As I went to prepare dinner last night, I wanted to keep up my vegetable streak and decided to center dinner around an eggplant we had sitting in the fridge.
I made my favorite eggplant medallions, served on a bed of arugula and topped with ricotta cheese, spinach, spices, turkey pepperoni and marinara sauce.
Any time I cook with ricotta cheese, I swear I end up eating a cup of the creamy cheese during the preparation process. It’s so darn delicious!
After dinner, we took Sadie on a wet walk (it rained all day yesterday) before heading home to hang out and enjoy a relaxing night on the couch.
Workout
Today’s workout was a cardio hodgepodge!
I began with 30 minutes of incline walking/running that resembled last Wednesday’s incline walking workout, but with more running thrown in the mix.
Then I did 10 minutes on the elliptical before picking up a jump rope to jump it out for the remainder of my time at the gym.
I jump roped for one minute straight before resting for 30 seconds, repeating the sequence 10 times through.
Jumping rope is such a humbling experience. It’s tough!
Breakfast
The highlight of today’s breakfast was almond butter.
Last week, Justin’s sent me some of their nut butters to sample and this morning I polished off the remainder of the maple almond butter.
I spread the almond butter on top of a toasted whole wheat bagel, topped with bananas and chia seeds and served with a side of fresh strawberries.
One thing I really like about the maple almond butter is that it only has three grams of sugar, yet it still tastes slightly sweet. Its been hard to keep my fingers out of this jar!
New York City Bound
Over the weekend I spent a lot of time with one of my best friends, Merri.
Some of you may remember when she moved to New York from Orlando. I’ve been wanting to visit her ever since she moved to the city and finally bit the bullet and bought a ticket to fly up there next Friday to spend the weekend with her and our good friend Ashley who will be flying in from Chicago.
I am pumped!
Merri has been there for several months and has a grasp on the city, but we’d love to hear any recommendations you guys might have for “must dos” while we’re visiting The Big Apple.
NYC, here I come! 
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Since it’s going to be a chilly weekend, you MUST visit City Bakery (near Union Square) for their hot chocolate with homemade marshamallows. It is beyond amazing…it’s super thick and tastes like you’re drinking liquid chocolate. They also have an awesome breakfast/brunch selection if you want a full meal 🙂
There are lots of great places to eat in NYC (obvs) but The Smith and Becco NYC are both fantastic and reasonably priced. I also like Hell’s Kitchen (the complimentary corn bread is so good), Blue Smoke (BBQ), Bouchon Bakery and Balthazar.
And you have to go to Sprinkles, we did a cupcake tour of NYC this summer and they were my favorite. Magnolia’s has great icing, Molly’s and Crumbs are both great for filled cupcakes. Another sweet treat was Froyo at Pinkberry, the best froyo I’ve ever had.
Some of my favourite places to visit are Central Park, Grand Central (try Joe’s coffee and Magnolia’s while you’re there), Swarovski concept store, The Gugg and The Met (love the rooftop sculpture garden and bar), Century 21 (shopping, hit or miss), Rockefeller Plaza.
NYC is one of my favourite places, have a blast!
Yay New York! I may be partial since I live here but there’s so much to do you really can’t go wrong. I absolutely recommend a run in Central Park!
Get a Crumbs cupcake, for SURE. Also, I would recommend the Union Square market. It’s fun to peruse and there are always interesting performers and goodies. And obviously you HAVE to visit PB & Co – you would love the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl sandwich!
Man, I’m jealous! Makes me miss when I lived up there a couple of summers ago. I know you girls are going to have so much fun! Don’t forget comfortable shoes!
Ahh so fun! I wish we could have an NYC blogger meetup, but I know you are probably really excited to see Merri!
Best Pizza: John’s on bleeker
Must try cupcakes: Baked by Melissa and Magnolia
I lived there for years – the amazing food selection is endless!
A few suggestions;
Amazing Italian:
Frankies17 Spuntino:
http://frankiesspuntino.com/17/17_menu.html
Clinton and Houston Streets
Pizza:
Posto
18th Street/2nd Avenue
Thin crust, delicious
Arturo’s – SoHo on Houston/Thompson Streets
Best pizza in the city
Restaurant is really old, typical pizzeria
Breakfast/Brunch:
Clinton Street Bakery – Clinton/Houston streets
Amazing coffee, scones and full breakfasts
http://www.clintonstreetbaking.com/
PS – I’ve been following your blog for about a year now, you’ve inspired me to start my own! 🙂
I was just going to suggest what comment 23 suggester! The PB and Co Cafe! It is on my bucket list of things to do! And I really want to try the Justine’s nut butters!
