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 →

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

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 Crazy NYC Track Workout and Dark Chocolate Date Scones

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To celebrate our favorite day of the week, today I have both a workout AND a recipe for you. The workouts = healthy. The recipe = sinful. This combo = Sometimes Healthy!

Wednesday night I headed to NYC for a couple of meetings and to enjoy some quality girl time with my best friend, Michelle. We watched What to Expect and ate ice cream, topped with chocolate sauce AND Cupcake Goldfish. Both she and her husband were shocked at how delicious the Cupcake Goldfish tasted. Yep, this Sometimes Healthy Girl is changing lives, one Goldfish at a time.

Anyway, I planned to try out a track circuit workout at my favorite NYC running spot on Thursday morning, but the weather did not cooperate. Around 9:00, it started raining pretty heavily, and it wasn’t showing any signs of letting up.

So, I did what any hardcore/crazy running girl would do: I threw my iPhone in a plastic bag, laced up my sneakers and headed out for a very wet run. Between there and back to the track, I probably covered about 10 miles, 50% of which was completed in the pouring rain.

Rain will not stop me. I am like an airplane: only blizzards and lightening will slow me down!

Rain will not stop me. I am like an airplane: only blizzards and lightening will slow me down!

And.it.felt.amazing. There is something incredibly liberating about running your heart out as rain pours down on you. In fact, I think I do my best thinking during rainy runs. Thankfully, the weather cleared up just in time for me to start my circuit workout.

It's all good baby!

So, I washed up, took a quick “selfie” and banged out my new favorite track workout…

Continue Reading →

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

Squatting in Stilettos

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With my recent foot injury, it’s become imperative for this Sometimes Healthy Girl to diversify her workout. While I’d take a 10 miler over a spinning class every time, my stubborn foot has decided this just isn’t an option.

As you know, I’ve been to both a doctor and physical therapist to find the quickest way to heel Mr. Foot, and while both gave me a variety of tips and exercises, they agreed on one very important point: When it comes to plantars fasciitis, flats and sandals are bad and heels and wedges are much better. Go figure – all my life I figured I was damaging myself  in high heels, and it turns out, now they can help heal (no pun intended) my ailing foot.

This could get interesting...

Well, give a Sometimes Healthy Girl an inch and she’ll take a mile in 5 inch stilettos…

If the doctors want me to wear heels over flats, perhaps I should trade them for my Nikes as well? Well, that was the idea behind my unique workout last night… Continue Reading →

Posted in: Exercise Motivation, favorites, Uncategorized, workouts \ Tagged: , ,

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: , , ,

Things I Forgot on the Island of Manhattan

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It’s fair to say NYC is worlds away from NE – not just in distance, but in the lifestyle. For example, when my best friend, Becca, was lamenting to me about having to get gas before work on a Monday, I equated it to having to wait in line to fill up my Metrocard pass on a Monday morning before getting on the subway (The line’s always extra long on Monday because everyone seems to have missed the boat on getting their s*** together to fill the pass over the weekend when the crowd is much lighter).

I forgot all about "the good life"

Anyway, I usually try to get back to The Big O at least every 6 months, but this time around, it’s been almost 8. Thus, I am out-of-practice with living the Nebraska life aka “the good life.”

Here’s a couple of things I completely forgot about: Continue Reading →

Posted in: Breakfast, Mornings, Nebraska, NYC \ Tagged: , , ,

Barbeque Sauce Makes Everything Better

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When your day starts off like this it’s probably not going to be a good day right??

A Flooded Sometimes Healthy Kitchen. Oh My

This picture would be my flooded Sometimes Healthy kitchen, and this little flood is the way I started off my Sunday. You may be asking yourself, “How did you manage this one Sometimes Healthy Girl?” Well, it’s actually quite simple. You see, I was so wrapped up in writing yesterday’s race recap, that I completely forgot I was running the water in my sink to soak my blender after the previous day’s smoothie fest. 15 minutes later, I looked back at the sink to find water and suds everywhere! The blender was blocking the drain! OOPSIES!

Do you get it now? This is why I refrain from cleaning. Bad things happen every time I give it a shot. Looking back, I’m strangely proud of this little flood. I don’t think many people could accomplish the feat of flooding a sink less than 2 feet away, but I managed! Gold star please? A little absent-minded? You bet ya! That’s me for better or for worse. To know me is to love me ;-).

Anyway, needless to say, being the melodramatic person that I am, this little incident rocked my world just a bit. I knew only two people could turn this day around.

These two always cheer me up

Luckily, I was set to meet up with the brother and soon-to-be sister bear in just a couple of hours to have some fun at the annual Big Apple BBQ. Continue Reading →

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

Sometimes Healthy – A Day in the Life

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Ever wondered about what it would be like to walk in the stilettos of a fabulously successful, savvy, fashionable, New York power woman??

Well, keep wondering (or watch Sex and the City), because I certainly have no idea. I am undoubtedly a New Yorker – this is a fact. However whether or not I am savvy, fashionable and a “New York power woman” is certainly debatable. There are some days, I feel like I own this city:

I bang out 6 miles in Central Park before the clock strikes 7:30, strut my stuff in a brand new J Crew dress and cute Tori Burch flats as I walk to the subway while jammin’ out to country music, complete a full day of work with enthusiasm and determination, eat balanced, nutritional meals throughout the day and finally head out to happy hour with some friends (where, of course I exercise moderation and drink only one glass of pinot grigio)

This is what it's like to "own" the city

But, most days, it’s a combination of triumphs and trials. New York is the type of place where your luck AND emotions can change in a flash. One minute I’ll feel like Carrie Bradshaw and two minutes later, spurred by some random chain of events, I’ll suddenly feel as out of place as a Gleek who is just one misstep away from having a purple slushie dumped all over her…

Maybe I DON'T belong here...

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million times: New York is the land of the unpredictable. If you can stick to a routine here, I applaud you.

Nevertheless, some of the blog posts I’ve always found most interesting are those where I get a glimpse into the everyday activities of my favorite bloggers. So, just in case anyone was curious about a day in the life of a Sometimes Healthy New Yorker Girl, voila! In typical Sometimes Healthy style, this “day in the life” may be both long-winded and dramatic. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Lunch, Mornings, NYC \ Tagged: , ,