Get ready for it…

I guess I was more determined then I had originally thought in catching that bouquet.

I think what’s even better is realizing how no one else is even trying for the bouquet. All the ladies seem to be just looking on with shock and aww. They’re probably thinking “Who is this crazy woman up front.” Ha!

Also, can I just take a minute to say how BEAUTIFUL of a bride my friend Christie was?

Stunning!

This morning I followed my Chicago Training Plan and completed a 6 mile tempo run.

• 2 miles @ 9:30 pace
• 2 miles @ 7:45 pace
• 2 miles @ 9:30 pace

I can tell the weather is slightly becoming just a tad bit cooler. Instead of looking like a drowned rat when I returned, I resembled more of a damp dog. Progress people… progress.

Yogurt in a Cantaloupe Bowl for Breakfast

This was 1/2 a cantaloupe stuffed with Blueberry Oikos (HLS coupon), honey peanut butter, and Kashi Go Lean Crunch.

Spoon

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to enter my Pillsbury Sweet Moments Giveaway! Looks like we have a lot of carrot cake fans out there!

The Challenge:

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The Winner:

All three sounded great, but thanks to a coupon I had for Brie, I decided to give the Apple, Honey and Brie combination a shot for dinner tonight.

I started with the left over dough from the Deep Dish Pizza Crust I made a couple of weeks ago.

It froze beautifully and after defrosting on the counter all day it was ready to be molded in a 9 in cake pan.

Apple

Honey

The Brie courtesy of Alouette (who sent me some coupons a while back)

All they had was the creamy brie, but I made it work.

Pecans!

And the last minute decision to add raisins

A very smart last minute decision.

Hot out of the oven this had to be one of the prettiest pizzas I had ever made.

I served myself 1/2 for dinner as well as a small green salad of spinach, chick peas, and honey mustard dressing.

The pizza was sweet, slightly salty, and delicious.

I loved the extra crunch from the pecans and the chewiness from the raisins. The textures were all spot on and the flavors mended beautifully.

It’s hard for me not to keep piling things on with pizzas, so keeping it fairly simple was a little bit of a challenge, but one I’m glad I stuck with. The brie/apple/honey combination is a classic and sometimes the classics just need to be left alone.

This afternoon I had a serving of Sun Chips as an afternoon snack.

Dessert was a treat thanks to the lovely folks at MyBlogSpark.com and Pillsbury.

A few weeks ago I was sent a coupon to sample Pillsbury new line of Sweet Moments Bite-Size Brownies. These little treats are found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store and are the perfect little bit sized treats.

I had a full serving (3 pieces) for dessert.

I was expecting to bite into an hard brownie that felt like it had been in a fridge for a couple of days, but instead got a soft, chewy, melt in your mouth brownie that actually reminded me of the Little Debbies from my youth.

Want to try it out for yourself?

Here’s your chance!

Leave a comment on this post telling me from your favorite type of cake is by 8:00pm tomorrow night and you could win this lovely chocolate themed prize pack from Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark.com.

The kit includes:

• One Coupon for the new Pillsbury Sweet Moments
• A chocolate-scented candle
• Stylish picture frame
• Coffee mug

I’m personally a big fan of Red Velvet.

I will randomly draw a winner tomorrow night.

Good Luck!!!

It’s a great philosophy to blog by…Unless you write your whole post and still can’t think of a title. Then you go with a funny title that you hope will make your readers giggle and just go with the flow.

Did it work? No? Darn.

Can’t say I didn’t try.

My morning has been a crazy one, but a good one. The launch of the new site has been a great experience and I really appreciate all the welcoming comments and feedback from everyone.

Earlier I snacked on some apple sauce and granola.

Lunch was a bit of an lunch time classic with a sandwich, grapes, and nuts.

Show of hands – How many people out there had a sandwich for lunch today???

I wonder what the statistics would be if we polled all of America? I’m predicting half or more. I mean, what screams lunch more than a classic sandwich?!?!

My sandwich has hummus, sunflower seeds, tomato, yellow squash, mushrooms, and spinach all on spelt toast.

Grapes

serving of Cashews.

