Greetings once again from Portland!  I can't believe I'm saying this, but the weather here in the pacific northwest has been beautiful the past week.  Have you guys ever done "floating?"  When I lived in Pennsylvania, I heard about people floating down the Susquehanna River, but I never personally did it.  Essentially floating is getting into a river with a light current in a inner tube, and floating along with a group of people.  

In the past I have been in a inner tube being tugged by a speedboat, or I've certainly floated around in a pool or lake in a flotation device, but the act of doing river floating was a first for me.  And I've gotta say, it was pretty awesome.  

Sunday it was SUCH a pretty day, hot & sunny just how I like it.  A group of friends and I purchased inner tubes, went down to the Willamette River, and participated in THE BIG FLOAT.  The Willamette River has a bad rap as being dirty and contaminated, so every year an activist group hosts this event to help dispel the myth that the river is unsafe.  Must be true, I'm still alive!!  We had a blast.   

In food-related news, after writing my last post I realized that I am eating out WAY too much and I need to control my diet.  I am not sleeping well and I am overall feeling sluggish.  Since once of my favorite motto's is "you can't exercise away a bad diet," I decided to try to follow my own advice.  I hope I have found a pretty good balance for this week.  

Sunday night when I returned home from The Big Float, I prepared this delicious tasting plate for myself.  You really can't go wrong with some swiss cheese, crackers, grapes, and olives.  Mmmm.  It really hit the spot.  

On Monday, I prepared this delicious rice dish for myself.  And with a LOT of help from Trader Joe's, this was super duper easy and delicious.  Here is the "recipe" for this, if you can even call it one: 

1/2 bag Trader Joe's microwaved frozen Brown Rice 
1/2 container pre-cut Trader Joe's asparagus, onion, & mushroom mix from the fresh veggie case, roasted
1/3 block sauteed firm tofu 
a hearty drizzle of Trader Joe's Goddess salad dressing  

I had the leftovers for lunch today, and they were just as delicious the second time around.  And of course, like with most of my meal ideas, you can substitute your favorite veggies if the combo I used isn't your thing. Enjoy!!  

In my continual quest to balance health and delicious food, I am currently down a path of fun and indulgence. It has been pretty fantastic.  

Last weekend was spent in Las Vegas, having a early-20's-style weekend with my friends from work.  I stayed up way too late.  I danced my butt off.  I drank rum and coke - not diet coke, the real stuff.  It was great.  Above is the view of the strip from my hotel room. 

I love hanging out with these guys, but I always feel extremely short.  Ha!!     

The ridiculousness continued when I got back to Portland... for some reason I thought it was a great idea to have a Voodoo Donut for dinner.  The Portland Cream is seriously the best.  

Once the work week started, I at least started things off properly.  I caught a Monday night yoga class, but then I proceeded to meet some colleagues for dessert. Shared this delicious apple pie from McCormick & Schmick's and had a nice glass of red wine.  

The healthy eating problem of the week was that I had some coworkers in town from my home office who I haven't seen in awhile.  There was lots of meeting for dinner, sharing drinks, and it was difficult to find time to work out as the week progressed.  

I did have a laugh over my lunch on Friday, I enjoyed this yummy Asian noodle salad.  The waiter said it was "the healthiest thing on the menu."  I could only imagine how unhealthy everything else must have been if the healthiest dish still had a fried element - tofu.  It was pretty tasty though.  I wish I could recommend this restaurant to you, but for the life of me I cannot remember the name of it.  Food blogger fail.     

While I do regret that I feel a bit bloated from all the salty restaurant food, I can't say that I regret taking a few weeks and having some fun.  I'm not going to remember the nights that I stayed home and ate salad for dinner, but I will remember all the good times and experiences I have shared with friends while I've been here in Portland.  

With that being said, I have vowed to pack my lunches for work this week, and cook myself something at home if I don't have dinner plans.  I went to Trader Joe's this morning and stocked up on healthy produce, grains, tofu, eggs, and other staples that my diet has been lacking.  Wish me luck!!  

I'll leave you with this photo of Portland that I took while I was on a boat on the Willamette River.  

During our trip to McMinnville a few weeks ago, Matt & I had the most delicious lunch.  I randomly chose this restaurant based on online reviews, and it was a fantastic decision.  In fact, when we told a local that we had lunch at Bistro Maison that day, he said that it's "the best restaurant in town."  Um... yum!!  

Since I knew that I would be drinking wine the rest of the afternoon, I was perfectly fine loading up on some delicious French bread and butter.  The meal was already off to a great start!  

Then, I knew that I couldn't eat at a French restaurant without ordering some Pomme Frites.  I know, terrible for you, but this was my vacation week so I definitely splurged.  Matt & I shared this big basket.  

The fries were SO delicious you guys, they were just the right amount of crispiness, and the dijon dipping sauce was amazing.  Probably my favorite part of the meal.  

