thirsty richmond

Be Content: Is it possible?

2014-08-18T03:31:00.000-04:00

My writing topic "Be Content" got pushed to the side, partly because I don’t really know how to approach this topic and partly because I am really starting to feel the countdown to baby time and trying to get myself together (read: take more naps).

Contentment is something that I struggle with. On one flip of the coin, I am really working on living every day with gratitude, I strive to live with less stuff, and keep in mind that stuff does not make a person happy, but on the other side, there is something inside me that I cannot seem to keep at bay, my desire for more more more out of this crazy life.

Does this mean I am not content? And is that an ok thing?

Most days I wake up and cannot believe that I get to live this life, an amazing husband, a growing business, a day job that I love, supportive family, great friends, and a baby on the way. I want to live in that feeling as long as possible, but there is something that sits in the back of my brain. An itchy feeling of what is next? How can I hustle today to get me closer to having more? Not necessarily more stuff, or more wealth, but just more, well, everything.

I want my business to grow. I want more “free” time to pursue my passions. I want to write more, teach more, rest and reflect more. I’d love to travel more and not just to visit family. I want to see my family more, too. I want to see things, do things, so many things!

Does that mean I am not content? I have no idea.

Right now, I am trying to have both, contentment that the life I am living is everything I could ever want, and excitement for the future. There is more out there for me if I am up for a chase.

That is where I am these days. How about you?

Gratitude: Journaling

2014-08-01T13:01:00.001-04:00

In the three months leading up to opening Boho Cycle Studio, I kept a journal in my Evernoteapp on my phone. It was a crazy time full of highs and lows. I spent my days working my full time job, nights and weekends meeting with contractors, interviewing instructors, building a website, fighting with City Hall for permits, creating marketing materials, networking with Richmond influencers, and all the million other things that I have blocked out of my mind only to be rediscovered when we go through all of that again for location number 2. There were days when I would hit the pillow feeling like I conquered the world and days when I could see no light at the end of my pity party of a tunnel.

The journal was a way to keep myself sane and document my process. It became my release and the only way I could fall asleep some nights. I would write something about my day, what I accomplished both in the world of Boho, work, and my personal life. I would vent about what was stressing me, keep track of the big wins, and then at the end every entry I would remind myself of something I was grateful for.

Even on the days that I barely made it through, the last thought I had before going to sleep was something I was happy to have in my life, a moment of gratitude. It was amazing the relaxing and releasing effect that exercise had on me.

Some of the things I wrote in my journal that I was grateful for:

“My husband who is too good for me, but somehow likes me anyway”

“My snuggly kitties”

“My friends who always tell me the truth”

“The feeling that exciting things are in my future because I put them there”

“The fact that I live in a place where people are doing and changing and sharing ideas”

“Creative people in the world who inspire me”

“My family, who might be far away, but so incredibly supportive”

There were so many more, and many on repeat. I was thankful for my husband a lot since he was picking up the slack at home, so I could gallivant around town trying to get small business up and running. Looking back it all seems a blur, but a happy one since the end of every entry was something wonderful.

If you are stressed, confused, or just bored, I absolutely recommend this as a way to feel better. Every night for the next 30 days, right before you go to sleep, write down 1 thing that you are happy to have.

Are your ready to start your own Gratitude Journal?

Gratitude: Soul Pancake

2014-07-30T11:50:00.003-04:00

If you have not heard of Soul Pancake, and are looking for some feel good videos, I recommend you check out their YouTube channel, stat! Soul Pancake is a project lead by Rainn Wilson, also known as Dwight from the show The Office. What Rainn and his team do is make videos. They explore topics such as spirituality, creativity, philosophy, and highlight people who do good for other people. It is serious feel good stuff which in my opinion, is a big part of living with gratitude.

Gratitude is taking time to focus on the good in our lives. We get overloaded with negative messages all day every day. I lump these in to three categories: 1) Media & Marketing, 2) Work/Life Stresses, and 3) People/Relationships. In our plugged in culture, it does require effort to search for positive messages and make time to appreciate them. That is why I love Soul Pancake.

I wanted to share one of my very favorite Soul Pancake videos: The Science of Happiness - An Experiment in Gratitude.

In this experiment, the “lab techs” ask participants to write down their feelings about someone in their lives who was really influential and then the techs asked them to call that person and read what they wrote. What happened after that was not a shocking revelation, but definitely a cause for personal reflection.

The video is 7 minutes long, so I get it if you don’t have time right this minute to watch it, but I promise it is a good one.

After watching this, I added to my Day Zero Project List: Send 10 Unexpected Gifts to Friends

I hope that checking that item off my list will serve as my own exercise in gratitude.

Live with Less: Hire a Professional Organizer

2014-07-25T17:10:00.002-04:00

Photo credit.

Stuff is a funny thing.

I am pretty sure stuff does not make me happy. Therefore spending time, money, and space in my life to accommodate stuff feels like time, money, and space that could be spent doing other things that would make me happier. But sometimes stuff can make my life easier (a really good hair straightener, or a laptop that stays on more than 5 minutes without being plugged in). Sometimes stuff can me feel good (my full size body pillow, a fantastic pair of shoes that everyone compliments me on). But at the end of the day, I know that consuming more and more will not make me happier and happier, so it is something I really need to sort out.

It was one of my personal goals this year to learn to live with less. I don’t know exactly how I will track my progress on this, but I do have a few ideas on how I hope to achieve a life with less stuff.

