Category Archives: Meals

New Camera’s Premier!

On Black Friday (a week ago today – oh yeah, it’s Friday, hell yeah!) I got a new camera at Best Buy!

Thanks to Amazon.com for the image.

I haven’t had a chance to share any photos that I’ve taken on it – until today! This post will be a combination of show and tell for both the new camera, and food I’ve eaten in the past week.

Black Friday dinner

Turkey burger and fries with spicy yellow mustard, leftover green beans and zesty horseradish carrots. Usually my favorite part of this meal would be the fries, but the carrots left over from Thanksgiving were a  real treat. Horseradish + breadcrumbs + carrots = <3

Typical Daybreak cafe au lait

I don’t remember what flavor this particular nonfat cafe au lait was, but it doesn’t really matter because Daybreak coffee is amazing no matter what the flavor.

Saturday's dinner

I had a whole wheat spaghetti bowl for dinner that night with marinara, ground turkey and broccoli. I had seconds of all but the pasta – pasta is kinda a take it or leave it thing for me.

A second picture, you know, because I had seconds?

 

I present to you: the best Thanksgiving leftovers creation of all time.

The above caption may be a bold statement, but I’m sticking to it. My mom made a leftover turkey casserole, which I had on top of a bed of leftover broccoli. And then I had seconds. And maybe thirds were involved…

Wednesday's dinner: leftovers are still king.

I got a nice healthy dose of carcinogens in the above meal. On Tuesday my mom cooked, but I was out (more on that later), so these leftovers were new to me. Crispy, Southern-style cornbread heated under the broiler for maximum crusty-ness, and chicken chickpea chili and pico de gallo served over the last of the leftover broccoli.

Man, I sure have gotten my broc on plenty in the last week, huh?

I got more and more excited about the new camera as I inserted these photos into this post – I hope you guys have enjoyed too!

What kind of cam do you use, whether for blogging or just for life?

Sonoma: Free Wine Tastings!

I’ve mentioned before that my favorite liquor store is located in my hometown, Sonoma Wines & Spirits. They often offer free wine tastings (I’ve attended a couple on Saturday afternoons), which always impress me; I usually end up taking home a bottle! The owner and employees are friendly and personable, and the store is even pet-friendly! Sonoma has quite a Facebook presence and use their page to let fans know about both free tastings and affordable wine and food events. That’s how I found out that this past Monday through Wednesday, they were holding free in-store wine tastings from 2-5 and 5-8pm!

The offerings for each tasting.

So I made plans to do what any blogger would do: work out, and immediately follow up the gym with a wine tasting. Maybe it’s the opposite of hydration/recovery, but it sure was fun!

Monday night’s tasting was hosted by 2fly Wines, a company that holds a special place with my family since the owner, Chris Didden, is also the president of the pool club we belong to. He was inspired to join the wine industry after a trip to Australia. Now he sells quality, delicious wines from there!

I met my mom at Sonoma since she is a big 2fly fan as well. The wines being poured that night were a bit out of our price range, so we didn’t buy any of those, but the mom did pick up a bottle of one of her favorite reds.

Mom venturing outside of her comfort zone and trying a white.

The 2fly wines being poured were: K1 by Geoff Hardy Gold Label Arneis 2009 (white), Brookman Wines Chenin Blanc 2008 (white), Conte Estate Middle Tatta Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (red), and Diamond Collection Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (red).

I rarely meet a red I don’t like, so when wine tasting, I actually find it more intriguing to try different varieties of whites since there is more “suspense” over whether or not I will enjoy!

Verdict: I really enjoyed both whites! They weren’t overly sweet, which is what often turns me off to having a glass of white wine.

The real star of the show, though, was the Siraz Cabernet blend (above left). I love the idea of blending two different types of reds since I like most types. It’s like creating new flavors! I would have loved to bring a bottle home, but it was just too expensive. My mom called it “something special”.

Post-workout wine? Why not!

On Wednesday night, I made my way back to try some wines poured by Scott of Franklin Fine Wines. I really enjoyed talking with Scott and one other fellow taster about the wines we were trying, as well as Franklin and its recent merger with Hartford Distributors. Also, these wines were much more affordable, so I ended up taking home a bottle.

Wednesday’s lineup.

I sampled Dr. Peter Poontinger’s German Riesling, Rocland Estate‘s Duck Duck Goose Chardonnay, Rocland Chocolate Box Dark Shiraz, and Three Crowns’s 1830 Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon.

