liquidjill

I made a really delicious dinner tonight after a butt-kicking hour of spin class. I think my cycling endurance is already increasing, I just can’t wait to get on the real bike outside. This indoor rave party riding just isn’t the same!

The dish I made was simple, easy and delicious – I think I threw it together in just about 30 minutes. I tossed some tofu in a marinade I came up with on the fly.

Some soy sauce, honey, black pepper, spicy mustard and a handful of sesame seeds. See? Simple.

I let it all marinate while I hopped in the shower and then baked it at 375 for around 25 minutes turning once.

I threw some tempeh and olive oil in a pan and made enough for a mock BLT (lunch tomorrow) and a few pieces on the side of my dinner.

To round it out I also grabbed a small handful of corn and lima beans and boiled them in hot water for 5 minutes.

It was a fantastic and filling meal. To think, I was almost tempted by the burger joint on the way home from the gym, my food was so much better. I am kind of jonsing a turkey burger though, so look for it on the agenda soon. How to make the perfect healthy turkey burger?

In the meantime, it’s training and more training and as soon as it’s warm enough I’m gonna do myself a little road frame shopping. So exciting! I haven’t had a new bike in forever.

Don’t you just love those mornings when you wake up feeling refreshed and strong and overall pretty badass? I totally had one of those mornings today.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve finally totally kicked that cold, or maybe the company of so many awesome friends all weekend, but when I hopped out of bed this morning I was ready to do something.

I had a brunch date at 12:30 with a big bunch of friends in the east village so I didn’t have a ton of time. It’s also still super cold outside which for me rules out running – at least until it’s over 35 degrees so I took a quick peek at my gym’s class schedule and saw that there was a “boot camp” at 10am. If I hustled, the hour long class would be a perfect fit. As it turned out the class was ideal for me today. We were squatting, lunging and jumping with weights, all while balancing on a Bosu ball. There were also push ups and crunches and sit ups. Lots and lots of sit ups. Intense, but awesome. I walked out of the class sore, but feeling accomplished.

Brunch at the Sunburnt Cow was so much fun! Tons of new friends and a really chill Australian atmosphere. The meal wasn’t exactly a healthy one but I think a burger from time to time is alright with me.

I did some shopping in Soho and picked up an incredibly cute pair of pants. Before I really started this healthy training/eating path I don’t think I would have been brave enough to wear them. Even so, it was by encouragement of a good friend that I went for it. I should pair them with the new haircut and glasses on Wednesday. It feels like I’m having a veritable makeover this winter!

When I got home I was hungry, but in the mood for something somewhat healthy after the meat fest earlier so I put together a quick sandwich inspired by some blog reading I’ve done lately.

I started with some artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers

I rinsed and drained a few chunks of each and tossed them in a pan on medium heat, I figured the artichokes would be more sandwich ready if they were a little less soggy then the way they emerge from a jar.

While they were browning I toasted a deli flat:

these guys are pretty tasty and not bad for store bought bread!

Then I grabbed some hummus and made everything into a fast and easy sandwich:

With some roasted veggies from the other night on the side it became the perfect Jill sized meal.

Tonight I may put off the usual cooking fest and check out some live jazz here in Brooklyn, still deciding on that one… The weekend flew by once again. Have a great evening!

Don’t you just love a hot baked sweet potato fresh out of the oven on a freezing cold winter afternoon? I prefer it just as it is, no toppings, nothing but sweet delicious potato goodness.

Many people have asked how they can contribute to my Century ride. I’m going to make a permanent link here at some point, but for now you can just click here and it will take you to the Echelon Web site. My goal is $300, so even if you want to give something small, it will make a difference (and it’s tax deductible!) Thanks to all for the words of encouragement!

This evening I’m headed back into the city to brave wind chill temps as low as 2 below. I hear that back in Richmond (from which I hailed, a lifetime ago) the snow is still falling and has been all day. On one hand I wish we would get more of that, but then I remember the slushy ickyness that commences for the following week and I think, well, maybe not so much.

The city is so beautiful though, for those fleeting moments while blanketed in snow.

Off to get ready for my chilly night on the town!

Tonight I went to a house music dance party – also known as spin class at Crunch.

Seriously. It has the 4/4 music, the light show, the shouting/rhyming emcee and the entire time you’re pedaling in near complete darkness. I seriously expected a candy raver to pop out from behind one of the bikes and try to sell me ecstasy.

I mean it was fun, don’t get me wrong, and the time passed incredibly fast considering the insane workout I was getting. It’s just… there wasn’t a whole lot of bliss in my exercise. Though it was way more hardcore of a workout than I could ever get from yoga I missed the walking out and feeling relaxed part of the experience.

