Tag Archives: salads

7 Random Facts

My review of Cavos, a Greek restaurant in Newington, was chosen as Yelp Hartford’s Review of the Day today! Check it out!

There’s a fun little chain going around in which, if tagged, bloggers create posts listing seven random facts about themselves. Liz of Southern Charm tagged me last week, and I’m happy to oblige!

Seven Random Facts about Caitlin

1. The only actual person who calls me “Cait” is my dad. Now, almost anyone in the online world who sees my blog’s name or my Twitter account calls me Cait, which is an easy assumption to make and something I definitely don’t mind. But in real life, my wonderful daddio is the only one who actually calls me Cait. It’s funny, because whenever I email him I always sign it “Love, Cait”, just because I know he calls me that.

2. I have a black belt in shaolin kempo karate. Growing up, I was not (am still not) very coordinated or athletic in terms of sports. Anything that involved a ball was not happening for me. So in 7th grade, I enrolled in karate because I enjoyed memorizing the forms/combinations and performing them. It reminded me somewhat of memorizing dances, which is probably why to this day my favorite group fitness classes involve step or dance of some kind. I tested and passed for my black belt in 11th grade, and stopped doing karate after that because by that time I had become much older than most people in the class, and the black belt had been my ultimate end-goal. Martial arts are a great active option for kids (or anyone) who aren’t skilled at your “typical” sports!

3. I have never owned any type of car other than a Honda CR-V. Funny enough, my fellow blonde-CT-blend-named-Caitlin also drives a CR-V! After getting my license in 11th grade, I got my cousin and her family’s 2002 navy CR-V (we traded them our old mini-van since they had just had a second child). That car took me everywhere throughout college, and my best friend Lidia even called it her “second home” because of how often we’d drive around town in it with nothing to do (those were the days…)

Image courtesy of quality-used-cars.co.uk.

When my sister got her license, the summer after my sophomore year of college, I was completely psyched to learn that I would be getting a bit of a CR-V upgrade – to a 2007! My sister got the 2002 (my little brother will be receiving it shortly, as his license test is soon). I LOVE my car and plan to keep it for a long, long time (as in, until it dies, because I’ll be buying the next one on my own).

My car now (minus the American flag…this photo isn’t actually of my car).

4. My first real job was at a bagel shop. Not sure if you could call it a real job since the owner was ever there and I spent any shift that wasn’t on a weekday morning eating. Still, it was a great place to go back to on college breaks (until the owner sold it to a less-than-desirable new owner) and provided the experience that got me my main job at UConn.

Inappropriate fun with a bagel stick and bagel at work.

5. My first salad was a Greek salad. I remember ordering it after a rare visit to the gym, back in high school, at Panera! I was shocked that I liked it, but I’m pretty sure the main component I loved was the feta. I used to order Greek salads in college and get no olives, and ask for extra feta instead. Ah, the Greek food lover in me was always there!

Image courtesy of RIT.edu.

6. I used to hate our family vacations to Florida – and all family vacations in general. Yes, it’s true! In fact, I was known for this in middle/high school! I was the weirdo who complained about going to Mexico. Now I know I was being an annoying pain in the ass, a high schooler who can only see her friends as important and nothing else. Plus, since I was still a super boring eater, I didn’t find myself getting excited at all about vacation eats – unlike now! I just wanted to be at home with my friends, so my parents even started letting me bring friends on trips or rack up huge international phone bills with long calls home while we were in Mexico. I think my views change once I got to college and began to appreciate relaxation. And how hard it is to come by as time goes on. And, you know, fun restaurants.

With the siblings in Myrtle Beach during my senior year of high school.

7. I’m getting two of my wisdom teeth out next Friday for the stupidest reason in the world. One of them started growing in before the other tooth on that side started growing in. Did you know that if there is no tooth exactly above or below another tooth, the first tooth will keep growing in and never stop? It’s true! Since once of my wisdom teeth grew in before the one above it did, it grew in too far. Its twin eventually came in, but if they only remove the one that grew in too far, then the twin will start growing in too far! So they both have to come out even though they’re in my mouth comfortably right now. Do you follow? No? Long story short, my foodie-days will not exist next weekend.

