the pedi person knows how much I love the massage I usually drop my magazine and close my eyes so that they see I like it and keep going. Does anyone else do this? hahaha. Hey-maybe the cheese stands alone, but I've found the tactic to get me a few extra minutes!

Check out the chairs. Only in the boogie down Bronx would you see mani chairs covered in cheetah print! Fabulous.

Lunch: Salmon wrap (salmon from dinner the night before!) on spelt and sprouted grain tortilla with power greens and fancy champagne mustard. Delish. I also had some sliced (and salted!) veggies on the side.

 

Then this happened...couldn't get through the day without my fresh "green" juice. This one had all green veggies, beets, heirloom tomato, and a shot of flaxseed oil. Darn good.

Random gifts from one of my customers! Hahahahah. Check out that pink diamond! I told PJ he was out of luck as I had unfortunately already been spoken for :) I think these gift were perhaps originally for the individual's granddaughter.  It gave me a good giggle for sure. **NOTE** Check out that manicure. Did I mention I only paid 20 bucks for a mani/pedi?!

Random: I knit (I more knit just long strips aka scarves) and this cute little spot just opened up at the end of my block! Awesome!

Last night I took a phenomenal yoga class, enjoyed a little sushi with my man, and hit the hay.

As I write this post, I am following the news of the shooting that just occurred at the Empire State Building. My heart goes out to those wounded/killed and I am thankful my city friends are safe and sound.



xo

Sarah

Fricos and Freakos

Howdy!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far! Mine has been pretty fantastic as work weeks go :)  Unfortunately, the new power cord I JUST purchased for my mac over the weekend mysteriously stopped charging my computer! Therefore, I am back to using  my backup dinosaur computer that takes five minutes (slight exaggeration...slight!) to open an internet window! Major bummer. I am so spoiled with my glorious mac ! :)

Last evening after I did a little bit of yoga, I made a fantastic dinner and watched The Newsroom, which PJ and I are really loving. I personally like how they chronicle real, recent events but add in the drama and love connection aspect that I am totally guilty of needing in a series. Anywho, the dinner I made was Fig and Frico Prociutto Salad adapted (snagged!) from Iowa Girl Eats. I love her site and her recipes. She is creative and inventive with her recipes (which I am not and don't care to be at this point). and her food photography is fab.

Fresh sweet figs, salty prosciutto, and a sweet and rich fig vinaigrette. Oh, and don't forget the "frico". :)

I ate this as my entrée, so hidden under those greens are a bunch of lentils, and I sprinkled some lentils over the salad. PJ had this as his appy, and then I made him some grilled chick chick and lentils! :) His favorite part of the whole salad was the "frico" which is just browned parmesan cheese. He asked if I had perhaps made about "12 more". I told him he was a "freako" and to get lost! haha. I would HIGHLY recommend this recipe without the lentils as a lunch entrée or an app, or with the lentils for a more filling entrée.

Today was a very busy day at work, so breakfast was a green juice from my fave juice bar (Jersey City peeps if you haven't gone yet - GO!), a kind bar, and a nanner. I didn't eat lunch until 2:30 which is VERY late for me so I chowed down on some Italian at Patricia's which is one of my favorite restaurants in the Bronx where I work. I enjoyed a yummy flatbread Margherita pizza which I split with a coworker, and I had a side salad with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, olives, and some other yummies. I couldn't take a pic; it would have been too awkward at a working lunch dontcha think?!

When I got home from work, I plopped on the couch and all I really wanted to do was watch re-runs of Keeping up with the Kardashians (guilty pleasure), but I decided to do a little yoga to calm down and stretch out after a crazy day.  I don't work out everyday nor do I plan on it, but whenever I give myself a little kick to do yoga I NEVER regret it. I always feel more grounded, patient, and appreciative. I don't necessarily get that same inner peace from The Kardashians (well,sometimes I do haha)!

They always have awesome shoes.

