Class was in and out today – easy peasy. We just went over our exams from last week. I scored a 97 and only missed one!!
Since we got out of class early, Lauri and I decided to do our run before gardening rather than after. Good call!
We set out down the gravel road at a swift pace intending to run about 4.5 miles, but about a mile in the gravel turned to a wooded path of roots and rocks and we had to slow to about a 12 minute mile to keep from slipping or twisting our ankles! We did a lot of walking and jogging and eventually finished a rugged 3.5 miles in about 45 minutes. We were quite tired and my legs were nearly shaking from the terrain change! Next time we’ll stick to the bigger paths 
After our run I had a snack – strawberries and an Amazing Grass bar.
I think I have finally acquired the taste for grass. I have been avoiding this bar because it just didn’t sound all that appealing, but since beginning Operation Bar Stash Reduction I packed it. I was more than pleasantly surprised! It was flavorful and had lots of fun ingredients in the form of nuts and seeds. [Green SuperFood ingredient list] Lauri said it tasted like a compost pile, but it was her first wheatgrass taste 
After snack we did 2 hours of fun gardening at the Plant A Row For The Hungry. I wish I had brought my camera because we picked some beautiful bell peppers, planted turnips and carrots and cleared out a few rows of old green beans. I’m really enjoying this endeavor!
I was home by 6:30 and greeted by a husband who was leaping with excitement to do a pumpkin beer tasting. I normally don’t like to drink during the week, especially wedged between two festive weekends, but I made an exception considering how excited he was <3
He had gotten the 2009 Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale to compare with my 2008 vintage version. (Yes, I’ve had that in my fridge for a YEAR. I like to savor them year-round and it’s a special event when I open one so I had one left from my 6-pack)
Which one was best!?
It was really a tie! They were definitely different, but I couldn’t pick out a favorite. The good news is that the old one didn’t taste old!
Back to the kitchen we came up with a meal on a whim. Since I was gone this weekend I told Matt to pick up some groceries, which means we have absolutely no meal plan for this week.
We ended up stir-frying 4 baby eggplants in a skillet with bell peppers and 2 Applegate Farms Fire Roasted Chicken sausages.
And drizzling on some of this Apple Cinnamon BBQ sauce that was leftover from our Great Harvest party. It came from EarthFare!
On the side we sauteed some collard greens in garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and finished with a dash of maple syrup.
When I saw the size of my portion that Matt piled on I thought there was no way I’d eat it all, but sure enough, it was delicious and was the perfect portion.
After dinner I took a bite out of this Scharffen Berger block of extra dark chocolate. SO GOOD. And we watched The Office!
I think I’m going to save Gossip Girl for the AM since I’m tired and have a few things left to do tonight. It will get me out of bed quickly tomorrow!!
Nite!
{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }
Good job on your exam!
Awesome job on the test!
Pumpkin beer AND apple cinnamon BBQ sauce? What a lucky girl!
Congrats on the 97! Woo hoo!
Mmmm…pumpkin beer sounds delish! I love pumpkin anything during the fall!
I think the fact that all things pumpkin flavored come out in the fall has more than a little something to do with the fact that fall is my favorite season!
Great Job on the Metabolism Test! Dinner looks great!
I have to say, It’s been a long time since I had a pumpkin ale…never really acquired a taste for it. I’m more of a Blue Moon kind of girl! Maybe I should give it another try since fall is here
Wow, thats great that the year old beer didnt taste old. I never realy know how long beer will last. I tried pumpkin ale for the first time last week, so yummy and autumny!
Good to know about the beer! I have had some in my fridge for almost a year that I’ve been debating throwing out…
I am going to have to try some pumpkin beer this fall!! Congrats on the awesome test grade!!
“tasted like a compost pile…” haha that makes me not wanna try those!
Awesome job on the exam! You’re a study machine
I’m so glad I”m not the only one who has old beer in her fridge! We’ve got Coronas in there that have STILL been celebrating my 26th birthday….since February…
Congrats on the grade! you clearly knew your stuff
I am going out of town this weekend and hoping to leave some grocery shopping duties to the man…. any tips? This will be the first time I try this (even if I do :/) and thinking he will need a list or else we will be eating cheetos + reese’s pb cups all week haha
That apple cinnamon BBQ sauce looks delish!
The best combo of flavors, I think! Yum
Congrats on the test! It always feels good to start the semester off right with a great grade.
Haha, you crack me up with that ale! Glad you had enjoyed your afternoon/evening with Matt.
the amazing grass bars aren’t the greatest, but they do a good job of tiding me over and making me feel lovely!
I just needed to point out how GREAT this line was:
“I think I have finally acquired the taste for grass.”
That’s all =]
See we told you you’d rock that test with all the prep you did.
I love the on the fly stir fry idea. I like to do that with random veggies before they go bad. It always is a great way to use them up and mix flavors
congrats on such good results on your exam!
I’m loving all the new styles of pics! I can tell you’re enjoying your new camera! I especially enjoy the different sizes of pictures embedded in the post. Keep it up!