German Riesling

Rieslings are tricky business for me. Too sweet, and I can’t stand them. I don’t think I could ever even drink a whole glass. However, for sipping or tasting, a riesling that isn’t overly sweet is something that I can enjoy. The Dr. Peter Poontinger brand was very enjoyable! And at only $10 a bottle, it was a wine I could see my mom and dad enjoying in the summer months. My co-taster actually ended up taking a bottle of this home with him.

The Duck Duck Goose Chardonnay, named for the Rocland Estates owner’s daughter’s favorite game (and my favorite as a child too!), was the best white I’ve tried in awhile! It was well-balanced and again, not too sweet. My co-taster (wish I’d caught his name!) said that he could see it pairing well with Thai food. Duly noted! I bought a bottle of this to bring home for my dad. He is quite the chard lover.

Bring on the red!

Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy the Malbec Cab at all. I just took a sip and said – meh. However, I LOVED the Dark Chocolate Shiraz! Make no mistake, this wine doesn’t actually contain any chocolate, but I love the name as well as the bottle’s design. It tasted delicious – too bad it was the most expensive bottle of the bunch! Still not bad though, $17, but there were other cheaper options, and I’m a bit cheap.

My two favorites of Wednesday evening.

And what’s wine without food? I came home after both tastings and dove into delicious dinners.

Monday night: Giovanni’s take-out.

Giovanni’s Brick Oven Pizza, where my sister is a waitress on her school breaks, makes the best salad with grilled chicken that I can find at any restaurant. The key is they shred and marinate the chicken. I love how they offer baby spinach, and plentiful veggies! I also had an un-pictured slice of their wonderful Veggie Special pizza.

Wednesday night’s feast!

In honor of Hannah being home from school, my dad grilled filet and my mom made baked potatoes. Leftover green beans and corn bread joined my plate. And you know I put Mariah’s Chow Chow Relish on my potato skin!

After dinner snack of Yoplait Greek and Uncle Sam Strawberry cereal

Thanks to Sonoma for hosting so many free and fabulous wine events!

Red or white wine? What do you think? Or are you a wine hater?

Thanksgiving 2011: A Hot Mess

Good morning! I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekends. I know I am. I have been so confused about the days, and nothing is better than that because that means I’m not at work the usual Monday-Friday. I can’t believe the holiday season is now truly upon us – or that it’s going to be 67 degrees today. SO GLAD that winter is holding off (for now).

I feel like I have so much to share. I have a couple events I attended over the last couple of weeks to recap, but first order of business is of course to tell everyone about Thanksgiving. And Black Friday…but that’ll come later.

Caitlin + Cabernet = Hot Pics

I’ve started referring to this Thanksgiving as Black Thursday for the reason that I went a little overboard on wine before…during…and after dinner. Cabernet is DANGEROUSLY addicting! I’ll get the negative out of the way here and admit that I was super hard on myself about having too much wine, acting stupid, and being fuzzy on later parts of the evening. I lost track of my tolerance and felt so embarrassed, and also felt concerned over the alcohol. In these situations I often irrationally worry about how “bad” alcohol is said to be for you, how you “shouldn’t” have more than one drink per day, how “easily” things can become a habit, etc. All of those thoughts are messages that I think invade the minds of many women each day, thanks to how pervasive those topics are in the media, especially this time of year. I love fitness and health magazines, blogs, etc as much as the next girl (here I am writing my own), but I also wish there was more media literacy education out there to help people realize that indulgence isn’t the end of the world, and those articles they may read about all the bad parts of drinking never mention the other side of it – there’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself every now and then. No one is perfect and I tend to beat myself up when situations like this make me see that I am not. I am not blaming the media for this, but I do know that plenty of little blurbs I’ve read in “Shape” and “Women’s Health” were popping up in my head Thursday night as I periodically woke up to chug water.

I certainly didn’t mean for this entry to start with me talking about media literacy and guilt over alcohol, but I find that kind of writing therapeutic. Anyone else have any thoughts they want to share? Now, let’s get to the good stuff, because I did have a great time throughout the evening at our family friends, the Gerbers’s, house.

May have lost my footing, but had a good time doing it.

