… but only when it’s the most efficient way to get there!
Sunday morning, I took a little study break (that ended up taking way longer than expected) for a free sample of Ben & Jerry’s new “flipped out” ice cream cup!
The ice cream giveaway was on the complete opposite side of the park from where I live (about two miles away), so the most efficient way to get there was literally to jog. The B&J truck was supposed to be there from 11-1, so Gina and I planned to meet there at 10:45 in case of a crowd. I arrived right on time and joined Gina on a bench while setup took place.
And took place.
And took place.
Meanwhile, tortured thoughts of my unwritten paper were running through my head.
Gina and I got restless and posed in front of the “flipped” Brooklyn Bridge.
Finally, at 11:45, the samples were ready! We collected our ice creams, bowls, spoons, and coupons …
… and headed to one of the little tables B&J had set up specifically for the event.
Gina gave a demonstration of proper “flipping” procedure:
Mmmmmmm, gooey chocolate.
It was yummy (and yay for free!), but the brownie pieces did taste a little off. They probably would have been much better if I had let the ice cream thaw a little before eating it, but I was too impatient. I had really been wanting to try the peanut butter flavor, but chocolate brownie was all they had. It was free and allowed me to get a mini-workout in, though, so I won’t complain!
Gina and I walked back through the park toward my neighborhood (everyone was out picnicking!) while we ate our ice cream.
I left Gina at the subway station and came back home to work on the paper. My planned one hour ice cream adventure took two, but I won’t complain about that, either!
Thanks to Julie, my former classmate-turned-reader (Hi Julie!), for tipping me off about the event. It was a perfect excursion to break up the paper-writing monotony.
Of course, ice cream always needs to go along with cake. Even if ice cream and cake can’t be eaten at the same time, they should at least be eaten within 24 hours of each other. I took care of that requirement on Saturday afternoon with this slice of heaven:
If you’ve been following along with Olivia as you should be, you’ll know that she held a John and Kate divorce viewing party last week and made a special John and Kate Plus Cake to celebrate. I wasn’t at the party, but Olivia (incredible hostess that she is), thought to save me a slice without me even requesting it first! The cake made its way to me via Kate’s freezer after our CSA pickup on Saturday. The cake was of stroke-inducing deliciousness caliber. How could it not be? Moist dark chocolate cake base:
Peanut butter-mascarpone icing:
And peanut m&ms:
Does it get better?? Probably not. Mmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmm. Thanks Olivia!
And because I’m all about balance, I might as well throw some green in here for you, too.
Saturday’s CSA loot included mesclun, spinach, baby bok choy, kale, 1 baby zucchini, eggs, garlic scapes, snap peas, strawberries.
I love the baby bok choy flowers, so pretty!
Plus, my arugula garden on the balcony is coming along nicely:
As is the garden of some people who like to rub in how they can afford access to actual naturally-occurring dirt in NYC whose backyard faces my balcony:
Yay for health 😀
How have you created balance lately? And what makes you run?
Tales of Expansion: Baby Butternut Edition 
I think I would run/swim to New york for some of that cake right now 😀 Looks amazing- as does the Ben and Jerry’s! I am going to look out for that here (though our flavours are pretty limited in the UK). Chubby Hubby will always be my top flavour though!
Balance…hmm…every day is about trying to keep some balance for me right now between being productive/work/study and relaxation. It’s hard to keep things in check with deadlines and commitments (sleep? what’s that again?!)
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Will run for ice cream. I love it!
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Wow. That’s cool looking ice cream. I might run for ice cream. Seems pretty reasonable.
I like your little city garden.
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That ice cream looks so tasty and perfect for this warm weather!! I love your little arugula plants 🙂
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Oooh that ice cream looks so yummy! The flipping thing looks so cool. And that cake looks so decadent and delicious, too! I love the icing. I’d run for that ice cream, too! Well, I’ll run just to run, but ice cream is always a good bonus 😀
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i’ve been seeing that flipped out in the stores but haven’t tried it yet.
i love that you find all this free stuff.
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I didn’t realize the flipped out ice cream is supposed to be flipped. So cool! Nothing is better than free ice cream… I’d run there too!
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UM – wow! I love that whole Flipped concept – that looks so damn delicious!
Can I just come live with you? 😛
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That ice cream sure does look good! Actually, it reminded me of a piece of cake! Speaking of cake….you are one lucky duck to have snagged a piece of Olivis’s heaven. Mmmm. All your CSA pick ups have looked really good so far.
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Yum!
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mmm sounds like another great Ben and Jerry’s flavor, I’d love to try the peanut butter one. I’ve always been a fan of the classic Chunky Monkey.
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Yeah, I’d probably run for free ice cream as well. And that says a lot. However, I had my doubts when I saw the ad for that new B&J product. Sounds like not so much worth it? I think I’d rather have separate brownies and ice cream, preferably a warm brownie with ice cream on top, that is. At least you had a good excuse to take a break from paper-writing!
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i have not seen that flavor of ice cream yet- but god only knows, that would kill the tum-tum.. i will be watching from afar.. looks so yummy!!
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yum, those flipped out cups look so good. i saw them at the store but when i read that they pack over 300 calories per cup i just couldnt bring myself to buying them. although if i got one for free that may be a different story…
i have created kind of an imbalance lately with my exercising and fun schedule.. as in all fun and no exercise. but that is temporary. i run a 10k on saturday, so that is what has made me run lately!
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Oh jikes! The cake did not fare the journey well. Anyway, I’m soo glad you liked it its better to taste good and look bad than vice versa!
You ran for ice cream . . . this is why we are friends.
xo
http://ohlivin.wordpress.com
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I’d definitely run for ice cream. Your post reminded me of the ice cream truck. I used to get so excited for it. I havent’ seen one in a long time.
That B&J’s product sounds really interesting. I hope it’s distributed nationwide soon.
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Helllooo food porn!!! The peanut butter flavor would have been divine, but the brownie one looks just as great! Sorry it was still a little frozen, but all those action shots are making me work up a serioussss craving!
And the blogger dinner looked like so much fun Sarah!! I just felt like I knew everyone in the pictures, but really….I do not! Apparently, Boston/NY is the PLACE for food blogettes! 😉
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Hahaha I LOVE that you ran 2 miles across a park to get ice cream. That is totally something I would too. And it works out great because you had already burned the calories by the time you actually ate the ice cream! I haven’t seen that flavor yet but it looks yummy, and anything free is delicious. That cake looks great too. Have a great day! 🙂
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I’d totally run for that ice cream 🙂
I’m glad you took a break from your studying, ice cream’s the way to go with that!
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I didn’t run for ice cream…oops! The brownie was a bit odd tasting and I love brownies. I’d try the peanut butter one, but probably wouldn’t buy it!
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You keep attending these fabulous freebies, I need to hire you as my free event consultant!
http://eatventures.wordpress.com
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That ice cream looks delicious!!!
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