Training Day went great! We learned a whole lot—how to knead and shape bread loaves, how to cut bread slices (there’s an art to it!), and how to pamper our customers. Many of you have asked what I’ll be doing at Great Harvest. For the most part, I’ll be working in the customer service department. I’ll be slicing free bread slices (!!), bagging loaves of bread, chit chatting w/ customers, ringing up orders, and much more.

It’ll be fun!

So what did I eat today? Just look at the board! I ate it ALL .

I had a small bite of an Oat Berry Muffin…

An entire Great Harvest Original Cookie–oatmeal chocolate chip walnut. This photo doesn’t do it justice! The cookies are humongous and chock full of goodies.

There was also Berry Cream Cheese Scuffins on the sweets menu, which I’m currently munching on as I type this.

It doesn’t end there…Kath gave me a sample of “Lynda’s Granola,” which is like thick, dense granola bark!

Last but not least, I ate some Sesame Oat Bran Sticks and Sunflower Basil crackers.

I wasn’t too hungry for lunch (you can see why!), but I knew I needed some veggies in my belly. I went next door to Cvile Coffee for a salad.

I got the same salad as the one I got last time I was here house hunting. Veggie Bean Salad w/ Grilled Tofu

I subbed roasted red peppers for the olives, what a brilliant idea!

Unfortunately, the tofu was practically unedible. It wasn’t firm like last time and it was so so salty. It felt like I was drinking a bottle of soy sauce.

I still ate it though to get in some protein…and because it was expensive!

I was dripping sweat from just the 3 min. drive from the bakery to my apartment, so I figured I’d hit up the apartment gym for a quick workout. Between packing and playing tennis with the ‘rents, it had been awhile since I’d been to the gym!

I completed 15 min. elliptical (a weird one I didn’t like), 20 min. incline walking on the treadmill and 10 min. upper body strength training.

The gym is relatively small with only 1 weight machine. I couldn’t take a photo of the gym because there were a couple other people there. That would’ve been a bit awkward.

***

I just showered and I’m about to go scrounge around for dinner. I have leftover salad and my daily orange calling my name. I think my roommate is making a big bowl of guacamole too.

Alright, that’s a wrap!

Tell me: Your Sweet and Sweat of choice!

I think I’m finally at the point where I don’t wake up the day after a run sore and waddling like a penguin. Every time I begin my running cycle it takes me about 2-3 weeks to build up my mileage, my endurance and my running muscles! I think I’ve reached the end up that stage now (thank goodness). Hopefully I can keep building up my mileage when the summer heat sets in. If you remember last summer, I had to take a long break from running due to some shin pain and super hot temps.

Soon, the days of perfect running weather will be few and far between…and then later, they’ll be long gone. Enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts, folks!

This afternoon, I ran 4.5 miles and walked 1 mile on my usual loop. It really felt like I ran 10!

~ ~ ~ ~ Crazy wind gusts!!! ~ ~ ~ ~

I know I say this every time but really, today was the craziest by far. I had to stop and walk for a good 1/2 mile because I was pretty much pushing against a wall with my forehead (!!).

I was tempted to quit and walk home but I repeated my new mantra and forged on. Running against the wind will only make you a stronger runner.

***

Post workout, I assembled a tacowrap. I was a little overzealous stuffing my wrap and it became a giant taco .

I was going to hold it together with two shot glasses from our collection (taco style), but I ended up using a toothpick instead.

The Las Vegas shot glass is one of my favorites!

I wanted to make an egg salad with hard-boiled eggs, but the yolks came out a little too runny [bunny]. My patience was dwindling and I took them off the stove early.

I knew it would happen but I just didn’t want to wait 3 more minutes!!

I ended eating a whole egg straight up…love runny yolk.

Then I used another whole egg and one white mixed with Nayonaise to make the egg salad. Stuffed in a habanero lime wrap with tomatoes and spring mix.

I heated the wrap directly on the stove. A trick I learned from my host family in Mexico. The first time I saw my “sister” do it, I thought she was going to burn the house down!

On the side, a banana and toasted pecans.

Soon after, I walked to Harris Teeter with my Uncle where I sampled some pineapple, cantaloupe, bread ‘n hummus and cinnamon buns!

