January Wrap Up, even though it's almost March

I'm still trying to figure out where the heck February went. I'm pretty sure it's hiding in the 8 ft snowbank that's outside of my apartment, but I really can't be sure.

So, you know back in January where I decided to write down some of my goals for the month and I gave you updates each week? Well, over the course of the month, I did really well. I drank my water in my awesome Camelback bottle, made a birthday calendar and created an awesome card to send to my family, and visited NYC for the weekend. The whole water thing has stuck and I'm still trying to drink plenty of water each day. Also, I'm off Diet Coke (which for anyone with diabetes will tell you is tough to do). I actually got a DC last week when I went to get lunch and I seriously felt sick after drinking it. I'm not sure if it was the bubbles or not having had any in month, but it didn't sit well and is definitely motivation to stay "soda-free"

I'm happy that I completed these items from my list of 101 things and will start again with trying to knock a few off my list in March.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pondering...

1. I've been stuck at home for the past 4 days. The federal government has been closed because of the crazy amount of snow that we've received over the last week. I need to get out of my apartment. My husband has been working from home and I've had to listen to him on conference calls most of the afternoons. Not fun.

2. I'm tempted to do some baking, but since I'm stuck inside and down to the essentials, I would likely eat everything I bake. I've hit the treadmill several times this week, but I need to get to the gym and get to a class ASAP.

3. I'm reading Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I'm almost finished (thanks snow days!) and will have a complete review for you soon. Interesting stuff in that there book.

4. I want carby goodness for dinner. We're going out so I can associate with more people than Ross and my dog. Even if it's just a waitress.

5. I'm ready for spring.

17. Visit New York City

Last weekend, Ross and I avoided the 1st DC snowstorm and heading to NYC with some of our friends, Jack and Kate. This was my first overnight trip to the city this year and we definitely had a great time.


We left DC at 6:30 am on the Vamoose bus. Normally, I'm loyal to Bolt Bus, but the Vamoose stop is super close to my house and left a half hour before Bolt Bus, guaranteeing more time in NYC for fun. We got to the city and made our way to Times Square to try and get tickets to a Broadway show. After cruising by the TKTS booth, we decided it was worth the money to bypass the line and to make sure we had tickets to a show, so we headed to the Richard Rogers Theater and got tickets to see In the Heights.


After a trek to our hotel to drop off our bags, we made our way over to Hell's Kitchen to get some tasty Thai grub at a place our friend Jack had read about. I had the best KaProw (chicken with basil in a chile sauce) of my life there. Lunch would not have been complete without dessert so we went to Rocco's Pastry Shop s and consumed more delicious carbs and coffee.


Since we were sufficiently full, Jack lead us to The guys consumed several pairs of beers. We hit up another watering hole, Park Bar, before heading back to Times Square, for our show.




In the Heights was everything I thought it was going to be, and more. As a theater nerd, I have nothing but great things to say about the show. It appeals to everyone (including my non-theater nerd husband who came out of the theater singing 96,000) and is such a cheerful show.After In the Heights, we headed to the Lower East Side to meet up with friends from highschool and college. We had a great time catching up with people (and eating a drunk New York slice). We realized after all of this, we'd been up for almost 24 straight hours with no 5-hour Energies to be seen, and quickly cabbed to our hotel.


Sunday, we had a great breakfast (or was it brunch? or was it an afternoon snack?) at Max Brenner's and then explored the MoMA and the Central Park area. Our final stop before dinner was Dylan's Candy Bar (LOVE LOVE LOVE) where I became sufficiently happy then a diabetic kid in a candy store. We had a great tapas dinner before Bolt Busing back to DC....all in time for work at 8:30am Monday morning.



It was a seriously awesome weekend and it was awesome to cross a trip off the 101 Things List!

Things I Love #4 Pizza

It really doesn't matter what time of day or from where, I love pizza! I would definitely go on to list it as one of my top 5 favorite foods. Unfortunately, pizza is exactly healthy and can be a really terrible on my blood sugar (and alittle crazy on my wallet too if I'm ordering from a takeout place!)

I recently picked up the new Cooking Light Way to Cook cookbook and there's an excellent homemade pizza dough recipe in it. It's not a great recipe for a quick weeknight dinner, but when I have some time (like over the long weekends we've had with the snow) it's great. It makes a 12 inch pizza, but I do personal ones for each of us (since the hubby is allergic to cheese) which is enough for dinner and lunch the next day.

Check out the recipe:

Ingredients
2 teaspoons honey
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces), divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons stone-ground yellow cornmeal

Preparation
Dissolve the honey and yeast in 3/4 cup warm water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 6 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel slightly sticky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Roll dough into a 12-inch circle (about 1/4 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a rimless baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim. Lightly spray surface of dough with cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.

Position one oven rack in the middle setting. Position another rack in the lowest setting, and place a rimless baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 500°.

Remove plastic wrap from Basic Pizza Dough; discard. Brush oil over dough. Remove preheated baking sheet from oven; close oven door. Slide dough onto preheated baking sheet, using a spatula as a guide. Bake on lowest oven rack at 500° for 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

Spread pizza suace in an even layer over crust, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top sauce with toppings. Bake on middle rack an additional 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese melts. Cut into 12 wedges.

Nutritional analysis is for 1 (12-inch) pizza crust. Does not include any toppings.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 1155 (3% from fat)
Fat: 3.4g (sat 0.6g,mono 0.5g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 33.8g
Carbohydrate: 242.5g
Fiber: 10.8g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 14.3mg
Sodium:n1195mg
Calcium:n49mg

Pondering...

1. Why is it that even though my office is open today, no one is here? Seriously.

2. Why did I decide to wear a skirt today, even though it's so freaking cold?

3. I decided to wear my pedometer in NYC this past weekend and walked over 8 miles in about 30 hours. My legs hurt alittle (an NYC post is in the works, btw).

4. If I could be anywhere in the USA today, I would be in Disney's Hollywood Studios with my family and husband. I would eat a few Mickey ice cream bars, ride Tower of Terror atleast 3 times, and go to Fantasmic to see the awesome show.

5. I would like to own a house soonish. I'm not sure how that's possible, but I like the idea of being able to paint a room turquoise if I want to.