What I Ate in San Francisco (from home)

September 11, 2013 By Laura

Leave it to me to go to a food city and bring my own.

Not my first choice.

A HUGE part of the commitment to compete is a commitment to your diet. It’s not easy. It’s not always fun. HOWEVER… abs are made in the kitchen.

This trip to has been especially hard for me because it’s my first with my new job… and I have a really fun team to hang out with. So far I’ve been good, even working out twice in 12 hours due to scheduling.

Preparation is key. This trip I packed up some old staples. These are items that “save” me:

Homemade fro-yo: I take single serving containers of plain Greek yogurt, add my on mix-ins, and re-cover them to freeze. Freezing the yogurt makes it easier to get through security (it’s a solid) and it acts as an ice pack for your other foods. And it’s tasty. This week I had peanut flour-strawberry and vanilla-mango.
Packaged foods: these are a great to have on had. I pack up single-serving protein powders, bars, stevia, tuna, and rice cakes.
Oatmeal: Usually I plan to get this from room service, but I wanted to try something new. I pre-measured out my oats and adding in ginger and cinnamon. All I need to do is add water/protein powder/hotel fruit to make oatmeal in my room!
Jerky: I don’t often eat jerky, but Perky Jerky offered to send me sample of their (preservative-free) product. I really like the turkey version only has 110 mg of sodium! Score.

Of course I brought more… see below… 😉

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I’ve done detailed travel posts before, so this is WIAW travel food-edition going to be more of an overview. I did manage some new (strange?) travel eats this time around.

Read on for my San Francisco treats, and then check out Jenn’s blog. for some more “normal” days of food.

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On the Plane:

Overnight oats in a jar make getting up early just a little easier. These were packed with fig, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla protein powder.

Yes, they made it through security.

Round 2 on the plane was the baked chicken from my food prep (recipe coming tomorrow), carrots, and airplane pretzels.

The fro-yo kept it nice and cold!

Hotel Breakfast:

This has become an art. The Westin St. Francis has been fabulous with my crazy food requests. They brought up apple cider vinegar so I could have my morning cocktail!!! I downed that along with half a muffin (brought from home) to fuel a morning workout. Check out the view I woke up to!

Then the full meal was delivered: plain oats with a side of berries, cinnamon, and coffee. I mixed in my own protein powder, and added coffee to thin it out. Perfection!

Other Mini-Meals:

You can actually find acceptable food to eat in cities like SF. I got to enjoy a kale-barley salad with chickpeas and shrimp for lunch on our first day here:

This was the peanut flour and strawberry fro-yo creation I brought from home. Can you tell how fantastically frozen it was?!

I ended up having to do my workout at midnight east coast time… this was just the treat I needed after. I spent half the workout thinking about it.

This next snack happened at the conference. People seemed a little surprised when they discovered I brought the egg from home. I can’t imagine why…

It turns out hard-boiled egg travels really well! Tomato Brownies travel well too. I took it straight from my freezer from home, and by day two it had thawed and tasted delicious! I didn’t reveal the secret ingredient to my co-workers. ~~They’d have been too jealous.~~ 😉

Of course, there have been other eats. When we go to restaurants I order veggies with a plain grilled protein or I bust out my “emergency” tuna. It’s really no too hard too eat out (temptation side).

***

If anyone wants to send random tweets of support and keep me honest… that wouldn’t suck. 😉

Do you struggle with diet? It’s the hardest part about competing for me!

Do you like hard-boiled eggs? This was my first time making them for myself!

A 50 K, a 50 mile, and Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

September 5, 2013 By Laura

Wise, insightful posts are so inspiring.

I so admire people who can write them.

Kat wrote one such post today in her bi-weekly guest spot below. I am forever grateful to her for bringing a ~~mature~~ different voice to this blog.

