Last weekend was a food-and-drink-a-thon.
Friday night, we got take-out from Bazzarelli (www.bazzarellirestaurant.com), a great little Italian place by my apartment. I'm very fortunate, actually, to have several great little places very close-by, despite the fact that I live in a town that's 1.7 square miles, and surrounded by a bunch of towns that aren't much bigger.
Anyway, Bazzarelli has great brick oven pizza, but we went with entrees Friday. We started with a garden salad. Fairly basic, with iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions -- all very fresh. The highlights were 3 big, ripe black olives and 3 green olives as well, and the tasty vinaigrette dressing.
We couldn't decide between pastas, so we got two: fettucini verdi fiorentina, and capellini primavera. The fettucini, as stated, was a green spinach variety, with peas and a pink sauce. This was the second time we'd ordered that, and it did not disappoint. Nice al dente pasta, and sauce that's so good that I even eat the peas (which I hate). The capellini was marginally healthier, in a light tomato sauce and full of carrots, zucchini, and broccoli. I usually don't like "skinny" pasta, but this was yummy and the sauce was great.
Finally, we got chicken picata with a side of veggies (green beans and carrots). This just jumped out at me from the menu for some reason. I'd say I'd only had picata a handful of times before, so it's not something I crave. It was wonderfully tender, and the white wine, lemon, and mushroom sauce was just made for dipping bread in (and they provided plenty of bread, believe me).
We ate about half of all that, maybe a little less, then wrapped up the leftovers.
On to Saturday. We went to Staten Island to spend the day at Great Kills Yacht Club and hang out on our friend's grandfather's boat. It was a beautiful day. We had some snacks here and there, but didn't have a full meal until dinner. At that time, our friend's aunt and uncle took us to a place called Cole's Dockside (www.colesdockside.com), which is across the road and down the street from the Marina Cafe, somewhere I've been a hundred times.
Cole's was packed, and we waited about half an hour for a table, since there were 7 of us. Upon being seated, they brought us bread (both toasted and regular) with an eggplant tapenade on the side. Great flavor. For starters, we had fried calamari (well, I didn't have any of that, but it got good reviews), and mozzarella en carozza. Oh. My. God. I know, it's really hard to go wrong when you're frying mozzarella, but this was soooo good. It didn't even seem greasy, and the marinara that came with it was refreshing compared to the heavy bread and cheese.
I originally ordered a shell steak as my entree, but changed my mind and got up to find our waitress before she put in our order. I asked her if I should go for chicken parm or francaise. Without hesistation, she said francaise, so that's what I had. It was lovely. The lemon flavor was strong, but not overpowering at all. The chicken (and there was A LOT of it) was thin and tender. This was served with veggies, and a wonderful little pear-shaped potato croquette. So delicious. I didn't finish everything on my plate, but I ate plenty of it. My boyfriend had an impossibly large bowl of zuppa di pesce, which he loved (and also couldn't finish). All of the entrees seemed to be very well-received (with the exception of our friend's aunt, who didn't seem to care for her shrimp francaise at all). If there's one thing that Staten Island does right, it's food.
Sunday was a going away dinner for our friends, who are moving to Paris. This dinner took place at my boyfriend's aunt and uncle's house. His aunt is an amazing cook, and we eat there at least every other week.
We arrived to a spread of appetizers set up on the kitchen island. Some of the apps were French-themed, including various cheeses, little pain grille, and the most delicious black truffle butter. I imagined using it on a baked potato, or a bagel... mmmmmm! I was pretty controlled with the apps, as much as I wanted to eat the whole container of truffle butter with a spoon ;)
When the 10 of us sat down at the table, our first course was a soup. This was a chilled, blended vegetable soup, consisting of tomatoes, cucumber, potatoes, shallots, and garlic, with a swirl of heavy cream on top, and a crusty slice of garlic bread. I'd never had chilled soup before, and this was a hell of a way to start. So tasty and refreshing, and perfect for a hot day! I was surprised to know there were potatoes in the blend, because I couldn't taste them, but they added a nice substance to the soup.
After a nice mixed salad, we moved on to the main course: chicken cordon bleu with scalloped potatoes. I can still taste it if I close my eyes and imagine eating it. The chicken, cheese, and ham were in perfect balance. Hands down, it was the best cordon bleu I've ever tasted, and the meal itself was among the best meals I've had so far. Absolutely rich, delicious, sinful... just perfect.
