Waffles, Rallies, and Halloween Wackiness

Happy Halloween y'all! I hope you've had a great weekend and fun Halloween. It amuses me at how my celebration of Halloween has changed throughout the years - I definitely celebrated more as a kid and then again in college!

Saturday was quite a fantastic day. On top of ideal fall weather I woke up with a craving for waffles. I broke out my waffle iron and my favorite pancake mix, Pamela's Baking & Pancake mix, and got to work. The batch yielded 7 waffles so I froze most of them to enjoy on days I don't feel like making waffles.

 

I had one waffle topped with a mix of syrup and fig jam, heated up, and some almond butter, plus an egg white and half a pear.

The Rally to Restore Sanity was set to begin at 1pm so I headed out around noon to get there. I took my time because I felt pretty indifferent about the event. A few friends convinced me I should go and see it and I'm glad I did. The crowd was pretty normal and I definitely appreciated all the witty signs.

I only stayed down on the Mall for about 15 minutes as I really don't do well in shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and I couldn't see or hear anything. I walked up to Chinatown and the Health and Fitness Expo for the Marine Corps Marathon. I got to check out some of the vendors and tried out The Stick for the first time. My calves felt like new and I can see myself purchasing this item very soon!

From there I began the walk home but got hungry a few minutes in. Enter - pit stop at... Whole Foods! Trip #4 for the week. Lunch was a salad plus black beans and Mexican rice.

I contemplated heading home then but the weather was so nice and there were a few things I wanted to check out at Target so I continued my "little" walk. By the time all was said and done I walked over 8 miles yesterday! My feet were a little achy but no pain in my stress fracture foot which is awesome!

After resting for a few hours I met Lauren for dinner at Mai Thai. We got things started with Apple-tinis, which are a Halloween tradition of sorts for me.

 (from Halloween 2008, Nightmare on M Street Bar Crawl in DC)

We started with some chicken satay

And for my dinner I got the drunken noodles with chicken, easy on the sauce and oil. There is so much flavor in the cooking process and my stomach doesn't love lots of oil so these modifications ensure a tasty dish that won't upset my stomach.

From there we headed to another bar to watch the Rangers win Game 3 of the World Series and the Longhorns lose another game. I think the state of Texas missed the memo that we're supposed to have talent in football!  The night ended with some amazing costume watching of the folks who participated in the DC Halloween bar crawl. I did it 2 years ago and it was a blast - last night I couldn't get over how young all the participants looked!

For all the activity of yesterday, today was quite the opposite. I slept in until 10:30 and immediately rolled out of bed and down the block to the Dupont farmers market. I picked up my usual - eggs, apples, pears, and kale, and came home. Not without snapping a picture of the gorgeous cauliflower though!

I was hungry by the time I got home and had 2 slices of Udi's whole grain toast, one with a little Earth Balance and peanut butter, one with spinach, red pepper spread, and and egg white for breakfast. I also had one of my pears.

Then it was time for a good cleaning of my apartment (I cleaned for the better part of an hour and half). Feeling much better and more organized, I had a light lunch of leftover roasted butternut squash, kidney and black beans, spinach, and 1/4c of wild rice.

I made my 5th trip of the week (seriously - an intervention may be needed!) to Whole Foods for groceries and spend the afternoon prepping food for the week.

Dinner was a bowl of freshly made broccoli soup (x2), a portion of Alexia oven fries, and half a serving of baked beans.

I'm now watching Game 4 and deciding what my sweet treat for Halloween will be. I haven't eaten a lot of candy yet but perhaps I'll find something sweet to celebrate with!

Did you go to the rally yesterday (or watch on TV)? Dress up for Halloween?

Dining Out - Always an Adventure

**Disclaimer: I'm really not that hard to eat out with. I swear. You just have to have an understanding that for gluten free folks (and those with other allergies) dining out at restaurants asking questions, modifying dishes, and being extremely careful is how we make sure that we stay healthy and safe. (I've bolded some of my tips for eating out at restaurants with allergies)**

Tonight I had plans with a few friends to enjoy Restaurant Week here in DC. I've actually never participated in the foodie holiday before as many of the restaurants don't allow diners to modify the special menu, I've been traveling for work, or simply didn't have time.

