Phew, we’re back from a pretty busy/nonstop weekend. The past few days have included some good meals, some art, a comedy show, and two races (including one PR!). Here are some picture to give you an idea:
Our weekend “started” on Thursday with a night at the Cleveland Art Museum with B’s work. We were treated to a peek at their Van Gogh exhibit, appetizers, and drinks in the gorgeous Atrium.
Checking out the pretty awesome Van Gough exhibit at the Cleveland Art museum
Friday night included another Flaming Ice Cube meal AND another comedy show, this time we saw a “Mom-ic” (mom-comic) who was a lot funnier than I expected.
Saturday morning was an early one – we started with the Cleveland 10 Miler!
B and I post Saturday’s 10 mile race. Feeling good! (and there’s a photobomber!)
Oh yeah, and B and I PRed in our Cleveland 10 miler time. It wasn’t our best pace ever (it wasn’t our half-marathon pace) but apparently the past few times we’ve done the 10 miler we were a lot slower. Check out the difference:
Past years:
Past few years’ times
This year my finish time:1:31:43. Yes, that’s more than a 10 minute PR.
post-run yumyums – my favorite salad at Rothschild Farms
That was just race #1 of the weekend. Saturday evening we headed down to Columbus and Sunday morning included Race #2: a 5k in Columbus to participate in a race B’s aunt was organizing that supported the local autism society.
the whole group of us at the race
Autism awareness 5k – me and my “cousin-in-law” Steph – check out her cool socks!
B’s aunt took this photo of me crossing the finish – I took First Female!
after the race we enjoyed a nice light meal. KIDDING. My brunch was pretty delicious! That may or may not be Irish coffee in the background …
That’s about it! How was your weekend? Some questions for you:
Have you run 2 races in one weekend? First time ever! And it wasn’t sooooo bad (though I may be in pain today …)
Favorite brunch food? I prefer eggs (over easy or sunny side up) to sweet breakfast items like pancakes or french toast.
Favorite post-run food? I typically crave salads with tons of toppings and of course a hunk of bread. But eggs are nice too 🙂
Last art exhibit you went to?
May is THIS WEEK! What’s something fun you’re doing? Running the Cleveland half marathon; seeing my brother graduate; seeing my family in NY AND in Cleveland … so much fun stuff going on!
The other day I came across a list of the most hipster foods there are. Hipster foods! And can you believe that out of that list, B and I enjoy most of them on a regular basis? Like, a LOT of them? For example, here are just a few:
Cold brew coffee – B LOVES this, especially this time of year.
Anything from a food truck – Obviously. Who doesn’t like stuff from a food truck? Helllllo Walnut Wednesdays!
Pickles – Always have, always will love them.
Brussels sprouts – B’s not a fan but I’ve been eating them roasted for a while!
Bacon – you can’t tell me bacon is just for hipsters. We got some nitrate free bacon in our CSA last year and I can’t wait to get it again.
Cauliflower – Have you met me? I love cauliflower! Roasted, mashed, buttery… please, I’ve been eating cauliflower for years. My parents cook cauliflower. Does this make my parents hipsters?
Kale – SEE BELOW. Seriously, I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.
Roasted Butternut squash with Kale, Mushrooms, Onions, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese
Here’s what you need:
2-3 Tbs olive oil
1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into about 1-inch pieces
1 large bunch kale, washed, and chopped (remove stem)
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely diced
1 c. chopped yellow onion
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1-3 tsp hot sauce, to taste (optional)
1/2 red pepper, roasted
1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese
Here’s what you do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chopped up butternut squash onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until squash is just starting to brown.
While squash is cooking, in a large saucepan, heat up about 2 Tbs olive oil on medium high heat. Add in garlic and sautee for 2 minutes or until it starts to smell yummy (yes, I LOVE the smell of garlic!). Add in diced onion and cook for 2-3 more minutes until onion starts to become translucent. Add in mushrooms and cook for another 3ish minutes. Add kale and cook until kale has wilted. You may need to add more olive oil at this time. If you like heat, here’s where you’ll add your hot sauce.
When squash is done, add to mushroom/onion/kale/garlic pot. Saute squash just enough so that it starts to caramelize slightly.