First step, find someone to help me prioritize the stuff and get rid of what I really didn’t need. That’s why I hired a professional organizer.

Kristen (a.k.a. Minima) is amazing. I heard her give a talk at Ellwood Thompson’s on how she approaches an organizing project and was completely sold. Our first project together was actually Boho. I hired her to give recommendations on how to layout our studio and was thrilled with her ideas on how to make the most of the space when it was still a big empty shell. And if that wasn’t enough, I toured her home during an open house and was blown away at how few items she had, yet how complete her space felt.

After all this, I knew I had to have her come home with me. Here is a very very quick synopsis of what she did at the Greenwood house:

1. She came to my home and walked with me and Evan through every room in our house.

2. In each room she asked about how we use the space, and gave us tips on ways we could improve how we achieved our goals for that particular space.

Example: you could get rid of this coat rack and put hooks on the wall for easier access to your coats when you need them and one less clunky piece of furniture.

3. She looked at the stuff, and gave ideas on how to sort through and in some cases, helped us come to quick decisions of what we could get rid of or move in that particular space.

Example: If you really don’t use this extra table, why not sell it on Craigslist?

4. She gave us quick tips on how to tackle the organizing of particular spaces, like our spare bedroom, laundry room, and closet.

5. She followed up with an action plan that we could execute ourselves (or hire her to execute) with a list for each room to make it function better for the purpose that we gave her.

6. She even took one load of items (that we have been planning to donate for who knows how long) off our hands that day straight to Goodwill the day of her visit.

We opted to execute her plan on our own and have made great progress. We sold a bunch of stuff on Craigslist, cleaned out a whole room for a very specific purpose that will be coming in October, and immediately felt the relief of lightening our load of stuff.

I leave you with two realizations that I had after working with a Professional.

Getting rid of stuff feels good.
It is easier than you think to get started.

Live with Less: Evernote

2014-07-21T06:54:00.004-04:00

Photo credit.

I used to be addicted to sticky notes. There I said it and I am sure I am not alone.

I had stacks of them in every color and would stick them to the back of my phone with to-do lists on them. I would use a pink sticky for Boho things, a yellow one for personal things, a blue one for work things, you get the idea. I would have a whole rainbow of notes hanging off my phone case at all times.

Then selfies became a thing and I had to find a new place for my notes so they wouldn’t end up in all my pics (such a first world problem, I know). I started carrying cute notebooks of various portable sizes, but instead of writing my to-do lists on the book pages, I would still write them on sticky notes and then stick those to each page. I just could not break the sticky note habit!!

That is until I decided that I needed to lighten the load in my bag. I was carrying around too much stuff and the notebooks were weighing me down! I moved towards keeping notes IN my phone, in an effort to live with less and stop carrying around so much stuff (not to mention losing important notes to myself). I started using the Notes app that came preloaded on my iPhone. It was ok, but not easy to search or edit. When I used it for to-dos, once a task was complete, I couldn’t cross it off like I did on my stickies. I had to completely delete it from the note, which just does not feel as good. I like to look at my list at the end of the day and feel good about all the scribbled out items. You know?

Then I discovered Evernote. At first, I used Evernote as a separate place to keep notes when I was on a journaling kick. At the end of each day I would type out a few things that happened and something I was thankful for as an exercise in gratitude. I liked how I could search through Evernote way easier than searching through the regular Notes app.

A few weeks ago, I finally upgraded all my apps and realized Evernote had added all these fancy features including the most wonderful thing ever….the checklist! Now every day I make myself an Evernote list and check the box of every task I accomplish through the day. I love a check marked list. I love a list in general which is why I dedicated last week to lists and still can’t seem to stop writing about them.

Another thing I love about the Evernote app is, I can schedule myself reminders for future things and don’t have to keep them on a list for a week. So next week, when I need to remind Evan about something on the calendar, I can set up a reminder that will automatically be emailed to me in the morning. That way I can add it to that day’s list and don’t have to look at it for a whole week.

I am sure there are a million features of the Evernote app that I am not using just yet, but it is so nice to have all my lists and notes in one place, reminders for things that would have been a whole separate sticky note, a place to journal that is always with me, and no more stickies all over the place!

If anyone out there has good Evernote tips, I would love to know them! Using this handy app is just one way I have tried to use the resources I have to learn to live with less!

Do you have an app that you use to minimize the clutter of notes and reminders everywhere?

Lists: The Nagging To Do List

2014-07-16T06:14:00.002-04:00

Photo credit

I decided to start posting to this blog again when I started reading “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin. I am still in the process of reading this, so if there is a chapter at the end about not starting a blog when you have too many things to do, the joke is on me, because I haven’t made it that far. Too busy.

In one of the first chapters, Rubin talks about a task list of things that she is sure will make her happier once it is done. This list is a list of things that have been put off for far too long. I have such a list as I am sure most people do. I call it my “July to dos – the nagging list”. Literally, that is how it is labeled in my Evernote folder on my phone (more on Evernote that later).

I look at it every day and have given myself 1 month to complete all tasks. So far I am proud of my progress, but man if all of this stuff isn’t the bane of my existence.

Here goes:

Clean out car
Oil change and inspection
Paint the dining room
New York Life appointment
Dermatologist appointment
Cancel cable TV
Return Comcast equipment
Craigslist/Donate items
Reorganize clothes closet
Consignment drop off
Goodwill drop off
Sign up for baby classes
Schedule hospital tour
Cat vet appointments

Nothing on this list is overwhelming in and of itself, but add them together and I am starting to feel a stress headache coming on. I was hoping for a big shot of euphoria with every check mark, but sadly, the rest of the stuff on the list is still haunting me. I hope once the final item is crossed off the list I will have the feeling of winning the lottery. Only time will tell….

