Friday, June 17, 2011

Showcase

Cucumber and Kiwi is not a bad combination!  Trust me.  Throw in a banana, and you have a refreshing and creamy treat.  Do not judge, just try it!

On another note, where in the world was I yesterday?  It just dawned on me I never posted!  I guess that is life.  For the most part, my adventures yesterday went un-photographed, but let me give you a run down:

It started bright and early with an awesome Track Workout.  Forbes and Pat joined Marsha and me for a quick and intense training session.  We sprinted, we climbed bleachers, we did many planks and burpees.  It was fun.

After quick showers, Marsha and I had a field trip to Trader Joe's scheduled.  She had never been, and I was dying to show her some of my all time favorites.  If you are interested, here is what I recommend from Trader Joe's:

Sunflower Seed Butter
Pomegranate Green Tea
Soy Chorizo
Two Buck Chuck
Freeze-Dried Blueberries
White Bean Basil Hummus
Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
Vegetable Stir-Fry

Of course there are many, many more favorites at Trader Joe's.  But those are just a few.

After TJ's we had a quick stop at Ikea to help Forbes pick up all the materials we needed for our garage storage.  Then we were off to ZiZi's, a vegetarian take-out in the University area.  Super close to Ikea.
I had the Chicken Salad wrap with a side of the Cauliflower, Parsnip and Rutabaga puree.  It was delicious- and of course not real chicken salad.  The puree was really the best thing I tasted all day! 

An old friend of mine from Wisconsin just happened to be in town yesterday checking out places to live.  She flew to Virginia and has been visiting every major city from Richmond to Charlotte this week to get an idea of the East Coast.  I was excited to show her around this region yesterday after lunch.  Here is where we went:

First we made a big loop of the University Area in Charlotte.  After all, that is where Forbes and I originally moved to from Wisconsin

Next we drove uptown, parked and walked a big loop from 3rd street to 7th street.

Back in the car we headed to Birkdale in Huntersville.  I really wanted to show her NoDa, Elizabeth, Plaza Midwood, Dilworth and SouthPark but there really wasn't enough time!  Once in Huntersville, we cruised the area and parked in Birkdale.  Grabbed some TCBY (naturally) and walked about.

We made one more stop in Davidson on the way back to Mooresville.  We drove through Cornelius, and jumped out of the car in Davidson to have a quick look around the downtown and the college. 

Finally back in Mooresville we drove around to show her my favorite sites like downtown.

It was quite a fun, yet exhausting day!  I was so engrossed in showing her the area I didn't snap any photos of the two of us...fail.

Once home, I found Forbes hard at work hanging shelves in the garage.  Now my job today is to organize all of my GOTR supplies and make the storage work.  I am really excited to pull this project together. 

Speaking of...
I finally got the last shelf put together for the office!
I love that there is room to grow into.  Lots of space for more curriculum and books!  And now, all those curriculum will be stored properly, no more damaged binders and lost papers which costs money as we all know!  The office is all finished and is working very efficiently!  I hate to say I haven't been able to spend much time in here this week because I have been so busy in the garage and out at meetings.  But it will be super nice to return home from Africa and have all my work organized so I can dive straight into Fall planning! 

We called it a day with all the work and shelf-building and I surprised Forbes with more yummy food from ZiZi's!
We split the other half of my chicken salad wrap and the rest of the cauliflower puree along with a leftover sweet potato.  Before I left ZiZi's yesterday afternoon I also ordered sides of the "chicken" nuggets and the BBQ "wings".  I was excited to try out these faux meats!
The chicken nuggets were so similar to real chicken!  We questioned whether they really were fake!  While I enjoyed eating the two on my plate, I honestly don't think I could eat these all the time.  Just too weird.  I understand why many would enjoy these, and I certainly did as a treat.  But I really felt like I was eating meat!
If the chicken nuggets were weird, then the wings were just too much too handle.  I would love to know how they manage to replicate chicken meat so well!  I took one bite and that was all I could handle!  They even included a stick in the middle to simulate the bone! 
The flavor was awesome, and the texture just superb, but after 2 years of eating vegan, it was just odd to eat "meat"!  I had a fun time experiencing the food, but ultimately I gave Forbes my BBQ wing and just enjoyed the other treats on my plate.

ZiZi's has wonderful food and everything I have tried from there has been excellent.  I don't know much about the owners or the cooks but they really do an excellent job serving creative vegan meals.  I just wish it was closer to my home!

As if that wasn't enough fun and entertainment for the day, Forbes and I had one more outing planned.  We walked to our neighbors for a rousing game of cornhole and to sip some wine, Southern Style on their screened in porch.  I love evenings spent like this and obviously it overrules writing a blog any day! 

When you get to showcase your town/region for a friend thinking of moving, you literally get to choose your favorite places and your favorite things and show it all off to them.  That is what I did yesterday; all my favorite things in one fun-filled, busy day!  I just wish I would have had the forethought to photograph more of it for you.  Let my words then be a showcase to you of the greatest place to live!  I really love it here!

2 comments:

  1. I totally agree about how its weird to eat fake meat!!! The whole time i am eating it i am questioning whats in it. Plus i was never a fan of real meat taste or texture so i dont miss it or crave it but i guess its good for new vegan/vegetarians.

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  2. Oh, Zizi's...... I long for BBQ tofu and rice!! I have always been too "chicken" to try the fake chicken. A little odd. But now I'm craving zizi's!

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