Oh, hello and welcome back from what I assume was a fun and food-filled holiday weekend. Hopefully, like many of us, your weekend started around 3:00 on Wednesday afternoon and the relaxation and indulgence continued through Sunday night.
Hopefully, you had a lot of these this weekend!
I took a break from the blog this Friday (in case you haven’t noticed, I post Monday/Wednesdays/Fridays), because I was really proud of the content in my post from Wednesday and decided it needed to stay front and center for a while :-). And, although 4th of July is over, I STRONGLY suggest you try the cookie recipe. It received rave reviews from our holiday crew, even the toughest cookie critics!
I’m going to recap some of the good times from our long weekend, but then I’m going to wrap up this post with some helpful tips for getting back on the healthy train after a long holiday weekend. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling raring and ready to jump into my Sometimes Healthy routine.
Upstate Holiday: BBQs and Booze
On Wednesday afternoon, we drove about 3 hours further upstate to Syracuse to stay with some friends for a couple of days. We didn’t have much in mind, other than some relaxation and catching up with friends over booze. Sometimes it’s nice to keep the plans simple.
Somebody was a little restless during our car drive and insisted on peeping up front!
We definitely had the booze part covered! After a relaxing bbq at home on Wednesday night, we headed to a nearby winery, Owera Vineyards, on the 4th of July. Nothing screams patriotic like a bunch of wine and cheese right?
Check out the cranberry goat cheese. Amazing.
It’s the “new-age” 4th of July, people.
Before we went to town on the cheese plate, we did a wine tasting. Whenever we go wine tasting, my BF samples all of the dry wines, and I sample all of the sweet wines. Opposite tastebuds. Opposites attract 🙂 I was also very excited that our wine tasting included peanut m&m’s. Random, but still a nice touch.
I absolutely asked the wine person if peanut m&ms cleansed the palette. She laughed.
My favorite was a semi-sweet wine called Betty’s White. The winery had some trouble getting our food to us (they’re still new), so they gave us a free bottle!
After the wine tasting, we headed to Harvest Moon Cidery for a tasting. I’m a huge fan of ciders, because I enjoy the bubbly and the sweet flavors.
Millions of ciders, ciders for me!
All of the ciders were very tasty, and I ended buying a bottle of the Red Barn Raspberry. We then sat outside to enjoy the ambience.
So America right now.
After all of the wine and cider, we were ready to kick back for a relaxing evening, which included burgers and cookies. That’s my kind of holiday! The BF was very excited to dig into his patriotic rice krispie treats.
Mmmm….patriotic rice krispies!
Friday morning, I woke up itching for a run, so I headed to a nearby state park. It was actually quite a beautiful run, through lots of hills, cliffs and forests. However, I spent most of it trying to make sure I didn’t get lost, so I only got this picture.
We were in the middle of nowhere.
When I arrived home from my run (covered in mud), I was given the best news ever: we had plans to head to Dinosaur Bar-b-que for lunch! This BBQ joint is famous for its spice rubs, sauces and smoky flavors. I couldn’t wait a second longer, so I quickly showered, and off we went!
Bring it on!
Luckily, the wait was only 30 minutes, despite the fact that the joint was packed. Immediately, I loved the atmosphere. Although we were way up north, it almost felt like a homey southern bbq shop. It was created in 1988 as a quick-service bbq stop for bikers, but then grew in popularity and added a full bar, full-service dining and live music. It has since expanded to other areas on the East Coast, but this is the original!
The inside of a legendary bbq joint.
We ordered wings for the table as an appetizer with the medium and hot sauces. I’m not really a wings person, but I made an exception for Dinosaur Bar-b-que. They did not disappoint. They were moist, flavorful, sweet and spicy. I could have eaten the whole plate!
Snapped a quick pic. We couldn’t wait to eat those wings!
For my main course, I knew I had to go big or go home. You don’t get to go to Dinosaur Bar-b-que every day! I ordered the Pork/Brisket Platter with collard greens and french fries for my side.
No words for this plate.
The BF ordered the “Tres Hombres” platter (pork/brisket/ribs) with mac n’ cheese and beans.
Check out those ribs!
Highlights of the meal were definitely the ribs (best we’ve ever had), cornbread and mac n’ cheese. Everything tasted great, but these dishes are something I would definitely go back to eat.
Happy Customers!
After our larger than life lunch, we had the pleasure of enjoying a three hour car ride home. The BF was amazed at the fact that, after all of that food, I still purchased Swedish Fish to get me through the car ride. We may have been slightly uncomfortably stuffed, but the view for the ride was unbeatable.
Can’t beat this view. Country road…take me home!
Hudson Valley Weekend: Rivers and Mexican Food
The BF is still adjusting to the 12 hour time zone difference from being in China a couple weeks ago, and I am still getting over my little sickness. So, we spent much of the remainder of the weekend catching up on sleep! We also took advantage of the nice weather and had a meal on the river.
Wine + a view
Sunday night, our friends asked us to grab some Mexican food. They know that I love Mexican food, so they’ve been trying to get me to their favorite place for a while.
Mole Mole! This place looks legit.
With a name like Mole, Mole, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good meal. The inside of the restaurant is adorned with nick-nacks from Mexico and colorful decorations, like pinatas and flags. I’ve noticed that whenever a Mexican restaurant is decorated in this kitschy way, the food is delicious.
And, it was. We ordered the guacamole and salsa to start, which was extremely fresh with a hint of spice.
Can’t start a Mexican meal any other way.
For my main course, I ordered the tamale plate and fried plantains. The tamales were cooked well and full of flavor. I wish there had been a little less mole sauce, because I like to taste the smoky flavor of tamales, but the sauce was still amazing. I’m not surprised a place called “Mole Mole” has great mole sauce ;-).
