Accountability Partner

I ran 4.5 miles this morning!

I woke up at 6:45 and was out the door by 7. All you early morning exercisers are probably rolling your eyes right now, but I was proud of myself! I haven't been running outside as much lately due to the scorching Southern heat and missing my running buddies. It's just not the same without them! It felt good to start my day off with a run, and I ended up being really productive throughout the rest of the day.

Mainly, I woke up this morning because I said I was going to in yesterday's post and wanted to stay true to my word. My blog makes such a good accountability partner! People often ask me if having a blog changes what I eat. The answer is: No, it doesn't, but it DOES help me strive to lead the healthy lifestyle I want to lead.

Breakfast featured one of my new items from Whole Foods-Artisana Coconut Butter! My other purchases included spelt flour (which I used in Super Charge Me cookies yesterday), nutritional yeast (called "nooch" in the blog world), and Mary's Gone Crackers. I'll try to incorporate some of these items in my upcoming meals!

I made banana oat bran topped with 1/2 sliced banana, Love Grown Apple Walnut Delight granola, and a drizzle of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter and Artisana Coconut Butter. Slivered almonds would have been good in here too.YUM-it was like eating an Almond Joy for breakfast!

I spent the morning running errands and tackling my to-do list. Got it all done today! While I was out, I ate a quick lunch with my mom at Zoe's Kitchen. I ordered the Spinach Roll-Ups with Braised White Beans.

I ate a pretty fruit mix of pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries + a super charge me cookie in the afternoon!

Now I'm doing a little cleaning and studying before meeting Laura for dinner at Area 41 tonight!

Sorry, I forgot to do this yesterday.

Quote of the Week: "Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside."

-Mark Twain

Monster Burgers

Happy Memorial Day!

As I was leaving Panera Bread last night, I decided to grab an early dinner to go. I wasn't really that hungry, so I just got a cup of the Vegetable Soup with a whole grain baguette.

After I ate, I went to church with my parents and then went on a walk around my neighborhood when I got home. Later in the night, I made myself this snack:

Super Fruits Oikos Greek yogurt with blueberries, blackberries, and granola. I added a drizzle of TJ's SSB after I took the picture.

Breakfast this morning was The Fitnessista's Breakfast Cookie. I prepped the night before using 1/3 C oats, 1 T PB & Co Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, 1/8 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and 1/2 mashed banana and let it sit in the refrigerator over night. I added the other half of my banana on top in the morning. I loved the texture and will definitely make it again adding some different mix-ins (I'm thinking pumpkin and chocolate chips!). I'm a big fan of breakfast already being made when I wake up!

My AM coffee was made using the new coffee I got in Savannah from the Savannah Bee Company. We went a little crazy in this store! I also added a little drizzle of tea honey, which is said to be excellent in coffee as well.

This morning I had the urge to bake a nutritious and delicious cookie with a taste that I could get as excited about as the health benefits. I keep reading about these Super Charge Me Cookies, which look awesome. And after reviewing the ingredient list, I thought these just might be the cookies to get the job done! I was right-this recipe is a WINNER! I'm still not sure I totally have the rest of my family convinced, but as long as you take it for what it is and expect it to taste "healthy" (these are no Paula Deen cookies), you'll love them! 

Lunch today was a Scrambled Egg and Avocado Wrap. I made it on a Flat Out Multigrain with Flax Wrap and added goat cheese and diced tomatoes. I had a mix of pineapple, strawberries, and blackberries on the side. Avocado + eggs= delicious!

I went to the gym later for an afternoon workout. I am bound and determined to wake up early enough tomorrow to beat the heat and go for a run! 

Snack was an orange with Greek yogurt dip (0% Fage, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon).

Our Memorial Day dinner menu included "healthified" burgers and fries! Turkey burgers on whole wheat buns topped with swiss cheese with baked sweet potato fries on the side. My mom made the burgers, while I handled the sweet tater fries. I made a monster burger loaded up with lots of good toppings like lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions and peppers, portabello mushrooms, and avocado. Of course, lots of ketchup was involved! The burgers were ready before the fries, so I ate my meal in two parts.

