Indulgent Vacation

I’ve been on vacation for a week and was busy at work so I apologize for the lack of posts. But boy did I need this vacation, and was it indulgent. I had some of this–

Chocolate Mousse Cake infused with Blackberry Liqueur

And a little of this…

 

Chocolate Chip Pie

And a LOT of this…

Visited seven breweries!

We went on a trip to Bend, OR which has over twelve craft breweries in the area. They also have many parks, hikes, water sports, and biking trails. We pretty much partook of the food, beer, and hiking.

For as active as we were, I still feel like I overindulged. It could be the beer, since I don’t drink very much and the desserts, since I typically don’t eat them. But this week it’s back to the grind and back to a regular schedule.

This week, I’m following the latest issue of Clean Eating Magazine. They include a two-week meal plan with each issue. I substitute some things out and switch a few things around so I’m not cooking so much, but I try to follow it pretty closely. One snack called for some gluten-free crackers, which I love but can be very pricey. After all the shopping and traveling we did on vacation, I wanted to give my wallet a rest. Also, after googling for recipes, I came across one where I only needed to buy one thing–everything else was in my pantry.

I found this recipe from Oh She Glows, and was quite pleased. Instead of putting in the thyme and rosemary, I used one and a half teaspoons of Herbs De Provence. If you’ve never tried it, you must! I bought mine from Cost Plus World Market and it contains a perfect blend of marjoram, savory, thyme, rosemary, basil, fennel and lavender. When I am cooking healthy, I try to pack as much flavor as I can into every bite. This way, I don’t feel like I’m missing out by not eating the real thing. I tried some of my crackers with some string cheese for a midday snack. After making the crackers, garbanzo beans (from their dried form), and steel-cut oats for the week, I needed a little pick me up.

I still have some Bulgur Chicken Stew leftover in my freezer for two lunches this week. I also have a Chicken Taco Soup I whipped up last night for lunch tomorrow. I’m saving that recipe for a guest post that will hopefully come out within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Dinners will include salmon with steamed spinach, a veggie spaghetti, and turkey burgers. If you would like more details, recipes, or meal planning, check out the November/December edition of Clean Eating Magazine. You can also go straight to their website and download some older meal plans at this link.

Get everything prepped today for a fun easy week! Enjoy.

Also, take a look at my new header! Thanks to Bestie Lelia for the sweet hookup!

Vacation In Photos

Vinyasa Yoga

When I’m on vacation I try to find a gym to buy a day pass at or a yoga studio. I also go for runs, which is a great way to tour neighborhoods and look at houses (my favorite). I was able to find this studio online. They offered one week of free yoga for $20. I was going to go twice but Tuesday morning I woke up with debilitating cramps. I had six ibuprofen in three hours (P.S. Don’t do that at home; I was desperate).

Eazy E; The reason Edie is not allowed in Portland

Edie isn’t allowed to stay at Uncle Adam’s because of this gangsta. When a dog was brought to their house, someone ended up in the hospital due to cat injuries. Edie stayed with Aunty Elisa.

But he looks so innocent...

I wake up super early so I went to an amazing café for breakfast to blog. It’s called New Deal Cafe and they had an abundance of organic and free range options. I was really impressed and would go back there in a heart beat.

Mango Black Tea, Breakfast Burrito, and Potatoes

Kennedy School

We hit up one of our favorite breweries in Portland, McMenamins. We went to their Kennedy School location and played pool in the Boiler Room Bar. If you aren’t familiar with McMenamins, I recommend checking out their website. They purchased an old school and turned it into a hotel with several bars, a movie theater, a restaurant, a brewery and soaking pool. This place is a MUST see.

The last day in Portland I went to the Whole Foods near my BIL’s house. They have a tea café that has at least 50 different choices of tea. I could not leave without checking this place out.

Black Lychee

Here are a couple shots from our journey from Seattle to Bremerton at the beginning of the vacation. Sorry, I did this a little backwards!

Yes, that is a dog riding a bull and yes, I would've ridden the bull but I was wearing a skirt