After much contemplation, brainstorming, searching, asking, thinking, organizing, trying, re-trying and frustration, I can finally announce the launch of the new eatingRD site!!!!!!!! aaaaaah I’m so excited and Chris and I have been working diligently for many many hours to at least get it up and running. By all means it’s not perfect, but it’s getting there 🙂
You will notice that many of the page links (more…)
I couldn’t resist titling this post with the ingenious phrase from Nicole, referring to ‘better get crack-a-lackin’ as in getting my butt back in the gym! Hip Hop was a blast last night!!! I absolutely love this class, but it takes me about 40 minutes each way to get there, and with the chaos of finals, projects, work and the holidays, I haven’t been able to attend in what has seemed like an eternity. It felt great to be back and it was a super HOT routine! I love dance because I can just let it all out. In general I’ve always had a shy personality, but not when performing on stage! I sure miss that sometimes. I didn’t get home until 10pm, but I figure I better get in as much as I can before the semester starts up again Monday . . . eek!
I had another great workout tonight from my favorite kick box instructor. I like to think of her as my workout Nazi. She is pretty hard core, yelling at you like a crazy person to work harder. I think I secretly like it 😀 I swear every pore on my body was sweating and I loved it! I haven’t been to that class in awhile too with the holidays and busy times, so it was nice to get a good booty kickin’.
Maybe there is something to taking a week break off from everything? I feel nice and renewed, a bit out of shape (oh yes), but nothing I can’t get back in due time. And another great thing (more…)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! mmm breakfast was lovely . . . After stumbling from our slumber after a late night at 10:30am(!!) Chris made us all some omelets. We still had some leftover spaghetti squash, roasted veggies and meatloaf from the other night, so he threw some of that in there along with some dried oregano which complements eggs very well.
It was a protein-packed breakfast, perfect after a late night and a few drinks 🙂 I also heard them talking on the Today Show this morning about having coconut water for hangovers . . . love that stuff! I actually didn’t have any kind of headache this morning thanks to sleep and lots of water in between drinks 🙂
I’m loving that spaghetti squash and have been thinking of different ways to use it. Here it’s pretty good in the omelet and on top as a garnish 🙂 Alongside I also had 1/2 a pear, 1/4 sliced naner, 1/2 a kiwi and a slice of whole wheat toast.
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Now for a little recap of yesterday and New Year’s celebrations! Did you have a nice New Year’s? I can’t believe it’s already 2010, where did it go? I’m hoping 2010 will be a year of new beginnings and aspirations, but that will have to be a different post 🙂
I hope you’ve enjoyed my extra food postage lately because I certainly have! It’s been so much fun and I really enjoy it. I just wish I had this kind of time all the time.
New Year’s Eve morning breakfast included a bowl of TJ’s honey Greek yogurt mixed with pumpkin pie spice. I topped the yogurt with a variety of cereals, 1/2 a pear, frozen blueberries, and about 2 tsp of TJ’s organic peanut butter.
After doing a little window shopping with my mom, we came home for a late lunch. Utilizing the leftovers yet again (can you tell we always use leftovers in this household? lol) I made a meatloaf sammie with roasted veggies and spaghetti squash on the side.
I also decided to have a nice cup of Candy Cane Lane tea to warm up. I couldn’t seem to get warm yesterday since it was rainy and chilly outside. I really like this flavor! It’s nice and minty and warmed me right up!
I also had a TJ’s peppermint Joe Joe cookie. mmm these are awesome with little chunks of real candy cane in the middle.
They are a seasonal product, so get ‘em while they’re hot!
After getting ready for our night out, we headed to a local wine bar/lounge to celebrate the New Year Mardi Gras style. We usually go to a friend’s annual party, but she decided not to have one this year 🙁 The Wine Loft just recently opened and we saw an ad that they were going to have a New Year’s party with live entertainment, so we decided to give it a shot!
It was gorgeous inside and I would enjoy coming here with friends for a relaxing glass of wine and small plate. The menu looked really good.
It was a lot of fun! Tickets included a glass of house cab, red beans and rice, muffaletta sandwiches, various munchies and a glass of champagne at midnight.
The Grand Cru cab that was included was actually pretty nice. It was fruit forward and medium-bodied. While lacking in fullness and finish, I still enjoyed it. And it was only $6 a glass!
I munched on some veggies, about 5 cheese cubes and 5 or so crackers, all while chatting the night away.
I’m not a fan of green olives, and just picked them off the muffaletta. It was yummy! I didn’t have any red beans and rice since it was pretty spicy and kidney beans can sometimes be trouble for me lol Throughout the night I had 2 glasses of the cab. I made sure to have a glass of water during and after each glass of wine. This makes such a difference in the morning 🙂
We also ordered and shared some baked brie en croute mmm gooey cheese is glorious! I had a bit too much cheese!
Poor Chris wasn’t feeling too well, but he was a trooper and tried to have a good time with his water and sudafed.
With the countdown of the New Year, we toasted with some champagne and stayed around a little longer while the band played a few more songs. I had about 2 sips of champagne (I’m not a fan of the dry stuff) and a brownie they provided for dessert.
I had such a wonderfully relaxing time here and I’m not looking forward to leaving early tomorrow morning 🙁 It went too darn fast! I started thinking about it last night and I got all teary eyed. Heck, I’m thinking about it again right now and getting teary eyed! Being away from family is really really tough for me and I’m hoping the shock of getting back won’t be too overwhelming . . . next time we meet I’ll be back in Vegas and back to the grind . . . hope you all enjoyed your holidays! I sure had a nice time and am so thankful for it all.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing you all the best in 2010!
