Not only have I been researching camera lenses every night before dozing off, I’ve also been reading a couple chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Perhaps, that’s why I’ve been having crazy dreams lately…?

I actually started reading Harry Potter in elementary school, right before it started taking over the world. This was pretty remarkable since I was a player, not a reader. However, I got to the 3rd to last chapter (The Forbidden Forest) and got totally confused…so I put the book down and never picked it back up again. What?!

I know, I can’t believe it either!

Who stops reading near the very end of a book?! I want to go back in time and slap myself across the face. (It didn’t help that the “cool” girls thought HP was super lame and made fun of HP fans. Seriously?)

Throughout the years, I witnessed my brother, friends, and roommates get sucked into the series, often disappearing for days while curled up with the latest HP book in hand. I, however, never got past book 1. Because I watch and read everything in order, I never read any of the other books in the series either.

Mark my words, I WILL finish this book and the rest of the series. Maybe I’ll make it a goal to finish all 7 books before the last movie comes out!

***

I wasn’t too hungry this morning thanks to our Mediterranean feast last night, so I kept it light for breakfast.

A Brown rice English Muffin, which has been in our freezer for months. I forgot about them for awhile…probably because I think they’re funky tasting. Meh.

A d’anjou pear (microwaved later!)

Greek yogurt

1/2 Caf Cof

Ohh what I would’ve done for a banana with that English muffin!

I’m off to call the camera shop to rent a lens for the weekend. Something totally cool is happening this weekend!!

***

Tell me: Have you read the Harry Potter books? Why or why not?

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’m SO late tonight! It’s been a rather loooong day.

Dork moment: As I laid in bed last night, I thought to myself: what was I thinking buying a tub of Greek yogurt and a tray of raspberries from Costco when I’m flying to San Francisco on Thursday? And opening a can of pumpkin?! Uh oh. The word “waste” flashed in neon yellow right before my eyes. Then I shook my head and reassured myself it was no big deal. I’m the dairy queen, I can surely finish 1 liter of yogurt in 3 days. Have some faith in yourself, Al!

Did I just call myself ‘Al’? Yep.

Breakfast involved ALL 3 of those foods. Pumpkin eggy oatmeal w/ chia seeds + cinnamon spiked Greek yogurt and raspberries.

Plus coffee

The leaf bowl was appropriate as it really felt like Fall (err WINTER) this morning. Check out that frost.

I got up on the early side this morning to attend one of my best friend’s father’s funeral followed by a reception. I left my camera at home out of respect for everyone there.

I had some pasta salad, a big pickle (not awkward at all) and a white chocolate macadamia cookie. I got to chat with several of my friends from elementary/middle/high school, many of whom I haven’t seen in a couple years.

***

Then I drove back to our old house to vote! I munched on a pack of Halloween pretzels on the way.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I headed to our old house to use the gym. We still own the house so I’m still allowed to use the gym . I did an easy 60 min. on the elliptical.

***

I ventured to the Whole Foods Hot Bar for dinner. ‘Twas glorious.

I got a medley of grains and veggies:

• Tofu
• Asian slaw
• Black quinoa salad
• Kale and wheatberry salad
• Israeli cous cous
• Peas, carrots, red peppers
• Spring mix + spinach

These photos were taken with my point + shoot camera….do you notice the difference?

I picked up a few items afterwards. The Whole Deal has some fabulous coupons. If you shop at Whole Foods, you definitely need to pick up a copy and flip through it.

The Shredded Oats and Siggi’s were actually on sale to begin with so I got the cereal for $1.50 and yogurt for 75 cents….a STEAL!!

I swear, sometimes I think I should write a food THRIFT blog.

The Shredded Oats Vanilla Almond tastes like a mix between Cinnamon Puffins and Quaker Oatmeal Squares. I think it goes without saying that I’m a HUGE fan!

I had several handfuls on the drive home. FYI opening a box of cereal on a 30 min. drive is uhh rather dangerous.