Another 1.5 miles logged for the day.

I tried to hold out for dinner but the juiciest strawberries ever were staring me in the face and I had to eat them. Look at these beauties…

Just in case you think I’m cray cray, the thought process for my post title was…

Run + Runny Eggs –> Eggs –> Easter–> Bunny.

Runny Bunny

I’ve got lotsa work to do tonight! I’ll be back tomorrow with the winner of the Glass Dharma Giveaway to celebrate Earth Day <— Last chance to enter. Do it!

Also, be sure to check out my guest post on Little Bitty Bakes. Coconut Bird’s Nest Cookies just in time for Easter.

<–she wears snow shorts!

This winter, the DC area has escaped snow storms left and right. All of the snow that has hit the East Coast has somehow missed us by just a few miles. Sure, we’ve been getting 2-3 inches here and there (and even a 5 incher), but nothing unmanageable…

…until today!

I’m definitely more than ready for spring to come, but a crazy snow storm is always just so magical.

***

I had a snack of trail mix + chocolate chips before lugging my butt to the gym to catch Ellen’s Birthday Episode (Happy Birthday, Ellen!!). This could only brighten up my day!

And brightened it up it did…

Today’s episode may have been one of the funniest episodes of Ellen…ever. I was hysterically laughing while incline walking on the treadmill. I had to cover my mouth a few times as not to disturb the other gymmers.

My dream job would be to work for The Ellen Show. How awesome would that be?!

I incline walked for 55 min. and did arm weights during the commercials (~15 min). I went from feeling blah and lethargic with a migraine headache, to feeling energetic and lively.

Thank you Ellen, thank you endorphins!

***

While working out the weather went from hail –> freezing rain –> snow. The 0.7 mile drive home was a scary one! This isn’t a blurry photo. The snow was comin’ DOWN.

Not to mention I wore shorts to the gym, as I do everyday. Who wears snow shorts?

For a post workout snack, I had a perfectly fried egg on a piece of toast with avocado. On the side, I had some greens with pasta sauce.

Orange and Greek yogurt x2.

***

For dinner, Peter prepared eggplant, fish and some other dishes. There were 5 plates total…for 3 people.

Scrumpsh!

***

Before I go, check out the comparison shots I took throughout the day.

2 PM

5 PM

7:30 PM

…and it’s supposed to continue for a few more hours!

***

Off to gawk at the snow s’more and then watch some American Idol + Australian Open. Have a great night.

Tell me: One thing that brightened your day. And snow…love it? or over it?

A good friend of mine in high school used to call someone a “dorkus maximus” when he/she was having a majorly dorky moment. It was all in good fun (not used in a bullying way!). I mean, let’s be honest here, just by saying “dorkus maximus” you ARE equally as dorky.

The phrase randomly popped into my head while writing up this post. I really let my inner dork shine this morning. In case you thought you were the dorkiest of all, picture me holding floss in one hand, my camera in the other, all while parading around the house looking for a good photography spot.

I win.

There’s a good reason…

Guess what? I’ve flossed every single day this week. That would be more times than I flossed in all of 2010…and possibly my whole life. It’s starting to become a habit and I’m almost to the point where I feel weird going to bed without flossing.

I cry at the thought of getting cavities filled, so why set myself up for even more painful procedures down the line? I take pride in staying healthy and that certainly includes my teeth.

I mean, have you Googled “benefits of flossing” yet? Here’s a good MSN Health article and one on Benefits of Flossing Daily. <–read these if you need convincing!

In less than a week, I go from tricking my dentist into thinking I flossed to being an advocate for daily flossing.

***

I may be flossing, but that doesn’t mean my chocolate consumption has lessened. Last night, while on a yogurt run (did I just say “yogurt run?”), I found Dark Chocolate with a Touch of Sea Salt on SALE.

I’ve had other brands of chocolate with sea salt, but this was my first time trying the Lindt brand.

I die.

The sea salt accentuates the chocolatey flavor to no end. It makes me want to sprinkle salt on my regular dark chocolate bars now.

Pretend I didn’t say that.

***

Onto breakfast. This was more like my pre-workout snack as I am about to go to the gym now.

The last slice of bread #5 topped with Greek yogurt and mashed ‘nana slices.

