Author: foodsweatandbeers

Good Karma Omelet

/ foodsweatandbeers / 14 Comments

Good afternoon, friends and neighbors!!

It was rough to go back to work today after a wonderful weekend.  In case you missed anything:

I’ll admit, I spent lots of time at home this weekend, being a little homebody.  That’s because the next two weekends will be spent on planes, trains, and automobiles (literally), heading to the Healthy Living Summit in Philadelphia (I fly in at 3:15!! And already have a double welcome wagon of Krissie and Ali!!  Then, the next weekend, I fly BACK to Philly for my cousin’s bridal shower.

Oh yeah, and on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011, I TURN 24!!

I promise to be less Birthdayzilla this year...

In the meantime, I’ve got a busy week ahead of me.  Lots of work, workouts, and a low-carb diet for the week that I’m trying out as I’ve been feeling fairly full and bloaty all weekend (due primarily to MANY carby snacks of fried goodies, too many Wheat Thins to count, Heath bar pancakes drenched in syrup (heavenly), a few too many cheddar biscuit samples at A Southern Season, and (of course) tacos and chips galore.

Oi vay.

Time to cut back a little (though I’ll still enjoy my Fiber One 80 calorie cereal I just started enjoying for breakfast).

Today, when I came home for lunch, I spotted a sad, sad sight.

PLANTTTTTT!!

My poor basil plant took a tumble overnight, probably due to the Noah’s Ark-like downpour all evening….  Well, I flipped it right up, gave it some water, and I think got some good karma because then I did something I don’t think I’ve successfully done since I moved to this apartment.

The Perfect Omelet Flip!!

Well, what happened next will be known as the Good Karma Omelet.

  • 1 egg white, 1 egg base
  • 1 handful of spinach, sauteed
  • 1/5 of a green pepper, also sauteed
  • 5 pieces of turkey pepperoni, sliced into thirds
  • 1 slice of provolone cheese, melted

Slather that bad boy in Frank’s Red Hot, and you’ll taste all that good karma just filling up your belly.

For dessert, I enjoyed a fresh peach from my beau’s boss’ field!

Fresh and ripe and great to the last drop!!

I am sensing great things for the rest of the day.  My plant is upright, my belly is full (but not with many carbs), and True Blood, like that peach, was good to the last drop.

Ha, vampire joke.  Get it?

Good.  For tolerating that silliness, here’s a sexy Eric and Sookie moment to enjoy.

Sexy, can I? (click on image for Source)

Are you going to the Healthy Living Summit?

How did you earn some good karma today?

Six Pack Sunday: Snacktime!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 10 Comments

Hey hey you party people!

Glad you enjoyed my recipe for that Chocolate Crack (and lemme tell you, despite some judging malfeasance, everyone at the picnic loved it too).

It’s been a pretty snuggly weekend, with a total of three naps and very little leaving the house, which I loved…. but that’ll change oh-so-soon with next weekend being the Healthy Living Summit in Philly and the weekend after being a wine-tasting themed bridal shower for my cousin in OCNJ!  But enough about the future, here are the six silly things that I’ve enjoyed or thought about this week.  For your viewing pleasure.

  1. So that’s why they call them navel oranges.

    Wow. Definitely an Inny.

    If that’s not a belly button on a fruit, I don’t know what is.

  2. I demand a revote!

    Gimme a break!

    Now, I know I may be biased…. but of the 5 desserts pictured here, mine didn’t even PLACE! (there were 1-3rd places with gift cards!)  I’ll admit, the cool whip thing on the left was delicious and full of cake and berries…. but the one on the far right…. HAWAIIAN CAKE?! COME ON!!  I gave them all a fair try.

    A nice sampler platter of the competition's goodies.

    Admittedly, I’m a bit sour grapes, so my mind may have played tricks on me, but I’m pretty sure the carrot cake was poison.

    Luckily, the judging didn’t prevent people from eating the heck out of the crack. HA!

