Something new on the plate

Wow! It's been a while since I've made a real post...I won't pretend to be on track, I won't pretend to give advice, but I will tell you what I've been up to lately.

School, work, school, dating, school...and more school. Notice that there's no gym in there?? Yeah, me too. Notice how school appears multiple times? Yeah, because it's that time consuming this term. I'm taking a finance course that is KILLING me...literally, sucking the life from my soul. Guess what that means...stress. Yup. Stress. Guess what comes with stress?? Yup. Bad eating habits, carb cravings, sugar cravings, low amounts of exercise and belly fat. Ugh. One would think that I could combat this all with healthy eating choices. Of course, that assumes that I've had time to go to a grocery store and buy healthy food, let alone time to cook it.

What have I been doing?? I've avoiding and using unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with the amount of stress that this class is causing me. And by unhealthy I mean just plain old not taking care of myself. I've had little to no downtime, I haven't seen my friends, I spend hours on end in my office staring at a spreadsheet until I think my brain will explode!! OK, so I did make it to the gym one night with J. That's been my only activity that recharges my soul. I need more of that.

Instead, I've been working towards another goal. I've decided that it's time to add dating to my already over-full plate!  Yup. As if I don't have enough going on. I am enjoying meeting the guys that I'm meeting and getting to know. Some more than others, of course! It's odd, when you approach dating as a process and understand that it's OK not to like everyone and for not everyone to like you, it's actually fun!

And here's the view from my date last night with M.

So, my dinner from last night...

 2/24/12

Lobster bisque made with coconut milk...this was just about the BEST lobster bisque that I've ever had...I thought it was good at the MFA, well, they've got nothing on Top of the Hub!!!

 the chopped salad...with a delightful light vinaigrette

 OK, I had veal...there. I said it. I had veal. And I even asked the waiter to give me the youngest, most innocent, cutest, littlest tender calf of all! OK, not really. Seriously, this was veal sirloin, a nice thick cut piece of meat. When cut into, it looked more like a pork chop, but tasted like sweet, juicy and wonderful veal. Next to my sweet delicious baby calf is an onion (take it or leave it...) and a semolina gnocchi (not what I expected). The gnocchi had a little bit of a cheese flavor to it...a wonderful and unique presentation of a starch in my opinion.

Pear tarte...now, the waiter spent time telling us a short bio of the pastry chef on staff and the dessert special. Maybe I should have ordered the dessert special? While there was nothing wrong with the tarte, it just didn't seem like a full-fledged pastry chef put any effort into this. Are my expectations too high?? Maybe. This dessert was good and would be good enough anywhere else, just not for Top of the Hub. Oh yeah. I ate it all.

 2/25/12

Panera for breakfast!!

 my leftover veal and semolina gnocchi

berries, yogurt and an apple


I also ate a zillion girl scout cookies while doing my homework...

And this has become an easy dinner...it sucks living next door to a pizza joint...

Photo dump...you'll see...

So, this is the part where I apologize for not posting. Well, I've been a little busy. On top of school and work, I've decided to jump back into the dating pool and have been going out and meeting some pretty amazing guys. You'll see the food...

Dating has added it's own challenges to my life. Ups and downs...and tight schedules!! I'm having fun though, and isn't that how it should be?? I've met some guys that I'd like to get to know better and some that I don't want to see again. I think that's pretty normal though. I mean, we can't all like everyone! I've even met some guys who don't want to see me again. Imagine that! Impossible!! But yes, it's true. Some eliminate me, I eliminate some. Either way, I'm having fun and I've met some high quality guys.

 2/3/12
Breakfast pizza, oatmeal and fruit...I couldn't resist. It's pizza, for breakfast!

 salad and minestrone soup

fried calamari at Wagamama, I think I forgot to photograph my entree, but I believe it was some vegetarian noodle dish with fried tofu

2/4/12
big salad...looks like it's from the salad bar at Shaw's

eggs with cheese and salsa and toast with raspberry jam

 2/5/12--Super Bowl Sunday

eggs with cheese and salsa, berries and toast with jam

 SUSHI!!

 Sunday Chicken Dinner!!

