Sunday Sunday

The typical hotel breakfast was had. Then this oddly shaped banana happened.

Fortunately, we were amidst some real produce pretty soon!

Mixed greens w edible flowers – I bought this mix all the time last summer in Berkeley!!

I miss NYC bagels. I miss all bagels actually.

Shishitos mmm…

Gluten-Free cookies from “Sweet Temptations” – The nice older man at the booth let me sample all 6 cookies. I went with the Vanilla Chocolate Chip.

The ingredient list is good and bad. The Maltitol is really what bothers me. Not only is the fake sweetener a turnoff, the cookies were too oily in my opinion. I still at 4 today The upside is that they’re not too sweet, they contain almond meal and have great flavor from the pecans, coconut and vanilla. I probably won’t buy them again (I get tunnel vision when I see “Gluten-Free” and see “Tummy Safe” instead) but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy them!

Fennel and Yellow Carrots

My mom getting produce snap happy with her new phone

Heirlooms

Stalks of Brussels

Peach and Pluot Sample Bar

Fresh, Raw Sprouted Coconut Almond Milk. SO SO Good. I may come back next week just to buy a few bottles.

Cranberry Beans – I wonder what they look like outside of their pod!

Chubby Carrots

9 AM Farmer’s Market means no shower & make-up. That’s cool right?

Afterwards, we met up with Matt and his mom for brunch at a cute cafe in a Victorian house (*these aren’t my photos)

I had a seasonal vegetable salad w/ poached eggs and stole all of my mom’s homefries.

Snacks included 4 big cookies as mentioned, several handfuls of raw almonds, and one of these:

Is it just me or did they change the recipe for these Pure Chocolate Brownie bars? I recently looked at the ingredients and saw that there was added protein. I remember this bar being only a few ingredients like a Larabar. While I like the nutritional value of the added protein, it definitely takes away from the “pure” taste.

Dinner was vietnamese.

Shrimp Vermicelli Spring Rolls w/ Peanut Sauce to start.

Lemongrass Pork w/ Egg Roll, Papaya Salad and Shrimp for my mom.

Veggie Pho w/ Fried Tofu, Vermicelli Noodles, Bean sprouts and Broccoli. All the goodies sunk to the bottom!

After dinner, we saw The Help.

We both really enjoyed it and recommend it to all. My mom read the book and said it was better than the movie (when is it not?) but I have never read the book. Regardless of age, sex, social status, I think this movie would resonate with every human who has some source of compassion. “The Help” is realistic fiction that tells the TRUE story of inequality through the microcosm of Jackson, Mississippi. By focusing on the house help, the viewer gets an inside, nitty gritty look at the lives of white housewives and their interactions with their “colored” maids. Despite the heavy context, the movie is light-hearted and prompts plenty of laughs.

Goodnight 🙂

*Have you seen The Help yet? What did you think?

*What are your favorite farmer’s market finds?

“Bar Hopping”

Today was a lot of driving from dealership to dealership.  We also moved all of my belongings out of San Francisco.  I’ll miss living in the city (and my roommate Nicole!) but the convenience of my new place will be 100% worth it!  I think the stress of transition is making me crave sugar hardcore.  I kept “bar hopping”, you know hopping from bar to bar in between big meals.  No idea how I was able to eat so much!

First, I hit up this (chocolate) bar and finished it off.

Then I was on to this bar: Gingersnap Larabar – I’ve never had this flavor but now it’s easily one of my faves.  It reminds me of Anna’s Cookies which I loved growing up!

And let’s not forget the bar that gave me a sugar crash today: The Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar.  It’s a healthified, glorified candy bar.  But then again, my mom used to call me the candy witch when I was little.  I hoarded and ate candy in an “Is my child normal?” type of way.  Now I only only hoard Lunas and Laras.

In between all that “bar hopping”, we ate Mexican at a highly yelp-ed Mountain View Taqueria.

We got chips, guacamole and two kinds of salsa.  My mom got a Shrimp quesadilla and a fish taco.   That quesadilla looks wimpy from a birds eye view, but it definitely delivered.

The fish tacos were good but not too flavorful.  They were pretty though!

My sauteed shrimp taco and fish taco.  I polished off my plate and then ate half of my mom’s quesadilla 🙂 She’s not a big eater like myself.

