date night Archives - My Inner Shakti

Weekend Recap – A Day Off, Date Night, and Flying Across the Pond

My weekend officially started on Thursday night because I took Friday off so I could prepare for my trip. Well, I kind of took the day off. I still responded to emails in between running errands. I don’t do unanswered emails when I know they’re piling up in my inbox.

Anyways, I dropped Vishnu off at work, came home, went for a long run, cleaned, picked Vishnu up from work (short day), ran a bunch of errands (Target, dry cleaners, the bank), did laundry, and packed. Oh and answered emails!

Friday night ended up being date night. While we had decided on a cute Italian place a short walk from our apartment, we ended up at a Thai restaurant that we spotted on our way called The Lemon Grass. We’re strange like that!

I had a glass of Malbec and Pad Thai with tofu. And Vishnu had soup and Basil Sauce with chicken and rice. My wine was smooth and delicious, and the Pad Thai was tasty but VERY spicy. I asked our waiter if they could do something between mild and medium spicy, and he gave me the ‘ok’ sign. My dish, however, was HOT. Even Vishnu agreed. I still managed to eat half of it. Vishnu’s Basil Sauce dish was just ok – mainly because there wasn’t much sauce. His soup was just ok too. I let him steal a few bites of my Pad Thai!

After dinner, we decided to balance the spicy Thai with some sweet gelato from Paciugo’s. Aside from a couple of gelaterrias in Italy, this was some of the best gelato I’ve ever had! I got a cup with half baccio and half peanut butter chocolate. YUM!

We then made our way home and settled in to watch a movie called Stuck in Love. If you’re looking for a moving romantic comedy with good acting and a great plot, this film fits the bill. Highly recommend it!

On Saturday morning, I ran around the apartment, finished packing, and put together a to do list for Vishnu.

The one thing I didn’t do this time around was make a bunch of food for Vishnu to eat throughout the week. I intended to but never got around to it. When I told him that he would have to fend for himself and figure things out on the food front, he looked at me with fear in his eyes. I told him I have full faith that he won’t starve. He told me he’s going to get a whole chicken and cook it in the crock pot. Oh boy…

That brings me to the flying across the pond part of the weekend. My flight from Atlanta to Tampa was only an hour, and I had very little time to spare before boarding my flight to London (a good thing because I hate waiting around the airport). I have nothing bad to say about this travel experience (shocking!). The food (and wine!) was good, my seatmate was really nice, and everything went according to plan.

Once I was checked into my hotel room, I finally relaxed by taking a 45 minute nap. I was meeting Rosalind (my friend and colleague) at 10:30 am, so I got up, showered, and got ready for a day of exploring.

We had breakfast in Camden Market at a cute little café. Then we went to Fortnum and Mason (a beautiful store filled with delicious treats) because Ros needed to pick up a few things – it was total chaos. We then walked through Hyde Park and ended up near Winter Wonderland (an outdoor carnival) where we rode a crazy swinging roller coaster ride (SO MUCH FUN!). After that we walked around aimlessly and ended up on Oxford Street (like Michigan Ave in Chicago). We rested our feet at Starbucks while we chatted and sipped on a couple of lattes. And then I was officially done for the day – so tired! I got back to my room around 5 pm, worked for a bit, and then called it quits.

Day one in London was a success! Now on to a pretty packed work week.

Have a great Monday!

Let’s Catch Up

written by Parita 6 Comments

I’m not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I was in Atlanta last week for a work training. It was a great and exhausting few days. I had every intention of blogging, but all I wanted to do was sleeeeeeep!

Now that I’m all rested, let’s catch up!

1. My time in Atlanta was great. Not only because the training was helpful but I also got to see my parents. They drove down to my hotel on Wednesday night after work to spend a couple of hours with me. They are the absolute best! I may have shed a few tears after they left!

2. I got an iPhone 6. Thank goodness because my 4s was most definitely on its way out. The alarm clock feature stopped working, and my battery would die at 50% charge. So frustrating! I like the 6 more than I thought it would. The best part is that it’s super fast and light. I love how the keyboard is nice and big, which means I avoid as many embarrassing typos as possible!

