144.6…The Scale Was Kind

I really thought that when I stood on the scale this morning, it would have exploded or at least, fallen apart. After all the food shenanigans in Chicago, I expected bad news. I mean, I ate a ton of pizza, hot wings and desserts and drank a ton of wine. After my last post, the craziness continued…..

On our last night in Chicago, we met up with a friend and went to Quartino for dinner.

“Quartino is a neighborhood Chicago Italian restaurant and wine bar offering authentic regional Italian food and wine in a lively, welcoming atmosphere with attentive and personable service.” 

Quartino’s portion sizes are a bit smaller. The idea is to order a whole bunch of things for everyone to share…..and that’s exactly what we did!

We shared wine….

….and a few appetizers.  White Bean & Garlic spread:

Portobello Mushroom Bruschette:

Caprese salad:

I ordered the Pappardelle al Sugo di Manzo (Tuscan Pasta Ribbons with Braised Beef Tomato Sauce) for my entree.

I was a bit sad to share this….it was beyond excellent. It was my favorite dish of the evening!

My husband’s friend ordered the Beef Short Ribs with Salsa Verde:

This was also excellent. My husband ordered penne with chicken and spicy tomato sauce. I didn’t photograph it because I didn’t eat it….I thought it was boring compared to everything else. :)

Don’t worry! We did not forget dessert! Zeppole (Hot Italian Doughnuts with Honey and Dark Chocolate):

My personal favorite!!

Profiterole (Vanilla Gelato, Chocolate Sauce & Toasted Almonds):

Fritelle di Mele (Apple Fritters with Vanilla Gelato):

Next time I go back to Chicago, I will eat at Quartino for sure! I loved the lively atmosphere and the food could not be beat. And it was affordable!

Now are you realizing my shock that my scale didn’t go up more than two pounds since I left? :)

Yesterday morning, we got up, packed and hit the road for the airport. I drank a Starbucks skinny vanilla latte along the way. I brought along a granola bar to eat on the way but I never actually ate it.

I decided this sandwich looked much better than the granola bar:

I was right! It was called the Tuscany and had salami, ham, provolone cheese, tomatoes, all on a ciabatta roll.

We arrived in San Diego, drove home and hung out with the kids for a bit. Then we all went over to our friend’s house for Monday Night Football AKA Hot Wing Night.  We had wine and I may have gotten into the Doritos bag. :)

I brought over a premade Southwestern style salad with a creamy cilantro dressing:

Then it was the moment I was waiting for:

HOT WINGS!!!!!!!!!! My friend used the same recipe I used a couple of weeks ago but coated the hot wings in more flour. She laid them into a plate with flour instead of sprinkling them with flour like the recipe called for. They turned out more crunchy this time! Winner!

My friend also made Sloppy Joe’s. What a meal!!!

Check out our Hot Wing demolishment:

Don’t worry…that wasn’t just me. :)

Today it was time to get back on track. Breakfast was a toasted waffle with Teddie peanut butter and an apple.

I took the kids to school and went to spin class. It felt good to get a great workout in! I ran over to Trader Joe’s to pick up some much needed groceries.

Lunch was the rest of the Southwestern salad from last night in which I added chicken to it.

I picked up the kids from school and then did some baking for a Stella & Dot jewelry trunk show I’m hosting at my house tomorrow morning.

Dinner was some black bean & corn quinoa that I pulled out of my freezer. I’m finally making a dent in there!

After I get the kids to bed, I have a ton of email to get caught up on. Hopefully I won’t be up too late!

How do you get back on track with healthy eating after an indulgent vacation? I drink tons of water and try to eat as many fruits and veggies as possible.

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