  3.  #WTF

    AND a personalized note to boot!

    Have any of you tweeted #WTF when you finish a box of Wheat Thins @crunchiscalling?  If you DO you have a chance to have a brand new box sent to you!!  And they even hand-write the note!!  How nice is that?

    And I can’t promise that I’ll send you boxes of Wheat Thins, but you should follow @foodsweatnbeers on twitter too for live, minute-by-minute updates on what I’m doing.  Doesn’t that just sound great?!

  4. A Blogger Meetup!!

    UNC girls!!

    I met up with Allison, author of Happy Tales, at the UNC School of Public Health.  It was my first ever healthy living blogger meetup, a virtual dress rehearsal for the Healthy Living Summit in LESS than a week (ahhh!)  It was great to finally meet someone IRL who I’ve read all about.  It’s like I already knew her.  Wonderful to meet, chat about HLS and our mutual love of dogs named Happy, and enjoy the company while spending some time on UNC campus again. It just reminded me how excited I am for Football Season!!

  5. Another WTF.  This time, chocolate bar style.

    Oh, it isn't?!

    Read a little about this Yorkie candy bar.  And apparently it’s not for girls. So if you’re trying to eat it, and you’re a lady….

    DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

  6. North Carolina’s Girls’ Pint Outchapter is making it happen!!

    Sweet Swag

    I had a fantastic meeting with the some of the finest Craft Beer Ladies in the Triangle tonight to discuss future plans for NC GPO…  Things are going to get awesome, very very soon.  Check out @NCGirlsPintOut on Twitter!!  Our next event’s going to be this Thursday(!!!!) at Busy Bee Cafe in Raleigh and I’m beyond pumped.  Also in the plans…. two of my favorite words, combined into one event: KEGS & EGGS!!

    Nothing’s set in stone, yet, but I’ll be working my booty off to get it set.  Perhaps a tailgating event.  That’s just my dream come true.  Dream big, right Jordan?

Those are the little bits of goings on, and now I’m off to enjoy my froyo and a sweet episode of Mad Men. Yup, this is the first time we’ve ever watched it. And yup, I’m addicted.

Get inside of my belly.

Good night, friends, and best of luck waking up for Monday’s meandering.

Chocolate Crack: S’mores Style

/ foodsweatandbeers / 15 Comments

All I could think about when I was making these was the incredibly quotable flick, Mean Girls.

Crack. (click on image for Source)

But I’ll be honest, this crack would definitely crack Regina George.  And Gretchen Weiners.

After our amazing dinner date at Mellow Mushroom last night, we figured it was time to whip up some dessert.  While I used a few different recipes online to remind me how to make this, I also used years of watching my mom make these delicious desserts.  I’ve heard it called all sorts of different names. Sugar Bark. Chocolate Crack. Salty Sweet. Crackle. But whatever you call it, it’s addictive.  And too easy to make.  If you need an easy-to-make food for a crowd you’re trying to please, GO FOR IT!

What you need is:

  • Aluminum foil
  • a tall pan (some people call them jelly roll pans? But I’ve never even seen a jelly roll, so I just called it the tall pan.)
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 sleeve of salted saltines (like, 40-50 saltine crackers)
  • 1 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, I bet even white chocolate would work
  • Vanilla extract
  • Some baby marshmallows

Step 1

My saltines were not green. But my lighting was awful, as these were being made at 10 pm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your so called “Jelly roll” pan with the saltine crackers (pack tight, no spaces) and make SURE you don’t have more than one solid row of crackers.  If there’s space on the edges, break the saltines to fit the gaps. And then, eat the extra saltine bits. Yum.

Step 2

Butter me up.

Take the butter. Put it in a medium sauce pan. Melt it at a medium heat. Don’t burn it. Easiest step ever.