Sometimes it feels better just to put it out there. What is on your Nagging To Do List?

Lists: Day Zero Project

2014-07-14T07:49:00.002-04:00

There is something so gratifying about checking something off a to do list. I have always liked to plan and organize. Breaking things down in little goals to accomplish is so incredibly satisfying. For me, the planning part is sometimes just as good as the actual activity.

A while back I came across this article, "How Vacations Affect Your Happiness". In it they explain that research has show that planning a vacation is just as enjoyable if not more enjoyable than taking the trip. If there are lists and check marks involved, I can completely understand why that would be true.

I was inspired, 288 days ago, to make a big list. Chad Williams introduced me to the Day Zero Project which is a website used to create and share a to do list, 101 things to do in 1001 days. Chad is an adventurer, so his list is way more extreme than mine, but creating this kind of a list is meant to be personal.

It took me 3 days to finish my list. 101 things are a lot of things! Not everything is something I have never done before, but everything on my list is something to enjoy, nothing like get my oil changed or clean the bathroom type of stuff. 1001 days is a little less than 3 years, so thinking long term is part of the challenge, but also part of the excitement of the list. Thinking about what life will be like that far out is something I do in a big picture way, but not necessarily in a small task kind of way.

Some of the highlights of my list include:

Take a cooking class
Visit Chicago
Host a cocktail party for people who inspire me
Start an email newsletter
Paint something
Go paddle-boarding
Send 10 unexpected gifts to friends
Ride in a rickshaw
Go one full day without saying one word

Totally random, I know. If you are bored or looking for ideas, you can see the full list here.

I have checked off a few and it feels great every time.

The challenge of making a list like this is simply getting started. My advice is start small. Think of just 3.

What would yours be?

Getting Started: 5 Tips

2014-07-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

When you Google “Getting Started” it pulls up specific instructions for starting specific types of projects, but there are universal tips and tricks to starting just about anything. Whether you are starting a new diet, starting a business, or just trying to motivate yourself to get off the sofa and clean the bathroom, these tips can help to make that first step forward toward your goal.

1. Make a list with at least one actionable item you can do right now. Every big project can be broken down in to smaller pieces to make them more manageable and to help you celebrate small successes. To me, there is nothing quite as rewarding as checking something off a to-do list, so why not start your project by organizing your list and putting that first check mark on it.

2. Get an accountability buddy. Making your self accountable to someone else is like forcing peer pressure on yourself, but in a good way. Whether you are trying to get to the gym, trying to quit smoking, or working on organizing your hall closet, if you announce it to someone else, you will feel the added pressure to follow through on your promise, which might just be the boost you need to get going.

3. Divide and conquer tasks with a team. Similar to the buddy system, if you have a project or task that can be shared with someone else you will have the accountability that comes with working as a team, and the benefit of sharing the work load. Decided who will tackle what portion of your project and communicate the deadlines that each of you will adhere to.

4. Visualize the outcome. If you can dream it you can do it! Take some time to think about what your life will be life when your project is complete or your goal achieved. Live in that moment and come back to that feeling when you are feeling discouraged or having trouble getting going.

5. Start with a cleanse. In my post earlier this week, I talked about the three ways that I am cleansing. Cleansing is a way to hit the reset button and start a new project with fresh perspective and added energy. You can rearrange your space, take some time to meditate, or plan a full on detox. The idea is to clear out space in your life for your new endeavor.

It is Friday; the end of the week, but also a great day to start what ever exciting adventure awaits you this weekend! Go forth and get started!!

Next Week’s topic: “Lists”

Getting Started: Time to Cleanse

2014-07-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Photo credit.

I worked with a woman who used to rearrange her office before every major project. She would literally move the furniture around, clean, and reorganize her entire workspace. I used to think it was a stalling tactic, a form of procrastination, but have come to realize that starting with a clean slate, as they say, does help you tackle a project or problem with added energy and refreshed perspective.

Mental Cleanse I just had a full week’s vacation away, two whole weekends, plus 6 full work days off. This is the most time I have taken off since my wedding and honeymoon four years ago and IT WAS AMAZING. I had enough time to relax, spend time with family, and refocus on what I want to accomplish once I head back to the real world. I had time to set goals for work, for my business, and for my personal life. There is nothing like time away from your daily routine to put your priorities in perspective.

Physical Cleanse I have done a bunch of different eating cleanses in the past few years, but right now is not the time for me to be doing anything extreme with my diet since I am six months pregnant. I was pumped to come across this 21 Day Morning Detox Routinewhile browsing on Pinterest. It is less about going extreme and more about creating a healthy habit. The cleanse is simple, (and I have no idea why it is for 21 days) you drink warm water with lemon every morning when you wake up. A ritual to start your day with hydration, is absolutely a cleanse I can get in to.

Objects Cleanse I just started reading The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin while I was on vacation and for my last day off, I vowed to start on my Nagging To-Do List, a list of things that you have been putting off, that can only make you feel better once accomplished. The two things I tackled on the list kick-started a cleanse of my space. No, I didn’t clean the bathroom even though it really needs it. Instead, I finally changed out all the hangers in my closet to matching Huggable Hangers, recommended by my professional organizer, Minima. Then I cleaned out all the clutter, vacuumed, and detailed my car. These two very rewarding projects (that took a total of 2 hours to complete) were awesome things to check off my list and absolutely gave me energy to keep going with my list.

