meeting the fitness room

We have a small but decent fitness room here at the apartment building - will hopefully keep me from having to pay for a gym membership. There are only two treadmills and two ellipticals though, which could pose a problem during peak hours. Fortunately, the machines are equipped with cable TVs. It's nice to get an hour in on the elliptical while catching up on my reality TV.

paleo dinner 2

So I prepared another Paleo dinner tonight. The picture did not turn out too well (I should have checked it before I ate the food haha). Even though it doesn't look great let me assure you it was delicious!

Braised eye of round steak with basil infused goat cheese on top, squash sauteed with spring onions and cayenne pepper, and baby spinach with mushrooms, bacon, and garlic.

coffee for all...

I knew that moving to the Pacific Northwest would have its advantages...

That, my friends, is a Starbucks coffee machine in my office which grinds the beans for you fresh for every cup of coffee. Although our Admin Asst. in Atlanta ordered us great coffee from some vendor in Hawaii, I have to say access to fresh ground at any time of day is better. I feel sorry for the people in ATL paying 50 cents for Keurig Cup Coffee - The PDX office has its priorities in order for sure!

first dinner...

I cooked my first dinner in the apartment tonight (that didn't involve bread and cold cuts). Garlic pan roasted chicken breast paired with sauteed fennel, spring onion, and tomato with a touch of basil and honey. It was delicious (and paleo)!

And yes - I am still eating off of paper plates. Dishes TBD.

farmers market saturday morning...

Today's haul from the farmer's market: Fennel, Spring Onions, Basil, Zucchini, Squash, Raspberries, Cherries, Mt Hood Blackberry Raw Honey, Basil Infused Chevre, and a Strawberry Rhubarb Empanada.

city tour and mac 'n cheese

A lovely new friend, Jonathan, offered to take me on a car tour to highlight some of the parts of Portland I've yet to lay eyes on. We drove through the Nob Hill/Alphabet District and then made our way up to the Pittock Mansion grounds which afford spectacular views of Downtown Portland. I snapped this photo, but it doesn't really do the views justice:

After our stop at the Pittock Mansion, we drove through North Portland, Alberta, and Hawthorne districts. We also took a brief trip over the Columbia River and drove through downtown Vancouver, WA. By this time we were hungry, so we had dinner at Montage (http://www.montageportland.com/), a Southern/Cajun fusion place. This place has like 8 different types of Macaroni and Cheese. It was delicious. A unique touch they do on the traditional doggie bag are aluminum foil animal sculptures. On this night, I was the recipient of an aluminum foil rhinoceros. I felt really guilty tearing into him the next day for lunch!

life trickles in...

Slowly my boxes I shipped last week are arriving. These contained some clothes and books.. but none of the clothes I was really looking forward to. I suppose those will arrive this Friday. Until then - limited wardrobe.