Weekend Highlights: The Daily Kitchen and Bar

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

When given the choice, Andrew and I generally choose to eat dinner on the early side–6:30ish. I think Andrew would eat the moment he walked in the door at 5:30 if he could. 😉 Friday night he had a basketball game (he plays in a church league) at 6:30, so we planned on having a late date night.

After the game–they won, and Andrew was on fire!–we headed to a restaurant in the city called The Daily Kitchen & Bar. We’d been once before for lunch and determined that it was definitely worth a second trip for dinner. As it turns out, we were right; after Friday this restaurant has moved to the top of our favorites list, but I’ll get into that more in a moment. When we arrived at 8:30, we were told the wait would be an hour–crazy-late for us old folks–so we gave them my phone number (they text when the table is ready so you can explore the area) and walked up the street to our favorite Thai restaurant… for appetizers 😀

Wonton soup for me (with all the scallions given to Andrew), and tofu vegetable soup for A.

Just as we were finishing our soup, I received the text that our table was ready, so we headed back down the street to The Daily. According to their website (and printed on the first page of the menus) :

“We strive to serve foods that are not only delicious but also health conscious, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible. We use organic, all natural, local, and sustainable ingredients as much as possible while still keeping our prices fair. In addition, we also offer an extensive selection of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free items.”

In other words, this is the restaurant of our dreams.

We started with drinks:

Pomegranate mojito for me, cucumber martini for Andrew. They were both delicious; mine tasted like straight juice, which is exactly how I want a mixed drink to taste. 🙂 Just as we were about to order our entrees, Andrew spotted something great on the appetizer menu: gluten-free calamari. We love calamari, but it’s most always breaded with wheat flour, so Andrew can never have it. Despite the fact that we’d already had soup as an appetizer, we knew we needed to try this.

Oh. My. Gosh. The calamari was amazing. It came with two sauces: a chipotle lemon vinaigrette and a garlic toum. Both were fantastic.

For the entrees, Andrew ordered the blackened tuna sandwich (GF bread) with sweet potato fries and crispy Brussels sprouts. I had the organic roasted chicken with whipped potatoes, asparagus, and a lemon herb pan sauce.

Everything was swoon-worthy. I don’t know how else to put it. Every time we took a bite of something we felt so much joy that we’d found such a great restaurant! Let’s talk about the Brussels sprouts for a minute. The next time we go, I will be very tempted to order a few bowls of them and nothing else. The waiter told us that the sauce is a lemon-something gastrique, and somehow, the sprouts were perfectly soft on the inside yet delightfully crispy on the outside. How do they do that? And somehow, they tasted like egg rolls–and I mean that in a very good way! Who wouldn’t want to eat vegetables that taste like egg rolls? Oh, man.

Andrew, give me your best “Most Interesting Man in the World.”

Monster-hand spoofs 😉

As you might imagine, after two appetizers and drinks neither of us had much room left in our stomachs, so we brought home a lot of leftovers, which were just as tasty the next day. If you are in Richmond and looking for a restaurant with a. amazing food b. vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free options c.organic, socially responsible food, or d. all of the above, you must try The Daily Kitchen & Bar in Carytown!

The rest of the weekend was a nice mix of fun and relaxation. Saturday morning we went to the gym together–after Friday’s dog bite incident I just took a relatively slow walk on the treadmill. The bite mark is still pretty gross, but it doesn’t hurt as much to move today. Progress 😉

Saturday night we had a hilarious game night with some friends. Have you ever played The Game of Things? It’s my favorite…and not just because it’s the only game I can almost always win. 🙂 We had church and youth group on Sunday, with a lot of lounging in between, plus a phone call to my dad for his birthday! All in all it was a great weekend.

I’m off now to attempt a run! I hope to encounter exactly zero animals, wild or otherwise.

-What did you do this weekend?
-Are you an early or late dinner-eater?
-Have you ever played Things?

Running: When Dogs Bite

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

I experienced a running first yesterday: a dog bit me.

