Rise and shine friends! OK my early morning perkiness today is totally an act. I am extremely tired and had major trouble getting out of bed today which is so not like me.
Thank goodness for coffee.
Speaking of coffee, has anyone ordered from the Starbucks secret menu yet?
I haven’t, but I did order lunch from Panera’s secret menu a few days ago.
I wish the receipt said something cool like, “SECRET MENU ORDER” “HIDDEN MENU ITEM” “SHE EXCHANGED AN EGG FOR LUNCH” or even better, the receipt should print out in another color and a bell should ring.
The receipt looks like any old receipt and nothing special happens except for the cashier looking at you funny when you tell her you want to exchange an egg.
I have a feeling this girl didn’t see that episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Boy is she missing out.
In any event, I went with the chicken hummus bowl, minus the chicken. It is a spinach based salad with everything from the mediterranean veggie sandwich (cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted peppers, onions) topped with hummus.
Since I leave off the chicken, I always make sure to tell the cashier to have them add extra of everything else.
I mean, I am still paying the same price as if the chicken was included so shouldn’t I get something in its place? Exactly.
While the salad was good taste-wise, my problem with Panera is that sometimes their salads are just not big enough for me.
Yes, I absolutely suffer from portion distortion, especially since my favorite restaurant for a salad is The Cheesecake Factory.
Although lately I refer to it as Chocolatecake Factory since I always order the chocolate cake. I don’t know why it never occurred to me sooner to change the name from cheesecake to chocolatecake.
Anyway, I may be small but I like to eat. And if I am going to eat, I want my meal to be filling.
I gave another restaurant a chance on satisfying my appetite. I had lunch yesterday at Cirella’s, which is the restaurant located inside Saks Fifth Avenue.
I love a good department store cafe. Nordstrom was always my favorite but I think after yesterday’s salad, Cirella’s at Saks may have just taken over the top spot on my list.
The menu is really cute and very large. With so many things to choose from, somehow I still went with creating my own salad.
I picked all kinds of ingredients (chick peas, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, string beans, beets) plus grilled vegetables on top.
Big and beautiful, right?
Certainly hit the spot.
Did anyone notice I have yet to mention Spin Tuesday?
Well, that is because I won’t be making it to class today. But I am not disappointed.
Even though I thrive on routine, I have no problem missing scheduled workouts so long as I still make the time to squeeze in some form of exercise in its place.
Since I can’t get to Lifetime, I think I will head out for my run shortly before beginning my day.
I am always happy to run. In fact, I didn’t plan on running yesterday but ended up doing 4.50 miles.
Lately I am so lost in thought that those miles fly right by.
I love a good run where I do nothing but listen to my ipod, completely zone out and forget I am even running.
I do however hear the songs I am playing. I am so not a music person but I do enjoy a good mix while I am out there.
I realized I listen to an interesting selection of music while running which includes the top 40 fast songs combined with older songs that are sometimes much slower than one would expect to want to hear while running fast.
THREE SONGS CURRENTLY ON MY RUN PLAYLIST:
1. ALL NIGHT – TEAM PITBULL – This song always gets me going.
2. EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL – COLDPLAY – Always loved this song; it is fast yet slow yet fast.
3. ONE MOMENT IN TIME – WHITNEY HOUSTON
I never thought I would enjoy running to this song but trust me, it is a good one.
I think my pal, Psychic Anne, would appreciate this song.
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I NEED TO KNOW:
Have you ordered yet from a secret menu?
Do you like a big salad bowl too?
Do you eat at any of the department store cafes? If so, which one is your favorite?
What songs are currently on your playlist? Do you mix it up with fast and slow songs?
The Cookie ChRUNicles 
Yes, I do love a big ol’ salad. I know I could make them at home, but when you go out they just have so many more topping options. Good call on the avocado and asparagus 😉
That second salad picture looks awesome!! I am loving all of the toppings, especially avocado!
Yum!! That salad looks scrumptious. I will have to check out those songs. I am so not a music person either and always looking for new running songs. Thanks for the suggestion and keep adding to the list!
Fav dept store restaurant is 40 carrots in bloomies. I’m a bit obsessed. Actually going to Fred’s today ( in Barney’s ) – that one is pretty special. Delicious.
Love 40 carrots yogurt- we need to have lunch there when I come in to see you! I was at Barney’s the other day but didn’t eat there.
Meredith Sent from my iPhone
I didn’t know Panera had a secret menu, let alone hummus in the first place! I just ate there the other day and I didn’t see it! Maybe GA needs to get it together… Ha! 🙂
Great job on your run, and it’s okay if you miss cycle! 🙂 You’re still on top of it.
OMG Nordies cafe is the BEST when I worked there that was all I ate! And I got a discount – winning! 🙂 It’s so cute that Saks has one where you can get ALL that!!!
I always listen to Pandora when I run. I used to make play lists based on what I was into, but that adds up when you pay for your music like I do. So now, it’s Pandora (which I pay for $3.99/month, totally worth it to not hear those annoying ads) and just pick which genre I’m in the mood for. It’s either rap or indie dance music lately. 🙂
My issue lately with pandora is that it drains my pone battery. And I also noticed it doesn’t let me click the thumbs down as often lol