Reformhaus Bacher

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It's no big secret that I'm a huge fan of the Reformhaus Bacher. Whether for grocery shopping, a sweet treat, some fresh bread, or a little snack, it's pretty fantastic!



I had a few extra minutes before my bus arrived, since I missed the one that I was trying to catch >_< , so I decided to have a little snack while I waited. They have so many fresh salads - I just couldn't resist trying a few!



A bean salad in some tangy dressing with Raps oil (I think). YUM!



A red lentil salad that was really hearty and tasty (the dressing tasted very similar to the one on the bean salad, but a little heartier). YUM-YUM!



And, of course, a traditional Weinkraut salad! YUM-YUM-YUM! This is Germany, after all, and we love our Kraut. ;)

I really can't choose a favorite between the three. They were so delicious! And the perfect little snack to hold me over until I could get home and make some dinner - with an ice cream sundae for dessert, as we've been enjoying what I believe is the last of our lovely summer-ish weather!

How do you usually commute?

What's your favorite season?

Are you a lentil fan?

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Fro-NO

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I just had the WORST fro-yo experience of my life. The worst food service experience, in general!

If you're ever in the Braunschweig area, I recommend staying far, far, FAR away from the Eis Cafe Tiziano - and it's not even the ice cream's fault! Sure, their menu is a stunner, but it's really hard to swallow considering the terribly rude service!

I had a cup of froyo with blueberries in syrup and candied walnuts, which tasted okay (not the best, but not the worst, froyo I've had) but I didn't enjoy my 8 Euro cup at all!

It really cost 4 Euro (still a lot, when you do the conversion to USD), but I dropped my first cup because I was so harried by the terribly rude, impatient brat who served me. My aunt and I rushed to clean up the mess, but she didn't even offer us a napkin or any empathy for my wasted yogurt!

There's only one word to describe the girl, and it rhymes with witch.

I'm actually sad that I bought another (I only did because I promised you guys a review of German froyo), as I don't want to give another penny of my hard-earned money to a company that employs workers who treat the customers so badly. I am NOT eating at Eis Cafe Tiziano again - I'd rather go without!

I've worked in froyo cafes before and if I had behaved even half as nasty as she did, I would have been fired (rightfully!) on the spot.

Have you ever had a really terrible customer service experience?

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Vegan-friendly JFK and the Plane

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JFK is probably the most vegan-friendly, health-conscious (and taste-conscious) airport around! I was flooded with tasty options, but finally settled on this for lunch:

It was quite the tasty sandwich! I'm just not a huge fan of vegan mayo, so that's my only gripe (actually, not a fan of mayo at all).

The plane ride started well, with really friend air stewards and stewardesses - but took a nasty turn when my little sister suffered from some unpleasant motion sickness. No pics of that, of course!

On the upside, I had a personal TV with more good movies than I could watch (I settled on Just Go With It, Arthur, and The Adjustment Bureau):

Had a dinner with semi-fresh fruit and veg, as well as a really tasty roll and actually flavorful margarine:

The wrapped up stuff is some just okay rice dish and mixed veggies in sauce.

Breakfast was miniscule, though! Thank goodness I had saved peanuts and pretzels to supplement this with:

But the banana was tasty. And I was thrilled to touch down in London!

Do you (or a frequent travel partner) get motion sick?

What's the best in-flight meal you've ever had?

What's your favorite airport?

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D-Liteful

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It was a warm day in Boston, so we decided to head out for some frozen goodness to cool us off! A hop, skip, and T-ride lader, we found ourselves on Newbury Street. Now: to find that Pinkberry...

We searched high; we searched low. We did not find the Pinkberry. *Sigh.*

But we found Tasti D-Lite, instead! None of us had ever eaten at Tasti D-Lite before, but I have read about it and heard about it from New Yorker friends who are huge fans, so we decided to check it out!

My mom had a small cup of Tart & Tasti with raspberries, my little sister had a small cup of french vanilla with sprinkles and oreos, and I had a regular cup of Tart & Tasti with raspberries, blueberries, and a peanut butter brownie (I warned you about the sweet tooth!). These three cups were $18 and I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with the few toppings they sprinkled on. For the same price, I could have way more toppings at Pinkberry or (my favorite) Red Mango.

It was tasty, though. The tangy Tart & Tasti lived up to its name and was very refreshing, as well as the perfect accompaniement to the brownie and the berries. The brownie tasted a little...beany?...and was kind of caky in consistency, but I really enjoyed it after the first two bites!

It's not a frozen yogurt, just a frozen dairy dessert (here's what's in the vanilla: water, nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, cream, guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, vanilla, lactase) but it is tasty and I like that they had a nice tart flavor and that you can top it with what you want. They also had some tasty looking cookie sandwiches...

