Biking by the Beach

We bought a few grocery items yesterday, so I ate breakfast in the room today. I haven't been craving hot oats as much due to the weather getting hotter, but I still have to have my oats in some form or fashion. Overnight oats=perfect solution!

Strawberry Banana Overnight Oats eaten outside on the balcony.

Overnight Combo:

•  Strawberry Oikos Greek Yogurt
• 1/3 C oats
• 1/3 C skim milk
• 1 T chia seeds
• Justin's Maple AB
• 1/2 banana
• Strawberries

Added in the Morning:

• 1/2 sliced banana
• Strawberries

After breakfast, my dad and I went on a morning Cloister Kitchen and Wine Cellar Tour. It was really interesting! One of the resort's restaurant, The Georgian Room, is one of only 23 five-star rated restaurants in the United States! While we were on the tour, we naturally got to sample some food.

Cracker + Brie with a raspberry on top

Oatmeal + Golden Raisin Cookie.

 I ate about half on the tour and saved the rest for an after lunch dessert.

We ate lunch today at the River Bar again.

I ordered the Crabsino Sandwich on toasted wheat bread with a side of grilled veggies. I thought this was going to be a crab cake sandwich of sorts, but it was actually more of a crabmeat salad sandwich. Still delicious!

My parents both ordered the Vegetable Flatbread. It came on Tandoori Naan with roasted garlic hummus and swiss cheese. Looked amazing!

After lunch, my mom and I went on a bike ride. It was so much fun!

We stopped for a second to admire the scenery.

Afternoon snackage.

After my bike ride, I went back to the pool to soak up some Vitamin D and study for the RD exam. I feel like I'm making progress and all my nutrition knowledge is coming back to me!

Off to Big George's for a seafood buffet dinner!

Seafood Crazed

We ate lunch today at the River Bar, another one of the resort's restaurants.

Our view from the restaurant.

My dad loved his White Bean and Collard Green Soup so much, he wanted me to show it on my blog!

I ordered the Fresh Catch, which was Cobia. It was served over panzanella with citrus vinaigrette. Panzanella is a Florentine salad of bread, tomatoes, and basil. All of the fresh flavors reminded me of the summer I spent in Florence!

We sat in the Solarium, the sun room, after lunch. The ambiance was complete with PARROTS!

I hit up the workout room after lunch. I did an hour on the arc trainer, while watching Sex and the City. Admittedly, one of my guilty pleasures-along with Glee, Emily Giffin novels, Disney movies/Disney World, TCBY Shivers, and anything chocolate and peanut butter.

The workout room was really nice.

I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging poolside and eating Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream!

I DID manage to get a little studying in!

We ate dinner at The Oak Room at The Lodge at Sea Island, which is about a 10 minute drive from The Cloister. The restaurant is modeled after The Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel in NYC. It was lovely! We had a beautiful view overlooking the golf course. It's no secret that I love seafood, and I am going to try to incorporate it in some form at every meal I eat here. I have to take full advantage of it!

In the car on the way to dinner.

Loved the presentation of bread. You can see my parents' Vidalia Onion Soup in the background. I tried a bite and it was really good!

The bread came with a side of EVOO + black eyed pea hummus!

I started with an organic spinach salad that came with goat cheese, spiced pecans, cherry tomatoes, vidalia onions, and sherry vinaigrette. LOVED this salad!

I ordered Shrimp and Grits for my entreé. It was fantastic!

After dinner, we sat outside and I enjoyed a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon,

 while listening to a bagpipe player! 

We made it back in time to catch the season finale of Glee! Have a great night:)

Morning Walk

Good morning from Sea Island!

Every time a new season of The Bachelor/Bachelorette rolls around, I always swear that I'm not going to watch this season, but somehow I always get sucked in. It's just so entertaining! My favorite guys right now are William (the cellphone salesman and Sean Connery impersonator), Ryan (the one who got the first impression rose), and Ben (the French lawyer from New Orleans). All adorable!

My mom and I woke up early this morning and walked along the beach to Big George's for breakfast. I selected muesli with granola + lots of fruit off the continental breakfast buffet.

After breakfast, we went on a walk through a residential neighborhood.

The houses were gorgeous!

So were the Spanish moss trees...

and the Magnolia blossoms.

More to come later!

Finally here!

7 1/2 hours later....

I read about half of Water for Elephants in the car. I usually get carsick reading in the car but not today!

I'm in Sea Island!!!

Oh my goodness. It is so beautiful here. Our condo is easily the nicest one I've ever stayed at in my life.

