How to not feel like a boat...

after eating at the Hard Rock Cafe: order two shrimp skewers (total: 12 large grilled shrimp) and a side of "confetti rice" (mixed with pea pods, corn, broccoli). It was more filling than it sounds, but still way lighter than any of the other options. I love that HRC lists the calorie *and* sodium counts of each item on their menu. Too much salt in a day makes me feel gross. I was very happy with this lightly satisfying dinner after almost two weeks of meals-from-menus!

The H and I ground some of our Ocean City Blend (decaf) coffee after the little guy went to bed, and now I'm perusing some running routes for tomorrow morning. Philly is a really cool city, FYI. I just wish there weren't so many people smoking everywhere we walk... :z

Eating out: Red Robin

Yesterday was a day of errand-running with The H and little guy, as they were home from daycare/work. We started the day with a batch of these fantastic waffles, and stopped for lunch at Red Robin.

I've been itching for the taste of buffalo sauce lately, so I ordered a plain-grilled chicken sandwich (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle come on the side) with Frank's. Rather than fries, I asked for melon as a side and was pleased to see two sweet and juicy slices of cantaloupe arrive on my plate.

I did sample a few of The H's fries, but they weren't doing it for me today so I had no problem cutting myself off. No pictures; I didn't have the camera on me and thought a cell phone pic of my empty plate would be less than impressive.

This is probably the first time I've eaten at Red Robin and *not* felt like a big greasy schlub on the way out. "Yummm" indeed.

Eating out: Chipotle

Today the little guy and I met The H at Chipotle, kind of on a whim. LG and I were on our way home from his daycare Christmas party (God bless those workers; it was *loud* in there) when The H called us--his company once again failed to get him something GF/wheat-free when they ordered lunch in, so he was looking for something to eat.



Pardon the crappy cell phone pic, but this is my gorgeously colorful chicken burrito bowl, topped with black beans, pico de gallo (the mild salsa), and roasted corn salsa (medium). It was just the right amount of heat, plus a good serving of protein from the chicken and beans. Very satisfying.

Old Town A - Day 1

The H has a different work schedule than usual for being on the road, which means rather than bringing breakfast to the room for me and the little guy, he's out the door by 6:45 and we're on our own. LG slept long enough this morning that I could shower and get ready in peace. Love that! We headed down to the breakfast buffet just after 8am. I can't tell you the last time I was ready to leave the house that early, let alone that presentably--I did my makeup, folks. Yeah.

My little buddy perused the spread and requested that "orange melon and green melon" be part of his breakfast. Then he insisted upon calling them "oranges and pears." He ate two large chunks of each, along with a sausage patty, less than 1/4 cup of Froot Loops (he calls them colored Cheerios), and some 2% milk. I mostly enjoyed a bowl of melon, coffee with half and half, and an egg sandwich: wheat English muffin with spinach, Canadian bacon, and egg. We snagged a small blueberry muffin to share for morning snack-time. It was dry and we didn't eat it all.

On this fine, sunny, WINDY morning, we blew down to Whole Foods, more to warm up than shop, and later found ourselves in a small independent bookstore before choosing convenience over cleanliness and diving into Subway for lunch. My turkey-on-wheat was mediocre. I didn't realize the "sandwich artist" helping me thought this was my 6" sandwich, rather than LG's kid's meal, so I didn't have it toasted, had her add cheese, and omitted my favorite topping--the yellow peppers! It was instead made simply with spinach, tomato, oil, and vinegar. Fine, but not really what I wanted.

As soon as The H got back from work I blasted out the door for a run. Coming from Michigan, I'll take just about any chance I get to run on clear, dry sidewalks in mid-December, wind or not! Dry sidewalk trumps treadmill. I had to cut my planned 5 miles down to 4 because he was later than planned, and really windy, but 4 is better than zero! I made up a route based on the wind and traffic. It was fun--looking forward to going further tomorrow, hopefully with more daylight.

Dinner was post-run: delicious goodies from ZPizza. Half of a thin-crust "Rustica" style pizza with chicken sausage and arugula (and a light beer--complementary from the hotel's happy hour) for me, a gluten-free pepperoni and mushroom pizza for The H, and a pear and gorgonzola salad with balsamic vinaigrette for us to share. I went shopping at Whole Foods while my boys went to hunt and gather. It was a quick trip. The little guy has been very picky lately, which is unusual for him, but I guess not atypical for his age. We ended up spending less than we ever have at a grocery store on the road with The H! I got some Greek yogurt and organic graham crackers for snacks, cereal bars that the little guy asked for, yogurt/cottage cheese/turkey lunchmeat for The H, and ingredients for taco salad tomorrow.