It make me feel less guilty for sharing ~~crap~~ interesting tidbits like this:

Hello Kitty beer. It’s a real thing in China. Apparently it comes in lime and peach flavors… and there are 4 more coming. Like banana. *gag*

Rather than making about a million inappropriate jokes, I going to stop and let Kat take over. Her Vegan Eggplant Parm recipe certainly tastes better than Hello Kitty fruity beer.

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A 50 K, a 50 mile, and Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

The rest of my West Coast Trip ROCKED! I finished 3rd in my age group at the Mount Tam 50K, and it was such a beautiful race! However, I wore the wrong shoes, and my feet ACHED! I wore the Saucony Kinvara trail shoes (which I love, but only for about 15-18 miles or so). I got new shoes as soon as I got home (to wear in my 50 miler last Sunday).

Mount Tam 50k

Then I went zip lining through the redwoods! I highly recommend this! (Editor’s note: I’ll pass on the 50K but sign me up for this!!!)

I learned so much about the trees and how adaptive they are. They really are super cool, and the zip lining is a blast, too.

After 10 days, getting back to “normal,” has been a slow process, at best, but I’m so happy to be home with all of my babies – the three kitties and the three puppies! (Editor’s note: I always feel that way too – even after the most amazing of trips.)

I also was super excited to run the Yeti Snakebite 50/50 on Sunday, September 1. So many of my friends were there to either run 50K or 50 miles, and it was awesome to see all the friendly faces. Unfortunately, it was a much harder race and hotter day than most anticipated, so tons of people were unable to complete the race (and I was super slow). However, I finished the 50 miler, a little over 12 hours after I started.

Krista gave up her whole day to crew for me. She showed up at every aid station to bring me things I needed and wanted and to help me though. I am humbled and grateful to have people in my life who care about me and are willing to support me in my (crazy) endeavors.

My new Innov8 Trail Roc shoes also ROCKED! I was a little nervous, having only run in them once (for about 6 miles), to wear them in such a long race, but I highly recommend them. They are lightweight, but have a beastly cleat (Editor’s note: Best description ever) on the bottom to help you on the trails, while not hurting your feet for short spurts on pavement.

The Race itself was extremely difficult, and when it rained (POURED) on us, it was slippery and dangerous. EEK! I also got off-trail for a bit, which reminded me to just smile through it and eventually cross the finish line! The volunteers were amazing, and kept us going even when super frustrated.

It helps to step back after a race like that and ask yourself, “Why?” Why do we do this? Why do we intentionally do things that we know will hurt, that will push us to our physical and mental limits?”

I keep coming back to the answer that it shows me that I can push through the most difficult feelings, and survive when I want to quit. Applying this lesson to life, I keep wanting to also show myself I can do it with a smile. (Editor’s note: That, and you’re a little crazy. Which is why we get along. 😉 )

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At my house, we recently started getting fruit and vegetable delivery, once a week, from Cold Life Organics. They have several options for boxes, and you can add on to any box, skip a shipment, or change which box you need or want. It’s only $40 for one week for two people! It’s been awesome, and with the variety they bring, it encourages me to try new things and think outside the box. 😉 (Yes, that was a cheesy pun. You’re welcome!)

Last week we got eggplant. I wanted to have friends over, rather than going out and spending more money, so I decided to get creative for my vegan friend, Ann. I ended up doing a play on Eggplant Parmesan, sans the Parmesan… and it was SO GOOD! (Editor’s note: Holla at this friend!!!)

It was super crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, and perfectly delicious. Using the pecan meal with the nutritional yeast gave it the perfect amount of nuttiness that we didn’t get from the real Parmesan, and the garlic gave it an awesome little kick with some sweetness. And I would not do this without the fresh basil! Try this recipe!

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Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

1 Medium eggplant
1/2 T org. buckwheat flour
1 T almond meal
2 T pecan meal
1 T dried parsley
1 T nutritional yeast
Big pinch salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 Large fresh basil leaves, chopped
Plenty of coconut oil
16 oz jar of tomato sauce, or homemade tomato sauce (I made my own)

Pre-heat the oven to 425.

