Saturday Faturday or Sunday Funday? Both sound great!

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!

Crispy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries with Maple Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

While I was in Massachusetts, Annelies from Attune Foods offered to send me some Uncle Sam Cereal to review. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to try a new high fiber cereal. Uncle Sam Cereal is great for many reasons:

• Each 3/4 cup serving contains 10g of fiber - that's 40% of your daily intake!
• It contains flax seeds which are full of Omega-3's - your heart loves these.
• It is 100% natural with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
• There is < 1g of sugar in this cereal - no sugar crash after breakfast.
• It is available in Original and with Mixed Berries

Uncle Sam cereal is very crunchy and would be awesome with fresh fruit or as a topping on Greek yogurt. I pondered what I could make with this cereal that would make it sweeter...did I say sweet? Yes, I did. Here's what I came up with:

Crispy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries with Maple Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups Uncle Sam Cereal, Original

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

1 container of your favorite Greek yogurt, plain

1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions - Normal Person Style:

1. Preheat oven to 400*.

2. Slice sweet potatoes into fries or wedges.

3. Mix Uncle Sam Cereal with cinnamon.

4. Warm honey in the microwave for 10 seconds.

5. Dip sweet potato pieces in honey, then dredge in the cereal until lightly coated.

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until potatoes have cooked through. While potatoes are baking, make dressing.

7. Add maple syrup to Greek yogurt and stir. Refrigerate until potatoes have finished. Use as a dipping sauce!

Directions - Xtina Style:

1. Preheat the oven for 350*. Ten minutes later, realize this is wrong. Turn it up.

2. Slice sweet potatoes into fries. Introduce them to Mr. & Mrs. Fish.

3. Let Mr. & Mrs. Fish have some alone time with red wine.

Measure out cereal and add cinnamon.

Shake for a few seconds until the bowl goes flying out of your hand and cereal covers your counter tops. 

Rescue your West Elm credit card. You will be needing this soon. 

Try it again. And since it took you 9 months to clean up, Mr. & Mrs. Fish have produced a microwave-safe fish bowl baby. Pour in honey and microwave until warm.

Toss sweet potato fries in honey and then cereal.

While baking, make Maple Greek yogurt dipping sauce:

Step back and assess your kitchen. Consider committing yourself into a mental institution because no rational human being should ever make messes like you do. (Well, maybe just you and Jessie.)

Clean, clean, and clean until your fries are crispy and the Mufasa in your stomach is roaring to eat.

Enjoy over the Maple Greek yogurt in yet another nautical-themed kitchen toy.

Realize that you've made a Katie and Katie inspired yogurt mess!

All kidding aside, these fries were fun. The cereal gives them a nice crunch while the cinnamon adds just a hint of flavor. The dipping sauce is so simple but adds protein and sweetness! Thanks again Annelies!! :)

Change of Topic:

How do you guys stay organized? In case you couldn't tell from any of my previous posts, I am a fiery hot mess. My idea of "reminders" is writing something down on a sticky note and throwing it into my purse. All this does is make my purse look trashy. 

Any ideas on how I can remember to get stuff done and keep my purse clean at the same time? At least I know messiness runs in the family...

Goat Cheese and Turkey Lasagna Infused with Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Things I crave:

• Italian food/men
• Pasta
• Tomato sauce -- why is this??
• Cheese

 Things I need:

• Lean proteins
• Carbs
• Veggies

What to make, what to make? How about Lasagna! I put my body's wants and needs together and created a fabulous recipe. I love this lasagna recipe for several reasons. Ingredients include:

• two lower-calorie cheeses (fat free ricotta and goat cheese)
• lots of lean protein from using extra lean ground turkey breast
• 1/2 the amount of pasta used in a typical lasagna recipe
• colorful veggies with lots of fiber and vitamins

Goat Cheese and Turkey Lasagna Infused with Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients:

1 1/3 lbs of extra lean ground turkey breast

2 medium zucchini, sliced

2 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 32 oz container of fat free ricotta (I used Sorrento)

5 oz goat cheese, separated (I used Whole Foods' 365 brand)

2 jars of tomato sauce (I used 1 Classico Four Cheese and 1 Classico Roasted Garlic)

1/2 box of Barilla oven ready lasagna (8 pieces)

2 large eggs

1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper

fig balsamic vinegar

fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey breast and cook thoroughly. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Add zucchini, squash, crushed red pepper, and 1-2 tbsp of fig balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook until veggies have softened. Set aside.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 4 oz goat cheese, eggs, and a few fresh basil leaves. Mix until smooth. Eat some.

4. Preheat oven to 375*. Begin lasagna assembly: In a 9x13 glass baking dish, spread 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce. Place 4 pieces of lasagna over the sauce. Top the pasta with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Lay 1/2 of the veggies on top of the cheese. Add 1/2 of the turkey meat. Toss 2 tbsp of fig balsamic onto the meat. Repeat with 1 1/2 cups of sauce, remaining 4 pieces of lasagna, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, remaining 1/2 of the veggies, remaining 1/2 of the meat, and 2 more tbsp of fig balsamic. Finish off the lasagna with the remaining sauce, remaining 1/3 cheese mixture, and crumble the remaining 1 oz of goat cheese on top. 

5. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Let lasagna stand 10-15 minutes before serving. Makes approximately 8 servings.

Here are some pictures of the assembly. Adding the cheese was a lot of fun...

 

...and messy, how I like it:

Topping it with veggies, anal-retentive style:

CHEESE!! 

 

 Perfectly browned after baking:

This is what it looks like when you let a man photograph you while he makes wonky faces:

This is what it looks like when you whine to him that all your readers don't want to see your fugly face and flinstone feet. Much better!

Notes about the recipe:

• The fig balsamic is what makes this recipe special. It adds a burst of sweetness that compliments the tangy goat cheese and sweet ricotta. Add extra crushed red pepper for spice.
• Because you are using half the amount of pasta, you're saving on carbs and your meal contains more of the protein and vegetables. Score!
• Use any veggies you like - make it colorful!
• This lasagna is more ooey gooey than structured. Forget all that layering you worked so hard on and just plop it on the plate!

My serving looked like the most delicious collapsed lasagna ever:

Nutritional Information for 1/8th lasagna:

Here are two similar recipes I have made:

• Cheesy Ground Turkey & Vegetable Pasta
• Lasagna Soup

I'm sure you all were wondering how my Saturday night drinking went. I drank 1 Sapporo at the restaurant and 1 1/2 glasses of wine at home. Then this happened. I now have the tolerance of a teenager. YEAH!

Ok, that picture is fake. I posed. I mean really, do you think I sleep with 2 laptops, a glass of wine, and my Blackberry?

Welcome Back, Alcohol...and Chinese Food!

Earlier this month, B and I decided to have a no-drinking competition until August. For 3 weeks there would be no drinking at all -- not even on Fridays or Saturdays.  Guess who won?


BOTH OF US!


It's true -- neither of us consumed any alcohol. Brandon was challenged with his little sister's 21st birthday and his cousin's birthday. He was offered shots left and right but turned down anything but water. I was challenged being on vacation with everyone else drinking around me. I turned down wine with dinner and Boston-brewed beer. I was certain that Brandon would crack and I would win just out of stubbornness, but it looks like we're both strong-willed. During the challenge, we made some observations.

Christina:

• I still remembered how to flirt. 
• There were still injuries - bruised hand from volleyball and bruised knee from walking into my bed.
• I weighed 109.6 lbs the first day of the challenge. I weighed 107.4 on the last day of the challenge. Not a big enough difference to be worth giving up alcohol. 
• I really enjoy wine with certain foods. There were a couple times at dinner (with seafood in particular) that I would have liked a glass of wine. 
• I say "Ugh, I need wine." way more than I actually need it. I could have just screamed really loudly instead.
• I only noticed having more energy on the weekends, when I would typically drink more. Other than that, I didn't feel any different.
• Conclusion: I'll keep drinking!

Brandon:

• I felt like I took away from other people's fun to a degree. I still had fun, but I didn't party as hard. I was well-behaved the whole time and didn't make an ass of myself.
• Without a doubt, I saved money. In 3 weeks I saved about $300.
• I worked out more and I had a clearer view on life. I read my bible more. It was nice to see other people wasted and think, "Oh, is that how you are?"
• Conclusion: I'm very glad I did it. It kind of made me want to grow up a little bit more. I'm not in college and don't want to party my balls off anymore. I'm still young and have time to, but it was really nice to wake up every morning for 3 weeks not having a hangover. I never had a wasted day that I sat around hungover. I was always ready to do something and that was nice. 

Our original plan was for the loser to take the winner out for an Italian dinner, but because we both won, we planned something totally different. We decided to try Red Orchids, a Chinese restaurant in West Ashley. I was told by several people that they offer fresh, high-quality meals at reasonable prices. The restaurant is located in a plaza with Big Lots and Burlington Coat Factory. Don't let this discourage you.


The inside of the restaurant is open with lots of red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The owner and hostess were both very friendly. Upon seating we were immediately greeted by our server, Will. He was extremely helpful when we asked for recommendations. He was very happy to answer all of our questions and did a wonderful job explaining the different dishes, wines, and beers.

After seeing steamed buns on Jessica's blog, I knew I had to try them. I was so excited to see them on the menu.

The buns were exactly as I expected - very soft, chewy, and doughy. The pork filling had a sweet sauce that did not overpower the sticky bun. It was really fun to try something new.


Brandon chose pan-fried dumplings as our second appetizer.

We had the option of ordering steamed or pan-fried dumplings. Will told us that pan-fried only meant fried on one side for a little bit of extra crunch, so we couldn't resist. It was perfect. The sauce that accompanied the dumplings was slightly salty and sweet. They were filled with pork and vegetables. 

For entrees, we chose a fish and a chicken dish. Brandon was eager to try one of the house specials: "a pair of 18-22oz of crispy snapper fillet, gently glazed with Chinese sherry, cayenne, and marmalade sauce." Brandon said this dish was very fresh and flaky, however being deep fried with the skin on, every third bite was fishy. I thought the sauce was thick and flavorful and ended up drizzling it on my rice.

