December 2009

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A couple of days ago I shared my current marathon training plan and got some really great feedback from all of you. Thanks! 🙂 Yesterday was one of the most important days in that plan, and it came along right when I needed it. After Tuesday’s elliptical workout, five sub eight minute miles, I wasn’t sore at all, but I was TIRED. Rest days are possibly the most important and influential part of my training plan. Even my walk into work  was overdoing it.

So last night when I came home, I did some deep stretching to help me loosen up for today’s workout, and then I got ready for a night of total vegging, starting with a bit of this:

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It was our first time trying Harpoon chocolate stout, and it is definitely like dessert. For me, it was a perfect pre or post dinner drink, delicious, but it didn’t go well with food. The chocolate flavor is noticeable at first sip, and it moves from there into a nice, toasty, coffee like flavor. It is definitely a dark beer, and perfect for this time of year! Here’s what Harpoon says about the beer:

A chocolate stout is a beer with a noticeable dark chocolate flavor. This flavor is created from the use of darker, more aromatic malt that has been roasted or kilned until it acquires a chocolate color.

My favorite rest days include beer and pizza, so I borrowed from Nigella Express and made garlic naan pizza.

I started with two pieces of Trader Joe’s garlic naan.

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I promise I don’t work for Trader Joe’s or get any compensation for writing about their products, but this is just another bit of inexpensive deliciousness that they offer. I love that they change their selection up; I get something different every time I go!

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To make the pizza, I heated the naan in the oven at 400 for 4 minutes. Then I removed them and added the leftover homemade sauce, reheated from Tuesday’s dinner and Trader Joe’s ricotta.

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I popped it all back into the oven for 4 minutes and voila, the pizzas were ready.

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I served the pizzas with the most delicious and easy slaw ever.

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It was just a bag of broccoli slaw with a cup of white vinegar, a sprinkle of sugar, crushed red pepper, and a few drops of habanero oil. I heated the vinegar and other ingredients until the sugar melted, then poured over the slaw. It was hot enough to get the flavors into the broccoli, but cool enough that it kept it crunchy. I ate about four cups of this stuff!

Dinner was ready in about 20 minutes, and I spent the rest of the night watching old episodes of Law & Order with my feet up. It was just what I needed, and made for a refreshed, energized workout today! Tonight I have a meeting regarding guest blogging for a new site and dinner at last at Craigie on Main a highly acclaimed Cambridge hot spot that I have not been to yet! Super excited, and I will be back with a review!

Tags: beer, pizza

I have been a little bummed lately with blogging topics in general. I really want to keep a good balance of travel, food, wine, and the occasional fitness post, but working full time and not being able to travel as much as I would like sure gets in the way. I thought that I had run out travel posts to write when I realized that I take for granted a lot of the places that I go on a regular basis. Travel doesn’t always require a passport or an overnight flight; worthy destinations are everywhere! A couple of hours in a car or on a bus can make for a drastic change in scenery. . . and in state of mind. One destination that I hold near and dear to my heart is Western Massachusetts where I spent four years living while I attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Amherst is in the Pioneer Valley, also referred to as the Happy Valley, and the students who go to UMASS, Amherst College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and Mt. Holyoke, among others, are lucky to live there!

Driving West from Boston, you can easily reach Amherst in under 2 hours. If you feel like taking back roads, you can get off the Mass Pike at Palmer and take in some beautiful, rural scenery which is really lovely year round. There is so much to do in the Amherst area for foodies and outdoors enthusiasts alike.

Go just a few miles beyond the town center of Amherst on Rte 116 past Hampshire College to visit Atkins Farms, a year round indoor farm stand with a tantalizing bakery, homemade ice cream, and fresh local produce and---- Atkins1 (large) milk. They have the best cider donuts I have ever had.

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Get sandwiches to go from Atkins’ deli, and drive up the road just a few minutes more to the Holyoke Range State Park. Here you will find a visitors’ center and several marked hiking trails that vary in length and difficulty. Climb to the top of Mt. Norwottuck for an amazing view of the valley and a good place to have a picnic lunch. This hike is about an hour and forty-five minutes round trip and provides some good uphill walking.

When you are done with your hike, head back into Amherst center for a coffee at one of the adorable cafes. The Black Sheep is one of my favorites both for their cream cheese brownies and their sandwiches which are always fresh and offer interesting combinations. It is also close to the town common where there are often festivals and there is a farmer’s market in the summer months. 

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The Black Sheep is also close to Bueno y Sano, only one of the best taco places ever.

If you are in the mood for a more formal meal,  head to Judie’s, an Amherst favorite and THE place to go when the parents are visiting 😉 It is always crowded because everything is delicious, especially their homemade popovers stuffed with a variety of salads. The portions are huge, but if you can bring the leftovers home, they make quite the next day treat.

For something more casual or  a fresh brewed beer after your meal, head to Amherst Brewing Company, right across the street from Judie’s. They offer a variety of beers on draught, and they are all good. The food is great too, especially the fried pickles!!

Amherst is a small town, but there is a lot to see and to eat. If you have the time, the UMASS campus is a nice place to visit, and the Quabbin Reservoir is only about 20 minutes away, back toward Boston. The Quabbin is absolutely gorgeous and has an interesting history. Also in the area, the funky and fun town of Northampton, the Norwottuck Rail Trail for biking and running, and historic Deerfield.

If you live in or are visiting Boston and are looking for a fun day or weekend trip, there are many more fun things to discover in the Western part of the state. I haven’t even been to the Berkshires yet (but will be going for a wedding in the summer!). There is more to Massachusetts than just the beautiful East coast!

Do you have fun day/weekend trips close to home that you like to take? I would love to have some guest posts on traveling close to home!

Tags: Massachusetts, Travel

A little Travel Eat Love in the news 🙂 Loved meeting with all of “America’s top food bloggers” !

IRVING, Texas, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ — Buzz about Nature’s Pride® bread is out of the box following the first annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival – a first-of-its-kind event that brought together America’s top food bloggers to network and nosh over good eats and in great company November 6 – 8, 2009 in San Francisco, CA.

So what’s the word on the virtual street about the only brand of 100% natural breads available across the country?

“This bread [Nature’s Pride] was delicious. So hearty and nutty tasting! It felt like a lot more than 100 calories and it kept me full longer than most other breads…” The Daily Balance Blog.

“I really love Nature’s Pride’s commitment to natural ingredients, lack of HFCS, and overall health philosophy…” Travel, Eat, Love.

“…[N]ow I can start incorporating more fiber by enjoying these yummy breads with my meals to start eating healthier. And they’re not only healthy…but they’re really delicious too!” Mission: Food Blog.

Read the rest of the release.

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