Sauteed Shrimp Taco close-up

Let’s not forget the Indian.  We popped into Amber Cafe, the more casual sister restaurant to the fancier Amber (in San Francisco and San Jose).  I love Southern Indian food because they have more Gluten-Free Carb options.  I usually get Idli to start (Rice + Lentil patties) but I wanted something snackier to dip in the complimentary sweet tamarind and cilantro sauces.

My pappad (a.k.a. Pappadum) My mom  is more of a naan gal.  I would be too if naan didn’t have wheat.  I’ll stick to my fried lentil chips!

I ordered the Tandoori Salmon with Basmati Rice.  The salmon looks skimpy but they were actually huge pieces that were perfectly juicy, tender and charred on the outside.

My mom rolled with the Lamb Curry w/ Naan + Daal.  We ended up trading a little bit.  She gave me her daal, and I gave her my best smile.  Works for me 🙂

Tomorrow morning, we are going to tackle some more dealerships and have brunch with Matt’s family.  I’m so lucky to have my favorite people around me this weekend.

Do you go “bar hopping” sometimes too?  I try to avoid eating more than 1 bar a day (which is usually a late morning or late afternoon snack) because it’s so processed.  But, I do LOVE my bars.  During finals time in college, I would often camp out in Butler (our school’s library) with half a dozen Lara bars and a 4-pack of Sugarfree Redbull.  Kinda gross, I know! What can I say …Convenient energy sources can sometimes streamline studying.

What are your favorite dishes at Mexican and Indian restaurants? 

Mexican – seafood tacos (on corn tortillas), tamales!!!!, guacamole (obvi), crema fresca, roasted corn w/ cotija cheese + lime.  By the way, we called my dad tonight and he was his good friend Patty’s house for dinner.  If you’re in the NYC area, check out her restaurant Mexican Mama.  There are two locations.  Her mexican food was the only mexican that I grew up on.  Once I branched out, I realized that not all mexican is mouthwatering.  Mexican Mama ALWAYS is!!

Indian –  Idli, Dosas (thin crepe-like lentil wraps usually stuffed w/ potatoes etc.), Tandoori Salmon, Raita (yogurt sauce), Saag Paneer (sauteed spinach + paneer cheese).  Matt is an aloo gobi (cauliflower + potatoes) man.  My dad is all for lamb vindaloo.  My mom loves her curries.  And my brother always orders chicken tikka masala.  Our Fave Indian restaurants in NYC: our local shindig, Bombay Talkie and for more special occassions Tamarind

Total Tourists

We took my cousin and his girlfriend Megan out to my favorite Mongolian Hot Pot restaurant last night.  We had fun catching up and hearing about her upcoming marathon!  She did a half marathon and became addicted to running so she decided to sign up for a full marathon right afterwards.  I really like her already – she is both girly and gutsy, just what my cousin E-man needs.  She even surfs with him at 6am in Santa Cruz (it’s freezing… they have to wear wetsuits and booties).  That girl plays no games! Although I feel the same way about running as she does, i’m not sure that I want to take the jump just yet!  Although i’ve never had real knee problems, I get achy knees sometimes which worries me.  The last thing I want is to get injured.  After I run a couple of half marathons, i’ll decide when to take the plunge.  It could be this year or in 5 years!

Into our hotpot went: Many types of greens (bokchoy, watercress, lettuce, a traditional mongolian vegetable), a white fish (I think bass), Shitake mushrooms and on the other side : Sliced beef and Udon

After Mongolian Hot Pot, I took my mom to see Ranch 99, a super asian market.  It’s basically a super walmart sized asian grocery store.  Matt’s mom shops here sometimes and when I didn’t have a job I would come along and ogle at the exotic ingredients.  My mom rarely goes down to chinatown in NYC because of the dirtiness and hustle and bustle.  We also have the BEST chinese restaurant in NYC on our corner, so we are spoiled.  But there are definitely no asian markets near us in the city.  She’s only been to small Asian markets so this was a real experience.

We took pictures like dorks tourists.

Look at those thick salmon steaks … mmm

Countless fish species * this word makes me sad because we are species too 😦

Sea urchin – how do you eat this?!

Oysters. Delicious and disgusting looking at once?

Cookies should maybe not be fried in my opinion.  They should be peanut flavored though!

