Category Archives: restaurants

I went to Vermont, I ran, and I ate delicious food

I’m back! Between my vacation to Vermont and the Easter holiday, I apologize for not posting. I really meant to, I brought my computer up there and everything. But time got away from me and obviously a blog post never happened. I was obviously distracted by the beautiful view below! Talk about gorgeous. But today I’m back and here to share what I’ve been doing these past few days.

The view of Lake Champlain at sunset.

The view of Lake Champlain at sunset.

1. I ran!

Yes, I ran! On roads slightly different than NYC :)

Yes, I ran! On roads slightly different than NYC :)

I had two runs while in Vermont, my first two for almost two weeks due to plantar fascitiis pain. I tried out my new Mizuno Wave Inspires, which I love love love so far. They are lighter than my Brooks but still offer support. Plus, they are bright blue and color always draws me in. Yes, I am a sucker for neon.

I ran with Karl and his brother on the hilly back roads for one 4 mile run and one 6.1 mile run. It was their first super hilly outdoor run and they did great! Although that wasn’t what my long run was supposed to be that weekend (11 miles), I am easing back in slowly since I also have some lingering knee pain but felt pretty good overall. Hopefully now I’ll be okay for my 15K this weekend and the Nike Women’s Half this month. Crossing my fingers all goes well.

Karl and I post run.

Karl and I post run.

2. I ate delicious food.

When we go visit Karl’s family in Vermont, we always make it a point to eat as much local food as possible. For example, maple syrup, cheese (LOTS of cheese, all types), and bread. We were lucky to have tons of this at his families’ house but we also went out to two amazing restaurants: A Single Pebble (Chinese food) and The Farmhouse Tap and Grill (American food) in Burlington, VT. Both places rival, if not beat, places of the same cuisine that I’ve eaten in NYC. Yes, I am saying that A Single Pebble beats Mr. Chow and Phillipe Chow in my opinion. Especially their Mock Eel… yummmm. Both were AMAZING.

Cheese Plate from the Farmhouse Tap and Grill

Cheese Plate from the Farmhouse Tap and Grill

I am also obsessed with Lake Champlain Chocolates so I picked up a big stock of that to bring home. Hopefully I can make it last but no promises. Its just too good.

3. I celebrated Easter and spent time with family.

This was the first Easter I didn’t spend with my direct family, but with Karl’s aunts and grandma instead. We made it feel like home by doing some egg coloring (with the invisible crayon.. my favorite!) and playing some games with the eggs. We didn’t end up doing an Easter egg hunt because we were too busy that whole day, but it ended up being lots of fun anyway.

Pretty Easter Eggs!

Pretty Easter Eggs!

I think those eggs turned out pretty nice! The multicolored is mine, I was the only one who attempted it! Apparently I’m daring in my egg coloring skills. Who knew?

We also went for a nice brunch on Easter day with Karl’s family and ate some more delicious food. It was great to catch up and see everyone again.

Mark, Karl and I on Easter

Mark, Karl and I on Easter

4. I went to a wine tasting.

I have been wanting to go to a nearby vineyard everytime we go to Vermont, but for some reason we never end up there. But this time we did! We went to Shelburne Vineyard for a nice afternoon wine tasting one of the days we were there and got to try out some of their award winning wines. They were all delicious, especially their dessert ice wines. Oh my gosh.. amazing!

Wine from the Vineyard

Wine from the Vineyard, with medals!

Its a great price too. You get to try out 8 wines for $5, plus you get a nice souvenir wine glass to take home. And a nice one at that! They don’t pressure you to buy anything but it was so good we had to take some wine home. Can’t wait to open them up and enjoy more Vermont grapes!

5. I played with cute doggies.

Karl’s aunts that we usually stay with have two Shih Tzu’s and one German Shepherd. Since I LOVE dogs but don’t have one of my own, I was in doggie heaven. They are super cute and I loved playing with them. The small ones are cuddly and fluffy.

One of the Shih Tzu's named Vita!

One of the Shih Tzu’s named Vita!

And the German Shepherd is a big 8 month puppy who loves to play. She can also entertain herself forever, e.g. she chased a leaf blowing in the wind for about 20 minutes. It was fantastic.

The German Shepherd puppy Tilda.

The German Shepherd puppy Tilda.

6. Lastly, I learned about this:

I am going to be posting more about this upcoming NEW Thrive Forward Sportprogram that I think most of you will LOVE. Stay tuned :)

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PS. Be sure to enter my Fit Four Gloves GIVEAWAY which ENDS TODAY! Click here to enter.

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What did you do this weekend?
Do you celebrate Easter? What are your traditions?
Have you ever gone to a wine tasting?
How are your pre-summer workouts going?

24 Comments

Filed under holiday, restaurants, shopping, Thrive Forward, vacation, videos, weekend

Three Things Thursday

Sorry I’ve been neglecting you all, fieldwork has been kicking my butt this week! Pure craziness. But I love my Thursday posts and couldn’t miss it. I’ll catch up on my blogging this weekend too, I promise, and check up on all the awesome blogs I read. I miss you guys! Hope your weeks are going well, tell me about em below!

Here’s my three things…

1. My July Foodie Pen Pal package came in the mail :) YAY!! I am allowed to share what I got in the last day of the month (according to the official rules) so you will all just have to wait, but I have to say this is another good one! The people who I’m getting matched up with rock. Last month it was Britt and this month was Maya. I am one lucky girl.

