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April 13, 2011 By Laura

It’s Wednesday morning and already this week I:

1. Tried two new products

 

Close-to-locally made Kombucha

 

Buchi. Made in Asheville, N.C., purchased at Whole Paycheck Foods in ATL on Ponce.

It was good!  Very authentic (read: vinegar-y), but if you’re already used to the taste of Kombucha you’ll probably like it.

Added bonus: it comes in a beer bottle. 😉


Awesome taste. Awesome nutrients.

 

Omega-Rich Hummus with Walnuts & Flax.  Kudos to you, Whole Foods.  Has any one else seen this?  I’ve never noticed it before.

I don’t eat seafood, so I’ll take all the non-fishy omegas I can get.

Warning: it is purple-ish.  Not sure why.

 

2. Made (and eaten the h-e-double hockey sticks out of) granola

 

I love the hint of citrus in these

 

Callie @ Rawxy posted these Citrus-Spiked Granola Bars a couple of months ago.

I bookmarked them and FINALLY got around to making them.  Don’t make my mistake.  Make these now.

Delicious, filling, and only 4g of sugar!

My modifications:

  • Omitted the hemp seeds (didn’t have any)
  • Added zest of an additional (small) orange
  • Reduced dates to 2
  • Reduced Stevia to 1 packet

They were still sweet without the extra data/Stevia, but I do prefer my granola more nutty than sweet.

 

3. Flew to DC and back

While in DC, I ate at Big Buns.

 

No, I didn't buy a t-shirt.

 

It was surprisingly good.  Sadly, I forgot a pic.

I had the grilled chicken (which was perfectly cooked) over field greens with grilled pineapple, sprouts, roasted red pepper, and sweet chili vinaigrette.

The big surprise was the room upgrade:

 

Penthouse suite!

 

View from the bedroom

 

Don’t worry – I refrained from taking a pic of the phone in the bathroom. 🙂

Thank you, Westin!

 

4. Hosted a Roundtable Discussion with my boss.  No pics, but it went well.  Aside from the jokers that didn’t show up.

 

5. Hit the Gym

 

I have been working out... but this is hilarious.

 

The gym was my second stop (after my house) upon landing in ATL tonight.  Biceps and back + 100 stability ball crunches.

 

6. Cleaned the floor

Stevie didn’t successfully use the potty while I was away.  Dammit.

 

7. Made a tasty dinner

This actually means I tried another new (to me) product – Quorn Turk’y Burger

 

Less than impressive pic, but it hit the spot

 

Hunger took over and I thawed the burger in the microwave.  It still wasn’t bad, but I’d like to try it again in a grill pan or oven.

 

I threw together a quick salad:

  • Baby spinach
  • 1/2 avocado
  • Raw asparagus (julienned)
  • Lemon juice
  • S+P
  • Greek-style yogurt, plain 2% (yep – more Atlanta Farm Fresh)
  • Garlic chili paste
  • Fresh ginger

I tossed the asparagus with a little lemon juice, salt, and pepper, adding it to a bed of spinach.  That was topped with sliced avocado.  On a whim, I mixed the yogurt with the chili paste and ginger (YUM – will do that again!), and drizzled it over the salad.

 

Check back tomorrow to see what I did with the other half of that avocado!

Hint: it involves dessert.

***

After this weekend and Monday/Tuesday, I feel like it should be Friday again! 🙂

Do you find you cram in more activities during the warmer months?

 

Filed Under: Fitness, Products, Recipes, Restaurants Tagged With: dinner, lunch, restaurants, Stevie, workout

Speaking Up

March 22, 2011 By Laura

A friend and I recently had a delicious dinner at an Atlanta restaurant.  While there, we noticed that the restaurant was beginning a Monday night dinner at their community table.  16 seatings, $35 for  a “three-course, family style dinner featuring paired wine and beer.”

Before we even left the restaurant we made reservations for the community dinner, which took place last night.  We included 2 others who had never been to this restaurant before, excitedly telling them about the place.

The dinner was supposed to begin at 7p.  Apparently other parties were running late, so service was to begin late.  Mistake #1: Don’t make me wait for food!

The server offered drink menus, which we initially declined… but after another several minute wait we caved and ordered drinks.  The server – clueless about the wine list – tried to tell me a Moscato d’Asti would be dry, btw.

