I am really excited for Thanksgiving; it just may be my favorite holiday....
It's the official kick-off to the holiday season (for me, anyway, and I can finally allow myself to decorate, wrap, and listen to Christmas music to my little heart's abandon), I get to see a bunch of family that I usually only see once a year (all of whom I am incredibly lucky and thankful for), Coop and Oscar are joining us this year and being introduced to even more family...oh yeah, and the drinking and eating, which comes in abundance.
Shenanigans always ensue...one year, my cousins discovered a little blue bottle of "Mad Dog" amongst all the liquor and wines, which the boys (including my dad) thought they should chug. Not after giving my grandma a shot first, of course.
It was her first shot ever. What?
Also can't wait to see my cousins (two of whom are currently adorably preggers) who also happen to have the cutest kids ever. It is always a fun group.
I'm excited to recap my Boston mini-trip...great company, tons of walking and seeing all the 'hoods, and soooo much delicious food. I want to do a two- or three-part recap once I get more (and better) pictures from my friends, but until then, here is a little preview of some fun things we did.
The food we ate was un. Real.
Hot Lobster Roll
Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls and Fried Clams at Davio's
Spinach, Egg, Roasted Red Pepper & Fontina
Yet, I reenforced the fact that I just do not like goat cheese, try as I might.
Tastes musty....blech.
Want to see a 5' girl next to a 7' (+?) college basketball coach? Sure you do!
(Is that unreal or WHAT?)
Had a wonderful time at a beer fest with my fellow Dogfish Head lover.
Sah' tea is AMAZING.
Offshore Nutbrown Ale...oh. My gosh.
And just seein' the sights!
The verdict? It is easily the cleanest, most walkable city I have been to on the East Coast...absolutely gorgeous, tons of culture and great architecture, so many awesome restaurants...I can't believe it took me this long to get up there! If it didn't get so freakin' cold, I could totally see myself moving there.
Speaking of great cities, I'm still learning and loving mine. I was really excited when I got this interview from Yelp in my inbox yesterday...Top Chef alum Jen Carroll, a Philly native, talks about her favorite places around town.
I am loving exploring the city I grew up in a suburb of and yet never really got the chance to immerse myself in since I moved across the country for years. Plus, it makes it all the more fun having a really good lookin' tour guide.
I am super sore after intense cardio, BodyPump, and BodyCombat this week. Going to start my long weekend off with a BodyPump class right after work and possibly try out some Tabata intervals...but don't hold your breath on that one. I have a fabulous blister on my heel from walking around Boston all weekend, so those may hafta wait for a few days. I'm looking forward to some serious yoga on Friday, and another two-hour Pump/Combat challenge on Saturday. All in preparation for the holiday eats (no restrictions over here) and a day off on Sunday.
I have a fun little thing planned on that day....stay tuned ;)
Where are you having Thanksgiving? Hosting it yourself? Traveling somewhere? For as long as I can remember, we have traveled to Baltimore to my Aunt and Uncle's house for a big ol' family get-together.
Do you have any favorite spots in your city? We love Race Street Cafe in Old City...not just for the amazing food, but also their spectacular beer list. And the Bloody Marys, I'm in love...the place is a late-nighter or a bruncher's dream.
Normally, Mondays make me want to punch myself in the gut, but not this Monday.
Why? I woke up freezing in Philly and had to drag myself out of bed, but it was easier to do once I remembered this little guy:
Dunkin', I love you.
Free iced coffee for the next five Mondays? Oh yes. I will be there. Every week. Usually I treat myself midweek or on a Friday, but now I can look forward to Mondays, too. You best believe I will be happily freezing to death on the first Monday in November, shivering while clutching on to my free iced cawf. As a co-worker of mine always says, "Free is fo' me!"
Still taking advantage of everything pumpkin for as long as I can; in addition to my pumpkin coffees, iced and hot, The Great Pumpkin Bread, pumpkin yogurt breakfast bowls, and pumpkin pie protein shakes at my gym, Julie's Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cookie recipe called to me and I knew I had to make them for dinner and dessert at a family friend's house on Saturday (where I also got to try some Pumpkin Liqueur!).
This is suuuper easy. Definitely click on the link to Julie's page, where her pictures are way better, but this is all that it took!
Much sampling ensued. Second row, fourth column cookie, you were delicious.
I also planned on putting some cream cheese icing on the top of some of the cookies, which are super moist and cake-y, using a sandwich bag with the corner cut off...hey, it works, albeit a little messy! But then I found this....talk about retro. This cake decorating kit is straight outta the fifties (check out that box!)...it was my great grandmother's!
