Our Long Weekend: The B & B
October 19th, 2010 § 2 Comments
Two weekends ago, MomMom and Pop stayed with Peter while Pete and I hightailed it to High Falls, NY for a belated birthday present/early anniversary present long weekend.
We decided to spend some time in the Hudson Valley area because we might, possibly, maybe, at some point in the distant future, choose to relocate there. So we basically wanted to scope it out to see if we’re crazy for even thinking about such a move. (I can tell you now that we’re not crazy. It’s a lovely place.)
As my birthday present, Pete researched the accommodations and made the bed and breakfast reservation. Now, I’m not knocking Pete (like I usually do on this blog. Sorry, dear.), but I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I just prayed for a private bathroom and no bedbugs.
And, boy did he deliver! Not only did we have our own bathroom and a bed without bugs, but the place was ADORABLE, the proprietor was super nice, and her breakfasts were amazing! I swore I was never going to leave, but of course I had to come home to see Peter. I missed him like crazy after 3 days.
If you haven’t been to the Hudson Valley area, you may want to check it out. It’s only about a 3 hour drive from central Massachusetts. It’s similar to Vermont with the same peaceful, rural vibe and dedication to fresh food. Oh, the food! The food was unbelievable! So fresh and so good! Nearly every restaurant we went to on this trip had a PLETHORA of INTERESTING vegetarian options. Despite having dined at excellent restaurants in Boston, New York City, Las Vegas, and New Haven, I had my first vegetarian fine dining experience in High Falls (which I’ll discuss in another post, but let me just tell you now that it was mind-blowing).
For today’s post, though, I just want to put the spotlight on our quaint B & B, The Arbor Bed & Breakfast. Nancy was (and I’m sure she still is) so nice and accommodating, a truly wonderful hostess. I can’t say enough good things about her and her B & B.
Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:
When I first laid eyes on these, I was like SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! How flippin’ cute! Shells used as salt and pepper scoops? I just love little eclectic touches like this.
On Saturday morning, Nancy made these hearty waffles. When I asked her for the recipe, she told us that she’s not really a recipe person, she kind of just throws things together. (The total opposite of me in that respect!) She did say that they were mainly oats with a bit of flour and some walnuts and plain yogurt. I need to experiment a little and try to figure out her secret! I didn’t take a picture of Sunday’s breakfast of baked eggs and whole grain toast because we were busy chatting with the other guests, but that breakfast was out-of-this-world good, as well. Monday morning we left early to head home, so we just grabbed some toast, hard-boiled eggs and bananas to eat in the car.
This is where Pete whooped my butt in Scrabble on Sunday night (I was drinking red wine. He wasn’t. I was IMPAIRED. I’m good at Scrabble!)
Surprisingly, I didn’t get a picture of our room, but you can see it on the website I linked to above. The rooms are identified by paint chips taped to the door. (Cute!) We were in the green room.
In addition to the salt and pepper dishes, here are a few more of my favorite things:
The two stocked bookcases, one downstairs, and one in the upstairs hallway outside of our room–a nice, home-y touch. (I was able to read most of Barrel Fever, by David Sedaris).
The all natural soap and shampoos. I’m blanking on the brands, but I was impressed when I saw them 
And the extra activities you have the opportunity to try during your stay (we didn’t do any of them, but I like that they’re there if you want them):
Extras (arrangements must be made in advance):
- Yoga and massage in the comfort of your room is available upon request.
- Painting lessons with renowned Hudson Valley artist, Fran Sutherland, available upon request. For more information, please visit fransutherland.com.
- Cooking workshops with award-winning cookbook author and chef, Corinne Trang, available for parties of 8. For more information, please visit corinnetrang.com.