By the time they arrived, the restaurant had decided to go ahead with the dinner.  Fine… but that meant suddenly I had 2 full glasses of wine.  It would have been nice if they’d warned us of their decision to begin the first course/pairing – I wouldn’t have ordered the wine.  No biggie though… you know I drank both!

Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of the service problems.

Chef came out to introduce Course #1: a salad of frisée, asparagus, radishes, and pistachio encrusted goat cheese.  Good.  Nothing spectacular, but well-executed.

No one introduced the first wine pairing.  When I asked the server what we were tasting, she had to go ask the bartender.  (It was an Italian chardonnay.) She offered to write down the name.  I accepted (very nice of her to offer)… but apparently she forgot and I never received the name card.

Course #2 was a duck confit served over a delicious white bean and ham mixture.  The runners borough it out before we had plates.  Upon receiving plates, we realized the family-style food had not come with serving utensils.  We almost helped ourselves regardless.  Luckily, the server appeared with tongs and spoons just in time (reaching over everyone to lay them on the table).

This course was never introduced.  Unsure if the chef would be coming out again after staring at the food for another several mins, my friend inquired as to whether we should wait to eat.  With more than a touch of ‘tude, our server told my friend that she supposed she could go ahead if she didn’t want to wait for the chef.  Welll… no one wanted to wait and it’s a good thing we didn’t since he never came out.

Of course, the wine was not introduced either.  It was red and actually quite good.  That’s all I know.

As mentioned above, the beans with ham was delicious.  The duck confit notsomuch. I don’t know how, but it was dry.  Not that anyone asked me how my meal was.

Course #3 was a dessert course. We were brought key lime pie squares topped with a toasted marshmallow.  The marshmallow was the best part.

Ok. When you attend a “three-course, family style dinner featuring paired wine and beer”… do you not infer that each course has a pairing?

No pairing. When I asked our server about it, she said she would have to check.  When she returned, she unapologeticlly informed me a pairing was not included because if they did that they would be losing money.  Super.  Excuse me for asking.

At this point I’m really unhappy with the way the night has gone.  My dining companions (my friends and the others around the community table) were also disappointed.  So I said something.

The chef came out to address the issue with me.  I – very nicely – mentioned the short-comings and the sub-par service.

They comped our meal – NOT my goal – asking that we pay for drinks and tip the server.

Then they apologized for my misunderstanding of what the dinner would be.  Uh-huh.

It’s unlikely I’ll return. Not because the food was so-so (my first trip was quite good) or because of a “misunderstanding” (I get that they’re new and appreciate the meal being comped).  No, I won’t go back because of the poor service and being made to feel like anything unsatisfactory was my fault.

In the end,  restaurants are in the service business.  If you don’t deliver quality service at a higher-end establishment, I’ll not be spending my time or money there.  There are too many fantastic places to eat in Atlanta.

On a happy note, we met some awesome people through the community seating format.  We hope to dine with that crew again soon!


 

The other issue was that it wasn’t enough food.  So I made a pit stop on the way home.

Shameless WaHo love

***

Due to a misunderstanding with my computer, I can’t post the cookie recipe I had planned this morning… so that’s coming tonight.  I’ll give you the recipe free-of-charge if you promise to tip though!

Since I can’t have a photo-less post and I do like to share good finds…

My friend and softball teammate Kelly made the carrot cake for the wedding shower.  Literally everyone was raving about it.  I’m going to beg her for the recipe.

Kelly, please open a bakery

I may have told my mother this is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had… sorry, Mom.

I want this for lunch

***

I feel a little bad about the restaurant comping our meals…

Have you ever been made to feel  like poor service was your fault? 

Do you speak up or just let it go?

Filed Under: Fail, Restaurants Tagged With: dinner, entertaining, restaurants

The Cure + Zucchini-Banana Muffins

March 14, 2011 By Laura

As expected, I woke up the morning after Tough Mudder feeling like death warmed over a bit sore. (Check out my recap here.)

The good news is I found The 3-Step Cure.

Step 1: Cut a hole in the box.

Noooo… I’m kidding.  The Cure actually began the night of the race with…

 

1. Fro-Yo

A post-run, post-blogger dinner Dark Chocolate-Vanilla swirl @ Three on the Tree.

Calcium! (Pretty sure I earned this. x1000.)

This is the most tasty yogurt in Atlanta.  I’d bet my first born on it. If I were to have a first born.


2. Brunch

I had an awesome brunch with some good friends at Rosebud, one of my favorite restaurants.  Ron Eyester (@theangrychef) is the chef/owner and he never disappoints (with food or hilariously honest tweets).

