Movin’ On Up

Conrad and I are moving into a new apartment in February. We are so excited. We live in a pre-war apartment right now, and it’s fine, but we are definitely movin’ on up. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken up singing The Jeffersons theme song since we signed the lease.

A couple months ago, I made a wish list of what I wanted in a new apartment.
1) located in Sunnyside
2) 2 bedrooms
3) an open kitchen, so that I can talk to guests/Conrad while cooking
4) room for a dining room table (we currently eat on the couch)
5) room in the bathroom for a cat genie
6) close to the farmers market

I didn’t think we would find anything that had all of the items on my wish list. Sunnyside is basically all pre-war apartments with the exact same layout…galley kitchen, small bathrooms. But somehow, we found an apartment that met all my “requirements”.  It also has a balcony and a roof deck, which is all kinds of fun.

Here are some pictures, which I copied from the Craigslist ad.

View from the roof, taken by Conrad

We found the place in December, and now we are just waiting till February to move in. The waiting has been a little rough, but now we are getting so close.

I just hope Enzo adjusts to the new place. He’s not very good with change.

Married.

A lot has happened in these last few months. I got married, started grad school, and have already finished my first semester. It took me over three months to sit down and sort through all the wedding photos…things have been a little busy.

Best Man Kevin drew our guest book tree. See our cat, Enzo, at the bottom?

Husband and wife.

Married fist bump.

Rooftop pictures.

Dancing.

Meatless Sunday and Meaty Monday

All weekend I had planned on making a new Filipino inspired chicken dish on Monday, not remembering that Monday was supposed to be MEATLESS! Conrad reminded me of this Sunday morning, and due to the fact that the chicken was still partially frozen and wasn’t ready to cook that night, we decided to move meatless Monday to Sunday and instead have a Meaty Monday.

Meatless Sunday: Kale and Mushrooms with Creamy Polenta  (from Epicurious)

*Photo via Epicurous, I was too hungry to take a picture

I left out the pancetta (to make it meatless) but added cherry tomatoes and poached eggs.  Ever since the diet ended, I have become obsessed with mushrooms, tomatoes, and poached eggs…I pretty much add them to every meal I can.  This was so good!  I think it would would be even better with pancetta.  I’d also like to try it using swiss chard instead of kale, since that is my preferred wilted green. (Kale is best enjoyed as Kale Chips, in my opinion).

Meaty Monday: Filipino inspired Chicken (from Kalyn’s Kitchen)

*Photo via Kalyn’s Kitchen.  Again…too hungry to take my own picture!

The sauce for this is garlicy and fantastic.  We made it with a side of sauteed snow peas, brocolli, and carrots.  We also had brown rice.  The chicken…well, we used chicken breast and I have always found that in these types of dishes, white meat dries out a lot.  I think if you use chicken (instead of pork, as the recipe uses) it might be better to skip the stewing part and just cook the chicken in a sautee pan.  I’m going to try that next time, I think it will eliminate the dryness factor.

To Do list

I have a few more things I can check off my wedding To Do list:

1)We finalized the photographer and are signing the contract this weekend, hopefully.  We are going with a friend from college, Jenai Talkington.  She is very talented and I am so excited to have her photograph the wedding!  We might even have a “photobooth” area, which will be so fun.

2)I think I found a place for my family to stay, which is such a relief.  They will be about 10 minutes away from me, and the place is very nice and affordable and really the ideal situation.

3)We more or less nailed down what songs we want to play for the processional, “exit”, first dance, etc.

I’m really happy because the wedding is turning out to be a big collaborative effort between friends and family, and I love that so many parts of my wedding are being executed by people I know and love.  My cousin Jenna is doing the cake, my friend Elliott is designing the invitations, my friend Kevin is drawing/creating the guestbook, my long-time family friend Patrick is officiating the ceremony, my friend Dana is helping me with my jewelry, my Grandma is going to help me put together the bouquets.  We have really tried to make the wedding about things we love, not the things you are “expected” to do, and I am so happy with how it’s turning out.   My only complaint is I wish it was sooner than October!

V-diet news, in case you are wondering:  The last 3 days have sucked.  I’ve been sticking to it 100%, but I have not been as positive/happy about it.  But I will keep on keeping on.  I just need to focus on the results I’m seeing, that I’m achieving a goal, blah blah blah so on and so forth.  HSM in 3 days, so that’s something to look forward too.

Keep Calm and Carry On

I decided to change the name of my blog.  The old name “It is what it is” was a phrase that originated in my college days.  Whenever I see it, it reminds me of the angst I felt during my early young adult years.  I am no longer a restless, despondent 20 year old, so I decided it was time for a change.

