Monday, November 9, 2009

A Dinner of Swag

by Meghann on November 9, 2009

I think the craziness of the past weekend has finally caught up with me. The non-stop atmosphere of the festival mixed with my lack of sleep, the time difference, and serious jet lag has completely demolished my immune system. I can already feel the sickness creeping into my system.

Go away sore throat and runny noseGo Away!

To help combat the sickness I sought out a packet of Amazing Grass Wheat Grass from my dwindling Healthy Living Summit stash.

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I didn’t have the guts to take a shot straight up, but it made a great addition to my afternoon smoothie.

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  • Amazing Grass Wheat Grass
  • Frozen Berries
  • 1/2 Pear
  • Ice
  • Fat Free Milk
  • Drizzle of Honey

The addition of the wheat grass lended a slightly grassy taste to the fruity smoothie, but it wasn’t bad at all.

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As I was unpacking all of my swag from the weekend I was inspired to incorporate some of the new goodies into my dinner tonight.

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The Napa Valley Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar with Pear and Spicy Apricot Mustard were the base dressing for a impromtu zucchini & yellow squash salad.

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I had been dying to sample the Acme Bread baguette since I discovered it in my swag bag.

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It was the perfect crusty vessel for the Mezzata Pesto

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And creamy Cowgirl Creamery Mount Tam Cheese.

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One bite and I was back in the San Francisco Ferry Building. I want to go back right now. :(

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Yum!

My swag theme continued with dessert.

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The chocolate caramels were slightly fruity. Delish!

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Thanksgiving Challenge Update

Due to a weekend of ..err… unexpected excess I have decided to not count my trip to San Francisco toward my goal of spending less then $100 on food in the month of November. I’m not in San Francisco everyday and figured I’d better live up my experience there without having to worry about budgeting too harshly.

The new plan is to sweep the weekend’s spending under the carpet and begin again with today’s trip to Publix.

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The $25.32 trip brought my total spent to $25.75 since November 1st.

Don’t forget you can tract my challenge progress here. :)

It’s not even 8:00 yet and I am beyond ready for bed. I am looking forward to sleeping a real bed tonight.

Good Night!

{ 31 comments }

My First Red Eye

by Meghann on November 9, 2009

Missed any of my FoodBuzz Festival Recaps? Check them out!

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I can’t believe last night I boarded a plane on the west coast in a blanket of darkness and this morning I walked off the same plane on the east coast in pure sunshine. This was my first experience taking a red eye from one coast to the other and I have to say it was not bad at all.

When I arrived at the San Francisco airport last night I ran into fellow Foodbuzz Festival Attendee, Ashley, who was on the same red eye.

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It was nice to have a familiar face to kill some time with in the airport. Ashley is a complete sweetheart and I’m glad I got some extra time to get to know her.

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It was also nice having someone watch my luggage when I needed to use the restroom or take a stretch. Somehow I managed to get 4 carry on bags passed security.

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I couldn’t help it, my bag I checked was overflowing with swag and was exactly 50 lbs when I checked it! ;)

Comfy clothes are the key to taking the red eye.

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I know – Hot!

My first flight wasn’t bad at al. Of course I am a workaholic and spent the first hour and a half catching up on blog stuff and reviewing photos of the weekend. I did manage to get a couple of hours of shut eye, but I wouldn’t call it anything substantial.

When we landed I was in desperate need of caffeine! I founded the nearest Starbucks and ordered a non-fat awake tea misto and for breakfast a fruit cup that I paired with granola swag and a packet of barney butter.

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I think that’s the healthiest meal I’ve had all weekend. The cup of fruit was light and refreshing – just what I needed.

My second flight was overbooked and there were announcements requesting passengers to bump to the next flight for a free round trip ticket. The thought did cross my mind to take them up on their offer, but the idea of being home in an hour was just too appealing to give up.

I kept to my original flight and made it to my parents before 11:00am where I immediately crashed for a lovely two hour nap. It was wonderful. :)

I woke up starving and raided my parent’s fridge. I found left over roasted acorn squash and chicken salad that I immediately combined.

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Oddly enough this was a very tasty combination.

I also discovered homemade Peanut Butter Cookies and had to snag one of those as well.

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Now, I am very much ready to pack up my car and head back to Orlando. I know Maddie is more than ready to be back on her own turf. :)

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I’ve never seen a puppy as happy as she was when I walked in the door this morning.

This weekend has been unforgettable. Thank you again to Bertoli Sauces for sponsoring my adventure and for FoodBuzz for putting on one hell of a festival. Is it too early to register for next year’s event yet? ;)

{ 30 comments }

Can I stay in San Francisco forever?

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I have a new lover and his name is Frisco.. San Francisco to be exact. You may call me crazy, but after a night of pure indulging and boozing I some how managed to crawl out of bed this morning before 5:30am to meet Sabrina and Aron (a local running blogger from the bay area) more »

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