I also spotted this Pumpkin Spice Arctic Zero. I saw the phrase pumpkin spice and was immediately intrigued. There was no way I could put this back after I picked it up.

It’s not really ice cream nor is it frozen yogurt…I’m not sure what to call it!

I ate about 2/3 of the pint.

It tasted more like frozen yogurt than ice cream. I’m happy to report it was much easier on my stomach than regular ice cream. I also love that the whole pint has 16g of protein and 8g of fiber.

I ended the night with some Greek yogurt, raspberries and a several handfuls of cereal. Cereeaaaaaal!

***

Alright time to go figure out San Fran logistics! I haven’t started packing whatsoever. Oopsies.

Tell me: What are your strategies for saving money at the grocery store?

I went pumpkin picking yesterday with my good friend Trisha. We went just in the nick of time! The farms here (yes, HERE) are closing up shop this week.

I live near a mall, an outlet mall, countless grocery stores and any store you could imagine (Costco, Super Target, Best Buy). I ALSO live near a plethora of farms and vineyards!

All this time, I was admiring the beautiful scenery and vineyards of Charlottesville when I had them right here in my own backyard, just a few miles away (clearly, I haven’t done much exploring since we’ve moved here). I knew they were nearby but I wasn’t aware they were SO close!

After a quick drive, we arrived at Wegmeyer Farms. Trisha and I had to keep reminding ourselves that we were 10 min. from town and not in the boonies of West Virginia.

There were pumpkins on the vine, a corn maze, and hay rides! But what’s even better is they have strawberries, raspberries and blackberries in the warmer months. Say what?!

Must. Go. Back.

We grabbed a clipper and went on our merry way. The pumpkins looked a bit worn out but there were a few gems in need  of a good home.

We also found some BABY pumpkins. They were the size of cranberries. Cute!

My little pumpkin! Isn’t she a beauty?

We paid for our pumpkins and then stumbled upon another pumpkin patch, Pumpkinville.

Pumpkinville was more commercialized. There was a carnival/fair  geared towards kids that required an admission fee. We just walked around their shop for kicks. We’ll go back when we have kiddies of our own….

…uhh not for the next decade, at least. Right, Trisha?

I finally got to satisfy my craving and give a pumpkin a big bear hug .

(photo credit: Trisha )

475 POUNDS!! I never ever want to hear the phrase “pumpkin shortage” ever again! Got that, Libby?

We decided to go into downtown Leesburg to check out the cute shops. It felt like walking around an old southern town.

The very first store we walked into was celebrating it’s 8th birthday and had food for everyone to enjoy! Trisha and I were beyond excited…like you have NO idea.

They had this unbelievable Southwestern Pumpkin Soup that we could NOT stop thinking about.

They also had some cupcakes, grapes, and veggie chips that I enjoyed. Mmm mmm!

While trying to photograph all the food, I nearly tripped over something. I looked down and there was this little piglet hanging out by my feet.

How ironic. Trisha and I had a good chuckle about that.

After a little window shopping, we found a coffee shop to sit down and warm up.

The barista told us they were closing soon and offered us a pastry since they were going to be thrown away soon. Trisha and I jumped at the chance!

No food goes to waste, right?

I chose the granola cookie. It was very oaty and brown sugary. VERY soft!

I also got a decaf coffee with lotsa creamy whole milk.

Peter and I made the difficult decision NOT to carve the pumpkin so we can EAT it later. Priorities.

Happy Halloween!! I’ll be back with a fun flashback post .

Tell me: What are you dressing up as for Halloween? Did you carve a pumpkin this year? What’s the design?

I’m probably breaking every jinxing rule in the book but…ohbygollythejobisreallycool!

That’s all I’m going to say for now.

Alright. Okay. Fine. I’ll tell you a little more. Part of the ‘interview’ was to drive over to the bakery and be semi-undercover.

I need to stop!! I don’t want to get too attached (um too late…?).

While undercover at the scene of the crime , I got a decaf coffee. The one thing I really wanted, the pecan bar, had pistachios. Boo allergy.

