Being a Real Girl: Week One

On pretty much any day as a college athlete, the phrase "I can't wait to be a real girl" or "I can't wait to be normal" is likely heard from at least one person on the team.  Little did we know just how good we had it.  Food was prepared for us at the dining halls.  We could eat as much as we wanted without, not only any worry about the cost, but little to no care about how many calories we ingested.  We were also in the best shape of our entire lives.  Unfortunately, we were too exhausted and overwhelmed to realize

just how good we had it.

Now we're left to figure out not only how to work out on our own, but also how to take in less calories than we are actually burning (previously not an issue).  This is all pretty much handed to us at graduation, or perhaps a little earlier.  In my case, it's being handed to me a year later than it reached every one else and I won't lie to you, I am struggling.

This last week I dedicated myself to learning how a real girl lives and I have to tell you, it's not fun.  Sure, the workouts in college were grueling.  Most nights I was too exhausted to even look at my homework, forget putting a lot of effort into it.  But now, suddenly, I find I'm not only full of nervous, fretful, energy but slowly and surely becoming fuller in the waist as well.

So this is how my week as a "real" girl went:

Monday: Decided to go spinning with my dad.  Always a mistake.  The 58-year old retired pilot is a maniac on the spinning bike.  Not only were his RPM's higher, his resistance was higher than mine.  By the time we finished my dad was breathing hard, while I thought I was going to vomit or pass out and I wasn't sure which order it would happen in.  My face was, no exaggeration, purple.  As I walked the halls of the YMCA after my workout people stopped me to ask if I was okay.  I'm not joking, people.

Both attractive and probably extremely unhealthy to get this red

After I biked 20-point-something miles on the bike (my dad biked over 23 miles) I decided I needed to swim, even if its only purpose was to cool off.  The water has never felt like such heaven.  But after 1000 yards it was see-you-later-I'm-bored-of-you-already-chlorine.

Tuesday: After four years of being a college athlete, I think we walk away with a bit of arrogance.  It doesn't always show in every day things, but it shows when we're faced with any type of competition.  Well, in body pump, a class at my "Y" that prides itself in doing 800 reps in one hour, I decided I didn't need to do puny little weights.  I was a strong girl.  I could do heavy weights.

Yeah, I could do heavy weights and not walk the next morning.  Or the morning after.

Wednesday: Sorry body, couldn't even get myself to do Zumba the next morning because everything on my body hurt.  Decided to take the morning off and swim with my parents Masters swim team that night.  We did maybe 2300 and I bashfully counted it as a workout.  Puny in comparison to our usual 7000 yds a practice in college.

Thursday: Decided to give body pump another chance.  Went a little lighter, but did better this time.


Friday:  This was my fatal mistake.  The arrogance was back.  I had survived another body pump and came out barely sore.  So of course the next day, the arrogance came on in full force for the "Y's" boot camp.  Now, I've been to boot camp before, but always made sure I avoided this one particular teacher's boot camp.  Well, that night was her night.  Only four of us showed up (obviously everyone is afraid of her).  This woman knows no boundaries and feels no sympathy.  I kid you not.  But what's worse is she sneaks up on you.  I left thinking the work out wasn't even very hard.

That weekend I was so sore that I felt sick.  Not joking around sick, but very seriously I've-been-hit-by-a-truck-and-also-have-the-flu kind of sick.

Turns out Saturday night I actually became sick with a type of a stomach bug that was paired with the chills and fever (that's one way of losing weight I suppose).

Time for a mini (or major) rant:  I want to know how I can put in, not only a year of work, but an entire life dedicated to getting strong and in shape and in only three weeks it is completely gone.  What kind of crap is that?  Don't you think there should be a way to put some of that work on reserve and use it for later, instead of losing it in ENTIRETY and starting over completely?  Complete and utter crap if you ask me.

Oh, and another thing.  How do you "real" girls stay skinny?  I need to know your secret.  Because I ate less this week (okay, so I made cupcakes once) and worked out more and it seems to me that there was no change.  If this is the case at 23 what happens at 50?!?

Speaking of eating better I came up with a very delicious, it not entirely healthy lunch.  And it's easy which is a big concern of mine.

First, I spread some homemade pesto (thanks mom) on some multi-grain bread.  Decided to  make a grilled cheese kind of creation.  Decided it needed something more than just pesto and cheese so voila: tomatoes!

