Marvelous Work Day (Yeah Right)

The Biena Foods roasted chickpea snacks giveaway closes tonight at 11:59PM EST, so make sure to enter! I will announce the winner tomorrow.

Who has the day off for Columbus Day? Oh, you do? Well I don’t like you. Sorry, I am a bitter Betty today. My alarm went off for work and I felt as if I could’ve slept another few hours (realistically I probably would have slept about one hour more, but I’m just sayin’).

At least Columbus Day meant my commute was not long or crowded.

Let’s focus on the marvelous though, because it’s marvelous that I even have a job, after all. And my weekend was full of marvelous too.

Be sure to join Katie’s link-up and share your marvelous!

Marvelous is…Friday night pizza and salad at Kat‘s house with her, hubby Mike, and baby Penelope. I provided the wine, Kat provided the delicious food, and Penelope provided the laughs (and alas tears – she is teething). Kat prepared a fresh spinach salad with radishes, heirloom tomatoes, balsamic, and EVOO. She also made four naan flatbreads – one with roasted shredded baby cabbages and goat cheese (we obviously had some on the side too), one with fig and prosciutto, and two with buffalo chicken and fresh basil (bro-friendly for Mike). My favorite was definitely the fig and prosciutto but the Brussels pizza was obviously a close second.

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Five Things Friday: Fabulous!

Remember you have until Monday night at 11:59PM EST to enter my Biena Foods roasted chickpea snacks giveaway!

Happy Friday! Let’s kick off the weekend with some alliteration and FIVE THINGS FRIDAY which is basically an excuse for me to share more than five topics in one blog post. As the blonde Orbit lady would say, “Fabulous!”

1. Happy 21st Birthday to my sister Hannah!

I so wish I could be in Knoxville celebrating my best friend and sister’s 21st with her, but I’m thankful I got to do some celebrating with her last weekend. I have always looked up to Hannah – despite being both older and taller. She has always exuded a confidence that I hope to one day master. I know no one is perfect, but Hannah teaches me every day that she doesn’t try to be and that’s okay, as long as life is lived to its fullest. I love you, sista sista! XOXO, Catpoop/Cat/Cat Kitty Chow/etc (don’t ask)

Circa 2007.

Circa 2007.

Circa now.

Circa now. (OMG why am I holding my drink like that?! Freaking alien fingers.)

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Biena Foods Roasted Chickpea Snacks Giveaway!

I was sent complimentary Biena Foods roasted chickpeas to review. All opinions are my own. This is not a sponsored post.

I may have already done a review/giveaway for The Good Bean roasted chickpea snacks, but the first brand of roasted chickpea snacks I ever tried was Biena Foods, at the CT Veg Fest! Now they offer more flavors and I was pleased to accept their offer of a sample of each one to review.

I will be honest with you – there is not much difference between the roasted chickpea snacks offered by The Good Bean and Biena Foods. They have the same amount of calories, fairly similar flavor variety, and comparable all-natural ingredient lists. I will say however that I much prefer Biena’s Sea Salt chickpeas to The Good Bean’s, which are too salty. The point of sea salt is a little goes a long way, and Biena Foods seems to get that! I also loved the Honey Roasted flavor, and The Good Bean does not offer a comparable option. I had the Honey Roasted both in a savory lunch (my salad) and an after-dinner sweet snack (in my favorite Jello pudding); I love that it mixes well with both sweet and savory ingredients!

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WIAW: Fond Food Memories

WOW. Your feedback on yesterday’s post about body comments was awesome. I’m so glad I’m not alone! It’s a post I’ve been wanting to write for awhile and I’m glad I finally found the words I was waiting for so that I could publish it. Keep your comments comin’! Now onto a fun post…

Kaitlin wrote a great post awhile back on certain foods and what they mean to her or remind her of. I loved the idea and reading her post put tons of material into my head for a post of my own on the same topic! And what better day to share this post than What I Ate Wednesday?

Thanks Jenn for hosting this party!

Cinnamon Buns

These have a few different meanings to me, actually. The first involves Christmas morning…every year up until recently, on Christmas morning my mom would make the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, the ones from the pop-open tubes (I loved opening those!)…and I always chose the one with the most icing! Or ones 😉 these weren’t those fancy Grands cinnamon rolls that look store-made…they were the ones that were blatantly from the tube, but that was fine by me. This was also back in the day before Cinnabon was partnered with Pillsbury for every cinnamon roll product.

Visiting the Pillsbury site has informed me that an amazing plethora of new cinnamon roll varieties exists. As in “Extra Rich with Butter Cream”. And Hershey’s chocolate icing. And cream cheese icing!

