Category Archives: Dallas

Quinoa and veggie stuffed peppers

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DSC02515Happy Wednesday everyone!

I know I’ve done a poor job of giving updates on my #tfgbridal plan, but if you follow me on Instagram, you at least get more updates.

I’m skipping around a lot, and I still owe you all a post about the food at my Bachelorette party. And the juicing afterwards. But for now, I wanted you all to see what I made for dinner last night.

DSC02517Some recipes I try are great. Some not so much. This was a winner.

Kale, zucchini, quinoa & black bean stuffed peppers.

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Ingredients:

  • 1-2 handfuls baby kale (or regular. just be sure to not include stem)
  • 2 bell peppers (cut lengthwise in half)
  • 1 small zucchini (diced)
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice
  • salt + pepper + paprika

Heat oven to 400F. Line cookie sheet with foil, place 4 bell pepper halves on sheet. In a large pan, add olive oil, sautee zucchini until soft. Add kale. Let wilt. Stir. Stir in broth and garlic. Cook for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat. Stir in quinoa, Greek yogurt, black beans. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Spoon mixture into pepper halves. Be generous! Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for about 25 minutes or until peppers are soft. Voilá!

Dessert was homemade almond butter. Didn’t realize making almond butter is so easy. Add almonds to blender, blend at low speed, be patient. And you’ve got almond butter! Nothing added! I will never buy almond butter again!

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As far as the bridal plan goes, my workouts have been as follows:

Monday: 1 hour vinyasa yoga

Tuesday: 2 mi run, .5 mi walk

Wednesday: will be 1 hour vinyasa yoga

I have been pretty good, but it’s hard to be perfect! I will say I got a craving for Swedish Fish last night…and satisfied that craving. Does anyone else get weird candy cravings?

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

vegan quinoa and cheese

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DSC02088Ok, this little bowl of delicious was quite a hit on my Instagram (@thatfoodiegirl).

Some wanted the recipe, but I can hardly call it a recipe. It’s a mishmash of ingredients. Here’s the ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

sauteed vegetables of choice (I used zucchini, bell pepper & asparagus)

handful of vegan “cheeze” of your choice. (I used Daiya shredded mozzarella)

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Cook the quinoa as instructed. Sautee vegetables in olive oil or coconut oil, sea salt and pepper to taste. When quinoa is done, add cheeze and stir until melted and combined. Add vegetables. Enjoy!

You might even have leftovers…I didn’t have the self-control though.

As you may or may not know, my Bachelorette weekend was last weekend. My bridesmaids and I enjoyed a fun-filled weekend in Sonoma, California (Healdsburg to be specific) hopping around vineyard to vineyard, enjoying delicious local wine and food. Healdsburg, CA is on the top of my favorite cities list. What a cute town. I can’t wait to show you all what we had! Until then here’s one of my favorite photos of us at Trentadue Vineyard in Alexander Valley.

DSC02365As far as my bridal plan goes, I did a juice cleanse the day before my bridal portraits this week (more on that later) and I’ve been eating well post-Bachelorette… Workouts haven’t been according to plan, but life is busy 4 weeks before my wedding! This week’s workouts were the following:

Thursday: free weights (arms + abs + thighs), 1 mi run , 1 mi treadmill incline workout that left me extremely sweaty

Friday: 1 hour vinyasa

Hope everyone is doing well! Has anyone else been to Healdsburg, CA?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Boulevardier: a Bishop Arts District French eatery

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What: French

Where: Bishop Arts District, Dallas

Look at me back on the blogging wagon!

Last night I had a fun dinner date with my friend Nina in the Bishop Arts District. We decided on Boulevardier—a place I had heard good things about, and knowing it was owned by the same people as Veritas, I knew it had to be trustworthy.

blvd cheeseWe sat outside since the inside was packed and we’d have to wait several hours (tip: make a reservation). It happened to be a nice night out, so it was fine. We started with their special appetizer–their cheese plate. My favorite was the goat cheese on the upper left hand side. Sandwiched on top of their toasty bread, a slice of apple and a drizzle of the honey…it was love. I’m a big fan of Veritas’s cheese and fruit boards, and this one was no different…except for the price point. This little sucker was $16, but it was justified by the utter quality of ingredients.

beignetWe then moved on to their crawfish beignets with smoked pimenton aioli and pickled sweet peppers. This was my favorite. I have to say crawfish doesn’t usually do it for me, but the combination of flavors and the crunch of the fried dough were satisfying.

grilled oystersFinally, our last app was the wood grilled gulf oysters. Nina initially wanted oysters on the half shell, but to appease my mind, we shared the grilled oysters. And I still can’t get over the consistency. It’s one of those foods I really want to like, but I just can’t. Maybe one day, oysters.

Even though I am a food blogger, there are foods that scare me. Foods that put me out of my comfort zone, and oysters, octopus, escargot and bone marrow are all on that list…and on the Boulevardier menu. But that’s what life is about! Trying new things and exploring.