Tomorrow is supposed to be windy again, so we'll probably stick close to the hotel, but we'll see...

Hello again, Old Town.

This week we're probably going to eat here... and here... and perhaps even here.

Oh, and we'll have to stop in here, of course.



No, I didn't go on a cooking strike. We're in Alexandria, VA with The H again! Despite a fairly stressful adventure getting here, we made it in relatively good spirits. We're staying at the same hotel we were at for this trip, but this time--thankfully--we are blessed to have a two-room suite instead of a studio room! Dinner last night was courtesy of the Whole Foods just a few steps outside our door. The H brought mac 'n' cheese for the little guy, who'd been asking for noodles all day, some turkey, mashed taters, and beans for himself, and a pork tenderloin with rice and veggies for me. A tasty end to a hectic day!

Eating out: The Cheesecake Factory

Since we don't have a Cheesecake Factory where we live, The H and I have made it a point to stop in whenever we're in Atlanta, even if it's just for dessert.

I ordered a portobello burger that came topped with melted cheese (I forget what kind), grilled red onion, tomato slices, and shredded lettuce. There was supposedly a "spicy mayonnaise" on there as well, but pretty much all I tasted was a balsamic-like flavor on the portobello itself.

It was MESSY. Probably one of the messiest things I've eaten in a long time! Each time I took a bite, the portobello slid further away from my mouth. I ended up taking off the top bun completely, and eating the rest with knife and fork.

Before our meals came, I also had two pieces of brown bread and one section of the baguette. The brown was better.

We got dessert to go--Godiva chocolate cheesecake for The H since it's made with a base of flourless chocolate cake--and red velvet/white chocolate for me and the little guy to share. I have never yet been disappointed in a cheesecake flavor from here!

Eating out: The Cooks' House

The Cooks' House is a hole-in-the-wall local joint in Traverse City, one that I've been hoping to try since we first saw it. The awning says right on it, "local and sustainable." I love it already!

There's a story behind it, which was printed in the Detroit Free Press recently, but I forget what it is and the article is in my car... in Michigan. ;) The chefs/owner(s?) made sure to greet us and ask how everything was. They were quick yet thorough in answering our questions.

After being seated, we were served bread plates (a multigrain and an Asiago slice for everyone except The H) that came with butter and pig belly--the white piped stuff on the left of the plate. Flavorless, in case you were wondering.

We all had water to drink. I thought the bottle was funny...

My first choice was the spinach and fiddlehead salad with roasted beets. Delicious! The H said the fiddleheads tasted like fresh green beans. It was my first experience with them.

My mom started with the asparagus soup... no cream base here, no roux--just asparagus (and shiitake mushrooms). It tasted SO FRESH.

The H had a white bean-red wine soup that was literally, like Mom's choice, made of just those items. Incredibly simple, yet so very creamy and satisfying. I forget what my dad had... pasta of some sort with smoked rabbit and roasted vegetables, I think. It was good. :)

My entree was a risotto. Small-portioned, but rich.

The H and my dad both had the salad with roasted pork shoulder... I thought I had a pic of it, but oh well.

We all ended the evening with mounds of flourless (really!) chocolate cakes topped with homemade whipped cream and grated nutmeg. If I'd run the full marathon a few hours earlier, I'd have eaten two.

This restaurant is a little out of our price range (roughly $60 for the two of us) for an everyday dinner, but since it's 3 hours out of town anyway, it's not like we'll go there all the time. I can see us returning for another celebratory dinner, perhaps in a different season (we *do* have a fall anniversary...) to experience a new seasonal menu.

Overall, eating at The Cooks' House was a pleasant and relaxing way to spend the evening. Our outdoor table, privy to the gentle breeze and beautiful sunset as well as the lightly busy street, enhanced the experience.

Eating out: The Omelette Shoppe

Last Monday, the three of us had a lovely relaxing morning together, kicked off by breakfast at The Omelette Shoppe. It was my first time there.

