Happy weekend, babycakes! I’ve said it before and I’ma say it again: You’re all outstanding. Thank you so much for all the advice! What I’ve gathered: apply, apply, apply; network, network, network. And never, ever give up. No problem.

Thursday was a picturesque chilly day in the city:

En route to work. In love.

As soon as I stepped foot in the office, I made a decadent breakfast. I’d tried oats in a jar a few times prior with no success. I never understood the fascination. It also seemed gluttonous, but we all know that’s one of my sins and I’m OK with that. The trick to killer oats in a jar? Tons of peanut butter:

Oats in a jar, d*ck in a box, jizz in my pants, I'm on a boat. They all come to mind.

There was so much peanut butter that I couldn’t even finish this. Travesty.

The entire day was somewhat a blur. Co-workers and I had plans to dine at the incredible-sounding Angelica Kitchen. We chatted about the menu and how eager we were to eat there the way teenage girls talk about anticipation to see their crushes at dances. Oh wait, we still do that. Although, now it’s about adorable co-workers and company Christmas parties.

Lunch was what some may call sad. For anyone who loves bread, though, this was perfection:

All things good. Well put, Whole Foods.

Above is a mere representation of all the bread and hummus consumed. I mean, how can one stop at two chunks of bread and a baby turd of hommus? I certainly can’t.

I spent the afternoon fact-checking our Chicago circulation. This led me to view countless creepy MySpace pages, after which I felt I needed a good scrub-down. I reached for black coffee instead. You know, to fuel me through more terrifying MySpacers.

What seemed like 27 hours later, the crew and I headed to our dinner destination:

Thank you.

A cozy, warmly lit space welcomed us in from the harsh cold:

The lighting made for horrible food pictures. Consider yourself warned.

Cavernous. (Very different from carnivorous.)

Thrilled to see cornbread on the menu, we ordered a slice for appetizer, part one:

Looked pretty good.

We made a fatal mistake, though. Cornbread should never be gluten-free (sorry my GF mamas). Apparently there are two types of cornbread on the menu, which the waiter failed to explain. I’m blaming him. This was like a dense, dry nut loaf vegan nightmares are made of. I searched for the sweet corn flavor, but it was nearly impossible to decipher.

Next up was a hard-to-mess-up appetizer:

Hummus with, what, five pita chips and five pieces of veg? Do they realize how inadequate that is?

Riddled with garlic and lemon, this hummus wasn’t bad. I have high expectations if a restaurant makes its own hummus, as in, it must be better than Sabra. It was not.

I was hopeful for my entree, though, as the day’s special was described with such gusto:

The Late Glazed Townes Van Zandt.

With ginger, tempeh, coconut, sweet potato and cilantro (AKA my favorite flavors), I thought this was going to blow my mind. Muffin even said, “OMG! You’re going to have an orgasm.” To which I replied, “I know!”

It turned out that the special was not so special:

My photography was also not so special.

Clearly, the tempeh was not glazed, as the menu had indicated. It was fried. The udon noodles were mushy, the broccoli was awkwardly placed and the artichokes on the side (those balls) tasted like plastic. The highlight of the whole dish was the cilantro-lime sweet potato salsa:

Sweet potatoes taking one for the team.

To top off this bland, under-seasoned, sloppy meal, the service was also disappointing. Our server seemed impatient and slightly annoyed. He also did not ask how our entrees were after we’d been eating for a few minutes.  Had he asked, I may have sent back my dish.

Overall, I will not be going back to Angelica Kitchen. If you’re going to do vegetarian/vegan food, you have to do it perfectly with the best ingredients and loads of flavor. I left underwhelmed. Perhaps it was the great expectations I had going into dinner, but if Dickens taught me anything, it’s that all your high hopes can be stomped on and shoved in your face. Or mouth, in this case.

That said, I had a great time! I love my dinner companions/co-workers. Shooo, how’s that for a transition?

When I arrived back in Hoboken I knew I still needed something else to eat. I wasn’t satisfied at all. Chocolate called my name.

Sticking with the vegan, gluten-free train, I grabbed this $1.69 cookie:

Nana's No Wheat Chocolate Chip cookie.

The only reason I chose this cookie was because the Alternative Baking Company’s cookies were more expensive. The more I looked at the ingredients and stats, the more impressed I became:

Fab ingredients.

Less sugar in the whole cookie than in a Clif.

These giant cookies usually have two servings, but I always eat the whole thing. It would be absurd not to.

I adored the chocolate chips, the thickness and the cakey texture:

Thick. Spy my dead flowers in the back? Yeah, no one ever buy me flowers, please. I forget about them and then kill them.

Satisfaction was finally reached. Nana’s cookies, we shall rendezvous soon.

Well, pudding pops, I’m off to work my hiney off all day! Oh, also, my stomach is a hot mess after last night’s dinner. I’m hoping to forget about it this weekend with some friends, vino and dimes. Stay tuned for Monday’s recap, “Great Sexpectations.” Kidding!

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: What’s the worst dining experience you’ve ever had?

This wasn’t my worst, by any means. It was super disappointing, though.

Hi puddings! It was so incredible to read what makes everyone most joyous that it made me more joyous! If anyone needs a lift, go back to yesterday’s post and read the comments. They’ll at least give you something to fantasize about doing after work or school.

Wednesday was a truly lovely day. Despite harsh winds, cold and rain that nearly knocked me over, I made it to the gym for a fabulous workout. I’ve come to thoroughly enjoy and look forward to scamming on the Jerz Guids. And to be completely honest, most of them are pretty dimey. I don’t mind one bit.

The commute to work was a beezy! Torrential downpours scared a lot of the office from coming to work, and I don’t blame them. It was miserable.

