Yesterday I felt like I was kicking ass and taking names.  I crossed a bunch of things off of my To Do list.  I ran errands.  I took a spin class and went out to dinner with friends.

Today was a completely different story…

After running yesterday’s errands that forced me to crisscross my Boston neighborhood and a strenuous spin class, I ordered a chicken sandwich from b.good.

I had leftover frozen yogurt for dessert.  Miles waited patiently so he could lick the bowl when I finished.

I went out to dinner at Pops Restaurant.

I enjoyed a glass of Gruener Veltiner while sitting at the bar, waiting for my dinner to arrive.

I ordered Butternut Squash ravioli with goat cheese beignets.  I had ordered this before and loved it so I knew it was a wise dinner decision.

My great day ended when I watched the latest episode of the Bachelor and then read blogs while relaxing in bed.

I woke up early this morning and knew something was a little off.

Despite the lack of food in my stomach, I was sick for hours.  Once I was able to leave the bathroom, I spent my day sleeping on the couch, sipping on lemonade, and trying to take a few bites of a bowl of oatmeal.  Miserable!

I was barely able to put a dent in this huge bowl of oatmeal.

The snow continued to fall so it was nice to stay warm inside.

Jared bought some tomato vegetable soup for me to eat for dinner.  I appreciate his care and concern during my crazy sickness, including putting blankets on my so I could sleep on the couch and placing a large bowl beside me just in case.

Oh what a difference a day makes!  I can’t wait until tomorrow when I’m feeling back to normal.  Fingers crossed.

I fell in love with NYC’s Le Pain Quotidien.  In fact, during my 3 day trip, I ate there twice.

One giant cup of Cafe au Lait please!

I was also obsessed with the Tartines, petite open faced sandwiches that made the most delicious and filling lunches both times I dined.

Natalie enjoyed the Ricotta tartine; she said it was really delicious.  I had the chicken salad tartine special and this turkey tartine topped with tomatoes, sprouts, and avocados.  Both were tasty!

Jesse ordered a cup of Belgian Hot Chocolate.

He received a cup of frothed milk and a small pitcher of melted chocolate to create his customized drink.

Look at the pretty design!  I didn’t try a sip, but he claimed it was really good.

Le Pain Quotidien was a great spot to grab a quick and affordable meal.  Plus the cozy French decor and communal table made it a great place to escape from the cold outside.

When I’m back in New York, I’ll probably go back to grab a giant cup of Cafe au Lait.

And I’ll probably order a yummy tartine too.

When I finally rolled out of bed (I slept A LOT later than everyone else in the house), I had a cup of coffee and a raisin bagel.

I spent some time repacking and organizing my crap stuff that I spread all around Jared’s family’s formal living room.

Nothing beats curling up with a good book!

I spent some time reading Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter.  It wasn’t long before my eyes were heavy and a nap was necessary.

Jared’s parents grabbed burgers for lunch.

Ooo, crinkle cut fries!

Once my greasy cheeseburger digested, I tried to accomplish an at-home workout.

Going for time rather than reps, I made a list of several exercises and then performed each one for a minute.  I went through the circuit twice.  My workout included:

• Squats
• Front Lifts (holding a medium exercise ball)
• Push Ups
• Crunches
• Plank
• Jog in place
• (a few other random exercises that I can’t remember)

Jared and I met his HS buddy for dinner at the Owl House.  It’s a casual spot in Rochester that offers many vegetarian and gluten-free menu options.

I was obsessed with this cute owl graphic!

We waited 30 minutes for a table.  It was a comfortable and easy wait; there were plenty of seats at the bar.

I enjoyed a glass of “Irony” Pinot Noir while we waited.

Once we were seated, the 3 of us split an appetizer.  We ordered Cigarillos, buffalo spiced chicken & cheddar, wrapped in flour tortillas, fried crisp, and served with Bleu Cheese.  This was also available with vegan substitutes.

After a very heavy lunch, I wanted to keep my dinner on the simple side.  I ordered the Matty’s Moustache  sandwich: warm Brie, apple, pear, red onion, and baby arugula on grilled sourdough bread.  I had field greens on the side.