Whole Wheat Pancakes w/ Sage-Vanilla Butter. They don't skimp on the butter and you shouldn't either.

Starter Beverage: Jasmine green tea (full disclosure: I wasn’t being noble… no booze until church lets out noon on Sundays in GA).

Appetizers: Biscuits + gravy (my friend who doesn’t even like gravy loved this!) and an epic grits + egg + brisket creation Ron graciously sent out.

Meal: Whole wheat pancakes with sage-vanilla butter, special Rosebud syrup… and a side of grits.  Just because.

Draaaank: The Orange Thing – vodka, gran marnier, and orange pellegrino.  Two thumbs up.

 

3. Spa

The Korean spa, JeJu, in Gwinnett.  $25 for the whole day.

I seriously considered never leaving.

 

Don’t be scared.  There will be nudity (only in the M/F segregated areas!).  There are hot tubs, cold pools, wet and dry saunas, and 7 different “healing rooms.”

They also offer massages (no happy ending), body scrubs, and foot massages.

The healing rooms have different themes.  For instance, the one I spent the majority of my time in was the clay sauna.  It’s good for muscle recovery.

Others include: charcoal for detoxing, jade for inner peace, salt for circulation, etc.  The dome are lined with appropriate substance in each room.

I sent and extra $50 for an hour-long foot massage.  It was the best idea I’ve ever had. If you go there after a race, it’s worth the splurge.

JeJu has wi-fi, towel service, and a Korean restaurant.  You could literally stay there for 24 hours.

 

So, that’s my 3-Step Cure*.  Free of charge.

*This is not to say that I’m not sore today.  I am.  Just less so than I would have been (Translation: I’m able to walk).

Day 3 of recovery started with muffins.

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You’re not going to believe it, but these are vegan, low-sugar, < 100 calories, AND they taste good.

Sneaky Veggie Muffin

Zucchini makes for a dense muffin.  If you want them fluffier, reduce the grated zucchini by 1/2 C.

Relying mostly on banana to sweeten them, these muffins these are a perfect breakfast for those that aren’t in need of an AM sugar-high.  I think you could replace the agave with Stevia… if you try it, let me know!

__________________________________________________________________________________


These were inspired by the Babycakes vegan cookbook and Marci Gilbert’s Loaf.

Zucchini-Banana Muffins

(a.k.a. The 98 Calorie Muffin)

  • 1/2 C white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
  • 1/2 C spelt flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 C grated zucchini (~2 medium)
  • 1.5 C ripe bananas (~2 medium)
  • 1/4 C light agave nectar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 12 regular-sized muffin tins with Pam/butter/Earth Balance.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (the first 8).

In medium bowl, mush bananas with a fork.  Add grated zucchini, agave, and vanilla and hand mix.

Add the wet to the dry, mixing until just combined.  Fold in the pecans. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan half way through.

Makes 12 muffins.

Approximate Nutrition Info: 98 calories, 2.5g fat, 18.2g carbohydrates, 2.2g fiber, 8.7g sugar, 2.2g protein

***

Do you have a “magic” cure for next-day soreness?

(Hangover cures are appreciated count.)

 

Filed Under: Baking, Breakfast, Fitness, Recipes, Restaurants, Running Tagged With: breakfast, brunch, dessert, race, restaurants, running, vegan

Can’t Pinch My Soup

March 11, 2011 By Laura

This time last year I was putting the finishing touches on the plans for my trip to Ireland.

Cliffs of Moher

That’s right.  I went to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day!

It was crazy… but the bigger party happened a couple nights later when what I think is like the Super Bowl of Rugby was held in Ireland.  Ireland vs. Scotland.  Yes, there were more kilts than you can imagine!

If you ever have the occasion to go to Ireland, I highly recommend it.  We stayed in Dublin most of the trip, but had I to do it again I would rent a car and explore the countryside more.

My Irish Top 5 Attractions:

  1. Tour the Guinness Museum – The history/backstory is fascinating and the beer really does taste better on-site.
  2. Eat at the The Winding Stair – Make a reservation!!  It was easily one of the best meals I’ve eaten.  Order this bottle: Gigondas, Domaine La Bouïssier, a 2004 Grenache/Mouvedre/Syrah blend from Rhone, France.
  3. Get out of the city and check out the Cliffs of Moher – The view is breathtaking (note: the “do not go beyond this point” signs are optional).
  4. Wander around St. Stephen’s Green – Excellent people-watching and many, many photo ops.
  5. See St. Valentine – Well, see his shrine/remains at the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church.  This church is teeny, but there was something so peaceful about it. And locals actually go here!

