A Journey in the Northeast US

I surprised a friend last weekend that I will see again today. He was doing a bike ride with our other friend who current lives only 2 hours from me. Of course, I turned this trip into a journey. I made a couple stops before getting to Williamstown, MA for the surprise.

I enjoy drinking herbal tea, especially when it gets chilly and because I can not have caffeine due to heart issues. Traditional Medicinals and Celestial Seasonings are my favorite brands because they make crazy delicious and nurturing teas. However, with living in the Hudson Valley now, I have been told I need to check out Harney & Son’s. It is local here, though you can find it on the shelves at Target around the nation.

Harney & Son’s is located in Millerton, NY, adorable town. I picked up a new favorite tea cup, a couple herbal teas for myself and a gift for my friend who was so kind to let me crash the last night of the guys weekend. After my tea excursion and grabbing a chai for the road, I went for a hike at Bash Bish Falls. It was a quick one, 20 min total for me. The falls were gorgeous though and I got a great workout back up to the parking lot.

Next was surprising A a week early at Trail House Kitchen & Bar in North Adams, MA. He looked quite confused, but his hug was filled with all the love I needed. I miss the days in graduate school where we had deep conversations and he would test how much of a light weight I am. Needless to say, I was drunk not too far into the evening. BTW, this beer and the apple cider drink the other A concocted for me were brilliant.

 

 

We had a grand adult slumber party of games and catching up. It was exactly what I needed after a rough week. The next morning we grabbed breakfast and enjoyed the baby laughs before A had to hit the road back to Michigan. The other A, his baby and I took a trip up to the highest point in Massachusetts, Greylock. It was peak Fall foliage and breathe taking. After lunch, I made my way back down to the Hudson Valley.

 

Ending What I Ate This Week

So I started doing these posts every week because I thought it would help me stay on track, but it did not. Addressing my emotions and finally knowing where we are heading after my partner graduates really changed my habits. It does not mean that I will never share what I ate again, but I need to focus on improving myself. Let me know if there is any aspect you would like to me share about the process I am doing to end my bad eating habits.

What I Ate This Week (12/7 – 12/13/2017)

A week mostly filled with leftovers, but did not over eat and kept dessert to the end of the day or herbal tea.

Breakfast

Quiche and fruit with yogurt

Quiche and juice

Apple cider buttermilk pancakes – I just really wanted pancakes, so I made it happen one morning and the craving was done.

Clementines, pomegranates, pear butter, yogurt – I made the yogurt in our instant pot. I also made the pear butter 🙂

Lunch

Avocado toast and juice

Lentil soup

Lentil bolognese over spaghetti squash

Coconut curried lentils

Dinner

Thai Chili Brussels Sprouts and Tofu

Pinto and gauc tacos topped with red cabbage slaw

Lentil bolognese over spaghetti squash

Butternut squash soup with pepitas, pomegranate and goat cheese

Dessert

Hot Cocoa and Chocolate Peppermint cookies – Watch the video for the cookie recipe, if you use it, she left over the sweetener on the written recipe.

Herbal tea

Miniature Mint Kitkat

What I Ate This Week (11/30 – 12/6/17)

A friend visited me from St. Louis over the weekend 🙂

Breakfast

Maple pecan oats

1/2 Mom’s Special from Mom’s Deli – My friend who visited this weekend brought me a sandwich 🙂

Toast + clementines with plain yogurt – I bought this yogurt at the farmer’s market.

Mushroom and Swiss Chard Quiche – Something from my recipe testing I do and the crust turned out very poorly.

Lunch

Apple beet carrot ginger juice + avocado toast

1/2 an Italian sandwich

2 Bean and Cheese Pupusas and 1/2 Tamale

Lentil barley soup

Spaghetti squash and Lentil Bolognese

Dinner

Burrito bowl

Lentil barley soup

Spaghetti squash and Lentil Bolognese

Pork Boxty

Thai Chili Tofo and Brussels Sprouts

Dessert

Christmas cookies

Chocolate

Vegan Cheesecake

 

What I Ate This Week (11/23 – 11/29/2017)

Oh man was I bad over the holiday… Its okay though. I got home and went right back to eating my usual.

Breakfast

Apples + Yogurt + Walnuts + Cinnamon + 4 double chocolate cookies + pita chips – the last two items were from me giving in due to the stress of my partner’s grandmother criticizing me…

Apple + a pretzel + a Sciacca sausage stuffed pretzel from Gus’s Pretzels

Cheese + carrots + 1/2 PB&J OR 1/2 a Sciacca sausage stuffed pretzel

Maple pecan oats – Simple and filling just like breakfast should be. I cooked rolled oats with water, soymilk, flax, pecans and cinnamon, then drizzled about a teaspoon of pure maple syrup on top.

