dinner

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….

 

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?

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.

Microwaves vs. Crockpots: A Weight Watchers Metaphor

/ foodsweatandbeers / 9 Comments

Good evening, y’all!!

Today, after work, I took a rest day, as I knew I would.  I spent some time at the grocery store, and came out with a KILLER haul due to sales and bogos.  25 dollhairs for all of this:

Hooray Grocery Goodies!

Well, actually, the box of wine glasses/glass of wine on the left was simply what I was drinking post-grocery store.  I did some cleaning, I drank some vino, and I watched some X-Men and continued to feel like a superhero. It was a true success.

For dinner, we had tacos. Well, I had some taco salad and the beau nibbled some true tacos.  It was a SEXY looking meal.

Delightful!

In the salad:

  • Spinach base
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 1/2 avocado
  • spicy turkey mix
  • salsa
  • low fat mexi-mix cheese!

It was simply the best.

Tonight, I was thinking back on a post I read back in my tumblr days.  The idea was on weightloss and how folks are either microwaves or crockpots.  This post, by the Active Artist, (real name: Alex) basically talked about how different folks lose weight incredibly fast (microwaves) or slow and steady (crockpots).  Please read the post to see his opinion (I don’t wanna sum it up wrong) but here’s my response.

I love this analogy.  I’ve recently been talking a lot about weight loss to my mother, who started my journey with me last March, but fell off the wagon with grad school, five kids, a husband, and a veryyyy busy life to handle. She was asking me questions about losing the weight I did, and how I did it so fast.  However, I just looked back at some old posts and maybe have an addition to this metaphor.

In March, I started my goal to lose weight. By August 12th, I was 181.5, down over 30 lbs.  However, at my last weigh-in I was 172.  This is about 9 lbs since August, which just a month shy of a year ago. So while I lost the initial 30 lbs in what seemed like no time, the last 20 that I’m trying to work on have been like inchworms they’re leaving so slowly.

Part of it may have to do with moving in with someone, and adjusting my eating habits to another person. Part of it may have to do with this newfound freedom of looking good in clothes and feeling great despite not losing every week, because I am eating what I want (admittedly, what I want is often grilled chicken, veggies, salads, etc), and feeling sexy.  But the thing is, I know I can do better.  So here’s my addition:

I think I’m a microwave. A trusty dependable one that’s worked your whole life, only one day, it’s not working. And so your food’s not cooking at all, and you’re confused. Only the thing is, it’s going to end up being something stupid, like it’s not actually plugged into the wall socket.

All I need to do is find that damn plug, and plug back into my weight loss. That, I think, will give my system the jump-start it needs.

And, if you’re not sure, I have mixed feelings about microwaves.

Thanks for reading, I know it was text-heavy.

How about you?  Are you a microwave or a crock pot?

Are you trying to lose weight or are you happy where you are?

The 61 Hour Wedding Whirlwind Weekend: Rehearsal Dinner at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey all! Made it through Monday, unscathed.

Another day, another DELICIOUS lunch!!

So hot and steamy!!

On the menu today:

  • Steamed broccoli with some cajun seasoning on it for spice
  • Flatout wrap in Light Italian Herb containing: a fried egg, some fat free cheddar, a piece of turkey, spinach, and salsa
  • Diet Lime Pepsi (not pictured)

Still struggling to get enough sleep, but had a great time last night at Carolina Ale House so it was worth it!!

Back to the good stuff.  In case you missed it, check out the Wedding Rehearsal Recap of Caitlin.  After we finished up at the Chapel, and having only nibbled on some healthy snacks it was obvious that most of us were STARVING! Luckily, on the agenda was the Rehearsal Dinner at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on Mt. Washington.  This spot was way up high (we’re talking so high your ears may pop in the elevator up), but offered up a most beautiful view of the city, so I’ll take the trade-off.

City of Steel, City of Bridges

I was glad to finally meet up with Ryan, who’d been enjoying the scenery (read: bed) at the hotel.

Hey there, studly boyf! I missed you!