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Keep Your Comments To Yourself

Thanks for your supportive comments on yesterday’s post! I’m glad you guys enjoyed my pictures and thanks for helping me see the positive.

“Want a brownie? You sure could use a few!”

“Damn girl, where do you put it all?!”

“How do you eat that and stay so slim?!”

“Have a bite of my burger! It’s not like you don’t need it.”

I hear these comments fairly often. People feel the need to make them in a variety of situations. Maybe it’s when I’m waiting in line at a café for my coffee, and someone else in line notices me checking out the pastry case. Maybe it’s when I go out to eat with friends and order a salad while someone in my party orders something heavier. Maybe it’s from a waiter when I clean my plate.

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Semi-Wordless: Tennessee Trip

I don’t really feel like writing about my long weekend in Tennessee. I wish I could write a blog post that reports great success, or at least success compared to last year’s trip, but I don’t feel like I can.

Scenes from the plane – got through the first season of Breaking Bad! And sipped on Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey.

I made it to the game this year, but not past the first quarter. I made an attempt to rally later in the game after Tennessee tied it up, and enjoyed watching the last quarter in the hotel bar with my Nana Connie.

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Three Things Thursday: Travel Day!

Thanks so much for your comments on yesterday’s special WIAW post about my college food journey! I’ve come a long way and seen both ends of the spectrum, and it’s nice to have your encouragement and support as I continue to work on settling somewhere at a balanced middle.

The weekend will soon be upon us! But for me it begins at 1PM today, which is when I will leave work to get ready to head to the airport and catch a plane to Tennessee. I’m super-excited to reunite with my sister, my Nana Connie, and our close family friends. I’m also thankful that the University of Tennessee vs. Georgia football game we are attending on Saturday starts at 3:30PM. Last year the game started at 8PM and alas, tailgating got the best of me mentally and I did not end up attending the game. This time I am determined to enjoy myself and keep guilty thoughts at bay. I’m hoping for a nice tailgate that doesn’t start too soon before the game (and how could it with the game starting at 3:30PM), a fun game in which the Vols hopefully win, and some chill post-game relaxation at the hotel.

Can't wait to reunite with Nana Connie & my sister!

Can’t wait to reunite with Nana Connie & my sister!

I woke up yesterday with a cold, but am trying not to focus on it. I’m trying to use mind over matter and stay positive and enjoy my trip. Let’s get this Three Things Thursday goin’, as I enjoyed my recent Friday Five and am feeling random today.

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WIAW Goes to College

I think it’s fitting to start this post with the Asher Roth classic, “I Love College”! This was my jam during my sophomore year.


What wasn’t my jam was some of the food I lived off of! College is the time period during which I became more adventurous and expanded my palate. It also is the time period during which I developed my eating disorder. I had a lot of different food phases in college. I went from a freshman year of fourth-meals to senior year of starting recovery and learning that eating a rare fourth meal wasn’t going to kill me (especially when I’d skipped the day’s first…second…etc meals). I figured I’d start with sharing some freshman year faves and end with the foodie faves I started to explore both before I developed my ED (when I started trying to “tone up”) and after I entered recovery.

Thanks Jenn for hosting this party!

So about that fourth meal…

My go-to late night meals freshman year consisted of honey BBQ boneless wings, cheese pizza dipped in ranch or bleu cheese dressing, calzones, and Domino’s CinnaStix and Cheesy Bread. Yeah, told you I used to eat very differently! Toward the beginning of my entry to college I’d say I was ordering late-night food every night! It was at this point that some freshman pounds definitely crept on.

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Hartford Magazine October Launch with Hoffman Auto

This past Wednesday I was invited by my good friend Kat (of the Hartford Advocate) to attend the October issue launch party of Hartford Magazine.

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The event began promptly at 5:30PM at Farmington Gardens, a lovely event venue located in (obviously) Farmington, CT. Thankfully it was a fairly warm day so the patio was decked out in charming lights for guests’ enjoyment.

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Marvelous Moonshine: The Onyx Gatsby Ball

I received free entry into this event via a press pass. This is not a sponsored post and all opinions of the event and what I sampled there are my own.

Where do I begin?! I mentioned in Friday’s post that I’d be attending an event that evening that I was extremely excited for. Well, the Onyx Moonshine Gatsby Ball and Onyx 111 Infusion Challenge lived up to my expectations. The marvelous event was one of the best I’ve ever attended.

Join Katie’s link-up to stay focused on the positive on your Monday!

I pulled up to the gorgeous venue, The Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill (Middletown, CT), and immediately knew why Kaitlin has chosen this as the place she will be married next summer. The entry way is what I can only describe as “grand”, and the inside was lovely and perfect for a party meant to transport guests to the past.

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Check out that peacock feather in an Onyx bottle – great centerpiece!

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Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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