One product that I actually wanted to buy:

Organic Indonesian Tempeh.  I wonder what makes Indonesian tempeh any different from other tempehs.  Too bad this was frozen and our hotel room doesn’t have a freezer.

Sticky rice in a banana leaf (a.k.a. cantonese temale… I think they meant tamale)  It’s so funny when things get lost in translation or just have ridiculous names.  Kind of like this bun we saw at the bakery next door:

Youth Lava (Pesto) bun.  This cracked me up!

The award for weird combo went to…

Would you any of you health blog peanut butter lovers give this a whirl?

This bun looked …furry!

It’s the time for mooncakes again.  As a hapa, I am ashamed to say that I do not know the significance of these little pastries, other than the fact that they are eaten at the moon festival and it’s kind of a big deal.  I will look this up!

Has any one had mongolian hot pot? If not, you must go.

What are your favorite ethnic grocery store items?  At the asian supermarket, I like to buy: short grain japanese brown rice, red bean and green tea mochi ice cream balls, edamame, braised and smoked tofus, lychees, and obviously whatever eye-catching impulse items wind up in my cart.

Seen or eaten any weird food combos recently? I love sweet/savory combos like eggs with maple syrup (don’t knock it ’till you try it!)

Home is Whenever I’m With You

I read Kara Goucher’s “Running For Women” while waiting for my mom at SFO’s fancy new terminal 2.  So far, so good! Kara’s story is really inspiring and she has a truly positive outlook given all of the injuries she has had to overcome for her career.  It’s a pretty quick and fun read for beginners and avid runners alike.

When my mom’s flight finally got in from JFK, we picked up our rental car, checked into the hotel and headed straight for dinner.  Tanto is an authentic japanese restaurant in Sunnyvale, CA.  It was so authentic that we were the only non-japanese diners.  Matt and I once had dinner here in a weird jail cell-like stall.  We sat side by side on a tiny bench eating from a the small countertop affixed in front of us.  It was bizarre.  It was like eating in a phone booth.  I wanted to take a photo of it last night, but refrained so as not to disturb the people awkwardly seated there.  Since then, I have dreamt of the melt in your mouth chilean sea bass and salmon onigiri.  But, Matt isn’t a bone-in-the-meat eater, and his chicken teriyaki was certainly not boneless.

My mom and I started with a sashimi salad with a soy/sesame oil/yuzu (japanese citrus fruit) dressing.  It was delicious.  My mom isn’t much of a raw seafood person so she wasn’t too into it.

We then got a few variations of black cod… This was the one that was grilled in butter.  I don’t typically eat super buttery dishes, but this was so worth it.

 

 

This morning, we skipped down to the hotel breakfast (figuratively for my mom, literally for me).  I’m just so ecstatic to get some QT (quality time) with her 🙂

My mom had eggs, bacon, toast and coffee while catching up on emails.

I had a bowl of oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon, a lowfat yogurt, a banana and snuck out a grannysmith apple for later.  And a cup of half coffee/half soy milk microwaved.

 

 

 

My favorite part of the breakfast was the make your own miso soup counter! Look at the cute “Tofu”, “Green Onion” and “Radish” packages!  Once I put these freeze-dried (?) ingredients on top of the miso paste, I added boiling water.  I swear I could move to Japan and eat miso, seaweed and fatty fish for breakfast.  No big deal.

We checked out several new apartments (I am hoping to move closer to work) and car dealerships.  We stopped at Sprout in Palo Alto for lunch.  It is my all time favorite salad place.  I think mathematically speaking, there are about 856,294,736 different combinations you can make with their extensive and fresh ingredient options.

My mom went with an arugula + grilled steak salad w/ watercress, grape tomatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds, feta cheese and avocado.

I rolled with a spinach salad w/ 2 servings of avocado, a hard boiled egg, edamame, watercress, broccoli and strawberries.

My mom has such a smaller appetite than I do.  She ate half of her salad and was satiated.  After I finished mine, I snacked on a big handful each of pumpkin seeds and almonds, a huge organic white peach and opened up this baby  ❤

We are having dinner with my little cousin (who is actually only 9 months younger and 6′ 2″) Ian and his girlfriend.  I’m so excited to meet her! Catch ya later.