Lunch

Thanksgiving with my family – Turkey + mashed potatoes + gravy + mac and cheese + broccoli salad + pecan sweet potato mash + green bean casserole + stuffing + roll + some black olives

Apple with peanut butter + Cheese

Sweet potato curry

Egg and Cheese square from Potbelly with a pecan pie Larabar

Apple beet carrot ginger juice + avocado toast – one of the days I followed it up with a cutie

 

Dinner

Pepita and persimmon salad with leftover bacon wrapped smokies – half healthy, half helping my mother clean out her fridge.

Mom’s Special from Mom’s Deli with a side salad – this sandwich is my all time favorite food.

Baked Lasagna + one toasted ravioli + a slice of Italian bread with olive oil + a slice and a half of my partner’s King of the Hill pizza from Mama’s on the Hill – I am usually a Favaza’s gal, but they were closed on Sunday and Mama’s was great! Also we skipped lunch that day so I was pretty hungry.

Burrito bowl – another winner from Minimalist Baker

Lentil barley soup – I had all the ingredients and really wanted to get the barley out of my freezer

Dessert

A whole lot of my Uncle’s rice crispy creation (this year he made a turkey from chocolate rice crispy treats) + Angel food cake + a few cookies – this was just on Thanksgiving… maybe my subconscious thinks, “put things in your hole to keep potential aggressive statements from coming out of it.”

Great Pumpkin concrete from Ted Drewes

Speculoos cookies from Aldi

Chocolate

 

 

What I Ate This Week (11/16 – 11/22/2017)

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the states! This past week we were down on the Gulf Coast this week for a family wedding and time with my partner’s side of the family. Again, I will add the pictures I have taken when we return. Although, some items you can find on my Instagram.

Breakfast

Apples + cinnamon + walnuts + plain greek yogurt

Lunch

Gumbo and side salad

Romaine wrap and a Carrot Cake Larabar – my in-laws do not buy a lot of produce, but I ate what they had. Romaine leaves + corn tortillas + Swiss cheese + hummus + tomato.

RXbar and potato chips – Ah, road trip food… not the healthiest.

Market salad and shared bowl of French onion soup at the Southern Grind

Mahi fish tacos at Cactus Flower Cafe on Pensacola Beach

Dinner

Rehearsal dinner at Muriel’s Jackson Square – a favorite extra fancy place to eat in NOLA. The champagne was the best I ever had.

Carnitas with corn and beans at Las Cazuelas

Wedding feast – There was so much food… and I shamelessly tried just about everything. The highlights were the mini muffulettas, corn and blue crab soup, bacon wrapped scallops, and the traditional almond wedding cake.

Villaggio salad and baked oysters

Conecuh sausage mac and cheese at Luna’s Eat and Drink

Split the Goat cheese salad and smoked duck flat at Villaggio

Salad, steamed broccoli and meatballs with fusilli

 

 

 

What I Ate This Week (11/9 – 11/15/2017)

Last week before 12 days with family in New Orleans and St. Louis. I allowed myself a treat, but nothing else until wedding cake in NOLA. 😉 I am pretty excited for wedding cake and I can not mess up all my hard work. Also, sorry for no pictures. I’ll have to add some later.

Breakfast

English muffin + Mustard + Spinach + Tomato + Soft-boiled egg and Spiced Carrot juice

Apple pie oats – Rolled oats + apple + flax meal + soy milk for added protein + cinnamon

Lunch

Mary’s Gone crackers + Cucumber + Tomato + Jalapeno hummus and a protein shake

Spinach and tomato scramble with spicy roasted potatoes

Dinner

Curried lentil and sweet potato bowl – Another home run from the Minimalist Baker blog

Creamy mushroom, kale and lentil soup – was not as good as the pictures on the blog lead you to believe…

Replicated Soba Noodle Bowl from Juiceland – It was just a great dish in Austin and I was craving it so I made it. I had most of the ingredients anyway.

Union Kale salad and 1/2 of the shrimp and chorizo quesadilla at Midway airport’s White Sox restaurant – the kale was tough to eat, it really needed to be massaged.

 

Snack/Dessert

Garrett’s Pecan Caramel Crisp popcorn – first treat since Halloween, I semi-shared a small bag with my partner.

What I Ate This Week (11/2 – 11/8/2017)

One week of eating better and I am already 5 lbs lighter. No sweets, no fried foods, less grains and a f*ck load of vegetables. I needed a couple months from the time I started this to get my mind right to do this for myself. I am worth it.

Breakfast

Rum raisin oats and green juice – so glad these oats are gone, they were nothing like the awesomeness of the bailey’s oats.