Here’s to added energy and feeling good about getting started!

New Beginnings

2014-07-06T14:57:00.001-04:00

So much has happened since I started (and abandoned) this blog. I remember weeks when I would have gone out to 4 or 5 restaurants and had so much content to post about dining in Richmond that my only problem was finding time to write about it all. I loved this blog so much. It connected me to some great friends here in RVA, got me invited to some cool events, and was a great outlet for something that I absolutely love to do, write about stuff.

So what happened?

Life gets crazy. Especially when you are an over achieving, volunteer for everything, don’t know your limitations until you run directly in to a brick wall, kind of person. I have a lot of reasons why dining daily in Richmond no longer fits my lifestyle. I became vegetarian. I opened a business, while still working full time. And most recently (this January), I got knocked up. All of these things are awesome, but at the end of the day, when the blog went silent, something was missing. My outlet for discovering new things and sharing them was gone, and it is about time I do something about that.

Blogs can be stressful. Not soon before my blogging hiatus, this thing was really stressing me out. I would worry that I wasn’t posting consistently enough. I was stressed that my posts weren’t very good. I hated every picture I took to try to make my blog pretty. And if I didn’t get responses from readers, I felt like I was totally sucking. My blog became a thing I was using to try to impress other people and that made it not as fun.

Thinking of stuff is hard. Coming up with interesting content about a pretty specific subject, dining in Richmond, multiple times a week, is really not easy. Some weeks the creativity flows and other weeks I got nothing. I would get really bummed if I went to a restaurant that wasn’t good because then I couldn’t write about it and felt like I wasted not only my dollars, but my valuable blog research time. When my blog was my main hobby, it was easier to stay motivated to be creative, but when my schedule starting filling up, my time to think of cool stuff was fading away.

So, what happens now?

I am going to attempt a do-over, with a different goal in mind this time. I am going to:

Be realistic with my limitations. My goal is one post a week. If I am feeling fancy and have more in me to share, I will. If I don’t, I won’t stress. When I have this baby, I will probably take a break. And if my job/business/life gets busy, the blog will have to wait. My goal is not to be a professional blogger or get a book deal.

Not stress about all the extra stuff. Eventually, I will update the header, links, and blogroll on this blog. The most important word in that sentence is “eventually”. I will not worry about what a terrible photographer I am and stay away from posting pictures unless I have good ones. I will not think about SEO, blog comments, and all the other stuff that turns a fun hobby into something serious and stressful.

Use writing promptsto keep my creativity flowing. I will write about things that I want to read about that most of the time will have nothing to do with eating in fancy restaurants. I put together a list of 52 topics and will pick one every week, so that I don’t get burned out of one particular subject.

Let’s see how this goes…

This week’s topic: “Getting Started”

social 52

2013-11-10T09:44:00.000-05:00

Photo from social52

Life has sure changed since my last blog post. I was a fool to think that I would still be able to keep the blog regularly updated while opening Boho Cycle Studio and working my full time job and eating and sleeping (pretty much the only 4 things that I do), but today is a very much needed day of unplugging that I am only able to have because of my awesome business partner. My advice for anyone starting a business is: get a partner. Sharing the work is the ONLY way that I have any shred of sanity.

But speaking of sanity, it comes and goes, and when I signed myself and Evan up to run a 3-mile race up a hill, that must have been in one of the “goes” phases. That’s right, while all the excitement at Boho is kicking off and we are in the middle of the busy season at work, I signed up to run my very first race UP A HILL. Luckily, this was a fun run, the Hardywood Bottom to the Tap, 3-mile race from the 17^th Street Farmer’s Market up through Church Hill with a free beer at the end. I was never so excited to see a can of beer in my life.

After I barely survived 3-miles and finished my can of Hardywood Cream Ale, there was only one thing to do, lunch! We went to the newly opened Social 52 and stuffed our faces with vegetarian deliciousness, accompanied by more Hardywood, this time Farmhouse Pumpkin. I had the Applewood Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese, minus the Applewood with sliced apples, chipotle garlic mayo and a side of shoe string fries. Evan had the Vegan Club which he said was a damn good sandwich, marinated tofu with jicima slaw on sour dough.

It felt so good to eat at a restaurant and drink a beer during the day time. We sat at the bar, chatted with one of the owners, and had a great meal. It felt like my former care-free life. I so thankful for days like these, but I would not change my situation for a second. Although at times it feels overwhelming, the studio is amazing, my day job is exciting, and my husband is by my side, up all the hills.

how to plan a food crawl

2013-08-06T17:22:00.001-04:00

Pictured: Nachos from Don't Look Back

My very BIG news and the reason I have not been writing/eating this summer is that WE SIGNED A LEASE for Boho Cycle Studio!! I cannot be more excited, overwhelmed, overjoyed, and every other possible emotion that a person can have when putting in to action the thing of their dreams, opening my very own dedicated indoor cycling studio!

That being said, expect the blog to be spotty at best over the next couple of weeks. I do have some guest posts planned and will update on the progress as we celebrate small successes over big piles of food.

For now, I leave you with a piece I wrote for Richmond.com....

How to Plan a Food Crawl

When hunger strikes, throwing a dart at a map can seem like the easiest way to decide on a restaurant. We are lucky to have so many eateries to choose from, but sometimes the act of choosing is not a palatable one. When you simply cannot narrow down your dining destination to one place, plan a food crawl!

