New York, New York!

Today was another great day! ♥

It started with a grab-n-go breakfast of Coconut Banana Bread and yogurt.

The photo was taken in the light box, but the meal was eaten on the road.  We had a train to catch!

But first we had to pick up Mikey and his family. 

Once we got on the train silliness ensued.

Lots and lots of silliness.  Somehow we ended up on the train that made every stop imaginable. 

Once we got off the train we made a beeline for the bathrooms Rockafeller Center.

I guess the easiest way to make money in New York City nowadays is to dress up as a popular cartoon character, let people take pictures in front of you, then ask for demand a tip.

We took pictures in front of a few just for fun, but some were just downright creepy! ↓

I guess Pooh was trying to hint at something…

Gotta love the Hannah Montana bag.

I think this was the creepiest Mickey Mouse I have ever seen.  (Make sure you look closely at the tongue.)

*Shudder*

Afterwards we walked around the city and took in all the sights.

All of that walking sure made us hungry, so we stopped at a little place called the Cranberry Cafe for lunch. 

I had Salad #18.

I was stuffed after eating it.  The salad almost weighed a pound!

After lunch we did some more walking and a little bit of window shopping.  We even went to Saks 5th Avenue where I posed with a mannequin. ↓

We also went to the cheesy souvenir shops and the big Toys-R-Us.

Then it was time to leave!

On the way to the train we stopped at Starbucks for some coffee and had some snacks.  I had a tall iced coffee with a shot of sugar-free vanilla syrup and a Kashi GoLean Roll Bar – Oatmeal Walnut flavor.

On the train there was more silliness, but this time it was a combination of tiredness and silliness.  By the time we got home we were too tired to cook so we ate dinner at Mikey’s house.

Dinner was my aunt’s homemade bean soup.  So good!

 

Now I’m sitting on the couch with a full belly watching Are We Done Yet.  I think I’m going to fall asleep any minute…

Goodnight!

Flashback Friday: Cal Ripken Fall 2010

Okay, I have never actually done a Flashback Friday post before but I had to tell you about Ripken, so here it goes…  

Hamilton A's - Phil's Baseball Team

 This time (Friday afternoon/evening) I was out of school and in route to Maryland for the Pennant Fever tournament at Ripken Stadium! Woohoo!  

When we arrived at our hotel (right in the complex) we quickly checked in, unpacked, watched an early baseball game, and then went to dinner. 

Dinner was nothing special the first day…just some good ol’ Italian pasta with artichokes, olives, garlic, onions, and mushrooms. ↓ (YUM!)  

 

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The next day we had to wake up early because Phil’s team was scheduled for an 8AM game. It’s a good thing the hotel offered a continental breakfast… 

My Breakfast: (same for both days) 

• 1 banana, split and filled with peanut butter
• 2 sausage links
• a bowl of pineapple and grapefruit sections topped with walnuts

Breakfast

 This breakfast was filling and kept me full for hours, which was important when games are often back-to-back and full of action. You just can’t eat in the middle of a baseball game!  

Speaking of baseball games… 

Phil up at bat

Phil catching

 

Scorekeeper - Haha!

Me!

 …Saturday we played two games and won one and tied one.  

The entire team also went to Golden Corral for dinner on Saturday! ♥ No pictures this time, but I assure you I exercised more control in the dessert section!  

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On Sunday we had more time to wake up and get ready since the first game was at 10AM instead of 8.  

The game was a tough one. For most of the game we were up by at least 5 runs, but towards the end the team caught up to us and we had to go into extra innings. Thankfully, the boys pulled it out and scored another 5 runs ending the game. Yay!  

The tournament guarantees 3 games and then if you are high enough in the standings you move on to the semi-finals and then the finals. 

While I was waiting for the semi-final game to begin I stopped at the concession stand and got myself some chicken tenders. ↓ 

 

That’s right – you can’t fully avoid ballpark food at a baseball tournament. (Well I can’t anyways… )  

The semi-final game was a heartbreaker. We started the game ahead by a lot, but eventually the other team caught up and with the help of many bad calls ended up winning. 

The Hamilton A’s played their hearts out. Unfortunately, they didn’t win it all. I guess you can’t be champions every time!  

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Happy Flashback Friday Everyone!  

