Emily's Eats: September 22, 2014.
Remember when I started my "weekly" meal-documenting series called Friday Eats in college? Remember how it only lasted for two weeks until I got lazy and it fell by the wayside? Well, now that I have a little more time on my hands, I'm bringing it back. Or at least, something like it.
This time around, I'm inspired by a few things. First, by my love of nutrition in general, as well as a few certain nutrition blogs (such as this one) that provide me with simple recipes and tips for eating well. Second, by my desire to lead a healthy lifestyle and to eat a variety of wholesome foods, while remaining free of limiting labels (such as paleo, vegan, gluten-free, etc.). I tend to hop from diet to diet based on what's popular that week, but I've learned that cutting out entire food groups is just not conducive to a well-balanced (and happy) Emily. (Sidenote: Regardless of how I choose to nourish my body, I encourage everyone to do what works best for them. If, for you, that means cutting out grains or eliminating red meat or banning dairy from your diet, then more power to ya! We're all unique, and our bodies react differently to different foods. I don't believe so much anymore that there's only one right way to eat.) Luckily, I don't have any food allergies or intolerances that I know of. That said, I'm hoping to focus more on quality ingredients rather than any form of deprivation. And third, by my longtime goal to grow my experience in the kitchen. After all, if I plan on documenting a few of my meals every week, I'm going to want to spend a little more time on them.
I know what you're thinking. I'm not a nutritionist, this is not a food blog, and nobody really cares what I'm eating. Which is all fine and good. But if posting my daily eats once a week helps to keep myself accountable in accomplishing my goals (see above), or even gives me a chance to share my favorite recipes, I'm thinking why not? It will be fun! For me, at least. If, however, this kind of thing annoys or just plain bores you, feel free to move right along. I won't mind. :)
Breakfast || chocolate chip cherry torte Larabar + coffee with my favorite coffee creamer. Larabars have become my morning staple when I'm in a hurry and have to eat on the run. I try not to indulge in this little convenience every day, though, because they're packed full of sugar: 22 grams in this bar alone. It's natural sugar from fruit, yes, but I'm not sure my pancreas can tell the difference.
Lunch || Chipotle salad bowl w. black beans, pinto beans, guacamole, corn, tomatoes, & mild salsa. Chipotle is Scott and I's favorite lunch stop once a week. You can't get much healthier fast food than that.
Snack(s) || a peppermint candy + a few squares of 88% dark chocolate. Expect to see dark chocolate on almost every list. I eat a lot of the stuff, and unashamedly so.
Dinner || a huge filet of pesto salmon + baked zucchini + sweet potato hash. I confess, I was not the one who prepared this nutritiously delicious meal. Snaps for my awesome boyfriend, who whipped it up while I napped on his couch.
There you have it, week one of Emily's Eats!
P.S. If you are at all interested in food journaling, Two Grand is a great iPhone app to try. It allows you to share photos of your meals, log your workouts, and follow other users with similar backgrounds—plus it's free! Think of it as an Instagram for foodies. I've been toying around with it for a few months, and I must say, I'm a little addicted.
Happy fall!
It's the first day of autumn, y'all! And every first day of autumn, I write a blog post. Because even though Texas still thinks it's July, this day represents a holy sign for all of us fall-loving Texans that the end (of summer) is near.
...Maybe. Hopefully. Well, it could go either way.
Still, I always look forward to this day. It's a small-yet-glorious glimmer of hope amidst the city's strangling humidity, blaring sun, and warm winds that continue to haunt us all the way into mid-September...while lucky northerners sip on their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and frolic outdoors in over-sized sweaters and knee-high boots, taking enviable Instagram photos like this one. (I'm not bitter at all.)
Autumn is my favorite season, for obvious reasons. Although I reside in muggy Houston and usually have to pretend it's cold outside until the end of November, my Thomas Kinkade Disney Calendar says it's fall—and so fall it must be. That said, bring on the Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Autumn is my favorite season, for obvious reasons. Although I reside in muggy Houston and usually have to pretend it's cold outside until the end of November, my Thomas Kinkade Disney Calendar says it's fall—and so fall it must be. That said, bring on the Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
P.S. An enlightening article from National Geographic on the 2014 autumnal equinox (because there's no shame in being a nerd). Plus, a more nutritious way to enjoy your favorite fall beverage.
Photo by Ksenia Makagonova.
Touring Europe: Amsterdam + Edam.
Front porch canals. Cobblestone streets. Beach cruisers on every corner. If there's any one word to describe Amsterdam, it's charming. The colorful shoulder-to-shoulder homes, pub-like "coffee shops," and romantic foot bridges combine seventeenth century allure with a touch of urban modern pizzaz. The whole look and feel of this easygoing place swept me off of my feet within an hour of our arrival. As this was my first trip to the Netherlands, I really didn't know what to expect from the so-called Venice of the North... But what I found was straight out of a fairy-tale.
By nightfall, as one might suspect, the city turns a darker shade of charming. Seductive, even. The Red Light District is home to a handful of sexy shows, stores, and museums—all of which I'm sure would make for an unforgettable night, and a few hours worth of jaw-dropping stories to tell at the next family reunion. (Joking.) While the majority of our tour group members were daring enough to check out one of the District's sex shows, Kristen and I sought out a sinful indulgence of a different nature: that of the sugary persuasion. Villa Zeezicht, a little cafe in the heart of the city, offered the most delectable apple pie, cinnamon ice cream, and chocolate mousse that our taste buds could handle. Bitter-smooth café crèmes pushed us over the edge, and we both left the restaurant in a state of euphoria (which turned into an intense sugar coma not too long after).
