Bye Bye [Food] Baggage!

Alternative post title:
That time I went on a trip and didn’t pack an extra suitcase just for food.

I noticed something after I got back from St. Louis last week…I uploaded the few food pics I had in my phone and realized that, compared to years past, I was a lot more relaxed about the food “situation”. Anytime that I’ve traveled in the last few years, I’ve always been super anxious about my meals and snacks and so I would end up packing up half the pantry “just in case”. Now, I’m not calling anyone out for packing their own food for trips. I am fully aware that there ARE instances where that is totally necessary, but I’m saying that for me, it was not.

So why don’t we take a look at a bit of carefree deliciousness?

McDonald's French Fries

No scoffing at this one. McDonald’s french fries are where it’s AT! I know Amanda agrees with me! They are especially good in a Happy Meal that comes with a toy who becomes the mascot for the trip. Seriously you guys, I can’t even TELL you the last time I stepped foot in a McDonald’s…or the last time someone mentioned it without me breaking into a sweat, but I have to say my little chicken nuggets, fries, and cute little bag of apple slices definitely hit the spot…without any guilt whatsoever.

Imo's Bacon Pizza

Then there was this mushroom, olive, and bacon pizza from Imo’s Pizza. Honestly, wasn’t a huge fan. I’ve had pizza from there before, but for some reason, the sauce tasted sweeter this time. But instead of totally freaking out, I just ordered a side salad, ate enough to quell my hunger, and moved on.

Peanuts & Pretzels

Of the few snacks I did pack for the trip, luckily I brought some peanuts and pretzels because they were basically the only thing Hungover Heather could handle for the first few hours everyday. Oops?

Caramel Crunch Zone Bars

These little Zone bars came in handy to have something on mine and my friends’ stomachs before hitting the bars up again each night. 😆

Strange Donuts

There were a MILLION different food vendors at the festival…none of that corn dog and funnel cake shit! And this “Campfire” donut from Strange Donuts (that took me nearly half the day to eat) was absolutely amazing! Almost as good as the plate of white bean hummus and pita bread that I got from Triumph Grill whose picture was lost to Hangry Heather.

And yes, I did just say that hummus was better than a chocolate donut! Lol

Eovaldi's Toasted Ravioli

Also, the (unphotogenic so therefore unPICTURED) chef salad from Eovaldi’s Deli on the Hill beat out their toasted raviolis by a landslide. There was no thought to sodium, nitrates, or however much fat was in their smack yo’ mama house made Italian dressing…or the shitton of cheese on top!

Note to self: Find out where to buy Provel cheese…and then bathe in it.

Gooey Butter Cake

And c’mon, what would a trip to St. Louis be without a little gooey butter cake? Even though I’m not a huge sweets person (hence the multiple “meals” I got out of that donut) but I’ve always wanted to try one. So when my friends the sign for Park Avenue Coffee advertising 73 different flavors, we just had to check it out. I got the chocolate chip cookie dough version (because duh) and split it with one of my friends, but what I really wish I would’ve gotten was the honey latte that my other friend ordered…it tasted like pure HEAVEN!

And can I just take a moment to pat myself on the back? Because there has been absolutely no thought to “getting back on track” since my little vacation. I’ve enjoyed salads and cereal, Greek yogurt and cookies without batting an eye!

Who makes the best fast food fries?

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately outside your city?

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Thirsty Thursday: The Loufest Edition

Aka: Justification for Heather’s impending liver transplant.

Having friends is great. They drive you to music festivals. They let you commandeer the stereo. And when you arrive to St. Louis around 7pm on a Friday night, they make sure to fill the next EIGHT hours with so much alcohol that you can’t even feel your face the time going by! 😉

Got a question for you guys…

Anyone ever heard of a shot called a Scooby Snack?

Scooby Snack Shots

How about a Cinnamon Bun?

Cinnamon Bun Shots

Or perhaps Chocolate Cake?

Chocolate Cake Shots

‘Nother question…HOW do these things taste NOTHING like alcohol?!

Where most of the people in attendance of Loufest this past weekend were busy raiding the bar for local Schlafly beer, I was chugging water and eating pretzels, swearing I’d never EVER drink again. Then, sure enough, once the festival ended each night and my friends were asking who wanted to go to Par, I was RIGHT back at it!

