This weekend was a highlight to my summer for many reasons. First of all, it was my first weekend that I can remember where I didn’t have to work or have a scheduled mapped out each day. Since I quit my one job and transferred over to another one, I have my weekends open which I must say is phenomenal. If the real world is like this (working Monday through Friday) with weekends off, I’m loving it. I realized this summer that I worked myself to the bone May through July and August is my time to prep for another year of classes and new opportunities. At the same time, it’s a time to notice what lies ahead and give myself some rest. I even bought a Rifle Paper Co. planner last Thursday at Anthropologie on a whim. I am definitely not one to buy paper supplies and art with my own money but I know that this fall my schedule will be becoming more and more chaotic, therefore this girl needed an agenda!
I am a sucker for Rifle Paper Co.’s prints. This one especially when it peaks out of my purse, I smile every time. The PR girl in me is finally coming alive. Is this a good or bad thing? Only time will tell.
After I splurged on Rifle Paper Co. and Gap’s 40% off deals, I enjoyed my weekend further by doing nothing but waking up late (9a.m. for me), drinking cold brewed coffee and making eggs with toast. Then proceeding to Instagram for an hour in bed. The usual morning off for a food blogger. That’s how yesterday went at least and when I got the reminder text from one of my foodie friends if we were still on for lunch, my day became so much brighter and busier! Although I love time off, I do enjoy occupying my time with some sort of activity. This means lunch dates, finding lovely little coffee shops and baking/cooking away in my brand new (technically old) kitchen.
I have to tell you, one of the best parts of blogging is meeting up with fellow foodies who are just as passionate about health, fitness and wellness as you are. Case in point, I have been following my friend May (@nutritionhappens) for about a year and when she told me in the middle of the summer that she was moving to Chicago for school, I was so excited to meet her! The first time I went to The Allis in the West Loop, I told her she would LOVE it. Something very up her South Carolina-living alley and sure enough, she was thrilled.
My second time there this month, I ordered the raw vegetables and hummus sandwich on multigrain this time with a side of vegetable chips (I’m 99% sure they were Terra brand… which I’m a sucker for). Those taro root chips make me so content. God bless ’em! For $10, the sandwich was a bit small but by the time I finished it, I was glad it wasn’t any bigger. I could tell the bread was home baked, too. May and I discussed our mutual feeling on if you’re not eating “perfectly healthy bread” (a.k.a Food For Life‘s), homemade is the way to go. Besides, who doesn’t love the crispy and crunchy warm texture of fresh bread? Nom nom.
May ordered the avocado toast with a boiled egg which we casually joked that it wasn’t “avocado toast” but rather an avocado with a side of toast. Pretty sure they used a whole avocado to top that multigrain. No complaints because the more avo the better!
And for a drink? The Allis offers teas, coffee and a few rotating selection of Owen and Alchemy‘s fresh juices. At Lollapalooza, I tried their blueberry basil lemonade and was floored at how fresh it was so when I saw The Allis offered one of their kombucha’s, I reached for the no. 61 – a raspberry green tea kombucha with raw local honey. Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds and I even kept the bottle because…. hello people, that packaging! I wish The Allis had it on tap because I might have consumed it by the gallon…
Before we ate, May (as sweet as she is) gave me a goodie bag of KIND snacks and assorted teas. How about that popped Dark Chocolate!? Can you say yum-o? or Caramel Macchiato? Starbucks coffee in a KIND bar!
As for the Go Raw coconut lime chips, I used them last night to top off a watermelon, pineapple and strawberry smoothie. The definition of a refreshing summer treat. It reminded me of a strawberry daiquiri if only a little alcohol were added!
May didn’t stop with those snacks though… she also bought me this TigerNut Horchata from the brand Organic Gemini and each of their drinks has less than 6 ingredients, one of which is TigerNuts. Just as you’re reading this I’m sure you’re like “WTF is a TigerNut?” Well, it’s actually not a nut but rather a root vegetable that originated from North Africa. It is high in potassium, fiber and iron. Clearly I’m not surprised I loved the coffee flavor because it was sweetened with dates, a touch of himalayan sea salt and included organic Peruvian cold brew. BLISS!
Want to know a secret? I drank half and saved the other half for a post-workout smoothie of a frozen banana and Vega‘s Mocha performance protein. It was better than chocolate ice cream.
I ended my restful weekend with roasting a huge pan of sweet potatoes for a side for the week doused in olive oil, rosemary, basil and himalayan pink sea salt (the go-to), leftover brussels sprouts and my new favorite hummus on the block… thai coconut curry from Hope Foods. I’m a stickler for good hummus brands and I always go for the best quality I can, unless I’m in a pinch for money and need to prioritize. Yet sometimes, ya just gotta splurge on the Hope Foods (me today).
So far I’ve had their original, kale pesto and spicy avocado but this one might be my new fave. Thanks to May for the recommendation!
I’ve got to say, this weekend really showed me how productive, versatile and exciting a weekend can be without being cramped up at work. Next weekend, my goal is to attend a farmers market, bake a new recipe and decorate my room a bit (since I moved last weekend).
We’ll see!
-Addie
