Snow Day

Sorry for no Tuesday Top 5 last night – my paper took over my night! After dinner I headed to Starbucks to work on it without distractions. While I was there, I had a Tazo Joy tea and a peanut butter cookie!

Luna bar Peanut Butter Cookie that is … it was just okay. It didn’t taste very peanut buttery but I think I’m getting sick so I’ll give it another chance and a full review later. On the way home, I stopped for some sandwich thins (Arnold’s, NOT Pepperidge Farm) and some Tylenol nighttime cold medicine – which did absolutely nothing as I still couldn’t breathe last night.

Before bed I wanted something salty and my kettlecorn called out to me. I obliged it.

And also burnt it.

This morning, I woke up to this:

And this:

Yes, I didn’t even want to open the front door to take a proper picture. Only classes at 8 and 9 were cancelled, but my teacher cancelled my 11 on her own, so I didn’t bother going to my 10 o’clock. Instead I stayed in the warm house and worked on my paper. I did end up leaving to come to work an hour early so that I can get to the library sooner this afternoon.

Breakfast was warm and yummy:

Started with some 365 Breakfast Blend with skim and Truvia

  
1 egg + 1 egg white and a plain LC wedge on Arnold’s MultiGrain Sandwich Thin plus an orange

Now that I’ve caught up on blogs, entered Heather’s Vita-Mix giveaway, farmed, done some of the NY Times crossword puzzle, and refreshed my Twitter homepage multiple times, I think it’s time to do some work. And eat lunch, obviously. And get some sinus medicine …

Tasty Tubers

Good evening bloggies!

I was going to post earlier, but to be honest, I didn’t have much to say! I DID have a delicious dinner last night though – salmon and double grilled balsamic veggies from the Student Union. The salmon was the best I’ve ever had? Yes, even excluding salmon from real restaurants. I don’t know what they did to it, but it was so amazingly moist and perfectly seasoned. I even skipped the lemon dill sauce and I’m glad I did, it just would have masked the taste. I also had some grapes before bedtime that escaped the camera’s eye.

At chapter last night, we installed our new officers! It’s very exciting to have a new set of women in charge of our chapter. I’m so excited for them (exec especially) and I know that when I graduate, I’ll be leaving the chapter in extremely capable hands. This also means that for the first time since I’ve joined my sorority, I don’t have a position. It feels really strange for all of the major chapter decisions to be completely out of my hands, but I’m also excited to just be a member without the additional responsibilities of holding a position.

Anyway, I woke up this morning and had a brownie with my coffee:

365 Breakfast Blend with skim & Truvia + mini Clif Chocolate Brownie

I even heated it up! The chocolate brownie flavor is my least favorite of all the Clif bars I’ve tried, but heating it up helped! 10 seconds was a little too long though – it taste like a burnt brownie.

I made my way to the gym to spend 15 minutes each on the elliptical, the stair master, and the treadmill – with my close friend Voltaire and an article for my Children’s Lit class. I kept the elliptical at a steady pace and ran at an easy 10 minute mile, but I chose “variety” on the stair master today and cranked up the steps per minute rate. I eventually got up to 105 and was STRUGGLING but it felt so good to get that fast. I have a feeling my quads and hamstrings might be feeling that tomorrow, though.

Breakfast part 2 was eaten in class:

Plain Chobani and MultiGrain Cheerios.

A winning combo. Well, pretty much any Greek yogurt with any cereal is a winning combo for me – obviously since I eat it at least 6 days a week. We just finished Walk Two Moons in my children’s lit class – did anyone read that when they were younger? It’s by Sharon Creech. She also wrote Chasing Redbird. I loved both of those books then and reread them all the time! I’m a nerd and do that a lot. My professor complimented me on my discussion catalyst question about W2M which was awesome because I don’t think she particularly likes me.

Lunch was eaten in class a few hours later as I learned about prostitution and call girls in Human Sexuality …

Hummus, spinach, and raisins on a WW wrap + Macintosh

Same breakfast and lunch as yesterday, I know, but they are so good and I’m trying to eat up my food stash since I’m only at school for another week and a half! While it was going on, the semester dragged, but now I feel like we’ve reached the end so quickly. I guess it always feels that way. I can’t even believe I’m a senior.

After work, I rushed home to shower and eat – I was quickly becoming hangry. I decided what I wanted for dinner before lunch (sad?) and was looking forward to it all day!

