Food, Fitness, Family

FOOD

Ada’s follow-up went well on Friday, which I’ll delve into in a moment. One reason we sometimes like going to her specialist? We get to go to Syracuse, which is like major civilization to us. We always head to the mall and some other special spots on our way home, though this time around we had a time constraint so I could get back home for a doctor appointment of my own.

Anyway, this time our special stop was Trader Joe’s! Would you believe we’ve never actually shopped there? I’ve gone in a few times to buy a couple treats, but we haven’t live anywhere near one until they put one in up north. I guess it’s a good thing, too, since I spent well over $100 in a matter of 20 minutes.

Here’s our haul:

FITNESS

Permit me to complain a bit about the weather again. I’m not one of those winter wimps, but this is getting more than ridiculous and, well, painfully awful. I actually got tears in my eyes the other day when thinking about spring -- thanks, SAD. As you can imagine, exercise has been spotty lately without a gym membership (and dwindling motivation). This is the current weather I woke up to this morning -- along with another 2-hour delay for Stephen.

RIGHT?!


Week 1: 12 miles total -- sick at end of week after this day-in-the-life post!

M: 5 mile run, 10 minutes Barre
T: 3 mile run, 30 minutes Barre
W: 4 mile run
R: OFF
F: OFF
S: OFF
S: OFF

Week 2: 15.25 miles total -- frigid, snowy, and sucky!

M: 30 minutes spin bike, 10 minutes Barre
T: 4 mile run
W: 4.6 mile run
R: OFF
F: 30 minutes spinning bike
S: 3.25 mile run
S: 45 min x-country ski, 3.5 mile run

So, yeah. Not exactly impressive mileage. But I’m staying active using what I have to do indoors. You might not notice a lot of Barre stuff in the last two weeks. I took a little time off because my monthly subscription lapsed. But we signed back up for the whole year, so I’ll be doing a lot more of that soon. Especially since it’s still so awful to run outdoors.

FAMILY

We did get a nice “break” from the cold temperatures on Sunday, when it was like 30 degrees out. It felt like spring. I was singing in the streets. So, we piled into the car and headed to a local park where people run their dogs, sled, and cross-country ski. I couldn’t find my cold weather tights, so I’m wearing two layers of pants in this photo!


And are a few photos from our trip to Syracuse.


Ada’s appointment went well, but they didn’t really examine anything. We have an MRI scheduled for six months from now, and I think that’s the one I’m most anxious for. Apparently if things were bad again, we’d be seeing symptoms. However, her issue is one that could return. If all looks good -- we will graduate to yearly checkups for a while. We are hopeful that we’ll be able to move forward since Ada seems to be doing so well.

While we were at the office, we asked to get a copy of Ada’s initial MRI report, and -- though we’ve always had all the information -- we were shocked. I hadn’t dug right into the diagnosis and all its gory details, but Ada was so close to having some major, life-altering issues. I feel very fortunate we were able to get the diagnosis and surgery when we did before irreparable damage happened. We’ll still never know why, but at this point that feels irrelevant. I’m just thankful.

Hope you guys have a great Tuesday.

Don’t forget to enter the Udi’s Pizza Hut sweeps to win a $100 gift card!

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Catching Up

If my first week of 10K training is indicative of how the rest will go, I think I'm going to be in good shape. With the exception of shifting my long run from Sunday to Monday (to accommodate a travel-date, which I'll get to in a moment), I got in all my workouts and even fit in a run with a friend.

M: Off
T: 5 mile, fartlek
W: 4 miles, 34 minutes -- 8:22/mile
R: 6 miles, 54 minutes -- 8:54/mile
F: Off
S: 5 miles w/ friend
S: Off
M: 8 miles, first 4 slow, second 4 fast

TOTAL: 28 miles

+    +    +    +    +    +    +

Besides running this weekend, Stephen and I took a little day trip to Corning, NY, which is a small "city" about 40 minutes north of Wellsboro, PA, the town where I grew up. We had both planned on running the Wineglass marathon here, and then dropped to the half marathon, and then dropped the whole thing altogether due to Ada's surgery.

