Okay, when did this happen?!

I suppose I’m okay with it because it just means more of this can happen…

4 sweaty miles. It might be September, but it was HOT out there today.

I don’t know how this happened (a blenderful is a portion, right? Of course).

But I do know how this happened!

Although you can’t tell from the color, my smoothie was filled with a fresh peach!

Okay, seriously…when did me NOT BEING ALLERGIC TO FRESH PEACHES happen?!?

I remember trying a raw peach ~2 years ago and getting an allergic reaction. And now, poof! Nothing. Of course this happens AT THE END OF SUMMER!!! I think I’ll be eating daily peaches for the next few weeks to celebrate/mourn the fact that they’re going out of season.

***

And then there was 1.5 left…

…and now there are 0.

I also have no idea how this happened. Actually, I do. I forgot to put them in the freezer! Something tells me that wouldn’t have made a difference.

I’m so glad this happened last night…

A first round win for Andy Roddick. Fingers crossed he can go all the way this year.

***

I was walking to the pool today when all of sudden, the sky got super cloudy and it started raining! Why did that happen?

I decided it was a sign from above that I should be a good daughter and cook dinner for my parents instead.

But, not without some food in my belly first.

I dug out some leftovers from the fridge to make a salad. Peter made a dish with tofu, tilapia, shrimp, and tomatoes the other day and saved me some.

I plopped it right on a bed of romaine lettuce and called it lunch.

Alright, it’s time to return the favor! What should I make for the ‘rents?

I’m going to my high school’s first football game of the season tonight! I’m mentally preparing to be hit by a tsunami wave of nostalgia.

See ya later!

When blogging is your job…

Human interaction is mostly online (primarily here).

Work attire usually ends up being PJs and gym clothes. And by “usually” I mean, “always.”

Your office is in the kitchen, on the couch or at a desk.

Your to do list looks something like this.

While your schedule is relatively flexible, it also means you’re sometimes still working at 11 PM and you probably work holidays and weekends.

Meetings = conferences and blogger meet ups.

I had a “meeting” today with Ryan. We first met online when she contacted me about hosting a ticket giveaway for the Take Back Your Health Conference next month. She soon discovered I was local and asked to meet up for lunch!

She was going to be in my neck of the woods today, so I let her choose where to have our meeting. She chose Wegmans.

A girl after my own heart!

I also got a 5 mile walk and some groceries out of it. My mom’s car is in the shop, so she drove my car to work. Thus, I traveled by foot (so yes, work attire was still gym clothes for me!).

I listened to my favorite country songs along the way (via Pandora on my phone) and the miles flew by!

Speaking of which, I realized I left out a few of my favorite favorite country songs this morning (there are too many!). Perhaps I’ll start another list and make it a weekly post…?

I digress.

Meeting food included brown rice salmon sushi.

I also wanted to try the curry tofu from the hot bar. I only got a little bit because I wasn’t sure if it was made with anything I was allergic to and no one could tell me for sure.

There’s only one way to find out, right? <–bad Allie!

It was amazing and I survived without a scratch. Phew!

Ryan and I talked for over 2 1/2 hours about everything under the sun. Meeting topics included my past, her past, her health coaching business, the conference, my life path, and so much more.

What a sweetheart!

***

Afterwards, I picked up a few things to weigh me down on my walk home. I WOULD get a giant carton of almond milk for a 2.5 mile walk home.

• Brown Rice Flour will be for a baking project
• Hummus was free (coupon)
• Almond Milk was severely discounted (doubled coupon!)
• Puffins were on sale

Oh and I was handed a sample of their new cheesecake while shopping. I am not one to refuse cheesecake!

As soon as I got home, I ate a huge bowl of Multigrain Puffins (the best flavor!) and made yet another large dent in the honey goat gouda cheese.

Who remembers the Princess Leia bowl?!

After a couple refills (ohh Puffins), I decided to revert back to my college student days and eat a bowl of cereal for dinner.

But not without a big ol’ peach! It looks small in 2D, but I assure you it was the size of a softball.

Perfect combo.

Time to watch MY Andy Roddick play some quality tennis at the US Open!

Have a fabulous night, y’all.

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!

Last night I ventured out to Whole Foods Fairfax for a blogger meet up put together by Kath. I purposely got there on the early side so I could stroll through the aisles and admire everything. Whole Foods is a lot more special when you no longer live a mile away!

Not before long, it was time to feast with 14 other local bloggers/readers.

Photo credit: Kath

I loaded up on a little bit of everything…tempeh, tofu, catfish, carrots, artichoke hearts, black rice, various wheatberry salads, and almond slivers.

Side of Kombucha Botanic No. 3 w/ elderberry and lavender!!