Sweet potato with black beans and Fage + 3 egg whites with Frank’s

The only thing left on my plate is the licked clean potato skin. I’m an SP beast, what can I say?

Now I’m sitting down to write an 8-10 pager on American Lit – specifically John dos Passos, Ray Bradbury, and John Updike. In case you want to contribute, here’s my thesis:

American literature is a literature of technology and progression. John Dos Passos, Ray Bradbury, and John Updike use setting and landscape to develop a distinctly American identity, both personal and national, that is directly connected to technology and progression. “The Big Money” excerpt from U.S.A., “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains,” and John Updike’s commentary on 9/11 from The New Yorker ultimately show that the authors believe the development of new technologies is destroying the human race.

Anyone?

It’s times like these I ask myself why I’m an English major. There’s often not an answer. Be back later for a break and Tuesday Top 5!

Winter Song

If you’ve never heard “Winter Song” by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson, seriously listen to it right now.  If you don’t want to buy it, check it out on Groove Shark – my new obsession.  Especially if you like Sia or Rachael Yamagata – you’ll loveeee this song!

After a restful 8 hours of sleep, I popped out of bed at 7, made coffee and ate half a Chocolate Hazelnut Jocalat before heading to the gym.

It looked FREEZING outside (around 22 degrees), so running outside was a no-go.  Even after a rest day yesterday, I knew my lungs couldn’t handle it and I was sure the sidewalks were still icy – and they are.  So off to the Student Recreation Center I went, intending to do a 5k on the treadmill as quickly as possible so that I wouldn’t die of boredom.  Too bad I got bored after my warm-up.

I told myself I could stop at 15 minutes and do a circuit with the stair master and the elliptical, then I extended that to 20.  Then I figured I’d just finish the 5k I had planned and finish with 15 on the elliptical.  Then I actually got into the treadmill?!?!?  Shocking.  And difficult for many, including myself, to do.  After 3.1 I was still feeling great, so I took it to 4 miles.  THEN 5!  The most milage I’ve ever done on a treadmill.  I switched a lot between 6, 6.2, 6.5, and 6.7 mph.  I did about 5.05m in approximately 48 minutes, averaging about a 9:30 pace.  Nice, self.

My breakfast eaten in class was a plain 0% Chobani with a cup of MultiGrain Cheerios.  I love me some MultiGrain Cheerios.  They are seriously delish and wonderful.

After sitting through my last two Monday classes of the semester (Yayy!), I came to workie and ate my lunchers: spinach, hummus, and raisins on a WW wrap, a Macintosh, and a Tazo Earl Grey with skim and a Splenda.  I really need to start taking Truvia packets with me.

Snackies included a fruit bowl and an Honest Tea in Honey Green Tea – a step up from the Coke Zero and granola bar I was planning.

For the rest of the day:

• Work
• Shower & change
• Dinner
• Library
• Chapter
• Sleep

I live a crazy life.

I’m in serious awe over how many awesome giveaways are going on in the blogging world right now!  Check these out:
Twin Cakes Bakery giveaway at Pure2Raw
Barney Butter giveaway at Be Fit. Be Full.
Larabar giveaway at Iowa Girl Eats.

Protein Fiend

After spending 6 hours in the library yesterday and 8 and half there today, it’s depressing to know that classes aren’t even over for the semester yet. Even though I’ve been super busy, I have found time to try a few new purchases:

Siggi’s Icelandic Skyr in Orange & Ginger

Siggi’s Icelandic Orange & Ginger Skyr Opinion
Taste: The tartness of the yogurt goes really well with the refreshing citrus and ginger – amazing! 5/5.
Texture: Thick like soft serve! With real tiny ginger chunks at the bottom! 5/5.
Fill Factor: Great for a snack! Definitely need toppings and/or a piece of fruit for a meal. 4/5.
Ingredients: “Pasteurized skim milk, agave nectar, candied ginger, orange extract, live active cultures, vegetable rennet.” 5/5.
Comments: This was so different than any other yogurt I’ve had. As with the plain and blueberry flavors, I LOVED it and wish they were sold at stores other than Whole Foods for a better availability and also cheaper! But this is definitely a product I’ll go out of my way to get at WF.