Sadly (or not really, because I don't feel bad about it), cheap won out over clean and I ordered the Early Bird omelette special--one meat, one veggie, one cheese in a two-egg omelet with a side of toast and coffee or juice--for less than $5.

My omelette was made with ham, green peppers, and cheddar. A classic and delicious combo! The H and the little guy each had some as well, so I really only ate about 1/3 of what you see on the plate. I had one of the wheat toast halves, with some of the strawberry jam (it's not ketchup) you see on the left, and then most of the little guy's pancake. It came out looking like Mickey Mouse--I ate the "face" portion while he picked at the "ears" and ate the fruit that came with it. The H made short work of his hash browns and over-medium eggs (no toast, of course) and coffee.

The prices here were more reasonable than our other local breakfast go-to place, and I felt the food wasn't quite as butter-laden. I'd love to go back, especially considering the sizable menu and lots of tasty-sounding options.

The koi pond in the attached mall held the little guy's attention more than his Disney-inspired breakfast did. I know where we're going next time the weather doesn't allow us to be outside!

My breakfast kept me full until after the little guy was down for a nap--lunch was leftover lentil soup and a fresh mango. Nice and light!

Road weary...

Today marks day 8 of our trip and believe me, we're all feeling it. The little guy has started to cry for "own bed, right now!" The H is feeling the walls of our studio-style room close in; being "home" all weekend has that effect on a person who has previously been out from 8am to 5pm. I am proud of the running and decent eating I've been able to do, but am anxious to get back into my own kitchen. I've been flipping through a Clean Eating Magazine I brought with me and have already flagged about a half-dozen recipes to make when we get back. It's making me homesick for my four-burner gas range and oven!

The forecast for this morning (and actually, for the remainder of our time here) called for rain, turning to thunderstorms. This ominous outlook inspired me to get up and out the door for a long run as soon as the little guy woke up (ok, a half an hour later) to hopefully beat the wet. And it worked! We were graced with sun (and humidity) the whole time we were out this afternoon.

I meandered along the Mt. Vernon Trail for just over 10 miles (out and back) and got to watch a large portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway 10-Miler, albeit backwards, and never felt a drop of rain. I feel very accomplished having done a run of that magnitude while on "vacation" more or less, and in an unknown area. I refueled with a chocolate protein shake and banana... and coffee, of course.

Our plan for the rest of the day was to jump on the Metro and check out Eastern Market.

We wandered the streets and stalls, snacking on chocolate-covered edamame and raw almonds/dried apricots, for awhile before having lunch at a teeny-tiny place across from the market building. I had a margarita chicken sandwich (the little guy ate my rice and beans) and The H enjoyed a chicken fajita salad.

I was so hungry at this point that I could not tell if the sauce on my sandwich was mayo or sour cream; nor did I care. That sucker went down fast.

By this time the little guy was transforming into CrankyPants McGee so we high-tailed it back for naptime. We all slept for a bit, then The H got up to go for a run.

Snack time was pretty much catch-as-catch-can, trying to use up some of our grocery stock. The little guy had some yogurt. I had chips and red pepper hummus. The H had the rest of the agave granola and yogurt. Then the two of them went swimming while I made dinner: gluten free pasta with red sauce and a vegetable medley.

I like this corn-quinoa pasta for its different texture than our usual rice pasta. It held the sauce very well and was not mushy at all. The vegetables, from Trader Joe's, were fresh-tasting and crisp.

After the little guy was in bed I strolled to Whole Foods (I'm going to miss having that a block away, but my wallet sure won't!) and picked up some more coffee and snacks for our return trip. I also snagged some canned corn and grilled chicken from the salad bar, to put in our chipotle-black bean soup tomorrow (or Tuesday) night. Now The H and I are settling in with our nightly decaf and the other two mini creme brulees from last night. Hope you had a great weekend!

Tuesday in Old Town

Breakfast: Whole wheat English muffin with butter, scrambled eggs, coffee with half and half, berry crumble muffin for me; banana, scrambled eggs, and sausage patty for the little guy.

Snack: Raw almonds, dried apricots, and a banana for me; fruit snacks, an apricot, and some of my banana for the little guy.