Bad News: I forgot my camera and am using my dad's, so the only pictures I'll be able to post are from my Blackberry. I'll make a picture post once I get back!

Once we arrived at Sea Island, we went to dinner at Big George's, one of the resort's restaurants. I ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio to start (it's vacation, right?) and the Baked Salmon served over vegetable ragout. This dish was on the menu's lighter fare section, which was designed by Sea Island's nutritionist and features local, seasonal vegetables. I stole a bite of my mom's snapper, which was also great!

Loved these little cheddar cornbread muffins!

After dinner, I got the full tour of Sea Island. We enjoyed dessert once we got back to our room. I had lots of leftover lemon and chocolate cheesecake squares from the other night.

I'm getting ready to watch the Bachelorette season premiere. Hope you have a great night!

Ready to Hit the Road

Breakfast of overnight oats has been eaten.

Didn't want to dirty the dishes before leaving town.

Overnight Combo:

• 1/3 C oats
• 1/3 C 0% Plain Fage Greek yogurt
• 1/3 C skim milk
• 1 T chia seeds
• TJ's Sunflower Seed Butter
• Blueberries

Added in the Morning:

• Splash of milk
• Cinnamon
• Blackberry Farms granola

Coffee has been drank.

PB&J lunch has been made and snacks have been packed. You never know what options you might have, so it's always good to be prepared on road trips.

Sandwich made on Whole Foods Flax Oat Bread with TJ's Sunflower Seed Butter and Crofter's Raspberry Spread.

The car is loaded.

There's a lot of Vera between my mom and I.

I'm ready to hit the road!

Quote of the Week: "If you're feeling frightened about what comes next...don't. Embrace the uncertainty. Allow it to lead you places. Be brave as it challenges you to exercise both your heart and your mind as you create your own path towards happiness. Don't waste time with regret. Spin wildly into your next action. Enjoy the present - each moment as it comes - because you'll never get another one quite like it. And if you should ever look up and find yourself lost, simply take a breath and start over. Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart, where your hope lives. You'll find your way again."

Sea Island and Savannah Bound

I had a great time last night getting to catch up with five of my sorority sisters! I thought we were having a cookout, but Regan made us a healthy homemade meal instead. Even better! She's a nanny for a family in New York, and this is one of the dishes that she regularly makes for them. We had baked chicken stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta, and spinach. We had roasted squash and zucchini, spinach baked in marinara sauce, and whole wheat bread on the side. Delish. I can see why she makes such a great nanny! It was a great meal with great company.

I contributed to the meal by bringing Lemon Squares and Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares from Edgar's Bakery.

I made a little dessert sampler plate with strawberry shortcake, a lemon square, and a chocolate cream cheese square. Of course, I had to try everything!

After dinner, I met up Mary Alice, Jody, and a few others for a drink at Oak Hill Bar & Grill. MA was in town for a wedding, and I was happy to get to see her before she went back to Mobile!

Breakfast was a bowl of Oatmeal Squares and a handful of Barbara's PB Puffins with skim milk topped with 1/2 sliced banana, strawberries, blueberries, and a little drizzle of TJ's Sunflower Seed Butter.

I went to church this morning with my parents and went to lunch afterwards at Brio Tuscan Grille. I hate to be boring and order a salad every time, but they're just that good! I went with the Mediterranean Chicken Salad today.

I <3 Brio's bread + sun dried tomato olive oil.

Highlights included orzo, asparagus, roasted red peppers, feta, pine nuts, roasted red peppers, capers, and crispy lavoush. Nothing boring about this salad!

This afternoon I walked to the gym from my house (it's that close! about 20 minutes) did 45 minutes on the arc trainer and walked back. I also did some ab stuff when I got home, studied for the RD exam, worked on job stuff, and snacked on some homemade trail mix.

Quaker Oatmeal Squares, cashews, dried cherries, and chocolate chips.

I'll be out of town all next week, so I wanted to make sure I used up lots of produce in dinner tonight. I had a Dr. Praeger's Veggie Burger served atop a bed of sweet potato rounds, red and yellow bell pepper slices, and avocado with ketchup drizzled on top.

I also sliced up some peaches and strawberries and coated them in a yogurt dip consisting of 0% Fage Plain Greek yogurt, brown sugar, and honey. While I roasted the sweet potatoes and bell peppers, I let the mixture sit in the refrigerator. It was so yummy. Talk about a refreshing summer dessert!

Afterthought: This would probably be really good with granola on top too!

I've got to get packing. I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a vacation to Sea Island and Savannah with my parents.

See ya there!