Tonight was different. My friends and I picked a new-ish restaurant, Zentan, because of the wide array of options on the menu. I even took a look online a few days ahead of time and was excited for the special Restaurant Week menu.

Before I ordered, I let my server know that I had some few allergies and explained what they were. No big deal. He seemed like he understood. My friends are used to it and to be honest, even if they weren't, I would still do it to ensure that I didn't go home sick which has happened before. The waiter wrote down my allergies and my order and assured me everything would be safe and delicious. So far so good.

My first course - watermelon salad with feta, mint, and black pepper vinaigrette was presented beautifully. I've never had this combination before tonight and was quite excited.

This did not disappoint. The sweetness of the watermelon balanced perfectly with the salty feta and savory vinaigrette. The sprigs of mint lightened the whole dish more that I thought possible. I ate slowly and savored each and every bite. I ate half to save room for the rest of my meal.

I got the Curry Chicken as my main dish. It was served with polenta, tomato jam, pineapple, and almonds. I double checked how the chicken was cooked and was assured it was fine.

And then after a first bite, the chicken was too crispy to not be breaded. Unfortunately, this incident was the beginning of a downward spiral of our experience. I called the waiter over and explained the situation and encouraged my friends to enjoy their meals while they were hot. One friend did not receive her wine pairing she had ordered (and it didn't come until dessert silverware was placed on the table) but everyone was loving their food. I sat and watched.

After seeing that my friends had finished their meals, I lost my appetite. I was too hungry and too annoyed and hurt that I wouldn't be able to eat with my friends. 5-7 minutes after deciding then and there to cancel the rest of my order they brought out my entree as my friends' dishes were being cleared. I sent it back.

For dessert they had arranged a bowl of berries for me which was nice. But at this point, I'd had fruit for an afternoon snack, watermelon in my appetizer, and now more berries. I was beyond disappointed, even if they were fresh and flavorful.

Luckily, things turned up when the maitre d' arrived at our table per my request. Just as I began to calmly explain the situation our waiter, who there were other issues with, began speaking on my behalf, in front of me and his boss, to explain what my problem had been. Mmmkay... Let's just say that set me over the edge.Finally I was able to speak and somehow managed to calmly explain everything that had been a problem and the maitre d' did everything a good manager should do in this situation. He heard every word, apologized (which at this point, was all I wanted to hear since I was hungry and planning my uber late dinner in my mind), and immediately worked to correct the situation.

Because of him, my experience was salvaged and I would consider going back to Zentan. The truth was that everything my friends and I ate was presented beautifully, tasted amazing, and was meant to be a true dining experience. It was unfortunately soured by our waiter who made quite a few snafus tonight, beyond my individual experience. And I felt left out because I didn't eat what I had been excited about.

The maitre d' insisted I bring dinner home and I chose the Empress Chicken Sir Fry sans soy sauce. I portioned some out when I got home but put it back in the container after just one bite. I wanted nothing to do with that experience but for it to fade. Instead I nursed my disappointment with a small mug of hot cereal with my leftover berries mixed in and topped with peanut butter.

Not quite the Restaurant Week experience I was hoping for but it was great to see my friends and enjoy time together. I would maybe go back to Zentan to try a few dishes - the management truly made sure that we all left happy. I will not be back tomorrow, but one day. For now I have to let the dining adventure fade from my memory because there's nothing worse than not enjoying a meal because you had to look out for your health because of allergies while everyone else has a tasty experience.

Other than that it was a great day, despite the rain in DC!!

Are you known as the difficult diner amongst your friends and family? Have you ever left a meal at a restaurant disappointed because you couldn't eat / had a bad allergy-related experience?

Let the Celebration Begin!

I have officially completed my 5 Before 25 Challenge but more on that in a sec. Yesterday was the official start of my birthday month week. I was really excited for the party that my friend Jason and I hosted. His actual birthday was yesterday and we had decided to celebrate the big 2-5 together since so many of our friends overlap.

I started my day off with this amazing egg sandwich. It is 2 pieces of toast with 1/2 a slice of 2% provolone on one slice and TJ's eggplant and pepper spread on the other. I had 3 egg whites with a handful of spinach in between, with some hot sauce for added heat. It was a wonderfully savory breakfast to balance out Thursday's sweetness.