This, of course, was followed by a chocolate course -- small dark chocolate truffles dusted with powdered sugar. Good Lord. They were perfect. I love that coolness in the center of truffles. We had liqueurs around this time, too. Mine was Sambuca over shaved ice. Great combo with the chocolate.
Finally, dessert (!), which was peach sherbet. Another wonderfully refreshing thing to have during this horrible heat. There were nice little chunks of peach in it, too. As stuffed as I was, I still ate half of it.
Let me just reiterate -- this fantastic meal, with beautiful presentation and restaurant-quality food was all prepared by my boyfriend's aunt, in her kitchen. She is so gifted, and we're so lucky to get fed by her so frequently.
So how did all of this over-indulgence effect my weigh-in this week? By some crazy miracle, I lost 2 pounds! I don't know how, and I won't take for granted that this will happen again if I eat like this every weekend, so I feel very lucky. 3 days in a row of crazy eating like this is not the norm for us, so I'm not worried about repeating this amount of calories -- not until we're in Disney, anyway! ;)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Ups and Downs
So my weigh in from Week 1 showed that I gained 1.1 pounds. Gained!
I cried. Seriously. I couldn't believe it. How could I gain? I mean, maybe not lose, or only lose a few ounces, but gain?! I started to think maybe I had one of those 50 pound tumors you read about people having. It's not my fault at all -- it's that crazy growth! I'll just go have it removed and be wearing a size 4 by the weekend!
Then I remembered logic. It was that lovely bloating and water-retaining time of the month when I weighed in. And I'd gone back to eating carbs and fruit full-time in that week. The sadness and frustration had to take a back seat to logic and reasoning. Once you let frustration win, it's all over. So none of that! No giving up. Giving up means you might as well get the film crew from TLC ready, and I'm just not having that.
It was time to re-focus and think about this new Points Plus program. Having the freedom to eat all the fruit you want is not necessarily a good thing. And I'm finding that I have, on average, at least 5 points left after dinner (usually more, actually), which is just ridiculous. So in my mind, I'm counting at least half of my fruit according to the old points structure. It keeps my fruit consumption in check. More anything = more calories. Well, not celery, but you get the idea. Just because it's good for you doesn't mean you should eat it non-stop.
I decided I would take my measurements, as well, to keep the numbers on the scale from being the only thing I was watching -- because those numbers are sometimes deceiving and downright baffling (how could I possibly weigh 5 pounds more at night than I did in the morning?!). So in addition to my one weigh-in a week (on the same day each week, and at the same time), I will be measuring my waist, hips, and thighs. Don't really care about anything else. I mean, I hate my arms, but even when I was skinny I hated my arms -- so in a weird way I've just learned to accept them.
The net result of this re-focusing? Today's weigh in shows that I'm down 2.6 pounds. Awesome! Of course, I would love it to be faster, but slow and steady wins the race, right? Oh, and a little NSV (that's a Non-Scale Victory, for those of you who don't know) -- I bought a pair of capris at Marshall's yesterday in a size smaller than I've been wearing lately, and I didn't try them on because it was just too hot to try on clothes. They fit! Thank God I don't have to return them (or, more realistically, let them sit in the closet with the tags still attached, collecting dust). It's the little things that make me happy :)
My biggest issue is getting motivated to get moving. I'm having an extraordinarily hard time with that, and the heat isn't helping me at all. If anyone has anything inspiring to say, I'd love to hear it. I have to start slow, due to recent back issues, and the fact that I haven't done a damn bit of working out in months, but I'll be happy to hear any suggestions!
I cried. Seriously. I couldn't believe it. How could I gain? I mean, maybe not lose, or only lose a few ounces, but gain?! I started to think maybe I had one of those 50 pound tumors you read about people having. It's not my fault at all -- it's that crazy growth! I'll just go have it removed and be wearing a size 4 by the weekend!
Then I remembered logic. It was that lovely bloating and water-retaining time of the month when I weighed in. And I'd gone back to eating carbs and fruit full-time in that week. The sadness and frustration had to take a back seat to logic and reasoning. Once you let frustration win, it's all over. So none of that! No giving up. Giving up means you might as well get the film crew from TLC ready, and I'm just not having that.