Dangit.

That was fun and way harder than I thought! Now it’s time for me to choose seven other bloggers who I’d like to see participate:

Tell me a random fact about you in the comments!

Group Core and Catsup and Mustard

Have you entered the giveaway to win a copy of “Working Out Sucks!”, the new book from Anytime Fitness’s CEO? You have until Friday night!

I got to try a new group fitness class yesterday! After Casey and I finished up a sweaty hour-long spin class with one of my favorite spin instructors, Jocelyn, we were feeling pretty wiped. Jocelyn announced to the class that she had just been certified in Group Core, a Body Training Systems class that would be coming to our gym soon. She planned to practice in a conference room and needed some guinea pigs. I was intrigued – I’m ALWAYS down to try a new group fitness class, so Casey and I volunteered!

The equipment required was very simple: a towel, a mat, and a 10-lb plate. The 25-minute class was extremely efficient and consisted of 5 songs. They were pretty good, not the best I’ve heard, but I did like that Britney’s “Circus” was on there!

This class really did work the entire lower body, even legs. Lots of dynamic movements while holding the towel (never tried that before) like lunges with an oblique twist, and squats with arm raises. We also did squats followed by simultaneously raising the 10-lb plate to one side and our leg on the other, which challenged my balance, something I can always improve on.

The ab work was very tough. I sometimes find myself unchallenged by abs, but this class actually had me having to take breaks during the last song. The entire thing was planks and oblique crunches, without much rest at all. I totally felt the burn!

If your gym has Body Training Systems classes, I highly recommend finding out if Group Core is on the schedule or if the gym is considering getting it. If they aren’t, why not try to change their minds? It really is great to get in a good lower body workout in just 25 minutes!

I have some exciting plans tonight – a friend I met through Twitter, Olivia, is meeting me for dinner tonight at one of my favorite local spots!

Chef Corey Wry is a local celeb in my area. He first opened up a delicious, low-key breakfast and sandwich place in Manchester, CT called Pastrami on Wry in 2005 (the Elvis pancakes are the stuff of dreams). His most recent (third) restaurant, Chops ‘n Catch, serves fancier steak and seafood fare, with an emphasis on local ingredients. The fish is excellent and the baked potatoes are giants, just the way I like ’em.

The man himself, courtesy of chopsncatch.com.

His second restaurant is like the filling of a PB sandwich (no, I don’t like jelly) or an Oreo – you know, the best. And it’s where Olivia and I are going tonight!

Catsup & Mustard lives true to its motto of “eat, drink, laugh”. As you can imagine from the title, an emphasis is placed on burgers and fries, though there are plenty of other options for all kinds of diners, from the picky child to the healthy living blogger to the unique-burger-obsessed foodie (and I am very aware that those last two can be found in the same person). Catsup & Mustard was even featured on an episode of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives! You can find a recipe submitted by Corey himself for Catsup’s Buried-Under Cheeseburger Salad on FoodNetwork.com.

Image courtesy of catsupandmustard.com.

But if you’re going to go to Catsup & Mustard, please don’t order that. Go home and make it yourself! Instead, I’d recommend the quesadillas from their Appetizers section. Or one of their amazing turkey burgers (yes, a restaurant that makes a good turkey burger exists). Or a burger with pastrami layered on top. Perhaps a spinach salad with salmon strikes your fancy? How about grilled cheese and tomato soup? Those are just some of my favorites, and all can be paired with their many varieties of fabulous fries.

One order is more than enough for two or three people. Make sure you ask for the dipping sauces – the Kicked-Up Catsup is delicious and unique.

The first time I met my new “blend” (blog friend), Bethany of More Fruit Please, we met at Catsup & Mustard for dinner. Guess it’s my go-to spot for meeting new friends! She hadn’t been since moving to the area, and I wanted to show her a nearby go-to spot.  I chose the Garlic-Parmesan fries, my favorite flavor (obviously, I’m Miss Garlic), for us to share.