Not letting outside affect my inside frame of mind, I pretended it was any other beautiful day in the city and carried on as normal. This, of course, was helped along by peanut buttery oats:

Oatsizzles.

I forgot a banana to add to the hemp oat love, which made a difference in how long it held me over. Not to fret, though. I had coffee and work to keep me distracted.

My morning was made by running into my office crush. I’m not going into detail because I hope to talk to him more, give him my blog URL (because I seriously tell everyone) and make him fall hard for me. All in three weeks. And totally freak him out by the paragraph should he ever read it.

For lunch, I made like a broke college student who’s interning in the most expensive city ever and ate the free food that had been given to me Tuesday:

So snacky and perfect.

The hummus and apple were purchased by moi, but the Carr’s crackers, dried apricots and raw almonds were leftovers from a meeting:

Cracka + hummus + apricot = sweet, spicy, savory delight.

There were four crackers left when all was said and done, and plenty of rawlmonds (raw+almonds) and dried snot balls remained.

The afternoon consisted of making batches of fresh media kits, ripe for the sending. I’m becoming quite practiced with copy machines.

Because the weather had turned from vicious to gentle by nightfall, I took extra time to wander to Union Square. OK really, I took extra time to go to Whole Foods. I’ll have you know that I spent $12.46 on a fresh loaf of organic whole grain bread, Amy’s soup, two apples and a 16 oz. tub of Cedar’s hommus (per Elise’s suggestion). Also, because it’s the style of the brand, I will be spelling it “hommus” when referencing Cedar’s product. I’m sure you cared.

I talked to MamaJ for a bit while walking around the city. I knew I missed her too much when I read her comment yesterday and it made me tear up: “If you ever performed something that you wrote and people loved it, you would probably explode. Have a fabulous day baby girl. OXOX” Awwww.

When I finally returned home, I had another oh-so-full-of-myself photo shoot. The freezing cold and rain made me bust out my hilarious boots with the (faux) fur. World, I hope you’re ready:

I know they're absurd, but I love them!

After a costume change, however, I looked like this for most of the day:

Le petit fit.

I don’t go for graphic tees normally, but something about this $13.50 Forever21 tee called my name.

More than ready to eat my hair/hand/foot, I fixed dinner. The players:

Amy's and my bling.

And:

Hommus.

Which turned into zeese:

Zupa with hommusy bread.

This was one of the most satisfying Amy’s soups I’ve ever had. The addition of broccoli kicked it up a bit, too:

With pepper and Cholula for a kick, this was exquisite.

The bread, though, was outstanding:

Don't be fooled by these three baby pieces.

MamaJ can attest that I am a bread diva. I ate the soup mostly for veggies and protein, but my focus was on the bread. I had pieces and chunks dipped into hommus throughout the night. So doughy and delicious.

It was a MAJOR night, as both the Glee and Top Chef finales were on. O.M.G. Muffin and I called each other during Glee commercial breaks to discuss. What a perfect, perfect finale. And Top Chef? Teared up.

But now I must get to work! Ah! It’s going to be a busy day.

Ciao for now,

Kailey

THE BIG Q: It’s that time. My dear friends, how did you start your job search? What do I do? Any advice? I appreciate any and all tips, hints, suggestions, stories. And for those of you not quite there, what’s your dream city in which to work?
I’m already freaking out about how to start this crazy process. It’s time to get the ball rolling, though!

Hello cupcakes!

Tuesday started like any non-workout day. That is, it started with me not wanting to move whatsoever. Even my roomie asked, “Kailey, aren’t you normally up by now?” Uhhh, yeah. I swear I have more energy on days I hit up the gym.

Swollen eyes intact, I did the makeup thang, dressed and eventually left the apartment.

At work, I sought solace in a bowl of microwaved banana hemp oats:

Nature's Path Hemp Plus oats made my morning, fa sho.

And then the day took off! I barely sat down between 9am and noon and was constantly running between the second, sixth and eighth floors. Woohoo! I actually loved being busy, so I’m not hating.

I didn’t feel like moving from the computer when it was lunch-ish time, so I snacked and read blogs:

Snack pack.

In the tupperware: cucumber, carrots, plain tempeh and hummus. I also had an apple with peanut butter, but failed to take a picture. It was either business or laziness’ fault. Take your pick.

The afternoon was spent prepping for an intense advertising meeting with a focus group. Not that I got to sit in on that or anything… Instead, I arranged a dashing cheese and cracker plate, sprinkled with dried apricots and raw almonds. Who doesn’t love playing with food? Even better, the remainders were pawned off on me. Not complaining one bit.

Unfortunately, around 3pm I felt a nagging–correction–stabbing headache above my left ear. Bizarre. It faded into a dull throb that was putting a damper on my spirits and my evening plans. I had to cancel dinner with my favorite hippie. I’m so sorry!

When I arrived back in Hoboken, I spent $13.55 on frozen broccoli, a bag of Newman’s Own spelt pretzels, Wildwood probiotic hummus and an acorn squash. I sucked it up and bought an organic squash figuring it wouldn’t taste gag-errific.

Immediately upon arrival to the apartment, I washed the squash, cut it into thirds and popped it into a 475* F oven. While waiting for that, I coddled the broccoli:

Broccoli...what a FABULOUS picture! And by fabulous I mean hideous.

First, I boiled the broc with water, then drained it. To the cooked broc I added a dollop of hummus, a dash of pepper and a drop of gingery-soy dressing. Hot sauce rounded out the dish, and I devoured the cruciferous veg in two minutes flat.

Because the squash wasn’t yet ready, I dove into the new purchases:

Newman's, you can do no wrong. May I please work for your company? PR, perhaps?

The spelt pretzels have a much nuttier flavor than regular pretzels, which was lovely. It worked well with the blander new hummus:

At least I got some probiotics?

