The city is exhausting!
New York City in particular has the most draining effect on me. I definitely love the city, and I’m so lucky to be living close to one of the greatest cities in the world.
Besides the walking and heat, there is so much stimulation from the millions of people, cars, lights, sounds, and smells. If you try to slow down, you will either get run over by an automobile or pushed over by busy people. That being said, walking, dodging flying objects/people, and climbing stairs for a few hours requires lots of fuel.
Starting with breakfast!
Actually, starting with pre-breakfast. I woke up hungry at 5 AM. Why.
spoonful of Nuttzo power fuel
I tried going back to sleep, but then 6 AM came before I could. After dropping off dad at the train station, I was READY for breakfast.
Greek yogurt with cinnamon, nutmeg, chia, and maple syrup // banana, strawberries, granola, and a giant scoop of peanut butter
A little while later I warmed up a couple of strawberry cornmeal griddle cakes that I had froze, and I snacked on one with some maple syrup as a morning snack. I did get to sleep a little more too!
I took the day off from my {flexible, volunteer} internship to join up with some good friends from BU who are also NY/NJ locals, health professionals to be, and…Asian 🙂
By the time I had arrived at Grand Central and then walked 19 blocks to Shake Shack, I was a hungry, hungry hippo (<— always wanted that game when I was a kid).
We surprised our friend Dana with cupcakes and horridly off-pitch singing (on my part) for an early birthday celebration before ordering and chowing down on our burgers from Shake Shack.
My first Shake Shack burger! It was perfect and I miss it already.
Tina and Cassandra were kind enough to pick up Georgetown Cupcakes for Dana, and Dana was kind enough to share with all of us!
happy early birthday, Dana!
We trekked it over to High Line Park, where we took touristy pictures despite not being actual tourists. Before that though, we stopped by Eataly to use the restrooms, and LOOK WHAT WE FOUND.
A NUTELLA BAR {inside Eataly, not inside the restroom}
Take deep breaths, I know it’s a lot to take in. We didn’t buy anything, but I need to go back to try it out soon!
Back to High Line… (thanks for the photos, Cassandra!)
{posed}
After High Line and a quick walk through Chelsea Market, we parted ways and went home. I took a nap on the train because I was dead meat. I think I felt almost as tired as I did after our 7 mile hike in Colorado!
My stomach felt weird when I got home, but I knew I needed a snack. Or two.
steamed veggies + 34 Degrees poppy seed crackers with hummus
more Nuttzo (this spoonful + more because this spoon has limited space to hold drippy nut butter)
A couple hours later I ate caprese again as a dinner appetizer, along with the other cornmeal griddle cake from the morning.
I was kinda full by the time I ate real dinner, but I didn’t stress out about it, ate slowly while conversing with Pop, and finished every last bite enjoyably!
salad with homemade maple mustard dressing + ginger cilantro lime / pesto turkey meatballs + roasted sweet potatoes + corn on the cob
Huzzah for leftovers!
Night snack was this cinnamon roll Quest bar from the never-ending Blend swag bag.
I microwaved it for 23 seconds (as suggested by a reader), and the Quest bar morphed into a Quest lava flow.
I should start making Quest sculptures when they’re hot
And that’s a wrap! ‘Twas a blessed day of eats as always.
I have one more day of my internship this week before I head up to Boooooooston for the weekend! 😀 Hope you all have a wacky Wednesday in the best way possible!
joining the WIAW party on Peas and Crayons!
So tell me:
Do you ever wake up hungry? It used to happen a lot more when I was depriving myself, but I guess it still happens once in a blue moon!
What is your favorite fast food burger joint?
Something sweet that you ate yesterday!
Daily Moves and Grooves 
I wake up suprisingly sooo hungry after I have a pint of ice cream. Haha it is magical. And my favorite burger place right now is a place called Apollo burger. It’s the first place I have ordered my first real cheeseburger in a long time and it was amazing! Their sweet potato fries are just as perfect 😉
Isn’t that first cheeseburger in a long time just THE BEST? Mmm sweet potato fries are always a good idea.
I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, which is not unusual for me unfortunately. However, sometimes I just cannot fall back asleep for hours, until I realise that I’m very hungry! I usually have some yogurt and nut butter (at 4 am, yes) in those cases. But I’ve learned that I just need to eat more throughout the day…
Fun fact (not sure if it’s “fun”?): I don’t enjoy burgers! Don’t hate me.
Yesterday I had a strawberry “profroyo”, strawberries and cottage cheese blended and freezed (stirred occasionally), and topped with a crumbled muesli bar and natural pb ❤
I love your outfit btw, you looks very pretty and happy 🙂
Thanks, Ann ♥
Oh I’ve had those nut butter + yogurt snacks in the middle of the night as well. It’s so great to be able to sleep through the night just by eating more!
That proyo sounds delicious, so I guess I’ll forgive you for not liking burgers… 😉
I wake up SO hungry if I’m working out a lot. I almost feel sick in my stomach from being hungry..definitely not a pleasant feeling! I just visited NYC this weekend and also tried Shake Shack for the first time. It was amazing! Definitely wish we had some in Pittsburgh 🙂
Been there! Make sure you fuel really well before and after working out, girl!
