Shopping and Eating fun + Yoplait Giveaway

Oh my goodness, today has been such a busy day. I am exhausted.

Last night I did end up eating a snack before bed.

I managed to stay up pretty late (for me) goofing off on my computer without getting anything productive done. Oops.

B and I were up by 7:30 this morning. I wanted to have plenty of time to get ready before meeting up with Jennifer at 9 AM, and we decided to take Pipe for a quick walk since the weather was so nice. She was so excited.

Then I made my breakfast, which involved something new. Thanks to Yoplait and MyBlogSpark I got to try Yoplait’s new Greek yogurt!

They also sent over this schnazzy gift pack!

I tried the Honey Vanilla flavor.

After giving the yogurt a try plain, I added 1/2 nectarine and some Nature’s Path Hemp Plus granola.

I really liked it. It did not have as much tang as the other Greek yogurts that I have tried, but it has all of the thick, creaminess. Plus, at my local store, the price is a good $.70 cheaper per container.

Earlier this week I made plans with Jennifer to do some shopping. We made stops at EarthFare (I had a coupon for free organic potatoes), Crate & Barrel (I got some cute stuff I will show off later), and Costco with a few other stops in between.

We decided to do lunch at Big Daddy’s Burger Bar.

I got a black bean burger topped with pimento cheese, jalapeno slices, red onion, tomato, and lettuce. I also had some chili on the side to spoon on.

Amazing.

This black bean burger was so good. I did not miss the meat at all…at least on the bites with no chili. Although when I told the family about this burger no one but my Mom thought the pimento cheese sounded good. It was, trust me.

The fries were disappointing though. I only ate a few with the leftover chili. I am not sure why they made it into the Starch Madness competition for the Charlotte Observer.

Jen had the Frenchy, which was a turkey burger with bacon and brie.

I can’t wait to go back!

Even though lunch was substantial I was in the mood for cake. Since we were already in South Charlotte I wanted to take Jen to the bakery where I got my wedding cake, Edible Art.

We got double stack of almond pound cake with buttercream icing to share.

There was so much that we only ate about 1/4 of it. I will be nibbling on this for the next couple of days! Delicious as always.

I dropped Jen off at her car, which also happened to be at my house, and I checked on B. He was thoroughly entertained by basketball so I went out to do more shopping.

Why can’t I find anything I like? Or anything I like that is a price I am willing to pay? Isn’t $20 for a pair of workout shorts just too much? I think so.

I did find these stools that I love at Pier 1, but at $50 bucks each I wasn’t willing to buy them without talking to B. I am probably going to shop around and see if I can find them anywhere else for less.

The weather also got a little nuts and I was able to get a shot of the sky. It would be gorgeous in one place and gross and rainy right down the block.

While I was out I made at Trader Joe’s to pick up some wine that Kelsey recommended. I was disappointed to find out that they are out of the Vin-Koru and it was a 1 time sale and now they are out. I did get the red she recommended and am looking forward to trying it out.

After a few hours at home it was time for dinner and I was really excited! B and I had plans to check out Amelie’s French Bakery in NoDa.

Amelie’s has a great, quirky atmosphere. They were also really popular. There was a steady flow of traffic the entire time we were there. I was lucky to get a moment to snap this picture without anyone in front of the counter.

We ordered three dishes to split.

Spinach and asiago tartine, which was really good.

Croque Monsieur , which was slices of brioche dipped in egg with ham and gruyere. It was okay. I wish we had ordered the seeded roast beef sandwich instead.

And some spicy tahini and chickpea soup with a piece of bagette.

The bagette was so good that we went back for a 1/2 bagette to keep eating with our soup.

All-in-all this was a spectacular meal and for under $25! I can’t wait to go back here either. I think we may take B’s sister Leslie when she come in town next month.

Before we left we also order some sweets to bring home.

B ordered the napoleon, which tasted like a cream and waffle cone sandwich. Very good.

And I ordered a salted caramel brownie and a coconut macaroon which I have not tried yet. I have just been too stuffed! I will report back later.

All of this shopping and eating has really worn me out! I am ready to hit the sack so I can be nice and rested for whatever is in store for tomorrow.

One last thing!!!!

I am finally doing my first giveaway! Thanks to Yoplait and MyBlogSpark you have an opportunity to sample the new Yoplait Greek yogurt! I liked it, and now you can give it a try for yourself.

Just check out Yoplait website and leave a comment on the flavor that you would most like to try!

I will randomly pick a winner Monday night.