What I Ate Wednesday #119: Lunch Date at BJ’s Brewhouse

On Monday, I mentioned going out to lunch with Nathan over the weekend. While we’re trying to stick within a little more strict than usual budget because of our upcoming move, we wanted to get out of the house for a bit. Luckily, I was recently contacted by BJ’s Brewhouse to visit one of their nearby restaurants and check out the Enlightened Menu. Obviously anytime someone offers me food and beer, I can’t say no!

The Enlightened menu is great for everyone in the crowd and, especially when we’re all trying to lighten the load a bit after the holidays, it’s a great option when you’re going out. Everything on this portion of the menu is 795 calories or less and offers much more than just a plain old salad.

Not to mention, the lighter calories leaves room for a little beverage 😉

And even though they do show quite a nice beer list, you could always go with a lighter option and tap into the fully-stocked bar.

For our entrees, I went with the Kale and Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad with flame-broiled salmon.

Baby kale, herb-roasted brussels sprouts, romaine, blueberries, red grapes, dried cranberries, goat cheese, cucumber, candied pecans, toasted pepitas and red onions tossed in strawberry vinaigrette.

The salmon was cooked perfectly and all of the elements of the salad came together really nicely. I especially liked the candied pecans, brussels [obviously..], and the crispy crunch on the salmon. It was a great option to choose instead of the typical house salad with chicken and I’d definitely recommend this dish.

Nathan ordered the Mediterranean Chicken Pita Tacos.

Grilled chicken breast seasoned with Big Poppa Smokers’ Desert Gold Rub, cucumber, Roma tomatoes, red onions, feta and fresh cilantro tossed in red wine vinaigrette and drizzled with Greek yogurt crema in a chargrilled pita. With Greek yogurt crema for dipping and seasonal bistro grains.

In comparison, I’d say his portion was a bit smaller than mine, mostly due to the huge hunk of salmon on my plate. Nathan enjoyed the tacos, though felt like he would have preferred some sort of veggie side dish over the couscous because there was already pita with the main part of the meal. That said, he did enjoy the couscous salad as well.

Seeing as how we were enjoying meals from the Enlightened menu, we opted to skip dessert. However, going back with friends, you bet we’ll have to try the Pizookie Trio! Those things look AMAZING!

If you have a BJ’s in your area, definitely go check out their Enlightened menu [and awesome beer list] when you get a chance.

Food for Thought

What would you order off of the Enlightened menu?

Disclaimer: BJ’s Brewhouse provided our meal complimentary but as always, all opinions are my own.

What I Ate Wednesday #112: Taking It Easy

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relishing every single second at home. I’ve spent my last 2 afternoons with this cute little nugget.

She’s a big fan of walking right now and even though she may be walking right by me, just being with her is the best! She really is the cutest.. I’m not biased at all either, you know.

Between all of the travel and excitement, I’ve been doing my best to keep my diet up to par with my normal eating, but I have to admit, it’s not my first concern. I’ve taken very few pictures which is so rare for me. But it’s nice to let my brain go for a change.

[Pre- & Post-Workout]

Before my workout, I grabbed a handful of trail mix to get a little something in my stomach. And almost immediately after my workout, I trained my dad. In between, I had one of these limited edition Think Thin bars. These new lean protein & fiber bars are some of my faves!

[Breakfast]

I was shocked when my mom didn’t have any homemade nut butters on hand when I got here so that had to change immediately! I grabbed some almonds from the store and whipped up a batch of almond butter for my oats.

[Lunch]

I’ve been doing a pretty solid job of not finishing breakfast until close to 11 a.m. which means late lunches have been what’s up. I was out shopping with my mom and we stopped at a nice cafe for lunch. The salmon on this Mediterranean salad was so good! And it was the perfect fuel to finish my shopping date and head over to see my little bean.

[Dinner]

This is an older picture from the last time I made the crunchy stuffed buffalo chicken, but that’s what was on the menu last night with roasted potatoes, eggplant, and salad. Mom and I have been making a pretty good team in the kitchen. Thanksgiving’s going to be fun! 🙂

[Evening Snack]
I spotted some SweetTango apples at the store the other day.. they’re pretty much my favorite aside from Fuji, so I snagged a bunch! And to top it off, I had a spoonful of almond butter. Best way to start and end your day!