Honestly, this had an off-putting smell that hindered my full enjoyment potential. I’ll finish it, but I’m not buying it again. I miss Sabra.

After a handful of pretzels, the squash was finally ready:

SUCCESS!

Is it sad when the highlight of your night is a perfectly roasted acorn squash? Let’s not talk about it.

I ate most of the squash with raspberry fruit spread, so for dessert I needed something salty:

Round two, baby!

That hummus was much better.

Content with the eats, I threw on my coat and walked across the street to pick up a very important package:

My laundry!

For $8, I dropped off my laundry in the morning and picked it up at night. Even my underwear was folded. Definitely worth the $8. If someone opened a laundromat that washed and dried laundry on a college campus, they would make BANK!

From 8pm to 10pm I was glued to So You Think You Can Dance. Oh my gosh, I miss dancing so much! I danced on a hip-hop team for two or three years and had the best time ever. It’s why I have this ridiculous love for hip-hip/rap music.

Anyway, at one point my fave, Russel, was performing a Bollywood-style dance. Afterward, Michael (the judge/choreographer–yeah, we’re on a first-name basis) told Russel: “You blew joy out of every pore.” Isn’t that magnificent? I want to blow joy out of my every pore everyday. This got me thinking…

What makes me most joyous? I’m not talking about being around my family or friends, or anything like that. Because that’s like, duh! Of course they make me joyous. What I mean is, what activity makes me most joyful? When am I so happy I feel as though I could burst? And should I be doing that for the rest of my life?

Contemplating this, I headed to bed at 10:30pm. As I drifted off to sleep, I pondered the question that I pose to you: What makes you blow joy out of every pore? I’m trying to pretend that the word “blow” isn’t hilarious.

Ciao for now,

Kailey

My answer: There are two activities that make me so joyous I could explode: writing and getting great feedback and performances. If ever I get a paper/story back that a professor/editor/commenter has loved, it gives me such confidence that I cannot stop smiling. The performance thing is a high that I get whenever I’m singing with either of the choirs, acting or dancing. They’re such unique experiences that cannot be recreated, and there’s a huge bond with whomever you’re performing. I get a buzz of writing and performing that is hard to match.

What up, Snack Pack! How are we doing this fine day?

This is from Sunday, but it's almost as exquisite today.

Today is swell, as was yesterday.

I arose to the chilly air at 5am, early enough for a routine workout and Jerz Guid scope out. Fantastic. They were ripe for the picking Monday. Unfortunately, my camera skills were embarrassingly horrid. Also, the one I was trying to capture could have eaten me.

A sweaty workout was had thanks to the elliptical and abbage work. For those who wonder, I did 40 minutes on the elliptical at intervals of five and 10, switching every two minutes. When I’m feeling Olympian, I kick the highest  level up to 12. This is happening less frequently at the 5:30am to 6:30 hour.

Showered, makeuped, straightened and capped (I wore a hat!), I fetched the train. This is what I’ve noticed about people commuting, both in the morning at night: Everyone looks exhausted, depressed or pissed, or some combination of those. It makes me a bit sad. I realize we can’t all be perky to the point of obnoxiousness (and who would want that anyway), but I wish to always enjoy a day, a job, an environment, a commute…everything. Please tell me I won’t forget this in 10 years.

Once at the office, I was thrilled to bits to make oatmeal. In attempts to save money, I bought a box of the microwavable grain for $2.99. Having pre-sweetened, prepared oats at the ready make it even cheaper, as I don’t have to buy as many oat fixins. This is all that went in:

Banana, Hemp Plus oats and peanut butta.

With a guesstimation of water, this turned into a creamy delight. Creamy is such an iffy word. Moving on:

Amazing. Forgot how delicious oat packets can be!

This breakfast held me over until 1:15pm, and even at that time I wasn’t starving. When I eat a bar in the morning, no matter the bar, my stomach is audibly begging for food by 11-11:30am.

The morning passed by quickly as I called chefs yet again. I’m starting to feel annoying.

When I broke for lunch, I wanted nothing but soup. I walked my hiney a handful of blocks away and picked up a V, L, D soup from Hale and Hearty. V, L, D indicates that a soup is vegetarian, low-fat and dairy-free. How bossy is that! The low-fat thing is irrelevant to me because I figure anything plant-based is magical for my bod.

I loved how easy it was to select a simple lunch:

Blurry Tuscan White Bean zupa with blurry 7-grain bread.

The soup and bread were so good that they were definitely worth the $3.47. Shockingly, this tiny cup of soup kept me full all afternoon:

Maybe 8 oz. AKA Smaller than anything else I eat.

I also worked on drinking more water yesterday, and that may have had something to do with my satiety levels. What I can’t stand about drinking water is how often I have to jet to the john.

At 5:15pm, I walked to the train, got back to Hoboken and picked up some groceries. Because I’m trying to hold myself accountable for my purchases this week, I’ll be sharing monetary deets witchoo. For two apples, one orange, three bananas, one kabocha squash and one bag of kettlecorn, it cost $8.80. This would have been worth it had one of these products not been horrendous. More on that in a bit.

Before prepping dinner, I had a photo shoot for the day’s fit. First up, I was woman enough to wear a hat. For some inexplicable reason, I’ve always felt insecure in hats. I bucked up. I didn’t don the hat all day, only when outside:

I enjoyed it!

Over the weekend I bought two things I’ve wanted for years: a skinny belt for the waist and an oversized cardigan. I found both at Forever21, and the cardi was from the guys’ section. First ridic picture:

I make that face all day, erryday.

Second ridic picture because I was getting down with my bad self:

Love the badge on the sleeve.

You can’t see, but I wore the ankle-length cigarette pants with zippers at the ankle and black ballet flats.