 

Have you heard this song “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros? Check it out on their youtube page. It’s been one of my favorites for a long time now.  It makes me miss home less because even though my home will always be New York City, home is really the people that make it so wonderful, not simply the city.  I can be with Matt in San Francisco and be home.  I can be with my cousin Jenn in LA and be home.  Or with my mom reading and taking an afternoon nap in a hotel 🙂

What are some of your favorite nostalgic songs?

 

 

 

hi mom

My mom is coming to SF today to help me get a car.  My first car.  I blame just learning how to drive on growing up in Manhattan.  I always get laughed at for this, but driving a car is foreign to me.  Well, that’s not completely true.  My parents both drive frequently, even in Manhattan.  And my brother got his license at the normal age of 16 or 17.  I’m the outlier.  This has been my car for a long time:

BUT thanks to Matt’s mom (who recently taught me how to drive), a couple crazy instructors (who didn’t know what they were getting into when they took me on the highway), and a really generous DMV examiner, I now have a California license.  Yipee!

The very first thought of a city girl with a license: “I can go to a … TARGET!” … you spoiled suburbanites would not understand the sheer happiness and convenience that a place like Target brings.  My 3 year old godson in LA does though.  A few minutes after we boarded the plane to go to Maui this past spring he asked my cousin “mom, can we go to target instead?”  What a funny guy.

I am SO excited for my mom to get here already.  The last time she was here with my brother, we had a blast.  But, it was too short and my brother hogged her from me.  This time she is all mine MUAHAHA.  I already compiled a list of restaurants to take her to…let’s see how much we get done!

This morning I made a quick bowl of oat bran made with soy milk, and topped it with some frozen blueberries.

I then hit the gym for a “Ride to the Rhythm” Spin class.  It was really fun, but it was only the 2nd time that i’ve taken a spin class since I moved here.  I used to attend them religiously at Chelsea Piers in NYC (almost 4x a week).  If you have the chance to go to a CP Spin class, the instructor Pal is quite possibly the funniest human being you will ever meet.

Spin kicked my butt, and the older ladies were really killing it! I couldn’t believe it.  They had a stronger gear and a higher cadence than me. THE WHOLE TIME!  So inspiring 🙂

I made a quick soymilk, strawberry and bourbon vanilla whey shake but I was still hungry.  So, I had some greek yogurt w/ more frozen bloobs and caught up on some magazine reading.

Yes, Stress IS bad.

Carrot Cake Larabar at the Laundromat.

This little guy found me in the middle of the city 🙂

Edamame while sitting on my yoga mat.

Coffee and reading SF Weekly outside Starbucks.

This restaurant flyer caught my eye.  I’ve heard about this place.  Headed to their website now… Then going to meet my mom at the airport.  Have a great day 🙂

What did you do today? For me, it was a ton of errands.  Laundry, waxing appointment, quick grocery shop for snacks.  OK maybe not a ton.

Are there any restaurants that you are dying to try out? Aside from Radio Africa & Kitchen, I have been eager to check out the pop-up restaurant “The Corner” in SF.  I’ve also never been to Cafe Gratitude.

Random Eats

Ever since Sunday’s half marathon, my body has been devastatingly tired.  I tried to attend an Ashtanga Yoga class the other day but only got through 20 minutes before I quietly put my mat back and snuck out.  My body just needed COMPLETE rest.  I’ve been craving lots of protein lately as well.  Aside from the unpleasant looking Tempeh and Soy “Chicken” that I smother in Cholula Hot Sauce, I have been getting protein from…

Soft-boiled eggs. I ate 3 yesterday and 3 late this morning – I think I need to cut down on so many yolks.  I actually don’t like Hard-boiled egg yolks but Soft-Boiled, Poached or Fried egg yolks …mmmmm

Local + Organic Apples and Almond Butter 

Huge Greek Yogurt bowls (that is a 2-cup tub 🙂 ) with Frozen Blueberries, Cantaloupe with a side of trashy magazines

Whole Foods Salad Bar w/ Tofu, Feta Cheese, Hot Black Beans, Tuna, Guacamole, Salsa + random veggies

I am getting so sick of the closest Whole Foods’ Salad and Hot bar.  They never switch it up!  At other Whole Foods have seen amazing ingredients and prepared dishes like Calamari salad, Salmon (one of my FAVE foods), and indian curries … the Whole Foods close to me is super boring.  And a lot of the veggies that they put out are semi-frozen. ew.