Mix your buckwheat, almond and pecan meal, parsley, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and fresh basil in a bowl with a fork. In another bowl, pour some melted coconut oil.

Cut eggplant into ¼ – ½ inch rounds. First dip them in the dry mixture, then into the coconut oil, then back into the dry mixture. Make sure it gets a good coating on there. Repeat with the whole eggplant.

Place on baking sheet lined with foil and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy on top (I had to broil mine an extra 2-3 minutes after).

Let some of the oil drip onto a towel/paper towel and let cool for about 3-5 minutes. Then serve with sauce!

Makes 3-4 servings.

***

I think Kat nailed it this week with a #strangebutgood recipe! And I am adding this to the list of things to beg her to make me…

What do you do for self-improvement? How do your workouts help? It clears my mind and helps me remain more focused on goals!

Do you have organic veggie delivery!? Would you look into it?

Keeping it Healthy in San Francisco

August 22, 2013 By Laura

Vacations are an important part of staying healthy.

Mental health is no joke!

I took Monday off of blogging because my friends and I impulsively decided to extend our stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains. My sanity and I needed it.

It was a fun-filled weekend… there was plenty of debauchery, but we stayed active too. Curling giant bottles of wine counts, right?

We braved rain and chilly weather to go paddle boarding. It was my first time! I think it would be more fun if it had been warm amd sunny… and you best believe I’ll be trying again!

I didn’t fall in once! Fear of cold water will give you balancing super powers.

The dog (Milo) went down the river too!

The more “traditional” relaxation activities ensued as well.

The cabin’s hot tub was well-loved. We refueled with a feast cooked by the lovely Latina women on the trip. And we played board games that involved poetry writing. Have you ever heard of Quelf? Good fun!

The poem for me. 🙂

I may not be a natural at everything, but relaxing? Relaxing is my jam.

Kat is having her own relaxation time after taking the Bar Exam. Of course, her version includes winning races in San Fran and running a 50K. You know, for fun.

Read on for this force of nature’s adventures and healthy travel tips!

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My San Francisco To-Do List – Keeping it Healthy

Because I’m not working full-time yet, I am actually taking some time to relax, enjoy life, go on a couple of trips and maybe do a little conferencing. This week I am in the San Francisco Bay Area (Editor’s note: Color me jealous. This is one of my favorite parts on the country!) for the annual Lavender Law Conference, but I tacked on the weekend to do essential “Kat” things.

As many of you know and experience, it can be hard to stay healthy on vacation. Laura did a great job on her birthday trip with running, and some healthy meals (Editor’s note: Shameless plug… this is the post I did about that on my California trip).

I’m having a similar trip, and still enjoying cool food (Editor’s note: I’d break up with you as a friend if you didn’t 😉 ). I’m also enjoying the cider, wine, and cocktails, but nothing to excess.

My favorite tips for keeping a healthy vacation:

Find rock-star baby-sitters for your fur-babies. It can put your mind at ease, and keep stressors low. I could not be here with out Khristina and Tara helping me out.
Try to stay with a friend, if possible. It makes many of the following tips easier. (My friends Sara and Jenny are angels for hosting me for 10 days).
Go to the grocery store and pick of some of your favorite healthy staples! (I immediately got apple cider vinegar and bee pollen).
Plan a few nights to have meals at home. You know what’s in your food, and can make healthy (and delicious) choices. (Doesn’t hurt that Sara is also an awesome cook!)
Make or find fresh juices and don’t have a heavy breakfast every day. (Oh, and Sara juices with fresh fruit and veggies every morning… I’m in heaven).
Plan to be outside! It’s the easiest way to stay active – weather walking, running, biking, hiking, etc. (I planned two races and 3 other day trips!)
Breath Deeply.
Actually try not to think about work! I didn’t check email all day today. Laura can attest to this, as she thought a blog was not coming for Thursday!
Give yourself a break.