All in all, though, I think I'll stick to fro-yo as my favorite. This wasn't *quite* as delicious or *quite* as creamy, though it was good, and so I'd probably only eat here again if there were nothing better around.

Anyway, after having our frozen treats, we walked around Newbury Street a bit. I love Boston! There are so many different cultures, there's so much tradition (gothic churches juxtaposed with chrome sky rises!), and it's just such a fun, outdoors-friendly city!

Do you like Tasti D-Lite?

What's your favorite dessert?

Do you have a favorite city?

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The Travels Begin (really)

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So my travels technically began on Thursday, when I drove to Boston - but somehow they really begin today, when I fly to London, United Kingdom. Whoppee!

And spending the night at the Embassy Suites Boston Logan was a great way to start things off on the right foot.

Here's why:
1) I love how close it is to the airport - convenience, when it comes to transatlantic travels, is key.

2) It's a really pretty hotel and the suites are nice and spacious - we all felt really comfortable. Especially with the warm welcome of the manager's reception last night (5pm to 7pm):

I started with a plate of chips and veggies with dip, but they also had nice cheeses, crackers, grapes, egg rolls, pot stickers, goat cheese tartlets (my mom loved those), and all manner of non-alcoholic beverages. Yay! I went back for an apple, some more veggies and dip, some crackers, and a butterscotch chip cookies (soft in the middle, crunchy on the outside - excellent). If you tried, you could probably make a dinner out of the stuff!

3) It's surprisingly quiet - especially considering that it's right next to Boston Logan Airport?!

4) Everyone here has been beyond nice and helpful - from early check in to opening my soup cans!

5) Two thumbs up for a big, tasty breakfast:

See the two apples? Airport snacks - these looked so tasty that I knew the $2 waxy ones from Starbucks in my terminal could definitely not beat them.

I was disappointed that the only yogurt option was Light & Fit, as I try to avoid artificial sweeteners and stick to real sugar, honey, etc. for the most part, but they really can't cater to everyone and they do such a good job that I'm not grouchy (plus, a little weird chemical stuff now and then certainly won't kill me).

They had fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, cereals, pastries, bread and english muffins, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, juices, teas, coffee, etc.! Quite impressive, *two thumbs up.*

Ooh, and spotted this funny family speed-walking (hips thrusting, arms swinging, the whole shenanigan):

So, that's all for now - sorry it took so long to get it posted. Blame the slow internet!

What's the weirdest thing you do with your family?

What's your favorite thing about staying in hotels?

What's your favorite US city?

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McFlurries, Dives, and London :)

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So, I'll do a quick photo update, to get you guys back up to pace.

Had some greasy food at a British dive:

Sorry, I forgot to take a pic until I was done!

I also had two McFlurries (a Crunchies McFlurry, of which I can't seem to find any pics, and a Cadbury Milk Chocolate McFlurry):

Even the cup is British:

I had *way* too many sweets today - everything looks so tasty here, I'm so relaxed, and my appetite's a proper beast! In addition to this, I have had a king-sized Snickers bar, a *ton* of Nutella and PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams, two dinners (!) and just a real ton of food - it's 9:45pm, and I've just finished eating!

I *did* do some stuff other than eat, though:

Saw a bunch of these, visited Madame Tussaud's (took a pic with the super-hot Robert Pattinsen - we're a cute couple ;) and he's *so* tall!), and did a lot of window shopping:

The buildings are lovely!

And the fashion is amazing. I'll have to dedicate a post to just it. But for now, more buildings!

Okay, that's all for now! I've had a great first two days in London. Hit the sites, ate lots of junk (British junk food trumps American junk food, IMO, even the McD's...) and not gotten much sleep. Good times, though!

What's your favorite junk food?

What do you do differently when traveling?

What kind of architecture do you like?

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B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend

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No, I don't have one and this post isn't about boyfriends (not at all). I was just listening to the Big Rush song (don't judge!) 'Boyfriend' and was pretty impressed by how intense the stutter on 'boyfriend' is. Imagine if someone actually had such a bad stutter?

Anyway, let's cut to the chase: after kicking back and finishing a paperback I had with me (no more books, waaaaaaaaaaah!) I headed downstairs for dinner. After a bit of deliberation, I decided that this was the dinner the heat called for:

It doesn't really look like a $9 dinner to me (especially considering that the water was mine) but it did taste good and was prepared relatively quickly. The bread was nice and soft, though I would have liked it toasted better...

I had greens, salsa, dijon mustard, yellow mustard, guacamole, sauteed tomato, pickles, cucumber, and tomato on there - yes, I'm weird. Your point? It was tasty, and that's all that matters. :P

As you know me and my big appetite, I'm pretty sure you already knew that the sandwich and apple (which was less than crisp, much to my dismay) weren't quite enough to fill me up. So I finished with this:

A Cinnamon Raisin Flavor & Fiber bar! These do taste like candy, albeit more substantial. And definitely filling! I was *full* after this!