In honor of the upcoming green holiday, I decided to ensure that my soup bowl doesn’t get pinched.

And I have been craving the tasty yet hard-to-chew asparagus.

I discovered that I can eat crackers when they’re crumbled up and soggy in soup.  Ah, the small things.

FYI – Trader Joe’s Sea Salt and Black Pepper Lentil Chips are awesome!

And the soup!  This was a delicious, VEGAN, souper-green cream-less asparagus and spinach blend.


Souper Green Asparagus-Spinach Soup

  • 1 bunch asparagus (~1 lb), chopped
  • 1 T salted Earth Balance (or butter)
  • 1 T coconut butter
  • 1 T EVOO
  • 1 medium shallot, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 C high-quality vegetable broth
  • 1 C water
  • 3 oz spinach (1/2 a bag)
  • handful cilantro
  • 1/4 c nutritional yeast
  • 1 T fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp coriander
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • S + P, to taste

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add salt, return to boil, and add asparagus tips. Cook until just tender. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. Transfer asparagus tips to ice bath, letting cool for ~1 min. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add shallot and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic for the last min, being careful not to burn.

Add remaining chopped asparagus stalks (i.e. NOT the iced tips), and cook 2-3 mins longer.  Stir in broth and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking until asparagus is tender, ~10 mins.

Remove from heat.  Add spinach, cilantro, nutritional yeast (or cheese), lemon juice, and zest, stirring to combine.

Puree soup using immersion blender (or regular blender in batches).  Return to heat and cook until heated through, adding seasonings.

Ladle into bowls, add toppings, and serve immediately.

Potential tasty topping selections: grated Parmesan and lentil chips (pictured), crispy prosciutto, cilantro, sweet potato chips, blue cheese… etc.

***

Why is St. Patrick’s Day not on the weekend?  My green beer likes to sleep in.

Are you doing anything fun for St. Patrick’s Day?  

Do you celebrate on the day or or wait until the weekend?

Filed Under: Recipes, Travel Tagged With: Dublin, green, injury, Ireland, restaurants, soup, St. Patrick's Day, vegan

Chickpeas + Spiced Tomato Sauce

March 4, 2011 By Laura

The Tough Mudder is just over a week away and I’m only up to 5 miles!

 

 

Stats

Distance: 5 miles

Total time: 42:32

Pace: 8.46

It was a hard 5 miles.  I blame this windy weather.  Is this Chicago or Atlanta?

Did I mention the obstacle course is 11 miles??? I’m getting nervous.

 

In much less-stressful news, Atlanta is finally getting a vegan restaurant.  Welcome, Dulce Vegan Bakery and Café!!! (1994 Hosea L Williams Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30317)

According to What Now Atlanta’s article, the restaurant will open in Kirkwood late this month.  They will serve the typical 3 S menu (soup-salad-sandwich), but they aim to have gluten-free and RAW options.

The raw aspect is most exciting to me.  I love the creativity that goes into raw food and the “high” you feel after eating such a clean meal (can we get a San Fran-like Cafe Gratitude???).

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I put off St. Patrick’s Day food in favor of continuing with my Indian week.  Chickpeas, tomato sauce, and a spaghetti squash were the inspiration.

What had happened was… I wanted spaghetti squash.  I love to eat it with marinara, but after a 5 mile run I needed more bulk.  And garlic spices!

I’ve done spaghetti squash a lot this winter.  You can either cook it in the oven or microwave until soft (8-10 mins).  This time I chose the oven… but I honestly don’t think it matters.

Spaghetti Squash

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Cut the squash in half (soften in microwave first if it’s too hard to cut) and remove the seeds.

3. Place in a glass baking dish, cut side down, in about 1 in of water.  Cook for ~40 mins, or until shell is tender when pierced with a fork.

4. Remove the flesh with a fork.  Place the “spaghetti” in serving bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

 


Chickpeas + Spiced Tomato Sauce

 

  • 1T EVOO
  • 1T coconut oil
  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp (~1-inch piece) fresh ginger, chopped
  • 26.5 oz canned chopped tomatoes (1 box Pomi)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
  • S + P, to taste

In a large skillet, heat the oils.  Add the shallot and cook over medium-high heat until translucent, ~3-4 mins.  Reduce to medium heat and add the garlic and ginger.  Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, ~2 mins.  Add the tomatoes, stirring to combine.  Followed by the bay leaf, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne, again stirring to combine.

