What I'm Up To
Can you believe summer is over already? It seems like it went by far too quickly, but that’s how I feel every year. I’m a summer girl, for sure. I know everyone is over here excited about apple cider and pumpkin spiced everything, but I just want more sunshine and pool days. Who feels me? But I’ve at least made the most of these past few months by traveling for shows with my band, working on side projects with friends, spending time in the mountains and on the beach, hanging out with my little girl, and cycling every chance I get. I especially seized the last few weeks of summer since I wasn’t working a full-time job. It’s been a pretty amazing year so far. I can’t wait to see what the last 3 months of 2018 brings.
I’m currently working on some recipe development for you guys, but in the meantime, here’s a little review of what I’ve been up to recently…
This past weekend, I headed to East Tennessee for some fresh air and to help an elderly family member get some work done on his home before he moves to Florida. One of my besties, the hilarious Nicki D, decided to join me on my adventure, which was awesome. When I travel, I try to prepare by packing lots of food. For the trip out there, I had a big sandwich with Dave’s Killer Bread, Tofurky slices, Field Roast slices, and Follow Your Heart smoked gouda, spicy mustard, hummus, lettuce, and farmer’s market tomato. I also packed granola cereal, fruit, and almond milk to have for breakfast each morning. I always like this type of breakfast when traveling, but I rarely eat it at home for some reason. I also made sure to pack everything I needed to make matcha. I know it means I have an addiction, but I get massive headaches when I don’t have caffeine, and I didn’t want to spend $6 every morning at Starbucks. I made sure to pack dinner stuff, as well. On Saturday night, we made sprouted rice with pak choi, tomato, mushrooms, onions, avocado, some Gardein chick’n strips, and lemon. We tossed some veggie dumplings on top, too. It made for a delicious and hearty dinner. Afterward, we sat on the covered patio by the pond listening to the rain and chatting about life and all things hippy. It’s what we do.
On Sunday, my bestie and I woke up, sipped matcha and ate some breakfast on the porch before we hopped on bikes and spent the morning cycling around Kingsport and enjoying the fresh air on the Greenbelt. We rode almost 20 miles, stopping at Starbucks (yeah, I did end up there) for a tall matcha and some deep convo along the way. I noticed that I’m getting more and more conditioned on the bike because the hills didn’t seem so bad this time. I’ve been trying to ride at least 25-30 miles per week, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m really enjoying this phase of my fitness journey where I’m predominantly doing yoga and cycling. I’m able to stay lean but strong, and I actually LIKE working out. I see this being something I’ll be able to maintain as I get older.
After our morning ride, we cleaned up, loaded the dogs in the car, and drove a little over an hour to Asheville, North Carolina for some decadent vegan food and general shenanigans. The drive on I-26 from Kingsport to Asheville is incredibly beautiful, just so ya know. Our first stop was Laughing Seed Cafe on Wall Street, which may be my favorite street in the world. It’s such a cute little artsy area, and I feel so at home there. This was my third time visiting Laughing Seed Cafe, and there’s a reason why I always go back. The food is fantastic, the service is great, and I love the vibe of the place. We started our meal with some Buchi kombucha and appetizers. We ordered the hummus trio with extra veggies to keep it gluten-free and some jalepeno fries with vegan ranch. The beet hummus was my favorite of the three, and the fries were ridiculous. That ranch was SOOOOO good. I may have dipped my fingers in it when I ran out of fries. Maybe. For my meal, I got the tostada ensalada… Basically a taco salad. And guess what dressing it came with. RANCH! Yay! The presentation was nice, and it was a pretty big serving. I loved the tofu taco meat, and the mixture of flavors and textures was perfection. It definitely hit the spot after that long bike ride. And since we burned all of those calories, you just KNOW we had to order dessert. After hearing all of the options, Nicki and I decided on the red velvet cake. When it arrived, it looked more like carrot cake than red velvet, but damn was it good. The icing really had that cream cheese flavor that I remember from my pre-vegan days. I’m glad we were sharing the cake because it was extremely rich, and one of us would never have been able to consume the entire piece. All and all, it was another very satisfying experience at Laughing Seed Cafe. Also, just look at how peaceful Abby looks laying by her auntie Nicki’s feet. They’re good buds these days. Awwwww……
After our meal, we decided to stroll around the town and window shop for a while. We found the coolest little crystal shop on the corner of Wall Street and Battery Park Avenue. I wish I could remember the name. Next time I’m there, I will be buying the gorgeous Ganesh statue I saw.
Nicki suggested that we find the chocolate lounge because she’d heard tale that there were vegan truffles. You know I couldn’t say no to that. We walked a few blocks to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge where we discovered a couple of flavors of vegan ice cream and a few flavors of vegan truffles. Yay!! I ordered the Buddha ice cream, and we ordered the Buddha and caramel truffles. It was all rich and decadent, but those Buddha truffles were freaking amazing. The staff was super friendly, and everything was clearly labeled as vegan/gluten-free/containing nuts. We got our treats and sat at a table on the sidewalk enjoying the autumn air with the pups. It was a pretty perfect day. We walked around a bit more before heading back to Kingsport for the night.
Sunday night, we sat by the pond again snacking on chips, veggies, fruit, and chocolate hummus while I sipped a beer, and the dogs lounged nearby. That is my peaceful spot, and I’m so glad I got to share it with my bestie this time.
On Monday morning, we went for a stroll around the neighborhood with the dogs before heading back home to Nashville. It was cool and crisp, just a perfect fall morning for some outdoor exercise. The drive home was rainy and miserable, but at least we were able to enjoy fresh air for a little while.
Abby and Riley slept almost the entire way, but I did manage to snap a pic of Abby in her “comfort spot.” LOL!
Poor Riley.
When I got home Monday evening, I picked up my little munchkin and made some delicious nachos for dinner featuring my homemade potato queso dip. I need to perfect it, but I’ll be sharing it here very soon. Stay tuned for that one…
Yep, life is pretty good.