After having fed my inner model with a photo shoot, I thought it best to feed my hunger with a feast. The first course:

Getting the greens. And fibahhh.

In the mix: baby greens, cucumber, pickles, salsa, tempeh and ginger-soy vinaigrette. Isn’t it ironic to have both cucumber and pickle slices together on a salad? OK, maybe I’m the only one who finds that funny.

I was most excited for the second course. It was to be my first reunion with kabocha since the summer. The squash was gorgeously orange and looked delicious:

Still looking forward to a kabocha belly at this point.

Much to my dismay, the first bite was horrendous. I tried to mask it with raspberry fruit spread, but it couldn’t be assuaged. The squash tasted…green. It wasn’t ripe or something. Do you know how heartbreaking it is to throw away a freshly roasted squash?

Wallowing in self-pity, I ate an apple as I tried to figure out what else I could eat:

Arty.

And then I turned to what I’d been craving for a solid three weeks:

Kettlecorn!

Ike & Sam’s kettlecorn is outstanding! There are four ingredients: corn, corn oil, sugar and salt. It tasted almost like lightly salted caramel corn, sans the burnt caramely taste. The pieces of popcorn are large, too:

The look like mini cauliflower. Or tots. Or another body part that comes in a pair...

A whole bag of that popcorn makes for a very satisfying dinner. I’m not kidding. (Hey, I’ve never claimed to be a health-food blogger, ya dig?) I didn’t even feel uncomfortably full afterward. Score.

Properly fueled, I texted homegirl for final words of advice as to what to do about Hot Bartender (proper noun, as that’s now what I’ve named him). You all gave me wonderful and hilarious advice, but I was still torn. Brookie and I decided a text would be sufficient.

My text: “Hey, this is Kailey, the tall blonde from the restaurant Saturday night.”

The text back: “123-456-7890* is a landline #…” (*Number has been changed to save him from harassment calls from y’all.)

SKETCHTASTIC. Who has a landline anymore? Rather, what male in his twenties has a landline?!

My final decision regarding calling Hot Bartender? How ’bout no. Absolutely not.

Relief washed over me and I continued watching the tube, talking to Muffin and thinking about what a skeeze this guy probably is. It was a great night.

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: Thoughts on the landline? Also, how do you feel about eating bags of popcorn for dinner? Kidding. But isn’t it so satisfying to just dig in to something like that for dinner (or dinner, part two in my case)?

Buongiorno bellas! Wow, I feel as though I’ve been away for so long! It’s been one hell of a weekend, and I hope yours has been spectacular as well.

Weekend anticipation began early Friday morning as I ellipticaled away the dark morning hours. You saw the evidence of that workout. Muhaha.

Once dressed and ready for work, I noshed on this gem of a bar:

Clif Peanut Butter Builder. Candy in the morning. Holla!

I ate half at home, half at the office. I really love the layers in this:

Like a peanut butter-topped, chocolate-coated Luna.

Work was work–busy and full of phone calls to strangers. At some point I ate an apple and dove into a little snack pack:

Pretzels, banana with almond butter and plain tempeh. Satisfying. For an hour.

I had a major energy crash and headache around 3pm. Managing to find the perfect solution, my head was back to normal and energy was kickin. Thank you, sugar-free Red Bull. You did give me wings.

However, all good buzzes come to an end. When I got home at 7pm, I wanted nothing but to watch T.V. and sleep. So that’s what I did. The only dinner picture I managed to take was of the salad:

Greens, tomato, cuke, tempeh, salsa and ginger-soy dressing.

What I didn’t picture were the carrots and 12 cups of almond butter that I snacked on later. Haven’t had a drop of almond butter since.

Saturday morning brought a thorough workout (including arm workouts that have me suffering still) and barrels of excitement. Why? Oh, only because I got to meet these amazing ladies for lunch:

Naturally, I'm the only goon with a pink umbrella.

Class of 2009: Lauryn, Moi, Missy, Kim, Megan, Brittany and Ashley. What a crew!

We dined at the quaint and cozy Curly’s, a very veg-friendly establishment. Having so many vegan options was completely overwhelming! I’m used to being able to choose a salad and order it sans chicken. Not here. As daunting as the menu was, as soon as mine eye stumbled upon the word “hush puppy,” I knew:

The barbecue 'fu platter.

The barbecue ‘fu was outrageous. It reminded me of my chicken-eating days. Alongside you see zucchini, brown rice, chili, hush puppies and–my absolute favorite part–maple soy butter. I ate one block of ‘fu, most of the veg, a few bites of chili and all of the hush puppies.

As if that wasn’t enough, a few of us decided to share this vegan masterpiece:

Peanut butter bomb. GASM.

You know that insane rule with desserts that goes something like, “Take only three bites because those are the best.” Well, I don’t abide by that. This cake was absolutely nuts. I think I had 20 bites. So there.

After lunch, Lauryn, Ashley, Brittany and I headed to Herald Square for a little shopping. I tried on the new Bombshell bra from Victoria’s Secret. Wondering whether it actually adds two cup sizes, I headed to the fitting room for a look-see. Whoah. Not natural at all. Also, with two thick inches of padding, no wonder it increases cup size. It was bullet-proof. I’m sticking with what I’ve got.

We browsed other stores for a bit and then decided to head back to Hoboken. I got to meet Ashley and Brittany’s dimey boyfriends at a bar. Turns out, dimey boyfriends also make great photographers:

They are gorge AND amazing.

I had a wonderful time with all the blogettes in the city (sung to the tune of “Hot Child in the City” in my head) and hope to meet up with the local gals soon!