Gala Apple w/ Greek Yogurt + Creamy Salted Almond Butter

Kale w/ Tempeh, Zucchini, Laughing Cow Garlic + Herb w/ 20 yr. old Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar (one of my roommates…shhh!) and a cut up Heirloom Tomato with EVOO, salt and pepper

Protein Oat Bran – Oat bran cooked with Almond Milk, Chia Seeds and a scoop of Terra’s Whey bourbon vanilla protein stirred in at the end.

(* Don’t cook the protein into the oatmeal, you’ll get cooked chunks of protein *GAG*)

Trader Joe’s mini popcorn baggies

Greek Yogurt w/ A gala apple, a frozen banana (in chunks) and Barbara’s Puffins cereal w/ some walnuts at the bottom

Do you ever crave protein? I crave it so much i’m beginning to think it hates me for being a pescetarian who doesn’t even eat much seafood.

What protein rich snacks do you whip up during a busy week? For me, it’s usually the above.  Eggs, Yogurt, Tempeh, Cheese, Beans, Almond Butter and Handfuls and Handfuls of nuts.  I haven’t posted my every day (every hour?) snack but if you went through my bags, you would find ziplocs of Almonds, Walnuts and Cashews.  People even say i’m nuts for nuts.  How embarrassing.

A Killer Elliptical Workout

Do this and then give your legs a break 🙂

Time for a recipe?

I realize that I haven’t yet posted any recipes.  The reason for this is that I am kind of in transition right now.  I just moved into a new apartment and am still getting the hang of sharing the fridge, stove and kitchen in general.  I swear I could fill an entire fridge by myself.  But that wouldn’t be too nice for my roommates so i’ve been trying to keep grocery shops (a.k.a ingredients) to a minimum.  Luckily, we live a few blocks from a Whole Foods 🙂  Can you say Quinoa and Soy Cheese stuffed Poblanos from the hot bar?

I promise this will change though.  I plan on cooking a lot more!

This morning I was in the mood for one of my favorites which has been surfacing the health blog world for a while now.  Chia Pudding.

Chia seeds are rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Fiber.  When they are combined with a liquid, they become gelatinous.  I’m sure you’ve seen them in some form by now.  I love the Mamma Chia drinks, which are chia seeds in juice.  But, my new FAVORITE way of getting my Chia fix is Chia seed Kombucha.

I LOVE this Cherry Chia Kombucha.  After lunch (post-half marathon) on Sunday, I picked up one of these gems from Whole Foods in downtown PA (Palo Alto).  Our legs felt like bricks so we popped a squat on a bench while I cracked it open and drank it in one sitting.  We could hardly move but I was in a state of ecstasy.  I am already a Kombucha addict but G.T. Kombucha’s new Chia Seed line means they own me for life.

Back to the Vanilla Chia pudding.

Ingredients:

-3 or 4 Tbsp. Chia Seeds  —> You can find them in the bulk bins at Whole Foods, or in a health food store (Nativas Naturals sells Chia seeds pre-packaged in a brown and white bag)

-2 Cups Almond Milk (or any other non-dairy or dairy milk)

-Stevia (to taste)

-1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract (optional – I ran out so of Vanilla so I didn’t use it this time)

Simply mix together Chia Seeds and Stevia (or sweetener) in a bowl.  Add the 2 cups of almond milk and then the vanilla extract.  Whisk together.

Let sit ( I usually do room temperature because once it’s in the fridge, out of sight, out of mind)

Every 10 minutes or so, whisk it again so the seeds don’t form clumps or stick to the bottom or sides of the bowl.

Repeat 3x or until the mixture has the consistency of tapioca pudding.  It should be pretty thick! Sometimes I get impatient and eat it before it really thickens up (it depends on your personal taste).

You can prepare this the night before for breakfast, but don’t forget to follow the steps.  If you whisk it together just once and stick it in the fridge overnight, you will wake to Almond milk with some seedy clumps.  It’s unfortunate 😦

Have you ever used or seen Chia seeds before? I am addicted.  I now add them to my oatmeal, cold cereal, smoothies, homemade granola, baked goods, you name it!

What other superfoods are you into? If Mulberries and Goji Berries weren’t so freaking expensive, I would probably go through packs of them daily.

