July 31, 2018

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Virginia Woolf

…and dined well lately I have.

To be honest, I probably haven’t stopped dining well since I left for Italy the same week I moved home from Chicago…a year ago! Italy ruined me, and I mean that in the best and most respectful way possible. I knew leaving my routine in Chicago would be hard, I knew coming back from Italy and eating whatever I wanted for over a week would be harder. I didn’t fall off the wagon completely. I still kept up with cardio and some weights after returning home. It just wasn’t as structured or as easy.

Fast forward to the last 6 months and I’ve done even worse. Thank goodness for my new found love of disc golf for keeping me active even when I don’t have the time or motivation for the gym. Also for burning off a majority of the calories I’ve eaten, because I’ve pretty much given myself no restrictions. If I didn’t play so much, I’m sure I would have already gained back all the weight I had worked so hard to lose living in Chicago.

That being said, I’ve decided to attempt to recommit myself to doing better, which will start August 1st. I have less than two days to enjoy whatever I want before I start meal prepping and incorporating actual workouts back into my life again. So to say I’ve been enjoying the last week or so even more than normal has been an understatement!

My week in a nutshell:

Mellow Mushroom – Spring, Texas

The food as well as the, hippie and trippy inspired art and food names are amazing. Some of my favorite things in life are eclectic artwork, delicious carb loaded foods and mushrooms.

And I don’t mean the mushrooms of the psilocybin variety, although I’m sure those combined with the art would make for a nice trip.

Mellow Mushroom is aesthetically pleasing as well as delicious, which is my perfect recipe for a dining experience.

This round at Mellow Mushroom we started with Pretzel Bites served with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cheese (that we got for free with a coupon for signing up for their E club), and Magic Mushroom Soup made with a variety of mushrooms, cheese and herbs in a creamy wine infused soup. We followed it up with a medium pizza which was too large even for two of us. Half Buffalo Chicken and half Holy Shiitake Pie, which has a similar taste profile to the soup but even more filling and delicious.

Taco Casa – College Station, Texas

Taco Casa was a go-to in college, and this last week is probably the first time I’ve had it since. There’s something so deliciously disgusting about that canned, processed, way too orange cheese that’s warmed up and thrown over some of the best tasting tortilla chips ever! Combined with beans and an obnoxious amount of sour cream, because I’m a freak and can eat it by the spoonful, makes for one amazing guilty pleasure of a meal.

Fajita Jacks – on Lake Conroe in Conroe, Texas

A 3:45 am alarm set for the next morning didn’t hold me back from a late round of disc golf and an even later dinner on the patio under the full mood, with the most amazing friends.

Seafood and Mexican food are two of my favorite things so for my entree I got the Seafood Enchiladas which were surprisingly good priced for the quality and portion. The flour tortillas stuffed with shrimp, spinach and mushrooms, topped with tequila lime butter sauce and blue crab was nothing short of delicious. Of course I overdid it on chips, salsa verde and queso blanco, but leftovers are also some of my favorite things so I wasn’t even disappointed about getting to eat the rest the next day at work.

The Cherry Capital – Traverse City, Michigan

Our first layover of this four day trip was in Traverse City. I won’t go into all the details on it because I plan on doing a whole post about Traverse City sights and eats soon, but I will say I had some more good eats. The Little Fleet food truck park and Peace, Love and Little Donuts are just a few blocks from the hotel so both are a must! Also it being the Cherry Capital means all the most amazing cherries and cherry things. I spent way too much money but I had to find mom unique things for her birthday yesterday, and of course splurge on myself too! 🍒♥️ So stay tuned in the near future for my Traverse City post! It’s too amazing to just briefly talk about here!

O’Reilly’s Irish Bar & Restaurant – Fort Wayne, Indiana

I rarely go out on layovers anymore. I’m what we call in the aviation industry, a slam-clicker. As in, get to the hotel and go straight to my room, shut the door and lock it. Occasionally emerging for food or the gym, but always alone and quick. However, my crew this trip is great, and the idea of some late night pub food for my last few days of gluttonous eating, pulled me out of my boring ways. Not much is open at 11 pm on a Sunday night in Fort Wayne, with the exception of Rally’s, Taco Bell, O’Reilly’s and maybe a few other things. We headed to O’Reilly’s for some drafts and grub. I had one “snakebite” as we called it at Baker Street, which is Guinness layover on top of Angry Orchard cider, for the perfect blend of sweet and bitter. I prefer my calories to be wasted on food instead of alcohol so it was one and done for me. It was a tough choice between fish and chips or build your own mac n cheese but mac n cheese won.

The BYO Mac n Cheese came with one meat, and three toppings of your choice. Pork belly is one of my favorite meats and is also what sold me on the dish. I topped my mac with pork belly, bacon, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms. The waitress said she couldn’t eat a whole portion but I demolished every last bit it one sitting. #noregrets! I’m not gonna lie tho, going back to Fort Wayne, it’ll be hard to stay away from O’Reilly’s and their amazing mac n cheese, but that’s a problem for future me.

Oh and shoutout to my friend and captain for taking care of myself and the rest of the crews meal and drinks! You that real MVP! 🏆

Cousins BBQ – DFW Airport, Texas

Thanks to being delayed already, with a maintenance delay on top, I had time to rush down to Cousin’s BBQ for what’s now probably one of my top 3 favorite airport meals.

BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos, which are loaded with cheese, pulled pork, bbq sauce, jalapeños and *extra* crema (because my sour cream obsession). The cheese is similar to Molina’s, which is this amazing Mexican food restaurant in Houston. It has a unique flavor profile which is not like your typical Tex-Mex queso. I wish I could explain it but it’s one of those, you have to try it for yourself to get it, kinda things. Either way it’s amazing and if you’re ever in DFW airport or see a Cousin’s BBQ, get it! It’s a massive portion that I should have never been able to finish and I did. Almost regrettably too because I was sure I was going to die in my jumpseat from gluttony afterwards. Totally worth it tho!

Of course there were other snacks and whatnot throughout the week but these were the only ones worth mentioning! It was a glorious and gluttonous week but tomorrow begins a much needed reset. I’ll finally be almost moved into my new home which means my own kitchen again and no excuse not to meal prep! I’ll be living closer to the gym again, and hopefully can establish a good routine again. So if anyone wants to help me be accountable, let me know! I’m not giving up good eats completely, I prefer balance, but I definitely won’t be living it up like I did this week.

Oh and if you’re wondering if I feel disgusting after eating so bad this week?! The answer is yes! But part of the reason I binge is because I feel sooo gross after, that I welcome the healthier foods back with open arms!

I realize this isn’t something you should do routinely but after almost a year of not being super dedicated to my gym or diet, I need to gross myself out to get extra motivated! 😝

So here we go! Time to cross that start line again, and get back to a healthier balance of my life!

See y’all again soon! ✌🏼