I know a lot of them overlap, but how many of you still sometimes work (even a little) on vacation? I bet more of you than want to admit it. But time off, to renew and regenerate is key to happy, healthy living. It can help you be a better girlfriend, wife, employee, mom, friend, etc., etc. when you get back.

I know breathing deeply doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is. (Editor’s note: I have to remind myself of this on the regular.)

Sara and Jenny have taken me to 3 overlooks, just to enjoy the views, breath, smile, and relax.

Wildcat Canyon Road Overlook from Berkeley

San Francisco From Twin Peaks – check out how the fog opens up!

(all photos taken from the same spot within 5-7 minutes)

San Francisco from Sausalito

I also decided to keep it active and fun by exploring tons of new trails! I first had a Cinderella 30K race at Joaquin Miller Park and the Redwood Regional Park on Sunday (and I placed in my age group!), then I did some exploring in the city on Monday (who knows how many miles Jaime and I walked).

Tuesday I ran/hiked all the trails on the southeast side of Tilden Regional Park, and Wednesday I went to Half Moon Bay for a walk on the beach, and to Huddard Park for the MOST FUN run of the week. I was flying.

Joaquin Miller Park

Tilden Regional Park

Halfmoon Bay & Huddart Park (redwood central)

Halfmoon Bay & Huddard Park (redwood central)

Next weekend, I get to participate in the Mount Tam 50K. It’s got limited entries, and I got in off the waitlist! yay!

I could go home now and not be disappointed. But the conference starts today, and I’m super excited to network, learn a bunch, and maybe even party a little with the folks from the conference! (Editor’s note: My career counselor in grad school taught a class called “Networking or NOT working” – SO true.)

I feel compulsive about wanting to share my adventures with you guys (Editor’s note: Welcome to being a blogger)! But I guess there will be more in two weeks!

Random Vacation Pics

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Kat’s post this week is making me want to go back to SF! Also, I giggled while posting the hot tub pic… 😉

How do you stay active and healthy on vacation? Do you turn off your cell phone?

Any tips for more stuff to do in the San Francisco area? There might be zip-lining in Sonoma on Sunday!

Work It Out: FAQ

August 13, 2013 By Laura

Does anyone ever look at the Fitness tab?

(Look up. There. On the menu bar.)

Recently I’ve had a few questions that I’ve addressed at one point or another. While I would loooove to think everyone has my Fitness page memorized ~~(I don’t even know what’s there)~~, I realize that’s a lot to look at.

Today for Work It Out I thought I’d highlight a few of the posts that answer some frequently asked questions, and some of my favorites.

Click each title below to link to the detailed post…

1. The Ab Edition

So how do you get abs? I hate to say it… it’s true what they say – abs are made in the kitchen. This post has some specific diet tips to get your abs poppin’.

2. Top 5 Core Exercises

While abs ARE made in the kitchen, a strong core can make daily activities easier, reduces risk of injury, helps your posture, and protects your back. This post has my top 5 favorite moves.

3. No Excuses NOT to Work It out

Think you don’t have time to workout? Think again! No one has time… you have to make time to workout. This post includes ways around barriers, and a few workouts you can squeeze in quickly at home.

4. Tips for Improving Workout Focus

Eliminating wandering thoughts, gym distractions, and general rushing is important to getting the most out of your workout. My tips for purposeful lifting.

5. Work It Out with Supplements

Supplements are an area of mystery for many people. This post details the 5 supplements I take to help keep up my energy, reach fitness goals (i.e. build muscle), and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

6. Healthy Eating on the Road

I travel a lot for my job. This post is how I survived on the road 3 weeks out from my competition, eating 7 meals per day while navigating airport security, conference rooms, and clients. It’s my Top 10 Survival Tips.

7. Attack of the Killer Sodium

This is a soap box for me. Before I needed to start tracking my sodium pre-competition, I had NO idea how much sodium is added to foods – breads, protein powders… even spice blends! A little education, and some idea for making your own spice blends for use on protein, veggies, and beans.