Lunch: Simply Organic shells and cheese pasta (which I mixed with whole milk and hummus due to my lack of butter--YUM), cantaloupe, apple + almond butter, chips + roasted red pepper hummus for me (first pic); black beans, melon, hardboiled egg, and vanilla whole-milk yogurt for the little guy (second pic). He wouldn't even touch the pasta I was so proud of. :(

Snack: Half of a giant chocolate peanut butter cookie and low-fat milk for me; grapes and pretzels for the little guy.

Dinner: Grilled chicken tacos (two flour tortillas, chicken, pico de gallo, lettuce) with a few bites of rice and beans at Austin Grill.

The chicken was very flavorful. You can see that it came with three tortillas, but the portions of meat in each one were so small that I combined the last two. I smeared some sour cream on the first one, before the little guy ate the rest on his rice and beans. We all had water to drink, and munched some chips and salsa, but not much at all. The basket was still basically full when we left.

Dessert: The H wanted ice cream, so we wandered down King Street until we got to Pop's. The H had peanut butter/espresso coffee in a dish, and the little guy and I shared my dish of cheesecake/chocolate.

It was a late night for him, and a splurge for us, but it was good. Well, the cheesecake flavor was good. The chocolate was really rather sub-par so I didn't finish it. My 4 miles of walking today means I'm not doing my usual 3-5mi run. Tomorrow calls for rain, so I will aim to do a treadmill run when The H is back from work.

A two-burger kind of day

Today is our first full day in the Washington, DC area--specifically, Old Town Alexandria, VA. We woke up early (thanks, little guy!) and got a jump on the day by hitting up the super-busy hotel breakfast buffet. No wonder there weren't any bigger rooms available... this place is *packed* and with tons of kids, too.

I toasted a wheat English muffin and smeared it with peanut butter and honey, then had some scrambled eggs, cantaloupe, and coffee with creamer. The little guy packed away 1/2 cup scrambled eggs, a sausage patty, a whole banana, diluted apple juice, and Froot Loops (and we suffered with him on a sugar-high the rest of the afternoon...).

We spent the morning hoofing around near the Capital(ish), trying to stay warm and not blow away. Who invited the Michigan weather to follow us?!

I almost bought a hoodie sweatshirt from a street vendor and put it over my long-sleeved shirt and denim jacket. We stopped for coffee at a little cafe:

Here we paused to let our fingers thaw enough to check a map, and then walked to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

I munched a Trader Joe's blueberry cereal bar on the way, and The H had a PowerBar energy bar.

With free admission, the museum was a perfect choice for us. The little guy was in awe of everything!

He kept asking for more rocket ships and airplanes for the rest of the day.

Lunch was at the museum cafe, which is a fancy name for "two-story McDonalds with an elevator that reeks of bowling shoes." I threw clean to the wind here and devoured a quarter-pounder with cheese (I removed one of the two plastic cheese slices; it just wasn't doing it for me), a few fries, four of the little guy's apple slices, and about 1/2 cup of watery Coke. The little guy polished off half of a hamburger, apples/yogurt/grapes from a fruit & walnut salad (he didn't care for the walnuts), The H's yogurt, and some water. The H put me to shame and got a grilled chicken salad, no dressing. I traded drinks with him so he had the big Coke that came with my meal, and I took his small cup.

Afternoon snack was a chocolate protein shake before I spent our life savings at Whole Foods while The H and the little guy tried to nap. We shared a giant chocolate chip cookie when I got back, with some fresh coffee with half-and-half from my grocery-getting adventure. Naptime was a big fat fail today, except for the half-hour snooze he snuck in on the way back to our room from the museum...

so we left for an early dinner and a quick stop for diapers.

This is what my dinner looked like:

A veggie burger and peppery grilled asparagus from BGR The Burger Joint, in Old Town Alexandria.

Holy yum. I got my burger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and "mojo sauce" which I'm quite certain was neither clean nor "good" for me, but man alive was it tasty! The burger was made from black beans, brown rice, oats, and molasses, and had an overall BBQ-saucy flavor that was simply delicious.

The H opted for a Southwestern burger (no bun, of course) and by the time he got back to the table after picking up his fries, the little guy had eaten half of the black-bean-mango salsa from the top.

We had ordered him his own grilled cheese...

but he only ate about half of one mini "burger" and some of mine (it was HUGE) in addition to his fries.

