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More Travel = DSLR!!!

September 16, 2010 by

Jen Bean2

I have big, BIG news! I am seriously bursting at the seems wanting to tell all of you, but I can’t share it just yet. I’ll give you a hint, it involves gourmet food and travel! I’m hoping to reveal the new details next week, so stay tuned!

On another note, because I will be traveling quite a bit in the next 6 weeks, I’m breaking down and buying a DSLR. I’ve been using a Canon S90 point and shoot for about a year and it has served its purpose well. It was good enough to get me by on a day to day basis and took pretty decent photos for a point and shoot. However, because of several very important events coming up this year and next, Scott and I felt it was time to upgrade.

So, what am I looking for in a DSLR? I want one that is small, takes great pictures of food/sites without too many fancy lenses, and one that is of high quality/brand. Now it’s time for a little blogger help! For all of my Healthy Living Summit, Fitbloggin, and Bookieboo/Mamavation friends out there…

What DSLR do you use and why do you recommend/not recommend it?

Check back on Sunday for a fun giveaway announcement!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: ,

Top Foodie Towns in the US

September 15, 2010 by

Bon Appétit magazine has just named our nation’s top “Foodiest Towns” of 2010. To even be considered for this prestigious list, towns had to fit certain criteria including:

  • Small, fewer than 250,000 residents or a small town feel
  • Quality farmers’ markets
  • Concerned farmers
  • Dedicated food media
  • First-rate restaurants
  • Talented food artisans
  • Community of food lovers

With this strict criteria, standard top foodie cities, like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, didn’t make the cut. However, by keeping this criteria to smaller towns, you’ll see that some true gems were able to shine. So who made the cut?

TOP FOODIE TOWN

Boulder, CO – Hands down, Boulder topped this list for many reasons. It is the home of innovative food companies, top-tier restaurants, and one of the best farmers’ markets in the country. Other runner-up cities included:

RUNNERS UP

  1. McMinnville, OR
  2. Big Sur, CA
  3. Traverse City, MI
  4. Louisville, KY
  5. Ithaca, NY

Surprisingly, I have actually been to one of these small town foodie destinations – Traverse City. However, the last time I was there, at least 10 years ago, it was really just coming into its own as a foodie town.

What top foodie towns have you been to? What’s your favorite?

Filed Under: Featured, Food Tagged With: , ,

Running With Cake On Tour

September 2, 2010 by

Napa Valley Grapes

(Photo Source)

The summer is not even over and I am already gearing up for a very busy Fall! For the most part, my busy schedule will be attributed to work and all of the travel I will be doing for my job. Let’s take a look at where I’m headed….

Running With Cake On Tour

  • New York: September 2010
  • San Francisco – October 2010
  • Napa Valley – October 2010
  • Vancouver – November 2010
  • San Antonio – March 2011
  • Orlando (?) – April 2011
  • Baltimore – May 2011
  • Las Vegas – June 2011
  • Hawaii – October 2011

As you all probably know from my Bistro Chic blog, I love to travel. But this schedule is insane! I only hope that Scott and the kids will be able to join me on some of these trips, fingers crossed!

In all of these places, I’m hoping to try some fabulous restaurants and take equally fabulous pictures of my food and the sites. Napa Valley wineries here I come! Also, I’m already planning a blogger meet-up in San Fran, but if any fellow bloggers want to do a casual meet up in any of the cities listed above, let me know! Rest assured, I will be bringing my running shoes on all of my adventures – you never know when a race might break out!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in any of the cities listed above? If so, leave a comment and let me know!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: ,

First Post From My New iPhone4

June 26, 2010 by

Hey all! I’m writing this post from my new, way cool iPhone 4! Because I haven’t used the old iPhone very much, it’s hard to compare. There are so many things I like about the new iPhone – way too much to type right now. Guess I’ll save that for later!

I will say that the camera feature is very cool! The pic above of Ms M was taken over the weekend with the new phone. However, when I tried posting the photo in the WordPress application, the photo automatically goes to the bottom of the post and there is no way to change this default (that I know of). I had to save my draft then go back in through my Mac and make the photo appear at the top. If anyone knows how to fix this WordPress app bug, please let me know!

So now I’m winding down from our long weekend in Michigan and anticipating a very rough week at work. It’s always a little more hectic than usual when befoe I head off for vacation. Why is it that before we leave for vacation, we try to cram everything in – extra work at the office, house work,  yard work, etc and then wind up just wanting to sleep through our whole vacation!

Have a great night everyone!

Filed Under: Leisure Tagged With: ,

Michigan Road Trip – What No Peanut Butter?

May 30, 2010 by

As you may have guessed, I’ve been away the whole weekend. This time I was on a road trip – to Michigan. I will be the first one to admit that 6-7 hours in a car with a 5 year old a toddler can get a little dicey. But what’s even more challenging is finding healthy things to eat when I’m on the road.

Because we left so early on Friday morning, Scott wanted to stop for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I am not against CB, but I’ve been there so many times that I’m barreled out.  Nonetheless, he was the driver so he got to choose.

