First of all, I want to apologize for the recent quality of photos. Right after I started this blog, my brand new camera broke, and I had to send it off for repairs. I've been using my camera phone (an iPhone 3) to take pictures, which obviously doesn't produce the best quality photographs.
My mom recently told me about a delightful recipe that seemed too easy to be true. You simply mix two boxes of cake mix together (one must be Angel Cake, but the other can be any flavor you want), put 3 tbsp of the cake mixture into a coffee mug, toss in 2 tbsp of water, mix, microwave for 60 seconds--and voila!--low calorie cake. At 131 calories per mug serving, it makes a perfect, light dessert.
I love Pinterest; mainly because it allows me to find and try recipes that I never would have made otherwise. I recently stumbled upon a recipe on there that is a perfect example of this: No-Bake Energy Bites, or as I like to now call "Energy Balls". This recipe is touted as a high-energy, healthy snack. Lately I've been eating store-bought granola bars as a snack, because it is so easy to grab and eat while watching the baby. However, I like to avoid overly processed foods as much as possible, so I decided to give this recipe a go.
We have eaten at The National several times since we moved to Athens, and it has always been both fantastic and disappointing. Our first visit was for our anniversary dinner about four years ago. Back then we were poor recent graduates, so shelling out a lot of money for food was a pretty big deal. My husband ate a perfectly cooked pork shoulder. I, however, was served a well done lamb chop. Well done! To me that was unforgivable, and I boycotted the restaurant for several years. I agreed to give the restaurant another chance last summer, and was served what was probably the best fish I've ever had in Athens. My whole meal was amazing; everything that a restaurant in this price point should be. My husband, however, was served an under-cooked piece of steak; he ordered it medium-rare, and got a steak with a very cold center. Since it didn't happen to me this time, no boycott was necessary. My husband has always had a soft spot for The National; he frequently goes to the restaurant for business lunches, orders the smoked salmon, and apparently it is delicious. He raves about it constantly.
As you may know, I've been making my own baby food. It's been such a breeze; mainly because my daughter was only eating about 2 oz of solids a day. Which means the batches I've been making have lasted forever. Well, that happy period has ended, because she is now eating twice that amount; quickly depleting my frozen stash of pureed vegetables and fruit.
A restaurant new on our radar is the Heirloom Cafe. Located in the heart of Boulevard, it utilizes as many as ingredients as possible from local farms; a mission I not only respect, but one that I wish more restaurants would strive for. The restaurant itself is cheerfully decorated, with a large outside patio, and bright indoor seating as well. The staff have always been friendly and present; a rarity in Athens. The menu not only adequately describes the food, it also tells you which farms your ingredients come from.
