Weekend Recap: Good Food, Good Wine & a Lesson
PIN IT!You read that right folks, I’m gonna school you today. But don’t worry, you don’t need a number 2 pencil or calculator for this one. Just that big ol‘ noggin of yours 🙂 And since people don’t like to read (it’s just a fact), I’m going to share a bunch of perty little photographs as well. Capiche?
I had a pretty damn good weekend. Lots of laughter, sleep, traveling, catching up and, of course, eating and drinking (lots of wine!). I love food, no shocker there. Food is my life. However, like many, food and I don’t always have the best relationship. Growing up, I was a bigger kid. I ate whatever I wanted, and it showed. I was heavy. I remember one point, right before we moved to Indiana, where I was a size 8 IN WOMEN’S in fifth grade. I wasn’t the biggest girl in class, but I was the biggest amongst my friends, cousins and family. It was hard. I think I used food as a crutch, as a way to feel better when I was picked on or called “thunder thighs.” I didn’t really see the correlation between food, weight and well being until 7th grade. I won’t relive that again (I talked about it here!) but it was a wake up call for me. I learned so much about my body and how what I eat completely effects what I look like and how I feel. I was very extreme in 7th grade, I dropped a lot of weight and practiced a lot of pretty scary behaviors. At a point, I was close to a 0. Going from a size 8 in women’s to a size 0 in juniors in less than a year isn’t healthy. I know that’s when my tumultuous relationship with food started.
The reason I’m telling you this is because I’ve come such a long way and this weekend is the KEY indicator of that. For starters, we went out to eat on Friday with our roommates to an Irish Pub. I scoured the menu before we went so I could pick out a few healthy options to eat so I wasn’t tempted by the high calorie fried fare. However, when we arrived, I quickly learned that everyone else was going for the appetizers. Instead of ordering a salad or low calorie wrap, E and I went for the spinach dip, Guinness wings and Irish spring rolls. And you know what? I didn’t feel guilty, or wrong, or bad for doing that. (Please excuse the iPhone pics!)
Looking back on those bad days, this food would have sent me into a spiral of self destructive aggression. Food like this made me sick to my stomach. And it wasn’t because I didn’t like it, oh god I loved fried food, I just couldn’t look at myself if the scale was even 0.1 pounds higher. I’d force myself to rollerblade longer that night or swim harder. Everyone thought I was just really disciplined, I had amazing self control. When in fact, I was sick, I was scared to death of becoming “fat”, I was so scared of food that I couldn’t enjoy it. I may have been perfectly thin with amazing abs and toned thighs, but I was MISERABLE. Luckily my friends and family saw this scary trend and helped me. Otherwise, I’m not sure what would have happened.
After my scary weight battle in Middle School, I gained weight and maintained a healthy 145 pounds through high school. However, as senior year approached, that weight jumped up. That’s normal though, I was going through a lot of change. I entered college at a hefty 165 pounds. However, I quickly learned that to be noticed by the boys, fit into the sororities, I needed to lose weight. I was competing with girls from all over Indiana, most of who were thinner, in better shape and with better clothes. Since I couldn’t shop, I worked on the only thing I could control, my body. It didn’t take long before I quickly spiraled downhill again. I lost 25 pounds in the semester bringing me at 139 that December. I was very healthy outside, but once again, I was obsessed with food, in the wrong way. I counted every single calorie I ate. If I ate more than 1,400 calories that day, I’d do extra hard in the gym. I’d skip dinner or breakfast. I’d do everything I could to keep weight down. Add in a love for drinking and partying, and you have a complete recipe for disaster. Not only did I reform my unhealthy relationship with food again, but I developed a dangerous relationship with alcohol. This is a part of my life I’ve shared with few people and one day, hope to share with y’all. It took me about 2 years and a change of school (and state) to really get a hold of my food & drinking problems. As hard as Georgia was that first year, going there changed, and saved, my life.