The perfect weekend

This weekend was absolutely perfect!

Friday night started off with dinner at Eiji in the Castro with one of my oldest family friends.  He was my neighbor back in New York and we’ve known each other since I was a newborn and he was just 2 years old.  He and my brother were attached at the hip from day one up until high school, and our moms are still best friends.  We moved out here around the same time and hung out in NYC a few times to discuss our California dreams before we headed west.  Now lives in the Mission (a really fun somewhat mexican neighborhood in SF known for hipsters and overpriced coffee – the equivalent in NYC being the Lower East Side) and works as a Legal Assistant at Google.  We had a really great time catching up!  Of course, I asked him all about the amazing amenities at work.  And of course like the spoiled googler he is, he complained about the cafeterias becoming healthier and replacing Mexican Coca-Colas (the ones with pure cane sugar instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup) with Hint Water.  HA! He told me a funny story about how the chef at the Google headquarters loves cooking Duck.  Four or Five times a week the chef would serve duck paninis or duck fat  french fries.  The employees were getting sick of duck all of the time so someone drew a sign with ducks saying “We Surrender!!!” and hung it up on the cafe wall.  I thought that was pretty funny.

Dinner was Eiji’s homemade tofu and our own Sashimi specials.

Saturday morning, Matt and I woke up at 7 to meet some of his family at iFly in Union City (just 30 minutes from Palo Alto).  iFly is a vertical wind tunnel a.k.a. indoor skydiving.  One day i’d love to go skydiving…One day.  iFly is a really fun alternative! You first suit up in jumpsuits of all different colors.  We looked like the Power Rangers.  More pics to come…

Matt and his cousin Adam were the blue and yellow rangers.  I was the red ranger (not pictured).

Everyone took two turns in the wind tunnel.  It wasn’t scary because an instructor is in there with you helping you correct your posture, and making sure you don’t ram into the walls or float to the ceiling.  We all experienced a few tumbles.  Matt took a really funny fall when the instructor let him walk out of the wind tunnel and he was sucked back in.  The instructor gave an amazing showcase after.  He scaled the walls and flew up to the ceiling only to land hovering a foot off the ground in “I Dream of Jeannie” style.

The day continued with Brunch at Plant Cafe Organic on the Embarcadero, My favorite Farmer’s Market (@ The Ferry Building), Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Lombard St. and Dinner at B Star Bar by the Presidio.  Matt’s uncle’s fiance had her cousin and sister in town from Rio, so we were celebrating her cousin’s 40th Birthday.  Matt’s uncle’s fiance works in Integrative Medicine and eats an oil-free plant based diet.  In other words, she is the definition of health and is SO incredibly inspiring.  I could talk to her for hours on end trying to absorb her wealth of knowledge!

California PLant Burger at Plant Cafe Organic  Matt and Adam in Muir WoodsThe view from a landing near Muir Woods in Mill Valley, CA

After winding roads and just before Lombard St. (The most crooked st.) one of our party go-ers got sick.  The day started super early and we were in the car for a long time trying to get as many sights in as possible.  We wound up in a daze at a 7-11.  After stocking up on some road snacks, we drove to Stinson beach to stick our toes in the sand.

The next stop was BStar Bar (a sister restaurant to the well-known Burma Superstar restaurant in the Richmond district).  We started off with grilled calamari salad w/ cucumbers, grape tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and a spicy tamarind sauce.  This was great! The boys also enjoyed “Sticky Fingers” which were dark hoisin pork ribs, several pitchers of beer and tempura mushrooms.

For my entrée, I ordered the Black Rice Salad with Salmon.  It ended up coming with Avocado too and was PERFECT.  The Salmon was grilled and the rice was warm, nutty and tossed in a wonderfully light dressing.  It was a long day and I just needed some carbs and sea protein!

Matt got the Basil Tofu w/ Coconut rice.  I probably ate half of his coconut rice.  What can I say? I love coconut.

The rest of the gang ordered Chicken Curry, an Asian Tuna Nicoise Salad, Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup, The “Green Plate” and Fresh Veggie Spring rolls.  Dessert was lychee ice cream and an not-pictured chocolate cake.

We slept well that night.

But we had to wake up early for our  1st Half Marathon run by the Dolphin South End Running Group (?) over at Lake Merced.

