I’ve Moved…

…again.

Adventures in Eating

B’s brother and his family have been in town for the last week, so naturally we have been eating out with them a lot.  The first night they were here we went to a local bar, one that has been around for years, but I had never set foot in the place before.  I tend to view the bars here in TC as places where the alcoholics stop by before their AA meetings, where the men are sleazy and the women are missing teeth, but luckily it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  The highlight of the night was not, surprisingly, the electric blue jell-O shots that B’s brother insisted we all get tanked on.  Instead, it was the bar’s WTF Burger, which is a thick beef patty topped with gooey pepper jack cheese and crisp bacon nestled between a soft bun that has been generously slathered with peanut butter.  Yup, peanut butter.  The greasy, meaty goodness of the beef teamed with the kick of the pepper jack cheese and salty, smoky crunch of the bacon against the thick, creamy nuttiness of the peanut butter was incredible.  In a word, it was nothing short of glorious, and I’ll go back to this shitty little bar again just for that burger.  The only thing that B said he’d change was the fact that our burger came with lettuce and tomato.  We will definitely enforce a strict No Veggie policy the next time we order it.  

WHAT THE FUCK!?

I really wish I would have gotten a better picture and when I go back I promise to take one that shows all the important elements of this phenomenal menu item.  It was served with freakishly crispy tater tots.  Add a couple of beers to the mix and you will leave satisfied, happy, and with a second trimester food baby.  

Another noteworthy dining experience took place at Pluckers Wing Bar.  If you’re going to eat a bunch of fried food you might as well do it right.  We feasted on fried pickle spears with ranch, fried cheese with marinara, hot wings with blue cheese, sweet potato fries tossed in cinnamon and sugar, waffle fries, fried macaroni and cheese, and spinach dip with tortilla chips.  

Killer spread!

Fried Mac & Cheese

I loved that the fried pickles were spears instead of chips.  See that giant fried log next to the ranch?  That is the fried macaroni and cheese.  Don’t ask me how they pulled it off, but it is crispy without being greasy on the outside and perfectly cooked mac & cheese deliciousness on the inside.  Amazing.  

Tuesday night I had some friends over for dinner and opted to make Giada’s asparagus lasagna.  Giada is one of my all-time favorite chefs because her recipes are simple, healthy, flavorful, and enjoyable to both prepare and eat, and this lasagna was no exception.  The recipe calls for 1/4 pound of pancetta, which I left out for my vegetarian pals and my mom, and the resulting meat-free version seemed to satisfy the meat-eaters and vegheads alike. 

Melty, gooey perfection!

Dig in...

The tangy sun-dried tomato and basil mixture sprinkled throughout the lasagna was the perfect contrast to the rich whole-milk mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and the salty bite from the fresh parmesan worked extremely well with the asparagus.  I will most definitely be entertaining with this recipe again!  Leftovers reheated well in the oven, too, which I was pleased to discover last night.  The meal from start to finish consisted of lots of wine, brie with baguette slices, the lasagna alongside a salad of greens, sliced toasted almonds, dried cranberries, feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette, and Cat Cora’s Chocolate Budino topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.  It was perfect.  

I feel truly blessed to be able to eat so well and in such good company.  I love that I have a man who is an adventurous eater and looks forward to mealtimes (almost) as much as I do.  I can’t think of anything I’d rather do on a Friday night than have a bunch of great friends and family over to laugh and drink wine and cook and savor a really, really good meal together.  Lots more cooking and eating in my future, oh yes…

 

 

Chicken Fried Steak on the Prairie

I’ve been eating out quite a bit lately.  I love nothing more than narrowing down the dining possibilities well in advance, then making a final decision as mealtime approaches and spending an embarrassing amount of time salivating over the menu online.  Lucky for me, B is the same way.  Yesterday we went to the Prairie House for dinner, and both of us knew exactly what we were going to order before we even stepped foot in the door.

I <3 ranch

 We started with the “Texas Torpedoes”, which were cheese-stuffed jalapenos with a side of ranch.  They were crispy and filled with gooey cheddar cheese.  I was ravenous and ate three.  It took everything I had in me to not stuff them all in my mouth at once.

House salad

 B and I both got the house salad with ranch.  It was your basic salad with greens, a tomato slice, a little cheese, onion, and croutons.  I appreciate when house salads actually consist of some GREEN lettuce and not just those white, flavorless, nutritionally devoid iceberg shreds.

Me so hungry

 I try to be a good customer and wait patiently for my food, especially on a busy Saturday night.  Something happens to me when I get ravenous, though, and I become possessed by Hunger Demons.  They torture my soul and cause me to make strange faces until I am able to shovel sweet sustenance into my anxiously awaiting grub-hole.

Luckily, the jalapenos and salad stabilized my blood sugar enough to continue on in a civilized manner and prevented me from trying to gnaw on our waitress’ arm.