Ahh that’s so cool that you visited and got Shake Shack. Chose a good eating spot 🙂
When I moved to NYC I was so tired all the time! It took me awhile to adjust to all the walking, people and noise! The high line is one of my favorite sites and I need to make it to Eataly before I move!
I don’t know how people live there! I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
High Line is one of my favorites too, and I need to visit Eataly while I still have so much free time!
*visit and really EXPERIENCE Eataly 🙂
Ahhh NYC. I can definitely see how that city would take a lot out of you. I seriously need to make my way over there one of these days and experience it for myself. And I’m with ya on the waking up hungry thing. It used to happen to me all the time, but recently I noticed that it hardly ever did anymore. Yay for taking care of ourselves, right? 😀
Yes you do! So that I can see your face too 🙂
Amen to taking care of ourselves!
That sounds like such a fun day!!! I haven’t tried the microwave trick to quest bars but I’ll have to give it a shot next time I have one!
People do all sorts of crazy fun things with their Quest bars! I’ve heard of broiling them, baking them, melting them and putting them in baking recipes…
Eataly is a magical place. There is one in Chicago and I was astounded by how much food they have there. It is extremely overpriced (especially the Nutella bar) but seriously, how can you go wrong with Nutella? 😉
Aww overpriced things turn me off… I like nutella, but I’d rather spend my money on other things to be honest. Like a Blizzard! 😉
I love the Highline and Eataly! I don’t live in the City right now but I still love those places and always recommend people check them out when they visit.
Sometimes I wake up hungry – but not usually. Guess my dinner/desserts fill me up at night/into the morning. Your breakfast looks good though 🙂
High Line is one of my #1 recommended places for sure!
YUM to all. You eat the most awesome food and I want that burger from the Shake Shack. I sometimes wake up hungry and sometimes it takes a while. I want to see a Quest bar sculpture next WIAW.
I so admire how you listen to your body when it comes to eating breakfast (and every meal)!
I don’t know what looks more delicious – your breakfast or dinner. Speaking of your dinner, do you have the recipe for the ginger cilantro lime / pesto turkey meatballs you ate?
Both were indeed delicious! And I loosely followed these two recipes for the meatballs:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/01/asian-turkey-meatballs-with-lime-sesame.html
http://www.foodiemisadventures.com/2013/04/turkey-pesto-meatballs.html
I’ve only been to NYC once and it’s definitely exhausting! I live in downtown San Francisco but the pace is a lot slower here. YUM melted Quest Bar!
Oh my goodness, SF is one of my favorite places ever! Such a beautiful city.
2 very important matters to discuss!!!
One: I want to eat all of this…now🙈😳😂
Two: there will be an epic Alison Katie city trip this summer complete with a stop at that Nutella bar😉👯💃🏻
Love you beautiful lady!!!
Girl, I need to get yo numba!
Growing up, I always assumed New York was always cold. NOPE. I visited when I was 10 or 11 and it was blistering hot, so I feel for you right now. Hope you’re staying hydrated and energized! Your breakfast is extremely photogenic, btw. Like, wow. That’s the kind of breakfast I would feel bad about eating initially, and the gobble it all up. Also, your dress is the cutest! I am loving the shorter hair on you, Alison!
Favorite fast food joint: In N Out! 🙂
Thanks, girl ♥ I hope you’re hydrated energized in Cali (and especially coming back from muggy FL)!
I still need to try In N Out when I visit California!
i hear ya! i live in downtown Manhattan and you’re right — it’s exhausting!
You do!? 1) I’m amazed by anyone who can live in downtown Manhattan. Phew! 2) Hey hey fellow New Yorker! 🙂
I legit asked for hungry hungry hippo as a kid and was told NO. Don’t hate me but the Nutella bar was not so flash at Eataly. BUT they did give me a taster of nutella after their subpar creme 🙂
I actually went to Shake Shack and the High Line when I was in NYC a few weeks ago! The High Line was such a pretty view of the city, especially getting there around sunset 🙂
High line is one of my favorite places in the city! It’s so pretty.
Quest Bars. Me don’t likey. I know! Maybe I’m just being hastily judgemental, but after trying the chocolate chip cookie dough one and making all sorts of faces at the “aftertaste” – I decided not to invest another dime. Even though I’m always tempted by the other flavors..then I think naah, too much of a gamble!
I like some of these Quest bars that I got from Blend, but I definitely know that aftertaste of stevia that your talking about. The flavors are hit or miss!
I want to go explore the city and eat nice things with you!! This is SUPER lame, but my favorite burger place is called “Grub” in College Station, TX. Okay, that’s not the lame part. The lame part is that I order this burger called “The Hippie Chickpea” under the “Burgers that Don’t Moo” section. I love a normal burger, but for some reason this one is my new all time fav.
I totally understand loving veggie burgers! Both real burgers and veggie burgers are fantastic, and “The Hippie Chickpea” already screams YOU and AWESOME.