Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was full of family time and plenty of delicious food.
On Friday afternoon we tried a new restaurant that just opened nearby, b.good. Although it’s a small fast-casual chain and their first location in North Carolina, the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced at each restaurant. I watched the chefs grab the vegetables displayed behind the counter and chop them for the dishes—definitely not just for show. There was even a map on the wall showing where each ingredient in North Carolina was sourced from.
I ordered a southwestern chicken salad, which was an excellent choice for a quick meal. The salad was fresh, flavorful, and well composed—far better than the typical limp fast-food greens.
On Friday I also watched Mockingjay again, this time with my grandpa, brother, dad, grandma, and my sister who hadn’t seen it yet. It was fun sharing the experience with family.
My sister Ris is a sandwich master—she makes giant, two-hands-required open-faced sandwiches. The one she made for us had whole wheat bread, avocado, cucumber, tomato, deli turkey, red onion, and lettuce; the photo shows just half of it.
Saturday night we went to Winston’s Grille. I couldn’t resist ordering another southwestern chicken salad because Winston’s makes one of my favorite restaurant salads. Unlike the common limp salads with a few tomatoes and croutons, this one included a lettuce mix, a black bean and corn relish, avocado, cucumbers, tomatoes, blackened chicken, and a chipotle drizzle. I asked for their honey mustard on the side, which was perfect.
We also enjoyed several great dinners at home. One favorite was a grilled chicken parm served with whole wheat pasta—a simple, comforting meal inspired by Rachael Ray’s recipe that the whole family liked.
We took our family Christmas pictures too. Usually this is a bit of a production, but this year it went smoothly. I even managed to keep my eyes open for most of the shots.
^^Christmas card, Mom?^^
I hope you have a fabulous Monday. I’m back at school now and will post a new healthy living update tomorrow morning.