wanderlust

Currently Reading: Bread of Angels by Stephanie Saldana

Mood: Craving a chance to travel though the streets of Souks, once more...

wanderlust~

Discovering the New Neighborhood: Round 2

Apparently on a margarita kick, sadly realizing that summer is slipping through my fingers
:(((  <-- that's my triple chine from drinking too many sugary drinks.

Join another gaggle of guys for $5 margaritas at T's bar on Clark in Andersonville. It's a really nice, casual vibe here, with decent food and drinks. (The margaritas are strong, ++++++!)

We had a good time there and enjoyed the music selection and the service. Nothing supremely memorable, but my friends all suggested another trip here to try out all the different, unique beer mixtures.

Discovering the New Neighborhood: Round 1

As of late, I haven't been eating out much. Mostly due to an infliction of a skinny-wallet, and (far fetched) aspirations to becoming a skinny me.

Well I caved.

But hey!! Give me some slack, I'm in a new neighborhood and need to know what's out there!

On Tuesday, I joined two of my favorite North side neighbors E & J for dinner at That Little Mexican Place on Bryn Mawr. I must begin by saying how much I love this little street in my little neighborhood! While waiting (forever!) for J to join us after work, E and I ordered margaritas and scarfed down the pico de gallo and salsa verde at the table. DELICIOUS.. all three in fact! The margaritas were a perfect blend of not too sweet, and not too sour, with the perfect amount of fresh squeezed lime juice. And speaking of fresh, the chips came out so warm and toasty, paired with a delicious cilantro/garlic mix of heaven, that they refer to as salsa verde in the restaurant.

As we waited, I couldn't help but contemplate over ordering the table side guacamole. Everyone who ordered it had a look of content happiness on their faces.

I ordered the pork and pineapple tacos. Yum! The beans and rice were definitely not the best I ever had, but the tacos... oh my. They don't joke around when they say FRESH corn tortillas! The tortillas alone are reason to keep coming back to this place! I've never really been a fan of the corn, always preferring the flour kinds, but I think.. they've made a convert. And who doesn't love pineapple in any dish? (ps. i'm one of those weirdos who refuses to order anything other than pineapple pizza.. NO canadian pizza, just pineapple. YUM).

Anyways, a bit pricey, but this is quickly becoming my new little mexican cafe for margarita needs and salsa cravings.

Fun Friday~

Thank goodness this week is over!

Meatless Mondays?

On my daily morning commute, I like to stand in the accordion section of my bus (as to avoid awkwardly standing in front of someone on the sometimes long, often short ride down Lake Shore Drive) pop in my earphones and open up my handy dandy NPR app to stream live radio.

Today's discussion was focused around the topic of Meatless Mondays. Started by a hype man (or commonly known as ad people), it's become a widely accepted phenomenon from schools to industrial/commercial food places, it's principles adopted by public health advocates, chefs and suburban moms!

One particular point of interest is that the organization has been able to recruit the likes of Dovetail in New York City, offering primarily vegetarian meals every Monday.

Definitely food for thought. Americans are reaching disturbingly record highs in obesity and heart attack rates (heart disease and strokes are the #1 killer in men and #3 in women) bringing to question:

Why are we eating so much processed meat?

In an attempt to be more contientious, tonight's menu will be a healthy grilled eggplant, marinated in balsamic and olive oil with a Israeli couscous and spinach salad on the side. OH, and a hearty healthy lovely glass of my new favorite.. malbec. :)

Can't wait for dinner!

Note: link to the NPR feature

Growing Gut of Glut

Monday: 1 mini cupcake from Swirlz
Tuesday: 2 mini cupcakes from Flirty Cupcakes on wheels
Wednesday: 1 white chocolate chip macadamia cookies from Panera

Currently: Feeling extremely guilty and gluttonously gross.....

Glut WITH A GUT....

FATTY McFAT FAT TUESDAY

day 2 of the most stressful work week ever....

and the ladies I work with bring in mini-cupcakes. Again!

What's the opposite of "blessing in disguise?" oh yea.. THIS.

blah the torture of fattening cupcakes.. screw it.

I'm eating it as I type this..... hahahahahhaa

Update:
Apparently these cupcakes are the fabulous Flirty Cupcakes on Wheels!
The cupcakes taste amazing, and I'll do anything to help further promote the food/dessert truck revival in Chicago!

monday medleys

Morning, Monday Mavens! This is the way to start the week right, a mini cupcake from Sugar Bliss Cupcakes, thanks to the lovely ladies I work with.