Ice Cream Sandwiches

Even though we're still in the throes of summer here, I found a personal beacon of hope today.

I did not want to die on my run.

It takes a serious amount of will power to lace up running shoes and head out for a run during the summer. On the few days a week when I'm able to muster up the gall to face the blazing rays, my run normally ends with me stumbling into my apartment and lying under the air conditioning vent in my living room for an embarrassing amount of time.

But today was a turning point. The air feels different. Normally the breeze feels like someone is opening the door to a hot sauna in your face, but today it felt more like when you walk into a bathroom after someone took a shower.

Not great, but better.

Gin and Squirt

Have you ever experienced that moment when a phrase or reference that you believed was commonly used and understood is greeted with a quizzical look and the response, "Uh, what?"

It's happened to me a lot.

One that stands out to me was when I was doing a lot of business travel last year. I traveled with a lot of other people who also traveled a lot, and it wasn't uncommon that people would be upgraded to first class. 

One groggy Thursday night I was standing at a gate with a coworker and I asked, "So, are you flying Fat Boy?"

My coworker was speechless, lobbing a slightly offended stare in my direction.

"First class. Were you upgraded to first class?" I clarified, trying to backtrack on what he construed as a dig about the weight he had put on while traveling for business and dining with an expense account. 

Sucking in his gut and readjusting his pants, he said, "Yeah, I got upgraded. What did you call it? 'Fat Boy'?"

Yes. I called it "Fat Boy". For years my dad has referred to first class as "Fat Boy". I've since learned that my uncle called it that once and it just stuck, but it never occurred to me that it wasn't a common phrase.

Spicy Spinach Pasta

Everyone should have a go-to recipe.

You should have a go-to recipe because there's going to be a situation when you're going to need to cook dinner for someone. Take-out is not an option, you don't have a lot of prep time and you definitely don't want to play around with a new recipe.

Let's just call this situation "Monday Night". That certain someone is yourself.

I love making dinner, but there are certain nights when I get home that I can't bear the thought of cooking for an hour before I actually get to eat something. At this point in the day I'm normally running on fumes and harnessing all of my self-control to not just call it a day and eat chips and guac for dinner.

Those days I'll either eat eggs and toast for dinner or this beauty.

Soft Frozen Lemonade Pops

It's too darn hot.

I'm melting.  

And since it seems like there is no end in sight for this Florida summer, I'm going to eat popsicles.

These pops are inspired by one of my childhood food fads - Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade Pops.

I was nuts for these pops. Sweet, tart and creamy - the perfect cross between a lemon ice and a lemon ice cream. The perfect way to end a summer day.

I recently remembered them and decided to swing through the ice cream novelties section to pick some up. I unconsciously looked at the nutrition facts/ingredients list, and I thought, I can do better than that.

Guys, we did pretty well here.

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice, sugar, yogurt, water. Tha'sit.

Salted Chocolate Popcorn

I wish movie theaters sold this popcorn.

The moment that pimply teenager tears my ticket in half and hands me my stub, I start the internal debate: salty or sweet?

Raspberry Vodka-Steeped Frozen Grapes

You know what's better than a snack with a cocktail? A boozy snack with a cocktail.

Honestly, if these were on the menu the night I had them, I might have passed on my bourbon and ginger and just asked for a rocks glass full of these bad boys.

Midway through that bourbon and ginger, the bartender nonchalantly placed a bowl of these in front of us as if they were just your standard bowl of mixed nuts. Once she told us what they were, the next thing I asked was, "are they boozy?"

Just trying to be responsible here, people.

These bad boys might look fancy, but they are basically a grown-up version of those vodka-soaked gummy bears you were tossing back at that house party in college. 

Roasted Summer Vegetable Sandwich

Last week someone told me that she doesn't like sandwiches.

I was aghast. Stunned. Confused. But...why? How could you possibly rule out all food options that are delivered to you conveniently between two slices of bread?

