epic win

I had such a lovely day with my aunt & uncle! We drove to downtown Fredericksburg and walked around the shops. It was 60* in the sun! Such a change from the freezing temps and cold we’ve had all over the state lately. There is still a lot of snow on the ground at my aunt & uncle’s house, Liberty Farm, but hopefully some of it melted today!

After walking around we stopped at Capital Ale House for lunch. There are 3 of these gems in Richmond (where I went to college) so I am well versed in the menu. But since I’m now a vegetarian, I went with something new, their black bean burger! It was good but a little too mushy for my taste. It should have been sauteed longer to crisp up a little. They also have a portobello burger that looks good, so if I return I will give that a try. And I subbed the vegetable of the day (haricots verts) instead of fries. They were a little buttery, but I was happy to get some much-needed green into my diet.

My black bean burger with ketchup and haricots verts on the side.

We had an amazing find at an antique store afterwards. There was a scarf donated to a charity auction in the 70′s by Princess Grace of Monaco and, as fortune would have it, it ended up in this shop! The dealer offered my aunt and uncle an amazing deal, so they got it. Liberty Farms now has a framed scarf of Princess Grace (with documentation). Pretty nifty, eh?

When we got back I packed up quickly and bid adieu to Liberty Farms. I had to get on the road but was very sad to leave.

So long, farewell!

I should have packed a snack, but forgot, so I called a few friends to see if they’d meet me for dinner in Richmond on my way through. No dice. So I was STARVING when I rolled into the driveway in Va Beach, 6 hours after eating lunch! I wanted roasted veggies but was way too hungry and impatient to cook them. So I made a grilled goat cheese sandwich. EPIC WIN. Go out and buy some stinky goat cheese and make this. I also supplemented it with a wedge of Laughing Cow Original Light so I didn’t eat too much goat cheese. Still, super tasty.

Grilled goat cheese sandwich on wholegrain bread, some carrots, and the remainder of the store-bought quinoa salad.

I’m pretty tired so I’m going to quickly unpack and veg out in front of the Olympics before hitting the sack. What a great weekend! Tomorrow is back to the gym for me! Oh and work…

**You may have noticed I added a link to the charity To Write Love On Her Arms. This is a charity that goes towards mental health awareness and suicide prevention. As someone who has been directly affected by a suicide, I urge you all to visit the website and learn about the cause. Should you feel so compelled, you can also make a donation. This is a wonderful charity and everything can make a difference. Suicide is one of the most painful things for a family to live through, so make a donation to help suicide prevention and groups such as To Write Love On Her Arms! Thanks

big ol’ breakfast

We decided to have a lovely, rich breakfast this morning, so my lunch will likely be very light. Last night, I ate an apple and a bit more cheese before bed, but nothing noteworthy. I was too stuffed from all the food and slept like a BABY. My body was hard at work digesting all that goodness. But I’m back to vegetarianism for the rest of the foreseeable future as of today. My weekend of wonderful eating is coming to a close and since breakfast didn’t have meat, today is the day. Sunday is technically the first day of the week, so it is a nice way to start.

Since we all know how obsessed with oatmeal I am, I taught my aunt the egg white oatmeal trick and made us all a big batch while she worked on the French toast. Since we were having toast, I made 2 servings of oatmeal for the 3 of us to share. So I’m guessing I had about 2/3 cup once all was said and done? I used 1 cup rolled oats, 2 medium bananas, 2 egg whites, 1 cup water, 1 cup milk and a tsp of cinnamon stirred in at the end for the 3 of us to share. I also added on some of the baked fruit compote that was left over from dessert yesterday. Amazing topping.

My serving of egg white banana oats with some leftover baked fruit compote.

Then came the French toast made with my aunt’s home-baked brioche with currants. This was some seriously good toast. I topped it with a tbsp of pure maple syrup and, of course, a dusting of powdered sugar. If I’m going to indulge, I’m going to do it right. My weekend of good eats has been enjoyable, but I certainly can’t do this all the time. I am craving roasted veggies so that might be dinner tonight when I’m back in Va Beach.

World's best pain perdue. No arguement.

We’re heading over to Fredericksburg for a bit to poke around some shops, but we’ll be back!