It was an excellent dinner!

Bachelorette time-my Mondays are complete again!

Whole Foods Obsession

It's good to be back home!

Here a few of my eats from yesterday:

Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal. I actually think they do a pretty good job with their oatmeal! I wished I'd had a banana and nut butter to go on top, but I'll take what I can.

Chick-fil-a Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich and apple. Chick-fil-a is my favorite fast food option when on the road!

When I got home, I needed some nutrients STAT. I made a Green Monster (well, it's actually kinda purple) made with 2 C spinach, a banana, blackberries, 1 T chia seeds, and 1 C unsweetened almond milk. I also headed straight to the gym after unpacking my stuff. With the combination of a little sweat and a smoothie, I instantly felt better!

I met some friends later at Surin West to celebrate Jody and Caroline's 22nd birthday! I ordered the Veggie Delight and added shrimp. The Veggie Delight is a Thai stir-fry consisting of broccoli, carrots, onion, baby corn, celery, green beans, cabbage, bean sprouts, and zucchini in a light Thai sauce. Delicious! Oh, how I love Thai food.

Afterwards, we walked to The J. Clyde, one of Birmingham's coolest bars. I had never been before and was in love from the moment I walked inside! It's like a bigger version of The Alcove. It has a tavern-esque ambiance with a chill, relaxing vibe, a young 20-something crowd, and an extensive beer menu. I ordered the Terrapin Sunray Wheat, which is brewed in Athens, GA. It was fruity, sweet, and made for a refreshing summer beverage. I thought it tasted like a strawberry banana smoothie!

Me and the birthday girl

Breakfast this morning was oatmeal made with 1/2 C oats and 1 C water. Toppings included 1/2 sliced banana, blackberries, slivered almonds, and TJ's Sunflower Seed Butter.

My mom and I both had the same brilliant idea to eat lunch at Whole Foods today. Great minds think alike! I hit up the salad bar and filled up with lots of yummy stuff like sun dried tomato couscous, black bean and corn salad, grilled eggplant, beets, multigrain tabouli, broccoli crunch salad, and cranberry tuna salad. 

And a Vegan Almond Cookie. I've been wanting to try one forever, but every time I go to Whole Foods, they seem to be out. Couldn't let this opportunity pass me by! Whenever I purchase a cookie at Whole Foods, I'm somehow convinced they're healthy and low-cal. Probably not, but I'll let myself keep thinking that.

Every time I walk in Whole Foods, I feel like a little kid in a candy store. I could literally spend hours in there. Last summer when I interned in Chicago, there was a Whole Foods a few blocks away from where I lived, and I went on a triweekly basis (ok ok, some weeks it was a daily occurrence)! Of course I picked up some goodies today, but I'll talk about those tomorrow.

I'm blogging from Panera Bread right now and am spending the rest of the afternoon studying for the RD exam!

The Lady and Sons Restaurant

While I'm not really a huge fan of typical deep-fried, greasy, buttery, Southern fare, I thought it was only appropriate that I end my Savannah experience with a Paula Deen extravaganza at The Lady and Sons. We were under the impression that they didn't take reservations, but we could show up at 5 PM, put our names on the list, and then come back at the time we wanted. We were sadly mistaken. The Lady and Sons DOES take reservations but only the day of starting at 9:30 AM. Casually strolling in at 5 PM pushed us back to a 9:15 dinner time. This was a little late for us, but we didn't know if we we would ever have the chance to dine at Paula Deen's restaurant again, so we were willing to make the sacrifice. Besides, we wanted to be good and hungry by the time we got our food. Even though we had to wait a really long time to actually get into the restaurant, the service was excellent once we sat down.

Paula sure knows how to start things right. As soon as I sat down, a cheddar garlic biscuit and hoecake (later drizzled with maple syrup) was immediately placed directly in front of me. They disappeared in about, oh, 30 seconds. Sorry in advance for the poor quality of pictures.

Because it was my last night of vacation, I ordered a glass of the featured Malbec (my favorite wine). As I sipped my wine, I probably didn't fit in too much with the rest of the restaurant (people loading their plates down with fried chicken, mac 'n cheese, and creamed potatoes from the buffet line), but I don't care-it was what I wanted.

