May in New York (aka: my favorite month here thus far!)

May has been a particularly enjoyable time and is probably one of my favorite months in the city thus far. First of all, I love the fact that it’s staying light later! (It is a bit peculiar, though, because typically when it’s light outside at 8:25 PM, it’s also warm & the smell of barbeque is drifting through the air & fireflies are lighting up the sky & that is not the case. It's usually 50-degrees and I'm freezing while walking home... but I digress.). Second, we have had so many fun/different things to do almost every single day/night since the last week in April. From rooftop dinners & out of town guests, to shows & Yankees games & good restaurants, we’ve had quite the social life.

 

 It really has been fun & now I finally see what everyone kept promising me when I moved here:

 

If you like it now, just wait until Spring!

It’s true. I waited & have watched NYC blossom into a more vibrant, happy place.
I love it.

A few quick highlights:

My dad + youngest sister (AG!) came to visit!

Rooftop Brunch

Time Square Fun {btw: I do not like Times Sq. TOO MANY PEOPLE.}

Yankees Game with perfect seats!

Madison Square Park: One of my favorite places in the city!


More soon!
<3M

 

delicious dessert hummus {vegan & gluten free!}

After I finished reading "Crazy Sexy Diet", I decided it was time to delve into a fully vegan/gluten free lifestyle. My diet was already almost 100% vegetarian & the only dairy I consumed on a regular basis was Greek yogurt, & I was careful about gluten, too. So, overall it hasn't been too difficult at all. I've only missed cheese once- but I've been experimenting with nutritional yeast & I think it just might lead to some good things later...

Twice this week, I made THE most amazing concoction... Dessert Hummus! When I first read the recipe, I was skeptical. Chickpeas in my dessert?! Um, gross. After reading a few reviews though, I decided to try it... I was craving chocolate and we happened to have all of the ingredients. The verdict? Delicious AND Charles approved! Score. 

Please try it. You won't regret it. It's full of protein & has no processed sugar, no gluten, is 100% vegan and takes 8 minutes. Oh, and, as aforementioned, it is delicious.

What You Need:

- 1 can of organic chickpeas, rinsed well

- 1/2 cup of almond milk (or coconut milk)

- 2-3 tablespoons of organic rolled oats

- 1/2 teaspoon of organic, pure vanilla extract 

- 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1/4 cup of agave nectar (more or less to taste; you can also use raw coconut sugar)

- 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil

- 1/4 cup of raw almond butter (or other nut butter)

- Handful of vegan carob chips or dark chocolate chips (if non-vegan)

**Optional: to make it more chocolatey, add 1/2 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder 

What You Do:

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips in a food processor for at least 2-3 minutes, blending until smooth;

Add chocolate chips and mix well.

Place in refrigerator for 25 minutes and then indulge in a morsel (spoonful?) of vegan heaven!

We dip gluten-free rice crackers & sliced apples into it, or just eat it like a pudding with a spoon... because why not?

More recipes to come soon, I think, because I've been having way too much fun exploring the kitchen with new ingredients and fun raw-based recipes.

have a happy week!

lately {april edition}

 

It’s really hard to believe we’ve been living in NYC for four months…. Like, really hard.
Time here is weird & travels at an exceedingly fast pace.


Inspired by  this blog, I’ve decided to begin a monthly “lately” post, highlighting life’s moments by fun little categories. March passed too quickly & I didn’t take the time to actually document my “lately” moments, & I didn’t want another month to pass by without taking the time to write down some things.
So, lately…

I’ve been thinking… that NYC is a completely different/amazing place in warm weather. It brings back so many memories of my summer spent in Madrid: restaurants opening their outdoor patios, sunshine spilling between buildings, people smiling (!!) music everywhere, etc. Basically, it’s perfect.
Also... on a more serious note... thinking about heartache. And why it happens. And how to be thankful & joyful, even when bad things happen to good people. (Referring to Boston & so many recent tragedies in the lives of friends)

I’ve been reading…  Crazy, Sexy, Diet. GO READ IT IMMEDIATELY. My eating habits are already pretty close to what Kris writes about, but now, more than ever, I’ve been inspired to maintain a vegan/raw food lifestyle. Especially with the history of cancer/etc. in my family. Seriously, go read it.

I’ve been sipping on… no coffee! It’s been a few weeks since I last had a cup & to be honest, I don’t really miss it. As soon as I wake up & start getting ready, I drink a glass of hot water + lemon & cayenne & cinnamon. Then, I have a 16 oz+ glass of “green juice” (usually cucumber, celery, parsley, spinach/kale & apple or pear). Sometimes, mid-day, I drink some green tea. Other than that, I’ve just been “sipping on” tons of fresh juices & agua & - as a treat – raw coconut water (harmless harvest brand).