Food for Thought

Do you have a favorite meal when you go home?

What I Ate Wednesday #110: Peanut Butter Marshmallow Mug Cake

A few weeks ago I received a package from Cellucor as part of a FitFluential campaign. Included in package was the Super HD, C4 Pre-Workout, Alpha Aminos, and two flavors of whey protein powder—Peanut Butter Marshmallow and Mint Chocolate Chip. I’ve tried some pre- and post-workout drinks before and enjoyed them so I was looking forward to trying a new brand.

I immediately started on the Super HD plan—twice per day, once in the morning on an empty stomach and again 5-6 hours later. Day one, I noticed a huge spike in my energy which was awesome.

[Pre-Workout]

Started Tuesday morning with a little peach mango energy. Perfect for my pre-workout drink; just the extra push I need to get through an early workout. It’s a touch on the sweet side, but I just add a little extra water and I’ve really started to enjoy it!

[Post-Workout]

When I get back from my workout, I go right for the Alpha Aminos. The watermelon is definitely very sweet and reminds me of a watermelon jolly rancher. I’m not a huge fan but I chug it pretty quickly before my breakfast so it’s not too bad 😉

[Breakfast]

Yup. It’s the oats again. I know, you’re absolutely shocked!

[Mid-Morning Snack]
Banana Butterscotch Simply Protein bar. A quick and easy bite to hold me over at work.

[Lunch]

This salad was not nice to me. It may not look so bad, but about half way through making it Monday night, the knife slipped and landed on my finger. It was definitely not my finest moment. At least I salvaged the salad and it was pretty darn tasty. My favorite part was the leftover pumpkin from dinner Monday night. Winter squash is the best!

[Afternoon Snack]

After downing another round of the Super HD and letting that settle, I decided it was time for a nice, warm mug cake. The peanut butter marshmallow whey protein powder is delicious!

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Mug Cake

Ingredients
– 1 egg
– 3 tbsp almond milk
– 1 scoop Cellucor Peanut Butter Marshmallow Whey Protein
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
– Pinch of salt

Directions
Mix all of the ingredients together in a greased, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, top with more nut butter, and enjoy!

Nutritional Information
216 Calories / 8g Fat / 5g Carbs / 2g Fiber / 1g Sugar / 31g Protein

[Dinner]

It was a leftovers night [my fave!] and I loved having the leftover maple glazed salmon and sugar pumpkin from Monday. The asparagus is good too but.. you know.. it’s asparagus. Not like they’re brussels 😉

[Evening Snack]
It started with an apple. And then we moved onto the jar of peanut butter with a spoon. Ha! No shame. At least I can usually limit myself to 1/2 – 1 tbsp at a time.. most of the time!

In all honesty, I also tried the C4 Pre-Workout Extreme drink but I was not a fan of the way that it made me feel. It almost made me too hyped and like my heart was beating super hard. Nathan has been drinking it before his workouts and while it’s also pretty sweet, he says that it does give him a nice jolt of energy to help him power through the workouts. It’s interesting that it has such a different effect on us but I’m glad he’s getting good use out of it. I’ll just keep the rest!

If you want your own, check out their website and use the code CELLUCORFIT at checkout for 25% off your order!

Food for Thought

Have you ever tried a stack of pre- and post-workout drinks before?

Disclaimer: I received these products through FitFluential and Cellucor in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions of the product are my own.

What I Ate Wednesday #97: 100 Meals

About that Barry’s Bootcamp class last night.. if you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I missed the class. And it was totally Beyonce’s fault! I left my place around 5:15 for a 6:30 class, drove into the city, looked for parking, and at 7 p.m. decided to head back home. Damnit, Beyonce! You ruined my burn! I’m definitely going to have to try to go back another time, preferably when there’s no concert or Giants’ game.

