My gluten free adventure

After  Spain and more specifically Morocco, my stomach and digestive system has been a hot mess. Not to share too much info but things were not so normal with my stomach and some other bodily functions...ick! So after listening to my body and realizing it was worst after eating wheat/gluten...I went gluten free. As of today (july 8) I have been GF for 2 weeks! Whoop! But I think it has made a difference. I have been very conscious of food labels which is not only very interesting but also very educational. Who the heck knows what chilton or nishasta is? I still don't. Haha!

Going GF has not been as bad as I thought it might be. I have found there to be a huge selection of GF foods. Generally, I've been eating more fruits, veggies and meats (which I should be doing anyways) but I still love my carbs. So I was recommended Udi's GF bread and various other products (names I cannot think of). But my favorite is a local co-op makes homemade lemon GF cookies. So delicious!
I am also not completely GF so I do not worry about cross contamination like people with celiac and other intense GF issues. I have allowed some gluten products but I feel ick afterward. So for now I am working on being GF. If anyone has recipes or tips send them here.

Much love,

Sara

Rome cooking class

Sorry for being way MIA again but I've been re-adjusting to life in the good ole U.S.A. I arrived back in Minnesota March 31 and since then I've been crazy seeing all my dear friends. Monday I visited Riley, Tuesday went my sister's soccer game, Wednesday knitted all day with a good friend from high school and then I drove down to college to visit friends, Thursday through Saturday I went to visit the boy again and see friends in the city and now its Sunday we spent time with extended family! So needless to say its been crazy. Tomorrow I'm hoping to start a more normal schedule with blogging and life. So now that you know whats been up....we're going to rewind to my Rome trip.

On Saturday of our Roman adventure we took a 5 hour cooking class. It might be one of my favorite parts of all my European adventures. It was an experience filled with 2 of my favorite things...good food and my good friend Hannah. Our chef Andre and his wife were so welcoming to all of us in the class. We learned how to prepare artichokes, homemade pasta, some complicated chicken recipe that involved fire, delicious spinach, potatoes and soufflé. It was the best meal I have ever had and I actually plan to make everything again...except the chicken because fire and scary. It was not only fun because of the food but also because we met some really cool people from Portugal, the UK, NYC, Washington DC, and I believe Switzerland. It was a great day!

Much love,

Sara

Foodie: San Gines Chocolateria

Down the unassuming street Pasadizo De Ginés (pictured above) located the most delicious churros con Chocolate I have ever eaten (not that I've eaten many before). They were warm, fresh and sweet but not too sweet and when dipped in melted dark chocolate it was heavenly. After the churros are gone a waiter comes by to pour cold milk into the chocolate cup to make some very rich hot chocolate. I highly recommend San Gines Chocolateria though more expensive (by only 1 euro) then other churro cafes we've seen I liked it plus its famous...so it must be the best, right?! Plus it was super cute and I am a sucker for cute cafes! On a different note, I'm struggling to spell more then usual (spanish spelling is kicking in more)...so I apologize in advance.

Mucho amor,

Sara 

Foodie: El Casco Viejo

Last night my roommate, Amber and I went walking around the town after school, shopping, people watching and eating. We decided to stop and get some Empanadas Argentinas and Sangria from this cute little bar off of Gran Via (a main shopping/eating road). It was delicious (though I have yet to meet a food I didn't like here)! The empanads had chicken and other veggies I don't remember and were a little spicy. I highly recommend El Casco Viejo, good service, quick and delicious!

Mucho amor,

Sara

P.S. I have like 3 more posts in the works about this week along! Get pumped!

Foodie: Cafe Maude and a date night

Riley and I went on a dinner/movie date last Thursday on our 2.5 year anniversary ironically, as kind of a final goodbye to winter break and a hello to spring semester. We tried out Cafe Maude (because my amazing bosses gave me a gift card). The atmosphere was amazing and as was the food. We got the house fries with truffle sauce and bacon/chipotle popcorn to share. For our main course I had lamb skewers and Riley had an amazing burger. Overall our experience was great and super chill!  

After dinner we went closer to home to see The Hobbit. I would say that was great as well! And when we went outside it had snowed even more so my boy scraped my windshields as I sat in the car to stay warm. I would say I am pretty blessed to have him. 

Happy New year and much love,

Sara

P.S. I just want to note that I go to spain on Saturday...AHHH! I feel so unprepared but so excited!

Foodie: Mongolian Grill

This unassuming restaurant is a new fav for this gal. Mongolian Grill is located in my small college town, though the decor is nothing super amazing the food and makes up for it! 

 Its set up like a buffet...you grab the size bowl you want (small, medium or large) and then fill it to the rim with veggies! After all the veggies you pile on noodles and sauces. After you have the mass of food the cooks cook it right in front of your eyes in about 2 minutes! 

It was so cool and yummy! And it was great to get out of the dorms and spend some quality time with the floor mates. Plus, it was a fun, quick, cheap and a semi-healthy dinner that gave me a ton of leftovers! Hooray! Goodness I like good food too much!

Much love,

Sara

Foodie: Yum! and Sebastian Joe's

My Hannah Jan and I spent yesterday evening enjoying some delicious food (like always) and conversations! I hadn't seen that girl in FOREVER so it was great to catch up before we head back to school. We were so engrossed in catching up so I forgot to take pictures. Oppose! 

We ate at Yum! Kitchen and Bakery, went to some of our favorite consignment and thrift stores and ended the night with Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream. 

We literally were twins this night because we both had our hair in buns, wore flowy skirts, ate the same delicious salad and ice cream. The food was so yummy and her company is always the best. At Yum! we had a salad with a balsamic dressing with chicken salad on top, so good and at Sebastian's we had a chocolate ice cream with basically any chocolaty thing inside! Seriously, try these places....delicious! Oh and Hannah she is awesome and has an adorable blog Slightly Hipster, you should check her out. 

Much love,

Sara

Foodie: Tum Rup Thai

My Hannah Janana:)

Appetizer! Deep fried deliciousness!

So delicious...though I have yet to go to a restaurant I haven't liked this summer. Tum Rup Thai is (as the name suggests) a Thai restaurant. I love Asian food and this Thai was so delicious. I had a spicy veggie and chicken stir fry with white rice. Hannah and I split cream cheese wontons for an appetizer and delicious fried bananas with mango sorbet for dessert. It was delicious and so filling (I took home a major portion for lunch the next day). It was great to spend time with my Hannah Janana and catch up on life something we hadn't done in FOREVER! So this is another restaurant I would recommend. It has a great atmosphere and in a great area of the city. 

Me and my ridiculous amount of food!

Dessert! Mango sorbet=yummy!

Foodie: The News Room

 This man and I have been dating for 2 whole years. Now for some that may not be a big deal but my friends I am pretty stoked. I love him to the edge of the universe. 

So anyways, Riley surprised  me by taking me to The Newsroom, a restaurant he had never been to but I had a few times before. I would have to say it is my favorite. It has such a cool decor...seriously you need to go look at their website. Basically the restaurant has blown up important newspaper articles from the past that cover the walls (that description does not even do justice to this place). And on top of the awesome newspapers everywhere, the bar is a made to look like a ship, so cool! And even on top of the awesome decor their food is incredible. YUMMY! If you are ever in the area and need a restaurant with delicious basic (but still unique) american food The News Room is your place.

Literally the best turkey burger and fries of my life!

My man and his open face turkey and gravy with mashed potatoes!

Not only was it 93 degrees but it was so humid...hence my odd up-do.

Happy 2 years babe!

Much love,

Sara