My meals for the rest of the week should be a bit cleaner now that I have some groceries to use. My Whole Foods haul includes whole-wheat lavash wraps, unsweetened apple butter, black beans, cheddar, salsa, red corn tortilla chips, fresh spinach, organic apples, gluten free pasta and marinara sauce, Nature's Path agave granola, eggs to hard-boil or microwave-scramble, yogurt, low-fat milk, and half-and-half. In my suitcase I'd stashed some almond butter, an endless supply of granola bars, homemade taco seasoning, steel-cut oats, chipotle peppers, some more chocolate protein powder, raw almonds, dried apricots, and my bullet blender. I intend to snag a banana or two from breakfast every day -- the older ones will get made into smoothies.

While I intended for us to "eat in" every other day thanks to our in-room kitchenette, my plans have changed. My goal now is to make the cleanest choices for breakfast and lunches for me and the little guy, and do my best with restaurant options at dinner. Tomorrow the baby-equipment rental company will be delivering the jogging stroller we reserved, so perhaps we will suit up for a run to work off some of the experience. :) Looking forward to it! As long as it's not as windy as it was today, that is. I left my winter gear at home!

Travel day!

The clean eating machines have made it to their travel destination, where we'll be hanging out (ok, The H is working) for the next week and a half. We had a great travel day--weather-wise and otherwise--and are now settled into our hotel. The little guy is such a rockstar when we fly. I'm putting that in writing, because even though we know it's true and he continues to blow us away by his awesomeness and flexibility, we still have rough moments here and there and need to remember that, overall, he does *so* well. What follows is a long-winded description of our day--focusing, of course, on what we ate.

The morning started with a wheat-toast-and-chocolate-peanut-butter breakfast (the regular pb was gone, in my quest to eat through the pantry before we left, and I didn't want to open another jar) before my 4 mile run. The H and little guy ran some errands (in the car) while I was out. After my run I refueled with a chocolate protein-powder shake and finished up our packing. Lunch was leftover gluten free veggie pizza (The H was a master chef last night!) with some odds and ends from the fridge--cottage cheese for The H, strawberry Chobani for the little guy, a small chunk of smoked gouda for me, and edamame all around. With our bags packed to near bursting, we were ready to set out for the airport. The little guy fell asleep on the 10 minute drive! Serves us right for choosing a flight that required us to be at the airport at naptime.

While we waited for our first flight, the little guy and I munched on (not clean) Snyder's honey mustard and onion pretzel pieces and made sure our water bottles were filled up. The three of us also shared a Nature's Path choco-peanut granola bar. I recently read in Clean Eating Magazine that they are one of the most recommended/CE approved premade granola bars and was excited to see them on sale at our health food store this week. On board, the little guy had some airline pretzels and fruit snacks while The H and I had Coke and water respectively.

Our first flight landed with an hour between connections, so we grabbed two chefs salads and a fruit salad from one of the few snack stands available (why are the good restaurants never where you want them in an airport?) and shared those amongst ourselves. The little guy ate most of my cheese, turkey, ham, and one of my tomato wedges, as well as some goodies from The H's salad. I ate a lot of lettuce. :) My dressing was a creamy garlic Caesar, which I chose over the honey mustard due to its lack of high fructose corn syrup. The H suffered with HFCS because the Caesar had anchovies in it, and that's no good for someone with a fish allergy. Our fruit salad had pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon in it. I was starving after finishing my lettuce and fruit, so I devoured a PowerBar brand chewy energy bar--toffee crunch flavor--from my carry-on bag.

This time The H and I opted for coffee on board (why does airline java always smell SO much better than it tastes?) and the little guy swigged some orange juice before settling down to read a new story and the SkyMall magazine with me. We were fortunate enough to have short flights both times, and each time we touched down in less than an hour. We were even early to our final destination! Rock on, Continental.

By this time, it was dangerously close to the little guy's bedtime, and while he was still holding up remarkably well considering the day's activity, we knew he was on the verge of crumbling. We got to our hotel 45ish minutes later and I quickly pawed through our bags to find an envelope of EasyMac (Trader Joe's brand) I'd stashed in there for just this moment. While I fed him and started getting him ready for bed, The H went out to hunt and gather for the two of us. Our first plan--Jimmy John's sandwiches--was a bust since the place was closed so he ended up at Whole Foods practically next door to the hotel and brought home a delicious spread.

