Monthly Archives: May 2012

Whole Foods Bee Cave and life changes

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HI. Ok, I know I begin almost every post these days with “wow, life has been a whirlwind.”But. It. Has. This is a photo I just snapped with my phone. Moving out of my college apartment (and using eco friendly boxes–thanks for the idea, Emily @ Daily Garnish) and storing for a week, then moving to Uptown Dallas!

I also got a new car. Meet Mrs. Ford Edge Eco Boost. She’s currently in the shop getting a brand new computer for the “sync” entertainment and nav system…a day after I bought it. Grrrreat!

Other than the nav system going haywire, this thing drives like a dream. I LOVE it.

And one last thing. My new favorite hangout in Austin: Whole Foods Bee Caves.

I love that each Whole Foods has a unique aspect to it.

This one has a bar complete with WINE on tap.

Oh and their awesome hot bar.

But the best part:

A fire pit in the front! This will probably only be good between November and March, but that’s ok. I’ll be back.

Less random posts coming your way very soon. Just have to get my life on a normal schedule. That will probably happen when I move into my new apartment on June 9th.

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

the true meaning of memorial day

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Happy Memorial day everyone!

Today is a holiday that many people overlook. Most have the day off, and most celebrate by being with friends and family and more importantly, BBQ. But I would like to remind everyone of the true meaning of this “holiday”.  Today is the day to remember the pure sacrifice that our current and past soldiers have given to our beautiful country. Thank you to all veterans and current soldiers, most importantly, my cousin Stephen Hawkins.

He will be heading to Afghanistan in October. Prayers are welcome.

Austin rocks. pub crawler, above salon, farmers market and more

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Good evening foodie people!

This is Lake Austin. AKA my backyard when I’m home in Austin. This is why we need to catch up now. Being by the lake for a week made it difficult to get much of anything done. It was a nice relaxing week.

I enjoyed lots of awesome food, good workouts, walking around 2nd street and much more. Here’s a snapshot of me next to a store on 2nd enjoying an iced almond milk latte from Jo’s.

I couldn’t resist the swing. After that, my mom enjoyed lunch at one of my favorite healthy lunch places of all-time: Leaf. The world’s greatest salad bar.

2nd Street is always bustling now that it’s been built up quite a bit in the past few years (including the new W Hotel). I had an encounter with the “Pub Crawler” which I definitely need to try out sometime soon. You actually help pedal as you enjoy a beverage around the streets of Austin. Could it get any better than that?

I also got a haircut at the new Above Salon with the lovely Jessica. She brought mimosa materials to celebrate my engagement. It was so sweet. And I never say no to a mimosa.

And finally, last Sunday, my mom and I went to a mini flea market/ farmers market near my house in Lakeway. I was surprised to find a really cute completely organic farmers market where we purchased some purple potatoes.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Whether your plans are no plans at all or you’re packing your weekend full of activities, enjoy it.

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

my new favorite hummus brand: Zilks.

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Greetings from Austin, Texas. I’ve been home this weekend to take a little breather post graduating from college, getting engaged and something else exciting that I will announce soon.

One of the best parts about being in my family’s home on Lake Austin is the kitchen. It’s big and spacious, full of memories and most importantly, full. of. hummus. (see figure above)

Because my dad played in a golf tournament this weekend, we all were introduced to our new favorite hummus brand. Meet Zilks. They were the main sponsor for the weekend. Formerly known as Out to Lunch (which I didn’t realize when we met one of the partners), I’ve always been a big Out to Lunch hummus fan…until now they’ve rebranded and I assume Zilks bought them out.

Not only does Zilks do hummus (the name is short for Zilker Park–to all my Austinites, you will appreciate that), they also do tzatziki, queso and salsa. They cook their sauces and hummus right out of their kitchen in South Austin, and you can find their products at Whole Foods and Central Market.

My personal favorite out of the above flavors is the balsamic roasted garlic & red onion. Other flavors I can’t wait to try:

  • basil pesto hummus
  • chipotle sundried tomato hummus
  • spinach & artichoke hummus
  • black bean w/ lime hummus
  • tzatziki Greek yogurt

They pride themselves on their wholesome and very few ingredients. Only the freshest and nutritious hummus possible.

So, wipe that drool off your chin and sprint to your local Whole Foods. Now now now!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Roly Poly breakfast wraps

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Roly Poly

What: “rolled” sandwiches (wraps)

Where: Dallas, near SMU

It’s too bad I’m just finding out that Roly Poly has a delicious breakfast option, right after I graduated from SMU. Good thing I’ll be sticking around! Meet the breakfast wrap. More commonly accepted as the breakfast taco (if you’re from Texas) or breakfast burrito (if you’re from anywhere else), Roly Poly has a wide range of breakfast options even for vegetarians too.

I got a half of their veggie scramble wrap. Inside the wrap is scrambled eggs, tomato, spinach, a bit of Jack cheese, bell pepper and onion. It was so tasty and the wrap was a little toasted from the grill.

If you’re around SMU or just in Dallas, hurry on over to Roly Poly for a healthy and filling breakfast.

What do you call it? Breakfast taco? Breakfast burrito?

a special announcement

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We’re engaged!!!!!!