You need a week to check everything out in the city! Walk around Times Square, eat a delicious family style meal at Carmine’s and see a show if you can get it for 1/2 price! (Your favorite and mine, Wicked, or Jersey Boys is apparently phenomenal). Window shop along 5th Avenue and go for a run around Central Park (Be aware, it gets hilly). Do yourself a favor and check out a market-preferably Chelsea Market for some yummy goodies and unique crafts. Pick up a cannoli in Little Italy. Buy something cute for yourself in Soho. Check out the Guggenheim museum* or the Museum of Natural History.
It’s cold here so it’s too bad you can’t enjoy the roof-top sushi restaurant at Sushi Samba. Plan that for your next trip in the warmth so you can view the city from above.
Remember it’s a city that “never sleeps”…you’re going to have the time of your life!
Maple almond butter sounds so good. I don’t know why, but almonds upset my stomach 🙁
Your trip to NYC sounds exciting. It’s super chilly up here so bring your warmest clothes.
NYC is my absolute favorite city! I’ve been trying to set something up so I can take my boyfriend on his first trip there soon. Enjoy your time with your friend 🙂
Momofuku milk bar, Serendipity, Dylan’s Candy Bar, Silver Moon Bakery, Levain Bakery, Max Brenner, and Magnolia Bakery are all some delicious places to check out. And if the weather permits it, running in central park is one of the best experiences!! Have fun!
I’d definitely recommend a Big Onion walking tour (http://www.bigonion.com/)! History PhD students from NYU and Columbia take you around specific neighborhoods in NYC and give you the real scoop on the history and how each area came to be what it is today. I’ve done a food tour of the Lower East Side and a tour of the Upper West Side – both fascinating! This is not your grandparents’ walking tour! They keep it funny and tell you the stories you wouldn’t read in a history textbook. Have so much fun!
It is supposed to be in the 30s this weekend with a chance of snow and rain so dress warm!
A lot of good suggestions were made. Stanton Social is a great restaurant (make reservations and get the onion soup dumplings) and so is Locanda Verde (also make reservations and get the ricotta for an app and the lamb meatball sliders).
John’s Pizza is good but I like Keste much better (which was mentioned) across the street. I think New York Magazine named it the best pizza in the city. It’s a cute wine bar with personal sized pizzas.
Crif Dogs is good but it’s also a passage way into PDT (Please Don’t Tell – a speakeasy).
If you’re into music, The Living Room, Rockwood Music Hall 2, and Arlene’s Grocery are great places to check out up and comers.
Have a great time! I’ve lived in NYC all my life and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Walk around and try new things. There are amazing places to discover.
I have your dessert covered!
Two words: Max Brenner
http://www.maxbrenner.com
You’re welcome. 🙂
Definitely Brooklyn Heights!!
Have so much fun!!!
NYC! How much fun! I hope y’all have a blast!
I just can’t get behind greens and marinara in the same bite. I like weird combos, but I just can’t do it!
I’ve never been to NYC, but I lose how many great recommendations you’re getting in these comments… makes me wanna go too!
I’ve read through all of the other comments and while I agree with most of them, I do have a few comments to what they said.
If you’re going to see a musical, try for rush tickets. Not all require a student ID. Call the box office and check. I’ve seen somewhere around 40 shows in the past few years and have never paid more than $32.50 per seat – and almost always front row. You may not win the first time but it’s worth doing for a few days for such cheap tickets in my opinion. They’re always cheaper than TKTS and you don’t have to wait in that nasty line. We won Book of Mormon tickets on the second try in November – by the way, it was hilarious!
If you’re going to do the Grimaldi’s route – someone suggested you walk the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan. We always do the opposite. Take the subway to Brooklyn, eat at Grimaldi’s – check out the park under the Bridge and then walk the bridge back to Manhattan. Then you get the walk off all the pizza you just ate (feels soooo good) and you get the gorgeous view of Manhattan on the way back. Bonus if it’s at night time. We walked it last time around 1am, it was less busy and the city was lit up and beautiful.