Jared and I made a pit stop at Wegman’s.  Even though I had only spent one day in Rochester, Jared was hoping I’d been converted and would cheer for the local teams.  Sorry Buffalo Bills and Sabres.  I still love the Patriots and the Bruins. 

We made plans to spend the evening relaxing in the hot tub with a few friends.

I was a little nervous to go outside in my bathing suit.  Especially with so much snow surrounding the hot tub!

Yikes!  Running across the snow covered deck was COLD.

Once I made it in the hot tub, I was content.  The water was warm and soothing. I had a glass of red wine and good company.  The ultimate relaxation – until I had to leave the hot tub to run back inside.

*So what do you think, was I healthy or unhealthy?*

I don’t think I made the best food decisions, but it could’ve been worse.  I enjoyed a few glasses of wine, but didn’t over imbibe.  I spent a lot of time focused on rest and relaxation.  But I also spent 20 minutes exercising and getting the best workout possible given my surroundings.  I can’t live every day this; that wouldn’t be healthy.  But since I’m still on Christmas Vacation, I’d say I did ok.

I love going out to brunch.  To me, brunching means sleeping late, ordering a delicious meal, chatting with friends and trying to remember the shenanigans of the night before, and sipping on an alcoholic beverage to cure the hangover.

For our brunch at Aquitaine, we started with a round of Mimosas for the table.

There were lots of tasty options available.

The waitstaff was great about topping off our mugs of coffee.

I was starving and anxiously awaited our meals’ arrivals.  I warned my dining companions that I’d be snapping lots of photos.

Jared was sitting to my right.  He ordered Eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon, Hollandaise & parsley, and brunch potatoes

I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast food.  I enjoyed a Croque Monsieur with smoked ham and Gruyere on my Parisian pressed sandwich with Tarragon mustard, watercress and Pommes Frites.  It was delicious!  The Taragon mustard was served on the side so I was able to dip my frites and apply a small amount to my sandwich.

Our friend sitting to my left ordered an Omelette de la Maison with bacon, tomatoes, and Gruyere cheese.

Boston has lots of great brunch spots.  I love going to Aquitaine‘s South End location because it’s conveniently located, I love the French bistro decor, and the food never disappoints.

I love eating oatmeal for breakfast when it’s cold out.

And I LOVE this package that the folks at Quaker sent to me:

• Gaiam yoga mat
• alarm clock
• breakfast bowl
• spoon
• cloth napkin
• 2 boxes of Banana Walnut instant oatmeal
• 2 boxes of Apple Cranberry Almond instant oatmeal
• Bob Harper’s Yoga Warrior DVD
• tote bog
• mini-notebook
• pen
• 2 coupons for more yummy oatmeal

I’m so excited to roll out of bed tomorrow morning (especially now that my heat has been fixed), make bowl of oatmeal, and then get energized for the day with Bob Harper’s yoga DVD.

Would you like to win your own Quaker Oatmeal prize pack?!?!

To Enter:

Just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite oatmeal flavor combination.

*This contest will run until Sunday morning.  I will randomly select one winner on Sunday, November 14, 2010.*

If I had the talent, I’d make my blueberry muffins from scratch.  But for right now, a box of whole grain muffin mix is as homemade as it’s gonna get.

The freshest wild Maine blueberries always come in a tin can.

After blending the muffin mix, eggs, oil, and water, everything was ready to go.

I carefully filled 9 “flower pots” with muffin mix and then added 1 tablespoon of sugary topping to each muffin.

Wanna lick the bowl?  (I didn’t; raw eggs are scary!)

After 25ish minutes of baking, my blueberry muffins were piping hot and ready to be enjoyed.  Once cool, I kept the muffin pots covered with a towel and the muffins lasted almost a week.  Now the empty pots are sitting in the sink, waiting to be rinsed and tossed in the dishwasher.

I’ve proved can bake some kick ass muffins if I use a mix.  Perhaps I should live a little and try to make the entire recipe on my own.   It’s on my “To Do” list.

Today I chowed down like I was at an Italian feast.  Pizza, pasta, red sauce…

I had 2 slices of apple banana bread for breakfast.  Maybe not Italian, but I have one loaf left and it needs to be eaten.

