But it's in Duck

I've had my eye on a restaurant for a while now.  I just found out about it last year and, of course, the one night we wanted to go they had already closed for the season.

But it was ok because there's one problem.

It's in Duck. We don't go to Duck. It's north. Anything too far north (or too far south for that matter) we just don't do. It's bad enough I have to drive 23 miles to work ONE WAY every day. Alllllll the way to Manteo, we like to say - as if it's a different state or something.

Well, The Paper Canoe is not only in Duck. It is in the northern most part of Duck! Almost out of Dare County even! We had date night set last night and I wanted something new. I looked over the menu again and my mouth began watering. The story of how the restaurant came to be intrigued me and I was determined I was going to love this place. But not too much because it's in Duck, after all.

Reservations recommended.

Of course. Sigh. But even in the off season, I pondered?

There's not much in Duck, so perhaps.

My beloved Salt Box Café recommends reservations too but it's tiny and INCREDIBLE.

And NOT in Duck.

We like to just sit at the bar when we go to a new place anyway. It's the best way to get the local "know" of the area. Maybe we just take a chance and go to the bar. It is a Thursday after all. But people are starting to come down already and making long weekends out of their trip. Pretentious people have houses in Duck, right?  So yeah, they probably have already started their weekend. I better call for reservations. I would hate for us to drive the 23 minutes north and then have to wait an hour or, even worse, not get a seat at all.

I call.

Reservations for dinner.

For two (awesome) people

8pm please

I'm given two choices - 8:30 p.m. in the dining room or 8pm at the bar!

Reservations for the bar?

Phew, glad I called.

Bar reservations, it is! See you then!

I called at 3pm. I  thought about leaving work and going home right then because it's in Duck.

Ok, maybe that was exaggerating a little.

A little.

(photo borrowed from The Paper Canoe website)

The owner believes in leaving the smallest carbon footprint possible (as well as using the freshest local seafood with ingredients grown in his own backyard) and the detailed wooden interior is just so welcoming. My eyes were wide and sighs were coming from my lips as I admired the antique cypress wood walls the owner found in the western part of the state, the hickory flooring, the handcrafted tables from reclaimed lumber of a 100-year old train station in Chattanooga and the wood trim sourced from a South Carolina abandoned cotton mill.

As we were led down a hallway, passing the quaint but spacious dining room on the right, the restaurant opened up into a gorgeous area with a bar that just about filled the room where about six bistro tables-for-two aligned the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the sound.

(photo borrowed from The Paper Canoe website)

This was the first time in quite a while that Hubs and I had ventured out to a new restaurant and so far I was very pleased. I had a green smoothie for breakfast and a brown rice angel hair lemon and garlic arugula salad for lunch. My 10% of  eating "whatever I want" was going to be well spent at this establishment! Or at least, I hoped.

But we were in Duck so.... we didn't get too excited.

The menu is small.

The prices are on the high end.

But it's Duck so nothing unexpected.

(I worked in Old Town Alexandria for 14 years. I get overpriced and paying for the atmosphere.)
As long as the food is incredible, we don't mind.

We started with the lump crab three-cheese dip. The bread "sticks" that accompanied the dip seemed the same as that used for their wood-fired pizzas. If that is so, then I want to try their duck confit and manchego cheese with caramelized onions and arugula pizza next! Ooey, gooey, tons of crab, crusty on the edges, warm and super yummy! When I want to lick the bowl, you know it's good.

I love going out to eat with Hubs for many reasons but an important one is that he enjoys food as much as I do. We always pick two things that both of us would love and share so we both win! It was also beneficial because my stomach sure has shrunk (even though my eyes haven't) and I wouldn't be able to eat as much if we shared!

Seared scallops on a puff pastry and vegetable risotto with a side of green beans and carrots. Seared scallops. That's all I read. Seared scallops. That's all I heard. Seared scallops. That's all I saw. Seared scallops. That's all I ate. Seared scallops.
That's all I needed.
 Exquisite!

Perfectly seared scallops are one of my favorite seafood delicacies. I will grab them at the local seafood shop and make them at home for a special treat. Not only were these scallops gigantic but they were so flavorful and perfectly cooked! Too bad there were only four because I could have eaten about 18. When I take a bite of something and it makes me stop for a minute, smile, and sigh, it's damn good!

