Fabulous Food & Our Weekly Meal Plan

Hi friends, happy Monday! I hope you had a great, relaxing weekend. Mine kicked off with an early power yoga class at Truve.

So not fair.. they’re both yoga instructors!

I’m not much of a yogi but good lordy, my body was sore! I think I need to hit up yoga a little more regularly and get some stretching in. Later, I grabbed lunch with a friend at what may just be my new favorite sushi spot. It just so happens to be about 10 steps away from where I’m moving!

Friday night was our night out on the town. Nathan and I made a deal to go out to eat less on the weekends so we really went for it!

Beer #1: Perennial Abraxas

If you can get your hands on this beer, you don’t want to miss out. It’s one of the most complex beers I’ve had and it really makes its way through each of the spices as you drink it. The cinnamon stood out the most but there’s also just a hint of spice at the very end. Amazing.

2 Meat + 2 Sides: Chicken & pork with cauliflower salad & cowboy beans with burnt ends. Also added a hot link!

Whenever we go to Perdition, we split the 2 meat plate. It comes with 2 sides + pickles and bread; we’d had the pork and chicken before but never tried the hot link so we decided to add that too. It was so much food! But of course, we ate the whole thing. It was wonderful and I definitely went to sleep fat and happy that night. Ha!

Saturday I was so ready to head back to Truve for barre; I’m officially addicted and it may just be my new favorite class. I was also ready for a much lighter day of eats.. and Sizzlefish 😉

Sizzlefish shrimp & kale salad with ALL the veggies!

Digging the Atlantic Cod!

It was nice to stay in and use up some of the extras in the fridge and freezer before we move! Speaking of moving, we had to scedaddle yesterday for a couple hours while our place was being showed to potential renters so we took advantage of a gift card and went out to lunch.

A nice, lighter beer paired with a kale and brussels sprout + salmon salad was calling my name. Delicious! [But more on that later..]

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Crispy Thai pork [+ turkey] lettuce wraps with cucumber salad
Monday – Cuban chicken & black bean rice bowls with fried bananas
Tuesday – Turkey burgers with roasted potatoes & side salad
Wednesday – Grilled chicken/fish & brussels
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought
Have you ever tried barre?

What I Ate Wednesday #100: The Birthday Food

I think birthday food is the perfect way to celebrate 100 WIAW posts, don’t you? I’m glad we agree.

Luckily for me, I had 2 full days of birthday meals—one on my actual birthday, last Thursday, and another on the following Saturday. And let me tell you, it was gooooood!

Thursday

Lunch+
Nathan came home from work to take me out for a sushi lunch. I got the sashimi bento box [no rice, extra salad] and it was wonderful.

I had a feeling I’d want to save some room for our favorite ice cream around the corner. I had the lime meringue pie [with graham cracker crust pieces] and Nathan got the cardamom rose pistachio.

Dinner+
For dinner, we went Kanishka’s, an Indian Neo-Gastro Pub, where we started out with flights of red wine Belgian beer.

The restaurant offered tapas-style dishes, so we split a few, including the Tandoori-tini,

Chef’s 6 ‘O’ Clock Cravings [street-style rolls],

Chicken Korma Poutine,

and Nicoya Breeze Salad.

And if that wasn’t enough, we topped it off with another brew.

But it didn’t end there!

Saturday

Lunch+
We went over to Perdition Smokehouse, a new BBQ joint around the corner from us, and split a 2 meat plate with brisket, pulled pork, coleslaw, and Texas caviar. And beer, of course.

The brisket was awesome. The pork was ridiculous.

And then we had to top it off with a slice of peach pie.

Dinner
The big night out to NOPA! We started with a little amuse bouche—apples with honey yogurt and sea salt.

Next up was the tasso spiced ham with pluots, almonds, and balsamic. We were both hoping for a more flavorful pluot, but the dish was pretty darn tasty.

I ordered the king salmon with creamy corn, trumpet mushrooms, green beans, and roasted cherry tomatoes. The salmon was so perfectly cooked, the mushrooms gave the dish a little extra meatiness, the corn had that little bit of decadence, and the green beans and tomatoes really helped to lighten it up so it didn’t feel too heavy. I loved it!