I’ve been listening to… this song. Why are their voices so amazing?

I’ve been pestering Charles for… a clean kitchen when I get home from work. And to let us rent a dog to walk through the park. Since I know we can't have one right now. 

I’m excited about… My dad & Anna Grace coming to visit in May! Spring! Diving fully into this new way of eating & all of the new recipes I can’t wait to try.

I’m missing… my friends & family & intentional community. A LOT. Not really Target anymore. I went there five times during my time home a few weeks ago. Meeting “real” & genuine & intentional people in NYC is difficult, guys.

We’ve been watching…  Ummm, Nashville? Is that embarrassing to admit? Yes. But sometimes, you need some southern goodness in your living room on a chilly, NYC evening.

I’m thankful for…  Easy access to tons healthy foods & fresh produce throughout the city, learning new things, that the attacks in Boston were not as terrible as they could have been (still absolutely heinous, nonetheless), new opportunities & being able to run outside

<3*m

spring in NYC (via photos)

I'm about to go for a run. And don't feel like writing anything. So... NYC spring weather in photos.

just a few thoughts

-it's April! Can't believe it.

-IT WAS 71-DEGREES TODAY!!!! Because of this warmness, everyone was smiling and drinking iced coffee. Even the pigeons seemed happier!

-We have been drinking green juice (kale, cucumber, celery, spinach) at least twice a day and I cannot explain to you the incredible amount of energy I've had! I haven't even been drinking coffee. Go buy a juicer today, you won't regret it.

- I miss cooking big meals

- Not sure if my eyes are ready to see all of the summer "fashion choices" in NYC - I think I've already seen more than enough.

- Looking forward to a continual climb in temperatures, warm nights, long outdoor runs & fun, summer memories

- Recycling here is dumb. Apparently, we didn't sort it right & were fined.

- I think my legs might fall off from my run the other day. It was so warm and I was so happy, so I just kept going. And apparently my legs did not agree with that decision.

... That's all for tonight. I'm sleepy. And have to go wash 9,000 dishes.

<3* happy monday!

spring is coming!

After a week of sickness and a surprise snowfall on Friday, this Saturday was Blissful, with a capital “B”.  I’m talking 57-degrees, not-a-cloud-in-view, Carolina-blue-sky, beautiful Spring-like weather type of blissful. To say I was happy would be the understatement of the year - I was bouncing with excitement as we ambled through Park Slope after brunch on Saturday (and it wasn’t from the mimosas + coffee). We were no longer in a bleak, wintery New York neighborhood. Rather, we had somehow stepped into Mr. Roger’s neighborhood or somewhere equally as idyllic (ahem- Davidson, NC). Everyone was smiling and cheerful, kids were sailing down the sidewalks on their classic Radio Flyers, couples were drinking their morning coffee on brownstone staircases, cute dogs were everywhere (cue extreme jealousy/immense sadness. I miss Caper so, so, so very much), & people were no longer hidden behind bulky winter coats. For the first time since we’ve lived here, I felt like everyone we interacted with was unified by a collective sense of optimism –contented smiles, peaceful demeanors and tiny buds on trees confirmed the good news: spring is just around the corner!

We meandered through Park Slope and The High Line, with one goal in mind: soak up that sunshine! I am convinced that I could literally feel my body soaking up the warm and precious sunlight, replenishing itself with the Vitamin D it has been craving.  There’s really nothing like the sweet warmth of spring. Also, High Line Park is now one of my favorite spots in Chelsea; the views are beautiful and there are so many interesting people to see. I think I could’ve stayed there all day had Charles agreed to it.

To top it all off, Sunday brought Daylight Savings. I have a love/hate relationship with this guy. I really, really love that it’s bright outside when I leave work... however, losing an hour of sleep did not go over well this morning.  Let’s just say that I slept through a copious amount of “snoozes” (and by a copious amount I mean that I woke up when I should have been walking out the door for work) and that this decision lead to a morning of frantic behavior*/world’s fastest shower/damp hair/makeup application on the subway/Megan looking super fly for work.
*Also: Charles, I apologize for all of the clothes that I threw everywhere this morning while attempting to find something to wear. And for turning on the overhead light while you were trying to sleep a little bit longer... and for waking you up fifteen times to tell you random bits of information, like what I dreamed last night. You're a patient one. I'll bring you a coconut donut from The Doughnut Plant tonight as an apology.

