What I Ate Wednesday #99: Happy Food

Quick note to all nut butter addicts: there’s another recall due to the potential Salmonella contamination of the glass and plastic jars. Check out the list of all of the nut butters being recalled.

Good news! I woke up yesterday and my ankle was less swollen and felt pretty darn good! I even made it to the gym for a light workout before spending hours on my feet at work again. Which lead to Nathan’s reaction of “eeeeeshhh that does not look good” when he got home. [Mom, stop yelling at me.] So we’re back to raising and icing. BUT! I’m off of work on Thursday [because psh! Who wants to work on their birthday?!] so that’ll really give me some good rest time in.

In the meantime, my taste buds were pretty darn pleased yesterday. Even though I do have an oatmeal obsession. Though I guess that’s a pretty healthy obsession, yes? Good.

[Breakfast]

Toppings these days include: macadamia butter with cashews, coconut cashew peanut butter, and protein almond butter. Word to the wise: regular almond butter is better. Every time I try something new with a nut butter, I remember I’m really a purist and much prefer the roasted nut with a little salt. Maybe one day I’ll remember.

[Lunch]

I must really love Nathan to have given him the rest of the lettuce! I ended up having a lettuce-less salad with all of the rest of the veggies in the fridge and a smokey Peruvian chicken thigh. It was pretty awesome and, of course, the brussels were the star of the show.

[Afternoon Snack]

Yea.. recylced picture from yesterday’s post, but I was too excited to dig into my peanut butter mug cake to snap a picture. Whoops!

[Dinner]

Nathan’s been begging me to make my Vietnamese pork bowl again for a while. I did it a little differently this time though, by using a jarred char siu sauce to marinate the pork instead of the regular marinade. It was darn tasty but it was agreed that the regular marinade is the way to go. I also took some very serious advice from Laura and Lindsay on how to help my ankle get better and poured myself a glass of wine 😉

Evening Snack

Plums have been so crazy good lately. Actually, fruit in general has been pretty spectacular but we just picked up some awesome plums from the farmers market on Saturday and we’ve really been enjoying them!

Food for Thought

What’s the best meal/recipe you make?

Another Low-Key Weekend

With my crazy work schedule as of late and Nathan coming home from Vegas and promptly getting sick, a low-key weekend was just what we needed. Plus, in 2 weeks we’re heading back home for some more family time and a wedding that we’re both a part of so we need to save up all of our energy for that!

Friday night wine.

Saturday brunch. First time trying kippers!

Fabulous Saturday dinner – garlic herb roasted chicken, basil panko roasted cherry tomatoes, shaved parm, balsamic bbq, and red wine.

A new favorite healthy bites recipe – Coconut Vanilla Latte!

Nathan’s California burger tour continues to Habit Burger, voted the best fast food burger.

Habit Burger ranks #1 for me over In N Out or Five Guys. It helps that they actually have a few things on the menu for me to choose from!

Like I said, low-key but much-appreciated! Now we’re ready to take on this week’s craziness.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Leftovers
Monday – Quinoa Crusted Chicken Strips with BBQ Honey Mustard, roasted potato wedges, & garlic broccolini
Tuesday – Sloppy Joes with corn, avocado, and quinoa salad
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Kung pao chicken stir fry with green beans
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

Did you have any fun plans over the weekend?

Foodie Friday: Peanut Butter Cup PARTY Popcorn

Last night was the premiere of the Tone It Up girls’ new show on Bravo, Toned Up. Aside from creating a wonderful fitness and health plan [that really works!], these girls have also formed an incredible community around the world. In Baltimore, this community brought me together with a group of ladies who happened to make an appearance at my wedding 😉

Don’t mess!

Knowing what a strong community this is, I quickly took advantage when I came to California. I’ve been welcomed to the Bay Area group with open arms and when I was invited to a Toned Up premiere party, I jumped at the opportunity to get to know these girls too! Obviously I couldn’t show up empty-handed so I needed to figure out a figure-friendly snack to bring.. that I could make in the hotel room.

