I’m not sure why, but this afternoon I had the strangest hunger – I was starving but not really. Hard to interpret. I had a big mug of Organic Morning Lite with greek yogurt and flax around 3:45, followed by spontaneous Kashi crackers (3) and a handful of trail mix (about half a serving) that I ate out-of-hand and didn’t photograph (oops!). Along with some water, this seemed to do the trick. But an hour later the “hunger” returned. I’m putting it in quotes because it was an empty feeling and not a growling stomach. Unfortunately I had to just wait it out because I was at the event Uptown. But mid-way through, it was gone and I wasn’t even that hungry for dinner! So strange.
Seeing Hillary was fun. Fun Fact: She and I share a birthday (October 26th – along with KellyT!) and I met her when she and Bill came to my small town of Hillsborough on our birthday in 1992. I was in 4th grade and my mom checked me out of school for the occasion. Cool memory in politics.
The Arena was packed and I enjoyed being a part of the excitement.
Memories of Sonoma Wine Country
Sonoma Modern Kitchen is becoming our new favorite restaurant! We’ve now been for lunch, drinks and dinner. I’m proud of how I handled dinner tonight! Dinners out are always a challenge to find balance between special occasion (even when it’s not-that-special) and eating “normally.”) I had just enough food to enjoy a romantic dinner, but not enough to feel like a splurge (except for Monday night wine
)
Glass of red – I couldn’t resist because it’s such a swanky restaurant
We split the Smoked Scallop Sliders with Arugula. They were fantastic!!! I had two and the husband one since he got an entree and my salad was just an appetizer salad.
So cute!!
And I had the Arugula, Apple and Date Salad with Pistachios and Manchego. I got the dressing on the side and didn’t end up using any because it was laced with oniony shallots. I loved how the apples were julienned and the cheese and dates were the perfect combo.
The husband ordered the Potato Gnocchi + Roch Shrimp with Olives, Fennel and Spinach in a Lemon-Thyme Butter. FABULOUS!! I had the following plus 2 more gnocchi bites –
And a small piece of French bread –
I’m pooped – G’night!!
Nick says
I’m not a scallop fan, but those remind me of the mini chicken and mini veggie burgers at this place in NYC called Lollipop. It was really a cool and unique place that didn’t offer too much food, but everything they offered was outstanding. It’s a great place to go and get like 1 or 2 small plates for a lite dinner, but the drinks were more than the plates of food starting at $15 a piece!
By the way, something about the picture of those gnocchi looks fairly unappetizing to me….they look real slimy and sorta remind me of white asparagus from Spain which I gag at the thought of.
– The Peanut Butter Boy
creatingadiva says
mm your meal looks so delish! and woohoo for meeting hillary and for sharing bdays with her…mine is 2 days earlier than you guys!
BethT says
Yay, I’m so glad you got those so I could see them! What an awesome idea.
Kristie says
I hate that empty hunger feeling. It seems like it just never wants to be satisfied.
And those scallop sliders are too darn cute!
Ally says
Aww, those sliders look so cute!
Glad you had fun watching Hillary… I’m guessing you’ll be voting in the upcoming primaries 😉
Cassie says
oooo Those sliders look awesome. Looks like a great time!
Meghan says
Hey Kath! just responding back to the oatbran thing. My oatbran (quaker) actually has more volume than my oatmeal! (also quaker). Are you sure you’re adding 1.25 cups of water? (I actually add 1.5!).
Anywho, I hate those days when it’s impossible to keep hunger at bay. Usually busying myself with something like homework or running errands seems to do the trick!
nifer (the poster formerly known as NC) says
Sonoma kitchen looks fabulous!
I just saw Hillary on campus about a week ago and rumor has it Obama’s coming to town on Friday?!
nifer (the poster formerly known as NC) says
PS Kath et al., just a reminder that today is Ben&Jerry’s free cone day!! There are a few locations in Charlotte… http://www.benjerry.com/scoop_shops/store_locator/index.htm?s=nc&fcd=1&x=33&y=8
Katie says
Oh, how fun! Those scallop sliders are WAY cute!
GreenTea says
Hello All!
I recently had a minor surgery, and my doctor said that it is safe for me to begin excercising again…
However, my appetite is down. I am a calorie counter and I am literally stuffed after around 1000 calories. The only food that seems appetizing is frozen yogurt, but I make myself eat a round meal 2x a day. I just am not hungry!
Do you think it’s safe to exercise still? I’m kind of hoping to start light and increase intesity and possibly increase my appetite at the same time…?
oatmeal says
Ooh those “hunger” pains are really annoying 🙁 I always make the worst choices when I get those!
Those scallope sliders are really cute! They look like mini-hamburgers 😀
rachel k says
hey everyone and kath,
i recently adopted a vegetarian diet.
i have a question re: imitation meat products.
i made some “beef” tacos w/morningstar “ground beef”. my husband really liked the flavor and texture, but questioned how much better they are than say grass fed, hormone free beef in terms of health benefits (note: i realize that eating beef every day is definitely NOT good for you–but he would eat it at most once a month). are the ground veg “beef” and similar products truly healthy, considering they are processed and contain a long list of ingredients? or are they just designer “healthy” foods that are just as processed as your typical
grocery item.
Thanks for insight and advice!
Rebecca says
I asked this question on Jenna’s blog, but I think the readers are too young and I think (?) quite a few of you a while back said you are married/or engaged.
