Who Was Your First Celebrity Crush?

I apologize for my lack of post yesterday. I was in Cincinnati on business travel and didn’t get back to my hotel room until 8pm to begin completing my REGULAR work. I had the opportunity to spend an entire day brainstorming with some wonderful people within my company but it was definitely work that falls under the extracurricular area. Do you have the opportunity to work on any extracurricular projects in your current job?

I walked in the door a few minutes ago after a long day at the office. I flew back this morning on the 6:30am flight from Cincinnati in hopes of being at my desk by 10am. FAIL.

Obama’s visit to NYC meant that the road were already shutdown and traffic was backed up all the way to Queens. It took an hour and 15 minutes to reach the office from LaGuardia. Oh well. Luckily I was sitting comfortably in a black car reading my latest novel, Something Borrowed.   This happens to be the same movie that is being filmed in my neighborhood! I saw Kate Hudson the other day in my building and then found out via some research and googling that she is the star. A perfect fit!

Today’s food was all over the place but overall enjoyable. Starbuck’s Perfect Oatmeal has become my go-to breakfast when I’m in an airport as it’s easy, safe, and very portable.

I enjoyed this with only a quarter of the fixins and a venti iced unsweetened Green tea. Absolutely delicious!

The rest of today’s eats included the usual Toasties salad and dinner was some delicious brown rice sushi while finishing work. I think i’ve finally found my favorite “whole in the wall” sushi place as the fish was fresh, the brown rice was in perfect proportion, and they included plenty of ginger. Tonight I enjoyed 3/4 of a Rainbow Brown Rice roll and an eel roll. Scrumptious!

Now, it’s time for Three Questions Thursday ala Iowa Girl!

1. Do you believe in ghosts? Believe it or not I really do. I think that spirits can stay behind. But I really don’t spend much time thinking about them.

2. Who was your first celebrity crush? Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing, black jeans, and a tree across the stream. Need I say more? 🙂

3. What’s your biggest pet peeve? People who aren’t hard workers. My parents raised both my brother and I with a very strong work ethic.

How about you? What are your answers?

Okay, it’s time for bed as I have 6 miles on the docket before a long day of meetings. Do you have anything fun planned this weekend? I have a Soul Cycle spin class Saturday morning compliments of the fabulous Fit Chick In The City, a playground build up in Harlem with the NY Junior League, a long run of at least 10 miles, and hopefully dinner with some friends.

Happy Friday!

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Hotel Chains Making Healthy Travel Easier

Good evening from scenic Cincinnati! As you all may remember, my travel schedule this May is absolutely insane! It looks a bit like this:
-Three days in South Bend
-Two days in Cincinnati
-Six days in Las Vegas
Are you traveling at all this month? Do you travel a lot for work? Well, spending 11 days out of town on travel in one month, means that I can’t look at each trip as a time of indulgence and fun. I have to find compromise and ensure that I keep to some sort of healthy schedule and routine.
Last weekend and today I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what each hotel has done to help travelers find a healthy balance. Last weekend I stayed at the Hilton Garden Hotel and was offered an awesome Stay Fit Kit. Their new slogan blends perfectly with healthy living:
When tomorrow’s a big day, get prepared with a great workout.
The kit was in a huge sling bag and included yoga blocks, an 8lb medicine ball, resistance band, 3lb hand weights, and a yoga mat. It also included some great workout cards including pilates moves and resistance training. I was able to enjoy this in room amenity two mornings while Bo was still peacefully snoozing. Have you ever seen a kit like this at a hotel? Did you take advantage of it? Was it free?
My second healthy hotel experience occurred tonight upon my arrival to the Westin. It was 9pm when I finally got settled in my hotel room. I was absolutely starving after a long day of work and 3 hours of travel. Unfortunately those Delta pretzels just don’t cut it! I quickly pulled out the room service menu hoping I could find at least a plain grilled chicken sandwich or simple salad. To my surprise, I was absolutely floored by the thorough menu which promised to

Feed the body, nourish the soul
The All-Day dining menu is six pages and includes superfood menu items. Their superfood menu items are items that contain the following ingredients as a primary ingredient:
Tomatoes, broccoli, onion, oats, soy, garlic, olive oil, yogurt, avocado, spinach, nuts, or salmon
There were 12 different Super Food menu items throughout the menu including appetizers, salads, main dishes, and even dessert items. I went with an appetizer and salad tonight as I didn’t want anything too heavy as it was already late.
Confetti of Field Greens: candied walnuts, beets, goat cheese, apples, and champagne vinaigrette on the side
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This salad further reaffirmed my belief that any mixed green salad is improved when mixed with goat cheese and beets! I’ve been on a beet trip lately. What is your favorite salad ingredient?
Pan-Flashed Coastal Crab Cake and Griddled Tofu spicy orange chili sauce and spinach
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Blog Pictures 2010 228 
This dish was delicious though I wish the crab cakes weren’t quite so heavy. I only ate two of the crab cakes but loved the tofu and spinach. I would like to recreate this dish at home while reducing the sauce.
These two experiences have provided me with a renewed faith in healthy travel. For more healthy travel tips, check out this great article by Health.com.

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Quick, Healthy, and Delicious Chicken Curry!

Last night after a long day of traveling back from South Bend, I was craving some peace and quiet in the kitchen, a homemade meal, and vegetables! Luckily, I didn’t have to look too far for some inspiration. I headed straight over to Fitnessista website for some ideas as I’ve been drooling over Gina’s weekly Indian dishes. I used her Slow Cooker Eggplant Curry as the base and then added my own twists to use more refrigerator ingredients. I made the following changes:


-added chicken 
-added squash and zucchini 
-added a bit more salt to improve flavor
-cooked it stove top in my Dutch Oven since I only had 2 hours
In a slow cooker, sprayed with nonstick spray, add the following:

1 medium eggplant, large diced
1 yellow onion
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 pack small chicken tenders thinly pounded
1 can (14.5oz) organic diced tomatoes, drained
1 C organic vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
2 T curry  
1/2 T cumin
1 1/2 t garlic
1-1/2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne 



Chop all vegetables in small diced pieces.



Combine all ingredients except chicken in large Dutch Oven on the stove over medium heat.

Saute over medium heat while stirring continuously. Meanwhile, sauté the chicken over medium heat in a light coat of olive oil, curry, garlic, and salt.




Once the chicken is cooked partially (approx 1/2 way through) take it off the heat and combine it with the vegetables and spices in the dutch oven. Simmer over low heat for an hour letting the flavors combine and reduce. If you want it to thicken you can add 1 Tbsp of corn starch towards the end to help thicken the sauce. Enjoy!



Slow Cooker Method: Mix to combine. Set it on low. Forget about it for 4-6 hours. Serve over long grain brown rice and enjoy with a spoon.


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