Soon after I wrote that last post, I realized that I had forgotten to defrost chicken and Jamie was too hungry to wait so we had pizza instead. I found this recipe for an Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza on Eating Well. With a couple minor modifications, dinner was ready in less than 20 minutes.
Instead of splurging on the prosciutto, I grabbed a pound of thinly sliced ham at the deli yesterday so we could make sandwiches for lunch. For the pizza, I chopped up 5 slices and sauteed them with the onions and crushed red pepper. I also used some Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Crust because it's cheap and easy (I find it kinda sweet so it's not my favorite, but it does the job)
Here's the pizza after 8 minutes (plus 10 for the crust) :
I also sprinkled some garlic powder on the crust before baking it and threw some pepper on after it came out of the oven.
The original recipe says to scatter the arugula and tomato over the pizza before serving, but I like my arugula a little wilted so I put the pizza back in the oven for a couple more minutes.
Sprinkled a little coarse sea salt on top and dinner time! It was light and had a nice little kick to it. Definitely would make this again!
As I was cooking this, I was thinking about the interview I had this afternoon for a part time job. When my interviewers found out I lived in the area, they asked a really random question (at least I thought it was random for the job I was applying for): What's your favorite restaurant in the area? It's not a difficult question, but surprisingly, I had to pause and think about it. I spurted out Nam Viet. It's not my favorite, but it is one of the few places I frequent in the area...but only when I have a pho craving and can't make it to Rosslyn for whatever reason. Hmph.
Hello hello!
Friday and Saturday were kinda boring food days. I'll make up for it with 4 fun new dinners this week :)
Saturday night I was Baltimore-bound for a pasta dinner/sleepover with the ladies before the Zooma Annapolis 10k and Half Marathon. I whipped up some Bow-tie pasta with Chicken Apple Sausage, Zucchini, Mushrooms, Shallots, Spinach and Roasted Grape Tomatoes. Super easy and tasty. Susan was in charge of salad and made this really awesome dressing which I'm hoping she'll post the ingredients for (even though she told us like 3 times last night)!
Since I was still congested and Susan's foot was bothering her, we made a Rite-Aid run for some quick fixes. I decided to experiment with Breathe Right Strips. They worked pretty well during the night so they were definitely coming with me to the race. At 5 AM we began our journey to the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis and HELLO RAIN! We're talking thunder and lightning - definitely not the sunny and 77 degrees I anticipated. We parked and braved the cold cold rain (none of us were properly dressed for it) and ran for cover under the start arch.
Me and my nose strip in the warmth of the car...
Pre-race/in the rain pictures:
We were like the second row back from the start line so we got going quickly. Ran through the rain (which had let up a bit) for about 3 miles before it cleared up and turned into a perfect running day. I was feeling pretty good and when I checked my watch, I was easily rocking like 9 - 9:30 minute pace - not bad considering I didn't run for a week b/c I was sick and STILL sick. Woo! Somewhere between mile 8 and 9, my stomach started feeling a little funky and I'm not sure why. I'm thinking it was either because I ate half a bagel this morning (I usually don't eat before a race because I just can't eat that early) or because I ate those Clif Shot Bloks. Either way, I made 3 pitstops at the porta potties along the way (also unusual for me). After all that, I finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Not what I was hoping for, but not bad considering the circumstances.
Here we all are post race, somewhat dry :)
The two ladies in the middle were both first timers! Dorothy ROCKED her first half marathon and Susan did awesome for her first race EVER...even with the hobbly heel! Yay! Such a great day and a great race. The course was fantastic (even with the hills!) we ran over the scenic Severn River and made our way through a shaded, quiet, paved trail that I was able to zone out on. There were only a few instances that we ran along traffic (one of my least favorite things) and the last 200 meters or so were all downhill :)
We got a fun necklace once we finished (sadly, I think it might be of better quality than the one I got from running Nike - hi, easily tarnished "Tiffany necklace"), free wine samples from Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, and a lunch box (sorry, it was a deep box!)
I got the Chicken Salad (it was a cup of chicken salad w/some celery and carrot sticks, some pita triangles and an apple) and everyone else got the Hummus (same extras). It was the perfect post race snack before crabbies! Hidden in the top left corner is my sample of the Barefoot Muscato. I usually don't like sweet wines, but this was surprisingly refreshing! We sat and ate outside of this...
...enjoying the live music and sun!
Soon we were off to Mike's Crab House in Riva, Maryland (a mere 15 minutes away) for some crabs and beer!