Step 3

Looking sweet

Add the cup of dark brown sugar and a dash of vanilla extract (about a teaspoon, maybe a teensy bit more, we just eyed it) to the melted butter in the pan. Stir it at a medium heat until the mixture is a uniform rich brown.  This will look divine, smell like warm caramel, and you may be tempted to eat it straight from here. Don’t, you’ll burn your mouth and ruin your dessert.

Step 4

(no picture, sorry, so here’s a picture of a jelly roll)

That's a lot of pan for a little jelly roll. (Click image for Source)

Pour the butter sugar vanilla mixture on the crackers, and toss that in the (preheated) oven.  Watch it carefully, and when the mixture starts to bubble, take it out.

Step 5

Chocolatey goodness

Sprinkle the chocolate on top of the bubbling sugar crackers.  You can let the heat melt it, but I like to take a spatula and spread the chocolate for a more even coating.

Step 6

Rockiest road = marshmallows

We forgot to get the marshmallows, but had marshmallow fluff, so we plopped it all around.  However, I always recommend using marshmallows, and sprinkling them around. The fluff’s hard to work with (but, if you’re into getting more on the spoon and your fingers…. by all means.)  Put the pan in the fridge and wait it out.  I’d say at least 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Step 7

Get it OUT OF MY HOUSE!

After refrigerating for a few hours (or overnight, just to be safe), crack the bark up (the foil normally comes off very easily but sometimes you have to pull a bit) into little bite sized treats.  Try a piece. Then get it as far away from you as possible lest you eat the entire thing.
Voila!  I promise, this will go so fast at your next potluck you’ll wonder if you accidentally forgot to bring something.

Ok, now that I’m salivating over crack, I better eat some legitimate breakfast food. A girl can’t live on chocolate, sugar, butter, and saltines alone.

But she can certainly try.

This Friday Night

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Good evening (and a late one at that!)

The beau and I just got done our plans for the night and I’m pretty sure it was exactly like the Katy Perry hit, Last Friday Night (TGIF).  In case you don’t turn on the radio, it’s something like this:

Yeah we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot…

Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard…

We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a menage a trois.

Anyone ever actually think about those lyrics?  Quite a big jump from going skinny dipping and streaking to legitimately having sex with two people at once, IMHO.  But hey, she’s Katy Perry, she’s got it under control, I’m sure.

Yeah, Jordan, don’t worry about me…

But yes, our night was equally as crazy.

I started out ridin’ solo at the gym, with a fantastic Body Attack class.

Not my best, but absolutely not even close to my worst.

My ankle was still bothering me a little but I focused on the lower-impact options (one of my favorite aspects of Body Attack is that they always give you options) to take some of the pressure off, and still managed to work up one hell of a sweat.

Don’t you love when fitness classes turn into wet t-shirt contests?

Then, as Katy and her buddies danced on tabletops, we did a little dancing in downtown Durham.

He calls this one the "check me out!"

I call this one the "pose pretty with your dream purse". I'll be giving lessons at the Healthy Living Summit cocktail party if anyone's interested.

We took too many shots.  And by shots, I mean slices of pizza.

All pepperoni, half artichoke (me), half buffalo chicken (Ry)

From one of our all-time favorite pizza joints in the Triangle (and anywhere):

Mellow Mushroom’s Mellow Menu

We definitely kissed a few times.  But I didn’t forget any of them.

We didn’t have to max out our credit cards because my Uncle had given me a giftcard, but we ALMOST got kicked out of the bar…

Wait, not even a little.  I did almost kick a woman out of the outdoor seating for smoking while we were eating, but she stopped (aka finished her nasty smelly cigarette) moments before the pizza came out (at which point I would’ve complained, loudly and obnoxiously.  and then, maybe gotten kicked out of the bar.)

I enjoyed a delicious Bell’s Two Hearted with dinner.

Thanks for the bunny ears, Ry.

Then, we hit the boulevard (aka walked back to the car).

The rest of the song gets into some pretty risque stuff and I’ll be honest….. we skipped that and baked (sort of) a dessert for his company picnic.

