For anyone that lives near Philly (or watches Food Network or the Travel Channel as much as we do), you have probably seen someone at Franklin Fountain. This has been on my list of places to visit for over a year. As an ice cream lover I really wanted to try it out. I had wanted to go after little miss was born (good thing we did not go, not sure the walk from the hospital to Franklin Fountain would have happened the day after giving birth!)
So this past weekend Hubby and I where in the city and since it was a nice day (for the middle of winter) we decided to walk down to Franklin Fountain. Good thing we went in the winter, the line was out the door!!
Here is little miss with our order
We got the Mt. Vesuvius
“A mountain of CHOCOLATE or VANILLA ice cream ERUPTING with chocolate brownie pieces, CASCADING with hot fudge and BLANKETED in malt powder. A dollop of whipped cream indicates her smoking signal.”
Hubby picked Chocolate ice cream and boy was this thing amazing! The ice cream was not overly sweet and perfectly creamy. Hubby and I loved it and that it came in a fun Chinese food container!
We would love to go back but can’t imagine what the line would be like in the summer!
Where is the best place you have had ice cream?
In August I saw a Groupon for this organic produce delivery service called Door to Door Organics. After buying the groupon I sent Door to Door Organics an email about a blog review. Danny the owner emailed me right back and offered to send me the small box to try.
Well small is an interesting term for this box!
Inside my box was the following
3 grapefruits
1 bunch bananas (nice small size and in perfect shape for a mid morning snack)
3 plums (first time I tired one and super sweet and juicy)
1 pint raspberries (amazingly fresh and so good – I am a berry lover for sure)
1 bag of carrots
1 head lettuce
1 bunch dandelion greens
2 potatoes
1 butternut squash (amazingly tender when roasted)
The produce was so fresh and came packed nicely. I am a huge fan of Door to Door Organics. The box I got is $39 and I think a great value for the money. This is a great way to try new produce items and stay organic as well.
Thanks again to Danny and Door to Door Organics. I can’t wait to use my groupon!
). The topping was supper yummy I ate it with a spoon! The drink itself was good but mainly just tasted like mocha not much coconut. I would recommend it none the less and will be getting another soon. Hubby and I always travel with a food plan. We also have places we want to try and things we want to eat when we are away, and Disney was no exception. Since our resort was so close to Downtown Disney, we planned to eat many meals there. Our first stop was Earl of Sandwich, a favorite from a trip to Vegas years ago. Hubby and I split a Veggie sandwich (Feta Cheese, Lettuce, Roma Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion, Roasted Red Peppers & Mediterranean Dressing) and a Hawaiian BBQ (Grilled Chicken, Roasted Ham, Hawaiian BBQ Sauce, Aged Swiss Cheese & Fresh Pineapple). I also got a Chocolate Banana Smoothie
While walking around Downtown Disney, we went into Goofy’s Candy Shop where I got a Mickey Rice Krispie Treat covered in Reese’s Pieces and Chocolate! For $5 I had to get this treat which lasted me most of the week!
Here is my treat being made:
Into the chocolate, then the pieces are pushed on
And white chocolate on top
This was messy to eat, but so good!
We went to Cat Cora’s restaurant on our second night, and enjoyed multiple appetizers split between the two of us.
It was so good, but I was too hungry once we got there to take pictures of the food, sorry 
We knew one day we needed to check out Raglan Road Irish Pub for the Hubby! I enjoyed the fish and chips, while Hubby had a chicken and mushroom pie.
We had to get in a little Cinco de Mayo celebration on vacation and had burritos at the Magic Kingdom. Here is my black bean burrito.
Our final night away we finished at the parks early and went back to the room to figure out what to do for dinner. After checking out the options and wanting to try something new, we decided on the T-Rex. Hubby was craving a burger and the menu looked pretty fun.
We got a fairly quick seat at the octopus bar in front of the fish tank.
I ordered the Paleonzoic Chicken Sandwich (Fried pizza dough with grilled chicken, lettuce, bacon, pepper jack cheese, avocado, tomato and lemon aioli). I will be honest the fried pizza dough kinda sold me. This sandwich was awesome. I was not that hungry and had not planned to eat the whole thing but it was so good I could not stop. I would recommend checking this place out next time you go to Disney.
Overall Hubby and I had a great week of eats at the parks.
Do you travel with a meal plan or just wing it?
I have not real been having any actual cravings during the pregnancy, just things I like to eat more then normal (for me), PB, ice cream, cheese, cheese fries, any carb with cheese on it… you get the idea. When I saw this new Chick-fil-a milkshake I was interested but not 100% sure. I am a big fan of Chick-fil-a milkshakes but Banana pudding is not on the top of my list, but when a free coupon came, well I thought why not
While I do still prefer the Cookies and Cream shake, this was not bad and if you like Banana Pudding I think you will love it. I really enjoy that they make them all fresh and they are really creamy. I am sure there will be move Chick-fil-a shakes over the next 4 months! Do you have a Chick-fil-a near you/what is your favorite milkshake flavor?
