Kitchen Adventures: Dark Chocolate Coconut Cookies

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It’s Friday, and I’m very excited to share my very first COOKIE recipe on the Sometimes Healthy Living Blog.

This is huge news. But you must endure a story before we get to the recipe (trust me, it’s worth the wait).

It doesn’t take much perusing on my little blog to see that I’m a big fan of cupcakes. I like them so much that I created a Cupcake Monday at my last job and served my lucky coworkers a different cupcake creation every Monday.

I HEART cupcakes. Big time.

I HEART cupcakes. Big time.

I am not quite sure why I have such an affection for cupcakes, but it has something to do with the fact that I love frosting, cake and sprinkles, all of which you can usually find on a cupcake. In addition, there is little finesse involved in mixing up a cupcake batter and then just plopping it into a muffin pan. You can get all pretty with the frosting if you want, but why bother? It will likely be smushed in transit.

Add some fruit on top, and poof, you've got an elegant creation (this particular cupcake pulled in some $ for Breast Cancer Awareness!)

Add some fruit on top, and poof, you’ve got an elegant creation (this particular cupcake pulled in some $ for Breast Cancer Awareness!)1

Anyway, for some reason, as much I as I adore my cupcakes, I have always had quite a distaste for cookies. I just never felt as satisfied after eating a chocolate chip cookie. Where is the frosting? Why is it so small? Am I supposed to eat JUST one? And when it came to making cookies, forget it. If ever I had a request, I would promptly go to the store, buy a roll of Nestle cookie dough and call it a night. (I would usually burn these cookies too). Or, I would make “cake cookies.”

Why? Because cookies are downright complicated. The measurements must be exact. The temperature must be just right and the dough must be the perfect consistency to achieve your desired cookie. Do you want your cookie to be crispy, chewy or airy? All choices require changing some tiny inconspicuous variable. And, this Sometimes Healthy Girl had no time for all of these variables.

Apparently cookies are kind of a big deal around the holidays. I'll eat them, but I won't bake them!

Apparently cookies are kind of a big deal around the holidays. I’ll eat them, but I won’t bake them!

Enter a boyfriend who hates cake and cupcakes and loves cookies.

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Uh oh.

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Posted in: cookies, Kitchen Adventures \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

WIAW: The Ultimate Salad

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It’s that time of the week again!

I must admit I’ve started to look forward to this whole WIAW ritual. I’m not sure how all my favorite healthy living bloggers take pictures of every single meal they eat, but for one day of the week, it’s kind of fun. Feels like a bit of a novelty if you will.

Every Tuesday, I put just a little more effort into my meals and snacks (must keep it real here – I DO try a littler harder than usual), so that I can post the on my blog Wednesday morning.

Last week, in honor of June being sensible snacking month, I shared some of my most useful Sometimes Healthy snacking tips. I’m no dietician (that is for sure), but I am a snacker by nature, so I feel that this qualifies me as an “amature expert”.

This week, I decided to use WIAW as a chance to share some tips for something else I happen to know a lot about: Salads. If you are a frequent Sometimes Healthy reader, you will notice that salads tend to make a regular appearance on the blog.

Nothing satisfies me more than a big, veggie/protein packed salad. Again, like snacking, this food habit can be traced back to my childhood days. Back then, I ate more than my fair share of chicken McNuggets, but unlike most children, I also housed my veggies and salads too.

What a dream child I was! (My mother may disagree on this point).

Anyway, as per usual salads will be featured in my WIAW, but this week, I’m going to share with you the method behind the madness of my monster salads.

Salad Collage

First, let’s do a quick run-down of the day’s meals:

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Posted in: WIAW, workouts \ Tagged: , ,

40 Years and They’re Still Dancing

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Today is a VERY, very special day. And what better place to celebrate it than on my blog and with some meaningful words (hopefully ;-)).

On June 10, 1973, at Chicago’s historic Drake Hotel, two young, native Southside-Chicagoans said “I Do” in front of all of their family and friends and then triumphantly walked down the aisle and out of the ceremony to the ever-classic love song, “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Oh, how fitting those words were! 40 years, 2 kids and 1 move to Omaha later, they’re still dancing!

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Happy Anniversary to my mother and father, two of the kindest, smartest and most impressive people that I know! I have always felt lucky to have such a great example of a loving, lasting and frankly, entertaining relationship my entire life.

Before you go off thinking I’m the sweetest child in the world, I have a confession to make: I’ve forgotten their anniversary MANY MANY times over the years. But this year, for the big 40, I thought for weeks and weeks about the perfect present to celebrate this amazing couple.

And then of course, I read Julie’s blog and got the idea just a week before their anniversary…

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Posted in: Family, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , ,

Kitchen Adventures: Just Call me Giada

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Another Friday, another Kitchen Adventure to share!

I’m in Jersey City for the day, and it’s dreary as can be.

Rain rain go away!

Rain rain go away!

But let’s not small talk about the weather – let’s talk homemade marinara sauce instead.

I had always believed that only the true Italians could accomplish the delicious flavor profiles of homemade marinara sauce. I had thought that Prego and Ragu was for semi-homemade, cooking-challenged Sometimes Healthy girls like myself.

But, as I mentioned last week, my new REAL kitchen has spurred me to go places this city-living girl had never dreamed of a year ago.

Now that's amore!

Now that’s amore!

On Tuesday, I put myself in the “Giada” mind frame and cooked up my first ever homemade marinara sauce. Here’s how it all went down.

