Random

Philly’s More Fun When You Sleep Over

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

I love Philly.  And that’s saying something, considering realistically, how little time I’ve actually spent in the city. Growing up, there were field trips, of course. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, classic destinations for any Pennsylvania school student. I’ll admit, though, it was the closest city to me so, like anyone who lived in some sort of Philadelphia suburb (or anywhere nearby), I claim it as my own.

The City of Brotherly Love

Since I’ve grown up (to the ripe old age of 24? It’s a process), I’ve gotten to experience a different side of Philadelphia. I’ve been there for New Year’s Eve celebrations, foodie visits, a bachelorette party, numerous other random parties, and, of course, the Healthy Living Summit last summer.

The only way to jam in everyone's smiling face!

But it’s a very rare occasion I get to go to Philly without a real “reason”, an event or some sort of scheduled activity.  That’s why this past weekend was such a treat.

I flew into PHL on Friday night and took the train to Ryan’s stop, where he met me, bundled up in my “puffah” (the pet name of my Michael Kors puffy coat, one of my very favorite Christmas presents) to brave the Pennsylvania freeze. We enjoyed a beer, we snuggled, we watched some goofy movie about the Rock who plays a chef and el gato and Stifler is a mobster’s son and there’s lots of guns? I don’t know, it was awful, so [inevitably] Ryan loved it. (EDIT: Looked it up, it’s called The Rundown. In case you’re into ridiculous films like that.)  Despite the cinematic fail, it was a perfect, relaxing night.

The morning just took it to a new level of wonderful.

Bob’s Diner, in Roxborough. I would’ve taken a picture of the adorable outside, but that would’ve been risking my life in the middle of traffic, and I hate being hit by cars.  It was perfect, though, like a little trailer cafe met one of my favorite, long-menued diners in Jersey.  I originally ordered French toast with bacon, and then I saw it.  The Holy Grail of breakfast meats, in my opinion.  PORK ROLL! I quickly replaced my bacon order, and was soon greeted with a warm plate.

Golden and charred, my favorite things

The French toast was so light, it was like a cloud. A cloud I doused in syrup.  The pork roll was the star of the show, though, thick, charred, and salty.  I made quick work of my plate, forking up a combination of French toast and pork roll together in each bite.  It didn’t stand a chance.

Nice try, breakfast.

Ryan enjoyed a giant chocolate chip pancake, which I enjoyed too, because I’m his significant other, and that’s a rule in the dating world, right?

What's yours is mine.

Trust me, there were plenty more chocolate chips in the pancake.  And then, they were in my belly.

While at breakfast, we spotted a fraternity brother (one we’d seen just a week before at GC!)  I stayed true to myself by obnoxiously asking his dining buddy, who was definitely NOT someone we knew, to take a photo of us.

Delta Psi in Philly!

I love the ease of Philly. I love the chance to chat it up with all the waitresses at the diner, I love strolling around and seeing the historical mixed with the modern, I love the food, I love the Regional Rail system, and I love the people.  Maybe I’m biased because my boyfriend lives there (oh, and I met him there 4 years ago), my friends live there, and it’s the city I’ve been to the most.  But if you can’t love your city, what can you love?

…well, you could love pork roll, I guess.

What’s “Your” home city?  

What’s your favorite aspect of it?

Carolina Blue is the Best Medicine of All

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Ah, use of both nostrils, how I missed you…

In case you missed it, I’ve been sick. Really sick. But a little trip to the doctor, a lot of Sudafed, Nyquil, Dayquil, Orange Juice, Theraflu, and 4 naps within 2 days led to a woman on the verge of recovery.  Admittedly, this woman was probably not 110% last night (and still isn’t this evening) but it’s a work in progress.  I’ll admit, though, my desire for food has run the gambit, from ravenous to totally uninterested in anything edible, but tonight everything started shifting back into normalcy.  What’s more normal than breakfast for dinner?

For me, it doesn't get more normal than this.

Omelet containing all sorts of healthy junk.

On the fancy Sara Lee Delightful Wheat Bread, clocking in at 45 calories per slice. As much as I love a good sandwich thin as much as the next health-conscious broad, there’s nothing quite like bread that looks and feels like bread, not like flattened bread-like disks.

ANYWAY, onto the fun stuff. Last night, even though I was on death’s doorstep earlier in the morning (exaggeration is essential in any good story telling), I sucked it up (after the second nap of the day) because Roy’s Boys were playing!!

A sea of beautiful Carolina blue

I haven’t been to a Carolina basketball game since 2009 (ironically, I also haven’t been this sick since 2009). Why not just make it a perfect pair, right? With great sickness, comes great responsibly…. to cheer on UNC!!

