Thanksgiving Style Turkey Burgers

Today was quite an eventful day...I woke up early to attend a mandatory "Reemployment Orientation." It was an hour and a half of learning how to be more employable. I have to say that in theory it is a really good great idea but the actual orientation fell short for me.

After attending my ridic orientation I met my mom for a Target run, lunch and a search for comfy cute flats for my upcoming trip to Barcelona, Spain. Today was pretty successful, I only need to run a few more errands tomorrow and then I will be all set. :) Below are my two favorite purchases...BCBG flats for $27 (courtesy of DWS) and my $20 purse (courtesy of Target).

I love when you find deals on your favorite brand...I LOVE U BCBG!

As soon as I got home I went for a nice hilly run around my house...I ran for 45 minutes in the 70 degree weather. It was an awesome run and makes me really excited for this upcoming summer. :) After I was done with my run I made a plain blueberry protein shake to energize me for my evening walk with Mary.

I have been craving a great turkey burger lately so I decided to make them tonight with a twist. On today's menu Thanksgiving Style Turkey Burgers with homemade parsnip & sweet potato fries! I know it sounds odd but the picture looked amazing. I of course found this recipe on MyRecipes.com, Turkey Burgers with Cranberry & Peach Chutney.

I had to alter the recipe a bit because I couldn't find premade cranberry chutney anywhere so I decided to wing it with a can of cranberry sauce (whole berries) & cinnamon. I pre-sliced the peaches, sweet potato and parsnip fries and made the turkey patties before my walk with Mary. We decided to go on a 3 mile evening stroll which was great, by the time we got home we were starving and ready to eat our faces off!

Both Mary and I only ate half of our whole wheat sandwich thins...to cut
down on carbs and calories. :)

The recipe turned out really good...I just love turkey burgers especially with a fruity twist. This was my first time making parsnip chips/fries and I learned that they are delicious if you cut them really thinly and cook them for (20 minutes at 400 degrees) flipping halfway through. The sweet potato fries turned out good to but next time I am going to use yams...because I think they are more tasty and beautiful.

PS I can't believe I leave for my trip is less than 48 hours. :)

Recovery Sunday

Today I woke up feeling very sluggish I think it was because of my horrendous diet of cheese & alcohol yesterday! I think I went a little overboard...but it was worth it. I decided to hit the gym even though everything in my body was saying stay in bed. :) Luckily when I got to the gym a Zumba class was just starting.

This Zumba class was taught by Kelly, who is super cute and bubbly. The class was definitely an older crowd but I still managed to look the most RIDICULOUS out of everyone. I wonder if I should be concerned that I am not getting better...still looking like Richard Simmons! :) At one point in the class we all got in a circle and danced and ran around giving each other high fives...I wish I could have seen other people's reactions. It was a good workout and way to start off my Sunday. I headed back to nourish my body with a Strawberry & Banana Protein Shake. It really ended up tasting like a creamy stawberry milkshake...I love when you get the right combo!

Strawberry & Banana Deliciousness

1 frozen banana
5-8 frozen strawberries
1 scoop of protein powder
1 cup of almond milk







I really don't know what else I did this morning but it felt great to move at a slow pace. Before I knew it, it was time for lunch and I was craving a salad! Check out my awesome Chef/Chopped Salad: mixed greens, grape tomatoes, salami, grilled chicken and avocado topped with olive oil & balsamic! I thought about topping it with some of my Kokos Cheese but decided against it because I was still full of cheese from yesterday. :)



I'm not sure what else I feel like doing today...so I will probably Skype with the Boston Crew and be a bum. I love Sunday's they are so relaxing!

Seattle Cheese Festival

Today is such a beautiful day and perfect weather for the Cheese Festival I am attending. My friend Kristin aka Bums planned a romantic wine and cheese day for us. :) We road the bus downtown (we are all about saving money) to Pike Place Market super hungry. It was a beautiful Seattle day...believe me nothing beats Seattle on a nice day!