8. Vegan Protein Sources

If you are new-ish to this blog, you may not know that I went vegetarian and then vegan for a hot minute. It made me a lot more creative in the kitchen, and allowed me to answer the common question: “How do vegans get protein?” (Click through for an awesome pin-able grocery guide.)

9. 15 Detox Foods

Many detox “diets” focus on elimination. Rather cutting out foods, I decided to focus on what I needed to ADD to my diet to boost energy and help my body get back on track. This post includes the foods I make sure to add to in when I need a reset.

10. The “No Shit” Diet

This is my favorite post ever. My take on diet (hint: it’s about common sense), Diet 101, my weekly food buys (the most FAQ), flavors adds, and where I shop (you know you wan that peanut flour 😉 ).

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This is one of those posts where I wonder if anyone will read it… those always feel like a little leap of faith. Seems to be a common theme lately…

Do you have a Fitness question/area of interest? I need post ideas!

What is your #1 fitness tip? It can be about food, workouts, motivation… anything!

Easy Meal Ideas + Bar Recovery

August 8, 2013 By Laura

Stress does funny things to people.

Or it makes you find odd things funny…

I’ve been traveling this week and with the possibility of more travel looming and a bunch of personal stuff on the horizon, the stress level is high.

So I looked for the humor. Turns out, all I needed to do was look down… and then coin my new favorite hashtag: #meetingfeet.

You know you’re in Florida when an exec rocks the sock-less loafer look.

Those would be beer mugs on this business leader’s socks.

Speaking of stress, my friend Kat is stress-free after the Bar Exam!!! I am so proud of her – I can’t even imagine having the discipline to get through all that.

Today she’s sharing her relaxation strategy and a couple of quick-yet-awesome recipes. I cannot WAIT to try her Thai Coconut Hummus! But I’ll let her tell you about it…

Easy Meal Ideas + Bar Recovery

Thank god the bar is over!!!! It was not fun, and I hope I never have to take it again. Unfortunately, bar results don’t come in until October 28 or so. Yeah, that seems like a LONG time. But, “patience is a virtue,” and I guess it gives us some time to get over the trauma of a two-day, four-session, exhausting marathon of a test. (Editor’s note: It is downright cruel for them to leave you hanging so long!)

One text I got in the middle of the first day was, “You’re 25 miles into the ultramarathon,” and that’s how it felt… taking it a few steps at a time, leaving whatever happened in the first parts of the test behind to focus on success in the future.

After the Ultramarathon (the Bar Exam), it was time to start letting go of the built-up stress, tension, and the parts of me that really aren’t so pretty when I feel so overwhelmed.

Two days after the exam, I took off to the beach for a long weekend! It was wonderful to get away, and not study! I got to read for fun on the beach, meditate, collect seashells and just let go anything weighing me down. (Editor’s note: Most deserved trip ever.)

Reading on the beach at sunset. Heaven!

It was also fun! We found a dog beach, where our newest rescue, Scout, was able to go swimming and play with all the other dogs!

I had never seen anything like it. There were probably over 50 dogs that I saw, all playing, swimming, rolling in sand, and enjoying the day.

By the end of our first day at the beach, I may have had 1^st or 2^nd degree burns on my butt and back. No, this is not a joke. (Editor’s note: Ummm… why did the sun see your arse?!) My back-side has not had a lucky summer…. between poison ivy and now not being able to sit due to a sun ~~bum~~ burn! But I was still so happy to get away.

In my bar recovery regimen, I also need to give a shout out to the cuddle bugs, the animals in my life. They are the most wonderful beings who help ground me, and who love me unconditionally, and I do not know how I could have survived the bar without them! Scarlett and Echo are my kitties (Echo turned 5 on Saturday). And then Gracie the golden, Murphy, and Scout the lab.

I love them!

Before I took the bar, I had no time for any fancy meals or kitchen projects, so I kept it super simple. Here are two super easy, fun recipes that allow you to enjoy delicious food, when time is not on your side.

