Now, I don’t want this to turn into a WIAW-only blog, but I am glad that WIAW gives me an excuse to check in here at least once a week. This week, I’m going to take a spin on WIAW and show you not everything I ate in one day, but something I ate every day for an entire week. Ya with me?

After the holidays, I was feeling a bit down about my eating and work-out routine, or well, lack of routine. I have been using the new year as an excuse to get back on track, starting with a few baby steps. One of these baby steps? Green smoothies.

Typically I am all in a rush, a running late disaster, as I make my way to work in the mornings. It is so easy for me to grab a bagel or muffin at the coffee shop, or more often, just skip breakfast all together.

Fast forward to the past two weeks: I have been eating (drinking? dreating?) a green smoothie almost every morning. With just a bit of prep in the evenings, I’ve found that smoothies are an easy way to get my day started off on the right foot with an awesome punch of fruit and veggies. A bonus? I can take it on the go! That’s a big plus for a gal who is always rushing from one place to another.

Here is one my favorite combos I have been blending up:

Spinach Smoothie with Avocado and Apple
(recipe from Real Simple Magazine, Feb 2013)

1.5 cups apple juice
2 cups spinach or kale
1 apple (unpeeled, cored and chopped)
1/2 avocado chopped (I like to pre-freeze this so the smoothie is nice and chilled)

Combine in blender and puree until smooth.

The avocado makes the smoothie nice and creamy and I promise — once that spinach is all pureed, you don’t even remember it’s in there. I’ve occasionally added a pinch of cinnamon for a little extra flavor.

Here is one of my smoothies in the snow saying “take that, winter!” Greens shall prevail.

On another note: this weekend I was walking home from yoga and passed by a little girl exiting McDonald’s with a Shamrock Shake. Oh man, I am such a sucker for the Shamrock Shake (and minty desserts in general)! I was tempted to treat myself, but at 530 calories for a small, it is so not worth it.

My next goal? Figure out how to make my green smoothie taste like a shamrock shake… any ideas?

Well – mostly wordless. Busy morning, running late. After a bizarre week last week, on Monday I vowed to get back on track. Here are my eats from yesterday:

BREAKFAST

LUNCH

PRE-ZUMBA SNACK

DINNER

I hope you are having a great week… Happy Wednesday!

Last week was not one of those weeks. The entire week everything felt “off” and I was kind of all over the place. To start, it was a 4-day week. How come short weeks always turn into feeling like the LONGEST WEEK EVER? On Wednesday morning, my car wouldn’t start. I had to rely on rides to work so my gym schedule turned into a couch schedule. On Thursday morning I was greeted by giant rocket in my backyard (I still have no idea what that was about). And did I mention that it was FREEZING out? The Delaware looked like the Arctic. By the time the weekend finally rolled around, I just wanted to hibernate.

To top it all off, on Saturday morning, a local woman went missing. I have been following this story since since Saturday morning and it really hits close to home. I don’t know Sarah, but she works just a few doors down from where I work – and walks the same route that I walk daily. Seeing news trucks and volunteers all around my little town, hearing the search helicopters flying low and watching divers going into the canal is just bizarre. You never think something like this could happen where you live, especially in a place that feels so safe. This whole thing has just been breaking my heart – I can’t imagine what her friends and family are going through. I have been checking the news constantly and keep praying that they find her and bring her home soon.

So — overall just a bizarre week. I’m trying to get this week off on a more focused note. The car is fixed, I’ve been making green smoothies, temps are above freezing and I plan to spend my post-work life at the gym. Time to get back on track.

Thank you to Jenn for hosting!

BREAKFAST

My morning staple, a cup of coffee. This is the rare warm cup of coffee for me – when temps fall below freezing, I am forced to give up my iced!

For breakfast I made Tina’s two-ingredient pancakes (I used two large bananas and three eggs). One for me, one for D.

Topped with almond butter, maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

LUNCH

After watching the Presidential Inaguration, we decided to go on a drive up the Hudson River to Beacon, NY to visit The Dia. We didn’t exactly make it to the Dia before it closed (oops, next time?), but we did discover a cute little restaurant called Beacon Falls Cafe where I had an awesome veggie burger + side of fries.

A two hour drive for a good veggie burger is worth it in my opinion

SNACK

Snacks when we got home. I love this Metromint Chocolatemint water — zero calories, yet tastes like a dessert.

DINNER

That evening we threw together a lil romantic end-of-the-long-weekend dinner. This tuna had been defrosting in the fridge ALL weekend waiting for us to cook it up – but last minute we would say “umm let’s go out for pizza” or “mexican, anyone?” I’m glad we finally got around to cooking it on Monday, it was delicious!

We seared the tuna and topped it with a fresh pesto butter (recipe on Tuna package). Accompanied by a baked potato + greek yogurt, roasted asparagus, and a glass of red wine.

And for DESSERT – I had about 1/4 of a milk chocolate bar.

***

In the spirit of Inauguration Day, here’s a little laugh for you (photo taken of our TV, credit goes to D):

“Oh hey, Paul Ryan! So good to see you, man!” said Jay-Z, never.