It may not have been the stuff Katy writes songs about, but maybe she’s missing out on a gold-mine of brilliant lyrics waiting to be written.  Katy, gimme a call if you need any more inspiration.  I’ve got gobs of this stuff.

Did you do anything wild enough to warrant a Katy Perry song tonight? 

Did you watch the double play of Con Air on TNT tonight? BECAUSE I’M WATCHING IT RIGHT NOW!

Time to get back to the oh-so-classy and ever-so-well-dressed Nicolas Cage.

Put the bunny in the basket.

What a dreamboat….

 

Football. Football. FOOTBALL! (oh, and Friday.)

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

TGIF! (I know I said that about T[hursday] too, but really, I’m thankful for both days.)

Today, since I woke up, I couldn’t get my mind off of the lunch from Wednesday.  The creaminess of the melted provolone, the crunch of the Roma tomatoes, I wanted it all in my belly.

Well, Jojo gets what she wants:

Sandwich of Dreams

I knew this was going to be tasty from experience, but honestly… it exceeded my dreams.  Eggy, spinachy, crunch, and soft it was perfect all around.

On the side was a little bag of veggies that I should’ve included in my What’s I’m Loving post from yesterday.

Bird's Eye Steamfresh Asian Medley

It’s got a great amount of seasoning on the veggies without overpowering their natural flavor. AND it’s got BABY CORN!  You know… like regular corn, but smaller.  Can’t beat it.

For dessert, a Vita Top with some PB:

Whoah, PB is saltier than I remember

Unlike some most of the bloggers I read, I’m not a huge nut butter fan, so whenever I do indulge in a little Peanut/almond/cashew/whatever butter, I’m surprised by how salty it is.  This sweet and salty treat, sort of like a Reese’s Cup, hit the spot, regardless.

But honestly, that’s just a puff piece about my lunch.  What I want to talk about, and what I’ve been thinking about a LOT lately is….

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON!!

I’ll admit, I may not always love to watch sports.  In fact, more often than not, sports on TV just bore me to tears (my apologies to the beau, and any future sons I may have.)  But college football isn’t just about sitting in front of a tv and yelling and throwing remotes and scrambling to try and find the batteries because the remote hit the wall and muted when you threw it.

College football, to me, is a romance.

It’s not about stats, it’s not about touchdowns (well, for some folks it is), and it’s not about whether or not your football players get 395 parking tickets (woops, UNC).

This is college football:

A sea of Carolina blue (photo credit to my buddy, Shog.)

It’s tailgating, partying, and cheering your team on with thousands of your closest friends total strangers who bleed the Carolina blue (or Ole Miss red and blue… or Penn State blue and white…. or anything like that) that runs through your veins a little bit faster on game days.

Paint up or SHUT UP!

While UNC is definitely a basketball school, football will always hold a special place in my heart.  My first year of college was spent on the UNC Varsity Fencing Team (yeah, I thirsted for the bloodsport) so football games translated to a chance to scoop frozen lemonade out and sell it to drunk fans who made jokes about how cold our chests got (wish I had my fencing weapons to fleche their knickers off) (bonus points for fencing terms.) It wasn’t really until my junior year that I was able to partake in the joy that is…. college football season.

A dream come true

At my fraternity house, we’d sell out the parking lot, grill meat (and veggie burgers…. we had a disproportionate amount of vegetarians in my fraternity… then again, we were also called the “hippy frat” so maybe not), and day drink.

MIMO TIME!!

And, by dating a fellow that went to one of the most fun football schools in the nation, I also got to see how they do it down in the deep south at Ole Miss:

”]I can not even patiently wait for football season, in the hopes to maybe even go to a game (haha, you’ll notice that through this post, I didn’t really talk too much about that. Now you see where my priorities lie.)

But really, going to a game, shaking your pom poms [literal ones, not chest, you pervs] in the face of an opponent obnoxiously, and cheering in unison with the entirety of your fan base…. there’s nothing like it.

