The Floridian

While on vacation in St. Augustine, FL we went to an amazing restaurant called The Floridian.

This place is quite unique. Unless you know it is there you would probably pass it if you even happened upon the street it is on. It's off a street that has a church and a public parking lot. Most people would pass it up walking along to the main shopping street.

You walk in, after passing the limited patio seating, you can see straight into the kitchen! That was honestly my favorite part. I loved that you could watch them preparing food. Anyway, the hostess will greet you and seat you. The restaurant had a lot more seating than I would have expected! We went a bit early, around 5:30 on a weekday since we had small children with us, as a party of 8 (one of those 8 being in a high chair) we were able to be seated right away!

We ordered drinks first. I will say The Floridian is unique because they are situated so close to a church that they are not zoned to serve alcohol to you. You have to walk to a back bar area, order, receive your beverage (wine or beer), and take it back to your table. I think it is a major part of the charm!

The menu is quite comprehensive. They have something for everyone on there. They are a local place that uses locally sourced ingredients when possible. That makes me happy. They are vegan and gluten free friendly. Lots of options that way! Portions are gigantic! Definitely getting your money's worth! My teen and I split the 'N Waffles. We got the pulled BBQ Chicken and Waffles. It was topped with a sweet ricotta. Absolutely delicious! For dessert we had some sort of chocolate pecan pie with whipped topping. It was not your typical pecan pie though as I don't usually care for those. But, however this was made was divine! I really look forward to the next time I go visit!

Also, I was quite impressed with the wait staff as they were very accommodating when my brother and sister in law asked them to bring my niece and nephew's dinners early. They did so and did so quickly. We all had a small taste of what they had and it was amazing! Just some basic sounding chicken dish, but I totally would have eaten it!! It's very unusual to get really good, fresh children's meals these days.

All-in-all it was a great visit. I think it's great for foodies, families, kids, groups, or just a date night! If you are in the St. Augustine area it is definitely a must eat!!!

What I Ate Wednesday +week in review of workouts: Aloha Edition

Today I am going to let my pictures do the talking mostly: 

Shrimp, rice, salad

Mai Tai by the pool

After the beach a refreshing fruit boat and cottage cheese

I've been loving putting real whipped cream on my coffee some mornings ;)

This turkey burger was  awesome! I still have. Half to eat! It was turkey with gruyere,  sautéed onions, & pear!

This was a tasty dessert: it was chocolate& caramel latte ;) nom!

My workouts have not suffered since being in Oahu:

Last Thursday: X3 Yoga

Friday: rest

Saturday: triometrics

Sunday: rest & stretch

Monday: MMX & tumbling...I haven't tumbled in nearly 20 years....decided to break out the back bends & stuff...see my Instagram for the videos! Haha

Tuesday: Woke up super sore! Doing back walkovers & stuff after not doing them for a while makes one crazy sore! But did Decelerator & swimming 

Today: triometrics, tumbling, and stretching. 

So far it has been so fun here in Oahu, weare having a great time. Any suggestions of must see stuff while we are here? We have one more week!

Linking up at:

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What I Ate Wednesday +WOD's

Hi! Welcome back to What I Ate Wednesday! Last Wednesday I was incredibly ill. I became super ill on Christmas and it lasted a week! I woke up this morning with a really sore throat and swollen glands but put some coconut oil in my coffee and did a shot of lemon, ginger, cayenne and we will see where that gets me. My glands are no longer swollen but if I'm still not good when I wake up the doctor it will have to be I suppose. Who else doesn't like wasting the time to see the doc? 

Anyway, here is what I've eaten over the last week. Don't miss my New Restaurant Friday recap on Monday's post over here.

These snap pea crisps & hummus are amazing! Love them!

Homemade hamburger helper with whole wheat pasta, zucchini, and avocado. ...and a little corn, I couldn't resist! ;)

This is what hubby is having this week...eggs for breakfast, shakeology for snack, and peanuts and raisins for his other snack. 

Paleo pancake with a little maple syrup...I was out of Peanut Butter & Banana! hahaha and come coffee ;)

Spaghetti squash with ricotta...yum!

