Visitors Are The Best Motivation

Hi everyone, sorry its been awhile since my last post. Last week flew by and my mom came to visit me this past weekend so it has been non stop. I just made my easy Monday salad and now I am ready to catch up on all the TV I missed last week. I thought today I would talk about my time this weekend and some highlights that I recommend for you all.

This weekend was so much fun since I had my mom visiting. Our weekend started on Thursday night when we went to Morandi in the West Village. If you haven't been to Morandi then you must try it because it is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city. My favorite items on the menu are the veal meatballs and the brussels sprout salad. You really can't go wrong at Morandi.

Friday morning we woke up and went to the Met. There is a great exhibit about fashion throughout the decades that was incredible. We loved seeing all the fashions, most of the dresses I saw I wanted to take home and wear. There is also an exhibit on the roof of the Met that overlooks the entire city. The exhibit is a giant weave of bamboo that you can climb. It is hard to explain but I highly recommend going to see these two exhibits. After the Met we walked through the park and stayed uptown for most of the day. We had a 6:30 reservation at 5 Napkin Burger because we were seeing Promises, Promises on Broadway. If you are seeing a Broadway show, 5 Napkin Burger is definitely the place to go for dinner and Promises, Promises is the show to see.

Saturday was another non stop day. We woke up at 8:30 and worked out. After the gym we went to Cafe Cluny for brunch. I got the grilled shrimp salad and my mom ordered an egg white omelette. Both dishes were outstanding, After brunch we walked through Soho, did some shopping and picked up some Baked By Melissa Cupcakes. These are the cutest mini cupcakes and are great to bring for dinner parties. From Soho we walked to the Meat Packing District and entered The Highline. Most New Yorkers know about the Highline and it really has become one of my favorite aspects of the city. It is an old rail road track above the street that has been converted to a walk way for pedestrians. From the Highline we walked over to one of my favorite bars, The Frying Pan. The boat was packed but it was so fun showing this staple bar to my mom. After a beer at The Frying Pan we had to go home and get ready for our dinner at The Standard Grill. Dinner was amazing, I got the Halibut with truffle and a tomato consomme.

On Sunday we woke up so exhausted. After a couple cups of coffee we were ready to head uptown to the Moma. There was a great photo exhibit and a presentation that I loved. After our Moma experience we went to get Greek food at Molyvos. By the time this meal was over we needed a nap. The Laker game was on so for the rest of the night we watched the game, sadly the Lakers lost and we passed out.

Having visitors is definitely the perfect motivation to do the activities that seem to slip by you during a normal weekend. I had the best time and now need to catch up on my sleep. Have a good night!

The Monday Night Salad

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday! Hope you had a nice weekend. It was pretty cold in New York so I spent most of my time catching up on my TV shows, my book (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and finally saw Kick Ass. I was pretty tired tonight so after work I did a light work out and went straight home to put together a fantastic salad. I went to my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's last week so I had lots of goodies to choose from. Here are some ingredients that go great together for a delectable and healthy salad.

1. Take one quarter bag of mixed greens and pour into a bowl (you can use as much lettuce as you want)
2. One handful of peeled edamame beans (you can buy these at Trader Joe's right by the produce)
3. A handful of cut mushrooms
4. About 8 cherry tomatoes
5. Two spoonfuls of Eggplant Capanara (you can find this by the tomato sauce at Trader Joe's, it adds a great kick to the salad)
6. Sliced chicken breast OR turkey meatballs
7. Feta Cheese crumbles (I buy the fat free feta cheese from Trader Joe's)
8. Drizzle some Annie's Ginger Dressing
9. One scoop of hummus to top it off (you can even add a grape leaf, I love adding those in my salads)

All these ingredients mix together to create my favorite Monday salad. Monday's are my nights to relax and watch Gossip Girl so I always make sure to create an easy and filling dinner. I usually top the night off with an Apple dipped in some Better N Peanut Butter. Let me know what you think of these ingredients and if you tried to re create the salad! I have to go get ready for the Lakers game!!

My Work Out Playlist

Hey Everyone, Happy Monday! It was such a nice weekend in NYC. It was sunny and beautiful both Saturday and Sunday so I was finally able to take advantage of the deck in my apartment building and get some sun. I ended the weekend with a great yoga class that helped me get focused for the work week and helped me sweat out all vodka sodas I drank Friday & Saturday night :)

Most of you know me, but if you do not, here is a fun fact: I Love Music. I can't run, walk to work or do errands with out my i pod. So, as you might guess, I have a lot of music on my computer. Even with so many artists it is hard to create the motivating playlist that you need. So in order to help you I thought I would share one of my many play lists for you. This is 2 hours and 28 minutes of great music. Obviously your work outs might range from thirty minutes to over an hour so this list can be used any way you would like. I always feel that music is a better source to help the body push itself over watching television because it helps you get into your OWN zone and not the Access Hollywood zone. If you like this play list I am happy to create others for you! Hope you enjoy!

By the way, if the playlist show up too small on your computer you can just click it and it will show up in a larger screen :)