Peanut Butter Cup PARTY Popcorn

Serves 6

Ingredients
– 12 cups popped popcorn
– 1/3 cup sliced almonds; toasted
– 1/3 cup Trader Joe’s Roasted Coconut Chips [these are the best!]
– 2 oz dark chocolate squares
– 2 tbsp Dark Chocolate Dreams
– 4 tbsp Old Fashioned Smooth
– Pinch of salt

Directions
Lay popcorn, almonds, and coconut chips out in one flat layer on a couple trays. In one small bowl, add dark chocolate squares and Dark Chocolate Dreams. Microwave for 30 seconds, remove from microwave, and stir the mixture. If it’s not melted, microwave in additional 30 second intervals until fully melted. Using a spoon, drizzle over the popcorn mixture.

In another small bowl, add Old Fashioned Smooth and microwave about 15-20 seconds until melted. Using another spoon, drizzle the peanut butter over top of the popcorn mixture. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over all of the popcorn, almonds, and coconut. Place the trays in the freezer to setup.

MMM toasted almonds!

This recipe is what I call “dangerous.” It makes enough to serve about 6 people, but if you’re anything like me, by the time it makes it out, it might only serve 1 😉

And how could I show up without the proper accompaniment?

Red wine is better with chocolate than milk.

I’m not too picky when it comes to my wine, but this is one of our faves! Trader Joe’s is the best. How did I ever live without wine in grocery stores?!

I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to meet up with these girls for the premiere of the show and I hope to meet more of the Bay Area girls next time!

Food for Thought

Did you watch the Toned Up premiere?
What is your favorite drink with chocolate?

What I Ate Wednesday #65: California Budget Living

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a steady stream of pretty fabulous looking meals. And it’s true, we have found some really delicious food to try in all of our exploration.

What you don’t always see is my daily budget eats from the hotel. I mentioned before that the hotel includes breakfast everyday and dinner/drinks Monday-Thursday and we try to take advantage of that as much as we can. So in true WIAW fashion, let me show you how we do 😉

[Breakfast]

Oatmeal with banana, hard boiled egg whites, granola, & Tru-Nut

The hotel oatmeal isn’t the greatest, but I do love my morning oats! They have bananas here too so I mash up 1/2 banana and break up a couple egg whites to mix in. The granola is pretty tasty and I switch up my peanut butter options by the day. They have Skippy packets here which I use most of the time, but my treats are Tru-Nut, Justin’s packets, and now some PB & Co. too.. all winnings!

Morning Snack

One of my favorites!

Have you ever had this yogurt before? It’s so tasty and I love that the fig & date is separate from the yogurt so I can add as much or as little as I want.

Lunch

Salad bar greens, tomatoes, & carrots +
Whole Foods roasted veggies, chipotle seitan & avocado dressing

The salad bar is one of the best parts of the dinner buffet and I brought back some mixed greens, baby carrots, and tomatoes. When it was lunch time, I dressed it up with my goodies from Whole Foods and had a wonderful lunch!

Afternoon Snack

Microwave this baby for 10 seconds and you have yourself a tasty treat!

One of my new favorite kombuchas!

Call me crazy, but I packed up my stash of bars and brought them with me to the hotel. I always love having them on hand and usually have a few in my purse with me wherever I go. I’ve also been treating myself to a kombucha a little more often recently. Love trying all of the new-to-me brands and flavors!

Dinner

Huge salad plate from the salad bar, mixed veggies, & red wine

Teriyaki chicken & rice pilaf

We almost always take advantage of the salad bar and drinks [the red wine and IPA are darn tasty!] and sometimes they even have a decent veggie side too. I’m really not picky when it comes to the veggies, so the frozen mixed veggies are perfectly fine by me!

Monday night we had planned on having dinner at the hotel—teriyaki chicken and rice pilaf—but we had a change of plans. We did, however, make it back to the hotel before they stopped serving dinner so I ran downstairs and packed up a couple of plates for us for Tuesday night [no shame]. I ended up filling up on so much salad and veggies that I only had some of the chicken and left my rice for Nathan. I even got enough chicken for 3 meals 😉

Evening Snack

Fuji apples!