I was running on a semi-major road near my house, and I saw the dog and its owners (or more likely owner + friend) up ahead on the same sidewalk. As we approached one another, I could see that the dog–a mutt, maybe 40-50lb–was very excited, so I slowed to a walk and tried to give it as much space as possible. The dog was barking, and the owner pulled the leash a little tighter, and just as we passed each other, the dog lunged and grabbed hold of my thigh with its teeth.

“Oh my gosh! Did he bite you?? Did he bite you??”

“Yeah, yeah, he bit me!”

“Are you okay?? I’m so sorry! He’s had all his shots! I can give you my contact information and am happy to pay any medical bills! He’s a puppy, and he just doesn’t do very well!”

“It’s okay; I’m okay. Thank you. I’m sure a band-aid will cover it. It’s okay! It happens!”

It happened so fast, and I was wearing running tights (now ripped), so I couldn’t see the extent of the damage. It definitely hurt, but it was also cold, so I knew my skin was more sensitive. It was just a very surprising situation, and I didn’t think through my reaction.

I tried to resume running, crossing the street into a neighborhood, and immediately was met with a lot of pain in my leg. I investigated as best I could without pulling down my pants in public, and the one gash I could see was not pretty. I can’t promise that I didn’t utter a few four-letter words. From there I hobbled home, not quite crying, but definitely whimpering.

24 hours later–Tilt your computer screen as needed to get the full color-effect of that bruise 😉

After inspecting the wound, I sent a picture to Andrew, my mom, and a couple of friends in the medical field, and they all urged me to go to the doctor just to get it checked out. Friends, that was a funny telephone call:

“Hi, I’m a patient of Dr. So-and-So. Um, I just got bitten by a dog. Is that something she could take a look at today?

They were able to to see me right away, and said it looked all right, and it was time for me to get a tetanus shot anyway. They gave me the shot and some heavy-duty antibiotic cream, and sent me home. The left side of my body–my leg where I was bitten, and my arm where I got the shot–is super sore today, so I am going to take it easy for a few days, but otherwise, I think I will be all right.

After the incident, I did some research to learn what one is supposed to do if bitten by a dog. If you happen to find yourself in a similar situation, here’s what to do:

To avoid the bite:
-Slow your run to a walk so you are less threatening.
-Don’t stare, but keep the dog in site.
-Walk in the opposite direction of the dog.

After being bitten:
-If the owner is present, take the contact info! (I am kicking myself for not doing this!)
-Apply basic first-aid: wash the area with soap and water, apply antibiotic ointment and sterile bandage.
-Go to the doctor. Just in case. I know it’s a pain, but why risk it?
-If you took contact information, ask for proof of up-to-date vaccinations for dog.
-Report the incident to animal control.

Stay safe out there, friends!

-Have you ever been bitten by a dog while a running? How bad was it, and what did you do?

Warm Days in February + Homemade Baked Beans

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

Looking out my window now at the cold, gray rain, it’s hard to believe that yesterday was uncharacteristically warm and sunny for February. Andrew and I took advantage of the beautiful day by heading to a park for a walk.

The lake, which had clearly been frozen solid, was beginning to thaw, and it was beautiful. I loved watching the ducks waddle from the ice into the water. 🙂 We spent about 45 minutes walking around the trails and the lake, and it was a much-welcomed change of scenery from the gym workouts we’ve been doing lately due to the cold weather!

Crazy Eyes: we got ’em

As we were heading back to the car, we ran into one of the girls in the youth group that I work with. Naturally, Andrew decided to throw a snowball at her and her friend.