When I left I kind of felt like I was emerging from a club. Into a gym. Weird.

Once again, like so many other things in my life it comes down to more balance.

Equilibrium in the madness of life. Maybe I’ll roll my mat out later and do a few restorative poses.

When I got home I was famished, I mean crazy, ravenous “I could eat a frozen Boca patty” starving. I held off though thankfully, and took an ultra quick shower. I then decided to concoct a quick and healthy delicious meal from a combination of leftovers and stuff in the freezer.

I put a little olive oil in a pan on medium heat and browned a few pieces of very firm silken tofu,

then I tossed in a Boca patty.

I cut it up with a wooden spoon into pieces and added leftover veggie stir fry from the other night. A dash of red wine and some chopped cilantro helped to freshen up the dish.

It may not have been the most visually appealing meal, but it was delicious, and most importantly, super fast.

I saved room for a really special after dinner treat I found tonight at the organic bodega – my all time favorite ice cream!

So good, I lived for this stuff last year. It was one of the few things that helped to pull me through the darkest months of winter. Funny now though, since I’m back in the same months but not feeling the dark of them the same way at all. A safe and happy place to live has made all the difference in the world. Still though, a bowl of chocolate fudge brownie anything that has only 130 calories? Yum.

Tonight I’m going to do some writing and then try to get to bed somewhat early. Tomorrow is girls game night in the city which means wine, lots of chatting and quality time with a ton of my close girl friends, can’t wait. The week has been incredibly tough, but it really has whizzed by.

Have a great night!

Glasses shopping in the east villiage was a success! I am now the proud owner of a very hip brand new pair of custom glasses! All I need now is lenses, which are coming soon along with pictures – I promise.

It was a very long day at work today, which is still not completely over at 10:34pm if you can believe it. So as soon as I wrap this up I think I’ll be hitting the sack early tonight. I have all kinds of century cycling news though so stay tuned!

This evening Shoshana and I checked out that amazing Korean restaurant Bonjoo once again and had more delicious bibimbap, I just can’t describe how good it is, you have to check it out. I think it may be addictive though, so be careful. Soooo delicious.

Now I’m wrapping up my night with a cup of tea and some Ella Fitzgerald. Sigh. Life is good.

Have a great night!

Super stressful day at work + 90 minutes of Bikram style hot yoga = one very wiped out Jill.

When I got home I threw together a really quick veggie/tofu stir fry.

It was so tasty – I just wish I could capture that crisp freshness of the cauliflower when I reheat it. I may eat it cold just so that I don’t have to ruin that by nuking it at work.

While I cooked I jammed out to Brother Han, an artist I discovered while waiting for the C train the other evening. How cool is that? When it finally warms up I won’t miss the chilly, windy platforms or the long late night waits. But free live music and exposure to new, wonderful local talent? I’ll miss that alright.

Tomorrow night I’m meeting my dear friend Shoshana to pick out a new pair of glasses! Not only is Shosh one of the coolest and most fun ladies I know, but she happens to also have one of the sharpest eyes for fashion. With any luck at all a bit of that will rub off on me and by this time tomorrow I’ll be rocking a completely new look. One can hope!

This first month of this new year has been packed full of fresh beginnings. It’s a good way to start the year.

This is so gonna be me in 4 months!

I just got in from a pretty hardcore (for me) hour long spin class. I can officially say that my training for my century ride in May has begun! I was a little worried about how I’d fare tonight as I’ve been pretty sick with a head cold for around 4 days. It was a happy surprise about 15 minutes in when I started feeling stronger and my cold symptoms melted away as the endorphins washed over.

I’ve run/biked many times when I’ve been sick and it can go either way. Sometimes it’s great and I wind up feeling better and doing more, but occasionally it goes the other way and I end up cutting my training short. That can be so deflating after the bummer of being sick anyway.

Thankfully today went really well and I made sure to stay well hydrated throughout. A solid start to my training to be sure!

This weekend I had the opportunity to see Billy Elliot on Broadway. What a treat! The music lingered in my head all day at work today and helped make an incredibly busy Monday much easier. I love live theater so much, I wish I could afford to go all the time. If you have the chance – run, don’t walk, this play was seriously fantastic.

Tonight I was so wiped out from the class I just popped some brussel sprouts in the oven after using the easy tried and true (and super easy) approach.

It’s the “Slice em”,

and then”shake em in olive oil, salt and pepper in a bag” approach.

I paired the veggies with a boca burger but sadly only the brussels were photo worthy tonight, I really need to figure out a way to start lighting these pictures, everything I eat looks yellow! I promise these brussels were bright and juicy and quite green!