3. Friday night was date night at a new-to-us sushi restaurant. Vishnu’s elaborate baked roll was apparently perfection. My veggie roll could have used some work. For one, there was waaaaay too much rice. Luckily, the age tofu and miso egg drop soup appetizers were great and filled me up! And a full glass of wine doesn’t hurt either.

date night wine
4. You guys! Order the Oh She Glows cookbook NOW! It is a vegetarian/dairy-free eater’s dream come true! I love how Angela only uses real/fresh ingredients and tons of herbs/spices in each and every recipe. I made both the lentil walnut meatloaf and the peanut butter/chocolate chip energy balls this weekend! LOVE LOVE LOVE! I can see this being my go to cookbook!

5. I found dairy-free chocolate chips at Target! There are no words for how excited I was to find these Enjoy Life Foods dark chocolate chips. All I can say is YAY! Dairy-free chocolate desserts here I come!

6. My 2014 travels are winding down. My last trip of the year is TODAY! I’m flying to DC for a work related meeting, and then it’s two more weeks of work before a whole 12 days off!!! I. Can’t. Wait!!! I’m just a tiny bit excited about this. Haha.

Now that we’re all caught up, have a great Monday!

Catch me up! What’s going on in your life?

Weekend Mish Mash

written by Parita 15 Comments

Looking back on the weekend, I feel like it was both relaxing and productive. A little mish mash of this and that.

Friday evening, Vishnu and I went to Running Wild so that I could buy a new pair of running shoes. I purchased my last pair , Mizuno Wave Inspire 8, over two years ago. Long overdue, I know! I tried on a number of different shoes that are similar to the Mizunos, and ultimately decided on the the Saucony ProGrid Ride 5.

I put my new kicks to the test with a 3.5 mile run on Saturday morning. Although it’s too early to tell, I think this pair is going to work out well. They felt light and provided great support for my high arches.

The original Friday night plan was to come home, make a simple dinner, and watch a movie. As we were heading home from Running Wild, I called my mom and she offered an alternative idea – date night out! That sounded really good to both me and Vishnu, so we ditched our plans and headed to Las Olas for dinner at Rocco’s Tacos (Mexican again!). Neither of us had eaten here before, but my friend Khusbu loves this place and has nothing but good things to say. We took her word for it and were glad we did. While I don’t have any pictures to prove it (really bad lighting), the atmosphere was fun, loud, and hip, and the food was fantastic. Someone (not named Parita) also enjoyed a few margaritas…ahem…Vishnu…ahem. Let’s just say he had a lot of fun – all in the name of National Margarita Day!

If you’re in the Fort Lauderdale area looking for a fun Mexican restaurant with great food (the guac was some of the best we’ve ever had), I highly recommend Rocco’s Tacos. We’ll definitely be eating there again.

Because of all the fun he had, Vishnu headed to bed super early. I tried to stay up and read, but that didn’t work out so well. I was fast asleep by 10:30. Crash and burn!

On Saturday morning I had plans to meet up a friend at Green Bar & Kitchen, a new vegan restaurant in town. My friend and I were lucky enough to meet the owner and talk to her for a few minutes. She’s a health and wellness coach with an amazing story to tell. This place deserves it’s own post (coming soon)! I will, however, share part of our breakfast – the Happy Hippie smoothie.

Coconut milk, kale, banana, pineapple, spirulina, bee pollen, and coconut oil

After chatting for an hour or so, my friend and I parted ways. I ran a few errands and then came home to do a little honeymoon and apartment research. We’re going to book our trip in the next week or so! Between the move coming up in early May and the trip in June, we’re going to have a crazy few months. Phew!

Saturday night, Vishnu and I drove to Miami to meet up some friends that were in town. Totally forgot to take pictures, but trust me…great conversation, great food, and a great time ensued.

Since we didn’t go to sleep until after midnight, we slept in a little and lounged around on Sunday morning. I finally got around to deep cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen, completing this awesome little strength circuit, and eventually, doing some grocery shopping. I wanted to get through my little routine fairly quickly so that I could watch the Oscars…with a huge bowl of this…

And that is exactly what happened!

Have a great Monday!

How was your weekend? Did you watch the Oscars?

*This post contains no Oscar commentary because I write my posts the night before they go live. So it’s currently 7:15 pm on Sunday night, and I’m watching the pre-Oscar stuff. So far so good!

Apartment Hunting Success

written by Parita 11 Comments

Thank you all so much for the sweet comments on my last post. It’s nice to know I’m not crazy!

