Last Long Run Before Austin

Goooood morning!

I was sad to see this weekend go because it was GORGEOUS here. We’re talking 75 degrees and sunny both days! Last week turned out to be a busy week, plus we were trying to include some extra rest in our house to fight off colds. So, here are some of the top exciting things (and eats) from last week!

1. Touring Lenny Boy Brewing

I met with the owner of Lenny Boy and toured their brewing space. They brew beer but they also brew Kombucha and serve the varieties on tap! I’d love to start every morning off with kombucha on tap.

2. Had coffee and lunch at 7th Street Public Market

This is a cool little “indoor food mall” in uptown Charlotte. There are various local vendors and tons of delicious tasty food options!

I grabbed an espresso from Not Just Coffee and a Seabass Caesar Salad from Local Loaf. The yellow grit croutons were so good!

3. Girl Scout Cookie Deliveries!

Enough said. Ed ordered these a few months ago from a sweet neighbor, but I was sad to learn that there is a new S’mores flavor that he didn’t order! Must get my hands on that box.

4. A Night at the Ritz Carlton

I was invited to an intimate night in at the Ritz along with several other food bloggers. We toured their new Hidden Wine Room, got a mini cooking class with Chef Juan Pablo, and then tried the food we made at the new Kinship Lounge. It was a great night with great company!

I was even in charge of cutting the octopus! Who knew Octopi (plural of Octopus; I had to look it up) were so pretty?

5. Last Long Run Before the Austin Half Marathon

Well, I haven’t felt great about my running lately. I took it easy last week and I’m starting to feel better so hopefully that will help! I did my last long run of 11 miles on Friday.

While I didn’t even get up to 13 miles in my training cycle (the last 13 miler was my last half marathon), I’m just aiming to run for fun. And eat all of the tacos in Austin!

6. Attended my first HIIT Workout in a While

It was 30 minutes, build around 10 stations. You would do 42 seconds at each station and then rest for 12 seconds. I woke up the next morning SO SORE from using muscles I haven’t used regularly.

We focused a lot on core, upper body and things like squats, ladders and other plyometric moves. I loved it and made a mental note that I need to do this more regularly.

7. Learned a little bit about making Food Videos

This was another awesome event put on  by the Charlotte Food Bloggers. We learned from one of our members’, Feast and West, who is a pro! I hope to do a video sometime soon!

8. Celebrated Valentine’s Day with a 4 Course Meal at Heirloom

Heirloom is a restaurant that has gotten a lot of buzz in Charlotte and has been on my bucket list for a while! We made reservations months ago to go with another couple. They are known for everything being farm to table, and if it can’t be sourced in North Carolina, they won’t include it on the menu. They put a HUGE emphasis on local food. Even all of the spirits and alcohol (aside from wine) are local to NC.

We left feeling full and happy. They even do a 6 course meal, which I have to try at some point. It’s one of those things where “you only live once.”

The crab cakes and sumac rice were my favorite dish.  Look at the delicious melted butter!

We also enjoyed homemade scones on Sunday, took Tater to the dog park, went for a long walk, and knocked out some meal prep. I made two muffin recipes from Run Fast, Eat Slow.

I’m obsessed with the superhero muffins and I also made the egg ones. Making snacking easy this week!

Have you ever had, or cooked with, octopus?