Finally, for dessert [because birthdays require 2 desserts in 1 day], we split the fig and peach tart with cognac cream, walnut crust, and melon sorbet. Totally different than anything I’d typically order, but it was light and flavorful. That said, I’d go for the crumble from Perdition 😉

I’d have to say, it was a pretty successful birthday in the food realm! Couldn’t have asked for anymore.

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite birthday meal and dessert?

Link Love #42

This week is all about go, go, go for me. So that’s exactly what I’m giving you—some quick link lovin’! Enjoy 🙂

Health

7 Signs You Should Eat a Burger, Fries, & Even Ice Cream – Lifting Revolution

7 Signs You Should Eat a Burger, Fries, & Even Ice Cream – Lifting Revolution
Why You’ll Fail At Losing Weight – Workout Nirvana
Chronic Inflammation and Turmeric Ginger Lemonade – Cotter Crunch
A Note (Rant) on Fattism & Fat Shaming – Food & Nonsense
If Mama ain’t healthy–ain’t nobody healthy. – Carla Birnberg

Fitness

5 Ways to Truly Brace Your Core – Trainer Paige

5 Ways to Truly Brace Your Core – Trainer Paige
10 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Results in the Gym – FitKnitChick
Partner Plank Resistance Band Pull Downs! [Workout Video] – Powercakes
5 Ways to Get a Strong Stomach – Running Rachel
HIIT + Abs Workout – Reach Your Peak

Food

Inside-Out Grain Free Oreos – Fit Foodie Finds

Inside-Out Grain Free Oreos – Fit Foodie Finds
Most Ridiculous Breakfast Sandwich Ever – Bev Cooks
Blueberry Pie Bars – Averie Cooks
Spicy Salmon Sushi Bowls – Heather Christo
Whiskey Braised Short Rib Flatbread – How Sweet It Is

Food for Thought

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

A Weekend of Celebrations and Bread Wars

Well I had quite the exciting start to my weekend. You may have seen on Instagram already, but if not, you should really know that I’m now certified to kick your butt.

I passed! That damn NASM CPT test was a beast and I’m so glad to have that weight off my shoulders. It was really helpful to use Julie and Gina‘s study guides along with what I got from NASM to prep. If you’re interested in getting any NASM certification, you can receive a 10% discount by getting in touch with Michael Golembewski mentioning my name or blog when signing up. Just give him a call at 602-383-1263 or email him at Michael.Golembewski@nasm.org and don’t forget to mention Barr & Table!

Clearly, passing the test called for celebrations. First stop was a bar in Berkeley for a couple drinks and to watch our Orioles. They’ve been playing the A’s so we’ve been able to actually watch our guys out here! [Not that it’s been much to watch..]

Then we went for celebratory sushi!

Got a free California hand roll for checking in on yelp. And it was possibly the best California roll I’ve ever had.

I also got a chirashi “bowl” .. typically served in a bowl, but you can’t beat the freshness regardless of how it’s served! Not to mention it’s gorgeous. I also loved this restaurant because Nathan—my non-seafood eater—could get something other than teriyaki chicken.

This pork belly soba dish was so flavorful and delicious!

Saturday we continued the celebrations with brunch and farmers’ marketing.

Pastrami benedict. I don’t think there’s much else to say here. I don’t know the last time I’ve had such a perfectly poached egg.

And we got peaches for days! I’m not even a peach-eater but these were so amazing, we filled up.

Yesterday, we had a fun day at a sourdough starter class. I’ve not had much success making bread at home so I’m hoping these starters work out better for me. I can’t wait to get started!

We were told that to have a successful starter, it needs to have a name. We actually both chose Bertha [we’ve been together too long] but I let Nathan have it. Let the bread wars begin!

I think Nathan’s camera work could use a little help, yes? 😉 He also wouldn’t stop chewing to smile. I promise he was happier than he looks. Ha! And with all of my celebrations, it’s about time to get back to a nice meal plan. Holy moly!

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Turkey caprese meatball salad
Monday – Honey ginger chicken and veggie stir fry
Tuesday – Leftovers
Wednesday – Quinoa crusted chicken strips with BBQ honey mustard and asparagus fries
Thursday – Ginger chicken with peaches and onions + roasted broccoli and rice
Friday – Out!
Saturday – Leftovers

Food for Thought

What fun things did you do over the weekend?
Have you ever made bread at home?