As we entered the market area all we saw were tents full of free cheese! I think there were over 30 vendors of cheese that were all giving out free sample of the most delicious cheese. We were both starving so we just started hitting booth after booth. Our first stop was the Honey Bee tent, they were sampling 5 different cheeses and we both fell in lust...(we later purchased two of the five cheeses) :) We started taking notes on which cheese we wanted to come back and purchase, all the cheeses were extremely affordable...$5 for a decent size wedge.

Our favorite booth was our first one!

We just kept on tasting...everything which included dairy-free/low-fat cheese (seriously), 8 year aged Gouda, strawberry goat cheese, wasabi cheddar to name a few of my fav. I fell further in love with goat cheese this afternoon almost wanting to bathe in it. As Kristin and I approached tent #15 or so we looked at each other and sighed  "Are you already full too?" to each other.

We were both double fisting handfuls of cheese like this! AMAZING.

It was fairly disappoining because from that point on we weren't trying every sample...we had to pick and choose. I felt defeated because I LOVE free samples...especially of CHEESE. After an hour and a half of sampling we decided to make some purchases and then head to the wine garden which was only $10 for 5 tastings.

We bought three cheeses and a baguette and headed to drink it up! When we got to wine garden we were a little disappointed because we couldn't sit down and enjoy our purchases. :( We just started drinking...and we stumbled across The Pike Brewery which was pouring 8 oz pours for 1 ticket! We were sold on using a few of our tickets on beer because it was the perfect weather for it.

Great Surprise!



You are not mistaken we are double cupping...we are very classy ladies. :)

I also tried a pretty tasty Viognier and Muscat...they were the perfect whites for a nice summer day. I was a little bummed because red wine just isn't appropriate on a sunny day. :( After we used all our tickets we decided to walk off our little buzz with a nice walk tby walking to Kristin's apartment to tear into our cheeses purchases. Check out the spread we purchased for under $20:

Walnut & Apricot Baguette - $4.50

Le Roule Cranberry - $5

Honey Bee Goat Cheese - $5

Koko Coconut Cheese - $5 (tastes like paradise in your mouth)

The Seattle Cheese Festival is wonderful for those of us who are on a budget that still want to be fabulous! I tasted over 30 cheeses and enjoyed a wine garden for under $30! This would be a great event to take a group of girls, couples and family to because there is something for everyone. Be sure and come hungry and be prepared to feel a tiny bit sick because of all the delicious cheese. :)

I felt a little off the whole night but it was well worth it because I had so much fun!! Thanks Kristin for inviting me to this amazing festival!

Homemade Thai Food - Mission Failed

I had a variety of missions to accomplish today and sadly have to report that I failed at least one of them. :)Today's mission:

1) Find an interval workout and complete it - Acommplished (actually succeed expectations) :)

I found a interval workout on my favorite site http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/! Here is my workout using the Quick Cardio Blaster:

Elliptical
5 minutes - Warm-Up (Level 4)
5 minutes - Level 6
5 minutes - Level 7
10 minutes - Level 9
5 minutes - Level 7
5 minutes - Cool Down (Level 4)

After my elliptical workout I headed to do some push-ups and sit-ups! I did 3 sets of the following circuit. :)

10 push-ups using the BOSU Ball
20 regular crunches on a stability ball
20 side wall crunch each side
20 knee tucks on a stability ball

I decided to be a complete gym rat and finished with a variation of the Quick Cardio Blaster on the stairmaster...it just felt like the right thing to do. :) I tend to get a bit bored on the stairmaster so I decided to change up my climbing the steps by doing 1 minute normal, 1 minute skipping a step, 1 minute turning to my left (working the side of my leg), 1 minute turning to my right and then 1 minute of normal! This makes the workout go by so fast but it also is a bit challenging because of my coordination issues...be careful!

5 minutes - Warm-Up (Level 4)
5 minutes - Level 7
10 minutes - Level 9
5 minutes - Level 7
5 minutes - Cool Down (Level 4)

Great workout followed with a delicious blueberry protein shake and raw veggies.
2) Find a job - Mission failed
No interviews scheduled...:( But I did submit for a couple positions.

