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This week is Charlotte Restaurant Week, and Jaclyn was kind enough to organize a big blogger dinner at George’s Brasserie, a fine French restaurant.    I have never participated in a Restaurant Week before, and I was pretty excited.  Charlotte’s RW is called the Queen’s Feast and dozens of awesome restaurants participate.  At each restaurant, [...]

I have an amazing recipe to share with you – a twist on two of my favorite dishes, Cornbread Quiche and Santa Fe Casserole. Half-quiche, half-cornbread, this recipe is all about the spicy flavor.  It is also my entry into Foodbuzz’s Pace Salsa recipe contest.  The salsa was given to me as a free product [...]

Chia seeds are back! Chia seeds can be turned into awesome vegan ‘yogurt’ by simply letting them stand overnight in almond milk (or regular milk).  It’s super tasty and easy!   Adapted from this recipe.   Sweet and Salty Vegan Overnight Oats Ingredients:   2 tablespoons chia seeds 1/3 cup oatmeal 3/4 cup almond milk [...]

When your flight is repeatingly delayed in 20 minute blocks for 2 hours, you know what you do?   You eat a cookie as big as your face, that’s what. And you dig into the healthy wrap you packed in your carry-on.  I got this lentil dal wrap at Whole Foods and YUM – it [...]

Part of my half-marathon training plan calls for speedwork, which so far I’ve been pretty good about fitting in.   In fact, I did two speedwork seshs this week! Normally, I refer to the contraption below as the dreadmill because I really, really hate running on a treadmill.  I find it intensely boring.  I know it’s [...]

Some of my favorite bloggers recently did “accent” vlogs, and I loved hearing their voices!  Since everyone commented on this vlog post that my voice was deeper and different than they expected (I think it’s all the !!! and :) :) in my typing), I thought it would be fun to do it, too!   [...]

Operation Beautiful has taken me to some pretty unique places that I might not have had the chance to visit otherwise:   New York City and then back again Ticonderoga, NY Hagerstown, MD Scottsdale, AZ Villanova, PA Williamsport, PA Tampa, FL and Orlando, FL several times, too!  But I was living there so I don’t [...]

Well, Carolina Pit BBQ was the last place I expected to find my breakfast!   Back in the airport – headed to an Operation Beautiful presentation in Ohio!  I’m speaking to young girls who belong to a church group.  I’m pretty pumped because this is the target audience for the book I’m currently writing finishing!  [...]

Meet Billy Jean.  :)  We are dogsitting for our friends for the next three days – I am so excited because I lurve this dog. She is 6 months old and weighs about 25 pounds.  She was rescued from the shelter about two months ago by Kayla and Brandon.  Kayla learned that Billie Jean was [...]

Healthy Ashley and her fiancé Richard came to Charlotte today for a day-trip, so we met up for lunch! Ashley and I met in Orlando and quickly became fast friends – it’s kind of ironic we both moved to North Carolina and now only live 2 hours from each other!   Ashley and I have [...]

As I mentioned last night, Maggie’s full name is Margaret Thatcher. Did you James’ full name is James Bond?  I’m not sure ‘which’ James Bond he is, though.  Probably Pierce Brosnan.   We named him James Bond because he’s an escape artist.  Fences have nothing on James.   Checking them into the vet is really, really [...]

I never told you guys what I got the Husband for Christmas!  Well, I got him a snazzy University of Miami watch, a homemade scrapbook, and two tickets to see Billy Elliot.  We finally cashed in our tickets!  The play was so good, too. The kid who played Billy Elliot was amazing – such a [...]

Today, I counted how many steps I have to walk to go from the front of the clinic to inside my favorite Charlotte restaurant:  96 steps.  Yes, just 96 steps.  And I wonder why I always succumb to takeout when I’m stuck in the office. Same old, same old.  Black bean burger on a whole [...]