Baltimore Blogger Meet-up

Last night, I headed out to Abbey Burger Bistro in Federal Hill for the Baltimore Blogger Meet-up. I got to meet Rose, Ashley, Claire, and her husband Dan. It was so nice to finally meet everyone after reading their blogs for months now!

I felt so badly for Jasmine, who was attempting to drive up from Northern VA, because she got stuck in horrible traffic for hours and never made it. Hope to meet you next time!

It seemed like everyone is training for an upcoming race so we talked a lot about running, training, races, and food! I was trying to recruit everyone to sign up for the Zooma 10k or half marathon that is coming up at the end of May in Annapolis. Well, except Dan, of course, because it's an all-female race. :)

I started off with my old standby, Bud Light, which went down very fast, probably because of my nerves about meeting new people. I ordered a second one, but only took about 2 sips before our food arrived and I couldn't fit anymore beer.

We each custom ordered our burgers using a checklist they provide with every type of topping, meat, bread, cheese you could imagine.

My burger included:

• chicken
• lincolnshire cheddar
• bib lettuce
• tomato
• cucumber
• sprouts
• mushrooms
• herb yogurt (on the side)

It was delicious and OF COURSE I ordered sweet potato fries on the side. (sorry for the blurry shot)Overall, it was a fun time with some cool people. Looking forward to the next one - maybe we can all meet for a run?! :)

This is my last day at my current job, so some co-workers are taking me out to lunch for sushi! Cant wait.

Happy Friday everyone.

**Updated to add**

Head over to Erin's blog to support a great cause and enjoy delicious things. Can it get better than that?

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Disappearing Act

I disappeared for the weekend again! But, I did manage to snap a good amount of photos...for your viewing pleasure. :)

Friday PM

We had some of Kevin's friends over for happy hour at the house before heading out in Canton square. I stuck with some simple appetizers.

Two types of hummus. Original sprinkled with cumin...

and Edamame hummus (I know it looks a little scary, but please rush to trader joes and buy this - you will not be disappointed)

Carrots and multi-grain pita chips for dipping.

Roasted Plantain chips (also from Trader Joes - these are my favorite things EVAH)

Asiago and Sharp Cheddar Cheese w/ grapes

Crackers and french baguette

Crab Dip!! I used the fresh crab meat I picked the night prior and threw a bunch of stuff together, loosely based on a few different recipes. People were all around when I pulled it out of the oven, so I forgot to snap a picture! I think it was a hit because it went fast.

Kevin's friend works for Magic Hat and brought over the new summer seasonal beer for us to try - WACKO. It has beet juice in it, so it is a bright, reddish color. It was light and delish!

So, I basically forgot to get photos of the two coolest things - crab dip and beet juice colored beer. Sorry! After a "few" drinks and birthday shots, we headed to the square and had a fun time out with friends!

Saturday

Most of Saturday morning was spent sleeping, but I did wake up and have some PB puffins at one point. :)

I even managed to fit in Jillian Michael's Quick 40 min Trouble Zones workout. Felt good to sweat.

Saturday evening I headed to Abbey Burger Bistro in Federal Hill for a friend's Surprise Going Away party. I ordered the Veggie Burger which came with avocado, lettuce, sprouts, and an herb yogurt. I thought it was just OK. The burger was a little mushy for my liking, so after eating half, I was done. Maybe I should have ordered it well-done?

Our group ordered huge trays of waffle fry nachos and sweet potato fries for all to share, so I made sure to sample each of those. They did not disappoint.

Sunday

I woke up and knew immediately that I wanted oats. I broke down and bought normal oats even though I havent finished the steel cut ones. I missed them! This bowl contained oats, skim milk, blueberries, cinnamon, honey, bee pollen, chopped pecans, and a spoonful of almond butter.

After a rainy start to the day, it turned into a gorgeous afternoon and Oscar and I took a long walk in the park where it actually felt hot outside!

Later on, Oscar and I headed over to my grandparent's house to hang out with them and my parents. He loves car rides, especially when it is warm enough to have his head out the window...

Oscar got another walk with his best pal, Max, my parent's dog and then, my mom and I did a 30 min run around the neighborhood. She is training for the Zooma Annapolis 10k on May 31st which my sister and I are running also!


For dinner, we ordered the crab cakes from this local place - Scoozi's Family Restaurant. They are very, very good - maybe the best I have had? Huge lumps of backfin, with barely any filler.But first, I had a small salad and half a baked potato.

I only managed to eat half of one of the crab cakes, but Kevin was happy because he got to enjoy the other half when I got home.

My mom made these Apricot Oatmeal/Coconut Bars for dessert and I ate about 3 - they are addicting!!!! (Recipe will be coming soon...)

Monday AM

This morning, I made another bowl of oats.

This bowl contained oats, skim milk, cinnamon, honey, blueberries, almond butter and crumbled cinnamon/sugar pita chips. Great Crunch!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I cant wait to catch up on all of your blogs...

Other News

Rose @ OnALobsterPlacemat is organizing a Baltimore Blogger Meetup on Thursday, April 16th at Abbey Burger Bistro in Federal Hill. Meet @ 6pm.

Please RSVP to onalobsterplacemat@gmail.com by April 15th, so that there is enough seating reserved. I hope to see you there!

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