3) Make a homemade Thai food that tastes good - Mission Miserably Failed

I have tried to make homemade Thai food numerous times and it never tastes the same...what am I missing? I found a great looking recipe in Food Network Magazine: Eggplant & Tofu Curry. I decided to try it and see what happens...it looked good but tasted nothing like the curry I enjoy at a Thai food restaurant. :( Again someone please help me figure out what spice I am missing??

Paired with quinoa to be healthy!

4) Read a good portion of Marketing in the Moment & The Girls of Ames - Mission accomplished

I am really enjoying Marketing in the Moment and learning about Web 3.0 Marketing...hopefully this will help me while interviewing. :) I read a couple of chapters of The Girls of Ames but it isn't hooking me like before.

5) Make a delicious dessert for 1 - Mission accomplished (Thanks to Chocolate Covered Katie)

She has a section in recipes called Single Lady Desserts. I love this idea because it satisfies my sweet toothe without overindulging. Tonight I wanted a single chocolate chip cookie! This cookie didn't have any dairy and still tasted AMAZING. I paired my dessert with a DIY Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte (made with almond milk). This hit the spot and made me SMILE BIG.

Perfect Serving Size!

Today had a few failures but ultimately was a successful and fun day! 

No Hassle BBQ Chicken for ONE Please!

Yesterday I ran like the wind with my friend Tim around Greenlake and....he killed me. We ran around 8 minute miles but honestly I was sucking wind (total distance around 3 miles)!! So today I decided against hitting the gym because I was freaking tired. I wanted to find a killer butt workout so I went on the prowl and found a couple workouts on Fitnessmagazine.com.

Workout 1 - The 15 Minute Bootylicious Butt Workout

• Single Sky Bridge - 20 reps
• Tree Twist - 20 reps
• Step Up, Kick-Back - 15 reps
• Squat Dips - 15 reps
• Sky Squat - 15 reps

This workout got me sweating because of the high reps and my booty was burning so good. :) I didn't take breaks in between the exercises because I wanted to keep my heart rate up. If you start to lose perfect form on your squats I recommend stopping and moving to the next move.

Workout 2 - Melt it Off: Calorie-Burning Circuit Workout
You do each of the exercises below for 30 seconds and rest 15 seconds in between. I did this circuit three times.

• Squat Walk - I did a push-up to make it more difficult
• Roll Pop-Up
• Attitude Touchdown
• Spider Jumps - My least favorite exercise!
• Half Turkish Get-Up

The rest of my day was consumed of writing the DREADED cover letters for all the positons I want to apply for. It takes me so long to write them because I want each of them to be perfect. The entire process of finding a job is excruciating. I absolutely hate interviewing because I get so darn nervous... all I want is to impress them and make them hire me. UGH....I have had two interviews and I am still jobless. I think I really need to find a way to be self-employed. :) After writing about five cover letters I decided I needed to take a break to make dinner and watch the Celtics. For dinner I decided to make No Hassle BBQ Chicken:

1 Chicken Breast
1 1/2 tablespoons of BBQ Sauce
1/2 Red Onion
1 cup of broccoli
1/4 cup of prepared quinoa

I sauteed the red onion in a skillet while I boiled the chicken breast (10 minutes or so). I then took out the chicken breast and pulled it apart and mixed it with the sauteed onions and bbq sauce! That's it and now I had the perfect Pulled BBQ Chicken paired with premade quinoa and steamed broccoli. This No Hassle BBQ Chicken is the perfect single serving meal!

Now it is time to read and get my butt to bed because I am currently fighting a cold...a battle I am losing. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. :)

Working It!

I can't believe this but I have gotten another cold...which is a little frustrating. I woke up at 3:00am today because my noise was stuffy and my head hurt. Not the best way to wake up on a Saturday but I eventually was able to get back to sleep until 7:00am.