A food crawl is a great way to sample multiple restaurants’ cuisine in one night, but being armed with a plan is essential to making the most out of your experience. Here are a few tips to ensure your eating adventures are nothing but delicious........Read More

heritage

2013-07-03T07:24:00.000-04:00

Photo of #burratasparatta via Heritage Facebook Pate

When a restaurant dish has its own hashtag, you order it whether you are doing a cleanse or not. This is a non-negotiable fact.

Exhibit A: I was doing an elimination cleanse where I basically stopped eating everything for a couple weeks and then died of starvation. Not really, that is a joke, but not a very funny one, because nothing is funny when you are hungry. The deal is you cut out booze, meat, dairy, beans, wheat, corn, potatoes, oil, vinegar, and citrus. Then after a couple weeks, you add them back in one by one to see what things make you sick. I made it four and a half days until #burratasparatta entered the picture.

Exhibit B: What is #burratasparatta, you ask? It is amazingness on a plate. Burrata is a combo of mozzarella and cream, so it has the consistency of cutting into a big mozzarella ball, but with a creamy center. It is a game changer. Heritage (1627 W Main St), or as I like to call it, foodie paradise, serves this as a special usually on top of a fried green tomato with some kind of plate lick-able sauce.

Exhibit C: The Chef, famous for his Richmond foodie fan club, is Joe Sparatta, the genius behind this burrata invasion. Hence the hashtag, #burratasparatta. And really with a name like Sparatta, what is not to like?

Exhibit D: Because I was abandoning my elimination cleanse, I said to myself, “Let’s just forget this whole thing ever happened”. Then I ordered a glass of rose. Well, that was a mistake because I had only eaten vegetables for 4 days and got sloppy drunk off 4 sips of wine, thus major hangover the following day.

Exhibit E: I don’t really know why I chose to type this post in exhibit format, but I am going with it. I have always liked the word exhibit. Really, any word with an x in it is pretty great.

Exhibit F: #burratasparrata = good. Elimination cleanse followed by rose = danger.

Be careful out there, folks.

goatocado

2013-07-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

Habberdash Quinoa Bowl via Goatocado Facebook Page

Please, tell me that you have seen the show “My Crazy Obsession.” I am talking about the show on TLC that profiled the guy who dresses up like a mermaid and the women who loves carrots so much that she is turning orange. Not to be confused with the show “My Strange Addiction” that profiles people like the lady that eats cat food or the guy who makes out with his car. Those are just gross.

I happened to catch an episode about this girl who is obsessed with celebrity stalking. She runs around New York City every day for 8 hours a day so that she can get her picture taken with famous people. She has over 10,000 pictures with people ranging from Angelina Jolie to Pauly D. Here is a little glimpse of the so-called stalker.

I get it. She is a nut. But here is the thing….

I think that I might be celebrity stalking the Goatocado food cart. It started innocently enough, as it always does, when I had one of their sandwiches at a local festival. Their fresh unique vegetarian combinations instantly won me as a fan. Soon after, I liked their facebook page. One thing lead to another, they started serving quinoa bowls, and my office started calling in orders for lunch. I found myself liking more and more of their facebook pics of delicious fresh food creations. I even wrote a blog post about them. That’s when it started getting to be a bit much. I started following them on twitter and tweeting when they were in my neighborhood. Tweets kind of like these.

At Dominion River Rock, I ate two quinoa bowls in one day. I would check the Hardywood Food Truck roster to make sure they are going to be there before I commit to going. I am up early every Saturday to hit the South of the James Farmer’s Market just to get my Goatocado fix. I think I have a problem. I have to make a conscious effort not to talk about them in every food conversation and have held back from hitting the like button on every pic they post. Every other pic is ok, but not every one!

I didn’t mean for it to happen, but I will admit it. I have a problem. But if stalking delicious vegetarian sandwiches and quinoa bowls is wrong, TLC can sign me up for my 15 minutes of shame, because I don’t want to be right.

more lamplighter roasting company

2013-06-28T07:39:00.000-04:00

Photo by Patrick Hannan

Yes, another post about Lamplighter. What can I say? Great things happen at your local coffee shop! And Lamplighter Roasting Company seems to attract even more interesting folks than your average caffeine bar. Every time I go to Lamplighter I leave with a REVELATION and a belly full of delicious vegan food, like the Vandenberghimer Sandwich, honey balsamic glazed tofu with grilled asparagus and sundried tomato pesto on fococcia.

Here are just a few examples:

1. I sat at the communal table across from a man, his daughter, and her friend. The girls had to be around 9-11 years old. They were on their laptop, on twitter. On twitter!! Did you know that children use twitter? They were following Nickelodeon and Taylor Swift. There are twitter accounts dedicated to communicating with kids, people! This seems both crazy and obvious at the same time.

2. Again at the communal table I overheard two guys talking about a blog they were working on. Yes, I was eavesdropping. They were talking about the art of the interview and I just could not help myself. I mean really, what is the point of the communal table if you can’t listen to people’s conversations? The blog they were discussing is Suggested Serving. It is a blog about Richmond, but not your average news topics. They write about semi-obscure things going on in town like the Unhappy Hour at the Poe Museum and The Glass Spot glass blowing classes.

