I Walk In This World

Hi bloggies!  We’re in NH now, after spending most of today in VT.  Wow, is VT beautiful or what?  Holla Green Mtns! 

I’m blogging from bed in our Inn here in the White Mtns of NH.  Our Inn is kinda coolish, I guess.  We are IN the mtns!  Kinda beat tho.  Weird, given what we’re paying per night.  Thank goodness only here  1 night.  Caution to you guys traveling with pets…you WILL sometimes book what you THINK is an awesome country Inn…and then when you get there and check in, your room smells like cat pee and the room is circa 1978.

I had a minor panick attack.  So, like a good husband, Hubz took me to the local brew pub for dinner and beers to get my mind off it all.  This brewery was great!  Moat Mountain Brewery in North Conway, NH.  They make Good Beers!  We were starved and got a LOT of dinner foods.

• New England hush puppies served with maple syrup (so good, battered in something like funnel cake batter…I ate 1)
• spinach salad with goat cheese/ranch dressing (so good, I ate it all)
• special pizza with feta, spinach, basalmic reduction (ate many pieces, not all, but many)
• Old Mike’s Pale Ale (which was supa hoppy and tasted, lucky for me, like an IPA)…I had 2

From there we drove to a nearby 7-11 and found candles and carpet Febreeze for our inn room.  Thank all that is good and holy.  I was tempted to sleep in Hubz’ car otherwise. 

This evening, we drove into NH from VT, and follow the “K” which is the Kanckamagus Scenic Highway that winds thru the White Mtns with beauts views, following the Swift River.  Don’t worry, I kept an obsessively keen eye out for Moose.  I mean, there are Moosing Crossing signs EVERYWHERE in the White Mtns.  I’m still baffled that we didn’t see one.  I even kept my braking foot hovered over the brake pedal Just In Case.

And if karma exists, I suspect I’ll be seeing a moose within 24 hours to make up for this shitty room we’re staying in.

We drove up to VT from our inn in MA, and took all country back roads.  Very gorg!  Stopped for lunch in Woodstock, VT which is a supa chill cool town.  Lunch was take out from here…

We ate next to the stream running thru town…

I got the local, hormone-free, free-range roast beef.  I ate half and 1/3 the chips.  Hillydog ate bugs on the ground.

We walked around town and got coffees from a local/fair trade/organic coffee shop.  Great!  From there we drove out to Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater, VT.  Did the tour and had some samples.

All the beers were good, IMO.  I am guessing the master brewer likes citrusy light yet hoppy beers.  I liked them all, but Hubz said there were all too similar in body and taste for his liking.

Then we went to a local maple sugar farm/cheese farm.  It’s a family working farm, and you walk into their farmhouse and they’re all working to make/wrap cheese.  I also learned ALL about how to make maple sugar, and you’ll be delighted to know there was a farm store and I bought a little something to offer in a GIVEAWAY once I’m home from vaca.  Let’s just say, this item is a true local gem!

Breks at the inn this morning was Fantastic and yes, the pear pancakes were outta sight.  I also had a giant plate of fresh fruit, and only ate 1 of those pancakes.  And you can see I’m sweaty and wearing running clothes, which means I DID go running this morning. 

Ok, time to take a pill and try to sleep.  Tomorrow takes us thru the rest of the White Mtns and into the Lake District of ME before we drop down into Portland.

Peace.

Er

OMGosh, these kids on HGTV’s Property Virgin show.  They are so stupid.  Does anyone watch this show?  Ok.  When first-time homeowners are looking for a house, here are some tips…

• paint colors don’t matter
• cupboard style doesn’t matter
• kitchen color doesn’t matter
• if the lawn is mowed doesn’t matter
• interior decor doesn’t matter

LOL.  No wonder this is a tv show.  And hey, where in this country can you buy a single family home for $152K???  Cuz I don’t believe it.

Just finished Din, which was Erin-solo-style cuz Hubz is politicking tonight.  Ginorm salad with chicken and oh so good and simple.

• spinach/green leaf salad + chicken + Organic Valley cheddar + cashews + snow peas + carrot + maters + cukes + Goddess dressing
• whole grain bread with Organic Valley sweet cream butter (from happy cows)
• vino
• 3 camera shy pieces of dark choco to round things out

I think this is the 1st time I feel stuffed from a salad!  So clearly it was a little too big.  But dang was it good.  The chicken was leftover from the bbq at Dad’s house Sunday.  Mmmm…

I did 2.5 miles at the gym today, and ew, look how flarking sweaty I am.  I guess I pushed hard!  Also did leg weights and crunches.

