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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Tuesday is Here... (1.20.2009)

And I wish it was Friday. And I couldn't think of a good title for this post. I haven't even told you about my Sunday eats. I am behind.

Sooooo, looking back to Sunday afternoon/evening...it was basically spent recovering from a weekend full of food and too much wine.

I found this soup at Trader Joes which looked interesting. Lunch was Lentil Soup w/ Vegetables.

Nutrition Facts, for your information. (holy sodium)

My first bite is below, but that is as far as it went...

...I didn't like the soup. Cant put my finger on the exact reason, so it could have been because my "hungover" state had me feeling nauseous most of the day. I ate a piece of dry toast after this and then passed out for at least another hour on the couch.

Sunday dinner was simple - exactly what I needed. Rotisserie Chicken with broccoli.
I like sauteing broccoli with a little EVOO, chopped garlic, and lemon.
My dinner plate.

Monday

I must have been sleep walking through Monday because I have no recollection what I ate for breakfast and lunch.

Oh wait - I know I ate too many of these things...

Trader Joes's Roasted Plaintain Chips. They are addicting. I currently have a plantain chip obsession and told Kevin that he can't let me buy them anymore.

I made it to spin class, which was grueling, and came home to Kevin cooking up some yummy brussels sprouts with mushrooms, onions, and turkey bacon in a white wine sauce.

I quickly cooked up some shrimp in EVOO, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Katie's Spicy Garlic Shrimp were my inspiration. I didn't have any sesame oil, so I went with regular EVOO. They were delicious...and SO quick and easy.

I am horrible with using up the fresh herbs before they go bad, so I often resort to these bottles. They last much longer and until I find the frozen type a few bloggers have tried recently - I will be buying these. Dessert was part-skim ricotta with semi-sweet chocolate chips, almonds, and a drizzle of agave nectar served in one of my cute little anthropologie bowls.

These bowls are great for portion control, which can sometimes be my problem. They probably hold about a half cups worth, maybe less.

Tuesday

I woke up and had a bowl of regular puffins with sliced bananas, blueberries, and skim milk.

My mid-morning snack was a new one - so wanted to mention it. Sliced zucchini with a smear of edamame hummus and a grape tomato. Sorry about the blurry picture, I was trying to quickly take it at work before someone saw me.

Perfect little bites. Would be a healthy, party appetizer! The edamame hummus from Trader Joes would make rocks taste good. seriously.

Lunch was a laughing cow swiss cheese wedge spread on a flat-out wrap with spinach and leftover shrimp from last night.

I rolled this and heated it in the microwave for 30 secs. Very tasty.

Hope everyone enjoyed Inauguration Day. A good amount of people took off, but my company set up a conference room with the live broadcast for all of us that were working. I couldn't believe the shots of the crowd - completely overwhelming.

I leave you with my girl, Lucy, who managed to move her head ever so slightly just as I snapped this photo. It is still a favorite and a nice reminder to "stop and smell the roses". :)

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