Date Day

I can count on one time the number of times by husband and I have done anything, just the two of us, since Peanut was born. That was 14.5 months ago. Pretty sad, isn’t it?

We’ve had a Christmas tradition since we started dating back in 2003. Every year, we take one day to go out to a nice lunch and then spend the rest of the afternoon Christmas shopping for last-minute gifts. I typically have my shopping done way in advance  and neither one of us likes crowded malls, but ’tis the season. We fight the masses, usually pick up one or two don’t-need-anything-else-but-that’s-perfect-for-so-and-so gifts and enjoy spending time together. Last year we skipped this tradition. We had a 2-month old, I hadn’t slept in days, I hadn’t showered in days, I was still a bit of a hormonal mess and it made my brain hurt to think about logistics.

This year we decided to resume the tradition. We dropped Peanut off at my sister-in-law’s house and headed to Columbus for our special day. Our restaurant of choice was Montgomery Inn. It’s one of our favorites. We’ve been to the other two Ohio locations near Cincinnati, but this was our first time at the Dublin store. We arrived at sort of a slow time so the place wasn’t busy at all. The service was absolutely amazing and so was the food. Pardon the cell phone pics. I didn’t have room in my “shopping purse” for the DSLR.

 

I started off with one piece of bread from the bread basket. Definitely fresh out of the oven. It was still hot. Carbaholic here was in heaven.

 

Our food arrived before I could even finish my slice of bread. I ordered the Gulf Shrimp Cantonese with a loaded Idaho baked potato as a side. Am I going to pretend this was healthy? Not in the least. It was delicious. I’ve had this dish one other time and literally dream about the warm plum dipping sauce. It’s a sweet plum jam with a big dollop of hot Chinese mustard on top. The waiter gives you instructions to stir it together before you dip your shrimp. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Totally makes the dish.

I managed to make it through all of the shrimp, but the baked potato did me in. 3 or 4 bites and I was done. It was the fluffiest, most perfectly done potato I think I’ve ever eaten in my life, but I had to stop before I got uncomfortably full.

After lunch, we headed to a mall near the restaurant and did our shopping. After lots of browsing and buying a final gift for father-in-law, I was in desperate need of refreshment. I remembered that this mall had a Teavana from my last visit so we headed that way. Disappointment ensued. Did you know Teavana doesn’t serve tea by the cup during the holiday season? Yep. Found that one out the hard way. They’re just too busy and it backs things up in the store. I totally get their logic and don’t fault them in the least. I was just a little disappointed since I had my mouth set for an iced Blueberry Bliss & Lemon Lime combo.

We were getting ready to head out when I spotted a Godiva store. I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture. My mom started a tradition with me when I was really little. Anytime we were near a Godiva store (which wasn’t often), we’d study the case, buy 2 pieces of chocolate each, find a bench, settle in and draw out the eating process as long as possible. My mom loves Godiva chocolate, but it’s pricey. Her theory was that if you were going to eat fine chocolates, you had to savor each and every bite. I’ve never forgotten this lesson and I always

My chocolates of choice for this visit were a white chocolate ganache bliss:

and a gingerbread truffle:

Source

Both were heavenly. My husband was ready to get the heck out of dodge so I agreed to savor them in the car rather than on a bench in the mall. Those two pieces of chocolate lasted me the entire hour and a half long car ride home. Thanks, mom, for teaching me to truly savor my food!

We picked Peanut up on the way home and spent the rest of the evening chillin’ with her until her bedtime. It’s nice to get away and have some time as a couple, but we all enjoy our time as a family, too.

Do you have any favorite treats that aren’t available close to home? What are they? Where do you have to go to get them?

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Foodie Flashback

I’m baaaaack from my trip and happy to report that I am now a certified Weight Watchers leader! The experience was absolutely incredible. Unfortunately for the blog, almost everything I did over the course of the weekend consisted of proprietary information and I didn’t feel right taking photos to document my time in Atlanta. I will tell you that I learned a ton and made some amazing new friends.

The only bad thing that happened all weekend was the food poisoning I managed to get from dinner in the Atlanta airport. Monday was rough and I pretty much just lounged. Tuesday I spent all day unpacking and getting caught up on life. Since there hasn’t been much happening to blog about, I’ll leave you with a cell phone camera flashback to last Friday when we road tripped to my cousin’s wedding out of town. Enjoy!

If we’d driven straight to the wedding, it would have taken about 3.5 hours. However, Peanut and I had to drop my dog off at my parents’ house about an hour out of the way, then continue on our adventure. We stopped at a huge mall near my husband’s work to stretch our legs and get something to eat.

I wasn’t in the mood for grab and go and a sit-down restaurant is easier when I’m trying to feed myself and Peanut. I opted for Ruby Tuesdays. I absolutely love their salad bar. It’s full of so many delicious, healthy options. I swear zucchini straws taste better there than when I do the exact same thing at home.

Here’s my dining companion:

My plate was loaded up with veggies. I did splurge on a little cheese, some croutons and full-fat ranch. I swear they put something magical in their ranch dressing and I’d rather have a small drizzle of that than a bigger dose of the fat free options. I was proud of myself for really listening to my hunger cues, stopping when I was full and not going back for a second plate just because I felt the need to get more bang for my buck.

We did a little shopping and I was ready for a cold refreshment when I spotted this store:

I’d only been inside a Teavana store once. I got so overwhelmed by the amount of options and my lack of knowledge that I left without trying anything. That day I was in luck. The store wasn’t crowded at all and the employees were incredibly nice and helpful. They helped me decipher the giant wall of tea by asking me a few questions and teaching me about which teas paired well with which other teas. Their knowledge amazed me. Both of the people helping me said they didn’t even start drinking tea until they started working there, but the company provides really great training and continuing education. They said they both now have a passion for tea thanks to everything they’ve learned.

I finally decided on the Raspberry Riot Lemon Mate paired with the Blueberry Bliss.

I’d told them I wanted it unsweeted because I typically dislike sweet tea. They told me about the German rock sugar they use and how it really draws out the flavor of the tea without making it super sweet. Since I was being adventurous anyway, I told them to go for it.

It was heavenly. The fruit flavor was refreshing, but not overpowering. The sweetener was absolutely perfect, too. Just enough to take the bitterness away, but didn’t taste sugary at all. (I took a picture of the drink, but my cell phone ate it. )

My husband called while I was sipping my tea to tell me he was ready to go. We stopped at his work, picked him up and continued on our road trip. I felt like I’d been in the car all day, but Peanut and I’s trip was just about halfway over. I was so relieved when we finally arrived at the hotel. And I was starving. We asked the hotel staff which restaurant they recommended within walking distance and they all pointed us to Biaggi’s.

Oh. My. Gosh. When we walked in the door, we already knew we were going to get some great food. The staff and chefs definitely didn’t disappoint. Our table was near the open kitchen and I really enjoyed watching all the work that’s usually behind the scenes.

We started with stuffed mushrooms. They tasted amazing, but were a little heavy on the oil so I only had one. Okay, two.

For my entree, I had an absolutely heavenly pumpkin risotto with grilled shrimp. It was originally supposed to be served with sea scallops, but they ran out just as I placed my order. I was disappointed, but really wanted the risotto so I was willing to compromise.

It was so rich that I could only eat about half of the risotto. I shared some with Peanut and she LOVED it so I took my leftovers back to the hotel for her and she polished it off for lunch on Saturday.

My husband and I had intended to leave Peanut with my aunt and head out for a drink later in the evening, but we were just too tired. We ended up just hanging out in the hotel room and crashing early, full and happy.

How do you decide where to eat when you’re traveling?

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