Bethany was torn between the Pretzel Grilled Chicken and the Turkey California. I immediately advised her to go with the turkey burger – I’d had the grilled chicken sandwich before, and it wasn’t anything special, even with a pretzel bun, which was actually too overpowering for the meat. The Turkey California is a turkey burger on a golden roll topped with chardonnay onions, turkey bacon, avocado, and a spinach-tomato-bleu cheese salad. It’s one of my dad’s favorite things he’s ever ordered there (and mine too).

All sandwiches come with a side of coleslaw and a famous Corey half-sour pickle.

I wanted to try something I hadn’t ordered before, and I was craving greens since I’d been wining earlier that day, so I got the Teriyaki Salmon salad on baby spinach, with cucumber, carrot, roasted red pepper, and a tasty sesame vinaigrette. The salmon was cooked to perfection and the combination of the dressing and teriyaki gave it an Asian flare.

All salads come garnished with crunchy and satisfying potato "whistle stix".

I cleaned my plate, and had a hard time not finishing more than half of the fries!

Of course, I asked for, received, and consumed three half-sour pickles on the side. I also brought three more home – jackpot!

I had a great time meeting Bethany and am already excited to go back tonight with Olivia. Thanks to Corey for providing local, fresh, unique food to Connecticut!

Have you had any good (or bad) experiences with restaurant turkey burgers? I’m wondering because I rarely have good experiences, except for at Catsup or another local favorite, Max Burger. I eat my dad’s at home all the time though!

Have you ever tried Group Core or something similar?

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?

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?

Bertucci’s and TCBY Night!

Hey guys! I am currently stranded for an extra night in Tennessee due to the snow storm back home, but I don’t hate it. I love it here and could stay for days and days more! I have been eating tons of food and having great quality family time. I’ve even managed to get in a couple of good workouts, including a 4 mile incline treadmill run today! I have to be honest that sometimes I get hesitant to indulge on vacations or let loose and let myself enjoy things I don’t normally eat, but I have been concentrating on being with my family and trying to use that to distract myself from any worries I may get about vacation food. After all, this tasty food is definitely not something that should be cause for worry!

Before I start recapping this trip I want to recap a couple of yummy nights out I had last week, starting with last Monday’s dinner!

I was a crazy woman last Monday night and went out to eat after the gym. Yes, I’m wild and insane. Usually I go straight home, but I made plans with Jeff and Kim to go to a Thai restaurant that I had a SaveNowCT deal to. Well, you know how small restaurants are sometimes closed on Mondays? Yes, that happened.

NO WORRIES! I’m a coupon queen, and had a $5 of $25 deal from the Bertucci’s Facebook page, so I met the two of them there instead. At this point I was ready to eat my arm off and I immediately started on a roll. Mmm. I love their rolls and olive oil + herbs.

Jeff the hand model

Luckily my meal came with a cup of minestrone, so I got that fairly quickly and was relieved from my hanger. It was delicious! I loved the plentiful red beans and noodles. I hate runny, lackluster broth soups. This was hearty!

Check out the herbs on top – love it! For my meal I selected the Seafood di Mare, which awkwardly means Seafood of the Sea? We will let that one slide. This was a brick oven entree of baby scallops, shrimp, mussels, cod, with plum tomatoes and a baked crostini AKA crusty, amazing bread that I put the tomatoes on top of and ate like a homemade bruschetta.

The mussels were very good! It was my first time trying them and I’m glad I had something new. The rest of the seafood was wonderful as well. My only complaint is the temperature of the dish. This thing was HOT, and not your normal restaurant hot. I’m talking after 15-20 minutes of eating (I eat slowly), I was still blowing on each bite and desperately sipping water to cool my mouth down. I finally figured out that taking the remaining components of the meal out of the hot oil they were chillin’ (not at all) and setting them on a bread plate for a few minutes would cool them down quickly. The amount of oil this was baked in was too much anyway – there was so much leftover when I finished! I’d recommend using less oil and heating it less – but really, what do I know about cooking? Just a thought though, Bertucci’s!

And now I’ll embarrass myself by showing the website’s image of my meal. Looks pretty similar in terms of what came with it, but man I would’ve enjoyed having that lemon!