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Posted in: Kitchen Adventures, Recipes \ Tagged: , , , ,

WIAW: Gettin’ Snacky

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As I mentioned last WIAW, I was very excited to see that the theme of June’s WIAW is sensible snacking.

There is nothing that this Sometimes Healthy girl enjoys more than snacking. I actually eat the big meals too, but if you are ever so lucky as to work with me or spend the day with me, you will see that I never go more than two hours without eating something.

I was thrilled when that theory came out that eating small meals all day helps with your metabolism, because it justified what I have been doing my entire life, since I was a baby  (just ask my mother).

So, without further ado, here is the Sometimes Healthy WIAW: Gettin’ Snacky Edition.

gettin snacky

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Posted in: Snacks, WIAW \ Tagged: , , , ,

Sweat, Ballpark Food and Pantry Raids

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This weekend was jam-packed full of Sometimes Healthy activities that had me raring and ready to go to the gym on this dreary Monday morning. From a Yankees game and a wine filled pizza night to a six mile run in the mountains and a Girls on the Run 5K, it was the perfect balance of health and indulgence.

Friday, Sweat Day

One of my focuses on workouts this summer is diversifying and expanding my cardio workouts. I’ve always relied heavily on running, so I’m trying to mix in some functional workouts and other cardio machines. I was really in the mood to sweat Friday morning before a weekend of fun indulgences, so I threw together this circuit workout.

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Posted in: Girls on the Run, Healthy Living, Hudson Valley, Monday Cheer \ Tagged: , , , , ,

Kitchen Adventures in Whipped Cream

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Now that it’s officially summer time, I’m sure there are a lot less of us in front of our computers on Fridays. Hopefully, you’re outside enjoying the weather or headed somewhere fabulous for a weekend vacation.

If not, I have a tasty dessert recipe to share with you! Now that I’m officially a country bumpkin with a REAL kitchen (not a wall inside of a studio apartment), I feel excited and inspired to try new things in the kitchen – techniques and foods I never would have dreamed of trying to tackle in my tiny little NYC studio.

My goal is to explore one new “kitchen adventure” every week, but given that it’s summer and I’m me, every other week is probably more realistic.

For my holiday dessert, I was on a mission to make homemade whipped cream….

Whipped Cream Opener

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Posted in: holidays, Kitchen Adventures \ Tagged: , , , ,

WIAW: Losing My Voice

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Another Wednesday and yet another WIAW.

Okay, I’m officially hooked! I love how WIAW forces me to actually pay attention to what I’m putting in my mouth and also how it forces me to slow down, make my food look pretty and not inhale it. (I was also super excited to find out that June’s WIAW will be about sensible snacking…all I do is snack – I’m going to have a lot of fun with these posts!)

I also want to talk a bit about losing my voice…my blogging voice. But, before we settle into the drama, let’s talk food.

So, grab your coffee and settle in for edition #3 of Sometimes Healthy WIAW…

WIAW #3

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Posted in: WIAW \ Tagged: , , ,

Love and Lobster in Newport

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What an amazing Memorial Day wedding weekend!

Though the weather didn’t cooperate exactly as we might have planned, it didn’t affect the spirit of the party or of the bride and groom.

Summer 2009...the night they met. Summer 2013...the night they got married!

Summer 2009…the night they met (the two on the left). Summer 2013…the night they got married!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was lucky enough to be there the night these newlyweds met. I remember hearing the loud sound of Irish accents behind us in the never-ending line at a “hip” Hamptons bar. All we wanted to do was get inside to celebrate my birthday…But, these boys were persistent, and they won us over with their Irish charm!

Four years later, we are so glad that they did!

(They were so charming that a “socialite” website decided to follow them around to capture their evening…thus unknowingly, capturing the evening that Michelle met her Irish prince!)

Let’s recap the food, fun and romance of the memorable wedding weekend in Newport, RI!

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Posted in: holidays, Weddings \ Tagged: , , ,

Scenes from Newport

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Happy Friday AND Happy Holiday Weekend!

I’m coming at you from Newport, Rhode Island today, because my best friend will be getting married tonight! I was fortunate enough to be with her the night she met her future husband-to-be, and I’ve been lucky enough to watch the whole relationship unfold.

The day they got engaged in NYC's Gramercy Park...you have to get a KEY to get in there!

The day they got engaged in NYC’s Gramercy Park…you have to get a KEY to get in there!

I love everything about this couple. Michelle is a spunky New Englander who, while extremely well-versed in the art of being prim and proper, knows how to kick back, let loose and have a good time. She is fun-loving, compassionate and resilient. She never quits, and when she sets her eyes on a goal, she always makes it happen. Most importantly, she is the best friend a girl could ask for, and I never would have made it through 4 years in NYC without her.

And then, there is Rory. Born and raised in Ireland, as cheesy as it sounds, Rory is a true Irish gentleman in every sense of the word. He puts everyone at ease the moment he meets them and then he usually treats them to a Guinness and they love him even more ;-). He brings a sense of calm to any “chaos” that Michelle and I create. And he complements Michelle in every possible way. They truly are a perfect match, and I couldn’t be happier for them.

Although the weather has not been as sunny as we would have hoped, the overcast weather has not dampened my best friend’s spirits!

A cloudy day, but we're feelin good

A cloudy day, but we’re feelin good

This morning, we kicked off the day with a bridesmaids run…

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And now, we’re getting this special bride ready for her big day!

Something blue....

Something blue….

More on the wedding next week! Have a great weekend everyone! And congrats to all the brides out there 🙂

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