What I Ate Wednesday #21 – The Last Anniversary

*Have you entered my Tropical Traditions coconut oil giveaway yet? It ends tomorrow and a winner is announced on Friday!*

Well, it’s not really the last anniversary, but last Thursday was our last dating anniversary until we get married! We celebrated 9 long wonderful years of dating, and while people really don’t celebrate their dating anniversary after they get married, I think we’re going to have to do something for the big 1-0!

I had some fun with my food so I couldn’t wait to share it with you today! Happy WIAW!
Spooky Snacks and Healthy Halloween Treats

Barr & Table WIAW Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Pancake Waterfront Kitchen Baltimore Maryland MD Unibroue Brussel Sprouts Bacon Pork Ribeye Monkfish Osso Bucco Pumpkin Cake Taharka Bros Butter Pecan Ice Cream

[Breakfast]
In the midst of my dark chocolate cherry protein pancake obsession, but to make it anniversary special, the future hubs and I made sure to cheers each other over a mimosa.

[Snack]
Blueberry greek yogurt. Yet another obsession of mine that I just can’t shake. It’s the perfect bit of sweetness and protein to get me through the morning.

[Lunch]
Salad with roasted pork tenderloin, tons of veggies, roasted red pepper sauce, and a little feta. Hey, I had to get a little fancy..

[Snack]
I’d been jonesing for a banana but seeing as how I was at work, the best I could do was a banana SOYJOY. I popped that baby in the microwave for 10 seconds and was in heaven! To my surprise, it really did satisfy my banana craving!

[Dinner]
A night out at Waterfront Kitchen was in order. We’d never been there but had heard so many good things about this new-ish farm-to-table restaurant in our hood. First question: wine or beer? We opted for beer and went straight to Unibroue! La Fin du Monde is one of our all time faves.

Looking at the menu, we immediately noticed that the dishes were not very complex. We’ve been to restaurants 100 times that have wowed us in their menu descriptions, so the simple preparation of these dishes was a nice change of pace.

As a light appetizer, we shared a warm brussel sprout salad with bacon, onion, and microgreens. It was so tasty and rich! I’m glad we split it.. I don’t know if I could have finished it on my own! What we could finish, however, was our first beer. Onto another Unibroue; next we tried Don de Dieu. This was a new one for us and we loved it, but not as much as La Fin Du Monde.

Nathan order the pork ribeye with wild mushrooms, heirloom peppers, farm fresh kale, and blackberry demi glace. I opted for the monkfish “osso bucco” with stewed cherry tomatoes, onion, sweet potato, and wilted Swiss chard. As I mentioned, the dishes seemed to have a simpler preparation which left it to execution. Spot. On. The dishes were flavorful and perfectly cooked. We couldn’t have asked for more enjoyable bites!

We finished our dinner with some coffee and the dessert special of the night: pumpkin cake with local butter pecan ice cream. Not too heavy and not too sweet; the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. (And a delicious halloween treat!)

Do you see Nathan ready to dive into dessert? šŸ˜‰ Seems to always happen with dessert!

Pumpkin Cake Taharka Bros Butter Pecan Ice Cream Waterfront Kitchen Baltimore Maryland MD

Food for Thought

Do you prefer to go out to dinner for special occasions or have a romantic meal at home?

We always go out for our anniversary but stay in for Valentine’s Day so we don’t have to deal with all of the craziness!

Foodie Friday: Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Pancake

I’d like to introduce you to my new love.

I’m not sure what came over me, but one night as I was thinking about what to make for breakfast the next morning (what, don’t you think about your breakfast immediately after finishing dinner?) and it hit me; dark chocolate and cherries. Duh! Why hadn’t I done this before?!

I took a mental inventory of my pantry and the next morning, I made my dream a reality. And it’s so very dreamy.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Pancake

Serves 1

Barr & Table Foodie Friday Hersheys Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Pancake

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Hot Cereal [you can sub ground flax]
2 tbsp chocolate protein powder [I used PlantFusion]
2 packets stevia
1 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder [I used Hershey’s]
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp dried cherries [you can sub other dried fruits like raisins, goji berries, cranberries, etc]
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Optional Toppings
Banana slices
Peanut fluff [2 tbsp peanut flour, 1 packet stevia, & water to reach desired consistency]
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Sliced almonds
Dark chocolate chips
Dried fruit

Many of these ingredients can be found on iHerb.com. Use code ZAF482 to receive $5 off of your first order.

Directions
Heat a small 8″ pan over medium-low heat. Mix all of your ingredients together and grease your pan. Pour your batter in and let cook about 5-6 minutes on the first side, or until it is sturdy enough to flip. After flipping, finish cooking about 2 minutes on the other side.

Nutritional Stats
Per serving without toppings

245 CaloriesĀ  /Ā  5g FatĀ  /Ā  29g CarbsĀ  /Ā  7g FiberĀ  /Ā  11g SugarĀ  /Ā  26g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite protein pancake you’ve ever made? Do you go towards a sweeter preparation or a simple, plain pancake?