There are no more foodie pics from Saturday, but an interesting incident did occur. I was at a bar and noticed a beautiful bartender looking at/creeping on me. For some peculiar reason, I was feeling bold and stared back. Twenty minutes later, a server dropped by the table at which I was sitting and delivered this note from the bartender:

Uhhh...

His number is at the bottom of the check. I have no idea what to do with this.

Sunday was an alarmingly perfect day in the city. I awoke at noon, showered and got ready, and then headed to Manhattan for the afternoon. The first essential stop was for food:

A Cosi lunch.

I picked the cheese off this salad (had no idea it was going to be on there):

Used a teeny bit of dressing atop the greens, pistachios, pear, grapes and cranberries.

And devoured this half of a hummus and veggie sandwich on whole grain flatbread:

Yum.

I saved the chunk of bread for an afternoon snacklette.

For the next five hours, I perused the shops on Fifth Avenue. This quickly turned from fun to torturous. From Anthro to Free People to Diesel to Intermix, I wanted it all. Why I’m not a millionaire is beyond me.

Thankfully, I was able to buy a couple goodies at the only place I ever shop, Forever21. Even that spending gave me a mini heart-attack. This week’s mission: Don’t spend money. OK, that would be impossible, but I’m going to try to keep track this week.

Anyway, by the time I got home I was exhausted and not even that hungry. I had three distinct cravings and went for them:

Apple, orange and Greek yogurt. Succumbed to the craving and not apologizing for it.

If I’m going to buy dairy, however, I’m going to make sure it’s organic:

Oikos, you are so delicious.

I spent the night watching many episodes of Curb, later eating a piece of bread and eventually hitting the hay.

After such a glorious weekend, I’m not ready for this work week! I wish you all fabulous starts to the week.

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: To call hot bartender or not to call? That is the question.

Happy Friday gorgeous people! I can already sense that this post is going to be all ova the place. Get ready.

I’ve already had my Friday morning workout, and I promise I’m working on the cell phone pics of the Jerz Guids. The first one I tried to capture actually caught on to what I was doing! Not willing to succumb to defeat, I tried again with another unsuspecting victim:

Clearly, I need to work on this. I'm sure he loved that mirror, though.

You can’t even tell how Guido he was. You just have to trust me.

Back to Thursday, though. I could barely pull myself out of bed. Having woken up Wednesday at 5am and then going to bed Thursday at 1am, my body was completely exhausted. I womanned up, got ready for work and was at my desk by 8:35am for a little breakfast:

Festive.

With my daily coffee, I tried the gingerbread Clif. Although delicious, soft, chewy and cookie-like, it’s not as good at the pumpkin pie flavor. However, I recommend both. And they’re much better than the cranberry orange nut bread flavor. If you were wondering.

I was chugging along with my day and then at 10am, WHAM. I felt nauseated, dizzy when walking, headachey and generally disgusting. For the rest of the work day I tried to convince myself it was all in my head. Such a lie.

At one point I snacked on a banana:

With a magazine, naturally.

I’m of the belief that food is the cure for all. I’m not sure why I think that, but I find that most times it helps.

Lunch was a packed hummus, tempeh, romaine salad:

Bizarre lighting.

And a very arty apple:

Love the plates here.

After lunch (which wasn’t eaten until 1:40-ish), the health went downhill. I felt worse and worse. Despite my boss’s encouragement to go home, I remained ornery and pushed through the last couple hours.

The walk to the train was not fun. I thought I was going to fall over and throw up on someone. I found relief while sitting, waiting for the train:

Me and my boot, waiting.

Keeping myself amused, obviously:

Still waiting.

The treacherous trek home included a CVS trip and a market perusal.

Again, I turned to food for a solution:

A snack plate.

This is a mere representation of all the Newman’s Own Organics protein pretzels, carrots, peanut butter and hummus consumed. I staged that especially for you.

Not particularly wanting it, but feeling that something dinnery was necessary, I warmed up some Amy’s:

Unrelated, but I removed the hot pink polish last night.

It didn’t make for a pretty picture:

This was later doused with Cholula.

Feeling better already, I figured, why stop?! Up next:

Weetabix with almond butter, raspberry preserves and almond milk.

When mashed together, this created a dough that was ridiculously good. The Weetabix flavor is reminiscent of a cake cone, so once mashed with everything above and allowed to soak for a few minutes, this was absolutely to live for. Do it.

An hour or so later, I really wanted popcorn. The closest thing I had to that was Kashi Go Lean. How sad! I’m normally irked when people show little palmfuls of food, but this is exactly how I ate it:

Sarah, this one's for you.

Multiply that by 127 and that’s how much I ate.

During all the snacking and lounging, I watched Vh1’s 100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs. Amazing. Also, MamaJ and I were texting the whole time.

Her mom, Nannykins, is staying in Cinci with the fam for a month or two. Nannykins hails from Canada and after the pic messages I received, I now fully understand why I am the way I am. I get it from my grandma.

At the age of 83, Nannykins is still bossy and working it:

Killin' it in Forever21.

MamaJ even texted: ” You should have seen her in the wedged pink shoes.” I’m bummed I’m missing out on this!

As I’ve said before, I also get it from my mama:

MamaJ's new hat. SO. FIERCE.

It all comes together:

Feeling like poo, but still doin' work.

That’s three generations right thurr.

This weekend is going to be spectacular! There are so many blogettes and dimey men to meet that I can hardly contain myself! You bet I’ma listen to Nannykins when she tells me I’m not having fun unless I’m getting into trouble.

Have fabulous weekends, everyone! Love you!

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: Who are you most like in your family/ after whom do you take? (Or, asked non-properly, who do you take after?) Also, out of curiosity: Do you wear hats? I don’t, but think I should get into that!

Hello beauties! What a wonderful discussion was had yesterday! You’re all bossy, gorgeous and need to embrace it everyday. Love it!