What’s up now?!?!  Since I was stuck inside studying nutrition, I decided to do a facial while I was hitting the books.  (And judging by my smirk, I was imagining that I was a total bad ass while snapping my own photo.)

My studying setup included my laptop, nutrition book, exam, and answer sheet.  I accomplished a lot today!

Did studying make me crazy?  Or was this another idea for a Halloween costume? 

I had leftover linguine and meatballs for lunch.

I added some spinach to the mix.  After a few minutes in the microwave, my leftovers were reheated and the fresh spinach was wilted.  Mmm, what a tasty meal!

For the first time in months, I made it to the South End Athletic Company to join in on the Run Club fun.  SEAC’s Thursday night runs always involve a track workout.  We jogged 1 mile to a track in the Fens.  Then our group ran 3 x 200 with an easy jog in between each fast run.  There was a huge group of runners, maybe 35 people?!?!, so it took a while to do all of the drills.  The drills included lunges, long jumps, the Frankenstein walk, and running backwards.  The workout ended with one final lap around the track, fast on the straightaways and slow around the curves.

One mile jog back to the store and then it was time to celebrate SEAC‘s first birthday.  I really wanted a new pair of sneakers, but they weren’t in the cards this week.  No money in the budget.  I guess I have 1 item on my Christmas list already.  It was fun to snack, drink, and chat with runners, running enthusiasts, and SEAC’s owners Dan and Justin.  So glad the store is doing well after one year of business!

Even though Jared threw down 2 pieces of cake at SEAC’s birthday party, I insisted on having dinner when we got home.

Pizza is heavenly!  Some carbs (the dough), protein (cheese), vegetables (tomatoes), and fat (cheese and oil).  I swear by the Upper Crust‘s Harvard Square pizza.  I think I could eat it at least once a week and still feel the love with each and every bite.

For dessert, I sipped on a Harvest Moon beer and enjoyed its flavors of fall: pumpkin, clover, nutmeg, and allspice.

A nice cold beer is the only way to watch TV these days.  How else you can tune out all of the obnoxious political ads that are running nonstop through early next week?!?!

I woke up this morning, determined to document every single bite of food I ate today.  But I after I burnt out from studying all afternoon, that plan went out the window.  So here’s 75% of what I ate today! (And I can’t blog about exercise because there just wasn’t time!)

I ate two three slices of apple banana bread for breakfast.

My mom’s homemade banana bread, sometimes with apples and sometimes with nuts, is always delicious.  No matter what variation my mom bakes, I can’t get enough.  My mom has a few go-to recipes that she nails every time she cooks.  Lasagna, apple pie, banana bread… Mmm!

I ran an errand and grabbed an ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts as an afternoon study aide.

Medium French Vanilla ice coffee with skim milk and 2 Equals!  Why hello Study Buddy!

The caffeine made me a little bit jittery.  But it gave me the energy to get a lot accomplished.  I spent a few hours answering questions for my AFPA Nutrition and Wellness certification exam.  I have a few more days to answer the exam questions and then I’ll have to wait 2 weeks for the results.  If I pass, who knows what will I’ll use my certification for?!?!  No matter what I do with it, I’ve enjoyed reading the material and learned a lot about health and wellness.

I took a late afternoon lunch break and made a huge, healthy salad to ease my hunger pains.

My salad contained:

• spinach
• couscous
• cucumbers
• broccoli
• feta cheese
• balsamic salad dressing

Since I finished my lunch at the same time as I finished answering questions about fats in the diet, I felt the need to end my meal with sweet treat.  Milano cookies?  Works for me!  Gotta have a balanced diet and include foods from every part of the food pyramid.

At least the sugar high helped me get through the rest of my studying.  But that’s also why I lost my photography steam.  Too many hours thinking about food and wellness and everything in between.

Jared and I met Matt and Natalie for dinner at one of our local favorites, Anchovies.  I enjoyed a few pieces of friend mozzarella as a appetizer.  Before my meal arrived, I also devoured a side salad with creamy Italian dressing.  Dinner was simple; linguine and meatballs.  I ate 1/2 of my dinner and brought the rest home.  The four of us also split 2 bottles of Sangiovese.  Excellent red wine!