4 years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to attend a wine festival without getting out of control. Without over drinking and skipping the meals. I missed out on so many things because of my weird relationship with food and alcohol. The wine festival this weekend was amazing. I had a few tasting glasses and that was it. I didn’t need to get drunk to have fun. Mel and I had a BLAST, tasting, people watching and outfit judging. After four hours of judging and tasting, we grabbed a few bottles of VA Pinot Noir, a brick of delicious local cheese and headed home.
After a brief stop in Wegmans (OMG. I’m obsessed, will gust about in later post) we made it home. We popped open a bottle of Pinot, cut up the delicious salami we bought and crumbled the fresh cheese and nibbled on these while we watched bad horror movies. Then, I unwrapped the delicious pork roast I bought, marinated and seasoned it, and set it to bake in the oven. The roast was done in about 40 minutes and was so incredibly flavorful. It was moist, chewy and the crust was divine. [Recipe will be up this week!] I served it with buttered green beans and a sliced baguette. We finished off the meal with, easily, the best cupcake I’ve ever had. A delicious chocolate one from Wegmans. Oh, and it was gluten-free. It was TRULY the best cupcake I’ve ever had.
While all of this was happening, I wasn’t thinking about calories, fat grams or how long I’d have to workout to combat it. I wasn’t chugging the wine just to have a good time. In fact, I wasn’t thinking any negative thoughts at all, actually. I was smiling, laughing and living in the moment. Looking back, it’s been such an incredible journey JUST to feel normal about food. Just to be able to sit down, eat a hamburger and not start crying because of how many calories are in it. There were times I never thought I’d be able to eat a meal without immediately writing down how many calories, fat grams and carbs were in it. It was an obsession, a compulsion, something that literally controlled my life. I no longer HAVE to drink just to have a good time. I know a lot of this was stemmed in insecurity, unhappiness and darker feelings. There’s still so much I have to figure out, with myself. But just being able to indulge all weekend without regret, guilt or sadness was big. I’m now actually living my life, not just watching from the sidelines.
A few photos from my cousin’s wedding last week, don’t worry, they tie in.
So what is my lesson? [Like how I made you read ALL THE WAY to the bottom to get it? tricky trick ;)] Don’t get so caught up in the numbers (calories, fat grams, miles). Life is more than what you eat and how much you work out. Being healthy isn’t just being fit, thin, toned or athletic. Being healthy is just as mental as it is physical. Let yourself indulge. Have a milkshake, a hamburger and fries on the same day. Skip a workout on a rainy day & watch bad movies. Live your life, every single second, without worry, regret or guilt. Live your life to the absolutely fullest. I spent so many years living on the sidelines of my own life that I won’t take anything for granted now. Being healthy is subjective, I understand. Just remember to also be realistic. We have ONE life, make it count. That’s all. That is my lesson.
What are you doing to make it count today?
Five Things Friday
HOLY SMOKES, it’s Friday! AND it’s 2:00. What the heck? Today has been SO busy at my job with back to back meetings and such, so I just now have a moment to blog. I want to say congrats, again, to Bake Your Day for her luck in winning the amazing Anthro loot! Congrats girl! I’m already planning my next giveaway, which will be huge, so be sure to spread the word to like my page! I’m hosting the next one when I reach 1,000!
1. I’m so pumped for the wine festival this weekend! I’m going on Saturday with my good friend Melanie and I’m so excited. Plus, the countryside of Va is absolutely gorgeous. Sights and wine? I’m in heaven.
Hopefully the weather is just as nice because I’m ready to drop some dollars on good, local Virginia wine!
2. I have a bunch of new recipes live over at She Knows! Including these delicious chocolate zucchini muffins & baked zucchini fries! Check em out and leave a comment!
I also wrote an article on fending off vampires and foods to help conception, so head over there and read them too!
3. My darling puppy, the little love of my life, is having his man hood YANKED in the next coming weeks 🙁
It’s definitely something that has to happen, but it makes me so nervous/sad to know he has to go through surgery soon. He’s such a precious little man. However, because he isn’t fixed, he’s VERY territorial, marks everywhere and has gotten really aggressive. He snaps at everyone (even Elliot!) I’ve read countless articles that fixing him will help with the aggression, I’m just a little worry wart and don’t want him to be scared in surgery!