Gluten-Free Tortilla Pizza

1 Rudi’s Gluten-Free tortilla, thawed
Handful of spinach
Tomato paste, spread thinly
Olive oil, lightly drizzled over the spinach, before the cheese
¼ sautéed onion, sliced
3 baby bella mushrooms, sautéed and sliced
1 oz honey goats cheese, crumbled
1-2 oz drunken goats cheese, sliced
Any other toppings of your choice

Preheat oven to 425.

Top pizza and bake ~15 minutes, or until your cheese begins to brown a little.

Devour.

This is a meal I had several times while studying through dinner.

Thai Coconut Hummus

½ C plain hummus
3 T coconut cream
Thai Curry Almond Seasoning (found at Whole Foods)

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl and eat!

I’ve been snacking on this with raw beets, carrots, chips, gluten-free tortillas, and anything under the sun! It’s light and flavorful. A new staple.

And now that I’m done, it’s time for more adventures!

I have a few trail runs in California in the coming weeks, and some adventures to wrangle (Editor’s note: What adventures?! I want to wrangle…) before I really get serious about working full-time! 🙂

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No, I didn’t crawl under the table for the sock shots. I just casually held my phone down. 😉

How do you recoup after a long stretch of go-go-go?

What’s your favorite quickie meal when you’re too busy for a big-deal meal?

Bake Sale for Kids + WIAW

August 7, 2013 By Laura

Bake sales are the best.

Homemade baked goods are the most “worth it” treat.

Amanda @ Run to the Finish has teamed up with Women’s Health and will be running and fundraising for the FEED Project, which seeks to feed hungry US kids. Their RUN 10 FEED 10 program is really cool – you run a 10K and 10 children in your community are fed with the proceeds. (Amanda has a discount code you may use here.)

But you don’t HAVE to run! You can opt to just eat. 🙂 Amanda is hosting an online blogger bake sale where 100% of the donations will towards feeding these kids.

Bidding began yesterday (I’m behind – sorry!), and bids will be accepted until August 7th 9AM EST. Winners will be contacted and asked to donate the specific amount via CrowdRise.

Hurry over and bid on your auction deliciousness here. There are tons be homemade items from bloggers (and products from several sponsors) available for bidding. A batch of my vegan, no-sugar added Chewy Granola Cookies are up for grabs… you might even get a little something extra. 😉

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These WIAW meals were half eaten at work and half on the road. I didn’t do the most elaborate job of planning, as I am enjoying my final week of “freedom” before I start competition prep in earnest!

Read on for my traveling food, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

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Breakfast:

My morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos) happened, as usual. I swear this is the biggest addiction in my life.

I had an early morning meeting, so I made sure my breakfast was ready to grab a go. Overnight oats in a cottage cheese container! Almost as good as a PB jar…

This raspberry and maple-laced concoction was really good! And easy to eat from my lap on the way to work.

Raspberry-Maple Overnight Oats

1/4 C cottage cheese
1/4 C oatmeal
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp maple extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 C almond milk

Mid-Morning Snack:

Like I mentioned last week, I have been into the Trader Joe’s Balsamic Chicken. It’s one of the few packaged things I buy, but when I’m traveling a lot this is a great (low sodium) item to keep on hand.

Eaten with veggies I pre-roasted on Sunday with some marinara sauce and nutritional yeast.

Lunch:

I was running out of my office to get my stuff ready for the airport (and squeeze in a workout… shhhh!), so this almost didn’t even get pictured. A mix of no salt deli turkey, celery, hummus, and cayenne.

It was so quick I called it the lazy girl’s turkey salad. 😉

Afternoon Snack:

I have become obsessed with post-workout Chocolate + Beet Protein Smoothie Bowls. I used this recipe again, but added spinach and topped it with muesli and kabocha squash.

No exaggeration, I could eat this every meal.