3. I had a “coffee” date with one of THE most interesting people I have met in Richmond, Jennifer Koch. (We actually ordered iced tea and ginger ale.) She is an absolute gem and inspiring entrepreneur. Her business, Adventure Often, provides Paris themed tours right here in Richmond, Virginia. Everyone should sign up for her mailing list and get on one of her tours. I cannot stress enough how inspiring she is. My favorite thing that she said to me during our visit to Lamplighter was advice someone once gave her. I am paraphrasing her words, but the advice was about determining your brand “If you are going to be ice cream, it does not benefit you to be vanilla. Be something like pistachio. Not as many people will like you, but some people will LOVE you and will be passionate about your flavor since they cannot get it just anywhere.”

If only they served pistachio ice cream at Lamplighter. I would never have to leave!

amuse

2013-06-26T08:42:00.000-04:00

Let me be perfectly honest. The only reason for this post is so I can flaunt this cocktail picture.

You all know that I am not a photographer. Once in a while I accidentally take a good picture at a restaurant. These occasions are rare!

When my in laws came to visit from Michigan we took them to a lot of places. We went to Hardywood Park’s food truck court, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Stella’s for Dinner and this stop at Amuse for cocktails after seeing the Pop Art Exhibit.

Evan had the Blackhound (pictured above), absolute vodka, blackberries, grapefruit, and St. Germain.

I ordered my go to favorite, the Jalapeno Pineapple Popper (pictured below), Hornitos Tequila, jalapeno, St. Germain, pineapple juice, and strawberry poprocks.

Jane had the Cheeky Tiki, Cruzan Gold Rum, Kelt Cognac, mango, Orgeat, angostura spray, Kraken Spiced Rum float, and hibiscus syrup.

We all had a nice little buzz.

lamplighter roasting company

2013-06-24T08:36:00.000-04:00

Photos by Patrick Hannan

When you are starting a business there are many times when a meeting over coffee is appropriate.

Want to talk about a loan? Let’s meet for coffee.

Want to talk about a lease? Meet at the coffee shop down the street from the space.

Want to talk about working with us? How about a coffee after your 6am cycle class?

People selling coffee have got to be making a killing in this town with all the entrepreneurial activities going on!

Here is the thing. I am just not that into coffee. I am trying. I get it. People like caffeine. I like caffeine. I would even go so far as to say that I like coffee, but my excitement for a cup is just not on par with most business-doing folks in this town.

That is why I love Lamplighter Roasting Company (116 S Addison St). Yes, it is a coffee shop with very fancy coffee service, pour-overs, espressos, half and halfs, and all kinds of coffee things I am learning about. But the best part is they serve great non-coffee drinks, too!

My new jam is their ginger ale. It is basically seltzer water mixed with house made ginger syrup poured over lovely lemon slices and ice. Sounds simple, but it is oh so good. Way more enjoyable than a cup of coffee, if you ask me. And the ginger will perk you right up if you need a boost.

My friend Patrick went to Lamplighter just to photograph this ginger ale for me.
I am pretty sure he is hooked!

ipanema cafe

2013-06-21T08:16:00.000-04:00

You know those days when you wake up to a terrible email, followed by a depressing phone call and then another frustrating interaction? Those days when you need a glass of wine and a nap? Well, sometimes when you are opening a business and working a full time job and signing up for things to the point that your husband is starting to write question marks on your calendar, the option for wine and naps are kind of out of the question.

My solution to these kinds of days is a little thing I like to call, the Break Up Grilled Cheese. You can get it at Ipanema Café (917 W Grace). They list it on their menu under sandwiches as Smoked Gouda with caramelized onion, tomato and thyme, but really it should be in it's own menu section, titled "Things Not Going Your Way?"

It is a cure for the kind of day when your realtor emails and says she has bad news and follows up with a call to tell you that the space that you LOVE for your business was leased to another even though the building owner said he really liked your concept and thought it complimented the area. Trust me when I say, this kind of call feels just like a break-up.

But it happens. It wasn’t meant to be. The next space will be bigger, better, and cheaper. I know this. But in the mean time, stuffing my face with melted cheese and sweet onions on crusty bread while accompanied by great friends will do the trick to pull me out of my funk. Thank you, Break Up Grilled Cheese, hopefully next time we will meet on better days.

**I had wanted to post this weeks ago, but was still feeling bummed about losing out on our "perfect" space. Things are looking up in the location department for Boho Cycle Studio and it truly does seem like that place was not meant to be for a very good reason. Details coming soon...

Photo credit.

off broad appetit

2013-06-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

Consider this a week of catch up posts. I disappeared for a month. I am trying to make it up to you. I know that lost time can never be replaced. Leaving like that, with not a word, it was hurtful.

SERIOUSLY, this is the best photo on my iphone. What more do you want from me?!

I kid. I kid. (Not about the picture, this really is the best one. My phone camera roll is kind of sad.)

While I was away, I was still eating and drinking. Crazy, I know. I had my first bite of a land animal since January at Pasture. It was a big thing.

For the special event that is Off Broad Appetit, Chef Jason Alley, brought together some of his powerhouse Chef friends to cook a dinner made with locally sourced products, all for charity. It was great food and a great time. If ever I was going to “cheat” and eat meat, this was the place to do it.

I ate pork. It was traumatizing. It tasted good and I moved on.

I ate the above pictured fish dish, prepared by Chef Rob Newton of Seersucker in Brooklyn NY, and it was incredible! It is the reason that I decided to add fish back in to my diet (on occasion). I wish that I could remember what it was and how it was prepared, but I was so blown away with how amazing it tasted that I knew in my heart of hearts it would never be replicated, so why even bother trying to record it. This way, it can remain an enigma, a memory of delisciousness never to be repeated.