Almost finished! Pour onto a plate and top with goat cheese and roasted red pepper. Enjoy as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish. Enjoy!
Some questions for you:
Are any of the hipster foods foods you enjoy regularly? See above. Apparently, yes.
Are your parents hipsters? Ha, well since they eat cauliflower … and my dad likes craft beer and has been wearing Converse since the beginning of time. Maybe? Which makes me think of this great blog: Dads are the original hipster.
Are you a hipster? Trick question! A hipster would never admit to being a hipster. GOTCHA!
April may be flying by but I’m pretty much enjoying every speedy minute of it. The end of the month means that I have some fabulous things to look forward to:
1. DAZZLE the District!
I am SO excited for this event – happening NEXT FRIDAY. The Dazzle the District celebration is a big party happening in my neighborhood that in honor of some new renovations – lights, video signage, elegant gateways, a humongous “retro” sign inspired by PlayhouseSquare’s 1920s-era roots and the world’s largest outdoor chandelier. Yes, I will be living near the world’s largest outdoor chandelier. Anyway, there’s going to be a big party with happy hours, Hot Chelle Rae Concert and a lighting ceremony. I CAN’T wait. You better bet I’ll be tweeting/Instagramming/etc. with the hashtag, #DazzleCLE.
I walk by here every day pretty much .. here’s where the chandelier will be!
Love the new gateways – and they’re lit up at night!
New gateway in the area
2. Cleveland 10-Miler
The Cleveland 10-Miler is this weekend! It’s a race I’ve grown to love (yes, I said “love” about a 10 mile race) over the years. The crowds, the weather, the people running it, the after-party events, the medal, the Gu/water stops, the t-shirt and even the route. The last time I ran it I was training for a marathon and had already run 10 miles before the start (and had the last 10 miles of my 20 mile run be the race) so this weekend I’m happy to be “only” running these 10 miles.
3. Races for a Good Cause– A Better World for Autism 5K
The spring and summer are full of 5ks that support various causes. This weekend, B and I will be participating in a race that supports a cause that’s definitely close to us, autism awareness. B’s aunt is active in the organization hosting the race, so we’ll be driving down after our 10-miler to join their family in this event. Who knows if I’ll feel good enough to run in it, but I’m looking forward to being part of the event!
4. Summer Farmers Markets and CSAs!
Now that summer is almost here, it means our CSA is about to begin! B and I signed up once again for Fresh Fork Market and I can’t wait to see what new meats, vegetables, cheese, pasta, etc. we receive this year. I had a blast trying out new recipes and cooking many new greens last year (check out some of my Fresh Fork wrap ups, including what we got and what we made). Some of my favorites included:
Kohlrabi Slaw … I’m so happy that Fresh Fork introduced me to Kohlrabi – now I’m hooked!
Fennel, tomato and avocado salad
BEER CAN CHICKEN
5. Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary
Next week will mark 3 years that B and I have been married. Wild, huh? It honestly feels like yesterday (cliche, I know) that we were just dating, not even engaged. Wow, times have changed. Please join me for a walk down memory lane (warning, cheesiness ahead)
OK, i know this is before we met, but I couldn’t help myself. 🙂
Dressed up for a formal, senior year of college.
A Turkey Trot, circa 5 years ago. check it out – B IS WEARING A HERMES 10 MILER SHIRT! (yes, this post just went full circle)
Halloween. We were the robots from Flight of the Conchords.
And from this past year – us in Seattle
A few questions for you:
What are a few things you’re looking forward to as April draws to an end?
So apparently the 3rd anniversary is your “leather” anniversary. Quick, what are a few leather gifts?
Any fun races coming up?
Clevelanders – will I see you at Dazzle the District?
Has a CSA or Farmers Market introduced you to any new foods? Yup, kohlrabi! I love it roasted and as a slaw but when I first saw it I thought it was an alien. No joke. It scared me.
