Breakfast Sandwiches & Dinner Parties

I'm. Still. Sick. And VERY much over it. 

I'm trying my best not to let it cramp my style, so even though I didn't sleep at all Friday night, Joe and I were up bright and early yesterday AM and decided to stroll to Brighton Beach for breakfast. 

 It was a GORGEOUS morning!

We rolled into Caffeine in Brighton Beach for some coffee and breakfast sandwiches. 

Joe got ham, egg and swiss on a regular bagel. 

I got down with this delicious monster- cheddar, egg and turkey bacon on an everything bagel. The turkey bacon is CRAZYgood- thick meaty slices, complementing the salty cheddar and symphonic bagel toppings. One of my top 5 breakfast sandwiches of all time. A bit pricey, but worth it. 

Iced coffee makes me a happy girl!

Naturally, after our delicious and savory breakfast, we were ready for breakfast dessert, and we knew exactly what we wanted. 

La Brioche is one of my favorite neighborhood bakeries! Joe and I come here... a lot...

Take my advice and get the sweet cheese turnover. Bring it to the beach and die of happiness. 

 If you're feeling generous, you can share a tiny bit with a squirrel, but watch out- these guys get FRIENDLY. 

I swear I didn't paint this... though if I WAS to tag a wall, there would probably be a smiley face and a peace sign somewhere on it...

I had a music video shoot in the afternoon (I promise to post the finished product when it's done) and then I ran home to snarf down some lunch and get some studying done...

 One of my best friends has family in Marietta, Ohio, and every time we visit, we insist on stopping at Rossi Pasta. Have you ever had Rossi Pasta? If not, I'm about to change your life. It's epic and they have a trillion flavors. Get some. NOW!

Awesome pasta topped w/ YUMsauce and shredded asiago = a really good time.

 I vegged it up with a little Trader Ming's and some mixed greens...

The Brooklyn College MFA Class of 2012 (the 2nd years) held a fundraiser dinner at one of our professor's homes to help finance their showcase. I arrived just in time for appetizers! Homemade white bean hummus, pita chips, carrots, bread and olive oil!

I got to hang out with some of my favorite handsome boys...

...AND wear awesome tights!

Dinner was baked ziti (choice of cheese, turkey or mushroom) and salad (choice of arugula and parmesan or romaine). I had turkey ziti and arugula salad- it was delicious!

Cozy couch time with some of my fellow MFA actors!

After dinner and COPIOUS dancing, the party moved downstairs for a ping pong tournament! Representing the 1st year actors, my classmates Patrick and Aaron... did... OK....

There were some delicious little bites for dessert that I wasn't able to photograph before devouring. 

Admittedly, I was out a bit later than I should have been given my compromised respiratory health, but I had a blast!

Chilly Day In

And the sickness continues. Ugghhhh... Whatever this is, it needs to go away. NOW. Please and thank you. 

I cancelled both of my rehearsals Friday AM because I was feeling so badly. I had a small bowl of cereal (which was DELICIOUS) and went back to bed. 

Later on I ventured outside for a short walk to get some fresh air. 

My nabe is gorgeous in the fall! (...and the winter, spring and summer... but I'm biased...)

I had leftover rice and beans for lunch (no photo- insert mental image of arroz con habichuelas aqui). 

For dinner, I made a quick garlic, olive oil, onion and Worcester sauce marinade. 

We tossed the marinaded mushrooms and asparagus on our Griddler (one of my favorite wedding presents!!) and they came out perfectly. I <3 grill marks. 

We heated up the rest of the Mac  Polenta & Cheese (recipe coming soon). 

Veggie Wraps with Cheesy Polenta Sauce!

We forgot to cut the asparagus so Joe had some issues...

So. Darn. Good.

Proof that I ate a mushroom! (I'm a lifelong mushroomphobe and am trying desperately to teach myself to like them... progress is... slow...)

The hubs is currently writing a TV pilot, so his creative team came over for a production meeting (they begin shooting tomorrow)! I was bumbling around in the kitchen and these happened....

Adapted from this recipe by Foodie Loves Company!

They were a hit at the meeting and I took them with me today to a video shoot where EVERYONE raved about them! 

I'm off to a fundraiser for the 2nd year MFA Actors in my program... Still feeling like junk, but gotta support!

WHO'S RUNNING TOMORROW???????

Sexy & SinLESS Strawberry Muffins

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c oats
1/4 c Sun Crystals (or the equivalent of 1/2 c sugar)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp milled flax seeds
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 egg
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used soy)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Mix together dry ingredients and add strawberries- mix to coat.

Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

Add the wet ingredients to the strawberry mixture, fold in but do not over-mix!