In typical beer brat fashion, I started pestering our waiter(s) about their beer selection.  I, of course, was immediately read off a lengthy list of light lagers (ooh, beer alliteration!) reminding me of that post I wrote about Women and Craft Beer.  I gave him a quick head shake, and asked what other beers they had (wink wink… let me at the good stuff!)  I was rewarded for my persistence with an ice cold bottle of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, one of my very favorite IPAs.  Ahh…. that’s what I was talking about.

The menu for the night was promising, and I was excited at what I saw:

So many options!

I went with a Roti grille style Salmon, marinated in Teriyaki sauce, chargrilled and topped with a honey lime glaze.  Also, I ate both my and Ry’s salad (I’m a salad disposal, basically).

Complete with fried wonton strips and an asian dressing!

Served with another Dogfish Head, veggies, and a very moist and flavorful wild rice mix

It was UNBELIEVABLY delicious, and I cleared the plate completely.  We’re talking not a grain of rice on the plate.  I was hongry (that spelling is intentional to describe just how hungry I was. I promise.)!

While we were waiting for the food to come out, though, we noticed a very strange trend in the gentlemen in attendance.  I’ll precede this by saying there was no formal dress code for the meal.  Yet, here’s what we got:

The groom and friend looking dapper.

Fellows chatting it up.... noticing the trend yet?

At this point, I was freaking out.

HOLY MACKEREL EVERY SINGLE BOY (3 exceptions) WAS WEARING VARYING SHADES OF BLUE BUTTON DOWNS AND KHAKI!

Yeah, I know. I wonder if they got ready together like we did… probably.  It was a very hilarious realization, at least to me and my tablemates (some of them were participating in the uniform).

I finished the meal off with (probably 2) more Dogfish Head and this delightful slice of cheesecake:

Mmmm peach accents. Heavenly!

Thank goodness my dress was very forgiving, because I was stuffed to the brim.  Luckily, we had Lindsey’s beau, John, to drive us back to the hotel where we crammed our VERY full bellies into the backseat.

Cozy, guys? (Photo credit to Lindsey!)

I fell asleep relatively early, thank goodness, because the next day was CAITLIN’S WEDDING DAY!

Stay tuned for the next post where I talk about the PRIMPING at the salon (aka maybe my favorite part of any experience ever.)

What would you have for your rehearsal dinner (or, if you’re married, where did you have your rehearsal dinner?)

Is your tummy full just reading this post?

Mine is… but I think it’s due to lunch.  I guess it’s back to work for Jojo!

Feeling like a Superhero!!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Good evening friends and neighbors!! It’s likely too late for most of you, other than the owls like myself (though let’s face it, despite my best wishes, I’m more of an early bird anyway).  For the few of you that are up, though, you’re probably doing something cool like I am.  Translation: streaming netflix and scanning the internet for stuff.

This evening, perhaps spawned by my after-work group fitness class, I was inspired when I came upon this classic gem:

Remember this fantastic Saturday morning cartoon?

My brothers and I used to watch this growing up and, like all good things do, it finally ended up on Netflix.  I’ll be honest, though, as I’m watching it, I can’t help but think that there were a few “X-Men” (and women) who really weren’t anything to write home about….

Nerdy and Hairy

Poor Beast aka Hank McCoy…  He’s just a big blue furball looking for some sort of acceptance.

I think Ocean City does this every year for Independence Day, just saying.

And Jubilee…. well, here’s the thing, I love fireworks just as much as the next girl.  But if that was my “superpower”, I think I’d just stick to New Years Eve shows.  Luckily, there are characters like Storm and Jean Grey to keep things interesting.

Badass Ladies repping it hard.

Anyway, tonight’s workout left me feeling kind of like a superhero myself!!

BodyCombat’s new release came out this past weekend at my gym, and it ROCKED!!

823 calories, one hour, heck yes!

The new release was AWESOME, and the track list was also top notch.