Yeesh, I know, a little rough looking, but I made it out of the house!!

I took one of my oldest Carolina buddies, Katie, who recently just got engaged to her beau, out for a little engagement party cheering on our favorite team. You might notice the dark blue wall behind us.  Well that’s because we were seated in the VERY LAST ROW!  Needless to say, I’m glad I had my glasses with me.

We watched as UNC put a hurtin’ on some Miami Hurricanes, yelled as loudly as a hoarse alumna could yell, and, of course, jumped around.

(I promise, that jumbo tron says Jump Around)

It was a blast and a half and, despite getting home at almost midnight, I’d have to say it was totally worth it (even though we didn’t get cheap Bojangles biscuits since UNC didn’t score 100 points… rats.)

This weekend, I’m headed back to PHL for a little R&R with the beau, so I’ve got a lot of clothes-folding and dish cleaning to do before my flight!!

What team would you scream your heart out for, despite a sore throat?

Starve a Cold, Castrate the Flu

/ foodsweatandbeers / 13 Comments

…That’s how the phrase goes, right?

UGH. Day two of being home sick (technically day three of feeling pretty rough) and I’ve got a doctor’s appointment at 2pm. In the meantime, though, I’ve made some serious progress.

I took a shower!

I’ve finished approximately half of my bottle of orange juice as part of my Get Better Cocktail from yesterday.

I changed out of my sweatshirt (and into a bathrobe).

Oh my lord. I look like a lunatic.

I actually ate very delicious and (fairly) healthy meals, so at least I’ve still got my appetite.

Thanks to tips from Twitter friends, I coated my pizza stone in corn meal.

Want a little ‘za with that cornmeal?

Last night’s pizza was on Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza crust and featured that ever-popular Sockarooni sauce, sauteed onions and green peppers, a roma tomato, and pepperoni sprinkled with low-fat mozzarella cheese.

The cornmeal worked a charm!

No sticking?! No problem.

The last time I used my pizza stone, about 40% of the crust stuck to the stone. Didn’t really taste like pizza, as much as a dust of crust with some toppings.  This was much more pizza-like.

I’ve used the whole wheat pizza dough from Harris Teeter many times in the past and this was my first time trying the Trader Joe’s brand. Overall, I’d say it was a little chewier but MUCH easier to spread on the stone than the Harris Teeter kind AND it’s always $1.07 per ball (I’ve even seen it for $0.99 before!) Bargain, considering that makes up two pizzas for single-girl-living ME!

I’ve also found my new television show addiction.

AC, baby! [click for source

Thanks to the glory of HBO Go (free if you’re an HBO subscriber), I can watch shows like True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Summer Heights High, Angry Boys, etc from the comfort of my computer, my phone, or my Nook tablet. Admittedly, I can’t get the actual App on the Nook tablet BUT here’s a fun little hack. Use your Nook browser in Desktop mode, and voila, it’s just like using it on your computer.  Ah, technology…

Having worked on the OCNJ boardwalk for several years, Atlantic City during prohibition is basically the exact same as Ocean City, America’s Greatest Family Resort, during the mid-2000s.

I have decided that my next future major life event will be in the theme of Boardwalk Empire, because clearly, I would make a gorgeous flapper. I could ask Cat for tips.

Now, since I just slammed some more NyQuil, it’s time to go back to sleep, making sure I don’t drone off about the perks of prohibition or how much fun highway robbery looks.

[the craziness has kicked in.]

What would you do on a sick day?

GC 2012: We Make This Look Good

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

I’m insanely exhausted, my throat’s sore, and I may be getting sick…  But it was all worth it to have so many brothers and sisters, friends old and new, invading my home!

My OTHER significant other

I was dapper by association

I may have been over served a number of times with these fancy cocktails... Oops.

A New, Tall Spanish Sister!

Heavenly dinner

Time to veg out, watch so much TV my brain turns to mush, and sleep VERY early!!

Ain’t That a Kick in the Pants?

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

New Years are all about changes, right?

Well, my New Year’s Eve plans weren’t ALL that different from last year.  There was more beer, tastier food, 3/4 same people, but I still got to kiss my beau when the ball dropped!

MWA!

I spent the night with two of my favorite people, Ryan and Rachel, my best friend since middle school.  Coolest part of this NYE in Philly?

We didn’t even have to bring jackets!!

Those summer nights...

Which was great, because there’s no way I could’ve fit a coat into that purse.