Are there any foods that freak you out?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

anniversary dinner, crab apples and prosecco

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My fiancé and I got to celebrate our 6th anniversary a week late, but better late than never, right? We didn’t feel like getting dressed up and going out, so we opted for a cozy night in. We ordered a prosciutto and parm pizza from Fireside Pies with a (heaping) side of caesar salad. The pizza had wayyy too much prosciutto, but the caesar salad was the real focal point for us. It was delicious.

Props to Fireside for their generous portions of fresh ingredients. The caesar came with freshly grated parmesan…to die for. I found a chunk of fresh parmesan in my salad and gladly ate it atop a piece of crust.

The other focal point was trying this Santa Margherita prosecco. I love their white wine, so this was a treat. It was dry with a hint of sweet. That description came out of the mouth of Ryan.

The plan was to watch Dexter (how romantic), but unfortunately we found out that my AT&T plan didn’t have Showtime. Breaking Amish it was. And it’s so hard not to watch that show when it comes on. TLC, people.

Wondering about the crab apple portion of the headline of this post? Here ya go:

They look like cherries, but they’re hard like apples. Baby apples! I couldn’t resist taking a photo…buying…not so much. I do want to eventually try one. Found them at Whole Foods.

And finally, my training update.

This was yesterday’s morning run. It’s been so nice in the mornings—temperatures in the low 60′s!! Awesome. And the training schedule has gotten a bit ramped up with more mileage during the week.

Yesterday: 4 mi, 45 mins (did it in 43:18). Slow, easy breezy run.

Saturday: 7 mi run on the treadmill. It was pouring rain all day, so I forced myself to run on the treadmill. Ran it in 1hour2mins. Record time for me! 1.5 episodes of Revenge helped me get through those miles.

Friday: rest!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Fall time breakfast and Southpaw’s

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Good afternoon everyone! I got out of bed too late today and decided to roll with it and make myself a leisurely fall time version of my favorite breakfast.

I used my (on the verge of death) banana and smashed it into my usual waffle mix and topped it with plain Greek yogurt, chia seeds, peanut butter, chopped apples and a drizzle of maple syrup. If you want to be full for 4 hours+, this is the way to go. It was so delicious with chopped apples. I got to dip them in Greek yogurt and PB. All in one dish. So tasty. It’s a fall time waffle because I substituted apples for berries.

An hour later, still full, I headed to the gym and did 30 mins on the elliptical. It got super boring and actually feels more challenging than a long run. Good thing this played on my Spotify radio:

You bet I got back to work as soon as the Backstreet Boys began singing to me.

After a shower and some work at home, I went to meet Ryan at Southpaw’s organic grill.

It was really sunny and we’re patio eaters no matter the time of year. I got the chicken and tabbouleh wrap. I thought there wasn’t any chicken in there since it said it was rotisserie chicken on the  menu, but it’s more of a deli chicken. Look closely, it’s right up next to the tortilla. Yep, we brought it back and asked for chicken and found there is in fact chicken in there. I was excited for rotisserie chicken…a  bit misleading.

It was so fresh and clean though. <–I wrote that without meaning to rap. Sides were watermelon and orange slices. I love that we have this lunch place for another healthy option! Ryan had a turkey sandwich and we shared a coconut milk berry smoothie. Mmmm.

This was a snack last night. Half an apple smothered in almond butter. Never gets old. I ate the other part of the apple shortly after.

What’s your go to healthy snack?

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

The Front Room Dallas

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One of the best moments of this past weekend had to be my dinner date with Ryan at The Front Room. I couldn’t wait to try Hotel Lumen’s newest addition.

What: upscale diner

Where: Park Cities

Please excuse the horrible iPhone photos. I started off with the Mai Tai. It was refreshing and delicious. Ryan had the Jalapeño Caipirinha.

For my entree, I had the Chicken Paillard. I was very satisfied with the flavor. The arugula was dressed with a light lemony vinaigrette and the chicken was perfectly cooked. It was the perfect light dish to eat out on the patio.

Ryan had the steak and fries (wasn’t cooked the way he ordered it, but fries were good). On the side we shared their mac n cheese and green bean casserole. I got so excited green bean casserole was on the menu. It was a bit too creamy for my liking, but tasty nonetheless. The mac n cheese was very rich and creamy–with shell pasta. I tended to gravitate towards the fries.

Dessert was a hard choice because their menu was so jam packed with drool-worthy options. We went with the coconut cream pie–more of a cheesecake texture, but perfect amount of crust to sweet filling. Wish I had a better photo to represent it, but this will have to do!

The prices were right and so were portions. Even though they’re brand new, we had a great server. He was attentive and quick. I can’t wait to go back for a glass of wine and their “deviled tomatoes”! See ya soon, Front Room!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Start Restaurant

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Start Restaurant

What: healthy food fast

Where: Dallas

If you follow me on Twitter or like my page on Facebook, you’d know I have been very exciting about this “real food fast” concept. It finally opened this Wednesday and I went in on their second day of business. I loved the wood and earthy/recycled feel of the place.

I couldn’t help but laugh at all the birds everywhere. Put a bird on it! (Portlandia anyone?)