Don’t forget you can ‘like’ Meals and Miles on Facebook now – http://mealsandmiles.com

What would you consider the classic all-American lunch? I picture a ham and cheese sandwich with   bag of chips.

Hello MealsAndMiles.com !!!!!

When I first launched The Inner Workings of a College Graduate back in September of 2008 I did it on a whim. I never put much thought into the name and wasn’t sure how long the blog would last or how much impact it would have on my life.

GraduatemMeghann.com was a great domain while it lasted, but I think it’s time to move on to bigger and better things.

I had purchased the domain MealsAndMiles.com back in March (or February?) – I know there’s a blog entry in here with my Aha! moment but I can’t find it. Anyways, I found myself sitting on the switch for a long time due to the logistics of actually making the switch. I was worried about losing posts, losing photos, losing readers, and you know the old saying ‘don’t fix something if it ain’t broken.’

Finally I decided to just bite the bullet and Go Big or Go Home.

So, here we are…

Some things to keep in mind:

• I’m still working on the pages. I know, I know… I need a recipes page, to update FAQ, and finish the My Orlando Page. Trust me, I’m on it!  It’s still a work in process, but at least it’s my work in process.
• I started a Facebook page… you can now ‘like’ Meals and Miles at http://www.facebook.com/mealsandmiles
• You can also follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/MealsAndMiles
• And finally – a new e-mail! mealsandmiles@gmail.com

I hope you guys are as excited about this new chapter in my blog as I am. This site just feels more ‘me’ and I’m so excited to move forward with it!!

I was on pins and needles last night in anticipation of the launch, but was happy to wake up and see everything went smoothly! I was even more excited to see Meals and Miles appear in my Google Reader without any additional updating needed. Goal achieved!

Major Kudos to my blog designer Ryan at ReviveMyBlog.com for making this all possible! If you are looking to move your blog to self hosting or for a redesign I highly recommend you seek him out! He’s fast, creative, and pretty much guarantees a smooth transition!

I hit the treadmill on cloud nine this morning. I easily pounded out a set of 10 Fartleks with a goofy grin on my face. I must remember this feeling of success on race day.

My breakfast was a beautiful bowl of cereal.

• 1/2 cup Uncle Sam’s Cereal <—HLS swag
• 1/2 cup Greenwise Toasted Oats
• 1/2 cup Kix
• 1/2 Peach
• Vanilla Yogurt
• Honey Peanut Butter

Love it.

Thanks once again for all the feedback! You guys are amazing! Enough said.

Attention! Attention! Attention!

graduatemeghann.com will be going through a complete, head to toe make over tonight. I’ve been assured it should be a seamless process and google readers should not be affected, but I wanted to give a quick heads up before the change took place just in case it isn’t as seamless as predicted

Basically if the google readers are affected and you don’t hear from me for a couple of days, I promise that I’m still here – you’ll just need to enter a new address in to your feed.

Get it. Got it. Good.

I’m really excited about the new site and name! I hope you guys likes it!

This evening I headed to a much needed session of Hot Yoga. I somehow when two weeks without practicing and my body was craving it all weekend. Tonight’s class was a little different due to a new instructor, but was still much needed and deserved after a weekend on my feet.

Before class I taste tested the new Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar.

Not as great as the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar, but still a damn good bar. I’m a big fan of the whole chocolate chips in all of the new Larabars – the chips really make a difference.   

A HOT yoga class called for a COLD salad for dinner this evening.

• spinach
• yellow squash
• tomato
• mushrooms
• olives
• feta cheese
• chickpeas
• sesame dressing

Spelt Toast

Dessert was a small ice cream cone with one scoop of vanilla and one scoop of coffee chocolate fudge.

I have a few butterflies for all of the changes happening this evening. Please cross your fingers that everything goes smoothly!

I want to give a big shout out to my host, Eleven2, for making this transition as smooth as possible. In full disclosure Eleven2 will be hosting my site free in exchange for a few links and the promise that I honestly review and critique their service along the way.

So far, so good. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership.

Now, let’s hope they’ll be able to handle the switch tonight.

*fingers crossed*

And I’m back!

What a crazy/ exciting weekend away that was!