I am not sure about anyone else, but I have a love and hate relationship with granola. I love the flavor and crunch it adds to things, but I hate how high in calories many brands normally are or even have in the homemade ones. Enter a recent trip at Wegmans and Bear Naked’s Fit Granola line. I had tried the Triple Berry Crunch and it was ok, but not great, well this week I opened the second bag I bought, Vanilla Almond Crunch.
This granola is AMAZING. Great crunch and whole almonds inside, not overly sweet but just right and at only 120 calories for 1/4 cup I feel better about eating it. I like to make my own granola but this brand might make me a convert…….
What is your favorite granola? Store or homemade?
As I mentioned yesterday, I checked 2 places of my food must see list this weekend. Crumbs Bake Shop was the second. I have wanted to try Crumbs since Sex in the City made them popular when I was in college. The inlaws have several near them and since it was Dad #2’s birthday, I thought it would be a great treat for all of us.
Friday afternoon, Hubby and I headed to the Crumbs by this parents to find this:
We had made a list of possible choices but when you see this it is hard to stick with them! So we got a sick pack to share:
Some close ups:
Coffee Toffee (voted the best by the group) and Raspberry Chocolate Curl
Grasshopper and PB Cup (my favorite)
Carrot Cake and Irish Cream (the flavor of the month)
We shared all 6 cupcakes between 4 of us, which seems like a lot but because they are not overly sweet was actually great. I did not feel sick after eating them or anything! I am now a HUGE Crumbs fan.
So much so that we went back for more on Saturday night!
This time it was the Baba Booey. This one was also AMAZING (that or I am just loving PB and chocolate right now…..)
Less then 24 hours to go!
There are a few places I wanted to visit in CT before the inlaws move later this summer, and this past weekend I was able to check 2 of them off my list! One of the places was Tasti D Lite. I have heard so much about this fro-you place I wanted to give it a try. So on the way out of town, Hubby and I stopped to grab some fro-yo. We both got a small Oreo Chocolate Mint, which I was surprised to find is on the low end of the calorie count.
While this looks awesome (and way to go new phone for a great pic!), it was good but nothing special and for the price, Hubby and I agreed not really worth it. I enjoyed it but will not be sad that we will not get to visit tons more, I think we will stick with our Toppings place for fro-yo.
So we are still on our bakery adventure at Reading Terminal Market. While having lunch with a co-worker we decide the best way to end lunch was with a trip to Termini Brothers, one of the best South Philly bakeries around. Normally I would just get one of their amazing cannolis and call it a day, but when I saw this little cake, it was just calling to me.
Black Forest Cake covered with frosting, how could I pass it up? The frosting and the cherries tucked inside this little cake made him amazing (not sure why he is a he, but go with it). The creaminess of Termini Brothers frostings and fillings are just so amazing I have no way to describe them. Check them out online too, especially if you love real Italian desserts!
After my healthy choice, it was time to hit up some bakeries at the Reading Terminal Market! First on the list was the Famous 4th Street Cookies. I passed them each day when I walked into the market, but just did not feel the need to stop UNTIL the day I saw my favorite cookie, The Black and White! I am not sure why I love these cookies so much, I think it is because they are covered in frosting and really I just have an unnatural love of frosting. When I saw my beloved cookies I got right in line to get one. The cool thing about Famous 4th Street Cookies is they sell all the cookies by weight so if you get a smaller cookie it cost less.
My black and white was all I hoper it would be, soft cookie, nice thick frosting, I was in love while eating it. Check them out and you can even buy online.
As I mentioned in my last post I was in Center City for several days helping run a pretty large conference. Which to me meant 1 thing, eating at Reading Terminal Market! So I apologize now, but you will be seeing all the yummy things that I just had to share that I ate while down in the city! My first stop had to be at one of my favorite places in the market, Mezze, the Mediterranean sandwich and salad place. It was a touch choice but I got this veggie sandwich heated up!
Mozzerella, roasted red peppers, eggplant, and artichokes on a nice soft roll. This sandwich was loaded with veggies and really hit the spot, nothing else needed! Later in the week, I got an even better sandwich from them which I also have to recommend even though I did not get a picture of it. The grilled chicken with sharp provolone, artichokes, and mushrooms on focaccia was AMAZING! I tried to get another one a different day but they where out!
If you are at Reading Terminal Market I would said to stop by Mezze they have great food and are super nice!
I was not really sure how Hubby and would celebrate St. Patty’s Day this year. With me not being able to consume some beverages, I had to come up with a plan B (for baby!). Then I remembered how much Hubby loves corned beef risotto, although I could not have the corned beef (all the ones I found had nitrates in them) I decided to make a his and her’s risotto. He had corned beef and I had butternut squash!