Dinner:

Dinner was eaten in Florida. I hopped a plane, ate some unpictured pretzels, and went right to dinner with my co-worker. We hit up Columbia, a famous Cuban spot and Florida’s oldest restaurant. It was delicious!

We started with giant warm, crusty loaves of Cuban bread and the 1905 Salad. The bread was amazing… the salad… I’d say it’s basically a Chef’s salad with no egg and a ton of dressing. I also enjoyed a margarita – one of the best I’ve ever had!

Terrible pics… it was dark!

My main was massive. The server highly recommended the Camarones Rellenos “Jesse Gonzalez.”

I thought shrimp would be light-ish… I learned that it’s not when it’s stuffed with lump crab and a generous helping of butter. Did I mention it was served with rice, beans, and roasted veggies? And that my co-worker ordered sides of yucca and fried plantains?

Call me happy and roll me home.

Dessert:

You know I’m full when I can’t even imagine eating dessert. ~~Hell froze over.~~

***

Tomorrow I fly back home and Thursday I drive to South Carolina. Despite the craziness all I can think about is 1) When do I get to go to the farmer’s market to get “my” food and 2) How am I going to fit a workout in Thursday and Friday?

Have you checked out the bake sale? What item is catching your eye?

Does the combo of beets and chocolate sound #strangebutgood to you? I thought it was normal until I told my co-worker about it…

Back to Reality + WIAW

July 24, 2013 By Laura

A smart blogger would have posted a “What I Ate on Vacation” today.

I got too excited and posted my favorites on Monday.

There are a few things I didn’t yet share from Napa (besides the wine – that post is coming!).

The thing that earned me the strangest look from Lisa was probably my extreme excitement over seeing GT’s Classic in the CalMart (not to be confused with Wal-Mart). The Classic is the version GT’s was forced to quit selling at many major markets due to the alcohol content. This is silly. Kombucha is fermented tea… but there’s not even enough booze for a buzz! I chose the Gingerberry and didn’t get drunk in the least.

This next item DID pack a punch. A Maple Bacon Manhattan from JoLe. It was bacon-infused rye, Carpano Antica, and maple syrup… with a side of candied bacon.

I was only going to have a taste… but holy yum.

Lunch somehow was missed in my Monday food post. Our driver in Napa recommended that we try a new concept called R+D Kitchen. It’s owned by Hillstone, which makes it a chain (I’m morally opposed to eating at chains)… but we bit the bullet and tried it out. So very glad we did!

As with Houston’s, the food and service were top-notch. We shared toasts to start – one with hummus and one with goat cheese and figs. The hummus was very good – heavy on the tahini, which is ideal in my book!

For my meal I ordered a omelette with spinach and goat cheese. It may look funny, but the omelette was fantastic. It was done french-style. It’s difficult to find a good one, but they executed it flawlessly!

It also came with roasted tomatoes and a side salad. Those tomatoes made the meal!

I know this is getting long… but one more!!! Remember the “scenic” walk to dinner I took my friends on? I think this view at Sol Bar was worth it:

Most of the meal was too dark to take pics of and we were in such a night place I felt wrong using a flash (*gasp* I do have some shame). The entire meal was mind-blowingly delcious, and our server couldn’t have been more fabulous.

I did get one decent shot of my birthday dessert. Chocolate Decadence with Ortiz Farms raspberries, soft cream, and cocoa nib dentelle. Words cannot describe. It’s the last (30th) birthday cake I’ll have, I swear.

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This day of WIAW eats was fun for me! Monday morning I woke up to find that my fridge and freezer were not working. After a brief panic, I managed to get a handyman out and have the thing fixed for less than $150. It was also the perfect excuse to clean out my food stash and restock! Restocking is the best – the farmer’s market didn’t know what hit it! I was SO excited that I got home and did my food prep right then. Snapper, cod, gazpacho, roasted kabocha, and bison burgers. At 9pm. 🙂

Read on for my fresh fridge eats, and then check out Jenn’s link up for everyone else’s delicious days.

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