In case you missed it, here’s a breakdown of my NYC adventure:

• Heading to the Big Apple
• Central Park and a Broadway Show
• 20 Miles in the City
• Union Square Farmer’s Market
• New York Food Tours: Chinatown
• Farewell to Summer Dinner
• WTC Run to Freedom 5K
• STOGO Ice Cream & Union Square Cafe
• Our Final Day including Brooklyn Bridge and Katz Deli

Whew….

I got tired just listing that. Needless to say I’m pretty sure we got the most we could out of our little vacation. Now, it’s time to ease our way back in to reality.

What better way to ease in then by getting an extra hour of sleep this morning? Hey, a girl needs her rest!

I have plans for Hot Yoga this afternoon and sleeping in just sounded like a grand idea as I was preparing myself for bed last night.

The extra time meant extra time for a morning smoothie.

My fridge was lacking anything truly fresh this morning, but I did manage to round up the few ingredients needed for my SIAB.

• Frozen Berries
• Frozen Pineapple
• Plain Yogurt
• Almond Milk
• PB2
• Granola for topping

It’s good to be home.

Ashley had posted about one of her new outfits from Ann Taylor Loft this morning (p.s. I bought the same jacket too ) and I thought it would only be fair if I shared mine too.

Eat your heart out J! Just kidding….

The top was on sale for $18 (!!) and the skirt came in around $49. Ashley and I both tried the skirt on and fell in love. It’s cute, comfy and so versatile!

I had some nuts as a snack this morning.

And managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the grocery store during my lunch break so that I could enjoy some fresh veggies for lunch.

I made a steamed broccoli and marinara sauce hoagie for lunch with a little sprinkle of cheese to tie it all together.

Too much broccoli + small bun = left overs on the side

Plus, crispy carrot sticks.

Healthy Living Summit Presentations

The 2010 Healthy Living Summit presentations are all officially online!

Click Here to check them out!

Monday morning was a sad morning because we knew it would be our last morning in the cit with our friends.

When Derek and I booked our tickets to New York City a couple of months ago we tried to make the most we could out of our trip by coming in early on Friday and leaving later on Monday. This gave us a full four days to explore and meant Monday wasn’t left feeling rushed and wasted.

In fact, we were even able to sleep in for once. No early runs, no races, and no early flights? This concept felt so foreign to me.

After a leisurely morning we headed to the cutest cafe near Ashley and Bo’s place for a late breakfast.

I told Ashley I was in the mood for a light, sweet breakfast and she was able to deliver flawlessly. Irving Place in an adorable cafe with fresh gourmet coffee, organic teas, fresh pasteries, and about every other adorable thing you would come to expect from a cafe in the city.

I ordered the homemade granola with yogurt and fresh berries as well as a cup of hot early grey tea that is pictured above.

All together

Exactly what I was craving.

Monday was our planned catch up day for everything we had missed thus far.

First up on our agenda: taking Derek to the Brooklyn Bridge.

We had run by this area Saturday morning, but I was dying to go back with Derek by my side and my DSLR in hand

Our lovely hosts.

We paid a visit to Jacques Torres and Derek and I split a piece of chocolate bark.

Umm… it was alright. Good, but nothing special like I was expecting.

Hello Grimaldi’s! Too bad you weren’t open and had a line around the block. :/

TIme to walk the bridge!

Per Derek’s request we headed to Kats Deli for lunch.

Derek knows Katz from his beloved Man v Food, but it was also made famous in the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene from When Harry Met Sally.

The place was packed!

You were handed a ticket when you walked in the door then sent to a sprawled out deli counter where you ordered your sandwich straight from the meat cutter.

The choices were simple meat, meat, and more meat served on rye with a side of pickles and a little mustard if you so wished.

When in Rome you must do what the Romans do and when in a deli full of fresh cut sandwiches, you must order what the locals do. Go big or go home, right? )

I had 1/2 of a Beef Brisket Sandwich on Rye with Mustard.

The meat was served hot and overflowing. I poured half of the meat off and followed Bo’s lead by adding a generous portion of coleslaw to the sandwich. The results were amazing. When in Rome, right? Because those Romans are pretty damn smart!

My half of a sandwich was served with Pickles and a Side Salad.