I may have a hummus problem. The other day I realized I’d eaten hummus, as part of a meal, 4 days in a row. I know there are worse things to claim, but 4 days in a row? That’s nearly a week. Wonder if I can keep the streak going (I’ve also eaten chocolate about 40 days in a row) …
Anyway, I digress. The other night for dinner I was happy to have enough time to put together something vegetarian-friendly, flavorful and also that would serve as a side dish for B. I’d seem some recipes for hummus/quinoa tabbouleh and quinoa burgers and decided to combine both. They are somewhat crumbly but mine held together pretty well and were pretty flavorful without too many spices.
Warning – I took these pictures with my phone, per usual. They came out pretty gnarly (yes, worse than some of the other food pics I take) but the recipe was so delicious I had to post it. B asked I could make these again so I declare that a success 🙂
Here’s what you need:
1 c quinoa (cooked)
½ c hummus
½ c finely diced red pepper
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBS flaxseed
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1-2 TBS olive oil
Here’s what you do:
Combine quinoa, hummus, red pepper, garlic and green onions in a bowl. Mix well.
Add in flaxseed to help bind the mixture. Add in crushed red pepper flakes (optional if you like heat).
Form mixture into four to five even sized patties and place on a well-greased plate. Store in refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour. (I put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes) This will help the patties harden.
Heat a pan with olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and add olive oil once heated. Carefully add patties to pan and brown each side for about 4-6 minutes. Be careful when flipping – patties are crumbly and you may need to reshape them if they start to come apart.
Enjoy!
Serving suggestion: I had 2 as a main meal and served with spinach, roasted red pepper, more hummus, tomato, and hot sauce. They’d also be delicious with a garlic yogurt sauce. B had his as a side dish to some chicken with Greek spices. I’ll be doubling the recipe next time!
I swear it tastes better than it looks
Some questions for you:
Are you on any food-eating streaks?
Are you a hummus fan? Yes! I also really love baba ghanoush, its smoky eggplant cousin.
Do you make your own hummus? Actually, most of the time I find it easier and just as tasty to just buy it. If you find a brand you like – stick to it! The hummus from the recipe above was from a stand at the West Side Market and it was delicious.
Favorite veggie burger recipe? Come on, I’m looking for a new one!
It’s been a little over a week since I was in sunny Costa Rica, relaxing in the hot baths, sunning myself on the beach, ziplining and rappelling. So for today’s Wordless Wednesday, I’m reminiscing … and sharing some vacation photos. #SorryImNotSorry
B ziplining in Monteverde
Enjoying the Monteverde sunset
We saw toucans!
Wayyy too excited to be hands free rappelling.
Relaxing by the hot baths
boat ride to Arenal
Beautiful countryside
Goats! (we later ate their cheese)
Ready for the beach wedding
My date for the wedding
That’s all for now. As they say in Costa Rica, Pura Vida!
Holy cow, where has April gone? It seems like just last week B and I were going to Ash Wednesday Mass and I was preparing to give up meat yet again for Lent.
Anyway, the 40ish days have pretty much concluded – meaning, not only am I going to be eating meat again soon, but we also get to prepare Easter desserts!
This year, I’ll be making a few of my favorite cookie dough truffles or cookie balls – and shaping them like eggs so that they become … voila! Easter Egg Cookie Dough Balls. You can really make these with any of your favorite truffle recipes, so I choose the chocolate chip cookie recipe but dipped in white chocolate (you can do regular chocolate if you like too, they may be harder to decorate though):
Cookie Dough Easter Eggs
Here’s what you need:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
14 oz bag of candy coating
Here’s what you do:
Cream butter and sugar. Add milk and vanilla and mix on high speed with an electric mixer.
Stir in flour on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
Cover and chill dough for 1 hour or overnight.
When dough is firm enough to handle, form dough into 1″ round balls. Then shape into somewhat flattened egg shapes and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
Place dough ball-filled sheet in freezer and let chill for at least 30 minutes.
After cookie dough balls have hardened in the freezer, it’s time to dip them in the melted chocolate! Melt chocolate candy coating in the microwave or according to package directions. Using a fork, dip eggs into melted milk chocolate and coat completely.
Return chocolate-covered balls to parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill until set.
Enjoy! They’re pretty awesome.
To decorate:
Sprinkles: while melting chocolate is wet on the egg, sprinkle colored sugars or sprinkles over egg.