Happy Wednesday!

Sunday is my favorite day of the week BY FAR. Besides the fact that it is widely considered a “day of rest and reflection” (aka an excuse to sit around in cozy pants and watch the entire first season of GIRLS in one sitting… whoops), here are some other reasons I look forward to Sundays:

CBS Sunday Morning. I love, love, love the routine of waking up every Sunday by 9am to watch this show for the following reasons:

1. 9am is the perfect Sunday wake-up time. It’s late enough to feel like you slept in and early enough that you aren’t allowed to totally sleep the day away.

2. The show is a great combination of current events, history, the arts and pop culture.

3. I love me some Charles Osgood (the host)! Did anyone see the recent episode in which he played the piano and sang for his birthday? Swoon.

Extra time to make an awesome breakfast (or, umm, for D to make me an awesome breakfast while I sit on the couch watching CBS Sunday Morning). Today was lemon-raspberry pancakes with a side of Tofurky italian sausage:

Do you instagram? Follow me @gilliangertrude

The Sunday Routine column in the NY Times: in which “prominent New Yorkers recount their weekend rituals.” As an avid reader, I am just plain old fascinated by people and their daily activities and routines. I love the glimpse this column gives into the lives of people who are otherwise relatively private. Very inspiring stuff!

***

I also spent some of the day researching races to fulfill my New Years Goals-a-lution. Here are a few fun ones I came across:

This morning, I saw race recaps posted by two of my favorite bloggers, and became intrigued by the ZOOMA Women’s Race Series. The concept behind this series is that they take a race and turn it into a women’s weekend retreat — filled with workshops, yoga classes, etc. It could be a lot of fun, especially if I could convince some lady friends to participate with me! I have my eye on the Cape Cod Half in September.

As I was looking up info for the Bronx Zoo today (wanted to plan a visit for my day off tomorrow, but sadly they are closed) I discovered that the zoo hosts a 5K in April called Run For the Wild. How awesome could that be, running through the grounds of the zoo!? Bonus: the race is a fundraiser for the Wildlife Conservation Society — specifically raising money to save the elephants.

The New York Road Runners Coogan’s 5K. This one would be perfect because it is in early March (gives me just enough time to get back into the swing of running) and is local. I’ve heard this race can be pretty crowded, but with live bands playing along the route, it could be really fun.

So there you have it – a very wordy, link-y post. I hope you had a wonderful Sunday!

Questions: What is your favorite thing about Sunday? Which of the above races sounds the most fun to you?

Sadly, my life as it currently stands is a tad too hectic for such an endeavor. I often work 10-12 hours a day. My meals are almost always on the go. Most weeks, I am lucky if I find the time to do laundry.

Enter: What I Ate Wednesday

  WIAW is a weekly event, hosted by Peas and Crayons, in which bloggers link up to share a day in their life of eats! [read more here]

Once a week? Well that sounds sort of doable. Okay, you’ve got me – the perfect excuse to live out my daily food blogger fantasy dreams!

So yes, here is my first attempt at a What I Ate Wednesday (which is technically what I ate Tuesday). My apologies in advance for the blurry iPhone photos… like I said, I’m always on the go, and honestly, I’m a bit shy about taking food photos at the office!

BREAKFAST – 10am

Pumpkin Oats, made at home with just enough time to dish into a container to take to the office to eat at my desk. This combo includes: 1 cup water, 1/4 cup steel cut oats, 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, a dash of cinnamon, a dash of pumpkin pie spice and two teaspoons of light brown sugar. You may also notice that Iced Coffee sneaking around in the corner of the shot – enjoyed with a splash of soy and a sugar in the raw packet.

LUNCH – 2:30pm

I completely forgot about my 1:30 meeting and ended up having to push lunch back way too late! I was ravenous by the time 2:30 rolled around. This is the last of the Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato and Kale Soup (recipe from Oh She Glows) that I made last week, specifically to bring for lunches. This soup was delicious, but for some reason (tomatoes? onions?) it gave me acid reflux (which is a new thing for me). Sad.

With a slice of Wegman’s Ancient Grain Bread with Cranberries:

And one of these for a sweet finish:

SNACK – 7pm

Once again, I waited way too long to eat and was starving by the time I got home from work. I threw together some cucumber spears and Wegman’s Red Pepper Hummus (my favorite hummus!) to tide me over until dinner.

I also sipped on some GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha Gingerade. I do not like a lot of the kombucha flavors I have tried (they taste too vinegar-y, blech!) – but for some reason the gingerade is delicious to me. Tastes like fresh carbonated juice.

DINNER – 9pm

D & I made homemade pizza back on Sunday night, and I had extras of all of the toppings to use up! I picked up a Boboli Mini Crust to make things quick and easy. Topped with tomato sauce, chopped garlic, burrata cheese and fresh basil.

Sipped a lemon lime bubbly water on the side.

And snacked on a few more of those Maple French Toast French Twists as I watched Parenthood. Does anyone else tear up at every. single. episode?

