Winning Friends with Salad

Hello,

I have a special treat for you guys today! But more on that later.

P and I spent the rest of Sunday relaxing on the porch with our respective reading material - he actually started reading Fitness when he ran out of his stuff! Haha - it was funny to see him read about how to beat that belly bloat.

For lunch, we had our leftovers from dinner the other night. I had my delicious steamed scallops with veggies:

Yum! I also had a blondie that I got at the Book and Bake sale.

Very good - nothing like homemade baked goods!

A little later in the afternoon, Peter was begging me to split a piece of homemade Maine fudge. It really is phenomenal - how could I say no?

Sweet picture on the front porch, courtesy of Peter.

After some more R&R, we decided to go to a local lobster pound for dinner. Here was our view as we ate:

and

At the lobster pound, you order your food and enjoy the beautiful scenery until they buzz your little buzzer and you collect your food. Here’s our buzzer:

Too cute right???

This menu was the same fried/mayo-laden business I’ve seen, so I tried a new tact. Maybe a haddock burger would do the trick. Sounds harmless right?

Of course it’s fried. And on white bread (cake) bun. But oh my goodness was it delicious. It was light and flaky and soooooo tasty. I’m a sucker for cornbread, so I had to try theirs when I saw it on the menu:

It did not disappoint - both P and I thought it was the best piece of cornbread we ever had.

Back at home, we had to finish the day with fudge (the last of it, thank goodness). I had 1/2 a piece of peanut butter - by far the best type we got. Saving the best for last!

The next morning, we woke at 10 AM to another beautiful Maine day. We had decided the night before to go to Acadia National Park today. As a kid, my dad made us hike there once a summer and I hated every second of it. I thought that with my new-found zest for fitness, it might not be so bad. Although, I have to admit, I was dreading it on the drive over.

I made myself a protein-rich breakfast to get through the big workout today:

1 egg, 1 egg white sandwich on Flax and Fiber bread, with 0% fage and blueberries:

We drove over to Acadia, and after consulting a Park Ranger and some maps, we decided to hike Dorr Mountain, which was the first mountain my dad every made me climb - and a personal milestone for me that marked my lack of fitness. I always dreaded these hikes because they reminded me how out of shape I was. I was terrified that I would feel just as worn out this time around - despite all the progress I’ve made!

Here’s me at the bottom of the mountain:

The first 30 minutes were the toughest part of the hike - both P and I were pouring sweat the whole way. I was really starting to doubt whether I could do it! It was basically completely vertical stairs, with little breaks or bends in the path. Really tough. Once we got over that first part, the rest of the hike started to come alot easier. Here’s me, 30 min in the climb up:

And the view:

Here’s me up at the top, after another 35 min of climbing:

And the view:

At the summit, we had lunch. I made us Fluffer-Nutters, a Maine specialty: PB& Fluff on Flax and Fiber bread:

I also got us these SnackSalad  SnapeaCrisps to try. Looking at the bag, I thought they were roasted peas, like roasted garbanzo beans. This is what they actually are:

They’re green Fritos! What the h?? Hey, Calbee SnackSalad people, if you’re selling chips, that’s fine, sell chips. But don’t package a product with a picture that looks like snap peas (a picture that looks completely different than the actual product inside the bag), list the first ingredient as Snap Peas, and then sell me chips. Boo, Calbee, Boo.

I also had a couple plantain chips:

and a Nectar bar:

After lunch, we hiked down the mountain, which wasn’t nearly as difficult, but it was more dangerous. The rocks were really steep and slippery so you had to be extra careful about where you stepped. But we made it, and here’s me at the bottom:

Overall, it was a really positive experience - both for myself personally and Peter and I as a couple. It means so much to me that we’re able to have these active experiences together. I think he had alot of fun too.

When I was a kid, we always stopped at this one place for food/ice cream after Acadia, and Peter insisted we follow tradition. Same fried/mayo menu - this time I went for a BLT. I know Keri and I had that whole bacon discussion, but this was the best option at the time, and hey - they had wheat:

I also got a small raspberry chip ice cream with rainbow jimmies, or ’sprinkles’ for you non-Mainers.

Back at home, I had a hot chocolate and little sliver of banana bread, along with 2 pieces of taffy and a couple chocolate covered blueberries. Mentioned for accountability, but unpictured because I am EXHAUSTED.

Now for the treat! Those of you who are Facebook friends with me know that I am currently obsessed with the video feature on my camera…….so, without further adieu, I present the first Winning Friends with Salad VIDEO, Hiking Dorr Mountain: