31 | May | 2010 | healthy laps

the barking crab

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Jen

I opted out of a workout this morning since my legs are really feeling like they need a break from running after all of our walking around this weekend!

All I could think about was oatmeal. It has been a few weeks since my last real bowl and I woke up with a hungry tummy!

I took the time to make a batch of Steel Cut Oats and boy was it worth it. Once the oats had about 5 minutes left to cook, I stirred in 1/2 of a mashed banana and a dash of almond milk for creaminess. I topped my oatmeal with the other 1/2 of the banana, 1 tbsp of chocolate peanut butter and some homemade chocolate banana granola. Yummy.

Served with a few pieces of juicy watermelon. Nothing says summer more than watermelon!

Once our guests were ready to go, we headed downtown to walk around. Around noon I split a Prana Bar with Brant and munched on an apple.

I received some samples of Prana Bars a few weeks ago and am just getting around to trying them. I will write a complete review once I try all of the flavors, so stay tuned. I will say, though, that I really enjoyed this Supercharger Blueberry Coconut Prana Bar! It was the consistency of a Larabar, with the base being dates, but had a bit of crunch due to the puffed amaranth that I loved. The coconut flavor really stood out and a hint of blueberry came through as well. The bars contain all natural ingredients and are mostly raw. Prana has three varieties of bars – PranaBar, Supercharger and Boomi Bar. The flavors sound delicous, I can’t wait to try them all!

After walking along the harbor for awhile and taking in the sites, we made our way to The Barking Crab for a late lunch.

I’ve never seen the footbridge open before!

The Barking Crab is a Southie landmark that sits right on the water.

We had a bit of a wait with our lobster buzzer, so we enjoyed a beer.

They serve mostly fried seafood, but had a few other options as well.

Brant and our guests enjoyed the fried seafood while I opted for a mixed greens salad with grilled shrimp.

Fried food always sounds great, but I hate how I feel afterwards. If I ever feel myself ready to order a fried dish, I just remind myself how I always hate myself after I eat it and 99.9% of the time it makes up my mind. It never tastes as good as it looks anyways. And, once I am filled up on my healthier dish, I am satisfied with my decision!

The shrimp on my salad was great! It was seasoned very well.

After lunch, I snacked on some dark chocolate and dried strawberries while I continued to enjoy the weather!

Once dinnertime rolled around, we wanted to keep it really simple. We have had 4 days of constantly being on the go and eating out, so the last thing we wanted to do was cook! I took 5 minutes and heated up some Bean Chili which hit the spot.

Served with some Dr. Kracker’s seeded flatbread as croutons in my new Ramen Noodle bowl!

This bowl is perfect for comfort foods because it fits perfectly in your hand.

Those slots in the bowl hold a set of chopsticks.

Of course, I was craving something sweet after dinner, so I decided to whip up some banana softserve! I made about 1.5 frozen bananas topped with a mixture of melted dark chocolate and peanut butter (probably 1/8 of a chocolate bar and 1/2 tbsp of PB!) and sprinkled with a few cacao nibs.

(and my camera ate the photo!)

A yummy dessert was a perfect end to our Memorial Day!

Filed under: Eating Laps, Restaurant Reviews | Tagged: dinner, oatmeal, Restaurant Reviews, salad | 3 Comments »

downtown

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Jen

Happy Memorial Day!

I woke up feeling super groggy and with a pounding headache yesterday. UGH! I think it was going to bed so much later than normal…and eating dinner so much later. Nothing a little juice can’t fix!

I swear – fresh squeezed juice helps every time. It is loaded with antioxidants and helps to give you that boost that you sometimes need in the morning (without drinking coffee!).

In my juice:

2 huge carrots
3 celery stalks
1 apple
1-inch piece of ginger
1 tsp spirulina stirred in at the end

I chugged my juice and it helped so much. I felt alive after drinking it!

What is spirulina?

Spirulina is a blue-green algae. It is 70% complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids that our bodies need in a perfect balance. It also contains a high concentration of nutrients and is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, which makes it a great mix-in for smoothies or juices!

After my juice, we sat down to breakfast on the porch! That is one of my favorite things about spring and summer. I love eating on the porch! While everyone else munched on pancakes and bacon that Brant whipped up, I made up a big bowl of Greek yogurt, chia seeds, museli, banana, granola, cacao nibs and a drizzle of honey.

On the side, I had some juicy watermelon.

The perfect summer day breakfast if you ask me (tied with a smoothie, of course!). 🙂

We spent the day walking around downtown and stopped for lunch at B. Good where I got a big Hatchback salad with spinach, arugula, almonds, dried apples, dried cherries and balsamic vinaigrette on the side. I snagged a few of Brant’s ‘baked’ fries as well.

Then, hit up Emack & Bolio’s for some black raspberry ice cream.

Nothing is better than walking around the city on a warm day with ice cream!

Once home, I headed out for a quick run before dinner. I needed a pick me up since I was feeling super tired. I ran for 30 minutes…it just felt great to get out there, even though Castle Island was packed with people.

Post-run snack:

Coconut water and a slice of multigrain with almond butter and apples to hold me over until another late dinner of Mexican!!

We hit up Border Cafe in Harvard Square to show our guests the area. The place was packed! I ordered a Sangria which I sipped throughout the meal.

For dinner, I chose the Vegetarian Fajitas with no rice and extra black beans. Check out my spread!

I made up a plate with one cup of the black beans, all of the veggies and the salsa and guacamole. I skipped the cheese and white tortillas. I always forget how much I love mexican until I have it again!