A Perfect, Peachy Visit

by Emily

If you follow me on Instagram you may have already guessed that… WE WENT TO ATLANTA!!!

We got very lucky and had access to two free tickets that had to be used before the end of 2012. I had two days off in a row from school and work so we started clicking on cities at random until we found a set of tickets that worked with my schedule. We ended up in Atlanta!

We flew in late Tuesday night and left Thursday morning so it was basically a one-day trip and it was absolutely perfect. We spent every last minute walking or eating – So. Much. Food! – and got to try lots of local flavors as well as froyo, twice! Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous.

The gorgeous weather was totally in our favor; perfect walking around temperatures.

We started Wednesday morning with Sublime Donuts.

Adam and I shared three kinds –

Butterfinger,

dulce de leche,

and s’more.

Butterfinger was his favorite and s’more was mine. The donuts were great but they definitely confirmed that I’m not a donut person; I could tell that they were awesome but they just weren’t that exciting for me. Give me a cupcake or froyo instead anyway. <– twice that day!

Next up, we visited The World of Coca-Cola.

We learned some interesting Coke facts and saw lots of neat old products,

but the best part of the visit was the tasting room.

They had Diet Cherry Coke!

Actually, they had lots of flavors – 60+! -and Adam and I tasted every single one.

The basics –

Peppermint Sprite –

Africa –

Asia –

Latin America –

North America –

Europe –

Ahhh! Adam was pretty ill by the time we were done but I told him that I’d be training for that day my entire life!

On our way out they even gave us a bottle to go.

I’m not even going to lie, I totally bought a Cherry Coke Zero a few hours later!

We spent a few hours walking around the downtown area before we were ready for lunch.

You won’t be able to guess what type of food we set our GPS for…

Froyo! I got a million flavors (including apple pie!) with all of the non-fruity toppings.

To save a little money, we got lunch food from Publix instead of going to a restaurant.

I ate about 1/3 of that smoked turkey and mac and cheese. Plus a short salted caramel hot chocolate while we recharged our phones at Starbucks.

For dinner we got Thai at Mali. We shared the Moo Sho to start.

Steamed rolls stuffed with sautéed chicken, shrimp, egg, and vegetables. Served with a peanut sweet plum sauce.

There was a little hiccup when they were out of the dish that brought me to the restaurant (seafood Pad Thai with crab claws), but we rallied by sharing two drinks. A pineapple capirinha, pineapple, cacha rum, limes and sugar,

and a Thai tea-ni, tea infused vodka, vanilla vodka, sweetened Thai tea, and milk.

For my meal I got grilled salmon with sautéed vegetables in basil sauce, ordered Thai-spicy.

It was good; nice and spicy! So spicy, in fact, that I ended up ordering a regular Thai iced tea to help cool down my mouth.

Dessert was round 2 of froyo.

I got taro, almond butter, and pecan pie froyo topped with sprinkles and sweetened condensed milk.

<– best bowl of froyo ever

The yogurt place was in a cool area and we ended up doing a final round of booze and food at the incredible Rosebud.

A can of PBR for me,

and pimento cheese with spiced saltines to share.

Amazing! I adore pimento cheese and this stuff was ridiculous. We waddled back to our hotel completely satisfied and happy.

It was an amazing trip and I feel very fortunate to have been able to take it. Our Turkey Day wasn’t quite as traditionally thankful but I’ll tell you about that later.

27Oct2012

Present

by Emily

I know it’s ironic that my “present time” post is a recap of yesterday, but what can you do?

Yesterday started with a Microbiology test that my busy, crazy week completely kept me from studying for. I think I managed to do ok; not as well as I would have liked but not badly either. I’m not looking forward to the MNT exam on Wednesday though!

I ate a Sweet Tango on the walk to school.

And a S’mores Luna Bar between classes.

Then a delicious sandwich on the walk to work. A whole grain sandwich thin with pumpkin spice cream cheese and {a lot of} Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar.

It probably could have used some meat, but the flavor combo was divine.

Actually, it definitely could have used some meat because I was starving when I got out of work. I stopped at the co-op to scope out the sales and ended up eating a Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Plus Protein KIND bar on the walk home.

Dinner was made from these simple ingredients:

A small portion of Annie’s Shells and Real Aged Cheddar (sauce cooked with butter and no milk) with edamame and Trader Joe’s Smoked Trout.

The trout was by far the best component, so smokey and good!