Another family of friends, the Aubuchons, joined us at the Gerber house. All three of our families moved from Florida to CT thanks to the “men of the house” and their positions at Pratt & Whitney, and we have known each other since all of us kids were babies. It’s great that we have all moved together and can gather at special occasions throughout the years and grow up with each other.

Mr. Aubuchon carves his deep fried turkey!

Greg and Joe also came with my family, and I loved spending the evening hanging out with them. I hadn’t seen Greg in a few months, since I went to visit him in Boston (he goes to BU’s School of Law), and it’s always fun to see Joe.

Joe, focus!

The guys and I were all SO ready for dinner when we arrived, and the suspense before the meal was killing us. Joe even resorted to affectionately petting the fried turkey upon its arrival, and Greg pre-gamed dinner with one of the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that Megan made – turns out she’s a fan of How Sweet It Is too!

Unhand that turkey!

How could you go wrong with one of Jessica’s creations?

Don’t worry, there’s no way that was spoiling dinner.

Cookie model?

Some appetizers were set out for people to enjoy with drinks, including the famous Gerber buffalo chicken dip.

So cheesy. So tasty.

Before dinner, the family gathered around all of the food and said a prayer of thanks. Then we dove into everything buffet style – filled up plates in the kitchen, then brought them to the table.

Mrs. Gerber’s famous stuffing SO GOOD.

Potatoes au gratin

Sweet potatoes topped with candied nuts and crumbs – LIKE DESSERT.

My mom’s zesty horseradish carrots.

My plate! I love tasting plates 🙂

Dinner was sooo good. I had: mashed potatoes, squash, turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, green beans, sweet potato, and carrots. I didn’t really care for the cranberry relish, so I didn’t end up having more than a couple bites of that. Everything else was gone though. Joe, Greg, and I ended up being the only kids who invaded the “adult table” but we had fun!

Love you Dad!

After dinner, us “kids” went down to the basement, where shenanigans ensued.

Ain’t we lovely?

After getting beat by the bro in the first round of a ping pong tourney.

Pic crazy!

And dessert was had, of course.

Pumpkin pies!

Apple pie and pecan pie!

My dessert plate

I may have had seconds of dessert. To be honest, I am not sure. I am sure that I was asleep by about 8pm though.

Cheesy staircase pose

Thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the blog world ate on this special day!

Have you ever beat yourself up over an indulgence? What was your favorite thing you ate on Thanksgiving (or that Thursday if you don’t celebrate)?

Get Your Weekend On

Happy Friday! I’m so glad it’s the weekend, but when am I not? This week has been the busiest I’ve ever had at work but has also flown by the fastest. I’m excited to relax and stick around CT this weekend. Plus, my sister is coming home for the week on Sunday!

In terms of workouts this week has been pretty good because I got to attend two of my favorite classes at the gym, Step and Interval Training, which also happen to be some of the hardest classes there. It worked out well though because due to class this week, I ended up with a rest day both Tuesday and yesterday. As usual it was a little bit tricky to get through rest days without getting rest-less, but I did enjoy getting out of class last night at 7:30 and knowing I could go home to a tasty dinner.

Mom's homemade chicken and chickpea chili, topped with broccoli and pico, whole grain taco shells on the side.

I ate out a couple of days this week, which I plan to recap soon, but on Tuesday night I was also at home for another mom-meal.

Sundried tomato shrimp, caramelized onions, and roasted Brussels sprouts!

I SO loved having these Brussels left over to put in my salad lunches this week.

Also just hung up some more cubicle decor, this time coffee related! So many people have maps hanging in their cubes, and this is my kind of map…

Awesome right? I received this poster at the Cafes do Brasil brunch (still a couple days left to celebrate by the way)! So cool to see where all the coffee comes from, and how cute is that little engagement ring box graphic with a coffee bean inside (in the lower right corner). That’s the real way to my heart!

Hoping to get out of work on time for Group Step and then a dinner out with my mom and brother – a repeat of last Friday. Sorry for another short post, but it’s time to get my weekend on.

What was the best dinner you had this week? Any good Friday plans?

Josie’s West and a Relaxing Sunday

Hey guys! I’m a bit late asking this but…how was your weekend?! In case you missed it, Sunday I recapped the Cafes do Brasil brunch I attended in NYC on Saturday in honor of Brazilian Coffee Week in NYC. Highly recommend that you check out the recap if you’re interested in coffee and/or brunch!