In my college days and even pre-kid days, I would love to stop at CB for their cheesey potatoes and their biscuits. But now, I have absolutely no desire to eat those things, especially for breakfast.  As you know, I normally eat yogurt, oatmeal, or Kashi cereal for breakfast. I also like to incorporate some type of fresh fruit and/or peanut butter. As I casually looked at the menu, I saw “fresh fruit” and oatmeal on the menu, and thought, this couldn’t be that bad. But then I noticed that the “fresh fruit” included sliced bananas and fried apples – ugh! When did we start labeling fried apples as “fresh fruit”? This is a total Jamie Oliver nightmare.

The server came to our table and the conversation went a little something like this…

  • Me – Do you have any fresh fruit other than bananas and fried apples?
  • Server – No, that’s it
  • Me – so no fresh berries or melon?
  • Server – no that’s it
  • Me – Ok, then I’ll take the oatmeal
  • Server – we stopped serving oatmeal at 10 AM
  • Me – But it’s only 10:10 AM, you don’t have any left?
  • Server – no, it’s all gone.
  • Me – Do you have yogurt?
  • Server – No, we don’t serve yogurt. We tried serving it years ago but it didn’t go over well.
  • Me – OMG!!! Well then I’d like an English muffin with peanut butter
  • Server – We don’t have peanut butter.
  • Me – What is with Cracker Barrel? You guys need to get with the times!

As this point, I was so frustruated, I forgot to ask what cereal they served. I would bet money that they didn’t have Kashi. My server then explained that, like me, she was surprised that CB didn’t have these items. But she said that the restaurants were trying to keep with the authentic country or “down home” type of food. I could see that she wanted to help me, but it was beyond her control. My husband said, “there’s plenty of things to eat on the menu” to which I replied, “yeah, if all I want to eat is CARBS!” Ugh, I was not happy. I settled for one poached egg an English muffin with jam. I wonder if they considered the prepackaged jam a fruit as well?

Cracker Barrel, if you weren’t so convenient on road trips, I would avoid you like the carb-laden plague.

Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: , , ,

So Glad to Be Home

May 20, 2010 by

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

Hey all! I’m so excited – I am going to the Healthy Living Summit!!! As of today, it looks like there are still tickets available. But I’m sure they will go fast, so if you’re thinking about going, I suggest you buy your ticket ASAP!

I just returned from my 5-day stint in Washington, DC. It was a great trip but a little long for its purpose. Plus, my throat was on fire the whole time and still is. I’m heading into the doctor tomorrow. At first I didn’t think it was strep, but now I’m pretty sure it is. The weird thing is that other than my throat, I feel fine. Whatever I have, I need to get well ASAP because I’m headed out of town again next weekend.

To help with the pain and soothe my aching throat, I’ve been drinking hot tea like it’s going out of style. I must have had 2 teas each day while in Washington. My tea of choice these days is either Tazo Awake or just about any brand of English Breakfast (love Harney and Sons!). If I’m using a bag, I steep it for about 3 minutes or so, then add a bit of skim milk – no sugar. Ahh, sooo good! I even tried a couple English Breakfast lattes that were quite yummy. However, please be aware that even tea lattes made with skim milk have anywhere from 100-150 calories per drink. Keep that in mind if you’re watching calories!

I have to say that I am so glad to be home and back sleeping in my own bed. The room that I had for the last week overlooked the lobby/bar area, just one floor up. So, it was very noisy from about 6:30 AM to well after midnight. This went on for 4 nights in a row. Then, last night, about 12:15 AM, I was fed up and called the front desk. I asked them when they planned to turn the music down so that people could sleep. After all, it was after midnight on a Wednesday – it wasn’t like it was 9 PM on a Saturday. The woman said she would let the lobby/bar know that I filed a noise complaint. Well, the music and noise were still going strong at least 30 minutes later. Ugh – not happy! I finally fell asleep, so I don’t know what time the music actually shut off. So much for my complaint – I really didn’t expect that kind of service (or lack of) from a Marriott hotel.I don’t think I’d stay there again, and if I HAD to, I would definitely ask for a higher floor.

Anyway, enough of my hotel ranting, I’m off to bed. Have a great night!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , , ,

A Star-Spangled Evening

May 19, 2010 by

Hey all! Today was my last full day in Washington, DC, and what a day it was! So, what did I do today? Aside from working from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM, I….

  • Ran 5 miles around the White House and Washington Monument
  • Got a massage and facial
  • Ate some awesome bread pudding with butterscotch sauce
  • Watched the movie Leap Year, with Amy Adams, on my computer
  • Attended a private after-hours event at the Smithsonian!