Amy’s Black Bean Burrito slathered with Fage and Frank’s

Amy’s Black Bean Burrito Opinion
Taste: Yummy! Love the black beans, veggies, and spices. Pretty authentic tasting for a frozen burrito. 4/5.
Texture: Mostly mush, but that could be my fault since it’s been in freezer for a while and I used the microwave to heat it up. Could still see beans and other veggies though! 3/5.
Fill Factor: For only 280 calories, I ate it with a couple carrots and some sugar snap peas and I was set for the rest of the night. 4/5.
Ingredients: “Organic whole wheat & wheat flour, filtered water, organic onions, organic black beans, organic potatoes, organic corn, organic broccoli, organic bell peppers, organic tomatoes, organic kidney beans, expeller pressed high safflower oil, sweet rice flour, spices, organic garlic, organic green chiles, sea salt, organic jalapeno peppers, tapioca flour.” Mostly organic and vegan! 4/5.
Comments: This was so delicious – perfect for when I’m craving Mexican without the frightening nutritionals. 8g of fat (1g saturated), no trans fat or cholesterol, 9g of protein and 580mg of sodium – kind of high, but not nearly as high as most canned soups and other frozen meals!

Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bar

Luna Chocolate Peppermint Stick Opinion
Taste: “I’m eating a thin mint.” 5/5.
Texture: Chewy and crunchy like a rice krispy treat with a yummy peppermint-bark like icing! 5/5.
Fill Factor: Held me over for around 3 hours yesterday, could have gone longer! 5/5.
Ingredients: Very long list, but nothing too scary – and 70% organic! Plus lotssss of vitamins and minerals!  4/5.
Comments: Thin mints I’ve missed you in my life. Now I don’t have to. Dear Luna, make a magical bar that tastes like a Samoa. Thanks.

Odwalla Super Protein Bar

Odwalla Super Protein Bar Opinion

Taste: Nothing special. Subtly sweet, but with no really specific taste aside from the raisins. Very slightly nutty from the soynut butter.  2/5.

Texture: It stuck to my teeth when biting into it, but was very chewy and grainy in a good way. Perfect density.   4/5.

Fill Factor: Held me over for 4 hours! That’s what 14 grams of protein will do for you. 5/5.

Ingredients: Again, pretty long but nothing terrifying. A lot of soy products (nutbutter, protein, etc.) so not for those who try to avoid processed soy.  3/5.

Comments: Definitely nothing great here, but I’d try it again, especially since I know it fills me up! It’s a really good size bar too.

Like yesterday, my packed library lunch was a spinach, hummus, and raisin sandwich on a deli flat and an apple with cinnamon.

Yesterday’s snack was the Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna, today’s was the Odwalla Super Protein. Are we sensing a trend? It continued into dinner:

Crackberry pic of a Morningstar Mushroom Lovers burger with a plain LC wedge, Frank’s and spinach in a whole wheat wrap+ sweet potato fries and ketchup.

Dinner was so good and VERY filling – I’m still stuffed.

After dinner I headed to Big Y to pick up some supplies for the week:

• Grapes
• Macintoshes
• Tub of hummus
• Plain 0% Chobani
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Black beans
• Luna bars – Chocolate Peppermint Stick, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Lemon Zest, and Peanut Butter Cookie

I’m hoping it’s not too frigid for a run tomorrow morning, but at 7am it’s supposed to be 26 degrees – guess I’ll be bundling! Hope they salted the sidewalks, they were still kind of icy this morning. At least I won’t get frostbite de-snowing my car with a tupperware lid again ….

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Upcoming finals = sporadic posts. I still have one more week of classes before that torture begins and I’m trying to catch up on all the work my professors thought it would be fun to assign us the week before finals. I think they get paid extra for the amount of tears seen around campus this time of year.

Some highlights:

Siggi’s Icelandic Skyr in Orange & Ginger (review soon!) with Cranberry Fitness Trailmix

The return of the hummus, spinach, and raisin sandwich.

Being the only person in the library.

Delicious dinner including an Amy’s Black Bean Burrito (review soon!) with Fage and Frank’s

Snow.

Christmas tree!

My ornament.

Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend and OPI’s Mrs. O’Leery’s BBQ.

Yes, Thanksgiving blend. I just went in there and asked for Christmas blend, but they’re still brewing the Thanksgiving blend. That’s what you get for Storrs, CT, where the cows outnumber the people.