As I mentioned yesterday, I once again did the morning workout. It was fantastic. I was  in and out and then it was finished for the day. By the afternoon, I kind of forgot I’d even done any real exercise.

A mistake I’m probably making is waiting a solid two hours post-workout to eat anything. I’m pretending that’s not a problem. Janetha will probably tell me otherwise.

Breakfast was a reliable addiction and a newbie:

I'm the neighborhood bicycle in the Odwalla neighborhood. Everyone gets a chance.

Chocolate chip peanut reminded me of  a Kudos bar sans the chocolate coating. Essentially, it was gasmic.

Work was super busy yesterday. As on Tuesday, I had to call numerous chefs. One chef was even opening a restaurant yesterday. I wished him luck. As if he needs that from a complete stranger.

Between calling people, leaving many voicemails and going through three years of magazines in search for a certain advertiser, I hadn’t much time to think about eating until 1:30pm. I was far past hunger.

I quickly dashed down the street for an organic salad bar from this tiny little health food store. It was incredible:

Kabocha goodness staring you in the face.

On the mix: romaine bed, kabocha with onions, broccoli head, acorn squash piecelette, brussels, barbecue tofu (fried and amazing) and a bit of balsamic. To accompany the salad, I sliced a dying Fuji:

Performed surgery and lobbed off the brown bits.

This kept me plenty full for a few hours. And then there was office cake. It was someone’s last day and I gladly accepted a piece of chocolate layer cake with ganache icing. After a few bites, though, I thought I was going to hurl. I’m so not used to the richness.

After work, I finally got around to what I’d been looking forward all day–an official first date with the beautiful Sarah. It took a stab or two at getting the correct subway, but before long, Sarah and I were sitting at a dimly lit table and ordering wine.

Like any good date, we were gabbing nonstop. In fact, we sat down for dinner at 6pm and didn’t leave until 11:30. Fierce, indeed. Even fiercer was the vino:

A white that was far too easy to drink. Perfection.

And the food? Outrageous. We split this Mediterranean sampler appetizer:

Hummus, baba ganouj, tomato thing, salad, falafel, dolmas, egg, pickles.

We were both completely in love with this fat pita bread:

Thick, warm, chewy. The best pita I've ever had.

And because I’m in New York and couldn’t resist the chance to try a Mediterranean quesadilla made of grilled veggies and goat cheese, we ordered and enjoyed this beauty:

Topped with hummus, this was beyond gasmic.

The date was so fabulous I don’t even know in which restaurant we dined. All I know is that it was phenomenal and my company was even better. I am so thankful I get to be in the city and create Snack Diaries with Sarah.

The transit home was treacherous. It was pouring and windy and I had no idea where I was going. A ton of waiting and construction was involved:

After 12am. Tired. Date buzz waning.

At 1am, I finally changed into my pj’s, washed my face, brushed and flossed my teeth and hit the hay, pita belly still intact.

We’re almost to Friday, honeybuns! Woopwoop! Have a joyous Thursday!

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: What makes a good first date?
All I need: good food, good conversation, good sense of humor. Unfortunately, those last two rarely are found in men. Oh singledom, why must I be so picky?

P.S. If you love hilarious things, brews and vino, please head over to lovely Danielle’s giveaway!

Buongiorno bellissimas! I’ve had a packed morning already. Ya know, just scoping out the Jerz Guids while ellipticalling and abbing. It was thrilling. Unfortunately, I need to practice my cell-picture skills and don’t have any pictures for you…yet.

But let’s travel back to yesterday. I normally like to relay the day in chronological order, but there is something I cannot get out of my mind. Did anyone watch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last night? Did anyone feel awesome after watching? I didn’t.

If anyone recalls, I was going to audition for the show back in October and never did. One of the reasons why is that I do not want to have to worry about something other than the health of my body. I don’t want to start to think I should look exactly like the other models, consumed by thoughts of whether my stomach is toned enough or my rump is firm enough . Because here’s what: It’s ridiculous. It doesn’t matter. That’s not what I want to be remembered for.

What I do find inspiring, however, is the confidence exuded by the women on the runway. What I propose is that we all work it like that, no matter what. Whether you’re 5′1″ or 5′10″, size A or size Z, WORK. IT. OUT.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Back to more SnackFacey things. I slept in Tuesday till 6:30am, got my face on and got dressed and bossy for the day:

Working it...for myself.

I donned a luscious sweater by Free People and skinny/girdle jeans:

Love the knit.

On the feet were a pair of flats that look good from the top…:

But have holes in the soles.

Breakfast-to-go tasted exactly like a banana nut muffin:

Try this if you haven't.

Odwalla peeps are knocking my ballet flats off (I wasn’t wearing socks)! Not only are the flavors spot-on, but the texture is also dreamy. It’s not as chewy or dense as a Clif, and it has little crunchy bits throughout. Phenom.

Mistakenly, I tried to give Dunkin’ Donuts coffee a chance. I will never understand why America runs on Dunkin’. It tasted like ashy dirt water.

I was super busy at work all day. Between little assignments, I have this huge list of 60+ chefs to call to see whether they’re entering a certain contest. The phone is something I choose not to use most of the time, unless it’s to talk to MamaJ or Muffin. This assignment definitely has made me grow a pair.

Lunch should have been good, but I was left so unsatisfied I was hungry all afternoon:

Apple and tupperware in the morning light.

I packed a lovely sandwich of Ezekiel, hummus and cucumber:

And promptly took it apart post-picture.

I’d much rather eat the pieces of bread separately instead of desperately trying to taste the hummus between two slices of dry bread. Ya dig?

I worked it all afternoon and especially worked it on my walk to the train home:

Felt like a tourist taking this picture, then decided I don't care. Love this.

