Thanks for the coupons, Whole Foods, but please don’t rush me.

I don’t even know what to make of the Victoria’s Secret catalog I got recently that was addressed to the Cording Family. It must be the lacy stuff I ordered when it was on sale back in November…Ew. Now I’m a little creeped out. Time to stop thinking about it.

Do you ever get weird coupons? 

Wednesday totally snuck up on me this week, thanks to the long weekend. No complaints, though. Yesterday was my last Tuesday working from home in who knows how long, so I took advantage of the extra time by doing a ton of laundry, stocking up on groceries, and cleaning the hell out of my apartment. I also ran a bunch of errands I’d been putting off.

Because I felt like I was constantly moving, my meals and snacks were mostly quick, thrown-together assortments of leftovers. Sometimes I forget just how much of a workout you get cleaning and rushing around crossing things off your to-do list. So much for that active rest day. I’ll make it up later this week…

In the spirit of What I Ate Wednesday, let’s do this thing.

Breakfast: Oats with plum and chia seeds, topped with fig butter and PB2 sauce (I’ve been won over—this stuff is kinda neat) 

Lunch: Butternut black bean chili over kale; toast w/ hummus & roasted pepper

Snack: Kefir w/ berries & cereal 

Dinner: Spaghetti squash  w/ roasted broccoli & eggplant, kale, Tofurkey sausage, marinara, and parmesan 

Snack: (unpictured) glass of white wine at writers’ group; banana w/ 1 tsp-ish of Biscoff when I got home (I tell myself the potassium will counteract the onset of a wine headache, but this may or may not be true)

As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the link party. For more WIAW from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons.

Did you do anything for Mardi Gras? Giving anything up for the next 40 days? 

This was news to me, but apparently the chain, which is notorious for its high-cal foods and huge portions, has been featuring a Skinnylicious menu since Fall 2011.

pardon the bad photo photo

While the menu doesnt list exact calorie counts, for each category, it says the maximum number of calories. For example, all the salads were 590 calories and under, the flatbreads were 490 and under, etc. I assume the sugar, fat and salt quantities were all still fairly high, but if nothing else, it seemed like a good PR move.  We all decided to try it out. My mom tried the ahi carpaccio, and my sister and aunt both got the soft tacos. I ordered the herb-crusted salmon salad.

We all enjoyed our food a lot more than we expected to.  Everything was super-fresh and the portions were generous but not overwhelming. I’d say I finished about three quarters of mine and felt really satisfied.

For dessert, we decided to go in the opposite direction and ordered a piece of red velvet cheesecake to split between the four of us. 

Not gonna lie—the first few bites were amazing. Especially with the cream cheese icing on top, these flavors were made to go together. However, after those first few tastes, the flavor just went away for me so I called it a day. Does that ever happen to anyone else? I mean, a few bites of something really decadent really is all you need most of the time, but it was crazy—four grown women with healthy appetites barely finished half of this slice of cheesecake that’s supposedly intended as a single serving for one person. I think that says more about the Cheesecake Factory than about us, though!

Have you tried anything off the Cheesecake Factory’s Skinnylicious menu? What did you think? If you haven’t, would you try it? 

The rest of my weekend has been full of fun New York things. Friday I met some friends at the Brooklyn Brewery, which I’d been meaning to visit for ages. I was especially taken with the maple porter. 

Some of the people in our group were taken with the cat wandering around.

"Holy shit! It's a cat! In a bar!"

I didn’t stay out too late because I had early-morning plans that involved a walk on the High Line. I hadn’t been since the summer, and it was lovely on a chilly, sunny morning when it was still quiet out. 

The rest of the day was pretty mellow, complete with mimosas, a trip to the Hells Kitchen flea market, and other good weekend-things.

Typical flea market scene

What’s been the best part of your weekend so far? 

Following a Consumer Reports analysis of arsenic levels in juice, researchers at Dartmouth College tested 17 baby formulas, 29 cereal bars and three energy shots that were purchased in the Hanover, New Hampshire area.

In the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the team reported that of the two formulas that listed organic brown rice syrup as the main ingredient, one had a total arsenic concentration that was six times the federal limit for bottled water, which is 10 parts per billion.

Of the 29 cereal bars and high energy bars studied, the 22 with rice-based ingredients among the first five ingredients showed higher arsenic concentrations than comparable products without the rice-based sweetener.

While Brian Jackson, the lead researcher, told Reuters that eating a cereal bar every few days would probably not do much harm, that babies and toddlers should probably avoid formulas containing brown rice syrup until levels have been regulated, as it’s a source of arsenic that hasn’t been considered before.

The team said there is an “urgent” need for regulation in food,  as arsenic and its metabolites can become absorbed in rice through natural microbes as well as traces of pesticides in the soil. The FDA says they recognize that there may be trace amounts of arsenic in many foods and that it has expanded its surveillance of rice.

What do you think? Are you concerned? Should arsenic levels in food be regulated? 

Yesterday, I met a friend for lunch at the Renaissance Diner in Hells Kitchen—trying to make time for weekday lunch dates with my girls while I still have a flexible schedule! We were both craving eggs, so of course I thought about ordering my old stand-by. But I didn’t! Instead, I ordered an egg-white vegetable frittata…So okay, maybe it’s almost the exact same thing, but this had mushrooms and tomatoes and broccoli. And it was amazing. I’m a little obsessed with mushrooms right now. Progress.