Drizzled chocolate: melt different colored melting chocolate according to package directions – or add food coloring to white chocolate – and use a fork to drizzle colored chocolate over the white chocolate base. If chocolate is too thick to drizzle, add some shortening to thin out chocolate a little. Do not add too much – and do not add water to chocolate! I just drizzled with my fork, but here is some more info on drizzling technique.
It’s been FIVE whole weeks since I’ve spent a weekend in Cleveland. Oh boy! No wonder I was feeling super excited and almost giddy for a weekend of staying home and enjoying what looked like an amazing weather forecast:
Okay, okay – you got me. That’s not Cleveland. But it was darn close – this weekend we saw sunny, 70 degree temps BOTH DAYS. For my friends in Southern California I know that’s not a big deal – but holy cow, it felt great here!
Some highlights from the weekend:
Friday night started with dinner at Flaming Ice Cube with a few other friends. Oh kalebouli hummus wrap – how I have missed thee!
Kalebouli humus wrap from the Flaming Ice Cube
And then a comedy show – Marc Maron was in town! B got me hooked on his stuff – his podcast and show are both pretty funny – and then of course I loved his act. I was crying of laughter at his last bit, where he talked about his Time Warner Cable customer service experience.
(not from the show i saw but from his TV show)
Saturday morning started with an 8 mile run – in a SHORT sleeved shirt and capris. Yes – it was finally warm enough to run without leggings, a jacket, gloves, etc. Hooray!
post-run unflattering sweaty pic
And then B and I hit the first Cleveland Flea of the year. It was super crowded – I guess word has caught on and combined with the good weather, it seems like everyone was there.
perfect day for the first Cleveland Flea.
After the Flea we headed to the West Side Market to pick up groceries of the week. I still can’t believe it’s been five weeks since I’ve been there! Oh, and of course we had to stop for some lunch at the Souper Market.
awesome veggie lentil soup and amazing hunk of bread.
No trip to Ohio City is complete without a stop at Rising Star
Friday night we ended up hanging in, enjoying homemade pizza and wine and catching up on some episodes of Game of Thrones. No spoilers – we’re only on season 2!
one of too many slices 🙂 homemade mushroom zaa!
Sunday was another gorgeous day, so after Palm Sunday Mass, B and I decided to take a walk to the lake. I love living so close to water – there’s just something so relaxing about big bodies of water, isn’t there? (Lake Erie is huge – it feels like an ocean, it’s not like I can see Canada)
They’ve really revamped the Cleveland Theater District this year – coming soon … a chandelier!
view from the water
We also enjoyed some of our favorite Lebanese food for lunch. Yes, I had hummus twice this weekend and I’m not ashamed. This time it was my favorite hummus, at my favorite Lebanese place (look at those pita pillows!), Taza.
my favorite hummus.
And some baking. I don’t think a weekend would be complete without at least some baking – don’t you agree?
Here’s what I ended up making – cookie dough easter eggs! I’ll share the recipe tomorrow
Some questions for you:
Did you enjoy some good weather this weekend? Were you able to get outside? A run and outdoor market on Saturday, a long walk with B on Sunday. Simply marvelous!
What sort of things do you buy at flea markets? I’ve never bought anything for myself at the Flea (well besides fruits/veggies from local farm stands) – just gifts. What do you buy at flea markets?
Is it ever too warm for soup? I don’t think so! I love soup year round – even in the summer.
Do you like comedy shows?Are you a Marc Maron fan?
Snacks on snacks on snacks! I’m not one of those people who eats three meals a day and that’s it. I have always been a snacker – I love eating several times a day and definitely get int that 3 p.m. snacktime mode. Here are a few snacks I’ve been enjoying lately:
Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
B and I picked up these beauties in Costa Rica and I can’t tell you enough HOW GOOD they are. They’re sweet and caffeinated at the same time – a great afternoon pick-me-up or really just anytime snack. I personally love the white chocolate (they taste like lattes!) but the dark chocolate aren’t that bad either (am I the only person who prefers milk and white chocolate to dark chocolate?).