Frothy coffee. The heat factor really is the key to frothing success.

Quick and digestible.

Breakfast of dorks.

***

I also poured myself a ramekin of Cocoa Roast Almonds

Check out this cluster!!!

Front view

Back view

You may have noticed that I changed some colors and fonts on my blog last night. They’ll make more sense once I debut my new header, which is still in the tweaking phase. I can’t WAIT to show you all what it looks like!

Tell Me: Any dorky moments from this week we should know about? Care to share?

I should say San FranciiIIIiiiiIIIIiiiiiIIIIsco because the hills (aka mountain peaks) sure are crazy over here!

It was hot ‘n’ steamy today! I definitely packed for colder temps but I hear it’s gonna get colder as the weekend progresses (I hope).

I woke up e-a-r-l-y this morning to catch my loooong flight cross country. I finished the tub of Greek yogurt (wahoo!) and had some raspberries on the way to the airport. Once there, I munched on my packed snax.

• AllieBar (this batch turned out really well!!)
• Cinnaraisin Ezekiel Bread + almond butter
• Banana
• Dole Pineapple Fruit Bites
• $2.25 bottle of water (ouch!)

Plus some reading material:

I took the BART to the hotel to drop off my stuff (I am actually staying with, Suki, a local SF blogger I met at HLS–three cheers for cutting costs).

Then I met up with Heather, Diana and Susan before heading to Chinatown, just a few blocks away. Peter, are you proud/jealous of me?!

Who said these were hills? These are mountain peaks!!

We kept going higher…

…and higher…

…and higher! PHEW!!

These mountain peaks ain’t got nothin’ on me (and my calves)!

***

My body was SO confused by the early wake up call and the 3 hour time difference. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew I needed to eat something to hold me over to dinner….err midnight meal?

Enter: dim sum.

I got a shrimp pouch (?) and grabbed a small orange from a fruit stand.

We found the perfect spot to eat!

Afterwards, we did some shopping and I grabbed an Iced Passion tea.

For dinner, a group of us 20 bloggers met up for dinner at The Millennium Restaurant, an elegant vegetarian restaurant just a few blocks away from the hotel.

I spent forever perusing the menu…as did the rest of the table .

They brought out a slew of complimentary appetizers for us to enjoy. I was excited because many of them I contemplated ordering myself! Plus, you know how I feel about free food.

House Made Pickled Vegetables

Herb Marinated Olives

Bread and a lentil spread

AND last but certainly not least, the Crusted Oyster Mushrooms. Oh my heavens.

I could not stop raving about these fabulous mushrooms. The breading was made of chickpea flour and thyme and it tasted so much like classy fried chicken. I wanted to finish the whole plate for dessert .

I was already stuffed by the time our food came out but of course I made some room.

I ordered the Wilted Bloomsdale Spinach Salad: caramelized pear with thyme and vanilla, smoked tofu, red onion, creamy pear & Witte beer dressing, toasted hazelnuts.

Mmmmm!

And I shared the Black Bean Torte: Whole wheat torilla, caramelized plantain, smoky black bean puree, pumpkin-habanero papazul, cashew “sour cream”, strawberry salsa.

Double Mmmm! That’s about as descriptive as I can get right now as my eye lids are getting rather droopy.

Time for bed! An exciting day awaits me. My goal this weekend is to stay on top of blogging and bang out my posts efficiently. I think I can…I think I can.

Good night/morning!!

Today has been all about planning, packing and baking for the 2nd annual Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco, CA! I’m flying out tomorrow morning and I get back super early on Tuesday (red eye flight). Who’s going?! Let me know!

To say I’m excited would be a serious understatement.

However, I am a last minute planner and packer so the day has been (and will continue to be) a bit c-c-c-crazy. I went on a run this morning to calm my nerves. I know it helped a lot, but I’m still frantic!!

Let’s all say sayonara to perfect running weather….bye…au revoir…adios.

At least now my shin sleeves will keep me warm and not make me HOT.

“HOT” not “HOTT.” I forgot to wear them once last week and got significantly more smiles and cat calls. Actually, I get none when I wear them! I guess shin sleeves not only protect my shins but keep kidnappers away!

Sweaty shin sleeves = pepper spray?

