delicious fall

It's been a month since I've moved, and there is a lot of settling in that still needs to be done. Classes are great, and I got a graduate assistantship working at the Brooklyn campus library at Pratt. It's also pretty awesome to be so close to M and my family.

Here's a little bit of what life has been like. Last weekend, my friend Mary came to Brooklyn to see my new place. It was new for us, as her trips to DC were so special. We would go to VegFest, shop at Mustard Seed, go to Mark's Kitchen and do yoga in my living room. But here's to new beginnings.

I live around the corner from an organic market that should just be called MECCA. Tofu scramble mix galore, six types of vegan mayo (who knew?), and just everything I could ever hope for. Including Pumpkin Woodchuck Cider. So rather than go out to eat, we wandered into the market and got creative. The result was a delicious fall meal, pictured below.

Pine nut couscous, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, chipotle lime Gardein chicken, pepperjack Daiya cheesea and sprouts.  MMMM. 

And Mary, my soul sister, enjoying our meal and my beautiful new apartment.

Can't wait for fall to really start!

xx

Final Days

Yesterday, after I finished babysitting and went to the doctor, I walked from Farragut North to Columbia Heights. I walked down 14th street- stopping in all the vintage shops, passing the restaurants I've had amazing meals in, and the bars I've spent my nights sitting outside with friends. When I finished my walk, I was at the water fountain on 14th and Park, watching kids play with the water as it shot up through the ground. It's hard to think that may be the last time I sit there for quite some time, but while I was sad, I knew that these streets were too familiar. It's time to move on. 

To celebrate one of my last nights here, Lexi and I met up for the Summer Supper Club at Sticky Fingers. Since I became vegan, I've been coming here for their delicious cupcakes and mac & cheese. This August, however, they are doing these weekly supper nights. It was Italian night, and  far more than I expected. The menu included bruschetta made from local heirloom tomatoes, artichokes, handmade pasta and tiramisu. Along with that, we enjoyed chilled tea and a basil-lemon martini that I hope to recreate. 

It was my first time meeting the owner and Cupcake Wars star Dori, so I asked one of the waitresses if I could get a quick picture with her. She not only took a picture with me, but took me into the kitchen to "show where the magic happens." 

Dori & her crew, Lexi and I.

After dinner, we walked over to Wonderland Ballroom to sit outside and take in the neighborhood. I took my last ride home on the H8 bus happy.

I'm leaving sometime this weekend, and the next few days will most likely involve goodbyes and packing. I can't believe that my four years here are coming to an end. I came to DC in August of 2008 to start my freshman year of college and have basically been here non-stop besides two summer breaks and my study abroad in Rome. It's become my home in many ways, and I can see myself coming back here in the future. But we'll see.

So, goodbye DC. Goodbye to Brookland- sometimes you scared me but I mostly loved you: my apartment, my neighbor Peaches, CUA's beautiful campus, the old houses, the Yes market, Ethiopian coffee at Cafe Sureia, mega margaritas at San Antonio's, the Mullen library (and all my co-workers <3), my walk to work each morning, and my roommates- first Bridget and Lexi, then Irene and Katie. I hope I enjoy my living situation in Brooklyn just as much. And DC in general: its diversity, its shitty metro (no I won't miss that), Busboys & Poets, Zorba's, Mark's Kitchen, Jazz in the Garden, the Mall, DuPont Circle, all these places give Brooklyn a lot to live up to. 

From Brookland to Brooklyn, here I go. See ya there :)

My packing playlist.

BFFS & NOM

Chelsea and Kaycie visited this weekend, and we made sure to do everything we loved in DC before I move: Jazz in the Garden, my balcony, Value Village and one crazy night on U St. 

I injured my back and have no been able to run/go to the gym/bike for a week and a half. So with all my free time, as frustrating as it is, I have been experimenting in the kitchen.

1) No pictures. but I did my own version of a cleanse this past Sunday, based on Gillian McKeith's cleanse. Here's what I ate:

-3 servings of kale, avocado, cucumber, coconut water and a teaspoon of almond butter

(It kind of looked like the picture above).