1a: In My Head (Kris McTwain Remix Edit) – Henry Blank
1b: Airplanes (Kris McTwain Remix Edit) – Groove Chasers
2: Smooth Criminal – Badlands Inc
3: We Dance On – Subz Project
4: Come In Hard (Don’t Like Rock ‘N’ Roll) – Hardknox
5: If I Were You – Breeze & Ritmen
6: Drummer Boy (MoDrums Remix) – Alesha Dixon
7: The Last Fight – Bullet For My Valentine
8: Everywhere (Breeze & UFO Remix) – Master Blaster
9: The Time (Dirty Bit) – Red Beans & Rice
10: The Silence (New Single Mix) – Alexandra Burke

My very favorite was probably the Drummer Boy remix, KILLER on the legs, lots of eskivas and lunges, but an awesome beat that kept me going.

I enjoyed it more than I do most BodyCombat classes, especially after the last time that I took it and twisted my ankle. But I took care to stay solid on my feet, and felt great throughout it.

After such a great workout, I was excited for a delicious meal with the beau and his father and step mother.

We went to Carolina Ale House and, despite the inconsistent service (she was incredibly attentive with drinks, much less so with food and the check), I enjoyed every bite!

Pickle chips for the table!

Blackened Mahi Mahi, my favorite way to eat fish!

I avoided the rice side, and paired the meal with a DELICIOUS couple of beers.  Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale (a beer I’d only seen before at festivals!) and the New Belgium Ranger IPA (one of my favorites from the Tour de Fat!) Good to the last drop, and paired so nicely with the fish!

Hop-TASTIC!

And now, after watching my Monday night cartoon fix…. it’s off to bed!

Do you ever wish you had superpowers? If so, what?! Did I ask this before?

No big, always a favorite question of mine.

I do, all the time.  I think I’d LOVE to be a shapeshifter, or have Storm’s ability to control the weather… If only.

The Best Laid Plans

/ foodsweatandbeers / 3 Comments

Good morning, early birds!!

So, while yesterday didn’t go exactly as planned, I learned a few things, got a nice workout in, and spent time with the beau.

Dinner was a TASTY one, and very easy at that (mostly because the beau volunteered to finish up cooking so I could pack for MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING ON SATURDAY!!)  We picked up a pack of Al Fresco Chicken Sausage on sale at the store, and let me just say… it may have been the best decision of the week.

Hello little weenie-shaped links of goodness!

The flavor we chose was Roasted Pepper and Asiago and for two links, there are a little less than 300 calories.  We used the whole pack, cut up into little disks (as the weenie-shape was making my appetite fade fast).  We added these tender cooked disks to some Reduced Sodium Zatarain’s Jambalaya (a staple in our home considering the beau’s got hardcore cajun roots).  The sausage made this dish.  While I’m always a fan of the Zatarain’s rice dishes (I used to have the red beans and rice for dinner while I was on Weight Watchers at least once a week), this sausage added a whole new level of tastiness.  The Asiago cheese inside was so savory and made the sausage creamy almost.  Jeez, I wanna say creamy, but I feel like that’s not the right word…. Well, imagine a creamy sausage that still retains its “sausage-ness” and that’s what you get.  It was a perfect match.

Also, while craving a sweet treat after dinner, I remembered Chocolate Covered Katie’s Cupcakes for One.  The recipe seemed easy enough and, since I was feeling particularly lazy, I went for the microwaved version.  Well…. either my measurements were off (likely) or my microwave has super powers (more likely).  Either way, it ended up mostly rock hard.  I tried to remedy the situation by adding some chocolate… luckily I had a fresh bag of Adora disks and melted one on top, which made it edible (and full o’ calcium!)  I don’t know if I’m brave enough to try this again, and in the future…. should probably stick to baking in an oven, not a microwave.  And we all know my issues with microwaves…

Today’s workout is BodyAttack, the early morning edition.  Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to squeeze some sunshine in at lunchtime.  Wish me luck!

Ever had a baking blunder?  My last blunder was with cooking, not baking, but it actually turned out delicious.