It worked great...except for the fact that I am way too impatient and the first set I decorated ended up looking like this:
Oops.
Melty melty. But still delicious! Don't worry, I made some pretty ones, too. Sprinkled with Pumpkin Pie Spice on top. These would be great as cupcakes, too, I think. I definitely want to experiment with these on the next batch I make.
And my little pumpkin-crazed pup would not stop "speaking" for one.
Ever hear a husky talk? It is hilarious, adorable, and so, so strange. Unlike anything I have ever heard before. He is my little dinosaur. We are trying to teach him to do this:
Mishka looks so much like Koda, only Kodes has brown eyes. Such cool dogs.
Ozery Bakery Inc.'s Apple Cinnamon Morning Rounds contributed to a weekend breakfast.
I toasted one, and added some maple syrup and vanilla yogurt. These are seriously doughy, with big chunks of apple. The back of the packaging suggests using the rounds to make french toast, and I think I will definitely have to try that. My mom toasted one and ate it plain, and said it was great by itself.
Big thumbs up! I will be adding these to my list of items to search for when I make a monthly forever-long trek trip to Whole Foods/ TJ's/Wegmans. I also really like their Whole Grain OneBuns; I have been using them for breakfast and lunch sandwiches.
Also on that list will be these guys:
While snacking on these spicy Simply 7 Hummus Chips in Spicy Chili Pepper (which I am now obsessed with) and checking out the nutritional facts on the back, I discovered this little recipe for Spicy Black Bean Dip. I had just walked the pup and was about to head over to Philly for our weekly football/veggie pizza/lounge-all-day fest, and thought that sounded like a great football-watching snack.
I made a few changes/additions. Basically, I took a half of a small red onion, chopped coarsely, and two whole garlic cloves chopped in half ( I love garlic) and pulsed them a few times in a blender (I wish I had a good food processor....like a fancy Vita-Mix, swoon!). Then added a can of black beans, rinsed and drained, and pulsed a few more times. I added a dash of cayenne pepper and also a few bits of a dried chili pepper (we like things hot), added some of my favorite Adobo with Cumin seasoning in place of the salt, and also a few spoonfuls of a salsa we picked up at our local farmer's market that reminds me a lot of the salsa I would make when I lived in Arizona (I need to make it more often!). This fresh mashup contains the bare essentials of a good, hot, salsa; tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers. Using this pre-made deliciousness meant less veggies for me to chop and dice, which is always a plus. Pulsed a few more times, put into a container to bring along with me, and topped with some shredded taco cheese.
I use this seasoning on everything!!!
Tastes WAY more appetizing than it looks!
A family friend grows all kinds of amazing hot peppers, and knowing my lust for them, they give me hoards of them on a regular basis. I have some fresh ones, plenty frozen ones, and have attempted to dry some of them. Look how cool they look now!
Twisty!
This dip totally got the seal of approval, and I plan on making it more often. Definitely a better option than gorging on uber-cheesy queso and other high-fat, caloric, nutritionally devoid snacks. With some super-hoppy IPA with hints of tropical punch, a billion refills of my Camelback (still trying to ward off this cough with tons of water), and these chips, it was a perfect spread for football-watchin'.
The RW Garcia Dippers were great for the black bean dip. Seasoned with just Himalayan Pink Salt & Tellicherry Cracked Pepper (fancy!), these were all-natural, gluten-free, and matched perfectly. They were a little bland on their own, but perfect with a flavorful dip like this as to not overpower the taste of the dip itself. Another to add to my list of thumbs-up products.
(As a disclaimer, these opinions are solely my own and I have not been compensated to review any of these products. I acquired them on my own and just enjoy sharing products that I love to people who also may be interested!)
On the art front, my freelance time this week will be dedicated to working on a logo for a friend who is starting a non-profit benefit, as well as doing a drawing as a gift for some friends...it will be unveiled here after it is finished and given to them! I will say that it deals with jungle animals, which are some of my favorite animals to draw.
With the exception of pup walks on Friday and Saturday, I haven't hit the gym since Friday, and I'm excited for BodyPump and some cardio today. I am totally missing yoga, but with this nagging cough I have, I know I won't be able to give it my all and will just annoy everyone around me! But I know yoges (and glorious savasana) will be there waiting for me when my cough finally leaves!
I added some buttons to my sidebar for links to SBI&D's Facebook page, as well as my Twitter and Pinterest. Still have lots going on behind the scenes...think new name, domain, and background/banner...but I want to get some drawings and commissions done first before I unleash the beast!