Though I graduated from UNC in 2009, during football weekends, I feel like I’m a student again, right there with all the other tailgaters, rabble rousers, and Tar Heels.

I can’t wait for the foods, the shouting, the 6am wake-up calls for the noon games, the hooplah, the tiny Tar Heel face tattoos, the smell of grilled meat, the shenanigans I’ll get in with my fellow brothers and sisters, young and old…. I just can’t wait.

Oh yeah. And the beer.

 Are you stoked for college football season?  And who’s your team of choice?

August is the New October

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

Good evening y’all!!  as I said before in my tweet, tonight I had both:

  • So many beers and
  • So much fun.

The theme of tonight was…. well, it was awesome. I hosted a top notch meetup for Tri-Beer (The Triangle Beer Meetup featured in this month’s All About Beer magazine!!).  The featured beer was Sam Adams Octoberfest and, because we drank that bad boy, we all got a freebie glass (only the PERFECT pint glass.)

That one, pictured here three times.

This glass, known as the Perfect Pint glass, was designed by MIT students. You might be wondering what it was so “perfect”.  Well, according to the Sam Adams website, this is why!

It’s got a narrow top to retain the hop aroma & sustain the head, a rounded shape to collect aroma, thinner walls to maintain the proper temperature longer, and laser etching on the bottom to createe bubbles for constant aroma release.

The featured beer of the night was the Sam Adams Octoberfest (as I mentioned moments ago), and here’s what the brewery has to say about it:

Brewed with five varieties of malted barley for a big, rich flavor.

The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color. Samuel Adams® Octoberfest has a rich, deep reddish amber hue which itself is reflective of the season. Samuel Adams Octoberfest masterfully blends together five roasts of malt to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The malt is complimented by the elegant bitterness imparted by the Bavarian Noble hops. Samuel Adams Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the heartier brews of winter.

October comes early.

What I have to say:

It poured a beautiful copper orange color, and it poured many a time (lots of folks came out for this beer night!)

The smell resembled a creamy caramel or butterscotch (and I promise that’s not just because I watched the flick, Cedar Rapids, last night), and was a nice, malty, and sweet.

The taste was so smooth and a pleasant surprise, as what I recall about last year, this beer was nothing to write home about.  The tastes of this beer remind me of college football, of bonfires, and of spending time with some warm rising bread dough.

The best part about this beer…. was that I got to try different ones shortly after.

Sorry this is the only photo I have, and it's from online. I was busier drinking than I was photographing.

The Steelhead Scotch Porter from Mad River Brewing Company was as dark in color as it is by name….  It smelled like a rich scotch, and it poured a deep brown color with a nice beige head. Someone mentioned this tasted like molasses, and I can TOTALLY see that.  And by see, I mean taste.  The coffee taste wasn’t as strong as previous dark beers (like the coffee infused Sweet Josie Brown from Lonerider Brewery!! which was off the chain on every account).  However, I tasted chocolate, and I tasted smooth.  It also, without question, tasted boozy.

I was pleasantly surprised with both these beers, and felt obliged to share with the class.  Seriously, if you’re unsure about trying porters or dark beers, try something like this Scotch Porter, or a coffee infused porter.  It’s a nice way to ease you into the beer of the night, and it gives you a chance to try something you might never try otherwise!

How was your Thursday evening?  Was it as thirsty as my own?

PS this was my dinner:

Egg flatout with turkey, cheese, and spinach

Tasty, but nothing fancy.

Can’t wait for the weekend!

Any big plans?

What I’m Loving This Thursday

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

Hey there everyone!

I’m so glad you all got a kick out of my trip down memory lane yesterday.  I’m a big fan of hopping down that particular lane now and then, so thanks for obliging my guilty pleasure.

In a not so guilty manner, I made today’s lunch knowing that tonight I’d be enjoying a few beers and maybe an appetizer (or two) at the Sam Adams Octoberfest Meetup tonight at Rockfish!