Ready to head into the city.

I had such an amazing day in the city the rest of Saturday. After the brunch, I met up with an old friend from high school to seeJ. Edgar, which I HIGHLY recommend. It was a bit long but if you go in prepared for that, I think you’ll really enjoy it. Everyone’s performances were wonderful (except Naomi Watts, who I felt was just kind of there, but she was still OK).

I drove in by myself and spent some time alone shopping as well at Urban Outfitters. 50% off all sale prices – how could I resist?!

Please ignore the feet of my stuffed bear in the upper right.

Everything was just $10 each!

My grandmother often makes trips by herself, and now I see why. I loved being on my own schedule, taking things at my own pace, and being able to listen to my audio book on the drive there/back. It would take a lot of bravery for me to take on an international cruise alone, like she often has for up to a week, but solo day trips definitely have new appeal to me for their lack of stress involved.

After seeing the movie, I had the opportunity to meet up with two bloggers I have been following for awhile, Katy and Danielle, at Josie’s for dinner. The place came recommended to me by Kathleen of the Elvis Duran Show, and Katy and Danielle confirmed for me when we were originally making these plans that the place was worth visiting. And they were certainly right – I LOVED Josie’s and already want to go back!

I arrived and was totally starving. I polished off the above cornbread and focaccia bread, which was accompanied by a hummus that was either pumpkin or squash flavored – I never did completely figure it out. But as soon as I saw that there was hummus paired with the bread, I knew this was my kind of place.

Boo flash.

It was a tough decision, and one of those times when I wished I had about 10 stomachs, but I decided on the Grilled Scottish Salmon with mango-roasted pepper salsa, pinto beans, and grilled asparagus. It was fabulous!! I finished every last bite, and Katy’s veggie meatloaf and Danielle’s butternut squash ravioli were amazing as well (we sampled each other’s dishes).

Me, Danielle, and Katy.

What a great time! I so enjoyed meeting the girls who write these blogs that I have been reading for so long, since way before I started blogging. Thank you ladies for a tasty meal with great conversation!

Though I had a great time on Saturday, it was nice to spend my Sunday around town and have a relaxing Sunday. I went to spin very early and wore my new Old Navy workout top, which served me well (and even has a little zipper pocket built in – nice!) in a sweaty class. Also got HW done at Daybreak (accompanied by coconut coffee of course) and did some chores at home.

Sunday's lunch, eaten while doing some reading.

I ended my weekend with a trip to happy hour at J. Gilbert’s with a couple of friends I’ve known since high school. We were there for over two hours and had a great time! OK, I had a little too good of a time after drinking two glasses of Avalon Cab…on an empty stomach. Mistake!

Back to the grind this week…but I had a great dinner out last night and got to attend my favorite Step class, so I’d say it’s starting out well!

Have you ever gotten the chance to meet a blog friend in person? Have you ever taken a solo trip?

Definition of Random

Happy to say that I was in a better mood yesterday – thank you for your de-stressing tips! This post is pretty random, but I have a lot of thoughts floating around in my head today.

I had a good day at work yesterday and an interesting class (Law, Business, and Society – we learned about torts and product liability) at night. Something I learned involved the famous lawsuit in which a woman was initially awarded $2.7 million in damages from McDonald’s for the third degree burns she suffered from as a result of spilling their 190-degree coffee on herself. I always thought the reward was ridiculous, but after hearing the full story from my professor, I’m actually changing my tune a bit. Turns out McDonald’s knew about their coffee being hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns within several seconds, but opted not to decrease the temperature after deciding that the money they would continue to pay out in settlements to people with burns was worth spending, compared to the money they’d lose in profit if they made their coffee the same temperature as everyone else’s. And that is why the punitive damages amounted to $2.7 million – because that is the amount of profit McDonald’s was making on its coffee in a single day. The punitive damages had a meaning and sent a message, which is indeed a function of punitive damages. So maybe the award wasn’t so ridiculous after all – what do you think? You learn something new everyday!