I was feeling a bit better and decided to make myself a nice breakfast. Which included a Baked Oatmeal Muffin, a fried egg, a few slices of fresh mango and a cup of coffee. It tasted good to have a different type of breakfast this morning...yummy egg.



The baked oatmeal was sooo good again today!

After breakfast I was finally able to get motivated and head into the gym. I decided to do a favorite workout of mine: Burn 400 Calories Without Getting Bored. I love this workout because 40 minutes of constantly switching machines and doing intervals ensures you are never bored!!! As I was heading to the locker room I saw that a Zumba class was in session. So I decided to jump in for the last 40 minutes of class. Zumba is one of my very favorite workouts!

Why do I LOVE Zumba?

I love Zumba classes because it gives you an awesome workout (burns around 500 calories) while dancing your butt off. Another plus to this class is that you just end up smiling alot because it is almost impossible to look normal doing some of the moves! I totally recommend going with a couple of girlfriends because it is so fun to be ridiculous together.

This class was more latin infused and our instructor Connie was a master of moving her hips. I on the other hand tried to imitate JLO but ended up looking more like Richard Simmons!! I looked completely ridic...I really wish I had a video of myself so everyone could get a good laugh. I knew I looked ridic so I decided to work it and embrace my lack of rhythm, timing and sexiness.

Yep...this is pretty much what I looked like in Zumba today!

I was starving when I got home because of my double workout so I decided to make myself a DIY Matcha Green Tea Smoothie and a Quinoa Spinach Salad with some fresh veggies on the side. I was craving a Matcha Green Tea Latte but decided to try and make it a smoothie instead and it turned out really really good! It didn't look so good but trust me it tasted yummy!

Matcha Green Tea Smoothie

1/2 cup matcha mix

1/2 almond milk

1 frozen banana

1 scoop of protein powder

2-4 ice cubes

Now it is time to relax and enjoy my Saturday of decluttering my apartment and watching the Celtics. My brother has tickets five rows back tonight...I knew I should have stayed another week. :)

Quinoa Spinach Salad

For dinner tonight I couldn't decide what to make so I started looking for quinoa recipes online because I had some leftover from yesterday. I came across another Tone It Up recipe! I was super excited to try their Quinoa Spinach Salad because their Protein Pancakes were so delicious. :)

The Quinoa Spinach Salad was super easy to make and has turned out to be one of my favorite quinoa recipes. I added edamame and roasted red peppers to this and omitted the walnuts.

Tone It Up's Spinach Quinoa Salad

1 cup of baby spinach
1/3 cup of quinoa
1/2 lemon
2 tsp of balsamic vingear
1/8 cup of edamame
1/8 cup of roasted red peppers

Mix everything together and you get an amazing dinner in less than 5 minutes. :) I paired this salad with a half of a flatbread topped with 1 tablespoon of pesto and a few pieces of leftover roasted eggplants. :)

How good does this look?

After eating this very filling dinner I still had a sweet tooth so I decided to make....a cinnamon & sugar pizza (half of a flatbread topped with 1 tsp of butter, cinnamon & sugar) paired with fresh strawberries and mangoes. :)

This dessert totally hit the spot...now its time for my crazy Friday night to start. On my agenda watch some episodes of FRIENDS and read The Girls of Ames. :) I love relaxing Friday's.

BOSU Full Body Workout

Today I wanted to make something new for breakfast today and I was inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie's Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal. She is one of my favorite bloggers because she has the most amazing recipes and personality.

Here is the recipe:

Cookie Dough Oatmeal Cake
(Serves One!)

