Live from Point Fish Fry & A Flick

Tonight's post is coming to you live from Discovery World, at the uber-awesome Point Fish Fry & A Flick.

Photo credit: The Pabst Theater

Tonight we are kicking off our 2010 series with...

The Hangover. An excellent choice, if I do say so myself.

This series is one of my favorite things about working for my company, we co-produce the event with Discovery World and Bartolotta Restaurant Group and yadda yadda yadda. But it really comes down to this... when the sun goes down tonight, I will be among a couple thousand friends and we will all get to watch a hilarious movie together. On Lake Michigan, enjoying a gorgeous summer night. Yes, please!

Dinner tonight was a fish fry, obviously.

Tasty.

Hoping that everyone's Friday night is going awesome. Talk to you manana!

Mad love for Trader Joe's stuff

Hello, world!

It's Friday and I have ZERO complaints. The week seemed long but it's OVER and it's going to be an awesome weekend!

Earlier this week, I went on a shopping raid at Trader Joe's. So a heads up, you're going to see a lot of products acquired from there in this post - thus, the title is fair warning :-)

1. Tonight - made a great dinner (more on that later). Possibly headed out to a retro bowling lounge with friends!

2. Tomorrow - our real estate agent is showing us four houses, and there is something exciting about each one. Afterwards, Zak is taking me to dinner and then we're off to the Pabst for a show from Jamey Johnson! He's kind of a badass on the country music circuit, and should put on a great show. Zak and I are not so much mainstream country fans as we enjoy alt-country music like Drive-By Truckers and The Old 97s.

3. Sunday - an early horseback riding lesson, then a friend's Super Bowl party!

Back to today's events. I hit up Trader Joe's the other night and discovered a new favorite treat - TJ's Pecan Praline Granola.

Doesn't it just sound delicious? I love that the serving size is close to "normal" for me - 1/2 cup. It's calorie dense, but packs a nutritional wallop with 3g of fiber, 5g of protein and 6.5g of heart-healthy unsaturated fats. It's pretty low in sugar, too - just 10g per serving.

I tried the granola as a snack today at the office - atop some Dannon 'toasted coconut vanilla' yogurt.

GASM.

This. Was. So. GOOD. I don't usually go for the fake sugar yogurts, however the flavor of this one is to die for! So rich tasting and decadent.

Also at work, I got into some 'Lovey Gummy Tummies' that were also acquired at TJ's.

THESE ARE GREAT! A perfect gummy candy with a cherry flavor. As a big fan of red gummy candy, I highly recommend these.

After work, I decided to make the star of dinner a new-to-me vegetable - Brussels sprouts!

Can you believe I had never worked with these babies prior to tonight? I sliced them in half, tossed with some e.v.o.o and seasoning, and roasted in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I made some quick Barilla Plus rotini, grabbed some red sauce and topped it with the roasted sprouts.

Gorgeous!

Zak started to eat it, and then began to groan with pleasure. I asked him what he thought, and he said - "Ohhhhh... these are like BACON! So good!"

Friends, Zak has been meat-free for several years now, so I take this as a high compliment :-)

I thought this dish tasted excellent. Can't wait to try it out again!

A little while later, I wanted something sweet. I topped about 1/3 cup of plain organic yogurt with 1/2 chopped TJ's fat-free brownie, and about 1/3 cup of TJ's granola.

So good!

I am off to primp for my retro bowling outing. Have a great Friday night!

Lovin' my Job

Greetings! TGIF... for serious.

Two awesome things today:

1. Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?!" are playing the Pabst this weekend and happen to be filming both shows for future release on DVD. I've loved Colin and Brad's shows here each year, they are incredible actors and comedians. If you have the chance, I highly recommend their live show. Be sure to check them out when they are in your town!

(source)

Back to my point - I walked into the theater and up the stairs toward my office, and noticed a setup for an interview!

How cool is that? They are gonna be filming their interview right outside of my office!

Obviously, I will be quiet and courteous while they tape the interview... but may just have to take a few peeks around the corner as well ;-) It's the random stuff like this that makes me pinch myself to make sure this is truly my job.

2. Other awesome thing = a kick-ass bowl of Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal.

Main reason this rocked? It was FREE - I redeemed a coupon that 'bucks had mailed to me. Also, the texture this morning was spot on, sometimes their oatmeal can be a little dry or weird. Today, this was indeed Perfect Oatmeal - creamy, piping hot and delicious.

I added about 1/2 of each: Nut medley, dried fruit and brown sugar.

Off to work. Got a ton to do today. Cheers!

ROCKtober begins

It's officially October... and here in Milwaukee, the weather is acting like it.

That's one sad-looking forecast.

Despite the doom and gloom, October is one of my favorite months of the year! It gets especially crazy at work as we have more shows during this month than any other of the year.

We call it... ROCKtober!!!

(if I could embed a song to play once your eyeballs read the above... it'd probably be something by Metallica)

Last night at the Pabst Theater, we had Margaret Cho. I can't think of a single better way to spend an evening than to laugh your tuccus off at one of her shows. She did stand up, she sang, she did her impression of her Mom, and she rocked. GO SEE HER. Now. Serious!

Between tonight through Monday, we have oh - I don't know? - ten more shows. Great Big Sea, Kings Go Forth, Stephen Lynch, The Second City, David Cross, Jim Jeffries, Marc Cohn, Hope Sandoval, Gaslight Anthem, and then Colbie Caillat with Howie Day.

Are you a fan of any of these artists?

I love ROCKtober, but this month has always been especially challenging in the healthful eating and exercising, and getting enough sleep department. For example, I've eaten lunch at Subway for the past two days. All I can say is, at least I am eating lots of spinach that way. And at least it's a few blocks away so I've gotten some type of physical activity.