Finally, here are some outdoor pictures. As you’ll see there are many places to hang out, read a book, and sip a cocktail or cup of tea:
So, yeah, I’m a little in love with the place! In the next installment, I’ll tell you about our day trips to New Paltz and Woodstock and, of course, that fabulous dinner in High Falls…
Go Sow Your Cold Oats
June 16th, 2010 § 2 Comments
Hi! Just thought I’d say hello and tell you that I finally made The Fitnessista’s Breakfast Cookie. I know, I’m like three months behind schedule, but better late than never. I think it’s a great alternative to cooked oatmeal, especially in the warmer months when eating a steaming bowl of oats is about as appealing as wearing a snowsuit in a sauna. Plus, it’s awesome to not have to rush around and make breakfast in the morning. All you have to do is take an extra 10 minutes before bed to prepare the cookie and then take it out of the fridge in the morning. There is definitely something to be said for planning ahead, especially when it comes to eating well.
Anyway, here’s what I threw in the mix:
1/3 c. rolled oats
a couple shakes of cinnamon
a bit of sea salt
1/8 c. whole milk (it’s all I had on hand. I’d have preferred almond milk)
1 tbsp. almond butter
small handful of organic dried mixed berries
1 tsp. or so of cacao nibs
a pinch or two of unsweetened coconut flakes
I combined the mixture in a bowl and then spread/patted it onto a small plate in the form of a laaarrrge cookie and stuck it in the fridge overnight.
When I took it out this morning, the oats had absorbed the milk and the texture was like oatmeal cookie dough. Meaning that it’s a breakfast “cookie” you eat with a fork, not with your hands. It was good, though! I wish I’d had a banana in the house because I think that would’ve been a great addition. The mix-ins are endless. Many of The Fitnessista’s readers added their mix-in combinations in the comments section of her B-Fast Cookie entry (which I linked to in the first paragraph).
A similar idea that I haven’t tried yet is Carrots ‘N’ Cake’s Overnight Oats in a Jar .
Why don’t you give one of these cold oat combos a whirl tonight and let me know what mix-in combination you came up with?
The Wonderfulness of Mix-ins
April 21st, 2010 § Leave a Comment
I had planned to write about the dinner I made last night, but, well, it just didn’t turn out too good. I mean, it was edible, but it wasn’t anything to rave about. It sounded so promising, too: it called for artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, saffron, red peppers–all stuff I love–but together it was just blah, blah, blah. I had the leftovers for lunch today and they were blah, too. I thought maybe sitting overnight would improve the flavors. I done thought wrong.
Anyway, this morning’s breakfast was a success at least. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know I’m a fan of mix-ins (taking a healthy base, like eggs or oatmeal, and mixing in other healthy stuff to create a nutritious and delicious meal).
This morning I sautéed a bunch of Swiss chard in olive oil and minced garlic:
Swiss Chard before cooking
Swiss Chard after cooking
There’s proof of how much a whole bunch of chard wilts during cooking.
I then added scrambled eggs and freshly grated parmesan cheese (it’s not that hard to grate cheese– and it tastes so much better than that processed sawdust in a jar.)
Chard with eggs and cheese
I put my eggs on sprouted grain toast:
My breakfast
Put Peter’s on a plate:
Peter digging in
And it was ultimately Peter approved:
Peter-approved breakfast
(And, yes, we’re sitting on the living room floor eating off the coffee table. Don’t judge me. “Super Why” was on.)
So, anyway, this may not be the quickest breakfast for a weekday morning (although if you washed and chopped the greens the night before, throwing the eggs together in the morning wouldn’t take too much time. Once it’s all in the pan, it takes maybe 10 minutes to cook.) But, you could easily make it for a quick weeknight dinner or a weekend breakfast/brunch.
If you’re not digging the Swiss chard, you could always use spinach or broccoli. Or even peas.
The point is: you can take a tasty and nutritious egg breakfast and make it even tastier and more nutritious by adding , you know, stuff to it. Try it. I’d love to hear some other mix-in ideas.
Here’s a question: when you make scrambled eggs, do you use water or milk? My mom used milk, so I use milk. But, my husband’s parents use water, claiming it makes the eggs fluffier. I don’t know if I can tell the difference. Can you? What’s the consensus? Scrambled eggs made with milk or water?