Fuji apples are my fave and they have them available at the hotel. It’s my perfect night time snack.. and one less thing to buy!

So at the end of the day, I’ve really only purchased some veggies and protein for lunch, a bar, and a kombucha. I’d say it’s not a bad way to get by for a month! [Especially with the free wine..]

Food for Thought

Would you take advantage of the freebies at the hotel?

We’re Road Trippers

As soon as we landed in California, we hit the ground running. We had a weekend to adjust to the 3 hour time change, Nathan started work that first Monday, and I started the apartment hunt. We really haven’t had time to slow down during the week [hello there, lack of blog posts..] and on the weekend we road trip! There’s so much here to explore and it’s our way of relaxing. Not to mention, it’s nice to get out of the hotel for the day.

Nathan had a big trip planned for us on Sunday and tasked me with picking up a few things from the store on Friday; we were picnicking on the beach! We drove south past San Francisco to Pacifica for our first stop where we went for a little hike by the water.

Such beautiful views!

It was so nice to be able to walk out by the water in December and not freeze! Definitely new for us 😉 There were a good amount of people there surfing, but it was certainly not a busy beach!

Looks like some of our honeymoon pics 😉

After Pacifica, we drove about 15 minutes further south to Gray Whale Cove Beach. It was just as beautiful there and even more secluded. There might have been about 10 people on the beach the entire time we were there. Perfect time to break out the wine!

Almost the only people there!

Short sleeves in December!

And then it was lunch time.. Friday’s selections!

Charcuterie, cheese, bread, and wine. What more do you need?

I grabbed some [not so] spicy salami, salami with fennel seed, and turkey pastrami. I knew the meat had to be the base, so after picking that out, I went for the cheese and ended up with a lighter, but flavorful gouda and a super fresh parmesan. We were totally spoiled with parmesan in Italy so we’re especially picky but this was from a wheel that was just cut open and it was fabulous!

The topper of the tower is the best bread ever. We’ve been trying to get a loaf of this foccacia bread from Liguria Bakery about 3 or 4 times but every time we go, they’re closed! This bread is so wonderful that they have a line as soon as they open. We got there on Saturday about an hour after opening and they were already sold out of the mushroom bread! I got a loaf of rosemary garlic and a loaf of onion. It’s honestly the lightest, fluffiest bread I’ve ever had.. nothing compares and I think it might be dangerous to be so close to this place now 😉

And because we can’t go a weekend without trying a new brew, we had to make a pit stop on our way back to Half Moon Bay Brewing Company. It was the perfect way to round out the trip.

Gray Whale Cove Beach. Loved the waves crashing on the rocks.

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for next weekend!

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite way to relax on the weekend?

What is the best bread you’ve ever had?

What I Ate Wednesday #60: The. Best. Pizza.

This is not a joke. We found the best pizza in Baltimore. Saturday night Nathan and I decided to knock another restaurant off of our bucket list and headed over to Verde Pizza. This is another relatively new spot in town and we had pretty high hopes after seeing some amazing-looking pictures on their facebook page.

Margherita Pizza

Vedura Delizia – smoked bufala mozzarella, roasted butternut squash cream, zucchini, roasted red peppers, basil & evoo

Hard to argue with the looks of those pizzas, right? Right. So we made our way over.

The kitchen was pretty open and there were 2 chefs making the pizzas right up front. I always love watching the food being made!

Open kitchen

I sipped on a glass of Nero D’Avola as we waited for our appetizers. It was a great choice; very easy drinking, light tannins, and a little bit fruity. I loved it!

In case you don’t know what a glass of red wine looks like..

Appetizers

Tre Porcellini – Roasted vegetable trio of red pepper, eggplant, and mushroom,
served with homemade foccacia

The Tre Porcellini consisted of three roasted vegetables—that night they offered mushrooms, red peppers, and eggplant—served with homemade foccacia. They were all great, but the slightly-sweet red pepper was my favorite. The eggplant, however, had a little extra olive oil on it that was perfect for dipping the bread in!

