WIAW #10: Weekend in Orlando

Happy Hump Day!

This week’s What I Ate Wednesday is coming to you from Orlando because, yes… I am still here. Today is very a very exciting one because I am going to pick Scott up from the airport later this evening. He is quite the jet setter this month, flying in from Spain and out of Detroit to be with me in Orlando this weekend. (Twenty extra bonus brownie points for you, Mr. Hesington!)

Last week, I shared what I eat on vacation. Of course, this trip is a little different than a “normal” vacation, because I have the convenience of staying with my family to sneak in some home cooked meals.

Regardless, my main point of sharing with you is to offer tips and advice on how to keep an every day healthy eating lifestyle part of whatever you do and wherever you go!

In my last WIAW post, I talked about how important it is to keep up your regular eating habits if you are gone from home for an extended period of time. Of course, we ALL have our cheat meals and days, and it IS vacation… so know that an indulgence every once in a while is not going to kill you. I am not afraid to participate in in pizza nights or happy hour two-for-ones, but at the same time, I always eat with moderation and an overall plan of attack in mind.

• Dessert at dinner? Sure! Maybe I will skip a midnight snack if I am still out and about.

• Heavy breakfast? Maybe I will have a light lunch.

• Heavy dinner and/or drinks? Maybe I will have a lighter breakfast the next morning.

See how easy?

All of this planning has the end goal of maintaining your healthy lifestyle you work hard to keep at home alive!

Today’s post highlights everything I ate last Saturday: before and after a five mile run, an afternoon at home, and a dinner out with friends before my 10 Year High School Reunion.

Breakfast: Pre-Run/Post-Run

After eating a light dinner Friday night, I knew I needed something to fuel my morning run with my mom around the neighborhood. I don’t like to eat too much before running, and found this Quest Protein Bar to be the perfect amount of protein and carbs to get me energized.

Pictured is the Cinnamon Roll flavor (so dreamy) I previously tried at my home, but they have all been equally amazing so far. (Stay tuned for a full review of these coming tomorrow!)

After our run, we cooled off with a lot of water and worked up an appetite for breakfast/brunch. My mother might be an even bigger health nut than I am, and suggested we cook some egg whites using my grandmother’s fresh kale from the garden. Umm… okay!

In just a few minutes, we shared a egg white, kale, and feta cheese omelet with a small side of sliced tomatoes (also from her garden) and strawberries.

Lunch    

Lunch came quickly after a few hours of house cleaning, and after perusing the refrigerator I made us what turned out to be a pretty darn good veggie sandwich.

We had just enough salad leftovers from the night before (too small to make a salad, but too yummy to throw away!) to have some serious greens, so I decided to roll with it and make something veggie.

I grabbed a whole wheat deli then, then layered a slice of Swiss cheese and heated it up in the microwave for fifteen seconds. Next came the leftover salad that included romaine, green peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and yellow peppers.

Wanting some light protein, I sliced up a hard boiled egg and placed it atop a kalamata olive spread on the top.

Smushed together, it was a little bit of a mess, but nothing less than the bomb.

Still hungry, I finished it off with a cup of Stonyfield Organic Super Fruits Greek yogurt.

After lunch, I hopped in the shower and started getting ready for what turned out to be a great night. I went to the reunion with a few of my girlfriends, and we planned to grab dinner on the way.

Dinner – Infusion Tea, College Park

I have never claimed to by any kind of vegetarian or vegan, but that does not mean that I cannot eat full vegan meals every now and then. I actually LOVE the taste of everything vegan I have tried, and if there is ever a choice to substitute gluten-free or non-dairy ingredients to my meals, I go for it.

My friend Katie started listing off a few places we could go to and as soon as she said Infusion Tea the decision had been made. I adore that place!

I have only been a few times, and it is usually with girlfriends. I still haven’t sold Scott on the occasional vegan eating concept, but I really feel like he might have enjoyed this round.

Per usual, I asked about their specialty teas of the day but ended up going with my favorite Chai blend. They bring it to your table and let you decide how long the bag seeps to control it’s strength. Pretty neat!

For dinner, I ordered the Tempeh Taco Salad.

I had never tried tempeh before this place, and I am giving you my honest word when I say it is AMAZING! Similar to the consistency of a veggie burger, I would describe it somewhere in the middle between a patty and a tofu square. Just like tofu, it is made with soy and provides protein.

This gluten-free salad was delicious and featured seasoned tempeh, black beans, cucumbers, tomatoes on organic field greens with mild salsa and crispy organic corn tortilla chips, and a house-made chipotle ranch.

MMMMMM.

The three of us then went on to split a vegan red velvet cake.

It was pretty dreamy!

Of course, I ordered a few drinks at the reunion that are not pictured.

Biggest tip on adult beverages I can ever share with you! Vodka/soda water with a twist of lemon or lime. If you need something sweeter, introduce yourself to flavored vodka. Simple drinks like this usually range under 100 calories, and the water or soda water keeps you hydrated. 😉

Off to meet a few friends for lunch then head to the airport!

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