My Oatmeal:
I got a chance to sample this for free thanks to a Sweat Pink promotion and I am IN LOVE! My Oatmeal has a ton of fun oatmeal varieties (like PB&J Cupcake!) and they also let you make custom oatmeal from a a variety of ingredients listed on their website – they then ship your custom oatmeal to you directly. There are about a bazillion combinations (okay, maybe not that many) and the one I opted for had the following: rolled oats and flax, brown sugar and oatmeal cookie flavors, with coconut, ginger, date, mangos and apricots. YUM! Oh and of course I called it Melissa’s Blend because I’m just that creative.
It arrived while I was on vacation and it was such an awesome surprise to open after we got back. I was pumped. Take a look!
IT HAS MY NAME ON IT
Look at that dried fruit!
Obviously you can eat it as regular oatmeal. But some other cool things you can do:
Make granola with it. In my favorite granola recipe, just swap out the oats with the oatmeal! You probably can use less dried fruit if you want to since my blend has dried fruit in it AND less sweetener (brown sugar and/or honey) if you choose an Oatmeal that’s sweet.
Make cookies! I love oatmeal cookies and don’t doubt that adding some of this oatmeal would be a delicious add-in.
Eat it dry. I’m not gonna lie – I took a bag with me to work to eat as a snack – and just ate it dry. I had fully intended to cook it up and then just ate it dry. And I enjoyed it.
Kalebouli
I love tabbouleh and the first time I tried kalebouli I also fell in love. One of my favorite ways to eat kalebouli is actually on a wrap with hummus (okay I guess this isn’t quite a snack) – and the Flaming Ice Cube in Cleveland has an amazing kalebouli wrap.
But if you want to try making your own kalebouli so that you can try it as a snack – here is a recipe from the blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. You can make yur own pita chips and dip them in the kalebouli, or serve it with chopped veggies, pita, and hummus. Yum!
My standard from the Flaming Ice Cube – Kalebouli Hummus Wrap!
Some questions for you:
What are your favorite snacks to beat the 3 p.m. hunger? All of the above. Also a fan of anything sweet/salty – chocolate covered pretzels, Chex Mix, etc.
Are you a snacker? Prefer 3 meals a day and that’s it? Yup, i’m a snacker. But B isn’t. He has pretty much breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes he’ll eat carrots and peanut butter at work but that’s it. I bring LOADS of snacks and get pretty hangry when I don’t!
Do you like oatmeal? Do you ever eat it “raw”? I can’t be the only one ..
Dark chocolate? White chocolate? Which do you prefer?
Disclosure: I was given a free sample of My Oatmeal to try out via Fit Approach. All opinions are my own and I was in no other way compensated for this post. I have not been given any free kalebouli, free Flaming Ice Cube (unless you count the gift card my parents got me for my birthday?) or free chocolate covered coffee beans – but I’d love any of those!
OK, this was a really hard post to write. Why? Because I’ve only been to Costa Rica twice, and when I was there I was only able to visit a few cities. So I’m by NO MEANS an expert. AND because there are so many things to do while you’re in Costa Rica that choosing five is nearly impossible! So I apologize in advance if I missed something terribly important … but just let me know in the comments!
In no order … if you are visiting Costa Rica, here’s what I recommend you do:
Try out ziplining in Monteverde.
I had been ziplining once before – also in Monteverde when in high school – so I knew what to expect. And I really enjoyed it again. B, who has a somewhat fear of heights, also enjoyed the zipline – and at the place where we went, Selvatura, the last zipline included a “couple’s zipline” – meaning we zipped holding onto one another for 1,000 m. For those of you Americans, that’s a little more than 2/3 of a mile long. It was so long that we couldn’t see the end of the line but still amazing. And we enjoyed some breathtaking views.
I know other areas have ziplining (including Arenal) but our experience was awesome. And 1,000 m is far longer than the longest Arenal zipline from what I have seen. I did see signs in Monteverde for the “longest zipline in Costa Rica” that was 1,600 meters (aka 1 mile) so there’s always that option as well if 1,000 m is 600 meters too short for you!
ready to zipline!