Anywho, maybe 100 meals is an exaggeration, but working a 5 a.m. shift always ends up with at least 3 breakfasts. I, of course, want to sleep as late as possible so my real breakfast was prepped Sunday night and I decided to pack a couple snacks too to hold me over until my “lunch” break.. at 9:30 a.m. haha.

[Breakfast #1]
A Detour Cranberry Flax SMART Bar with a little macadamia cashew butter. I have to say, I’m not a fan of this bar. I was hoping that warming it up in the microwave for a few seconds and putting some nut butter on top would help it out, but it really just ended up being.. well, weird. People rave about the Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry so I have high hopes that those are truly delicious.

[Breakfast #2]

Recycling a picture but this was essentially what I ate. Just swap the bloobs for figs.

[Breakfast #3]

Here we go. This was the real deal! A sweet scramble with egg whites, spaghetti squash, banana, cinnamon, and coconut peanut butter. That hit the spot!

[Lunch]

I was seriously craving a hot lunch so I whipped up some spaghetti squash [best idea to roast one on Sunday!], a little southwestern black bean salad, Trader Joe’s jalapeno chicken sausage, buffalo sauce, and nutritional yeast. And it was so good!

[Afternoon Snack]

The peanut butter mug cake made a reappearance! Always a delicious option.

[Dinner]

I knew Nathan was going to want something nice and light for dinner after 4 days in Vegas so I was happy to make the California chicken, veggies, avocado, and cauli rice bowl. Chicken for him, salmon for me. The avocado was like a fake-out guac and it was really good.. so easy too! Another Half Baked Harvest win!

[Evening Snack]
I ended the night with the usual apple and a dark chocolate berry protein bite. Those bites are super chocolate and definitely hit the spot for my chocolate cravings.

Food for Thought

Have you ever been to Barry’s Bootcamp?
What’s your favorite breakfast?

Resting Up and Lobster Red

What a great weekend. Nathan and I were so looking forward to a weekend of exploring new things but also getting some serious R&R and  that’s exactly what we did.

I kicked off Friday with a killer workout that did me in for the rest of the weekend! Between all of the jumping lunges, jump squats, and weighted wall sits, my legs were done-zo. I spent the rest of the weekend waddling around.

…and this was the easy part.

Friday night, we went to Westbrae Biergarten. It just opened up a few months ago and with the weather being so beautiful lately, we were psyched to find such a great outdoor spot.

Who gets wine at a beer garden?!

We grabbed a bite to eat there and then headed around the corner for some ice cream. The flavor choice after tasting a few was overwhelmingly unanimous.. thai coconut sorbet it is!

This was the longest I was allowed to hold the cone.

Saturday we drove down to Carmel. We picked up some lunch at Bruno’s for a little beach picnic and then completely chillaxed.

Salads galore!

I call this active rest day.. savasana is my favorite post, after all.

A lesson we’ve yet to learn is that sunscreen is always your friend, even when it’s a little cool and foggy. I’m legitimately as red as a lobster and my skin hurtsss! But sunburn means you deserve In N Out on the way home, right?

Just gimme all your fries.

I don’t even like burgers.. this was Nathan’s, but I definitely helped out on those fries!

Sunday, between my sore legs and my crazy sunburn, I opted for another rest day. I made some delicious plantain protein bread

Lifting Revolution

..

I have a feeling these will all be slathered with nut butters.

..we took a nice walk to the grocery store, and had an amazing dinner at Haven. We bought a Travelzoo deal months ago for dinner and never got around to using it. Until it was just about expired! I don’t know why we waited so long!

Chilled melon soup with coconut milk, lemon verbena ice, and frozen melon chunks.

Tomato salad with smoked goat cheese, basil, and bagel crumb.

My salmon with cabbage, turnips, spaetzel, and hot mustard.

Nathan’s flat iron steak with crushed potato, broccoli, and black garlic puree.

Yellow corn budino with cornbread, blackberry jam, and toasted husk ice cream.

Everything was so well executed and very flavorful but the chilled melon soup stole the meal. The combination of the melon and coconut was unlike anything we’ve had before. The smoked goat cheese with the tomatoes and bagel crumbs mimicked the taste of smoked salmon which was unexpected and delicious. My salmon was perfectly cooked and cabbage, spaetzle, and radish added some great textures to the dish. My one comment is I felt like the mustard overpowered the salmon. I ended up scraping most of it off so I still got some of the flavor and I loved every bite.

