75th and Brit: NYC Day One

Disclaimer: "75th and Brit" was named by Ben in reference to the layout of the streets in NYC. It was my favorite of the possible blog titles that we have been brainstorming up for the past hour or so. 

Today has been a very relaxing Sunday here in Manhattan. I arrived yesterday afternoon and took a cab from the airport to my sister and brother-in-law's apartment on the upper west side, right off of Central Park. Certainly a fantastic neighborhood to be staying in for the next five weeks. Ben, Mere and I had a delicious dinner last night at a restaurant right down the street named Isabella's. Ben had seafood pasta, Mere had Mahi Mahi with BBQ-marinated sweet potato hash and I munched on butternut squash and pumpkin ravioli. (Sorry there are no pictures, I didn't have my camera battery charged. I will try and have pictures in future blogs.)

Today's agenda was not terribly busy: after breakfast (scrambled eggs with goat cheese and mint made by Mere, absolutely delicious) Mere and I traveled a few blocks south to the Reebok Sports Club to attend a "Power Strike" class - oh. my. goodness. It kicked our tails! One full hour, without any breaks, of kickboxing moves and aerobics led by a very lean and fit Swedish instructor (who is, according to Mere, the inventor of Power Strike). I was dying only twenty minutes into the class! After class Mere threw together some goat cheese and mint sandwiches which we ate with a fresh salad and a sun dried tomato/pesto cheese spread. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around in the cool fall air and searching for the correct route for me to take to work in the morning. A stop was made along the way for some delicious coffee, macaroons and biscotti which were roundly enjoyed by all. 

While Mere and I were out trying to figure out which subways and buses I'd take to the upper east side tomorrow, Ben stopped at the grocery store for some fresh veggies and ingredients for our dinner - turkey stuffed bell peppers. The recipe was found on Pinterest (my new obsession) and is as follows: 

• 1 lb lean chopped turkey meat
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1/4 onion, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• Olive oil spray
• 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame. Add onion, garlic and cilantro to the pan. Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. Season with salt and garlic powder, and cumin and brownmeat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Combine cooked rice and meat together.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Place in a baking dish.Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can.Place all stuffed pepper halves on the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.

Picture and recipe from skinny taste.com. 

Again, no pictures of our actual meal since the camera is charging. But the peppers are currently cooking in the oven and they smell delectable! I will end this blog with a picture of my third roommate who has yet to be mentioned...

Ben and Meredith's dog, Ladybug aka "Buggy".