Ohhhhhh my goodness, hot yoga last night was in-CAH-redible! I never in my life thought I would include “yoga” and “incredible” in the same sentence, but I was wrong. Phew, my arms are STILL shaking! But before the yoga, there was work …
I began yesterday [in terms of food] with an impromptu 10:30 am lunch:
Maria invited me to attend the last grief and loss group that she and Barbara had been running for some moms since September. Unbeknownst to Maria, who happens to be six months pregnant, the group had secretly decided to combine the celebration of the final group meeting with a baby shower for her!
There were probably about 10 moms there for the party. The group picture is so cute! I wish I could show it. In lieu of the cute picture, though, here’s a cuter picture of two babies, conveniently protecting their own confidentiality, snuggled into beanbags:
No, I don’t think it gets any more adorable.
We surprised Maria as she was walking in to deliver the chips. After a little speech, the food began!! As we’ve discovered time and time again, the ladies who work at my agency AND the ladies of the community in which we work know how to cook!
My plate had green salad, an amazing cabbage slaw that Barbara made with ginger-peanut sauce (!!!!), chicken lasagna made by a mom (might be the best I’ve ever had — it somehow tasted just like the vodka pizza at Pomodoro!), roasted chicken from a mom, rice with gandules from a mom, chips, and fresh fresh salsa made by a mom.
The chicken and salsa were zoom-worthy:
(Obviously, I had seconds. Do I really need to tell you that?)
Dessert plate #1 involved a corner piece (for maximum crumb-to-cake ratio) of Entenmann’s coffee cake, one of Barbara’s perfectly thin oatmeal raisin cookies, and a bit of fruit salad:
Cookie perfection:
Plate #2 was a big wedge of watermelon with another cookie:
So, yes, by 11am, I was fully lunched and stuffed out of my mind. I was not too stuffed, however, to try these Sunkist “almond accents” salad toppers that had disappointed Myrna:
They did not disappointment me! These almonds had excellent crunch and flavor, and I had two more baby handfuls. And there are tons more in the conference room for all of my snacking needs 😀
Later, I saw Jose running around with a stroopwafel (ahhhhhh yum!!) in his hand. He saw how excited I was and explained that a visiting friend of his from the Netherlands had brought him some … and then he beyond generously offered to give one up for the Sarah cause! I offered blog fame in return 😛
I took my prize and the stairs back down to my desk because it’s all about checks and balances:
The stroopwafel met its fate in my yerba mate:
And that does it for the work day! I was so so satisfied from all of my morning food, that I didn’t need to eat again for the rest of the day and headed straight to hot yoga when I left work. The class was packed times a million, so it was even hotter than when I went on Saturday. There was literally no space between the mats. But, the instructor managed to make everyone forget about the sardined room, and before I knew it, I was dripping sweat like never before, and my thighs were on fire! I can’t wait to go back on Saturday. Another interesting fact about hot yoga: if you want to ripen a banana quickly, take it to do the yoga with you. This banana from Jessica was still a bit green when I walked into the yoga studio. Here it is when I left!
I was way too sweaty to get on the subway, so my banana and I took a walk around the block to cool off and settled for a few moments in this random new seating area in the middle of the street (interesting concept?!) in the middle of Times Square:
As I walked toward the subway, I actually saw a section of lounge chairs further up! How random. Times Square is a beach now it seems? I did a bit of research and found this article: Broadway Becomes Sea of Lounge Chairs. Thoughts? Where do you fall on the lounging-in-the-street issue?
P.S. OMG OMG, the Professional Vegan is giving away two exciting foodie books!! I am entering stat because I NEED some new subway material desperately, and I’ve been wanting to read both of these books like crazy!
Tales of Expansion: Baby Butternut Edition 
I’ve heard about them changing traffic patterns in/around times square, i didn’t know they were putting lounge chairs there, what a strange idea, not being from NYC I have no opinion on it but I imagine it has to be annoying for some people, and I’m sure others really enjoy it.
I love all your eats for the day, I’m so jealous of all the goodies you get at work!
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Ginger peanut sauce sounds great.
The lounge chair idea sounds cute. I’d love to sit and people watch. Although to really relax, I’d much rather be in my own yard.
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i saw something about the lounge chairs – it’s so weird! I’m all about being able to rest when i need to, but it just seems so strange?
glad you enjoyed yoga!