There's no art to this, it's just for taste.


Then I cut up some slices of mozzarella to add to the creation.  It took everything in me to NOT put American cheese on this because I love that it gets all gooey and delicious in a grilled cheese.  

Oooh, Ahhh.

Just put it in a pan, like any other grilled cheese and cover it with the lid of a saucepan so that it cooks the cheese better.  And there you go, a some-what healthy snack (even it if is high in calories, they're not the worst calories you could be consuming).

Okay so it's not a photograph worthy of an award but I promise you, you will not regret making this lunch.

So, once I feel better, I will repeat all of what I did last week.  I'm already exhausted thinking about it.

Where are all my teammates making working out, if not bearable, hilarious??  Dear all former teammates, move near me and be real girls with me.

Stay tuned for week two of real girl status.

Food Vacation

I know I said that this year was about learning to live healthier and how to find balance between being an athlete and a "real" girl.  So, I may have deviated from that a bit this last week...

When my boyfriend and I go on vacation it tends to be less about scenery and more about all the places we can eat.  A food tour, if you will.  Well, we just spent the last week eating our way through the mid Atlantic and up into the North East.  Our agreement for the week was to not discuss calories or money. Well now reality hits and I understand that maybe we went a little overboard.

First stop: Hamden, CT
Restaurant: Mikro

This is a laid back restaurant just outside of New Haven.  If you didn't know exactly where you were going, you would definitely miss this place.  It's located in a strip mall and is easy to overlook, but you don't want to (especially if you enjoy beer the way my boyfriend does).  Definitely worth stopping in!

Appetizer: Local Burrata- "fresh creme filled mozzarella/olive oil confit tomatoes/arugula/basil oil/balsamic" vinaigrette with kalamata olive spread.

I am not kidding when I say that this was the most delicious appetizer I've ever eaten.  It was so simple and light.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

Main Course: Pork Belly Cubano- "cured ham/gruyere/spicy mustard/garlic mayonaise/pickles"

A bit disappointing after the AMAZING appetizer but still nothing to turn your nose up at.  Enjoyed it, but wouldn't go back and specifically order it again.  HUGE sandwich with a very large amount of fries.  If you get this, do what my boyfriend did and opt for a side salad instead of a side of fries.  You will not regret it.

Link to Mikro website:  http://mikrobeerbar.com/menu/

Second Stop: Manchester, NH
Restaurant: Red Arrow Diner

I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this place.  But it is definitely not for a shy person.  Right when you walk in you get the classic diner feel.  The place is surprisingly small and we were lucky we had the iphone app "TV Food Maps" to help us along the way!

First off, our waiter was the most enthusiastic waiter I've ever had.  I hope I love any job I do one day, even half as much as he seemed to love being a waiter at Red Arrow Diner.  He asked us if we'd ever been to the diner before and when we replied that we had not, he made an announcement to the entire diner that this was our first time there and to give us a warm welcome.  Then they gave us stickers that say: "I've been de-virginized at Red Arrow Diner".

 

But it wasn't just the experience that made us wanting more.  The food was amazing.  I ordered a burger and my boyfriend ordered a burger with chili on the top.  Although I couldn't finish it, I wish I could have, it was that good.

For dessert we wanted to try their famous pies.  Because we were so full, we told the waiter we would just split a slice.  The waiter informed us that he had messed up on our pie order and forgot we were splitting a slice, so we each ended up with a slice of "Zebra Pie" which is chocolate and vanilla creme pie.  It was heavenly.

Forgot to take a picture until I was almost done with the pie....

So what if I could only waddle for the next day or so...

Link to Red Arrow Diner website: http://redarrowdiner.com/#

After that we spent a relaxing and calorie pleasing two days at my boyfriend's parents' lake house.  Enjoying beautiful views like these...

Two days later, we were on our way to Harrisonburg, VA (hometown of my alma mater...GO DUKES!).  We went to Harrisonburg for two reasons: a romantic getaway and more importantly, Harrisonburg houses the most delicious restaurants in the country.

