Birthdays are the best.
Especially with Vegas.
I’d have to start by saying that it a scary time to be celebratory. I’m so sad for the world, and most recently for Nice. My sister is traveling there right now; I am so very grateful she’s ok.
Secondly, I’m grateful to be in San Fransisco for my birthday with Vegas. I don’t have many words, so I’ll leave you with some pictures from our hike across to Golden Gate Bridge.
…
Leave it to me to go to a food city and bring my own.
Not my first choice.
A HUGE part of the commitment to compete is a commitment to your diet. It’s not easy. It’s not always fun. HOWEVER… abs are made in the kitchen.
This trip to has been especially hard for me because it’s my first with my new job… and I have a really fun team to hang out with. So far I’ve been good, even working out twice in 12 hours due to scheduling.
Preparation is key. This trip I packed up some old staples. These are items that “save” me:
Of course I brought more… see below… 😉
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I’ve done detailed travel posts before, so this is WIAW travel food-edition going to be more of an overview. I did manage some new (strange?) travel eats this time around.
Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.
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Overnight oats in a jar make getting up early just a little easier. These were packed with fig, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla protein powder.
Yes, they made it through security.
Round 2 on the plane was the baked chicken from my food prep (recipe coming tomorrow), carrots, and airplane pretzels.
The fro-yo kept it nice and cold!
This has become an art. The Westin St. Francis has been fabulous with my crazy food requests. They brought up apple cider vinegar so I could have my morning cocktail!!! I downed that along with half a muffin (brought from home) to fuel a morning workout. Check out the view I woke up to!
Then the full meal was delivered: plain oats with a side of berries, cinnamon, and coffee. I mixed in my own protein powder, and added coffee to thin it out. Perfection!
You can actually find acceptable food to eat in cities like SF. I got to enjoy a kale-barley salad with chickpeas and shrimp for lunch on our first day here:
This was the peanut flour and strawberry fro-yo creation I brought from home. Can you tell how fantastically frozen it was?!
I ended up having to do my workout at midnight east coast time… this was just the treat I needed after. I spent half the workout thinking about it.
This next snack happened at the conference. People seemed a little surprised when they discovered I brought the egg from home. I can’t imagine why…
It turns out hard-boiled egg travels really well! Tomato Brownies travel well too. I took it straight from my freezer from home, and by day two it had thawed and tasted delicious! I didn’t reveal the secret ingredient to my co-workers. They’d have been too jealous. 😉
Of course, there have been other eats. When we go to restaurants I order veggies with a plain grilled protein or I bust out my “emergency” tuna. It’s really no too hard too eat out (temptation side).
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If anyone wants to send random tweets of support and keep me honest… that wouldn’t suck. 😉
Do you struggle with diet? It’s the hardest part about competing for me!
Do you like hard-boiled eggs? This was my first time making them for myself!
Vacations are an important part of staying healthy.
Mental health is no joke!
I took Monday off of blogging because my friends and I impulsively decided to extend our stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains. My sanity and I needed it.
It was a fun-filled weekend… there was plenty of debauchery, but we stayed active too. Curling giant bottles of wine counts, right?
We braved rain and chilly weather to go paddle boarding. It was my first time! I think it would be more fun if it had been warm amd sunny… and you best believe I’ll be trying again!
I didn’t fall in once! Fear of cold water will give you balancing super powers.
The dog (Milo) went down the river too!
The more “traditional” relaxation activities ensued as well.
The cabin’s hot tub was well-loved. We refueled with a feast cooked by the lovely Latina women on the trip. And we played board games that involved poetry writing. Have you ever heard of Quelf? Good fun!
The poem for me. 🙂
I may not be a natural at everything, but relaxing? Relaxing is my jam.
Kat is having her own relaxation time after taking the Bar Exam. Of course, her version includes winning races in San Fran and running a 50K. You know, for fun.
Read on for this force of nature’s adventures and healthy travel tips!