***

On the way home, I stopped by Target, Trader Joe’s and Wegman’s to entertain my sweet tooth. As you know, I’ve got a raging sweet tooth.

Every day is Halloween for me .

Look what I found…Chocolate covered candy corn!

I actually ended up putting it back. Don’t worry–read on!

Taylor Swift’s new album. I rarely ever buy full albums but come on, it’s T. Swee! Worth. every. penny.

(I love it!)

***

I got a carton of Pacific Natural Foods Organic Almond Milk from TJ’s for $1.69. I don’t typically get this brand because I’ve only seen them for $2.50+ (too much!).

Pacific is ranked #2 in my Almond Milk Ranking.

***

From top to bottom…1) a 29 cent chocolate bar, 2) chocolate mint candy, 3) candy corn and…

4) Chunks of Energy Chocolate Chip Almond. I’m addicted. Apparently these don’t last in my possession because they disappeared before my eyes once again.

***

I got the candy corn to make my OWN chocolate covered candy corn.

I’m sure you now have a sugar coma just from seeing those photos….it’s time for some REAL FOOD.

Pumpkin oatmeal pancake with hazelnut cream cheese and dried cranberries.

(1/3 cup oats. 1/4 cup pumpkin puree. 1/4 cup egg whites. Cinnamon. Water)

I cracked open a can of 365 pumpkin for this. The verdict? Still not as good as Libby’s but much better than TJ’s (sorry, Teej)!

Libby’s Pure Pumpkin > WF’s 365 Pumpkin > TJ’s Organic Pumpkin

***

Does Allie eat salty food…ever?

Believe it or not, yes!

Salmon. Tilapia. Shrimp. Tomatoes. Asparagus. Spring Mix.

And that’s that. Gotta go!

It’s gonna hit 75 degrees today. Is next week really the beginning of November? Really?!

***

Tell me: Chocolate covered _____ are the bomb!

I say pecans. That was easy.

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 .

***

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

***

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!

The last and final NYC recap post! Finally, huh? These recaps have taken me a little while to write up because I’ve been rather busy and also feeling a bit under the weather. It’s been nice to take it easy with the internet though. I have a tendency to get sucked into the internet sometimes and I’ve actually enjoyed unplugging this week. I haven’t checked Craigslist in a couple days now–can you believe it? I can’t .

Alrighty where did we leave off? Oh yeah. Day 3 of NYC.

Tuesday morning, I got up and met up with Ellie at the Columbus Circle Whole Foods for breakfast. It was a nice one!

P.S. Peter is in love with Honeycrisp apples now, after tasting them at the Union Square Farmer’s Market.

I got a pumpkin spice coffee, raisin bran muffin, banana, and Chobani Greek yogurt. I had a great time chatting with Ellie. She is from Scotland so this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet up. I can’t believe we forgot to get a photo together!

Afterwards, my dad and I set out to explore the city.

We walked along 5th Avenue to get a glimpse of the luxury stores.

A cathedral in the middle of 5th Avenue!

Froyo truck. Cool, huh?

For lunch, my dad wanted to go back to Chinatown….again (3 times in 3 days!!). I didn’t mind because I already grabbed something for lunch. He decided to go to Wo Hop, a place we heard about from a friend and also read about in a magazine. It’s one of the oldest restaurants in Chinatown!

They brought out soup and hot tea as soon as we sat down.

My dad ordered…

…and I brought a Vegan Spicy Tofu-Power Sandwich and a Feel Good Energy Cookie from Westerly Natural Market. I picked this up earlier in the day because I knew my dad would want to go back to Chinatown .

This sandwich was fabulous: organic 7 grain bread, tofu, celery, onions, napa cabbage and eggless mayonnaise.

I need to remake this sandwich stat.

This cookie was still warm from the oven when I bought it! Made with rolled oats, spelt flour, egg whites, apple sauce, dried cranberries, golden raisins, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. It was soft, chewy and muffin-like.