ANYWAYS! I wasn't starving tonight, so I made a kale and salmon salad and drizzled it with the leftover fig dressing from last night's din din! Fab!

Totally hit the spot. I'm hungry again though so it's snacky time soon!

Something to think about:

Today I spent the day working one on one with a co-worker. Over lunch, we were discussing career development and how it is ultimately YOUR responsibility to take charge of YOUR career. Nobody cares about *you* like *you* do. The conversation really got me thinking. The expectation that you can sit back painting your toe nails and hope that a fairy will  drop in and deliver you a promotion, a new position, or the answer to your career uncertainty in most cases will get you nowhere. Frankly, it is cowardly (hey, I'm guilty of this mentality to some degree, too!)  You have to put one foot in front of the other and open each door in front of you; check out what's in there! Maybe you want to go on in and hang out for a while, or maybe not? You have to investigate what interests you and get in touch with your ultimate truth- what will make YOU happy and complete YOUR life?What I'm saying here isn't just applicable to career related matters but to other events in your life as well.

Something to make you giggle:  Ice Cubes : CHECK OUT THE COMMENTS! Hysterical :)

Something that makes ME smile:

XO

Sarah

Fancy Pants

Oh, hey there!

I hope everyone had a great Monday! Mine was fairly uneventful. I had plans to hit up a yoga class after work today,but I ended up taking a little siesta(oops!) and instead settled for a yoga today class. It was a quick 30 min flow, but it was just what I needed!

A couple random things from today:

Does your dog love sleeping in piles of laundry? Mine sure does! :) I take it as a compliment; he must enjoy my scent (or stench haha!).

I also noticed that we have an absurd amount of IPAD's in our apartment. Don't worry, we aren't running an underground IPAD theft business.

Perhaps the most exciting things that happened today was getting locked out of my apartment in THESE pajama pants. My momma bought them for me years ago and they happen to be my favorite pair. They used to have a matching shirt (a little much), but I decided the pants were enough on their own. PJ HATES them. Every time I put them on he frowns and says something that I can't post on this blog. I have been locked out of the apartment a few too many times, and I just couldn't bear the thought of going to my doorman,tail between my legs, and ask for the key AGAIN. Instead, I practiced forearm stands in my hallway!

Not me, but this is what I'm working on! PJ's first question when he returned home to let me in was if anyone saw me in the pants :)

For dinner tonight I made , I made Barbecue Chicken Quinoa Salad which I adapted from Iowa Girl Eats. 

 

This recipe is actually a repeat for me. I have made it a couple of times, and PJ and I love it. You can have it on the table in literally 20 minutes. PJ hates quinoa, so I subbed in barley instead. I also included avocado, peppers, and scallions, and I added a little hot sauce to the barbecue dressing. The barbecue dressing is made simply with Chobani and barbecue sauce! So easy and delish :)

Discuss:
Is there anything you guys would like to see on the bloggy or any other burning questions you have for me?! Let me know and I'll do my best to include it!

I'm a firm believer that there is no time like the present to make a change in your life, but for many people Monday is they day they like to start a new. Here is a quote that I think gives great perspective to how we view (or choose not to view) our eating habits.  

 

“And dieting, I discovered, was another form of disordered eating, just as anorexia and bulimia similarly disrupt the natural order of eating. "Ordered" eating is the practice of eating when you are hungry and ceasing to eat when your brain sends the signal that your stomach is full. ... All people who live their lives on a diet are suffering. If you can accept your natural body weight and not force it to beneath your body's natural, healthy weight, then you can live your life free of dieting, of restriction, of feeling guilty every time you eat a slice of your kid's birthday cake.”
Portia De Rossi's Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain

Amen.

XO

Sarah

Weekend Warrior

HI!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend :) Mine was definitely packed full of social activities, all of which were very fun! Today I'm draggin' a bit and frankly all I can think about is crawling into my freshly washed sheets with my doggy and my honey .