It was time to re-focus and think about this new Points Plus program. Having the freedom to eat all the fruit you want is not necessarily a good thing. And I'm finding that I have, on average, at least 5 points left after dinner (usually more, actually), which is just ridiculous. So in my mind, I'm counting at least half of my fruit according to the old points structure. It keeps my fruit consumption in check. More anything = more calories. Well, not celery, but you get the idea. Just because it's good for you doesn't mean you should eat it non-stop.
I decided I would take my measurements, as well, to keep the numbers on the scale from being the only thing I was watching -- because those numbers are sometimes deceiving and downright baffling (how could I possibly weigh 5 pounds more at night than I did in the morning?!). So in addition to my one weigh-in a week (on the same day each week, and at the same time), I will be measuring my waist, hips, and thighs. Don't really care about anything else. I mean, I hate my arms, but even when I was skinny I hated my arms -- so in a weird way I've just learned to accept them.
The net result of this re-focusing? Today's weigh in shows that I'm down 2.6 pounds. Awesome! Of course, I would love it to be faster, but slow and steady wins the race, right? Oh, and a little NSV (that's a Non-Scale Victory, for those of you who don't know) -- I bought a pair of capris at Marshall's yesterday in a size smaller than I've been wearing lately, and I didn't try them on because it was just too hot to try on clothes. They fit! Thank God I don't have to return them (or, more realistically, let them sit in the closet with the tags still attached, collecting dust). It's the little things that make me happy :)
My biggest issue is getting motivated to get moving. I'm having an extraordinarily hard time with that, and the heat isn't helping me at all. If anyone has anything inspiring to say, I'd love to hear it. I have to start slow, due to recent back issues, and the fact that I haven't done a damn bit of working out in months, but I'll be happy to hear any suggestions!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Mmmmm.... coffffffeee....
Another thing I missed terribly whilst on Atkins was coffee.
(Last night, I was reading a vacation journal written by a British woman. That was when I decided I'd give saying 'whilst' instead of 'while' a shot for a bit. What the hell!)
Now, don't get me wrong, Atkins allows coffee. But they discourage caffeine, as it can cause sugar/carb cravings. So I cut out caffeine, just to be safe.
This was really no big deal for me. I've gone years at a time without caffeine. I find that it doesn't wake me up as much as it just makes my hands shake -- not a pleasant feeling. So it wasn't the caffeine I missed, it was the coffee itself.
I can hear you out there. Yes, I am aware that decaf exists. And there are a handful of decent decaf coffees. If I owned a Keurig like me dear ol' Ma, I would've been drinking Donut Shop Decaf every day. But I don't, so... it just seemed easier to skip it all together.
I've gone back and forth with coffee throughout my life. I used to totally prefer tea (with milk and sugar, the way tea should be served haha), but slowly started to dip my toes into the coffee pool in my early 20s. Back then, I smoked. And man, let me tell you, if there's one thing that cigarettes go with (aside from booze, of course), it's coffee!
Luckily, I don't smoke anymore (well, a few slips here and there -- but I'm human), and surprisingly didn't lose my taste for coffee after I quit. Actually, I'd say I even like it more now than I did before. That, in part, is the responsibility of my boyfriend, who is a coffee connoisseur (but not a coffee snob. Huge difference.). He introduced me to new varieties, and has converted me to the absolute belief that you have to grind your beans fresh to get the best cup of coffee.
He also got me away from Maxwell House. About 2 years ago, we discovered a brand at Wegman's after a trip down to my parents' house (Sadly, there isn't a Wegman's up here in north Jersey) and bought a few bags. We loved it, so he found their website, and has been ordering their coffee online ever since. The brand is Unique Coffee Roasters, shockingly right out of my former hometown of Staten Island (www.uniquecoffeeroasters.com). We've tried many of their varieties, but I have to say their Joe's Morning Blend is the best. I'm currently enjoying the Chelsea Blend, which combines Kona and French Roast. I love the Jim's Kona beans, as well. Oh, and the Kenya AA. And the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. And the... well, you get the idea. If you love coffee, give them a try. Their coffee is excellent, and so are their prices!
Well, I didn't mean for this to turn into a commercial, but I'm just so damned happy to be drinking the coffee I love again :)
(Last night, I was reading a vacation journal written by a British woman. That was when I decided I'd give saying 'whilst' instead of 'while' a shot for a bit. What the hell!)
Now, don't get me wrong, Atkins allows coffee. But they discourage caffeine, as it can cause sugar/carb cravings. So I cut out caffeine, just to be safe.