The crushed potatoes and black garlic in Nathan’s dish were to die for. So chock full of flavor and the potatoes were creamy, but still had great texture, unlike regular mashed potatoes. And finally, the corn budino was again, unlike anything we’ve had before. It was corn 4 ways and the toasted husk ice cream was the winning component of the dish. Overall, I’d go back in a heartbeat.. if we got another deal. It’s a bit on the pricey side but the freshness, flavors, and execution were wonderful.

Like I said, a wonderful weekend. And glad to get back into meal routine again 😉

Swanson Giveaway Winner

Congrats to Anel for winning my Swanson $45 Giveaway! Please email me at Brittany@BarrAndTable.com within 48 hours to claim your prize.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Haven
Monday – Piri-piri chicken with blood orange and roasted brussels sprouts
Tuesday – Lomo saltado
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Roasted salmon, sweet potato, and side salad
Friday – Leftovers
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

What were your fun plans over the weekend?

Link Love #34

Hot diggity! Yesterday was a whirlwind with lots of good things coming soon. It looks like things are starting to fall into place around here and I’ll really be getting into a good routine. I’m busy running around like a crazy person getting everything together for visitors this week.. I even hung up a shelf yesterday! Side note: I’m really bad at hanging things. I’m digging it now that Nathan helped me re-hang it in the right spot. Ha!

Welp, in addition to all of my excitement [which I will be sharing more on soon], here are some wonderful posts from the past week. Enjoy!

Health

Fermented Food Facts and Recipe Round Up – Cotter Crunch

Fermented Foods Facts and Recipe Round Up – Cotter Crunch
7 (Simple) Steps to Lose Fat, Without Even Trying – Nia Shanks
7 Things You Had No Idea Gut Bacteria Could Do – Marks Daily Apple
5 Tips to Create a Healthy Relationship with Food – Strong in a Thong
The benefits of active rest | what it is and why you need more of it – FitKnitChick

Fitness

Ultimate Burn Leg Workout – Slim Sanity

Ultimate Burn Leg Workout – Slim Sanity
Kettlebell Training: The Spring “Clean” Workout – Lifting Revolution
Back to MORE Strength Training + NEW Workout – She Rocks Fitness
Speed Workouts: Standing Rest Vs. Jogging Rest – Competitor
Interval Core Balance Workout Purely Training #58 – Purely Twins

Food

Cacao Coconut Plantain Rice Balls with Pepitas – Inspiralized

Cacao Coconut Plantain Rice Balls with Pepitas – Inspiralized
Sriracha Grapefruit Salmon – Sprint 2 the Table
BBQ Margarita Chicken Tostadas with Sweet Jalapeño Margarita Salsa – Half Baked Harvest
Mini Nutella Bacon Banana Shortcakes with Peanut Butter Whipped Cream – Climbing Grier Mountain
Harissa-Spiced Chickpea Avocado Salad Grilled Cheese Sandwiches – Keepin’ It Kind

Food for Thought

What is one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Beer is Kosher for Passover

Well that was a fun weekend! I hope you all had a great Easter if you celebrate. I continued my Passover.. celebrations? Sort of.. I just couldn’t go to Mikkeller and not get beer. Ha! At least I haven’t had bread and grains, right?

When I was little, I was telling my family what I had for lunch at school during Passover and mentioned that I had onion rings but only ate the outside. My older brother was pleased to point out that I only ate the breading. I still get made fun of! Passover officially ends Tuesday at sundown so I’ll continue to keep the spirit until then.

Anywho, Friday night we went into San Francisco and met up with a couple Fit Approach-ers at Mikkeller before heading over a sketch comedy show. It was our first time heading into the city at night and we made it taking public transportation and all. Win! I was really bad about taking any pictures that night though.. whoops.