Insalata Mista – Spring mix with grape tomatoes, EVOO, and balsamic glaze

We also split the Insalata Mista. Such a simple salad but all of the ingredients were so fresh. The grape tomatoes were like candy and the balsamic glaze was just sweet enough. We also got a little parmesan on the side to sprinkle on top. I would highly recommend that!

Pizza

The best way to test a pizza place is to get their margherita pizza. That was our original plan, but when my pizza-loving husband set his eyes on the menu, it was quickly decided that we would be ordering 2 pizzas. Another night to take home leftovers! [It’s kind of our thing now.. ;)]

Margherita – Tomato sauce, homemade mozzarella, basil, EVOO

As soon as Nathan took his first bite he said he was immediately transported back to Gusta Pizza, our favorite pizza in Italy. The crust is so light and perfectly crisp. We loved the char on the outer edges from the brick oven, there was the perfect amount of the rich, flavorful tomato sauce, and the homemade mozzarella was so creamy.

Salsiccia e Funghi – Tomato sauce, homemade mozzarella, sausage, wild mushrooms,
fresh ricotta, basil, EVOO

When I asked the waitress how the Salsiccia e Funghi pizza is, she replied “you know, standard awesome.” She was spot on. The sausage was just a little bit smokey which paired well with the meaty mushrooms. The dollop of homemade ricotta cheese in the middle might have been my favorite part. I don’t think I’ve ever had such creamy, melty ricotta before and I could have gone for more on top!

I know I said we made this bucket list so we could get to a bunch of restaurants before we head to California, but we are seriously considering heading back to Verde again. Can’t you see it in Nathan’s face? 😉

So pensive.

Food for Thought

Have you ever tasted a dish that transported you back to another time in your life?

What’s the best pizza you’ve ever had?

Foodie Friday: Cajun Chicken Pasta

Have you entered my Mara’s Pasta giveaway yet?

When I was a kid, I was a HUGE pasta junkie! My family always knew that if we were doing big dinners, as long as there was a big bowl of buttered noodles on the table, I was good to go. I ate other things, but pasta was go-to. I definitely went back in time a bit on the honeymoon; once I tasted the fresh, homemade pasta in Italy, it was all I wanted! Maybe that’s a lie.. I wanted lots of gelato and wine too. But I digress..

As I mentioned the other day, a few weeks ago, I received a package from Mara’s Pasta. I was excited to make a fresh, summery pasta dish with my new treats. I also knew that whatever I was making, I wanted it to be an quick and easy dish that I could make after work. Enter the dish below. Having leftover grilled corn on the cob and using canned tomatoes helped pull this dish together in a jiffy! And don’t forget the splash of red wine. As Nathan says, you should never miss the opportunity to add alcohol to your food. 😉

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients
– 1 16oz box Mara’s Fettuccine
– 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– Cajun seasoning [I used McCormick]
– 1/2 red onion; sliced
– 2 grilled ears of corn; cut off the cob
– 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes [I used Hunt’s]
– 2 cloves garlic; minced
– Splash of red wine
– EVOO
– Grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box, removing from the water 1-2 minutes before completely cooked. It will be going back into the pot, so you want to make sure it still has a nice bite to it.

While the pasta is cooking, bring a grill pan up to heat. Season your chicken with cajun seasoning, drizzle some EVOO on the pan, and cook the chicken about 8-10 minutes per side until completely cooked through.

After the pasta is cooked and while the chicken is cooking, return the pot to the stove at medium heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO to the pot where you cooked your pasta. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the corn and garlic into the pot and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Finally, add in the tomatoes with liquid and splash of red wine. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Turn the heat down to low and toss the pasta back in with the sauce. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce is fully coating the pasta. Cut the chicken into thin slices, add some pasta to a bowl, and top with the sliced chicken and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Food for Thought

What was your favorite food as a kid?