Why are so many foodie items so difficult for me to find? I finally got pumpkin pie yogurt at the end of November, so naturally I’ll be drinking Christmas blend by Valentine’s Day.

I really wanted to run this morning because the snow is so pretty! But, I decided to take today off after yesterday’s incredibly slow 4 miler (41 minutes). Yeah, my legs and I are fighting. So I thought I’d give them today to cool down. Probably best that way, since the roads are fine but the sidewalks are still icy.

Trying to write a cover letter now .. in the cafe because the library isn’t even open yet.

I Believe in Global Warming

Because it is December 3 and today it was 65 degrees. I went running in shorts and tee shirt. It is Connecticut. Also, it’s supposed to snow Saturday.

The semester is (finally) winding down and that makes me super busy busting out papers, rewrites, extra credit, and oh yeah, finals.

The past couple days have been boring anyway. A couple nice 4-milers, and a lot of boring classes I’ve had to farm my way through. Why am I an English major?

Some pics of mi comida from the past couple days:

Some carrot cake. Review soon.

Library snackage: snap peas, carrots, hummus, and salsa.

Apple – plus about 8 more ….

Strawberry Chobani and Kashi Heart to Heart

Hummus, raisin, and spinach sammie + Honeycrisp

Plain 0% Fage (loverrrrr) + strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, a blackberry, and a Kashi Honey Toasted 7 Gain granola plank.

Everyday 365 Breakfast Blend in my new Starbucks mug.*

3 egg white, LC French Onion, Frank’s and salsa in a WW tortilla + tiny apple with cinnamon.

* My new Starbucks mug! Stolen in our office’s holiday party Yankee swap (along with a $5 gift card to Starbies!). It’s so cool! The black part is like a blackboard and it comes with a white pen to decorate the mug with. You bake it in the oven for 10 minutes and the paint sets! Such a great present idea if you need one!

Homework to do list:
American Lit

• Rewrite paper 1
• Rewrite paper 2
• Write paper 3
• Prep for final
• Weekly online discussion post 12/3, 12/10
• Extra credit – speaker write up

Children’s Lit

• Finish Walk Two Moons
• Come up with Walk Two Moons discussion question
• Read Walk Two Moons article
• Extra credit – speaker write up
• Prep for final

Abnormal Psych

• Prep for final

Human Sexuality

• Homework due 12/8
• Prep for final

Brit Lit

• Prep for final

Woo. Hoo. 2 weeks from today the semester from hell will be OVER!!!!!!!!!!! And then I can focus on Christmastime fun and sleep, eat, and run for 4 straight weeks. Turning 22 is thrown in there too. Oh, and applying for jobs. Who knows how to write a good cover letter?? Or knows of any entry-level student affairs positions in higher ed, or store management jobs?

Dinner at the dhall was actually really delicious – and NOT a salad! Kosher kitchen is the way to go. Salmon with mixed veggies and summer squash, plus a piece of whole wheat toast with smart balance. So good.

Now I’m watching Elf and admiring our house’s Christmas tree :0)

A tasty giveaway:
PB & Jenny’s Kay’s All Natural Cookies giveaway – free cookies!!
Tina’s Mix My Granola giveaway and win a year-subscription to Real Simple!

Tuesday Top 5 – Celebrity Bodies

This is edition of the Tuesday Top 5 was inspired by SkinnyRunner’s celebricizing page.  Sometimes I forget how much I like seeing celebrities working out, since the only time I read Star and Us Weekly is when I’m getting a pedicure or am at the airport .. two things which have not occurred for a while. 

Having done almost no research, these are the top 5 celeb bodies I would give up (at the very least) my Blackberry for:

5.  Cameron Diaz. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source and Source

She’s just all-around awesome and over 30.  The end.

4.  Kelly Ripa

Source

DAYUM!  She’s had 3 (?) kids and my abs cry upon seeing hers.  Sob.

3.  Carrie Underwood. 

 

 

 

 

 

Source and Source

Not only is she an amazing singer, but she has a REAL, attainable body.  Execpt maybe for her legs.  HOLY GOD she has great legs.  Super muscular, so we know she eats.

2.  Audrina Patridge

Source

I would really like to see her eating and exercise plan.  So that I can quit school to follow it.  Somehow I don’t think my chest would grow to match hers though …

1.  Marisa Miller

Source

I don’t think I need to explain.