Rappel and try out other canyoneering activities (cliff jumping into jungle rivers, rope/vine swinging)
Let me start by saying I’m NOT an adventurous person. I don’t like to be scared. I have never skydived and have no idea how to waterski (I guess that’s not adventurous but I just wanted to show you how lame I actually am). Using the high-dive at the public pool during summer camp is probably the bravest I have ever been. But when in Rome … (or Costa Rica)? B had booked us for a half-day canyoneering trip and I was scared. On the bus ride to the canyon, the guide was explaining the trip. “First we do a rappel down next to a big rock. You must stop halfway down on the rope, see the rock, and then continue down into the raging river of the canyon. Then we do a tarzan swing on a rope into the river, but be careful because it’s not that deep. Then a longer rappel but you have to be careful on this one because the cave wall is narrow and you can’t swing out or you’ll cut yourself on the rock. Then a zipline. Then a rappel down a waterfall and you’re not allowed to use your hands…” You get the idea. Let’s just say I was not looking forward to it and nearly had a nervous breakdown on the van ride over.
Yup, scared.
B and me mid-canyoneering trip…you can sorta see our matching shoes!
jumping into the water after a rappel. yes, we got wet.
BUT somehow I REALLY liked it. Was I an expert rappeller? No. But did I have to be? No that’s what our guides were for. The first one made me nervous. But after that? And a few dunks into the water?? I was good as new.
Enjoy the local cuisine and drinks
I am such a fan of the food in Latin America. I know you won’t all agree with me, but my love for spicy food, fresh seafood, amazingly fresh fruit, along with living in Ecuador probably helps my tastebuds. Anyway, here are a few things to try while you’re here:
Casados: Literally it means married (i think?). It’s great. It’s a protein (fish, chicken, pork, etc.) with rice and beans, sometimes plantains, a salad and cheese. I can’t get enough of their queso fresco – my favorite cheese. You won’t leave hungry.
one of the many fish casados i enjoyed. this was at tico y rico in monteverde.
Sopa: I LOVED the black bean and egg soup. I love black bean soup ordinarily, but the Costa Rican version is sublime. Plus it has a hard boiled or even sometimes softer egg in there which is pretty awesome.
black bean soup with an egg at don luis in monteverde
Fried plantains and plantain chips: Sweet or salty/savory, what’s not to like about these banana-like fruits?
Yuca: I love yuca in all its forms. Fried yuca. Yuca chips. Yuca bread. Mashed yuca. YUM!
Guaro: Guaro is the local vodka-like alcohol. Guaro sour is a popular drink and it’s pretty delicious if you like sweet/sour drinks. Local rum is pretty good as well as the local beer.
Ceviche: I love almost all ceviche but the ceviche in Costa Rica that I had was also amazing. I had it about 6 times, so nearly every other day. And that wasn’t nearly enough!
ceviche by the pool at hotel nayara
All of the fruit: Seriously. Eat it all. Best pineapple I’ve ever had (even B ate it. And he hates pineapple), amazing coconut from the side of the road, the maracuya and guanabana are also awesome.
fresh fruit breakfast at sugar beach
There are so many more foods to try, but since I had given up meat for Lent, I stayed vegetarian/pescatarian the entire time so the above recommendations are based on that.
Enjoy some hot baths and hot springs in Arenal
The volano Arenal is not only beautiful, but from what I can tell, it supplies tons of heat for the hot baths and springs in the neighboring town. Tabacon has some of the best hot springs (went there in high school) and B and I also enjoyed the baths at Baldi – there were many options, each pool had a swim up bar, and most had a “cool pool” (of like 65 degrees) so you could heat up in the hot bath, then cool down, then heat up, etc.
sitting outside one of the hot pools
Snorkel, swim, and enjoy the ocean(s)
Due to time constraints, B and I only had time to experience the western and Pacific coast of the country. But if you go, see both coasts. They are different. See different beaches, swim in the oceans, snorkel, experience black sand beaches and more. I even was able to see a blowfish – and touch it! Yup. You’re in a tropical country – do it all, put on some sunscreen and enjoy!
