You Really Should Enjoy Downtown Savannah…

Sometimes the world works in crazy ways.

We arrived at the airport yesterday, exactly one hour before our flight, only to find out that it had just been cancelled. While most of the Midwest and Northeast flights yesterday were cancelled due to weather reasons, ours was cancelled due to mechanical issues. However, these weather issues meant that there was no way they could rebook us on another flight yesterday.

Before he left the ticket counter, the kind ticket agent gave him a tip, "You really should enjoy downtown Savannah. It’s quite lovely this time of year."

Bo, my mom, and I each quickly embraced the idea of enjoying the sunshine and 70 degree weather for one more day!

Taxi and food vouchers in hand to use Tuesday morning, we decided to embrace the extra day and spend it enjoying downtown Savannah.  Luckily, my mom didn’t have any plans yesterday so she was able to enjoy the day with us.

IMG_0496 IMG_0498 IMG_0497 Our first stop was Soho South Cafe, one of our favorite lunch spots in downtown. A funky, hip art boutique and restaurant, their menu is extensive and always delicious. This is one of those restaurants where anything you order arrives just as your taste buds imagine.

IMG_0506 Soho South Cafe Savannah We each tried something different than normal, but also decided that we were in the mood for their famous sandwiches. They make their chicken and tuna salad in house as well as their pork. Armed with this knowledge, my mom and I decided to order the Waldorf style tuna salad sandwich and the chicken salad sandwich, sharing each of them.

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We weren’t able to finish either of these sandwiches due to their enormous size, but they were out of this world! The toppings (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and sprouts) were piled high and both salads included apples, grapes, and the perfect level of seasoning!

Bo ordered their Cuban sandwich as it came highly recommended and is always one of his favorites.  As Cuban sandwich lovers know, this is often a risky sandwich to order at restaurants. It is either delicious, and spot on, or it is underwhelming served with one slice of cheese and a slice of ham.

As you can tell from the below picture, this Cuban was a gooey mess of ham and cheese.

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If you’re ever in Savannah, I highly recommend stopping by Soho South Cafe for a wonderful lunch break. They feature indoor and outdoor seating, a full beer and wine menu, a large assortment of sandwich and salad options, as well as some out of this world desserts!

After our lunch, we spent the afternoon walking around the historic downtown area and City Market.

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IMG_0525 IMG_0523 Garibaldi Seafood RestaurantA final vacation day wouldn’t be complete without a dessert stop, now would it? 🙂 Luckily, we came across a new to us cupcake shop. Mabel Francis Potter’s Cupcake Emporium has been in Savannah for 5 years, serving creative cupcakes and cookie cupcakes to locals and visitors alike. outside of Mabel Francis Potter's Cupcake EmporiumMabel Francis Potter's Cupcake Emporium

Unfortunately, a busier than normal holiday Monday caught them off guard yesterday. Therefore, they only had two flavors when we arrived- cotton candy or coconut.  The owner warned that the cotton candy is a child favorite due to it’s extreme sweetness. We tried the coconut, thinking it was a safer choice.IMG_0509IMG_0510Coconut Cupcake with Coconut Buttercream IcingThe coconut cupcake with coconut butter cream icing did not disappoint! The cake was very moist, one of my requirements for a good cupcake. The icing was a traditional butter cream with only a slight hint of coconut extract topped with fresh coconut.  While I was disappointed in their selection, the cupcake was perfect and my mom said she would definitely order cupcakes there in the future.

 

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Crazy Friday and Yoga Works NYC