In other news, Faith Hill had her big comeback into country music at the CMA’s on Wednesday night. I was a bit annoyed when I was watching my DVR recording last night, and she started singing OneRepublic’s “Come Home” for her performance. I LOVE OneRepublic and their first album is one of my favorite albums of all time (and it has that song). I’m going to make an assumption (so that may make an ass out of me, but I digress) that many people watching the CMA’s didn’t know that she is not the original singer of this song because they may not know OneRepublic’s first album very well. If you’re gonna make a comeback, make it with a new song! Now many people probably don’t realize she’s covering it!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxW0cPo7F_o]

I have so many posts that I have been planning for you guys! I have all these backed up food photos that I want to post today, but hopefully soon you guys will be seeing posts on:

For now, just check out some pictures of food I’ve been eating.

Fiber One whole wheat english muffin, topped with banana and Cinnamon Raisin PB

Saturday’s breakfast – this is my favorite plate ever from my childhood 🙂 and my favorite breakfast that I hadn’t had in FOREVER! Also, I finished that jar of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl yesterday morning. Sad – but I did open a jar of Mighty Maple today!

Packed salad and fruit/cottage cheese while I waited to get my car check-up.

Had egg whites and Moe’s black beans as my protein in the above salad beast.

BBQ chicken and veggie pizza slices.

I came home for dinner Monday night and was surprised to find Giovanni’s pizza waiting for me – PSYCHED. I love their pizza. So thin and crispy!

Moe's black beans + pico de gallo

Needed a little somethin’ on the side.

Roasted brussell sprouts and whole wheat pasta

Tuesday my mom surprised me with those brussells and like the nerd I am, I was psyched. On the spaghetti we put the bruschetta-flavored oil dip mix that I got at the AppleFest. It was just as good as the sample I had there!

Meatloaf, pico, roasted brussells, and broccoli

Tonight I had an awesome dinner – the above (baby) plate, eaten with my (baby) fork, plus more meatloaf and some kalamata olive bread I got at the farmer’s market recently.

Yoplait plain greek yogurt and Uncle Sam strawberry cereal

Just finished off the above snack – dumped the yogurt out of the container into the cup and mixed with the cereal.
I’m headed to Group Step after work today – can’t wait!

What’d you have for dinner last night?

Bertucci’s: Awesome Customer Service!

Hey guys! Happy Hump Day – my week is flying by – how about yours? If it’s not, I apologize for saying mine is. Forget I ever did?

Last night I had class, which dragged on, but it also happened to be a rest day from the gym. It was actually my first rest day in almost two weeks after looking back through my Daily Mile feed, so probably a good thing, but I still felt a bit restless!

I woke up this morning way before my alarm, at about 5:45am, and was quite awake. I took advantage of this and went to the gym to get my workout in – now I won’t have to go in the evening, and I’ll be home today around 6:45pm! That’s unheard of for me. I did 30 minutes of intervals on the Stair Master – each time I do this, it never ceases to amaze me how hard it is. Another instance in which I was trying to tell myself that quality > quantity! I followed it up with about 10 minutes of abs with a 10 pound medicine ball (to try to get some arms in), 30 regular push-ups, 30 tricep push-ups, and 30 tricep presses with the med ball. Abs and upper body, done!

Thanks womenshealth.com for the image!

It seems that whenever I try to set an alarm to get up and work out before work, I always wake up feeling like death and can barely drag myself out of bed. So I always plan to work out in the evening on weekdays, but if I happen to wake up early in the morning (because I go to bed fairly early), I try to get my workout in then. It just works for me! Another reason I work out at night is because I love group fitness classes, and the morning classes at my gym all start at 5am or 5:4am. It’s just TOO early! So, I opt for the night classes.

Work continues to be crazy busy. I was also lucky enough to have a chance to finally start on all the saved episodes of “Hart of Dixie” on my DVR. It’s a cute show! Rachel Bilson’s clothes are gorgeous. Sure the show is cheesy, but I was always more of a Summer fan than a Marissa fan (I miss “The OC”) and can’t help but enjoy it. I hope the show makes it! Anyone else into this show?

Image courtesy of Boomtron.com

This past weekend was the end of my week off from work, and full of tasty food. Weekends often are – isn’t that one of the many reasons why they are so wonderful?

My mom and I kicked things off Friday afternoon with manicures and then glasses of Avalon Cabernet at J. Gilbert’s during happy hour. Best happy hour in town!

My mom and I each had 1.5 glasses (we split her last one) and I was feeling SO buzzed. Good thing she was driving!

Did NOT plan to get my nails done to match my wine 😉

We headed home, picked up my little brother, and went out to dinner at Bertucci’s. I have to share a great customer service example here!