My parents and I also split the Fried Green Tomato appetizer, which came with a side of vidalia onion relish and roasted red pepper sauce and were the perfect accompaniments. It was marked as one of Paula's Picks, so I knew they had to be good. They were crisped to perfection and might have been my favorite part of the meal (except for dessert).

We decided to pass on the buffet and order off of the main menu. I ordered Tilapia for my main course, which was also one of Paula's Picks (and also her favorite!). It came with a side of jasmine rice and sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. It was topped with crab butter, but I'm sure another stick of butter was also used in preparation of this dish-I wouldn't expect anything less from Paula!

Skipping dessert obviously wasn't an option last night either. My parents and I split the Key Lime Pie after hearing it was the "fan favorite." While we were in Destin a couple of years ago, my family set out on a quest to find the best key lime pie at the beach. While Red Bar's Key Lime Pie still ranks at the top of our list, this pie may be a close second. It was thick, creamy, and not too tart-just the way I like it. I really think it was the almond graham cracker crust that sealed the deal for me. Crust is definitely my favorite part of pie, and this one was delicious!

Eating at The Lady and Sons was really more of an experience to me than anything else. I probably wouldn't go back to eat there time and time again (just not my type of food really), but it's definitely worth it to go at least once in your lifetime. If you're ever in Savannah and want some down home Southern cookin', I would definitely check it out!

Savannah Restaurant Reviews Part 1

Welcome to Savannah, GA!

Forrest Gump, anyone?

When we arrived in Savannah today, lunch was the first thing on the agenda. After researching the top lunch spots in Savannah on Urban Spoon last night (I'm ok with being a food nerd), I came across The Starland Cafe. It was described as being off the beaten path and one of Savannah's hidden gems. Receiving adjectives, such as quaint, eclectic, healthy, and vegetarian-friendly-I was sold. It's so quaint that it doesn't even have its own website and is located in an old historical home. 

After perusing the menu, I ordered one of the daily sandwich specials. It was a Mexican type sandwich, consisting of chicken, cheddar, pico de gallo, and chipotle sauce served on ciabatta bread. It was delicious, but I think I may have been happier with another sandwich, such as the Turkey Hummus or Tomato Guacamole. However, I really wanted the half sandwich and soup combo, which I could only get if I ordered the sandwich of the day. 

The real motivation behind my desire for the soup and sandwich combo was the Tomato Thai Soup. I read rave reviews about it all night, so I knew it was a must-try. The Tomato Thai Soup did in fact live up to its name. This soup was so thick, rich, and creamy that I figured it must be laden with heavy cream. Much to my surprise, I learned that this soup was actually vegan and cream-free. The soup was made with 2 types of roasted squash, tomato purée, Thai spices, and was finished with coconut milk instead! I knew I tasted a hint of coconut and perhaps, lemongrass? This restaurant was right up my alley, and I will definitely return to try another sandwich the next time I'm in Savannah.

After discovering that the Starland Cafe was only a 5 minute walk from Back in the Day Bakery (voted Savannah's best bakery), a post-lunch treat was absolutely necessary. I went to the bakery with full intentions of ordering a Red Velvet Cupcake after hearing they were Bobby Deen's favorite. Unfortunately, they had already sold out by the time we got there. 

I settled for the Old-Fashioned Cupcake instead after the cashier insisted they were the best-selling cupcake. Obviously not! Being the chocolate fanatic he is, my dad chose the Chocolate Heaven Cupcake, and we shared both cupcakes between the two of us. The Old-Fashioned Cupcake was my favorite-moist vanilla cake and decadent buttercream icing in just the right amount. The Chocolate Heaven Cupcake was a little too rich for me, but my dad thoroughly enjoyed it. The bakery also offers a lunch menu, and they appeared to have a good crowd. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and I would definitely go back for that Red Velvet Cupcake!

I'm blogging right now as we wait for our 9:15 dinner reservations at The Lady and Sons Restaurant.

Have a great night!

ABC's of Food

A: is for apple, what's your favorite variety?

Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Fuji. 

B: is for Bread, regardless of nutrition, calories, or whole grains what is your favorite type to have a nice big piece of?

Bottega's focaccia bread. I also really like warm pita bread (like the really buttery kind) or flatbread.

C: is for Cereal what is your favorite kind currently (just one!) Currently-

Sorry, I can't choose just one! I like to alternate between Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Barbara's Shredded Oats, and Barbara's PB Puffins.

D: is for Doughnuts, you might not currently be eating them but what kind do you fancy?

I actually don't really fancy doughnuts. They're easily something I could pass up, but I tend to go for just the plain glazed if I do have one. 

E: is for Eggs, how would you like yours prepared?

Scrambled or in an omelette loaded with veggies!

F: is for Fat Free, what is your favorite fat free product?

I like fat-free dairy products. Skim milk and 0% Greek yogurt.

G: is for Groceries, where do you purchase yours at?

Publix, Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and Target. I'd purchase them at Trader Joe's regularly if we had one in Birmingham!

H: is for Hot Beverages, what is your favorite hot drink?

Is that even a question? Coffee, duh! 

I: is for Ice Cream, pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.

I tend to like more vanilla based ice creams with lots of fun toppings! Reese's, oreos, granola, coconut, cookie dough, chocolate chips, almonds, etc.

J: is for Jams or Jellies, do you eat them, and if so what kind and flavor?

I'm liking Crofter's Raspberry Spread right now. I don't care how "little kiddish" they seem, PB&J's will have a special place in my heart forever:) I also really like strawberry, blackberry, and peach jams. I've never been much of a grape fan.

K: is for Kashi, name your favorite Kashi product?

Kashi Heart to Heart Honey Toasted cereal and Cinnamon Harvest cereal.

L: is for Lunch, what was yours today?
I haven't eaten lunch yet today, but I'm sure you'll see it later!

M: is for microwave, what is your favorite microwave meal/snack?

I usually just use the microwave to eat up leftovers. Sometimes sweet potatoes or frozen veggies.

N: is for nutrients, do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best?

I like 'em all, but I guess I'd have to go with carbs. I'm a pizza and pasta girl!

O: is for oil, what kind do you like to use?

EVOO for cooking and bread dipping!

P: is for protein, how do you get yours?

Chicken, fish and shellfish, eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts and nut butters, beans, turkey and sometimes other meats.

Q: is for Quaker, how do you like your oats?

I love hot oats with a banana and nut butter!

R: is for roasting, what is your favorite thing to roast?

Vegetables-mostly sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, squash, and zucchini.

S: is for sandwich, what’s your favorite kind?
I'm usually drawn to sandwiches with the following ingredients: avocado, spinach, pesto, goat cheese, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, portabello mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, eggplant, chicken, turkey. My favorite breads are a seedy whole grain or focaccia. Give me a sandwich with any combination of those ingredients, and I'm a pretty happy girl!

T: is for travel, how do you handle eating while traveling?

Eating at restaurants in different cities is one of my all-time favorite things to do! I eat locally and order each restaurant's speciality! I also like to order unusual (in a good way) foods or foods I don't typically eat on a normal basis. If the restaurant has "an award-winning something", you better believe I'm gonna try it. Sometimes it's healthy, sometimes it's not.

U: is for unique, what is one of your weirdest food combos?
It's not very weird here in the blog world, but my family and friends often give me strange looks for my Green Monster smoothies.

V: is for vitamins, what kind do you take?

Just a Women's One-A-Day Multivitamin. 

W: is for wasabi, yay or nay?

Mostly nay. It's ok in (very) small amounts with sushi, but I could do without.

X: is for XC Foodie, why is she so awesome? XRAY. if we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?
Breakfast:

Vanilla Oikos Greek yogurt, 1/3 C oats, 1/2 sliced banana, dried cherries, TJ's Sunflower Seed Butter.

Y: is for youth, what food reminds you of your childhood?