There was no way I was going to let the statement stand unchallenged. ALL sandwiches? So, you like cheese, and you like bread, but once there's melted cheese between two slices of buttery crunchy bread, you're out?

No-knead Wheat Bread

I don't mean to pile on, but I'm going to assign some homework.

Lucky for you it's pretty easy homework, and it smells and tastes pretty good to boot.

You need some flour, some yeast, a big spoon and a little time. If you're short on time this weekend, don't worry. The beauty of this bread is that once you get all of the ingredients together and give it a first rise, you can stick the dough in the fridge. 

Then when you've got a hankering for some freshly baked bread, make a quick loaf, let it sit for about 30 minutes, and then pop it in the oven. 

Classic Hummus

Hummus is a staple in my fridge.

Carrots! Celery! Crackers! It's one of those snacks that can immediately satisfy those post-work hunger pangs without any prep time and without getting any extra dishes dirty.

And it's not even bad for you! Nay, you might say it's actually good for you!

I woke up on Sunday and I realized I needed to go to the grocery store in a serious way.

There was one egg in my fridge. No bread. Not even enough milk for a bowl of cereal. Definitely no hummus. It was pretty desperate.

Kale Chips

Let's detox, shall we?

I'm craving vegetables. I'm jonesing for some dark leafy greens. I've got a hankering for some superfood.

It's probably because I drank milkshakes all day. ALL DAY. 

You see, I do these weekly videos where we go do cool things in Tampa Bay and encourage other people to do them too. This week we wanted to find the best milkshakes. As you might have guessed, finding the best milkshakes in a metropolitan area means you've gotta taste a lot of milkshakes.

A day like that is pretty extreme on the health front. But kale chips have always been my "reset" food. Just got back from a business trip? Kale chips. Only eaten different versions of bread smothered in cheese for the past two days? Kale chips. One or four too many beers last night? Kale chips.\

Tomato, Chickpea and Pesto Pasta Salad

"Never eat the pasta salad."

I have no idea who planted this concept into my brain. I'm assuming it was my mother.

No matter who it was, it's an arbitrary rule that I have heeded for most of my life. There have been plenty of catered lunches or buffets I have wandered through when I probably would have served myself a scoop multi-colored rotini doused in a creamy Italian dressing. But then I notice the weird film of mayo on the noodles and remember those five words of advice – Never Eat The Pasta Salad – and I put the serving spoon down.

Passing on the pasta salad is not really an option when you're not going to eat the cheeseburgers and hot dogs that make up the rest of the spread at that company picnic. I guess you could plan ahead and eat before you go, but who are we kidding – the world doesn't work like that.

Everything Bagels

I've lived in St. Pete for almost nine months. (I know, WHAA??) It's a pretty great place to live, mainly because St. Pete does three things really well - beers, burgers and beaches.

Much to my dismay on many a Sunday morning, "bagels" is not one of those Bs.

You know the feeling - perhaps you partook in one - or all three - of the aforementioned Bs on Saturday. You wake up on Sunday morning dehydrated. Maybe you discover that sneaky sunburn on that place you alway miss with sunscreen right by your armpit. You go to make coffee and realize that you've never wanted anything more than a bagel AT THIS INSTANT.

If you live in New York - kudos. Walk downstairs and be greeted with a crusty, chewy ring of yeasty bread and creamy cheese. Enjoy your day. 

In St. Pete, you can drive 50 blocks to stand in a line that goes on forever just to get yelled at by an Eastern European woman. Or you can drive 70 blocks and get a passable bagel at Einstein. These are your options for bagels when you live in downtown St. Pete.

Egg, spinach and feta wrap

My relationship with my barista is suffering.

We used to see each other every day. I'd swing into Starbucks and be greeted with a smile and a, "Hey Katie!"He always knew to start a venti dark roast for me - no room - but then depending on how hungry I was feeling, I would also grab a spinach and feta wrap. 