More Morning Mix-ins
March 30th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Hello – I’m busy working on two posts right now, but there is food shopping to be done and a 2-year old to pay attention to before I can finish them. So for the time being, I thought I’d share this morning’s oatmeal mix-ins:
oatmeal
cinnamon
1 tbsp. almond butter
1/2 banana, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. cacao nibs
(Peter’s mix-ins were cinnamon, banana and applesauce)
Enjoy your day!
Breakfast
March 21st, 2010 § 1 Comment
Good morning ~
I don’t plan on detailing the minutiae of my life here, but I often find it interesting to read what other bloggers eat. I tend to get in a food rut, so it’s nice to see what other health-conscious people eat in the morning, or any time of day for that matter. I’m currently intrigued by Fitnessista’s b-fast cookie. I plan to try it this week. So, for those of you who are like me, I’d thought I’d share what I ate this morning and maybe give you a fresh breakfast (or lunch or dinner) idea:
a bowl of oatmeal with the following mix-ins:
currants
a bit of warm 100% maple syrup
about 1 1/2 tsp cacao nibs
cinnamon
about 12 unsalted almonds
I’m a huge fan of mix-ins and one bowl meals. You just start with a base and mix-in extras that have nutritional value and taste good. You can add mix-ins to scrambled eggs (ex. broccoli or spinach), pasta sauce (you can puree a ton of vegetables and add it to the sauce – it’s not just good for kids), plain yogurt (fresh fruit, nuts, whole grain cereal) and of course whole grains or pasta (cook up some brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc., and add whatever you please: vegetables, nuts, cheese, dried fruits, olive oil.) Even adding fresh fruit to ice cream makes it a little bit better for you!
Anyway, do you enjoy reading what other people eat? Would you like me to post more of my meals?
I’m off to get soil samples from our gardens! I will post more about that later~
Today’s smoothie experiment
March 15th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Here’s today’s smoothie experiment:
Some frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries and strawberries)
7 or 8 broccoli crowns
1/2 banana
1/2 c water
1/2 c plain yogurt
I chopped the berries, broccoli, banana and water in the blender first and then I blended in the yogurt.
It’s pretty good, the broccoli blended well, but I’m not really digging the blackberry seeds. Note to self: don’t include blackberries in future smoothies.
Jump on the Smoothie Train
March 4th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
I finally jumped on the green smoothie train. It’s taken me years, literally. For some reason the idea of washing greens, taking out the blender, putting the greens and some other stuff in the blender and pressing a button overwhelmed me. The idea of having to wash the blender afterwards was also a deterrent. It’s kind of embarrassing to admit that because I’m not generally a lazy person. I also strive to eat well and my job is to help others eat well. You can bet that I advise others to drink green smoothies, so why was I having such a hard time making one myself? Well, there’s no need to ask that question any longer. I made my first green smoothie this morning for breakfast and it was pretty wonderful. Here’s what I put in:
4 kale leaves (I didn’t include the stems, although you can if you want to)
1 banana
handful of frozen blueberries
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp cacao nibs
I tore the kale leaves into 2 inch pieces, broke the banana into 2 inch pieces, threw them along with the blueberries, yogurt, and cacao nibs into the blender and pressed shred. Et voila ~ in less than a minute I had a green smoothie.
My 2-year-old wasn’t too crazy about it, though. The cacao nibs didn’t fully blend, so I think the chunky-ness kind of freaked him out. He kept saying that there were nuts in his drink. Which is kind of funny since he has never eaten a nut (we have nut allergies in our family, so I’m taking my time introducing nuts to him. I know, I know, at age 2, almost 2 1/2, it’s perfectly acceptable to introduce nuts. I will do it. Soon. Call me crazy, but something about anaphylactic shock scares me.)
Anyway, smoothies are not the pain in the butt I thought they were. Lesson learned. It’s nice to have another way to eat vegetables. They are also a good way to get some greens into your kids, if they are hesitant to eat them off their plates. If you balance the “green taste” with the right amount of fruit and yogurt or water, it will taste like a milkshake. A very healthy milkshake. I’m now pretty excited to try new blends. Feel free to send me your favorites~