So! BodyPump 78 release was yesterday. Overall, I am a fan!
Here is the new tracklist:
Warmup: Saturday – Basshunter Squats: Beautiful Monster (Damn-R Remix) – Mick Lion Chest: Sweet Child O’ Mine – Swade Back: Tonight Is The Night 2K10 (Extended Mix) – Raindropz! vs Le Click Triceps: Yeah 3x – Chris Brown Biceps: Raise Your Glass – Pink Lunges: Firework (Klub Smasherz Remix) – Galaxy Surfers Shoulders: Welcome To Africa (Short Cut) – Paffendorf Abs: Please Don’t Go – Mike Posner Cooldown: Just A Dream – Fire & Ice Alternate Biceps: Escape Me – Tiesto feat. CC Sheffield
....that "Alternate Biceps?" That was our "surprise" towards the end of class. A bonus track if you will. And let me tell you, biceps are by FAR the hardest tracks for me. TWO bicep tracks? Owwwwch. Totally my weakest, I plan on fixing that.
The lunge track was full of squats and lunges...my legs were shaking at the end! Really good one (except for the fact that I cannot STAND the song anymore...Firework, go awayyyy).
And the ab track was my favorite, as usual. That is my strongest, yet this track worked us pretty hard. Plus, I love the song. I also really like the Tiesto song for the alternate biceps.
I was sad that I didn't have any cash on me and I felt ridiculous using a credit card to buy a drink (not that I haven't done that before...), but the gym has $1 off shakes all week (it is Open House)....and they have PUMPKIN!!! You better bet I will get in on that at some point this week.
Speaking of pumpkin, I present to you, the BEST pumpkin bread....ever.
3 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 whole clove, chopped (optional)
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)
1 cup white chocolate chips (the secret ingredient!)
Directions:
Grease & flour 2 loaf pans.
In a bowl, stir together flour, soda, salt, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped clove; set aside.
Cream eggs, sugar, & oil together. Add water to the mix, and then the dry ingredients.
Add the pumpkin, and then the white chocolate chips. Mix well.
Pour into loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until done.
I am not a baker; I usually eyeball ingredients, and that does not make for great baked goods. I am too impatient and think my eyeballs are as good as measuring tools, and that is not always so. However, I adapted this from a recipe my mom found in her recipe stash (who wrote this? You have really nice handwriting, Mystery Person!), adding in the oats, clove, and the white chocolate chips. These chips make for the most moist bread ever (sorry, Allie, I know you hate the word "moist")...they bake into the bread and you don't really see them, but they definitely up the moist (sorry again) factor. This stuff is great out of the oven, but even better in the days after as the bread sits and all of the flavors mingle.
Serve it with a glass of milk and you are all set! Or use it in breakfast bowls...I find any possible way to eat this multiple times a day until it is all gone. Addicting.
Also, while I am on this pumpkin tangent, I highly suggest this baby:
I tried one this weekend in Philly (thanks, Riz!), and the second I find this in a store, I just may buy out their stock. My favorite pumpkin ale to date.
"New Plant" Update:
Oh yeah, and an update on "New Plant" (still no name yet...I need to get on that):
Well....he's seen better days. What is wrong with me? Perhaps it was the wasp I buried in the dirt the day I brought New Plant in to work. I fed him a heaping mug of water today, hopefully that will perk him up.
Off to the new release of BodyCombat tonight...I'm exciteeeeed!
...I am about to be the envy of every healthy-living blogger in the world.
Wanna know what it looks like when your mom works for a natural foods company and she gets to go to a semi-local city, Baltimore, for an expo (i.e., she can drive back as many bags of swag as she pleases....no suitcases or airline limits involved)?
...good gracious.
Not sure these pictures even do this gathering justice.
This is what happens when I casually ask her to check out a few specific booths and bring back some samples. Overkill? Perhaps. But I certainly do not mind reaping the benefits. ;)
Some of the goods I am most excited about:
SunWarrior Raw Protein Powder samples (Chocolate AND Vanilla), TONS of all-natural, many gluten-free snackeroos like hummus chips and popcorn, different kinds of bars to try (no Larabars, my top booth I wanted her to check out, but she DID get to taste them while she was there), BLK water (Real Housewives of NJ, represent!!!), gluten-free brownie mix (I am not gluten-free, by any means, but I DO love me some brownies), different dried spices and herbs, lots of doggie treats for Koda and Ginger, and Virgil's Root Beer (<this was SO yummy).