My dinner was a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast with sauteed Japanese zucchini and onions, and a side of mashed potatoes. I did not eat the skin. The H chose turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and fresh green beans for himself, and bought a large bottled water for us to share. I feel like we'd been munching all day, but for some reason we were ravenous for dinner, and felt like refugees huddled on the floor (that's another story... one that requires photos), stuffing our faces with food, glorious food! We ended the evening with a few Reese's peanut butter cups and lots of water.

Tomorrow I'm going to get lost in Whole Foods during naptime. Cheap thrill? Maybe... but not for someone who doesn't have one at home! I'm a sucker for grocery shopping. It's probably a good thing we don't have a car this week. Walking everywhere--pushing a jogging stroller, no less--will help even things out at the end of the day. :)

Eating out: Panera Bread

Since we seem to eat out at least once a week--usually at our beloved Cheetah--I thought I'd start posting a summary (and pics, if I remembered the camera) of what I'm eating on those days. It isn't fair for you to think that I'm *not* eating out, so why not show you how I try to keep it clean? I've added an "eating out" tag to the list on the right for easy reference.

Today the little guy and I had lunch with one of my college profs/mentors at Panera. We have a standing monthly lunch date with "Grandma Judy" here, and I try not to order the same thing twice. Am I the only one who does that? Even at our usual place, I hesitate to try something I've already had. There's just so much I want to taste! I'm a big fan of soup-salad-sandwich combinations for this reason. If you'll recall, I did the same thing at my birthday lunch on Monday.

Looking at the menu ahead of time is key if you're trying to stay on any kind of healthy-eating track, whether that track is clean, Weight Watchers, vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free, etc. It's good to know what you're up against. It's also good to have a backup plan in case they tell you your planned meal is unavailable. This morning I took a peek at the menu and took advantage of the handy nutrition calculator tool. Very helpful, and eye-opening, if you weren't aware of just HOW much sodium Panera packs into those "healthy" meals!

I decided on a "You Pick Two" combination of vegetable soup (no pesto, to avoid unnecessary sodium) and half of a Fuji apple chicken salad (no onions--personal preference) with dressing on the side. My side item was an apple, which I bought home for an afternoon snack. I left there feeling satisfied, pleased with my choices and sticking to my plan, and not sodium-laden. My meal (not including the apple) came to 340 calories with 1260mg of sodium, 19g of protein, 16g of total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, and 40mg of cholesterol. I had the camera with me, but forgot to take a pic until we were leaving!

The little guy had an organic strawberry yogurt tube, the ham and cheese from his sandwich, and half of a shortbread cookie that Grandma Judy shared with him. That's their tradition. :) He also ate the tomatoes from my salad and would've eaten my soup if I'd let him. Hungry little monkey!

We ended up at *gasp* The Cheetah tonight since The H was late getting home and the little guy and I were playing outside instead of making dinner. Oops. Eating out twice in a day is not ideal, and I don't like doing it, but whatever. I had a warm black rice salad that came with a small (actually, probably a proper, non-super-sized American portion) fillet of seared salmon on top. The little guy loved the rice.

When you eat out, do you stick with "the usual" or try to mix it up?

Birthday lunch

Today my sisters and I met here in town for my birthday lunch. This is a tradition we started this year--getting together during the months of our b-days to celebrate as a foursome--inspired by my dad and his three sisters who have done this for years. It just so happens that we have a birthday in each season, and they coincidentally fall in birth order. My older sis was born in January, I'm the spring baby, #3 is a June bug, and the youngest will celebrate (21!) in September.

I'm the one in the flowery shirt, top left.

Lunch was at my favorite local place, which I've mentioned more than once. Everything was so good! My lunch was half of a charred chili portobello sandwich with roasted asparagus and a cup of poblano-potato soup. I have never regretted a meal there. :)

Here are some pictures of our goofy selves (these are the good shots, btw) during the afternoon.

Big sister

Middle sister

Baby sister

Baby sister gave us all flowers--yellow rose for me, orange gerberas for the others--and the little guy loved playing with mine when I got home.

My little goofy dude

Such a sweetheart!

Tomorrow I'll have some new recipes for you. I've been aching to make a tofu-and-Brussels-sprouts dish for months now, and I'm forcing myself to find the time tomorrow. I also plan to make a red pepper tabbouleh (using quinoa instead of bulgur) to use up my remaining co-op parsley and the rest of the quinoa from Saturday. For now, it's time to find a snack and go read for a little while.

