Even if it ain't all it seems, I've got a pocket full of dreams

In my mind, New York will always be the most amazing city in the world. There’s nothing like it; my life will always be more exciting when I’m surrounded by taxis and restaurants and every type of person imaginable. Everything seems right on your doorstep, and depending on your mood, you can either lose yourself in the anonymity of millions or make a name for yourself as one in a million. A break from the hustle and bustle is nice every once in awhile, but these past two days have reminded me just how much I love and miss New York!

Monday morning I woke up and had an unpictured Heart Thrive as a snack, then did No More Trouble Zones for the second time. It kicked my booty. Afterwards, I refueled with a bowl of Nature’s Path SmartBran, raspberries and almond milk:

I brought along an apple and banana for the train ride. (Please excuse the abundance of crotch shots in this post.)

As soon as I got settled in NYC, I headed downtown to meet two lovely ladies  at Pure Food and Wine for lunch. Pure has been on my go-to list since I moved to the city, and I’ve been dying to meet both Ilana and Kailey forever, so needless to say I was practically skipping down the street with excitement.

The food did not disappoint. I ordered the falafel with tabhouli, topped with lemon tahini sauce and red pepper hot sauce.

I’m pretty sure these were made of mushroom, and while it’s no secret that I hate fungus, these were actually lip-smackingly delicious. Perhaps my tastes are evolving?

While my entrée was undoubtedly delicious, it was a tad small, which was fine because it left plenty of room for dessert.

A raw chocolate mint sundae, to be exact, with chocolate, fresh mint and mint chip ice cream with vanilla cream, chocolate sauce and mint chocolate cookies. Oh yes. I debated shelling out the $16 for this sucker, but it’s one of the best splurges I’ve ever made. Foodgasm doesn’t even begin to describe how deliciously creamy and chocolatey this was.

Even better than the food was the company. I couldn’t have imagined two sweeter, funnier, more real and fabulous girls to meet up with. We spent two and a half hours chatting, and it honestly made me view food, body image and the uncertainty of my future in a completely different way. It was lucky that we stayed so long, because as the restaurant emptied out we saw Adam Levine of Maroon 5 come in with his girlfriend. Clearly, it was fated to be a magnanimous meet up.

After lunch, we hit up Whole Foods, Forever 21, DSW and Trader Joe’s before going our separate ways. I back to the hotel, where I took advantage of the free cocktail hour food with a plate of fruit, veggies and hummus.

Last night, Mike and I headed to Spring Street Natural in SoHo, which specializes in healthy and organic foods.  The menu has vegan, vegetarian and omnivore options, so it’s great when you have a lot of different palates!

Mike insisted I try both kinds of bread. The first was a hearty, pumpkin-flavored loaf that tasted like a cross between pumpkin bread and pound cake. Sweet bread before dinner? I’ll take it.

The second was an oat bread that was mildly nutty. Also a winner. I’m so glad Mike appreciates good carbs as much as I do J

To start, I chose a bowl of the most tofu-loaded miso soup I’ve ever had. Usually miso soup isn’t very filling, so I loved the extra ‘fu in this.

For my entrée, I had the steamed organic seasonal vegetables, which came over a bed of brown rice with sesame soy sauce and goddess dressing. In the mix: kale, rainbow chard, carrots, cauliflower and green beans. It looks puny, but I promise that the mountain of rice under there was enough to set the Atkins diet back several decades.

Despite being pretty full from dinner, I always have room for sweets, so I ordered a warm vegan triple-berry almond crumble with strawberry sorbet for dessert. Exquisite. Even better was Mike’s dish of amaretto, mocha and salted caramel gelato. I gladly helped him finish off the mountainous portion of creamy deliciousness.

Today, I had an appointment with a realtor to look at apartments! I took advantage of my hotel’s breakfast buffet and ate a mini-box of HFCS laden Raisin Bran, a mini-box of Cheerios, and fresh fruit (x3).

I spent a few hours meandering before heading downtown to meet the realtor. On the way, I ate a vegan yuba pocket from a random deli, along with a pink lady apple. (Excuse the background, s’il vous plait.)

The apartment hunt went great! I found one place that I love but might be off the market, and two other places I’d be happy with as well. Keeping my fingers crossed!

After the search, I headed back up to Penn Station to catch my train home. Of course, I had to pick up my favorite power-fu sandwich for the ride. (Yet another crotch shot. This is horrible.)

And on the train, I occupied myself with Self and my favorite flavor Larabar:

Despite the hot weather, the over-zealously air conditioned train made crave something warm! I dug into a bowl of Amy’s black bean soup doctored up with tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots and salsa as soon as I got home.

Plus an apple and four squares of Lindt 85% dark chocolate for dessert:

So, after all that food and fun in just over twenty-four hours, how could I not love New York?

What’s your favorite city?

In honor of that delicious bread basket, what’s your bread of choice?

PS- Stay tuned for a 150^th post giveaway tomorrow!!