Let's Go Explore: Midtown Manhattan

Hooray! My favorite segment is back! (It's my favorite because it involves me doing fun stuff)

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I commute to New Jersey to teach. I take the 1 pm train back and usually arrive in the city by 2 pm. I've developed all sorts of good and bad timewasting habits for my train rides - Facebook stalking, doing homework, Tumbling, grading papers, and catching up on NY happenings. Today, I was balancing reading a textbook and reading my iPhone, and one of my favorite blogs reported that 30 Rock would be filming at 30 Rock all day today.


ALL DAY?! That's a long time. Usually it's a few hour window, and you're lucky if you make it there in time with all the celebrity stalkers. Now, I knew it wasn't a guaranteed thing since the weather was iffy all day, but since my train would arrive in Penn Station (about 1.2 miles from Rockefeller Center), and I'm a bit stir crazy from a studious weekend, I had to take the chance.


Now before you read any further, I should tell you that I didn't see 30 Rock being filmed. It all but hurricaned this morning; I arrived in Manhattan during a dry period, but it was clearly going to rain again. I don't know how filmmakers account for this kind of thing, but I have a feeling they couldn't film outside today.


I DID, however, have a lovely hour and a half long excursion through touristy midtown (and I burned 200 calories walking & carrying my backpack around - bonus!). I started at the flagship Macy's, which is right across the street from Penn. I had walked by Macy's before, but I had never been inside. It's just like any other Macy's, except slightly bigger, much busier, and more spread-out. It's kind of like a Macy's-Mall-hybrid. OF COURSE they were having a sale, so I bought myself a little present.

A Betsey Johnson Panda Necklace! Swoon.

Then I headed over to Herald Square to see one of my favorite statues in the city, the James Gordon Bennett Monument, also known as the Bennett Clock. It features a lovely statue of Minerva, Roman Goddess of Wisdom, complete with two tireless workers to chime the bell and lots of owls.

According to the inscription, Minerva and the Bellringers stood atop Joseph Gordon Bennett's New York Herald building, tolling hourly from 1895 to 1921. In 1928, they were restored to their original location and continue to be officially maintained by the Parks Department. However, as of 1940, the statues don't actually hit the bell anymore - it's all an illusion (one that cost the city $200,000 in restoration a few years ago!). Anyway, I adore Minerva and her owls, so this is my favorite.

Then I walked up Fashion Ave to say hello to my good friends Patience and Fortitude at the NY Public Library

 (This one is Patience)

And finally, I ended my trip with a snack and a visit to Rockefeller Center, which was sadly empty, but always majestic. It will always be one of my favorite architectural spots in the city.

So much Greek mythology! No wonder Percy Jackson put Olympus here.

It started raining the minute I finished my sandwich, so I bolted to the B train and headed back uptown. All in all, a successful exploration! I found touring these touristy areas as a local surprisingly zen.


Do you have any places (no matter how touristy!) in your city that you can see over and over again and never tire of?

Dinner Tonight: Chicken Fajita Wrap

Welcome to my newest feature! Dinner Tonight showcases the healthy and tasty entrees that I cook for myself. All Dinner Tonight meals are for one unless otherwise specified!

I know, I know, everything I make has "fajita" and "chicken" in the name. But tonight's dinner is quick, easy, and healthy. It took about 15-20 minutes to cook, clocked in at around 300 calories, and was DELICIOUS - you can't beat that! All the measurements aren't exact and your chopping doesn't have to be pretty. Just use whatever you have on hand and whatever brands are your favorites.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breast tenderloins
• Goya Mojo Criollo Marinade
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 1/4 green bell pepper
• 1/4 small yellow onion
• 1/4 cup black beans (leftovers are great here!)
• 6 grape tomatoes
• 1 Trader Joe's Whole Grain Tortilla with Rolled Oats & Flax Seeds

Prep:

• I keep my chicken tenders in pre-portioned baggies in the freezer, so I made sure to pop one of the baggies in the fridge last night so it would be good and defrosted by morning.
• Add mojo marinade (you don't need a lot) to the baggie and put the chicken back in fridge. The longer it marinates, the better! Mine probably marinated for around 5 hours or so. Make sure to flip the baggie halfway so everything gets the good stuff.