*Image and tote from Wisteria.com, but it doesn’t look like they sell them anymore.

Keep Calm and Carry On was an old forgotten war slogan that was rediscovered in 2000.  I first came across it on this tote bag around Christmas time, and I immediately took to the phrase (and the bag…Julie got it for me for my birthday and I use it pretty much every day).  Forget war slogan, it is now a life slogan and a reminder that things are okay, and life is good.

In other news, I’m loving this V-diet.  I’ve already lost an inch around my waist.  In 7 days.  Amazing.  And as a positive side affect, I’ve noticed I have become a lot more motivated and productive since the diet began.  I think it comes from a sense of accomplishment…I made a goal for myself and I am sticking to the goal and seeing results.

Apparently, producing results breeds productivity in other areas as well.  Last night I went on a cleaning and organizing spree, and the apartment has never looked better.  I finally put away my last box that remained from the move (it took nine months, but I am finally officially unpacked and moved in).  I would have unpacked it sooner, but I didn’t have a place to put the contents of my “office box”.  We found this beauty at a second hand store, and it is now our office cabinet:

Isn’t it lovely?  We technically won it in an auction, but we were the only bidders.  It is the first piece of furniture that Conrad and I have purchased together, and probably our only non-Ikea piece of furniture.  I love it.

The Beer Diet?

I know the V-Diet is a little crazy/intense, but at least I’m not doing The Beer Diet.   My favorite quote from the article was, “From time to time, if I have an appointment, I have to move my beers around”.

In other internet related news, my friend Sara introduced me to this blog .  Hilarious.  I think my two favorites are the ones about Martin Luther King and Home Depot.  It’s a tough call, though.  They are all pretty funny.

Today is Day Six, and I’m feeling great.  I am so excited for my Healthy Solid Meal on Saturday.  I had a dream about it last night…Conrad and I accidentally ate french fries. We both felt real bad about it afterward.

It was snowing when I left for work this morning, someone forgot to tell New York that today is April 1st.  As a result of the ridiculous weather we’ve been having these last few days, I have had to move my NEPA walks to the treadmill at the gym.  So on Wednesday I used my NEPA to catch up on the Holly Madison and Hugh Heffner drama (E! True Hollywood Story) and yesterday I watched Perfect Couples (<–this show makes me lol).  NEPA walks are my favorite.

The V-diet 3.0

So Conrad and I are doing this crazy diet.  It all started with Conrad making a list of things he wanted to do before he’s thirty, and the v-diet was one of those things.  I thought he was insane for wanting to go on a diet, since he is the leanest person I know, but I figured hey, why not?  I have a wedding coming up and this is something that we can do together for a month.  I think it would be to hard to do this alone.

The diet lasts 28 days, and then there is a 2 week transition period.  The gist of the diet is you drink 5-6 different shakes per day, and then you get 1 healthy solid meal (HSM) per week.  Yeah, like I said, crazy.  There is also a workout program that you have to do along with the diet.  People who 100% comply with the diet and work out plan lose between 10-20lbs.  In 28 days.  Yes please.  And the lbs you lose are all fat, as the program is designed to burn fat and increase muscle.  Win win win.

Well, we started the diet on Sunday, so today is day 4 of 28.  Conrad put a calendar on the fridge and we have been marking off each day with a big black marker.  Very satisfying .  Day 2 for me was the hardest so far, mostly because one of my meals was delayed and I spiraled down to a very bad place.  But yesterday and today I’ve been feeling energized and am generally excited about the whole thing.  I can smell food from a mile away now (including salad) and I fall asleep fantasizing about what I will eat for my HSM (I’m thinking Chicken Cacciatore), but other than that I’m doing alright.

I think my favorite things about the diet so far are the following:

1)In addition to the workouts, we have to increase our None Exercise Physical Activity (NEPA).  This means every night Conrad and I go on a 30-60 minute walk around the neighborhood.  It’s a nice time to talk, be outside, and explore.  We can walk around the neighborhood, or go into the city and walk around for an hour.  I absolutely love it!

2)This is a no thinking diet.  Even though it’s difficult not eating solid food, the diet itself is so easy.  I know exactly what I need for each meal and it takes about 30 seconds to prep.  I enjoy cooking, but I do have to say it is a nice break to not have to think about groceries or what I will be making for dinner.  My decision process regarding food has been reduced to  “Do I want chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla for breakfast?”.  Easy-peasy.