Now I’m relaxing at home, writing tomorrow’s To Do list which will definitely include a workout since I’m getting a little stir crazy from sitting and answering exam questions for such a long time.

I didn’t have an extremely busy week.  But since I knew my boyfriend had been working hard, I was ready to join him in a weekend filled with R&R.  Sometimes being healthy requires drinking some red wine and chilling on the couch.  Plus since our vacation ended, I’ve tried to tighten the budget.  I’ve been thinking of ways to save money, even if that means having fun around the apartment rather than going out and about.

Before we went to Disney World, I left my job.  I was so unhappy and stressed out; I wasn’t earning a lot.  It wasn’t worth it!  I was tired of being upset, frustrated with myself and hurt by things that were said to me at work.  So I gave my notice, survived those last 2 weeks, and then took off on a nice vacation.

Now that I’m back at home, I’m looking for new employment, carefully sorting through job openings.  I have never worked at a job that I loved.  I really want to begin a career, cultivate my passions, and work towards accomplishing my life goals!

I’m also pursuing my writing.  Finally using that English degree I earned in 2006!  I have my first freelance assignment lined up and I’ve been brainstorming article ideas.

So yes, Jared and I laid low this weekend: housework, walked the dog, watched District 9, hung out with friends, cooked meatballs and drank wine, and watched football.

Plus there were homemade waffles!

Even though I won’t be getting up and going to work tomorrow, I’m very excited for Monday to arrive.  I’m happier and more motivated than I was all summer.  I’ve been trying to come up with a list of things to accomplish this week:

• Write 3 articles
• Study nutrition (I’m SO close to earning my Nutrition and Wellness Consultant certificate)
• Contact my alma mater’s career services department
• Visit my parents
• Dogsit
• Laundry/ironing
• Prep for a party that we’re hosting next weekend
• Cook 1 or 2 new recipes

and what I’ve been thinking about since I finished the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon…

• Running (no race to train for yet, but I’m looking for my next challenge!)

*I hope you’re ready to conquer your week!*

My Birthday Week is over.  Seven lovely days of small presents and fun events.  My final birthday gift was a stuffed bunny.

1. Pumpkin scented soap
2. Apron
3. Bracelet
4. Tickets to Wicked
5. Candle
6. French cookbook and cafe music
7. Bunny!

The bunny was my absolute favorite gift!  So cute and snuggly soft.

I owe Jared so many thank yous for making my 27th birthday extra special.  His little gifts from the heart gave my birthday so much meaning.  Year #27 started off with so many smiles.

This morning we headed to Beacon Hill to have brunch at a friend’s apartment.

It was 80 degrees and I was sweating profusely, but there’s no way to deny that Fall is still here.

Our brunch was delicious: Mimosa, pecan rolls, pancakes with chocolate raspberry spread and fresh whipped cream, and bacon.

Brunch aftermath: I guess we all thought it was a delicious meal.

Everyone fell into a post-brunch coma.  So much food and so many mimosas.

It was nice to relax after the meal.  We took time to digest and had fun hanging out.  (And Ranch flavored dental floss?!?!  Eww!  Not my idea of a freshly cleaned mouth.  Haha.)

I couldn’t spend the whole day sitting inside and talking.  It was great to wander through Beacon Hill, the Common, and the Gardens.

I enjoyed the nice weather and snapped lots of photos.

Jared and I ended up at the Pru and we decided to buy dinner before walking home.

I ordered a “naked” taco salad from Qdoba, a taco salad served sans-tortilla bowl with ground sirloin, lettuce, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and Ranch dressing.  I thought it was tasty, until it came back to haunt me.

An hour after eating, Jared and I decided to head out for a 5 mile run.  I barely made it through 3 miles.  I needed to get home FAST because the taco salad was wreaking havoc on my digestive system. I was really disappointed to cut the run short because belly issues aside, I was feeling fantastic.  Slow and steady…getting myself psyched up for next week’s Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon.

I think there will be time to run tomorrow night.  Plus I have some last minute workouts planned later in the week, to go along with packing and other vacation prep work.  I’ve been so distracted with celebrating my birthday and living my life that I almost forgot my race and my Disney vacation.