I ran some not-so-fun errands once back in the Jerz and eventually made it home to feed my starving self. First up, un salad:

Please combine tempeh, hummus and hot sauce. You will not regret it.

In the mix (so obvious): romaine, cucumber, tempeh, hummus, Cholula and no-name soy ginger dressing.

You best believe I couldn’t go any longer without a whole baby acorn squash:

Eaten with raspberry fruit spread. I keep using "raspberry fruit spread" because it's fabulously inane.

OMG I just spied a hair on that plate! Moving on…Despite the acorn twins in my tum, I felt the need for this:

Weetabix with raw almond butter and almond milk.

Momentarily satisfied, I watched a handful of Curb episodes. Larry David both pisses me off and makes me laugh hysterically. It’s fantastic!

An hour or two after dinner, I ate the rest of the Food Should Taste Good lime chips (please, someone yell at me in the comments if I buy chips again) and these:

Yes, I'm too lazy to plate that. Plus, I want as much almond butter as possible, when I want it. But mostly, it's the laziness.

I think that was it. Who knows though. The rest of the night was filled with switching between The Hills, The City and the VS Fashion Show. Exhausting.

But now, sugarplums, I must be off to continue the slew of calls and who knows what else. Have a gorgeous Wednesday! And don’t forget to work it.

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: What makes you confident?
For me, it’s mostly in my head. There are always those days when I feel like poo (I normally have a blemish or two or something else stoopid), but to combat that, I wear something I love, do ma hurr and makeup and pretend I’m confident. I tell myself that being friendly and personable is far more important than anything else, and that no one will notice whatever is bothering me. Most times, this works. Also, a good pair of four-inch heels always help.

Honey pies! I hope your Monday was as fantastical as possible. Mine started very early and ended very late.

As my alarm rang at 5am, I asked myself, “Self, what’s wrong with you?” Actually, to tell the truth, I was so excited to get up early for a workout that I woke up every hour on the hour the night leading up to it. Isn’t that disgusting?

I made it to the gym by 5:30am thinking there was no way anyone else would be there. How silly of me. There’s a certain breed for which my lovely friend Lauryn has helped create a name: the Jerz Guid. Jerz being short for Jersey, Guid being short for Guido. In the dark morning hours, they’re pumping iron already. And I love it.

With plenty of man candy strutting about the gym, I must say I had one of the most entertaining workouts in years. I cannot wait to bust out another workout on Wednesday! Also, I discovered this piece of equipment that’s like an elliptical, but sideways. It works inner and outer thighs and is hell. Love!

By 6:35 I was back at the apartment and in the shower. I felt supa energized and accomplished all day.

To keep me going throughout the 9 to 5, I packed some essentials:

Tea for always, apple for whenever, Builder for breakfast.

I have a problem that I should share. I’m paranoid that I’m going to be late, so I leave almost an hour to a half-hour early every morning. It gives me plenty of time to pick up my addiction, settle into my desk and do blog things:

Starbeezies black coffee with soy. Hunk o' stale bar. Still edible.

The work day was a little slow. My direct boss was out of the office and I just hung around if anyone needed me. Certainly did major work on the Google Reader. I did look somewhat glamorous, though:

And by glamorous I mean ridiculous.

Black cigarette pants, black flats, H+M jacket and a blue button-down. This is actually something I would have legitimately worn in high school. I had a thing for dressing business-casual. I’ve always been an odd bird.

I waited until 1:20pm to fetch lunch, which was an absurdly long time to wait. Hunger headaches are the worst. All I wanted was soup, but the place I randomly selected for lunch only had split pea–made with poultry. Stupido. Not knowing where to turn, I relied on ol’ faithful:

Apple with a sad salad.

In the tiny salad: mixed greens, corn, chickpeas, cucumber, roasted red pepper and some fat-free dressing. AKA no substance. AKA I was starving the rest of the day.

You can imagine my hunger gradually growing throughout my evening half-hour commute. What you’ll see below, my lovely petunias, is why health experts advise small meals throughout the day. Because you’ll turn from a SnackFace to a SnackMonster.

It started with a couple new purchases:

To make up for that split-pea craving.

And:

Trap. How can I resist Food Should Taste Goods when they're on sale for $1.99?!

The eating ensued in courses. Course one:

Split pea doused in Cholula. Even better with lime chips crumbled atop. (Do it.)

Alongside, course two. Or, course one, part two:

Ezekiel with hummus, lime chips, tempeh with almond butter and raspberry fruit spread, cucumber slices to cleanse palette.

All of this was absolutely scrumptious. However, it was not enough. Next course:

Other half of Crumbs red velvet cupcake. Somewhere between fridge-y and stale. Still good!

If there’s something we all know it’s that cupcakes are fluff, not filling. If hunger were shoes, eating a cupcake is like trying to pull off a Payless shoe as though it’s a Louboutin. Perhaps that only made sense in my mind. I’m rolling with it.

Basically, I had to eat more:

Weetabix with almond milk and almond butter.

Finally, at 7pm, I was satisfied. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I stayed up until 1am watching Curb Your Enthusiasm (hilarious), which is completely new to me. What we all also know is that television-watching requires snacks. Into the chip bag my hand dove. A carrot with peanut butter may have also met my lips. That sounded unnecessarily raunchy. (What a perfect description of me!)

I hope you haven’t been horrified by the major SnackFace marathon that occurred. I’m not. That’s pretty standard, actually. Perhaps a little tame.

Anyway, I’ve figured that I can blog from work! WOOHOO!!! Who’s happy about this? I am! I shall be back tomorrow with today’s deets and, I’m hoping, stories of encounters of the Jerz Guid kind.