At the American History Museum, I got to take a photo with Revolutionary War musicians. They asked me if I could add a little color to my coat – they must be comedians in there spare time. At the Natural History Museum, I was able to rub elbows, err…stones, with an Easter Island statue – me no dum dum (random Night at the Museum reference)…

Plus, I covertly took a photo of America’s own pride and joy – the American Flag – aka the Star-spangled banner…

Whew! All in a days “work”. Now, I’m off to pack. I have to work our 1/2 day conference tomorrow then I’m flying back to Chicago mid-day. See you all tomorrow night as I write from Chi-town!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: ,

All Work and No Play

May 17, 2010 by

Today was day #2 – on my own in Washington, DC. After a brisk run, followed by a little morning work, I headed off to the Smithsonian – a place that I had not been in over 20 years. I spent more than two hours wandering the halls of the Natural History and the American History museums. I even got the chance to visit Julia Child’s kitchen! During this time, I was torn between loving the freedom to come and go as I pleased, but wishing I had Scott with me to share the experience.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped off for afternoon tea at a local favorite – Teaism in Penn Quarter. Teaism would not be my first choice for authentic afternoon tea (British style) – it’s more focused on Asian tea. But the cafe provided a great atmosphere to enjoy my English breakfast, some cake, and a cookie. Because I had nowhere else to go, I took my time, savoring the drink and good eats, and reading a magazine from cover to cover – something I rarely do nowadays.

Tomorrow I actually have to WORK, but thankfully, not until 10 AM. I’m planning a 6-mile run around the city, then another dinner out tomorrow night. Life is hard when you’re on a business trip – he he!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: , , ,

Dinner at Circa in Washington DC

May 16, 2010 by

Hey all! Hope you had a great weekend. I was up and at ’em around 7 AM today. I went for a 6-mile run, then came home to finish packing for my trip to DC. I boarded a plane around 1 PM and touched down in DC about 3:30 PM. Whew – all that in just a matter of a few hours! Since my conference doesn’t start until tomorrow, I quickly unpacked at the hotel then headed out to take in the sites. I walked all over Penn Quarter, sampling froyo, viewing the goods at Teasim, and then finally stopping off at the American Art Museum and Portrait Gallery.

Later on, I met Prachi – a DC friend of mine – for dinner at Circa on Du Pont Circle. Circa Cafe is a mix of trendy and charming, and with the weather at 70 degrees, you just can’t beat sitting outside! To start, we split a bottle of Chardonnay and some super yummy risotto croquettes…

These croquettes were awesome! Cheers to the chef who thought up the idea to bread risotto balls and deep fry them! Note to self – must try these at home. Next up, I enjoyed the Rocket salad with cherry tomatoes, arugula, sliced chicken, and more…

As you can tell, I was more than happy with my entree choice, the wine, and the company. Since I don’t see Prachi very often – a couple times  a year – we try to catch up on everything when we do see each other. Sadly, I learned that she is moving to Phoenix for a year with her boyfriend, Jigar. I only say “sadly” because I don’t travel to Phoenix very often so will likely not see her for quite some time. Ironically, Phoenix is where Prachi and I met for the first time about 5 years ago. I have never met Jigar but I’m sure he must be a great catch – after all, he likes Pazo restaurant in Baltimore!

For dessert – Prachi and I shared a wonderful orange almond crescent bread pudding with pistachio gelato. OK, we really didn’t “share”. She ordered a decaf coffee and I ate most of the dessert, but can you blame me…

Who can pass up bread pudding sans raisins with creme anglaise? The only thing that would have made this better is chocolate – hmm, something to think about for next time.

OK ladies, it’s off to bed for me. Planning a early AM run tomorrow!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: , , , ,

Yoga On the Go

May 12, 2010 by

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

Although I travel quite a bit for work, I always find time to fit in a run or a workout. Some people use work-related travel as an excuse to forgo workouts. But I’m a firm believer of the mantra – where there’s a will, there’s a way. Most of the time, it’s easy to just go for a run in the city or to use the hotel gym’s treadmill. However, there are those times when fitting a run in seems almost impossible. I’m sure you’ve all been there:

  • You get in too late to your destination city to fit in a outdoor run and you don’t want to pay the hotel gym fee for a 45-minute run
  • The area where you’re staying is too sketchy for you to run outside; plus, the hotel only has two treadmills, both of which are out of order
  • It’s terrible weather outside, which sends you to the hotel gym only to find it’s too packed to find an open machine

Although I’d choose running over all forms of exercise, I’d prefer to do any type of exercise over none at all. In situations where I can’t run while traveling, I find it good to have a back up plan. Here’s how I cope…

Pack Your Workout: I received a yoga mat for my birthday and it is a wonderful fitness tool to have! It is thin enough to fit in my suitcase and even my carry on, yet still provides a quality yoga mat feel. I just put a hotel towel down on the floor, throw the mat over it, grab my yoga pose book, and I’m good to go.

Try e-Yoga: And speaking of yoga, iTunes has several free downloadable audio and video yoga podcasts (like Yoga Today), ranging from hatha to flow, and more. You can also print out several yoga sequences through Yoga Journal or download sequences at Yoga Download.

Workout Anywhere: Health and fitness magazines and their corresponding Web sites are great resources for workouts that you can do anywhere. Women’s Health magazine has a great list of ipod friendly workouts to download and Shape magazine has several spot-training workouts you can access with an Internet connection. Bonus – most workouts can be done right in your own hotel room.

So, as you can see, even if you’re confined to your hotel room, there’s really no excuse for skipping your workout. Now get going!

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