This was really no big deal for me. I've gone years at a time without caffeine. I find that it doesn't wake me up as much as it just makes my hands shake -- not a pleasant feeling. So it wasn't the caffeine I missed, it was the coffee itself.
I can hear you out there. Yes, I am aware that decaf exists. And there are a handful of decent decaf coffees. If I owned a Keurig like me dear ol' Ma, I would've been drinking Donut Shop Decaf every day. But I don't, so... it just seemed easier to skip it all together.
I've gone back and forth with coffee throughout my life. I used to totally prefer tea (with milk and sugar, the way tea should be served haha), but slowly started to dip my toes into the coffee pool in my early 20s. Back then, I smoked. And man, let me tell you, if there's one thing that cigarettes go with (aside from booze, of course), it's coffee!
Luckily, I don't smoke anymore (well, a few slips here and there -- but I'm human), and surprisingly didn't lose my taste for coffee after I quit. Actually, I'd say I even like it more now than I did before. That, in part, is the responsibility of my boyfriend, who is a coffee connoisseur (but not a coffee snob. Huge difference.). He introduced me to new varieties, and has converted me to the absolute belief that you have to grind your beans fresh to get the best cup of coffee.
He also got me away from Maxwell House. About 2 years ago, we discovered a brand at Wegman's after a trip down to my parents' house (Sadly, there isn't a Wegman's up here in north Jersey) and bought a few bags. We loved it, so he found their website, and has been ordering their coffee online ever since. The brand is Unique Coffee Roasters, shockingly right out of my former hometown of Staten Island (www.uniquecoffeeroasters.com). We've tried many of their varieties, but I have to say their Joe's Morning Blend is the best. I'm currently enjoying the Chelsea Blend, which combines Kona and French Roast. I love the Jim's Kona beans, as well. Oh, and the Kenya AA. And the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. And the... well, you get the idea. If you love coffee, give them a try. Their coffee is excellent, and so are their prices!
Well, I didn't mean for this to turn into a commercial, but I'm just so damned happy to be drinking the coffee I love again :)
Monday, June 27, 2011
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Well, boys and girls, I got what I wanted out of Atkins -- a jump-start. But for my long-term weight loss, this lady is back with Weight Watchers as of today.
The biggest impetus behind this move? I MISS FRUIT! I can't handle not having fruit anymore. So today I bought 2 lbs of grapes, some oranges, and a container of strawberries. Somehow I forgot the bananas, but I will remedy that problem later this week.
The second biggest impetus? I just wasn't being as strict as I should've been with Atkins, having random off days here and there. That's something you can't do that with Atkins, since it takes a while until ketosis kicks in ... and when you're throwing in carbs once or twice a week, you're really just maintaining at best.
So I thought about it long and hard (that's what she said) and came to the conclusion yesterday that WW is the way to go for now. It is obviously healthier overall, and certainly a more realistic way of life than any other plan out there. So off we go! I can eat whatever the hell I want -- just less of it ;)
The biggest impetus behind this move? I MISS FRUIT! I can't handle not having fruit anymore. So today I bought 2 lbs of grapes, some oranges, and a container of strawberries. Somehow I forgot the bananas, but I will remedy that problem later this week.
The second biggest impetus? I just wasn't being as strict as I should've been with Atkins, having random off days here and there. That's something you can't do that with Atkins, since it takes a while until ketosis kicks in ... and when you're throwing in carbs once or twice a week, you're really just maintaining at best.
So I thought about it long and hard (that's what she said) and came to the conclusion yesterday that WW is the way to go for now. It is obviously healthier overall, and certainly a more realistic way of life than any other plan out there. So off we go! I can eat whatever the hell I want -- just less of it ;)
Friday, June 3, 2011
Neglectful Blogger :P
This is what happens when one is planning vacations -- the blog falls by the wayside. The diet (mostly) has not, but I haven't had the inspiration to blog this week.
Last weekend, thanks to a lot of driving, I attended 2 barbecues on the same day. It was wonderful, but a lonnnng day. So on Sunday, bf and I relaxed. And on Monday, we did more of the same -- complete with a little low carb-friendly brunch... well... except for the champagne.
We have determined, after having our first bottle of Taittinger, that it will be added to our regular champagne rotation.