Today was another great day, not having anything to do with work or school, and I think I may just as well go into shock when I have to go back : /
It started like most any other day, except I got to sleep in till 7:30am, I ate breakfast when their was actually glorious sunlight pouring through the windows, and I didn’t have to worry about going to work or school . . . so wait, I guess it wasn’t like most any other day! . . . another great thing about today was my first bloggie meet-up with Diana from The Chic Life! I was so excited and a bit nervous to meet with a fellow blogger, but I don’t consider her a stranger at all. It’s like we were long lost friends catching up! Reading all your different blogs, it feels like we are some how connected, and I feel so lucky to be apart of this blogging community where there are so many wonderful people.
I really enjoy reading her blog and her photography is stellar for someone who doesn’t think they know a lot about photography! I’ve seen other meet-ups in the blogworld and I’ve been wanting to because it looks like such fun. There aren’t too many bloggers in the Las Vegas area I don’t think, so it’s fun to meet new friends when you have the opportunity to over the holidays.
After much contemplation, because there are just so many choices out there, we decided to meet at a place called ‘Toast’. It is absolutely adorable!!! I go crazy over local places like this, so it was perfect.
Isn’t it cozy?
I already had a small bowl of cereal for breakfast, but I couldn’t decide if I wanted to continue with breakfast or lunch. I am so indecisive when it comes to menu items, especially when there are so many good ones to choose from! I read many reviews praising them for their breakfast, so I decided I should try breakfast!
One of their specials was raspberry walnut pancakes, but I was also eyeing the cheese quiche. I always like to order items that I would never really get anywhere else, and these two made it really hard to choose. Diana helped with my decision and said to try the pancakes since they are quite unique, and I’m glad I did! They were scrumptious. Every bite had a tart/sweet zing from the raspberries and a nice toasty crunch from the walnuts. I also drizzled some real maple syrup on the side and had one strip of crispy bacon. Yum! I could only finish half and took the rest to-go.
Diana went for the chicken gumbo and 1/2 turkey reuben. She graciously offered me a sample of the sammie and it was sure tasty!
Photo shots courtesy of Diana 🙂
Afterwards, we decided to hit up a nearby Starbucks to continue the conversation. I think we chatted the whole 3 hours or so! I was feeling like some hot tea since it was chilly outside and we both ordered some Zen, which is green tea with lemongrass and spearmint. I would highly recommend this one and I think I may have to get a box for myself.
We also shared a cinnamon chip scone and of course this was awesome, flaky and butterlicious, laced with pockets of cinnamon streusel.
Oh boy I’m on a carbo overload! Dinner will include something green 🙂
Thanks Diana for a great meet-up! It was so nice getting to meet with someone who shares similar beliefs and passions and is such a nice person! My heart is full and I’m so glad we were able to get together with the short time that I have here. I still may try to meet up again for some zumba hopefully!
After picking my mom up from work, we didn’t have too much time before the b-ball game and just grabbed something quick for dinner. I made a big salad with sweet tater casserole on the side. It was actually good used like a dressing for the salad, and I scooped a little bit of the casserole with each bite 🙂
The Charlotte Bobcats basketball game was a lot of fun! Chris, being the big sports fan that he is, was really looking forward to it 🙂 GO BOBCATS!
They had a pretty big victory and afterwards we decided to check out the EpiCentre downtown.
It has shops, restaurants and also a movie theater. We wanted to see if there were any places open for some dessert, but everything was closing! I guess we weren’t in Vegas anymore 🙂 The movie theater is neat because it has a restaurant attached and you can eat and drink in the theaters! Diana said they have nice plushy chairs too. Very posh and chic inside. . .
Oh man, I’m pooped! Maybe I’ve finally adjusted to east coast time. Tomorrow will be filled with chasing around my little cousin who is visiting!
Hope you all had a nice Monday 🙂
Sometimes it’s nice to just have part of the day for taking care of one’s self and catching up with a great friend. This week proved to be overwhelming for both of us in many ways, and getting a pedicure and grabbing some lunch was just the thing we both needed to relax, feel good about ourselves and just have a good laugh and some conversation.
There is a great salon called Signature Nails on Horizon Ridge, where a pedicure is only $20 (without gratuity, of course). This time I also tried the paraffin wax hand treatment ($6) and it was divine! It made my skin feel like a baby’s bum!
Kristen also decided to get a manicure as well. This place rocks, and they massage your feet for what seems like an eternity. Most places just slather on the lotion and that’s it. I went for a spring color since it’s warming up here, yay sunshine! (at least for a few days)
After our pampering session, we decided to go to this cute little place called Espresso on Eastern and 2-15. This place has such a great vibe with that small town feel you would never usually find in Vegas, even though it 
is a chain. And look at that mural! Wow, I want that in my place 🙂 It’s a great place to hang out, chat with friends, use the free Wi-Fi and even play some board games! They feature many great and simple menu items for breakfast and lunch, not to mention the best Illy coffee concoctions.
My personal favorite hot drink is the kyoto tea. Hello reflection! It comes in a cute little tea pot and it has the most wonderful flavor. It tastes like nutty, buttery popcorn . . . yep, that’s right! And look at the surprise we got when we lifted the cups! So delish and comforting.
We decided to split the chicken panini. It was amazing! Inside there is thinly grilled chicken breast, pesto, sundried tomatoes and gooey mozzarella all pressed between heavenly rosemary focaccia. On the side they also gave us some sunchips and a balsamic-olive oil combo, but we didn’t eat too much of those. It was the perfect lunch to enjoy with a great friend. What I love about this place is that after we finished eating we just sat around and talked and didn’t have to worry about being rushed like a normal restaurant. It was great!
Do you have a favorite local place that is always great to go to and is like no other?
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