I think I’m becoming addicted to Kombucha, which is really unfortunate considering my monthly budget for beverages is like 67 cents. Has anyone found a coupon for these?

On my way home, I quickly stopped by the international grocery store to pick up some produce for cheap.

I had 1 pink guava last night and it wasn’t very good. As in, it didn’t hold a candle to the ones I ate in Hong Kong!

***

This morning, I hopped out of bed and went straight to the gym. I completed 25 min. elliptical, 10 min. arm weights and 25 min. walking (to and from the gym).

It was beautiful outside! We’re supposed to hit 85*F today (!!).

It was the perfect day for running (minus the 80 mph wind gusts) but 2 days in a row would’ve been a bad idea. I would’ve just taken a long walk outside to enjoy the sunshine, but my allergies were acting up.

On the way back, I saw these beautiful flowers. I ran back home and grabbed my camera just to photograph them for you.

I think the white flowers may be wild. They sprouted up by a huge tree in a wooded area. I wanted to pluck one and take it home with me but I didn’t have the heart to do so.

A picture will suffice.

Post workout, I really tried to crave something else but this was all my taste buds wanted. Not having yogurt as an option is seriously stifling my creativity! I had some granola, pecans and smoked salmon shortly after for added protein.

I’m headed BACK to DC again today to hang out with Lo the Bro and a few visitors. We’re going out to dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant (my favorite!). Hopefully I’ll make it back in time to catch the end of the NCAA Championship game tonight!

Then guess what? I’ll be heading BACK to DC again at 3 AM to pick up my parents from the Megabus station. I tried to brainstorm ways to just stay in DC the whole night (because I hate driving), but I’m not sure wandering around in the wee hours of the night is the best idea.

I probably won’t get any sleep at all tonight since insomnia has been the theme of this week. Oh well, such is life.

I’m off to the city! Crossing my fingers there’s no traffic and that I find parking easily.

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 .

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

As I mentioned in NYC Part II, my dad and I trekked from Central Park to Chinatown on Monday. After Times Square, we headed towards Union Square in search of food.

Along the way, we stumbled upon Bryant Park.

We also found this sketch of Manhattan sitting outside a gift shop. A pencil drawing (!!!). It took Krikko, the artist, 4 years and 2496 pencils to complete this drawing.

I was completely blown away. I mean, is this not the coolest thing ever?

And then a few blocks later, we saw the actual Empire State Building.

We also walked through Eataly, a new Italian marketplace opened by Iron Chef Mario Batali and other restauranteurs, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Oscar Farinetti.

The place reminded me of a museum! There were different sections based on the type of food (seafood, meat, vegetables, pasta, gelato, etc.). We didn’t stay long because we were hungry. While there was plenty of food in Eataly, we were going for something a little more casual.

Two blocks before Union Square (where Whole Foods is located), we stopped by Garden of Eden and for some odd reason, I decided to get their salad bar to eat for lunch.

I’m still unsure why I didn’t just walk 2 more blocks to eat at the amazing WFs hot bar. We later walked through WFs to see what we missed out on and there were many many more delicious options in their prepared foods section. Oh well.

It was still good though! I got a little bit of everything: tofu crunch salad, sweet potato, turnips, shrimp, a brussels sprout, avocado salad, hearts of palm, Greek yogurt, berries, granola, and a lentil ball.

1 pound of food!

It may have been this lentil ball that convinced me to eat at Garden of Eden instead of Whole Foods. I was so intrigued by this thing. It tasted exactly like it looks–beany, hearty and a little bit mushy. I liked it a lot!

I also split a huge grapefruit with my dad.

We ate in Union Square Park right by this statue.

After fueling up, we walked through the Union Square Farmer’s Market and continued to explore until it was time for us to go our separate ways.

I went to a small blogger meet up while my dad walked to Chinatown.

I met up with Sharon and Rachel at Babycakes Bakery. Babycakes has been on my Bakery Bucket List for awhile now and I finally got to go!

I knew exactly what I wanted and I’m sure you can guess which cupcake I chose .

Spelt Flour Carrot Cake Cupcake!

Mmm!! It was one of the moistest cupcakes I’ve eaten.

Yeah, I said it…moistest.

Moistest. Moistest. Moistest.

My lovely company. Thanks girls for coming out to chat with me! Next time I’ll choose a less obscure time to meet up so more people can come!

Sharon brought me a few of her Pumpkin Oat Choco Chip Muffins that were delicious. They made great traveling snacks.

Then I walked to Chinatown to meet up with my dad.

We window shopped a bit and then bought some pastries/desserts at Canal Cafe Bakery Inc. to take back with us.

