Cocktail Kinda Night

Work, work, work. I was fortunate enough to be able to work from home on Friday. I'm one of those people who gets easily distracted by whats going on around me. When I work from home I have no distractions so I'm able to get way more done. Love that!

All my hard work was rewarded by an awesome night out!

Breakfast

Pretty random. I started off with a traditional breakfast of cereal. Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries cereal that was included in the Healthy Living Summit swag bag.

This was a good bowl of cereal. Reminded me a bit of rice krispies but better for you! I wasn't sure about the dried berries but they added a lot of flavor.

I was still hungry so I steamed some Cauliflower and Broccoli. Topped it with ICBINB spray and a mixture of Chili, Garlic and Cayenne pepper.

Lunch

Amy's Organic Black Bean Vegetable soup.

Topped with fresh shredded Parmesan and Cholula hot sauce:

Soup was so good! It will definitely have a place in my cupboard anytime.

I also had a Dr. Zevia soda. The jury is still out on what I think of this beverage.

Happy Hour

I met my friends at the Wit for an after work cocktail. The Wit's Rooftop bar has spectacular views:

I sipped on a Belvedere Dirty Martini while I chatted it up with my friends!

Dinner

After the Wit I jumped in a cab with my husband and headed up to Firkin & Pheasant for a blogger meet up with MacKenzie from Fighting the Pudge and her husband, Ryan. Patrick and I had such a good time with them!

Appetizers were split amongst the table. Scotch Eggs which are hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and breaded panko crumbs then flash fried, served with sweet mango chutney:

Spicy popcorn shrimp with cocktail sauce:

For my main dish I went with a Pub Favourite. Cottage pie which is simmered ground beef, peas and carrots topped with whipped potatoes and served with seasonal veggies:

My husband ordered the Halibut with a sweet chili glaze. I did sample the fish and it was SO good. Love the flavor combination of the grill and sweet chili.

Dessert was a raspberry and lemonade cocktail.

I wasn't ready for the night to end so we walked down the street to another bar. On the way I ran into this sculpture of, what I think is, a couple bottle openers dancing:)

After talking and drinking the night away we decided to stop at The Wieners Circle. I think the hot dogs here are very different than those you will find elsewhere in the city. They char-grill the dogs so it has that char taste which I really enjoy.

If you are a sensitive soul you probably won't want to visit this hot dog joint since they are most known for the verbal abuse between the employees and customers(fyi...plenty of You Tube videos if you do want to experience it). I find if funny but I can also see how other might find it off-setting. It's all in good fun!

My char hot dog with mustard and pickles:

With a side of fries:

Wiener's Circle Verdict: Great hot dogs after a night of drinking!

Question:

Do you get more work done in an office setting or at home?

I get way more work done at home.

Happy Salad - Poor Risotto - Great Ice Cream

Patrick and I stopped at Starbucks before work. I can't think of a better way to start your day than with a latte and of course a water to hydrate.

The milk in the latte always fills me up so I don't have to have anything to eat for breakfast. Today's latte filled me up so much that I didn't get hungry until 1:45!

Lunch

Today's lunch was another packed creation (if you can call it that). It included a banana, sandwich thin and Justin's Chocolate Peanut Butter:

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Dog!

Dinner

As I mentioned in yesterdays post work has been really crazy. Not just for me but for Patrick as well. We are both feeling the stress and constantly thinking about what needs to be done. I felt we needed to take a well deserved break, just the two of us, to reconnect.

We decided to try dinner at Gioco. Gioco is an Italian eatery with a very cool atmosphere. I love how the interior has exposed brick walls, almost as if they moved right into the building (built in 1890) and kept the rustic feel but touched it up with some hip accents.

I started off with an Insalata di Pera e Arugula. Included in the salad: Baby Arugula, Apple Pears, Pancetta, Endive, Black Currants, Red Wine Vinaigrette, Peconrino Toscano.

They had me at arugula! This dish was A-mazing! The pepperyness of the arugula mixed with the sweetness of the pears and currants were a perfect combination. I really couldn't have asked for anything better for a starting dish:

A glass of pinot grigio to accompany my main dish:

My main dish was a risotto with homemade sausage and rapini. None of the pictures turned out but you aren't missing anything. That's right, this dish was a dud.

I really enjoy risotto and was excited to hear that it was one of the nightly specials. However, this dish was lacking flavor and the texture didn't work for me.

Gioco Verdict: I should have just stopped after the salad. The amazing delicious salad that I will try and create at home:) This is the second time we've eaten a meal at Gioco and our main courses both times have been lacking. Patrick and I decided the next time we visit we will take a seat at the bar, grab a cocktail, an appetizer and soak up the cool atmosphere.