Simmer over low-medium heat until thickened, ~10 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and chickpeas, continuing to simmer until the chickpeas are softened and flavors are combined (~7-8 mins).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve alone in a bowl, or over spaghetti squash (or actual pasta).

Nutritional Approximations (sans squash): 214 cals, 8g fat, 29g carbs, 9g fiber, 6.6g sugar, 6.6g protein (and a good source of vitamin B-6 and Manganese!)

***

Have you done a race you weren’t quite ready for?

Last minute training tips are appreciated. 🙂


Filed Under: Fitness, Recipes, Restaurants, Running Tagged With: dinner, restaurants, running, San Francisco, vegan

Pumpkin Ice Cream: Vegan-Style

February 26, 2011 By Laura

Previously I posted about a special soup delivery from my teammate/Local 3.  This week I was thrilled to try out the restaurant… errrrr… from inside the restaurant. 🙂

Our server, Lauren, was very nice and just the right amount of attentive.  She made a couple of fantastic wine recommendations and was knowledgable about the menu. She certainly didn’t steer me wrong!

The duck fat-fried Hushpuppy + Sambal Aioli “snack” was good (mayyyybe a bit more solid than I could chew, but worth it!).  I love the crunchy flakes of salt sprinkled on top.

For dinner I ordered 2 appetizers: the Sweet Potato Soup (new on the menu and VERY good) and the Oven Roasted Mushrooms w/ Polenta and Truffle Jus.

The polenta was some of the best I have had.  Perfectly creamy, not even a hint of a lump to be found (often a problem with restaurant mass-production).  The truffle jus gave it a rich, decadent taste that played well with the perfectly roasted mushrooms.

Of course, I forgot to take pictures until dessert.

Banana Creme Brulee with a slice of sticky banana bread. It tasted like banana pudding.

We may or may not have made reservations for the below before we left… 3 weeks from now when I can fully chew… Don’t judge me.

On Monday nights Local 3 will have “Chef & Coolio’s Fantastic Monday Night Voyages*”.  A 3-course family-style dinner with beer/wine pairings.  Only $35.  16 seatings.  Beat that, Atlanta restaurants.

*Apparently Coolio refers to a rubber chicken, not the rapper.

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This Christmas, Santa brought me an ice cream maker.  Despite not being able to chew, it has taken me this long to use it.  (Sad, I know.)

It was worth the wait for this pumpkin pie bowl.

Ready to be ice creamed!

I’m still amazed at how easy this was.  Just blend, cool, pour, mix, eat.

Now that I have that sequence down, the sky is the limit!  I love savory desserts, so I’ll definitely be ice creaming up a bunch this spring!

Like pumpkin pie in a bowl.  On ice.  And vegan-ized.

You get the idea.  It was good.  Eat this:

Pumpkin Pie Vegan Ice Cream

  • 1/3 C raw cashews
  • 1 15-oz can pure pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 C water
  • 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (a la So Delicious)
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 Stevia packet
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp guar gum
  • 1/8 tsp kosher salt

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until well-chilled.  Place in ice cream maker and process according to instructions.

Spoon out and enjoy!

Tasty toppings: dark chocolate syrup, caramel, crumbled ginger cookies (or Biscoff), cacao nibs, pumpkin seeds, etc.

Makes 3-4 servings.

***

What is your favorite dessert?  Do you like a salty-sweet?  Fruity?  Sugary?


Filed Under: Recipes, Restaurants Tagged With: derby, dessert, ice cream, Local 3, pumpkin, restaurants, So Delicious, vegan

Voluminous Apps

February 23, 2011 By Laura

I am in App-heaven.

So far I’m loving:

  • Hipstamatic – I think everyone knows this one, but it makes your photos have that “old school” feel (added bonus: will load to Flickr and FB seamlessly).
  • ColorSplash – This app gets the “cool” award.  It makes your photos black and white, then allows you to zoom in and selectively “paint” color back in.
  • FlickStackr – Allows you to easily upload pics, edit comments, and browse others’ photos.
  • TweetDeck – Definitely take the cake for the app I didn’t know I needed – this integrates FB and Twitter and allows you to easily upload photos,
  • Sleep Cycle – Ok, so I haven’t used it yet… but – if it works – this could save me many “OMG, did I really oversleep AGAIN?!” panic attacks.  From their site: a bio-alarm clock that analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase.
  • ScoutMob – You know how much I love a deal.  Moreover, I love a deal that finds me.  ScoutMob’s app uses your location to tell you where the nearby discounts are, which ones are expiring soon, and has a neat-o hipster mustache you can apply to a pic. (Today’s 50% off deal is for Tierra, which I love.  Don’t be scared by the exterior.  Get the Tres Leches.  And the wine.)