Pardon the abundance of “what I ate”-type posts lately. I’ve been trying to squeeze in as much bill-paying work as I can while I still have control over my schedule. A lot of people have been asking me how I’m going to handle freelancing once I start my internship, and to be honest, I haven’t totally figured that out yet. I have a few plans in place to help keep me sane, but I know it’s going to be a bit of a balancing act, at least in the beginning.

Still, I’m excited. I’ve been working toward this since 2009, and within a year, I’ll be just about ready to add MS, RD to my business card. Even if the next year is going to be nuts, I know I’m going to learn so much and, because I can never seem to help it, end up with a lot of stories to tell.

Do you tend to order the same thing at restaurants? How do you stay sane when your schedule is crazy? 

The day started off with an energizing breakfast: kodiak cakes (with cocoa powder mixed in because I’m going through a phase) topped with peanut butter and banana. I’m always surprised at how long this actually keeps me full. Since I basically didn’t stop moving all day, this was especially helpful.

Pardon the blurry photo—it was early!

Lunch was a salad I rushed to make but took forever to eat: baby spinach with roasted veggies, olives, canned tuna, goat cheese, and balsamic; popcorn for “dessert” while I attempted to catch up on work emails

After rushing across town to get my hair cut and then to have fingerprints done at the hospital I’ll be interning at, I made a quick snack before I settled in to prep dinner. I’m still not over yogurt with cocoa powder, berries, and cereal. 

Dinner with the girls was so much fun—and tasty. While we talked and drank wine, we enjoyed a salad of arugula with dried figs, chopped plum, parmesan and fig vinaigrette. There was also mushroom lentil bourguignon (adapted from this recipe).

Dessert was mini chocolate red wine cakes in chocolate glaze (adapted from this recipe). There were also some Valentine’s Day candies one of my friends brought from work. Not too shabby.

Did you do anything for Valentine’s Day this year? What are some of your favorite dinner party foods? 

As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the link party. To see more What I Ate Wednesday posts from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons!

When you’re in a relationship, it seems silly to pick one arbitrary February day to do nice things for each other. Besides, nothing kills the mood like “Well, I guess it is Valentines Day…” Though I’ve read and written about aphrodisiac foods, I don’t really believe in the magic of oysters. And for those of us single and single-ish gals out there, I especially don’t buy into the implication that eating chocolate, sending ourselves flowers or enjoying other things we can do for ourselves anytime we like somehow connote failure. When it comes to certain things in life (though true, not all), if you want it done right, you’re better off doing it yourself.

Which brings me back to chocolate. Sure, a heart-shaped gift box from the drugstore is nice, but there’s something to be said for meeting your own needs and figuring out what you like. One of my favorite recent finds is Trader Joe’s dark chocolate with caramel and black sea salt. I also love Ghirardelli’s Intense Dark. As a dark chocolate lover, I don’t know if I’d be able to hide my disappointment upon being presented with a last-minute gift of waxy milk or white chocolate. Worse would be something with almonds in it. “Aww, thanks so much. Just a sec, let me get my epi pen so I can try one…” Hot. Of course, as with many things in life, it also works to have a partner who knows what you like.

Though chocolate is often considered a guilt-inducing food, there are plenty of well-established reasons that enjoying a little bit (especially dark chocolate, which has a higher cocoa content) within your daily calorie limits may actually benefit your health, thanks to the flavonoids in cocoa. Some studies suggest up to one ounce a day to put you in the sweet spot without overdoing it. Studies show chocolate may:

• Reduce risk of heart failure
• Protect the arteries from damage caused by cholesterol 
• Regulate blood pressure 

When you consider that cocoa is a rich source of magnesium and that it also plays a role in the regulation of mood-affecting neurotransmitters, it makes sense that many women crave it during “that time of the month.” While you can get it from eating a few squares of the good stuff, cocoa powder (if only slightly or not alkalized, as alkalization can impact antioxidant levels) is one of the easiest ways to get your fix. Some of my favorite ways to incorporate it are:

• In oatmeal (I stir in a tablespoon during cooking)
• In yogurt
• In smoothies
• In homemade hot cocoa, made with milk and a little sweetener
• In chili
• In pancake batter

Of course, I also love cocoa in chocolate desserts. A few bites of something really decadent can be a great way to end a meal. This year, I’m spending Valentine’s Day with a few lady friends. Wine and chocolate will definitely be involved, though that’s pretty much how it goes any time we get together.

Are you a chocolate lover? What’s your favorite kind? Do you add cocoa powder to certain foods? 

To quote my sister, “Because who would want to eat a cherry that actually tastes like a cherry?” Duh. Silly me.

What’s the weirdest food product you’ve seen lately?

1.) Breaking in new boots that already feel like you’ve had them for ages. When my feet are happy, I’m happy.

2.) Cocktails in speakeasy-esque bars. Sometimes it’s fun to step outside the wine & beer box—or okay, bottle, because we all know I’d never drink wine from a box, right? If you knew me before, say, 2005, please don’t answer that question.

3.) Weird-But-Good Food Combinations

After a workout, it’s amazing, the things you find yourself craving. For whatever reason, a warm bowl of spinach, roasted veggies, and homemade falafel sounded like the perfect lunch on Saturday—topped with hummus and goat cheese, of course. On the side? Roasted sweet potato rounds. I will definitely be re-creating this weirdness in the near future.

4.) Speaking of working out, is there anything better than taking a long shower afterwards and then putting your pajamas back on? I spent the better part of Saturday afternoon in my favorite old slip.

5.) Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate with Caramel and Black Sea Salt. 

Enough said.

6.) This Tumblr. It’s like Pinterest, only better.

What are your “things” for Sunday?