Sorry, Brooke; it’s never a fair fight with that guy. 😉

Later in the evening, we went to our friends Evan and Kristina’s house to watch the Super Bowl with friends. I had decided to make baked beans (from scratch) in the Crock Pot to bring as our contribution. Despite the fact that I’d started cooking them at 8:30 AM, they were still not quite done nine hours later, so we brought the whole Crock Pot to the party to allow them more cooking time. 😀

Navy beans (soaked over night and rinsed) + bacon + brown sugar + molasses + Dijon mustard + salt + pepper + onion powder + water

The flavor was really good, but they never got quite soft enough. Any advice from more experienced Crock Pot users? Is that just the texture of beans that don’t come from a can? I’d love to give them another shot… once we finish the half-gallon of this batch still left in our fridge. 😉

Have a great Monday!

-What was your favorite Super Bowl snack/dish from last night?
-If you had a warm day yesterday like us, how did you spend it?
-What’s the best thing you did this weekend?

Andrew at the Gym and Other Gym Things

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

Happy Friday, everyone!

Last night Andrew and I hit the gym right after work. I don’t typically work out in the evening–the gym is the most crowded, and my flexible schedule allows me to go other times–but Andrew does, and he asked me that morning if we could go.

As soon as we walked in, Andrew realized he’d left his lock at home (which is kind of amazing considering there have been at least three incidents in the last month in which Andrew has been on his way out the door to the gym and said, “I can’t find my lock… I think I left it on the locker the last time I was at the gym.” He’s been right every time. He just locks it back up like it’s high school :-D). Without a lock, Andrew decided to give me his stuff to put in my locker. He disrobed in the hallway and gave me his sweatpants, sweatshirt and big winter coat–I looked like I was carrying a full load of laundry into the locker room, friends. 😉

Anyway, I met him back out in the main exercise room and hopped on an Elliptical beside him (he was biking at this point.) I wanted to do a little cardio warm up before lifting weights, and Andrew was just killing time until a treadmill opened. After about 5 or 10 minutes, a treadmill in the row in front of us opened. Andrew got off his bike, went to wipe it down while the treadmill user did the same for his equipment, and just as Andrew was walking toward it, a girl swooped in and took that treadmill! The nerve! (I’m kidding, she had no idea; she saw an open treadmill in a very crowded gym.) After a few more minutes, he was on another treadmill, and I hit up the weight area.

At this point, I saw an opportunity. I always feel a little bit funny taking pictures, especially selfies, in the gym, and Andrew would NEVER agree to me taking a photo of him at the gym. While I was doing the leg press, however, I realized I could take a sneaky shot of both of us. My feet + Andrew huffing away on the right. Heh heh heh. (Yes, it’s the little things. :-D)

After I’d lifted all the weights I cared to lift for the night, I hopped on the treadmill next to Andrew to do a cool down walk. I glanced over at his dashboard to see how fast he was running, as I am in the bad habit of doing (earlier in January when I was recovering from being really sick, I went to the gym with the firm plan of running 3 miles at a 6.0 (10 min/mile pace) just to help myself ease back into exercise. The girl next to me was someone I knew from high school, and I saw that she was running at an 8.0-9.0 and had been for a few miles already. Competition kicked in, and “The Club Can’t Handle Me” came on my iphone, and I thought, “Yeah, the club can’t even handle me right now,” as I foolishly upped my pace to an 8.0. I maintained this for about a mile, then had to walk because… I was still getting over the flu. It wore me out for the rest of the day. Lesson learned: listening to and honoring your body trumps competition and pride.) Anyway, I looked at Andrew’s stats and saw that he, my I-hate-running-but-sometimes-do-it-because-it’s-good-for-me husband, was running a 7:30 mile pace and had been doing it for quite a few miles! I know he has the advantage of long legs and male body composition, but I just didn’t know he could run that fast for that long! There was no time to get competitive at that point, but I think I’m going to have to up my running game and challenge him to a ~~duel~~ race in a couple of months. I don’t see any other option.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

-Do you look at how fast other people are running/pedaling/ellipticaling next to you at the gym? Does it ever cause you to alter your own speed?
–Do you take pictures at the gym? How do you do it without feeling awkward?
-Are you and your significant other competitive when it comes to fitness things?

The Flu, as Told by Fitbit

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

This was the weekend of lying on the couch under multiple blankets. For the last few days I’ve been fighting a fever, cough, nasal congestion and headache (I am regretting my decision not to get a flu shot…), and my Fitbit stats tell the story:

The steps were acquired walking from the bed to the bathroom, to the bed, to the kitchen, to the bed., etc., and the calories were burned just by being alive. What a sad little day! What’s funny though, is what my sleep looks like after taking some Nyquil:

Up once to use the bathroom, and hard asleep the rest of the night. Hah! Nyquil, for the win.

Saturday morning Andrew brought me some goodies:

Tissues (with lotion), Traditional Medicinals tea, and the current Runner’s World magazine to keep me occupied during my bed/couch-rest. Plus more drugs.

I don’t know if it’s actually the flu or just a really bad cold, but I’ve felt pretty awful. I am starting to feel slightly more functional today but am still going to take it easy. I’m a big believer in resting when sick to give your body its best chance to heal!

Have a great, healthy Monday!

Have you been hit with the flu this year?
Do you exercise when you’re sick?

2014 Goals + New Year’s Day Cuisine

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

Happy 2014 (a few days late)!

I know some people are vehemently against New Year’s resolutions, and I don’t totally understand that. The first of January provides a great, if only symbolic chance to start fresh and dream about what life might look like in the coming year. It’s as good a time as any to make a change, so why not? Why wait for the sake of rebelling against the tradition?

At the beginning of January I like to set goals rather than make standard resolutions–they might be functionally the same, but goals seem more attainable and specific than resolutions, which I tend to think of as more vague concepts (“Put 20% of my paycheck into savings” rather than, “Save money.”)

Here are some of my goals for 2014:

1. Run 750 miles. I’ve never tallied my mileage over the course of an entire year, but at roughly two miles per day, this seems attainable.

2. Run a marathon. This was on my list of 2013 goals, and it just didn’t happen (I did, however, run three races last year, which was another goal :)). If I succeed at this, running 750 miles during the year should be no problem!

3. Perform one random act of kindness every week. Preferably anonymously.

4. Write three highlights of every day. I purchased a small planner that has room to write something for each day, and I plan to journal at least three high points daily. I am already really looking forward to having the completed journal at the end of the year and being able to reflect on all the good times.

5. Cook dinner for other people once a month. I love cooking. I love sharing food with others. Friends–come over for dinner, and let us love you by cooking you (hopefully) delicious food. 😀

So far I am off to a good start: On New Year’s Day Andrew and I ran 3.5 miles (this was a big deal as Andrew does not enjoy running; half a mile in he said, “Are you ready for me to start complaining yet?” ;-)), I’ve written in my journal/planner each day, and Wednesday night our friends Amanda and Diron came over for a New Year’s Day dinner! We made a rosemary-garlic pork tenderloin, baked apples, black-eyed peas, and collard greens & kale. (I don’t think of myself as a typical Southern girl, but my family definitely has some Southern traditions when it comes to food. We also eat oyster stew on Christmas morning. Anyone else? :)) I forgot to take any pictures on NYD, but thankfully we had most of the leftovers for dinner last night, minus the pork which Andrew finished for lunch. Here’s the modified leftovers meal:

Collard greens & kale, baked apples with butter and brown sugar, black-eyed peas with tomatoes, and lemon-thyme chicken

Not a bad start to the year. 🙂

-What are your goals or resolutions for 2014?
-Does your family have any interesting food traditions around the holidays?

Fit Gifts

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

Amidst the eating-more-than-we-should and the working-out-less-than-we-should of Christmas week, Andrew and I received (and gave) a few gifts that will help us be a little more fit as we get back to our routines. The best fit gifts under our tree this year:

1. Running Clothes

Please, don’t be intimidated by how tough I look. 😉 My mom, a fellow runner, gave me some awesome new gear this year! The top is Under Armor and looks white in the photo, but is actually that cool pattern above on the right. The leggings are Nike, and they are perfect. 🙂 I don’t know about you, but I find new running gear to be so motivating! I couldn’t wait to put them on and run yesterday!

Additionally, my aunt Ann gave me this great running top. I am looking forward to taking it on its debut run!

2. Extra Long Yoga Mat (for the giant)

Andrew and I have been taking a yoga class pretty faithfully for almost a year, but we had yet to purchase our own mats. The standard-sized mats we borrow at the gym are fine for me, but at 6’4 Andrew hangs off the top and the bottom. For Christmas this year I bought him an extra long yoga mat. With 7 feet of mat, both his head and feet are cushioned. 🙂 I waited until after Christmas to buy a mat for myself (the gray one pictured above) because I thought Andrew might give me one. He didn’t; instead, he gave me a…

3. Fitbit Flex

I have been absolutely geeking out about this thing since the moment I opened it. For those who aren’t familiar, a Fitbit is a wrist band that tracks your steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, hours slept, sleep quality, and more. In other words, a health nut’s dream come true.

I’ve been having so much fun with it. It’s a great visual reminder to get up and move; over Christmas, when we were doing a lot of sitting around, it was convicting to see how far I was from the recommended 10,000 steps a day. It motivated me to go out and take a walk. 🙂

The sleep features are really cool too. You tap the band a few times when you lie down to sleep, and then again when you wake up in the morning, and it tracks your sleep patterns.

In related news, I sleep like a champ. 🙂 See how there’s no pink (awake) at the beginning of the night? Yes, I actually fall asleep that fast.

Fitbit also gives you the option to set weight loss goals and record the food you eat. It tracks how many calories you’ve eaten and tells you how many you have left based on your goals. All around, it’s an awesome gadget

With these tools, we are on our way to a healthy 2014!

-What fit gifts did you receive or give this year?
-Do you have a Fitbit? Are you as obsessed with it as I am?

Current Fitness Routine + The Funniest Running Photo I’ve Ever Accidentally Taken

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

During the month of November, between the leftover Halloween candy and Thanksgiving treats, I hit the sweets pretty hard, was a little slack on my workouts, and by the end of the month felt pretty blah. At the beginning of December I recommitted to working out most days of the week and treating sweets as treats rather than something to be eaten whenever I feel like it. Already I’m feeling better!

In terms of working out, I have been on a roll this month. Despite the cold, I have been hitting the pavement running like a champ–yes, I am feeling quite proud of myself. 🙂

Frosty grass calls for fleece-lined spandex.

Here’s what the last week looked like for me in terms of fitness:

Saturday: Kickboxing video
Sunday:  Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred
Monday:  Run-40 minutes, easy
Tuesday: 30-Day Shred
Wednesday:  Run-30 minutes, intervals + walk- 60 minutes
Thursday: 30-Day Shred + walk- 15 minutes
Friday: Run- 45 minutes

Jillian’s 30-Day Shred is tough–for those who don’t know, it’s a circuit-style exercise DVD that combines strength with cardio–but it’s not kicking my butt like the last two times I did it. I take that as a sign that I am more in shape these days! 🙂

I do love being able to workout in my living room with the blinds closed 😀

On Wednesday morning I took a really funny photo by accident. Running friends, you may understand what I am about to explain. Or perhaps I will just sound vain or weird. 😉 Sometimes when I am running in the morning, when the sun is low, and I pass a solid fence, I think, “Wow, my shadow looks cool. I wish I had a photo of that!” On Wednesday this happened, and I decided to pull out my phone and try to get the shot. However, by the time I took off my gloves and opened the camera, the terrain had changed a little bit, so there was a small hill leading up to the fence. Here’s the result:

Bahahaha. My bottom half is on the hill in the foreground, and my upper half is on the fence, making it look like I have the tiniest waist and the biggest booty ever. And with the tree, I look like I’m holding a gun. I was really amused. 😀

And finally, because I like food and like posting pictures of food, here’s what we had for dinner last night:

Rosemary balsamic chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, and quinoa. Yum. 🙂

Have a great Friday, everyone!