I also drank a lot of cocktails and a lot of wine. I was hanging with Richmond foodie elite and planned a cab ride home. Of course, I indulged! I will say that I did NOT run into the glass window, or have to be loaded in to a cab against my will. Ahem. I DID, have to climb through the front window of my house because I left my house key in my glovebox. Crazy stuff happens when pork is involved.

urban farmhouse

2013-06-19T18:40:00.000-04:00

Some very tasty things are happening in Richmond, Virginia, starting with the lemon honey vinaigrette that Urban Farmhouse (1217 E Cary St) is putting on their summer berry salad. Sure the ingredients are simple, lemon, honey, vinegar, etc, but for some reason this dressing is blowing my mind. Add in the spinach, local Agri-berry strawberries and crunchy almonds and it is just about heaven in a to-go box.

Veggie lunches are tricky downtown and even though PETA listed Richmond as one of the most vegan friendly cities (the number 10 spot) it is still an effort to keep things healthy at lunch time when faced with noon time hunger.

While I am working out what it means to go meatless and still enjoy the Richmond restaurant scene, I have also been very VERY busy with my other project, opening an indoor cycling studio. There have been some major ups and downs over the past few weeks when the blog went silent. My hope is that there will be more good news to share soon.

In my experience good news corresponds with good food, so for the time being, I will be enjoying my berry salad as part of the half salad, half sandwich two-some with a hummus sandwich on multigrain bread and a side of carrots.

Photo credit.

my unconventional week

2013-05-03T12:59:00.003-04:00

Photos by Image Machine

I love living in Richmond, Virginia (which you could probably decipher from the title of my blog).

This town has it all, plenty of places to eat, events every night of the week, interesting people doing cool things, and occasions that let you drink wine for various charities. What is not to love?

The best part is that with so much stuff going on, you never know what you are going to get in to. This week I have found myself in plenty of situations that could only go down in RVA.

1. I drank a glass of rose at a memorial for two baby goats who passed away….at The Blue Goat, a restaurant that serves goat on the menu. No we did not eat the goats who passed and yes the wine was good. Karen Atkinson, famous for her work coordinating GrowRVA, the South of the James and other farmer’s markets, AND the newly launched FeedRVA was the owner of the goats. How she had time to bottle feed these babies, I will never understand. My personal guess is that she does not sleep. It was so nice to meet her and honor the babies at happy hour prices.

2. I donated money to the Kickstarter campaign for the Richmond Comedy Coalition’s new comedy theater. Who doesn’t like to laugh? These funny people are opening a theater downtown and I was happy to give them a couple bucks. It is awesome to see a group pick a part of town that needs a shot in the arm and just go for it. Plus, their video is really good and you should give them money.

3. I drank a glass of Cabernet at a fundraiser for Down Syndrome Association of Greater Richmond at The Wine Loft. I like to drink wine for good causes and what better cause then one close to home. Good friends and the brains behind Carpenter Health and Wellness have a little girl, Taylor, who has down syndrome. Taylor has a more active social life than I do. She will be making a trip New York to be photographed for a National catalog. We should all be jealous of her.

4. I put together a kick ass Pinterest board for the Need Supply Co. contest. I dabbled in pinning before this contest, but when Need Supply Co. said they were giving away $500, I went from dabbling to becoming a full time Pinterest mad woman. Sadly, I did not win the big prize, but still had a good time promoting a local retail. You can check out my board here.

5. I ate an ice cream cone ON THE RUNWAY before the RVA Fashion Week show in Carytown. One of my favorite people in Richmond, KC Johnson of Image Machine, let me hang with her team at the fashion show in Carytown last night. I got be the “model” for a test shot on the stage before the show started and just happened to be eating a sprinkle covered ice cream cone that I got for free from Mister Softee.

It just doesn’t stop! Tonight, I am going to RVA Fashion Week’s Designer Showcase with a press pass, no less. I am going to have to leave town on Saturday, just to get a little break!

How was your week?

stella's

2013-05-01T16:39:00.000-04:00

Photo from Stella's Facebook Page

It had been entirely too long since I had been to Stella’s (1012 Lafayette St). This gem of a restaurant is a place near and dear to my heart (and my house, thank goodness) and holds a solid spot in my top 5 favorite RVA restaurants.

Every single thing on their menu is good. So good, that when we were there on Friday, a girl fell off her bar stool. I mean, she really went down. It was loud and scary. I was worried for her safety because that marble bar top is no joke. I thought she might have hit her head, but luckily she was unharmed. It was obvious that she just could not handle so much deliciousness.

The only problem with the food being so good is that it is really difficult to decide what to order. We had planned to just share a plate of their famous hummus and have a drink, but that turned in to an order of Kolokithokeftedes (zucchini fritters) and an order of Spanikopita and hummus and drinks.

Every bite was heaven. It was so good that I wrote a drunken note about it in my phone. It went like this, “the food at Stella’s is so good that I worry one day I might die from my brain exploding”. The message to myself did seem a bit odd when I read it back the next morning, but I completely stand by my statement.

If you have not had a fried bite of shredded zucchini at Stella’s, you haven’t lived! An order of Spanikopita must be ordered on every visit and if I was still eating animals I would be devouring the No. 5 Pasta.