Though I doused my bowl in Sriracha after I took the picture so the whole thing was pretty fantastic 🙂

I also ate 2 handfuls of smoked almonds.

We were up late doing some baking and I got hungry again.

I also sampled one of our muffins when they got out of the oven.

And then I hit the bed snoring!

I don’t have to go into work until 2pm today so I have a gloriously free morning. Adam’s day cleared up at the last minute too; very serendipitous! We are planning a chocolate breakfast and an evening of pumpkins!

12Sep2012

Let Apple Month Begin!

by Emily

When I go more than a day without blogging I do really miss it. It’s clearly going to be an adjustment a year from now when I have a baby (hopefully) and a job (even more hopefully).

It’s felt like a long week (already!) and I only had time to pack one meal this morning so I went with breakfast.

A 1.5% Pineapple Oikos,

and a granola bar.

Today’s classes went well and I had time to run a few on-campus errands before work. The mini grill from my confession post was part of a project I completed last night. One of our clinical community assignments was to create an educational bulletin board on a nutrition topic. I went with healthy grilling.

I had a friend snap a picture of me with it for my portfolio.

This assignment felt stressful because there is so much going on this month, but it was actually kind of nice to revisit my teacher days.

My options were limited and “lunch” ended up being this bag of Smart Fries.

They were fairly similar to packing peanuts but somehow that wasn’t a bad thing. The flavor was mild but savory and a 1 oz serving (110 calories) included 60-something pieces.

I came home from work to a package from my mom celebrating the arrival of Apple Month.

Too funny that this box came on the same day that I had already blogged about being ready for apple goodies. I took a few tastes as a snack.

Plus a few bites of Adam’s (not so good) mango.

I was glad that I didn’t snack too much because dinner ended up being a work of art.

Taste-wise it was art, that is, I know that the pictures are fairly dark and unappetizing.

(Ingredients that follow are listed for both Adam’s and my servings together.)

A bag of fresh baby spinach was steam-sautéed in evoo and chicken broth, then tossed with a big handful each blue cheese crumbles and dried cherries.

An amazing smokey fish salad.

A 6.7 oz can of Trader Joe’s Smoked Herring was mashed with lemon juice, Miracle Whip, smoked paprika, 1/2 cup shredded carrot, and 1 shredded green bell pepper.

We used the small holes on our cheese grater to shred the veggies and they ended up being an amazing addition.

A 1/2 serving of Special K crackers for dipping.

Delicious, delicious, delicious!

Have you ever had to make a bulletin board display?

9Sep2012

One Meal Sunday

by Emily

We are a third of the way through September; holy frick! Today was not a relaxing Sunday, but I would still qualify it as a good one.

I was afraid that soreness from last night’s rocking climbing would impede my 60 minute hot yoga class this morning, but it was actually one of my best practices. Staying in bed late this morning to get a full 8 hours definitely helped. My unlimited pass expires in a week and I am devastated about it. Though I’m excited to spend the next month getting back to cardio and running.

After my calming class the rest of the morning was crazy. So crazy, in fact, that I didn’t have time for breakfast or lunch before work. My first meal of the day ended up being at 6pm. At least my growling stomach was prettily shrouded?

Thanks for the new dress, Mommy! p.s. I have no idea what is happening with my face in that picture, I swear to God my left check isn’t swollen in real life.

I worked until 4:30 and had a meeting for school at 7:30 so Adam and I got dinner at Spicy Thai in between. We’d been before and found it to be ok, not the best Thai in Buffalo but not the worst either, so when a Groupon popped up we jumped on it. Sadly today’s meal was not all that good and I don’t think we’ll be going back again. <– I don’t have a ton of time to post right now so I’m just going to leave it at that.

Crab rangoon to start.

We tried to split two dishes,

but I hated Adam’s cashew chicken and only ate four mushrooms’ worth.

I found my Pad See Eiw with extra vegetables to be too sweet but the noodles had good texture and I ate about 75% of the dish, including every last speck of green.

We had black sticky rice with coconut pudding for dessert.

That dish was actually very tasty and we were quite glad we tried it even after our meals were disappointing.

My meeting was at The Spot and I ordered a coffee with skim milk and four sugars.

Our MNT teacher has graciously offered to meet each Sunday to go over questions since the class material is pretty tricky.

That’s all she wrote!

3Sep2012

Burgers and Boba

by Emily

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day. We got the holiday off, which meant I had time to go on a date with the husband and catch up on school-work.

I started my day with a 0% lemon Oikos.

