Yesterday, I was a little more sensible about the timing of my breakfast and ate breakfast shortly after waking up. It was a lovely spring morning so I decided to make a bowl of pumpkin oats. I used oats, oat milk, water, salt, the ripest banana I have ever been brave enough to use, cinnamon, nutmeg, a dash of ginger and pumpkin, of course. I cooked it on the stove and once it was ready, I topped it with walnuts and granola. It was warm, filling and delicious.

After breakfast and some time in blogland, I did a 50 minute flow from my Power Yoga for Everybody dvd. It wasn’t my style at all, the name of the practice was invigorating so I was expecting something totally different. It was very slow and rather than flowing through the poses it was very slow. Some parts reminded me of a beginners hatha class and some of the poses were much more advanced like crane pose. All in all, it just didn’t seem to flow together and I ended up stopping it about 10 minutes before it was over. I was aggravated and just ready to stop. I have enjoyed a couple of the other practices on this dvd so all is not lost.

By the time I was showered and ready for our day, the dear husband was back from his long run. We headed out to lunch at Ukrop’s salad bar. I loaded my plate with lots of veggies, cheese, a little ham and the seafood salad that I love so much. On the side I had cottage cheese topped with glazed strawberries, a smidge of pasta salad and my beloved three bean salad. To round it out, I had half a pita. My eyes were bigger than my stomach as it is most of the time we eat there so I was only able to finish about 2/3 of it.

After lunch, we met up with our friends Sarah and Francis to go to a local craft fair. Once we walked around the craft fair we didn’t really know what we were doing but decided we would figure it out along the way. We got into their car and Sarah gave me a tiny bag of chocolate from bars she had tried. I tried the chocolate with bread and sea salt right away. It was interesting to say the least, I called it an upscale crunch bar because it had the same texture.

We made a quick stop at their house to drop off a car and then made our way to Starbucks. I got an americano with a sugar in the raw packet and extra room. Once made, I topped it with a combo of milk and half and half. This seems to be my drink of choice these days.

We ended up shopping for most of the afternoon and I got hungry for a snack late in the day. I had a smore’s Z bar which I enjoyed but I think the dear husband liked better.

Around 6 we made our way to Downtown Richmond to Panda Veg. It is an all vegan buffet that serves a combo of asian style dishes. The dear husband and I had never been but since Sarah and Francis are vegetarians we were surely game for a new eating adventure. On my first plate, I had a little hot and sour soup, double cooked “chicken”, “beef”and broccoli, salt and pepper potatoes and an egg roll. I had a bite of the soup only to realize that it was way too spicy for my taste. Then surprisingly, the “chicken” and “beef” were bland in comparison. I really loved the potatoes, though.

I tried a little of the dear husbands blanched bean curd and knew I had to go back for more. This time, I filled my plate with the blanched bean curd and the lo mein noodles. I really enjoyed the tofu and wish I knew how to make the sauce that it was prepared in!

Finally, we tried the warm donuts. O.M.G. were they ever good, I must admit for going back for a second one. I loved how they were not sweet except the outside sugar coating. The center was warm and fluffy, I think I could have packed away at least a dozen of those things.

Then, Sarah said that she couldn’t leave without having a mochi so we gave that a try too. And as good as I thought the donuts were, I thought this was exactly the opposite. I even spit my bite out, gross I know. Sarah dared me to post the picture that I took of the spit out wad of goo but I can’t bring myself to do it.

After dinner, we wanted to have some dessert and we ended up at the Positive Vibe Cafe. It is a local place that trains handicapped people how to work in the restaurant industry. We had never been there before but local with a cause is my kind of place! I ordered the brownie with vanilla ice cream and the dear husband ordered the Italian Wedding Cake. They were both delicious though the wedding cake was very rich.

We lingered around for a long time chatting it up and having a good time only to realize that it was getting really late. So we made our way back to their house to pick up my car and then headed home. Sarah gave me a lucky bamboo that I placed on my mantel. Thank You, Sarah!

QOTD: What is your favorite way to spend time with friends?