Still, we wanted to make a visit just for fun.


We first grabbed brunch at The Cellar. I ordered the Green Goddess omelet (incredible! full of asparagus, pesto, chevre, and mushrooms). Stephen got the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. I also sipped the most peppery Bloody Mary I've ever experienced (read: delicious), and Stephen got his fill of french press coffee.

After that, we strolled in the chilly air, taking in the sights + scenes.


It was fun gallivanting around just the two of us.


Completely off topic, but Stephen won a half marathon last weekend. Like, won the whole thing. He finished in 1:12:39 (5:32/mile), smashing his previous record by 2 minutes. The best part? He won a blanket, among other things. (It's the little things . . . ) Great job, Stephen!

If you didn't notice from the photos, stuff was a little dead in Corning because it was, well, a Sunday morning. Next time, we'll have to go either later in the day or on Saturday when everything is open, the farmers' market is in full swing, etc. Regardless, we found our fill of stuff to do. Next time I really want to check out the Museum of Glass and make a necklace.

Before we left, we visited the Market Street Brewing Company.


We sampled and savored -- the Wheelhouse IPA being our favorite. It was cool to chat with the owner, and for those of you who live in/around the Finger Lakes, you should definitely check out the Finger Lakes Beer Trail. I've never been much into wine (which is what the region is famous for), so this newer trail is exciting!

We stopped by my childhood mall on the way home (and by that, I mean it was the closest mall to us growing up, about 1 hour away!). We ran into my grandparents, which was an awesome bonus. And I couldn't resist grabbing an old favorite treat of mine.

Happy Halloween to me! (Truth: I bought two of these guys.)


I think it's been like 50,000 years since I posted a weekend recap like this one. Probably because most of our weekends are super duper low-key. It was a nice change of pace, that's for sure. And something we need to make more time for, even if it means shifting long runs to fit in lots of brunch food, drinks, and ridiculously amazing desserts.

Happy Tuesday!

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NYC: A Tourist's Guide

The (first) photo dump of our NYC trip is up on Writing Chapter Three, if you'd rather gawk at pretty pictures. I wrote this post somewhat selfishly because I'd like to remember the places we enjoyed on our trip.

Sigh. I have major case of post-trip blues . . . 


We stuck primarily to the midtown + Flatiron area since it was where we stayed, so this is -- obviously -- a rather limited scope of what you can do in the city. We took the subway one day, but mostly walked everywhere else. I estimated like 6 to 8 miles a day!

That being said, I'd love to know some of your favorite spots for future trips. Or if you've been to any of these places, what you thought about them. Please, tell us!

Here's my NYC guide -- from my perspective as a tourist.

LIGHT BITES + ETC.
I love casual eateries, and NYC has plenty to choose from. I think by far my favorite on this list is Hu Kitchen. Thanks, Steff, for taking us there!

Crumbs Bake Shop 

(Flatiron, 655 6th Ave) 

:: oh my gawd I ate way too many of the Cookies 'n Cream cupcakes. definitely wins my dessert category.

Hu Kitchen 

(78 5th Ave)

:: totally gluten-free, this place has smoothies, juices, breakfast bowls, and awesome baked goods.

Lenny's 

(Flatiron, 16 West 23rd Street)

:: great for a basic sandwich or bagel on the go, inexpensive.

Argo Tea Cafe 

(Flatiron, 949 Broadway)

:: yummy warm and cold drinks and grab-n-go salads.

Pick-A-Bagel

(Gramercy, 297 3rd Ave)
:: We went here on our way out of town. Several different kinds of tofu cream cheese. GIGANTIC bagels. All different varieties. Super-fast service. Wish I found it sooner!

Whole Foods
(Union Square)
:: This isn't a NYC thing, but we don't have one any closer than that to where we live. And this place has kombucha by the growler-ful. We stopped in for some necessities, as well as green smoothies we shared as a family.

