Bumps in the Road

I have not been feeling well in the slightest. For some odd reason, my stomach has been angrily retaliating and I’ve been feeling achy and bloated for the past few days. My entire life, I have experienced stomach pains due to surgery at a young age but every once in awhile, I’ll go through a time where it is unbearable. I just read today that there were many water bottles contaminated with E. Coli, two of the brands being water that I have consumed recently! I’m going to have to keep an eye on my stomach problems and make sure it isn’t anything that bad.

I made my Dad a huge (non-Vegan) breakfast for Father’ Day! I’m trying to sway my parents toward a more plant-based diet but it’s sort of falling flat. I decided that for my birthday, all I want is for everyone to come over and let me cook a huge vegan buffet. We’ll see! I made Dad some bacon and then cooked the eggs in the bacon fat.

I also made some good ol’ NOLA Beignets! I haven’t mastered the square shape yet but who gives a hoot if they taste delicious, am I right? They pretty much taste like zeppoles but seasoned the way only I can.

Dad threw some of my Aunt’s homemade Raspberry jam on top and went in! I think he ate a total of 3 or 4, which is crazy considering how large these guys are. It makes me happy to feed people! There is definitely a part of me that wants to be a chef and just live in the kitchen for the rest of my life, making people happy and stuffed.

21 Day Fix came in the mail the other day. I’ve been messing around with it a little bit, but have yet to make the full commitment. Her workouts are pretty cool though and leave me super duper sweaty.

My first 21 Day Fix dinner was some spinach, avocado and spicy Tofu. It was pretty slammin’.

New York City Loves Vegans!

Yesterday, we headed into New York City to celebrate my younger sister’s 21st birthday. It’s been awhile since I headed into the city, which is strange for me because I spent so much time there as a teen and young adult. Being there caused me to get bit by the bug again, with all the fresh produce markets and tall buildings. I find so much comfort there, which is sort of funny considering my social anxiety. For some reason, it doesn’t feel overwhelming and I feel overcome with bliss in Manhattan.

Because our plans were to go out to dinner, M and I headed in early so we’d be around. After getting to the East Village, we found a restaurant with vegan options called the Atlas Cafe, on 2nd Avenue between East 4th & 5th Street. It was a tiny hole in the wall with adorable seating and the friendliest staff! There must be some kind of word that I’m not thinking of to describe the feeling of seeing the word “vegan” on a menu so many times.

After staring at the menu for quite some time and wanting to try everything, I decided on the Vegan Cubano. At first glance, it bothered me that there were Cheez Doodles on the plate. Obviously, no one had complained about this prior so I wasn’t about to be the first. I was grateful either way to have a huge vegan sandwich in front of me.The sandwich housed vegan chik’n patties with roasted red peppers, avocado and tofu cream cheese. Usually, I’m not too fond of cream cheese but it really worked well on this sandwich.

I devoured the entire sandwich in about 3 minutes, which is insane for me since I can’t eat a lot in one sitting typically. It was warm and the atmosphere was friendly. This is why being in the city is infinitely more fun and enjoyable than being in jersey. All we did was google “vegan” and our location once we arrived at the East Village, and BAM- there was a place a short walk away. Around here, it’s quite a drive to any place that may serve vegan food and even then, it’s a gamble if it’s actually vegan or not.

After dinner, Matty treated me to a soymilk fruit shake with mango and banana. It was absolutely beyond yummy and I finished it before we arrived back at the location of the restaurant we had reservations for. I don’t like being the person that eats before we go out to dinner, but my family is so understanding. I’m lucky to have people in my life that really care about me and my happiness before questioning my choices. It makes it much easier to be vegan and enjoy life at the same time.

My younger sister (in glasses) had such a great time! Dinner was fun and the restaurant was cozy with quirky vintage decorations that we had extensive conversation about. In the bathroom, there were peep holes were you could watch raunchy videos and the photograph above our table featured a nipple. My family is so much fun and when we can all get together, it’s always a great time.

Today, I put together water bottle gifts to thank my staff for their hardwork. They are all so amazing in many ways and I’m glad I have the support system I do. They deserve so much more than a water bottle, but I do what I can.

I got 20,000 steps in yesterday just from walking around the city!

The 21 Day Fix arrived today… Anxiously waiting to go open the package and check it out.

Snowed in- Again!!

I love the snow but if I can’t snowboard in it, I’m over it! It is now March so it’s time for the snow to stop for another year. Unfortunately I had a workout plan today that was derailed by the winter storm and the conditions on the highway we live off of, but did I let that stop me? Of course not!!

Workout today:

-Insanity Fit Test (25 minutes high intense)

-Blogilates Extreme Fat Burn Circuit

-Blogilates Call Me Maybe Squat Challenge

Luckily, I got out earlier and did some grocery shopping. Being snowed in makes me want to cook. Today I made two variations of pasta, one for Brian and one for me.

Brian’s:

High Fiber Spaghetti, Tomato sauce, Sauteed Onions and Mini Meatballs.



Mine:

Organic Corn Penne Pasta, Spinach, Multicolored Peppers, Sauteed Onions and Tomato Sauce.



I’m going to have to get my 4 mile run in tomorrow since I missed out today.