Thanks to Bertuccis.com for image.

Jeff went with the Seafood Torta: “Bertucci’s famous dough filled with tender scallops, shrimp, roasted tomato sauce, tomatoes, shaved cheese and oregano. Topped with fresh thyme and then baked to perfection in the brick oven.” I’ve had the Vegetable Torta before and while it’s delicious, I found it hard to eat and too similar to a pizza. I might as well just get a pizza, it’s easier to manage!

We all agreed that the presentation on this dish was pretty sad. It looked so bland on that plate – so lonely! But Jeff said he liked it. And another website photo for comparison…

Thanks to Bertuccis.com for image.

If only Jeff’s meal had come with that sprig of thyme laying oh-so-delicately on the torta!

Kim got one of my favorites, the Venetian Spinach Salad: “Grilled chicken breast atop a bed of spinach, grape tomatoes, red onions, shaved cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.” Her only complaint was that the red onions were too large for the salad – they were in rings, not shavings, and she doesn’t like too much onion taste at once. I gladly took a few rings off her hands and ate them whole. Classy.

I’m really lucking out with the availability of pretty website photos to put mine to shame, huh?

Image from Bertuccis.com

I’m always impressed with this salad. It’s one of the few I will order from a restaurant. I like to get the salmon – it is worth the higher price. Bertucci’s offers surprisingly delicious salmon.

At this point, we were feelin’ pretty good because the meal was over and it was time to head to TCBY for some FRO YO!

Cute couple aka my dining partners in crime.

We arrived and I discovered that it was Trivia Night, aka answer a trivia question right and get $1 off. And I got the only easy question (Which designer’s daughter owns a candy shop in NYC, Ralph Lauren OF COURSE), so I got $1 off! Poor Jeff and Kim got questions about the 70’s gas shortage and the tallest waterfall on Earth.

The most interesting topping on tap was star fruit! I’d never had it before and was excited to try it. Jeff nailed it when he compared it to an under-ripe pear – it was OK, but not something I’d go for again. Maybe it was just under-ripe!

I went with a mix of PB, white chocolate mousse, caramel, and cake batter flavors. Lots of toppings and topped off with sugar-free chocolate sauce.

And now I bring you…our creations!

Jeff's

Kim's

Mine.

Hey, it looks like there’s a candy cane in there! Trust me, there’s not, I hate them. I am obsessed with those frosted animal crackers though.

What’s your favorite fro-yo topping? Have you ever run into a meal that was just WAY too hot?

Playing Catch-Up

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday, or as I like to call it, the most useless day of the week. Hear me out on this. At least on Monday you still have a post-weekend high. Wednesday is hump-day. Thursday you know you’re almost there, and Friday is Friday. Tuesday has nothing to offer me, so I’m hatin’.

I have several photos, the oldest from exactly a week ago today, that I never shared with you guys in terms of eats. So I’m using today’s post to play catch-up.

Last Tuesday's dinner.

This was a good one. We had leftover chicken and turkey burger in the fridge, so I had some of each. My mom went to Moe’s and got some of their black beans to-go, which was awesome. I LOVE their black beans. And of course the ever-present Ore Ida frozen fries with spicy yellow mustard. These are so addicting. I definitely had more after I cleared my plate. I can NEVER leave any left on the pan. I don’t hate it.

Last Wednesday's dinner.

Please forgive the Barney bowl, the paper late, and all the shadows that are having a party in this picture. This was awesome though, despite how unpretty it is to look at. Broccoli with tons of garlic, turkey and bean chili, and two whole-grain taco shells for dipping.

I also wore a new shirt to work that day, and was excited enough to take pictures.

Ann Taylor sale!

 The next night’s dinner was another hodge-podge of components, only this time, all in one bowl.

Last Thursday's dinner.

This bowl of deliciousness, and the second one as well, contained broccoli from the night before, pico de gallo, and awesome Mexican casserole my mom made, and some leftover filet mignon that my dad brought home from a work dinner. So random. So good. Doused with a heaping helping of garlic salt. Filet mignon on a Thursday night is what’s up.