Saturday I had plans with Alyse to go to a new VinBata class and somehow [after a couple drinks] Friday night she convinced me to go to the UrbanKick class before that. I’m so glad I went because they were both so fun! I’m not used to taking classes having a gym in my apartment complex so it was a really fun change of pace.

UrbanKick was a full hour of nonstop moving.. think Zumba with a kickboxing twist. Loved it! VinBata was really great too; it started with a few minutes of yoga warmup, then into about 25ish minutes of tabata training, and ended with 25ish minutes of vinyasa. I was completely squatted out after UrbanKick so the tabata part was rough but it was really nice to end with some good stretching.

Alyse, Rocky [the VinBata instructor], and me.

Nathan and I were both beat Saturday night so we just stayed local and tried a new pizza joint. Luckily for me, most of the pizza places also have other great options on the menu so I got a really good salmon fix.

Yesterday was a lazy day. I had the idea of going hiking just to get outside but we both weren’t feeling it so instead, we had more beer! We went over to Cato’s for lunch where they were having an adult Easter egg hunt. The egg that Nathan found got us a chocolate and a free beer. Heyooooo! Obviously because we chose the healthy option, we decided to take a post-lunch walk.. for gelato 😉

We split a cardamom orange zest and it was amazing. So much flavor on such a small spoon! Oh, and you know, in case you missed this on my Instagram feed yesterday..

Weekly Menu Plan

Sunday – Grilled chicken with zucchini fritters & pasta [for Nathan]/guacamole [for me]
Monday – Vegan bolognese.. except with ground turkey 😉 over zucchini noodles
Tuesday – Chipotle-style chicken rice/salad bowls with homemade salsa
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Parmesan-crusted chicken with shaved brussels sprouts salad
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Green harissa chicken stir fry rice bowl

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite class that you’ve taken at a gym?
What fun plans did you have over the weekend?

Link Love #24

Well I’ve been running around like a nut job trying to get everything together for when my parents get here. Tomorrow. Seriously, we’ve been talking about it for what feels like forever and now it’s finally here! I couldn’t be more excited! Clearly the best way to share my excitement is to share some wonderful posts from the past week. Enjoy 🙂

Health

Why This Registered Dietitian Eats More Fat – fANNEtastic Food via Kath Eats

Why This Registered Dietitian Eats More Fat – fANNEtastic food via KathEats
Nutrition Q&A: Protein and Plant-Based Diets – Oh My Veggies
What’s Wrong With The Modern Diet – Business Insider
Mindful Living – Carla Birnberg via Eleven by Venus
5 Reasons to Workout in the Morning – Happy Fit Mama

Fitness

3 Cross Training Workouts & Allowing Mental Breaks – Cotter Crunch

3 Cross Training Workouts & Allowing Mental Breaks – Cotter Crunch
HIIT Bootcamp Inspired Tread & Shred Workout | Bodyweight Total Body – Sarah Fit
My Sweaty Valentine Workouts – Running Hutch [Awesome partner workouts for more than just Valentines Day!]
450-Rep Workout (All Pinterest Exercises!) – Pumps & Iron
Racing Heart HIIT – Just Call Me Janks

Food

Coconut Apricot Truffles with Himalayan Sea Salt – Fit Foodie Finds

Coconut Apricot Truffles with Himalayan Sea Salt – Fit Foodie Finds
Asian Salmon Burgers with Miso Dressing – The Curvy Carrot
Homemade Harissa (Spicy Red Pepper Sauce) – Half Baked Harvest
Market Mediterranean Pizza – Tartine and Apron Strings
Breakfast Friday | Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins for Two – Edible Perspective

Food for Thought

What is one of your favorite posts from the last week?

A Weekend in Instagram

Happy birthday, Mom!!

She’s a party animal 😉

Soon enough, my parents will be out here visiting us and we’ll be having just as much fun, right? 😉

This past weekend was nutso! Our furniture was delivered early Friday afternoon and after spending a full 2 days of unpacking, I still decided it was a good idea to go run the Hot Chocolate 5K. Obviously I’m glad I did though! So for you, I have lots of pictures to recap an otherwise uneventful weekend.

Started my weekend with a large almond milk latte. READY TO UNPACK!