Whole wheat spaghetti with zucchini...so delish!

On Monday I am starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox. If anyone is interested in joining me come on over to Facebook and send me a message or post on my page's wall...I am really excited to do it and would love to make a support group!

Now for my workouts this past week! I finished T25 back the week before Christmas...so I took some time off to enjoy with the husband and kiddo and enjoy the weather. I was busy walking with the kiddo and then being sick. I was so sick I couldn't move without extreme dizzyness and vomiting. It was awful! I ran a fever...and I never run a fever. So I know I was sick. But, I am finally feeling better...I think and was able to start P90X3 this week with my amazing husband. Here are some photos from each day & my video reviews so far! 

This is my Bring it face! 

This was during Agility X on Tuesday. Super fun, but super challenging workout. I was never an athlete so I didn't understand how to do some of the drills so I looked like a total tool trying to run in figure eight's and tripping over my own two feet. Here is my video review:

Today was yoga. Probably my favorite so far even if I couldn't go full out because of my ridiculously sore chest muscles that I have no idea how I hurt them on Sunday. This one is great because there are so many different variations you can do! It's amazing. I can't wait until I am strong enough to do some of the more challenging exercises. Here is my review of the yoga:

So, that is what I have been up to since the last What I Ate Wednesday!

Remember if any one is interested in joining me for a 21 day sugar detox I'd be so happy to set up a group, or if you are trying to reach some goals and want an accountability buddy I'd be happy to team up with some and work on those either through a FB group or email, just let me know through the contact form on the right side bar or by messaging me on Facebook! 

What I Ate Wednesday/WOD's-Vacation Edition (again) #11

HELLO! I am back with yet again another vacation edition of what I have been eating! As I was sorting my pictures I've realized I haven't done too terribly with my eating! So....without further ado....

Stir fry made from 100% leftover ingredients! No wasted food that day....it was delicious! My mom, dad, and daughter were sharing the very last of the leftovers! haha

Avocado toast with chili and onion powder! 

Vanilla yogurt with frozen berries and a crushed graham cracker.

Low country boil. Delish!

Mmmmm onion rings on the beach!

Okra marinating and waiting for the grill!

Tuna salad (this went with the onion rings as you can tell ;)

Super strong margarita, delish!

BBQ Brisket Sandwich (I didn't eat the bread) and cucumber salad from a local BBQ place.

GELATO!!!!!

Pizza & salad. This was seriously the best pizza I've ever had.

Now this is what my workouts have been....

Thursday-Beach boot camp (we jogged then stopped every so often to do some sort of exercise like squats, burpees, in & outs, push ups, etc.) then 2 hours of kayaking!

Friday-Long walk on the beach, playing the ocean and pool, an hour of yoga.

Saturday-Beach boot camp again. Ran the whole time stopping every so often to get in some strength training. Did four different types of squats and burpees.

Sunday-two really long walks on the beach and playing in the water.

Monday-Rest day, again took two really long walks on the beach & a little running to get my camera to capture the awesome full moon!

Tuesday-another mostly rest day. Took a long morning walk on the beach with my mom then a long evening walk with my dad and kiddo to try and see baby sea turtles.

Wednesday-Stretching and walk to see the baby sea turtles. 

Since this is my last week here with my parents I decided to take my rest week this week. I'm still getting out and moving and eating well, but making sure to enjoy my time. Plus, I really did give my body a pounding the last couple weeks. I also haven't forgotten my review of T25, but I didn't want to give up any time with my brother's family that I hadn't seen in 4 years so I stuck to working out with them. I will get back to the review as soon as I get home this upcoming Monday!!!

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!!!

