Sudwerk with sister

My sister is already back in Australia, but I still have to recap her visit to Davis last week.

 

Because the pics are cute and because I am trying to be accountable.  Remember?

 

Oh, and because this happened.  Yup. 

So let’s start at the beginning.  I woke up, did the shred level 1 and made breakfast.

 

Two slices of banana bread and a fried egg. 

While I ate, Kyle went to the MD.  Since we moved I figured we should both get seen for a routine checkup (and meet) with our new doctor.  We both saw the same MD in Santa Monica so I thought we may as well make it a family affair here in Davis too.  After he got home, it was my turn.  Initially we made appointments that were separated by an hour so we could go one at a time and leave P at home with the opposite parent, but then Kyle ended up having a last minute business meeting that he had to take.  So I just took pacman with me to my appointment.  Soooo the doctor, the med student shadowing her, the nurse, and the clerk now know our whole family.  Yay. 

I really like our MD.  She totally called me out on my non-sleeping.  I’d love to follow her advice but the reality is, I’m not sure how to do that while not letting everything else slip through the cracks.  I’m going to work on it.  Maybe there’s a compromise somewhere in the middle.  It pains my inner perfectionist to just type that. 

Anyway, P fell asleep on the car ride home (so much cheek squishing and kissing from strangers must be exhausting) so after I got home I quickly made myself food.  Gotta take advantage of the hands free time!

Leftover dijon spinach tempeh casserole with carrots and strawberries. 

Not long after, Patty-cakes woke up and then my sister and Chris arrived!!

They hadn’t yet eaten lunch so we went downtown for a bite.

Kyle held P and I gnawed on the massive rice crispy treat above. 

 

Afterwards, we all walked around for a bit…through the downtown area and over to campus.

For dinner we went to a local brewery, Sudwerk.

 

I’ve been eyeing this place since we moved to Davis because it’s so close to where we live.  Aaaaand it’s a brewery.  Need I say more?

 

Look who joined us!  Mr. Patty-cakes pulling a late night!  [It was, like, 6 pm]

Against my better judgment, I did the damn thing and ordered the taster set.

 

First of all, I like beer.  Lots.  I also really like microbrews and seasonal brews.  So why wouldn’t I get a sampler?  It’s the best way to try lots of sips of different beers without getting wasted. 

Only problem is, I have no tolerance.  Can I play the mom card here?  After 10 months of pregnancy induced sobriety (with an extra month before when we were “trying”)…followed by 7 (going on 8) months of nursing…I can’t be held liable for how miniscule the amount of alcohol is that gets me drunk.

The lagers were my favorite, particularly the Marzen and the Munchener Helles.  I would have gotten the seasonal sampler if there were a pumpkin brew.  Sadly I was buzzed by the time I had taken down 8 oz. so I started pushing the others on Chris.  I don’t think he was too sad about it. 

For the food…

We all shared some apps to start, including fried calamari (above), crab cakes (below), and fried artichoke hearts (below in the back). 

Everything was awesome.  We weren’t expecting the most gourmet fare (it is a brewery after all) which is why we stuck to the fried stuff.  Can’t mess that up right? 

I honestly couldn’t even pick a favorite, they were all so good.  I ended up getting the crab cakes as an entree.

 

Which came with a side of orzo and green beans.  Quite a portion!!

I had 1 1/2 of the crab cakes and a few green beans and brought the leftovers home for later.  Stuffed!

 

Auntie influence.  😛

I nursed some water while we played apples to apples and scattergories back at our place.

The next morning Laura and Chris headed off to Healdsburg, and I worked off my hangover with some real caffeine.  Ok, not entirely, I made the pot with 20% caffeinated beans and 80% decaf pumpkin blend (from Target – love). 

I had the exact same breakfast and then attempted to go on a run.

The annoying thing was that I had a very narrow time slot – less than 20 minutes – because Kyle had a business meeting he had to leave for.  I tried to make the most of it by running fast.  I’m not sure if it was the caffeine or the knowledge that I better maximize my work out time, but I was on fire!  My pace was like my pre-pregnant self!!  [Not to be confused with my pre-pre-pregnant sub 6 minute mile pace]  It felt great.  I got home sweaty at 19 minutes on the dot. 

Just as I kicked off my shoes Kyle told me his meeting got pushed back 30 minutes.  Errrg.  So annoyed.  He told me I should just go back out and continue my run, so I re-laced up my kicks and headed back out. 

The pause definitely put a kink in my stride, but I got back into it and tacked on another 20 minutes.  Win.

 

After showering, I quickly made lunch.  Egg and avo on GF toast (x3) with strawberries and carrots on the side.

 

In the afternoon, I was totally craving cookies.  In a major major way. 

 

So I decided to bake.

My cookies were a mere 5 minutes from being done but then I remembered I had bought a cookie from WF the day before.

Enter Nana’s coconut chip cookie…

 

I totally effed up because I thought it was wheat free, but it was not.  I didn’t realize this until a bit later when I felt like crap and dug the wrapper out of the trash can to inspect.  What a fodmaps failure I am.

 

On the upside, it was delicious.  And I definitely ate the whole cookie.  None of this 1/2 cookie serving bullsh.

As for the cookies I baked…

Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies [gluten free, grain free, dairy free]

Ingredients:

• 1 really ripe banana, mashed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup shredded (desiccated) unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stevia packet
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat egg in with mashed banana and vanilla.  Then add in the dry ingredients (almond flour through salt) and stir to combine.

Fold in chocolate chips and refrigerate for >15 minutes (if you have patience, >30 minutes is better, but I totally get why you’d be impatient). 

Scoop dough onto a greased cookie sheet (or one lined with parchment paper) and bake for 15-17 minutes at 375 degrees. 

 

I made 10 cookies. Adjust the baking time depending on how big yours are (slash how much of the dough you eat before it makes it’s way to the oven).

For dinner, Kyle was still away for business so I went the lazy route and hit up the co-op for sushi.

After I got back, P and I did the bath time / story time thing, and then I nursed him and put him to sleep. 

In addition to my sushi, I had the rest of my crab cakes. 

And a pair of cookies for dessert. 

Kyle got home late though, so I had another pair of cookies to keep him company while he ate on the late night.  I’m a good wife like that.  😉