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Have You Ever Had to Wear a Head Sock?

Have you ever had to wear a head sock?  Have you ever even heard of a head sock?

Before yesterday, I would have felt pretty good about answering “No” to both of these questions.

However, when Kelli and I went to The Pit in Mooresville for some indoor go kart racing, we had to wear head socks underneath our helmets.  So, in case you are ever asked in a trivia contest what the heck is a head sock, here is a photograph to give you a visual representation:

 

 

Head Sock

Head Sock

August 31, 2008 Posted by Charlie Malouf | Adventure, Photo Caption, Weekend Activities | , , , , , | No Comments

Sunday Brunch at Nolen Kitchen

Today, Kelli and I had brunch with her mom and brother at Nolen Kitchen off of Selwyn Avenue (which I’ve never been to before even though its only about a mile away from our home - Google Map Link).  I was very pleasantly surprised by the food, the atmosphere and the prices (which I think were very reasonable).  

Kelli and her mom each had Eggs Benedict with home fries.  Her brother Dan had the reuben with Nolen fries. I ordered their Vanilla Bean French Toast that came with powered sugar, fresh strawberries and vanilla maple syrup.  I also ordered some scrambled eggs and their Nolen fries, which the server stated were the best in town because they cooked them with parsely, parmesan, salt & pepper all together.  Those fries were indeed delicious.  (Sidebar: I was just telling Kelli the other day after brunch at Eddie’s Place in Toringdon next to Earth Fare that more restaurants needed to flare up their fries with peppers, onions and the like.)  I like fries that have an interesting kick or twist to them to flavor them up.

They also served some mini vanilla scones right before the brunch was served, which were perfect portions and quite tasty.

Even the coffee was very good and tasted like fresh french press coffee.  Our server stated that they grind their coffee beans right before brewing each pot of coffee.

A new trend with a lot of local restaurants that Kelli and I have been frequenting lately (such as Carpe Diem in Elizabeth) is that they source their ingredients from fresh local farmers, and Nolen Kitchen is no different.  This definitely gives the food a fresh, organic and flavorful taste.

I wanted to document our wonderful brunch today at Nolen Kitchen with a few photos - Enjoy!  

Vanilla Bean French Toast & Reuben sandwich

Vanilla Bean French Toast & Reuben sandwich

Eggs Benedict w/ Home Fries & Pancakes w/ Berries

Eggs Benedict w/ Home Fries & Pancakes w/ Berries

Nolen's Parmesan Fries & Scrambled Eggs

Nolen

August 31, 2008 Posted by Charlie Malouf | Food, Weekend Activities | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments

Four Helpful Tips to Save Time & Money at Smoothie King

My last blog post was about my favorite smoothies at Smoothie King.  Now, I’d like to pass along four helpful tips that you may want to try next time you feel like getting your favorite smoothie.

  1. Call Ahead - You may not realize this, but you can actually call ahead when ordering a smoothie.  I have found this to be very effective when I am in a hurry, when I know exactly what I want and when I want to avoid waiting.  This is especially effective during high traffic times like around lunch.  This tip can save you 5-10 minutes on each smoothie visit.
  2. Split a Large - You can save a little bit of money by ordering a Large (40oz) and asking them to split it into two cups (preferably two smaller 20oz cups).  This is helpful when you are getting two of the same type of smoothies (such as Strawberry Yogurt D-Lite) for yourself and someone else or just two for yourself (one for later).
  3. Freeze & Save - Given that smoothies are made primarily with ice, they can be easily frozen and saved for future consumption.  Sometimes, I may purchase 4 smoothies at one time and throw three of them in the freezer when I get home.  This saves me several trips to Smoothie King over time.  Also, I can take one from the freezer with me to work and by lunch time its thawed out just enough to be ready to drink.  Then, I’ve saved myself a ton of time from having to make a trip.
  4. Punch Card for Frequent Buyers - You gotta use the Smoothie punch card.  Any time you go to Smoothie King, get a punch for your smoothie purchase(s).  Even if you forget your card, grab a new one and get it punched.  Later, you can merge your multiple punch cards to redeem a free smoothie.  With frequent purchases, you can get a free 20oz smoothie with every 9 smoothie purchases.  Something about getting that free one always makes it taste a little bit better knowing you earned it with your previous purchases.  I think Smoothie King may have been one of the first companies that popularized the frequent buyer punch card (i.e., buy x amount, get 1 free).

I hope that these tips are beneficial to those of you who may read them.

August 20, 2008 Posted by Charlie Malouf | Food | , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My Favorite Smoothies from Smoothie King

After speaking with friends Rob Kelly and John Palmer last night at Jason Bernd’s house, I got motivated to write this blog post on my favorite smoothies from Smoothie King.  See, I’ve been going to Smoothie King for years (I’d say at least 10 years and possibly 15 years) ever since they got them in my hometown of Jackson, Miss.  But a couple of years ago, I took a renewed interest in Smoothie King here in Charlotte to help me diet, lose weight and eat healthier.  In high school and college, I had smoothies after workouts and more as supplements for weight gain for an athlete trying to increase muscle mass.  Now, in my early 30s, I had to get smoothies as meal replacements.  To that end, I quickly discovered my favorites and have become a creature of habit where I generally have 4-5 smoothies per week from Smoothie King (as they have proliferated all over the city and even are in many airports).  

In my early 20s, my favorite was Power Punch Plus and I ordered it nearly exclusively.  I thought it was delicious.  But I rarely order the Power Punch Plus any more.

Now, my absolute favorite is the Yogurt D-Lite.  I typically get it with strawberries as my fruit. Oftentimes, I’ll get it with an extra fruit and select banana.  Strawberry banana Yogurt D-Lite is really tough to beat. I will almost always order it without turbinado and ask for Splenda instead (”make it a skinny”).  So, either Strawberry Yogurt D-Lite or Strawberry banana Yogurt D-Lite are my two favorite smoothies.  Occasionally, I will add Blueberries, but that (the topic of blueberries at Smoothie King) is another topic altogether that I will address in a future blog post here at iPosit.

If you want to lose weight, I think smoothies are an excellent way to replace a meal with a healthy alternative. But try to stick with the smaller 20 oz. smoothies and avoid the temptation to upsize to a 32 oz or a large 40 oz.

Two other types that I would like to mention are:

Blueberry Heaven - two years ago I frequently ordered this one and thought that it was pretty tasty.

Strawberry Hulk - ok, this is not the healthiest smoothie on the menu, but its so good.  Its like a treat in and of itself.  I think it has to do with its ingredients of Breyer’s Butter Pecan Ice Cream. I’m actually not sure if they still use Breyer’s brand ice cream for the Hulk, but they used to. This one will really fill you up and its higher in calories, but in moderation it makes for a nice treat every now and then.

Strawberry X-Treme - I honestly do not get this one often, but I think I had it in a DFW airport as a meal replacement a few months ago and thought it was pretty decent.  

I’m sure that there are many delicious smoothies.  Do you have a favorite?  If so, I’d love to hear what it is. I go with Yogurt D-Lite at least 88% of the time.  I feel that they’re too expensive to risk it on something that I’m not sure if I’ll like or not, and I know that I love my Strawberry Yogurt D-Lites.

August 17, 2008 Posted by Charlie Malouf | Food | , , , , | 2 Comments