I think this weekend validated that I worry too much because Vishnu and I found an apartment! It took a whole day of searching, but we did it. I didn’t take any pictures, but I’ll be sure to once we set it up in a few months. The place we decided on was actually the second to last one we visited, and we both loved it the minute we stepped inside. AND it’s in our price range, which after six hours of searching, I thought was going to be impossible to make happen. Woo hoo!

Since we knew Saturday was going to be dedicated to apartment hunting, we decided to make Friday evening a date night. Pizza, fro-yo, and a movie were on the agenda.

First, we headed to Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza for dinner. Vishnu’s been a few times and has only had great things to say, so I knew I’d love it too. We decided on the Eggplant Marino pie. The crust, the sauce, and the tender eggplant were all wonderful. However, an important ingredient was missing – the cheese. I think this particular pie could’ve used a few slices of fresh mozzarella. Regardless, we’ll be back again to try the Roasted Cauliflower pizza!

It just so happened a fro-yo place was next door. And since I’ve been craving frozen yogurt for months now, we had to make a quick pit stop. Check out our cup of goodies…

That, my friends, would be a cup of peanut butter, Oreo, and cappuccino frozen yogurts topped with crushed Oreos, almonds, and Snickers. Vishnu said he only wanted a “few” bites, so we shared. Bad idea. This cup was pretty much split 50/50. Next time, I’m getting my own!

Our night ended with a late show of The Hunger Games. Vishnu and I both read the book, so our expectations were set super high. I think for the level of detail in the book, the movie was well-made. It was good – the set, the cast, the story. I did, however, leave craving more. More depth, more emotion…I don’t know. But in order for that to happen, the movie would have to be another hour or two longer, so I get it. It was good, and I’m truly looking forward to the next two movies!

I can’t wait for regular date nights!

Before I peace out, a quick reminder – the next time I blog about my silly worries, please feel free to tell me to chill out! Please.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Date Night Dinner at Lola’s

written by Parita 8 Comments

I’m back home and settled in Tampa. Boo! This weekend flew by. And seriously, how is it mid-January already?

In an effort to relive part of my weekend, I’m going to do a little restaurant review. On Friday night, Vishnu and I dressed up and headed to Lola’s on Harrison in Hollywood, FL. A few people had told him that Lola’s was a fantastic restaurant with delicious, seasonal food.

We each started off with a drink – Riesling for me and a ginger and cardamom cocktail for Vishnu. Vishnu’s drink was amazing – sweet (because of the sugarcane rum) with a hint of spicy.

Bread was also served.

So here’s the thing with the bread. A man came by and gave both of us a piece of bread. And then he walked away and never came back. I wasn’t really looking to eat multiple pieces, but I found it odd that he didn’t leave the basket with us.

Anyways, the bread was good but nothing extraordinary – light, slightly chewy and warm.

Next came our entrees.

I ordered the Ricotta Gnocchi, made with ricotta cheese, wild mushroom cream sauce, shaved ricotta salata, and white truffle oil. I was really impressed with the gnocchi as it was incredibly soft and pillowy. Melt in your mouth delicious! The sauce was also really tasty and different. I was afraid it would be too rich, but it really worked well with the rest of the dish.

Vishnu (surprisingly) went with a vegetarian dish for his entrée. I think it was so he could share a little with me! Regardless, he really liked his Coca Cola BBQ Portabella Mushroom served with buttermilk onion rings and herb cream corn. The BBQ sauce was tangy with a bit of Coke sweetness and the onion rings were lightly battered and not too oily. The only issue I had with this dish was the portion size. Even though it looks like a lot of food, it honestly wasn’t. That’s why I shared quite a bit of my gnocchi with Vishnu.

And no meal out is complete without dessert, right?!

That, my friends, would be heaven in a bowl. We actually weren’t planning on getting dessert, but when our waiter told us about this chocolate truffle cake with java chip ice cream, we were sold. The truffle filling stole the show. It was rich, slightly bitter, and delicious with the ice cream. I’m seriously drooling right now just thinking about it!

Overall, we were both happy with our dining experience at Lola’s. Our waiter was very knowledgeable, patient, and helpful. The ambiance was cozy. And I loved the fact that there was a separate vegetarian and gluten free menu. I love it when restaurants cater to non-meat eaters!

What’s your favorite kind of dessert? I love anything with chocolate in it (duh)!

Weekend Recap – A Day Off, Date Night, and Flying Across the Pond

Let’s Catch Up

Weekend Mish Mash

Apartment Hunting Success

Date Night Dinner at Lola’s

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