For as lovely as this interaction was, it cost me close to $6 every day. Which is simply unreasonable for a girl who knows how to make her own coffee and prefers to drink it black. 

My barista was a habit that I needed to quit.

But sometimes time gets away from me. Sometimes I hit the snooze button one too many - okay let’s be real - four too many times.

These are the mornings that I'd usually swing by Starbucks.

But every time I'd circle the lot for parking, stand in that line and then wait for my order to be ready, I'd realize that I wasn't saving any time at all. In fact it probably took longer than scrambling and egg and making my own coffee. Oh, and I was also hemorrhaging money. All because I liked seeing my barista. Time to make some changes.

No-Churn Margarita Ice Cream

Sometimes life demands a cocktail. Sometimes life requires ice cream. And sometimes, life throws a whole bunch of nonsense at you and says, "YOU. You need a cocktail and ice cream at the same time."

Don't worry. I've got you covered.

I'm a sucker for a good margarita. You could say tequila is my jam. Sure I like the taste, but I have a lot of positive associations with them. The first legal drink I ever ordered was a margarita in Oaxaca, Mexico when I lived there with a host family in high school. When my family goes to the beach, it's as if vacation hasn't started until someone whips up a pitcher of Margs. The refreshing tang of lime and salty rim of the glass immediately makes me feel happy and at ease.

Although, that's likely the José Cuervo.

José was invited to this fiesta, as well as some Triple Sec, and since there is no cooking involved, this is indeed some boozy ice cream. But no one is going to be stumbling home from your Cinco De Mayo fiesta if you serve this for dessert - which I suggest you do.

Presence, presents, Pi and Key Lime Pie

Okay sue me. Maybe I got a little carried away with the homophones. But since there hasn't been a ton of writing around these parts recently, I may as well pepper this post with some poetic punch.

Alliteration. Boom.

What a bizarre and wonderful five months(!) it has been since I moved to Florida. A cool job that I like,  impromptu jaunts to the beach on nice Sundays, a new apartment that's all mine, and some pretty stellar people who have also found themselves in these parts by some happenstance have made this decision one of the best I've made in a while.

Yep, aerial yoga

Guys guys guys.

I can barely put two sentences together because this was so cool. But I'm going to try because my god this was cool.

Let's talk about cool for a sec.

When I got invited to go to an aerial yoga class, I was pretty skeptical. I had never heard of it before, and I've thumbed through a good number of Yoga Journal magazines. My main concern was that "aerial" implies that if I just so happened to fall, it would be a farther distance than when I am standing on the floor.

Yes sometimes I fall down while I'm standing. Prime example: Warrior Three.

My other concern was that I would straight up not be able to do it. Like "have to sit in child's pose the whole time" incapable. Given my competitive nature, his was an unacceptable and anxiety-inducing possibility.

Nonetheless, I decided that it was going to be fun and even if I did have to sit in child's pose the whole time, the only judgment that would be directed at me would be from myself, and I would never have to go again.

When I walked into the studio Saturday morning, my adrenaline seemed to convert my nervousness into pure excitement. Huge pieces of fabric called "silks" or "swings" were knotted up to bolts in the ceiling and attached with hefty carabiners.

I met the instructor Tara - who could not have been more welcoming or positive - who told me that each hook can hold up to 350 pounds, so I would need to be pushing 700 pounds if I were going to tear the silk down from the ceiling. Phew!

As the small class gathered - there were only six of us including Tara - I watched Tara simultaneously chat with the class and flip herself into poses using the silks. At this point I was just antsy to learn how to do it.

Teach me your ways!

I ended up learning pretty quickly.

Aerial yoga blends the poses you know from your regular ashtanga yoga with these silks hanging from the ceiling. You can do everything from Down Dog to Pigeon Pose to Plow, but the silk makes it so that you can customize the how the pose works for you.

Let's take Pigeon Pose.

Thanks, Kristin McGee for demonstrating.