What I Ate Wednesday/WODs-Travel Edition-#8

So, this month the kiddo and I are on holiday for the month! Well, not quite a full month, but 24 days, pretty darned close! As I said in my monthly fitness schedule post I was not going to slack on my workouts while on vacation as they just make me feel too darned good! I've deviated from my original monthly workout plan because I got Focus T25 in the mail last week and couldn't wait to start it! So, I’m mostly doing that, but also incorporating some things from my original schedule into the mix. Just trying to keep it fun! So, here’s what my workouts have looked like since last Wednesday:

Wednesday: Focus T25 Day 1

Thursday: Focus T25 Day 2

Friday: Travel day; some light stretching once I got to our final destination; squat and plank challenge

Saturday: Focus T25 Day 4; 2 mile run, light stretching, squat and plank challenge

Sunday: Focus T25 Day 5; squat and plank challenge and a one mile walk

Monday: Focus T25 Day 6 (one hour); squat and plank challenge (I should be almost caught up by this point)

Tuesday: Focus T25 Day 7 (stretching) squat and plank challenge and a two mile run

Today: Focus T25 Day 8; squat and plank challenge, and moving stuff in and out of my parents condo to get ready for our week at the beach! It was hot, muggy and there were two flights of stairs and we made about 5 trips! :-/

Now, here’s a look at what I've been eating:

Healthy snacks for the plane ride!

My mom left chocolates on our pillow ;)

Chick-fil-a! No chicken sandwich anywhere can compare to this! LOL It was quite the treat!

After the sandwich was this amazing peanut butter milk shake. It came with a side cart...I couldn't drink it all!

This was my meal with the milkshake! I At the salad it came with, almost one whole chicken tender and half of a half of the biscuit. I felt awful after, but it was so good!!!! LOL

Then, some redemption! ;) Apple pie protein shake!

Some of this isn't the best, but I am on “vacation”. I am trying to avoid high sodium foods and when I can’t (like the day I HAD to have Chick-Fil-A I got someone so split my sandwich with me and I had a salad on the side with dressing I brought from home. I don’t drink soda or anything of the sort so that does me some favours ;) 

I hope you all had a fab hump day!!!

Also, check out what everyone else is eating over here:

What I Ate Wednesday/WOD's #8

Wow! Last week was a doozey! With the terrible weather and the last week of school we were so busy here I wasn't able to post! But, school's out so things are a bit more relaxed finally! This past week we've eaten out a bit more than usual because we are about ready to go on vacation and quite frankly I am tired of cooking. I cooked all fall, winter, and spring since it rained so much...the weather is nice and frankly I am 100% over it lol I'm ready to go home and let my Mommy cook for me for a while. ;)

Speaking of vacation and eating out this is an important time to make sure we are all getting enough water! I have tons of recipes for making your water a little more spunky here. and here. Also, I am over at Food For Your Cell co-hosting an amazing give away! Go check it out, enter, and link up!!!

But...here is a small selection of what I've had over the last week...

Canada day breakfast of oatmeal with caramelized banana, coconut manna, peanut butter, bee pollen, and chia seeds. 

Sunday's breakfast an egg white muffin.

Fried banana and a cheese roll from the local Brazilian steakhouse.

Mini apple turn overs I made for the kiddo and her friends after a sleepover last Friday.

Leftovers from our Anniversary dinner last Wednesday...pizza and spaghetti-total carb fest (thank goodness I did some running that day ;))

Super Power Chia Bread from Oh She Glows. This was a delicious recipe!

That is a small selection of what I've been eating. Looks nummy right?! Some of it I actually haven't been eating, just making for others. But, I have been countering all this yummy food with some great workouts...here's what I've done since last Wednesday

Thursday the 27th: 3 mile walk & a treadmill workout: 5 minute warm up on 3.5 at incline of 2 then up to incline of 8 at 4.0mph for three minutes then up to incline of 12 at 4.0 for 2 minutes, back down to 8 then up to 12 again repeated 5 times. It's a fantastic workout and mimic's my favorite climb here called the grouse grind pretty well! 

Friday: 3 mile run, 50 burpee's and jump squats, then about a 2 mile walk between walking to have lunch with the hubs and running errands.

Saturday: I took the day off. We had kind of a strange Saturday and working out just never really happened. I did eat really well that day and we did a ton of walking during all our shopping and just generally enjoying the weather so I don't feel too bad. ;)

Sunday: Yoga at Lulu Lemon. Fantastic workout (I'm still a bit sore as I type this), plus we did a bunch of walking!