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Because I’m not working full-time yet, I am actually taking some time to relax, enjoy life, go on a couple of trips and maybe do a little conferencing. This week I am in the San Francisco Bay Area (Editor’s note: Color me jealous. This is one of my favorite parts on the country!) for the annual Lavender Law Conference, but I tacked on the weekend to do essential “Kat” things.
As many of you know and experience, it can be hard to stay healthy on vacation. Laura did a great job on her birthday trip with running, and some healthy meals (Editor’s note: Shameless plug… this is the post I did about that on my California trip).
I’m having a similar trip, and still enjoying cool food (Editor’s note: I’d break up with you as a friend if you didn’t 😉 ). I’m also enjoying the cider, wine, and cocktails, but nothing to excess.
My favorite tips for keeping a healthy vacation:
I know a lot of them overlap, but how many of you still sometimes work (even a little) on vacation? I bet more of you than want to admit it. But time off, to renew and regenerate is key to happy, healthy living. It can help you be a better girlfriend, wife, employee, mom, friend, etc., etc. when you get back.
I know breathing deeply doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is. (Editor’s note: I have to remind myself of this on the regular.)
Sara and Jenny have taken me to 3 overlooks, just to enjoy the views, breath, smile, and relax.
Wildcat Canyon Road Overlook from Berkeley
San Francisco From Twin Peaks – check out how the fog opens up!
(all photos taken from the same spot within 5-7 minutes)
San Francisco from Sausalito
I also decided to keep it active and fun by exploring tons of new trails! I first had a Cinderella 30K race at Joaquin Miller Park and the Redwood Regional Park on Sunday (and I placed in my age group!), then I did some exploring in the city on Monday (who knows how many miles Jaime and I walked).
Tuesday I ran/hiked all the trails on the southeast side of Tilden Regional Park, and Wednesday I went to Half Moon Bay for a walk on the beach, and to Huddard Park for the MOST FUN run of the week. I was flying.
Joaquin Miller Park
Tilden Regional Park
Halfmoon Bay & Huddard Park (redwood central)
Next weekend, I get to participate in the Mount Tam 50K. It’s got limited entries, and I got in off the waitlist! yay!
I could go home now and not be disappointed. But the conference starts today, and I’m super excited to network, learn a bunch, and maybe even party a little with the folks from the conference! (Editor’s note: My career counselor in grad school taught a class called “Networking or NOT working” – SO true.)
I feel compulsive about wanting to share my adventures with you guys (Editor’s note: Welcome to being a blogger)! But I guess there will be more in two weeks!
Random Vacation Pics
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Kat’s post this week is making me want to go back to SF! Also, I giggled while posting the hot tub pic… 😉
How do you stay active and healthy on vacation? Do you turn off your cell phone?
Any tips for more stuff to do in the San Francisco area? There might be zip-lining in Sonoma on Sunday!
I know I’ve already complained…
But it’s really flippin’ cold.
Honestly, it isn’t TERRIBLE. I have a lot to be happy about. I made it through security with my questionable stash, had a productive day at my client’s office, and had a bangin’ workout.
Not too shabby for a hotel gym that only had dumbbells, eh? I sure was happy to have a homemade chicken burger, celery, and snow peas waiting for me in the room after that burn.
I was also happy to have my Pop Snax. You can find these in the children’s food aisle at Whole Foods. Don’t judge! Kid food travels well and is typically low in sodium and sugar!
Even better? When I asked an employee if she’d tried them before, she said she hadn’t but that I could try them for FREE. She game me the whole container. Yet another reason I ♥ that place.
Enough about me and my random foods. Kat is back this week with an amazing San Fran trip recap, and some serious mac ‘n cheese food porn.
Heeeeere’s Kat!
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There are so many ways to be self-aware. I think it’s increasingly natural for many of us to be aware of our food and what we put into our bodies, and we are generally aware of our basic needs and desires. For example… You could be aware of whether or not you are cat person or if you are more like a cat. Laura and I both feel that the following photo describes both of us (Editor’s note: Me? Never… HA!):
Okay, okay, really I was trying to find a way to fit this in!