Obviously the first beer we bought in California had to be the first beer we drank in our new place!

Salmon melt on ACME bread at The Bureau 510. Had to refuel big time after a long day!

Breakfast of Champions from Liba Falafel at the farmers’ market. There’s a poached egg in there.. and the rosemary peanuts and brussels slaw were ridiculous.

I was entirely too excited to finally get some dino kale from the farmers’ market. And this salad was crazy good! I missed my big bowls.

Spicy Pork Bibimbop, no rice, extra veg at Spoon. Definitely getting it this way every time.

Oh, you don’t eat oatmeal in your car before a race?

FINISHER! Time to eat entirely too much sugar. Worth it. It was no PR, but having not run in a few weeks, I’ll take a sub-25 min 5K.

Love meeting up with the SF Tone It Up girls! Great run yesterday 🙂

Ingested 100 lbs of sugar? Let’s have some veggies for lunch..

At this point, we’re almost totally unpacked and trying to make everything fit. If you have any creative storage tips, PLEASE share! I’ve been Pinterest-ing like a mad woman and am always open to more suggestions.

Food for Thought

Have you ever run a Hot Chocolate race?
What are your favorite creative storage tips?

What I Ate Wednesday #67: Beaches and Salmon and Noodles, OH MY!

Happy New Year! I’ll be recapping our crazy night soon, but until then..

It wouldn’t be a Brittany and Nathan weekend without a road trip. And while they’re usually perfectly planned out, this trip took a bit of a turn and we just had to roll with the punches. Did you know that people will park 1.5+ miles away from Muir Woods to get in?! Yea.. we didn’t. Apparently we should have gotten there at the break of dawn. Luckily, we had planned on heading to Stinson Beach after Muir Woods so we just went straight to the beach! [Tough life, I know.]

We did make a couple stops along the way to check out the incredible views.

Stunning pull off from the highway.

I liked the view here too 😉

After a breathtaking [nerve wracking] drive on the cliff’s edge, we made it to Stinson Beach and broke out our lunch that we picked up from Berkeley Bowl [<– that place is awesome!!]. They had so many options and we will definitely be going back there for quick lunches on the go!

Hers

Kale and cabbage salad with baked lemon salmon and sesame dressing.

His

Porchetta and pesto sandwich on foccacia.

Perfect beach lunch followed by a nice walk. I know that whenever I go anywhere with Nathan, we’re going to be doing a ton of walking!

Oh hey there city!

We decided to give Muir Woods another shot on our way back, but unfortunately it was still a no-go. Change of plans.. off to Tiburon and time for a brew 😉

We’ve dubbed this the “West Coast Yuengling”

Heading back, we hit a bit of traffic so we decided to hit up a new dinner spot. Anything that involves chopsticks is always Nathan-approved and Ramen Shop has gotten some awesome reviews. And for good reason!

Bar seats with open kitchens are the best!

Pickles: Sansho cabbage, namasu, turmeric daikon, eggplant chutney,
and black Spanish radish with kombu.

The pickle plate was a great, light way to start. The eggplant chutney and turmeric daikon were my favorites. I loved the curry flavors on the eggplant and the daikon had a light sweetness.. and anything sweet is good in my book 😉

Neither of us had ever had ramen before.. except the out of a styrofoam bowl, and we will definitely be back for more!

Hers

Veggie shoyu meyer lemon ramen with maitake mushrooms, salt-cured egg, romanesco, cauliflower, squash, broccoli di ciccio, and mizuna.

His

Kogashi miso ramen with ground pork belly, shoyu-marinated egg,
King Richard leeks, and red cabbage.

I totally won this one. The flavors were light and refreshing but perfect for a chilly night. Plus there was squash and a soft-boiled egg. How could that be bad?! Nathan’s ramen bowl was delicious too but definitely had a heavier, fuller flavor. Neither of us were able to finish our dinners, but leftovers are always welcome in our home.

Even though we had to adjust our plans on the go, I’d say this turned out to be a wonderfully successful day. And a tasty way to kick off the new year!

Happy New Year!!

Food for Thought

How did you spend your New Years Eve?