Third stop: Harrisonburg, VA
Restaurant: Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint

Ask anyone I know and they will agree that my boyfriend and I are not kidding around when it comes to Jack Brown's.  This restaurant has a cult-like following that we proudly admit to being a part of.  If you like fancy restaurants and don't think bras hanging from the ceiling have a place in a culinary setting, then this place is NOT for you.  But they know burgers and they know beer.  Every day is a specialty burger.  Anywhere from the "Elvis" with mayonnaise, peanut butter and bacon on a burger to the "Greg Brady" which is a burger topped with mac-n-cheese and BBQ chips. Not to mention, at any given time there are 100 different beers on the menu.

But since we were there on a special day, the 4th of July, there was a special burger called the "Uncle Sammy" which has a house made chili on top of a burger and topped off with cole slaw.  Now I'm not a cole slaw fan, but Jack Brown's never disappoints.

Side note: Always get the fries because the Jack Brown's home made sauce that the fries are paired with is to die for!

And we can't forget their delicious dessert.  Most people will sneer at this when they hear about it for the first time, but just try it once and you will be a fan for life!  Always, always, get the fried oreos when you go to Jack Brown's.  I remember thinking, eh, I'll try it but it probably won't be very good.  I was so wrong.  It was amazing.  The creme and chocolate of the oreo melt and it turns into one amazingly, unhealthy dessert.

Link to Jack Brown's: http://www.jackbrownsjoint.com/home.html

After gorging ourselves with this deliciousness, we watched the Harrisonburg 4th of July parade then headed back to our B&B for the night to watch some "Undercover Boss" (obviously the best show ever).

We stayed at a place called 'By the Side of the Road' which allows you to rent your own private cottage.  When we walked into the cottage for the first time there was soft music playing, rose petals on the bed, champagne and the room was personalized to Alex and me.  But even better, every morning they brought us breakfast in a basket and left it outside of our door!  Below is breakfast from the first morning there which was heart shaped waffles with a homemade toffee sauce, fruit and bacon!

Fourth Stop: Harrisonburg, VA
Restaurant: Billy Jack's Wing and Draft Shack

Billy Jack's is basically an extension of Jack Brown's.  It comes from the same creative owners and is almost as equally delicious.  Billy Jack's also has an extensive beer menu and has an even more extensive food menu.  They specialize in wings, but my boyfriend and I opted for sliders (one of which was a Greg Brady type slider) with Greg Brady fries (macaroni and cheese and BBQ chips, along with bacon over french fries).

For dessert, I got a psycho girl scout donut.  This is no joke the best donut you will ever, or should ever, eat in your life.  It has chocolate chips, peanut butter and burnt marshmallow on it and it is sent from the gods.  However, my boyfriend opted for a "Redneck Monte Cristo" which is a deep-fried PB&J.

Heart attack in a meal, I know.

Link to Billy Jack's: http://billyjacksshack.com/

Final Stop: Harrisonburg, VA
Restaurant: Joshua Wilton

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, was Joshua Wilton.  This is, no joke, the best food you will ever have in your entire life.  I'm not a picky eater, but I know what I like and I know what I don't like.  But even the things I know I DON'T like, I like at Joshua Wilton.  Not only is is a restaurant, it is an almost 125 year old house turned Bed and Breakfast.  But, I will warn you right off the bat: this is not like the other restaurants.  This requires nicer clothes and a way bigger check at the end of the meal.  But it is worth every bite and every penny.

Appetizer: Seafood Trio- Tuna Tempura over ginger, soy noodles.  Shrimp and grits.  Salmon over a jicama and mango salad.

Amazing.  I can not even begin to tell you how delicious this appetizer was, especially the tuna.  Words would only fall short.  You truly have to try it to understand just how delicious it is!

Main Course: Pan-Roasted Halibut "over mascarpone-penne 'mac-n-cheese', summer vegetable confetti and roasted red pepper vinaigrette".

I basically licked the plate, that's all I will say.  There is a reason I don;t have any pictures of this food and it is because when that food came out, you are not thinking about taking pictures for your blog.  You're not thinking about anything except for how truly delicious the food is and how incredibly talented the chef must be to make something so wonderful.

Link to Joshua Wilton: http://joshuawilton.com/?page_id=5

Needless to say I gained about ten pounds in the last week.  And my adventure of learning how to work out (sans swimming) starts tomorrow.

Hopefully, you will be lucky enough to read this post and go try this food!  Wish me luck on being a "real girl" tomorrow at the gym.

In the words of Chris Farley..."Diet starts Monday!"

More Chris Farley explaining my week...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YfvBbxE1vU