But I’m talking about a different kind of awareness…the kind where you have to pay attention… to yourself.
Instead of looking at what others are doing or saying and judging them, looking at yourself and wondering why you feel that way about something said or done or the situation you are in. Then, don’t judge it or try to change it. Just accept it. Whether you’re happy, sad, or in pain from a work out (or something in life), it’s okay to accept it.
I started another 30-day yoga challenge on Saturday. It was a spur of the moment decision, but I’m ready to make some changes. What changes, you ask!? Well, I’m not even sure I know. I just know that I feel ready to change even more for the better, keeping with my New Year’s theme of taking crap off my plate to enhance the quality of what I do take on.
Yoga makes me run smoother, love better, and enjoy life.
I want to be more aware of the way I respond to other people and situations and why. I want to be more aware of my stressors and triggers that throw me into a mood, a frenzy, or some other state of discomfort. I want to listen to my body’s needs and desires in a new way. Yoga really helps me to concentrate on feelings that flow naturally and become more aware of them.
My goal in all this is to learn to love myself and my life more. I think my new “awareness” will help me to be more understanding, forgiving, and loving – of myself and others – in a unique new way. In the physical long runs and in the long run of life, awareness leads to growth – physical, mental, emotional. My theory? This is how to live a long and fulfilling life.
Now… onto some PHYSICAL and FOOD! Because I also personally think a good life is also when you get to spend as much time as possible outside being active and enjoying good food! (Editor’s note; AMEN to that!)
Recap 1!
RECAP!
I had some good times with old friends and acquaintances, we went to Napa and I got to visit Sullivan Vineyards (that Laura recommended) and joined the wine club, saw the Golden Gate from the overlook in Sausalito at night, explored the whole city on foot, did a trail race, had a picnic at Cowgirl Creamery (Editor’s note: No you didn’t! Lucky!!!), did more exploring, and rode on an old school cable car. The trail run was the most beautiful, and the steepest I have ever done.
The SteepRavine was the steepest and hardest, but also the most beautiful trail run I have ever done! It was a HUGE race. I chose the 25K distance. But… well…. as I told Laura and some other bloggers last week, I went off course, and ended up running an extra couple of miles. Oops!! But you can’t really be upset about that when it was THAT beautiful! (Editor’s note: You probably did it on purpose ;))
CHECK OUT THE VIEWS!!!!!!
Some of the most inspiring moments in the race showed up when you least expected them. I really paid attention to my body. I had to stop and adjust my food. It was freezing, and then hot, and then freezing. But I got to meet a lot of cool people out there, one of whom told me that you usually can’t see so far because it’s too foggy. Boy did I luck out!
My friends Sara and Jenny were kind enough to drive me out there and wait on me while I finished. And then we had an amazing little picnic afterwards. They really made my trip enjoyable. They were spectacular hosts who made me feel at home. The way they made me feel comfortable, made me feel calm, safe, and happy. Definitely good! They also helped me with my itinerary for my last day, where I got to visit the Ferry Building! CHECK OUT ALL THESE COOL LOCAL SAN FRANCISCO GOODS!
Cowgirl Creamery after the Race!
Ferry Building
I came back feeling extremely food inspired. Jenny and Sara took me to a place called Homeroom Mac and Cheese. Yes, that’s what they make! They specialize in Mac N Cheese!!!! Check out their menu! It’s inventive and awesome. I took a spin on it and created two of my own last Friday. I made a Sweet Potato Pecan Baked Mac n Cheese and a Tomato Basil Pesto Baked Mac n Cheese.
I personally liked the sweet potato better, so I HAVE to share this recipe. Let’s pretend I actually measured most of this!
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Pre-heat oven to 375. Prepare an 8×8 pan for the mac.