When you do it on the floor, there are a lot of things to consider. Your knees, your hips, your ankles. The ground seems to be fighting against you, even though its one of the best poses for opening up your hips.

But when you do it in a silk, you have more control over how the pose works for you without the limitations of doing it on the floor.

www.pomelosunshine.com

But then you also get to do crazy cool things you'd never be able to do in an ashtanga class, like the pose you saw me in, or what my friend Sara is doing here. Holy What?!

Sure it may look like Royal Dancer, but did you see? She's upside down. Bonkers.

I cannot wait to go back to class. It was so fun to flip around, push myself out of my comfort zone and try new things. It was the perfect way to kick off the weekend. 

Sara actually has an aerial swing installed in her apartment. I may go to a few more classes before I investigate that option, but for now she told me I can come by and use it when I'm suffering withdrawal throughout the week, and I will most definitely take her up on it.

Wait, seriously?

On New Year's Eve 2011, I got charged $350 dollars for a cab ride home.

Apparently I was having far too much fun that night to notice until the next morning.

My heart sunk into my grumbling stomach. How could I have possibly gotten charged that much for a freaking cab ride?! I could have stayed at the Marriott around the corner for half that price. I probably could have chartered my own plane to pick me up from the bar and fly me home for that much money.

I figured it had to be a mistake. I called the cab company and explained the situation. The decimal point is just in the wrong spot, right? You can't seriously be charging me $350 for a cab ride.

Oh, but they were. I had been notified that there was going to be a "surcharge" due to the high demand for cabs that evening. Unfortunately I was supposed to interpret "surcharge" as "we're going to gouge the bejeezus out of you, cool?"

No, sir. Not cool.

After a long interaction with the cab company when I may have thrown around words like "rat fink", they decided to reimburse me for half of the cab fare. Something's better than nothing right?

I would like to use this story as a metaphor for how I would sum up my 2012.

2012 wasn't my best year. I was paying out the nose, stressing myself out, and only getting a lousy cab ride that smelled like bad cologne in return.

Then I took matters into my own hands, and 2012 gave me a 50% reimbursement with a job in a place where I feel at home.

I saw my grandma back in August at the beach and again over Christmas break. I wasn't doing too hot in August, having just gone through a breakup and really not knowing where to turn next. And no, I wasn't hiding it very well. But then I saw her just a couple weeks ago after having been in Florida for a couple months and she said, "Kate, you seem like a different person."

I couldn't agree more. I feel like a different person.

Sad outcome to this game, but still a very happy day.

I also realize that my new lifestyle hasn't been too conducive to blogging. Mainly because I'm not lonely anymore. Something that I like to call a high-quality problem. I spent so much of last year alone in a hotel room, alone on a plane or alone in my apartment that it was a no brainer to sit down and write something. Blogging made me feel less lonely.

Now I'll meet up with friends after work on a Wednesday for drinks, eat lunch with a coworker instead of alone at my desk in the basement, or go to the beach on a Sunday and take a nap in the sun.

January 13, indeed.

Yesterday I went to the beach at Fort De Soto Park, read a book in the sun and attempted to throw a frisbee. Still trying to master the wrist snap, but still. What a Sunday.

Despite how much I may have wanted to, I can't write off 2012 completely. I figured out what makes me happy (catchy rap tunes), I figured out what drives me bonkers (finding parking in busy places). I learned how to be an efficient business traveler and I learned that I prefer having a short commute and sleeping in the same bed every night.

Right around the time I was packing up and moving to Florida I realized that  I didn't manage to achieve most of the goals I set for myself for 2012, and that I likely wasn't going to. But looking back at them I think I nailed the most important one - Take life as it comes, when it comes.

Oh, and that headstand. What up!

This post isn't an apology or an explanation. It's basically just a way for me to wipe the slate clean. 2012 kicked my butt. However, I didn't pay a dime to get home this New Year's, so I think the odds are in my favor for 2013.