To try to balance things out, I ordered a salad for my entree.  Beets, quail eggs, mozzarella cheese, radishes, and croutons.  Mmmm.  It also had arugula, which I am not a huge fan of, but I picked around it a bit.  The dressing was light but flavorful.   

To end our meal, the waiter brought us out a bowl of walnuts and chestnuts with an old fashioned nutcracker.  So cute!  I was stuffed but I still ate a few walnuts just for the fun of it.  :)  

I would definitely recommend this place, and eating this kind of food got me excited to go to Europe this fall.  I am attempting to talk Matt into coming to visit me, and I would LOVE to do a Paris trip while he is there.  I'll keep my fingers crossed!!  

Last week was amazing.  After returning from my trip to Hungary, I had the chance to spend a vacation week in Oregon with Matt.  We were able to pack a lot of activities into a short amount of time! 

Our first adventure of the week was heading about an hour south of Portland to the small town of McMinnville. The central Oregon region is famous for its Pinot Noir, so as soon as I heard there was a wine country here I knew that Matt and I needed to do a wine tasting day.  How could I not want to spend the afternoon drinking red wine??  

We started the wine trip by enjoying an AMAZING lunch at a French bistro, I'll recap that lunch in a separate post, so make sure to check back!  After lunch we walked down the main street of town and visited the Willamette Valley Vineyards tasting room, where we shared a red wine flight.    

I like the convenience of an in-town tasting room, but my preference is to have the "true" winery experience and drive out to the vineyards and sit outside.  I definitely got that experience at our next stop - Yamhill Valley Vineyards.  Check out the spectacular view from their back deck.    

The guy running the tasting room was SO nice, he gave a nice hearty pour for the samples, and even offered us some complimentary snacks.  We had a delicious plate of {unpictured} mini-pastries, and then this cheesy baguette to share.  Wine + sweets + cheese + sunshine = the perfect day.  

At this point we had already consumed quite a bit of wine, so luckily our last stop of the day was at our Bed & Breakfast; Youngberg Hill.  You guys, this place was gorgeous.  Check out our room, and the view from the deck:      

Ridiculous right?  It was like a postcard.  Youngberg is not only a B&B, but also a winery.  They host a complimentary tasting every day at 4 pm for guests, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy some of their delicious Pinot Noir.  We happened to be there for their Wednesday night live music night, which was so relaxing.  I would absolutely recommend this place, it was beautiful.  The only down side was that they didn't serve breakfast until 9 am the next morning, and you guys know I am ready to eat as soon as I wake up. 

More Oregon adventures coming soon!  

As promised, a recap of the rest of my trip to Hungary.  I also wrote a separate post about the food I ate in case you missed it.  :)  

Most of the trip to Hungary was spent in the small town of Kecskemet- I was there to attend a training for work so we were in the hotel conference rooms much of the day.  I appreciated the greeting I got when I arrived, but of course they just slightly missed the mark!  

We did manage to break free of the Sheraton for a couple days - we spent a really fun day at the Varga Tanya Hotel.  I had trouble describing this place to my friends and family - it was a resort / activity center / hotel.  The hotel is located near the Hungarian puszta, which translates into "flat land."  I think the puszta is the same concept as a state park of sorts.  

One of our Varga Tanya activities was a horse show - which I didn't really like.  The horses looked really unhappy, and I saw the handlers whip them a few times.  They also did different stunts were they would have the horses sit in weird postures, or even lie down on the ground and the handlers would stand on top of them. I felt a bit guilty for being judgmental - after all the whole point of the visit was to explore Hungarian culture - so I tried to get more into the spirit of things the rest of the day.   

Part of the day at the Varga Tanya was spent doing some obstacles for team-building purposes.  Here I am completing one of the activities - trying to hit a walnut that comes out of a small chute.  It reminded me of whack-a-mole.  

Probably my favorite part of the Hungary trip was going to Budapest.  It was SO beautiful.  We started the visit on Friday night by going on a riverboat dinner cruise down the Danube, which runs right through the city. A few friends and I took advantage of some beautiful photo ops!    

On Saturday, we had plenty of time for photographs and sightseeing, visiting old churches and the Parliament building.  It was such a nice day out, and I loved getting to see the sights of Budapest.  We just don't have cities like this in the United States.  

It was such a great trip, and I had a blast with my friends & coworkers I was traveling with.  I can't wait to explore more of Europe!  Now, it's back in the US for this girl, and I have some exciting Portland adventures to share with everyone from the past few days.  Until then!  

Whew!  What an incredible whirlwind of a week it has been.  I just arrived back in Portland from a trip to Hungary.  I never would have thought that I would have such an amazing opportunity.  Like a lot of Americans, I had no idea where Hungary was located before I went there - so I wanted to share a map with you!  The majority of my week was spent in Kecskemet.  My employer has a location there, so we were invited to attend a week-long training.  But of course there was plenty of time for fun as well, and we spent a couple days in Budapest touring the city.   