Mouthwatering goodness.
The fried plantains were sweet and not overly greasy, so they were a win in my book!
Holy yummy!
Our friends have a 1-year-old with the most precious blue eyes, and his favorite food is bananas.
Whenever he pointed at the bananas and looked at me with those blue eyes, I just had to give them to him! So, he ended up eating most of my bananas 😉
We left the restaurant full and happy, and we will most certainly be returning! While I like the atmosphere of Cafe Maya better, the food here is very authentic and won’t disappoint if you’re in the Hudson Valley and looking for authentic Mexican cuisine.
Happy customers. Look how dolled up we got for dinner ya’ll!
Getting Back in my Healthy Groove
As you can see, my weekend was full of indulgent food and drinks. And, after a weekend like this, I’m usually raring and ready to jump back into my healthy routine. However, once upon a time, I used to have a difficult time getting back into a healthy rhythm after an extended vacation or long weekend.
Here are a few things that I do to get myself back on the right track:
1. Hit up the Grocery Store for a Health Kick
Get yo veggie on!
Usually, the first thing I do after walking in the door from vacation is put my bags down and beeline in to the grocery store to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies. Then, if I have time, I’ll prep the fruits and veggies for the week by washing and chopping away. This sets me up for a week of healthy success.
2. Surf the Internet for Healthy Motivation
Searchin’ for inspiration!
Hopefully, if I’ve been on a real vacation, I avoided the internet and other distracting electronics. So, when I’m looking to get back into my healthy groove, I get back online. I’ll catch up on my favorite healthy living blogs but also read some articles on a few health websites. My go-tos are: Yahoo! Shine, Fit Sugar and Health. I also like to check out Pinterest for a couple of healthy recipes and workouts to try during the week. Here a couple of interesting articles that I read last night:
- 10 Minute Plyometric Workout
- 10 Low Calorie Late-Night Snacks that Only Need a Little Prep
- Healthy Baking: Surprising Butter Substitutes
3. Set up for Success
Cole’s running shoes are ready!
You’ve probably heard this one before, but I firmly believe it works. On Sunday night, make sure your gym bag is fully packed or your running shoes right by your bed. If they’re staring at you, the moment you get out of bed, you’re more likely to put on those running shoes instead of hitting the snooze button.
4. Just Do It
Use that morning coffee as your motivator!
Clearly, I ripped this off of Nike. But, what I mean is that sometimes your biggest nemesis to getting yourself to the gym is your mind. Believe it or not, your mind is a very powerful thing, and it can easily talk you out of anything. “But, it’s too early to wake up. I’ll start tomorrow.” “I don’t really have time for this.” “It would be so much easier to stay in bed. There are too many steps involved!” These are just a few of the things you might tell yourself. To battle these thoughts, I usually do one thing that ensures I am motivated to go to the gym. Right now, it’s downloading a book or tv show to my ipad to keep me entertained. If I know that this will be waiting for me, it’s much easier to combat any negative thoughts in my head. When I lived in NYC, my motivation was a giant iced coffee from DD, which I drank every morning on the way to the gym.
5. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Give yourself a “high five” for even the smallest of victories!
It’s very easy to get caught up in negative thoughts and to feel the need to “punish” yourself for having a little fun over the holidays. You may think you need to work out twice as hard to “make up” for all of the indulgence. That’s not the case. Just ease back into your healthy routine and celebrate the small victories. Tell yourself that it’s actually HEALTHY to let loose every now and then. If you weigh yourself weekly (some of us do, and that’s ok), then wait until later in the week to weigh yourself to avoid getting caught up in a number that’s probably mostly water weight anyway.
It’s taken me a while to learn how to get back on track after long vacations. I used to become overwhelmed and had a hard time getting back into my routine, but I’ve found these simple tips to be very helpful!
On that note, kicking off my Sometimes Healthy Routine with a pup run!
YOUR TURN:
What’s your #1 tip for getting back into the healthy groove after a long holiday?
Yumm I love cheese platters and pulled pork/brisket screams the 4th of July! I made some in a crockpot and they turned out delicious :). I’ve never tried fried plantains, are they very similar to bananas?
I also LOVE your tips for getting back into your healthy groove! I think that getting some fresh and healthy eats from the grocery store are an absolute must. You need to set yourself up for success 🙂
Yes, fried plantains are smaller bananas, simply fried in a bit of oil, cinnamon and sugar. So good!
Agree on the grocery store. It’s the key to success!
That Cidery sounds fantastic! I LOVE hard ciders :).
Can’t beat those hard ciders. This Raspberry Cider is insanely delicious.
I love cider! I prefer it over beer but some ciders are way too sweet. Somersby cider is my fav right now.. so delicious. It takes just like apple juice. Those patriotic rice krispies are too cute!
Oh, I’ll have to try it. Sounds like my kind of cider!
Oh my gosh, that rice krispie treat. That looks amazing!! Sounds like you had an awesome time 🙂 I definitely need to get back to a more normal routine too! These tips are great!
Glad the tips helped! You must make the rice krispie treat for a holiday occasion. It was a big hit!
Fun weekend! Mexican foods is the best and I especially love fried plantains (a must when we get Mexican)!!! Love your tips! After a long holiday weekend, I got right back to my normal exercise regime. It’s always nice to take a few days off, but I like to start back up again when the festivities are over.
Yes, plantains are my favorite. I’m glad the little guy enjoy them as well haha! Always nice to get back into our post-holiday healthy groove 🙂
Awwww! I love your high five picture! Bentley (my dog) gives me high fives too 🙂 Looks like you had a fun weekend!
Aren’t dogs just the greatest? Love my little pup!
I love how holidays are always an excuse to eat eat eat! LOL! 😉 But it’s just so tasty!!
Me too! you gotta let loose every now and then 🙂