BLK Water launch! I'll try your water, Albie.
(Source)
Fancy! And delicious.
I will have to let you know how some of these items are as I try them.
Like these snacks today: Blue Sky Free Stevia Soda, Lemonade flavor, and a Banana Walnut ReBar.
The naturally sweetened lemonade was pretty good, and a much better option than my usual Diet Pepsi (I know, so bad...but I am an addict). Plus, I love anything carbonated.
As for the ReBar...it reminded me of the consistency of a Larabar, and at 170 calories and 8 (!!!) servings of fruit 'n' veggies, it was a good supplement to my lighter (and nearly veggie devoid) lunch.
Listen to the ingredients list on this gluten-free, organic, vegan baby:
Apple, Raisin Paste, Vegetable Blend (carrots, beets, spinach, cabbage, and bok choy), Walnuts, Brown Rice Syrup, Banana, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavour.
Whoa.
And did you spot the random prickly pear she threw in one of her SIX huge bags?
Coop and I killed a package of chocolate-covered Goji berries and an entire bag (whoops) of Hippie Chips while we sifted through all of the items, picking out ones we wanted. It was like Christmas morning!
Zuke's dog treats are the best, and both pups LOVE them. Luckily, my mama grabbed them some treats while she was there! That is why he is smiling.
There were a few questionable items (male AND female...ahem....enhancement supplements?! Mom.....you're funny, but really?), but mostly, these products are great and I cannot wait to try them!
So pumped to refill my snackage drawer at work.
In line with my recent pumpkin fever, this morning started off right with some crumbled pumpkin bread (recipe to come, perhaps later tonight...this is especially tasty) in some 0% Plain Fage Greek Yog, sweetened with honey ('cuz otherwise it tastes like sour cream!!!). Also, some of that Natural Products Expo East swag...Adagio Pumpkin Spice Tea. Yes, please.
Also made some crab pasta this weekend. Man, I have a lot of recipes to gather on here. This crabby veggie-filled pasta, the killer pumpkin bread with a secret ingredient, Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad, and Shrimp, Black Bean, and Avocado Quesadillas (with Chipotle Cilantro "Sour Cream"!!!). Lots goin' on in the kitchen, lately!
Also, finally some new drawings on here this week! I've been a busy bee. So coming this week...recipes, reviews, and DRAWINGS!
Here is another preview of the drawing I am finishing up today in my downtime:
Almost doooone!
Off to finish some work and drawings. And BodyPump tonight...I've missed it!
Oh hello, First Day of Autumn.
Gone are the hot, sunny, beachy, crazy-fun, crazy-busy, packed days of Summer 2011.
You make me happy for the following reasons.
I love fall-scented candles (hey, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin from Bath & Body Works. I love you for reals), scarves, pumpkin everything (pumpkin ales and pumpkin bread = put it together with a bowl of hearty, warm, comforting, spicy chili and I am a happy fall girl), football, the impending BEST holidays of the year (waddup Thanksgiving & Christmas!), my boot collection, and things like that.
Speaking of, I now introduce you to my September budget....and then some.
Coveted Frye boots, you are alllll mine.
(Wearing them with bare legs while I still can.)
Helloooo, my cognac crush.
First Day of Autumn, you also kinda make me want to cry.
I don't have my own place to go all housewife and decorate for fall like I normally do. I miss being crafty. What good is all my Pinteresting if I can't follow through with the fabulous decorating ideas?!
Oh yeah, and it is RAINY and COLD and DREARY. I am sick. And this means winter is just around the corner. I still have West Coast blood. I may be having a mini panic attack....no, seriously.
At least I will be spending more time wrapped up in my fuzzy leopard blanket (affectionately referred to as simply "LB").
Still reading Rant, which I love. Normally a really fast reader, but I have just been SO busy lately, and free time has been spent at the gym, drawing, and watching TV for the most part.
I have been watching Breaking Bad late night on my computer when I head to bed at night. 3 eps in and I'm already addicted. (This is in addition to the 492013 other shows I watch. I like to think of myself as a connoisseur.)
4. What I'm Eating:
Drool.
Dark chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels. By the ton. Handmade by the bossman at work. Protein! Antioxidants! Right?
Snuck a gingersnap in there, too. Forgot how much I love these!
Fall-ish!
(And ignore the chipped polish.)
Don't worry...there was plenty of nutrition in there today, too....but these are way more interesting than the cereal and turkey sangwich I had earlier.