For dessert, I got 2 dark chocolate coconut haystacks from the bulk section.

Westerly Market was SO cool. I could have spent days in there browsing the aisles. They had all sorts of quirky health foods in flavors I’ve never seen before.

Back to lunch. Peter said the food was just alright. Nothing special. He was glad he got to try the food though.

After lunch, we walked to Chelsea Market, the home of many bakeries, eateries and of course, Food Network! I visited back in June but my dad had never been.

I loved seeing the behind the scenes action of the bakeries.

Unfortunately, I didn’t spot any Food Network Stars

Then it was time to walk towards the bus stop. Along the way, we saw this cute little bird.

Ha! It was fake .

Ohhh Peter.

Along the way, we stumbled upon a humongous camera and video store, B&H. I was in heaven!

Be careful, Peter. That camera is expensive…

Wowza!

Finally, it was time to bus it back home. I sipped on this coconut water while we waited for the bus.

And that’s a wrap!

Back to normal posting tomorrow. I hope you have a great weekend!

Tell me: One of your favorite cities to explore

***

Missed the other NYC posts?

Part I: Central Park and Chinatown

Part II: Times Square Day and Night

Part III: Will Walk For Food

New York City. The city that never sleeps…

…and I sure felt like I never slept on Sunday. Running on 3 1/2 hours of sleep and ginger chews was not easy but I dug deep. I can always find energy for exploring a city. Always.

I had this blog post ready to publish Sunday night but then I found out our hotel charged $15 for internet. Um, yeah…no thanks. Little did I know there was free Wi-Fi in the hotel lobby….really?

Oh well. I’ve been busy exploring the city anyways and haven’t really had time to blog. Blogging can always wait. It’s not everyday that I’m in NYC!

***

Backtrack to Sunday….

View of the skyline from the Megabus.

On our way to the hotel, we stumbled across some food festival stretching 30 odd blocks or so. It ended up being a lot of the same stands–smoothies, gyros, crepes, falafel, etc.

I wasn’t really in the mood for food. All I wanted was to put my stuff down and get a refreshing iced coffee. My parents, however, each got a lamb gyro.

Ah yes. Finally. Caffeine.

I slurped this iced coffee down in record speed. I wanted a Pumpkin Spice Latte but I was too hot for a hot drink. I still got it 1/3 caf since it was 3pm already….and a venti!

Then we strolled around Central Park for a good 2 hours.

See Peter?

There he is.

My mom had been wondering where this famous spot was in Central Park. She finally found it.

Then we spotted who we *thought* was John Stossel (the 20/20 guy)…?

I guess this makes me a paparazzi. I swear this photo was my mom’s idea!

A roller skating shindig.

Breathtaking views on a beautiful day.

I love Central Park…minus the stinky horse dung .

Then it was off to Chinatown for dinner–the highlight of Peter’s trip. Unfortunately, we got off at the wrong subway stop so we weren’t in the main part of Chinatown (read: options were kinda meh). We went back to the main part yesterday and it was much better.

After perusing, we settled on East Corner Wonton.

My parents got some roast duck.

Wonton soup.

I got steamed broccoli with seafood and rice. Eh, I wasn’t satisfied but I was glad my parents were.

We picked up some pastries to take back to the hotel with us. I had an adzuki bean pastry and a sip of some Russian beer.

Alrighty, I gotta go enjoy our last day in NYC. I’ll be back later when I’m on the bus ride home. I’ve got A LOT to show you all!

1. A New Neighborhood Run

This morning I set out on a run in my new neighborhood. I had no idea where I was going and had no goal distance in mind. I ran 6 miles in just under 62 min. I tried to find a good loop and ended up getting LOST. It worked out that I found my house right as I was nearing the 6 mile mark.

I was totally prepared to knock on someone’s door and ask to use their phone to call my dad though .

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE HERE!!

