Beach Barbeque!

Any day involving someone THIS cute is obviously going to be a good day.

 That's my boyfriend, Christopher, aka Cornstopher. 

He's the best at unintentionally making ridiculous faces. 

 My super mature husband makes silly faces too, out of BBQ'd meat. 

 YAY FRIENDS! Patrick and Katie just got engaged! Congrats! (Does Patrick look familiar? Maybe it's because he officiated our wedding, complete with Princess Bride, zombie and movie montage references.)

 Cornstopher's dad, Jon, found a crab!

 Ready to go swimming!

 Reasons I love this photo: 1) We successfully taught Christopher the art of taking jumping pictures. 2) Is Joe sneezing? WHAT is with that face? 3) If you look hard enough, you can tell that my hubbers is wearing a Ren & Stimpy shirt. 

More friends! Joe and I with Manny and Tanya!

 Love. 

How was your Sunday? Did anyone else go to the beach?

Saturday Tasted Good

This delicious jar of TJ's Almond Butter had reached it's last yummy clump and was ready to be reincarnated as joats (Jar Oats- aren't I clever? Feel free to use the term liberally)!

My joats consisted of 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup soymilk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp flax seeds, 1 scoop protein and the remainder of the almond butter (appx 1 tbsp). Stir, shake and refridgerate. 

I was up a bit later than expected last night (I FINALLY fell asleep at about 3:45a. UGH.), so it was a late morning. I sucked down an iced coffee and decided to head into Manhattan to deliver birthday cupcakes to a friend.

 I pass over the Belt Parkway on my way to the subway. These folks are headed to Long Island, and that traffic was NOT moving. Good luck, friends. 

BLOGGER FAIL- I didn't take a single picture of the delicious cupcakes, my awesome friend or his super gorgeous stand at the farmers market his family (Stokes Farm) sells at. Too busy catching up! 

 After delivering cupcake happiness, Joe and I stopped at Whole Foods in Columbus Circle for dinner. I snagged a bowl of Indian yumminess...

 And had a few bites of Joe's parfait...

When we got home, we finished prep for tomorrow's beach BBQ! The veggies are ready to be grilled!

What sorts of delightfully embarrassing things can you talk YOUR signifcant other into doing? Avocado Oatmeal Mask, perhaps? Joe actually asked if we could eat it. Ummm. No. I like to beautify while doing kitchen chores, and decided that tonight, Joe would too. 

The fridge is packed to the max with BBQ excitement and the masks have been wiped off our faces!

When your husband works at Wafels and Dinges, dessert can get decadent. Thank goodness he doesn't bring me these every night, or running like a beast would be a bit more difficult. 

What was the most delicious part of your Saturday?

Beach Barbeque Prep and CHEESECAKE STUFFED STRAWBERRIES!

 After running like a beast yesterday, I needed to refuel, bigtime. Cue awesome nacho plate! Blue corn tortillas, veggie protein crumbles, monterey jack cheese and salsa. Mmmmm...

Joe and I are hosting a beach BBQ on Sunday, I started some prep work early...

 Half of the corn is drizzled in honey and lime juice.

The other 1/2 in garlic and olive oil!

And then I set to work on these beauties. Cheesecake stuffed strawberries, as seen here!

 I started by rinsing and de-stemming a pound of strawberries. 

 I mixed an 8oz container of fat-free cream cheese with 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and a tablespoon vanilla.

 The recipe called for graham crackers, but this was the closest my bodega had. That'll work.

 I spooned the mixture into a pastry bag ziplock bag and cut off the corner so I could squeeze the filling into the strawberries. 

 After they're filled, they get a quick dip in some crushed cookies and they're good to go.

Epic. And I swear I only sampled one. So far...

I adapted these from Nutmeg Nanny's Recipe.