My Top 3 (so far):
1. Moet & Chandon Imperial (formerly known as White Star)
2. Pol Roger
3. Taittinger
I have also had Dom Perignon, Perrier Jouet, and Veuve Clicquot, and some that are technically sparkling wines, since they are not from the Champagne region of France, including J. So far, Dom is my least favorite. Perhaps a different year than what I tasted would be better, but ... as my bf often says, I'd rather buy 3 or 4 bottles of White Star than one bottle of Dom.
But I digress...
I skipped my weigh in this week because of the joy of being a girl, and I didn't want to get frustrated at an uncontrollable, temporary gain.
Thursday, we're headed up to Montreal for the Formula 1 ("Formula Un!") race. I will be allowing more carbs then, but once we're home, it's right back on. Gotta get ready for DISNEY! A little less than 5 months and we'll be in my favorite place in the world :) Definitely no kind of dieting going on there! But of course. you tend to walk about 5 - 10 miles a day at Disney, so the calories should be a wash.
This is the most rambling and disconnected post. I just wanted to check in. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Last weekend, thanks to a lot of driving, I attended 2 barbecues on the same day. It was wonderful, but a lonnnng day. So on Sunday, bf and I relaxed. And on Monday, we did more of the same -- complete with a little low carb-friendly brunch... well... except for the champagne.
We have determined, after having our first bottle of Taittinger, that it will be added to our regular champagne rotation.
My Top 3 (so far):
1. Moet & Chandon Imperial (formerly known as White Star)
2. Pol Roger
3. Taittinger
I have also had Dom Perignon, Perrier Jouet, and Veuve Clicquot, and some that are technically sparkling wines, since they are not from the Champagne region of France, including J. So far, Dom is my least favorite. Perhaps a different year than what I tasted would be better, but ... as my bf often says, I'd rather buy 3 or 4 bottles of White Star than one bottle of Dom.
But I digress...
I skipped my weigh in this week because of the joy of being a girl, and I didn't want to get frustrated at an uncontrollable, temporary gain.
Thursday, we're headed up to Montreal for the Formula 1 ("Formula Un!") race. I will be allowing more carbs then, but once we're home, it's right back on. Gotta get ready for DISNEY! A little less than 5 months and we'll be in my favorite place in the world :) Definitely no kind of dieting going on there! But of course. you tend to walk about 5 - 10 miles a day at Disney, so the calories should be a wash.
This is the most rambling and disconnected post. I just wanted to check in. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
An Off-Topic Vent: I Need a Job!!!
Today, I applied to a bunch of jobs I'm over-qualified for, which most likely pay less than I was making at my last job. They might even pay less than I'm getting from unemployment. And the saddest part is I probably still won't get calls from any of them. I also applied to some jobs that I'm probably under-qualified for, 'cause what the fuck, why not? The worst they can do is not call me.
I know I haven't been at this too terribly long, but I'm already frustrated, and feeling like I'll never find a job that's not in sales. Just to be clear, I'm not trying to switch fields. I have NO sales experience at all, but I get calls or emails to interview for sales jobs almost daily. They clearly don't care about experience. And I definitely do NOT want to do sales. I don't have a sales personality, and I don't want my salary to depend on whether or not I can talk people into buying things they probably don't need in the first place. I just don't know how to do that. No offense to salespeople. If you can do it, more power to you. It's just not for me.
And my other gripe about looking for a job? Three little words: Bachelor's degree Required. It doesn't matter if your Bachelor's degree is in Chemistry or History or French... just as long as you have a degree. That drives me insane. What part of being an disaster recovery coordinator or administrative assistant or customer service representative will be helped by a Bachelor's in Fine Arts? Shouldn't my many YEARS of experience mean a whole lot more than whether or not I've finished college yet?
Siiiiiiiiiigh.
Anyway, in much happier news, my weigh-in today shows that in two weeks, I've lost 11 pounds. Incredibly pleased about that, and still not at all bored with eating this way. The only thing I really miss is fruit, but it'll still be there when I'm ready to eat it again :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Hello, Ruby Tuesday
Weekends are always challenging when one is trying to adhere to an eating plan. Even when you're unemployed, and weekends have slightly less meaning.
Friday night, my boyfriend and I went to Ruby Tuesday. I'd been to there with my mom and brother a week or so before, and was thrilled at all the low/no carb choices, so this seemed like a great place to go for dinner. Plus he got a 25% off coupon in the mail, which just sweetened the deal.
Ruby's is my favorite of the chain restaurants, and has been for quite a while. One reason for this is their amazing salad bar. They also have a spicy queso dip that's out of this world. Of course, no queso and no tortilla chips would be had during this visit, but I don't feel like I missed out at all.
