It has been a busy few weeks! Most importantly, I went to Vermont for my college reunion and to visit friends. In case you thought I only eat healthy food, let this post be a testament to my belief in balance. . . and cookies. The best part about our hotel, or maybe second best to the 24 hour gym, was that you get cookies when you check in! They keep them in a warming drawer . . . Our first stop after the hotel was Lee's Chinese, which is not only a big college throwback but also home to the best boneless spare ribs I have ever had. They have this beautiful char on them that in any other circumstance I would not be into -- but in this case I can't resist them. I tried to balance my plate with some healthy steamed shrimp and vegetables ( and uh some (steamed!) dumplings and crab rangoon ). The second stop was Healthy Living where we picked up some supplies for the picnic we were having the next day. First pick, this popcorn--SO good! I also grabbed some roasted red pepper hummus which looked really good. It was delicious-- a little spicy and had a deeper, more complex flavor than the regular, plain hummus. Before we left home, I also made the most delicious raspberry crumble bars from Oh She Glows, which are a go-to favorite. The next morning we hit up our favorite place, Mirabelle's, for breakfast. It is cozy and full of bright colors, sunshine, warmth, and, most importantly, amazing baked goods. David got a Mexican corn cake stack and I got a raspberry rhubarb yogurt parfait, which was amazing. The orange dream, a combination of milk ( which you get can get as almond milk! ), orange juice, and vanilla, is also amazing and highly recommended. After breakfast, we had to get some treats so we both ordered our usuals: David loves their "pig cookies" which are adorable lemon shortbread cookies, and I love the macarons. I also added a passion fruit meringue and it was one of the best cookies I have ever had. After breakfast we went for a walk downtown. Church street and the farmer's market are two of my all time favorite places. I was definitely in my happy place! Flower & bakery stand, tropical juice with coconut and sweetened with maple syrup #Vermont, and the church street sign Then we met up with friends and basically rocked picnic-ing. We had hummus, veggies, popcorn, guacamole, chips, fruit, lettuce wrap sandwiches, and the raspberry bars I made. We spent the afternoon snacking, talking, and shopping at our favorite stores on Church Street. After, we headed to dinner at probably my all time favorite restaurant ( though I think that's the third time I'm saying that! ) -- Pho Hong. It is a small, family run Vietnamese restaurant and the flavor is just out of this world good. I started with a shrimp and green papaya salad and it was amazing. Next I had their spring rolls, which would be my desert island or last meal request. Finally, my main dish was chicken with noodles; it sounds boring but it is so lovely between the crunchy peanuts, tangy sauce, noodles, and fresh herbs -- there is just so much flavor. After dinner we headed out to our 5 year college reunion! It was weird to see everyone after 5 years and, since I only went to Vermont to see the friends I was with, I ended up doing a lot of people watching at the actual reunion, which is always interesting. It's a unique form of the memory game trying to figure out how you knew someone and figuring out their name after five years of not seeing them, but we had a great time! Our hotel even had a banner out for the reunion. The next morning I met up with my friend Andrea, who is an amazing middle school teacher who I met at Saint Mike's. We met at Bagel Market because I was craving a salt bagel with cream cheese. These had just come out of the oven and as you can see I couldn't resist! Before we left, we hit up Healthy Living again to grab some fresh vegetables and healthy snacks for the road and that night's dinner. It was hard to leave a place I love that is home to so many people I love but it just means that I can't wait to go back soon! I also can't help but love a place that has more cows than people. Until next time, Vermont! Next week I'll be talking about the healthy snacks I picked up to keep my days balanced and our road trip on track, how I fit in my workouts while traveling, and the mini-meal prep I did when we got home since we didn't have very much time plus a new book review ( spoiler alert: new favorite! ) and my summer reading list so be on the lookout! It's also the last week of school so it's going to be a great week!
4 Comments
Jacinta Patterson
6/13/2016 02:47:53 pm
You graduated from St. Mike's five years ago! Did you know Lauren Fish or Mike DeCristofaro by any chance?
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Katy
6/14/2016 04:34:55 pm
Yes! Lauren and I had some classes together; she's a sweetheart. I know Mike's name but don't really know him. I'm sensing I should start singing the "it's a small world after all" song. . .
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Jacinta Patterson
6/19/2016 10:25:20 pm
Lauren and I work together! She and Mike got married a little less than a year ago and they're some of my best friends in the area. Crazy!
Tara
6/13/2016 04:04:59 pm
What a delicious trip!
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