I’ll admit, my favorite parts of the night were the dinner before and the champagne and hanging out in comfy clothes after we got home from the bar, but that’s probably because New Year’s Eve always has those ridiculous expectations and expensive cover charges that Thought Catalog summed up so nicely…

Funny thing about this new year. I don’t really have any major goals, at least nothing that I want to put into words. More just a general feeling, or general life directions.  That didn’t stop someone else from inspiring me to kick my fitness back into gear.

Text from my brother on Monday:

Connor: Hope your ride is going smoothly… question…. why did you stop using your heart rate monitor? I thought that was a cool thing.

Me: Battery died, just gotta get one and replace.

Connor: Bummer. Looking forward to its rebirth.

Knowing that my little brother had a) noticed my blog and b) recognized that something was different with my workout regime was just that kick in the pants that I needed (Check out my first Kick in the Pants which jump-started my 40lb weight loss in 2009!).  I popped over to the grocery store and, two super sales later, I nabbed a new CR2032 (the battery needed for the Garmin FR60) and was hard at work.

I only read later how difficult replacing your own watch battery and that most folks recommend taking it to a watch-person (Watch-fixer? anyone have a name for that?)

I’ll tell you what, these tools are NOT recommended for replacing your FR60 battery:

No, No, and NO!

Not my key tool, not some multi-headed screwdriver, and not the utili-tool that Ryan left here…. I felt hopeless.  Until, like a beacon in the night, I spotted it!

Glasses kit to the rescue!

This tiny tool is a precision eyeglass repair tool that I actually got the last time I bought a new pair of glasses. Well, as you can see in the image, I got it working again!! It was itty-bitty work for my giant banana fingers, but it just goes to show that being a four-eyes nerd AND a workout Barbie can pay off.

Ready for action

I guess I just needed someone to remind me why I started using that HRM in the first place.  And the only fair thing to do tomorrow  [despite having to host 3 friends during my fraternity convention weekend and picking two up from the airport (oh and working)] is to hit the gym running. Elliptical-ing. Whatever.

Have you ever experienced a kick in the pants?

Any big plans for the weekend?

You Don’t Know What You’re Missing…

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

Good morning, folks!

It’s nice to get back to some semblance of normalcy, even if it’s temporary. This weekend, I have my fraternity’s annual conference and, in addition to picking up a few folks from the airport, I’m also playing hostess to three different fraternal friends. Should be pretty exciting considering my apartment is still in a state of post-holiday chaos and hardly big enough for two people, let alone four. But hey, it’ll be cozy.

My stomach has been getting a much-needed break from some fairly indulgent holiday treats and instead having THIS for dinner:

Bubbly meaty goodness.

Last night, I enjoyed a fantastic stir fry courtesy of chicken, chia seeds, soy sauce, and Trader Joe’s Harvest Hodge Podge veggie mix.

Most delicious Hodge Podge for moi(dge?)

It may not look as savory and mouth-watering as it tasted. I kind of just tossed the chia seeds into the mix last second and, though they didn’t add anything taste-wise to the party, they certainly boosted the Omege 3 in the meal, right? That’s gotta be good.

Mysterious thing about trips home, while I’m there, I never even realize that I’m missing the vegetables that are conspicuously absent from my diet.  Then it’s a glorious reunion.

This got me thinking of other things in my life that I don’t realize I’m “missing” in my life, until I get home (or try something new… or whatever.)

BRILLIANT!

This water-bottle friendly water fountain?! THIS IS GENIUS!!

I never really paid too much mind to the fact that my water bottle never gets truly full from standard water fountains. That tilt always gets me…  Well, this fountain has shown me the light. It’s basically ruined all other water fountains for me.

Wawa: Where Dreams Come True

I regularly think about Wawa, so this one is kind of cheating.  But honestly, I never TRULY remember how much I love their diet raspberry iced tea until I get some of it.

Note to anyone trying to get me a gift: Gallon jugs of this work just fine.

Hot enough for ya?

Why my gym doesn’t have a sauna is just beyond me. And, I’ll admit, this photo was actually taken from an old Six Pack Sunday and in a steam room, but you get the idea.  There’s nothing to compare to a great sauna session after a particularly tough workout.  My family’s gym has a fantastic dry sauna, but it’s ALWAYS packed and I figured taking a picture in a room full of sweaty men might not be received too well.

Tool of torture?

Ok, I PROMISE this is not a picture what you may be thinking it is. And, if you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking… well, pardon me for my dirty mind. But what this IS a picture of is some sort of spiked leg roller. I’ve seen oodles of posts on the perks of foam rollers, but this is a little more of a massager. And this is how I use it.

Sweet sweet relief.

I rub my legs, my arms, my back (well, I get someone to rub that for me), and my butt. And it is heavenly. I never would’ve known that I needed this. And now that I have it, I’m never letting go of it.

