Five Healthy Snack Ideas

It’s been awhile since I posted a Five Things I’m Loving This Friday, and I figured it was about time to start again. The topic that came to mind this week? Snack ideas. As I mentioned in last week’s and this week’s WIAW posts, while on my elimination I’ve been hungrier than usual, and that’s saying something considering I’m generally in run-eat-repeat mode. And without my usual go-to snacks like Greek yogurt, I’ve been figuring out where else to turn. The fruits of my labor can be found in the five healthy snack ideas I’m sharing today. Pun totally intended 🙂

 

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WIAW #43

This WIAW showcases a transition during the second week of my elimination. I decided to stick it out for three weeks of no grains, dairy, or soy, to see if any of these might be the culprit of some health issues I’d been experiencing on and off. Like last week, it didn’t mean I wasn’t able to enjoy lots of delicious food, with a little creativity and planning ahead. I’m used to being extra careful, after all! However, one thing changed toward the middle of the second week. I started to be ravenous all the time. For no particular reason. In fact, last week I only ran three days, with lower mileage than the rest of the month. I’m not sure if the elimination did something to my metabolism, but this usually filling breakfast of a microwave pumpkin scone and a huge dollop (maybe 5-6 spoonfuls) of sunflower seed butter only stayed me for an hour on Friday!

 

 

 

WIAW #21: Sandwiches to Sashimi

 

Welcome back to What I Ate Wednesday! I know I missed last week – it was actually the first Wednesday I hadn’t posted since March, which is crazy. The fact that I’ve been blogging for almost 8 months and doing WIAW for 5 is unbelievable. You know what else is hard to believe? Last Wednesday I was sitting in Day 2 of the bar exam, and now I am free 🙂 So without further ado, yesterday’s eats await…

 

Lunch at Bailey’s Backyard

The restaurant

 

I met a good friend of mine for lunch yesterday, at a restaurant off our quaint Main Street called Bailey’s Backyard. I came here a lot growing up. They closed a couple of years ago, and when they reopened, the owners had altered the atmosphere and the menu, hopping on the farm-to-table bandwagon.

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch Menu

 

While I’m nostalgic for things that have changed since my childhood, the new menu is awesome. It incorporates a lot of local Connecticut and New England ingredients, in the excellent Sunday brunch, daily dinners, and as I found today, regular weekday lunches. I’m both gluten-free and nut-free, of course, which means I need to make alterations to a lot of dishes when dining out. My friend Taylor is also gluten-free, and she can’t eat eggs either. Luckily, although the menu includes lots of allergy-triggering items, the staff at Bailey’s is very helpful in letting you know where adjustments can be made. The chef even came out to introduce himself to us to see how we liked our lunches!

 

 

Seriously scrumptious side

 

We decided to split a side to start. Originally, we were both eyeing the kale and Gruyere gratin, but unfortunately there was flour in that mix and they didn’t have a substitute. However, our choice of the roasted rainbow carrots with garlic butter and roasted marshmallow was simply scrumptious.

 

 

 

 

Scallops seared to perfection

 

For our main courses, we both went with salads. Taylor had the Connecticut Kale Salad with grilled shrimp, and I went for the Spinach Salad with feta and onions and grilled scallops. Since I was allergic to the pistachio vinaigrette on the menu, the waiter suggested substituting the apricot dressing, which was a nice fruity addition.

 

 

 

 

A sweet treat like gooey s’mores

 

We ended the meal with decaf coffee for me, and more iced tea for Taylor. I’m not going to lie, I may also have scraped every last bit of the blackened marshmallow cream off that carrot plate! It was so lovely to enjoy a relaxing lunch with a good friend. I’m making this last spring break count!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where’s your favorite place for a girls’ lunch? Do you and your friends have any fun traditions?

 

 

 

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