Beastly salad or salad beast, now you don't have to choose!

In today’s delicious lunch was:

  • Spinach
  • Red pepper
  • Green pepper
  • Lowfat mexican blend cheese
  • Reduced Sodium Bush’s Black Beans (my very favorite of all beans)
  • Half a small avocado
  • Some crumbled chips (but more on them soon)
  • Salsa!

A virtual fiesta in the mouth.

As I was making this little jewel, I looked around my kitchen and noticed a few new products that I’m a big fan of and wanted to share with the WORLD (or the several of you that read what I’m writing!!)

First up, something I’ve talked about before:

Actually the perfect pinch

I use this McCormick Perfect Pinch Cajun Seasoning on just about everything lately (including my reduced sodium beans… kind of defeats the purpose of the reduced sodium, I know.)  I threw it on my blackened cod the other night and it just rocked my face off.  Ryan likes it because it’s spicy too.  And really, it’s very versatile.  Use it instead of salt and pepper, or instead of taco seasoning.

Trader Joes, you did me right again!

After my picture, I crumbled a few of these Spicy Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips on top of my salad.  They aren’t actually very spicy, they just crumble deliciously in my mouth, and it’s nearly impossible to not eat 100 in one sitting.  That could be good or bad for you, depending on what you’re looking for in a chip.  For me, it’s a little of both.  I love the little flax seeds in it, and the texture of the chips is great. Also, the ingredient list is totally natural normal everyday stuff.  Wins, all around.

Spinach artichoke HUMMUS?!

I’ve discussed my love for Sabra hummus many times (and tweeted too.  I’m like a Sabra groupie.)  But until yesterday, I’d never seen this particular flavor in a store before!  Well, the moment I saw it, I grabbed it and clutched it to my bosom like a mother who’d saved her child from a burning house (read: Death grip.) I have only tried it with the aforementioned spicy chips, so the jury’s still out (too much flavor from the vehicle).  I’m hoping to get something plainer this weekend and give it a real focused taste.  Stay tuned.

Lime popcorn? It's a crazy hybrid like that coronarita I had!!

This popcorn totally reminds me of those Hint of Lime Tostitos.  Only better.  I love popcorn, I love lime and citrus flavors, and LOOK they even rimmed everything in salt!!  Great treat for watching a movie, and each mini bag has only 190 calories.  Better than popping that MOVIE THEATER BLAST O’ BUTTER that I used to like, and with much more flavors.

Finally, the coup de gras:

Fiber One 80 Calorie Cereal!

This Fiber One 80 Calorie cereal is AH-MAZING! It tastes like honey and crunch and awesome, AND has 40% of my daily fiber! I even added strawberries, like the picture suggested, it was perfect. Sweet, crunch, filling.  I used to eat the Fiber One original literally EVERY DAY when I first started Weight Watchers.  That was 60 calories but tasted like sticks and twigs.

Morning Delight

This has at LEAST 400 calories more worth of flavor, but only 20 more actual real live calories.  I plan on buying 100 boxes as they’re currently on sale at Harris Teeter (and you can get a coupon for Fiber One Here!)
Ok, so those are my most recent tasty MVPs….

How about you?  Any new products you’re digging?

Surprise Samurai Ale Review!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

I bet you thought that my night was over.  You think I just go have random surprise date nights and then that’s it?

Ye of little faith.

I have another treat for you.

Treat for you? More like a treat for ME!

Tonight’s beer was one I’ve been holding onto for a little while.  But I’m not too upset, it was worth the wait.

A little brewski from the fine folks at Great Divide Brewing Company, this beer was not quite as delicious as that Hercules Double IPA I enjoyed at Milltown last week.  But man, was it drinkable.