What I Ate Wednesday #44: Wine in Italy

Did you see my guest post today on Eating Bird Food? So glad to share some of my honeymoon experiences while she’s away on her honeymoon!

Maybe it should be what I drank Wednesday..? But let’s be honest, you can’t drink in Italy without being fed some amazingly delicious home-cooked food!

When we were at Pedroni for the balsamic tasting, we met another group of people that were also tasting and touring a la Anthony Bourdain recommendations. They told us about a biodynamic, organic winery called Cosimo Maria Masini where we could have a similar experience. Wine tasting with a multi-course meal? Done!

Not only were we in for good food and wine, but also for incredible views of Tuscany. I kept snapping pictures and telling Nathan that no matter what I did, the pictures could never do any justice for the breathtaking sights.

One of the managers gave us a tour of the grounds and each of the buildings where they age and harvest their wine. He went into great detail about the biodynamic process; it is a chemical-free process that “tries to regenerate the soil and the plants, through organic activators which help plants to find their own nutrients in the soil.”

After the tour, it was time to eat! We sat down with the manager and his father, who was visiting from Naples. It was just the four of us enjoying a homemade meal.

First Course
Charcuterie of sopressata and 2 kinds of salami paired with the Daphne, an unfiltered white wine that is processed with the skins to give it an orange tint. The process gives this wine a bit more flavor than a typical white.

Second Course
A delicious ragu paired with the Cosimo. Still in love with the ragu and totally missing it everyday. Again, this just melted in your mouth and light meat sauce was the perfect accompaniment.

Entree
Braised beef and potatoes paired with the Nicolo; this was a more robust red wine that stood up to the stronger flavor of the beef. The beef had great flavor and fell apart the second the fork touched it. No knives here!

Dessert
Blackberry tart. It had the perfect crumbly crust and wasn’t overly sweet. I can almost taste it now..

BONUS!
I didn’t snap any pictures, but apparently up until this point, we had been missing out! To finish off your meal in Italy, you are supposed to have a small glass of Trebbiano wine and cantuccio—an almond cookie, similar in shape and texture to biscotti. You dip the cookie into your wine and sip slowly as you’re eating the cookies. It is the perfect way to end a meal.

We walked out of there with two bottles of Nicolo and two bottles of the Trebbiano. And incredibly full stomachs! When people ask what my favorite part of the honeymoon was, I tell them I don’t have one, single favorite. I just can’t choose. Visiting Cosimo Maria Masini was just one more of my top experiences that I adored. And speaking of adoring something, I leave you with the sign below found at the winery.

Wine is the most beautiful gift from the gods.

Food for Thought

What was one of your favorite experiences that you’ve had on vacation?

What I Ate Wednesday #14 – Rainy Day Adventures

We had some awesome plans last Saturday to rise and shine super early and head to Rehoboth Beach for the day. We haven’t been to the beach at all this summer so I was looking forward to it all week!

And then the weather forecast changed. To rain. All day. What do you even do when you’re at the beach and it’s raining? Exactly.

Well, fine then! We slept in, had a nice, relaxing morning, and then packed up and headed over to Alexandria, VA for the day! For what, you ask? Wine.

But not just any wine. Trader Joe’s Two-Buck Chuck. Yep. We drove 1.5 hrs each way for Trader Joe’s wine. Don’t worry, we got some good eats on the way too!

[Breakfast]
Cinnamon protein Coach’s Oats, topped (of course) with Earth Balance coconut peanut spread and fig. Naturally, I had my Tone It Up Bombshell Spell and some coffee with almond milk on the side. Perfect way to start the day!

[Snack]
A relaxing morning turned into a very late lunch, so I munched on some baby carrots in the car. Nothing exciting.. or worth picturing.

[Lunch]
Here’s the exciting part. We googled for a good 30 minutes looking for the best place to go for lunch and ended up at Caphe Banh Mi. If you’re in the Alexandria area, definitely go!