I completely agree with #46 suggesting Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. Excellent BBQ and their Fried Green Tomatoes, while not completely healthy are AMAZING! I always asked my boyfriend (who went to Columbia) if he thought he could send them to me (in Michigan) in the mail 🙂 This is one of my 2 MUST stops in the city.
#69 recommending Rice to Riches I also vote for. I didn’t even like Rice Pudidng before going there. Yum! I love Sex, Drugs and Rocky Road with toasted coconut on top.
Dylan’s Candy Bar (kiddie corner from Bloomingdale’s) is my other MUST stop. The boyfriend jokes that we should buy stock because he spends so much there. They have a cafe and bar on the third floor and (bonus!) sell Crumbs cupcakes.
If you go to Max Brenners, give yourself PLENTY of time, the wait is always atrocious. Same with Serendipity. We always put our names in a Serendipity and walk back to Dylan’s (down the road) to peruse for the long wait.
Have a fantastic time – I hope we get a trip update of what you decided to do.
Not sure if any mentioned Eataly (near Iron City building) but it’s an italian market with restaurants with in. By far the best Italian food you can find in the USA. google it!
I love Justin’s nut butters and NYC! just the walking around is fun..have a great time!
The highlight of MOST of my breakfasts is almond butter. I buy the trader Joe’s brand and LOVE it.
I have only been to New York twice. ANd once I had a friend showing me around so all I can tell you is this mexican place was good. I bet it was called el… somethng. 😉
Enjoy though even though I cannot help even a little! 🙂
LOOOVE NYC!!! The food is incredible and you MUST go see a show! There are a few places where you can get cheap tickets for the day of a performance.
Donut Plant! The best donuts of your life. No joke.
I am intrigued by these chia seeds. Saw your previous post on those and I can’t believe you can eat the same things that we used to have as a chia pet. So interesting! Where do you buy those?
Oh dear, I’m afraid we have some cold/rainy/snowy weather scheduled here in NYC this weekend. I recommend planning some good, indoor fun. 🙂
I love NYC!!! I definitely recommend checking out MOMA, the Museum of Natural History, the tour of Radio City Music Hall (probably one of my favourite things I have ever done in NYC…so much history and beautiful!) and if you want to see a view I prefer Top of the Rock @ Rockefeller Centre to the Empire State Building.
You definitely must see a Broadway show while you’re there…I second the Rent idea!
Also, take some time to wander around in Central Park if the weather is warm enough. There is so much to see and do (zoo, carousel, Bethesda Fountain, Strawberry Fields – the John Lennon memorial, skating at Wollman Rink, etc.)
If you really want cupcakes from somewhere, I would recommend skipping Magnolia Bakery. The wait is always long and they are small, expensive and kind of dry.
Magnolias bakery, you HAVE to have the bannana pudding it is UNREAL. So flipping good. My mouth is drooling just thinking about it
Have fun in NY! I’ve never been, but it sounds like a blast.
My favorite restaurant in the city is Morimoto (like the Iron Chef Morimoto) its on 10th ave between 15th and 16th streets – it’s a little pricey but totally worth it… then you can go out afterward downtown – there are a ton of trendy places down there.
And don’t forget your heavy coat – it has been REALLY cold up here!
Just a few thoughts from an East Village girl.
Since you are going to have to go to PB&Co (its great and you can bring some flavors back with you YUM!) which is in Greenwich Village, I’d also recommend going to Comedy Cellar which someone else recommended. Its kind of a whole in the wall but sometimes you’ll get really famous comedians that come through randomly – I’ve seen Colin Quinn, Louis CK.
People have recommended Chelsea Market, Eataly, and Union Square market. Of these, I would probably not choose Eataly. Its the newest and is basically RAMMED with people at all times. So unless you like really really fighting your way through crowds I’d avoid it. Of the other two, Chelsea market is indoors vs. Union Square market is outdoors so maybe the decision could be weather based. I love both. Though I would 2nd (3rd, 4th maybe) a walk on the highline which is near Chelsea Market, so maybe that one wins out.
One not yet suggested, off the beaten path idea is this:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/new-york-neo-futurists-new-york#query:Too%20Much%20Light%20Makes%20The%20Baby%20Go%20Blind It’s a fun and pretty cheap way to spend an evening after dinner.
For food, there are too many amazing choices so I won’t inundate you…I’ll just say that recommendations you got that I’m not crazy about are: Artichoke (unless you LOVE artichoke dip the regular pizza is pretty average IMO), Max Brenner (I love chocolate but the smell of the restaurant makes me feel icky…its just too much chocolate…just saying it makes me feel angry at myself but its true).
