I’ve been sitting here thinking of a creative or fun way to share my weekend, but honestly, I’ve been staring at the screen for 10 minutes annnnnnnd nothing. I’ll come back and edit if the coffee kicks in, but otherwise, here is a non-cohesive jumble about my weekend…
Friday was my birthday!
Wait, no, that’s not until September, but it sure felt like it because my friend Jackie gave us a ridiculous amount of local, grass-fed beef. Cartwheels might have ensued.
Did you know you could do a cow share? I love the concept and would have totally gone in on it if we had a large freezer. In the meantime, many virtual hugs to Jackie for pretty much making my month.
Last week David and I had a come to Jesus moment about our budget. We admitted we’ve been flying by the seats of our pants, and since I actually thrive on structure, I’m eager to welcome back a food budget into our lives. We’re increasing the grocery portion so we can significantly cut down on the eating out portion. And homemade pizza really is better than anything you can get out anyway.
But the big event of the weekend was David’s work party in Charlotte on Saturday night. You know it was a big deal because I tried to curl my hair ala Courtney.
Hmm… I would exactly call us hair twins, but at least my hair didn’t hang flat against my face, so I’ll take it.
We grabbed a drink before the event at Upstream in Phillips Place where the Moscow Mule knocked my socks off. I wish I remembered everything in it but I know it had pineapple Grey Goose and of course ginger beer. Delicious!
The work event itself was a lot of fun. It was a casino night theme. I was surprised David actually brought me because when it comes to games, I can get quite intense. I basically set up shop at the Black Jack table all night. One of David’s co-workers was my guru and we raked in ALL the fake money.
Holding on 14 felt a little crazy but it worked more than once. Take me to Vegas!! (Or don’t…. that could be very dangerous).
The night was a blast. We felt Hailey was old enough to hold down the fort, so we stayed out until 1:30 (say whaaa??) then got to spend the night in a glorious, quiet, hotel room.
Kidding, obviously. I can’t tell Mema thank you enough (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) for coming and not only wrangling the girls solo, but making it so much fun for them. Asking for overnight help is quite the favor at the moment, as Koda is getting up once or twice a night to go potty (hopefully that will be better as we continue to decrease the prednisone) and Kaitlyn’s new favorite breakfast time is 5:30am.
Mema handled it all like the pro that she is and David and I even got to experience a breakfast out, sans kids.
Do have any idea how relaxing and wonderful that is?!
Plus, Another Broken Egg Cafe perfectly executed the poached egg on my black bean Benedict, pretty much making it the best morning ever.
Back home, we fell into the normal Sunday afternoon routine of meal planning…
And grocery shopping.
Last week I spent about $200 for a big haul at Lowe’s foods, but was incredibly disappointed that several of the organic produce items I purchased were rotten. Seriously, 2 peppers were black and moldy on the inside and my baby kale was slimy and gross- that’s about $12 worth of wasted money. I returned to Whole Foods this week ($136 – adding in a vegetarian meal here or there proves to save some serious $$$) because I have yet to be disappointed by any of their produce.
We wrapped up the weekend with Mexican (these enchiladas never let me down)
and a little reading before calling it an early night.
This week I’m focusing on getting back in the workout game. After school being cancelled all last week, I fell off the wagon a little and I am anxious to hit it hard this week!
What’s your favorite weekend food?
Mine is clearly pizza and Mexican, so checking both these boxes this weekend was pretty stellar!
Erica { EricaDHouse.com } says
Another Broken Egg seriously has the best breakfasts ever!
John J. says
Attractive woman with a cute “do”! Shoulda been at the Oscars.
Brynn says
I love Moscow Mules, yum! What a fun night (and morning) out. Have to love grandmas. And I seriously want to share a cow. My friends do this and it is a great deal!
Lindsey @ Simply Lindsey says
I agree with you, produce at Whole Foods never disappoints me!! We shop at the Whole Foods in South Park and love it! π They have amazing seafood prices too, especially for salmon. I’ve been pretty disappointed in Fresh Market in Charlotte, compared to elsewhere. Lots of the refrigerated items are already expired so you have to be diligent about checking the dates before you buy!
Brittany Dixon says
Love the South Park Whole Foods location!! Glad I don’t have to drive down to it anymore on the regular but I do think it’s a great store π
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
How did I miss your birthday?? HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET FRIEND! I am trying to be better about my food budget too. Winter can get expensive! PS… if you lived closer I would help you out with your beef. My daddy is an organic beef farmer. π
Brittany Dixon says
Not really my birthday π Just felt like it with the free beef. Jealous that you have such awesome access to quality beef!!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
The hair looks great! And we are cracking down on grocery budget big time since we found out on Friday about my work situation changing.
Weekend foods: pizza, tacos, burgers. And I second Mexican too! Yum.
Ashley S. says
I’m with you— I keep going back to whole foods for the same reasons, but $136 is impressive! Those enchiladas look yummy!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
I have to say I am very, very, very jealous of your night out as well as your nice, quiet brunch! We braved a snowy weekend here in Denver and went out for Sunday brunch with both kids and I was longingly looking at the brunch drinks menu (the alcoholic side). I’m nursing and very petite (4’11”) so I don’t want to risk drinking too much. While I am good with a splash of wine here and there, I’m sure if I had an umbrella drink in front of me, I’d probably gulp down the whole thing.
My favorite weekend food would have to have be anything decadent I can order at a restaurant that I’m too lazy to make at home… a chocolate souffle, eggs benedict, rack of lamb?!
