vermont

The Calm Before The Storm

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Our Philadelphia trip was canceled due to the hurricane so the Hubz and I decided to take a mini day trip that turned into an overnight trip to Manchester VT and Northampton MA. We started our trip with a little outlet shopping in Manchester and lunch at The Spiral Press Cafe. Lunch was good but the wrap really needed a vinaigrette or simply a little salt and pepper.

Iced Coffee and Avocado Hummus Wrap

After lunch we decided to extended our adventure and head a few more hours south to Northampton MA. Northampton is one of my favorite spots to wonder, shop and enjoy a beer.

After wondering around Northampton we stopped into Target to pick up bathing suites (i.e. gym clothes we can wear into the pool) and then checked into the hotel. We decided to get in a quick pool workout since we didn’t pack running clothes for our spontaneous trip. After a hard pool workout we got dressed and headed out to dinner at Fresh Side in Amherst.

After a beautiful weekend that took us through Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire we are experiencing extreme devastation thanks to Irene.

Beautiful Weather Friday and Saturday

I’ve spent my birthday inside flipping between episodes of Gilmore Girls and the news while following saddening tweets about the destruction throughout Vermont:




I hope that everyone affected by the hurricane/tropical storm are staying safe.

Camping: Underhill State Park

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Camping supplies for one night...for two people.

Our accommodations for the night

Getting the Fire Started

Onions sauteed in beer for the Filed Roast Sausages

Fresh Sweet Corn

Field Roast Sausages with Creamy Chili Sweet Corn

Hubz Homebrew disguised in Sam Adams Bottle

Relaxing Fire Side

Early morning hike on Mount Mansfield

Hiking sights

More hiking sights

Post hike Vega Smoothie in a jar

Date Night In Deutschland

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Last week Neil and I decided that we needed to have a date night. Lately we have been so busy with our own things and home things that we haven’t been spending enough quality time together.

Our date night started at the driving range where we shared an extra large bucket of balls.

After we emptied our bucket of balls we headed to the batting gages.  I watched while Neil hit a few balls and then it was time to head downtown for the second half of our date.

We debated over a few places to go for a drink and dinner but I wasn’t really that hungry so we decided to go to the German brew pub for a beer and decide on what we wanted for dinner later.  Once we sat down and perused the menu we saw that there were a few potential small plate options for us to have and since we were enjoying the quiet night on the patio we decided to stay and order food as well.

Grilled Asparagus with olive oil and lemon

Giant pretzel with horseradish mustard (no butter on the pretzel)

Spicy Fries (more liked seasoned)

The Verdict: delicious beer (we stayed for a second) and tasty food. We sat and enjoyed each others company while sipping beers and snacking on the food. Overall one of the best nights lately and I can’t wait to return for more of the asparagus-SO GOOD!

Will Run For Beer

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We started our day off with a run in preparation for our race next Sunday

Before heading to the Brewers Festival we filled our stomachs with brunch

And rehydrated with Coconut Water

Then it was time to wait in line for the Brewers Festival

TIme to drink some yummy beers!




Some beers we loved...

ANd others.... like this one

we hated!

Now I’m home relaxing and trying to sooth my crazy sunburn.

Do You Want a Small Chicken? or Big Chicken?

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Neil and I have been so crazy busy this week that we just haven’t had a lot of quality time for each other so last night Neil proposed that we find a patio to go have dinner on. So I did my nails and put a cute dress on and we headed downtown to find an outdoor dining spot.

New nail color thanks to Beauty Without Cruelty– review and giveaway to come

Apparently everyone else had the same idea, to head downtown and eat al fresco.  So we finally settled on Italian and waited a bit for a table.  When we finally got a table we ordered a small chicken of Chardonnay to share and decided on salads and flatbread.

Neil's Arugula and Apple salad with candied walnuts and maple-sherry dressing

My Arugula, Apple and Strawberry Salad with candied walnuts and raspberry dressing.

Our flatbread with leeks, lemon, shiitake mushrooms and micro greens.

How we felt about the flatbread and the service.


Overall we had a nice night together but the service was awful! The waitress got our flatbread order wrong and then she disappeared for most of the time and it was just not ideal. The salads were good but Neil’s was way better. The flatbread was blah not great, really dry and boring.

Restaurant: Mint- Waitsfield, VT

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Neil and I spent most of the day running around visiting farmers markets (we visited three) and we finally needed to fuel ourselves. After leaving farmers market number three in Waitsfield, VT we decided to try out Mint a vegetarian restaurant in Waitsfield. We tried it a last winter and we thought it was really delicious but we just haven’t made it back until today.

We were seated outside in Paris and after reviewing the menu we decided on two dishes to share- the Falafel Plate and the Tempeh & Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich.

The sandwich was good but it wasn’t great.  It was a little bland and I would have loved for it to be toasted because it got a little soggy. The greens were wonderful dressed with a lavender-herb vinaigrette; so different but so good.

Now as for the falfael plate- yes it tastes as amazing as it looks.

Look at how crispy these little falafel balls are but how moist and wonderfully tasty they are in the center. Everything was amazing! The pita and falafel were warm and delicious with the tahini sauce.  The hummus was so tasty especially on the pita with a piece of roasted red pepper.  What can I say it was so good I could eat it every day.

Overall our second experience at Mint was just as good as the first- well probably even better. The only downfall of the place is the service is fair but the food is wonderful.

A Single Pebble

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Good Morning! This morning started out wonderful with a mug of coffee and a toasted French Meadow sprouted 16 grain and seed bagel with Toffuti. I enjoyed it out on the balcony and read a little bit more of The Hunger Games; so far I am loving this book- have you read it?

Wednesday Morning Breakfast- YUM

Breakfast Date

Lets rewind to yesterday:

Tuesday Breakfast

Lunch: Crackers & Hummus because we had no food

After work I went for a run and did my best pace yet, a 12 minute mile! So far I have cut over 2 minutes off my mile – WIN! It was a really great run.

Follow my workouts on Daily Mile

After my run Neil and I met up with friends from for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, A Single Pebble.

A Single Pebble is a tasty family style Chinese restaurant with some of the best food in town. We chose two small dishes, a large dish and a noodle dish to share between the four of us. We washed it all down with some local brews.

Vegetable Potstickers- These were pretty tasty

Double Garlic Broccoli- one of my favorite dishes on the menu. This is a must order at each visit.

Rice of Course

Sesame Buddha's Beef- this is also a suggested must order dish- it was absolutely amazing. We also had a vegan noodle dish with crispy tofu; it was meh not my favorite but it was okay.

After dinner we went out for one more beer at The Farm House Tap and Grill with this cute couple:


We had a great night out with friends, one of whom is currently living in DC. Now we are looking forward to our August couples trip to Philly. What are you must see, do, eat, ect for Philly? We are looking for suggestions.