(seksi)

B always keeps his cool and puts me to total shame.

Prairie Chicken

I ordered the prairie chicken, which was perfectly seasoned and so tender that I could easily cut it with a butter knife.  I ordered my baked potato loaded, and it was divine.  I think we need to give the baked potato a little more credit.  It’s easy, inexpensive, versatile, and tasty.

OH YES

B had the chicken fried steak and sweet potato fries.  He liked the steak but would have preferred a little more breading and crispiness, and we both went nuts over those fries.  Perfectly seasoned, cut to just the right thickness, sweet and salty and just plain face rockin’ GOOD.

Cornbread muffin

The cornbread muffins were a tad moist for my taste (I prefer a more crumbly texture).  I ate half and called it quits.  (B has the fastest hand in all of Texas and my phone has the slowest camera in the entire world, obv.) 

Midnight snackage

I know some people simply will not eat leftovers, but I love them!  I usually mentally divide my restaurant meals in half, eat half, and then take the rest home for late-night munching or to make a whole new meal with the next day.  We both had a ton of food left, so we reheated it in the oven later in the night and grubbed out while watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  I swear the fries were just as good the second time around.  Perfection!

B vs Wild

You really can’t eat at the Prairie House without acknowledging the giant stuffed bear in the lobby.  B took things one step further by asking the hostess if he could have his picture taken with it.  I think they make a cute couple. 

 

I like to say Tapas!

This weekend B and I revisited the restaurant that he took me to on our first date.  It’s a tapas-style restaurant near a historic part of downtown McKinney, and I’ve been dying to go back since that first time.  Everyone knows how much I love food, and this restaurant does not disappoint.  This particular cafe will always hold a special place in my heart no matter how good the food, though, because it is where I first began to fall in love with B.

(These pictures are total crap quality cell phone cam snap shots, so I apologize in advance.)

Cafe Malaga

My sexy date

 (I love this man.  How lucky am I?)

HUNGRY

I was starvin’ Marvin.  We started with the bacon-wrapped dates, which we devoured like hungry monkeys before I even thought to take a picture.  Sweet, plump dates wrapped in smoky, fatty, salty bacon… they were divine.

Potato croquette

 The potato croquettes are a favorite from last time- deep fried potato, bacon, and cheese cakes served with chipotle aioli.  Slightly crunchy on the outside, creamy and bacony on the inside = MORE, PLEASE.

Sangria!

The sangria was just the right amount of sweet and fruity- not too strong, not too weak. 

SLURP

I had two.  (No surprise there.)

Cheese, please!

The cheese plate was amazing.  We opted for a blue cheese from Spain (Cabrales) and a Texas goat cheese, served with piquillo relish, date chutney, diced onions and capers, fruit, olives, baguettes and crackers.  I loved the blue cheese and B couldn’t get enough of the relish and chutney. 

Spanish-style chorizo

Damn my picture taking skills to hell!  The chorizo was another favorite from last time, though we both agreed that it was better the first time we had it.  It’s cooked with paprika and garlic and served with pan-fried bread.  Crispy and greasy, which I love.

Hummus!

I eat hummus almost daily, and Malaga’s was delicious.  It had a lemony bite to it and was incredible with the warm pita bread.  I took some home and had it as a late-night snack, too.

Artichoke fritters

The last thing we ordered was the artichoke fritters, which were served with more chipotle aioli.  They were INCREDIBLE, by far our new favorite.  Creamy on the inside and perfectly fried on the outside, they were truly foodgasmic.  We will definitely be getting those again next time.

The End

Amazing food with the most amazing man I’ve ever met.  It was an awesome night!

Then and Now

I came across an old food journal this morning and my mind is officially blown.  I am 99% sure that it’s from 2006, which was after Ethan was born and I started getting into Body For LIFE and counting calories.  I gave up dieting for good in 2007 and have been maintaining my current weight for awhile now, but up until ’07 I had struggled for most of my life with being overweight, underweight, and not knowing the first thing about maintaining a healthy weight.  I’m beyond happy that I was able to get away from disordered eating and obsessive calorie counting and macronutrient ratio tallying to finally reach a happy place where french fries and spinach can blissfully skip off into the sunset together hand in hand.  I’m excited about eating real food.  I am seriously disturbed by this food diary, but on the bright side it is definitely awesome to see how far I’ve come in the world of food, fitness, and finding a healthy balance with it all.