Do you have any goodies that you never realized you needed until you got a hold of them?

 

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: Price Family Edition

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

‘Twas the night before Christmas, the home was looking fine,

Seven Prices were stirring, and two smelly canines.

Stinky.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

From youngest to oldest (I brought up the rear)

First born perks!

The ornaments were unwrapped, which is always fun

And stories were told about each and every one.

Tar Heel Nation

The tree was so tall, we weren’t sure what was a matter.

Luckily we’re giants, giants who own a ladder.

Bump mans the ladder, Ki mans the... brother.

Our tree looked so fierce, but something was missing…

A HA! we shouted, “It needs  some more glistening!”

Tinsel attack!!

The tinsel, it sparkled, making a twinkle in my eye!

And we blew a few strands, so they’d shine way up high.

My tinseling skills are unparalleled

It wouldn’t be Christmas without our hats and PJs

The pants were so cozy, I could wear them for days!

Family Fashion

My new camera was a hit, especially with mom.

Unbeknownst to me, she snagged a picture of my bum.

Great shot, mom. Thanks.

We had lots to do, but we dug down deep.

And all of that work made us all crave some sleep.

Some more than others...

Christmas eve with family always fills me with glee

And check it out, a family photo for ALL to SEE!!

Like our Phillies hats?

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!

I know it’s a bit belated, but the past few days have been JAM-PACKED! Glad to have some time to relax…

What’s your favorite Christmas Eve tradition?

Memoirs of a Road Warrior

/ foodsweatandbeers / 3 Comments

Yesterday, for nine hours, I was a road warrior. A trip that, in the past, has taken me a mere 6.5-7 hours transformed into a nine hour driving bonanza.  I figured there’d be no harm in inviting you into my brain during those nine glorious hours.  Here are the thoughts I thought, the sights I saw, and musings along the way.

Heck yeah! 10:30, getting started early!! I’ll be home in time for an early dinner!

Every time I see Oxford on a sign, whether it’s in North Carolina or Pennsylvania, I wish it was for Mississippi.

I am so hungry. Why didn’t I eat before I left?  I’ll just hold off until 12:30. If I can make it until then, I’ll be more than a quarter through the trip! [how wrong I was.]

Marlboro Country?

Good to know the cigarette business is alive and kicking.

Driving through Virginia is like inviting all of my country music dreams to come to life.

LUNCHTIME!

You know what would go so well with leftover salad?

Solid choice.

Salad + Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Nuggets + Fries = balanced meal.

I’m pretty sure that Taylor Swift and I would be great friends in real life. She might get mad that I couldn’t French braid her hair, though. That’s okay, I’m sure she has people for that.

Since when is a medium soda the size of my face?  There’s no way I’ll be able to finish this.

*rattling of ice* Wow, was that it?

[20 minutes later] gotta pee.

Gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee.

I know… I will just get through DC. Once I pass DC, I will get gas and use the restroom.

Thank goodness I have this GPS, I’d never know where I was going.

[At this point, I blindly followed my GPS that hasn’t been updated for 4 years.]

Uh oh.

Washington Monument or America's peen?

I am not a cartographer, but I’m pretty certain that “around DC” is not the same as “through DC”.  This is going to get messy.

Neat. Now I’m in the middle of Washington DC, no idea of how to get around, hoping to God that this GPS can steer me home.

Bumper to bumper traffic. Score.

Whoah, jam.

Upon closer look, apparently the streets of DC are fans of Lisa.  Or just Okies, in general.

I can’t STAND when people’s cars are so covered in bumper stickers that you feel like you’re reading their biography.

Oh my LORD I have to pee. It’s the only time in my life I’ve ever wanted the equpment to pee in a bottle.

FINALLY through Washington!! Time to PEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

And also, time to practice my straw whistling skills. I’m super skilled. (At looking gorgeous and having flawless skin.)

Oooh, is it snowing?!

Refuse.

Turns out it was actually bits of paper and trash coming off the back of this truck. Thank goodness I wasn’t dreaming of a white Christmas.

Hooray! I’m back on I95!! Next stop, HOME!

No, wait, just more traffic.

[at this point, I called my Dad for a back way. then got trigger happy, and took the first turn I saw. BIG mistake.]

Oh, great, one lane road 40 MPH. Lesson of the evening?

Appearances can be deceiving.

Just because a sign says Route 1, doesn’t mean it’s the Route 1 you want to get on. It could be Maryland 1. Or Pennsylvania 1. Or a sign made by a young child. Either way, it’s going to take forever to get home.