Now I'm headed into Manhattan to do some quick shopping and then surprise a friend with cupcakes for his birthday! His family owns Stokes Farm and they sell THE BEST produce at the Lincoln Sq and Union Sq Greenmarkets. If you're in the area, go say hi! Ask for Papa Ron (Union Sq) or Ronnie (Lincoln Sq) and tell them I sent you! :)

What Saturday adventures do you have planned?

Run Like A Beast

Oh HEY THERE, 1/2 marathon training. I swear I didn't forget about you... it only seems that way...

I took today's 10 miler indoors for a few reasons- A) It's mad humid out, yo. B) I'm ditching my gym membership next month when I go back to school (Brooklyn College's gym is $15/ semester and on campus, where I'll be spending most of my life for the next two years) so I'm getting as much use out of it as I can. C) There is no such thing as an uneventful trip to the Sheepshead Bay Bally's.  (Today was no exception- an old guy ATE IT on the treadmill... fortunately the only thing hurt was his pride...)

I have felt like crap for most of the day. For no reason at all. I slept in. I ate well. I had my coffee... I've just felt light-headed and slightly out of it... I'm surprised I actually got myself to the gym, but once I was there, things sort of took care of themselves... I ended up averaging around a 9 min mile for 10 miles... not terrific, but not terrible!

Wow. This looks a lot more like an overly dramatic Myspace photo than I had originally intended. Don't be fooled by the towel and wet hair- I did NOT just get out of the shower...

Last night, before grocery shopping, Joe called me and said, "I"m hungry. Do you want to get dinner before groceries?" I said, "Sure, but I want it to be relatively healthy." Joe said, "OK. There's a new-ish place near the train station. Let's meet there." And so we did. And much to my chagrin, Joe's idea of healthy is ANY cuisine that's not standard American. I could have argued, but I just went with it. I do looove me some South American food...

 Pupusas, anyone? A favorite of mine, also enjoyed at the Red Hook Soccer Fields... When Joe ordered, they asked how many. He said two, natch. He also ordered two tostadas. For himself. Our table could barely contain our order.

 I got a sope (aka antojito or gordita) with chorizo.

You know your hubbers loves you when he shares his pupusas with you.

I gently reminded Joe that while our dinner was delicious, it was NOT to be counted as healthy. His rebuddle? 

"LOOK AT ALL THAT LETTUCE!"

Sighhh....

No Time For Cardio?

Killer cardio in a few minutes with no equipment? No excuses.

Improvisation- The Good and The Bad

 I improvised for lunch and ended up with this delicious fried rice concoction. 

Appx: 1 cup cooked brown rice, 1 egg, 1/4 cup veggie protein crumbles, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 cup frozen green beans and 2 tbsp Sesame Ginger Light dressing. Oh. yeah.

I was fiending for my iced coffee fix and wasn't planning on leaving the house until Joe gets home (we're going grocery shopping tonight). I had some freshly brewed iced coffee in the fridge but had used up the last of my soymilk this AM. What's a girl to do?

Improvise.

Sometimes my culinary bravery pays off. Today was not one of those days.

It looks pretty, but BOY did it taste bad. I only used a few tablespoons because it's so dense- so it did little to cut the coffee's natural acidity and tang. The coconut milk took a while to fully mix with the coffee, and I still ended up with a few clumps. 

I might not have hated this so much if I didn't have a VERY specific idea of what iced coffee tastes like. Sigh. I drank the whole thing, though. An addict's gotta do what an addict's gotta do...

Any improvisation fails recently?

I have a confession to make...

 I put A LOT of almond butter on my english muffin this AM. Accompanied by A LOT of TJ's Honey Apple Butter.

 My living room is a disaster- the consequences of spending so much time out of town recently.

There's a sinkful of dishes with my name on them...

AND

I need to run. Lift. Swim. SOMETHING. My body is DYING to work out. 

Today's the day! :)

What have you been putting off? Any confessions to make?

Random Eats and RECIPE REQUEST!