Afterwards, we walked ALLLL the way back up to our hotel by Central Park (!!!).

Ha! Just kidding. We took the Subway. My legs surely would have slapped me in the face if I walked anymore that day.

***

Can you believe this and part II ALL happened in ONE day?! Needless to say I was exhausted.

Up next: The last segment of my trip! Then we’ll be back to regular posting.

***

Tell me: What is one restaurant/bakery on your bucket list?

Today was just one of those days. I mindlessly ate (and ate some more) even though I wasn’t feeling the least bit hungry. I continued eating despite feeling quite full–the complete opposite of intuitive/mindful eating. Hmmm.

Of course, I always try to pinpoint why this happens when it does so I can learn a thing or two from my experience. I narrowed it down to a few reasons: 1) A new box o’ cereal in the pantry 2) Looking at so many delicious baked goods for sale <–AllieBars for sale! 3) Watching The Food Network and 4) Applying for jobs.

Writing up a cover letter almost always gives me major munchies. For me, applying for jobs works similarly to studying for exams. Perhaps, next time I’ll head to a coffee shop to write rather than sit in my kitchen!

You live and you learn, right?

***

Today started with a bowl of Autumn Harvest cereal and almond milk. Yes, there is something missing in this photo. A banana!! Ohhh how badly I wanted a banana to go along with this bowl…

Cereal munching continued afterwards.

I also had some chocolate. It’s never too early for chocolate.

Greek yogurt.

Frozen organic strawberries.

And repeat.

***

I made sure to get in some protein and fat with leftover salmon from last night and an Amy’s veggie burger with 1/3 avocado.

No more munching, it’s time to buckle down and get to work now!

***

Edited to add: I thought I was done eating and then I found myself making tofu burgers with Peter. It was all his idea, I swear!

Naturally I ate one….and a half.

More on that to come. I’ve got writing to do and maybe some walking to help me digest.

***

Tell me: What brings out ze munchies for you? What do you do to quiet them down?

KETCHing UP on posts from the weekend? Here’s what you missed…

No-Bake Baked Oatmeal: Enjoy baked oatmeal without turning on the oven

A Killa ‘Dilla: A twist on my dear bananadillas

Short and Sweet: Munching through my HLS Swag Bag

***

Warning: this post is a bit wordy but I’m gotta get you back in the loopdeloop.

Workouts. I haven’t talked about my workouts in days. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been moving my derriere though! I’ve actually had some great workouts this week including a totally-out-of-nowhere 4 mile run. I’m going to go ahead and thank the large quantities of chocolate I’ve been ingesting every day for the extra energy boost.

Usually by the time I wake up, the sun is out and it is H-O-T. However, last Wednesday it was cloudy and uncharacteristically cool (even at 1pm!) so I took advantage of the weather with an outdoor run. I woke up before 1 pm, thank you very much!

Although there is a 40 mile run/bike trail in my backyard that leads to DC, I chose to run on an asphalt path along the road. It’s sometimes mentally difficult for me to run on the trail because it doesn’t loop around–I have to go out and back. For some reason I find it much harder to run if I am retracing my steps.

I decided to follow this path, not knowing where it would lead me. I didn’t have my Garmin with me so I didn’t know exactly how far or how fast I was running. I just ran and before I knew it, I looped back home. Based on my time, I figured I ran just over 4 miles.

I love running loops! I miss the WaDuke trail at school like you have no idea (a 5K loop). Once you start running a large loop, you don’t have to think about when you’ll turn back around or how much longer there is to go. You just keep running until you’re done. Although this loop has views of the highway and various office buildings (rather than a gorgeous golf course), I can’t wait to run it again.

Since coming back from school (where I was running 5-6 miles regularly), I haven’t run more than 3 miles and I think it’s been 99% mental. Okay perhaps more like 60% mental and 40% oppressive heat. Needless to say, I’m pretty pumped about this loop. I’m just going to ignore the fact that we’re moving soon.

Yesterday I played tennis with my dad. The rest of my workouts this past week have been the usual strength training and ellipticalling.

***

A selection of eats from this past weekend:

Perfectly fried sunny side up egg using this method along with Arnold Flax and Fiber Bread

My uncle bought two loaves of this bread WITHOUT using the boatload of coupons I got in my HLS Swag bag. Oops.

This bread is soft and doughy. I like it!!

Bargain strawbs

Shrimp and Tofu Pad Thai, homemade by my uncle. Perhaps he needs a promotion from line cook .

Salad with bargain grape tomatoes, tempeh, and balsamic vinaigrette.

A giant plum. It’s confirmed….I’m not allergic!

I demolished yet another pack of TJ’s Just Mango Slices in less than 24 hours. Surprise surprise.