I ran 6 miles in 60 minutes. I felt a twinge of pain in my left shin near the end (uh oh). I made sure to stretch my legs nice ‘n’ good. Hopefully it’s nothing major.

The gloves make it look like I live in the arctic tundra. It sure felt like it going from underneath my down comforter to 40 degree chill!

I ended at the gym where I did a quick 25 min. full body strength training routine since I will be without weights for 5 days. Strength training is tres important.

Pre workout: I munched on some Shredded Oats cereal and a medjool date.

Post workout:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Plus a bowl of Greek yogurt and pumpkin oatmeal swirl!

• 1 cup cinnamon spiked Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• cereal and raspberries

Operation eat-up-the-pumpkin-berries-and-yogurt!

I love the juxtaposition of hot, nutty oats/chia + cold, silky smooth yogurt.

Then I had to get some ingredients to bake for my festival Foodie Exchange gift. We are all supposed to bring something to exchange with another attendee. I’m baking AllieBars and another surprise item.

***

I think I photographed dinner with the very LAST drop of sunshine. Hmm I win this time, Sun .

I hereby present you the most random salad of ALL time. Are you ready?

While out, I picked up some artichoke hearts, caprese salad, a balsamic onion and olive tapenade from the Mediterranean/olive bar.

Supplemented with a carrot and 1/2 a veggie burger with ketchup.

Cinnaraisin Ezekiel Bread on the side.

So random, I know.

I wake up pretty late to begin with, so on the days that I run, all my meals get pushed back a few hours. Although this was eaten at dinner time, it was more like my lunch. I’m most likely gonna be eating another meal later on tonight.

…looks like I’m ready for California time already .

10 am East Coast time = 7 am Cali time. Heck yes! I’m going to be an early riser for 5 days.

***

I still have about 5,000 things to do in the next 10 hours, including sleep!!

To Do:

• Find a suitcase (uhh yeah…)

• Figure out all my outfits

• Laundry

• Find all my electronics + cords

• Charge everything

• Upload all my photos, burn on DVD, and delete from memory card

• BAKE!!

• PACK!!!!

It’s me against the clock. Ready, set, go!

***

Tell me: Some packing tips!! Running in the cold tips!!

Thanks

Hey y’all! (I’m watching Paula Deen on the Food Network right now…can’t help it!).

How was your Halloween? We only had a few groups of kiddos ring our doorbell last night so I’ve got plenty of Halloween pretzels left to eat. I thought we would get more kids now that we live in a neighborhood but NOPE. Good thing I didn’t get a big bag of candy to hand out like I had planned!

This morning, I munched on some Halloween pretzels and Honey Nut Cheerios as a pre-workout snack.

Workout:

• 45 min. elliptical
• 15 min. leg weights

Post Workout:

Pumpkin Pie Wheatgrass Smoothie

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 banana
• 1 packet wheat grass
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• water, ice, stevia

Next up, a little something I dreamt up while working out.

2 min. Microwave Pumpkin Pie on Cinnaraisin Ezekiel toast ‘crust’, topped with Greek yogurt ‘whipped cream’ and raspberries

Bread ~ ‘crust’

Greek yogurt ~ whipped cream

I went back for a messy bowl of Greek yogurt, berries, banana, and Cheerios.

***

Then I ran some errands at 2 humongous stores: Super Target and Wegman’s.

At Weg, I picked up an organic Pumpkin Spice tea I’d never seen before and [on-sale] Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea. I plan on buying many many many more boxes of this crack tea as the season progresses.

(I actually have a box leftover from last winter. I hoard SCSR tea like it’s going out of fashion.)

I also got 5 Chunks of Energy and ate ‘em all. One day, I will figure out how to make these.

I got home in time to watch Taylor Swift on Ellen and Portia de Rossi on Oprah.

Taylor was adorable. I’ve only been belting her songs day and night for the past week .

Portia discussed her battle with anorexia and bulimia as well as coming out in the Hollywood spotlight. She had me in tears! What a well-spoken lady. I never knew about her story until today. I want to read her new book now, Unbearable Lightness.

While watching, I snacked on some medjool dates. The ones we got from Costco are great–very soft and moist.

…dipped in hazelnut cream cheese of course.

I also had a few handfuls of Kettle Chips. This is definitely something I only eat because it is in the house…PETER!!