Fresh pickles are my favorite. So crispy with just the right amount of salty brine.

Thick cut french fries are another favorite of mine.

I had samples of the boy’s corn beef and pastrami and both were fabulous. This is definitely a place I know my Dad would love!

The great NYC Cupcake hunt of 2010 proceeded after lunch. Apparently all the really good local cupcake places are closed on labor day.

After a couple of failed attempts at various cupcake places around the city, we found success at Magnolia Bakery and snagged a couple of cupcakes for the plane.

Then our trip had to come to an end.

I first met Ashley back in February when we instantly clicked over a freezing 5k around Central Park. Since then I’ve had the distinct pleasure of seeing her again in Washington DC and in Chicago.

Ashley is fun, out going, and can chat it up with just about anybody – we’re basically two peas in a pods! – so when she offered an open invitation to visit when ever we wanted, I knew it was an invitation we could not turn down.

This weekend has been amazing! Ashley and Bo have officially turned into my two favorite people. They showed us a side of the city we could only see from two residents and showed us a good time while doing so. I already miss them!

Thanks again Ashley and Bo for being our hosts! I promise this will not be the last time we see each other!

Derek and I boarded the bus to the airport and I promptly passed out in the surprisingly comfy seat. The word exhausted doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I was hoping to grab a salad for dinner, but our terminal was seriously lacking any place that carried a fresh looking salad.

Instead I hit up Jamba Juice and had a Passion Fruit Tea.

And a Mediterranean Flatbread.

Continental sort of redeemed itself from our last flight by offering up free in seat entertainment this time around.

Letters to Juliet was cute, but definitely a movie I’m happy I didn’t pay for.

Cupcakes!

I love Magnolia’s icing!

Then it was home sweet home!

I slept like a rock last night!

Now, a new work day is upon us. Let’s hope it’s an easy one.

Now let’s see…. where did I leave off?

After our 5k and lunch, the boys headed to Brooklyn for a tour of the brewery while the girls headed out for vegan Ice cream and shopping!

Stogo is a vegan ice cream shop I first saw featured on Heather’s blog a year or so ago. Her review of the soy, hemp, and coconut based ice cream sold me as a ‘must try’ while I was in the city, so when Ashley suggested it as the perfect spot for a NYC blogger meet up while I was in town, I knew she had it on the nose.

I had put the call out for readers and bloggers last week and after a few e-mails, I was excited to finally meet everyone in person for ice cream. It was even nice to see a few familiar faces in the crowd.

We chatted, we laughed, and we tried sample after sample of delicious vegan ice cream.

The girl behind the counter was so friendly and welcoming. I loved that she welcomed photos and encouraged us to try as many of the flavors as we saw fit. I’m pretty sure by the end I must have tried half a dozen different flavors. I just didn’t want to feel like I was miss out on anything!

In the end I ordered a small mix of Red Velvet and Peanut Butter Fudge. It was so creamy, rich and delicious. Just thinking about great this ice cream was is making me drool for more.

It was fun to catch up with the NYC readers and bloggers. Dierdre, Amelia, and I realized this was our fourth time being able to see each other in the last year – how crazy is that? I love how having a blog connects people like that!

Ashley and I stayed for a good while before saying our good byes and heading to Union Square for a little shopping. We had great luck at Anne Taylor Loft and Lululemon and even ended up purchasing a couple of the same items. I guess great minds think alike?

The boys caught back up with us just as we were making our final purchases. Perfect timing! Bo suggested Bar Jamon for drinks and I thought that sounded like a grand idea.

We ordered a bottle of red wine for the table that were told it was very similar to a malbec (the entire menu was in spanish.

Chef recommended array of cheeses, jamon, and bread.

Yum

Sunday night was dedicated as our ‘fancy night out’ dinner and after making such a fuss about wanting to dress up and go somewhere nice I’m sad to say the only thing I have photos of for the whole evening is food. Oops..

I mean, sure, I can see Derek in a tie anytime I want, but I have a feeling the food I enjoyed was really a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one worth capturing and dedicating my attention 100% to through the course of the evening.

Ashley and Bo had made reservations for us at Union Square Cafe for a true New York City dining experience.