We also shared the Hunan Chicken: "sliced chicken stir-fried with mushrooms, peppers, bamboo shoots, and snow peas in Hunan sauce.' This dish wasn't bad, but was lacking complexity. We both agreed that we both enjoy foods with several dimensions. If you're looking for a mild chicken dish, this is for you. The Hunan chicken would be great for those less adventurous or those who can't handle much spiciness. 

Both entrees were served with our choice of white rice, fried rice, or brown rice (for $1 extra). We chose one side of brown rice and one side of fried rice. The fried rice was tasty! Overall, the menu had a lot to choose from. Being that both B and I are not fans of fried food, I think we chose items that weren't pleasing to our palettes. We both agreed that we'd go back to try different entrees. I'd love to try the lemon shrimp, honey-glazed walnut shrimp, or the garlic chicken.  


At dinner, we each had a Japanese beer: Asahi for Brandon, and Sapporo for me. Both were delicious. Brandon's Asahi was a bit sweeter. I figured I would be toasty-faced after this large beer, but somehow I wasn't! I did feel a bit dizzy after half a glass though. When we got home, we popped open a bottle of my favorite white wine: Elk Cove Pinot Gris. Here I am with my wine baby:

And just because I can, I had some red too!!!

Off I go to finish getting my wine on!!!


Thank you all for your encouraging words during this competition! A couple times when I really wanted to drink, I thought about your comments and knew I'd be able to make it. XO!!!

I'm baaaack! Massachusetts Goodies and Mosaic Blogger Meet Up

I'm back in the dirty South! I had so much fun visiting my family and can't wait to go back again. While I was there, I found a bunch of new fun foods. The very first day I found the Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Maple peanut butter at Hannaford for only $3.89. Another place I wanted to pick up nut butter was at Trader Joe's!  My aunt Jennifer brought me to their location in Acton, where I grew up.

We found lots of goodies and had fun checking out their products. Jennifer wanted to buy this just for the name:

After a week's worth of random food and souvenir shopping, my suitcase became so full I had to sit on it to zip it shut. No big deal, right? Well, when I got to the airport, it was 10 lbs over the limit! I opened up my suitcase to put stuff in my carry-on and because it was so packed, it popped open and bras and underwear went flying all over...oh, and peanut butter jars and brownie mixes, too. Oh, the life of a foodie. Here are all the goodies I brought home:

• Peanut Butter & Co. Mighty Maple peanut butter 
• Peanut Butter & Co. Rip-Roaring Raspberry jelly
• No Pudge! Fudge Brownie Mix, Cappuccino
• Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix
• Trader Joe's Sesame Honey Almonds
• Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Flax Seeds
• Maine Blueberry Honey (can't wait for this on my Blueberry Ricotta pancakes!! 

I was so excited to take home all these goodies, even if it meant that 50% of my souvenirs from Massachusetts/Maine were FOOD items! When I got home Tuesday night, I had a package waiting for me. I recently became facebook friends with the manager of one of our local Chick-fil-As. For being such a "raving fan", he sent me some gifts:

In the box were 2 stuffed cows, 2 football-shaped koozies, a pencil sharpener, a Pez dispenser, a towel, and lotssssss of coupons! Thank you to Rick & Debbie Blind of the Centre Pointe location! :)

Yesterday was my first day back to work, yuck, but I had a blogger meet up to look forward to. For dinner, Erica, Lindsay, Blair, Amelia, Kerr, Katie, and  I met up at Mosaic Cafe in Mt. Pleasant. Mosaic Cafe is an adorable restaurant that strives to use local ingredients and focuses on seasonal cuisine. The menu is full of soups, sandwiches, and salads. I chose the Oriental Chicken Salad: chicken breast salad (sesame seeds, snow peas, scallions & walnuts), carrots, sprouts, crunchy noodles, grape tomatoes, with a sesame-ginger vinaigrette for $10.95. 

It was pretty good, but not fantastic. I'm not sure if it was from the chicken or the dressing, but it was extremely salty. And my salad didn't have any snow peas, scallions, or walnuts on it. Hmmm. I still had a great time catching up with all the ladies and meeting Katie and Kerr for the first time. :) Here we are inside the restaurant. 

From left, Blair, Erica, Kerr, Katie, Lindsay, Amelia, me:

 

And another pic from outside. I purposely wore flats so I would be as short as Erica. She ended up wearing heels and we were still the same height! :)

Remember my 3-week Abstinence from Alcohol challenge? It's almost over!! The time is length is random, I know, but we decided to do it on the 10th, and just wanted to do it until the end of the month. On Saturday, I'll be celebrating the fact that I have been able to go without a sip of alcohol for 3 whole weeks -- even while on vacation! I'm a little afraid that a couple sips of wine will have me falling out of my chair. I better surround myself with good company!

One more thing: I added a new tab a couple weeks ago: Foodie Goodies. It's a page dedicated to my absolute favorite food products. Check it out and let me know what your favorites are! I'm always looking for new items to add!