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?

Winery Event and Girls' Spa Day

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It was a weekend for the books, you guys. We started out by driving up to my parents' house on Friday night for a Bon Voyage dinner for my sister, who left for Spain the next day. She will be gone all semester, home for a few weeks, and then gone again for the next semester. I set up a blog for her, so feel free to check it out: Ailie Abroad.

When we arrived, the steaks were seasoned and just aching to be put on the grill. My husband is the official grillmaster, and the steaks were perfect.

We toasted my sister's impending adventure and spent some time helping her pack. Okay, I mostly just watched her pack instead of helping, but at least I was there for moral support.

The next morning, we came back to Chicago. After a full afternoon, we started getting ready for the night's event. Our landlord is a co-owner of Grand Avenue Winery, a small winery in Chicago, and he invited us to their annual event. 

It was a truly impressive affair! It was wonderful to taste so many of their wines. They had a white sangria that people seemed to be loving, but we stuck with reds and tried to go from light to heavy as the night progressed.

There was also no shortage of food. With most (if not all) of the winery owners being Italian, there was a plethora of delicious pizzas, and plenty of italian sausages, cheeses, and breads.

We had a great time and ended up buying a few bottles to take home or give as gifts. The proceeds went to charity, so we were more than happy to make a few purchases!

The next morning, my husband and I took a Bodypump class at the gym and then spent a few hours relaxing and cleaning. In the early afternoon, my mom arrived for our date! I wanted to do something special to thank her for all the time and effort she contributed to my wedding, so I decided to take her to Red Square, a Russian/Turkish bathhouse and spa in Wicker Park, for the afternoon.

It's kind of hard to explain how this place is set up. Basically, below ground they have a whole area of saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, etc, where you can spend the day relaxing and detoxing (also known as SWEATING). Upstairs, they have a whole spa, as well as a restaurant and bar.

The best thing about this place? You can order anything from the restaurant or bar from anywhere. There are black phones placed throughout the wood paneled relaxation rooms (where you relax in between using the saunas, steam rooms, and tubs). 

All you had to do was pick up the phone... and order champagne. Unfortunately, there is no glass allowed, so we couldn't be as glamorous as we might have liked. That said, having champagne while getting pampered is pretty much ideal. I'll take it.

After enjoying the saunas for a while, we went upstairs because we had spa appointments. We both had a 75 minute Swedish Massage and Foot Reflexology.

It was pretty wonderful. My mom said she had such a great experience with her masseuse, Gie, that it even worked out some injuries she had in her back. Way to go, Gie!

After our pampering, we went back downstairs for some more relaxation. We spent about 30 minutes in the Turkish Wet Sauna, and it was so hot that we sat in there with our feet in buckets full of cold water. We eventually got out, ordered some Moscow Mules (when in Rome... I mean Russia), and drank them in one of the hot tubs.

When 6pm rolled around, we finally showered all of the oil and sweat off of our bodies and got ready for dinner. They do have a full restaurant at Red Square, but we had our eyes set on a vegan restaurant down the street called Mana Food Bar.

We started with cucumber and lime cocktails with sake. It was so light and refreshing, and we couldn't believe that there was no alcohol flavor at all. Pure deliciousness!

I truly cannot even describe how amazing this meal was. We were both feeling a bit tired from the heat at the bathhouse and we weren't particularly hungry, so we wanted something light, and this meal hit the spot big time.

We started with a sampler platter of three dishes: A Pear and Spinach Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette (top), a toasted Quinoa salad (middle), and an Avocado, Arugula, and Tomato Salad (bottom). All three dishes were phenomenal, but the Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing was by far the star of the show.

Next, we had creamy, cheesy polenta (top right and bottom), as well as a Sweet Pea filled Ravioli with almond-mint pesto. Both were, as you might expect based on their descriptions, pretty much to die for. We left completely satisfied - feeling full, but not stuffed!

What About You?

• Any fun plans over this past weekend?
• Have you tried any vegan restaurants? Do you like them?
• Have you ever been to a bath house?

Chili Chocolate Almond Truffles

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The rich sweetness of chocolate, the slight kick of chili powder, and the delicious crunch of almonds... what's not to love?

Warning: You're going to want to make these. I would advise trying to make them before a social gathering, so that you don't blink and accidentally eat them all. I also should warn you that you may inadvertently "taste test" far too many heaping tablespoons of the melted chocolate mixture. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Another warning... as I made these, I started singing a little song. The lyrics are simple, so you should probably join in: "Everyday, I'm truffling... Everyday, I'm truff-fa--fa--faling." <--There you go. Now you have an awful song stuck in your head. You're very, very welcome.

I made these for blogger book club this month. I hadn't spent much time thinking of recipe development for the group, so I had to kind of scramble the day before. I found a recipe online that looked pretty good, but I didn't have all of the ingredients, so it turned into a bit of an experiment.

This recipe is adapted from this Chocolate Chili Truffles recipe from Elana's Pantry. I love her recipes and would have followed it to a "T," except that I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, so I had to improvise. Since I was bringing this to a book club where I know at least one person has a coconut allergy, I omitted coconut milk in exchange for almond milk (with almond extract already in the mix, I figured anyone with that allergy was already out!). Also had run out of agave, so I subbed honey for that. And had no finely chopped almonds (and no desire to chop whole ones), so I just subbed chia seeds there.

Chili Chocolate Almond Truffles

Ingredients... For Truffle Base:

• 2 cups Chocolate Chips
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 1 tsp Almond Extract
• 2 tbsp Chili Powder
• 3/4 cup Almond Milk
• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds

...For Truffle Powder:

• 2tbsp Cacao Powder
• 3 tbsp Chia Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder

Directions:

1. Melt Chocolate using a double boiler or the microwave. I put it in the microwave for 90 seconds, take out and stir, then again for 30 seconds, and take it out and stir.
2. Add honey, almond extract, chili powder, chia seeds, and almond milk and mix well. If the almond milk is not mixing in with the chocolate, try heating it for another 30 seconds with all ingredients in the bowl, and then stir again.
3. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, until it reaches a frosting-like consistenct.
4. Scoop into balls and place on parchment paper-lined sheet. Set aside.
5. Combine ingredients for truffle powder (Cacao Powder, Chia Seeds, more Chili Powder). 
6. Roll balls in truffle powder.
7. Serve.

Cranberry Cumin Quinoa

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One of my coworkers is on a low carb diet. I feel like we should erect a monument and dedicate it to her ridiculous willpower. Seriously. It's not that I'm incapable of willpower -- God knows it's not always easy to turn down a 500 calorie Cheeseburger when somebody is grilling out -- but I could never cut out carbs.

I will, however, dedicate myself to spending them wisely. Carbs, that is. There's a big difference between a hamburger bun and a bowl full of Quinoa. Not to mention that a semi-carb like Quinoa isn't really a full carb -- because so many of its calories come from other sources, like protein and dietary fiber (which is soooooooo good for your you-know-whats).

Cranberry Cumin Quinoa

Servings: 4
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Calories Per Serving: 227
WW Points (Old): 4
WW PointsPlus: 6
*Nutritional information includes Chia Seeds. Without Chia seeds, each serving is 18 calories less.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 2 cups Water
• 2 tablespoons dried Cranberries
• 3 teaspoons Truvia
• 1/2 tablespoon Cumin
• 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts
• Optional: 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds

Directions:

1. Combine Quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Add Cumin and stir, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add Cranberries, Pine Nuts, and Truvia (and, if you're using Chia Seeds, add those), then serve!