This is a tasty bar for cinnamon roll/cinnamon toast fans. As always, the folks at Gnu take flavor seriously!

Oh, and for you vegans - I just realized that this was a fully vegan dinner (unintentional, again)! Because yup, the Gnu bar might have tasted like a buttery cinnamon roll, but it was 100% vegan (though *NOT* gluten-free, because whole wheat is an important part of the Gnu bars' high fiber grain combo).

Anyway, full to the brim, I hung out in the lobby for a while (yes, yes, free wifi!) and then went back up to my room to leaf through a magazine, watch a little silly TV, and enjoy this:

The pillow wished me 'sweet dreams.'

Thanks, I don't mind if I do! :)

Do you like cinnamon?

What's your favorite condiment?

What's the *weirdest* sandwich you've ever had?

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When Five Become Ten

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...that's when you know that either (a) math's not working out, (b) MapQuest needs to get its act together, or (c) your dad needs to learn how to drive *at* or even above (!) the speed limit.

Yup, we left Bar Harbor at 11am today and got to Boston right now - 9pm. I am not a happy camper.

On the upside, I *do* like road tripping to an extent, and the opportunity to catch up with my dad was nice. And my symposium presentation went off without a hitch.

My travels have begun, yippee!

Lunch on the road was this:

 

Somehow, Subway just seems like such a road-trippy food to me. Plus, I haven't had it in ages: yum.

I had a toasted veggie delite with pepperjack cheese, mustard, *no* olives or peppers of any kind (ick) - yummaroo!

Then, for dessert, I had this tastiness:

A brownie bite from Erin Baker's Wholesome Baked Goods!

Ignore that it looks like a cookie - it does *not* taste like one. It's chocolatey as can be, with lovely chocolate chips and a rich decadent flavor - with an almost fudgy texture! And they're healthy?! Organic ingredients, 7% of my fiber RDI, what?

Good stuff.

We drove a bit more, listened to Elton John on the radio (I'm obsessed with Crocodile Rock!), and eventually it was snack time So I whipped this out - an Orange-Cranberry Flavor & Fiber bar!

The texture of all of these bars seems to be the same - very chewy with some interesting surprise factor from the fruits, flax, and millet. Another thing they have in common? Intense flavors! Whatever flavor the bar promises, it *delivers.* This was very tangy-orangey and scrumptious.

My dad had the lemon ginger bar that I tried the other day and he really enjoyed it too.

And then we got lost for the first time...

UGH! This wifi is *so* slow. We're in a Motel 6 for the night, because my dad is infamously great (not) at making hotel reservations. Just this one night, though, because I booked my own hotel for Friday and Saturday night (a different one each night - though both by Hilton - I'm a regular hotel-hopper)!

I'll post dinner pics tomorrow, when I have a better connection.

Do you like road trips?
Are you a citrus person?
Who's your favorite old-time singer?

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Unexpectedly Vegan

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I know I'm *supposed* to be saving for Europe, but I was really feeling like spoiling myself with some of my favorite foods for dinner, not the penne pesto and stuffed peppers that seem to rule the eating scene here in the house. The best part about my favorite kind of eating out experience, is that casual dining = not so torturous for the wallet.

Casual, yes:

But I have wanted to try A & B Cafe, secreted away inside this natural food store - love that kind of cafe!, since I got here. And this is my second-to-last weekend! So it was high time.

Once I got inside, I had such a hard time choosing food. Everything looked delicious! It finally came down tofu sushi, buckwheat soba, a hummus sandwich on Ezekiel (yum) bread, and a Kale salad in a creamy dressing. So what did I choose?

None of them!

Sometimes if I can't decide, I just go in a whole different direction.

I was kind of in the mood for beets (a rare, but momentous, occasion) and come on - if you see something with a name like 'knish' can you really resist? I cannot. Nope. Not at all.

And it's good that I didn't!

This was DELICIOUS. The mix of durum flour (what you use to make plain old white pasta) and whole wheat flour made for a chewy, but flavorful crust (?) and the inner mixture of tofu, spices, chopped spinach, etc. was amazing. The texture was very much not tofu-y at all, but rather chewy and kind of like sausage, only waaaaaay better - and free of piggies :)

I'm German and I love my mustard, so slapping some of that on there really ratcheted this up to one of THE BEST SAVORY meals I've eaten in the past year. Scratch that, in my whole life. If you're near Bar Harbor and you think your taste buds might resemble mine (or even if they don't!) try this Knish NOW. There's only one word for it: wowza.