Cube your sweet potato into roughly ¾ inch cubes and spread out on a baking sheet. Place in oven. I did not season or oil – plenty of seasoning and oils from the rest of the meal!
Boil noodles according to package instructions. Make them al dente; don’t over-cook. Strain, rinse with cold water. Strain again. Set aside.
Now the yummy part! Take your butter and flour and mix together in a sauce pan over medium heat. USE A WHISK! This makes a delicious roux. Don’t let it get TOO brown, but you want to do this for a good base flavor.
Reduce the heat to medium low, add milk, and mix until combined. Wait a minute for the temperature to drop because you don’t want your egg to cook! Keep whisking.
Start slowly adding your cheese. You could add even more than I recommended. Add all but ¼ cup of the cheddar (reserve that for the topping).
Once all the cheese is good and mixed in, you should begin to feel excited, very excited about the creamy delectableness. Add salt and pepper and a bit of cayenne, if desired. Paprika or cinnamon would also be good here. Taste it. Make sure it tastes good. This is an important step people – do NOT skip it! Whisk again.
Pull the sweet potatoes out of the oven. You want them to still be pretty firm, like the texture of an apple. Add the sweet potatoes AND the noodles to the sauce deliciousness. Mix up. Put in 8×8 baking dish.
Sprinkle the reserved cheddar on top and about ¼ to ½ cup of pecans – however many you like!
Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.
Note: When you pull it out, it WILL BE JIGGLY! That’s okay – it’s because it’s creamy. Wait 5-10 minutes then serve and devour!
Please be sure to invite friends. (Editor’s note: I didn’t receive an invite. I demand an invite. De-Mand.) This will keep you from eating the whole pan in one sitting by yourself. Your friends will never forgive you for making them the best mac n cheese of their lives. Also serve with veggies.
I didn’t get many good pictures because I had people over and we dove in too fast… SORRY!
-Kat
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Oh Kat… why must she make me drool from my hotel room? Whatever. I have more fro-yo for dessert. 24 degree temps, be damned.
Have you ever been inspired by something you ate at a restaurant, and then liked yours better?
How often do you pay attention to YOURSELF?
Saturday was one of those days where I feel like I never stopped eating.
In other words, it was a perfect day.
After the panels, we made our way to the Tasting Pavilion. There was definitely a buzz in the air as the bloggers lined up to be let in.
Inside there were companies offering samples of everything from coffee to wine, chocolates to endive, vegan meal bars to lamb-filled phyllo.
I left no corner undiscovered as I bounced from table to table in a state of foodie euphoria.
Some favorites:
Oren's Nuts
Espolon tequila drink made with COCOA bitters (recipe at the end!!!)
Decadent, thick balsamic (aged 8 years) from House of Balsamic
Mission Minis Cupcakes – the chocolate PB (eaten, thus not pictured) was the best
21st Amendment's craft brews - loved them all, but Allies Win the War took the prize
The Girl & The Fig’s Black Mission Fig Jam
at 2pm a crowd formed around the Alexia display. None other than Tyler Florence had arrived.
Everything was fine until someone shouted and a mob formed! Tyler was surrounded and security couldn’t restrain the hysterical group of women (and a few men).
The police arrived with tear gas and mob shields. It was like a scene from a movie!
I’m kidding.
It was a very calm line. I waited patiently, along with the other bloggers and received an autograph photo. Tyler and I chatted for a moment about the demo he would be giving at the banquet later that night, and I got a pic with him.
Why doesn't Picnik have an "add lipstick" feature?
Tyler’s demo that evening was also mob-free. Pre-demo/dinner there was a cocktail hour where we snacked on the 4 finalist recipes for the new Alexia flavor.
No surprise, my favorite was the Thai-Spiced Sweet Potato
The reception was a great experience because I was able to meet even more bloggers – including Mamma Pea (who told me she thought I would be taller in person… I thought she’d be shorter 🙂 ).
I also got to hang with some of the same people we met the night before. Our table was a fun one!
