Time to relax

Wow, this past week I have been so busy with school work that I had to put my blog on the back burner for a few days. I had a presentation, took an exam, and turned in three papers. Whew! I am so glad to be back home now for a few days. I still have to go back to school for just a couple of days to take more exams. BOO!

I never got around to do a Thanksgiving post, either. (That's pretty bad for a food blogger...) I have pictures to share, though!

The Thanksgiving Table



There I am, running the Turkey Trot! I ran ~23:30.



Now to yesterday.

I woke up at 9 am and ate breakfast. It was yogurt, pumpkin, and the last of the organic cascadian farms granola. I am excited to try a new kind of organic granola, any suggestions?

I asked Joe if he wanted to go on a run around 11 am and he did! I changed into running clothes and did a quick martial arts workout before I left. I only had time to do the circuit once and my arms are really sore today! I am so weak! I usually don't do martial arts either, so it was fun to try something new. Afterward, Joe and I went on a forty minute run at the arboretum. I felt so tired during it, but I was glad to be running. I haven't had a chance to run in a week!

We took showers and then had leftover Makaronilaatiko for lunch. What's that you ask? It's a Finnish casserole with macaroni and beef. You eat it with ketchup and it is wonderful! It was the first thing I ever made for Joe, and that was when I fell in love with cooking! I will make it again soon and post the recipe!

We took showers and then just relaxed around the house for a bit. Eventually I had an afternoon snack of blueberry yogurt. Then Joe and I decided to walk to Barnes and Noble and read (it's not far from his house).



I read Blood Done Sign My Name. The last book I have to read for school (yay!). Joe read a Rock and Ice magazine. We shared a cup of hot chocolate. :)

The evening ended with lots of food, friends, and family. :)

<3

I'm still here!

The week before exams is getting the best of me! By Friday (at the latest) I will be able to start posting again!

love and best dishes.
(remind you of anyone?)

Day of Fun

Yesterday was my day to plan a "day of fun" for Joe and I. (Even though, everyday is a fun day for us.) I planned a day of rock climbing with a picnic. Then, a nice dinner at Bier Garden.

Before I picked up Joe I ate Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds for breakfast. I love me some cereal.

Once I arrived at Joe's house I asked him where he preferred to climb - Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest or Rumbling Bald at Lake Lure. He picked Lake Lure (the place we went two days ago!). And so we went!





After two climbs for Joe and one for me, we ate lunch. I packed a lunch of apples, raspberry yogurts, granola, blue tortilla chips, and a Turkey BLT wrap from Earthfare. It was very satisfying!





After lunch, Joe got in one more climb and we decided to head home and take a nap! There are two kinds of naps. One is the kind where you wake up feeling refreshed. The other kind is where you wake up feeling groggy and worse than before you fell asleep. Unfortunately, we both felt really groggy when we woke up. After a shower, I felt a lot better. Then we headed downtown to Bier Garden for dinner.

We shared nachos as an appetizer. For dinner, Joe had a salmon, brie, panini. I had a burger with pepper jack cheese and sweet potato fries on the side. Joe seemed to really like his. My burger was a little over cooked (and I like mine medium-well!) but the sweet potato fries were really good.





As we walked out of the restaurant we saw a hit and run! Joe happened to get the guys plate number before he drove away. We wrote it down and put it on the victim's car. I can't believe how inconsiderate some people are. It was our good deed for the day! :)

The rest of the night we just relaxed and watched Mad Men.

<3

Kimberly

Hard Times

Today I was VERY excited for breakfast because Joe and I were going to have it at Terrace Cafe. It did not disappoint!

I had a spinach, mushroom, and Gruyere cheese omelet with fresh fruit on the side. I loved the fresh fruit, because it wasn't just the standard honey dew, canteloupe, and grapes. BORING. It had raspberries, blackberries, kiwis, strawberries, pineapple and the boring stuff mixed in with it! So good!



Joe had a "Full Breakfast" with hash browns, sunny side up eggs, pancakes, and bacon. I tried some of his pancakes - they were delicious!



I definitely want to visit again for lunch and dinner!

After breakfast, we headed home. I am a huge homebody and love being home. I am very happy I get to be here a whole week before I have to go back to school.

The moment we got home we decided to go on a 6.5 mile run at the arboretum. It's a loop we do frequently together. The loop is called "Hard Times." There is a 1.5 mile hill within the loop and it is HARD. Hence, hard times. ;) After the hill though is a nice VERY long downhill, which we decided to race down to make it worthwhile. It was a very good run. Only four more days until the Turkey Trot 5k!

The rest of the evening I relaxed at home. My mom made me stuffed shells for dinner. One of my favorites! :) I caught up on school work and now I am off to bed.

<3

Kimberly

Bouldering and Ben Folds

Yesterday was a JAM PACKED day for Joe and I.

We woke up at 6 AM to get ready for our bouldering trip with a Venture group. If you are unfamiliar with Venture, it is a program associated with many different colleges to promote outdoor learning. Students go on different outdoor trips, such as kayaking, hiking, camping, rocking climbing etc. Our bouldering trip was at Lake Lure. Joe was one of the trip leaders yesterday!



