Post-Vacation Eats [WIAW]

October 19, 2016 By Laura

I’m home.

I begged Vegas to stay in Italy.

We’re home… and I’m more than a little sad. But here we are. In this election cycle… oy… I can’t even go there.

We have at least eaten well! Brunch at Royal Stone was amazing our first week back. It’s the one thing we do better here in America.

Brunch:

It made me a teensy bit glad to be back in the States. The only thing Italians don’t know how to do right when it comes to food is brunch!

I had the Vegetable Hash with eggs over easy, carnival cauliflower, rainbow carrots, purple sweet potato, chard, jalapeño vinaigrette, and sourdough toast. Vegas had the Patty Mac with sausage, eggs, and butternut mustard (so good!) on brioche with Japanese sweet potato fries. We also shared a side of mimosas… and by side I mean the whole bottle.

We couldn’t decide who’s order “won”!…

A Day of Eats & a Donkey Race in Alba, Italy

October 5, 2016 By Laura

Alba is my favorite European city.

I begged Vegas to stay.

Alba is in Piedmont, the northwest region of Italy. It’s been my favorite since my last trip here 5 years ago. This is the area famous for Barolo (the king’s wine), Barbaresco, hazelnuts, and truffles. We did it all!

I’ve had more white truffles than should be allowed. They don’t look like much from the outside, but these rare (and expensive) mushrooms are a delicacy unique to this region. You can only get them in the fall. Alba even has a festival dedicated to them!

…

Softball Debauchery & Anti-Inflammatory Eats [WIAW]

September 21, 2016 By Laura

I can’t stay healthy.

Don’t ever age past 30.

We were in at the softball world series last week in Kansas City playing with our old Atlanta team. First Vegas went down with a hamstring. Then – because we do everything together – I did mine. 2 weeks before we go to Italy. I swear these things never happened when I was in my 20s! Sigh.

In other news, we had delicious BBQ that I ate so quickly I forgot to take pictures of. There were also breakfasts of Krispy Kreme and Fireball. #sorryimnotsorry

…

Balsamic Marinated Chicken [Recipe] +WIAW

September 13, 2016 By Laura

I have a new favorite chicken recipe.

The family even demanded an encore!

Chicken feels boring to me. I’m forever looking for new ways to prepare it. This Italian-inspired grilled Balsamic Marinated Chicken recipe was inspired by a pre-made version I used to buy in Atlanta. It was one of the few meals I didn’t tire of while competing, thanks to the tangy, sweet balsamic marinade.

…

A Day of Eats and Froyo To-Go

August 31, 2016 By Laura

I’m leaving.

Vegas is super sad.

Lucie and I are crashing Meghan’s place for a long weekend. As you’re reading this I am somewhere between San Diego and Cleveland. And I’m eating froyo on a plane.

…

Why I Started Exercising + WIAW

August 24, 2016 By Laura

Some days I love to run.

Some days I’d rather light myself on fire.

Today I have an uncharacteristically sappy story to go along with my cloudy (thank god – it finally cooled down) run.

It’s about what motivates me, even when I don’t realllllly feel like dragging my ass to the gym or out for a run. Exercising was not really my “thing” until about age 24. To be honest, you would have been hard-pressed to convince me to much more than walk to dinner. My mentality was “I’m not a big person, so why bother?”

…

Cupping Therapy, Lebanese Wine, & WIAW

August 17, 2016 By Laura

I’m moving slow this week.

Because I was attacked by an octopus.

Ok, so maybe not for real. I’ve been crazy sore and the octopus action helped me with recovery. It’s actually called supping therapy (you may have seen similar spots on Michael Phelps).

…

Leg Day Fuel {WIAW}

August 3, 2016 By Laura

Working out in the heat is 100x harder.

Especially cardio and leg day.

I’ve actually gotten in a few good runs. Maybe I’ll one day earn the “sprint” back. Until then, I’ll be satisfied with my current summer heat pace. It’s definitely faster than I’ve been in a couple of years!

…