Noodle Mania

Hey everyone! I hope your week is off to a good start! Mine is starting wonderfully after an amazing weekend with that special guy of mine. 😀

He is so thoughtful, when I got to his place last week he surprised me with a delicious home cooked meal.

Roasted veggies, spinach, beans, nuts, and tempeh. It was so delicious. He’s a keeper! 😀

This weekend was a very relaxed one that centered around food and fitness. We worked out together and then we ate some incredible food. It’s a good cycle. 😀 One restaurant we were really excited to try was the new Aardvark Cafe in State College. We’ve heard so many raves about the place we were excited to check it out!

The place was hard to find because the Cafe is still in a local OIPs pizza building. The owner is currently managing them both out of the same building and while practical I don’t think it’s the best decision. Look how amazing that food is! I got the lentil veggie wrap with homemade hummus and a side of veggies and it was so good. Food this good needs a restaurant of its own. I hope as they grow and expand their business that they can eventually create an eating space just for Aardvark Cafe. As much as I love pizza I don’t really think the two have the same atmosphere vibes.

Josh got the BBQ homemade veggie burger with fresh potato chips. I loved everything on this plate.

Later in the afternoon Josh got a text from some friends in his program that were meeting up at Cafe 210 asking if we would like to join them. I have been to Cafe 210 just once before but I absolutely love it. It is definitely a Penn State staple. The weather was so nice we decided to get a table and sit outside. I loved the atmosphere.

I finally tried one of their signature long island iced teas. Last time I was there there was a crazy special on margaritas so I ended up going with those but this past weekend I had to order the drink Cafe 210 is known for. I had the bartender surprise me with the flavor and she ended up picking peach. It was so delicious!

Josh and I got hungry as the night went on so we ended up splitting a plate of cheese fries. You make look at this picture and see tons of fat and a waste of food but I see heaven. These were worth every single bite.

Cafe 210 also had the best coverband ever. They rocked the house. I really want to see them perform again! They sang everything from Adele to Grease’s Summer Lovin.

This weekend we also ate somewhere we have wanted to try for a long time. For the past few months Josh and I have walked by a building being remodeled with the name Noodles & Company on the side. Josh and I are huge noodle fans so we were so excited to get to check it out. This weekend was their opening weekend so we made sure to try it out for dinner. There were SO many choices from all over the world. I loved how nearly all of them were vegetarian. When ordering you first pick a noodle dish size and flavor (they list all the calories which was really appreciated) and then you can add any protein to it you want. They have a tofu option but with how flavorful and filling the dishes are I don’t think I need one. For an extra dollar you can add a soup or salad to your meal which we did every time. If you don’t splurge on a drink from the cool soda machine (it’s an electronic one that lets you mix and match a bajillion flavors) you wind up with a full meal for $5.50. If you get a drink or add a protein to your food it’s like $7. Josh and I were not only blown away by the taste but by the price as well. Hey, we’re both in college, it’s an important consideration! ;p We were so impressed with dinner our first night that we decided to go back again for lunch the next day. Eventually we’ll make it to trying sandwiches and salads but for now we’re having fun working our way through the noodle options. I took pictures of all of our pasta meals so you could see the deliciousness.

All the veggies are fresh. It was so awesome seeing them run to a big glass refrigerator stocked to the top with whole ingredients to make someone’s meal.

If you want an ingredient you don’t see included listed on a dish you can ask to have it included. I wanted to try doing that but I was so happy with each dish’s offerings each time I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to add.

I think my favorite thing about these dishes is the incredible sauces they are covered in. It enhances every ingredient and is just so good.

I love that they have noodle dishes from all around the world! They have a pad thai one I really want to try!

We paired our pasta with tomato bisque soup every time because it was so hearty and tasty. I love tomato soups that are thick and creamy and this one definitely fit the bill. It was nice that they listed the calories because I knew that even though it tasted like it was super indulgent, it really wasn’t!

After dinner Josh and I drove to the mall to treat ourselves to something I have been craving for a VERY long time. I grew up visiting Hershey, PA and eating Hersheys chocolate, but I never really gave much time to Hersheys Ice cream. I assumed they were owned by the same company and available everywhere but was surprised when Josh told me it’s a different company, and that his family craves it and looks for it all over Connecticut. Months ago when we were at the mall he ordered a Cappuccino Crunch from the chocolate store that carries Hershey’s Ice Cream and got so excited saying it was his favorite. I was curious and took a taste, not expecting much since coffee ice cream isn’t one of my go-to flavors. I was blown away, it was by far one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had. It is coffee ice cream with toffee bits and fudge pieces. Unfortunately they ran out of the ice cream very quickly and alternate it with other flavors. After weeks of stopping by on my way to Josh’s to see if they had gotten more in yet (it’s that good) they finally asked if they could take my name and number and add me to the list of people waiting for it. Yep, there’s a list. And this weekend Josh and I got a call that it was finally in.

The best bowl of ice cream ever! It was just as good as I remembered, and even better after the months and months of waiting!

I hope something you’ve been craving comes your way soon!

Question of the Day: Where were you when you found out about 9/11 11 years ago? I was ten years old and in my fifth grade class when my teacher said something big was happening after we returned from lunch. She was told not to turn on the TV because it would scare us but that this was a life changing moment and she wanted us to remember so she did anyway. Before the whole cafeteria had been buzzing that something was going on, kids were getting texts from their parents and were being pulled out of class. Stroudsburg is only an hour and a half from NYC so a lot of families live in PA but commute to NYC every day. As crazy as experiencing it was, I don’t think I really got what was happening. If I experienced something like that now my feelings would be so complex. But remembering how I felt when I was ten, I was sad for all the families who lost loved ones and the people who died but I wasn’t scared or worried. I felt safe. The bad stuff happened on the TV, not in my neighborhood. It didn’t personally alter my life in any way and looking back now I’m very shocked by that. It was just a very childish way of thinking I guess.