For dinner, I put together a simple salad.

Avocado, herbed goat cheese, diced tomatoes, perfectly fried egg and a slice of Ezekiel Bread.

It was the last of the goat cheese .

I also had a few bites of Peter’s cooking.

Now I am trying to figure out how to satisfy my chocolate craving with no chocolate in the house!

***

Becoming a Faster Blogger: Step 1

I’ve mentioned that it takes me an inordinate amount of time to blog. Part of the reason is that I put a lot of thought into what I write and I proofread my posts at least a dozen times before I press publish. The other part is that my laptop is incredibly slow and it can’t handle a lot of activity at one time. Sometimes, if I drag too many photos into my blog post, I have to restart the computer just to load more. This makes it very difficult for me to blog when I am short on time such as when I am on FUN TRIPS. It’s also just really annoying.

Recently, I’ve been using my mom’s super powerful laptop to blog and I’ve been enjoying the speed with which I can upload photos. However, it’s not practical for me to hog her computer all day and when I go out of town, I need something to speed my ancient laptop along.

Enter, the SD Card Reader.

My mom’s laptop (and most newer laptops) has a card reader on the side where I can insert my memory card directly. My laptop, however, doesn’t have one and therefore I have to use a cord.

With the cord, I have to download the photos before I can drag them into my blog posts. With the SD card reader, I DON’T have to download the photos. Instead, I can drag them into my blog posts directly.

This allows me to sort through the 80,000 photos I take on a daily basis without taking up a lot of my precious and limited computer memory.

I found this at Target for $7.99. I’m sure you could find a similar one online for cheaper but I am leaving for San Fran this Thursday!

OH! Also, with this gadget, I can drag my photos onto a blank CD and burn them there so I can back up my photos without having to take up computer memory space.

I can’t believe I didn’t buy this gadget a year ago!! I could have saved so much time. So long, farewell camera cord!

***

Have a great night and US peeps, don’t forget to vote tomorrow!

Tell me: Got a strategy to help me (and others) blog faster? Do tell!

Before blogging…

I didn’t pack my clonky camera in my gym bag just incase I came across some pretty fall foliage on the walk over.

(looks like somebody is ready for Christmas)

I didn’t whip out my camera to take photos of pumpkins that did not belong to me….or any pumpkins for that matter.

Don’t you just wanna give them each a big bear hug? Maybe that’s just me.

Before blogging…

I didn’t need a PRE-post-workout snack because there was no such thing as a 15 min. delay due to food styling and photography.

pumpkin pie smoothie

I didn’t get excited about seeing 280% DV of Vitamin A in 1/2 cup of pumpkin.

I didn’t then get concerned about vitamin A poisoning. Just kidding…not really.

I didn’t scan fields of grass for the perfect leaf to use as a garnish for my bowl.

FYI: Pineapple and grapefruit are my favorite fruits to pair with Greek yogurt.

Garnished with chocolate covered (and uncovered) pretzels and candy corn

Before blogging…

I didn’t jump out of bed to make chocolate covered candy corn and pretzels because it was finally light outside.

Chocolate Covered Candy Corn and Pretzels

Directions: Microwave dark chocolate for 2 min. to melt.

Steal Halloween pretzels from the stash set aside for the neighborhood kids.

(It’s okay, I plan to supplement the stash with real candy. We are not going to be the LAME house in the neighborhood!!)

Although let’s be honest, Bats and Jacks are pretty cool, too.

Dip candy corn and pretzels in chocolate and let dry on aluminum foil. Place in the fridge to speed up drying time.

Let the sugah coma ensue.

Before blogging…

I didn’t purchase squash just because I thought they were “pretty.”

I didn’t look at the clock at 6 PM and get anxious about trying to “beat” the sunset.

Bring it, Sun!

I bought this Carnival Squash from TJ’s. The sticker said it was a cross between Sweet Dumpling and Green Table Queen Squash.

That means nothing to me.

I cut the squash in half, scooped out the innards, and microwaved the halves for 5-6 minutes. I would have roasted ‘em in the toaster oven for however long but the sun was setting!!

I didn’t give much thought to the stuffing. It just needed to be FAST!

