I Wore it Twice!

Good Evening!!!

I hope you all had an easier time than I did getting out of bed this morning! This is my first official week back at work after a very long vacation, and I think my system is slightly in shock! At least there will always be coffee, right?



PJ and I had friends from Boston stay with us this weekend, so needless to say it was a busy and friend filled weekend. We enjoyed some great food, both in Jersey City and in NYC. I'm happy to say that we changed things up a bit and headed to Brooklyn for dinner on Saturday night. We went to Building on Bond , which is located in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn. The food was fantastic, and we all loved the restaurant decor. Our walk to the restaurant was pretty spectacular as well since it was dark, and we could see into all the fancy Brooklyn brownstones. In a previous post, I divulged my secret hobby ( not so secret anymore!) of peeking into people's windows and checking out their digs! Well, Brooklyn definitely rose to one of my top creepin' locations after our Saturday evening stroll. The illuminated interiors of these brownstones featured gorgeous crown molding and detailed ceilings, as well as built in floor to ceiling book cases! I  love old homes and condos that have these features; I think that the intricate details add unsurpassed character to these buildings. With all that said, I'm still a creep who likes to snoop in people's windows.



What I wore...

GRRRRR this red-eye situation drives me bonkers. I don't even have software on my MAC to correct it! Please bear with me :) Anyways, the reason I'm posting this pic is to share with you my first "wear and repeat" of 2013! Woop, Woop!  I have to say, it was difficult not purchasing a new frock for my Saturday night out! There are sales everywhere right now, and I was beginning to justify my purchasing something new by telling myself that I'd be "snagging a deal".  While I probably could have purchased something unworn and inexpensive to wear,  I stuck with my decision to wear and repeat. I reminded myself that the objective of recycling clothing was not just to save money, but also to get over this "must have new ensemble for photos" obsession. Vanity at its best (or worst!). I wore the top in the photo above to a birthday dinner a month back, and I absolutely adore it. The first time I wore it, I accessorized with a chunky necklace. Saturday night, I wore a fabulous headband with a feather flower detail.

Flashback to December :0 )

I will continue to post pics of my "wear and repeats". As far as progress goes on my other  New Years goals, I'm happy to report that I've greatly improved my timeliness over the past week! I've reduced the number of activities that I would typically try to squeeze into a time period, and I've also been planning my days out more efficiently. For example, instead of making my lunch in the morning when I'm under a time crunch, I put my lunch together after dinner for the following day. My Mom made a great point with regards to making the following day's lunch after dinner. She said that the kitchen is already cluttered after preparing dinner, so why make a new mess in the morning to clean up? In addition to simplifying my morning routine, I find that my lunches are much more creative when I make them at night rather than in the morning. This is probably because  in the morning my tastebuds are screaming for coffee and oatmeal, not kale and tuna.

This picture does today's lunch concoction no justice, but it was so delish that I had to share. I made a salad out of lentils, roasted golden and red beets(leftover from last night's beet salad-more to come on that!), peppers, artichokes, kale, chopped pistachios, almonds, and pomegranate seeds. I drizzled it with a homemade vinaigrette. I would encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to constructing a salad. A salad doesn't have to be your basic lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and carrot combo; I personally find that using only vegetables in my salad leaves me just as hungry as when I started eating. Canned artichokes and beets, capers, beans, lentils,quinoa, barely, nuts, seeds, and fruits often get overlooked as fantastic and filling salad ingredients. You don't need a recipe! Throw in whatever you have on hand, and you may just create a new favorite lunch or dinner dish! I'd also like to add that this photo makes the salad look itty bitty, which I can assure you, it was not.

Yesterday's lunch. Quinoa, edamame, chopped kale, fresh beets, pine nuts, peppers, scallions, and vinaigrette.

For my homemade dressing, I typically use an empty mustard or caper jar and make a batch of dressing using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, chopped garlic (chopped big just for flavoring...don't want to be chomping on garlic cloves!), salt and pepper. I sometimes add a dash of maple syrup or agave to cut down the acidity. I store the dressing jar in the fridge, and take it with me in my lunch box each day that I need it. Trick from Mom.

Let's talk about the amazing beet salad I made last night that I found on Mind Body Green. It was so pretty to look at; the gold and red beets sprinkled with green pistachios was an amazing color combo. Oh, and this salad tasted just as good as it looked! It was a piece of cake to put together (which I love!), and PJ and I both loved the variation to our typical dinner salad.

Roasted Beets and Pistachios over Lemony Greek Yogurt

Roasted Beets & Pistachios Over Lemony Greek Yogurt
By Sudhir Kandula

Beets are replete with folate, iron, and Vitamin A. This salad is a visually brilliant and absolutely delicious dish that just happens to be incredibly healthy as well.

Roasted Beets & Pistachios Over Lemony Greek Yogurt

Total Prep Time: 60 minutes
Active Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
2 bunches – red beets
1 bunch – golden beets
2 cups Greek yogurt (FAGE)
½ cup roasted pistachios
½ cup Marcona almonds
½ cup pomegranate seeds
1 lemon
Good olive oil
Salt & pepper
Directions

Roast beets separately at 450 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cool, peel and dice into bite-sized pieces. Don’t put them in the same bowl as the red beets tend to bleed!

Dress the beets with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mix lemon juice, a pinch of salt and the yogurt in a bowl.

Coarsely chop the almonds and pistachios.

On a large plate, spoon the lemony yogurt as a base, layer red beets first, then the yellow beets.

Sprinkle chopped nuts and pomegranate seed.

Serve as a first course or a larger portion with a fresh baguette as a main course.

**Note: I cut this recipe in half to make 2-3 servings. Also, I drizzled the salad with the yogurt dressing instead of using it as a base.

I served the salad with monkfish ( Chicken for PJ) and lentils. Do yourself a favor and make this- you won't be disappointed!

In other news, I've been using my new juicer quite frequently! I'm still creating a bit more of a mess than I'd prefer, but I'm still learning. Today, I had to change my shirt and wipe down the walls after I'd completed the process. Juicing kind of makes me  feel like a little kid doing an art projet, and I really don't mind :)! Maybe I need a smock?  I made three juices today- two of which I froze for imbibing throughout the week.

Alright, kids.  I'm off to get some things done. I was hoping to do some yoga tonight before dinner, but I'm absolutely dragging this week! I guess that's what 3 weeks of vacation does to a gal. I'm going to make time for a 2o minute sesh to stretch out, but that's all I've got in me today :) !

Food for thought below :)

Be good to yourself.

xo

Sarah