Off The Road

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I made it!  I was a little nervous about driving 7 hours by myself but it ended up being ok.  Of course I’d rather drive with Adam, but it’s nice to know that I can do it by myself.  Caffeine helped.  A sugar-free Red Bull was brought from home.

I also brought lunch so I wouldn’t have to stop.  Cheese and jam sandwich.

That’s 2 slices of Dakota topped with 2 oz of 50% reduced fat white cheddar and Crofters Concord Grape Spread.

And a baggie of carrots.

I did stop once to pee and I grabbed a half sweet coffee for the 2nd half of the trip.

And then I was there!  My dad took me to rent a bike as soon as I arrived (there’s a path near my grandparents’ house that we’re going to use this weekend) and we went out for a short ride.

Soon enough it was time for dinner.

Baked asparagus,

breaded baked chicken,

a rice mixture,

caprese salad,

and fruit on the side.

After dinner I took my grandpa to a local baseball game and then the whole family ended up meeting for ice cream.

That’s a small twist with marshmallow.

And now it’s bed time.

Confessions Post IV

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Click here to read Confessions part I, II, and III.

Confession #1 – This is what I wore to the mall yesterday:

In my mind, ruffled purse + pretty necklace = no one realizes I’m wearing my husband’s t-shirt.  That’s right, right?

Confession #2 – My family’s dog stopped a presidential motorcade once.  When President Clinton visited St. Thomas he ate at restaurant near our house so we stood at the top of our driveway to get a peek when he drove by.  We got more than the glimpse we’d planned for when our dachshund, Lilly, ran into the road and nearly got hit by a car full of secret servicemen!  Lilly was unharmed, but the motorcade did have to stop for a minute.

Confession #3 – I don’t have a single plain paperclip.  Adam needed one for his resume and all I could offer him was this:

He got mad.  Madder when I started to make a joke about how Frank carries his work papers to the office in his trunk.  Office ‘fonts are not amusing the night before your resume is due.

Confession #4 – I have a file on my computer that contains the rough outline for my memoir (about my years as a teacher).  I’d like to write it before I forget too many details, but when I think about my life as a teacher I get really, really angry.

Confession #5 – The TV couple Adam and I most resemble is Jordan and Dr. Cox from “Scrubs.”

On The Road Again

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This time I’m heading to Ohio.

I’m sorry for blog bailing yesterday, I forgot about how much getting new retainers hurts.  All of my appointments went well though; I should only need retainers for 6 more weeks (fingers crossed!), I got medical clearance to participate in the study, and I have no skin cancer.

Before I hit the road today I wanted to fuel up with a good breakfast.

Chobani Champions Honey-Nana yogurt, a sliced banana, and GH granola.

I’m seriously going to cry when this granola runs out!  Anyone from Charlottesville want to ship me a box??

As soon as breakfast is done (and I finish packing, ahem) I’m getting in the car.  See you from Ohio!

Just The Tip

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I’ve worked in the food service industry since I was 17 years old.  I was an employee at Cold Stone Creamery during high school, I was a server at the on-campus bar at UMiami, and I was a server at a tourist restaurant/popular bar on my summers back home during college.  Just for funsies, here is my staff profile from Duffy’s –

I’m a big believer in karma so I always tip at least 20%.  My father (who is a 2nd grade teacher) worked as a waiter when I was a little kid so I grew up with parents who knew how to tip, and how to treat the wait staff with respect!  I realize that not everyone has worked in the service industry, or even knows someone who has, so I wanted to compile a quick post on an important part of the dining out process: tipping.

  • In most states, serves do not make minimum wage.  According to the US Department of Labor the minimum wage in New York is $7.25/hour.  The minimum wage for food service workers is $4.65/hour.  Restaurant owners are supposed to make up the difference if tips don’t bring workers up to minimum wage, but if that was actually happening restaurants would also have to raise their prices which affects you as a consumer.
  • The standard % for tipping on food and drinks is 18% (I typical get more than 20%).  I don’t believe that you should tip 15% unless your service is pretty bad.  10% is for service that is terrible. 
  • Servers do not control your entire dining experience – don’t stiff them because you are unhappy about things outside of their control.  Servers cannot control: how quickly your order comes, how strong your drink is, whether or not your food tastes good, if the restaurant is too cold, too hot, or too loud… 
  • …However, it is the server’s responsibility to be helpful if you are unhappy about any of those things.  Servers can control their attitudes.
  • If your server actually is awful, talk to the manager.  Managers and owners can only fix problems that they know about!
  • If you can’t afford the tip, you can’t afford the meal.
  • If you are using a gift certificate or Groupon you tip on the original amount before the credit.
  • Servers often tip out bus boys, the bar, etc based on their sales and not their actual tips; if you stiff a server in this situation then your meal may actually cost them money.
  • If you are in a party of 6 or larger, check the bill to make sure gratuity wasn’t added automatically.  If it was you can just pay the bill and leave, although it’s always nice to tip a little extra.
  • If you order drinks at the bar before you are seated it’s good practice to close out your tab with the bar before you move.  You drinks bill can be transferred to your server, but the bartender may end up not receiving a tip for serving you.