I felt like Julie Andrews running along the hills of the Swiss Alps in the opening scene of The Sound of Music. Holy smokes! The hills were so steep and rarely was the path just flat. I’d say half the time the slope was equivalent to a 6-9% incline on the treadmill. Whew wee!!

Despite the crazy hills, I’m really starting to feel like I’m back in the running groove again, finally. I think the cooler weather has helped a lot. More importantly, simply knowing I can power through the the most difficult part of the run for me (at around the 1.5 mile mark), gives me a great deal of confidence.

Running is physical but it’s also mental as well.

***

The last uphill portion of my run left me breathless!

Yeah, I have a gum ball machine. I’m cool like that.

2. New Bath Tub and Shower Curtain

I took an ice bath immediately after coming back (in my new bath tub). My tush is gonna be s-o-r-e tomorrow from all those hills.

Like my new shower curtain? I got it at Homegoods (AKA Wonderland).

3. New (to me) Gym

Yesterday, I went over to the club house to use the gym (my first time!). The machines are older than the ones in the condo gym and don’t have personal TVs, but it is pretty nice and just about a mile away from our house.

My workout:

• 60 min. elliptical
• 10 min. upper body strength
• 10 min. stationary bike

4. Pumpkin Butter

Believe it or not, I bought this jar of McCutcheon’s Pumpkin Butter last year but had to wait until I finished my TJ’s jar to open it. I had a sample of it once and found it was much much better than the TJ’s version (sorry Teej). It’s local too–made in Maryland!

It is much more pumpkiny and less syrupy/sugary than TJ’s pumpkin butter. Meaning, I’ve been eating it straight outta the jar .

This morning, I made a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte using almond milk, pumpkin butter and cinnamon.

5. New Blender

…not really.

This is our ancient older-than-me blender that is still alive and kickin’. I usually use my Magic Bullet since it’s easier to clean, but it’s still sitting in our old house.

Post run, I made a smoothie using wheatgrass, protein powder, strawberries and banana.

6. New Favorite Snax

I also had a slice of brown rice bread topped with pumpkin butter, Justin’s Maple Almond Butter (free sample), and an Adora Calcium disc (free sample). I’ve been eating this snack almost every day.

Not new to me at all!

I received this jar of Justin’s Maple AB yesterday and I’ve already gone through about 1/3 of the jar. It was one of the first almond butters I tried almost 3 years ago (when I found out I wasn’t allergic to almonds). I will say with confidence that it is my favorite almond butter.

No other brand even comes close.

I’ve also been loving Greek yogurt mixed with eggy oats. The combination of hot grains and creamy cold yogurt is just lovely.

For the eggy oats, I mixed some leftover sweet crepe batter with oats and egg whites and then popped it in the microwave for 2 minutes. I topped the whole bowl with banana and cinnamon.

Clearly, I crave carbs and protein post workout!

7. New Apples!

My mom’s co-worker went apple picking and my mom paid her $9 for this huge bushel. Oh my apples.

I have no idea how these will get eaten up if I don’t bake something with them!

Last but not least….

8. My New Photography Spot!

Welcome to my new photography studio…the outside portion at least.

We got this outdoor table from IKEA, which I’m excited to start shooting on. The deck also has these white pillars that are great for shooting something with trees in the background. I’ve got plenty of chairs to stand on for a bird’s eye view shot .

I also have window sills without those awkward grey things now. Wahoo!

This is where the magic will be happening from now on .

Alrighty, it’s time for me to shower and unpack some more (it never ends!!!). I hope to be back tomorrow with a fun recipe, if all works out as planned!

Reminder: You only have until tomorrow to vote for me and my crepes in the Project Food Blog contest! I need your vote so I have a good excuse to throw a delicious dinner party on Saturday .

***

Tell me: What’s something NEW in your life that you’re enjoying?

Oh My Legs!  Did I just run 7.2 miles?  I don’t know how that happened. Kinda crazy and totally unexpected.

I walked 0.2 of those miles so all in all it was 7.0 miles in 72 minutes. I can hardly believe it. It’s been a loooong time since I last saw that number. After the first 2 miles, I got in a good rhythm and just kept going and going.