The second dish we shared was shrimp stuffed with lump crab in a sauce that would make ya slap your momma it's so delectable! I've never been a fan of cornbread, so Hubs won that prize. I love grilled asparagus but sometimes it's mushy and sometimes when it's this jumbo it's less than desirable to me. Wow. That's all I got. Wow. You done damn good, Duck! I don't know what this sauce is but it was like a thin gravy. I truly wanted to drink the bowl dry.

At this point, the bar area was emptying out, there was a light show going on in the sky and it was just me, Hubs, Bartender Steve and the owner hanging out.  I had a smile on my face and a smile in my tummy. It's been a long time since I've been that food happy!

We didn't want dessert. We didn't need dessert. But I believe in the whole experience when you try a new restaurant so we shared the organic four berry cobbler. Thankfully it was pretty small because neither of us needed it but when in Rome... er... I mean... uh.. Duck!

The Paper Canoe.  I'm glad that you were everything I thought you would be.  I've had enough food disappointment in my life lately. It's a shame we won't see you again until probably October; maybe late September, though. It's a shame that your charming hickory floors will be stomped on by the unworthy soon and your magnificent cypress walls will be bulging from the gorging masses.
We thank you for inviting us in and we would love to come back real soon, but.... you're in Duck.

"There are three possible parts to a date, of which at least two must be offered: entertainment, food, and affection. It is customary to begin a series of dates with a great deal of entertainment, a moderate amount of food, and the merest suggestion of affection. As the amount of affection increases, the entertainment can be reduced proportionately. When the affection IS the entertainment, we no longer call it dating. Under no circumstances can the food be omitted.”
― Judith Martin

 

My New Healthy Obsession

Since April 1, I have been a sucker for whole food, plant-based recipes. I admit, I'm pretty obsessive at times. I have become a seeker of all good and natural yumminess on the internet and have found quite a few good sites actually.

Oh She Glows is a favorite of mine.
Forks Over Knives, of course (this is where that whole challenge came from to begin with)
Rabbit and Wolves
Southern Grace and Greens

I'm still in search of recipes and what to do that will be exciting with all the WFPB stuff I have in my pantry. In fact, now that I don't HAVE to eat this way, I am finding that I WANT to eat this way. Not all the time, but more often than not. After all, I did lose 10 lbs in 30 days and no other "diet/lifestyle change" has afforded me that benefit. And no... it wasn't because I was starving myself. Ok, well, maybe it had a little something to do with it.

Today, I woke up in a funk. No particular reason really. Maybe the weather. Well, yeah, the weather has a lot to do with it. It's been cloudy, dreary, rainy, even chilly and just blah for the last two days. Seasonal depression is totally real and I'm so over it. It's May, people! Let's get on this spring bandwagon already. Let's do the damn thing! (That's for all you Bachelorette fans!)

Well, I did my affirmations. I meditated. I communicated with the spirit world.  I tapped into my inner being like I'm supposed to. It helped but it didn't last.  I am taking the next step for my healing.  Deep breath. This isn't a quick fix. It's a never-ending process and I need to just grab on to it and embrace my magnificence!

Then it happened.
While looking for quinoa recipes, I happened upon this website that sucked me in.
www.cleanfooddirtygirl.com
I mean who wouldn't be intrigued by that name?!
Clean Food Dirty Girl
I'm totally diggin' it and I love reading this chick's blogs. She's real. She embraces it and she doesn't give two shits if anyone likes it or not. YES! Hmm......remind you of anyone.....

Here's the link to the first post I read from her. The recipe doesn't sound bad either. I am a huge fan of turmeric!
https://cleanfooddirtygirl.com/i-have-no-interest-in-cleansing-your-energy-turmeric-vanilla-latte/

And if you're not going to click on the link, because I know most of you won't, and I blog basically for my own pure selfish reasons anyway, here's how it starts and what instantly made me want to read more:

"What I’m getting at with the rainbow analogy is that from the time we’re born until the time we die we all have varying degrees of awesome and varying degrees of shit that we go through. We experience the pure bliss of falling in love. We experience the highest concentration of pain when someone we love dies, and we experience everything in between. It’s the combination of all this fuckery that makes us perfectly human. And to be human is to be flawed. Imperfect. Messy. Complicated. Unsure. It’s not because we’re screwed up or not good enough. It’s because being flawed, imperfect, messy, complicated and unsure is our birthright."