Par BartenderFor the record, Christina is the COOLEST bartender ever! And wasn’t even mad that we finished off an entire bottle of Midori…course that probably had something to do with our $300 bar tab on Saturday night. Wait, did I just say type that?

I’m pretty sure all the walking at the park, dancing at the bar, and laughing in the hotel room made up for the copious amounts of snacks, buns, cakes, AND 3am Courtesy Diner visits where all hailed the glorious plates of bacon, and pancakes, and biscuits and gravy, and hash browns and…

BaconOrder the Hoosier…add maple syrup…you WON’T regret it! I do regret not taking a picture, but it happens. So you’ll settle for this bacon pic instead! 😉

Though I will say that this weekend taught me that I’m not quite the spring chicken I used to be. Funny how 13 hours of sleep in 3 days PLUS 10 hours of travel time there and back will make you feel O-L-D! But I’m happy to say that after 14 hours of sleep Monday night plus and entire day of bumming on the couch Tuesday, I feel well enough to do it all over again…NEXT YEAR! Lol

What’s your favorite shot or mixed drink?

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Music Monday: The Loufest Edition

Happy Monday, peeps!

Since I figure I’ll still be recovering from partying it up with my Monkeys and Portugal men at my FIRST music festival, I’m typing this post up ahead of time. It’s actually Friday right now and I’m about to leave for Loufest…just as soon as I finish doing up my face in black light paint! 😉

So I thought I’d share some sweet tunes with ya…

After stalking Loufest playlists on Spotify for the last month, I’ve found a “few” favorites. Of course I say that while throwing up quotation marks in the air because when it comes to music (and my clicky finger), it’s a bit of an obsession for me. I tried to scale it back a bit for all brain-containing purposes. I could just see myself standing in the middle of the park in St. Louis frantically trying to decide which stage to go to if in the unlikely event TWO bands I like are playing at the time. Oh the insanity!! 😯

I created a playlist called Loufest Faves for my friends and I to listen to on the way up to St. Louis and I actually feel I deserve a pat on the back for practicing restraint and only including fifty tracks. Like I said, obsession. Since I know that’s a lot of songs and you guys probably don’t have the time to sit here and sample them all, I thought I’d call out a few umm…fave faves?

Glass Animals

I don’t know what it is about these guys, but I can’t get enough. I confess that most of the time I haven’t a clue what they’re talking about and I’m pretty sure you have to be on copious amounts of drugs (and perhaps a little rubber cement) to understand ANY of their videos, but what the hey, the beat makes me wanna “throw my hands and flip around”!

Roadkill Ghost Choir

Coolest name ever, right? This was the first song I heard from them and couldn’t help but hum the tune for the rest of the day week. Then I sampled their latest album (released just a few weeks ago), fell in love, and downloaded it minutes later. The beginning of the song sounds kinda hillbilly-ish but trust me, their name doesn’t imply they’re a toothless bunch ready to scrape breakfast off the side of a highway.

Moon Taxi

How cool is it that these guys are from Nashville? My sister first introduced me to them a few months ago (before I even knew they were going to be at Loufest). I think they have a sound similar to Kings of Leon…with a little less whine. 😉 I love this song from their Cabaret album, but their more recent album, Mountains Beaches Cities is pretty freaking amazing.

Grouplove

I’ve had “Tongue Tied” in my iPod for years, but never really listened to much else from Grouplove until I realized they were going to be at the festival. Then I lucked up and found their album, Spreading Rumours at the library and yeah, reeeeeeally hard to pick just one favorite, but the video for this song shoots it up to the top!

Cherub

WARNING: NSFW 😯
Another group from good ol’ Nashville. See? There’s more than just country music around here…in case those cowboy boots and hats were gonna fool ya! I found these guys back in like June when they popped on a Spotify workout playlist. This is one of those “fuck you, I’m awesome” songs…just wait till the 1:56 mark. Ha, love it!

So, in no particular order, aside from “Gooey” by Glass Animals being at the top because, well, I’m trying to see just how many more times I can play it before I feel “those peanut butter vibes”, I give you fifty songs from eleven bands! Enjoy! 😀

Have you ever been to a music festival?

What is your current favorite song?

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