It’s been 6 long days without a post on TFG, but this weekend has been a whirlwind to say the least. After over 5.5 years of dating, yesterday my best friend and the love of my life asked me to marry him. I nodded my head yes through all the happy tears.

We also both graduated with 2 degrees each on Saturday from Southern Methodist University.

Just a few extremely exciting times in my life, and I’m off to try to think straight and get organized for another special announcement that will be coming your way soon…

turkey burger dinner

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I haven’t posted any homemade meals recently because I’ve been cooking the same things all the time. This is one of those meals, and it always satisfies.

Turkey burger with spinach, hummus and a whole gran English muffin. I’d like to think it’s a more nutritious way of eating a turkey burger. When I don’t use a “bun” I like to dip by burger in ketchup.

On the side is organic green beans sautéed with coconut oil, salt and pepper. Coconut oil just pairs beautifully with some vegetables. That includes brussels sprouts.

What is your go-to meal when you don’t feel like being creative in the kitchen?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

margaritas and good company

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It’s been one heck of a lazy Sunday over here. Woke up late, lounged on the couch while eating breakfast, studied in bed, napped and snacked. Sometimes you need a day like that!

This past week has been so much fun and full of good company and lots of margaritas and drinks. Because I finished class last Thursday, I’ve had over a week until my final that I will be taking tomorrow morning. Then the family gets in and graduation is on Saturday. I can’t even believe it.

The photo above is of my margarita at the Katy Trail Ice House. My older brother Matt was in town visiting, and I wanted him to experience KTIH for himself. Not such a great experience–the service was slower than ever and the waitress disappeared for an entire hour after we had finished our drinks. My margarita was mediocre, and just a word of advice to all of you who want to try their $11 beeritas– the waitress even said it herself: “It’s not worth it”.

The first thing we did when Matthew flew in from LA was head straight to the Rangers game. I enjoyed a yard long margarita which probably contained 1.5 shots of tequila and a lot of artificial margarita mix. But it was a yard long margarita, and that’s what counts, right?

We both bought new Rangers gear–you can’t really see my shirt but I’m now a proud owner of a Rangers tshirt. It took me a while to get one, for no reason in particular.

The next night we went to Union Bear to have a beer or two. We tried several beers, and I ended up ordering a Sierra Nevada Summerfest. It was tasty and refreshing. I also loved that they had special Union Bear glasses they serve their beer in:

You can sort of see it in this photo, but we just loved sitting outside at the bar. I can’t wait to go back and try the food too.

The latest drinks we had were the margaritas at Mi Cocina with Ryan on Cinco de Mayo. I jumped at the chance to celebrate with a margarita. After snapping this photo, we both found tortilla chips in our drinks…and we weren’t eating chips. That was a bit terrifying, so we got new drinks.

Graduation is nearing and we’re ready to celebrate after our last finals tomorrow. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

Prime Bar Dallas: snooze.

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Prime Bar

What: bar, american

Where: uptown Dallas

Someone hand me a pillow. It’s just your average uptown Dallas restaurant.

Where do I even begin with my thoughts on this self-proclaimed “modern day ale house”? First off, the description of this restaurant is a bit presumptuous. It’s just a restaurant with a nice bar and a patio. The inside of the establishment is pretty, but we sat outside and encountered a different kind of decor. Just think of an uptown club and then put it outside on a patio during daylight for dinnertime.

The menu was enticing and had some options you don’t normally find on every other uptown restaurant and bar. I ordered the vegetarian hummus wrap. Roasted red pepper hummus, avocado, spinach, onion, carrot, zucchini, goat cheese, balsamic glaze and lavosh, or so says the menu. If you look at the photo above, it was a whole lot of hummus with a tiny bit of the other ingredients, but I don’t recall any zucchini. The dish was fresh and colorful, I’ll give them that. Otherwise, it was a mouthful of hummus (which some people may enjoy), and it was heavy on the balsamic. I could only take a few bites as the acidity was too much to handle. The fries were good.

This was the best part of the meal. Their spinach and pepper jack queso with tortilla chips. It was a lot lighter than most quesos and spinach dips, and the flavor was spot on. It was a bit soupy for dipping, but we managed.

How beautiful is that? Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. This is their seared tuna tacos with wasabi cream and citrus cabbage slaw with a side of rice, beans and mango salsa. Pretty presentation, but I couldn’t tell you about the taste since I didn’t actually try them.

We ordered a side of their stir fry veggies, which come out a bit spicy with a Kung Pao-like sauce. They were cooked nicely and served as a great complement to all the chips I ate instead of my hummus wrap meal.

The service was unprofessional but wasn’t too unbearably slow.  Save your palate for the plethora of great restaurants right around the corner. There’s nothing that special about this place as far as I can tell.The menu boasts a wide variety of options, but if I do go back, I’ll be back for a cocktail and an appetizer.

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

How to beef stew

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For the end of the semester, our Spanish Human Rights class had to come up with a creative project that tied in with one of the novels we read. Naturally, my friend Brandy and I gravitated towards anything food/cooking related. We actually managed to tie it in with the Spanish civil war and compared how the warriors in hiding used to cook and eat compared with how they ate pre-war.

Take a look at Brandy’s cooking and my video I created:

As you know, I’m not big on beef, but this video was too much fun. I’d love to hear what you think!

Have a great Wednesday!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl