Sometimes Healthy NYC Adventures and a Lunch Break Workout

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Hello and welcome to a Sometimes Healthy Friday!

I just got back from a jam-packed 24 hours in NYC, which involved many Sometimes Healthy adventures.

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Had to include the standard NYC coffee picture, since I know you all have come to expect it. 

The reason that I went to the city was to attend a culinary panel on health trends in the foodie world hosted by Celebrity Cruises. The breakfast panel took place at Rouge Tomate, a contemporary restaurant on the upper east side that is pioneering a sustainable, well-balanced and even nutritional approach to high-end cuisine. If the four star food wasn’t enough to drool over (and I did), the panel was moderated by the editor-in-chief of Food and Wine magazine, Dana Cowin and included Marc Murphy, Chef and Owner of the trendy NYC restaurants, Landmarc and Ditch Plain AND a judge on the popular Food Network show, Chopped.

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The Food Geek in me literally giggled with glee when I first saw the two of them sitting next to my table (but, don’t worry, I held it together ya’ll -gotta fake it ’til you make it right?). Though the panel only lasted about 30 minutes, it was extremely entertaining and chock full of information I had never heard before. I was writing furiously in my notebook the entire time and cannot wait to share the interesting tidbits that I learned from these culinary leaders in Monday’s post. Stay tuned!

Until then, let’s break down my 24 hour trip to the Big Apple into “Healthy” and “Sometimes Healthy” categories.

Healthy: Breakfast at Rouge Tomate

Not suprisingly, since the panel was about health trends, the breakfast was fresh and healthy too. From “Local Stone Ground Buttermilk Polenta” to Pumpkin Maple Scones with Lemon-Scented Ricotta, the was probably the most healthy, balanced and tasty breakfast that I’ve had in a long time.

The gourmet  meal kicked off with a Fingerlakes Honey-Scented Yogurt Parfait with Concord Grape Jam that bursted with different flavors in every bite. Here’s a preview:

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I’ll share more on the food Monday, but to suffice it to say, even though I always joke about my “unsophisticated palate” when you put high quality food in your mouth, you can taste the difference, no matter how refined that palate is. 

I also enjoyed the conversations before and after the panel. It was just plain refreshing to be in a room full of people that were just as passionate about healthy living as me.

Sometimes Healthy: Walking Straight to Dylan’s Candy Bar after Healthy Panel Continue Reading →

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A Tale of Two Cities: From Couture to Cookies and Spaghetti Squash

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Hello from the Hudson Valley! I’m back from NYC and very excited to jump back into the routine of my less exciting, but very fulfilling daily life.

I've missed these pretty skies and mountains!

I’ve missed these pretty skies and mountains!

Every time I go back to NYC, there are small moments that remind me of why I moved there in the first place: the glitz, the glam and the overall “grandness” of NYC can truly make person feel like she can accomplish anything. It’s this giant, beautiful melting pot, and everyone is working their butts off to achieve some sort of dream, whether it’s making millions in investment banking or becoming the next Carrie Bradshaw.

But, inevitably, by the end I am relieved to get back to my lowkey lifestyle in the Hudson Valley. This time around, my experience can probably best be described as “a tale of two cities.” During the day on Friday, I was mingling with the rich and famous at Fashion Week, but by nighttime, I was sitting in Michelle’s apartment eating spaghetti squash pad thai (our favorite), gossiping and watching reality tv. Let’s recap it all.

I started off Friday morning with a run on the track and then quickly dolled myself up for fashion week.

Strike a post: Vogue.

Strike a post: Vogue.

This country girl doesn’t dress up much these days, so it was quite a treat to get glammed up. In case you’re wondering, the dress is from Theory and the shoes are Ivanka Trump. With my most capable looking outfit and a bit of extra eye liner, I felt confident and ready to take on Mercedes Benz Fashion Week!

Continue Reading →

Posted in: NYC \ Tagged: , , , , ,

WIAW: In a New York State of Mind

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Whenever I’m in NYC, the week seems to fly by a little quicker. I don’t know how I actually lived and worked in this city for almost 4 years!

I’m back upstate for a day today, but heading back to the city tomorrow to get in on some Fashion Week action! For all the time I lived in the Big Apple, I never even stepped close to Fashion Week. It should be an interesting experience, and hopefully I’ll have a few stories to share on Monday.

But, it’s ‘What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW) time, so let’s talk about my eats. We’ll start in NYC and make our way back to the Hudson Valley by dinner!

The weather was unbearably humid and heavy while in NYC, so I wasn’t able to run in Central Park as I had hoped. So, I fueled myself for another workout at the Ritz Carlton with breakfast + a view.

I could get used to this little view.

I could get used to this little view.

That right there is some delicious hotel coffee and a half eaten Starbucks Morning Bun (I forgot to take a picture until halfway through). Whenever I’m staying in a hotel, one of my most treasured morning routines is walking downstairs and making myself a cup of coffee. It just feels so luxurious not to have to brew it myself.

It’s the little things, my friends. Anyway, after breakfast, I walked a few blocks to the Ritz to get in a quality workout before an exhausting day of running around the city.

Continue Reading →

Posted in: NYC, Uncategorized, WIAW, workouts \ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Rough Life in NYC

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Hello from the top of NYC!

We are on top of the world!

We are on top of the world!

My parents came to NYC for the weekend, and luckily decided to make a pit stop upstate to visit their favorite daughter. We had something VERY important to celebrate:

It's a VERY special day!

It’s a VERY special day!

Yesterday was my mother’s birthday, so we spent the day together celebrating the greatest woman alive 🙂

I now figured out why I have barely any pictures with my mother. I had to beg her just to squeeze this one out of her yesterday…and she sort of made me promise not to post on the blog. Ooops. Sorry mom, you look great, as usual! Not a day over 35 ;-).

We spent the day eating great food, and doing my mother’s favorite thing in the world: shopping. I also made my mom some special fat free Sometimes Healthy Apple Cinnamon muffins.

Special Muffins for Mom!

Special Muffins for Mom!

These babies included fresh chopped apples, apple cider, apple butter AND Apple Chobani. They were definitely a hit, and I hope to share the recipe Wednesday. Whenever my mother comes to NYC, one of her favorite things to eat are the fat free muffins at the bakeries, so I figured she’d enjoy some of her very own special healthified muffins.

We also went to dinner on the river and ate some birthday cake with extra frosting.

Celebrating one special Mommy!

Celebrating one special Mommy!

My mother loves buttercream frosting, and in her younger years, she used to be able to eat the frosting off of half a big cake! She’s decided to eat frosting in moderation in her older, wiser years.

After dinner, we headed back to the city, where I am going to stay a couple of days for some QT time with the parents. I’ve written about this hotel before, and whenever my parents stay here, I feel like I’m living in another world.

Sadly, I found out this morning that the gym in the building was being renovated, which meant I might not be able to do my tabata workout for the day.

Then, they told me the hotel guests could use the Ritz Carlton’s gym.

I guess this will do...

I guess this will do…

Rough life I am living here in NYC, that’s for sure. I banged out 8 miles on the treadmill (to humid to run outside) and a quick tabata workout. I was definitely the sweatiest person in the entire gym.

Hot, sweaty, selfie.

Hot, sweaty, selfie.

But hey, the more sweat, the better the workout! The Ritz gym was not too shabby and had more than enough to keep this Sometimes Healthy Girl occupied.

Now, we’re off for dinner with my brother and his wife. Hope you’re enjoying your holiday weekend!

Posted in: Birthdays, holidays, NYC \ Tagged: , , ,

A Castle Getaway Over Central Park

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When you wake up with a view like this, you’re pretty much disallowed the right of complaining about ANYTHING.

All of New York City...literally right before my very eyes. It's like a castle in the sky!

As mentioned in my last post, my parents are in town for the weekend. So, instead of heading to the beach with the rest of New York City, I’m camping out at my parents hotel room, which, as you can see overlooks all of Central Park.

Now this is what I call a room with a view. Continue Reading →

Posted in: New York, NYC, Runs

Sometimes Healthy’s Hurricane Irene Survival Pack

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Irene is coming...and the NYC bars are capitalizing.