• 1.5 slices of Cinnaraisin Ezekiel Bread, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 1/4 cup veggie stock
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• Salt and Pepper

Doesn’t the bread look like sausage?

I stuffed both halves of the squash and put them in the toaster oven for ~10 min. at 350* F.

Topped with herbed goat cheese <–crucial!

Spring mix with mini peppers on the side. I’m trying really hard to finish off these Costco tubs!

The squash was reminiscent of spaghetti squash. It was really quite bland. I had to add gobs of ketchup after the photo shoot.

Kabocha and butternut squash are much more tasty, for sure.

The sun won tonight.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back for a rematch!

Before blogging….

I didn’t consider rearranging my sleeping schedule in preparation for my rematch with the sun.

Dessert Part I: Papaya

Dessert Part II: A fabulous mix of sugar and more sugar . It deserves to be shot in the sunlight though!

***

Tell me: If you are a blogger, what’s one thing you do now that you didn’t do prior to blogging? If you are NOT a blogger, just be grateful the sunset doesn’t give you anxiety .

Guess where I ended up today? Yep, DC…again! It’s funny, now that we live farther away from DC, I find myself going back more often. I’m making up for lost time, I suppose. There are actually quite a few things I have yet to see [in my own backyard] including the inside of the White House and Julia Child’s kitchen.

Anywho, today I ventured into the city to meet up with my brother and the ‘in laws’ for lunch. They are all getting together with my parents tomorrow night but I’ll be in Charlottesville. Since they are only in town for a few days, this was my one opportunity to meet up with them!

We ate lunch at Met Cafe, a charge-by-the-pound deli.

I was delighted to find that they had sushi! The best part was that since it was charge-by-the-pound I could get as little or as much as I wanted. I didn’t have to commit to a full roll and I could mix and match.

They also had a large salad + hot food bar.

I got a little bit of everything that appealed to me. Salad with avocado and other veggies.

A triangle of tofu.

Plus some sushi: a piece of the tuna avocado roll, a piece of the sweet potato noodle and rapini roll, and eel nigiri (my favorite!).

Then it was time to explore DC by foot! It was the perfect day for strolling around–sunny yet cool and breezy.

Amos, the native Wisconsin, was informing me about the buildings I’ve grown up seeing for all of my life .

The leaves were practically changing colors before our eyes!

Amos had his heart set on visiting The Supreme Court. I was eager to go as well because I had NEVER been! I probably wouldn’t have been able to find it on a map before today. I know I KNOW.

Check out this spiral staircase–there is nothing supporting it from the underside. It’s just jammed into the wall…really well . They are held in place by fit and pressure.

I was impressed.

There was an option to hear a lecture inside the courtroom but we passed.

Here’s a model of the courtroom.

***

So I go into DC by driving 1/3 of the way, taking a bus another 1/3 of the way and riding the metro the last 1/3 of the way. On the way back before I hopped into my car, I stopped by a brand new cupcake shop (2 blocks from my old house!!) just to take a peek.

Red Velvet Cupcakery. I’ve seen their listings on Craigslist so I knew they were opening up but I didn’t know today was the grand opening…

SCORE!!!!

I got a FREE carrot cupcake. I probably should have gotten the red velvet flavor considering the name of the bakery but you know I can’t ever ever ever pass up carrot.

I tried to save half for my mom but the whole thing got gobbled up! I was hungry .

***

Finally, I made it home and whipped up dinner in 5 min. flat for me and my mom.

I picked up this TJ’s Organic Vegetarian Chili the other day to try out.

SO GOOD!! Thick ‘n’ hearty.The texture of the tofu was very similar to beef—I could hardly tell it was vegetarian. I am definitely picking up a few more cans next time I visit TJ’s.

I ate it with Ezekiel bread.

Plus a salad.

Then it was time to give my oven some lovin’.

Enough AllieBars to feed an army and Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Blondies, but made with sweet potato puree this time.

Since I won’t be there with everyone tomorrow, I made them dessert. You know, so they’ll think of me .

My mom loved these blondies from my Project Food Blog dinner party and suggested I bake them for tomorrow.

As you can see above, there was plenty of taste testing for quality control purposes. I think I like the sweet potato better than the pumpkin in this recipe!

