Hello everybody! As promised, this post is a recap of the shenanigans me and Liz were up to during my visit. As many of you know, her birthday was earlier this week! So if you haven’t wished her a happy birthday yet, don’t forget heheh. So let the celebration begin!
Liz and her family picked me up at the airport and we were off to dinner!
Two stylish peas in a pod!
We went to this chic restaurant called Red, The Steakhouse.
The olive oil and parmesan cheese dip for the bread.
So good!
Four cheese baked mac-n-cheese, potatoes au gratin, sautéed broccoli and garlic, sautéed spinach, and seared killbuck valley mushrooms. Um… yum?!
Strike a pose!
So let me just say that Liz’s mom has serious decorating skills, and their home truly feels like a home. There’s so much character in everything and I could spend days just looking at all the little treasures.
I stayed in the "Bates Motel"
AHHH!!!
Liz had some of my favorites ready for me for breakfast!
The Udi’s granola was basically a sunken island in the sea of almond milk. I sliced in a banana and scooped in some chocolate almond butter. This was so yummy! I also tried Futters‘ chocolate hazelnut butter and their chocolate pecan butter. Holy crap these were awesome!!! Not just the flavor, but there was a distinct texture to these nut butters that I loved.
Both in our zones hahaha.
Then we took Chooey for a walk on an unusually warm morning.
Liz's mom taking care of the pretty flower arrangement.
And before you know it, it was lunchtime!
Look! She's simply glowing!
Amazing fresh pita bread and a yummy dip with olive oil, sesame seeds, thyme, and marjoram.
Let me just note that I loved that every place we went to had a dip that was different from the norm.
The baba
Yum!
Falafels with a tahini sauce, spicy hummos (best hummos ever), and the garlic spinach which was sautéed spinach with toasted pine nuts and onions. This was such a delicious lunch! Definitely the kind of food I’m in the mood for when the weather starts to warm up.
After lunch we headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Outside in the crazy wind!
Rockin' out!
At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame we got to see this really cool movie of all the musicians that have been inducted up until 2010. It was especially neat because you got to see all the stars’ outfits, lyrics, and other memorabilia as well.
Then we headed to the previous night's restaurant's neighbor... Moxie!
Her sweet parents!
Delicious veggies!
The best broccolini I’ve ever had, brussel sprouts, and we couldn’t get enough of the killbuck valley mushrooms!
The spread...
Liz’s mom and I ordered some tea because were tea ladies hehe. They also had this seeded bread that I enjoyed with a white bean dip and some herbed butter. After dinner we headed to one of the area’s malls.
We made a stop at the chocolate store.
Look at all of those candied apples!
I picked the biggest and juiciest chocolate-covered strawberry! Which also happened to be deformed.
When we came home it was time to try one of the raw vegan "moon pies" that Liz's friend sent for her birthday.
Deliciously rich!
The birthday girl modeling her birthday present! I'm glad she liked it hehehe.
That morning I got to meet one of Liz’s brothers and his family.
There was an Easter egg hunt for the boys.
Keeping her eyes on the road.
And look who we ended up behind!
We obviously couldn't get enough of Taza!
This girl's got a lightbulb in her because she keeps glowing haha!
Liz got a refreshing Falafel salad and a side of spicy hummos.
That day they garnished the hummos with chickpeas!
My turn!
I ordered a falafel-hummos roll that came with pickled turnips and seasoned fries. Incredible! But what else could I expect?
Then we were off to Whole Foods to pick up some of Liz's staples and some new things to try as well!
When we came home, it was time to open up the Easter baskets her mom had put together for us!
Then it was getting close to the time of my departure. So soon?!
Chooey escorted us to the airport!
I love you Liz!
The "never let go" pose!
Now I understand why Theo is one of her favorite brands of chocolate.
And a yummy grawnola bar sample from One Lucky Duck.
Also, check out the video of us that VeggieDad filmed! I can’t help but have a big cheesy smile whenever I watch it. It just makes me really happy to think about the past weekend with Liz and her family. They are such wonderful people, and I’m lucky to have her as one of my best friends!
The oats had a friend this morning. A slice of the arequipe filled banana bread and coconut oil smothered on top.
So I froze a banana for the overnight oats and let it thaw out in the fridge and this is what happened!
Some Arequipe filled Banana Bread lovin’! I cut up a pear to go along with the bread. My parents just got sample sizes since that’s all they wanted. My mom asked me to pack her 2 for work the next day. Then she made puppy eyes at me to give her a bite of mine. Ha!
I also made red cabbage in mango chutney and unsweetened shredded coconut on top served over noodles.
The noodles started to turn blue and so did my tongue!
And look at what I finally got ahold of! I’ve been looking for these babies every time I go to the grocery store.