The grass is not always cleaner

We're on the road... again. I know! Seems like we're always going someplace. This time it's a short trip with The H to the east side of the state. (Go Blue!) I tried something new this time and did not go grocery shopping when we first arrived. The hotel fridge is as empty as I've ever seen it. Just a sad little yogurt, cream cheese container, baby's juice cup, and a box of leftovers adorn its shiny shelves. We've been eating hotel breakfast and going out for lunch and dinner. Yes, I feel bloated and my face is extremely broken out. Now, about those leftovers...

Dinner last night was at a steak-and-ribs joint, the west-side locations of which have long been closed. We were looking forward to enjoying their food again, and I was determined to live it up. (Please note the title of this post...) I ordered a pork BBQ sandwich, which turned out to be as big as my face, and crispy onions. Yikes, right? Big yikes. I couldn't even pick up the sandwich at all until I'd eaten a Piglet-sized serving off the top, and when I finally did start mowing through with BBQ sauce up to my ears, The H made the observation that "it seems like you've been eating forever and haven't really gotten anywhere." So very, very true. I put down the sandwich, shuffled through the onions, and decided a to-go box was in order... not for myself, though. My often-vegetarian son decided he actually liked the taste of overly-sauced oinker, so I brought the rest of the meat home for him. And then I went for a run.

This morning I knew I had to start getting back on track or people will think I'm a 15-year-old boy (pizza face, anyone?), so I hauled out the container of steel-cut oats I brought with me and stirred up a batch with dried cherries (also brought) and pecans (thanks, Marriott). Double batch = some for tomorrow! I've also got another run planned for tomorrow, and then a 5K to look forward to on Saturday. Hopefully that gives me something to focus on when the siren song of a glossy menu is calling to me the rest of the week. I think I've decided that no matter how short our hotel stays will be, from now on I want to at least stock the fridge with eggs, wheat bread, my own natural pb, and some good fresh fruit. Live and learn.

OTRA: Day 14

We're heading home! Today will likely be all over the map with meals, but I'll do the best I can. I have my beloved almonds and dried apricots in my carry-on, as well as an apple and some dark chocolate.

Breakfast: Two pieces of Ezekiel toast, one with an egg and one with peanut butter/honey, coffee with milk.

Snack: Coffee, raw almonds, dried apriocots.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich at the "Chili's Too" in the Houston airport. It was served on garlic bread, which was weird and way too bread-y for me. So I only ate the bottoms, and only about half at that. The sandwich had smoked turkey, tomato, lettuce, and Swiss on it. The baby and I shared fries; he also at half of a grilled chicken breast and an applesauce cup.

Snack: Ghirardelli square and a nap, ha! Oh, and more coffee. Our second flight was longer.

Aaaand we are HOME! Dinner was broiled salmon with fresh lemon, garlic-sauteed yellow and green beans with baby carrots, and one small piece of bread with bruschetta on top. We went out with the in-laws after they picked us up. I think The H's mom shot me an odd look when I asked for double the veggies and no potato. I ate the croutons off my side salad and brought home the free cupcakes that came with our meal (this was news to me, but yum).

Snack 3: Carrot cake cupcake and a glass of 1/2% milk after grocery shopping. It was so nice to be in a familiar store again!

No exercise today, other than hoofing around three airports with a 27-lb baby and some impossibly heavy suitcases.

OTRA: Day 13

Last full day here in TX!

Breakfast: Small green monster. Added too much peanut butter and not enough ice. And STILL had banana chunks.

Exercise: 60 minute run (yes, finally!) with the stroller. We did incorporate some walk breaks. Getting out the door earlier than previous days allowed us that extra time before my diapered running partner got tired. I did some core work when he was napping. It poured rain all day after this, so we didn't get to do any walking like we normally would.

Snack: Two pieces Ezekiel toast with cheddar, two scrambled eggs, and a smear of Greek olive hummus. Really delicious! Also had my coffee with skim.

Lunch: My post-run snack was so filling that I wasn't hungry for more than four hours afterwards. So unlike me! When I did eat, I had a mug of leftover spicy black bean soup. Yep, still spicy. The corn is my favorite part. I don't know why I don't stuff like this at home more often. It would be a great candidate for the CrockPot and easy lunch leftovers.

Snack 2: My three remaining Honey Stingers (yum) and 1 Ghirardelli dark chocolate square.