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: Do you eat on a schedule, at certain times? Why or why not?
I don’t. Well, kinda, kinda not. Breakfast now falls between 8am and 9, lunch could be anywhere between noon and 2pm and dinner could be anywhere from 6pm to 8. Actually, I’m pretty sure dinner never stops for me. I definitely don’t have any rules such as, “I’m not eating past 9pm.” That’s just wackadoodle.

Hola bonitas! What a glorious, relaxing weekend it’s been. Hope yours has been fabulous as well.

After posting yesterday, I rushed home to feed my grumbling tum. It’s a bit of a challenge to create something both delicious and aesthetically pleasing with little to no groceries. My apologies:

Skinny carrots, leftover tempeh and the remainder of the Stacy's bag. Yeah, got TWO servings out of that bag. Hummus was eaten alongside.

Once finished with that dismal lunch, I grabbed the train to meet my favorite homegirl. Like the foodies-who-embrace-clichés we are, we met at Whole Foods. Hot bar salads were not had, though. Instead, we sipped zero-calorie Steaz (they’re missing an element… maybe Grey Goose?) and talked about life, friendships, manships, etcetera.

Two solid hours later, we trekked to Trader Joe’s for old-time’s sake. Over the summer, Brooke-baby and I had countless TJ’s dates where we’d stock up on Puffins, multi-grain crackers and triple layer hummus. Essential for a swag sista weekend.

This time, I grabbed butter lettuce, cucumber, tempeh, creamy red pepper hummus, acorn squash, raw crunchy almond butter, raspberry fruit spread, Weetabix and a new-to-me love, Ezekiel sesame. Brooke and I had to part ways after our joyous trip, but I have no concerns regarding whether we’ll see each other again. Swag sistas fo life. I’m sure I’ll see her soon.

MamaJ cheered me up while walking home. She sent me this picture text:

MamaJ in an ad, from her bossy modeling days!

By the time I got home I was starving! I threw together a fab salad while a whole acorn squash roasted in the oven:

Simple but exquisite.

In the mix: butter lettuce, cucumber, crumbled tempeh, dollop of TJ’s creamy roasted red pepper hummus and a drizzle of no-name soy ginger vinaigrette. OK, this new TJ’s hummus is delectable. Creamy, roasty, spreadable, blendable. If you spy it, buy it. (Did I just rhyme? Sorry)

The blurry pics are thanks to a dying battery and I was so hungry for this squash that I snapped a pic ASAP. Excuses, excuses:

Most pieces eaten plain, others with raspberry fruit spread. Mmmm.

Do people really not eat a whole squash? I mean, this one was a baby, but still, I have no idea how one could ever stop at half.

Although the squash was perfectly sweet, dinner requires a dessert of sorts. I’d been craving raw almond butter like mad, so I dove into the new goods:

Ezekiel topped with raw chunky almond butter and raspberry fruit spread. Addicting.

The Ezekiel is phenom. It’s dense, chewy and a bit dry, but it’s totally satisfying. The sesame seeds? To live for.

I spent the night watching the tube and painting my nails. How old am I? What happened to my insane weekends of going out?

Sunday welcomed me with gorgeous rays of sunshine. After stumbling to the bathroom and taking care of biznass, I made what I craved for breakfast:

Notha Ezekiel topped with raw chunky almond butter and raz fruit spread. Fujinated it up.

Couldn’t help it! In attempts not to lounge all day, I showered immediately after breakfast. I dressed and makeuped while watching The Sopranos. I swear, because I’m actually living in Jersey, I’m suddenly obsessed with anything mafia and Italian. Well, I’m always obsessed with anything Italian. (Italian man of my dreams, where are you? It’s time to play.)

Straightened and scarfed, I galloped uptown. First, I stopped in a quaint used bookstore and selected a new winter read, Middlesex. I didn’t realize it was cash- or check-only, but the owner asked, “Are you living here?” I said yes and she told me to drop off $5 whenever I’m near. How sweet!

My next mission was to figure out the gym situation. Friends, I cannot help it. I love a solid gym workout. So I went to the nearest gym and met the manager. After a grand tour, we sat in his office. We talked forever about which plan would work best and I agreed to $49 for a month. He tried several times to plug it into the computer, but for some reason it wasn’t working. Somehow, with the combination of his feeling bad for making me wait and a little bit of SnackFace swagger, I finagled a month of gym access for free. New favorite gym.

I took another lap around uptown, bought bananas and squash, dropped $5 off at the bookstore and treated myself to something so not vegan.

Excited, I half-jogged home and made a quick lunch:

Broccoli and carrots (had hummus on the side) and Ezekiel topped with hummus. Redundant, no?

I thought about my so-not-vegan goodie the whole time I was downing veggies with hummus:

I mean, come on! How could one resist this?

What you see above is a red velvet cupcake from the amazing bakery, Crumbs, which is a couple blocks away from my apartment. The variety of cupcakes in the shop was overwhelming. My goal is to try all of them. For today, though, I settled for one flavor:

Of all the food photos I've taken, this one may be my favorite.

Don’t let me fool you by thinking I have self control. I went back for more.

Tonight’s dinner menu is going to be identical to Saturday night’s: salad and squash. I’m very much addicted to acorn squash at the moment. Weetabix with almond milk will most likely be a nighttime snack, also. Ya know, if you were curious.

This week should be interesting. It’s a full work week and there are many restaurants to visit, people to meet, dates to be made. I cannot wait!

Ciao for now,

Kailey

QUESTION: Are you a morning, afternoon or evening workout person and why?
I’m a morning workout gal, without a doubt. I love getting it out of the way and not having to worry about it after work/class. Plus, it gives me more energy throughout the day. Monday morning, I’m hoping to be at the gym at 5:30am! GAH! The sound of it…awful. But it’s worth a shot.

P.S. I never got that guy’s number. Wuss.