• 1/2 cup oats (50g)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• sweetener, such as 1 1/2 T maple syrup or 1 to 1 1/2 packs stevia (I omitted, but I’ve cautioned y’all before about my lack of sweet tooth.)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (60g) (Or sub banana… it’s awesome this way!)
• 1/4 cup milk, creamer, juice, or water (I used 60g)
• heaping 1/16th tsp salt
• Handful of chocolate chips (and a few for the top, too!)
• Optional: unless you like the taste of fat-free baking, add 1-2T oil, vegan butter, or nut butter (If oil, scale the milk back a little. If vegan butter, scale the salt back a little.)
• Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon (If you like cinnamon in chocolate chip cookies)

Pop the "Boatmeal" in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and bam you have the most delicious and healthy breakfast. (Stick back in the oven on broil for about 2-3 minutes if you want a nice crust)

I used a banana instead of applesauce and used a little more cinnamon than noted above and it was amazing. I made muffins out of this "boatmeal" recipe and they were so tasty! This is definitely going to be a breakfast stable for me. :) Thanks Chocolate Covered Katie.

I paired an amazing Cookie Dough Oatmeal Muffins with a hardboiled egg and a few fresh strawberries. :)

After enjoying my breakfast I decided to do some research on BOSU Stability Ball and create my own workout. I found some really helpful websites: BOSU Balance Trainer Total Body Workout and Ask The Trainer.

Here is the workout I came up with:

Warm-up: 10 Minute of Cardio on the Elliptical

(Do four sets of the workout below and follow the reps & times noted below)

Lower Body BOSU Workout

• Squat Jumps (60 sec, 45 sec, 45 sec, 30 sec)
• Squat with Overhead Press with 5lb weights (15, 10, 10, 5)
• Power Lunges (60 sec, 45 sec, 45 sec, 30 sec)
• Forward Lunges (15, 10, 10, 5)

Upper Body BOSU Workout

• Pushups (15, 10, 10, 5)
• Fly Exchange w/ 5lb weights (15, 10, 10, 5)
• One Armed Row w/ 5lb weights (15, 10, 10, 5)

Core BOSU Workout

• Full Crunch (15, 15, 15, 15)
• V-sit (60 sec, 45 sec, 45 sec, 30 sec)
• Plank (60 sec, 45 sec, 45 sec, 30 sec)

Cool Down: 10 Minute of Cardio on the Elliptical

This workout was very challenging and enjoyable. I can't wait to try it again!! :)

I headed home to have a healthy lunch that included a Mango/Cinnamon Smoothie and a big plate of veggies.

Handful of frozen mangoes

1 frozen bananas

1 scoop of protein powder

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 cup of almond milk

3 Carrots

1/3 of a cucumber

3 celery stalks

1/4 cup of garbanzo beans

 

This was the perfect post workout meal! I also was able to Skype with Lily today and she gave me lots of kisses...personally I think that is the best feeling in the world. :)

On the Go!!

 For breakfast I decided to have cream of wheat (made with almond milk and bananas) and a half of a sandwich thin topped with peanut butter, apples and bananas (popped it in the oven on broil for 3-5 minutes).

This breakfast was pretty filling! After breakfast I headed down to Kent to see my bestie's baby, Christian. He was super cute and it was awesome to see her as a mom...I think she was born to be one. It was so good catching up with her and holding her beautiful baby boy.

After visiting with her for a couple hours I headed to have a lunch date with my mama! I wanted pho because it was so rainy and gloomy out. Veggie pho is so gooooooooood! After eating and chatting with my mama I headed to the gym.

Today's workout was the dreaded "45 Minute Treamill Killer!" This workout made me sweat a ton, my shirt was actually wet. It has been awhile since I ran on the treadmill and I have to admit it felt pretty good. This is by far the most challenging treadmill workout I have found. I felt so accomplished after completeing this killer workout.

I got home and made myself a tasty blueberry green monstah smoothie! This really hit the spot.

For dinner tonight I decided to throw a bunch of leftover together from all my meals this week. I decided to make quinoa topped with leftovers.

Leftover Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup of tomato salt

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup of roasted egg plant

1/3 cup spinach

1/4 cup of garbanzo beans

This meal turned out to be pretty filling but a little bland. I need to add more garlic and spices to the tomato sauce next time. :) Off to bed I go to try to fight off this sore throat!