Samurai Rice Ale, described by the brewer:

An easy drinking, unfiltered ale that changes the status quo for unfiltered beers. The addition of rice gives Samurai a slightly fruity, crisp, refreshing and clean taste. This is definitely not your everyday unfiltered beer.  5.1% ABV

Samurai Rice Ale, described my MOI:

This beer comes out a beautiful golden color, a teensy bit cloudy but that faded fast, with a little bit of sediment on the bottom of the glass.  One thing I liked about this beer was the amount of carbonation in it (i.e. quite a good amount!)  I smelled malts and maybe like… cut grass. It smelled clean and good.

The taste was tart on my tongue, and very crisp. It finished with very little mouthfeel, and there may have been some sort of bitter fruit taste in there too.  My favorite part about this beer was the drinkability, without question.  If it weren’t a little out of my price range, I’d want to drink these all summer.

I’m not sure what exactly made this a rice ale, I’m sure it’s something beyond my knowledge of beer, but I’d enjoy trying another rice ale in the future to know if it’s anything similar to this Samurai Ale.

Have you ever tried a rice ale?

Do you like a little sediment in your beer?

Surprise Date Night!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hello out there in TV Land! (or internet land. All the lands.)

So I finished the day at the office, and realized that the minor pain that I had in the front of my ankle was turning into a more major pain.  My pipe dreams of doing AbSculpt followed by BodyPump turned quickly into just an AbSculpt (not too much action on the ankle there, right?)

AbSculpt was hardcore today.

For 26 minutes (only really about 22 minutes of working it), that’s NTS (Not Too Shabby – Cedar Rapids). Then, after work, the beau and I decided to pick him up a little apron for a grilling gig he has this weekend (for his company picnic, he’ll be the guy flipping burgers for families and friends!)  Lucky for me (and hopefully him, too!) it turned into an impromptu date… My favorite kind!

After we scampered in and out of Wal-Mart, one apron richer, we were inches away from a Jason’s Deli, a spot I’ve never been in my whole life. Ry was pretty surprised, I guess it’s a fairly common place known for it’s muffalettas, a New Orleans delicacy.  But tonight, I wasn’t feeling the fluffy bready treat, I was feeling a little lighter fare.  They just so happened to have a whole section of the menu dedicated to just that!

Savvy Chicken Salad, sign me up!

Chicken Salad with some corn chips

I enjoyed the Savvy Chicken Salad Wrap: Organic wheat wrap with lower sodium chicken salad made with almonds and pineapple, roma tomatoes, red onions, and leafy lettuce. 

It was a little sweeter than I normally like my chicken salad, but I threw some of those corn chips in the wrap and a little bit of the salsa, added some salt and pepper, and perked it right up.  Ry went for a different option:

Hot Corned Beef and Pastrami

I’m pretty sure his sandwich ate my sandwich earlier in the day. He enjoyed it though, and I enjoyed a nibble or two.

Seeing as we were in the neighborhood…. I couldn’t help myself.  Tutti Frutti!!

A little more crowded than yesterday.

And if you’re wondering, yes I got froyo two days in a row.

Sorry I'm not sorry. Not even sorry for my crazy face.

And now…. we’re enjoying Cedar Rapids, thanks to the people at Neflix.  And maybe… I’ll even enjoy this beer to my left.

Can I See Some ID, Ma’am?

/ foodsweatandbeers / 17 Comments

Hey there y’all, and happy Hump Day!

Hope you’re enjoying this lovely Wednesday. The weather in Durham is a cool, breezy 90 degrees (note the sarcasm) and I’ve been spending it in an almost Arctic office.  We call it the frozen tundra.  After yesterday’s in-office lunch ordeal, I decided it’d be wise to come back home and eat on my little perch.

I'm basically the cleanest lady around.

I have been taking to typing and eating and chopping up here, this little counter might be my favorite aspect of my tiny little apartment. It’s bar height, and it’s perfect for a giant like myself.  Lunch was FANTASTIC, just what I was craving:

Piping hot!