4. My cousin’s wedding last weekend kicked off the LAST wedding for me in 2011. I’ve had 6 thus far and, although I love them, am so exhausted from all the traveling! From DC to IN to NM to OH it’s been a hectic month and a half. It’ll be nice to stay around home for a few weekends and enjoy what fall has to offer! However, I am so blessed to have been a part of Ashley’s wedding! She asked me to help coordinate & plan, so I was as attached to the event as she was! We picked out the centerpiece ideas, where the ceremony would be, place card ideas and almost everything. Plus, on the day off, I made sure everything and everybody was where it/they needed to be. It was very stressful coordinating the event, but it was also really exhilarating. I’m definitely not going to quit my day job but it might be a fun thing to do on the side? (Not like I have enough to do now, right?) Here are some photos 🙂
Omg, such a fun weekend. I love my family 🙂
5. Y’all, you have got to check out Forever 21. They have the CUTEST fall clothes right now. I’m a serious budget (BOO, I HATE YOU MONIES) so I’m trying to add some fun pieces to my wardrobe that won’t break the bank. A few things I’m lusting after right now are:
I have two prettttty amazing recipes on the docket for next week. I’m finally breaking out the pumpkin, pears and parsnips so they’ll be perfect for you fall meals. So stay tuned for those!
Have a great weekend!
The Magnificient Anthropologie Giveaway Winner!
WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER!!
We have a winner for the fabulous Anthropologie giveaway! Thank you to everyone who entered, the response was OVERWHELMING. I just love y’all. I’m going to do a HUGE (like, HUGE guys) giveaway when I reach 1,000 likes so if you want to spread the word, I guarentee you’ll be blown away by what I have up my sleeve 🙂
So are you on the edge of your seat, dying of excitement to see if it was you?
Or….BAKE YOUR DAY!! Congrats! Here’s what she wants me to lighten up:
I would love to see a lightened up version of chicken and rice casserole. What great giveaways!
Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Spicy Tofu Nuggets
“OOOOOOO, killer tofu!!”
[photo via]
Please tell me you know what song “killer tofu” is and you are quite familiar with the cartoon above. If you aren’t, my heart is a little shattered and I advise you google “killer tofu” or watch Teen Nick at night. Doug was MY JAM, friends. I wanted to be Patty Mayonnaise so badly growing up. Don’t ask me why, she had crazy hair and wore the exact same thing everyday. However, she had the admiration of most of the boys in town, and um, growing up, can’t say I had that same problem. I miss the good ol’ cartoons of Nickelodeon, luckily they FINALLY got the memo and are showing them at night on Teen Nick.
[photo via]
I couldn’t have asked for a better lead in! My spicy tofu nuggets are killer, but in a totally different way. They won’t, you know, murder you, but they will cause your taste buds to do a massive flash mob. As you know, I’m fully addicted to tofu and I’m pretty sure this is my new go-to way to prepare it.
Although this picture sort of looks like a pile of fuzzy things, I assure you, these nuggs are INCREDIBLÈ. They have the exact same texture as a chicken nugget (crunchy exterior with a soft, tender interior) with an even better spicy, crispy and flavorful crust! The key to a perfect tofu nugget is marinading it as long as you can and baking it long enough. If you only marinade tofu for a short while, you risk not having much base flavor, plus, not baking long enough can leave you with a jiggly, soggy nugget. YUCK!
For real guys, make these tonight. You won’t be dissapointed. They were both husband AND roomate approved. And while you are at it, WATCH DOUG.
Spicy Tufu Nuggs
Prep time: 10 minutes
Marinading time: 1 hour
Baking time: 40-45 minutes
What You’ll Need:
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1 block of extra firm tofu, completely drained and pressed
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1 cup of marinade (I used a sweet bourbon sauce)
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3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder *(optional)
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2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
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dashes of salt and pepper
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1/2 teaspoon of oregano
How to Make Them:
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Preheat oven to 375.
