Categories: FitnessFood

Right Under My Nose

You guys, sometimes I’m not the brightest.

I know this is shocking.

Today, I desperately needed to go grocery shopping, but it was cold and I was very happy to sit on my warm couch with my sleepy little dog.

Who very badly needs a haircut. I didn’t feel like walking…well, anywhere, so I went to a few little markets in my neighborhood.

They are just a few blocks away from me and dirt-cheap, but I always forget they’re there.

I started off at the Stiles Farmers Market (and yes, the inconsistency of spelling on those signs does drive me nuts, thanks for asking)

Sure, it’s no Whole Foods, or even Trader Joe’s, but hey, it has good, cheap, FRESH produce. (Finding fresh produce in NYC outside of Whole Foods/Trader Joe’s is not a fun, or cheap, pursuit usually.)

All of this (uh, except for the bracelet) for $15!

I also stopped at a fish market and got half a pound of scallops and half a pound of salmon for $12. If you’re adding that up at home, that’s $27. And awesome. (And, no, mom, I’m not going to get food poisoning from these fish, but thank you for your concern.)

I also went running this morning–thank god. I had a “45-60 min easy run” on my schedule, but I decided to go for gold and go for 60. I met up with Leticia, who lives just a half mile away from me, and we ran over to the East Side. She was worried that she was slower than me, but my legs and lungs were tight from the cold (it was 27 degrees but felt like in the teens) and more than happy to go slowly. We ran a total of 5.2 miles together, and I ran another .5 mile home for a total of 6.2. By the way, you know that when I say I ran “home,” I actually mean the bagel store, right? Because every single Saturday run is followed by a bagel.

Theodora Blanchfield

View Comments

  • Good job on the groceries — it all looks delish! NOT FAIR of you to post that bagel pic. Can you overnight me an everything with cream cheese? Thanks.

  • I love finding places like that! When I went to Mexico they had places like this all over the place. Also in Kazakhstan...fresh fruit and veggies. Yum! Of course there were also pastry places too. ;)

  • Um, I love love love that every Saturday run ends with a bagel. That is CLEARLY the way it should always be.

    Btw you should totally try going to the Union Sq farmer's market at the end of the day (like 4:30 or 5) and you can almost always haggle a good price for fresh produce at that point, since they're just trying to get rid of what they have left. I have gotten things for half price on almost every occasion.

  • I go to Western Beef for cheap produce and I love it - it's one of the reasons I don't want to move from my neighborhood :)

    Where are your favorite bagels on the UES? I like to get bagels when I come for Athleta classes sometimes.

  • I loved finding those random, hole-in-the-wall stores and markets when I lived in Boston! Family owned and have so many random [good] finds :D

  • hahaha. i always think those markets are sketchy but that's where the deals are. doh! :)

    glad you had a good run!

  • I looked at my pup last night and said "good lord do you need a haircut". Since I'm not in the mood to take him to (and pay) a groomer, I think Grady's in store for an at home job this afternoon. Pray for him! :)

    Love that you embraced what was nearby. I always forget to check out the little butcher shops near my house - I need to try and depend on those smaller business owners in my neighborhood more often. Thanks for the reminder!

  • i used to live in HK - stiles is definitely not a "crack den" - a ton of restaurants around 9th ave source their produce from stiles, because its cheap and fresh. Also, you need to check out amish market! really great produce for decent prices. amish and stiles were where i got the majority of my groceries when i lived in that area.

    • @Steph: ooh, I'll have to check out Amish Market. And I didn't know that the restaurants source their veggies from there, but it makes sense, much like many places sourcing from the Greenmarket.

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