Eggplant Ricotta Rolls

I decided that I wanted to try cooking eggplant today for my romantic dinner with Mary. I haven't seen her in about 2 weeks...which is way to long. I was researching healthy eggplant recipes and I came across Eggplant Ricotta Rolls on Shape.com. Check it out:

This recipe turned out pretty darn good. I didn't pair it with anything but wine and I was stuffed. This was a really easy meal to make and really turned me onto cooking with both eggplant and ricotta.

Mary and I both had a bit of a sweet tooth so I decided to make a ricotta cheese dessert that I saw in Food Network Magazine. The dessert is called Ricotta With Balsamic Berries. It looked really tasty but it wasn't quite sweet enough for us. I cut the recipe in half so that could have been the issue. Next time I think I will add more honey to the balsamic sauce! :) Mary recommended serving this dessert as an appetizer or just a snack because it was nice and light. Good suggestion Mar!

Today I learned that I really enjoy both eggplant and ricotta cheese! I really enjoy making new things...it all about trial and error. :) It as so nice to catch up with Mary, I really did miss my twin!

Taking Naps & Getting Sunburnt

I woke up today looking forward to my day. The Seattle weather was sunny and I had a date planned with Sarah during the day and a date with Mary in the evening...I'm such a two timer. :)

For the last couple of weeks I have been craving pancakes badly so I was researching healthier options. I came across Tone It Up's Protein Pancakes. They looked delicious so I decided to attempt these pancakes and I wasn't disappointed.

Protein Pancake Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (organic brown rice protein or whey)- visit your local nutrition store or wholefoods!
• 2 tbs vanilla almond milk or skim
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs flaxseed
• After above ingridients are mixed together add 1/2 banana (mashed)- mash first, then add!!
• Add a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries

This recipe was awesome and left me feeling guilt free. :) The blueberries and fresh strawberries definitely made these pancakes a perfect 10!

After breakfast I headed out to meet up with Sarah for a our coffee/lunch/walking date in Kirkland. We first stopped at our favorite local coffee place The Urban Coffee Lounge for our Chai Tea Latte's. We decided to walk around Kirkland to find the perfect spot for our picnic. The sun was shining but I really don't think the temperature went above 65 degree because I was still wearing my big sweatshirt. After walking around 2.5 miles we set up our romantic picnic. :)

I packed a healthy healthy lunch. I made a spinach salad with garbanzo beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and a  homemade vinegarette (olive oil, cumin and lemon juice) that I found on Shape.com. It was really filling and tasty I paired my salad with a hard boiled egg and carrot sticks.

After Sarah and I chatted over lunch we both decided a nap was the right decision. I'm not sure how long we were napping but when we were getting ready to go Sarah said "Lindsay your face is really red, I think you got some sun." But as we were walking back to our cars Sarah realized she had burnt her arms pretty bad...we were so puzzled to how this happened in 60 degree weather. :)

Napping in the sun is something that I need to do more of because it was really refreshing. My day date couldn't have been better...great company, healthy food, exercise and enjoying the sun was pretty much perfect. Thanks Sarah!

Goodbye Boston...for a little bit!

Today is my last day in Boston before heading back to Seattle. I have to admit I am a little torn because I have had such a great couple of weeks here in Boston. Being close to my brother, sister-in-law and niece has been so much fun. I will be back soon enough...because it is my second home NOW.

Today I woke up to my sweet Lily alarm..."ello....mama....ello!" I am really going to miss waking up to her sweet voice at 5:30am. :) For breakfast I decided to make blueberry oatmeal...and eat an entire serving of it. I made it with almond milk instead of water and it was really delicious. This mornings hightlight was Lily giving me 10+ kisses and hugs...I really just don't think life can get much better than that.

It doesn't look very appetizing but it was pretty tasty. Almond milk is such a great substitute for milk. :) After having some breakfast and packing up my stuff it was time for Lily's gymnastics class. I freaking love this class because the kids are sooooo cute. And don't forget about Lily's ridiculous "nastics outfit!"