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Once completely draned, cut tofu into small nuggets.
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Pour marinade into a bowl. Add tofu, cover and let sit in a fridge for AT LEAST an hour.
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While you wait, mix bread crumbs, spices and salt, pepper in a medium bowl.
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When tofu is completely marinaded, take out of fridge. Dip each nugget into the bread mixture and heavily cover. Place on baked cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the nuggets are covered (you may need more panko & spices)
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until tofu is firm to the touch. Enjoy with dipping sauce or eat alone!
You’ll never look at a chicken nugget the same way again.
Nutritional information (per 4 nuggets): 150 calories, 8.5 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs and 11 grams of protein.
Albuquerque Recap: Green Chili, BBQ & 10,000 feet
Holy smokes, I can’t believe it’s already been over a week since my trip to New Mexico. How is that even possible? Either way, it was such an incredible weekend! When we landed in New Mexico, it felt like I was entering an entirely different world.
Toto? We aren’t in Kansas anymore.
The landscape, the architecture, the vibe, the people and the food are completely different than anything I’ve seen/felt/experienced. It was my first time in this part of the country. Being the foodie that I am, I was VERY excited for the authentic, REAL Mexican food. I love me some tex mex, but I wanted the real stuff. Luckily, you can find authentic cuisine just about anywhere, including the back of a pharmacy. We stopped in this native favorite and had some breakfast. Unfortunately, the flight + anxiety + exhaustion + real heavy food did NOT work for me. I was pretty sick for a few hours after. I was happy to see that we had a room with mountain views though!
Luckily I rallied in time for the rehearsal and dinner!
The lovely bride and groom!
The hotel was SO beautiful and unique. 
After the rehearsal, we went up to Mary’s room to help her finish some last minute wedding prep! We stuffed favor boxes with bizcochitos, the state cookie of New Mexico, stamped place cards and put together menus! It was really fun to get to know her bridesmaids and spend some time with her!
After we prepped everything, it was time to head over to the BBQ rehearsal dinner. When I think New Mexico, I don’t think BBQ, but this place was really good. It’s called the County Line and it’s right at the bottom of the mountain. In addition to good food, the views were ahhhh-mazing.
After the dinner, my roomie and I (a former colleague of mine!) went out for a few drinks. Because of how long the day was, we didn’t stay out long and were fast asleep as soon as we got back to the room! The wedding the next day didn’t start until 6 and we wanted to see some of the sights so we walked around Old Town, ate, and did a bit of shopping.
I ordered an omelet with green chili. It was SO GOOD. The chili was spicy, but not too spicy, and the omelet was so flavorful. Since they gave me enough to feed 5 families, I barely made a dent. Speaking of chili, there were dried chili bundles EVERYWHERE. I’m assuming it’s just a decoration thing, but they were on almost every building.
After the sight seeing, we decided to check out the world famous tram. I, of course, didn’t know what a tram was before we got there because if I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone with such excitement. It’s a big ol’ metal box that hangs from cable cords as it goes up a mountain. A girl who is ABSOLUTELY terrified of heights should probably stay away, right? That wasn’t an option so I chose to chug a drink instead with Patrick, a boyfriend of one of the bridesmaids. He wanted to check it out too so he tagged along with us.
I almost threw up like 6 times, but the views truly made up for it. It was surreal being so high up on a mountain! Trees that are a couple hundred feet tall looked like specs and the town looked so quaint and quiet.
It was a little hazy so it was hard to see, but the views were still magnificent.
I was much more inclined to take pictures when I was safe on the ground.
After the tram it was time to rush back to the hotel to get all pretty for the wedding. Mary was an INCREDIBLY beautiful bride, the ceremony was touching and the reception was so much fun.
Okay so this post took me 4 hours. I’m done now. If you want to know more, just ask me 🙂
Claire
Tags:albuquerque, BBQ, county line, county line bbq, green chili, New Mexican omelet, new mexico, sandy peak