On the menu:

  • Steamed veggies (the same as I had with last night’s tasty fish! Total mood booster)
  • Coke Zero
  • Sandwich Thin featuring:
  • Turkey
  • Provolone cheese
  • tomato
  • spinach
  • one fried egg!

Perfect and delish.  I also nibbled on a few chips from Trader Joes while cooking and watching Pretty Little Liars (my Wednesday lunch show of choice!)

Now let’s get onto the good stuff.

Last time I was home, I rifled around in my old bedroom, as I always do when I return home.  And I found some REAL gems…. That’s right, various IDs since like… 7th grade.  Now, I present to you:

The Evolution of Jordan

Braces and some sweet single strand bangs

This shot’s from 7th grade, and I’m pretty sure the fiercest of the bunch.  Clearly, I was Sm-eyes-ing. And presenting quality posture.  Did everyone at your school do those single-strand bangs that we all were into, pulled tight to your head?

Yeah, no, me either, this was def a fluke.

Grade: 10 Shirt: Volcom Attitude: Pure Jordan

Up next, we have a snapshot from 10th grade (we’ll call 8th and 9th my “black” period during which I refused to take photos…. or I couldn’t find those ones.)  I think this was when I started standing up straighter, and truly coming into myself.  I was on the varsity basketball and volleyball teams, playing lotsa sports, and finally feeling like I had a place in the world/school. I also shopped almost exclusively at PacSun and owned more tshirts with little characters or logos on the front than I own VS underwear now (hint… well over 30… and 40).  It was a pretty good time.

This might be my favorite ID outfit of all time. Also, sorry for the crumbs in front of the ID.... maybe those TJ chips I was talking about.

In 11th grade, my mom finally started demanding a modicum of fashion sense from her eldest child.  I thank her for this every day of my life.  At this point, I was thinking almost exclusively about colleges to go to, Junior proms, and being the captain of my sports.  Oh, and boys.  But let’s be honest, even though I had my first real kiss at 16, stuff didn’t start getting really interesting until my senior year.

Yeah, that's me. Winking obnoxiously. In my senior ID.

Don’t worry, this wasn’t in the yearbook or anything (at least I’m pretty sure…)  Since we had fancy shmancy senior portraits taken, these were just IDs used for lunch and to get discounts at the movie theater.  And I figured, it was my last year at this joint, I was already accepted to UNC (GO TARHEELS!! LOVE OF MY LIFE!!), go hard or go home.  As the photographer counted back from three (3… 2…. 1!) I hammed it up REAL big at the ONE and got this beaut to have and hold for the rest of my life.  That year, I was voted Most School Spirit, Most Likely to Change the World, and (shocker) Best Sense of Humor. I wish they’d just used this picture for the yearbook superlative shot, it would’ve summed it all up….  (PS So as not to hurt anyone’s feelings, I chose Best Sense of Humor since we weren’t supposed to hoard the superlatives.  BUT THE TRUTH’S OUT NOW, GARNET VALLEY ALUM! Sorry for spilling the beans. But not that sorry.)

Buzz's girlfriend... woof.

I hated my first one card with a fiery passion. My eyebrows are huge, I’m cracked out from having spent the past 2.5 days at Orientation (not sleeping and sneaking out to Durham to play beer ping pong with friends), and my hair looks like a horse’s tail.

Well, wouldn’t you know that got stolen (though, not for good) in 2007, so I had to get this bad boy:

Faded glory

My most used ID of my school years, you can really see the weight on my face in this one.  So I guess my junior year was when the poundage started going on. Something to do with moving into the fraternity house and having constant access to my bean-cheese-hot sauce dip at all hours of the night…. really did a number on me.

And now, here we are!

Glamour Shot!

Hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane… Because that was a blast to write.

Can’t wait to get a new ID, maybe I’ll post that one to see how things have changed.

Do you keep your old IDs like a secret hoarder (or like me)?

What’s your favorite ID picture of you? (mine’s the senior year one, hands down.)