It’s when I see people take one actual bite out of a bar of chocolate that I no longer understand the concept of moderation, heh. I can *just* about manage to stick to a few squares of dark chocolate if I break them off, stow the rest of the bar away, and slowly savour each piece. But if I just bit off one bite of a big bar like that, I think I’d be eating quite a few more bites! Your will power impresses me.
Congratulations on your exam score – what better way to celebrate then a beer tasting. I can’t believe you still have a bottle from last year – Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale is my friend Mallory’s favorite beer!
That pumpkin beer looks fantastic, Halloween is coming and I couldn’t be more excited
Fun tasting! I am so excited for pumpkin beer! I refuse to eat themed things “out of season,” so I’m making myself wait until October to buy some
I want to eat that chocolate right off the screen! Love dark dark chocolate. And I wanna grab that beer out of there too.
“I think I have finally acquired the taste for grass.” Haha–did you think you’d hear yourself say that five years ago?
I would totally jump out of bed if I knew that I had an episode of Gossip Girl waiting for me!
hehe Matt used one of his “tactics” to get into the post!
Sausage and peppers are always a winning combo!
Jenn
You TWO-FISTED Drinker!!
I love love love flavored beer and pumpkin is a fave.
I fished out the manual for the camera and now I have the daunting task of reading it…GAH!!
I just discovered this blog and I LOOOOOOVE it. Kath, you are so inspirational and I just adore reading all about your foodie shenanigans
That pumpkin beer sounds delish. Cheers!
Great job on the exam!
Way to go on your test! Geez woman! What can’t you do?
Great beer picture of you btw.
love love eggplants! Stir-fry looks good!
have a great day back to class!
I wish I could find some pumpkin ale around here. I bet its yyummy. I did see some honey ale the other day that I was going to try but then changed my mind. Maybe I’ll pick up some this weekend.
Wooohooo! Good job on your exam, that rocks!
Awesome pictures of the beer!
Wow that apple cinnamon bbq sauce sounds tasty!
Ohhhh I LOVE pumpkin beer!!! I’m so excited for the Fall. Thanks for the beer reviews!
Your din looks fabulous. Gossip Girl is also my new guilty pleasure.. Im finding its a tad more cheesy this yr than last season BUT it’s not stopping me from tuning in! lol
“Operation Bar Stash Reduction”….my BF keeps asking me WHY I have so many protein bars, so I think I need to start doing the same thing!
I definitely have to find some pumpkin beer to try this fall/winter!
PS I have GG on my DVR too!
Kath!
I don’t comment nearly enough but I truly love your blog! I have a question, though. I see that you work out a lot and don’t take many rest days. Is there anything you do to stay injury free?! I always take at least one rest day a week because I herd that is good for injury prevention? Is that not true?
Congrats on the great score on your test!
love your beer tasting comparison! even your meals on the fly look gourmet, healthy and delicious!
Congrats on doing so well on the test!
Congradulations on your test! What a great fall dinner complete pumpkin beer. We just made some from the pumpkins in our garden(bottles and keg. It should be ready mid Oct. Until then i have to settle with Dogfishhead and Bufflo Bills
Nice job on the test! I’m so excited for pumpkin beer. But we have a rule in our house – no pumpkin stuff in the house until OCt. 1st. Otherwise, we just get sick of it after a couple months!
I would have piled on some more of those greens!
I just won some amazing grass bars, and can’t wait to try them!
I love dinners like that – so good, quick, and easy.
I have to say that’s a fun way to kick off the week, every Monday evening should start with a beer tasting!
Dinners thrown together like that are some of my favorites!
I’m not a huge beer fan but for some reason pumpkin beer is kind of good to me! Lucky you getting a fun tasting to start the week :O)
You are seriously the best student ever!
Ah, Gossip Girl. Such a great show. I didn’t get to watch it last night because studying for art history was a priority unfortunately!
I love it… Operation Bar Stash Reduction.
I see Matt was successful in Operation Get On the Blog Again.
Allison + Seth
LOL – I didn’t even think of that!
Rachael,
Welcome!
Kristine,
I usually have one rest day or a very light/yoga/walking/mow the grass kind of day a week. I took of this past Saturday completely! But check my FAQ page for a longer response.
Kath
“was leaping with excitement ” – noone said he had to be subtle. LOL.
Tell Matt that now he has succeeded in that mission, he is falling behind on Operation Get On His Own Blog. I am looking forward to the next bread instructional… those are great! Potato rolls maybe?
great looking pics! matt made a nice din!
jenna
love the pumpkin comparison — there are so many pumpkin ales out this year that josh and i are considering having a pumpkin beer tasting party!
Kath!! where do you find such an amazing selection of Pumpkin Beer?! I can only find Dogfish!! WHich is verryyy good but how can I know if I have no comparisons?!
ps: what is your fav pumpkin beer?
Thanks love!
have a lovely day:)
Dara,
Cottonwood is a local beer to Charlotte and it’s by far my favorite. Otherwise I haven’t tried that many others!
K