Spoon mixture into a greased muffin tin. Bake at 375F for 20-25 mins.

Enjoy! This recipe made 8 muffins!

Adapted from My Diverse Kitchen's recipe. 

Tasty Thursday

Can you shoot sunshine out of YOUR banana? Don't worry if you can't- it took me A LOT of practice. 

I sipped on this Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Smoothie on the train- it was pretty yummy! A bit sweeter than I like my yogurt, but with LOTS of protein. 

When I walked into the room for Voice class, this guy was waiting for me. Charming, isn't he?

All of our AM classes ran over, so we had about 20 mins for lunch- hooray for classroom picnics! 

 Blue Diamond Habanero BBQ Almonds (LOVE), TJ's Tatziki with TJ's Flax Tortillas, string cheese, a pear and the rest of my smoothie from the AM. 

Once again, I was feeling like death after class- I just can't seem to shake this cold/ sinus infection/ whatever is going on my my chest/ nose... Ugghghhhghghhghghghg.

Fortunately, Joe was home, so I charged him with dinner! We ended up with a very delicious Cheesy Polenta dish (I'd love to share a recipe but Joe doesn't remember how he made it. Sigh...) and some mixed greens! 

Today is a sick day for me... I'm not sure what's going on, but I DO know I need rest... Oof...

Who's running the NYC Marathon this weekend???? If I'm feeling better by Sunday I'm hoping to come cheer you all on! 

Sweets for the Sick

Before I forget, check out my most recent contribution to Brooklyn Exposed! I contribute to their food column, The Nosh. And if you missed it, check out my fitness contribution to Brokelyn- I'm writing a series for them called the Concrete Jungle Gym! 

Yesterday I was CRAVING sweets like it was my JOB. Unfortunately, this is usually an indicator that I'm getting sick. Wierd, right? Does this happen to anyone else? I woke up with a wicked headache, dried out sinuses and a really charming cough. Ugh.

I had a whole grain english muffin with sunbutter and TJ's Pumpkin butter along with this super delicious Olympus Strawberry Greek Yogurt. I've been jamming out on this stuff all week. Creamy, smooth and not too sweet. Perfect!

First on my schedule was an individual session with my Alexander Technique professor. I would absolutely recommend familiarizing oneself with these principles to anyone, but especially athletes or performers. I always feel so much better after these sessions. 

Since I had an extended break, I hopped over to the gym and did 4 miles on the TM. I'm slowly but surely getting back into running and it. feels. epic.  After running I was STARVING and feeling even sicker than before so I took a quick shower and headed over to my school's top secret dining room. Seriously- it's hidden, and if someone didn't tell/show you where it was, you wouldn't know it existed. It's mostly for grad students and faculty, which makes it heavenly quiet. Usually (today a mildly rowdy group of undergrads made their way in and TALKED. SO. LOUDLY).  The food is better than your average cafeteria food and the staff are THE BEST. So friendly. They're my favorite part of coming here!

 Carb craving much? Couscous, wild rice, red potatoes, veggies, catfish and chicken. And bread. Mmmm.

I snagged a beautiful looking (but un-impressive tasting) cupcake from a bakesale on campus before heading to my Acting class. 

After an emotionally heightened three hours in Acting class, I was feeling sicker than ever, but needed to meet Joe to go grocery shopping. ENERGY!!!!

Iced coffee and a few Munchkins to share. 

After walking home from the grocery store I was ready to go to bed, but homework beckoned. Joe whipped up some brown rice and beans with sofrito sauce and served it over the veggies I roasted on Tuesday. Hot and filling!

The best part about having a sore throat? ICE CREAM. Or in this case, the world's most perfect gelato!

Don't let my sick-face fool you. I. Was. Excited.

Talenti Sea Salt Caramel Gelato is made with magic and unicorn tears, I think. HOW ELSE COULD IT BE THIS GOOD? Thick, creamy, rich, decadent and delicate. 

It sure did make Joe happy....

What's your favorite treat when you're sick?

Tuesday Tasted Good...

Yesterday's eats, in concise, blog form!

A smoothie on the subway while headed to school! Strawberries, soy milk, kefir, chocolate protein powder, flax and green powder (for super powers)!

I power-lunched with my classmate Sarah while we worked on homework. Cocoa roasted almonds, strawberry Greek yogurt, a Laughing Cow French Onion Cheese Wedge with Special K crackers, TJ's Lentil Chips and Salsa and some Blue Diamond Chili Lime Almonds. YUM.

After Speech class I headed to the gym for a quick 3 miles... I've been out of running for... umm... ahem... almost 2 months. Oy. Vey. Makin' a comeback!