Emily S says
I love Another Broken Egg! We go to the one in Southpark – we were actually there Sat morning π I love their Traditional Breakfast with 2 eggs scrambled, breakfast potatoes, bacon and an English muffin. (And a few bites of Parker’s pancakes, of course!) Yum – love a hearty breakfast!
Taca @ A Side Of Dessert says
Drippy egg!!! So delicious! I looked like a fantastic weekend overall. My favourite weekend food would have to be something decadent π
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life says
Yay, you tried the hair!!! It looks great! Keep at it – it gets so much easier the more you do it. π
And those enchiladas?! YUM!!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
Blackjack is my jam!
Your hair looks beautiful!
Come join my Weekend Snapshots link-up! It’s where everyone shares about their weekend on Monday. π
Lyndsey says
I started my second Whole30 recently, so no vegetarian meals for me right now, but i can totally vouch that it will SO save you money! You can make delicious stuff with a couple of cans of black beans or chickpeas. Also another way to save money is to eat cheaper parts of chicken. Thighs and wings are ridiculously moist and now i can barely look at a chicken breast the same! Try Cracklin’ Chicken by Nom Nom Paleo and you’ll never turn back π
Brittany Dixon says
Going to google that recipe now- THANKS π And good luck in your Whole30!!
Kathy says
Your hair–so cute! π And Pizza and Mexican (which I could eat alternating every other night) never disappoints. Glad you had a fun weekend!
Kate B says
Vegetarian meals is the key to our low grocery budget!
I went to Another Broken Egg in Panama City while on vacation and I loved it. Did not even realize there was one so close to Rock Hill. Woo-hoo!
Rachel says
I’m going to Another Broken Egg this weekend for the first time, I’m excited to see a good review! And, your hair looks super cute π
Lynne says
What a great photo of you! Love it! I see Koda curled up by you — how is she doing with her chemo? Hugs to your sweet pup with lots of good wishes!
Brittany Dixon says
She is doing pretty well, thank you for asking! She has some lethargic moments but also plenty where she is up and running.Overall she is really happy so I’m just soaking up all the cuddles I can get and pray that the chemo does its thing.
Liv @ Healthy Liv says
Do you ever return/exchange your produce when it’s bad? I always do since produce is so expensive (especially when buying organic) and the customer service desk is always so gracious about it.
Some stores, like Kroger, even do “double your money back” guarantees on produce. I can’t stand to lose lots of money on bad produce!
Brittany Dixon says
Yes! I usually do return it, but unfortunately with our current schedule and two kiddos, it’s hard to make a trip in the store to return it. I was close to this time because it was such a large amount, but alas, I just couldn’t make it work. Great tip though!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I had a fried egg on a veggie burger yesterday and it was SO good!! It also had cheese and hashbrowns on it. It was appropriately titled the “Hangover Burger” π
Also, I just have to say that your diamond ring is GORGEOUS!!
Danica @ It's Progression says
Buying a portion of a cow right from the farmer is the way to do it. Jesse and I split a quarter of a cow with one of my coworkers last year and not only did it last the two of us half a year, it was also much more affordable than buying per pound at any grocery store and it was the best tasting beef we’d ever had (grass-fed, organic, straight from the farm).
Lauren @ Oh Hey I Like That! says
My weekend wasn’t the greatest since I was saddled with the stomach flu, but I cannot WAIT to be chowing down on pizza and Mexican again soon!!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh man, stomach bugs are the WORST! Hope you are feeling better today!
Julie says
You looked great for your night out! Not to be creepy, but I actually noticed your mascara 1st. π Your lashes looked so long! Gorgeous!
I’m totally w/ ya on the pizza & Mexican!
Julia @ LordStillLovesMe says
Praying for you as you configure out a budget! I know how stressful money situations can be, but I have full faith in your and Davidβs ability to make things work. Iβd take your homemade pizza over restaurant pizza any day.
The rest of this comment is in regards to your baby led weaning postβ¦ I didnβt want to leave a comment on the actual post because that would take away an entry from someone that would actually use the products! β> See, Iβm a weird 18 year old as I cannot wait to have children of my own! I kind of love reading your blog specifically because I feel as though it helps me prepare for this phase of my life that I am so excited to enter. Though it wonβt happen for a while, I still really enjoy learning about it from you! Especially given my own disordered past with food, I want to do everything in my power to abstain from passing that off to my children. Of course, my parents had absolutely no part to blame in my eating disorder. I just want to be as proactive as I can to ensure my children grow up in a comforting environment as I did. Thank you for all of your insight on the subject!
Jodie says
I would be thrilled with that grass fed beef!!
Your pizza looks so simple yet delicious. You should post a recipe π
Kari says
I just hate when you spend a boatload of money on produce and then find out it’s rotten. So frustrating. I never have the energy to return to the store with a baby and a toddler in tow! Looks like you had a great weekend!
Brittany Dixon says
Exactly! I really wanted to return it but dragging two kids back to the store just wasn’t it the cards…
Giselle says
What a lovely weekend and your hair looks great! Funny that breakfast out used to seem like just another meal out but now when you’re able to enjoy it sans kids it’s the best thing ever!!!! Lucky you with all that beef! You won the beef lottery!
Sabrina says
I used to secretly judge people who did it, but I go back to the store with rotten produce and my receipt and ask for replacements. It’s only happened a couple of times, and customer service took care of me right away each time. Do that if it happens again!