We started out with a vegetarian summer roll with tofu, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, and other veggies with a peanut dipping sauce. The sauce made it for me.. anything peanut [butter] related is a big green light! For our meals, we both tried pho (our first time!) Nathan got the traditional and I got the chicken. Traditional is the way to go! The beef was so rich and delicious and I could have eaten all of his! But instead, I ate all of mine. Topped with bean sprouts and fresh Thai basil. YUM!

[Snack]
Old towne is such a cute place! We walked around looking for a place to get a sweet treat and found Pop’s. Peanut butter chocolate pretzel ice cream. This is no joke. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of it (because I ate it too quickly), but that sample picture will do. I would make the drive for the ice cream.

[Dinner]
Late lunch + snack = late [lazy] dinner. Steamed some broccoli in the microwave, topped it with chicken and bbq sauce, and called it a day!

[Summer Staple]
Wine! Yep, I went there. Every summer day is better with a glass of wine.

Trader Joe’s in Maryland doesn’t sell wine and we’ve heard so many good things about it. But the biggest thing is that we’re trying to find every way to cut back on our wedding budget, so when Nathan heard about Two-Buck Chuck taking home a big prize, we knew we had to give it a try.

Results are in! And it was totally worth the drive. Wedding attendants, get ready for some Two-Buck Chuck! 🙂

Speak Up!

Where is your favorite place to day-trip? Have you ever taken a day trip for a meal? … Or a drink? 😉

What I Ate Wednesday #7 – Sunday Brunch

Sundays are definitely one of my favorite days. Morning yoga in the park, hitting up the farmers market, and on some special Sundays, we do brunch.

One thing you need to know about Nathan and me is that we love deals. Groupon and Living Social are my best friend. So much so, that people poke fun at me for work.. “Oh, you’re going out to eat? What kinda deal did you get?” I have no problem with this because as a foodie, trying new restaurants (for half price, mind you) is nothing less than awesome!

This past Sunday’s brunch was at Lebanese Taverna. It may not have been a new restaurant to try, but we absolutely love the food there, so when a deal popped up for brunch, we were on that like white on rice! Or hummus on pita.. you choose 😉

I realized when I went to put this post together that I didn’t take pictures of any of my food from Sunday, except brunch sooo here’s a quick break down!

Breakfast
Cinnamon raisin protein oats & quinoa. This recipe is coming soon and you don’t want to miss it!

Brunch
Lebanese Taverna deliciousness!

Homemade Bread
This is important enough for it’s own line. Have you had their bread?! It is incredible.

Red Sangria
Pomegranate wine, triple sec, brandy, cinnamon, basil, apples, and plums. I would order that every time!

Our Feast!
Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Lebanese Salad (cucumber, tomato, mint, & onion), Chicken Kabob, and Beef & Lamb Shwarma.

My favorite parts? The baba ganoush and beef & lamb shwarma. I could eat all of it. All day. Everyday.

Booza
An ice cream trio with Pistachio-Orange (my fave!), Vanilla Cardamom (Nathan’s fave!), and Honey (the overall crowd-pleaser.)

Clearly, it was too warm outside to let the ice cream pose for a picture, so naturally, we devoured it! Sorry. (Not really.)

Dinner
Leftover thai.. steamed bean thread noodles with fresh ginger, hu-nu, onions, carrots, baby corn, scallions,bean sprouts, pork, and bean sauce in a hot pot and a side of edamame. This comes from a place called Thai Arroy. It looks like a little whole-in-the-wall, but it is the best thai food in Baltimore!

Snack Time
Homemade peanut butter froyo. This is another recipe coming soon and definitely worth checking out! It’s so easy and much cheaper than going out 🙂

Like I said.. I didn’t do such a great job of taking pictures on Sunday, so now you’re subjected to a bad Instagramed phone picture. For this, I truly apologize.

Speak Up!

What’s your favorite Sunday tradition? Are you a Sunday brunch-er?

And don’t miss my giveaway; you have until tomorrow night to enter! You could win a case of the delicious CalNaturale Svelte! Yum!