The following morning was spent in the little town of Edam, a few miles north of Amsterdam, where the residents are famous for their wooden shoes and gourmet cheeses. (This stuff should seriously win awards.) Aside from the cheese tasting, my favorite part of this little side trip was our leisurely bike tour through the neighborhood. There was a refreshing breeze coming off the water, and the crisp air resembled that of early autumn as we rode underneath a canopy of trees. Our tour guide was a quirky woman with an adorable accent and a love for animal prints. She led us to a traditional windmill (which was under construction, unfortunately) and then to the village dam to give us a brief history of each landmark. By the tour's end, I was sold on staying forever.
Once back in Amsterdam, a few of us girls ducked into a pub for some lunch (see above: my glorious brie, pear, & honey sandwich on multigrain bread) before hitting up the Heineken Museum. If you know me at all, you know that I'm not the biggest beer drinker (bring on the hard cider!), but I enjoyed it regardless. The fun, interactive experience reminded me of a similar place I toured when I visited Edinburgh in 2012.
To walk off our buzz, Kristen and I wandered through a little garden, stopping to snack on a stroopwafel and to snap a photo of the "I amsterdam" sign. We wanted to take our time during our last day in Holland, soaking up all of the sights, smells, and sounds. Little did we know that we'd spend the next hour and a half trying to find our way back to the group meeting spot, where the bus driver would pick us up and return us to the hotel before dinner. I can't tell you if Amsterdam is just a super complicated city or if it was just our inexperience with foreign places to blame, but the map we were given didn't help much at all, and we ended up missing the bus after what seemed like an eternity of walking. However, I'm proud to say that we managed to navigate our way home on a different bus, just in time for dinner with our fellow Contiki travelers.
While our seafood dinner in Volendam was pleasant enough, I specifically remember the canal cruise later in the evening. Texas has some pretty amazing summer sunsets, I must say, but there was something spectacular about the one we witnessed on the boat that night. It was the cherry on top of our stay in Amsterdam, the sweetest farewell for the time being and a rather enticing invitation to hurry on back.
Next stop on my tour? Beautiful Berlin!
Touring Europe: London.
The first stop on our Contiki tour through Europe was my beloved London. I first fell in love with (the idea of) England when I was a wee high school-er who dreamed of a life of charming cottages, green countrysides, and chilly afternoons spent in warm cafés. I blame Pride & Prejudice, Harry Potter, Love Actually, and The Holiday for filling my head with romanticized notions of the British country and culture—thus indirectly creating the American Anglophile that is the author of this blog today. It wasn't until I studied at Oxford two summers ago, however, that I got to experience firsthand the beauty of England and the prestige of its lively capitol, both of which blew my expectations out of the water (romanticized notions and all). I knew I wanted to go back as soon as I left, and the desire to return only grew stronger throughout my final two years of college. Needless to say, come January 2014, I was elated to find a European tour that not only began in London, but ended there as well.
Kristen and I arrived at Heathrow Airport around noon on July 11th, a little disoriented from the 9-hour flight yet eager to adventure out before our meet-and-greet with the tour group. From the airport, we took the tube to Russell Square and checked into our hotel first thing. Next on our to-do list was find food, as neither of us had eaten much on the plane. Naturally, we scampered to the nearest pub and wolfed down some local grub (bangers and mash for me; shepherd's pie for Red) and a couple half pints of hard cider. Once our tummies were content and energy tanks full, we headed out to explore the neighborhood.
For those of you who've never been, Russell Square is a quaint garden park with large trees and beautiful rose bushes—perfect for peaceful strolls and summer picnics. But the best part about the green sanctuary? It's only a five minute walk from The British Museum, one of London's must-visit attractions (and a piece of Heaven for history/culture buffs). As big as this place is, we only had time to hunt for a few of the museum's highlighted artifacts, including the infamous Rosetta Stone.
Wandering through the halls of the massive building brought back sweet memories of a similar day-trip two years before, when my life looked a whole lot different than it does now. It made me miss my college days and the small joys of being an English major, including the excitement that would come over me when discussing a new book in class, long evenings spent writing papers at Kerbey Lane, and numerous wine nights celebrating a passed deadline (or just avoiding homework altogether). My previous life as a college student suddenly seemed so appealing as I stared at the Lewis chessmen through the glass.
But isn't that how it usually goes? That "grass is always greener" mumbo jumbo? Being in England for the second time conjured up a whole host of emotions that I was too exhausted to analyze or express at the time. Or perhaps I simply knew better than to fixate on the past when there was so much potential in the present moment—as well as a wealth of good memories in the making. There's no harm in reminiscing, of course, but it must have been in that hour or so that I realized life is too short to entertain wistful bouts of nostalgia.
Even though it was a warm 70-something degrees outside, the two of us were dying for a cup of coffee by the time we had made our way through part of the museum. (Not even the world's most fascinating artifacts can keep this girl's attention after 24+ hours sans sleep.) It was almost time to meet the rest of our travel buds, so we downed the caffeine like water before walking back towards the hotel. The info session was short and sweet, thank goodness, which left plenty of time for mingling over drinks at The London Pub.
Our fifty-person group was mostly made up of 20-somethings, like us, but Kristen and I were surprisingly two of maybe eight tourists from the United States. (Just to give you an idea of the demographics: Australians outnumbered every other nationality, and there was only about one guy for every three girls. A few newly married couples joined us, but most were single. Many were first-time travelers to Europe.) Let me tell you, these people were ready to party! As you can imagine, the only thing Kristen and I were ready for by this point was a night of uninterrupted sleep. Who could blame us? We had to be up and at 'em at 6 o'clock the next morning, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, to catch the coach ride, and then the ferry, to our tour's first official stop: The Netherlands.
See you later, UK!
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