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Sorry for being MIA yesterday, Sundays when I head back to school are always hectic!

I got up around 8 and went for one last jog in the valley – 3 miles in about 29 minutes. It wasn’t the easiest run ever – I didn’t have to convince myself to take it easy, I was just too tired to go near my normal 9:30 pace. Oh, I also had the genius idea to not eat or drink anything beforehand. My stomach wasn’t happy about that. Plus it was cold. Once you haven’t run during the winter in you know, four years, you (I) forget that the bitter cold of a New England winter makes it hard to breathe. BOO.

I came home and had some brekkie:

Pepp Farm 7 Grain Deli Flat, 3 egg whites, french onion LC wedge with Frank’s and a kiwi

Arnold is still number one – sorry Mr. Pepperidge. I packed up Marge (my car, who is large and in charge) and left a little after 11. Back to reality comfort stop: Whole Foods Glastonbury – the best I’ve been to. After spending way too much time and money, this is what I came out with:

Baby spinach, a strawberry & blueberry Chobani, 365 Breakfast Blend coffee, black beans, sweet potato, giant tub of Fage, berries, Iced Gingerbread CLif, Luna Moons in pomegranate, whole wheat wraps, Honeycrisps, carrots, AND:

PUMPKIN PIE YOGURT – FINALLY!!!!

I’ve only been searching for two months …

I also had this when I got back to the cizzar:

Granny stolen from home.

After dropping all my stuff off at my room, not unpacking at all discovering that someone hit/took my passenger’s side mirror at WF, I headed straight to the library. My late cubicle lunch:

Hot Bar Salad – red and green lettuce leaves, marinated mushrooms, slammin’ salmon, beet salad, eggplant salad, curry tofu, and corn.

Devoured. The salmon was indeed slammin’. As were the beets, eggplant, and mushrooms. Curry tofu – not so much. It was SOAKED in water and not that tasty. I’ve been craving Indian all week, so boo. But everything else was as delicious as it should be for a $10 salad. So after eating that around 2:30-3, I was not hungry the rest of the day. I mean it. The next thing I ate was a carrot right before bed because I thought I should eat something even though I had absolutely no desire to. Appetites are weird like that.

After leaving the library for my meeting, I obviously spent the rest of the night reading blogs and neglecting any kind of homework. Eventually I tore myself away from Google Reader, slept, woke up (God I live an interesting life), and ate this:

Stonyfield Pumpkin Pie yogurt with a cup of Multigrain Cheerios.

Stonyfield Pumpkin Pie Opinion
Taste: Good, but not like pumpkin pie. Well, maybe if it was made with 10% pie filling and 90% water. 2/5.
Texture: After not eating yogurt that didn’t originate in Greece for the past 6 months, I was dreading the watery texture of normal yogurt. But it was pretty thick and creamy! 5/5.
Fill Factor: This breakfast held me over pretty well through a class and the gym. I wasn’t starving by the time I ate lunch 4 hours later, just normal hungry, plus I went to the gym. Guess that 1% of fat did its job. 5/5.
Ingredients: “Cultured pasteurized organic low fat milk, naturally milled organic sugar, organic caramel color, organic carrot juice concentrate (for color), pectin, natural flavor, organic pumpkin juice concentrate (for color), vitamin D3.” How can caramel color be organic? And perhaps the pumpkin juice concentrate should be for taste and not color … ? 3/5.

Spent 9 minutes on the Stair Master at the weirdly busy gym before someone left my favorite elliptical and I hopped on that thing faster than this guy:

Source

No shame. Execept for this scene:

Source

Lunchers at the deskie:

Spinach, raisins, and hummus on a whole wheat wrap, plus Honeycrisp and water. Why so blurry, pictures?

Then eating nothing all day yesterday caught up to me and I scarfed down a peanut butter Z-bar too fast to review it. Oh well, there’s already one in this post. It was peanut buttery. I’d buy it again. So there.

Amazing, glorious dinner:

1/2 of a sweet potato the size of a kitten + 1/2 cup of black beans with a dollop of Daisy Fage and a buffalo Crackwich.

Nomnomnom. WHY have I waited so long to try the sp/black bean combo?