I was so thrilled to see the new Oikos flavors on our shelves! This was smooth and creamy with just a bit of tart flavor. I have the pineapple variety waiting for me in the fridge as well.

Plus the last of my Chameleon Cold Brew with skim milk and ice.

I’m not sure if it’s because I used a bigger ratio of coffee:milk today or if it’s an effect of the bottle sitting open for a week, but today’s cup was more bitter than my previous ones. Nonetheless, I’m still very sad to see the coffee go. I’ve marked it on the 9/23 week’s list in advance to celebrate the end of my retainers.

When we walked around the park a few weeks back, both Adam and I had a major hankering for a zoo trip. After running an errand this morning, we decided we should take advantage of the husband’s rare day off and go for it.

We were disconcerted by the wrap-around-three-blocks line,

but quickly got over it when we found out that Tops was offering special $1 admission for the day.

Score! They were hosting a few games on the premises as well and I won this cup of Mike and Ike’s.

I ate half during our visit and think that the sugar helped me make it through the heat.

We saw so many animals!

My favorite reptile is the Dab Lizard and I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of one today.

Do you have a favorite reptile.

I packed a big bottle of water in my purse but rocking jeans was a big mistake; I was dripping the minute we stepped out of the car.

Since a mid-day shower was required anyway, I tried my hand at this 4-minute workout –

Holy crap! I was basically dying by the end. The husband and I have decided to do it 3x/week. 4-minutes is always doable.

Lunch was sushi from Wegman’s.

Pssst, Buffalo peeps, this another item with money off from the student coupon packet.

This afternoon, I finally did something with these purchases from our trip to Toronto’s Koreatown.

Taro milk tea + rainbow boba = mmmmmmn!

It was too much fun (and a cross-off on a birthday list goal!) to have made these items from scratch.

I spent most of my evening hard at work, but did find time to make a great dinner.

Roasted green beans,

and a Reuben Stuffed Turkey Burger.

I ate mine on an onion roll with extra sauerkraut, Swiss, and 1000 island dressing.

Reuben Stuffed Turkey Burgers, serves 6

lb 94% fat-free ground turkey meat
1 cup sauerkraut, squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible
1 large egg
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1.5 tsp dried caraway seeds
3 (1 oz)-slices Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp thousand island dressing

Slice cheese into quarters; you should end up with twelve 1inch x 1inch squares.
Place meat, sauerkraut, egg, breadcrumbs, and caraway seeds in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix until well combined.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, divide the meat mixture evenly into twelve 1/4-cup portions. Flatten six of the portions into patties.
Place 1 tsp thousand island dressing and two cheese squares in the center of each flattened patty. Top with remaining portions, pressing on the edges to “seal” the patties.
Place a greased grill-pan over medium-high heat. Cook burgers until browned and fully cooked through; 5-8 minutes on each side.

I’m off to join Adam and Webster on a walk!

Are you a reuben sandwich fan?

24Aug2012

Co-operating With My To-Do List

by Emily

I have officially accomplished more today than I did the entire rest of the summer, no lie. On my to-done list:

go to the DMV
renew my BSC parking pass
make a copy of my proof of malpractice insurance
confirm my class schedule
sign up for the co-op
work
make 2 recipes for dinner
make snack for Adam’s poker game
complete summer work for my professional portfolio
put away clean laundry
set up binders for school
blog

Woot! I work tomorrow and still have a few things to do on Sunday, but I feel good about heading back to school on Monday.

The DMV was amazingly quick and painless, probably because I got there soon after they opened. I recently discovered that my licence expired more than a month ago so this was an important errand to accomplish before school starts and I have to drive to my internship. My photo probably will look something like this –

Holy hair brushes, Emily, learn how to use one! Also, I might be old enough that it’s time to figure out concealer before my next id photo.

I ran around all morning and didn’t have time for breakfast so I drank a Starbucks Vanilla Double Shot Energy on the walk to work.

Also on my walk, I stopped in at the co-op and became an owner.

This errand was even quicker and less painless than the DMV. Locals, did you know that Lexington Co-op will refund your membership fee if you move?

For my lunch break today I grabbed food at Globe Market.

Side note – once school starts my buying food at work habit needs to die a quick death.

Thai Peanut Noodles that were astonishingly tasteless and disappointing,

and a crab cake that more than made up for the lackluster noodles.

I found a GIANT hunk of claw meat in my cake and was so pleased.