But first things first - the food!  After all, this is a food blog.  I didn't photograph everything I ate; mainly because most of it was not spectacular.  In fact, most of it was not to my taste.  There were lots of meats in various sauces, usually served with rice or potatoes.  Although I try not to eat meat, I did eat chicken a few times because there weren't many other options.  One of my friends I was traveling with is a vegetarian (as opposed to a flexitarian like me), and she had an even worse time.  With that being said, I do have a few things to show you.  

Our first full night in Kecskemet, we went to a traditional Hungarian dinner at a local wine cellar.  When we arrived at the restaurant, everyone's plate had a little treat on it - we weren't really sure what it was.  When I bit into it, it turns out it was a chocolate covered rum ball.  Yes, please!  The meal was off to a good start.  

Since we were with a big group, the meal choices were either "vegetarian" or "meat."  The vegetarian consisted of rice and potatoes, fried mushrooms, and roasted vegetables.  Little did I know at that point that I would eat rice, potatoes, and vegetables at almost every single meal.    

For dessert, we had some sort of bread-pudding type thing, which I didn't like.  So I ate the whipped cream off the top and called it a night.  :) 

Most of the time for lunch, we just ate at the hotel buffet.  Here is a typical meal I ate from the buffet.  Noodles, potatoes, pickled veggies, oh my!  

After eating the same hotel lunch for many days in a row, I was excited when on Thursday we went off-site to a Hungarian resort called the Vaga Tanya.  The excitement was premature, because we ate about the same stuff there too.  This was the day I ate a bunch of chicken because I was SO ready for something different.  

They started the lunch by placing a big pot of soup on everyone's table.  This soup was actually one of the best things I ate on the entire trip.  Then we had a buffet lunch - more fried and/or picked veggies for this girl.  

Dinner was either grilled chicken or steak served with - you guessed it!  Veggies and potatoes.  

Like most trips, I try to have a good balance of eating healthy and treating myself.  So my strategy was to eat smaller portions, make sure I was exercising, and not drink TOO much red wine.  That part was easier said that done.  :)  

And my absolute favorite thing I ate on the trip - this ice cream I purchased off a street cart in Budapest.  It really hit the spot.  My friend Lindsey and I were actually a bit late getting back on the tour bus since we stopped for the ice cream.  Worth it!  

I will do another Hungary recap soon, and share with you some of the places I went and the activities that I did.  Until then my friends!  

As I'm writing this, I'm gearing up for a night on the town here in Portland.  It has been a tiring but really good few weeks for me.  Here are some of the highlights from the first few weeks of my trip.   

Last weekend, a group of us went hiking at The Columbia River Gorge.  It was actually a really nice day here (I know, unexpected!) and we ended up doing about 7 miles.  The scenery was amazing, too bad I am such a horrible photographer.  

The hike we did was the Eagle Creek Trailhead to the High Bridge.  I would definitely recommend it; you walk along the upper ledge of the gorge and pass several waterfalls.  We stopped at the Punchbowl Falls to have lunch.  Waterfall pic!   

I also spent some time last weekend watching dragonboat races along the riverfront.  After kayaking with Matt and barely being able to coordinate our paddle strokes, it was crazy to see everyone rowing in sync.  I wasn't TOO interested in the races, but it was cool sitting outside on the nice day and watching all the Portland people.  There are a LOT of "unique" people here you guys, definitely a hippie/alternative town.  

I haven't taken too many food pics here, but my eating has definitely been random.  I bought some brown rice, lentils, and frozen veggies from Trader Joe's, and have eaten that many times throughout the week.  I don't want to disparage it though, the rice/lentils/veggie combo is really easy to throw together and quite tasty.  

I also have been having cereal for dinner.  Whatever works, right?  

I will try to do better at taking food pictures!!  

This week has been especially busy because I had the opportunity to return to Charlotte for a few days for a work event - which meant I got to see Matt and Sadie!  I miss them both very much.  Sadie always loves getting her picture taken.  Just kidding - she HATES it!  She always looks like she is about to run away.  

That's it for now friends, I'll check back in with more adventures soon!  

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest!  For those of you who need caught up - I am living in Portland, Oregon for the next 3 months.  It has already been a huge change from my beloved Charlotte.  

Here are some things I have learned from my first week in Portland:  

1) Portland summer is not like Charlotte summer, it's more like Ohio summer.  I definitely did not pack the proper clothes.  The first few days here were cold and rainy.  Brrr!  Thank goodness it warmed up today.  Portland does look really pretty when it's nice out.  I took this snapshot from the walking path outside my apartment.  

