Road trip adventures: Grand Rapids, MI

It is 10PM.

I finished my run at 8PM.


I still haven't showered.


I'm kind of gross that way :-)


I chose to do some work (I'm sick, I know), catch up on blogs, and write this post instead of showering. Aren't you glad? (sarcasm).


How was your weekend, blog friends? Zak and I took a road trip to Grand Rapids (MI), to visit his sister and her family. We used to hang out with them frequently when they lived in Chicago, but there was something about a 700 square foot high-rise condo that didn't mesh well with having a baby :-) They moved to Grand Rapids earlier this year, and this was our first trip to their new town. 


It was also our first trip with both dogs in tow. They did surprisingly well on the road!

Here's how the weekend went: We pretty much either a) played with baby Zeke, b) went out to eat, or c) took photos with baby Zeke. It was great! 

Saturday, we managed to catch some of the Herman Miller Grand Cycling Classic (US Finals Criterium) races through Downtown Grand Rapids. It was pretty cool to watch! Team Bissel (yes, the vacuum cleaner) owned the race, at least the one we watched.

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Later, we checked out Stella's Lounge, a punk rock bar with a killer whiskey list and a giant, mostly-vegan menu. We went early, and the music wasn't too loud or anything, but was pretty hilarious to take a baby there. We had to take advantage of their cool mural outside for a mini photo shoot.

Stella's menu was indeed impressive, mostly because of the 200 types of Bourbon and whiskey available. I didn't want to be *that girl*, at least not while hanging out with Zeke, so I opted to try the "Hellbent for Lentils" vegan burger with "Chronic" fries. Holy delicious.

They call these "chronic fries" for a reason - highly addictive!

Hands down, the best burger I've had this year. And 100% vegan!

Zeke said that once he can eat solid food, he will have to try this burger.

Baby fist bump!

After dinner, we headed to Jersey Junction in East Grand Rapids, for dessert: ice cream!

Cake batter ice cream. It was pretty swoon-worthy.

"There she goes with the weird food photography again..."

All in all, it was a fantastic night. More foodie adventures and Zeke photos to follow!

You do the talking: Have you ever had vegan bar food? We have a great place in Milwaukee called Palomino that is pretty fantastic, and has a similar rockin' vibe.

Are you a whiskey drinker? I seriously love whiskey and Bourbon. It's kind of my thing! Only a little bit at once, though. I'd rather order a high-quality whiskey on the rocks and sip it over a couple hours, than order beer after beer.

Smoooooooooothie

Who's blogging two nights in a row? This girl!


How are you doing tonight? I am relaxing with some Sour Patch Kids and the latest episode of Jersey Shore. Because it's a Thursday.


By the way... Is it just me, or does "The Situation" kinda look like 90s MTV star Pauly Shore?

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No? Maybe? Hard to tell without that bandana.


Today at work, I spent some quality time with my spreadsheets, and got a ton accomplished. I sometimes think of each show we do at work as a little baby that I take care of (yes, I know that's kinda weird), and today my babies got lots of attention. Three cheers for productivity!


I'd like to share with you, my very favorite smoothie combination. There is probably nothing unique about it as many other bloggers have used similar ingredients. So I'm not claiming to have invented this beast... rather, this is my favorite mishmash of healthy smoothie ingredients!


It starts with frozen, pitted cherries, spinach and some milk.

Then, the star of the show... Cacao!

(Any Portlandia fans in here? Remember the Cacao skit? Too funny.)

Some chia seeds. If you haven't heard of these, they are the same seeds that you put on chia pets. They are full of good-for-you stuff (Omega 3's, B-vitamins, etc.) and because they become gelatinous when they combine with liquid, they aid with hydrating your bod.

Protein powdah (chocolate, of course)...

It looks like a pile of... healthy:

But once blended, has the creamy consistency and rich flavor of a chocolate milkshake. Delicious!

Healthy Smoothie, Backstage Balance-style
Serving size: Two giant glasses


1 cup milk (any kind will do - I like to use coconut milk beverage)
3 handfulls of spinach (about 2 cups, packed)
1 cup pitted, frozen sweet cherries
2 tbsp raw cacao powder (cocoa powder will work, too)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1.5 scoops chocolate protein powder


Blend milk, spinach, and frozen cherries until smooth. Stop blender and add in the raw cacao powder, chia seeds and protein powder. Blend until incorporated, then serve and enjoy!


You do the talking: What are your favorite smoothie ingredients?
I almost always roll with a chocolatey or vanilla-y smoothie. I've tried to do fruity smoothies and haven't quite hit my stride with those. 


Do you see the resemblance between The Situation and Pauly Shore? I realize it may not be super obvious but was seriously giggling over putting their images side by side :-)


I did another Google image search and found another comparison! What do you think?

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Joe Rogan = awesome

Good evening, friends. How's this week treating you?


Mine has included working on plans for several interesting shows... for privacy purposes I won't mention artist names just yet (not until the night of the concerts, yo), but I've spent the most time on a) an alternative rock band I swooned over as a teen, b) some righteous guitar dudes, touring in a pack and c) an awesome singer-songwriter chick. So 


Oh, and last weekend at work, we had a show with Joe Rogan. You know, host of Fear Factor (which is coming back this fall!) and announcer for the UFC. He also does standup, and he ruled. 


Zak and I checked out his show as a quasi-date night. We stopped in to work before the show to make sure everything was good to go... and took advantage of a photo opportunity (of course)...

Then, we grabbed a drink at Rock Bottom Brewery...

Their IPA rocks my taste buds. The last time I visited RB, I had been dressed in sweaty running clothes and fake blood, so it was funny to reminisce about that.


Fast forward to a little while later, after doing some top secret birthday mission stuff (it was Joe Rogan's birthday last week), it was time for the show!


You can check out two videos from his experience at the venue I work at:
Joe Rogan giving love to the Pabst Theater security team (hilarious)
Joe Rogan: Happy Birthday from Milwaukee 


Again, I gotta be private about some things but I will say this: after the show, Zak and I had an absolutely incredible / surreal night. I'll have to tell you the rest of the story in person when we hang out :-)


You do the talking: Did you watch / get into Fear Factor? It used to totally gross me out but now I must be desensitized or something because the stunts don't really seem that bad. I think I could temporarily eat just about anything if I did the whole mind over matter thing... how about you?


Do you like Mixed Martial Arts / the UFC? I am squeamish about how graphic it can be, but think that the training, artistry and true grit of the fighters / sport is pretty incredible. Plus I feel that it's safer than boxing - there are only three rounds, and the fighters always have the option of tapping out to end the match. We went to UFC Live in Milwaukee on Sunday and it was pinch-yourself cool to be in the live audience of the globally broadcast event.