We both got the salad bar, of course. Even late on a Friday night (about 80 minutes before closing), everything was fully stocked and fresh. Four varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, chick peas, hard-boiled eggs, onions, peppers -- all the usual things, plus 4 or 5 pasta or potato salads, some with meat. And although I didn't have them, I can tell you from previous experience that their pumpernickel croutons are great.
I was initially thinking I'd get a burger (they do have very tasty burgers, too), but since there are several barbecues coming up in the next few months, I went for something fancier -- a rib eye steak. I'm normally a little apprehensive about ordering steak in a restaurant that doesn't specialize in steak, fearing it will be overcooked. Luckily, my rib eye was almost perfectly medium rare, and didn't have much fat. For my sides, I chose grilled green beans, and mashed cauliflower.
Mashed cauliflower, by the way, really is a godsend for a potato junkie who is on a low-carb diet. Yeah, it's not potatoes, but it's a damn close facsimile. Ruby's mashed cauliflower is pretty good. I think Houlihan's is a bit better, and my own is the best ;)
My boyfriend got Trout Almondine (which he raved about), also with mashed cauliflower, and zucchini. I tasted the zucchini, and it was very good. Buttery, almost. My grilled green beans were grilled too long, unfortunately, but by that point I was too full to really care. I'd had plenty to eat.
The other sides offered were great -- sugar snap peas, asparagus, roasted spaghetti squash, broccoli... plenty for those not eating carbs. They even have a spaghetti squash entree, with a red pepper marinara sauce. I'm very curious about it, but haven't tried it yet. I'm sure I will at some point soon.
Our delicious dinner came out to only 35 bucks after the coupon. Can't beat that! It's so nice to be able to go out to dinner and not feel like I'm altering everything I ask for to suit my diet.
Ruby Tuesday at Willowbrook Mall gets 8 out of 10 on my restaurant rating scale. Not stars... forks or spoons, maybe?
Friday night, my boyfriend and I went to Ruby Tuesday. I'd been to there with my mom and brother a week or so before, and was thrilled at all the low/no carb choices, so this seemed like a great place to go for dinner. Plus he got a 25% off coupon in the mail, which just sweetened the deal.
Ruby's is my favorite of the chain restaurants, and has been for quite a while. One reason for this is their amazing salad bar. They also have a spicy queso dip that's out of this world. Of course, no queso and no tortilla chips would be had during this visit, but I don't feel like I missed out at all.
We both got the salad bar, of course. Even late on a Friday night (about 80 minutes before closing), everything was fully stocked and fresh. Four varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, chick peas, hard-boiled eggs, onions, peppers -- all the usual things, plus 4 or 5 pasta or potato salads, some with meat. And although I didn't have them, I can tell you from previous experience that their pumpernickel croutons are great.
I was initially thinking I'd get a burger (they do have very tasty burgers, too), but since there are several barbecues coming up in the next few months, I went for something fancier -- a rib eye steak. I'm normally a little apprehensive about ordering steak in a restaurant that doesn't specialize in steak, fearing it will be overcooked. Luckily, my rib eye was almost perfectly medium rare, and didn't have much fat. For my sides, I chose grilled green beans, and mashed cauliflower.
Mashed cauliflower, by the way, really is a godsend for a potato junkie who is on a low-carb diet. Yeah, it's not potatoes, but it's a damn close facsimile. Ruby's mashed cauliflower is pretty good. I think Houlihan's is a bit better, and my own is the best ;)
My boyfriend got Trout Almondine (which he raved about), also with mashed cauliflower, and zucchini. I tasted the zucchini, and it was very good. Buttery, almost. My grilled green beans were grilled too long, unfortunately, but by that point I was too full to really care. I'd had plenty to eat.
The other sides offered were great -- sugar snap peas, asparagus, roasted spaghetti squash, broccoli... plenty for those not eating carbs. They even have a spaghetti squash entree, with a red pepper marinara sauce. I'm very curious about it, but haven't tried it yet. I'm sure I will at some point soon.
Our delicious dinner came out to only 35 bucks after the coupon. Can't beat that! It's so nice to be able to go out to dinner and not feel like I'm altering everything I ask for to suit my diet.
Ruby Tuesday at Willowbrook Mall gets 8 out of 10 on my restaurant rating scale. Not stars... forks or spoons, maybe?
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