***

Backtracking to this past weekend….

I went over to the new house with my dad to take care of some stuff (we’re still not sure when we’re officially moving–sometime this month). I also had to bring back my AllieBar ingredients because I’ve got about 25 batches to make. Whew!

This is what my room likes like in the new house. Notice the photos are small .

What gets packed….must get unpacked. Fun fun fun. I did a bit of unpacking while I was there on Saturday but I’ve got my work cut out for me, that’s for sure.

I was rewarded with a sample of Attune Granola Munch sittin’ pretty on my door step.

I first tried this granola at the Healthy Living Summit and loved it. When Annelies asked if I wanted a free sample of anything, I said YES, the Apple Cinnamon Granola Munch please!!

My favorite part? The yogurt chips! Sadly, the yogurt chips all melted in the heat.

I put the bag in the refrigerator (after eating a couple ooey gooey delicious handfuls) and the yogurt chips hardened and formed these delicious sugary clusters–even better!

I’ve eaten and baked many batches of granola in my day and consider myself a granola connoisseur. This stuff is GOOD. Crunchy but not to the point where it hurts your jaw. I know from experience about jaw pain due to granola munching. Attune granola, like their chocolate bars, contain probiotics (healthy bacteria=good for your gut).

Along with granola munching, I ate a packed salad with a veggie burger and egg whites.

Plus some cantaloupe.

Later that day, I played tennis for about an hour with my dad….

….and I broke my first string! In my mind, breaking your first string is like losing your first tooth. Perhaps I’ll be getting a visit from The Racquet Fairy? Okay, I made that up. Avid tennis players break their strings all the time. The Racquet Fairy would go broke.

Yes, I’ve played tennis for about 90 years and have never broken a string until now.

***

Afterwards, my dad insisted on going to Trader Joe’s (not me…are you shocked?) for some Two Buck Chuck.

The name comes from it’s price tag–$3.29. Cheap, yet still pretty tasty. I think it used to be $2.99, which is why it’s ‘two buck chuck’ and not ‘three buck chuck.’

We’re classy like that. At least we brought the wine opener back to our house to avoid a wine opening fiasco.

Anyways, I got some Three Buck Muffins. Or Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bran Muffins.

This was my first time trying this flavor. As you know, I love the TJ’s Carrot Ginger and Blueberry Mango Muffins.

Truth be told, it was this fat lip that completely sold me. I had to get my hands on the huge muffin top!!

You know you wanna just reach into the computer screen and rip off that flap!

The texture of this muffin was similar to the Carrot Ginger. Super dense and hearty. My kinda muffin .

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Did you catch my Project Food Blog Post yesterday?

Voting starts today (and lasts until Thursday at 6pm PST)! You know you can’t refuse this face. It’s saying vote for me…pretty please with a cherry on top?

Warning: I am competing against a lot of amazing bloggers in the Project Food Blog Contest. Try not to get too distracted by the other beautifully written posts when you click over to vote, okay?

I’m only kidding. You get 400 votes (because 400 bloggers advance to the 2nd round), so check out some of the other posts too while you’re at it.

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Post Outtakes

I thought it’d be fun to show you my ‘outtakes’ from that post. Here’s one of the ideas that got canned….

I Wanna Be A Food Blogger (to the tune of I Wanna be a Billionaire by Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars)

I wanna be a food blogger, so frickin’ baaad.

Buy all of the appliances I never had.

Uh, I wanna be on the cover of Food & Wiiiine.

Smiling next to Wolfgang and B. Flay.

Oh every time I take my photos

I see my name on published books.

A blog post written every night oh

I swear the blogworld better prepare

For when I’m a Food Blog Star.

*This was written at around 3 AM some time last week. I was going to delete it and then figured that would be a waste of my dorkiness.

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Now that song is stuck in my head!! Okay, this dork needs to take an ice bath. Toodle-loo!