what the fig

So I know all summer I kept saying I need to get back into the blog thing... and I never really did. Vacations, day trips, work, and general outdoor fun just got in the way. Cooking even took a backseat compared to my spring cooking days which is something I miss! Now I feel like whenever I cook it is rushed, rather than the lackadaisical fun it had been. Unfortunately less/faster cooking has also translated into less healthy eating. Goal for the fall: cook more and reduce calorie consumption a bit. Totally doable... especially because I'm MOVING!

Where you ask? Into Manhattan, right next to work. Commute time? Approximately 2 minutes door to door. After commuting for a year and giving close to three hours each work day in commuting, the time has come to move into a studio of my own. October 6th I will be on my own, which will mean more time to blog AND cook AND exercise. Not to mention somewhere to blow my money on cute home furnishings. Danger.

More to come on the move, but in the meantime here's some cooking I actually have been doing...

Dinner for the week? Not more tofu steaks you say? Yes, more tofu steaks. I can't get enough!

On the side were roasted potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and zucchini. Just tossed in EVOO, balsamic, garlic, salt, and pepper and roasted at 425 until the tiny potatoes were fork tender.

When the tomatoes get wrinkly and a bit dehydrated, the flavor is sweet and concentrated. These tomatoes were already delicious, but even out of season tomatoes respond really well to roasting.

To finish off the meal- kale chips with salt, garlic powder, and creole seasoning. And Heinz of course.

This dinner packs a nice amount of food without a ton of calories. The tofu steaks taste great with some mustard on top, I like TJ's Garlic Aioli Mustard. 

In an extra exciting twist of events, I actually got a call yesterday from work asking if I wanted to take a holiday (aka use my holiday time and have the night off instead)... it was such a nice surprise. 

My holiday dinner, which was a late one after some midday napping post-nap and a 5 mile run, was made up of food I had leftover but turned out to be awesome.  Even Pat, for whom vegetable seem to act like kryptonite, said "what is that? it looks cool." 

Salad of sliced black figs, heirloom tomatoes, sliced almonds, fresh mozzarella, and arugula. The dressing was leftover citrus-balsamic vinaigrette that my mom made earlier this week. The recipe was modified from Wolfgang Puck's Citrus Hazlenut Vinaigrette- my mom omitted the hazelnut oil. Goat or blue cheese would be even more fabulous on this salad.

Off to clean my room a bit more as I am in the fun process of clearing out and organizing my things for the move! Bought some things today at IKEA and home goods, mostly for the kitchen (shocking) and I'm really excited to keep pulling things together. Only problem is that today I ended up totally neglecting any physical activity in favor of moving prep. Have a feeling it won't be the last time, but seeing as the TRI is SUNDAY, I wish I'd felt motivated to move. Besides plenty of running, the training has gone virtually extinct for weeks. Oh well!