All in all though, it was fast and healthy and it hit the spot.

Now I think I’ll curl up with some tea and listen to the Billy Elliot soundtrack while I read. I can tell already that I’m really gonna be sore tomorrow. It’s a good sore though, it means I’m a step closer to being century ready!

I have to admit that yesterday’s hot yoga did make me feel better, at least for a while. I mean who wouldn’t after an hour and a half in a 115 degree room doing assorted forward and backward bends while dripping with sweat? Gotta love it.

I came home and drank what probably amounted to a couple of gallons of water and realized I was famished. I felt that now familiar inspiration to cook something unfamiliar and decided to try out this new (and awesome) dish. Thank you allreceipes.com for the inspiration!

Sweet Curry Quinoa

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups veggie stock
1 (14 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water and drained

1. Stir together the olive oil, onion, and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the quinoa, curry powder, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and veggie stock.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes until the quinoa is tender. I don’t like my quinoa too soft so keep tasting to make sure you don’t overcook.

2. While it’s cooking grab the pine nuts and toast them in a pan (they have enough natural oil no need to add anything). Be careful as it’s super easy to burn these guys.

Now’s a good time to drain and rinse the beans and rehydrate the raisins too.

3. Once the quinoa has finished cooking, stir in the beans, pine nuts and raisins – stir until everything’s warmed through.

Viola! Insanely delicious and nutritious lunch!

I’m off to continue nursing this cold. Hot tea is my best friend this weekend.

Have a lovely Sunday!

I started my morning pretty early with a small bowl of overnight oats.  I can never sleep in when I’m sick so I decided to make the best of it with a healthy breakfast. This morning I concocted a pretty tasty combination:

1/4 cup steel cut overnight oats (I still have some left over from the work week batch)
2 Tbsp soy milk
2 Tbsp pumpkin
1 Tbsp almond butter (yum!)
1 Tsp ground flax
4 slices banana
lots of cinnamon

I tossed the bowl in the microwave for about 90 seconds and it was delicious.

I also just pulled a kabocha squash out of the oven. I just don’t get tired of snacking on this delicious wintertime treat. I left it in the oven just a little long as you can see the the rind pulling away from the fruit. It’s ok though, I tried a bite and it still tastes good! This should keep me stocked through next weekend.

I’m drinking hot tea and water and trying my best to prepare to get my sick butt kicked yoga at 12:30. I don’t know if it’s going to make me feel better, but I’m willing to gamble on it for the possibility. Worst case scenario, I come home, shower and go back to bed. I’m feeling optimistic though and I bet sweating this out a little will do me well. One can at least hope, right?

I’ll keep you posted on the results, hopefully I’ll be up for a grocery trip to Chinatown this afternoon. I’m totally craving that handmade tofu.

Happy Saturday!!

I have officially entered my very first Century Ride!!!

For those of you unfamiliar with the lingo this means that in May of this year I will be participating in my very first 100 mile bike ride!

If you can believe it – that’s not even the coolest part, seriously. First of all, I won’t just be rolling around NYC or its surrounding areas. This ride is none other than the Echelon GranFondo, in Napa Valley California!

Not bad huh?

It gets even better. The ride benefits LIVESTRONG and both The Queen of the Valley Medical Center and The Saint Helena Hospital located in the Napa Valley, California. All donations will be given to cancer research and support, most of them local! For my ride I’ll be raising at least 300 dollars but I hope to have with much more than that by May!

Think of it, I get to pack up my bike, fly to one of the most beautiful places in the country and do what I love best, all while raising money for local cancer research? I can’t wait!

How did I get involved in this? Well, one of my favorite fellow healthy living/food bloggers posted word a couple of days ago that she was starting a team for the ride.  I read her post and I realized almost instantly that this is exactly how I wanted to spend my Spring.

Training for a long ride with a tangible goal in mind is absolutely perfect for me. I admit I let myself mull the idea over for maybe, I don’t know, 3 minutes? Then I just went ahead and signed up. Many of my most cherished memories in my life have begun with decisions just like this one. Spontaneity isn’t for everyone, but it most certainly is ideal for me.

So, I’ll be doing a LOT of training for this ride and blogging all about it but I’ll also need your help. I won’t need much – but any donation would make a difference in a really meaningful way. So think about it? I’ll be posting links to the donation page soon.

In the meantime here are some more images of Napa and the of the layout and difficulty of the race. I can’t imagine how wonderful it will be to ride the California country side with hundreds of other like minded cyclists. I have a big smile on my face right now just thinking about it.

The course:

The difficulty:

The view:!!!

It’s definitely shaping up to be an incredibly exciting Spring!!