I cannot lie to you guys. This weekend I ate things that don't belong on any site with the word "healthy" in its title. Why did I do this? Because I can. Life is all about balance and as Julius would say, I "eat clean during the week and eat dirty on the weekend." Another friend, Stark, always says "Work hard, play hard." He probably wasn't referring to exercise, but I've applied these two quotes to my life regarding fitness and nutrition. Being well-behaved during the week grants me that free pass to be naughty on the weekend.
I have found that this type of balance works for me. I'm not saying that everyone should eat like a mouse or give up their favorite foods Monday-Friday just so they can eat a truckload of food come Saturday. I just think when you are nourishing yourself with healthy foods the majority of the time, it is okay to indulge occasionally. Don't fear the spinach...or the pizza. Your body wants you to have both. I'd be a raging lunatic if I didn't have the occasional burger or slice of cake. Wouldn't you? In the past I have found that depriving myself only makes me binge later. I eat chocolate pretty often. I know that if I don't eat it here and there, my body will be so excited to finally see it, that I'll eat a damn cake. Then I'll feel cake pregnant. And I don't want any babies, cake or human.
Since I gave up alcohol, my perspective on drinking has also changed. I love beer. I love wine. And God bless tequila. But do I need to throw back Patron every Friday and shotgun Coor's Light? Ehhh probably not. Can I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner and have a few during the weekend? Absolutely. Moderate drinking has been so much more fun. In the past week I've had 3 glasses of red wine and two beers. I haven't had a hangover and I've gotten a lot done.
Sunday Funday began with a blogger meet up at the Fat Hen. Amelia is moving to Denver, so she chose this restaurant for her last Charleston blogger meet-up. Amelia + her husband, Blair, Lindsay, Erica, and I met up for brunch. The Fat Hen is located on John's Island, and from Mt. Pleasant, I felt like I was going on vacation. The drive over is really pretty and I was so excited to get out of Mt. Pleasant. I'm acting like it was hours away, but it was really only 14.6 miles from my house.
Upon seating, we were immediately served water in Mason jars. How cute!
The brunch menu has a lot of fantastic options, and I had a difficult time deciding what to order. Erica tried to catch me in a rare serious moment, but I caught her camera flash first!
I chose what my eyes immediately darted to when I first saw the menu: Creme Brulee French Toast served with Grand Marnier and strawberries.
Although it wasn't fancy plating, the food was good. The toast was really soft and doughy, with a custard-like taste. I was expecting more of a crispy crust, like Creme Brulee, but didn't get that at all. It was very very sweet. I think everyone enjoyed their meals, which included eggs Benedict, a crab crepe (amazing!), scrambled eggs + fruit, and an escolar over mixed greens special.
The Fat Hen parking lot makes for a great photo op:
Can I just say that Amelia's husband, Kevin, did a wonderful job at his first all-ladies meet up? The topics of conversation ranged from blogs, to hair stylists, ex-boyfriends, and back to blogs. He actively engaged in all of our girly conversations and took like ninety photos of us outside. I feel like blogger meet ups are a great way to either scare the shit out of your boyfriend/husband or test their tolerance....how do you ladies feel about me bringing a man on a first date with us? HA.
Sunday Funday continued...I migrated from John's Island back to Mt. Pleasant, straight to my pool. I met up with Jen, Hannah, Mike, Scott, and Kelly to bake in 100* weather. HOT DAMN it was hot. We lasted about two hours until we decided we needed refreshments: beer and burgers. Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's has the best burgers. It's fun to sit outside (by the fan of course!) and enjoy cold beers and humongous, creative burgers. Their menu has burgers, chicken sandwiches, nachos, and fish tacos. I've always wanted to try the Tell-Tale Heart: a burger with a fried egg, apple wood bacon, and cheddar cheese. Yep, it sounds like a great way to have a heart attack but I'm thinking all the cardio I did this week would negate balance it out.
Totally worth treadmill pounding. I think Hannah would agree for her special of the day: a burger with jalapeno jack cheese and fried pickles.
Scott said, "I only work out so I can eat more." He went with Edgar's nachos: tortilla chips, Edgar's drunken chili, monterey jack, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, and scallions.
That wasn't all the damage I did this weekend. No, my friends, I ate a lot more. Margaret was my eating partner in crime this weekend. Friday night we sipped red wine and I ate a lot of pretzel m&ms (I want to marry these!). Last night we ate Blue Bell banana pudding ice cream. Can you believe that is real? It even has chunks of wafer cookie in it.
And Saturday night we ate at La Pizzeria in Mt. Pleasant. La Pizzeria is a small restaurant that serves authentic Italian pizza. It is reallyyyyyy good. I had a slice of Margherita with
San Marzano plum tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella.
Margaret had a Bianco pizza with spinach, Romano cheese, and red pepper.
We also shared a Sicilian style slice. We must have lived in the South too long because we pointed at the slice and said "Oooh, we want that one, with the fried green tomato." The server said "Um..that's eggplant." Oops.
Weekend Recap: red wine, pretzel m&ms, pizza, french toast, burgers, beer, and ice cream. THIS IS WHY I WORK OUT.
Do you know how excited I was to drink milk and eat oatmeal for breakfast this morning? You have no idea.
Do you ever have weekends where you eat whatever you want because you know you deserve it? Do you ever regret eating this way or do you enjoy it to the fullest? Do you eat similar to me by eating clean for the most part and then giving in occasionally? Or do you have another balancing method? Please share! Enjoy your week!