Red Velvet Cake---homemade butter cream frosting!!!! OK, so just assume that I ate it until it was gone...even if there are no photos

 2/6/12

yogurt, berries, egg and oatmeal for breakfast

 fairly normal lunch salad

 mixed greens salad and fresh bread at Henrietta's Table

 At Henrietta's Table, I invoked the Duck Clause...when it's on the menu, always order the duck!

The chocolat bread pudding...to die for!!

 2/7/11

Hmmm, this seems to be my normal weekend breakfast these days...

 Cake for lunch!

Chicken, broccoli and dill potatoes

 2/8/12

blueberry muffin

 salad with ham and turkey panini

Pizzeria Regina's brought over by a great new guy--tomatoes, basil and ricotta

 2/9/12

eggs, a little potatoes, fruit

 salad and homemade soup

salad and pizza---this is, I think, the one time I strayed from the rule about no cafeteria pizza

 2/10/12

double chocolate muffin...how could I resist?? eggs with some stuff in them...tater tots and fruit

 salad and yogurt--I'm looking to greek yogurt more and more for protein

It's not delivery, it's Di Giorno!

2/11/12

Panera!! The new Mediterranean breakfast sandwich, fruit and cappuccino 

 pork gyoza

 Sashimi!! hmmm, there's Hawaiian Kanpachi, yellowtail and sea bass??

Another great date night!!

Sushi rolls!! Mine were the spicy salmon and the white seaweed with tuna

 2/12/12

Study break lunch with a class mate...some beef kofta thing with rice, beans, lentils and salad---so yummy and getting me excited for my trip to the Middle East!!

Great dinner and great company at the Washington Square Tavern!

 2/13/12

eggs, potatoes and fruit

 salad, mushroom barley soup and grapes

Pizza and salad from the shop next door

 2/14/12

eggs with hot sauce, tots, fruit and chocolate chip muffin

 chocolate love donut

salad and chili with cheese

 2/15/12

breakfast power sandwich, fruit and cappuccino

 garden salad and Mediterranean veggie sandwich

 Another great sushi date!  Look familiar??

 yummy rolls

This one was weird...it had truffle oil and flakes. Good, but I'm not going to go out of my way to order it again...

 2/16/12

eggs with cheese, oatmeal and fruit

 salad from Fresh City

Pizza and salad from next door

 2/17/12

eggs, granola cereal, milk and an apple--I may not have eaten the apple after all...

 salad and mushroom barley soup from Fresh City--our cafeteria is under all sorts of extra precautions against Norovirus...we don't have a salad bar until further notice and there is no self-serve anything. Everything is pre-packaged. It forces me to go elsewhere for lunch, which is good.

There's a buffalo chicken wrap in there...and a mango smoothy

2/18/12

Must be the weekend!! Eggs with cheese and salsa, toast with jam

 Another great night out...

mixed greens with jicama

carne asada and a chicken burrito with mole from Casa Romero

There was ice cream after...

 2/19/12

Panera!!

 yogurt, candy and fruit---lunch of champions

greek salad at the Aegean Seafood Restaurant

 lamb with gravy---a great night out classmates!

baklava

 2/20/12

Panera!!

Salad with kale and sausage soup, chocolate cake!

2/2112

eggs, yogurt, oatmeal and fruit

clearly, I forgot to photograph some food. I've been a little busy lately between work, school and dating.

 2/22/12

brownie, berries and yogurt

Firehouse salad from Thornton's in the Fenway...OMG!!!! It only took three years, but they're back open after the fire!!!!


I'm not sure if I skipped dinner or forgot to photograph it

 2/23/12

fruit, egg and cheese sandwich--I didn't eat the yogurt

 turkey on whole grain with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cukes, a little mayo and spicy mustard---minestrone soup and fruit

a french toast muffin and coffee for dinner...

2/24/12----TODAY

I forgot to photograph breakfast but I had a jelly donut, a banana and melon

salad (I ate 1/2) and sushi!!

I'm saving dinner for a separate post...I'm going somewhere where I can wear my new black cocktail dress....I don't know what the restaurant is, but I'm sure it's worthy of it's own post!!