What’s your favorite day of the workweek?  Mine’s usually Thursday, due to an early morning workout, tasty appetizers for half price at dinner, and normally a trip to the mall for funzees….

Enjoy the day!!

Savoring Every Bite

/ foodsweatandbeers / 4 Comments

So, the focus of this post will be on the first two aspects of my name: Food, and sweat. I think it would only be reasonable to keep the beers as their own post, for organization and also for the sake of bloggers/blogettes who hate beers (though I think, if you give them a chance, they could grow on you…)

Today, in each of my meals, it became abundantly clear.  I am, and will ALWAYS BE, a member of the clean plates club.

We went to Bandido’s Cafe in Durham, the one true love of my Mexican craving belly. I had pipe dreams of taking a picture of my meal before I consumed it.  Unfortunately for all you lovers of food pictures, our waitress decided that after we got chips and salsa, we were probably no longer hungry, so by the time our meals came to the table, my mind was on one thing, and one thing only.

The bottom of this plate.

Moments later, as the rest of the table oogled our coworkers new baby (who is adorable) and pushed beans and enchilada bits around their plates, I was completely finished. My plate resembled almost to a T the one pictured above (only with less food on it). I got the Racy Rodriguez, my go-to lunch combo, with a blackbean enchilada, soft chicken taco (of which I tossed the tortilla after two bites) and a side of blackbeans. Oh, and my arm’s weight in chips salsa. I savored every bite, taking little ones, in order to enjoy it all.

It was no surprise, then, when I was at the gym and had finished a rocking Ab Sculpt and Body Pump class, that my WIW (weigh-in Wednesday) was no different than last week (174). That being said, it was a great workout, and I felt killer afterwards.

The Ab Sculpt class at O2 Fitness features a different set of workouts every week that just focus on your core (abs, lower back, obliques, etc). I have to admit, I just started going to this class whenever I can, and I LOVE getting that little jolt in before Body Pump, and my abs always feel rocked.  Body Pump, once a foreign term to me, seems to be ALL OVER the health/fitness blog world, so some of you may not be familiar with it.  However, for all you newbies (especially y’all who are interested in trying it) let me say, it’s the one class that has changed the shape of my body more than any other.  Today’s class was a mix up of different releases, and went in a pretty standard order (warmup, squats, chest, back, triceps, biceps, lunges, and abs). We nixed the shoulder track because the other class had to come in, but I felt like rocked nonetheless.

I came home to roast a few veggies that I’d picked up at the Farmer’s Market (zucch, red onions, some squash I never got the name of, and eggplant).

Pre-roasting!

And added them to three skewers of shrimp from Tar-jay (aka Super Target), to make this GLORIOUS concoction:

Hiding under the shrimp, you can spot MANY veggies... right?

DeLISH! I pulled the shrimp off the skewers to eat them, mixed it all up with veggies, and ate it all, one or two pieces at a time. I’m big on cutting my pieces into little bites to prolong the pleasure of the eating experience (that almost sounded sexual… I’m not mad.) The beau had a pepperoni Freschetta, which tasted looked bomb.com. (I may have snuck a few nibbles of pepperoni,  shhh…) Let’s just say that, other than the tails of the shrimp (you can’t eat them, right?) there is NOTHING leftover. No matter what it is, bowl or plate, I will leave it clean as a whistle.

Tomorrow is Thursday (Rebecca Black, 2011) and my VERY favorite weekday.  Early morning Body Attack express class, work post-shower, maybe a little trip to the mall, and GLASS NIGHT! (basically a happy hour that I host where we consume craft beer and appetizers and talk beer with friends and strangers.)  I bet I’ll clean my glass, too.

PERSONALLY if I don’t set aside leftovers even BEFORE I eat a meal, I will eat every last bite on the plate. It’s just in my nature… as the eldest of 5 kids in a family of 7 (and 2 dogs… and a REALLY hungry turtle) I always felt like eating meals was a sort of… competition or race. and by GOD, I was going to win.

How about you? Do you clean your plates? Or are you a big fan of leftovers?