Five Things Friday

Friday! Long weekend! I have to work tomorrow and Monday, but such is the life of a retail store employee, right? Oh well, we’re still going to have fun this weekend.

1. Yesterday was quite the exciting day! I had some errands to run so I dropped Nathan off at work and on my way back, maybe 1/4 mile from my apartment, I almost got into a huge accident [not my fault at all]. It was one of those times where as I slammed on my brakes and horn, the thoughts going through my mind were along the lines of “I wonder how bad this accident is going to be.” Thankfully my brakes are [maybe were, now] amazing and I stopped about 1 foot away from t-boning the the guy that decided to swerve and do a u-turn right in front of me. All is well, but I was definitely shaken up! If that didn’t wake me up, I don’t know what would.
2. Once I did get around to my errands, I went to the store to stock up on ingredients for a homemade porchetta. Nathan’s been talking about making one at home since we had it in Italy. We currently have 10 lbs of pork in the fridge. No, we’re definitely not vegetarians!

   
   Oooooh this is gonna be good!

3. With my crazy morning I decided I needed a nice treat for lunch. I’d been eyeing the freshly-made sushi at Berkeley Bowl since the first day we went and I finally got some. Salmon with avocado in brown rice and edamame. I also made my own spicy sriracha “mayo” [aka greek yogurt] for dipping. I’m not a soy sauce-dipper.. never have been!
   
4. I mentioned the other day that my peanut butter was dwindling. Nothing a little Vitamix action can’t fix! And because I can’t leave well enough alone, there’s a little chia seed in the mix this time. That also means licking the Vitamix was my afternoon snack haha!
   
5. Tomorrow we’re heading into the city for dinner, drinks, and live music. When Nathan came out to SF last year, he went to The Saloon with a friend of his. He said it was basically SF’s equivalent to our favorite live music bar in Baltimore, Cat’s Eye. We used to head over for some music after a little bit of this..
   

   Max’s special Big Ass Draft.. every Friday $5 for 32 oz!

   

   We’ve been meaning to go to The Saloon since we moved out here and I’m psyched to finally head over!

Well, I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend.. enjoy all of the cookouts, sunshine, and time with friends and family!

Food for Thought

What are your big plans for the weekend?

Link Love #30

The Orioles won yesterday! And that’s not an April Fools joke 😉 Excuse me while I bask in the glow of of a perfect record right now. I’m also super excited because Nathan decided to surprise me with tickets to the A’s game this Sunday. I think watching the Orioles game yesterday really got us extra pumped for baseball season. We have a couple fun things planned for the weekend so I’m already psyched for the next few days to fly by. In the meantime, let’s play a little catch up.

Health

Benefits of Strength Training – Slim Sanity

Benefits of Strength Training – Slim Sanity
8 Tips to Have a Positive Body Image and Stop Obsessive Eating Habits – Trainer Paige
My Addiction to Exercise Permanently Damaged My Body. But It Also Taught Me How to Love Myself – Tara Fuller via Greatist
Antioxidants 101 – Nutritious Eats
How Rigid Diets Threaten True Digestive Healing – Mind Body Green

Fitness

A Core Workout for Runners – Crazy Running Girl

A Core Workout for Runners – Crazy Running Girl
30-Minute Bodyweight AMRAP Workout – Pumps & Iron
10 Advanced Ab Exercises for the Summer – Lifting Revolution
7 Boredom Busting Treadmill Workouts – Run to the Finish
Leg Burnout Workout – Blonde Ponytail

Food

Sushi Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing – The Healthy Maven

Sushi Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing – The Healthy Maven
3 Gluten-Free Recovery Snacks for Coffee Lovers – Cotter Crunch
Lemon Vanilla Brown Rice Pudding with Berries – Edible Perspective
Microwave Breakfast Berry Crumble – 24 Carrot Life
Black Pepper Rub Chicken Fingers with Greek Yogurt Ranch – Half Baked Harvest

Food for Thought

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

What I Ate Wednesday #75: We Did It Right

I think in the process of running my parents all around the bay area, we ran ourselves into the ground a little too. Unfortunately, they’re heading back home today and as much as I may need a little more sleep, I don’t want them to go. It has really felt so much more like home with them here. If I had my whole family with me, I wouldn’t think twice about where I was. Anywhere. I miss ’em already but Nathan and I both made sure we did it right!