Dessert

After the tasteless risotto I need a dessert with some serious flavor. Marble Slab entered my brain immediately:

I stood around for 10 minutes tasting and trying to decide what flavor Ice Cream I wanted:

My concoction included:

• Birthday cake ice cream
• Cinnamon vanilla ice cream
• Cookie dough
• Waffle cone pieces
• Hot Fudge
• Caramel

Yummers!

This weekend is jam packed with tons of fun things to do. Can't wait to get the weekend started!

Question:

What is your favorite base for a salad?

I have been loving arugula.

Dog Tired

Work has been crazy busy these last couple months. This lead me to make poor food choices and sit on my butt all day long (aka, no exercise). I really need to learn how to avoid stress eating!

I'm determined to turn things around so I've started packing my lunches the night before my work day.

Lunch

Today's lunch bag consisted of banana, sandwich thin and Barney Butter.

What else would you do with these ingredients but make a banana peanut butter dog:)

Dinner

Patrick and I stopped at Ceres for a cocktail before heading home. I had a raspberry vodka with a sugar free red bull:

About mid-way through my cocktail my stomach started to grumble and I was instantly in a bad mood. I'm one of those girls that gets really pissy when I don't have food in my stomach.

First up, cup of the best tasting chicken tortilla soup:

The soup was so good that after my husband had a bite he ordered a bowl for himself. YUM!

A salad was featured on the daily specials menu and it had my name written all over it.

Ingredients:

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Pea pod
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Cauliflower
• Red pepper
• Mixed greens
• Blue cheese
• Raspberry vinaigrette

I loved that all the veggies were cut up into bite size pieces. It's just like I make my salads at home but better because I didn't have to do any chopping:)

All mixed up:

Delicious and just what I needed!

Exercise

When I got home I put on my running shoes and went for a training run. I'm training for a 5K taking place in October. The run went really well which I attribute to the salad and cool fall weather.

Now, I'm off to use my foam roller to work out some soreness and take a cue from my pup and hit the hay!

Question:

What type of weather do you prefer to exercise in?

Fall is the perfect weather for me!

Labor Day Weekend (in pictures)

Work has been crazy busy and I haven't had the time to put together a proper post.

Here are a couple pictures that pretty much sum up what my labor day weekend was like. Feel free to write your own story (in the comments) to go along with the photos:)

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I sure did:)

California (food) Dreaming - Part 1

For the last 5 days I‘ve been in California helping my sister move. It was a lot of work but I was rewarded by lots of good food and getting to hang out with my sister.

Let’s take a look at the wonderful Cali foods I was able to sample over the last couple days!

Five Guys

I’ve had five guys in Chicago but my sister and her friend had never had it. A new one in California had just opened so we decided to check it out.

The restaurant was packed. The line to order was long but moved fast. I was very impressed with how well the staff worked.

I ordered the burger and fries. Good as always!

C.B. Hannegan’s

On moving day we stopped for lunch at an Irish pub called C.B. Hannegan's.

I knew my husband would love this place from the moment I stepped foot in the door. They had scotch hanging from the walls.

The move was a bit stressful (or at least that is my excuse) so I ordered a sugar free redbull and vodka.

A meal of burger and fries. Burger was good but the fries were way to thick for my liking.

Los Gatos Café

The best orange juice I've ever had.

I feel in love when I saw one of my options for bread was a warm raspberry coffee cake. Of course I'm going to chose cake over toast! The crumbles on top were delicious.

Souffle omelet with potato's. The eggs in the omelet were so light and fluffy.

Topped with cheddar cheese and filled with asparagus, broccoli, ground beef and ham. Easily the best omelet to ever pass these lips.

My sister kept telling me how this place was known for the cinnamon rolls. So there was noway we were leaving without trying one.

I thought they would be good but I was shocked when this was delivered to our table:

This thing was huge! It was warm, buttery and topped with yummy frosting!

The portions were huge and I left with plenty of leftovers.

All the hype I heard about Los Gatos cafe was well deserved. I will definitely be heading back here the next time I visit!

Whole Foods

After all the burgers and butter filled breakfasts I was craving a salad. A simple salad that tastes good. Where else would I go but Whole Foods?!? Everyone knows they have the best salad bar ever.

I’m so happy for my sister. She is in the location she always wanted to be in, her dream has come true and I couldn't be happier for her. She’s worked hard for this and deserves it!

Kellie: I’m happy, excited and so proud of you. Enjoy your new home and hood!