Gimmee Coffee
(228 Mott Street)
:: Gimmee boasts several locations -- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Ithaca, Trumansburg. So, it was sort of neat to visit the big brother to our little college town favorite. Oh, yeah. Their coffee + other drinks are fantastic, too.

MEAL SPOTS
We were really fortunate to have TWO nights of babysitting during our week-long stay. We took full advantage. The other nights? We got ingredients to bring back to the apartment and cook in. Delicious! I miss the food already!

 

Eataly 

(Flatiron, 200 5th Ave)

:: can I confess we went to Eataly every day of our trip? yes. you can get lost in there, in the best way possible. it's a market and a collection of awesome Italian restaurants.

Birreria 

(rooftop at Eataly)

:: we went here on one of our "date nights" for some brews, a delicious cheese plate, and fish (Stephen) + grilled portabellas (Ashley) with a pear-cheese fondue!

Patsy's 

(Greenwich Village, 67 University Place)

:: best pizza I had in the city. i hear the location in Harlem is the original, but the spot on our way home from Washington Park was pretty fantastic.

Heartland Brewery 

(Union Square)

:: this was sort of a random choice for lunch, but it was there, it advertised beers (pretty good house selection), and the food was pretty interesting.

Dhaba 

(Murray Hill, 108 Lexington Ave) 

:: Stephen's uncle told us we were staying right near "Curry Hill" -- a cluster of great Indian restaurants. it was hard to choose, but this place called our names. can't say enough good things about the vegetarian/vegan food and the service.

SHOPPING
Honestly, we didn't do a lot of shopping. It wasn't what the trip was about. But, staying so close to 5th Avenue definitely had us passing by some fun spots several times a day.

Vintage Thrift Shop 

(286 3rd Avenue)
:: Seriously amazing spot. Lots of unique finds. I got this amazing vintage Zara dress/tunic for like $15.

Giggle 

(352 Amsterdam Ave)

:: We stopped in here to buy Ada a blanket (ridiculous, I know) because it was frigid when we trekked to the Upper West Side. Lots of cute, high-end stuff I never see in stores around my home area.

Lush 

(7 East 14th Street)

:: I feel like this place needs no introduction. I bought several hard shampoo bars. I love them. I just don't love the pushy (but nicey-nice) sales strategy. Maybe it was just that location?

Madewell 

(115 5th Avenue)
:: I shop -- the sale section -- online all the time. But I found an amazing dress for a fall wedding I'm attending on clearance with an extra 20% off. w00t!

Uniqlo 

(31 West 34th Street)
:: My friend Matt suggested this place. Amazing basics. Great prices, almost like H&M, but much, much better quality. Plus, the store is just fun to walk around with all the lights, mirrors, and music.

SIGHTS
I don't want to whine, but it was cold + windy during our stay. Like every day. If we didn't have Ada, I think we could have widened our scope -- but we didn't pack for that weather (rookie mistake), so we did a lot of sight-seeing on foot during our runs, which I'll write about another day. Here are a few places we did manage a visit . . .

Dakota Building + Strawberry Fields 

:: I went through a John Lennon phase in middle school/high school . Had to make the pilgrimage to his former digs + 

Madison Square Park

:: great views of Empire State Building, Flatiron, etc.

Union Square Park  

:: Favorite playground for Ada, good shopping nearby

Washington Square Park

:: Gorgeous park, less hectic than the others

Central Park

:: Didn't spend a lot of time there, but obviously worth a go!

FAO Schwarz

:: fun for the kiddos + parents alike.

NY Public Library
:: I'm a dork (and also worked in a library for many years), but it's such a gorgeous building and adjacent to Bryant Park, so I could pretend I have some connection to fashion week.

RUNNING As I mentioned above, I'll write more about the running another day this week. This photo is from the East River, looking down toward the Brooklyn Bridge. So pretty!

East River Promenade

Hudson River Greenway

Random family trip tip: Coordinate your packing efforts, at least when it comes to jackets. We all packed the same coat. Are you kidding me? Look at this! I think this is pretty much like wearing the same bright red t-shirt at Disney or something.