And some random salad beast lunches that always look the same…

Protein of choice: leftover spaghetti sauce meat

Protein of choice: leftover Mexican casserole

Yay! Now I’m all caught up. Also, I had a good workout last night. Good, not great. But it’s because I wasn’t challenged enough! I went to Group Power and for the first time, I knew I could’ve lifted a higher bicep weight. I also could have lifted more in shoulders. I’m bummed that I could’ve gotten a harder workout in, but I also know that it means I’m getting stronger and I love it! Today is a rest day because I have class and haven’t taken one in a week!

Quick – tell me what you had for dinner last night. 

Quirky Eating Techniques

Eek, talk about a boring title! At least it tells you what this post is about right? Give me some time to get this title thing down, I swear I will!

The other day I got to thinking about weird habits we have when eating certain foods. I’m not talking about weird choices of food or odd combinations. I’m talking about quirky ways you eat some foods. I think it’s interesting to hear what others do and thought I’d share some of my weird ways!

How I Eat a Sandwich

When making myself a sandwich, I cut off the crusts. I usually munch on about half of them while I’m building away, but end up throwing the rest out. Once it’s time to dig in, I like to eat all the edges off of the sandwich first. I start at a random point and eat until I’m left with a circular-shaped sandwich. Then I kinda attack the circle arbitrarily, and my whole system goes out the window. But without fail, I must eat the edges first! I have no explanation for this, but have been doing so since I was 5 years old or so, which is when I started living off an average of three peanut butter sandwiches a day (this continued until age 18).

My rule probably wouldn't even have worked on this monstrous turkey sandwich from the food court at MGM Grand's Foxwoods Casino

How I Eat Pizza

I’ve got to start at the end, of course. Once I got caught starting at the crust, due to a blistering-hot pizza slice that I couldn’t wait to dig into, and got caught in the action. That’s how weird my friend thought it was that I was eating pizza that way.

Cheese slice at Giovanni's Brick Oven Pizza in Glastonbury, CT

But I swear that’s not the norm! I have to start at the end of a slice, stop at the crust, and set it all aside on my plate. Then after I’m done with the “heart” of the pizza (and you can be rest assured I’ll finish it all), I like to assess how full I am. Usually I have room for at least a few of those crunchy, delicious crusts. Sometimes I have room for all of them! But the bottom line is I like to fill up on the actual pizza portion of the pie first, and then do crust if I have room. Waste not, my friends.

How I Eat Pears

I like to hold pears (bosc only please) at the end with the stem, and eat what I call the “butt” of the pear first. I think that’s the most satisfying, “meaty” part! And I know there’s a little stem part at the bottom (not a stem, not sure exactly what it’s called) but I just eat that. And I often times end up eating some seeds when I get to the core, and I don’t care. As my friend Kim says, I let very few portions of the pear go to waste. My sister says it reminds her of an ice cream cone.

Picture a pear instead of an ice cream cone. Same thing.

How I Eat Kiwis

I eat the skin. No more explanations needed, right? You think that’s weird enough I’m sure. I really like the skin though and I bite into kiwis like they’re apples. I actually picked up that habit off of blogs.

How I Eat Salads

I MUST chop my salads into the tiniest pieces possible. I can’t stand picking up a huge spinach leaf with my fork and awkwardly trying to get the whole thing in my mouth (that’s what she said, I know) or taking a bite that just has WAY too much of one flavor in it. I love salads but always have to put a good two minutes (minimum) into chopping them up. Of course when a restaurant has a chopped salad, that’s even better, but it’s rare that a restaurant will satisfy my salad standards enough for me to actually order one.

Eyebrow Raising

And my weirdest quirk of all…my eyebrows. Let me explain. Whenever I bite into anything, if it’s a bite of ANY substance, I must raise my eyebrows. I don’t know why it happens. It’s not like they’ll pull my mouth wider or anything! But it’s just a natural reaction to taking a bite, and one all my friends poke fun at.

Caught in the act with a wild boar burger at Ray's Hell Burger Too in DC.

Are you guys as weird as I am? Share your eating quirks!