After Lily's class we headed home to play, eat lunch and get all my stuff ready for the airport. For lunch I decided to make an icy smoothie one last time with their Magic Bullet. Blueberry's were on the menu for today's smoothie (blueberries, protein powder, spinach, ice and almond milk).

As we headed to the airport I was really sad but somehow kept my emotions together and didn't cry uncontrollably. I was really proud of myself! :) It was sad saying goodbye but I know that I will see them again soon.

When I went to check my bag I realized that my beau was flying me home First Class! I was so excited because I didn't have to pay for my bag, I got to use the first class security line, I didn't have to pay for snacks, a blanket or movies! I totally don't belong in First Class and I love annoying businessmen because they are in general not very friendly on airplanes. :)

Before boarding my flight I decided to grab a quick bite to eat at the Harpoon Ale House located right by my gate. I decided to order a chicken salad and a blueberry soda. I had very low expectations for this meal but I was surprised to find that the salad was very fresh (full of grilled and fresh vegetables), chicken was tender and the blueberry soda was amazing. Definitely check out this spot if you want a beer and some good grub before getting on a flight.

As I got comfortable in my seat the flight attendent asked me if I wanted to be served dinner...and I was like "Hell Ya!" They were surving a mushroom pasta, mixed green salad and a slice of chocoate cake. The meal was pretty darn enjoyable. I also really love getting snacks on the plane multiple times for free (Sun Chips, Twix and a banana to be exact). Note: I wonder what the snobby businessmen thought of me snapping pictures of my food! :)

I really need to find a way to fly first class all the time.

While in-flight I decided to start my new book "The Girls of Ames." Sarah had given me this book prior to leaving for Boston because she loved it...and let me tell you she always gives the best book recommendations. I read 50 pages of the book and I am totally hooked!! Thanks Sarah.

I finally got home to Seattle and I have to admit the crisp Seattle air felt amazing! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight but I already miss my family back in Boston. 

Sunday Brunch

Today we are heading into Boston for brunch at  Abe and Louie's, one of Kelly's favorite spots. Our reservations weren't until 11am so I headed to Starbucks for my typical Americano and to read a few chapters of my book, The House at the Riverton. This book is so good, it is the perfect mix of a period piece and murder mystery. :)

When brunch time finally arrived we headed to Abe & Louie's. I have heard only great things about this brunch and I was so excited once I got my menu. I decided to order the Lobster & Shrimp Omelete with breakfast potatoes. Below check out all the menu item our table ordered:

Lobster & Shrimp Omelete - This omelete didn't skimp on the lobster, almost every bite included a piece of seafood. The gruyere cheese and lobster were magical and the breakfast potatoes melted in my mouth. This was the best omelete I have ever had! :)

Smoked Salmon Benedict - My brother said the eggs were cooked great and that he would definitely order it again.

Lobster Salad - Kelly said this salad was amazing! The lobster was super fresh and didn't have to much sauce on it which made it more enjoyable. The salad was so fresh.....:)

This brunch was so delicious and the atmosphere was really enjoyable. I would recommend this spot to anyone who enjoys a nice Sunday Brunch. We decided not to order dessert because we were so stuffed. We decided to walk down Newbury Street and to Boston Commons to enjoy the park and weather. The park was so beautiful with bright tulips lining the walkways.

As we walked and walked we realized it was time for dessert...we decided to head to the nearest Pinkberry. I have seen this yogurt place advertised in US Weekly but have never tried it. So I wanted to see what all the hoopla was about it. Now I know what all the hoopla was about...this place is amazing. The fruit toppings are freshly cut everyday (no syrupy texture), they use high quality nonfat milk and yogurt (no rBST hormones) and you can put as many toppings on it as you want (10 toppings cost the same as 1 topping). I decided to order the coconut yogurt with fresh fruit and it was to die for.

Fresh, light and tasty = awesome dessert!

As I ate my yogurt and walked down Newbury Street I realized how much I loved Newbury Street. This street has everything on it spas, retail, restaurants, gyms and hotels...it seriously has everything. What a great Sunday...I wish every Sunday could start with Brunch and end with dessert. :)