Restaurants, Travel
Before the earthquake so rudely interrupted us, I was busy recapping my Philly weekend at HLS.
So far we’ve eaten at Farmicia and the Pumpkin Market, and now it’s time for the actual conference day…
From early morning to afternoon we hopped from session to session about writing better {and legal!} recipes, dealing with negativity, monetization, and more. In between, of course, was lots of food.

{I miss you Jen!!}
Lunch was the highlight of the meals: greens, vegan sandwiches loaded on rich Great Harvest bread, and the most delicious quinoa chickpea salad.

The food tables were arranged with sandwiches on both ends and salad in the middle- I picked up my sandwiches and turned around and realized the salad line was only going one direction, and it was a loooong line.
I was starving so I took my plate to the table and mentioned I was too hungry to wait, I’d just get my salad later. Then I walked away to grab a drink. When I came back, salad had magically appeared on my plate. One of the servers overheard me and brought me salad- so sweet!


We had a late dinner reservation, so we took some time after the conference to do a little Philly exploring. I finally got to see the Reading Terminal Market in the day time. {It’s where the cocktail party was.}


It was full of every vendor you could imagine- ice cream, flowers, fish, bread, etc.

We played tourists for a little longer, then started off on our walk towards Kanella, a local Greek restaurant.

It was cute and cozy and we were seated immediately.


While the food was delicious, it was an interesting dining experience. See, with the exception of hummus and feta, I really don’t like Greek food. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives top my most-hated-foods list. But I wanted to branch out and try something new; plus I loved the company.
When it came time to order, I asked for a delicious veggie and apricot topped flatbread without the tapenade {read olives!}. Not an atypical request by most standards. The answer? No, I could not have the flatbread without the olives.

I forget what I asked for next, but it was a similar response. I was immediately flustered and overwhelmed and had no idea what to order. We finally found a solution- the lamb and arugula topped hummus without the lamb.
So I essentially had bread, hummus, and pita for dinner. But it was above average hummus- rich with lemon and tahini, and I loved arugula added to the mix. The dip for the bread was unique and satisfying as well- a thin tahini-type dip.


{Photo courtesy of Allie after some battery-camera-lens-swapping; her battery died and I didn’t have the right lens with me.}
Interestingly enough, we were told the chef doesn’t allow photographs of his food. Of course by then we’d already finished with the picture-taking. 
Do you like Greek food? You can add grape leaves to the list of things I don’t like, although I don’t encounter those in my day to day life.
Find out how my first midwife appointment went on tiny sneakers. Hint: it’s not what you think.
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Recipe
So now we know the offense & defense aren’t on the field at the same time, a down is a play, and there’s more ways to score than a touchdown. Read the rest of my girl’s guide to football here.

So what’s all that other stuff they talk about? Fumbles, turnovers, penaliies?
The quick and dirty:
Fumble: butterfingers drops the ball
Interception: the other team butts in the way and catches the ball
(Psst those are called turnovers.)
Red zone: the last 20 yards before the end zone
Hail Mary: a final act of desperation. The quarterback throws the ball hoping somebody somewhere will catch it.
Blitz: a defensive player abandons his duties and goes after the quarterback
Sack: tackle of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage
Illegal formation: not enough offensive players are on the line of scrimmage
Ok enough of that football jibber jabber. This is a food blog, so let’s talk about some food. Football food!


Wings, pizza, & nachos are always some favorites, but how about a couple healthy options to balance the spread out?
Like….
Spinach Dip
10 oz frozen spinach
16 oz sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix
8 oz chopped water chestnuts
Try subbing the mayo and/or sour cream for things like Greek yogurt or vegenaise.

or how about…
Homemade Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cumin
2 small garlic cloves
~1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Add more spice depending on how you like it. Or jazz it up with roasted red peppers or roasted garlic.

What’re your favorite healthy football munchies?
P.S. Have you heard the corn big-wigs are trying to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to “corn sugar”? Check out what I think about the corn sugar name swap over at The Health Hoot.
Other
Sorry for the lack of postage last night—I wrote a lovely recap of our Super Bowl party only to find my internet is down. I’ll give you some quick highlights this morning (compliments of Barnes & Noble’s wifi) since chances are you’ve seen what I had for breakfast once or twice before (oats and coffee!).
[I apologize ahead of time for the bad pictures—my camera take crappy indoor shots]
First I have a little riddle for you. How many men (boys?) does it take to put together a Pack ‘n Play?

Two?

Three?

Three plus a girl (me) and reading the directions! Haha.
Anyways.
I debuted my homemade hummus! I’m going to try it in the blender next time- the flavor was good but the texture was just a little bit too coarse.

With carrots and tortilla chips.


I enjoyed a few of these lovely Natty Greene’s Wildflower Witbier (my favorite of their seasonal brews).

I also enjoyed a sampling of pretty much everything, frequently. Lots of dips & bites. Yum.

This was our youngest Super Bowl guest (and the reason for the Pack ‘n Play). She’s just 5 weeks and loves football as much as I do (enter sarcasm).

I have to say I’m glad the Saints pulled off a victory- I hope it helps continue the revitalization of spirit in New Orleans and surrounding area like everyone hopes it will.
Also a look back at last week’s running since it was eaten in last night’s missing post:
Weds: 3.7
Thurs: 3.2
Fri: 2.5
Sun: 8.6
Total for Week: 19 18 (I can’t add)
Quite a few not-so-good shorter runs, followed by a fantastic long run!
It may be too early to tell, but aside from a little tightness in my hamstrings, I’m in pretty good shape from yesterday’s run!
Happy Monday!!