CRABBIES!!! I love sitting down with crabs, a mallet and a pitcher of beer! This is totally what I've been craving for so long. MMMM.
Everyone after the destruction:
Ahhh, such a wonderful Sunday! I'll post dinner this evening...Coconut-Lime Chicken & Snow Peas :)
Totally unrelated to San Francisco (aside from the fact that I didn't do my 10 mile run while I was there, but whatever), I picked up my Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon race packet this evening. Of course it was at Pacers in Clarendon so I HAD to browse the running goodies and I HAD to walk away with new Clif stuff to taste. Duh.
I decided to step away from the trusty Mocha Clif Shot Gel...we'll see how Vanilla tastes. Also grabbed a sleeve of the Black Cherry Shot Bloks. I keep hearing these are good, but I'm still skeptical about the whole chewy thing...
Goody bag time! Bright pink t-shirt, nifty reusable tote and an issue of Women's Running:
AND...
my MASSIVE timing chip. WTF? Seriously? Is it really necessary to have something that huge on my shoe?? Has anyone else seen a timing chip this big?? I'm used to running with ChampionChips and have even figured out the best, most comfortable way to attach them to my sneaker without those silly twisty ties. Recently I was introduced to the D-Tag which requires no tying, no plastic, no nothing! Genius!
OK, enough of that...time to finish up San Francisco.
Note: this is from my first trip. It was way too foggy this time around so no good views of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, I felt it was necessary to have at least one shot on here!
After what I think was a late night out at the Buccaneer, we woke up somewhat early on Monday morning to beat the crowds at the California Academy of Sciences (read: the coolest museum I've been to lately). According to the website, "The Academy is now the largest public Platinum-rated building in the world, and also the world’s greenest museum." Fancy.
Here's part of the Living Roof
I'd say that's kind of a big deal, no?
Inside, there are 4 levels of nerdy fun. We started on the amazing Aquarium Level where I had fun taking pictures of jellyfish (I swear, I could sit there and watch them swim around for hours...who knew?).
Stared at massive displays of tropical fish and other reef inhabitants, dodged some kids and made our way to the first floor. Not too much going on here except for a giant pendulum a la LOST (sadly, I didn't get a shot) and an albino alligator. Kinda creepy.
We waited in line to enter the Rainforests of the World Experience, which was fun, but I definitely preferred wandering around the aquarium. I did find this guy in the rainforest...
At this point we were starving and needed food. Good thing the next place on our agenda was Gold Mountain for dim sum.
But FIRST...
Obligatory Full House houses shot and then off to dim sum!
Almost immediately after we sat down, a cart came by and dim sum began :)
This is Round One: (clockwise from the top) Spareribs w/black bean sauce, Chive dumpling, Shrimp dumpling, and Minced beef ball. The spare ribs were ok, not the meatiest I've had, but the flavor was right. Chive dumplings were really chive/shrimp dumplings, a little too heavy on the chive. Shrimp dumplings were standard - I judge on whether or not the wrapper is mooshy. The minced beef ball had a really interesting texture...it was squishy like there was filler in it or something...it had good flavor though!
Sorry, I was too distracted with eating that I forgot to take pictures of the rounds that followed! They included: Steamed chicken bun (kinda tasted like that pork bun I had on Sunday), Steamed BBQ pork bun (delish, not too sweet), Steamed rice noodle with beef (this is a variation on the steamed rice noodle rolls with shrimp drizzled with a sweet soy sauce. It was good, but I think I still love the shrimp version), Soy sauce chicken (this ended up just sitting on the table after a few bites. We read about it on Yelp, but didn't know it was served cold. Also, it just wasn't anything exciting. Five spicy. End.), Chinese broccoli (sauteed w/oyster sauce drizzled on top. YUM), Potstickers (I'm going back one day just for these. SO GOOD), Fried glutinous rice ball with pork (these were way too greasy, but it had good flavor - the rice was slightly sweet and the pork was five spicy), and Sesame seed balls (standard - glutinous rice filled with bean paste).
Phew. Long paragraph. Need a break. Feel full from typing that. Ech.
All that food required a walk to aid digestion so we hoofed it through Chinatown to get back to our hotel and hung out for a bit. Around 7pm it was time to dine again - our last meal in San Francisco...*SIGH*. We were thinking Mexican for dinner and where did we end up? Nopalito! Apparently it's a fairly new place and is all about using organic, sustainable and local ingredients. None of us had ever been, so yay experiement!