Fridays are supposed to be relaxed and a time for catching up since I have “Summer Fridays” from Memorial Day through Labor Day. This means that Monday thru Thursday all summer we come in 30 minutes early and stay 30 minutes later so that Friday afternoon at 1pm most people can leave.While I rarely get to leave at 1pm, it is nice not to have any meetings planned after 12.
My Friday started with a quick Weight Watchers stop. I lost .5 lb this week which all things considered isn’t horrible. In addition, I picked up more of my favorite oatmeal and had a great chat with the leader their about my experience thus far. Some people have asked whether I’m going to the meetings. As of now, my schedule doesn’t allow for a 30 minute meeting and I’ve seen results historically without the meeting. Therefore, I go to their “open hours” where you can walk in and weigh in without waiting for the meeting.
Breakfast was refreshing and energizing! I’ve found that my oats stay with me longer when I add flax seeds so this week I’ve tried to get back to that. In addition, I’ve been easing into Maca Powder.
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1/2 c blueberries (0 points)
1/3 c Chobani yogurt (1 point)
2 Tbsp flax seeds (2 points)
1 Tbsp Maca Powder (0 points)
1 package Weight Watchers Vanilla Oatmeal (2 pts)
I worked like a crazy lady going meeting to meeting until 1pm. I spent the next hour working through my inbox. Doesn’t it feel great to make it through your inbox and actually file, delete, or respond to everything? Before heading to my PT appointment, I had a quick call with OpenSky to discuss my upcoming shops. I’m really excited about this venture and am equally thrilled that it will launch sooner than I expected.
Unfortunately, I lost track of time which meant I had five minutes to reach my PT appointment. Friday afternoon traffic meant a cab wasn’t possible so I power walked a mile to the appointment as quickly as possible. I’ve really come to love my mile walk to and from PT. We’re making great headway in therapy and finding that a lot of my issues also come from tight hip flexors. He couldn’t believe how tight they were yesterday when he spent 20 minutes digging at them. Luckily, he’s set me up with some great stretches that I can do everyday at home or in the gym.
After my appointment, I planned to head back downtown towards my normal Equinox for a great workout but instead literally ran into an Equinox at Broadway. I love that there are locations throughout the city. It makes working out so much easier!  I ran 15 minutes at 6.2 on the treadmill which is great headway! I’m still worried about getting into marathon shape but it’s a great improvement versus two weeks ago when I could barely walk due to my back injury. About 15 minutes into my elliptical HIIT session that I found on Fit Sugar I realized that my Yogaworks groupon had to be activated by July 2nd and it was in fact July 2nd. I was literally going through my weekend checklist in my head while working out and realized that I’d always thought July 2nd was Saturday which would fit my workout schedule perfectly.  After muttering a few select words I quickly dashed into the locker room, changed, and called Yoga Works. I was hoping they’d say that I could show the Groupon on my Blackberry. Unfortunately, I had to bring the actual coupon which meant I had to rush 20 blocks back to my office, print the coupon, then grab the Subway down to Union Square for the 5pm class.  

My Yogaworks experience was wonderful! The studio was a little cramped overall but our individual studio had huge open windows which allowed fresh air to flow through. The sunlight and fresh air helped put me in a relaxed state of mind. I was apprehensive about the Level 2 Vinyasa Flow class as I wasn’t sure what their level system meant. But, this hour long class was the perfect end to a stressful day. It definitely challenged me as the instructor included many poses that I’ve never done before and 10 minutes of inversion work. Janna, the instructor, really made this class for me. 

Janna did a great job adjusting us throughout the class, describing the poses, and helping us focus on our breathing. My goal for the class was to make a conscious effort to breathe into and through each pose. I successfully held warrior three for an entire minute and did a wall hand stand and head stand without assistance!
I would love to include this 5pm YogaWorks class into my normal schedule. It shed the stress of my Friday and helped me “let it all out” before arriving home to Bo for our date night.
How do you let your stress go after a long day and week?

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Marvelous Monday Meals

Today was the first time in ages when I didn’t get anything take-out or delivery, except for Starbucks! The extra planning guaranteed a delicious day of food!

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Weight Watchers Vanilla Almond Oatmeal

1/2 c blueberries from the Union Square Farmer’s Market

1/3 c 0% Fage (on sale at Whole Foods this week)

Venti Iced Unsweetened Green Tea

Delicious and filling!

Lunch was a salad topped with last night’s leftovers.

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Tomato slices

1/4 c greek quinoa salad

4 shrimp

2 Tbsp Whole Foods FF Balsamic Dressing

1/3 c green bean salad

Mixed greens

This held me over until 6pm when I got home from my doctor’s appointment. As I was prepping dinner, I enjoyed fresh cherries as an evening snack before our favorite easy, healthy dinner.

Did you know that the butchers at Whole Foods will take chicken breasts and cut them into cutlets for you? We discovered this yesterday during our hunt for easy dinner ingredients. We’ve found that cutlets cook easier and more evenly than breasts.

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Chicken cutlets rubbed BBQ spices and pan grilled

Sauteed mushrooms and onions

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I’m definitely in a veggie coma! Delicious!

Want a laugh? Bo’s friend discovered this and it really may be one of the most hilarious You Tube videos I’ve seen in a while! No joke!

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