I went there for dinner before I started blogging more regularly, in early October (hence why there’s no post about that particular meal to reference). The next day, Bertucci’s posted on their Facebook that they would be giving anyone who dined there in October a coupon for a free birthday dessert to use during the next visit.

The dessert choices.

I was confused – I’d just eaten there, it had been October, but I was coupon-less! Being the coupon queen (and probably a bit obnoxious) person that I am, I wrote on their post, asking why I hadn’t received a coupon. Someone from Bertucci’s reached out to me right away and asked for my mailing info. Within a week of providing it, I received my missing coupon in the mail! I was so impressed that they would take the time to send me a coupon and show me they care about each customer. I already love Bertucci’s, but now I have even more good things to say about them!

So I insisted we go there Friday night to use my reclaimed coupon. Another satisfying meal. I got my favorite Venetian Spinach Salad with Grilled Salmon and Goat Cheese. I ate every last bite, as usual.

My brother Michael got a Cheese Pizza with Chicken. Lucky for me he didn’t eat his crusts, so I had some. The tomato sauce remnants that were left on each crust were SO fresh and delicious. Bertucci’s may have my favorite pizza sauce. I know, a bold statement!

My mom ordered the Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad with Goat Cheese and also polished it off.

I was going to give Michael my dessert coupon, but it wasn’t necessary. Our waitress was awesome and let us have two free desserts for one coupon! Michael went with chocolate cake while I chose one of my favorites – tiramisu.

Then, the cherry on top: our waitress ALSO let me use a Facebook coupon I’d gotten for “liking” Bertucci’s.

So THANK YOU Bertucci’s for an amazing coupon experience!

Are you a morning, afternoon, or evening workout person (or a mix)? Are you sick of seeing me write about Bertucci’s? Do you have any awesome restaurant customer service experiences to share?

Winter Storm Alfred

Hey guys! New responsibilities at work have me busy busy busy. Not sure how long I’ll be able to keep up this one-post-a-day thing but we’ll see!

Last night I was running super late after a doctor’s appointment, and so unfortunately missed a trip to Group Power. I was so bummed because I have a hard time motivating myself enough to get in a truly challenging weights workout solo, but spent some time on the elliptical, doing 3.5 miles, and finished two magazines that I’d previously started. I will be solo at the gym again tomorrow and I really want to just do a nice cardio/circuit weight workout that will get me nice and sweaty and sore. Any suggestions?

I have a lot of food photos to share from last week, when I was work-less and partially power-less, so let’s get to it!

For any New Englanders out there, I’m sure you felt at least a little bit of an effect from good old Winter Storm Alfred. I was one of the lucky ones – we lost power for only a few days, and since we don’t use a well, we never were without hot, running water. My office was not as lucky, but I can’t lie, the week off of work and class was, well, nice.

After one heat-less night of shivering in a ball in front of the fireplace though, wide awake at 4am, I knew that I would not be able to handle another night without power. That’s why we spent our last night with no electricity in a cozy hotel by the Mohegan Sun Casino. It was fun to have our own little “winter storm party”. We even headed over to the casino to have dinner at the Summer Shack!

I’ve eaten here once before at another night out to the casino with my parents. I love how many options their menu has. The seafood is so fresh! Most is local!

I did not partake in the bread basket, because though the Summer Shack has great seafood, the bread is nothing to write home about. There were a couple of plain rolls (my mom devoured them before the camera came out) and the above soft, Northern, sweet corn bread. Boo – bring on the crispy, Southern style! What kind of corn bread do you prefer?

My dad started with a gumbo special. It came with the most adorable side that I can only call a mini English muffin. I think my dad wanted crackers, but I was entranced by the cuteness!

Action shot!

He selected the breaded baked cod special, paired with jasmine rice. The fish was very well cooked and the tomato sauce it was baked in was so flavorful!

My mom ordered the swordfish special with broccoli and roasted acorn squash on the side. The tomato chutney sitting on top of the fish was out of this world. It was basically like eating a pile of the juiciest, freshest tomato I’ve ever tasted. She and I shared the squash and could not get over how good it was. It fit the Snowtober vibe perfectly.

I selected the cider glazed scallops appetizer with mixed greens and broccoli. Holy yum, the scallops were AMAZING! The broccoli was your typical steamed broc, nothing special, but the scallops stole the show.