We each ordered one small plate and one entree...ready for pictures galore?
Tostada de Tinga - Fried tortilla, pinquito beans, shredded chicken, chipotle, epazote and crema
Tamal Enchilado de Queso y Puerco - Housemade ancho chili masa, stewed pork, queso fresco, spring onions and crema
Quesadilla Roja con Chicharron - Corn tortilla, crispy pork belly, guajillo salsa, jack cheese,
onions and cilantro
The small plates were really good...definitely the way to go next time. The man next to us got the Gordita de Picadillo and it looked REALLY good. Entrees were a little bland for my taste...
Mole Poblano con Pollo - Sauce of toasted chilies, chocolate, cinnamon, nuts, sesame seeds and chicken leg (the mole was good, but the rice had no flavor)
Carne Asada - can't find a description on the website, but I'm sure you can tell what it is from the picture. It came with really good homemade tortillas, but I really couldn't get past the tough meat. It was like it was too rare so it was chewy, plus it wasn't cut against the grain or something so it was super chewy.
I forget the name of this but it was fish stewed in a tomato sauce and it had a name Jamie had a hard time pronouncing. It was ok.
Ended the meal with some complimentary Mexican Wedding Cookies that were just sweet enough to curb my sweet craving.
And Jamie got a lime pop
And so ends vacation!
Sunday started early for us as we headed south to Pacifica for some surfing and fish tacos. Please note, I have never surfed in my entire life nor have I tried fish tacos. HUGE adventure!
We met up with a friend that works at the Log Shop and did a quick tour of the place (it has a huge skatepark set up in the back) before getting outfitted with wetsuits, booties, and boards. I wish I had remembered to bring my camera with me, but I was a little distracted by a) the cold and wind b) the surprisingly heavy and cumbersome surf board and c) concerned about walking a block with said board and wetsuit. Btw, wetsuits are never EVER flattering.
Anyway, four of us trekked to the cold beach and I got a quick 'lesson' before jumping into the freezing water. I was surprised at how warm the wetsuit kept me considering how cold the water was. FYI - the water was so cold that I couldn't breathe when the massive waves hit me and my hands were bright red when I finally walked out.
Apparently the conditions weren't ideal for surfing that morning so I don't feel so bad about only getting up on my belly. Hell, it was quite a workout trying to get out far enough in the water! An hour later we all emerged from the water, equally frustrated and decided to head back and find these fish tacos we had heard so much about.
We drove further south (a mighty scenic drive, btw) to Half Moon Bay where we stumbled into Cafe Capistrano. It's really small and not that schnazzy looking from the outside, but it definitely had some good food! The menu was painted on a small board - one side in English, the other in Spanish - and everything looked delicious. I had to keep my eye on the prize since we were there specifically for the fish tacos which are made from whatever fish is caught that day and are grilled, not battered and fried.
Again, no picture, but oh my goodness...FANTASTIC. I forget what fish we had (snapper?) but it was super fresh and grilled perfectly with a spicy, chimichurri sort of sauce on it. It came with warm corn tortillas, beans, rice with pineapple bits, guacamole, and a salady/pico de gallo-ish thing. After assembling 4 fish tacos, I was full but not gross full. Very good first fish taco experience :)
We drove back to the Log Shop where Jamie did some shopping (I refrained from buying a bathing suit even though I saw some cute ones) and then it was back to the hotel for a few hours of downtime before starting our evening. We totally welcomed the do nothing time since we packed so much into Saturday.
At some point after fish tacos and during our downtime, we made the obligatory Beard Papa run.
This is me about 2 hours after I finished my first marathon in 2007. No shame. Sometimes you need a creme puff and when you do, Beard Papa is THE BEST. LOVE IT.
Yes that is a 6 pack of creme puffs (4 vanilla and 2 coffee, which was the flavor of the week) and NO they were not all eaten in one sitting. UGH. Vanilla is by far my favorite and the coffee one is on my poo poo list. Not so good.
The obsession began when a friend introduced us to it in NYC and then I stopped by the one around the corner from the Westin last time I was in San Francisco (yes, that was actually one of the deciding factors in choosing our hotel this trip :\ ) AND THEN Jamie and I went on a search for it while we were in Tokyo last year. Sad, but true. You MUST try it.
An hour or so later we started the walk over to Selin's place via Chinatown. I really wanted to find some BBQ Pork Buns and found a bakery on Yelp that was supposed to be good. So we start walking and checking out the scenery and AH HA! I see the awning for Good Mong Kok Bakery! Note: this is not a picture of the awning, but a doofy one 2 doors down...