I started off with their “go go juice” with spinach, carrot, apple and ginger. It was refreshing but would you take a look at their size small? I was wondering where the other half of my drink went. It was $3 for that size.

My friend George ordered the Mediterranean quinoa. Again, small size. Side of hummus and pita chips. He felt he got a little cheated with the amount of food he received with the amount he paid.

After he gotten his food and began eating, my friend Eme and I hadn’t gotten our food after over 20 minutes. George went up and they had lost our order. They asked for our receipts and they promptly reimbursed us and brought out our veggie-bean-quinoa burgers.

I was too hungry to capture a good photo of my burger. It was good, but next time I might get it without the bun and on top of a salad.

Side of sweet potato tater tots. These were very sweet as they had hardly any salt and were very lightly fried. You could taste that they were wholesome and healthy, but they could have used some sea salt and a little more crispiness.

I will say they handled our forgotten order very well. We ended up not having to pay, and he brought over drinks for us too. It was a nice gesture, and I can’t wait to be back to try their breakfast.

Cheers to a finally healthy fast restaurant in Dallas! They have a drive through too!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Whole Foods shopping cart

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Before I show you what was in my little shopping cart at Whole Foods, you must watch this video.

Ok, now that you’ve been enlightened, you will never look at the WF parking lot the same way.

I am very interested in what people buy at the grocery store. Even the checkout lady will ask me what I’m going to make with certain ingredients. I think it’d be interesting to see what everyone buys. So here’s my latest shopping load full of summer staples.

Yes this is for ONE girl. It’ll last me about a week if I cook every meal at home. From the left we have my produce. Summer produce is the best. Bananas (huge), nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes, Texas heirloom tomatoes, avocado and zucchini. I find that when I fill my fridge with the good stuff, I only eat fresh produce.

Continuing, we have chicken and turkey, and these whole grain sandwich thins that make things a whole lot easier.

I ended up making a sandwich right after I got home, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Moving across my WF loot, I also picked up some plain Voskos. My favorite Greek yogurt for delicious berry and oat bowls in the morning. A dozen eggs because eggs are great on just about everything, cranberry juice and coco water.

And my packaged items. I love this Near East couscous, so I decided to get the WF brand lemon & herb flavored as well. I love treating it like rice and adding grilled veggies and sometimes an egg too. And the Stubb’s BBQ sauce, honey pecan. I’ve never tried this kind, but I can’t wait to marinate and grill chicken with it.

Finally, my favorite almond butter. Mmmm.

After leaving WF hungrier than ever, I put together this little (big) lunch:

Fresh produce special of the day. Turkey, spinach, heirloom tomato, avocado. Side of fresh nectarine slices. It was heavenly.

There’s nothing quite like fresh avocado.

What would you make with all those groceries? Today’s lunch was a HUGE salad.

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

A new summer favorite: grilled peaches

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Good evening, foodie people!

I have been thinking about this dish ever since my friend and I made it a few nights ago. Meet grilled peaches.

We didn’t exactly get those pretty grill lines, but it tasted just like peach cobbler. Minus the unnecessary sugar and calories. Grilled peaches + plain Voskos Greek yogurt + oats + drizzle of honey. So. Good.

Besides new dessert creations, I have been eating everything in sight. This lunch plate proves I couldn’t make up my mind.

Allow me to take you on a tour.

This is a veggie masala pattie (bought it in the frozen section of WF) and my favorite summer veggies– sautéed zucchini and bell pepper.

On the other side of my plate are baby carrots, lentil crackers and a gouda Baby Bell cheese. The cheese is so good. And you know I try to avoid cheese….until I met these little guys.

On another note, this is how my mornings begin. The joys of working from home.

Let’s zoom in.

Thanks to my recent trip to WF, I got to jam pack my morning with fresh produce. The best way to start the day. Under that pile of berries is plain Greek yogurt. On the right is a slice of Seeduction bread toasted with Justin’s PB and bananas.

What do you like to eat for breakfast? Have you ever tried grilling peaches?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

and i’m back!

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Hi everyone! I can’t believe an entire week has passed since the last time I posted. I have taken the last week to get out of my regular routine and I did quite a few things.

The above picture is of myself and my grandmother, whom I visited in Oklahoma City. It was an easy drive from Dallas, and it was a fun time with family and good food. If you’re ever in OKC, I recommend you try 501 Cafe, which is where we are in that photo. We both had cosmos. :)

Right after my 3 days in OKC, I headed back to Dallas, and was greeted by my twin brother Travis. He and I spent the last few days together and it was a really fun time. Last night we had dinner with friends at the Common Table, then drinks at the Katy Trail.

The night before we started our evening out with a drink at the Nodding Donkey. I had an icy cold Blue Moon with a slice of orange and he had a glass of Jameson.

And finally, we got to visit this little joy. His name is Pierce, and he’s my cousin’s 7 month old baby boy. He was too much fun.

Tomorrow I am headed to NYC (it’s been an entire year!) to be with my fiancé and have a weekend of fun in the city. I will do a better job at being a foodie, and I promise you will be seeing posts with lots of NYC eats. If you have any recs of places I just have to go to while i’m there, please comment below!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl