Neighborhood Highlights: Atlantic Beach Florida

This past weekend I went out and about to explore the area.  I hung out mostly in Atlantic Beach, which is near Naval Station Mayport. 

Some highlights:
Poe's Tavern.  Such a gem.  Really like this place. 
Culhane's Irish Pub.  Great food, great atmosphere.


There are a ton of great shops and restaurants I want to go to in the future.  Mostly I just walked around on Labor day, and took great photos for my photography class.  Most days I can't believe I live in Florida.  Gorgeous sun, great places to go.  Now if that whole work thing didn't always get in the way...

Me @ Poe's Tavern

Great part about Poe's, they make half pints!

Local haunts

Main drag

Walkway to the Beach

Beach

Beach

Lemon Bar

Pete's Bar

Crockpot Tortellini

I found this recipe on Facebook, and thought I would give it a try.  It is definitely a perfect recipe for a Sunday night dinner in the fall!  Pair it up with a salad and some fresh bread, it is amazing!

• 1 bag of frozen tortellini
• 1 small bag of fresh spinach
• 2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
• 1 box/4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 block of cream cheese

Put all ingredients in a crock pot, and cut up the cream cheese into blocks.  Mix together, and cook on low for 5-6 hours!  Serves 4.



Crock Pot Creation!



Finished Product

 

Favorite Gift Website

I have been buying a lot of great engagement, wedding, and baby gifts off of one particular website lately, and I have to say-I am hooked!  www.personalcreations.com is a great site, with plenty to choose from.  I bought this baby blanket, which many friends have used in their professional newborn photos.  I bought this beverage tub for some dear friends who are having an outdoor wedding this month.  And finally, this engagement gift for a friend who is getting married this fall.  This was just perfect for her!

The beauty of this site is that it is married up with other companies, and you get great deals from them all.  I sent my boyfriend chocolate covered strawberries from Sharies Berries last Sweetest Day!

Happy shopping!

Chocolate and Strawberry Smoothie

So..in all themes of eating healthier...I am trying to eat smoothies almost each day for breakfast.  They serve breakfast at work.  Bacon, fried this, rice..all things full of fat and a LOT of starch.  I just can't do it.  And for the sake of time, it is just easier to eat at work.  That way I don't battle traffic, etc etc.  And this way, I can drink my awesome smoothie while perusing a million emails. 

So, I bought a new Cuisinart blender thingy so I could make better smoothies.  Yes, I know, why not just use your blender?  Because most blenders just can't crush ice.  I have tried and tried and tried with my old traditional blender, and it failed each time.  Plus, the Cuisinart system has multiple travel cups with lids included, perfect for work!

Here is my latest smoothie that I made...omg it was good.  Full of all things healthy.  It has some odd consistency due to the flax seed, but I got over it. Especially because I need the Omega 3 fatty acids. 

Not only is this smoothie gluten free, but it is also dairy free for those who have food allergies!

• 1 cup of almond or coconut milk
• 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (my stuff has 14g, got it at Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
• 1/2  frozen banana (if you use fresh, it won't have the same smoothie consistency)
• 1 tsp flax seed (can get kind of grainy.  If you don't need or want more Omega 3, can omit)
• 1-2 tsp of cocoa powder
• 4 ice cubes

Excellent source of protein and Omega 3!

This is Bigger than Miley Cyrus and the VMAs..

So with all the hubbub in the media about Miley Cyrus and the VMAs, a lot of people missed this news story yesterday.  I just hope you can appreciate this story, and the sacrifice this man made for our country.

One thing I loved doing while living in Chicago was attend the Medal of Honor talks at the Pritzker Library.  If you are in the Windy City, I highly suggest you attend a talk here.  I have gone to a few, and each one was amazing in its own way!  If you can't make it to a talk, they show their talks on PBS!

Photo Albums

I have made quite a few photography posts on here, and if there is one thing that I love, it is pictures! I inherited that bug from my grandma, who always had a camera on her.  I have started a tradition of making photo albums for each year.  I started this tradition in 2009, and continue it today! 

It is so easy to make photo albums on www.snapfish.com, so I use their website.  I have gotten groupons for other sites, but none have really matched up to snapfish.  The quality, the ease of making the album, etc has won me over.  I made 1 for each year, as well as for special occasions.  I went to Japan in 2009, and made an album to commemorate the trip.  I bought one for my SIL and sent it to her! 

I made 2011 and 2012 this week, and am waiting to purchase until I get a coupon.  These are great books, but I definitely need a price break on them.  I usually have about 50-75 pages per book, and that is cutting down on "only the BEST" pictures.  My next project is my deployment album!

3 photo albums!

Roasted Turkey Panini

I need to get back into the "1 new recipe a week" mantra I keep trying to live by.  I usually make a new recipe, and try new things all the time.  With the madness of a few moves, a deployment, etc, I have fallen behind.  Now I am back.  With a vengeance! 

I made the best sandwich this week for lunch.  I preheated my griddler (one of my best purchases ever...I love Cuisinart products!), and used the following ingredients for two paninis:

• 1 tablespoon of mayo (I used olive oil mayo)
• 1 tablespoon of pre made pesto (I used Bertolli)
• 4 slices of bread (artisan bread or crusty country bread)
• unsalted butter or EVOO to put on bread slices
• 4 oz of thinly sliced smoked turkey breasts
• 2 oz of thinly sliced baby swiss cheese
• 2 oz of thinly sliced ren onion

I lightly brushed each slice of bread with butter, and then started stacking my ingredients on the bread! I combined the pesto and mayo, and spread the mixture on the bread (butter side down for the griddle).  I then put the ingredients in the following order: smoked turkey, cheese, and onions.  Then, assemble the sandwiches with the oiled/butter sides on the griddle, and grill for 3-4 minutes.

Panini Heaven

Not the best pic ever, it was an Instagram pic.