The food truly was on a level all it’s own. Everything on the menu sounded amazing and everything tasted even better than it sounded. Bites were shared, moans were celebrated, and rave after rave escaped all of our mouths. If possible I would like to rewind and press repeat on the entire evening again and again please.

Out table started with a basket of bread that I decided to skip in order to save room for what was to come. I did steal a bet bites of the flat bread and it was buttery, crispy, and delicious.

In the spirit of the evening I ordered something I’ve never ordered at a restaurant before – a glass of champagne.

Both Ashley and Bo were explaining how they love to begin meals out with a glass of champagne and I decided to partake in the fun. The sweet champagne added a hint of celebratory atmosphere to the evening and really was the perfect drink to begin the night with.

For my appetizer I ordered the bowl of chilled melon soup with feta.

I’m usually not a fan of chilled soups, but had a gut instinct this would be a good one. I’ve learned to always go with my gut. The soup was fresh, sweet, and tasted as if I was biting into a fresh, juicy cantaloupe. A clear winner, but I really wasn’t expecting anything less.

Again I ordered something a little out of character when I selected the oven roasted chicken with polenta and roasted squash for my entree.

Oven Roasted Chicken always seems like a bit of a boring menu option to myself, but I was told the owner was known for taking understated everyday dishes and creating something extra ordinary. I took a chance and it payed off.

The chicken was tender, juicy, and could easily be cut with a butter knife. Paired with the crispy polenta, the chicken was easily the best chicken I have ever ordered from a restaurant.

I had a great red wine that was recommended by my server with the chicken, but I’m struggling to remember the name at the moment.

Dessert was the only time of the evening where my choice of selection deceived me.

I ordered the lemon cake with berries, but found the cake a bit dry and felt it was missing some ice cream or something to moisten it up a bit.

I was a bit envious of the mint chocolate creation Derek had selected for his dessert.

I had a bite and tried constrain myself from taking the entire dish away from him. It was hard, but I managed.

Have I mentioned that this meal was fabulous yet? Because it was.

Great choice Ashley and Bo…. Great choice.

Most people would think running a 5k the day after a 20 miler may seem a little crazy, but certainly not I.

Ok…. maybe a little crazy.

When I was first proposed with the idea of running a 5k while I was in New York City it wasn’t even a question of saying no, it was Yes! Yes! Yes! all the way. I immediately registered and thought nothing of it. That is until yesterday – as I was hobbling around Chinatown – it dawned on me that maybe registering for a 5k the day after 20 miles wasn’t the smartest decision ever made. Oopss..

I was blinded by the bright lights of race bibs, t-shirts, and running in a city I love and rarely get to see. Sure this race was going to be tough, but who says I had to make a bigger deal then it needs to be? Some races are meant just for fun and this race was going to be one of them!

The racing committee did a fabulous job keeping this race casual for us by not having the race start until 10:00 am. This gave our group ample time to sleep in (until 7:00) and grab a real breakfast before heading to race site.

Derek and I split an egg and cheese sandwich on an everything bagel on the taxi ride over.

mmm…. cheesy.

I wasn’t aware until that morning that the race wasn’t actually in Manhattan, but instead on Governor’s Island just a ferry ride a way from downtown. I’m not sure I have ever taken a ferry from NYC, it was a fun added bonus to this adventure.

We randomly ran into Dierdre and Amelia from Highways To Health on the ride over. It’s a small city after all!

Governor’s Island is a beautiful tiny island right off of Manhattan. We ran into someone that used to live on Governor’s Island when he was in the Coast Guard and it was fun to hear his stories on how living on the island used to be. He said it was great to wake up every morning and have the statue of liberty to your left and have the former World Trade Centers to your right.

In 1996 the coast guard left and the National Park Service took over, now a days the city of NYC owns the island and is trying to breathe life back into place with free concerts and festivals very weekend.

The race was very casual. There were chips, but no fancy starting line or corrals. A recording of the National Anthem was played then a man shouted in a microphone “Go!” I actually prefer small races like this. It keeps it fun and pressure free.

My goal from the beginning was just to have fun with this race and I knew I would have the most fun running along side Derek.

He’s had a rough couple of weeks with running and I knew he would need that extra support.