After fueling with Oats, a huge banana w/ numerous (5?) spoonfuls of Almond Butter and a handful of trail mix… I was ready.  But, I still felt like this:

Matt finally got up, took a shower, sang Nsync’s “Here We Go” and did some pushups.  I guess this is his new pre-race routine? Later he exclaimed “Betcha didn’t know that I knew that song!”  He is definitely someone who likes to amp himself up before any physical activity.  I made him eat a half banana in the car.  He probably did it just to shut me up as I lectured him on the importance of breakfast for the millionth time.

I have run 10 miles at once before, but Matt has probably run 7 miles at once max.  But, we did it! We arrived 6 minutes late and saw the runners take off.  We scurried to sign in and get our bibs and pin them down.  My garmin helped time us since we didn’t run with the pack.  Our favorite part was passing people.  No one wanted us to pass them… In fact some old lady was trying to race both of us as we approached her.  Now that I think about it, approaching people on either side must have been intimidating.  We get a little competitive… what can I say!  During the race, volunteers handed out Cytomax (an electrolyte drink) and Water.  Drinking and running is a difficult task that really meant me throwing beverages up at my face hoping that I could catch some of it in my mouth.  Matt and I are kind of opposite runners, but we compliment each other well.

I listen to indie rock and sometimes even slow Radiohead songs.  He listens to house music and loud hip hop.

I like to conserve my energy and not move my body side to side too much.  He likes to box the air when he runs.

But, I have to say his energy keeps me going.  And he does nice things like run through a flock of pigeons gathered on the trail just so I don’t have to.  What a guy.

 The pin on the bib made him a little bloody 😦

I must have eaten 3 bananas and a few oranges at the Post-race snack table.  We clapped as the winners got their medals, and then headed into the city to shower.  We ate a lot that day.  I almost can’t even get into it… Let’s just say a feast made my Matt’s mom (I contributed a roasted root veggie dish – butternut squash, turnips, parsnips, zucchini slathered in EVOO and roasted at 375 F), copious amounts of ice cream, fro-yo and Trader Joe’s Chocolate covered sea salt almonds (go out and buy these now!)

This morning my body clock woke me up early again.  I enjoyed breakfast in the garden… 

Lunch on a shady bench in the Whole Foods parking lotSpinach, Kale, Black Beans (hidden), Salsa, Scallions + Cilantro, Feta (underneath the spinach), Tuna, Artichoke, Curried Quinoa w/ Chickpeas, Fruit Salad.  What a weird mix.  It hit the spot.

I did some errands and snacked on a couple handfuls of almonds.  Off to do some more errands…

What did you do this weekend? Did you go anywhere you hadn’t been before?   

Heart of The City

After catching up on what seemed like a million emails and errands, I decided to check out the 30th Annual Celebration of the “Heart of the City” Farmer’s Market by City Hall.  San Francisco’s City Hall is so spectacular but also located in one of the worst neighborhoods I have ever been to, the Tenderloin.  If you ever visit SF, it is one place to completely black out on your map.

My dear friend Julian took this great photo of SF’s City Hall when he came to visit from NYC a few months ago:

His other photos were just as awesome.

The Chinatown Fortune Cookie Factory (They charge 50 cents for a photo but we didn’t mind supporting the cause)

Outside the De Young museum!

The four of us

Of course Juelz had to get an ice cream sundae at Ghirardelli Square.

Back to the Farmer’s Market… It was a pretty dreary day but there was still a great turn out!

If I’m at the market, I tend to only buy all organic produce.    I stocked up on Kale and Zucchini at this table.

After walking out of my way to avoid the worst parts of the neighborhood, I finally reached home base.  By that time, I was famished.  I heated up some Spicy Latin Black Bean soup from Trader Joe’s and made a quick Farmer’s Market salad  with my loot.  I massaged Lacinto Kale with some EVOO and chopped a bright yellow heirloom tomato, a carrot, a zucchini and added dollops of fresh herbed goat cheese.  It hit the spot!

Until I found this little insect crawling on my kale.  It looks a whole lot bigger than it was.  It was itty-bitty  and I’m sure it was harmless, but I couldn’t bear to possibly eat a living crawling insect (for my sake as well as theirs).  So, I picked up every piece of ripped green leaf and thoroughly inspected it before it passed through my lips.  I may have looked like a caveman but I had to do it.