In other news:

• I submitted my first real life job application today! Wooo for being a productive member of society!
• This girl is hilarious. Read this, laugh, and thank me. I just want to be like her in so many ways.
• My upper back and shoulders are so tight and sore that I will soon look like this guy:

Source

At least then I’ll look like the 80-year old woman I am at heart. Off to watch “Intervention” and put everyone else’s senioritis to shame …

Tonight I Went to Barcelona

… and had the best dinner ever. But let’s start with breakfast, which started last night:

With some of this:

And some of this:

Plus everything you see here:

1/3 cup oats, handful raisins, tablespoon peanut butter, 1/8 cup skim, part of a banana, and a lot of cinnamon

Smooshed onto Santa’s face to make my first breakfast cookie!!!

I woke up with a headache .. sad, for my not-even-a-glass-and-a-half of wine, but I just really don’t drink. After some coffee and nana:

I ran a 5k at the gym (too windy for the trail) in 28:59 and spent 15 minutes with the Stair Master.

Treadmill:

• 5 minutes @ 6.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 2 minutes @ 7.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 5 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 2 minutes @ 7.0 mi/hr, 2.5 incline
• 1:59 minutes @ 6.5 mi/hr, 2.5 incline

Stair Master:

• 3 minutes, level 3
• 2 minutes, level 4
• 3 minutes, level 3
• 2 minutes, level 4
• 3 minutes, level 3
• 1 minute, level 5
• 1 minute, level 4
• 1 minute, level 3

Then I came home, had this:

and thanked God for Gina.

Seriously delish. I might add some Truvia or honey next time for a little more sweetness, but it really was like a giant oatmeal raisin cookie!

After a brief trip out with mama, I came home on the verge of being hangry! I was craving falafel and sweet potato fries. So I made both. While my “fries” were baking, I made this Hugh Jass salad:

  

It was a beast containing:

• The remainder of the spinach container (3 cups?)
• The last 3 Veggie Patch falafel balls
• Brocc
• Green beans
• Peas
• Hummus
• Tzatziki
• Frank’s

It was delicious and devoured. Then these were done:

Half of the potato in here, half in the fridge to take back with me.

We had plans to go to a Cuban restaurant in New Haven, but they couldn’t seat us for a while, so my uncle suggested Barcelona, a tapas and wine bar. I’ve been DYING to go here since the summer. There is one closer to us, in Fairfield, but we were meeting my stepbrother and he lives closer to New Haven.

Fail: no pictures. I REALLY wanted to take them, but my I’m still to shy in public .

I started off with a white wine, a 2007 Albarino from Pedro de Soutomaior in Rias Baixas, Spain. It was really great – refreshing, crisp, fruity – but not sweet. My mom and stepdad had the red sangria but I didn’t try it. It was really really hard to choose what to get to eat. For tapas, aka “small plates”, you can get a few tapas for your meal, or a tapas as an appetizer and an entree – there’s probably thousands of combinations you could make.

I ended up choosing 3 tapas for my meal:

• Warmed Cana de Cabra (goat cheese) with Port Figs and Green Apple
• Spinach-Chickpea Casserole with Cumin & Garlic Confit
• Pulpo a la Plancha – Octopus with Fingerling Potatoes, Smoked Paprika, and Celery

Yes. It’s okay to be jealous.

My stepdad got the Boquerónes (fresh marinated anchovies) and something else I can’t remember. He and my mom also split the the Roasted Chickpea Puree with House-Made Pita Chips, the Homemade Cumin-Scented Chicken Empanadas with Avocado Puree, and some roasted brussel sprouts with garlic and bacon (not on the online menu so not sure of the exact name/ingredients). My mom also ordered the Albondigas (meatballs). My uncle was at the other end of the table, so I’m not sure what he ordered, but my stepbrother and brother both ordered the Pepper-Rubbed Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes, Brandy Reduction, and Crispy Onions.

After we ordered, fresh loaves of bread were brought to the table and olive oil was poured. As it was white bread, I didn’t have any, but everyone said it was delicious and very warm and fresh. The tapas were brought out as they were ready. I got my goat cheese, fig, and apple platter first, on a long white platter, each ingredient perfectly separated from the other.

OH. EM. GEE.

Warm, creamy, amazing goat cheese. Port-soaked juicy, chewy, sweet figs. Crisp, tart, refreshing slices of Granny Smith. Really there are no words except Gina’s – FOODGASM. And the perfect dish. The best thing I’ve ever eaten (in America).