I freaked out a little because there were only Chinese people in the small bakery and all the signs were in Chinese! All the buns looked the same and I was prepared to point to whatever was selling fast. Thankfully the woman behind the counter spoke to me in English (though, people tend to speak to me in foreign languages) and I asked for the pork bun and pointed. FIFTY CENTS! Nice :)
We start walking and I'm all excited to try this BBQ Pork Bun. I bite in and NOT BBQ PORK! :(
Turns out I got a Pork and Vegetable Bun instead. It's a good thing I like those :) It's like a pork and leek potsticker in a steamed bun. MMM.
We trekked up a crazy steep hill (steep as in my foot was tilted up like 45 degrees) and made our way to Selin's awesome apartment where she had prepared a DELICIOUS Red Wine Braised Short Rib with Rosemary Polenta and Salad. Can we say detox diet time yet? haha.
After dinner we headed out for some bevvies at The Buccaneer where I was promptly freaked out by a dog sitting on a stool at the bar.
Phew. That was a lot. Last installation tomorrow!
And, before I forget, dinner tonight was an asiany chicken salad (much needed):
Shredded red cabbage, chopped romaine, slivered almonds, chopped apricots, mandarin oranges, scallion, chow mein noodles, chicken and a dressing made from these guys:
San Francisco was fantastic and here's the recap I promised!
We got into San Francisco early Friday afternoon and so began our fun filled weekend. We dumped our stuff off at the hotel and cabbed over to Fisherman's Wharf to grab some lunch. Originally we planned on grabbing lunch at Boudin Bakery, but couldn't find it...so we settled on some In-N-Out before heading to...
Oh yes, we quacked. The 90 minute tour was a great nerdy way to get an idea of where everything was in the city. My only complaint is that it was a lot faster and bumpier than I expected. One minute the guy would be pointing out a building or a street and before you could even turn to take a picture, you zoomed on to the next thing!
After a quick nap at the hotel, we met up with some friends for drinks at Varnish Fine Art. Tucked away on a small side street not far from the Westin Market Street, Varnish is a small contemporary art gallery (one level with a lofted area) that does double duty as a bar. The atmosphere is really relaxed and the prices are great (happy hour specials include $4 draught beers and $6 glasses of wine).
We definitely needed dinner after happy hour, so we popped into Osha Thai just around the corner. There were four of us so we decided to go family style and ordered the Osha Fresh Spring Rolls (, Spicy Basil with Chicken (, Pad Thai with Crab (), .
The spring rolls were nothing spectacular - it tasted like they were wrapped in rice noodles and not rice paper a la Vietnamese summer rolls. The sea bass was by far the table favorite, especially when eaten with coconut rice!
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early (because I intended on running, but did not) and walked over to the famed Ferry Building for the Saturday farmer's market. This is an absolute must see if you love food...I really wish I had a reason to buy some of the produce!! We walked over with the intent to grab a bite to eat for breakfast and were a bit overwhelmed with the amount of food stalls and people wandering around. We settled on two stalls for breakfast - Prather Ranch and Primavera.
Jamie was sold on Prather Ranch's Fried Egg with Cheddar and Whiskey Sage Sausage Breakfast Sandwich. I think he loved it even more when he found the bowl of jalapenos on the table of toppings ;) It was a tasty breakfast sandwich, but I had my sights on something else...
CHILAQUILES! DELICIOUS!! Totally hit the spot :) While we were in line, Jamie saw someone walk away with a plate of these babies...
Tacos al Pastor with a citrus salsa, pineapples and radishes. Of course he had room for a second breakfast ;p Primavera is definitely a must taste spot at the market!
We snacked on these while sitting on benches overlooking the bay and it was the best start to a Saturday. I actually didn't mind that it was probably in the high 50s/low 60s and windy that morning. I loved the atmosphere, the food and the company...clearly all that matters!
Bellies full and happy, we met up with a friend to see some sights...with a brief pit stop for shopping ;) We paid a visit to Jeremy's since there was a crazy sale going on. I was a little overwhelmed when we first got in (we gave ourselves a 30 minute maximum shopping trip) - the first floor has men's and women's discounted designer clothing and shoes and then once you head upstairs, there are racks and tables full of casual tops, jeans and bathing suits! INSANE! I wish I had more time to browse :(
Next up was the Palace of Fine Arts and the Exploratorium! I've wanted to go to the Exploratorium ever since I saw it on an episode of 5Takes on the Travel Channel. I'm a nerd, we know this. I loved the Exploratorium for all the nifty interactive displays; I hated the Exploratorium because of kiddie germs.