-Countless natural sunflower seeds.

-Echinacea tea. 

-Blackberries.

...and my biggest meal of the day: Spinach, Kale and a Red Pepper with Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar.

It was tough, but after a weekend with my best friends, it felt like the perfect time. I watched a bunch of movies, napped, and read. Afterwards, I felt like my body had a clean slate. 

2) My version of the Eat Clean Diet pita pockets that I found on The Athletarian's blog. I replaced the Greek yogurt with plain soy yogurt. It took about five seconds to make. 

3) Finally, my new obsession: Avocado Cream Pasta. I've seen this recipe before, but I never realized how easy and delicious it was. All I did was boil some pasta, mix the ingredients for the sauce in the blender, mix it up, and savor every bite. 

All the sauce calls for is:

1 avocado

1/4 cup cilantro

S & P

Garlic

Splash of almond milk

 So good.

PS: I GOT AN APARTMENT. Right across the street from Pratt's Brooklyn campus, in an adorable 3 br in a brownstone. Can't wait to see it in person and meet my new roommates. So all that is left in DC is a weekend with Matt and a week of babysitting. Then I'll be going back to New York and start moving in!

July, July

I sort of forgot about this blog because I was 

riding the bike Matt fixed up and painted for me, 

celebrating my 22nd birthday, 

spending time at a big old lake in Pennsylvania, 

running the boardwalk with my mom, 

being kids,

cooking delicious meals, 

spending time with my family, 

and spending one last weekend in Philly.

Next up: going back to DC for a bit, friends visiting and moving back to NY. 

run on sentence

Had an awesome weekend in both DC and Batimore.

Drank a lot of sangria at Jazz in the Garden,

then cured aforementioned sangria head with a walk around DC and a visit to the Francis pool,

boarded a 5:20 PM bus to Baltimore to spend that the night at Eleni's,

ate dinner at the bistro she works at,

which is right above her apartment, so we walked right up and had a beer-tasting party on the patio.

I came back to DC and met up with Margie, Lexi and Cory for some Eastern Market fun, ran and twisted my ankle (ow), and am now relaxing watching True Blood. 

Two more months, it's bittersweet.

sweatin'

Let me start off by saying it is hot as hell in DC right now.

(PS: I love this app, Swackett. It shows you what to wear each day!)

There was no way I was running in the heat yesterday. I've always had problems with getting very dehydrated in hot weather, so I wasn't going to risk it. Instead, I did 30 min on the elliptical and my Couch to 5k training on the treadmill. Already on week 5! Haven't been in the gym since before I started running, and I was so impressed with my endurance. In sum, I did about 6 miles! 

To celebrate my small but significant progression, as well as my summer roommate's 21st birthday, we headed to Busboys and Poets on 5th and K where I devoured a vegan quesadilla. Busboys is definitely my favorite restaurant in DC. I know I will always love whatever I get. It's also a great place to go with vegans and meat eaters!

Source

Today is spent completely indoors, with temperatures like this. I got up early (7:30) to run and it was so hot out already, I ended up chasing the shade and doing a crazy route. While baby Colin rests, I decided to make myself a pretty awesome lunch: Tempeh bacon/mashed avocado/tomato on Ezekiel bread with some quinoa/mixed veggies/spinach on the side.

The only thing that sucks is my current apartment search in Brooklyn. It seems that I won't be able to have something set up until at the very earliest August 1st, which stresses me out. The other day, I was pretty much told I had a room- and my parents drove to Brooklyn to see it- only to get an email telling me that the room had been given to someone else. Before my parents arrived. And they said nothing. So, I'm starting to ditch the idea of moving in with random Craiglisters (scary even to say) and spend a little more for a studio apartment. I definitely would love living on my own, but it is not the most cost-effective. I have one more potential roommate set-up in the works, so hopefully that pans out! I just want a place to sleep! (In a full-sized bed). 

Everything else is pretty great. Next Friday is my birthday, and I will finally get to see M after four weeks of being separated! We're celebrating my 22nd with my family at home, and then driving to his house on Lake Wallenpaupack, PA for his graduation party. Can't wait! And when did I become 22?!