The spinach and chickpea “casserole” came out next, in a small, shallow round dish. Whole chickpeas were covered in the most thinly sliced spinach I’ve ever seen. To be honest, I couldn’t taste any cumin, and only got the taste of garlic a few times throughout the dish. It was good, but if those two flavors had been more pronounced, it would have been great.

Then the warm octopus salad came out. It was in a small, shallow, rectangular dish with octopus (flesh and tentacles), whole fingerling potatoes, celery slices, and red onions. The octopus was perfectly cooked – chewy, but not rubbery at all, and very savory. The potatoes were great too, but overall, the dish was WAY too salty. I actually didn’t finish it. Shocking – I know. Also, there was bacon in the dish, which I tasted before I saw. This was not indicated on the menu, and if it had been, I probably wouldn’t have ordered it. I would also be concerned for pescatarians/flexitarians/quasitarians/whatevertarians here – octopus would might be okay for them to order, but the bacon wouldn’t be! Also, I’m not sure if octopus is known to be fatty (?) but one of my pieces was entirely fat. I actually spit it out into my napkin .. conspicuously, I promise.

I tried the brussel sprouts my parents ordered – amazing. I also had two of the home-made pita chips with the chickpea puree (okay, let’s just call it hummus, because that’s what it is). The chips were visibly oily (ick), but perfectly toasted and crunchy with a great not-too-salty taste. The hummus was RIDICULOUSLY good. It had such a unique taste – including lots of garlic, which I love! I finished it off with a fork. Yup, just me and forkfuls of hummus at dinner. So classy.

It was all plated beautifully, brought out quickly, and with great service. That is, until we ordered dessert. I just got a cup of decaf (plus I still had some wine), but my uncle and brother ordered the Churros y Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce and my stepdad got the Warm Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Ice Cream – mostly because my mom and I wanted just a bite. After we got our coffee, our once-attentive serve virtually disappeared and we waited 20 minutes for our dessert. It was obvious we had been forgotten about because when it was finally brought over, the ice cream on my step-dad’s plate was melted. At least plate a new dish to make it look like it hasn’t been sitting out, waiting.

I had just a bite of the carrot cake – and I’ve had better. There was no frosting on it – I guess the ice cream is supposed to serve as the frosting, but I didn’t want any. It was good, but not great. Carrot cake is my favorite so I would have been disappointed, but I’m glad I just tried it. I didn’t try the churros, but I guess they were just okay too.

Overall, it was a really great experience! My family and I had never had tapas before, so it was fun to try together. Definitely my new favorite restaurant. So so good. The atmosphere is great – very laid back, dimmed lights, nice ambiance. Modern, but welcoming. There’s so much more I want to try – and from what I can tell, things change seasonally and they use some local ingredients – woo! Go!

Back to school tomorrow for two weeks of class and a week of finals I have so much to do it’s not even funny. Normally I would feel bad about neglecting so much work over break, but I needed just that – a break. It was AMAZING to just lay in my bed all day, run when I want to (not just when I have time), spend time with my family, and have a lot more eating freedom .. especially discovering tapas. Hopefully I’ll finish my laundry tonight – nothing like waiting til the last minute! Then tomorrow I’ll get up early, run/gym, pack, and peace. With a special trip to cheer myself up on the way back to Storrs …

What’s your favorite thing to get at Whole Foods? I always love trying new foods! As much as my blog does not reflect that …

A Tale of Two Thanksgivings

Hello bloggies!

We have a lot to catch up on! After posting Wednesday night I had this bowl of grapes and dried apricots:

My approach to Thanksgiving was simple: to treat it like any other day. I woke up, had a couple bites of banana and some coffee, and set out for the trail to run. I was very pleasantly surprised to wake up without any soreness from my 6+ miler! I ran an easy 3 miles in about 29 minutes, came home and had this:

A strawberry Chobz with a cup of Kashi Heart to Heart.

We were supposed to be at my dad’s at noon, a family friend’s right after that, and my aunt and uncle’s at 1:30 to eat at 2 – but my family is never on time. I know that, but I still get anxious and stressed out when they’re late. I knew I had the massive stash of bars I keep in my purse and grabbed a gala as well, since I couldn’t gauge my hunger or eating schedule.