Chef Boyardee ABC's and 123's, Hotdog slices with "orange sauce" (ketchup and mustard mixed together), Watergate Salad ("green fluff" as I called it), and Mickey Mouse toast (white bread with a Mickey Mouse imprint toasted with butter and cinnamon and sugar on top). Clearly, I was a really healthy eater.

Z: is for zucchini, how do you prepare it?
Roasted, grilled, or sautéed.

I saw this survey on Clare's blog and thought it looked fun. Headed to Savannah for the day!

Restaurant Repeats

If you ever have the chance to get a hot stones massage, DO IT! This was my first massage and probably my last for a reallyyyy long time, but it was pretty phenomenal! I practically fell asleep as I was getting this massage (pretty sure I woke up drooling). After I got done with the spa, I was pretty famished, so I made myself these snacks:

Vanilla Oikos Greek yogurt sprinkled with Blackberry Farms Maple Walnut Delight granola and blueberries.

Watermelon.

While I was eating a measly Clif Bar and apple for lunch, my parents were eating this:

Arugula salad with blackberries, strawberries and feta.

They split a cheeseburger and fries along with their salad.

Now how is that fair?! They said they had to order this when I wasn't around, but I like cheeseburgers every now and then too! My dad said this was on his top 3 list of best cheeseburgers he's ever had, so he had to snap a shot of it.

I went back to the pool in the afternoon (of course) and studied some more for the RD exam. I have a newfound appreciation for food science. I never found much use for it in college (Memorizing cuts of meat and different moisture contents of cheese? Not high on my priority list at the time.), but all the cooking info is actually pretty interesting!

We went back to dinner at The Oak Room. We sat at the same table, had the same waitress, and I ordered the same spinach salad. I don't really like to repeat things at restaurants, but I have this thing for salads with goat cheese and pecans. The waitress remembered that we were the family who was kinda obsessed with the black eyed pea hummus and likes extra lemons with their water.

On the way to dinner.

Our pretty view of the golf course.

Black eyed pea hummus. Mmmm!

Spinach salad awesomeness.

I did order a different entreé! Crab Cakes with apple jicama slaw and red pepper purée. Crab cakes are up there on my favorite foods list.

After dinner, we drove around St. Simon's Island. There were so many cute local restaurants I wish we'd known about earlier. Not that I'm complaining, I've loved everything I've eaten here. Too much food, so little time. I was craving something sweet, so when I spotted a TCBY, I pretty much made my dad pull over the car.

Classic combination of white chocolate mousse and peanut butter yogurt topped with chocolate chips.

Tomorrow morning we're going to Savannah and eating dinner at Paula Deen's restaurant!

Good night!

Scenic Run

Had a great dinner last night at Big George's!

I started off at the salad bar and filled up my bowl with romaine, shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, couscous, three bean salad, and lemon vinaigrette. 

I loaded up my plate with a tomato, black eyed pea, and okra ratatouille, grouper piccata, pork tenderloin, lobster mac 'n cheese, and a cheddar cornbread muffin. It was all great, but the lobster mac 'n cheese was out of this world!

I was too full to get a dessert of my own, but I did try a bite of my dad's chocolate whoopie pie and my mom's ice cream sundae.

After dinner, my mom and I went on a walk.

We watched the sun go down.

And saw this cute little guy!

I watched the American Idol (I must say I've stayed up to date on all my TV shows since I've been here) and read some more in Water for Elephants last night. I actually hadn't watched this season of American Idol until last night. I usually just tune in to the finale to see who the winner is. I thought Scotty and Lauren were both great, but I didn't have a preference either way as to who won.

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of Quaker Oatmeal Squares, skim milk, sliced banana, and blueberries.

After breakfast, I went for a run on the beach. I've always wanted to say that! There was only one other runner out there, so I felt like I had the whole beach to myself. It was so peaceful that I stopped for a minute at my turnaround point to stretch and take it all in. The sand was really hard and flat, which made it pretty easy to run on. However, I did have to dodge some jellyfish along the way! 

I have a spa appointment at 12 (!!!), so I just ate a snack/light lunch in the room to tide me over. I had a Chocolate Almond Fudge Clif Bar, a Pink Lady topped with Justin's Maple AB, and a few dates.

See ya later!