2) I have zero motivation to do any sort of cooking.  I know - what has gotten into me?  There are just SO many convenient options nearby, and even the cafeteria at work is good.  I did manage to go to Trader Joe's and buy waffles, bananas, and peanut butter, so at least I am eating breakfast at home.  

3) People here ride their bikes everywhere!  I decided to join in on the fun.  It is actually a LOT easier to bike in the city because you just end up sitting at red lights in the car.  I actually decided to be super "Portland" and ride my bike to yoga this morning.  

4) In the summer, there is always something going on here.  Every Saturday there is a market with different food and craft vendors.  I saw it on my bike ride home from yoga this morning, and decided to stop and get some lunch.  Falafel sandwich anyone?  

So, I'm hoping that this week I get my act together and eat a little healthier.  I am hoping to make up for it somewhat because I am walking and biking everywhere.  But I am the first person to note that you can't exercise away a bad diet.  

I will be checking in throughout my trip, so make sure to check back!  On the agenda tomorrow is to buy some sweaters!!  

I can't remember when I first heard about the Tupelo Honey Cafe.  It's sort of a "trend" spot in Charlotte since it's fairly new to the area, and I kept seeing comments on social media that the food is spectacular.  Every time we have driven or walked by the restaurant, it is super duper crowded.  Anyone who knows my husband knows that he is too fidgety to sit around and wait for a table for too long.  So we never could commit to going there.      

The original location is in Asheville, and when Matt & I were in Asheville a few weekends ago we thought - we have GOT to get to the Charlotte location.  Since we are typically awake early on the weekend anyway thanks to a certain doggy, we decided to just head there right when they opened for breakfast to avoid the crowds.  

First things first:  coffee.      

And then everyone starts out their meal with the signature biscuits and jam.  These were SO GOOD.  I could have just eaten a couple of these biscuits and called it a meal.  You could tell there were fresh berries in the jam too, which made it even more amazing.  They also bring you a container of warm honey to drizzle on top.  I definitely used both jam and honey, and loved every bite of it.    

For breakfast, I ordered the breakfast bowl.  Goat cheese grits, spicy black eyed peas, 2 eggs, soy sausage, pico de gallo, and cheese.  By the time I chowed down on the biscuit and drank 2 cups of coffee, I was already pretty full so I was only able to finish about half my breakfast.  Meh.  It was super delicious though.  You could tell the grits were made with goat cheese- super smooth and tangy.  

The only thing I was missing was a Bloody Mary, but North Carolina has this rule about liquor sales before noon.  So I'm thinking we'll need to go back.  This is NOT diet food folks, but if you follow the 80% healthy 20% unhealthy rule like I do, you can make room in your 20% for this.  Worth it.    

I read a few reviews about this place before I went, and anyone who says the food isn't delicious is crazy.  If you are in Charlotte or Asheville, you will not be sorry you stopped in.  The only down side?  Food coma.  I immediately went home and took a nap!  Ha!  

It seems like just yesterday I was writing about my 7th wedding anniversary.  Every year, Matt & I have a tradition of going on a getaway weekend for our anniversary instead of buying each other gifts.  Even though our actual anniversary is June 17th, due to travel & work schedules we ended up taking our anniversary trip late last year in September, and celebrating our 8-year anniversary early this year.     

We had been hearing amazing things about Asheville - a hippy-ish town famous for its local beer scene and laid back vibe.  Since Asheville is only about 2 1/2 hours from Charlotte, it seemed like the perfect location for a weekend trip.   

I rented a small house in West Asheville, when traveling with a doggy it's not always easy to find hotels.  I was a little let down by the house, but that may have been because my expectations were too high.  It said the location was convenient, but West Asheville was a little TOO hippy-ish and too far away from downtown for my taste.  The house itself was clean and perfectly fine, but next time we go back to Asheville we are definitely going to stay in the downtown area; Sadie will just have to deal!  

The one place I did enjoy in West Asheville was the Battlecat Coffee Bar, it was within walking distance from our rental house. Sadie looks thrilled to be here, haha!   

One of the highlights of the trip for me was definitely spending Saturday afternoon in downtown Asheville.  We had some great pizza and beer at the Asheville Brewing Company.   

And a second round of beer at the Wicked Weed Brewery.  Dark beer = obsessed.  

 For dessert: some delicious homemade candy from Chocolate Fetish.  Mmmm!!!  

After all that eating & drinking, good thing we planned some serious hiking for the next day, at Chimney Rock State Park.  We climbed stairs, we walked to waterfalls, and Matt even got an extra arm workout carrying a scaredy pants dog back down the stairs!!  

Totally worth it though, it was a beautiful day and the view was fantastic.  

It seems crazy that I have been married for 8 years, and we have been on 8 of these weekend trips.  We were talking about stepping it up next year- doing something a little more luxurious since the past few years have been pretty low key.  We'll see what year 9 holds for us!!