A Quick Jaunt in Chicago - Part 2

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I slept at my parents' in the suburbs, so I woke up well-rested from an amazing, soft, king size bed. I made some breakfast for my mom and I and then we headed to her workout club, Fitness Loft, for some pilates and weights.

Afterward, we got a much-needed manipedi and then headed to her classroom. She is a kindergarden teacher (the cutest one, at that!), so she needed some help to set up her classroom.

hard at work?

After a bit, my brother picked me up while she kept working, and I went home to take a shower and get ready for the evening's festivities. We had a fun night planned, and we were meeting the rest of my family downtown for it!

Our first order of business was to find a rooftop bar where we could have drinks and appetizers before dinner. We arrived at IO Urban Roofscape (the rooftop bar of The Godfrey Hotel in River North) just before 5, and ordered drinks and apps.

a girl and her martini

Salmon Flatbread

Calamari
I am told it was good, but I did not even touch it because it looked too much
like baby octopuses and I can't really bring myself to eat 'baby' anything.

Eventually, we headed to our dinner location. We walked just a block or two to Zed 451.

They only serve dinner inside (you'll see why). We had about 45 minutes to blow before our ressy, so we headed upstairs to check it out.

We had cocktails on the rooftop, which was much lower than IO's and therefore had a very different, more "beer garden" feel. I had a blackberry basil tequila drink which was amazing.

Lots of "inspired" Herman Miller chairs. #gettherealthingyall

When our time came, we went inside for dinner. When we made the reservation, we didn't realize that this was a brazillian steakhouse- style dinner. That means it's all-you-can-eat salad bar and all-you-can-eat meat. We were totally surprised, but more than willing to take on the challenge.

And by we, I mean I.

We helped ourselves to a limitless "harvest table," which consisted of a variety of salads, appetizers, cheeses, and charcuterie. It is always a battle knowing your plate is bottomless, because you want to save room for the good stuff.

Eventually, they came around with the meats and we had a field day. Between a full stomach and the wine we shared at the table, we were all pretty ready to fall asleep that night.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Have you been to a brazillian-style steakhouse? How did you react? The first time I went, back when I didn't eat as much meat, my body freaked out. Like, I felt totally sick. This time, however, I had no problems at all (thanks to my paleo diet?) and made out like a bandit with no negative side effects!
• If you've been to Chi - what's your favorite rooftop in Chicago? Seriously. I need to know!

15 4th of July Drinks, Desserts, and Breakfasts

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Whether you love getting festive for the fourth of July, or you're still feeling the USA love after watching Tim Howard defend the union last night, here are 15 delicious and healthy recipes you can make to celebrate your Red, White, and Blue!

Cocktails and Drinks

1. Skinny Summertime White Wine Sangria

2. Blueberry & Chambord Patriotic Cocktail

3. Strong & Skinny Strawberry Daiquiri

4. Victoria's Secret Model's Red Detox Juice
For those of you who are trying to keep away from the alcohol, there's no reason not to indulge in something patriotic and red, white, or blue!

Desserts and Sweets

5. 100 Calorie Cake Balls
These aren't red, white, or blue, but you could easily make them more patriotic. Try using natural food coloring mixed in with white almond bark for the hard shell exterior. You can make them any color you want!

6. Gluten-Free Upside-Down Apple Pie

7. Blueberry Cheesecake In A Jar

8. Chocolate Frozen Yogurt with Berries

9. 4th of July Red, White, and Blue Suckers

Mains

10. Berry Balsamic Crumble

11. Whole Wheat Fiber Waffles

12. Paleo Grilled Carrots

13. Spicy Corn & Black Bean Salsa

14. Pork, Caulirice, and Feta Stuffed Peppers

15. Grilled Eggplant with Sharp Cheddar and Vine Ripened Tomatoes

A Day In The Life - May 2014 Edition

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It's been quite a while since I did a "day in the life" post, so I figured I'd break that habit now that I'm in a new city. Life is kind of all over the place lately, because there are odds and ends of house things and organizing to do. For me, I need a serene, unpacked, peaceful environment in which to do my design work and write, so it is key that I nail this first in order to be productive later.

Wake up is around 6:45. I walk the dog with my husband and then we have coffee together while we make and eat breakfast.

Once he starts working around 8:15, I do the same - I fire off a few email replies, publish the post on Clara's Mint Juleps, and then get ready for yoga.

Yoga is at 9:00, and I live so close that I can easily leave at 8:52 and still have time to walk there, check in, find a spot, set up my mat, and lay there in shavasana for a few minutes.

10:15. After yoga, I am sweaty and exhausted, but I decide to get the rest of my sweaty chores in, so I drop my yoga mat at home and head out shortly thereafter. 

My plan is to run to an organic store to buy nutritional yeast, which I need because I've just decided to go dairy free for a few days (I live on well-structured impulses, people), and God knows I can't go cheese-free without my favorite cheese subsitute. It's like a half way house for cheese addicts.