I had a really great post planned about how much my little foot injury has caused me to miss running and appreciate its benefits, but then something a bit more topical (or should I say “tropical”) happened.

Irene.

Hurricane Irene is pretty much all anyone can talk about here in NYC. And I’m hopping on the bandwagon.

Since I live not too far from one of Mayor Bloomberg’s evacuation zones, I decided to camp out at Michelle’s for the weekend. I have my doubts as to whether or not the hurricane will affect my living area, but, truthfully, let’s be honest, I’m not really “equipped” to handle a natural disaster by my Sometimes Healthy Self. Continue Reading →

Posted in: NYC \ Tagged: , , , ,

Cupcakes, Baseball and Beer

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Confession: I’ve lived in New York for over 2 years, and never once have I been to a Yankees, Knicks, Jets or Rangers game. For some reason, this embarrasses me.

Add in a cupcake and you've got yourself a perfect weekend.

Although I generally shun sportscasts in favor of watching mindless reality television, when it comes to the real thing, nothing makes me happier than a good baseball game and some beer…oh and of course, lots of cupcakes too.

Continue Reading →

Posted in: favorites, NYC

Meeting my Running Idol and 7 Links Overdue

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Ali on the Run!

A couple weeks ago, the lovely Lisa, from I’m an Okie, tagged me in her 7 Links post. I was so excited because 1) Lisa is one of my favorite bloggers and 2) I love going back and reading my old posts.

Alas, I haven’t found the time to do it! I promise I’ve been extremely busy since getting back from vacation. Between random trips to the Hamptons and scandalous exercise classes, I swear I haven’t even had the time to focus on important things…like watching the Jersey Shore last night.

Okay, that’s a lie. Despite two social commitments last night, I somehow found the time to watch Jersey Shore.

Don't sass me, Sammi - You need an intervention!

I could probably spend an entire post talking about how disappointed I am in Sammi (I mean, come on girl, we’ve all been there, but isn’t the fact that you’re on national television enough to motivate you NOT to beg Ron to cuddle? Get it together Sammi Sweetheart.) However, I’ve got far more exiting things to talk about!

Continue Reading →

Posted in: Exercise Motivation, favorites, NYC, Runs

From Park Ave. to a Day at the Beach

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A day at the beach...with sunglasses 5 times the size of my face.

It took a week in Nebraska to remind me of how important it is to take advantage of all that New York City has to offer. As long as I’m living in the greatest city in the world, I might as well enjoy it. I may very well get back to O-Town one of these days, but in the meantime, I must “carpe diem” my days in NYC.

And while morning workouts at the gym, runs around Central Park, and frequent trips to 16 Handles and Dunkin’ Donuts are a huge part of what I love about NYC, these mundane activities certainly don’t qualify as “taking advantage of New York City.” Sometimes, I need to remind myself to break out of the old Sometimes Healthy routine. After a long week at work, it’s tempting to lay out on the rooftop and read gossip magazines all weekend. The view may be spectacular, but traveling 30 stories up on an elevator to lay on a chair for 3 hours and listen to country music is not my idea of adventure.

Tempting indeed...but I can do this anywhere.

I decided this weekend was going to be a little different… Continue Reading →

Posted in: favorites, NYC

Last Night, I Went to the GYM!

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BREAKING NEWS: I went to the gym! I also sweat the gym.

Last night, I went to the gym.

If that’s not a captivating subject line, I don’t know what is. A healthy living blogger going to the gym? That is certainly headline news. It’s not like most of us don’t do it every day right?

Well, for me, I felt like going to the gym last night was an accomplishment to be celebrated. Why? Because I had an arsenal of excuses that I could have used to NOT go.

  • I was tired from traveling, drinking (too much in Nebraska) and getting in late on Monday night.
  • I was feeling a little homesick.
  • I didn’t get much downtime on on my vacation, worked late on Monday night and deserved a little “Sometimes Healthy” date with the Couch Monster.
  • I needed more sleep!

Dazed and Confused

I intended to workout yesterday morning but, even though I woke up early, I just wasn’t up for the challenge. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Exercise Motivation, NYC, Theme Songs \ Tagged: , , ,