When I got home I surveyed the kitchen and decided that the veggies chillin' in the fridge were dying a slow, painful death. 

It's ROASTIN' time! I chopped a zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant, tossed with olive oil, garlic, curry powder, cumin, rice vinegar and Franks Red Hot, dumped it into a baking dish, popped it into a 450 degree oven and left it for 25 mins or so. 

While the veggies were roasting, I went in search of some protein and fortunately did not have to look far! 

I rinsed the beans and added 2 Tbs of TJ's Mango Ginger Chutney and began to heat on the stovetop...

...WHEN INSPIRATION STRUCK. I had baked up a sweet potato earlier in the week, topped with almond butter and cinnamon and then... decided I wasn't in the mood... so it sat. And sat. And sat in my fridge. And then, I heard a voice, and it said, "Keelie, why don't you put the baked sweet potato with almond butter in with the beans and mango ginger chutney? And so I did. And it was great. 

Roasted veggies and mashed sweet potato and great northern beans. Mmmm...

I also noticed some sad looking avocados in the fridge, and thought for a nanosecond before realizing EXACTLY what I wanted to make with them. Vanilla Avocado Banana "Softserve" from Averie at Love, Veggies and Yoga! If you haven't checked out Averie's blog, DO IT! Now! For realz- the lady is a recipe genius and her photographs are gorgeous. Love, Veggies and Yoga was one of the first blogs I started reading and I'm still a huge fan! 

I've been wanting to try this FORever. Sweet. Baby. Dinosaur. My mouth is in love. Admittedly I got a bit lazy and janked with the recipe a little- but the basic concept was the same and it was so, friggin, delicious!

What are your favorite blogs to read for food inspiration? I love learning about other blogs! :)

Starting the Week Off Right!

Catch up time! Sunday AM I whipped up some chocolate protein oats with sunflower seed butter. Looks gross, tastes divine. 

The sun was shining as I walked to the train to go to rehearsal. 

We had a very successful rehearsal of a scene from Shakespeare's Richard III- I play Queen Elizabeth, and it the scene Richard (my brother-in-law who has murdered two of my sons and my husband and my brothers) asks to marry my young daughter. Ya know, like ya do. 

After rehearsal I headed to Connecticut Muffin on Cortelyou Rd. to catch up on homework and grab some coffee. 

And maybe snack on a Maple Scone. Mmm....

I was joined by my alternate mom/ former personal trainer/ constant inspiration Ellen Stein. We hadn't seen each other in a month or two, so it was good to catch up. 

When I got home, I had a mountain of homework to finish, but I was STARVING! TJ's Saag Paneer and some brown rice to the rescue!

When your husband works for Wafels and Dinges, sometimes, magical things like this appear in your home and make everything seem better. That, my friends, is a sweet, chewy Liege wafel with bacon baked into it. Run, don't walk. 

Yesterday AM I whipped up a smoothie to bring with me to school, as I was running a bit late to get to rehearsal...

+

+

 = A filling, refreshing and delicious breakfast. 

After rehearsal I had an Improv class yesterday, which was a blast! We got a special Halloween discussion about the origins of storytelling and my teacher and classmates brought in a TON of candy. I had three mini-Hersheys, two Reese's PB Cups, two mini-Snickers, a mini-Milky Way and some candy corn throughout the four hour class. Holy. Moly. 

After class I ran over to the school's gym and hopped on a treadmill- I've been itching to run and it felt GOOOOOOOOOOOD. 

When I got home, Joe had dinner waiting. It. was. epic. Enjoy his recipe below!

Peanut Butter and Je...Swiss Chard?

-1 Bunch Swiss Chard
-1 Package Extra Firm Tofu
-1 Handful of Cranberries
-3 Tbsps Peanut Butter
-1 Tbsp Olive Oil
-2 Tbsps Balsamic Vinegar
-3 Cloves Garlic

1. Chop garlic into tiny pieces and put into good-sized pan on stove.
2. Add olive oil and start cooking on medium heat.
3. Cut tofu into half-inch squares and throw into pan.
4. Cook for a bit.
5. Cut stems off swiss chard, cut into manageable pieces and put into pan.
6. Add balsamic vinegar.
7. Add cranberries.
8. Cook until swiss chard is limp and tender.
9. Add peanut butter and mix around thoroughly.
10. EAT!

In other news, I'm participating in NaBloPoMo! You should too!

My first contribution to Brokelyn was published yesterday! Check out my Concrete Jungle Gym Series!

I'm starting to plan the November NYC Blogger Playdate! I. Can't. Wait!