30th Birthday Weekend Extravaganza Part 1

Thanks again to all who stopped by during the Virtual Vegan Potluck! I’m having fun reading my way through all of the posts. I can’t wait for the next one!

Tomorrow, I turn 30. My wonderful and amazing husband has planned a weekend of fun to send me off into the next decade.

It all started on Friday. I took the day off of work for a day of pampering – I started off getting a mani/pedi at my local nail salon and then headed over to Raw Bronzing Studio for the best spray tan in town.

If you haven’t been to Raw, you best get over there! They have a scoutmob deal right now for half off their pre-tan prep and bronzing package. The owner, Tiffany, survived melanoma at 27. She didn’t like the spray tan products that were on the market, nor did she like all of the chemicals that made up those products, so she created her own 100% organic spray tan.

I first went to Raw for my bachelorette weekend and then wedding. Since I usually just burn when I go out in the sun, I gave up my sun goddess days. This tan looks so natural and doesn’t smell bad at all! Not only is it 100% better for you than the tanning bed, it’s also QUICK! You’ll be in and out in about 15 minutes and look like you are fresh off the beach.

See, I’m not orange. (That’s my mommy, Happy Mother’s Day!)

After the tan, I went to my favorite quick lunch spot – the hot bar at the Ponce Whole Foods. They have a whole bar dedicated to “Health Starts Here,” which is pretty much filled with all vegan, healthy options. I indulged in the vegan mac & Cheeze (ok, probably not HEALTHY, but it’s my birthday weekend). I also loaded up on Kale, black-eyed peas, and this curry corn side. mmmmmm.

That evening, my sister picked me up for dinner and Karaoke! We ate at The Porter Beer Bar, this great restaurant in Little Five Points that’s owned by a former classmate of mine. D & I used to eat there a TON in our pre-vegan days. I had the veggie burger and my sister enjoyed their mac & cheese and goat cheese fritters (I will figure out how to make a vegan version of these darn it).

These fries are to die for.

We headed over to Karaoke at Little Five Points Corner Tavern. About 12 of us gathered for a night of singing and tons of dancing. But, what happens at karaoke, stays at karaoke. I’ll just say it was a super fun time!

I’m also the proud owner of two new vegan cookbooks – Chloe’s Kitchen and Vegan Cooking for Carnivores!! (Thanks hubs and Tracy!)

I see yummy cooking in my future!

I can’t wait to get cooking!

Next up – Part 2: A Riddle – Your dreamy home away from home by the sea.

Wallet Un-friendly Week

This week has been bananas, I’ve had something to do pretty much every night after work. Luckily, it’s all been fun stuff, but it meant for a lot of eating out! My wallet is crying a little. So where did I eat this week?

Tuesday – Alma Cocina

An old work friend, who I havent seen for almost two years, was in Atlanta for some meetings. Through the power of twitter, we reconnected and met up for drinks after my yoga class. Alma Cocina is a BEAUTIFUL new mexican/Latin American inspired restaurant downtown. We only went for margaritas (to die for) and some chips/guac. The Guacamole with Butternut Squash is fabulous, we got it sans cheese. The menu looks delish, but I’m not sure how vegan-friendly, but it looked like they did have some options that could easily be made vegan friendly on their menu.

They were PACKED when we went in because there were a lot of meetings in town, and downtown is our convention/tourism district. At first, we were told the wait was an hour, but I think the hostess took pity on us, watching us stalk people at the bar. She came up to us and told us she had a table opening up, and that it was ours if we would wait a few minutes. Jackpot! Our server was super-attentive and very friendly.

A great place to go for drinks after work and for their guac. The ambiance is trendy, but with a cozy, warm, approachable feel. I’d definitely go back to explore their menu more.

Wednesday – Wrecking Bar Brewpub

I’ve been SO curious about this property for a long time. I think it was an antiques shop for a while? But when I heard they were converting into a brewery/event space/pub I knew I wanted to try it.

D was playing a show at Star Bar in L5P (Little Five Points, for the non-Atlantans, is our sort of “bohemian” neighborhood) Wednesday night. I had a long overdue date with my friend Beth, and since she lives in Candler Park, right near Star Bar, I suggested Wrecking Bar. I had no idea if they would have anything I could eat, but I checked out their menu online and saw some great options.

I had the Veggie Seitan Gyro (without the tahini).

photo courtesy of Wrecking Bar's Facebook Page

I also had a side of their brussels and butternut squash hash (I’m on a butternut kick). They also had some yummy looking Kale on the menu.

Also, I found out that every Tuesday is veggie night! All veggie/vegan specials. I’m definitely going back for that!

 

Thursday – Crock Pot Chili

Thursday night I had yoga. So before I left for work, I threw some chili in the slow cooker. I combined a recipe for Cheater Chili found in the Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook and the Chili Sans Carne recipe from Happy Herbivore. It cooked for about 8 hours on low. When I got home, I quickly made HH’s no-beef broth and mixed in with the bean. I added a garnish of Tofutti and Daiya chedder.

 

It tasted great, my only complaint was that some of the beans burned a little, so there were a few chunky bits in the chili. But overall, it turned out great!!

 

I can’t remember what we ate on Monday. I don’t even remember Monday. It’s like a forgotton day. I might have made Spaghetti and Meatless Balls??

 

Tonight, I’m thinking stir fry again.

 

Happy Friday everyone!