This is SUCH an awesome program and I suggest you try it. Its a great way to meet people and also to try new foods. Some of the items I wouldn’t have tried on my own either, but am so glad I was able to try them because I’ve fallen in love! Check it out :)

The Lean Green Bean

2. I had a nice girls night out dinner the other day with my classmates who I haven’t seen in a while since we all started fieldwork at different places. We went to a place called Brooklyn Fish Camp in Park Slope and had a great time. I had never heard of this restaurant before but am so glad we went, I have to go back here like ASAP. Everything was really fresh and high quality.

One of the appetizers.. Clams! I usually am not a fan of these but they were amazing!

The food was incredible and we had a nice time catching up! Plus I finally got to eat some seafood which I haven’t had in a while! LOVE!

Yummy shrimp!

The token blogger photo, because it just has to happen. My friends understand.

If you are ever in Park Slope, check this place out. Plus they have outdoor seating which I’m planning on trying when the weather cools down. I don’t like to eat when I’m really hot!

3. Since Thursday posts are always random, I wanted to share with you all some funny/random search terms that lead people to my blog recently. Some of them I have NO idea how Google decided were relevant to my blog, but honestly it gives me some good laughs. Here’s a few:

  • i run it like a mojo
  • not a treadmill but not an elliptical
  • can kale help pain in ur feet
  • stay cool today (who even Google’s this?!)
  • how i spent my lucky day
  • is it good to run only one mile everyday
  • mile pace for 27:25 in 10000 meters
  • running gate look like i’m walking

So yeah, you can see why I love reading these. My favorite is the kale one by far, its so confusing for me! Whats your favorite?

Okay, here’s some three things questions!

Three TV shows you can’t wait to start again:
1. Dexter
2. Fringe.. last season!
3. Hart of Dixie (yup, I watch this. Don’t judge)

Three reasons I like fall/winter over the summer:
1. Running outside in layers when its cool
2. Skiing
3. Comfy sweaters and cuddling when its snowing

I miss skiing!

Three goals for this weekend:
1. Run at least a little bit Friday-Sunday
2. Celebrate with my sister after her big Med School exam
3. Sleep in past 7 (hopefully)

Hoping I can sleep like this little guy this weekend..

What are some random search terms that bring people to your blog?
Tell me three random things about your day!
Answer any of the three things questions.

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Filed under blogging, restaurants, Three things thursdays

My Weekend on Wheels and Giveaway Winner

Today’s Workout: Chisel class with Carl Hall @Crunch

Hope everyone had a great weekend :) It was sunny and warm here in NYC so I took full advantage of it and went on a 16-17 mile bike ride Saturday to Staten Island (with some breaks in between) with Karl. Still no running, although I may  start again this week which I am SO exited about. I’ve missed my favorite sport but I’m hoping this break will be good for my old lady body. Hopefully by the middle or end of the week I’ll fit in a few miles and then training starts for me for my relay in October.

But in the meantime I’m biking a lot and thankful that I can do that without my body freaking out. We started off with a ride across the Manhattan bridge, along the East River, and down to the SI ferry. The riverfront is SO pretty around there!

Riding along the East river near the seaport.

Karl loving all my picture-taking… not.

After we took the ferry over we decided to explore Staten Island a bit on our bikes. I grew up there but biking it is different so we headed first to Snug Habor Cultural Center and Park, a hidden gem!

There was a small castle there, it said the secret garden on it. Not sure what’s inside.. guess its a secret.

This water fountain was a lifesaver on the hot day. I was able to cool off a bit.

Super cool tree tunnel!

Pretty flowers all over :)

Fountains!

After we left Snug Harbor, we headed back around to the SI boardwalk. We planned on staying and laying in the sand for a bit, but it was a bit too hot for my liking plus we had no beach towels. And I hate when sand gets stuck on me and I can’t get it off. So we just admired the beach from a distance :)

The boardwalk on Staten Island. Thats the Verazzano bridge in the distance, the start of the NYC Marathon.

After, we headed back to my parents house and got ready to go out to dinner. We got a recommendation for a pizza place we heard is apparently the best in the city so we decided to go try it out. Its called Lee’s Tavern and its basically a dive bar with pizza. But it was AMAZING. Seriously, Staten Islanders know how to make pizza. I have to say that in all of NYC the two best pizzas I’ve had were both on SI: Lee’s (my number one now) and Denino’s. The best!

Wearing my new dress to dinner!

Fresh mozz and tomato with basil @ Lee’s Tavern.

After dinner we came home and just hung out all night in the backyard with my sister, just chatting and joking around. I really miss having a backyard! It was so nice and relaxing. I was wearing this shirt from my mom who is really into science… don’t ask. I have no idea what it means but its my lounging shirt so I didn’t ask questions.

Me and my sister!

Karl and I. He LOVES pictures!

We stayed up late just hanging out, which is probably why I’m so tired still today! On Sunday I was helping my parents clean since my dad is having knee surgery this coming week. We are also trying to create a man room for him downstairs, since he’s always surrounded by girls! During our cleaning we cleared out National Geographic magazines from YEARS ago. The stack we bundled ranges from 1960s to today. The ads in the 1960s books were hysterical!

Those are some serious books.

So now that you’ve read and seen all about my weekend.. tell me about yours!!

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I also want to announce the winner for my Drink Chia giveaway! The winner is…

Blogging Runner!!!

You have 48 hours to contact me (runlikeagrlmegan@gmail.com) to claim your prize, otherwise I will have to choose someone else. Congrats!

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Filed under beach, City life, cycling, food, giveaway, restaurants, weekend