I can only hope that I will have a long loyal love affair with this Greek treasure of a restaurant. You can read my original post about the Top 11 Reasons Why I Love Stella’s here. I stand by every single one of these statements.

amuse

2013-04-28T18:34:00.000-04:00

By the luck of the Irish, I managed to get myself a table on the patio at Amuse for Richmond Restaurant Week. Ok, so I’m not Irish, but that is not really the point. Restaurant Week reservations are tough, especially when you wait until the last minute and even charming tweets to @AmuseVMFA will not get you a guaranteed spot. Patio seating is all first come first served. Trust me, I tried.

For the remainder of this post, I am going to pretty much just rave about how much I adore this place, so prepare for some shameless gushing. I give you four impossible to argue reasons why I love Amuse as of this moment today. I am sure this list will get longer the next time I go back.

1. The Patio
The patio at Amuse is THE most gorgeous patio in the city of Richmond, Virginia. Yes, I said it. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong and don’t even think about saying Legend or I will delete your comment. I am not joking around here. Overlooking the Virginia Museum of Fine Art's green courtyard of art installations is now one of my new favorite spaces in the city.

2. Jalapeno Pineapple Popper

After watching this video on Richmond.com I had to have it. It has pink Pop Rocks on the rim. Hello! Where do they come up with this stuff? The popper was not as sweet as you would think given the pineapple juice situation. The tequila, jalapeno, and St. Germain balanced everything and the strawberry Pop Rocks were a blast. (Did you see what I did there?)

3. Scallops
My love affair with scallops is a recent development. Since I am trying to avoid eating things with faces, they have become a new guilty pleasure. The scallops I ate at Amuse were THE best scallops I have ever eaten. (There is a lot of capital punctuation going on here, I realize, but trust me that I am being absolutely sincere about it.) The sear on the top of these babies made it feel like I was cracking into a crème brulee and the accompaniments, cous cous, mushrooms, and Meyer lemon aioli, were light and delightful.

4. Staff
The people working at Amuse are cool. I don’t mean in a laid back, everyone is nice, and they don’t mind bringing you extra butter, kind of way. I mean literally, they are cooler than you (and me and most people I know). From the adorable bartender, Molly, with bun perched on top of her head, to Michael, the jovial bar manager, who checks in with every guest with a sincere smile on his face. Even though the staff looks “artsy” they keep the vibe super classy. I swear they adjusted the patio awning and window shades at least three times when we were there depending on how the sun was setting behind the clouds. It is obvious that they spend a lot of effort to keep things effortlessly swanky.

I will be back to Amuse very very soon to add to this list and to sample their happy hour. Word on the street is that it starts at 2:30pm and includes $6 Champagne cocktails. Ok, so I actually read that on the internet. I don’t really get a whole lot of reliable information “on the street” regarding who is serving Champagne drinks, but maybe that is just because I have been spending too much time on Broad Street.

And seriously, watch the video, it is adorable.

mid-week confessions

2013-04-24T22:14:00.002-04:00

This week is one of those weeks. Nothing particularly bad has happened, but nothing exceptionally great is going on either. I feel like I need a clean slate, a redo, a start-over. So here are my confessions in hopes that I can break out of this funk and make the rest of this week exceptional.

1. I did not make reservations for Richmond Restaurant Week and am now having a pity party because everywhere I want to go is booked until 8:45pm. I am too old to eat late.

2. I am pissed that I missed The Voice to see Anthony Bourdain talk about absolutely nothing interesting at The Landmark. Read this article (not written by me) to see exactly how I feel.

3. I have been sneaking pretzel M&M’s out of my coworker’s desk when no one is around, but finally broke down and told him…to which he replied, “I know.”

4. I save my favorite workout pants for Fridays because Friday morning cycling is my favorite class. I know that what you wear to workout in has nothing to do with calories burned, but I feel like it makes me work harder when I like my outfit.

5. I told myself that I was going to try my hardest to stay dairy-free this week. On Tuesday, I ordered butternut squash and ricotta ravioli with zucchini and yellow squash ribbons in a sherry cream sauce. It was amazing.

Judge me if you must, or join me. What little secret do you want set free?

vegetarian beer dinner

2013-04-22T21:26:00.004-04:00

My oven is broken.

This would normally not be a big deal. Rarely do I make anything that does not cook in the microwave. But of course the broken oven situation would coincide with a beer cupcake situation.

This weekend was the third Vegetarian Beer Dinner hosted by blogger and friend Lauren of Veg:ology. I took the dessert course and promised to deliver beer cupcakes. I had no backup plan.

The day went something like this. Print off vegan cupcake recipe. Brainstorm how to get beer in the recipe without watering it down. Turn on oven. Make said recipe. Put batter in cupcake tins lined with my favorite recycled biodegradable cupcake liners. Open oven door. Yell, “EVAN!!!” Realize that the oven is not going to work. Pour batter from favorite biodegradable cupcake liners in to small tray that fits in the toaster oven. Say a prayer to the vegan beer cake Gods asking to please let this work and bake in the toaster.

To my astonishment, it actually worked. I served my beer “cake” with a vegan vanilla frosting, topped with crumbles of dark chocolate. The beer in the batter and served as my pairing was Duck Rabbit Brown Ale. It was just delightful.

A special shout out to all the other bloggers at the dinner.

Lauren, Veg:ology

Liz, I Heart Vegetables

Sarah, The Smart Kitchen

Adrienne, Hippie Itch

Check out their sites for their killer recipes. I would give you mine, but there is no chance it will ever work again. It truly was a vegan beer cake miracle.