-What does your weekly workout schedule look like currently?
-Have you ever taken a photo of your shadow while running (or wanted to)?

Breckenridge and Hiking Cheeseman Canyon (Colorado Days 2 & 3)

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

We’ve been home from Colorado for about 32 hours now, and I am thoroughly jet-lagged and exhausted–the good kind of exhausted. The kind of exhausted you feel when you pack a lot of awesome things into a few days. 🙂 Here’s what the next few days of our trip entailed:

Day 2: Breckenridge
On Friday we drove deep into the mountains to the adorable little skiing town, Breckenridge. These were some of the views as we drove:

It didn’t even look real! So beautiful. Once we arrived in Breck, we spent hours walking up and down Main Street exploring the shops…and being the big kids that we are. 😀

The hat shop was a particularly good time 😀

Day 3: Hiking Cheeseman Canyon

On Friday night, Andrew’s friend and best man Kevin arrived. Kevin’s sister Julie lives with Jenny, so it worked out well that the five of us could pile into one apartment for a weekend of best friend/family fun. 🙂 Saturday we all went hiking–Andrew later declared it, “Probably my favorite hike ever!” It was, in fact, a pretty beautiful hike, with the trail following a canyon river.

So nice 🙂 One trail ran about 50 feet (?) above the river and had mini trails that led to a lower trail immediately beside the river. We switched between the two throughout the hike and determined that we covered about six miles total. While we didn’t gain much elevation overall, the trail was very up-and-down–I could feel it in the calves!

That night we met up with our friend Ashley for dinner–Ashley is a good friend from Virginia who moved out to Denver about five years ago, and we love that we are able to see her somewhat regularly now! Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos.

I always say (and have written numerous times on this blog) that if I lived within 15 minutes of a mountain I’d hike every day. After hiking Thursday, walking around Breckenridge Friday (we covered some serious miles), and hiking Saturday, I began to question that declaration. My legs were achy. (I don’t know why I made that past tense; we didn’t slow down Sunday or Monday, and my legs are still achy. :))

I will save our last day and a half for another post, but they include Andrew’s birthday and (wait for it…) more hiking. 🙂

Have a great Wednesday!

Hiking in Golden (Colorado Day 1)

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Catherine @ A Two Storey Home

Our first day in Colorado was excellent. After an early morning (4:43 AM) and a long flight (3.5 hours), we finally arrived in Denver; with the two-hour time change, we still had the entire day ahead of us! Jenny picked us up from the airport, and after dropping our luggage off at her cute apartment, we drove to the town of Golden (home of the Coors brewery, for anyone who’s interested).

We ate lunch at this fantastic sub shop called Snarf’s, then walked to a nearby trail for some hiking.

Tree pose… on a tree 😀

Unfortunately, we reached a point where the trail was closed–we ignored the initial sign indicating dangerous conditions ahead, but within 100 feet of our disobedience there was an actual gate closing the trail. Probably for the best. 🙂

One of the great things about this area is that there are plenty other trails to hike! We walked back through the small town of Golden and began hiking the South Table.

As you can see, it was gorgeous! The last photo was our favorite in a series of jump shots–it looks like we are levitating 😀 The large rock in the first photo of this series is South Table where we hiked to and where the rest of the photos were taken.

We finished the day with some delicious pho, then went to bed shortly after. By Denver time we’d been up since 2:43 AM, traveled across the country, hiked a bunch, gained an extra two hours in our day–so 9:45 PM (11:45 PM Richmond time) felt like just about the latest I could possibly keep my eyes open.

This morning Jenny is taking us to Breckenridge (or simply “Breck” as the locals call it; we’ve learned that they love abbreves out here ;-)).

Have a great Friday!

A Two Storey Home

Where Marriage and Healthy Living Meet

Tag Archives: fitness