Work went well. I dropped off the rest of the Cookie Butter Fudge a few days ago and apparently everyone really liked it. My lack of breakfast hit me hard as we closed up shop at work. A Starbucks’ unsweetened Arnold Palmer was consumed on the walk home,

and these surprisingly delicious Caramel Brule Chocolate Bites were shared with Adam while I cooked.

At least those purchases were bought via a birthday gift card with a 2pm treat receipt.

I went full-on fancy for dinner, though my plate did end up unfortunately monochromatic.

A Shallota Salmon Burger patty,

with a serving of Buttery Bok Choy Gratin.

Rachael Ray’s gratin only got middling reviews but my salmon burgers were a hit. Several of Adam’s friends who are here playing poker tried them and gave rave reviews.

But maybe they were just sucking up because they knew I was making *brown butter and candied bacon popcorn* for them to snack on –

I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous of a snack! I consoled myself with a Rascal’s Wild Red.

But that was disgusting (it tasted like cough syrup to me) so a few sips in I traded up for a Michelob Ultra Light Cider.

Michelob will never be my beer of choice, but their cider was damn good. 120 calories per bottle (and naturally gluten free).

I assume it will be a late night for Adam but I’ve got an early morning at work so I’m going to go curl up in bed with a Patricia Cornwell novel.

Do you belong to a co-op?

13Aug2012

Canoe-dle

by Emily

As the start of my 2nd to last week before school begins, I say “hello, Monday” very reluctantly. My day got off to an odd start because I spent an hour searching for a food truck whose Twitter stream had lied to me. I really want to cross that off of my birthday list before the summer ends.

I ended up getting lunch at the hot bar, which was probably cheaper and certainly healthier.

Chana Masala,

veggies,

more veggies with a little tofu,

and the large space was supposed to be fruit but I got flustered and forgot.

In a crowd I’m wonderfully decisive but when I’m alone I tend to get overwhelmed by too many choices.

I had a small iced coffee with skim milk while I shopped.

I’ve officially begun hoarding pumpkin things – I’ve got three cans of puree and three beers! – even though I know I won’t touch them until October.

When I got home I broke into an exciting purchase.

Luigi’s Birthday Cake Italian Ice.

Amazingly, it was a little too sweet for me and I only ate half. I’ll have to see what I do with the rest of the cups.

At 5 o’clock I did manage to cross something off of my list, a friend and I cashed in a Groupon and went canoeing!

We went out on a two-hour ride and managed to keep up our paddling the whole time. We even got to spot several deer.

It was fun to get some nature time. Over all we did really well, though there was one very shallow area that we got stuck on in both directions. On the way back I actually had to put my feet out of the canoe and give us a push!! I can’t wait to see how my arms feel tomorrow.

Right now my biceps feel good, but I am pretty darn tired. Like, dinner sounded like an impossible feat, tired. Instead of cooking, I ate this spicy salmon brown rice roll for dinner.

And I’m going to fall into bed the minute I press publish. Good night!

4Aug2012

TJ, Totally Jazzed

by Emily

The past few days have been a ton of fun. I’ve done a lot of eating!

Yesterday morning I got started on one of my 27 things.

I knit a few things as a kid and it seemed to come back to me pretty quickly. My grandma has had to help with a couple of disasters though.

I had yogurt for breakfast and moved on to another kind of yogurt for lunch.

Self-serve for the win. I did a mix of desserty flavors topped with all of the chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel things.

‘Twas good, but whenever I go crazy decadent I always realize that I like my plain tart with fruit and boba the best.

Our Friday activity was The Greene. We went for shopping, walking, and people watching. And eating. We got Turkish for dinner at Pasha Grill.

They gave us delicious bread with sun-dried tomato oil for dipping. My piece, x2.

I should have held off on the basket because I ended up needing bread with my dinner as well.

I ordered the cold appetizer sampler as my entrée. [clockwise]

Hummus – pureed chick peas with a hint of garlic, tahini, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil.
Pilaki – pinto beans with carrots, green peppers, and diced potatoes in a light tomato and olive oil sauce.
Tabuli – cracked wheat tossed with tomatoes, sweet onions, fresh peppers, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Haydari – thickened homemade yogurt with fresh dill, mint, garlic, and walnut.
Eggplant with tomato sauce.
Babaganush – smoked eggplant puree flavored with tahini, olive oil, and garlic.
Ezme – finely chopped tomatoes, onions, walnuts, and hot peppers, mixed in olive oil and herbs.
Dolmasi – grape leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts, raisins, and flavorful herbs.