I signed up for her Saturday emails and I filled out a request to join her private FB group. 
I have a new healthy obsession now.
Its name is Molly Patrick.

 "What gets me hot is helping people prevent illness and disease with the food they eat so they don't have to treat illness and disease because of the food they eat."

Finally on the right path.....

One week ago yesterday, was the last day of my self-imposed 30-day whole food, plant-based challenge and I couldn't be happier. By "suffering" for 30 days, I am now able to reflect back on what occurred during that time and continue to better myself and my health.

Now that I don't HAVE to eat this way, I find myself WANTING to eat in this way. Crazy, huh? Not really. I think we all hate restrictions being put on us but sometimes it's necessary. Necessary for a reset. Necessary to realize what you've been doing to yourself. Necessary to get yourself back on track. Necessary to refocus and set a better plan for your life and your health. At least that's what it did for me!

Most of you probably thought that on "Day 1 of the rest of my life" I would indulge in something "bad for me" but I didn't. I didn't change my way of eating for 30 days just so I could blow it all on the 31st day. However, what I did realize is that while I'm not going to continue to eat this way 100%, I am going to continue 90% of the time. It just so happens that my neighborhood golf course tavern has happy hour every day of the week and it was a beautiful afternoon on May 1 so the Hubs, the crazy pup and I walked up the street, sat on the porch and enjoyed ourselves. My two "brothers" also joined us and we made sure to "cheers" to the fact that my taste buds hadn't died a painful death.



It was with a big smile and deep sigh that I enjoyed the pulled pork slider and three chicken brine sliders - every single bite. Many who have changed to this WFPB lifestyle have told me that after 30 days I won't want "that" type of food anymore; that my tastes would change. Honestly, that was something that I feared. Thankfully, those fears were unfounded.

I have continued to eat plant based when it comes to breakfast, lunches and snacks.  Smoothies with organic (no sugar added) fruit, almond milk, almond butter and some sort of seed (chia, flax, hemp) base are absolutely delicious, filling and fun to create.

While Momma always told me not to play with my food, playing with different greens and veggies is a good way to build creative lunches!

Buffalo cauliflower bites with hot sauce! Let me tell ya! Whooo Wee! Those were daggone good. Think you can't get them crispy without oil? Parchment paper, friends. Parchment paper and eating them right out of the oven - that's the key! I couldn't believe it either! I hate cauliflower unless it's riced or Chef Randolph makes his Korean style ones at The Salt Box! But these little nuggets were yummy and Hubs agreed!

Now dinner. That's where I decide to use the majority of the 10% I have allotted myself. But, honestly, I'm not going "hog wild". Ok, well we did have that incredible Coasta Rosa pizza from Southern Shores Pizza.  "All natural, pastured pork, braised to perfection, with rosa sauce (creamy, slightly sweet with a hint of tabasco), red onions, roma tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese".  It is the same delectable pork that the Outer Banks Taco Bar uses and it is absolutely divine.  As much as I wanted to eat all eight slices, I just ate two. I wasn't sure how my body would react to this foreign goodness that I was ingesting and didn't want to push it. I wish I had a photo but I wanted to devour it so badly there was no time for nonsense!

I have found that portion sizes are important and a little bit of meat or cheese isn't THAT bad every once in a while. I'm going to enjoy my food. I'm not going to suffer but I'm also not going to be stupid. Well, except last Saturday. It wasn't stupid really. It was absolutely mouth-watering- ravishingly good and, after walking 21 laps at Relay for Life that afternoon, I was deserving of each of the two pieces of this lovely smoked-all-day-by-Hubs brisket that I enjoyed. I did make a sweet potato, green pepper, red onion, garlic and cayenne hash as a side for us, though! This may have been the best brisket Hubs has smoked yet.