Directions:

• Slice peppers and onions to your liking. I half-ass julienned mine.
• Coat a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Add onions. After a minute or two, add bell peppers. Cook until tender. I added about a tablespoon of the mojo for the last 30 seconds or so - it really infused the flavor into the veggies! Remove veggies from pan and set aside.
• While veggies are cooking, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Recoat the skillet with cooking spray and add the chicken. Cook thoroughly. Since the pieces are small, they will cook quickly, so be ready!
• While chicken is cooking, heat up your black beans, half or quarter your grape tomatoes (depending on their size), and heat up your tortilla so it won't crack on you.
• Add all ingredients to tortilla, fold and enjoy!

Now my wrap promptly fell apart the second I took my first bite. Since I was alone, it was no big deal to eat it Ethiopian style - grab pieces of tortilla and scoop up the veggies. It's a LOT of filling for a small wrap, so be ready!

Now for the good stuff. This is calculating using the brands that I used, so you may need to adjust according to your brands.

Nutritional Facts:

Calories: 300

Total Fat: 3.3 g

Cholesterol: 45 mg

Sodium: 1360.5 mg

Potassium: 312.8 mg

Total Carbs: 44 g

Dietary Fiber: 11.8 g

Sugars: 20.3 g

Protein: 23.3 g

Vitamin A: 8%

Vitamin C: 135.3%

Calcium: 15.3%

Iron: 28%

The only thing on here that's really alarming is the sodium - that's the mojo. So if you're watching your sodium intake, I suggest making your own, less salty mojo or trying a different marinade.

If you're eating low-carb, this could easily be made into a black bean bowl by omitting the tortilla and bumping up the black beans. With 1/2 cup of black beans and no tortilla, this would be 222 calories.

What did YOU have for dinner tonight?

Designing Woman

Oh hi, Tribe. I've been very busy, you know.


But not too busy to do some design overhaul! I've added some pages including an About Me section and a Links to Love section. Got a question you want to see on the About Me? Got a link you want me to hype? Email it to concretejane [at] gmail [dot] com! You might already find yourself there.


I've also created a Tumblr, which may be the best/worst decision I've ever made. I don't always have time to post REAL blog posts here, so the Tumblr is a sort of way for me to post little things throughout the day or week when I don't have time for a full post. It's also nice to be able to reblog some of things that I've been lurking about for years! My Tumblr feed is always available on the left side of this blog, and some things are posted to my personal Twitter.


On my Tumblr, I post a Corgi A Day and a Quote A Day, among other things. I'd love you to submit things for these (or any other) category on the Submit page! Another cool feature about Tumblr is the Ask page, where you can ask me any question and I'll answer it! This eliminates the need for me to have a Formspring - pretty cool, huh? So go ahead, ask away!


Finally, I've done some blog revisions to make this blog more anonymous. Not that I don't trust you, of course! But as a public school teacher, I need to be careful about what is accessible and findable by my students. Names and faces have been (mostly) removed, and awkward nicknames have taken their place. I have faith that y'all will catch on soon.

Old Habits Diet Hard: Pantry Staples

At this point, all I think about is food. I grocery shop at least twice a week (once at Trader Joe's and once somewhere else, usually at Fairway or the convenience grocery store across the street), and I spend a lot of free time discovering new recipes. Of course, I'm crazy about produce, but that's for another post. No matter what I'm making, there are a few things I always have on hand:

Skim Milk

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THE number one thing I always have on me. I put it in coffee & protein shakes, drink it as dessert, and generally indulge in it all the time. I. Love. Milk. 

Peanut Butter

Preferred Brand: Jif Natural Creamy

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I know. Peanut butter is an indulgence. It's high in fat and not super-filling. But I love me some PB and I simply cannot give it up. I used to use Reduced Fat Jif, until I read the ingredients - they take out the good nut fats and add in a bunch of oils that I've never heard of. I switched to Jif Natural and now Reduced Fat Jif tastes salty, sugary and processed. I call it my halfway peanut butter - I'm not ready to go all homemade-ground-nuts-only, but I was ready for something a bit more natural.

Fat Free Cottage Cheese

Preferred Brand: Trader Joe's

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I'm weird. I have always loved cottage cheese. And for under 100 calories, 0 grams of fat and 14 grams of protein, it's my favorite post-workout snack.

