Sometimes you throw it all out the window.
The Food & Wine Festival coming to your town is one of those times. I ate red meat for the first time since October, inhaled sweets, and sampled more bourbon than I knew existed. Needless to say it was quite the weekend!
Yup – I brought a snack to a food festival.
When I picked up my schwag, I was excited to see that I made the brochure! This pic is from a volunteer opportunity at a local farm during last year’s festival.
Can you tell which one is me?
I remembered why I quit eating red meat (omg – the tummy ache!), and why I quit eating so much sugar (my sleep quality was soooo bad). Not that I’m complaining. I loved every moment of it… but I look forward to returning to clean eating this week!!
I took full advantage of the education opportunities and the ridiculously expensive 3 day pass.
The first class was the “History of the Southern Cocktail.” The panel was impressive and I learned a lot. For instance, ice was actually a sign of aristocracy in the South in the 1800s. Due to the heat and the fact that freezers weren’t yet invented, ice was more expensive than meat or dairy. It had to be transported from the North!
The traditional drink of the Kentucky Derby, the Mint Julep, was packed to the brim with ice to ensure Derby attendees knew who was part of the upper crust.
We sampled two drinks:
- Chatham Artillery Punch – lemon, sugar, bourbon, Cognac, Jamaican rum, and sparkling wine
- Crusta – bourbon, Cointreau, Angoustura bitters, Marischino liqueur, and lemon (SO good!)
My second class of the day was “How to Taste Blind.” The two sommeliers in the session picked out the wines perfectly! I proved – once again – that I have a terrible palate.
I picked the Sauvignon Blanc, but didn’t get the region or year (FYI – a greener color to a white wine indicated a younger age). This was a 2009 from France. The reds were a 2007 Syrah from France and a 2008 Camenere from Chile. I was way off on both!
This was just the first part of day 1! I have lots more to share throughout the week!
Despite the indulgence, I did have a good workout week. Post-Blend I took Monday off before diving into it. It must have done my body good because I was able to run 3 miles straight through for the first time since January! I have an appointment with an ortho to have my knee looked at next week… part of me thinks I could cancel, but better safe than sorry.
Saturday morning I knocked out a P90X Plyo workout… it left me a sweaty mess, but was the perfect thing to do before heading back to F&W Festival for day 2!
Workout Recap (5/7 – 5/13):
- Monday – REST
- Tuesday – This Pinned workout, Bis/Back, 100 push-ups
- Wednesday – Shoulders w/ plyo, 3 mi run, P90X Ab Ripper X, 100 push-ups
- Thursday – This Under 10 Legs workout, 2 mi walk, Legs/Core
- Friday – Tris/Chest w/ plyo, 100 push-ups
- Saturday – P90X Plyo, 100 push-ups
- Sunday – 3 mile run
***
Rainy mornings should mandate a work from home day.
Have you ever done a blind wine tasting?
Have you ever thrown any food “rules” out the window for a big event?
That blind tasting sounded awesome – I’m pretty terrible at trying to guess years, I would have loved to pick up some pointers! I really wish we could have joined you this weekend, it sounds like it was a blast!
The years are actually easier for me that regions… I think because it has so much to do with the visual too. I’d love to take a more intense course.
Sounds like fun! And I had no idea that you haven’t had meat since October!!!
I haven’t had red meat… but I have taken little bites of other meats/fish here and there. Definitely no more than a bite at a time though! It’s funny – I don’t really want it anymore.
That ice fact is interesting – hard to believe it was more expensive than meat! Glad you had fun at the event!
And I let myself indulge at weddings because I would never eat that kind of food regularly. It’s fun to try a bit of everything and not think too much about it!
I indulge on wedding a cakes. They’re so expensive it would be a shame to waste, right? 🙂
haha awesome to have made the brochure! Congrats!
I was so jealous of all of your Instagrams this weekend- it looked so awesome!! And Greg and I want to host a blind- tasting party at our house now!!
It’s funny- what you said about sugar- I said the SAME THING last night. I ate way too much sugar at my mom’s in the form of cookies and ice cream and my stomach felt gross and full all night afterwards. I said to Greg “you’d think that how crappy sugar makes me feel afterwards would keep me from inhaling it like I did!” And I slept like crap! But man, does it motivate me to EAT CLEAN today and for the rest of this week!
I would bet that if you eat meat a little more, you won’t have issues. I’m sure it was a shock to your system.
I have wanted to host one of those for so long! My mom and I were thinking about doing one with wine and cheese.
I agree on the meat. It’s funny though – I just don’t want it like I used to. It’s happening again in Argentina though! Maybe with a little more moderation…
I hope your tummy feels better!! It looks like you had an amazing time. And I find it hard to believe you have a terrible palate! YAY for running 3 miles straight!!! I hope that means all is well with your knee!! I’m knocking on wood and crossing my fingers for you! 🙂
Thank you1 I am crossing my fingers too. I am SO much slower now though. 🙁
I’m sure you still are a gazelle compared to me! 😀 We can run together to make you feel better if you want! hehe
I doubt it, but I am excited to get to run with you!!!
wowza! busy workout week!
congrats on being in the brochure 🙂 when I read your tweet about this earlier I was so happy for you love xo
Thank you!!! I was shocked when I thumbed through the brochure. Too bad they didn’t have a blog link – LOL!!!!
A food festival is the time to let things go and sample everything you think you might like (even if there are reprocussions). Glad to see you kicked some butt with working out and the expensiveness of ice a super cool little fact to whip out at the next cocktail party.
Oh yes – I tried everything thought I might like and then some. 🙂
What a great event! I throw out any clean eating goals at special events, too… and usually my belly does the same thing, but I agree, it’s worth the splurge now and then!
I throw food rules out the window for less than big events – but red meat stays out of my diet 100%! 🙂
That may be a good idea for me post-Argentina… 🙂
The Crusta sounds delicious! And next time you see me drinking… you’re gonna see a lot of ice in my glass. 😉
I think you will be able to eat pretty clean when you go to Argentina. I bet, you could do it with a very small meat intake, too.
It was my favorite! The first one was a bit too sweet for me. But yeah…. lots of ice in the future. 🙂
That’s my plan. Thankfully I’m going with two other women so we can just share things/I can steal bites from their plates.
So fun! And totally worth the splurge!
Girl, don’t you know what red meat will do to you, have you forgotten how long it takes to digest? Glad you had a good time and the wines sound divine.
I hadn’t entirely forgotten… but I definitely got a good reminder! 🙂
I’m so jealous you went to the festival, but so glad you got to experience to much great food.
Sounds like such an awesome weekend, especially the bit about blind tasting! Taking a wine tasting course is on my bucket list as I would love to learn more about wines…as of now, I can’t help to stare blindly when restaurant servers pass me the wine menu!
I always put “food rules” aside when I’m traveling or attending a big function like a wedding…basically in situations that only come around once in a while. After all, food is part of the experience!
It was really cool – I’d love to take a more in depth class one day. It’s so interesting!
How cool that you made it into the brochure! You’re kind of a big deal haha 🙂 And very cool about the blind taste testing, that must have been so much fun Laura! I also think it’s admirable and just fine that you are putting away some food rules/regulations for yourself in situations like this. It’s important to enjoy the time as much as possible!
LOL! I wish. Thanks, Tessa! 🙂
awesome workouts!! that food and wine festival sounds like so much fun!!