Joe with a bouldering pad on his back!

The group left by 7 am and made a quick stop at Bruegger's Bagels for breakfast. I had a cinnamon raisin bagel with plain cream cheese and a fruit cup. It kept me full for a very long time!

I had SO MUCH FUN bouldering. I "topped out" (climbers lingo for making it to the top) of 5 different boulders and 3 others were a bit too challenging. I definitely want to go back and try the hard ones again!



Me bouldering!

Lunch consisted of whole wheat tortillas, Trader Joe's organic creamy peanut butter, jelly, nutella, marshmallow fluff (let's just say I went all out!) hummus, carrots, and granola (or GORP - at least, that is what everyone is calling it.) It wasn't the healthiest lunch but it was definitely tasty!



Joe bouldering!



It was a beautiful day!



Foggy.

We bouldered until 4 and then headed out for dinner and then the drive home. Dinner was not that great, either. It was a mediocre BBQ place and I didn't have much of an appetite to eat it.

We made it back to campus by 7:30 and rushed to get ready for the Ben Fold's concert (which started at 8)!! We made it there just in time. The opening singer announced, "Up next is Ben Fold's" right when we walked into the door. The concert was great. He played a lot of my favorite songs.



Made it just in time! I didn't even have time to blow dry my hair.



Can you find Ben Folds? :)



One of my favorite songs of his! :)

By the end of the concert we were exhausted and went straight to sleep!

Sandwiches

This morning, I attempted the pumpkin oats again. They turned out a lot better this time. I only used 1/4 cup pumpkin, almost a whole banana, and less spice! Check it out:



Afterward, I tutored for an hour and counted down the minutes until I could finally leave to go meet up with Joe! I arrived at noon and we went to go get lunch at Einstein Brothers Bagels on campus. It was my first time going there. I had a wheat bagel thin with turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, and cream cheese. It was OK. Joe bought us a chocolate chip coffee cake as a treat. It was just OK, too.

By 1 o'clock we went to the movies to go see Harry Potter #7. I am not a huge Harry Potter fan. (I know, what's wrong with me?) It's not that I don't like it, I just never got into it. I read the first book and that's it. I have seen a few of the movies, and thought they weren't anything special to me. However, I did enjoy watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Maybe I should read the books? :)

It was too nice outside not to go on a walk after the movie, so that's what we did! We walked until it was time to meet up with our friend Ben at Brixx Pizza for dinner. Ben has been a close friend of Joe's and mine for a long time (I've known him since 3rd grade!). I am always happy to meet up with him. :)

Brixx was yummy as always! We shared the hummus plate as an appetizer and for dinner I had a smoked turkey sandwich with arugula, tomatoes, bacon, and Fontina cheese on Focaccia bread. It was very good, but I was kind of wished I had some pizza.



I loved the fresh fruit on the side, too!



Ben, Me, and Joe (Sadly, we did not go to TCBY)

Tomorrow, Joe and I are waking up at 5:30 to go on a bouldering trip with a Venture group. Joe is going to be one of the trip leaders! I can't wait to see him in action!

<3

Kimberly

Good Start

This morning I woke up and made myself a pumpkin yogurt parfait. It was very good, but I wasn't satisfied for very long before I was hungry again.



I am quite pleased by my breakfast pics lately. :)

I was counting down the minutes until 2:45 because that is when my Thanksgiving break started! Yep, that's right, I have a full 10 days off (including weekends) for my break. (However, I still have three papers due the week after Thanksgiving. Grrr.)

Lunch was not that great today. I didn't have much in my pantry so I had an apple, half a banana, and half a bagel with peanut butter.

After class, I went on a 4.5 mile run. It felt good, but I am sick of running at the same place and am ready for some new scenery. I am running the Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning - I am starting to get pumped up about it!

I was hungry after my run so I had a snack. One orange and a small bowl of granola with milk. It hit the spot nicely.

I showered, did some packing, cleaned my room, and started making dinner, which was SO GOOD! I had tilapia (with tons of lemon, lemon zest, and EVOO), broccoli, and homemade sweet potato chips (with a little ketchup). I was going to put fresh basil on the tilapia but I totally forgot! I was hungry! The sweet potato chip idea came from Kath's delicious looking lunch.



I REALLY wish I was better at taking food pictures. Practice makes perfect, right? I hope...

And FINALLY for dessert I made a PUMPKIN MILKSHAKE. I had been wanting to make this for two weeks now, but wanted to save it for the right occasion. It was the perfect start to my Thanksgiving break! Here is the recipe from Nutrition to Kitchen:

2 cups light vanilla bean ice cream
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
optional: 1 thin ginger cookie, crushed, for crumbling on top

Preparation:

1. Blend all ingredients, except for the cookie, together. Divide milkshake evenly among two glasses and sprinkle with ginger cookie crumbs. Serve.

I sp1it into thirds to share with my roommates!

PS - I couldn't post the pictures, because they were just too awful. I am sure I will make it again though, and I will post pictures!

Cheers!