WIAW: Girl Time & a Recipe

Guess who has been here visiting?

Hailey has had the treat of playing with her Nana, which included playtime in the big pool. She’s turning into quite the little mermaid. I’ve had the pleasure of quality time with mom.

Yesterday we started the day with a brisk hour walk, after I downed a handful of almonds (unpictured).

That first step out the door is the most difficult, because afterwards it feels great to have it checked off the to do list and move on to breakfast.

Eggs with peppers, onions and spinach topped with some Wild Harvest mango peach salsa and half a wheat English muffin with melted cheddar.

After a productive morning, we headed into Charlotte for the afternoon. The fun began with my first trip to Fern, a new vegetarian spot in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood (our old stompin’ grounds).

From the earthy décor to the ridiculous fresh food, Fern was incredibly impressive. Unfortunately my iPhone pictures were not.

We were seated promptly and sipped on our cucumber water (so refreshing!) and orange and ginger infused unsweet tea while we perused the menu and watched the place fill up.

We started with splitting the bruschetta, which consisted of heirloom tomatoes, corn, fennel, bell peppers and a whipped chimichurri goat cheese on garlicky toast. I wish my picture did it justice. It took all our willpower not to lick the plate clean!

For the main event we split the buddha bowl, something I want to recreate at home. It featured a black rice, red cabbage, purple and green beans, chick peas, squash, zucchini, kale and eggplant in a mushroom broth, topped with a plum tahini sauce. Again, the flavors were vibrant and we polished it off. Hailey enjoyed the squash, beans and rice, though it was tough to share.

Satisfied from such a healthy lunch, we went to run errands, including a trip to Trader Joe’s, where mom picked up these little guys.

I savored 3 of them on the way to another treat…

Later at home after Hailey went to bed, David shook us up some dirty Grey Goose martinis.

It felt like a special occasion as we all sat on the back porch, sipped our cocktails and chatted while dinner grilled.

I’ve become quite obsessed with kabobs this summer and these chicken and veggie kabobs did not disappoint. What’s on the side? Oh, just my recreation of Puree’s kalamata and tomato barley bowl!

I must brag a bit in saying that I came pretty darn close to replicating it from my taste buds alone! It’s a unique blend of flavors that tastes even better if allowed to sit in the fridge overnight. If you’re interested, here is the recipe for this Kalamata Tomato Barley Bowl.

For more WIAW fun, check out Jenn’s WIAW link up! Now off to spend some more quality time with my momma! Don’t forget that tomorrow’s #munchkinmeals is featuring breakfast! I hope you’ll join in

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