Despite all of the shows this weekend, things should be easy. For Zak and myself the focus will be on a very special couple - Ben and Beki. They are getting married and it will be awesome. Wedding weekend kicks off tomorrow with the rehearsal dinner. Not sure what they will be serving, but I'll be sure to photo-document it!

Back to this fall stuff and some food bloggin'. When the outdoors gets chilly, and the Laura gets busy, I like to go the semi-homemade route. Perfect example which was my Tuesday night meal = Progresso Lentil soup with homemade dumplings.

I actually like this soup a lot. It's not too bland, I can recognize most of the ingredients and it's often on sale.

Now, dumplings may seem challenging, but are super easy to make and relatively fast, granted you're not all impatient and hangry. I like to go even more semi-homemade and use Bisquick... you just follow the instructions on the box, wait until the soup is heated and then plop the 'plings right in there.

10 minutes uncovered, then 10 minutes covered, and you're golden.

Delicioso.

When Annie and I were wee lasses, our Mama used to make a heavely beef stew with dumplings. Now that we're both vegetarian, it's nice to know that they taste just as good without the little meat particles that would stick on them.

Also this weekend is the Lakefront Marathon - my pride and joy. This is my second year with volunteering in the marketing / PR area and I know this race will be our best yet! If you're in Milwaukee, please join me on Sunday at the Bradford Beach House, aka Mile 24 Club. I'll have free coffee, donuts and cowbells starting at 10:30AM!

That's about it for me - cheers!

Any big plans for the weekend?

Check out Heather's giveaway at Health, Happiness and Hope - you have until 7PM CDT tomorrow (Friday) to enter. Gooooo go go!

Also, check out Lindsey's giveaway at Sound Eats.

Windy Luncheon

Snuck out of the office for a short lunch break. It was raining out earlier today, but now the weather is sunny and windy! I stopped by Shah Jee's for some Pakistani food, and found a nice picnic table next to Milwaukee's City Hall.

The view was great - that's the Pabst Theater that has the show signs on the windows. I rarely see the Theater from this perspective! Usually I am stuck inside.

Sad to say, I did not much enjoy the Shah Jee selections. The basmati rice was good, but the two entrees - Saag Paneer (spinach cooked with cheese and herbs) and "mix" of carrots, potatoes and peas - tasted bland and were really oily. My usual pick here is the Chana Masala, which is chickpeas cooked in a savory tomato-based sauce. It's always got a great spicy kick, and these two just didn't possess that.

Anyhow... I ate most of the "Mix" and only attempted a few spoonfuls of the Saag.

I wanted to share a post from Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point - she has some good tips for aiming to do everything with purpose. I've been pretty stressed lately and found these to make a lot of sense.

• Realize that everything is not an emergency.  Sometimes, it's better to sit on a decision (or an e-mail!) before sending it out.
• Create a "Plan of Attack" for big decisions.  Lay out the steps you must follow to succeed.  Identify potential roadblocks ahead of time.
• Realize WHAT and WHO really matters to you.  Don't spend all your emotional cash on a job you hate; save some for your significant other or friends.
• Seek advice.  Talk to your friends, loved ones, or spiritual guide for advice on tough decisions.  Weigh the pro's and con's of their advice against your own knowledge of the situation.
• Organize your life!  When your life is less cluttered, it's easier to move forward with purpose.  Get a datebook (or an iPhone) and rank your to-do's in order of importance.

For more on this topic, please visit Caitlin's blog at HealthyTippingPoint.com

Today I am especially identifying with realizing who and what really matter to me. 

Back to work - headed to a cake tasting with my friend Stefanie and her fiance this evening!

Finally Friday

Can I get an Amen to that? Friday! Yes.

Today is going to go by quickly, and tonight will be a fun one. We have not one, but THREE events going on at work:

- Point Fish Fry & A Flick at Milwaukee's Lakefront at Discovery World Museum. It's a free outdoor movie series with a retail bazaar, beer a-plenty and good food. Tonight, we're showing PULP FICTION. That's right, no kids allowed. It's gonna be awesome!

- Tracy Chapman @ Pabst Theater, complete with pre- and post-concert dance party by PUMP! DJs. Tracy Chapman = "Gimme One Reason," "Fast Car," etc. Yes!

- Daniel Johnston @ Turner Hall Ballroom. He's a genius. Don't know if I'll make it over there, but it should be an amazing show. A Milwaukee band The Candleiers are opening and also backing Daniel.

What are your plans for this weekend?

I packed a bunch of good eats today as I am gonna be one busy gal!

- Stonyfield Organic Plain Yogurt, with frozen blueberries and Alterra Coffee Roasters granola

A review of granola will come later today, once I try it out :-)

- The last of my whole wheat pasta, bean and tuna salad with herbed feta

- Kashi Chewy Cherry Dark Chocolate bar and Country Cheddar crackers

- Breakfast on the go - one piece of Health Nut bread, spread with PB&Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams (1 tbsp) and Roundy's Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter

Sooooo delicious. 

On the way in, I picked up a 'Venti' Iced Coffee with Soy from Starbucks. This + the aforementioned 1/2 sandwich are my favorite breakfast to get fueled up for a busy day!

What is your favorite meal / snack combination for a busy day?

If the Coach handbag looks familiar, I bought it from Angela's Shop 4 a Cause (benefitting the Canadian Cancer Research Fund) in June! LOVE it.

Time to get cracking at my multiple tasks. See you soon :-)

I wanna hear from you guys today!

What is your favorite late summer outdoor activity?

What kinds of entertainment options does your city offer during the summer?