Have you ever worked in the food service industry?  Do you have anything to add to my list?

Just A Few Tweaks

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Today’s morning resembled yesterday’s, with just a few tweaks.

Instead of ellipticizing for my workout, I sat on the couch and watched “Food Network Star.”  What?  I’m planning on squeezing some activity in later.

Instead of sliced bananas with my Chobani Champions Honey-Nana and GH granola, I used plucots.

In my new Anthropolgie bowl, love!

And instead of one health-care appointment, I’ve got three.  My day will be spent at the orthodontist’s office, and then the student health center (I need medical clearance to participate in a study one of my professors is running), and then the dermatologist for a skin check.

I won’t be home until late this afternoon, but YOU should stop by the blog around 1 for a how-to post on tipping.

Funfetti

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Sprinkles, sprinkles for everyone!

I spent my afternoon baking homemade funfetti cookies for Adam to bring to school tomorrow.  All I had to do was pour a bunch of sprinkles into this sugar cookie dough.  The end product was pretty and delicious.

I only ate one finished cookie, I kind of overdid it on dough.

Worth it.

I barely had time to pause from baking before I had to make dinner.

Open-faced chicken sandwiches with two kinds of “fries.”

Oven roasted green beans,

and Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries.

The sweet potato fries were a sample from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program.

I liked the nutritional stats and ease with which they came together.  The taste and texture were pretty much identical to restaurant sweet potato fries.  Unfortunately, when you order sweet potato fries in a restaurant they are disappointingly mushy and these were no exception.  If you are someone who loves restaurant sweet potato fries then I highly recommend this product, but I’ll keep making mine from scratch.

My “sandwich” was just a slice of sourdough bread topped with pulled chicken.

Nothing fancy, but I did make the bbq sauce from scratch.

Pomegranate BBQ Sauce, makes 1.5 cups

  • 8 oz pomegranate juice (I used Blueberry POM Juice)
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 5 Tbsp granulated sugar
  1. Pour juice into a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.  Cover and cook until liquid has reduced to 1/4 the original amount.
  2. Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir to combine.  Continue to simmer for 5-7 minutes until sauce has reduced and thickened.

Don’t Let Your Eyes Fool You

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I’m not blind, what a relief!  Actually, it turns out I’m slightly nearsighted in my left eye but have better than 20:20 in my right eye, which averages out to perfect vision.  ie, I’m almost 26 years old (July 24th) and I still don’t need glasses! 8)

I had my eyes dillated so I had to walk around the mall a bit before I could drive.  I bought myself a frozen lemonade.

Pretty good, but not the one I’ve been pining for; I drank half.

I also wandered into heaven the new Anthropologie store.

It was painfull for me to wander around without trying anything on!  I always tell the husband that what I’m shooting for in life is to be just rich enough to shop at Anthropologie and J. Crew exclusively.  I did snag a bowl on sale for $3.

After the mall I had to head back to Wegmans; Adam needs me to make cookies for some of the boys who helped out with the ceremony yesterday.  I got lunch while I was there.

Sauted rappi and grilled veggies.

Plus oreo coffee panna cotta (<–oh. my. god.) for dessert.

Don’t let your eyes fool you, the serving was 50% smaller than it looks and the taste was 200% more delicious than it looks!  But yes, lemonade and panna cotta within the same afternoon did make my tummy hurt.

I’m glad my eyes are in shape because I’m watching “Across The Universe” as I blog and it’s pretty visually stunning.

Do you wear glasses or contacts?

Eye Confess

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Adam’s return to school this morning inspired me to wake up early and have him drop me off at the gym.  I sweated on the elliptical for 30 minutes at level 6 random and then did a quick strength/stretch routine.  It’s still in the 60’s here and the walk home was pretty glorious.

A quick shower later and I was sitting down to the bowl I’ve been dreaming about since Charlottesville.

Chobani Champions Honey-Nana Greek Yogurt topped with a sliced banana and a big handful of Great Harvest granola.

This breakfast has been on my mind ever since Kath handed me a sample of her chewy yet crunchy, salty yet sweet granola last week.

My expectations were met, and then exceeded.

I’ve got to hurry, I’m running late for an eye appointment.  Can I make a confession?  I haven’t been to the eye doctor since sometime in middle school!!!  Whoops, major healthy living fail.  I don’t wear contacts or glasses (20/20 last time I went) so there was no obvious need to make an appointment, but as a soon-to-be-doctor’s wife I know it’s better to get a check up beforeyou have a problem.  From the Hippocratic oath –

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

Other than my peepers, I am pretty good about being proactive about my health.  Here are the appointments I consider essential for a woman in her 20’s –

  • gynecologist (yearly)
  • dentist (6 months)
  • dermatologist – skin exam (6 months)

What yearly medical appointments do you keep on your calendar?