Protein Powder

Preferred Brand: Aria Women's Protein

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The perfect boost of protein. Add to 8 oz of skim milk and you're good to go.

Coffee

Preferred Brands: Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Trader Joe's

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Some people cut out caffeine when they diet. Those people are insane. Coffee gives me energy, keeps away headaches, and if I drink it 1 hour before exercising, improves my work out endurance. Also, it's delicious. I add 1/2 cup of warm, skim milk to 1 1/2 cups of freshly brewed coffee. Be sure to hydrate!

Nonfat Plain Yogurt

Preferred Brand: Trader Joe's

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The first few weeks of my diet, I cut out yogurt completely and switched completely to cottage cheese. I really missed yogurt - and so did my tummy, which loves the probiotics. I switched to organic, plain, nonfat yogurt and I'm LOVING it. To make a healthy, natural yogurt parfait, start with 2/3 cup of plain, nonfat yogurt and add in 1/4 cup of your favorite granola (I like TJ's Low Fat Granola with Almonds). Since it's winter, I use frozen fruit, slightly defrosted - my favorite is 1/4 cup of blueberries and 4-5 small strawberries. Mix it up and enjoy!

Light Snacking Cheese

Preferred Brand: Mini Babybel Light Cheese

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50 calories. 3 grams of fat. 6 grams of protein. Completely portable. I usually have one on me at all times, along with a bag of fresh veggies.

Cereal

Preferred Brand: Trader Joe's Joe's O's

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Now I've been known to switch cereals constantly. But Joe's O's (TJ's version of Cheerios) are $1.99 for a GIANT box, and you just can't beat that. I eat 3/4 cups of cereal with 1/2 cup of milk and some fresh fruit (usually a banana) for breakfast most mornings. I alternate with oatmeal, which is a whole different post.

Sports Drink

Preferred Brand: Gatorade (DUH)

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There's a TON of debate about whether or not to drink electrolyte beverages before/during/after workout. When I was working out last semester, I started to get faint on a regular basis. I talked to my sister, and she said it sounded like I wasn't retaining the water I was drinking, probably because my electrolytes were low. When working out, I now add 1/4-1/2 cup of orange Gatorade to my water bottle and fill the rest with water (usually another 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups). It's a nice little hit of sugar and salt without being overwhelming. Not sure if it's helping or if it's all in my head.

Deli Meat

Preferred Brand: Boar's Head Chicken Breast

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I love Boar's Head Chicken! Publix spoiled me, but luckily most major grocery stores around here carry it. I was eating the EverRoast until I discovered that Fairway has my favorite (Lemon Pepper) for the same price as Publix back home. Wonderful! I add 3 slices to one slice of...

Whole Grain Bread

Preferred Brand: Trader Joe's Soft 10 Grain Bread

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Some bread notes: multi-grain doesn't always mean whole grain. Make sure that the first ingredient in your bread is WHOLE WHEAT. Sometimes multigrain items use white flour and then add in grains - not as good! Also, I limit myself to a slice at a time, since it's 90 calories, and what's really delicious is the filling, whether it's peanut butter, deli chicken, or a delicious fajita turkey burger (okay that one gets two slices since it's huge).

Spice Blend

Preferred Brand: Make Your Own!

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Spices are seriously low-calorie, and they're the easiest way to add flavor without sacrificing your diet. I keep a tupperware container of my favorite spice blend on hand and use about a tablespoon at a time.

My preferred recipe:

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

 1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp white pepper

3/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

 1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cumin

Pinch red pepper flakes

Chicken Tenderloins

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Oh my goodness, all I eat is chicken. I buy chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts because they are easier to portion (the chicken breasts at TJ's tend to be 6 oz or so, which is a LOT of meat for someone like me who is still getting used to eating it regularly). I usually freeze baggies of 3-4 chicken tenderloins at a time and defrost them as needed. I have a million chicken recipes, and I try to mix it up.

Low Fat Ice Cream Treats

Preferred Brand: Skinny Cow

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My favorite indulgence. I just finished a pack of Cookies n Creme ice cream sandwiches and bought a pack of Chocolate and Peanut Butter ones. I tend to cut them in half so that they last longer - and then they're under 100 calories instead of under 200! You're not getting full off of these anyway, so they're not to eat if you're hungry. They're a treat!