Pictured: Karen, Lauren, Maissa, Christin, Me, Sarah, and Lori. (Thanks to Sarah for sharing this pic!)
Last but certainly not least – I spent some QT goofing off with my new favorite person – Andy (a.k.a. orange pants).
Andy and Me
Andy's pants
For his demo, T-Flo (his new nickname, pass it on) made a fantastic-smelling sage pork chop with sautéed cabbage.
T Flo's meat
Gentle hands to saute the cabbage
TV screen shot of the plated dish
"My name is T Flo, and my pork is fantastic."
Unfortunately that was NOT what we had for dinner. It was kind of a cruel tease because Tyler’s sage and seared pork smelled incredible.
What we had:
Banquet menu
Even FoodBuzz couldn’t make hotel banquet food taste good…
I requested the vegetarian meal, which consisted of wheatberries, leek, tomatoes, and carrots. Sounds ok, but in reality it was overall greasy and tough. Ho hum.
Looking on the bright side, I did get to practice my iPhone photography on Karen’s surf n’ turf main! The lighting was terrible, but one of these was shot with a point-and-shoot and the other with my iPhone.
Can you tell which is which?
I like to call these “I’m still learning.”
Until next year, my friends! P.S. Come to Atlanta!!!
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Here’s the tequila-cocoa bitters recipe, as promised. If you serve this at your next party, please invite me. So. Good. 🙂
Shake and serve chilled!
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If Thomas Keller had been there, I probably would have started a mob.
Have you ever had good banquet food?
Who is your favorite “celebrity” chef?
Meeting the people behind your favorite blogs? A privilege.
Being in a room full of people who don’t bat an eye as you photograph every food item in the room? Surreal.
Sharing ideas with a roommate who comes up with the coolest food combos around? Inspiring.
Sampling all of the food, wine, and beer you can handle? Sin-tastic.
FoodBuzz 3rd Annual Blogger Festival? Priceless
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Friday night we attended a Welcome Reception sponsored by Sabra.
To start we had hummus hors d’oeuvres and wine. Hummus Heaven.
When it hits stores, try the new Holiday flavor – the rosemary deliciousness will knock your socks off. I’m thinking that served on little toasts with goat cheese and micro greens will be my holiday party go-to this season.
Sarah (my Smart Kitchen roommate) and I tried everything, obsessed over the fresh veggies, and made friends with fellow bloggers.
We were then brought in for the Awards Dinner. Served buffet-style, many of the dishes were inspired by fellow FoodBuzz-ers.
Our table, which included new friends Karen (of The Tamale Girl) and Lauren (of Vegology), voted the night’s winning dishes to be the Housemade Beet Ravioli with arugula and goat cheese and the Lentil Salad with shaved fennel and escarole with a sherry vinaigrette.
After that smorgasbord Sarah and I hit the (surprisingly) nice gym to start out day 2 on the right foot. I also ran to the host hotel to get my schwag bag. Check out these goodies:
By the time we made it to the pre-panel breakfast bar we were ready to chow down.
Delicious fresh fruit, vegan sunflower seed bread, local jam (the strawberry was my fav), spinach-mushroom frittata, pumpkin bread, and scones. I sampled a little of everything. And then seconds of everything.
As good as that was, the highlight was getting to try Cookie Dough Balls from Mamma Pea herself! Sarah and I split a Chocolate Chip and a Pumpkin Molasses.
Run, do not walk, to try this recipe for the Pumpkin Molasses. It will change your pumpkin-lovin’ life.
Did I mention I also got the meet the famous Ms. Pea?! Pics tomorrow!
We attended 3 panel discussions: Taking Your Blog to the Next Level, DSLR-free Zone, and Effective Social NETworking.
My personal favorite was the one on taking good pictures without a DSLR camera, presented by Greg @ Sippity Sup, Chuck @ Foodgawker, and Angi @ Rice & Wheat. You may have noticed photography isn’t one of my many talents.