So there you have it. What I ate Wednesday (but actually, really Tuesday). I guess I’ve learned two things from this post:

1. I really need to stop waiting until I am dying of hunger to eat something.

2. I now get acid reflux (TMI?). I think this means I am getting old.

I hope you enjoyed this post – thank you for letting me indulge myself!

Question: Are you good about snacking throughout the day? Or do you wait until you are ravenous to realize that you are hungry?

Forty Fives is a card game that originated in Northeastern Massachusetts (where I grew up and my family lives). The random/funny thing is, I actually originally learned how to play a version of this game during my semester abroad in Australia! I love this game because it is 50% luck and 50% strategy/skill – it definitely keeps you on your toes.

Once our game finished (Ben won!) we poured drinks and got to work preparing our feast.

Part of the charm of The Schoolhouse is that is has been kept true to its original form. With the kitchen lacking an oven and no conventional cooktop, the boys bundled up for some winter grilling.

^vermont headlamp fashion

^my contribution to the meal: cranberry chutney to garnish the pork

We gathered to break bread just before midnight.

I love the fact that while most of my friends were partying it up in the city, paying for over-priced drinks and traipsing around in the cold, we were sitting down to a cozy homemade meal. Chill, low key, and totally my style

 It was only our second year New Years-ing at The Schoolhouse, but I hope it becomes a place to gather and a tradition for years to come.

…and, because I have more fun photos to share, stay tuned for part three.

[click for part one]

Like last year, we spent New Years Eve day at the Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater Corners, VT. There was a fresh blanket of snow on the ground from the storm a few days earlier and everything looked so bright and festive.

^I sipped the Black”beary” Wheat – my favorite!

This year’s gang was made up of D’s two awesome best friends (“they’re like my brothers!”), my two actual sisters, and Meg’s equally awesome boyfriend Ben.

^ Nick on a Stick made an appearance as well!

One of my favorite things about Long Trail is that it is located right on the Ottauquechee River (had to look up the spelling on that one!). The icy water bubbling down the river is   crisp and clear – it definitely enhances the beer-tasting experience!

It is also the perfect spot for a photo shoot.

It was the much-needed, perfect kick-off to my vacation week.

 As the sun began to set, we headed back to The Schoolhouse to take naps and prep for our New Years Eve celebration!

(Thank you to Erin and D for sharing some of these photos!)

[click for part two]

________________________________________________________________

This photo was taken from the window of our Box Office – my first real New Hope snow! I guess this place ain’t so bad…

Before taking off for Vermont in a few hours, I wanted to check in one last time in 2012.  2012 was a huge year of growth for me, for sure, but it was 95% focused on work, and little on anything else!

People tend to have mixed feelings when it comes to New Years Resolutions. Resolutions can be cheesy, they are often forgotten about within the first few weeks of the year, they can ultimately set the individual up for failure… the list goes on.

That being said, I am all about using the New Year as a fresh start to set some goals! Cue the following quote:

“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
― Seneca

Too true, Seneca, too true. In 2013 I am generally looking to get back to being more well-rounded. Having a successful career is important to me, but if I know anything about myself, it is that I need a variety of “flavors” in life to feel fulfilled. Here are some of my 2013 “goals-a-lutions” (that works, right?) to get this ship pointed in the right direction:

1. Volunteer at least once – since I graduated college in 2008, I have been horrible about “giving back,” which is completely pathetic, because I know how awesome it makes me feel. Time for a change.

2. Run six races – I need to make the time to get back in shape and what better way to do it than to commit to some races? Why six? Why not?

3. Go to the dentist twice – I haven’t been in two years. I have nightly panic attacks about cavities. ‘Nuff said.

4. Don’t sweat the small stuff – especially when it comes to work. I need to focus on closing my eyes, counting to ten, staying positive and remembering that “it’s just theater.”

5. Keep blogging! I love having this outlet to write, photograph and share… even if it’s just a few posts per month.

These sound do-able, right?

The countdown is on — in about 5 hours I go on the first vacation I’ve been able to take in a year. We are up to Vermont with friends for New Years and then, who knows? Trying to relax, plan as little as possible, and take things one day at a time.

Do you have any resolutions, goals or “goals-a-lutions” for 2013? Share away!

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR! I will see you in 2013! xoxo

It was a whirlwind 2-day trip home, but I feel very lucky to have spent Christmas in New Hampshire with my family. It was one of the best Christmases ever!

1. Erin’s got punch

2. Meg, Erin & I had fun teasing my parents about the crazy assortment of ornaments they have held on to throughout the years. Old chipped cat ornament? “I love this one, my favorite!”

3. One of my favorite traditions? Meg’s “Oh Holy Night” at the Candlelight Service. We almost skipped it this year (I’m so glad we didn’t!)

4. Christmas Cameron, rock star style

5. Festive veggies

6. My yankee swap winnings losings. Seriously, I ended up with the worst gift.

7. Salty & sweet

8. I did not ask for any gifts this year and had zero expectations… I was just happy for the days off! I was thoroughly surprised with some thoughtful presents, including this white bike (from my parents) that I am absolutely in love with.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xoxo