Gotta have my nutritional yeast

There is a great farmer's market only about a half mile from me, but they don't seem to have very many dry goods, and I know the store farther away has it in bulk. So, at about 10:50, I jog the 1.5 miles, buy the nutritional yeast (as well as some hemp seed, lemons and limes, apple cider vinegar, and ball jars) and stuff it all in my backpack to jog home.

"Nourish" Organic Market

I make a few random stops on my way home to peek into local stores, because I'm still learning the neighborhood. I end up getting home around 11:30. As I jog home, it starts to get cold, but thankfully I do not get rained on. Yay for timing!

I stop to take this picture (below), because there is something awesome about places in the city where the asphalt wears away to reveal the old school brick roads. If I drove a lot more, I would probably hate this. But, I am mostly a pedestrian now that we are back in a city environment, so I am able to find beauty in it. Yay for finding beauty in things you can't change!

11:45. I sit down and work for a bit, but am reminded that I have another somewhat work-related errand to run. I need jalapenos for the blog recipe I'm making tonight - jalapeno garlic turkey burgers - and I also wanted to grab some dust masks so that I can start whacking the tile out of the upstairs bathroom when I get the urge.

Note: Know thyself. For me, that means having things on hand to set myself up to do projects when I feel like it, because when I am in the zone, there is no stopping me and I get a helluvalot done. So, this day, it meant buying dust masks. Life is weird sometimes.

12:30. I hit up a grocery store for jalapenos and Ace Hardware for dust masks and some grilling supplies my husband asked for. They are not more than a mile away, but it's drizzling now, so I actually drive there.

1:00. I spend about an hour in the kitchen prepping the turkey burgers (and taking pictures), making herb aioli, and drinking a refreshing juice (mint + cucumber + apples). If you haven't noticed, I cook when I'm procrastinating. But, whatever. Dinner is always superb, and if it's original, it's blog fodder, so I'm not mad about it.

Around 2pm, I finally coax myself into a shower and then at 2:20ish I sit down to work (this is kind of abnormally late for my in general, but like I said, things have been wonky since we moved). I start this blog post, send a few work emails, and edit a bit of my second novel.

I feel a little guilty, because the book is about 97% finished and I only have two - TWO!!! - scenes left to write. But, it's the ending, and I have to nail it. So, if I don't feel inspired, I don't write.

Sometime in the afternoon, a delivery shows up, which totally distracts and derails me in a good way, and I open the heavy box to find a delivery of spirits from Prairie Organic Spirits. I am developing some vodka infusions, and they threw in some other tasty treats for me as well.

I plan to start the infusions in the afternoon, but instead, I decide to pour myself a drink around 5:30 and write. I throw together a cocktail with the cucumber vodka, the juice from half a lime, 4 drops liquid lemon stevia, ice, and soda water. It is refreshing, delicious, and just the right thing to get me firing words out of my fingers.

ALL THE WORDS.

6:15. My husband finishes working, but I still write for another few minutes. Finally, around 6, we fire up the grill and make some taaaaaaaaasty burgers.

Post-burgers, we walk around town for a while and get froyo (thereby totally ruining my no dairy thing, but hey, yolo...?).

8:00 try to watch an episode of Dexter (we're trying to get into it... it's slow), and eventually switch to the movie Butter around 9:00. We actually watch the entire thing, and I am in love with Jennifer Garner.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Have you watched Dexter? Do you like it? Am I finally going to get into it? Only on Episode 3...
• What's your favorite cocktail infusion? Give me ideas!

Stranded in Chicago

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As I write this, my husband and I are currently 'stranded' in Chicagoland due to a car problem we discovered yesterday as we tried to leave town and head back to West Michigan. Thankfully, my parents were able to pick us up and we are holed up at their place working today.

Friday night we had some very exciting news to toast to, so we had a nice dinner and a bottle of wine at my in-laws' with a view of the lake to boot. How gorgeous is this set up?

On Saturday morning, we recovered from said wine, made some eggs, and eventually left West Michigan around noon for a quick, expected-to-be 24 hours trip to Chicago. 

Most of the drive was pretty simple, but traffic was awful once we got into the city (there is virtually no traffic in West Michigan). It was a vivid reminder that, while Chicago is indeed a very fabulous city, it has its 'cons' just like anywhere else. Pack that one in the memory bank for when I'm missing the Second City...

^Can't wait to get out into the sun!

The weather was pretty amazing though, in the 70s and sunny, so I decided to be brave and don a crop top. I could probably get away with it in Grand Rapids, but I figure it'll blend right in here in Chicago.

We arrived at The Drake Hotel in the early afternoon. I had never stayed here before, but we booked the trip last minute and they had a good rate available, so we jumped on it. Not the most modern or updated of the Chicago hotels by any means, but it has its own old fashioned charm to be found in the vintage chandeleirs.

We quickly dropped our things in the room and headed back out. One of my best friends from college was in town, and my mom and dad were in town to see a play that night, so we all met up in the afternoon for a few cocktails at Rock It Bar and Grill.