Thank GOD for NPR! Today, I learned about Cancer, Pakistan, Doula services, migratory patterns of birds, and NASDAQ.  Jealous?

2 hours later, one GIANT accident navigated around (smart phone to the rescue!), and about 70 miles later…. Is that the intoxicating smell of my mother’s THOUSANDS of candles?!

VICTORY!

I have arrived.

Favorite part of road trips?

Mine is probably the point where you lose all control of being logical and normal and start talking to yourself.

 

 

 

 

Bottom of the Barrel

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

I think I’ve done it.  I think my cupboards are officially bare (my cupboard being my fridge, because the stuff I keep in the cupboards could last until 2020).

Sure, it involved a bit of over-eating at lunchtime, namely in the field of “half a bag of Trader Joe’s sweet potato fries” but hey, no one likes freezer burn, right?

So little green, so much delicious.

Those orange rods of goodness were fantastic. Their sweet flavor was complimented by a kick of spicy habanero ketchup and a squirt of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce and, to round out my meal of generally white/brown/tan/orange colors, an egg/pepperoni/pepper jelly sandwich.  Mmmhm.

I also spent some time during lunch wrapping up all my presents for my family. My apartment complex was nice enough to offer us free wrapping supplies, so I snagged a roll of happy penguin Christmas paper and went to town.  One day, when I have many more presents to wrap and perhaps some little kids to wrap them for, I hope to have a sweet wrapping set-up with all the tape and scissors I can handle, but, in the meantime, I’ll take my paper and ribbon where I can get it.  And, hopefully, my family/friends will take my presents, torn wrapping paper and messy folds and all, without questioning my love for them.

Beautiful mess, yes?

I also have all my clothes folded in neat little piles around the apartment.

While this may sound organized, it is actually not the same as having your bags packed.  On that note, with a beer in my belly, it’s time to get busy finishing up my luggage AND packing the car!! I have high hopes of leaving NC before noon, tomorrow, so I’ve got lots to do before I go!!

Do you have any wrapping talents? Or are you a bag + tissue paper person?

Faux Pas? No, Pas.

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

The countdown is so fully ON.  Two days left of work, and I’m headed up North for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and all the fun in between. I’d like a Philly cheesesteak, a Capriotti’s Bobbie, and a TON of time with my family and beau. Until then, my mission to empty the fridge continues.  Today’s project?

Fully loaded omelet.

Slathered in goodness

Today’s omelet got rid of a lot of bits and pieces from the produce drawer!

  • 2 egg whites, one yolk (only one egg left!)
  • Red onion (sauteed in EVOO)
  • The last of a bag of spinach
  • The last of a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Some Boar’s Head Pepperoni (my VERY favorite kind of pepperoni)
  • All sorts of Frank’s Red Hot

It was delicious, and the fridge is looking emptier by the second. I also gifted two of the fancy beers I’ve been saving for my hop-head coworker.  The gift of choice was the Thomas Creek Brewery’s “Up the Creek Extreme IPA”. I’ve actually tried this beer once before and, though I don’t have a picture, I do remember being surprised at how much I didn’t like it.  It’s 12.5% ABV, and (though the site claims otherwise), I couldn’t help but taste the booze, and be turned off by the overly-sweet taste. Someone online compared it to a barley wine and, though I wouldn’t ever confuse the two (it’s still too “beery”), I can definitely recognize the similarity.  I’d bought this beer for my coworker a few months ago, and was saving it for a special occasion. Thank goodness for the IPA-fiends in our lives….

In other news, as I mentioned via Twitter, today’s outfit was one of those times where I’m fully aware that I’m not a “fashion blogger.”  I feel like I’d heard that navy and black together are a big “no-no” in the fashion world. But, when I tried on today’s outfit, I felt adorable and twirly, so I just ran with it.

Minus the belt-slippage, cute, right?

I’ve been spinning around all day, and feel certain that, faux pas or not, it’s comfortable and cute.  Big thanks to my NYC correspondent, Lee, for confirming that it is not the biggest fashion mistake I could make.  And the slouchy boots are consistently the coolest accessory I own.

On today’s agenda:

  • Get accustomed to my new computer at work (Christmas came early at the office!)
  • Facilitate a support group
  • HOPEFULLY grab a drink with the infamous Sierra from Posh Meets Pavement, my IRL college buddy who blogs about her jet-setting lifestyle and staying fit in South Africa!
  • Wrap presents/pack like a maniac

Luckily, I heard the latter two are always better after a drink…

Do you disobey any “fashion rules”?

I’m notorious for giant flip flops all the time (especially the least appropriate times…. like weddings.)  The burden of my massive feet.