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Author Archives: Vicky

Review: Against the Grain Urban Tavern

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Against the Grain Urban Tavern - Leaside

“Want to go for brunch on Sunday??” I get or send that text message every week, typically sometime between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. Usually it’s to and from my friends Matt and Dawn. Brunch is one of those meals where you recap the week and make plans for the next so you have to be in good company either because you need someone to laugh with (hopefully not at) and occasionally a shoulder to cry on. Knowing I was in good company, it was time to send the all-important follow up, “Where do you want to eat?” That’s not a tricky question normally, except when one goes out for brunch every weekend and then where do you go avoid gastro-boredom?

Then I remembered the Against the Grain Urban Tavern, a restaurant in Leaside I had watched being built over the winter months. I suppose being stuck in traffic caused by the road construction on Laird Avenue could be looked at as a bad thing by local businesses, but on the other hand it’s free advertising because what else do people do when they’re stopped in their car, but look around. So why not? Let’s give this place a shot and see what they’ve got for brunch.  Read the rest of this entry

Race Report: 2013 DC Nike Women’s Half Marathon

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(Photo credit: Run Nike Women's Series)

(Photo credit: Run Nike Women’s Series)

I can’t tell you how excited I was to get into the DC Nike Women’s Half! The Nike Half Marathon was a race that I had wanted to run for a while but it was out in San Francisco and I’m not a fan of hills or the cost of traveling to the west coast. So when Nike announced that it was organizing a race in Washington, DC, I figured it was perfect for me. I loved the idea of being a part of an inaugural race!  Read the rest of this entry

Maple Bacon Biscuits

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Maple Bacon Biscuits

Last year, when I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon, I figured it was a one and done race. I was there to get my Coast to Coast medal and had no plans on going back. That was until runDisney announced the Dumbo Double Dare – a 10K race on Saturday followed by a half marathon on Sunday. It’s an inaugural race and with a little bit of peer pressure, I found myself signed up. What else is new?  Read the rest of this entry

A Birthday and Salty-Sweet Butter Pecan Cookies

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salty sweet butter pecan dough

I recently saw a quote that said “Sometimes the people who are thousands of miles away from you, can make you feel better than the people right beside you.”. I think that quote describes exactly how I feel about a lot of friends I have in my life. That is to say I miss the ones who don’t live close and have a greater appreciation for the time we spend together. Read the rest of this entry

Wordless Wednesday – New Shoes

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New Shoes = Speedy Run

Fudgy Chocolate Chunk Brownies

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brownies
I try to eat clean 90 percent of the time but every Sunday I have a cheat meal which means I can eat just about anything I want. But I’m not going to scarf Cheetos and Cherry Coke just because they’re available, I want something good! And if I’m going to indulge in something, it has to be worth the calorie count. So last week when I was craving chocolate, I thought, why not make a tray of brownies?  Read the rest of this entry

Wordless Wednesday – Running

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I <3 Running

Wordless Wednesday – First day of Spring

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First day of spring

Is it really the first day of spring? Hard to believe.

Speculoos Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Speculoos Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

The other day, someone asked me why I wasn’t posting recipes anymore. I didn’t think much of it until someone else asked me and then another person asked. So why haven’t I been baking? For starters, I’ve been trying to clean up my eating. Then I was also busy training for Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge in January. Training? What’s up with that? I know there have been recent blog posts that make it seem the races are a walk in the park (pardon the pun) and not a whole lot of training is required. But believe me, you do have to train to complete a marathon, Disney or otherwise. Behind the theme parks, characters and the fluff of the tutus, you are out there walking or running 13.1 miles for a half marathon and double that distance for the marathon. It’s not like you can wake up, jump into the race at mile 25 and claim that you’ve run an entire marathon. And while it is true that you’ll get a medal regardless of whether you officially finish a Disney race, that isn’t the point. Anyway, I digress. If you are seriously training, then you know how little time and energy you have on the weekend for things besides running and napping. That’s where I’ve been and that’s what I’ve been doing. And if you’re looking to start running, here’s a good spot – 10 Tips for New Runners.

But enough about that, let’s talk about the good stuff! The kind of stuff you can eat and not feel guilty about after a good long run – muffins.

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Nike Women’s Virtual 10K and Nike+ Running reviewed

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Photo Credit: NWM 26.2

Photo Credit: NWM 26.2

I’m not sure if running a 10K on the Sunday of Daylight Savings Time was the best idea. I’m not a morning person on the best of days so trying to get those miles minus an hour and meet friends for brunch was a bit tricky. But that’s the beauty of a virtual 10K race – you run the miles WHERE you want and WHEN you want. After some unintentional peer pressure Friday morning, I decided at the last minute to register for the Nike Women’s 10K. Okay, I’m a sucker for a cute shirt too! So that was a plus too. There was just one problem – everyone was being asked to record their 10K times using Nike+ Running App.

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