Hi Julie! I’m a longtime reader but this is my first comment 🙂 As a recent NYC transplant I would also definitely reccomend Levain Bakery…. The cookies are so amazing! Have a great trip to the city, I can’t wait to hear about the places you try!!
I’m not sure if anyone else mentioned this, but it’ll be restaurant week here in NYC so it would be a great time to try some of the pricier restaurants for a more affordable price. Here’s a list of participating restaurants. Some even have their menus up!
http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek
David Burke and Modern are amazing, but are probably pretty booked up by now. There really are other fantastic choices though! =)
yes, was just going to mention! seriously julie – lunches for $24 and dinners for $35 at some super nice places (i think only good m-f though). i’m definitely taking advantage! sorry i feel the need to comment on everything.
Hmm. I think the 3 of you should dress up as the Sex and the City girls and just walk around in 5 inch heels all day while giggling and having lunch at trendy places. While you’re there, you can find a fourth so you can round out the bunch. 🙂
Jumping rope is no joke! It’s definitely one of the toughest parts of my usual routines.
My husband & I are planning a trip to NYC in March — he’s never been there, and I was only there once for a few days back in high school, so I’m excited to see what sort of suggestions people give you!
Have heard alot about the meatball shop. 3 locations…looks so good, can’t wait to try next time i am in NYC. try looking them up on facebook and the internet. http://www.themeatballshop.com/
I think you need to go to a restaurant that involves your blog’s namesake: PEANUT BUTTER:
http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/sandwichshop
Is chia seed healthier than flax seed?
they BOTH have great health benefits!
So I got engaged in NYC and also took a second honeymoon there! We love it. When went last time we tried to do as much locally stuff as possible.
Eat:
Meatball Shop- Best ambiance as well as meatballs!
Max Brenner’s- I have seen a lot fo people reccomend this but it is really amazing.
Bouchon Bakery- delicious but pricey cafe style food
Shake Shack- yum!
Do:
Top of the rock
staten island ferry….its free and you get to see statue of liberty
Just do whatever you want because it’s NYC and there is so much to do, you’ll be happy no matter what!
or at the very least get a french macaron at bouchon to go 🙂
Magnolia Bakery’s Red Velvet Cupcakes are a must!! Also Mama Mia is a great show!
One word…Lombardi’s! The most amazing pizza you will ever have, I promise! Enjoy NYC!
broadway!!!!! I am obsessed with musics and i know you are too 🙂 also take a trip to brooklyn heights to the promenade-best view of the city! a few blocks from the promenade is grimaldis–amazing pizza. and go to bloomingdales!!! duh!!!!
I was just visiting this past weekend from Chicago and saw Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical and it was amazing!! Three drag queens lost in the Australian outback! Its showing in a small theater right off Times Square and you can get discount tickets at TKTS under the red stairs.
I highly recommend Priscilla!
Funny you had popcorn, it’s actually National Popcorn Day 🙂
NYC!! So exciting!! You must try Max Brenner’s for a dessert one night, and of course 16 Handles, the best froyo (even though it’s cold!)
I recommend Joe’s Shanghai for super yummy chinese dumplings! And you MUST go to The Smith (3rd Ave & 10th St) for Sunday brunch–they have the most amazing brunches–everything is delicious, but make sure to order a side of cheddar grits–to die for!
Have fun!
16 handles
Eataly
Stanton social
Met
It’s so cold right now here in ny
What is merris hood although the subway is not tough it usually ends up being where u stay if u are near fairway market goooo!
I’m pretty sure this little sandwich shop would be right up your alley!! 🙂
http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/sandwichshop
My #1 NYC tip (after living here 24 years and counting…) is just to pick a direction and start walking. You can take as many recommendations as you want but there are always going to be hundreds of places you will totally miss if you don’t just explore on your own.
The nature of the city is that you can’t really ever get lost…even if you wander downtown where the streets aren’t gridded and numbered anymore, worst case scenario is you hop in a cab or ask someone directions for the nearest subway station. Don’t be scared! Adventure!
(and dress warmly. seriously. especially if you’re from Florida. wearing tights under your jeans is my secret winter weapon.)
You absolutely MUST (!!!) get a Crumbs cupcake!
Fun! I’ve always wanted to visit New York, but haven’t had the chance to go yet. Have fun!