Oh, and is it just me, or is it weird that the organic mustard is beige? I was expecting yellow and this came out...but it was delicious! Also, it was dijon mustard - is dijon mustard always beige? I feel like such a bad German for not knowing...*blushes*

After such a tasty vegan meal, there was only one way to finish of:

Ice cream - or, rather, Rice Dream! I've been meaning to try the Rice Dream Pies for years, as they sounded like they'd be right up my alley, but somehow I just never got around to it. Until tonight. And again, wow am I glad that I did:

Hehe, it looks like a trucker's cap, doesn't it? I think that was just this one, though, not all of them (don't get your hopes up).

Actually, do. Because if you like ice cream and rice milk at all, you'll love this! The rice cream was creamy and delicious, with a welcome hint of rice milk-ish flavor (kind of malt-y, I guess?) and the oatmeal cookies were divinely soft and chewy - and substantial! The chocolate counting was melt in your mouth delicious, smooth, and rich - not icky like most ice cream coatings are.

Seriously, this was one of the best meals I've ever had and it came to under $10. So. Worth. It.

Plus, now I have less of an excuse - I could happily substitute my ice cream with Rice Dream. So it's really just yogurt standing between me and pursuing veganism. If I could find a vegan sub for that, I'd switch over to Rice Dream and call it a day :P

What's the best meal you've had lately?

What's your favorite kind of eatery?

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The Salad (non)Monster

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We’ve been woefully understocked in salad over at the house and me + no leafy greens = sad. So, when my mid-morning munchies arrived, I headed over to the lab café for my *first ever* trip to their salad bar! It’s pretty small as salad bars go, but still stocked with plenty of good stuff: mixed greens, lettuce, artichoke, marinated tofu, chickpeas, cottage cheese, cukes, tomatoes, bean salad, various cheeses, peppers, and a couple of other things that I can’t quite remember.

My stomach was feeling a little funny (I’ve had a headache since yesterday and those often go to my stomach—though, knock on wood, the headache seems to have left now)  so I stuck to a fairly simple salad:

It only cost $1.07 but was a great, filling snack! Wowza! That so trumps the $3 or $4 I have to spend to be satiated by vending machines…

A bed of mixed greens with chickpeas, marinated tofu (marinated in who-knows-what, but it was tasty!), and olive oil and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top.

I go through my phases with tofu. Sometimes I love it…and sometimes not so much. I’m in a love-it phase right now. But greens? I always love leafy greens, and never like going more than a few days without any—at least in a sandwich, wrap, green monster, or something.

Are you a tofu fan?

What’s your favorite type of salad base?

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I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for (CJ's Big Dipper) Ice Cream

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Hi guys!

Today was a real scorcher - well, at least for Bar Harbor, ME - so I knew just what I needed as an afternoon snack. After another Kashi granola bar (man, am I powering through that box!) dipped in some Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter (likewise for those jars!), I hopped on my bike and rode the mile to town...for ice cream!

So here's the thing - being a tourist destination and all, Bar Harbor is not a cheap place to get ice cream. One scoop will set you back about $4 - yikes! So, if it's going to cost that much, it better be the creamiest, yummiest, richest, biggest scoop of your life. And there's only one place where that's guaranteed:

CJ's Big Dipper! I go here waaaaay too much, especially for someone who's supposed to be saving money for an EXPENSIVE fall in LA (don't even get me started on the absurd rent I'm being charged for my shared bedroom at University Gateway - think FOUR DIGITS!!!!).

But who can resist? Their small (note that there's no mention of a single scoop, just a small, medium, and large) is FOUR WHOPPING SCOOPS of the richest, creamiest, yummiest ice cream you'll ever taste (sorry, Coldstone).

I went with the Heath Bar Crunch (as I always do):

Can you blame me? As you can tell, the ridiculous heat was not making my ice cream cone very happy! I had to eat a bunch of it before I could even take the picture (yes, it was even BIGGER than this) just because it was melting all over the place!

Seriously, it was like I was eating in a race! It was nice to have the cool ice cream on a hot day, but I think that I'll try to stick to cooler days from now on. If I'm going to spend $4 on an ice cream cone, I want to be able to take my time and enjoy it - not have to throw it back like I'm in an ice cream eating contest! I almost got a stomachache from eating so fast.

But, anyway, the ice cream base is super creamy, the portions are super generous (I've got to admit, I wish I had the option of one or two scoops for $1 or $2 - do I need 4 scoops at once? No. But, of course, I ate every last delicious drop and every last delicious crumb of the cone!), it's packed full with huge chunks of Heath bar (there was one that was literally the size of my finger near the middle), and the cone is much better quality than the ones you usually get.

My verdict?

If you're on Mount Desert Island, be sure to swing by CJ's Big Dipper - you won't regret it (though your wallet might)!

What's your favorite kind of ice cream?

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