Okay, time for the J.O.B. sitch…

If you follow me on Twitter, you know a little bit about what’s been going on. Okay, so nothing really has been going on. I had a 2nd interview scheduled for Thursday of last week. After mulling it over for a few days, I decided the position was not a good fit for me and called off the interview. It felt weird to walk away from an opportunity when I had been waiting for something to come along but it just didn’t feel right. It really didn’t help that the commute would’ve been over an hour from our new house without traffic…and there is bound to be traffic going into DC. Also, before 9 am, the highway into DC is restricted to cars with 2+ passengers. So what would I have done if my shift started at 8 am? Uhh yeah. In the end, I just couldn’t see myself working there. The commute was just icing on the cake.

On the same exact day, I found an opening for a part-time baker at a scratch bakery just a couple miles from our new house. The bakery seems like a place where I would fit in really well so I am going over there today to drop off my resume and cover letter (!!!). Fingers crossed they take a chance on someone with no professional baking experience/training. Ohhh what I would do for a pastry degree and not my Psychology degree right about now…

You’re crossing your fingers for me, right? Cross them. Now! I need all the crossed fingers I can get!

…cross your toes too if you can.

The last Chicago post! The last final hours before flying home…the last supper shared with my beloved new friends….the last of my fabulous culinary adventures. I actually have some exciting stuff to fill you in on from this week, including the most simple and delicious breakfast currently sitting happily in my belly. I thought about holding off on this post to share it with you, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of posting out of order. Gotta love a type A personality.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

After our exhilarating and euphoric experience at Starfruit Cafe, we headed to the last and final stop of our culinary adventure: Karyn’s on Green.

After seeing some fellow bloggers rave about this restaurant, there was no way I could leave Chicago without checking it out for myself. I mean, it could be years before I get a chance to go back to Chicago (tragic but true ).

Karyn’s on Green had an enchanting and relaxing ambience. With soothing yoga music playing in the background, I felt like I had walked into a spa. I couldn’t help but take deep breaths as the sound of the nearby water fountain lured me into a state of tranquility.

From their website: An earth-friendly vegan approach to contemporary dining. Our diverse menu features classic American dishes reinterpreted with innovative presentations but without the meat, fish chicken or dairy. Bold flavors and imaginative combinations so satisfying you’ll never know what’s missing.

I think Karyn is a pretty cool lady, don’t you?

We snagged a seat by the window–an advantage to eating dinner at 4:30 PM.

This guy was a little worried about ‘eating only plants for dinner.’

As soon as we sat down, we each got two slices of seedy, wheaty, grainy bread.

Lauren and I decided to share some small plates so we could try as many dishes as possible.

Heirloom Beets: citrus beet puree, apple, dill

As you know, I’ve been having a love affair with beets recently. These were breathtakingly delicious. They melted in my mouth like Belgium chocolates. My spine is tingling just thinking about them right now.

Maki Roll: red beet, avocado, cucumber, jalapeno, carrot, rice, spicy aioli

Chorizo Sliders: portobello bacon, frisee, cheddar, chipotle aioli, tomato-pepper jam

These were spicy! They tasted similar to sloppy Joe’s.

Joe ordered a Tofu Gumbo with quinoa.

What beautiful presentation–a food photographer’s dream come true! I think I could photograph Karyn’s food every day for the rest of my life.

Joe mmmm’ed his way through his dish and declared he could be vegan if he was served food like this every day. I agree, Joe, I totally agree.

We walked out with happy bellies. We were pleasantly full (even skeptical Joe) and 110% satisfied with the entire experience from head to toe. The food exceeded all my expectations–the service was excellent and I think we all agreed Karyn makes vegan sexy and delicious.

***

We had some extra time before my flight so Lauren and Joe took me by the Adler Planetarium to get some amazing views of the city.

See the building in the middle with the red neon sign? That was our HLS hotel!

I love you, Chicago!!

A huge thank you to Lauren and Joe for welcoming me into their home with open arms and showing me an amazing time. I couldn’t have asked for better hosts and I can only hope that they will come visit me and allow me to treat them like royalty in return.

***

That’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed my Chicago vacation series. Here are all the posts from the vacation that changed my outlook on life (a post on that to come!):

• Chicago is for Bloggers!
• Chicago is for Foodies!
• Chicago is for Photographers!
• Chicago is for Partyers!
• Chicago is for Healthy Livers!
• Chicago is for Explorers!
• Princess of ‘Burbia
• The Princess Adventures Part II
• Sushi Fare and a Wasabi Dare
• Unfinished Business
• The Last [Vegan] Supper

Have a great weekend!!