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HA a sweat-ripened banana!? Deliciously disgusting! I love those chairs- I’m always thinking when I walk around, geez I wish there was a convenient seating area right here so i could chill for a little bit!
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I love the tip on the banana!
I love ripe or over ripe bananas. I find taking them to work with me in my backpack turns them a lovely shade of brown!
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What a fantastic spread! If I worked where you do I’d be 500lbs……You make hot yoga sound like so much fun. I’m a little scared to try it, myself, but I hear that after so much sweating, you fell really “clean”.
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I remember reading about them setting up those crazy chairs and I’m like whaaa? That’s insane. I like it though! I can’t really say that I find hanging out in the middle of THAT street that leisurely 🙂
Can I come to yoga with you on Sat?
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Interesting about the banana! I’m always looking for new ways to ripen them faster 😉
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delicious lunch!!! i saw all those chairs too when i visited and thought it was a neat idea, but an odd area for them.
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aaaaah! I love stroopwaffels- I get them at Starbucks but first had them in Germany when I ordered coffee and it came with the waffle as the ‘lid’ for the cup so the caramel melted. So good.
I’ve had lunch sitting in those chairs in Times Sq…gotta do what ya gotta do, right? 😉 I think it’s kind of nice somewhere as hectic as Times Sq to have places for people to sit, but it could cause a lot of problems with litter/drunk people! I love all the small random ‘gardens’ hidden around the city which make for much better lunch breaks than the middle of Times Sq!
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Hahah bean bag babies, how cute is that!
That salsa just LOOKS zoom worthy, I’d love to see how it actually tasted! I’m so used to jarred but I love me some salsa so I desperately need to start making some fresh stuff.
That’s way too cool about the banana.
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Hmm… street lounging… I think I like it!
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yay! can’t wait for the hot yoga
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I adore NYC- thanks for the shot! 🙂
I want to try hot yoga so badly ! I need to find a class once I am in school!
Your early lunch at the baby shower looks amazing!! It’s so nice to have an ecclectic variety of foods from amazing cooks! Soo yum!!
I hope today is going well for yoU!
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I actually haven’t ventured over to see the “beach” at Times Square, but I kinda like the idea. I can see how it could make the streets cluttered, but it seems like a nice project. Also, I don’t drive in the city, so I’m not really gonna complain about streets being blocked from cars!
I remember last summer on the weekends Park Ave was blocked off and people could walk or ride their bikes up and down the streets. That was really cool and gave the usually hectic NYC streets a little nicer feel. 🙂
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wow that banana browning is crazy! and your office really can cook!!!! we always have treats at my office but they are somewhat easier to avoid because they arent homemade. homemade goodies are impossible to resist 🙂
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Hmmm…I’m not so sure I like that idea. I mean, it sounds nice and all, but isn’t Times Square already pretty cluttered as it is?! I dunno about that one.
The cabbage slaw with peanut sauce sounds great. I was never a big fan of slaw but now that I am older I have enjoyed hearing so many different creations for cole slaw, it’s great!
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It’s TOO weird to me that Times Square has gone all civilized and pedestrian, lol!
OMG, all that shower foods looks so good. Love.
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Wow. I think that’s cool having lounge chairs in times square like that. It seems very European to me.
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Oh my gosh, those babies in beanbags are so cute!
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Aren’t the chairs insane?! We were so confused when we went to the city the other day 🙂
http://eatingchalk.wordpress.com
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hey weirdo, where’s your baby to share?!?!?! hehehehe ahhh those 10:30 lunches, how joyful!! Interesting how you were invited to a mommy meeting! very cute too!! omggg a stroopwafle!!! Is that what they’re called/?!?!? I ABSOLUTE adore them, and at them all the time back in Hong Kong. I think we called them French waffles…i would buy mine filled with taro…Asian style. 😉
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I’ve heard of that but not seen! Odd yet intriguing idea.
The babies in beanbags are SO cute – totally reminding me of those flower baby photos that were so popular for a while…ANNE GEDDES, that’s the one. Or something like that…
Anyway, have a chuckle at my expense – I posted a “you might be a health blogger” list and the reader additions are too funny!
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what a great surprise for you friend! Um, I live on a street with no sidewalks, so having patio furniture in the middle of all that is crazy!
Love the bean-bag babies though!
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mmm now those are some GOOD eats. and i love the bean bag babies!
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