As I’ve mentioned, I spent my days off during the post-storm-week working on the blog and writing my paper at Whole Foods. This meant some delicious $12 salads.

Edamame, many bean salads, falafel, green beans, pineapple, roasted veggies, a million other things.

I also spent some time at the Starbucks on Uconn’s campus, studying with Joe. I helped myself to their spinach feta egg white wrap, which I hadn’t had in forever, and forgot how much I loved!

Our first night with power back, my family celebrated by…using the grill, something that requires no power, to make dinner. Ha, oh well.

Broc, baked potato with Mariah's relish, turkey burger, grilled chicken

The next night, we made use of the newly powered freezer and had another delicious Newman’s Own Thin n’ Crispy pizza! My mom added grilled chicken to the veggie pie, just like last time. SO crispy and satisfying.

Paired mine with some leftover broc and black beans from Moe’s. I LOVE their black beans.

Had another slice after – couldn’t resist!

Were you affected by Alfred, in any positive and/or negative ways? Have you ever tried Newman’s Own frozen pizza, or Starbucks breakfast sandwiches?

Tennessee Recap: Part Five (Grand Finale)

Morning! I’m about to head back to work for the first time in over a week thanks to Snowtober. I really can’t complain. I was fortunate enough to have power back by Wednesday, and work and class cancelled. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t be bummed about going back to work. I’ll miss cafe days and morning workouts. What I am glad to get back though, is routine. I definitely thrive on it and now my days will be much more plan-able.

I don’t event feel like I am coming off a weekend – just a long vacation! It really feels like forever since I’ve gone into the office. It also feels like forever since I started telling you all about my trip, but I finally am gonna conclude my story today, so we will be back on track to regular posts tomorrow – I already have SO much to catch you guys up on that’s happened since I returned!

Anyway, so ended the surprise-extended Tennessee vacation. Yes, I’m on the level of calling this a vacation, not a trip. There’s a difference, agreed?

Monday (Halloween!) morning, I did a workout (30 minutes incline walking, random upper body free weights) and went to meet my sister at an Einstein Bagels on campus. I was supposed to start my paper, and ended up writing a paragraph and spending the rest of the time on the blog. Oops.

UT has SO many chains on campus. I can’t believe it! At UConn we just had a few chains in our Student Union, but their University Center has a ton, and this Einstein’s wasn’t even in that building. We had UConn-branded cafes, but they have branded cafes, and I like it better.

The Einstein’s was filled with the smell of toasted asiago bagels. The menu was impressively extensive! I kept it light because I was eating an early lunch, and had one of the best fruit cups I’ve ever bought (usually they’re sucky, but this one had a ton of fresh pineapple and strawberries) and a very good coffee with steamed skim milk.

Later I got to go to my second chain-mission, Chik-fil-a, for my very favorite fast food sandwich: the Char-Grilled Chicken Sandwich. I am OBSESSED with their honey BBQ sauce and pickles. Chik-fil-a is slowly spreading up north and is in Mass now, but still not CT. COME ON UP Chik-fil-a, we are ready for you!

Headed to the airport after that and spent the first flight with my book and a nonfat chai tea misto from Starbucks.

When we landed, we had a couple of hours to kill in between our connection, and I was STARVED. We passed a Chili’s and I knew immediately what I wanted – Mexican food!

My mom got a large Stella and we shared chips and salsa to start. They really hit the spot.

I ordered the chicken fajitas, because this Chili’s was a Chili’s Too and had a limited menu and didn’t offer the shrimp tacos I usually get. Change is good though, I was just a little chickened out (ha) after this meal after having chicken earlier for lunch! This dinner was, by the way, one of my earliest ever (4pm). Takes me back to the days of waiting for the dining halls to open for dinner at 4:15.

I didn’t have any of the tortillas or guac since I had filled up on some chips, but I did pour all the salsa on top of the chicken and veggies, as well as a side of black beans. I polished off that entire thing. Yes I think that made about four servings of chicken that day – ha!

Thank you for following my recaps of my little getaway – I hope you enjoyed!

Are you a Chik-fil-a fan? What about Chili’s? How are you feeling on this Monday?