After we left our family friends’, I ate my apple, figuring I would just switch out my lunch and afternoon snack. We didn’t end up eating until 4:30, which was fine since I had eaten. I was full from the apple all afternoon and just had a few random shrimpies before the big meal.

I didn’t take any pictures, but here’s what was on my plate:

• Spinach and mixed greens salad with olives, shrooms, and yellow pepper
• Roasted brussel sprouts
• Roasted parsnips
• Turkey
• Mashed winter squash (not sure of the type – when I asked, I got “yellow” as a reply)

Trust me, it was a large meal. For dessert, there was chocolate Tofutti ice cream, vanilla and eggnog ice creams, plus an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. To be honest, I was satisfied with my meal and really didn’t want any dessert, so I didn’t have any.

It was nice to see my family, hang out with their doggies, and talk about Farmville with my cousin, but I wasn’t in the best mood all day. Thanksgiving is nice, but Christmas is by far our family’s (at least, my dad’s side) favorite and biggest holiday. By the time my brother and I got home at 7, I was STARVING – figures. I made pure deliciousness (better than Thanksgiving dinner, perhaps …)

Corfu pocketless pita, Sabra tzatziki, Veggie Patch falafel balls, and FRANK’S.

Frank’s was a delicious and perfect addition – as it always is.

A little while later, I popped some popcorn with added cayenne and cinnamon and had a hot chocolate.

Perf!

Although yesterday was Thanksgiving, today was the day that I actually felt like it. As much as I love my extended family, there’s a lot of things that make me anxious at/about family stuff (I’m sure you all understand). My mom, stepdad, and uncle spent the holiday yesterday with my stepdad’s family, so my Mom and I planned to make tonight Thanksgiving in our house!

I took the day off from exercise, and made a delish and light yogurt bowl:

Last of my plain Chobani with raspberries and some banana + vanilla extract.

Then I picked up one of my best friends who I haven’t seen since AUGUST for lunch at Chef’s Table, where my mom and I had lunch the other day. Today my amazing salad consisted of:

• Romaine
• Grilled chicken
• Kidney beans
• Steamed broccoli
• Shredded carrots
• Fat free balsamic

So amazing. Salads always taste better when someone else assembles and mixes it up for me! I came home intending to do work, but instead I read blogs and watched That 70’s Show all day. Oh well, it was my holiday. I also had a Granny Smith with cinnamon:

Then I helped my mom start to cook! I peeled tomatoes, rinsed and prepped green beans, and other small things that wouldn’t affect the taste of food if I messed up, considering I burn toast.

The six of us had enough food for my entire dad’s side of the family (20 people). We made:

• Turkey
• Mashed potatoes
• Mashed butternut squash
• Steamed green beans
• Peas
• Mashed white turnip
• Mashed yellow turnip
• Stuffing
• Cranberry sauce
• Gravy

My mom, stepdad, and I had some of this Viognier (white wine) while we were finishing cooking and setting the table. I laughed at the company name, Cono Sur, which apparently comes from the region of Chile the wine is produced in, but I thought was a play on “connoisseur.” ANYWAY, it was pretty good – crisp and fruity, but not overly sweet at all. I also had a splash more with din. My plate had:

• Turkey
• Mashed potatoes (I asked my stepdad to make me a small portion of pure potato – no butter or anything mixed in)
• Butternut
• Green beans
• Peas
• Yellow turnip

Everything was SO GOOD. My favorite thing is to get a forkful of peas, mashed taters, and turkey all in one – best taste combo for the holidays! The yellow turnip was my favorite dish by far. It has such a great taste and texture, sweet but nutty, chunky but smooth. Yum! Obv went back to seconds this Thanksgiving – of turkey (this time with hot sauce!!), mashed taters, peas, green beans, and turnip). Now I’m super stuffed. I actually can’t remember the last time I felt this full, which is great because I’ve really learned to stop myself from overeating. But, it was a holiday, all delicious and amazing, and all WHOLE foods! Like really, I ODed on veggies – it’s fine. Sadly, we didn’t have any dessert, but since my stomach is carrying a small child of produce, it’s probably not a bad thing. Now that it’s officially Christmas season, I’m sipping some Candy Cane Lane (hoping the green tea jumpstarts my metabolism to relieve the food baby pressure) and watching ELF!! YES – I’ve been dying to watch this all week. Good night!

P.S. My new bangs and I are still trying to work things out – haircut picture when we stop our argument.