The rest of the day flew by and before I knew it it was party time!  Jason chose a Mexican themed fiesta and we prepared a few snacks for our friends, including chips with guacamole, salsa, and a 6-layer vegetarian bean dip that I healthified by omitting sour cream and using less cheese on top. I nibbled here and there and those snacks were dinner.

Here's a few highlights of the night:

This morning I had plans with these lovely ladies to go berry picking out in Maryland. I had never been berry picking before and knew this would be a great activity to complete my 5 Before 25 Challenge! It was great to share in the fun with Liz and Jacquie.

We had originally planned to go later in the day but I was up early than planned by some miracle so we decided to go before it got too hot.  All I was craving was fresh fruit so I had a pear, a few cherries, and strawberry tossed in 1/4c plain fat free yogurt with toast and Earth Balance. Not what I should have wanted to eat but it satisfied my craving perfectly.

I met up with Liz who so graciously drove us out to Larriland Farm in Woodbine. We had a great car ride, chatting the whole time there and back, and soon found Jacquie amidst the black raspberry bushes.

We picked black raspberries, beets, and blueberries which was so fun! All you do is pluck the berries off the bushes and pull the beets out of the ground. I can't wait to use my goodies this week (and freeze some too)!

We ended up picking our fruit at the heat of the day around 12:45 and made our way back to DC around 2. Somewhere in the midst of traffic, Liz and I got the brilliant idea to pick up salads from Whole Foods. She's a genius, I tell ya. This beauty had:

• spinach and romaine
• balsamic tofu
• mixed bean salad
• carrots, cucumber, artichoke hearts, and marinated beets
• white and black beans
• vegan rice salad
• Asian cole slaw
• parm

I didn't eat it until I got home but this was exactly what I was craving, plus about a liter of water!

For a treat to continue cooling down I had this lime fruit bar from Trader Joe's.

Time to rest up before another party tonight!

What has been the highlight of your weekend so far?

The Best Kind of Sunday

It was a lovely Sunday. The best kind in fact.

The sunshine-filled morning began with this little snack of raisins, Whole-Os, and cashews

And the Farmers Market had all sorts of delicious summer fruits. There aren't enough words to describe how happy things like fresh strawberries make me.

At 11, I met a lovely group of ladies for a blogger brunch. Meghann, Ashley, and a couple of others were in town for a marathon relay and made time to hang out with some DC bloggers and readers. I was happy to see Jacquie, whom I met in April, and catch up with her!

We had brunch at Scion which I suggested because it seemed like a great place to take a large group of healthy eaters.  Most of us took advantage of the fruit bar, which we snacked on while awaiting our entrees.

I got this build-your-own-omelet with egg whites, black beans, spinach, red pepper, and asparagus. It was great!

I never knew what a wonderful community existed until I started my blog. It always amazes me how easily conversations flow with complete strangers and of course, it's fun to make new friends!  I'm looking forward to hanging out with some of the other DC bloggers soon :)

My afternoon included a trip to Friendship Heights, killing time in Whole Foods during a monsoon, and reading whilst laying on my yoga mat. Perfection. There was about 1.5 servings of these chips in there - I had a craving while in WF.  I also snacked on this pear.

Dinner was smaller because of my snacks and munching all day. It's odd - I didn't eat breakfast within an hour of waking up like I normally do because of brunch and I've found myself grazing on all sorts of crap stuff all day long. Breakfast is good for you folks! And it should be substantial enough to avoid mindless munching for the rest of the day! Lesson learned :)

I whipped up this bowl of healthy fried rice with brussel sprouts, peas, corn, GF soy and teriyaki sauces, and a couple of ounces of chicken. Plus the last 1/4c of baked beans - I needed to clean out the fridge.

I ended my weekend in a perfect way - sitting outside with friends for a couple of hours as the sun set. The humidity is gone after our afternoon storms and it could not be more perfect. There were also french fries  :)  There might be some more munching tonight - I'm still in that kind of mood :-/

It really was the best kind of Sunday - food, fun, sun, and friends. I don't want Monday to come!