Turns out Derek didn’t need my support at all – he did awesome. He didn’t stop once, never complained, and kept solid 10 minute miles the entire time. It was like he was a whole new running man.

After a 3.1 mile loop around the island the finish line seemed to appear out of nowhere. One last final push and we crossed the finish line together just under 31 minutes.

I was so proud of my little runner.

I enjoyed a juicy post-race peach.

Ferry back to the city.

After the race we headed to The Meatball Shoppe in the Lower East Side.

Ashely had just visited The Meatball Shoppe with her parents the weekend before and could not stop raving about it. We were all super exited to try it after hearing so many great things about it.

The place is definitely an experience. You pick your balls, your sauce, and how you want it served.

I selected the Veggie Balls with Tomato Sauce over a bed of greens.

The veggie balls were amazing. They were lentil heavy, crumbly, and full of flavor. The sauce was also thick and rich.

The group shared a plethora of sides and i believe we all agreed the polenta was by far our favorite.

After a great lunch we did a little exploring and headed back to the apartment. Nothing like a casual afternoon to make a wonderful vacation even better.

P.S. Besides one or stolen pics from Ashley, the majority of these photos were shot with my droid. How freaking awesome is that?!?!

I’m not sure epic can even begin to describe how amazing last night’s meal was. From the wonderful fresh ingredients we had just purchased from the market that morning, to the perfectly paired wine with each course, to the great times we spent with friends… I believe last night’s dinner can go down as one of my favorite dinners in NYC ever.

And we didn’t even have to go to a fancy restaurant to enjoy it.

A couple of weeks ago Ashley had asked about an idea she had for this month’s Foodbuzz 24×24. Foodbuzz 24×24 is a cool program that allows featured publishers to submit their dream meal in hopes of Foodbuzz footin’ the bill for the event. Thanks to the 24×24 program I’ve participated in a delicious 7 course Vegan Meal and was give the opportunity to dine at one of Disney’s classiest restaurants – Victoria & Albert’s.

Ashley’s idea was a fun one. She wanted to send summer off with a bang by creating one last summer inspired meal before the cool air of fall set in. Her plan was to use fresh, local produce to create this meal and incorporate one or two fall items into the feast as a bit of a welcoming. I was thrilled when her bid got accepted, especially since she had invited Derek and I along for the ride.

Last night Ashley and Bo’s tiny NYC kitchen was transformed into a culinary mecca as we created four fabulous summer inspired courses to feast on.

Bo was our fearless leader for the evening. He designed the dishes and instructed each of us what to do. That boy has some serious culinary talented, I was pretty much in awe all evening of his skills.

It was pretty late by the time we even started cooking the meal – around 9:00pm – but after a long day of eating our way through Chinatown I’m pretty sure none of us minded. We started with a taste of Fall in the form of Pumpkin Beer.

p.s. I’m so excited pumpkin beer season is officially in full effect.

Course #1

Homemade Toasties using french bread from the market and fresh local blue cheese also from the market.

The blue cheese was extra salty and delicious. The perfect way to start out summer meal.

Course #2

Pan Seared Scallops served over a Tomato, Corn, and Pickled Onion Salad with Fresh Cilantro.

Delicious. The corn really was what put this dish over the top, it gave it a a slight sweet crunch that brought a very summery feel to each bite.

The scallops were paired with a dry Muscadate.

Course #3

Roasted Rack of Lamb with a Berry Reduction served over roasted Red Potatoes and Squash.

Bo really out did himself on this one. The lamb was tender and perfectly rare. Everything about this dish just worked and just thinking about it made my mouth water.

The lamb was paired with a chote de rhone.

Dessert!

Easy Peach Cobbler (this recipe) with Vanilla Ice Cream.

We made a slight error with how much dough was needed for the small pan we had, but it was still great. Just more of a peach shortcake rather than a peach cobbler.

The night was incredible and made me realize how happy I am to have friends like Ashely and Bo to spend a night in with. The meal never felt drawn out or rushed and we all had a blast singing show tunes out loud and just being ourselves. This night will go down as one of my favorites ever.

The meal finished around midnight, then it was straight for bed to prepare for our 5k this morning. I’ll be back later for details on that one.