I napped (so not me) from 4-5pm, but it was kinda fun to zone in and out to Oprah and the ever-so-annoying Suze Orman.

Spent the arvo working on emails and blog stuff.  Lunch included a new product review…Musselman’s Red Raspberry & Acai Healthy Picks applesauce. 

It was very tasty with just the subtlest raspberry flava.  And the no sugar added made it taste very clean, just like applesauce should taste!  I think this would be great added in to oatmeal or oatmeal pancakes!  I do wish the raspberry would have been more powerful, so maybe Musselman’s can figure out a way to do that!  What’s cool is that Mussleman’s is a Grower owned co-op, around for the last 60 years.  And being a PA native, I totally support this co-op, as I grew up only 45 minutes from their apple orchards! 

The rest of lunch…

• whole grain bread with leftover coconut pork + spinach + tomato
• last remains of the fruit salad
• Musselmans Red Raspberry Acai applesauce

And now it’s time to ice my shins and continue being judgey and snarky about these dumb Property Virgin kids.

Nite!

…it’s off to BED I go…

Tonight’s sleep, and there WILL be sleep, shall be courtesy of my friend Ambien.   Good girls are not stubborn and accept that they need a pill to sleep.  Right?

LOL, when I Google “ambien + cartoon” this is what I got.  I guess I should just accept the obvious.

Hey, and good girls still go to the gym even if they don’t want to, right?  I did!  I was just going to do 20 mins on the elliptical but Transformers was on the gym tv and I got sucked in, and ended up doing 30 mins.  (((Optimus Prime)))

So, I feel pretty good about that.

Hubz and I both had busy evenings, so Din was cheater easy.

At the table…

• Trader Joes Portabella + Provolone ravioli with my dad’s marinara
• tossed salad
• whole grain Italian bread
• water

Somebody couldn’t wait.

Woah, these ravioli are really tasty.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The provolone flava is prominent, which I loved.

Time to watch the rest of a Very Important tv show, TV Guide’s Summer’s Sexiest Movie Stars.  And oh yes, Hubz is watching too.

There.  You know my most secret secret for today!  LOL.

What’s 1 of your secret secrets?

Nite.

Not my dog…the neighbor’s dog. 

It yaps.  All.Day.Long.  I learned this today, ya know, on my day off work, where I was hoping to relax and rest.  And it’s one of those tiny yappy wus dogs that can’t even manage a proper Woof if it’s life depended on it.

Srsly.  I wouldn’t mind if it, oh, took a ride down the trash chute or got tossed let outside without anyone knowing.

Din was new…coconut crusted pork loin.  I got these ultra thin pork loin slices today, and marinaded them in a mango/coconut/hot pepper sauce for a few hours.  Dredged thru toasted coconut, then baked for 18mins, broiled to brown for 2 mins each side.

I thought they were great.

At the table…

• 1 small slice coconut crusted pork loin
• 1.5 Dr. Prager’s potato pancakes
• lots o salad

I’m sitting here chugging water b/c I am not filled up at all.  Not even to a comfortable intutive eating fullness level.

Exercise was had after I awoke from my hour-long nap today.  I am getting old.  I never used to nap.  Never.  I blame this weekend’s drinking.  Of course, I used to be able to handle all that jazz w/o napping.  All signs are pointing to 30.  Watch out kids, it creeps up on you quickly.  Anyway, at the gym I did 30mins Level 8 on the elliptical + 170 different types of crunches.

I spent the afternoon assembling my  new headboard, getting groceries, and mailing packages.  And playing with the dog.  I woulda taken her on a great walk today, cept for the fact that it’s utterly pissing outside. 

Lunch was good and inspired by Sarah and all the other crack wrap girls. 

Assemble…

Spread that much hummus on a La Tortilla wrap

Layer with good melting cheese

You can stop there, but I took it up a notch by tossing on 2 slices of smoked bbq tempeh

Grill in a hot pan until melty.  Eat.

At the table…

• crack wrap
• salad with Annie’s Goddess dressing (used sparingly b/c it is fattening)

Time for House Hunters and a snack.  Probably 1 No Pudge brownie from my friend Beth.  Thanks Beth…these are delish.

Nite!