Yesterday, I kicked off the day with a yoga class and then headed into Queens for a friend's 30th birthday!  PJ couldn't come because he had to work an event in Jersey City. The poor guy has worked the past seven days in a row. Womp, Womp.

The beautiful birthday girl and I!

Katie and I (my bff and the birthday girl's sis)- Pardon my demon eyes.

The bar didn't have a kitchen, but they allowed Katie and Colleen to bring food in. They created a beautiful spread if I do say so myself.

nom.nom.nom

If I could live off only two foods they would be deviled eggs and macaroons.

You all know I love any excuse to substitute Chobani in my cooking. Here is a perfect example of how you can keep the flavor and texture of your fave rich foods without the fat and calories! Colleen made this veggie dip using Chobani and a premixed dip seasoning! Easy peasy lemon squeezie!  I will definitely be snagging this dip tip (hehe).

More yummies. The goat cheese stuffed dates were amazing.

A drink spilled in the shape of a heart! So strange, right?

Then we all got hungry again and moved the party to a great restaurant in Astoria called Vesta. I didn't take many pics, but this pizza was amazeballs.

Today was a pretty standard Sunday. I did my menu planning for the week and hit up the grocery store. Oh, and I just HAD to stop and grab a fresh,green juice from DOCO on my way home :)

A couple of things to discuss:

1. When and how do you plan out your meals for the week? I personally find that sitting down on Saturday or Sunday and picking out three or four recipes that are simple, healthful, and delish keeps me from A) stressing out daily about what to throw together for dinner, B) making frequent trips to the grocery store, and C) leaves me no excuse to rummage through the take out menus!

2. I did a little experiment today. For the past two and a half years I have been ordering my groceries from Fresh Direct.

I love the convenience of being able to grocery shop in my pjs with a cup of coffee next to me. It also has made the grocery shopping/menu planning process SO much quicker. I simply search whatever ingredient I need for a particular recipe and with the click of a button it is in my virtual shopping cart! They have AMAZING produce, great seafood, and any ingredient you could find at an actual grocery store. They also have foods for specific diets (kosher, vegan, vegetarian) and they even have an extensive wine/beer selection. You can search thousands of recipes on their site and all the ingredients will go directly into your cart! I am a big fan, can ya tell? Anyways, yesterday I got to busy to menu plan and order groceries, so today I went old school and headed to the market. I figured it would be a good way to measure if I would actually be saving myself a couple of bucks if I physically went to the store. WRONG. I spent more money at the store, had to go to two separate stores because certain products I can only find at small, organic markets (and on Fresh Direct!) , and I had to schlep all the bags up to my apartment. I'm being a tad dramatic about the schlepping as my building does have an elevator, but the process was still strenuous! I am going back to Fresh Direct!

Do any of you order your groceries? Thoughts?

Tonight, I made eggplant rollatini which I adapted from Giada De Laurentiis. PJ loves this dish, and I have never made it so I figured I would give it a go. I don't generally gravitate towards dishes like eggplant parm, chicken parm, or lasagna which is why I don't have experience cooking these staple Italian dishes. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making the rollatini and "taste testing" as I went along. I think I may have over taste tested because by the time the dish came out of the oven I didn't even want to eat it. You know that feeling?  I couldn't stop thinking about veggies and chicken so that is what I had instead :) I will definitely be having the leftovers of my Italian masterpiece one night this week!

I also made these Detox Blonde Macaroons adapted from Oh She Glows. I have been wanting to make these for a while as I have never seen a recipe for macaroons that didn't include dairy. The recipe for these little bites intrigued me. The verdict: DELISH. The only issue I had was making the coconut butter. I processed the coconut exactly how the recipe recommended, but mine never turned into butter. I added a little almond milk to provide moisture, but it didn't really do anything. Despite the coconut butter snafu, the cookies still tasted fabulous. I had three just to make sure they were good:) I will definitely be making these again!

Ok, kids. Time to call it a night. I'm going to go hang with my little family. Sleep well! xo

Sarah