Monday: 3 mile walk/run with the teenager plus a circuit of 3 sets of 15 burpee jump squats, moving oblique squats and various other standing ab exercises. The plank and squat challenge I'm doing and tons of walking to the beach, fireworks, etc.

Tuesday: 2 mile run, along with Booty Time from Rockin' Body by Shaun T. Day 2 of the plank and squat challenge.

Today: Planning on a 4 mile run, hard core abs from Rockin' Body by Shaun T, and day 3 of the plank and squat challenge.

Have gotten lots of working out done and feeling great about it, especially now that the weather has perked up here in Vancouver! I am struggling with the end of the week coming up for my workouts as Friday we are traveling the whole day so it may require a 4:30am wake up call to get that workout in...not fun but at least I may sleep on the plane that way! ;)

So, what was your favourite meal this week? How about your favourite workout?

By the way, go check out the party over here:

What a Weekend!

Originally this weekend was supposed to be composed of nothing but being at home, relaxing, hubby catching up on some video game playing and me and the kiddo just going whatever instead this is what ensued....

Friday: 
What was supposed to happen: Nothing. I had a dentist appt, just a quiet evening. We thought about going to a music festival but were kind of iffy on it.
What actually happened: The kiddo's friend is going to Serbia for the rest of the summer so she invited my daughter and one other kid to spend the night, first they decided to come here and swim for about two hours. Then, hubby texted me and ask if I wanted to start new restaurant Friday since we did a new restaurant last Friday, so it would make a fun date night. So we headed over the Flying Pig in Yaletown. It was a really nice set up. It's very loud and the tables are a bit longer than you'd expect so don't go there if you are looking to cuddle up and get some romance in. You have to speak loud and be ready to be with people. This is what I had for dinner along with a glass of Riesling:

This was what we had as an appetizer. Bone Marrow Cheezy Bread. Seriously,  they bring you some just plain bread when you sit down, don't eat it. Immediately order this. It is AMAZING! I really could have just eaten this for dinner.

I had the BBQ Salmon. I'd never had BBQ Sauce on Salmon before but it was DELICIOUS! It came with prawn and Parmesan Risotto. The flavour combinations here were so complimentary to one another. I didn't want to stop eating, but had to force myself much like with the bread above for the last course....brace yourself it is amazing....

Vanilla cake with chocolate ganache.  I could hardly take but a few bites. It was very thick and creamy with the ganache. If you have several people to share with this is the way to go. Hubby get creme brulee so it was just little ol' me left to tackle this thing. I took a few bites then brought the rest home. After our 3 mile walk home I decided to eat a little more then the kiddo devoured most of it in the afternoon on Saturday and I ate it for dessert Saturday as well. It went the long haul providing some delicious chocolate satisfaction.

Saturday:

What was supposed to happen: Farmer's market, my last dentist appointment, lay around and do nothing the rest of the day. 

What actually happened: I woke up way to early (6:45) and lazed around until one of my friends said that all before 7 am she'd watched a movie and worked out. So, I got my butt up and slugged 8 ounces of water, did this warm up by blogilate, jump rope hiit by fitness blender, 100 burpee burn out, and the call me maybe squat challenge.  I love doing the 100 burpee burnout and one of blogilates pop challenges on Saturday's because they are fast, high calorie burning workouts that I can get over with quickly and enjoy my Saturday. I usually do them coupled with a run but I wasn't really feeling that this morning so I added in the jump rope HIIT. That was fantastic. If you don't have a jump rope, suck at jumping rope, or it's not practical for you to jump rope inside (like for me in my high rise just not practical) so I just mimicked jumping rope and found I was able to jump quite a bit more because I wasn't getting the rope stuck on myself. So after that I quick showered and ran up to the farmer's market. This is what I got:

Tons of goodies here. We go through a lot of eggs in a week and this was the first week for the local eggs so I got two dozen. Can't wait to show y'all what I have planned for those this upcoming week! Then, some local Raclette for the husband. A zucchini. I immediately wished I'd bought a second, but oh well there's always next Saturday. Then something new-garlic scraps. Apparently these make the world's most amazing garlic butter...I guess I'll find out! Some raspberries (not all farm's are ready with raspberries yet so this was a treat!), some strawberries, and some mushrooms. I wasn't too interested in the salad greens they had. It was mostly kale and I'm not a huge kale fan unfortunately. So, got home and put those goodies away then I went to the dentist, slept for two hours after that and then we caught the ferry to Granville Island. This is an amazing place to check out, especially if you are a visitor. There are tons of shops on the island, a lot of unique places you won't find anywhere else. They also have a giant market. During the summer it can be a little overwhelming. I know when I shopped there regularly last summer you had to be prepared to walk between people and get bumped around and whatnot.  

The ferry leaving David Lam Park to head over to Granville Island.

Approaching Granville Island. Weather didn't look to hot did it???

The marina next to Granville Island.

Fresh fish at the Granville Island Market.

More fishes!!!

Look at the coloring on this mackerel. Isn't it beautiful, it's almost iridescent. Makes we wish I had my dslr so I could have gotten really good pictures!

Octopus!! I'd never get adventurous enough to buy it, but I guess some do!

I love how these bottles looked, they were so pretty!

Gluten free vegan flax rolls! One of the few places around here that has something that looks appetizing for gluten free vegans!

 This one just cracked me up, guess they wanted to make sure you knew this one wasn't too pleasant smelling!

Inside the market there are food vendors where you can pick up a meal to eat right there. I love A La Mode. We ate there last year...they have a fantastic chicken pot pie! We got apple cinnamon sticky buns for hubby & the kiddo at another vendor (same one as the flax rolls), there is also a candy shop, a local meat place, a honey place (with multiple flavours of honey sticks), a donut place, some cheese vendors (hubby of course picked up some raclette and curds!), and a few fruit and veggie vendors. I don't typically frequents those, though because I get the impression they are not local as they had things like banana's and dragon fruit. Also I saw they had a place that makes dole whip. A must get next time I go! I thought I'd never find those anywhere but Disney! 

Saturday night: We had dinner at a cute little poutine place. I had some fries and a steamer dog. Not the best for me, but oh well. It was great time with the family and everyone enjoyed the meal so that's what mattered. Then once the sun set here-which is very late, usually not until well after 10 pm we went as a family down on the seawall to check out the Super Moon:

Sunday

What was supposed to happen: The kiddo rides carpool with her friend to cheer while I lay around and relax with the hubby.

What actually happened: So, the kiddo was told about a flyer training at her cheer gym so I was up and had her to the gym at 10am for a flyer training. I stuck around there as there was a marathon going on and I didn't want to get caught in the traffic. I treated her to lunch at Subway. I wanted to take her to a place next door called The Crab Shop since she loves shellfish but she said "it looks awfully...uh, fishy, can we please have Subway", so, I obliged. 

I was hoping we'd be able to walk there, but given the fabulous Vancouver weather it was raining and I didn't bring umbrella's so we drove. We did enjoy a nice long meal as she had two hours in between. I wanted to take her to walk around, but again because of the rain we didn't but there are some awesome things you'll find in this little ware house area there are several factory stores for clothing shops, an indoor play place, and a place where you can bring your own bottles and fill up on beer to take home. I wish they had a wine place like that! Next time it's sunny I'll have to take pictures and do a feature on the places in that area as if you aren't a local you would never know they are there!

Also, back behind her cheer place is a long set of rail road tracks. I once saw a train backing up on these tracks...bizarre!

Back it up...back it up...

I actually did manage to cook this weekend. I made two things my mother in law's spaghetti and cheesy garlic barbari for hubby and bruschetta chicken (recipe to come) with garlic barbari for the kiddo and I. I served it with a nice little relish of just cucumbers for hubby and cucumbers and onion for me and the kiddo! 

Overall it was nice to have a bit of a spontaneous weekend! Now we are going into the last week of school and down to two full weeks before our summer vacation to Florida! I am so excited to see my nieces and nephews, to meet one of my nieces and see my brother whom I haven't seen in almost 3 years! 

What are you looking forward to this summer?