sunsets along the beach = awesome
BONUS: Take a coffee tour
Okay, okay, I couldn’t pick just 5. While you’re in Costa Rica, you must see a coffee plantation. Coffee is one of the country’s top 5 exports, so why not se how it’s produced? I must admit that the coffee tour we went on when I was in high school, while enjoyable and educational, was pretty touristy. We got free coffee samples, walked around the grounds (pun intended hehe) and saw stations that showcased the different processes of making coffee. The tour B and I did – Monteverde Coffee Tour – was MUCH better and seemed much more authentic – I highly recommend you go on this. We had a nearly private tour of some Costa Rican farmer’s land – saw all of this livestock, learned about what they all did on the farm and how they contributed in some way to the coffee process/circle of life, walked among real coffee and other plants (banana trees, lime/orange trees), and really learned about life as a Costa Rican and a farmer. And more than i ever wanted to know about coffee. They didn’t try to sell us anything at the end (we had to ask them if we could buy coffee) and we enjoyed some amazing locally made (that day!) goat cheese from their goats.
how our coffee was made
pretending to do work
B participating in the cupping portion of our tasting
PS – Happy birthday to my brother Greg! This has nothing to do with Costa Rica but I thought he deserved a shout out.
If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been traveling – or at least posting photos of a tropical location – for the past few weeks. B and I just got back from quite possibly our best vacation ever. Shh, don’t tell him that – I think he would disagree – after all, our honeymoon in Tortola (BVI) was amazing … as was driving around Ireland. But this trip combined pretty much everything I love – good food, good company, good drinks, good weather, the beach, and even some adventures.
I won’t bore you with the day-to-day details of our ten day adventure (I mean you’d probably just get jealous and want to hop a plane to Costa Rica immediately), or write this blog post in Spanish (después de diez días en Costa Rica, mi español ha mejorado mucho. Al fin de nuestro viaje, yo estaba practicando y hablando español con todos los ticos.) But instead, here’s a snapshot of some of what we did (and don’t worry, at least one more post is coming).
The trip started in Guanacaste, along the beach. B and I were in town for the wedding of our friends Ted and Suzanne, which took place along the coast at Sugar Beach. The wedding was probably one of the best I have been too – it was small, the dancing was fun, it was outdoors and the setting was gorgeous!
mariachi band at the wedding
wedding on the beach!
probably the only picture of me in a bathing suit you’ll ever see. This is what renting a catamaran looks like. I’m pretending it’s a wild and crazy time.
While in Guanacaste, we swam along the beach, and even rented a catamaran with the couples’ friends to go snorkeling and swimming for the day. Best day ever.
After the wedding weekend, B and I were of to Monteverde, a city located in a cloud forest. While there we enjoyed some more awesome meals, a tour of a coffee plantation, ziplining and hiking along hanging bridges in the forest. And no, it wasn’t cloudy at all those days – something I enjoyed very much.
not-so-cloudy at monteverde cloud forest
grinding my own coffee, the old fashioned way
The trip ended with an amazing stay in Arenal. We enjoyed hot baths, awesome views of waterfalls, an amazing hotel (hotel Nayara in Arenal is quite possibly the best hotel I’ve stayed in in my life. Jacuzzis for every room, an amazing spa, happy hour, a nice gym, free cookies at night and an outdoor shower for your private cabana. Look it up and book it immediately!) and some more adventures including spa treatments and massages (does that count as an adventure if I don’t usually do that?) AND canyoneering, rappelling and swinging through waterfalls in the jungle, quite literally.
canyoneering! Yes I’m frightened
trying to look like I know what I’m doing
The trip was just what I needed. I read 4ish books, got some sun, relaxed, worked out, and got a few adrenaline rushes. I know people say they NEED a vacation all the time I know, but I NEEDED the vacation. And now I’m sure I’ll need a vacation from my vacation 😉
What’s the best vacation you’ve ever taken?
Have you ever been to Costa Rica? Yes I went for a high school field trip during our February break. So much fun but this trip with my husband was a lot different 🙂
Do you like ziplining? Rappelling? Canyoneering? Ziplining I love! Rappelling with ropes down the side of cliffs and along waterfalls scared me .. but I ended up loving it.
Do you speak any other languages? Hablo un poco de español. Ahora puedo entender más que yo puedo hablar.
I Crashed The Web 