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Remember when I mentioned trying Katie’s voluminous oatmeal trick?

I made them to runny in Round 1.  This morning I did it again, sans liquid overkill.  FTW.

Blueberry-Banana-Style Voluminous Oats

In my mix:

  • 1/3 C oatmeal
  • 1 C water
  • 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • shake of salt

Microwave 4 mins, let stand for 5 mins, place in fridge over night (according to Katie’s instructions).

Added in the morning:

  • 1/2 chopped banana
  • handful blueberries
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract

Mix using an immersion blender (a.k.a my new BFF), and heat in microwave until warm.

Toppings that would be delicious: banana pieces, chocolate chunks, walnuts, more berries.

***

This weekend I posted about my distaste for McDonald’s oatmeal.

Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks they are scary.  Check out this New York Times article.  (Why couldn’t they have at least made all that artificial taste good?!)

What to do you grab for breakfast in a pinch?  Is fast food a consideration?


Filed Under: Breakfast, Deals, Recipes, Restaurants Tagged With: breakfast, fast food, iPhone, New York Times, oats, restaurants

3 on the Tree

February 22, 2011 By Laura

This iPhone is addicting.  And useful.

I used it at the dentist today for my follow up:

Healing nicely... unfortch, this isn't the angle you can see the good stuff.

Since I was so well-behaved at the dentist and ate all my dinner at the Whole Foods hot bar (thank you, Whole Paycheck, for soft lentils), I deserved a yogurt on the way home.

First stop: Menchie’s.  A new shop near Roswell and Piedmont in Buckhead.

I sampled and promptly left.  It tasted like a Splenda-sweetened version of Yogli Mogli.  With an odd texture.  Nothankyou.

A mile-ish down the road, I spotted another new shop to sample… and opportunity to use my iPhone camera.

Best. Yogurt. Ever.

I don’t know why there isn’t a line out the door at 3 on the Tree.

They don’t have a webpage or a Facebook, but if you are in Atlanta check it out.  Just past the corner of Roswell Rd. and Midvale Dr.  I think this is the old Wolf Camera.  It’s not much to look at, but mmmmm…

Flavors tonight included:

  • Chocolate – I think it was dark chocolate.  Whatever it was, it was delish.
  • Vanilla – This was labeled sugar-free, but I’m pretty sure they lied.  It was so creamy and flavorful!  I’d choose it over ice cream!
  • Pomegranate – I didn’t try.
  • Tart – This is the plain flavor.  Also left un-tried.  Why bother with plain?!
  • Spiced Banana – Out-of-this-world fantastic.  YUM.  The only thing that would have made it better is a peanut butter topping.
  • Blueberry Smoothie – Also quite good.

The first 4 were NON-FAT.  I swear to you, I could not tell.  It was 10x better than Pinkberry or Yogli Mogli.

The last 2 were low-fat and created by a well-known local chef Julia LeRoy (formerly of Bookhouse Pub fame).

Like every other yogurt shop, it was self-serve with an assortment of toppings.  I will say that their toppings look better/more fresh than those at other shops.  These actually look like big, chopped up pieces of Twix, Snickers, Reese’s, Heath, etc.  They have the sprinkles, fresh fruit, and gummies as well.  Syrups included the usual dark chocolate, caramel, strawberry… AND local honey.

My selection?

So good I almost forgot a pic!

Chocolate-Vanilla swirl, topped with Spiced Banana (did I mention how amazing this was?!) and a couple of (mashed) strawberries.

Verdict: Skip the other shops and brave the traffic in Buckhead.

Or, wait until late spring (the lady at the counter indicated a May target) for their second location to open on LaVista Rd. in the Fellini’s (same ownership).

I wouldn’t wait if I were you.  Traffic on La Vista sucks too.

***

Are you buying in to the yogurt craze?  What is your favorite so far?


Filed Under: Restaurants Tagged With: Atlanta, injury, restaurants, yogurt

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