White Wine

Preferred Types: Riesling, Pinot Grigio

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Look. Sometimes people like a drink at the end of the day. And making a vodka-soda at home is kind of awkward. White wine is typically between 130-150 calories a glass. I'm currently loving NY Rieslings, but my rule is that I don't buy the same brand twice. There's so many new wines for me to explore! And the Whole Foods Wine Store (99th & Columbus) has a great selection of cheap, local wines.

Some precautions:

- If you're going to drink alcohol, make sure you don't drink your nutrition calories. You MUST intake 1200 calories of nutrient-rich food to prevent going into starvation mode. My calorie budget is 1350, so on a day that I don't work out, that leaves room for one drink.

- Unless you've planned a special occasion, you only get ONE DRINK. Don't get caught up. It's not worth it for a million reasons, mostly that once you have a few more drinks, you're going to want some snacky snacks. Don't blow your diet on pita chips, pretzel crisps and Reese's Pieces. I'm definitely not speaking from experience here. 

- Obviously, this isn't for every day. Alcohol is empty sugar calories and should be an occasional indulgence.

- Unfortunately, only the big-name wine brands provide readily available nutritional information. Your calorie counter will have to guess on this one, so be aware that it may be a handful of calories over or under what you inputted.

- Finally, MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE. Calorie counters' range of serving sizes for wine is huge - some say 4 oz, some say 6 oz, some say 8 oz. Pick a size, use a measuring cup, and stick to it.

What ingredients do you swear by?

Boy Crazy!

This Valentine's Day (and almost every other for the last 5 years), I have been apart from the man that I love. So to show you all a little bit of love today, and to pass the time after my Skype Dinner Date and before it is socially acceptable for me to give up homework and go to sleep, I thought I'd give you a look at some of the men that I'm currently loving right now:

Darren Criss

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AKA Blaine from Glee, who is currently my favorite if only because his voice is pretty much exactly in my range. Now, I've never seen "A Very Potter Musical", but the fact that he did a musical about Harry Potter is enough to make me love him even more. I will forgive the fact that he went to Michigan as long as he keeps singing.

Mark Wahlburg

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Oh, Marky Mark. First of all, I'm a sucker for Massholes. I've loved this man for a long time, but it was with The Departed that I realized how talented he really is. His performance in The Fighter (and his passion and dedication with getting the film about his hero made) has me totally crushing on him right now.

Michael Cera

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I love me some nerdy awkward boys, and George Michael over here is the epitome. I've seen most of his movies, and although it may come across as him playing the same character in every film, I really think I've captured the subtle differences between each little geek. Or I just want to give him a hug and so I'm neglecting his one-note-ness.

Jason Sudeikis

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I've recently been getting back into SNL, and Jason's sketches are always some of my favorites. I fell in love with Floyd on 30 Rock (and still wish he and LiLem would have ended up together)... especially with his Jamaican accent in my favorite episode, the Valentine's-themed "Anna Howard Shaw Day"

Which brings us to...

Jon Hamm

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I've been crushing on Jon since I first saw Mad Men the summer after its first season. I think he's an immensely talented actor and gorgeous to boot. Plus, anyone who guest stars on 30 Rock and basically makes fun of himself is alright by me. This is pretty much a permanent crush that's usually stronger during Mad Men's season, but after seeing The Town a few weeks ago, it is renewed in full force.

Andrew Garfield

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The first time I ever heard Andrew's name was out of sheer hatred when he was selected over the Twitter favorite, Donald Glover, for the lead role in the Spiderman reboot. And then I saw The Social Network. And then I decided I wanted to see everything Andrew Garfield has ever done. He's immensely talented and completely adorable. Also British. Marry me, Andrew Garfield.

(Side note: he DOES make a really sexy Spiderman).

Who are you swooning over this Valentine's Day?

Old Habits Diet Hard: February Weigh-In

Hi tribe! I'm alive! I've been calorie counting for about a month now, but since I started this process while on vacation, it's a little tricky to gauge when I actually started "dieting". I'm considering the two weeks before I came back to NYC as training weeks - learning to use the MyFitnessPal system, researching food groups and healthy dietary balances, etc.


I am now a little more than two and a half weeks into my "real diet", and I have lost two and half pounds! Since my goal is a pound a week, this is perfect. If I stay on track, I will hit my goal of 10 pounds before the wedding (or at least come damn close to it).


