Healthy Living Summit Weekend: The Eats

As well received as my Healthy Living Summit Cocktail Party recap was, I decided to hold off on a recap of day two until I have time to fully devote myself to a complete writeup of the Saturday sessions.  However, that doesn’t mean you should miss out on everything.  And who doesn’t like food posts?

Before my trip, I wanted to enjoy a tasty little treat, so I whipped up my traditional pre-flight beer and snack!!

Weyerbacher Hops Infusion? Don't mind if I do.

Turkey and Cheese and Lettuce on a sandwich thin! Beer! Carrots! The best.

I also did my best to eat the rest of the spinach before I left.

I felt like a straight bunny, nibbling on leaves. But it got the job done.

At the home of Ali, we whipped out all the stops (aka the baked goods):

I promise, we didn't eat all of this. Some. Most. but not all.

Let’s just say that it was a bit of a smorgasbord.

Wawa: The stuff my dreams are made of...

For dinner:

  • Wawa Shorti with Roast beef, cheddar cheese, light on the mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, salt, pepper, oregano. I always get this when I go to Wawa. It is like a second nature, entering it on the touchpad.
  • Wawa Diet Raspberry Iced Tea

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why there is no raspberry iced tea, diet or otherwise, to be found in North Carolina? I can’t even get the Snapple kind…. If you know where to get some, PLEAES email, call, text, or tweet me. ASAP. This is not a joking kind of request. This is so heartfelt I feel it deep in my heart.

The highlights of the cocktail party food were already shown, minus one: Philly Cheesesteak Empanadas. I didn’t take pictures of these, because I was shoving them down my gullet. Imagine a philly cheesesteak. then fry it.

You get the idea.

Breakfast in the morning was sponsored by Attune Foods, and featured mostly a wide array of their cereals, fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, and yogurt.

Pineapple. Cereal. I forgot how delicious real milk was, especially from Lehigh Valley.

Oh. A pluot. I had no idea what this was until I bit it.

I could’ve eaten the lunch for days.

Roasted veggie sammy, caprese salad sammy, cous cous and chickpeas, and Perrier. Oh, you fancy.

GIANT ups to Great Harvest bread. Which filled my belly totally and heartily.  The mozzarella was so creamy, and the onions in the cous cous…. ooh, girl.

Snacktime was not really my favorite, but I partook because who don’t want no free foods?

Cinnamon raisin nut butter = the poo. So take a big whiff. The hummus was a little watery for my liking... oh well.

To be honest, though, there was a much more important meal waiting for me at home, after the summit. Something I’d been seeking out since I arrived in Philly.  The holy grail of Philly cuisine.

We belong together.

I went a little off the beaten path with the Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak and was rewarded handsomely with spicy, cheese, chickeny goodness.  Something about the rolls up North, they just know how to do it right.  And, even though it wasn’t in empanada format, it was at least as (if not much, much more) delicious.

What’d you eat this weekend that was delicious? 

Do you have any favorite foods/drinks from growing up that you can’t get now wherever you live (due to a move or [gasp!!] someone stopped producing them?)

Shore Thing

Good morning and happy long weekend friends and lovahs!

It is a BEAUTIFUL day here in Ocean City, New Jersey, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.  Earlier, at Wawa, it really hit me.

Nectar of the Gods.

I. Have. Arrived.

Right now, the smells of breakfast are filling the air as my mother balances enough eggs, bacon, Taylor pork roll, and everything bagels to feed a small army.  As I’m one of seven in this family, and we all have friends and significant others in town, we basically are a tiny (and poorly equipped, unless you count iPhones) army. We need fuel to fight off the hoards of folks at the actual beach, and make sure we get efficient space to spread out.  Earlier today, we picked up some essentials Boyar’s Market, the most quaint little market I’ve seen on the island since Palermo’s.  And I’m well aware that 98% of you have no idea what I’m talking about, so here’s a super fierce picture of my mom walking back into the market to get some soft pretzels (oh Philly area, give me all your foods):

Ah, Shelly, just looking for some pretzels in this big, mixed up world.

Since I have some time before we eat breakfast, I figured now was as good a time as any to thank Lindsay over at In Sweetness and In Health for tagging me with a fun survey/award!  Hopefully, this will give you some deep, personal knowledge of the most important aspects of my life (read: cartoon characters I’m fond of and what I’ll be reading on the beach.

1. Favorite Cartoon Character:

Without a doubt, Daria.  She inspired my years of teenage angst, I remember long hours spent in front of the television watching her and Jane’s antics, giving googly eyes to Trent (Jane’s hottie older brother), and thinking that the Morgendorffer family was the funniest to the hit the small screen.

You're standing on my neck.

2. Favorite Thing to Photograph:

Friends and events, absolutely.  I’ll admit, my camera is a baby point and shoot, nothing too fancy.  It looks a lot like this:

Never far from my grasp.

But honestly, I feel like I have gotten decent at taking the pictures of me/my friends with my long, orangutan arms.

Jojo and Kiki... and the best cupcakes EVER! (not really.)

RyBaby and Jojo... and BEER!

Mother Daughter Bathroom Pic. Class Acts.

I think that a nice camera might be at the top of my birthday list (August 24, mark your calendars, folks!  I’ll be pre-celebrating at the Healthy Living Summit in Philly).  Until then, I’ll be happy being the documenter of all things fun.

3. Favorite Thing to Cook:

Breakfast!!

Griddle GIrl

 4. Favorite Way to Exercise:

Group fitness classes are my JAM!  Les Mills classes that I love include Attack, Pump, Jam, and Combat.

5. Favorite Movie:

Dazed and Confused or Romeo + Juliet

Oh, Leo! I bet you kiss by the book...

6. Favorite Clothing:

For a while, when I had a bit more jelly in my belly and size on my thighs, leggings were all I wore.  I don’t even think I had a pair of pants that weren’t made with over 50% elastic…  Nowadays, though, my favorite clothing might have to be dresses.  Especially with pockets.

Though I always thought I looked rather fetching in a skydiving jumpsuit…

MAKE IT WORK, JP!

7. Favorite Flower:

Birds of Paradise, hands down.  My parents go me some for Graduation and I just melted with love.  Since then, it’s grown into a full fledged adoration.

8. Favorite Breakfast:

Not to copy off of Lindsay, but french toast is (quite literally) my bread and butter.

9. Favorite Book:

Too many to count!! but I am a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan, and would say my favorite book of his was Invisible Monsters.  So intense, so gory, so gritty and so great.

10. Least Favorite Food:

Ugh.  Maybe any meat that’s boiled?  Drawing a blank on this, but alas, my OTHER favorite breakfast is cooked, so I’m off to eat it before the wolves (my brothers) gobble it down!!

Enjoy your day, wherever you are, get sexy in your bikinis and board shorts, get so much sunshine, and come back with lots of stories!!