3)It’s forcing me to come up with ways to interact with people, as well as fill up my time that doesn’t involve eating and drinking.  For example, Conrad and I decided to take dance lessons this month.  It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while, and this month seemed like a good time to follow through.  And while Conrad and I are anticipating a more hermit like existence this month, we don’t want to give up on outside society all together.  So tonight I’m going to get coffee with Julie (black coffee is a-okay).  I’ve also made plans to ride bikes with my bike riding friends, when the weather is warmer of course.  I can go to the movies.  Do yoga with friends.  These are a few of the things I’ve come up with so far.  Does anyone have other none-eating-or-drinking, hanging out with friends ideas?  I’d love to hear them!

I’m hoping to update here semi-regularly on the progress of this diet.  I think writing about it is a good way to keep accountable.  Heavens knows this is going to get rough.  But hopefully the results are worth it!

 

 

Smoky Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potato Kale

Like a few people I know, Conrad and I are doing Meatless Mondays.  So far, it seems like Meatless Mondays could also be called Carb Overload Mondays…my go-to meatless dishes rely heavily on pastas and breads.  This week, I wanted to try something different.

We had fresh kale and sweet potatoes from our last CSA delivery.  I had homemade black beans and chicken stock in the freezer.  Put them all together, and you get Smoky Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potato Kale.

This recipe was good.  I thought the sweet potatoes were a little out of place, but they weren’t terrible.  Mostly, they made the recipe taste less like mexican food. Which is fine if that’s what you’re in the mood for.  I’m, personally, always in the mood for Mexican.

The ingredient that certainly stole the show was the Chipotles in Adobo Sauce.

These little guys have a lot of flavor, and a lot of heat.  I’d never had them before, but now I’m a big-time fan.

We made quesadillas to go with the soup and used Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Tortillas instead of flour tortillas.  They are packed with fiber and protein and they have a nutty flavor that Conrad and I loved.  I want to make more tonight.

Overall:  a good recipe we will probably make again.

Oh, and this is my kitchen helper.  He likes to sit in the window and watch me cook.  I’m not sure if its because he’s hoping I’ll give him food, or if he just really loves me.

Food, bikes, books

Three things I am excited about:

#1:  On Sunday, Conrad and I purchased a slow cooker!

I have been wanting one for a while now.  Then on Saturday we were at our  farmers market, and I saw “stew beef” on our beef guy’s menu and had an instant craving for beef stew.  We decided to stop talking about it, and just do it.  We bought the stew beef as an impetus to purchasing a slow cooker (there was no way I would have time to make beef stew without one), and then we purchased this pretty lady at target:

I am so looking forward to popping food in the slow cooker before I leave for work, and then coming home to a delicious smelling house and a tasty,  slow cooked meal.  Beef Stew is on the menu for Wednesday, and I already bought a whole chicken for the next crockpot meal adventure.  There are so many recipe ideas for making chicken stock in the crockpot with the leftover bits that you don’t use of the chicken.  Making homemade stock has been on my List of Things To Do for a while now, but I have not had the time.  With the crock pot, I can throw the bones and a few other things in the pot after we are done eating, and I will have homemade stock when I wake up in the morning.  Amazing.

#2:  Have you met my bike?

This is Caliente (and that’s Conrad’s bike is behind it, the “Goose”).  I bought this bike in the beginning of the summer, and had it fixed up a month or so ago (added a basket and a comfortable seat).  And yesterday, I rode it to work!  It was so fun!  I loved being outside, above ground, and not being on the train.  It took about the same time to bike to work as it would to take the subway. After work, I rode down the Hudson River Bike Path to meet Conrad so that we could run some errands (i.e.: buy a whole chicken from here for our crock pot) and bike home together. I am in love with the Hudson River Bike Path.   It was so lovely and gorgeous biking along the river, and it is so peaceful since you are separated from cars and you don’t have to worry about being run over.  This is more or less the bike route I rode yesterday.  I may try again on Wednesday!

#3:  I commandeered a book from Conrad, No Impact Man (he borrowed it from the Library, but I sort of stole it from him).

I have a lot to say about it, so I may save that for another time.  Long story short:  I haven’t finished reading it yet, but it has made me think about things in a very different (and beneficial!) way, and I highly recommend it.  There is also a documentary about the project, which I am waiting to pick up at the library.

Farmers Market Meal #1

Conrad and I have been wanting to plan meals around ingredients we can find at the farmers market.

When we went to the market on Saturday, we found cilantro, onions, peppers, and jalapenos and decided we should make fajitas.  We also found some cheese, radishes, and tomatoes and we purchased some steak from our “beef guy”.

Conrad said he wanted to marinate the steak in beer.  We googled “beef fajita marinade beer” and went for the first recipe we found (with some minor adjustments, like no sugar).

It was a delicious, easy, farm fresh meal.  And fajitas are always my favorite.