*Here’s to a great weekend!*

Myrtle Beach Eats

I know many of you have already read about the highlights of my vacation last week in Myrtle Beach. (If you haven’t read them you can find them here, here, here, here, here, and here.) However, I didn’t post much about my eats! 

Here were some of my favorite meals enjoyed in Myrtle Beach. ↓

↑ Two BBQ chicken breasts smothered in cheddar jack cheese and bacon with a side of mixed veggies.

↑ My favorite savory breakfast: EggBeaters and Laughing Cow on a Sandwich Thin

↑ A Vanilla Bean Scone from Starbucks (accompinied by a grande iced coffee with sugar-free cinnamon dolce syrup.)

↑ An egg with a butter-y buscuit and sausage

↑ A Grilled Chicken Sandwich with fries (I can’t even remember the last time I had “real” fries.)

↑ A Virgin Piña Colada

↑ A garden salad and chili. The chili was soooo good – it even had carrots, peas, and other veggies in it!

↑ Snacky Lunch: A Toasted Nuts n’ Cranberry Luna bar, Brown Cow, and a peach.

↑ Teriyaki Flounder Salad with cornbread (The cornbread in wrapped in white and green paper in the upper right side of the picture.)

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As you can see I had a bunch of delicious and indulgent foods while on vacation. I loved all of the foods but I couldn’t wait to get back to my “normal” eating. If you want to read more about what “normal” eating is you can read a very good post Tina over at Carrots N’ Cake did on it.

Hope you enjoyed!

Hot Stuff

Wow, this is the first foodie-like post I have done since I left for vacation!   

As many of you guys know I love anything hot – hot sauce, hot mustard, hot peppers, etc. So when we were walking through Broadway at the Beach (a big shopping and entertainment center) and saw a sign for “The Pepper Palace” I knew I had to go there.   

   

 The Hot Pepper Palace‘s gimmick is a huge hot sauce bar complete with tortilla chips, so you can taste all of the different sauces. You wouldn’t believe how many different kinds of hot sauce they had! I was in hot sauce heaven! ♥   

Hot Sauce Bar

 

HOT SAUCE! This wasn't even half of them!

 

Oh, and check out this peanut butter I found ↓  

  

Doesn’t PB&Co. make something like this? I think I saw it somewhere…  

…Maybe on Janetha’s blog? 

Anyways, after looking around the store (and tasting everything at least twice) I finally decided on three things. A Buffalo Wing Sauce, Bone Suckin’ Mustard, and Tabasco Brand Coarse-Ground Mustard.  

I can’t wait to use the mustards on my sandwiches!   

Bag of Goodies

 Alright it’s decided – when I get home I am busting into the hot stuff right away! 

Question of the Day:  

1. Do you like spicy foods? If so, what kinds are your favorites?          I put Tabasco on almost anything, but I also like horseradish and wasabi.

Another Buffet

Yesterday we went to yet another buffet! This time we met up with our cousins and went to a place called The Giant Crab.  

The Giant Crab

 

 You’d think I would have used my own tips about buffets, but I didn’t. I guess I was caught up in the fact that I was never there before because after the buffet I was stuffed.    

You don’t even want to know how many plates I got…  

Plate #1   

  

↑ The crab cakes  were really good! 

Plate #2   

  

Plate #3   

  

↑ I found this when I was ready to get dessert…they actually had a hibachi table where you pick your meat, veggies, and sauce and the guy behind the table stir-fries it up for you. (While I was battling with my ready-to-explode stomach I told my Mom that I should have stuck to the stir fry and not all that heavily breaded seafood.)  

Bowl #1   

  

↑ ¼ bowl of Gumbo 

 Bowls #2-3  

 

↑ Chocolate and Vanilla Soft-Serve with rice pudding (Is it just me or does buffet soft-serve have a really weird texture?)  

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After eating all that food I was stuffed! All I wanted to do was come home and lay on the couch and be lazy, but I couldn’t because after dinner we hung around for a bit taking pictures.   

The Family!

  

  I had a great time with my friends and family, but I clearly have to work on portion control.    

Question of the Day:  

1. Do you over-do it at buffets?           I do sometimes, but not all the time.
2. Do you have any tips for surviving buffets?        I like to scope out the buffet first to see what I am going to take and what I am going to pass on.