***

Alright, I gotta go pack for tomorrow and then sleep! See you from Charlottesville .

I once babysat a 7-month old boy who was infatuated with Dora the Explorer. We watched the same exact episode of Dora several times a day, every day of the week. As a result, I knew the Dora song, played at the beginning of every show, by heart. I had that song stuck in my head for weeks (err…years) thereafter.

Why I just told you that I have no idea besides the fact that the title of this post was inspired by Dora and I did a lot of exploring on Saturday. I didn’t have a backpack or a monkey friend though…alright I’ve gone too far.

***

Moving on…

The Farmers’ Market at Old Town Alexandria’s Market Square (in front of City Hall) is open from 5:00-10:30 AM on Saturdays (who wakes up at 5 AM on a Saturday?!). I wanted to check it out since the chances of me waking up early on a Sat. to drive to another city’s farmers’ market is slim to none. However, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it that early.

As you can see, I did.

I had dogs as alarm clocks on Saturday morning, remember? Dogs don’t have snooze buttons.

I saw a bunch of similar stands as the ones at the Reston Farmers’ Market, but there were new to me ones as well.

One thing that every Farmers’ Market has is delicious samples. Wahoo!

Afterwards, I sipped a half caf grande coffee while people watching.

When do the RED Starbucks holiday cups come out!?!?

Saturday was the peak of my sickness so I could barely taste anything. This made food rather unappealing. I knew I needed something of substance to help me fight off my cold though so I opened a can of TJ’s Organic Split Pea Soup.

For some odd reason, I don’t normally crave soup but all I wanted on Saturday was a bowl of hot salty soup. It was probably the sodium I wanted/needed.

It was good, from what I could taste!

I had a slice of Cinna-raisin Ezekiel toast on the side.

Indy wanted a piece of the action but he had to settle for a small doggie treat instead. Sorry, little guy .

I had my own treat afterwards: Chocolate Almond Biscotti and Justin’s Maple Almond Butter. Even though I couldn’t really taste, I still needed something sweet to end my meal.

Clearly, my must-end-every-meal-with-something-sweet is all mental.

Before I left to continue exploring, I walked and fed the dogs. This little guy devours his food in about 12 seconds flat! He should partake in an eating contest someday.

The dogs broke the plastic child lock (NO idea how!!!) so I had to find an alternative way to lock them in the kitchen. I may have gone a bit too far but better safe than sorry right?

And I was OFF!! Check out this view from the Metro station. I’m assuming it’s some church. I should probably Google it.

I took the Metro to Georgetown to walk around and do some window shopping.

Not only was the weather beautiful, it was Parents’ Weekend at Georgetown University so the streets were packed with people.

Check out this line at Georgetown Cupcake!!! A line out the door and around the corner just for cupcakes. My brother says this is an every day occurrence. Wow!

After strolling for a few hours, I started to get hungry again. I really wanted some veggie juice to get plenty of vitamins in my body. After a quick search on my phone, I found there was a Whole Foods about 2 miles away with a juice bar. Cha-ching!

The 2 mile trek was up a STEEP slope but it was totally worth it. There were a couple cake + bread pudding samples which I had before sitting down with some juice.

I ordered a kale, cucumber, beet, ginger, and lemon juice. Mmmmmmm!!!!! The juicer guy thought it was an intereeeesting combo .

I also got some hot bar items–curry tempeh, veggie burger, hearts of palm and spring mix.

Plus some chocolate covered pecans from the bulk section for dessert.

Then I walked the 2 miles back to the water.

John F. Kennedy Center on the right!

Later, my parents swung by and we did a little bit of walking around Old Town Alexandria. We stopped at Starbucks where I got a Venti Passion Tea. Just what I needed for my sinuses.

Then it was time to go back and give the dogs some exercise in the form of a long neighborhood walk. I think all in all I walked about 10 miles on Saturday just exploring!

Watch out, Dora! You’ve got some competition .

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Tell me: What is your ideal form of ‘exploring’?

a. shopping

b. hiking

c. eating/dining/drinking

d. historical stuff–monuments, museums, etc.

e. other

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P.S. Voting is now open for the Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge. Vote for my Mushroom Feta Cornbread Muffins please!! Click HERE to vote (no registration needed, just a click).

Thank you!