It’s okay though. Spring is coming and that is the excuse I’m clinging to.

Friday morning: When I woke up to snow & was oh-so-sad that spring was never ever coming

 

6th Avenue on a snow-laden Friday morning.

SURPRISE! It's Saturday and Spring stopped by for a visit & there are pretty churches in Park Slope & everyone is happy!

No editing/filter/anything - this was how BLUE and beautiful the sky was; I think it was rejoicing that it didn't have to make
New Yorkers miserable with clouds.

SUNLIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO JACKETS!!!!!!!!!! SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Highline

Happy Hour at The Grey Dog - perfect after a day in the sunshine

One of THE worst/hardest parts about moving to NYC was having to give our sweet puppy Caper to another family -
I'm not even exaggerating that I cried the most over that. I know he's happy where he is & get updates about him pretty often (which actually makes it harder, almost). That said, I always find myself going to a pet shop in Chelsea to play with puppies.
I LOVED THIS BABY AUSSIE. I would never get one from a pet store, but playing with them helps a little bit.

two months in nyc!

Full & happy & hard.

These are just three, simple & truthful words that adequately represent how life in NYC has been throughout the past several weeks.

Full because of the go-go-go schedules we’ve been maintaining with friends & family coming in town, top secret engagements, work schedules & just the little things that seem to creep in every week (i.e.: cooking & laundry & cleaning & groceries).

Happy because of all of the FUN things we’ve had happening over the past few weeks! As aforementioned, we've had friends and family in town, top secret engagements, city exploration, sister-visits (full of prom dress shopping, Wicked, lots of good food & tons of laughing), photo taking and so much more. Plus, I feel like I’m really learning my way around the city & I’ve finally mastered the subways (oh, & by "learning my way around", I really mean that it’s been more than a month since I’ve gotten lost). Finally, I think it’s just really great for Charles & me to have our very own state to call home (not that we lived with anyone or anything before, but we were super close to family in NC) – it’s been so great for so many reasons. And, because we live in a cool place, we've already seen members of both sides of our family in the past two months.

Hard. Not necessarily “bad” hard, just… hard. I think the “hardness” is mostly related to the dreary, cold weather we’ve been having for what feels like weeks upon weeks. Long days spent inside without seeing the sun is not fun!  The good news, though, is that spring is just around the corner! Today, I didn’t even need to zip up my jacket & didn’t wear a scarf – I'd say that's enormous progress. It’s also just really different to realize all of the “easy” things that I took for granted (i.e.: “Charles, could you go to Harris Teeter & buy something chocolatey?  I know it’s 11:30 at night, but I think we should eat some chocolate.” – this doesn’t happen anymore, because the only thing near our house is the world’s tiniest bodega & it closes at 9 PM); also, we don’t have a washer or dryer, so we have to schedule time to either (a) go to a Laundromat or (b) drop off/pick up our clothes somewhere; finally, as mentioned in previous posts: grocery shopping is always something that must be planned & usually something we have to do together, because I can’t carry everything!

Thank goodness for FreshDirect.com!  I just placed my FIRST order ($50 off for first-timers, yay!) annnd I'm pretty sure that website is going to become my BFF.

All that said – we have officially been living here for two months today (!!!) & NYC is feeling more & more like our home, rather than some strange, extended vacation (in which we both begin new jobs & work every day). We haven’t settled on a church yet, but are purposing to make our decision within the next week or so, so that we can begin building more of a new community here – so looking forward to it!

Here’s a look at our lives for the past few weeks:

sometimes, rainy weekends call for desperate measures when all you want to do is get out of the house
(aka: time at Barnes & Noble)

 

LOVE this place! Brooklyn Commune. It's right across the street from our house & the food = delicious.
My favorite is the qunioa & roasted pumpkin salad... to die for.
 

subway views

my (amazing) brother-in-law & his band swung through manhattan for a quick show on their way home from a tour.
so, so good to see him + hear some southern music :)

lindsay & I went to petsmart one day to look at pets. and these two cuties made my heart melt. and I hate cats.

My sister came to visit!!!!!!!!!!!!!

exploring

empire state of mind

getting ready to see Wicked! I had told her that tickets were sold out... little did she know that we were getting ready to
see one of my favorite shows ever!

 

love me some NYC brunch! bring on the mimosas & delciousness!

FAO Schwartz Time!

 

 

walking home from work - LOVE the lighting in this photo. & that shadow above the "Wolf Paper & Twine Co." sign.  

"please,dad, I juss want a little sip of your mocha!" - NYC pups are so cute!

the building next to my office. I like it.



tomorrow is friday! yay!!
<3 m