This dish is really easy. Start with some onion and oil in a pan. Let it soften, then add your risotto rice (I did 1 cup), allow the rice to brown a little. Add your liquid 1 cup at a time (I used chicken stock and 3 cups total). Then I added mushrooms and tomatoes to the mix and allowed then to cook down. Once the veggies cooked in, I separate the 2 servings and add squash to mine and corned beef to his. A little parm on top and we sat down to eat.
After dinner it was time for a little treat, to celebrate the holiday, Hubby and I split this little beauty.
What I am suppose to be uping my calcium intake 
While I was getting my Starbucks mini treat, I was looking at the yogurt parfaits in the case. I have never tried a Starbucks yogurt, but thought last week was the perfect time as I was working a conference in the city and had to be up super early most morning. So one morning on the way to the conference I went in to get my latte and grabbed the Dark Cherry Yogurt Parfait.
Although not as much real fruit as I like in my breakfast yogurts, this was a nice healthy start to my day. The flavors was very cherry which was nice and I really liked that the granola was kept separate so it stated crunchy. I think this makes for a great grab and go breakfast for those of us that like to be healthy. Way to go Bucks!
Last week I tried the new Yoplait Greek Yogurt for breakfast.
The yogurt is there I promise. I had it will some Friendship bread crumbles (post coming soon), mango and pineapple. I will say I was not impressed by the Yoplait Greek Yogurt it was not as thick as I like my greek yogurts to be, but the flavor was right and the price is reasonable, so it is not a lost cause. I just prefer the other brands on sale!
That being said Yoplait had an awesome campaign to get your ready for Spring.
Spring Fashion File – Celebrity stylist, host of Style Network’s makeover show “How Do I Look?” and Yoplait Light Two Week Tune Up spokesperson, Jeannie Mai gives you the rundown on how to spring forward this season
Transition from winter to Spring
· Take the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning. You can freshen up your wardrobe by adding a few new pieces that follow spring trends, and wearing them with basics and staples like a great pair of jeans. It’s also a good opportunity to get rid of anything you haven’t worn in over a year.
· Freshening up can also mean a quick tune up if you’re feeling a little weighed down from the winter months. For example, the Yoplait Light Two Week Tune Up plan a quick way you could lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks (find more details on the plan at Yoplait.com) to look and feel your best while rocking spring trends.
Trends for your tresses – what’s hot for hair
· My favorite is the low bun. Straight from Guido Palau, who created the look for Nina Ricci's spring show, he recommends starting with a center part. Next, pull hair into a low ponytail, making sure to cover the ears. Then twist the ponytail into a loose knot. Remember, a too-tight style will look overly austere, so keep it loose for a touch of bohemian flair!
· For a change, try something serious with a more severe side part.
· Also, from an off-to-the-side swoop to thick, Jane Birkin-esque '70s fringe, bangs are SO back!
Must-haves for makeup
· DYING over the new makeup trends set for the spring/summer 2011 season! They’re absolutely fabulous if you wish to look dazzling with the gorgeous pastel eye makeup trend that’s so perfect for the warm season!
· You've probably seen the outbreak of Peacock collections that MAC and Shu Uemura both have launched this season so it is no wonder that color is totally in. Experiment by adding one different color shadow to your look for the day, you don't have to look like a peacock going to work, right? Unless that’s what you were aiming for.
· Nude has always been pretty much in but this season, try going for bolder lips like fuscia, red, or hot pink. I love taking a powerful lipstick and then lightly dab the color onto my lips so it leaves a semi-stain, just bitten look. Take a tip from Fendi's Spring 2011 collection, featuring a matte bright orange. Bright lips are in babe so pucker up!
What to put in your wardrobe
· Spring 2011's floral trend sees pieces set to brighten up wardrobes in bright botanicals, oriental blooms and ditsy prints. Clash them to make a statement.
· It’s time to wake up and smell the roses, guys and gals…..and the poppies and the lilies and the peonies too. Bold flower-power prints are hot off the runways from designers such as Jil Sander, Erdem, Jaeger, Kenzo, Vivienne Westwood, Mui Mui, Dries Van Noten and Antonia Marras.
· Think palazzo pants, sheer blouses, or handbags and shoes, these botanical beauties are here to brighten up our spring and summer. Also, feminine prints are rediscovered on another one of Mai faves, floaty maxi dresses.
All about accessories
· If I had to pick one stand out musty that will be mine for the season, it’s the belt purse. There are the years when a particular style of clutch is on trend, and then there's 2011. It's out with the clutch and in with a belted alternative. It’ll be this year’s casual fashion trends, the belt purse is a statement piece of daytime wear that quickly went from the catwalks of Hermes and Pucci to the streets.
And here is a coupon to help you get started!
Happy first day of Spring
