4 June 2012
While waiting tables all day, 11 hours without a break to be exact, I faced the dilemma of avoiding meat at a seafood restaurant and having to eat something. Throughout the process of choosing my meal, I developed a new empathy for vegetarians who find themselves with friends and family dining at meat-centric establishments. I also gained more confidence in my ability to recommend what meatless items the restaurant offers (directly or indirectly). Though the options are limited, I managed to piece together a meal worthy of Meatless Monday and thereby continued successfully in my commitment to making Mondays meatless. Breakfast = cereal; lunch @ work = salad, macaroni & cheese, broccoli; dinner = mozzarella sticks (from Arby’s – I had a rough day and was craving them, don’t judge – they’re really good).
11 June 2012
Whether it’s Monday or not, my typical day still starts with cereal. I love the stuff, and it’s practically the only way you will ever catch me consuming milk (outside of ice cream). I realize my blog has the makings of being a giant ad for Target products, but I don’t mind that too much. Hey – the Food Network utilizes Target for product placement, why can’t I? I’m sure the Food Network receives a little monetary support from Target while I support the discount store monetarily. Perhaps a little backwards. Oh, well. I simply enjoy shopping there. Tangent? Not really. Bryce and I have been trying Target’s brand of granola cereals recently, and I admit the flavors we’ve tried have all been quite tasty. In the cupboard right now is Archer Farms’ Maple French Toast low-fat granola cereal which, despite the low-fat qualifier, tastes as good as it sounds. (Especially with our Keurig French Toast flavored coffee.) We also liked the Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Biscotti, Vanilla Almond, Pecan Sticky Bun, and Caramel Apple Crunch cereals, and I look forward to trying the other varieties available.
18 June 2012
Today’s challenge came as we celebrated my admittance to graduate school with our good friend Jen. We chose the Capital Ale House in downtown Harrisonburg for our festivities owing to their delicious appetizers and extensive beer list. Extensive may actually be an understatement. As Jen had never been there before, she was overwhelmed by the choices and prodded our server for a little help. There are literally 100 beers on tap from all over the world, and my favorite is any type of pear cider. The restaurant also offers a huge Bavarian style pretzel served with a spicy-sweet brown mustard, both of which are craveable. (And you can bet we devoured one of those!) So, we settled into our booth. Friends? Check. Beer? Check. Snacks? Check. The test? Temptation. In the form of $2.00 burgers. There exists a slippery slope between imbibing alcohol and eating, particularly when you take into account the loss of sound judgment and all. I can happily report, though, we successfully avoided the burgers and stuck with the pretzel, some excellent spiced peanuts, a bland beer-cheese dip with pretzel bread, and carrot cake.
CJC
happy food 