I did not drink wine during this 30-day challenge either and honestly, it wasn't that difficult. But on Saturday, Otium Cellars' Blaufrankish was calling me. Otium is my and my dad's favorite winery in Purcellville, VA. With its German influences and unique wines, how could you not love the winery with the motto of leisure, peace and tranquility.

Now that the 30-day challenge has been over for a week, I find that I have no regrets. I was pretty miserable while I was in the thick of it but now that it's over, I am grateful. I learned a lot about myself, my likes, my dislikes, what amps up my Moore temper, what stirs up my Millan emotions and what I need to do to be happy when it comes to food. It's not about what I can or can't eat. It's about enjoying what I eat but not being stupid about it. I can enjoy eating plants as long as I can also enjoy a few slices of brisket, a slice of pizza or two, or a chunk of cheese with my glass of wine every once in a while. In fact, I find myself now wanting to eat more plants and whole foods and the more I do so the more I enjoy the tiny reward of NOT doing so.

This life is short. Days are often long. Years go by fast. But our journey around the sun is very short. We need to enjoy this life we've been given but we also need to preserve it the best we know how for our greatest good. After almost 45 years, I think I'm finally on the right path....

Reflections on Water

Sitting on the banks of the Roanoke Sound watching the shoreline disappear, relaxed and content by the lapping of the waves and soaking in Mother Nature's Vitamin D, I watch a lone bird, without a care, pecking the dampened sand searching for food. Waves are approaching and not a flinch. 

I instantly think of Wesley and how I wish he were that bird for he could have risen up on wings, away from the ocean waves to safety, that fateful day. Instead, he rose up into God's arms and soars among the angels; the angels, no doubt, who keep watch over these glorious

Outer Banks of North Carolina.

How powerful this water.

How beautiful this water.

How unforgiving this water.

How treacherous this water.

Yet my adoration for this water remains unconditional.

Day 31 - Success

It's Day 31. Wait, I only had to do this for 30 days. Yes! I'm done! Whoo hooo! But who was counting? Oh hell yeah, you know I was counting every single day until this challenge was over.

When I started off on this challenge April 1, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I knew it would be just that - a challenge - in every sense of the word. But I also knew that I had to do it 100% for 30 days or I wouldn't know if it truly worked. I also knew that my will power is not very strong and I was doing my best to set myself up for success.

After 30 days of 100% WFPB eating, I have learned:

• Spices are key to this way of eating. There is absolutely no flavor to the majority of these foods and having a pantry full of necessary spices like cinnamon, crushed red pepper, cumin, oregano, basil, thyme, garam masala and garlic saved me.
• Having a mixed bag of raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and hemp seeds help me from slapping someone when I have hunger pains during the day at work.
• Dairy, soy and nut-free vegan chocolate chips are surprisingly delicious and don't taste any different than normal chocolate chips.
• Lentils are still strange but they make me full and can pretty much be added to any recipe. They are the only food that caused bloating though. I like them in sauces when they are pretty much hidden; not in cold salads where they are disturbingly nasty.
• I could live off of homemade pita chips and guacamole and pico.
• Chickpeas are overrated. Sure they have a ton of protein but they are tasteless. When roasted, they are better but still not worth the time it takes to roast them;
• I need at least two Surfin Spoon dairy-free "ice cream" cookies - preferably the macadamia pistachio one- in the freezer at all times, just in case of emergency.
• Dave's Killer Bread and almond butter were lifesavers on some mornings. Smoothies are yummy but time consuming and I would rather sleep.
• I've always liked black beans and black bean tacos are acceptable, especially early on in this challenge, but if I eat one more black bean I'm going to scream at this point!
• Sweet potatoes in chili are interesting. Not bad but just interesting. Baked sweet potato fries with crushed red pepper and turmeric without oil, though - delish.
• Vegan meals and desserts made by Chef Amanda at Salt Box Café deterred me from jumping off a bridge many times.
  
• Riding on the Harley, passing restaurants during dinner time and smelling meat cooking/smoking on a grill and not being able to partake was just downright cruel!
• This way of eating is extremely time consuming - from grocery shopping to meal prepping to actual cooking and even cleaning. I think I used every measuring cup and spoon every day!
• There is no need for olive oil when sautéing in a pan. It takes some finesse and practice but water or vegetable broth works just as well and is better for you. You just need to use more of it than oil and constantly watch what is in the pan so it doesn't stick.
• No amount of days without meat would coerce me to eat a processed veggie, quinoa or black bean burger - blasphemy right there.
• I still hate carrots!
  