First and foremost, THANK YOU to all of you who've sent messages of encouragement regarding my mom. Your support means a lot to me. She's doing very well, and they're planning on moving her to rehab tomorrow!

What's been IN MAH BELLY lately?

 Fresh mango with greek yogurt and granola. 

 Pomegranate juice and lime seltzer spritzers with frozen watermelon instead of ice cubes. DO THIS. NOW.

 My breakfast on the go- literally- as I'm walking to work.

My old standby- the egg white turkey sausage on a multigrain bagel. My super-cute Dunkin Donuts boyfriend knows my order by heart. Usually he gives me a hassle before handing me the bag, but today as he was holding my lunch hostage, he told me that he'd trade me my food for a date. I didn't think Joe would like it, so I declined...

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by Keelie's super empty fridge- freezer broccoli, brown rice and Sesame Ginger dressing with lime juice! HOLLA!

AND NOW, FOR MY REQUEST:

I'm hosting a Beach BBQ this Sunday, and am looking for some super simple, fresh, yummy recipes to throw together! What are your favorite go-to recipes for outdoor events? I want to hear them! :)

Keep my mom in your thoughts?

I don't usually do this, but it's weighing on me and I thought sharing might help. My mother (aka superwoman) had hip replacement surgery two weeks ago, and was recovering slowly. On the evening of my friends' wedding, she was in such excruciating pain that we took her to the emergency room around midnight where they discovered a crack in the bone that the prosthetic hip was attached to, and that the bone had shifted. She had emergency surgery Monday evening and they wired the bone together. She is now in the hospital. She'll most likely end up spending some time in a rehabilitation facility before she can come home, which I know will be hard for her. 

So if you remember to, please keep her in your thoughts/ prayers/ meditations/ whatever else you do! We're hoping for a smooth recovery, and that there are no more cracked/ broken bones. She had such high hopes about finally being able to walk upright and pain free (it's been years) after the hip replacement, and I'm hoping she'll get there by the end of the summer!

This is extra difficult for me because I live 300+ miles away, so my sisters (both younger than me) have been taking charge of keeping the house together. Keep them in your thoughts too- they're doing an awesome job!

Thank you, friends!

Happiness is Contagious!

Is there anything better than watching two of your best friends who are PERFECT for each other tie the knot? Honestly, nope.

 Genevieve getting the party started at 11a at the salon... :)

 Cheesecake-stuffed strawberries = heaven. 

 Most of the girls- bridesmaids and Jr. bridesmaids! Can you find me in this picture? Hint: I'm making a turd face, and the photo had to be cropped to hide the fact that I was flashing my underwear to the world.

 Genevieve BEFORE. :)

 Genevieve after.

 Holy cute flowergirls, Batman!

 That's me, bridesmaidified, in my gown that will soon be chopped into a cocktail dress. Muahahaha.

 The only thing prettier than the bouquet is the bride! 

The bridesmaids' bouquets were gorgeous too. Joe made mine explode. I am not joking. I'll post that story when the official photos come out.

 Reception time!

 Their favors were mix-tape CDs of their wedding/ reception music! So cute! 

 The two smaller cakes were made by Jarred's sister, Mandi (creator of the cheesecake-stuffed strawberries above). They were more delicious than the cake provided by the venue... Shh...

 The hubs and I (he was a groomsmen- this is our SECOND wedding with both of us in the wedding party- we share lots of friends...)

 With my homeboy Devin (also a groomsmen). 

 No celebration is complete without a Sassy Sheridan Sisters photo. (Ignore my giant belly button indent. Please.)

 The groom and I DAYUNCIN'!

 Moments before the great red-velvet cake disaster...

 I got a schmear for laughing...

 GQ.

Yay friends! :)

Jarred and Genevieve packed their bags and headed to the airport for their honeymoon with NO plans or reservations. They just decided to see where the mood took them. They ended up in Myrtle Beach! Have fun, frienders!