WIAW: Disappointing Lunch

February 22, 2017February 22, 2017 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

Today’s WIAW features some eats from last week. The day started with my usual egg whites, oats, flaxseed and brewers yeast bowl. Especially since being sick, I’m trying to have this and any foods to up my milk supply.

And a pear. Because they are so good! 20170217_090741

My midmorning snack was some nuts.

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For lunch, we had plans as an office to go out for Cleveland Restaurant Week, where you get 3 course meals for a special price. We had plans to go to The District. The meal started out okay – I started with a Greek salad and a pretty delicious (unpictured) roll.

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It went downhill from there. We waited nearly an hour, and our food hadn’t come out. We eventually had to ask for our food to be boxed up to go, because we all had to return to the office for meetings, etc. But they hadn’t made our food yet! They eventually brought our lunches out – minus the third course 😦 so no dessert for me.

When I got back to the office, I was looking forward to my chicken and hummus wrap. I ate about half of it and then nearly choked – there was A BONE IN MY WRAP. I opened up the sandwich and found several small pieces of bone inside. Blah. Lunch FAIL.

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After that, I was happy to meet B for a beer after work. We grabbed beers in Tremont before getting Vietnamese food for dinner.

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B and I ordered our go-tos when we want something semi-light and healthy. Cabbage salads and spring rolls! 20170217_194525

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And since I didn’t have dessert for lunch (not that that would’ve stopped me), I had some chocolate, cookies and ice cream! I had some Hershey kisses, Thin Mints and mint chip Halo Top.

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YUM! A great end to a not-the-best food day. Questions for you for this WIAW (hosted by Sprint 2 the Table!):

Have you ever had a really bad lunch experience?
Halo Top fans- what’s your favorite Halo Top flavor?

Vietnam Part Two – A Day on the Mekong River

January 19, 2015January 14, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

One of my favorite parts of our Asia trip and trip to Vietnam was our day trip to the Mekong River. Our day started off early – it was about a 2.75 hour drive to the boat station where our adventure would begin.

b and i on the boat

Around 10:30, Brian and I got onto a sampan boat for a ride down the Mekong river.It was just me and him, our guide (who spoke English and would translate for us) and our driver. We first rode down to a floating market where we bought some fruit to enjoy as a snack. I bought some jackfruit – it’s my newest favorite fruit after visiting the area. I just can’t get enough and wish I could find some good ones in the U.S.! Anyone know where I can? So delicious!

buying fruit from one boat to another!

Then we stopped off at a local honey farm to try some tea, queen bee cream, honey and pollen. They put the pollen and honey in our jasmine tea and it was so good! I’m so happy I was able to bring some back.

After about an hour boat ride we made it to our lunch stop for a traditional lunch- elephant ear fish made into spring rolls with homemade rice paper, pineapple and shrimp soup, prawns, egg rolls, rice, beef and chicken with fried flowers. It was a feast- seriously too much food.

this is elephant ear fish.

After lunch we got to hear a performance from a few local Vietnamese- they were singing and dancing and playing some local instruments and even ended with a Vietnamese rendition of Auld Ang Sine for the New Year!

Then we got back on the boat for a ride to a place where local men and women were making puffed rice, turning it into rice candy and also making coconut candy and rice paper. Both processes were really interesting (everything was done by hand) and we got some pretty good samples and some more traditional tea. We of course bought some candy for us to bring back 🙂 We also got to try some snake wine which looked wild – it was big jars and bottles of wine with full pythons just sitting in there, dead. We did not bring any of that back.

watching a woman make rice paper

snake wine!

We were supposed to go on a canoe ride down a small steam but it started pouring so we had to wait a little before getting back onto the bigger boat for our return trip. Our driver got a few fresh coconuts from a tree and cut them open for us- fresh coconut milk!

view from our boat

Then we rode back on the river to the car and it was time for the 3ish hour return trip to Ho Chi Minh City.

What a cool experience. I love traveling and felt so fortunate to have gotten to be part of this adventure! This was definitely a highlight of the trip.

(Part Three, Hanoi, coming soon!)

A Dazzzzzzling Weekend

May 7, 2014May 6, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Wow, what a weekend. It was SO awesome that I’m pretty much speechless. Okay, not really – but I am suffering from some minor laryngitis … for real. But at least I can type, right?

Friday started with a 10.5 mileish run BEFORE work. Yes, that’s right – I ran before work with Nicole, a girl I’ve been running with who also signed up for the Cleveland Half Marathon (in less than two weeks!). We both had bus weekends planned so decided to get in a run before work early Friday morning. It was so nice to know that we’d done 10 miles before 7:30 a.m.!

10 early morning miles with Nicole

Friday night was amazing. My parents were in town (YAY!!!) so we enjoyed dinner at Saigon, and then took in the Dazzle the District celebration. The live music, performances, crowds and of course the actual lighting and fireworks were incredible. For those that don’t know – my neighborhood is now home to the world’s largest outdoor chandelier. And not only did I get to enjoy the lighting of the chandelier, but I got to go with my parents who were in from NY.

Jamie (lives in my building) had a Dazzle pre-party

Pho for dinner

before

Chandelier is lit!

Saturday I woke up with no voice. Like literally no voice at all. So instead of going for a run and playing tour guide, I took it easy. We went to West Side Market with my parents, then of course I had to take them to Cleveland Tea Revival (my mom’s new favorite place!) and then we walked around a bit and explored Ohio City.

YUM! Bread at West Side Market

Pizza at Biermarkt

We enjoyed some pizza for lunch at BierMarkt and then it was on to the Indians game! B got us great seats (4 rows back on the first base side) AND we won. My parents loved sitting so close – and taking home a win is always great.

All wearing Indians hats

Indians Win!

Sunday my parents left pretty early – which was sad, but okay because I had an event to go to. I’m on the board of the Phi Beta Kappa Association of Cleveland and Sunday was our annual Scholarship Banquet. Each year, our organization recognizes 100+ local outstanding high school seniors and awards one a $4,000 scholarship. It was a great event and it was so nice to “talk” (my voice was still coming back) to the young students, their parents and hear what they had planned for their future.

Hundreds of people at the PBK Scholastic Awards – Students, Parents, Teachers

Sunday night ended with some work and of course dinner at B’s parents house.

I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday … we’re already halfway through this week and soon ready for the upcoming weekend! Some questions for you:

Have you ever lost your voice? What did you do to get it back? I’ve been drinking tons of tea and honey and trying to suck on tons of cough drops to prevent from constantly coughing/clearing my throat.
Are you Phi Beta Kappa?
Plans for Mother’s Day? We will be hanging out with B’s family. Since I saw my parents last weekend, and I’ll be seeing them again in a few weeks, we won’t be seeing them for Mother’s Day.
Have you ever done a long run before a work day as opposed to on the weekend? Would you do it again?
What are you looking forward to this May?