Spiced carrot juice and Soft boiled egg on an english muffin

Lunch

Veggie sandwich – same as last week – 2 slices of oat nut bread + hummus + olive tapenade + avocado + spinach + cucumber + radish + roasted bell pepper + tomato

Salad – everything from between the bread of the veggie sandwich + more spinach + balsamic vinegar

I also had apple nachos with these each day.

Dinner

Vegetarian Poutine – baked potato fries (400 degrees F, salt them, separate them out to not touch each other on a silpat mat, no oil)  + mushroom and onion gravy + cheese curds

Tapas at our favorite local restaurant – Chop salad + Cajun edamame + Lamp pops + Pork belly mac and cheese

Stir Fry – a recipe testing gig that was excellent

Curried Lentil and Sweet Potato Bowl

 

What I Ate This Week (10/26 – 11/1/2017)

This week started off in St. Louis (my hometown) and yesterday getting back to healthy was my goal. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I get

Breakfast

Sourdough lost bread with stewed apples, blueberries and pepitas

1/2 an English muffin topped with cheese and jam, and frozen custard with cinnamon and pecans – crazy breakfast, but it kept me full until dinner

Almond butter and jelly sandwich, Larabar and Laughing Cow cheese wedge – Train breakfast

Green juice and rum raisin oatmeal

Lunch

1/2 Mom’s Special from Mom’s Deli – This is my favorite thing to eat. I love a lot of different things, but this sandwich tops everything for me. I not only tastes good, but it was always around during the highlights of my early childhood.

Pretzels with Laughing cow cheese, spicy chicken, tomato and frozen custard with cinnamon and pepitas – it is quite common when I eat at my Mom’s house to have random leftovers until you feel satiated.

Veggie sandwich – inspired by my recent time in California.

Dinner

Cheddar jalapeño black bean burger at Fritas

Butternut squash fritters with cottage cheese – My mom found a recipe online and I made it for her. The recipe was not the clearest so they came out ok.

Imo’s veggie pizza

Leftover soup with pita

Butter chicken

Snacks/Dessert

Grandma cake – my grandma makes a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for each of our birthdays that makes you feel loved when you eat it.

Jackfruit snow with boba from St. Louis Bubble Tea

Crackers with tomato and braunschweiger

Way too much Halloween candy…

Apple slices with peanut butter and cacao nibs

What I Ate This Week (10/19 – 10/25/2017)

I spent 2 days in San Francisco, CA,  attended a conference in San Jose, CA and then flew to my hometown (St. Louis, MO) for my Mom’s birthday. This week was healthy and not healthy…

Breakfast

Random scone and yogurt – free breakfast at the Green Tortoise Hostel in San Francisco

Dim Sum – since I was so close to Chinatown town I picked up some dim sum one morning.

Conference breakfast – they provided free breakfast only one morning. I had a lot of fruit, scrambled eggs and “roasted potatoes” (it lacked potatoes and was mushy, but still tasty).

Dinner/lunch leftovers and an apple – after the first day of the conference, this is what I ate each morning.

1/3 spinach and red pepper omelet, 1 slice turkey bacon, 2 small slices sourdough baguette and blueberries – the birthday breakfast I prepared for my Mom.

Lunch

Ramen and karaage – I love when I can get more than sushi and teriyaki at a Japanese restaurant, I went a little crazy in California.

Berkley bowl from The Grove – I use to attend a conference in San Francisco every year while in graduate school and The Grove was my favorite stop. They have fresh and delicious fare.

Conference food – Free lunch just cannot be passes up.

 

Buddha buns and a Gose beer from Good Kharma artisan ales and cafe

Apple mojito juice and Luna salad from Vitamina

Corn dog and 1/2 chili fries from Woofies – my Mom’s birthday lunch of choice.

Dinner

Random baked goods, an apple and ice cream – last night in San Francisco and I was really tired, so I ate a lot of random stuff.

Dosa and paneer pakoda from Chennai Kings Express

Free conference dinners – I did not get any shots of the conference party food, mainly because I was so anxious with how crowded it was and having to network while eating and drinking a beer.

Takoyaki, 1/2 a small order of gyudon and 1/2 a small order of curry don from Kumako Ramen – again, I just can not find Japanese food like this at home! Must eat all the good food!!!!!

California Veggie sandwich from Boudin at SFO, an apple and United pretzels

Pick 2 at Red Lobster (Shrimp scampi and cajun chicken alfredo)

Snacks/Desserts

Fruit – Apples and dates

Larabar

Trail mix

Pretzel – more free conference food

1 slice of grandma cake and 2 scoops Ted Drewes frozen custard