Dinner: Another pizza from our new favorite, the organic-and-all-natural place. Tonight mine had BBQ sauce, chicken, pineapple, mushrooms, and red onion on it. As the "personal" size is roughly equivalent to two regular slices, I also had the last piece of The H's gluten-free pie with pepperoni, mushroom, and sausage on it. Salad just wasn't doing it for me tonight, though I did have a few bites (spring mix, portobello, green pepper, tomato, Italian dressing).

Snack 3: A piece of The H's gluten-free brownie from the pizza place and a small mug of decaf with skim.

OTRA: Day 11

Breakfast: Small green monster (banana, milk, peanut butter, spinach, ice).

Snack: Organic lowfat chocolate yogurt and a granola bar. Funny thing about this is that the almost-too-sweet yogurt started to taste like pickles after I took a few bites of granola bar. But I like pickles so it didn't deter me from finishing the cup.

Lunch: Gluten-free mac and cheese, two slices lean turkey, chips and black bean dip.

Snack 2: Chocolate protein shake, almonds, dried apricots (they're just so dang convenient!). My son had some cheese and a veggie burger from the hotel's happy hour so he wouldn't be cranky and I could get a decent workout in.

Exercise: 15 minute run, then 10 minutes interval running while waiting for dinner to be ready. Did one set of ab work and some good stretching after baby was in bed.

Dinner: Organic veggie pizza from the all-natural/gluten-free place we went to this past weekend. The H has a work dinner tonight, so baby and I shared this after our run. It was phenomenal! The crust was soft and just a bit salty, the sauce was a perfect texture and rich flavor, and the veggies (tomatoes, green peppers, red onion, black olives, mushrooms) were sliced large and were not mushy. Absolutely delicious.

Snack 3: I might have a piece of dark chocolate, but I'm not entirely sure I want it right now. The pizza was very filling. I will have more water and think about it while I shower.

OTRA: Day 9

Breakfast: Small green monster (half banana, spinach, milk, peanut butter, ice).

Exercise: Short run with The H and baby. Maybe 30 minutes? It was very hot again.

Snack: Ezekiel toast topped with low-fat sharp cheddar and a microwave-scrambled egg, coffee with skim.

Lunch: Marinated portobello burger on a wheat bun with bleu cheese and caramelized onion, tomato, and lettuce and a side of Cuban black beans (w/onion and red bell pepper) at a bar/grill we found downtown. One of the few open places today, since it's a holiday, but it turned out to be a great choice. My son was able to eat off the buffet, which was awesome and so much cheaper than a kid's meal at any other place we've been to. He packed away a ton of beans (kidney and garbanzo), corn, cubed ham, egg, olives, watermelon, and Jell-O, plus a glass of milk. I didn't know he had that much room in him.

Snack 2: Dried apricots and raw almonds before dinner.

Dinner: Smoked turkey, brisket and jalapeno sausage at a Texas BBQ place. It was an experience like none other. Sides were corn, beans, cole slaw, and red potatoes.

Snack 3: Decaf with milk and one Ghirardelli 72% square.

OTRA: Day 8

Into the second week...hooray!

Breakfast: Ezekiel toast with peanut butter, 1/2 banana, and one of my Sue-Bee honey packets from Chick-fil-A.

Exercise: 30min run by myself, then abs and arms. It is HOT out today. Left for my run later than usual; maybe that had something to do with it.

Snack: Chocolate protein shake, half of a Pink Lady apple, coffee with skim (and a Mini Moo for my refill).

Lunch: All-natural, organic, pizza at Promise Pizza--red sauce, mushrooms, green pepper, red onion, tomatoes. Delicious.

Snack 2: Decaf pumpkin spice latte with a half-shot of syrup as we walked around the outlet mall, and some raw almonds, dried apricots, and 1 Ghirardelli square before grocery shopping. I got a new stainless steel water bottle and I'm excited to use it.

Dinner: Macaroni Grill again (it's right outside the hotel); this time I got an orzo-spinach salad with a bunch of other goodies: chicken, capers, black olives (which my son loved), diced tomatoes, and strips of aged parmesan. It was overly dressed and although it would have been enough for dinner + lunch tomorrow, I don't have anything here to add to it to cut the dressing. I do not care for soggy salads.

Snack 3: Decaf with milk and a gluten-free brownie.