There was some healthy food…

…some home cooked meals…

…some brunching…

…a little pizza…

…more than one ice cream/gelato trip…

…LOTS of Asian food…

…a few drinks all around…

…and so many incredible memories.

I absolutely cannot wait to see them again. It’s been such a great week. Cheers!

Food for Thought

Where is your favorite place to take out-of-town visitors?

What I Ate Wednesday #25 – Healthy Holiday Recipes

Have you entered my Hail Merry Macaroon giveaway? Only 2 more days!

I can’t lie, my meals have been pretty less-than-interesting over the last week. I’m a creature of habit and when I do a lot of food prep on Sundays, I tend to eat a lot of the same meals during the week. But I’ve been having fun in the kitchen and am happy to be sharing a couple healthy Hannuka recipes just in time for the holiday!

[Breakfast]
Like I said, creature of habit. I’m still going strong in my Sweet Breakfast Scramble obsession!

[Lunch]
Tone It Up‘s Carrot & Pumpkin Soup and a Jamie Eason turkey meatloaf muffin. This was seriously the easiest lunch and so delicious. I didn’t mind having it almost everyday.. in fact, I enjoyed it!

[Dinner]
Sushi! It was a nice night for a date so we hit up a happy hour for a glass of wine (or beer) and some delicious sushi.  I didn’t snap pictures of the edamame and pork shumai but they were delicious, as always. Salmon and avocado wrapped in cucumber is also always a great choice, but my treat roll was the crab stick, cucumber, and avocado topped with more avocado, salmon, tuna, and a little eel sauce. SO yum! Nathan got pork yakisoba and it was equally as wonderful. If you’re in Baltimore and looking for good sushi, I highly recommend Naname Cafe!

[Snacks] not pictured
Apple, Madagascar Vanilla KIND Bar, and 1/2 of a blueberry ricotta muffin. I love having 1/2 muffin in the afternoon to help hold me over.. so tasty!

Onto the fun stuff!

I’m so glad we’re sharing healthy holiday recipes because I just tested a few for Hannuka!

Sweet Potato & Zucchini Latkes

Makes 18 latkes

Ingredients
1/2 cup zucchini, shredded and drained
2 cups sweet potato, shredded
2 large egg whites
2 tbsp coconut flour* [I use Bob’s Red Mill, but you can sub other flour if you don’t have coconut!]
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp xylitol* + extra for sprinkling [You can sub regular sugar or other sugar substitutes]
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, shape into 18 equal balls, and flatten into pancakes. Bake about 1 hour, flipping half way through.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack. Sprinkle with a little extra xylitol and cinnamon and enjoy!

Nutritional Stats
Per pancake without toppings

21 Calories  /  0g Fat  /  4g Carbs  /  1g Fiber  /  0g Sugar  /  1g Protein

Baked Sufganiyot

Makes 12 minis

If you’re not familiar with sufganiyot, they are jelly-filled donuts that are a staple during Hannuka. But of course jelly-filled donuts are not exactly on the healthy treats list, so I wanted to create a more figure-friendly way to enjoy these tasty treats.

Ingredients
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 large egg white
1/4 cup xylitol* + extra for sprinkling [You can sub regular sugar or other sugar substitutes]
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk [I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk]
4 tbsp your favorite jam [I used blackberry preserves]
~1/2 – 1 tbsp agave nectar*
~1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients from flour through milk until just incorporated.

Fill each muffin tin with about 1/2 tbsp of mix to just cover the bottom. Place about 1 tsp of jam in the middle of each “donut” and then top with the rest of the mix. Bake for about 12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (minus the jam!), turning half way through.

Remove from the oven and let cool about 5-10 minutes. Drizzle with agave nectar and sprinkle with cinnamon and xylitol. Enjoy guilt-free!

Nutritional Stats
Per mini “donut”

52 Calories  /  0g Fat  /  14g Carbs  /  1g Fiber  /  5g Sugar  /  1g Protein

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

Food for Thought

What are some of your favorite holiday recipes? Do you go towards the healthy options or the unhealthy treats?