Top take-a-ways:
It’s getting wordy and I’m running late for work (doh), so more to come tomorrow. We had an awesome time at the tasting pavilion, met T Flo, and tweeted our way through a fun banquet dinner!
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Quickie week recap to hold myself accountable:
Workout Recap (10/31-11/7)
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I am full of inspiration after the weekend – perfect timing for the holiday backing season.
Do you have any tips for low-tech photography?
How did all the race-runners do this weekend?
It’s FoodBuzz Festival weekend!
People stared at my airplane lunch, but I bet it tasted better than hers! Endive, spinach, S&P pumpkin seeds, carrots, zucchini, and pomegranate.
I arrived in San Francisco and braved the BART to get to the hotel. I was so excited to meet my roommate – Sarah from The Smart Kitchen. (She says “Hi, Everyone!”)
Also exciting was the rubber ducky in our bathroom.
One quick costume change and we were off to the opening dinner.
More details (and better pics) later, but here’s what I managed to get on my iPhone:
That lentil salad and the beet ravioli was AWESOME
No one here looks at you funny for taking pics of food!
Cleaned. My. Plate.
It was really neat to meet in person the people whose blogs I’ve been reading, and discover new blogs. I can’t wait to meet more today!
But first Sarah and I are off for a quick workout before beginning day 2 of FoodBuzz.
On the agenda:
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I love food.
What are you doing this weekend?
Is anyone else excited for the LSU/Alabama game?
Welcome New Readers!
I woke up yesterday to an awesome surprise – I made the Food Buzz Top 9 for the first time!!! Not only that, but I was #2!
If that doesn’t make your Monday morning a happy one, I don’t know what will!
Thank you to anyone who buzzed my Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies, and to those who left the nicest comments I have ever received. You guys made my day. 🙂
Inspired by the Buzz, I ended up running 5 miles – 2 miles more than I promised myself I would.
Stats:
Equally exciting is a guest post! Cait @ Beyond Bananas is in San Fran (lucky girl!), and yesterday she allowed me the honor of writing a guest post for her. Ever the awesome blogger, she even gave my post a fantabulous title: Sprinting to Laura’s Table. (Love it!)
I contributed a Cottage Cheese and Egg Bake recipe that uses garlic scapes (scapes are really cool – click here for more).
Fascinated by my new-found breakfast treat, I decided grab my carton of eggs and experiment with other flavors.
In this version I used fresh tomatoes, spinach, and Herbs de Provence. The sweet French herbs combined with the floral lavender and classic Italian flavors gave this dish a great “pop.” It left me greedily scraping the sides of my ramekin.
For those who aren’t familiar, Herbs de Provence is a mixture of herbs commonly used in France. You can purchase this mix in your grocer’s spice section or make your own from herbs you may already have. There are a million different versions out there. Most commonly they consist of: savory, thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram, fennel seed, and lavender*.
*I just read on Wikipedia that lavender is only used in the bastardized Americanized version.
Speaking of dried herbs… did you know that you aren’t supposed to keep them more than 6 months? It’s a shame since many are so costly. I began buying them at the farmer’s market where they are cheaper and sold is (slightly) smaller quantities. They don’t go make-you-sick bad, but they do lose their flavor.
Herbs aside, one of the best things about the recipe is it’s ability to conform to your morning routine. Allow me to explain.
Practical Guide to Making Egg Bake During the Morning Rush:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the eggs and cottage cheese together until well-combined and beginning to fluff. Add remaining ingredients and beat again to combine.
Pour into a ramekin and bake for 35-40 mins.
Note: You may need to broil for 1-2 mins at the end to finish off the top. Be sure to watch closely so it doesn’t get too browned.
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I’m seriously still grinning from all of these comments. Give me a day or so, but I will visit your blogs – love discovering new blogs/allowing my Reader to continue growing out of control! 🙂
Do you eat a hot breakfast on work days?
Are weekend breakfasts different/special treats in your house?
