Yesterday (Friday) was a hectic day! Bobby and I drove into the city to drop off a bunch of stuff at our apartment (we’re moving in this weekend), got a parking ticket ($95 – wtf), picked up Bobby’s new suits (they’re beautiful – Michael Kors), ate out twice, I got a mani cure, and we both got ready for my friend’s wedding today (Saturday).

We did the lunch special at Edo Sushi. I got chicken and broccoli again ($5.75; steamed) and Bobby got Salmon Don ($12). These are Droid pictures. The special comes with soup (miso for me)…

And then you get your entree. Mine came with rice on the side but I saved it to make fried rice later.

Edo’s is my favorite Pennington restaurant.

Dinner was at a new place called Pho 99; it’s Vietnamese. It’s up on Route 27 past Princeton. I opted for the papaya salad with shrimp (my usual). It comes with peanuts and a nice Vietnamese dressing. I also add hoisin sauce.

It was actually quite average and much smaller than I’m used to. Bobby offered to share his very large bowl of pho with me (beef noodle soup) and I happily obliged.

The pho was delicious. The broth was really good; so was the beef; the noodles were just average though. I’m like Heather; I don’t have beef often, but sometimes it just hits the spot. This was super lean and thinly sliced.

I have to go get dressed and ready for the wedding (it’s at 2:30pm)… after the reception we’ll do some more moving or wait until tomorrow.

Holding myself accountable – I have not gotten in a good workout this week or last week at all. I want to get back on track with that. I haven’t even been able to do my standard walking or yoga. I’m writing this here for answerability. Maybe I’ll try to get a walk in before the wedding. I have also been eating grapes by the pound, and I need to stop for the sake of my skin, tummy, and wallet (grapes are expensive; they make me bloat; I just had a facial – I don’t want to ruin it). The facialist said to cut back on sugar and I want to listen to her (I know she’s right).

What are you doing this weekend?

I’m eating lots of yums at my parents’. My mom made this wonderful amazing stir-fry tonight for dinner.

I don’t know the recipe, but I know it had lots of peanut butter. It was delicious. Maybe I’ll ask her how she made it sometime soon. It had all of my favorite veggies – broccoli, mushrooms, carrots (which I actually avoided because I’m trying not to turn orange), and red peppers. She’s not scared to use enough oil to make it taste good either.

This morning (and yesterday I think) for breakfast I made a really good bowl of hot cereal. I mix together…

• ~1/2 cup of quick cooking oats
• a few tablespoons of farina
• cook it in water & almond milk
• cinnamon, almond or orange extract (or both!), dash of salt

I like to top it with milk (whole cow’s milk or more almond milk) and maple syrup or honey. My facial lady told me to avoid sugar and see what happens (I know what will happen – my face will be clear), so today I had it with no syrup (but extra milk).

Uh oh. I think I have a new addiction. It sounds like kabocha, but it’s more expensive – kombucha.

The one I tried was $3.39 (yikes) and it was "GT’s Organic Botanic No. 7 Kombucha". I specifically got the one with probiotics to help with my digestion. This one was raw.

Kombucha is a fermented Chinese tea. It takes about 30 days to make; during the process various nutrients are formed (enzymes, probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants, and polyphenols). It’s basically the healthiest thing you could possibly drink.

Some people say it tastes like vinegar; I thought it tasted a little bit like wine, only fizzy and better (I don’t really like wine). I’ll definitely be buying this again as soon as I can wrap my head around the price. It’s so darn pricey. I will absolutely try to make this in the future. Tips?

Speaking of yummy things, I did these 5 videos yesterday for exercise. They are each 10 minutes. Try them out! My sister loves Polly’s videos too.

• YOGA for yummy abs
• YOGA for upper thighs
• YOGA for your muffin top
• YOGA for yin
• YOGA for triathletes

Do you like kombucha? Have you tried it? Have you tried Polly’s videos yet? (It’s her birthday week by the way!)

P.S. Check out Clare’s Positivity Giveaway. She’s so sweet

I made these on Saturday night, right before Bobby and I went out to dinner with the cousins. They are perfect for breakfast, dessert, or even a snack. They’re fairly healthy, but they are really flavorful and delicious. I had them for breakfast 2 days in a row. You could veganize them by using an egg substitute.

I say this about a lot of things, but you *must* make these. You will not be disappointed!

Goji Nut Biscotti

Ingredients (makes ~12 small biscotti)

• 1 cup oat bran
• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats (instant) (can sub with flour or oat bran)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 dashes of salt
• 1 teaspoon spice (cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice)
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup sweetener (I used Trader Joe’s stevia)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup goji berries
• 1/4 chopped nuts of choice (see notes below)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Soak the goji berries in hot water.
3. Mix together the oat bran, oats, baking soda, salt, and spices.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat this pretty well.
5. Slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Drain the berries and add them, and then add the nuts. The dough should be dry enough so that you can work with it. If it’s not, add a bit more oat bran (or don’t add all of the egg mixture).
6. Spray a cooking pan with non-stick spray and shape the dough into a long log shape, about 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch high. You can top with extra nuts or oats. Bake this for 20 minutes.
7. Remove the log from the oven and reduce heat to 300F. Cut the log into pieces and bake them on one side for 15 minutes. Take them out, turn them over, and bake them for another 15 minutes. If they are still not hard, turn them again and cook for 10 more minutes.
8. Enjoy dipped in coffee, tea, peanut butter, or plain.

For the nuts I used these things I found in the Asian grocery store called “olive kernels” (seen above). I recognize the flavor, but I have no idea what they really are, or if maybe they have another name. The nut is definitely used in a Christmas cookie that I have every year, but I cannot remember which cookie and I have been unable to find out anything online.

Help! Do you know what these nuts might be?

I’m continuing to branch out for my meals. Here are some more breakfasts.

This is a bowl of cereal – peanut butter chocolate balls (Leapin Lemurs I believe), kamut puffs, sunflower seeds, a banana, and kefir (watered down a little bit to be more milky). I had with it some delicious cookie tea from Lupicia.

This next bowl is more cereal in a yogurt mess – kamut puffs, granola, sunflower seeds, a banana, and Oikos Greek yogurt. The granola has pumpkin seeds in it. It’s from Nature’s Path. Again, served with cookie tea.

I’ve also been digging popcorn (topped with cinnamon, salt, and chili powder).

Bobby loves homemade ramen – just fresh noodles, shoyu sauce, celery, and tofurkey slices. We get the noodles in the refrigerated section of the Asian market.

And we all know I love salads. This one is topped with lots of olives, pickled beets using Clare’s recipe (more on that later – delicious), pickles, parmesan (duh), and Newman’s Own lowfat sesame ginger dressing (it’s back!).

I’ve been using a cool site called Meals Matter to try planning more of my meals. It makes me branch out and I’ve been less inclined to snack at night when I know what my breakfast the next morning will be. Though… I have to admit. Last night I had a little bit of a snack attack with apples (the ones we picked) and a Vosges Black Pearl Bar (chocolate with wasabi, ginger, black sesame seeds – I swear it’s awesome). I did make it 2 whole days with no night time snacking, and that is big for me.

What was the last thing you indulged in?