I hope you enjoyed by tourist-y guide to NYC. I know I missed a ton of great stuff, but there's no way we could see it all in just six days. What should we put on our "DON'T MISS!" list for next time? I already know I want to see The Book of Mormon . . . I'll have to save my pennies until then.

Have a lovely day!

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Weekend Adventure

Stephen and I biked to a nearby town this weekend -- a ride totaling 42 miles in all. This may not seem like a lot to you bike folks out there. But, as you'll see in a moment . . . we're not exactly serious cyclists. So, 42 miles is a trek for us, for sure.

Stephen has a mountain bike and I have a hybrid. And along our way, we ran into (well, were passed on the other side of the road by) "real" cyclists. Many of them waved. A few ignored us. I was the only female of the entire bunch.



Stephen's Garmin died on the way over, but we estimate our speed to be somewhere between 16 and 18 miles an hour. Not too bad considering the route was all rolling hills. Oh, and we each hadn't put our butt to bike seat in over a year. Truth be told, we didn't ride nonstop -- our "ride" took place from 9AM to 1PM, which included some walking across construction bridges, etc.


It was super sunny, hot, and humid, so when we got to our destination, we took a much-needed break.



There were some fun things to do in town. A book shop. A coffee shop. Lots of little shops, really.





As well as a river walk . . .




There was even time for yoga and cookie eating!



Overall, biking away half the day Saturday was a great, inexpensive (in all, I think we spent $4 getting a cookie and coffee) way to enjoy the weekend. We're definitely planning to do it again sometime soon. But now I'm wondering what you all did this weekend. Let us know by leaving a comment or emailing us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com. Up here in Upstate, it was amazing. We spent most of our time outdoors.

Here are a few other pics from the trip. Enjoy!







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Take a Cooking Class with Friends

My friends are seriously the coolest people . . . EVER. Not just because they love playing hours of Beatles Rock Band as much as we do. Not just because they share in our love of beer-cheese fondue. Not even because they're just so darn cute (I mean, LOOK at them!). No, it's because they take the time to visit us . . . and do other cool things with us.

Like what? Like participating in an apple pie baking workshop. Oh, hells yes!

In mid-October, we all drove from our separate cities to the The New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, NY. The mission: To create the most amazing apple pie possible. The weather was incredible -- it was the weekend before NY's first snowfall, and the leaves were nearing their peak. Canandaigua is a cute town that sits at the top of one of the Finger Lakes in upstate NY. As the Center's name implies, there's also a lot of great wine (and beer, actually) in the area.

Of course, we did a bit of taste testing . . .

Anyway, among many things that day, we learned some valuable tips and tricks for making flaky pie crust.

• Use shortening AND butter -- and don't blend the pats of either ingredient into the flour very much. The pockets of fat help create the flakes in the end result.
• Cider is an awesome liquid to substitute for water in apple pie crust. Don't worry, though, if your crust looks darker as it bakes (something about how the sugars make it caramelize).
• Mix by hand. And -- your mixing is "done" when the dough has reached a "shaggy mass" consistency.
• The words "shaggy" and "mass" together make my friends laugh even to this day.
• When you roll out your crust -- again -- you should see big chunks of fat (see my BEAUTIFUL example below -- I'm a star student. Hah!). That means you're moving in the right direction.
• If you eat too much of the raw dough, you may not have enough left to cover your pie.
  

In the end, my favorite part was not having to clean up after myself in the kitchen. Oh, and they gave us free wine . . . AND watched our pies while they baked, allowing us to roam around for a couple hours. From experience and what I have heard, all the pies turned out wonderfully. The whole day was perfect: food, friends, and -- yeah -- fun.

Bottom line? TAKE A COOKING CLASS WITH YOUR FRIENDS. It's a great way to spend your time . . . it's educational . . . it's tasty, etc. And if you're in the NY area, check out The New York Wine & Culinary Center -- we're already planning our next class. Hopefully something that involves chocolate.

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