Here is an excerpt from the Dark Ages of Dieting:

December 7, 2006  (Total calories: 1,340)

• 5 eggwhites, 1 slice of whole-wheat toast with 1 T. all-natural peanut butter, coffee with Splenda
• more coffee with Splenda
• protein shake: coffee blended with 1 cup of 1% milk and 1 scoop of whey protein
• 3 oz. tuna mixed with onion, lettuce, and 1/4 avocado, an orange, diet coke
• an apple, 2 lite string cheese, green tea
• 4 oz. white fish filet, 1 oz. low-carb pasta, 1 T pesto, plain mixed veggies, green tea

December 8, 2006 (Total calories: unknown because this was a “Free Day.”  Remember FREE DAYS?  Aka “Eat Everything In Sight and Make Yourself Sick Because This Only Happens Once Per Week!” Day)

• BFL french toast: 2 slices whole-wheat bread dipped in 3 eggwhites plus one whole egg with cinnamon and 1/4 c. sugar-free syrup, plus coffee with Splenda
• more coffee with Splenda
• another disgusting protein shake consisting of coffee, 1 c. 1% milk and 1 scoop of whey protein powder (BLECH)
• 2 iced sugar cookies
• carrot and celery sticks, 3 eggwhites plus one whole egg cooked with 1 T. pesto and onion, a diet Mountain Dew
• apple, 2 lite string cheese, green tea
• FREE MEAL: lots of eggnog with whiskey, a couple swigs of beer, LOTS of cheesy broccoli-chicken-rice casserole, 3 sugar cookies with milk, a Snickers bar (likely King Size)

December 9, 2006  (Total calories: 1,380)

• 1 slice whole-wheat toast with 5 eggwhites, 1 T. peanut butter, coffee with Splenda
• more coffee with Splenda
• scoop of whey protein in water, a small apple
• 3 oz. salmon with 1/4 avocado, onion and lettuce, an orange
• more coffee with Splenda
• a medium banana, 2 lite string cheese, green tea
• beef and pasta stuff (wtf? Probably some “healthy” BFL recipe, HORK), plain green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower, green tea

There are so many things wrong with this “diet” that I don’t even know where to begin.  Let’s see: not nearly enough calories to support the workouts I was doing back then, no consideration for what I would have LIKED to eat (because I can guarantee that I was NOT craving lite string cheese, protein powder, or sugar-free syrup!), not eating REAL food (how much Splenda and whey protein can one person possibly safely consume, anyway?), not paying attention to hunger and fullness (and instead eating by the clock, and only eating what was “allowed” at that given time)… the list goes on and on.  The CRAZY thing (but really, it isn’t too surprising if you really think about it) is that I weigh less now than I did then, I get so much more satisfaction out of my food these days, and I don’t write a damn thing down or measure out my portions.  I no longer run errands with disgusting, chalky protein bars in my purse.  I put fucking butter on my steamed vegetables (GASP!).  I pretty much eat what I want in moderation, exercise regularly, and don’t over think any of it.  My only rules now are to eat REAL food in reasonable quantities when I am hungry and to move that ass. 

What did I eat today?  Fresh fruit with yogurt and honey, a cup of black coffee, a spoonful of almond butter and a homemade oatmeal-banana-chocolate chip cookie, a big chicken fajita salad with refried beans, avocado, tomato, caramelized onions, salsa, and a drizzle of ranch dressing, and a glass of red wine.  There is an excellent chance that I will have a slice of my mom’s homemade chocolate chip pound cake before bed.  I don’t even remember what I ate yesterday.  Man, it’s good to be free from those dieting chains!  I’m really excited about going into the health and wellness industry career-wise.  If I can help even one person escape from a lifetime of miserable, failing, chemical-laden diets, it will all have been well worth it.

(Um, why are my bullets so big?  I HAVE HUGE BULLETS.)

Sunday Morning

I scrape my hair into a messy ponytail atop my head and fasten my watch around my wrist.  My face is puffy and creased from a good night’s sleep and my mascara has started flaking off underneath my eyes from the day before.  I lace up my shoes and head outside into the suffocating Texas heat before I even have a chance to think.  I take a deep breath, pull my shoulders back, brace my core, and begin to pound the pavement one step at a time.  The sky is a cloudless blue.  I hear the buzz of lawn mowers in the distance and can smell the freshly cut grass in the air.  I nod at the passing cars, cars that I imagine are full of church goers and breakfast seekers.  The sun beats down on me and I pep talk myself, knowing that I have some work ahead of me but that it will be worth it in the end.  My lungs tighten and burn slightly as my breathing becomes heavier.  My footsteps are rhythmic and my breath is steady, the runner’s symphony.  I feel my feet hit the ground, the muscles in my legs work hard to propel my body forward, my arms sway loosely but with purpose at my sides.  My mind wanders and I let each thought drift away like a balloon.  I focus on my breath and the sound of my shoes on the earth.  The world around me falls away.  I am moving, feeling, working, breathing, strengthening, meditating, existing, sweating, remembering and forgetting all at once.  I feel strong and capable and alive.  I can’t wait to do it again next week.

Just do it.

Remembering…

Happy Birthday, Dad.