After running around, we stopped at Velo Rouge Cafe for some caffeine. BEST COFFEE EVER! I had never heard of Blue Bottle Coffee Co. until I saw a sign at the farmer's market. Turns out, the folks that serve up the coffee have a special way of preparing it - each cup gets its own filter, the beans are freshly ground and water is poured through the filter almost like it's a french press. DEEEELICIOUS coffee. I don't even think it needed the milk I put in it! MUST FIND IT HERE!
We ran through Golden Gate Park all caffeinated checking out the random roaming bison, the botanic garden and managed to stumble across the Bay Area Yo-Yo Championships???
Dinner was at Nettie's Crab Shack in the Marina. Nettie's is definitely not a shack, but they do have crabs, beer and sports on tv...just not the same way us east coasters are used to. The best way to describe this place is a restaurant out of the Pottery Barn catalog. I think it was something about the colors...
Anyway, Jamie and I split 2 stone crab claws (first time I've ever had stone crab) and they were good. The mustard/mayo dipping sauce made them even better :) We were so addicted to the sauce, we asked for an extra ramekin to dip our chips in!
For dinner, Selin ordered off the special menu and got a Soft Shell Crab Po'boy with greens and chips:
The Po'boy had a really good tangy/spicy/sweet sauce that we couldn't figure out - remoulade??
I went with the Crab Cakes and a Little Gems & Escarole Caesar Salad with Anchovy Croutons:
The crab cakes were ok...too much filler and not enough crab. They were a little too rich for me and the lemon mayo on top was just way too much. In all fairness though, I do live ridiculously close to Maryland and feel like that has turned me into a crab cake snob.
My salad was again, a bit too rich for me. Normally I a) don't get Ceasar salads and b) always get dressing on the side. I did like the bitter greens with the anchovy croutons though!
Jamie went with the Cioppino with house cured cod, mussels, clams and crab toast:
I only snagged a taste of the cod and it was pretty tasty. I've never had Cioppino before so I don't really have anything to compare it to...I'll let Jamie comment on that one.
For dessert we walked around to make some room before heading to TuttiMelon for some frozen yogurt! I think Jamie was kinda sad when we first suggested frozen yogurt since he had his heart set on having gelato during this vacation. Lucky for him TuttiMelon also serves gelato!
I passed on the gelato and went for a small cup of the plain with mango, kiwi and yogurt chips:
This yogurt was MUCH better than the last one I had at SweetGreen. This reminded me of the very first time I had frozen yogurt at TangySweet (when I was promptly hooked on the stuff!) and was a perfect end to a day of good eats!
Ok, time for me to head off to bed...I've been awake since 3am west coast time! AGH! I'll post part 2 of our trip tomorrow - icy cold water, surfing, fish tacos, and more food adventures!
Kinda.
So I got slammed at work today and ended up getting stuck in the office until 9pm trying to tie up a bunch of loose ends. ARGH! That meant no track workout for me :( I sent the boys off on what might be the toughest track workout yet - 1.5 mi warm up and then ladder time! 400m run, 400m jog, 200m run, 200m jog, 100m run, 100m jog...repeat 3 times. In my haste to pull together a workout, I failed to mention that they could have a 2 minute recovery jog between sets. SORRY!!!! :(
Dinner tonight was fast and spastic. I threw together some 'ramen' for Jamie as I cleaned out the fridge. There's no real recipe to this...I just toss in a little bit of everything from the fridge/cabinets. Usually I start out with an actual package of ramen, but the shiratake noodles really needed to be eaten. I don't recommend using them in the future for this.
I started out with this:
Instant Dashi! It's like asian boullion ;) Dashi is the base for a lot of Japanese soups and simmering liquids and is typically made from kelp and bonito. These little granules are fantastic!
I threw the granules in with water, some other random sauces, arugula (o yes), soybeans, and some Japanese pepper:
Then I threw an egg in during the last few minutes of cooking for some protein.
According to Jamie, it was kinda blah. I should have known...it only took 10 minutes to make :\
While I was digging around the fridge, I saw we had some leftover deli meat so I made myself a goat cheese, arugula and turkey sandwich. I passed on the 'ramen' b/c I just wasn't feeling salt or soup.
