Inca Kola and Picarones (Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Doughnuts)

I had to fight off temptation-HARD- this past weekend while visiting my family in NY! I was able to prove to myself just how dedicated I am to the BTB45! I'm not saying I've been a saint--I mean anyone can look at my evernote log and note my tequila cheats! (Pineapple infused tequila is my downfall!) I digress...back to the yumminess at hand...my parents and I went out to eat one evening at a local Peruvian eatery in NJ--they serve some of the best anticuchos, choncholi, pollo a la brasa, etc...around those parts! Before Paleo, my meal would consist of a any of the aforementioned items, with fries, Inca cola (best soda ever!) and for dessert, my own plate of picarones! Picarones are ADDICTIVE! They are my crack! They are this fried doughy goodness with a spicy sweet flavor that is dipped in a uber sweet syrup! OMG!! The taste is just something that is indescribable! Eating these always brought back childhood memories-especially since my Grandmother used to make these suckers, by hand, at family gatherings. My grandmother passed away a few years ago, but I was fortunate enough to learn her cooking secrets and have made these for my family--tastes just the way my abuelita (grandmother) used to make them! After finishing my plate of organ meat and salad, my parents decided to share a plate of picarones =(...oh how I almost crossed the darkside. But I stood strong and rejected my mother (multiple times) as she almost forced fed me this gluten bomba! It was truly difficult--you don't know how persuasive my mother can be. Needless to say, my parents enjoyed eating their picarones as I sat their drinking my water. Love you Mom&Dad ;)! (in one of the pics, you can see my father poking fun as he was about to devour his first picarone!)

Smells so right but feels so wrong

I smelled them before I saw them... the aroma actually made me turn around before I could even think about it... mini cinnamon rolls hot from the oven at Trader Joe's little sample area.

You smell like heaven my tiny little gluten-bomb frenemies, but I'm really not interested in what you have to offer today.

Work Candy

Catered lunch presentation: teh ahwsum science

Grilled chicken breast over spring greens w/ pesto vinaigrette: nomnomnom

Herb rolls, sun chips, cookies, sodas: meh, no thx

Fun size pb m&m's: WANT NOW. Oh, thanks but I'll just have a little fruit salad.

Parish Cookie Bar...Really?

Our office took a "retreat" to Parish this afternoon.

I seemingly forgot about the entire plethora of delicious baked goods.  BUT...I managed to come out of there with a simply turkey cobb salad and americano.

The guilt didn't seem worth it!

Chocolate Math

M&M's:
[(crunch-tastic shell + euphoria-inducing chocolate blast)(childhood nostalgia)^(free * giant bowl)] + gluten free + custom colors = superhard to pass up!


Thin Mints:
[(velvety chocolate coat * mint-splosion) + satisfying crispitude]/[(gluten gut punch^girl scout conspiracy theories) - free] = not as hard to pass up.

Free Waffle House Waffle

Today I ordered 3 eggs and sausage at Waffle House. Shortly after they brought out my food, they brought me an extra waffle they had cooked up. I generally don't like waffles very much, but I love Waffle House waffles. I turned it down and the server saw the look of despair on my face. I then explained the Paleo diet challenge, which they seemed to think was pretty neat.

This isn't the waffle they brought me, but it's a picture of an equally delicious Waffle House waffle.

South City Kitchen's Cornbread and Biscuits

There was a time in my life when I selected a restaurant largely on the basis of whether they had a bread basket (it's good value, right?).  Poor Law Student habits die hard.  One restaurant whose bread basket I deeply loved was South City Kitchen.  Getting those warm, delicious, fresh baked biscuits and cornbread and slathering them with butter (mmmm, butter) was the highlight of the meal.   Today I visited South City and ate carrot and beet soup while my companions ate the bread.  Have to say, I only missed the bread just a littttttttttttttle bit. :)

Work Cake 2.0

66.667% Don't wanna. 100% Not gonna.

Retreating...but not towards the plethora of crap available

This weekend marked the return of associates to our law firm retreat.  For the uninitiated, this is a booze-filled, bad food extravaganza.  Our firm actually has a cocktail hour featuring (and I quote) "light hors d'ouevres and heavy alcohol."   Needless to say, said alcohol was accompanied by trays of no good processed crap.  Instead of capitulating and having 6 martinis topped off with a pound of goldfish crackers (as I did at our last retreat), I stuck with sparkling water with lime.  I even stuck a red cocktail straw in it so people would think I was drinking.  At dinner, I skipped the masked potatoes accompanying my steak and the bread basket.  I also fished the croutons and cheese out of my french onion soup.  for my last trick, I skipped the giant slab of carrot cake for dessert.   As if avoiding crap all night Friday and all day Saturday wasn't hard enough, we had a birthday dinner for my mother in law at Miller Union.  I did not eat the bread and I did not indulge in the butterscotch ice cream with homemade marshmallows (yummmmm).  I did, hoeever, consume all the delicious greenery and pork products in the picture accompanying this post.    Avoiding temptation was TASTY.

SuperFunPartyTime!

Baby shower buffet! Fortunately, there were plenty of tasty paleo-friendly items... but there were also some ohsotempting croissants! Generally bread is supereasy for me to pass up... but croissants are less like bread and more like pillowy, chewy, delicious, french butter clouds. *sigh*

Then there was the Mimosa/Bloody Mary table. WANT. My goal is 30 days no drinking... it's only been a week and a half! Day-um.

Obligatory alluring fluffy cake was served. Part of me wanted to lick the icing, the rest of me drank a La Croix.

  

Aaannnd beautifully wrapped chocolate party favor... eschewed. But you know what? I've been feeling so good lately that even buttery french heaven pastries and inches of frosting nirvana and ounces of alcoholic yum don't really seem all that worth it. I think. ;)