Last week I also exceeded my exercise goal, which is 3 days a week of 30 minutes or 207 calories each workout, so a total of 90 minutes and 620 calories in a week. Last week, I worked out 3 days for a total of 101 minutes and 826 calories! Ideally, I'd like to up my workout goal to 4 days a week, but I want to see how school stress goes before I make that kind of commitment.


The weird thing is, most of the time I don't really feel like I'm dieting. All I do all day is eat. I don't really feel like I'm depriving myself of anything - in fact, I'm cooking more and really enjoying it. My biggest concern is that I think about food CONSTANTLY. Everything is a decision. But I've gotten really good at fractions.


Here's what a typical day looks like:


Breakfast
Trader Joe's Oatmeal
Coffee (1 1/2 cups with 1/2 cup of warm skim milk)


Lunch
Two eggs, scrambled with peppers, onions and tomatoes
1 slice of Trader Joe's Soft 10 Grain Bread with margarine


Mid-Day Snack
Baby carrots
Mini Babybel Light Cheese
Trader Joe's Fat-Free Cottage Cheese


Dinner
Jambalaya with chicken breast and TJ's Garlic & Herb Chicken Sausage (no shrimp)


Dessert
1 Tbsp Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup of Skim Milk


Water Count: 7 cups
Vitamin: TJ's Women's Once Daily
Exercise: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Level 1, ~254 calories burned


I actually went under calories on this day by 119 calories, so I gave myself half of a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich... still under calories by 39 calories, still WAY under because of the workout calories earned.


How have your food habits changed so far this year? I hope you're making progress on any resolutions you have!

Old Habits Diet Hard: An Introduction

I love the new year. Gyms are overcrowded, grocery stores stock up on diet soda and other fake healthy items, and absolutely everyone is obsessing about their weight. Well, I never stop obsessing about my weight, but I suppose the hype gets to me a little more in January than the other months of the year. It surrounds us all. My family is a little bit more health-obsessed than usual right now; there's this little event coming up that we're all wanting to look our best for. Now, I know everyone in my family reads this so I'm not gunna go into their specific reasons and concerns, but suffice to say that we all want to look marvelous.

Last night I was looking through old pictures with my sister to find adorable baby pictures of her for the Rehearsal Dinner Slideshow, and I realized something about myself. I have had this tummy since the day I was born, and it's never gone away. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. Now, I've never been obese, and I don't claim to know what it's like to be unhealthfully heavy or feel mocked when I enter a room. But I certainly know what it's like to feel self-conscious in a bathing suit or worried that my summer clothes won't fit every year. I've wanted to lose 20 pounds for as long as I can remember... and I did, one summer, when I was really ill, and of course the minute I got better and stopped living solely on Rice Krispies, the weight came back. 

This year is going to be different. No more empty promises. I'm starting a new feature on this blog. I am going to hold myself publicly accountable for my weight loss. Today is Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 and I weigh 141 pounds. This is the year I'm going to get down to my goal weight, which has always been 125 pounds. By April 2nd, 2011 (my sister's wedding date), I will weigh 130 pounds. This is my year. Welcome to my new blog series.

I have a couple tools of the trade. This morning I downloaded the MyFitnessPal iPhone app. Now, I've tried calorie counting before, and I always fail within a week. But with this app, I not only have access to all of this nutritional information on the Internet but on my phone... which is on me at all times.

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I know there are a million calorie counting apps and websites out there. Here's why I picked MFP:

• It starts by asking you your current weight, goal weight, and how many pounds you want to lose per week. Based on this information, it gives you a daily calorie budget.
• It has a ton of brand name and restaurant food items stores in its system.
• It allows you to input new brand name, restaurant or home made food items into your personal food library.
• It tracks not only your calories, fat and protein, but also your other things like vitamins, iron and sodium... and the amount of water you drink! Hydration is magic.
• You can create customized meals so that if you eat something often, you don't have to add each ingredient individually
• You input exercise in addition to food - it even gives you credit for simple daily things, like carrying household items and slow walking. No one burns 0 calories a day!
• It's FREE! And comes highly recommended on the App Store.

I know it's only been a day, but so far I really like it! Got any weight loss tools that have really worked for you?