Here it is up close and personal:
Ok, off to pack now...at 10pm...when we have to be in the car at 4am...yaaaaahhh. Vacation is SO CLOSE!!!! First on our SF agenda? Duck tour on the bay. quack.
I wish it was 70 degrees and not humid every day in DC!
Warm weather makes me crave fruity, fresh, crisp flavors so tonight's dinner was Grilled Shrimp with Mango Salsa served with an Avocado and Arugula Salad. It was a massive meal, but I don't feel disgustingly full so it's just fine with me!
I did this with a grill pan so it's fake grilled in my book. Oh how I wish we had a charcoal grill (or really, any grill)! This was a super fast meal...it probably would have been faster if I made the mango salsa in advance! There are a few changes I'd make (surprise) like using totally shelled shrimp next time. I always think leaving the tail-on adds/keeps in some extra flavor, but it's kind of a pain when it comes to eating. Eh.
Grilled Shrimp
10-15 large shrimp, shelled
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp Goya Adobo Seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp brown sugar
pinch cayenne pepper
Mix spices in a bowl and coat shrimp with mixture. Heat a grill (or grill pan) and cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until shrimp is pink.
I've been known to do variations of this grilled shrimp and this one isn't my absolute favorite. One of these days I'll try to remember an older version and post the recipe (I think it may have involved some Old Bay)!
Mango Salsa
1 mango, diced
1 c tomatoes, diced
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/4 tsp cumin
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
juice of one lime
pinch salt
pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.
I really wanted to throw in another fruit like pineapple or peach, but didn't have any in the apartment. Also, my mango wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be so I added a smidge of honey to combat the tartness. I used grape tomatoes b/c well, they needed to be used. Any tomato should work just fine with this!
Avocado and Arugula Salad
1 avocado, sliced in half - each half thinly sliced
2 handfulls arugula
juice of half a lime
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp olive oil
coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Whisk lime juice, honey and olive oil together, set aside. Place avocado on top of arugula and drizzle dressing on top. Sprinkle on salt and pepper.
Ok, so I really only came up with this because a) I love avocado pieces sprinkled with salt and lime juice. I know I'm weird. My second favorite way to eat avocado is mixed with garlic powder and salt on toast. SHH. b) I love arugula more than any other green and make excuses to eat it and c) I needed something to eat with the shrimp and couldn't think of anything else.
The avocado balanced everything out...the acidity from the salsa, the spice/salt from the shrimp and the bitter greens. I love you Mr. Avocado!
Tomorrow's dinner won't be as exciting. It's a clean out the fridge before vacation dinner so that means RAMEN (or at least something like ramen - I have a pack of shiratake noodles I have to use)! I'll also be sure to post tomorrow's speed work out...I'm trying to make up something fun. I'm on a time out since my ankle freaked yesterday. While everyone is running my fun speed workout, I'll be jogging around the track :( boo.
Friday we leave for San Francisco! YAY!!! So excited :) :) :) So many things to do, see and EAT! Not sure if I'll be able to blog while I'm away, but don't you worry, I'll be snapping tons of pictures and will recap everything! Food suggestions are always welcome :)
Today was a frantic and frustrating day that started off with a last minute calendar reminder that I had training all day today via conference call. Boo.
Our work event was at Founding Farmers and there were plenty of fun appetizers to go around. I only tasted 4 of them so I wouldn't be too full for my run at 7. The appetizers I did get to taste were great and I'm hoping I'll be able to check out the full menu soon!
I might have to say my favorite of the four appetizers were the Bacon Lollies (Nueske’s bacon candied with cinnamon and brown sugar glaze). These were perfect bite sized portions on sticks (bacon + stick = YUM) and they were missing the part I hate the most about bacon...the gross and slimy fat pieces!
Coming a close second was the Flatbread with
ground-to-order beef with Tillamook cheddar on a house made bun)
ALSO, my fears of getting hit with a ball almost came true! We were running on the mall and wewerethisclose to getting hit by a stray ball!! Fired.
Yep, that's right, I have a Nemo icepak buddy and I'm not ashamed of him.
Tomorrow will be a good food post day. On the dinner menu: Grilled Shrimp with Mango Salsa and Avocado Salad. woooo!
I also sprinkled some garlic powder on the crust before baking it and threw some pepper on after it came out of the oven.
Sprinkled a little coarse sea salt on top and dinner time! It was light and had a nice little kick to it. Definitely would make this again!