We walked inside to ask for patio seating only to find out they were closing their patio, so my dreams of sitting and enjoying a drink outside were squandered. Oh well. Good thing we had amazing company!

After a few hours of chatting away, and a few mimosas and old fashioneds, my parents had to head out to get to their play, and they drove my girlfriend back to her hotel while my husband and I walked around a bit. It was a pretty nice day out, and we are huge fans of walking, so the fact that we could shop on the way was just icing on the cake...

Pet peeve: The board to the left says "mimosa's" instead of "mimosas." I'm just saying...

We passed this hilarious sign on our way to the stores, and I had to get a picture of it. My next plan is to find a way to put a chalkboard in our next kitchen and come up with clever notes like this for when people come over.

A few hours later, after I bought myself my husband bought me a few shirts, a dress, a necklace, and a hair bow (oh, the random things you purchase after drinking a few cocktails...), we were ready for dinner.

Hanging out in River North / Streeterville / Mag Mile is fun, but it is also extremely crowded and touristy on a Saturday night (read: tons of people randomly stopping in the sidewalk to look up at the buildings, thus causing a HUMAN traffic jam - yes, Chicago is not just the home of vehicular traffic). So, we opted to head to J. Patrick's, our old standard pub in West Town. 

The next morning, we packed everything back into the car (there wasn't much for a one nighter!) and headed up north to Andersonville. We met with some of our friends for breakfast at Lady Gregory's, and we were sitting outside when the temperature suddenly dropped like 15 degrees. It was crazy.

We started heading back and had just gotten on LSD (Lake Shore Drive) when we started hearing a weird sound in our Touareg. Eventually, we had to get off and drop it off at a nearby Volkswagen dealership. We were lucky my parents were able to pick us up and bring us home for a steak dinner!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Do you ever do small 24 hour trips? I like short weekend trips because they are a short little surprise from life, and not quite as hard to "come down from" afterward.
• Any Midwest suggestions for a short-and-easy trip?

Eating and Drinking My Way Through The City

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As I gathered my pictures from the weekend, I realized that the majority of my photos are of food. Go figure. Apparently I ate and drank my way through the city of Chicago.

Before my condition worsened...

We kicked off Friday with Delirium Day at Paddy Long's. The Irish restaurant is known for its bacon laden menu, so we combined delirium tremens with everything bacon. I had a bacon quesadilla. It was delicious and filling.

As luck would have it, I have developed an allergy to some beer (Dear God, don't let this spread to Guinness...). So, thirty minutes into the event, I was suddenly a snot ball (glamorous, I know) and could hardly breathe. We stayed as long as we could, but when our friends decided to change venues, we had to call it quits and cab it home. 

Handsome husband :)

The next morning, we were feeling lazy. After our weekend in Holland, we still hadn't had the time to properly grocery shop, so we were out of supplies. The logical answer? Breakfast date.

Entirely mismatched. The Carly Brunch Special.

After a delicious (read: HUGE) meal at The Breakfast Club, we walked around for a bit and ended up stopping to by a chocolate bar. After said huge breakfast. At my behest. Because I apparently needed it at the time. It's not what you think.

A few hours later, after I realized how much junk I'd put into my body, I decided to get some fresh air and took the dog on a jog. We headed toward Wicker Park, spent some time drinking from the fountain there (just her... not me), and eventually came home about an hour and a half later.

It's fall, isn't that enough of an excuse?

...which was just in time for me to put more food into the machine. I made gluten free, upside-down apple pie and topped it with organic vanilla bean ice cream. Recipe coming tomorrow...

How much leopard is too much leopard?

Sunday morning, I woke up to a clean apartment. No, the cleaning fairies didn't visit during my slumber -- we spent a few hours cleaning the day before. We headed out on a walk with the dog, and I continued to shamelessly wear my leopard print Aerosoles. Seriously, it's like walking on a cloud.

Husband-made. Wife-approved.

My wonderful husband (are you reading this, babe?) had gone grocery shopping during my jog with the dog (dogjog, anyone?), so we had all the supplies we needed for a delicious breakfast. He made me egg whites with sauteed veggies, and I sprinkled nutritional yeast on top. Compared to the day before, I was getting an A+ for nutrition.

New specs!

A few hours later, after a run at the gym and, yes, more cleaning, we headed back to Wicker Park to meet my parents for dinner at Mana Food Bar. It was amazing the first time I went (after a girls spa day), and I was still impressed this time. The men weren't quite as excited, but it was a meatless dinner, so I don't know what I was thinking bringing them there.

Pineapple and Ginger Sake Cocktail at Mana... and my dry cleaning label that I didn't realize was on my jacket until we arrived! Oops...

My mom and I both tried their Pineapple Ginger Sake Cocktail, and it was amazing. I also love their Coconut Water and Lime, but this may have been better. It's hard to say. Either way, that's a good tie in my opinion!

Last but not least? We stopped by Shit Fountain. Pardon my French... but it is engraved on the fountain!

What about you?

• Have you ever been to a Vegan restaurant?
• Do the men in your life require meat for their meals?