• Vietnamese summer rolls are not that hard to make and that makes me happy because I love them!
• Dairy-free, natural smoothies and acai bowls at Mom's Sweet Shop stopped me from becoming jacket-ties-in-the-back-crazy! (Thanks to TF for that one!)
• You can take your tofu and sho....well .. ok, you get where I'm going!
• I must be unique because everyone I talk to who eats in this way states they "feel so much better" and that "the food tastes so great". They must be great actors or borderline insane. Perhaps they felt a lot worse than I did when I started and had more to fix! I hope my taste buds haven't all died.
• Thank God, I love spinach, avocados, mushrooms and berries!
• Cutting out processed foods (which I never did eat much of to begin with) is a huge key to this way of eating!
• When I got frustrated and angry at a meal not coming out the way I wanted it to, it was just a natural outburst to say, "Let's just get pizza". Pizza never makes me angry. Pizza always understands!
  
• While I am a superfan of high quality cheese, the garlic cashew parmesan I made served its purpose pretty well.
• Giving up all alcohol at the same time as eating in this way was one of the dumbest things I have ever self-imposed upon myself!
• Equal consideration should be given to the type of food I was eating, as well as the fact that I wasn't eating as much food, in regard to the factors that contributed to my weight loss of 8 lbs (maybe more - that was the last time I checked over a week ago).
• Brown rice pasta and buckwheat noodles are not that bad. I still would rather have "real" pasta but at least I didn't have to give pasta up completely.
• No amount of nuts, lentils and spices will ever replace the love of real meat on a taco for me.
• I really am a true foodie because I love food and the last 30 days I did not love food one single bit.

So what's next?

I'm sure you're thinking that I'm glad this challenge is over and I can eat whatever I want now. Well, I sure am glad this challenge is over but I'm not going to go out and just devour half a cow, inhale a triple chocolate mousse cake or overindulge at the Pizza Hut lunch buffet (ew, that's gross. I do have standards, especially when it comes to pizza.) I might eat a block of cheese and drink an entire Napa red though.  No, I won't.

While I'm glad these 30 days are in the past, I have no regrets.  My bloodwork numbers went down substantially and are normal now and I met my initial weight loss goal so I know that this works. While it works physically for me, it also brought much angst and misery to me daily. There were many days that I was wrecked emotionally and ready to throw in the towel. Life is short. Lick the spoon. That's what I say. Well, I sure as hell didn't want to lick any of these nasty spoons!

With all of this being said, I am not giving up on this way of eating - on this lifestyle. I will not be 100% compliant any longer though. If I completely gave it up then these last 30 days would be for nothing - a waste of time - and my health would decline again. My plan is to eat WFPB breakfast, lunch, snacks and treats. Dinners are the toughest for me and actually, like it or not, I consider them a reward to myself. I enjoy everything about dinners - prepping, drinking a glass of wine while listening to Big Band Music while I cook, tasting and tweaking as I go. It's an experience and an escape that my mental health desires and needs. I plan to incorporate the obvious and good, no-brainer concepts I learned from these last 30 days but, God forbid, I'm also going to eat some grilled chicken or grass fed beef every once in a while! I will not rob myself of what I enjoy but, at the same time, I will take care of this body that God has so graciously given me. I feel that complying with WFPB 90/10 instead of 100% of the time will help me reach this balance.

What is THE most important thing that I took away from these 30 days?
While I did not enjoy this challenge and feel it was frustrating, time consuming and often brought on bouts of low self esteem and unnecessary depressive moods,  I did it! I succeeded and, in knowing that, I am positive that should the day come that my health declines rapidly due to heart disease, cancer, or any ailment in between, that I CAN and I WILL immediately get back 100% to the whole food, plant-based way of eating. There is a difference in WANTING to do something and HAVING to do something. These 30 days proved that food therapy is powerful and these 30 days also confirmed my belief that natural healing is definitely the way to go!