Tennessee Recap: Part Four

Thanks to daylight savings, my 9pm bedtime last night (aided by me being a grandma, and the glass of wine I had with dinner) combined with the time change had me awake at 5:30am on this lovely Sunday morning. As in, the gym was not even opening until 7am. I looked at my phone and saw 28 degrees – a run was out of the question. So I did the P90X Yoga video I have on my laptop for these very occasions. I hadn’t done this since I was without power/gym access during Hurricane Irene, and though it was tough to get through the 90 minutes (I’m more of a short and sweet workout person), it was really a good thing for me to stop myself from fast forwarding through stretches and through corpse pose at the end. The workout also had a lot of heat in terms of lower body. I really like this video – it’s all-encompassing!

The video also includes one of my favorite poses: standing shoulder pose. I actually used to do this all the time when I was little without even knowing it was a yoga pose, so I guess it’s always been my favorite!

I still have more to share with you guys about my trip to Tennessee – food and shopping, I’ve got it all!

On Sunday I woke up thinking I’d be headed back to CT that day, and ended up having a full Tennessee experience after we found out that due to the snowstorm, we wouldn’t be headed back home for another day. But before that change was made, I put on my sparkly orange hat and went to Starbucks with my sister and my Nana Connie, one of our traditions.

Looking hairless?

I had the usual, a nonfat bold misto. Hannah had the same and sprinkled cinnamon dolce powder on top of hers, looked so cozy!

The coffee came to us so hot that it was time for brunch before we were done, so I kept it classy and poured the rest of my coffee into one of the hotel restaurant’s cute mugs.

I have the spindliest fingers of all time.

I ordered a salad of baby field greens, cocktail shrimp, mango, sundried tomatoes, celery, and balsamic on the side. It was AWESOME. I love being impressed by restaurant salads, it’s always a pleasant surprise. Hannah had a Greek salad with grilled chicken salad and let me finish hers off.

Funny story: The first time I ate cocktail shrimp, I ate the hard tail part too – I didn’t know you had to remove it!

My mom had a veggie egg white omelette with home fries and an English muffin. She gave me the rest of her home fries and they were AMAZING, especially dipped in ketchup.

My dad had a sausage, green pepper, and mushroom omelette with home fries and wheat toast. The toast looked crisp and hearty.

Hannah and I took a walk to her dorm after brunch, where we decided to stay the extra day. I worked on blog stuff in her room while she showered so I brought my backpack along. Don’t I look legit?

We went shopping later and couldn’t help but buy some tasty-smelling candles at Bath & Body Works – they were having a sale AND handing out coupons!

I got these four candles – oatmeal raisin cookie, gingerbread, s’mores, and eggnog – for $20! And it’s a good thing since I headed home to a power-less house the next day.

We stopped at Wal-Mart, and I know they have some questionable corporate practices, but I am impressed by some of their grocery areas. It was clean in there, well-organized, and there was a huge variety. I have to admit that for someone on a budget, Wal-Mart is an affordable grocery option, and even has a fair amount of healthy choices at affordable prices, which I think is something our country is seriously lacking.

I love displays of Halloween treats at grocery stores too. These treats looked so good!

I loved the selection of University of Tennessee by Pink gear at Victoria’s Secret. I really wanted some of that underwear, but couldn’t let myself pay $26 for just three pairs.

I came out of this shopping trip very well stocked. A little too well stocked, I’d say. I’m putting myself on shopping sabbatical until Black Friday.

In addition to the sparkly hat…TN cap, football jersey, and boxers!

Workout gear: Old navy running capris/top, and PINK yoga pants.

Who knew Old Navy sold cute Colts gear? Buy 1, get 1 free!

We went to dinner at one of my favorite chains, Bonefish Grill. Unfortunately they aren’t chain-like enough to extend any farther north than Poughkeepsie, New York (I’ve checked…many times). Whenever we vacation anywhere south of that city, we’ve got to hit up a Bonefish. Our extra night in Tennessee gave us a chance to do just that!

Their bread is beyond amazing. It comes with olive oil, pesto, and herbs for dipping, like Bertucci’s and Carrabba’s, two more wonderful chains. I’m beginning to see a trend here.

I got the swordfish special, with broccoli and steamed veggies on the side instead of potatoes. It was so great. I had every last bite, plus my mom’s leftover fish and Hannah’s leftover broc.

So ends my last full, but not my last delicious, day in Tennessee!

Have you ever heard of Bonefish Grille?  What do you think of Wal-Mart and their grocery sections? What was your last shopping purchase?