The wedding she went to reminded me of a question I have been wondering. Destination weddings seem popular. They seem easier for the bride because a lot of the choices seem to be made in that you choose from various packages- is this misconception of mine?
While, for the bride it does not seem significantly more expensive, destination weddings seem to be asking a big commitment to ask your guests to go oversees basically to celebrate you- it’s definitely not the same as them independently choosing to take a vacation- is this also a misconception of mine since they seem so popular? I realize they may have to fly regardless of where your wedding is, but flights within the US and hotels in the US still are significantly cheaper than on an island at a resort.
Also, Kath you showed us the thing about the knot you were featured in, what is the knot?
CourtneyS says
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of destination weddings. (No offense to anyone planning one right now!) I agree that it’s a huge commitment for your guests, plus it’s hard for people with small children and other contingent factors. We can’t attend the wedding of some good friends of ours because the flights are SO expensive and the timing doesn’t work with my schedule. I’m really sad I’m missing their special day, but I can’t take three days off to go to Mexico! I’m sure it’s going to be lovely and I really wish we could go.
On the other hand, guests will have to travel no matter where you get married (unless everyone you know is local!) I guess I would rather take a vacation based on my own considerations and not have to combine it with someone’s wedding.
Amanda says
Smoked Scallop Sliders are so cute. I’m allergic to seafood, but they look yummy!
Hillary, really?
NattyMcGoo says
What a yummy looking and fancy dinner!
I’ve been visiting your site lately and love it! I’m so inspired by your journey to healthy living. Keep it up!
caitlin (in FL) says
i agree that destinations weddings are fun, but you have to understand it will severly limit the number of people who chose to attend your wedding. i know several couples who had a wedding in the caribbean and then had an after-party locally where they played a video of the ceremony for everyone and had dinner and drinks. It was fun!
with the way the economy is now, jut understand that if most of your guests are local, moving it to another state will significantly reduce the number of people who can come. they will have to pay for flights, hotels, cars, and potentially for childcare/dog sitting while they are away. of course, if you’re looking to reduce your OWN costs (by reducing the number of guests), this is an ideal way to do it without offending anyone!
www.theknot.com is a wedding planning website.
chelsea says
I had a destination wedding and let me tell you it was NOT less stressful. Granted I didn’t get married on a big resort, I got married in a little fishing town where the locals came together to give me the most amazing wedding ever.
The way I looked at the cost is that I only invited people that I would have asked to be in my wedding. From recent experience, that costs about $2000 (flying to the wedding, hotel, dress, nails, hair, gift, etc). Going to my wedding in Jamaica cost my guests about $1200 before they paid for food (most lived on the East Coast while I live on the West so they would have had a longer flight to get to where I live than they did to Jamaica) Although we fed our guests numerous times so they didn’t have to pay much for food.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. Is it for everyone? Nope
The biggest stresser was helping everyone figure out their travel plans. I swear our friends and my husbands family were SO high maintenance in this area. Get a flight! We have 2 hotel choices. Just do it!
Anyway, where else could I have had the most amazing food ever (including lobster tail) and have it cost us less than $2,000-including alcohol? Not in the states. Our wedding dinner would have been about $20,000 in the states.
So this was a long way of saying that it was great, but definitely not for everyone.
Brittany says
I am four months away from getting married…we have been engaged for two years so I have had a lot of time to plan :)! You will get so many opinions from everyone and what I have learned to do is listen and smile, but the bottom line is that you have to do what YOU and your FIANCE want to do. I have been told numerous times all the negatives about having my 250 guest wedding and that I should have had a destination wedding, BUT we are happy and excited for our big wedding! SO I say do what makes you happy and what is right for you!
JLynn says
Kath-I went to see Hillary last night in Charlotte too. I had a great time!
Kath says
Meghan ,
Interesting about the oat bran! So you buy Quaker’s? I used to have Hodgson Mill’s (I think ) and it was 1/4 cup oat bran to 1 cup of water. What’s your portion?
GreenTea ,
When your doctor gave you the green light to exercise, did you talk to him about your appetite? I’d keep things really light to just walking or very light cardio (stat bike) until you can eat well enough to get some good fuel. Just use exercise for fresh air until you’re feeling yourself again, and if you’re having doubts, give your doctor a call back and get his/her opinion since he/she knows the details of the surgery.
rachel k,
My personal opinion sides with your husband to go with the less processed and artificial of the two. Michael Pollan would probably agree with him too. While there are ethical reasons (and more) to become a vegetarian, humans evolved eating meat. Almost every culture in the world eats some percentage of meat in the diet (religious and personal decisions aside). So I would go with the more natural of the two choices, which would be the grass-fed beef. If the choice were between conventional corn-fed beef and the meat substitutes, I’d go with the substitutes though. I hope this response doesn’t cause controversy – just my opinion
Rebecca ,
I planned my wedding 2 hours from where I lived, and while it wasn’t really a destination wedding, the traveling did make it difficult. I would think planning from afar you’d have to rely on lots of photos and emails – or just give up control to the planner at your site. It probably depends on what kind of wedding it is and how involved you want to be in the decision making. Some people love them and have perfect successful weddings, and for others it becomes a nightmare of planning and things going wrong.
JLynn ,
I was all by myself – we should have sat together and chatted! Weren’t some of those performances before HORRIBLE!! Esp. the American Idol guy!
Kath
JLynn says
Kath-I wish I’d known you’d be there. I’ve been reading your blog for a while and I would have been cool to meet you. I agree about some of the pre-Hillary performances-though I did really enjoy the group that did the aboriginal piece.