Hey hey, everyone! Happy Monday!
How was your weekend? It was another frreeeezing one in Washington DC, however that didn’t stop me from venturing out for a little fun.
I promise that this is the last picture of sushi I’ll show you this week.
Pinky swear promise.
But really…just look at that face!
Late Friday afternoon, my friend Laura asked if I wanted to meet her for a quick sushi dinner. Even though I’d enjoyed takeout sushi the night before, I couldn’t say no. Besides, my avocado craving had reached epic proportions, and since it had been two weeks (okay, more like a week and two days, but pfhhsss, close enough!) since embarking on the low-FODMAP diet, I was more than ready to start re-introducing foods.
Holy shitakes, avocado never tasted so good!
My caterpillar roll was filled with crab, eel and cucumber slices, then topped off with a sweet (wheat free!) soy sauce. Delicious. And—good news!—the avocado didn’t bother my stomach! I never thought avocado was a problem, and think my Friday feast confirmed my intuition was right. I’ll begin introducing other high-polyop foods this week and see how I do.
After dinner, I said goodbye to Laura and headed out for a wild night.
At Target. 
No major purchases happened, but I did stock up on two large bags of almonds.
I haven’t opened the coffee almond mocha yet, but I’m in LOVE the coconut flavor; it makes me feel like I’m living in a warm tropical paradise–even though I’m most definitely not. 
I also stocked up on a few spring nail colors…
…as well as two of these guys.
Peeps have always been my favorite Easter candy. Speaking of which, I can’t believe Easter is in seven days. It only needs to warm up, oh, 40 degrees in order to be Easter dress-wearing weather. NBD.
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Saturday morning began with a glorious stack of smiling 3-ingredient banana pancakes.
Do you see the grin?
One banana. Two eggs. Two teaspoons coconut flour. Easy peasy! I topped off my stack with a few extra banana slices and a generous peanut butter drizzle. Note: I think the coconut flour makes a HUGE difference in these pancakes. If you’ve had trouble flipping them in the past, try adding a little flour or flaxseed to thicken the batter.
Workout
A few hours later, I headed to the gym, however I wasn’t able to take the Body Pump class I’d planned on; apparently you have to call two days in advance to reserve a spot! So instead I got my own pump on by completing a biceps/triceps workout that I threw together on my own:
Alternating Dumbbell Curl — 3 x 10
Cable Curl — 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 8
EZ-Bar Preacher Curl — 3 x 8
Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press — 1 x 12, 2 x 10
Cable Pushdown — 3 x 10
One Arm Dumbbell Overhead Extension — 3 x 12 (each arm)
Breaks were spent snapping awkward selfies.
I don’t know how some people manage to take so many pictures of themselves in the gym! I take one, and feel as though everyone looks at me like, guurrl, whatya doing in here bein’ all vain?
The Frozen Yogurt Shop That Will Never Be
Later that night, Elaina and I met James for a fantastic pho (“fuh”) dinner at Pho Viet.
We started with summer rolls…
and then dunked into the good stuff.
Not only was the flavor in the pho broth spot on, but it was low-FODMAP friendly, too.
I love pho!
While we were eating, James showed us an iPhone picture of an ice cream sandwich that he’d eaten on a recent trip to Singapore.
{Photo via James at Jimmy Eats}
Apparently Singaporeans take the “sandwich” part of ice cream sandwich literally: they use real slices of (green and pink-dyed) bread, rather than cookies, like we do in the US!
Our Singaporean ice cream sandwich conversation evolved into a lengthy debate about which shop serves up the best frozen yogurt in DC (my vote is Pinkberry; James loves Sweet Frog; and Elaina prefers Mr. Yogato).
I then proposed that when/if I’m allowed to eat dairy again, we all take a field trip to a new place that none of us have tried—Bloo Moo-–which recently opened a few blocks away from American University, our alma mater.
Bloo Moo’s opening is both exciting and sad news for me. Exciting because I always felt AU students (myself included) were deprived of ice cream and frozen yogurt. During college, if we wanted soft serve, we’d have to jump in a car or ride the metro, as the closest place was miles away. Craziness.
However it’s sad news because ever since college, my friend, Ashley, and I have not-so-secretly been planning on opening up our own frozen yogurt shop in the exact same location. It was going to be a joint frozen yogurt and coffee cafe called Froyo and Joe. (<–You know, like the phrase “cup a ‘joe?” ) I even had my mom’s boyfriend draft up a business plan for us!
Now that dream is dead because Bloo Moo beat us to it. Tear.
However I still tell my friends that if I wasn’t in the nutrition and health promotion field, I’d be an ice cream shop owner. I worked at TCBY in high school, and loved interacting with customers, decorating ice cream cakes, and hand sculpting waffle cones.
The best part, though, was the free access to frozen yogurt.
Obviously.
So…if this whole own your own nutrition counseling/personal training business thing doesn’t work out in the coming years, you’ll know where to find me.
I hope your Monday is marvelous!
Of possible interest:
The 44 Healthiest Companies to Work For
The Ultimate Guide to Protein Supplements
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I want to know…
Where’s your favorite place to get ice cream or frozen yogurt in your town (or any town)?
I love Pinkberry for tart frozen yogurt, but Yogurtland is my favorite “regular” frozen yogurt shop. For ice cream (technically gelato) in Washington, DC, I love Dolcezza.
If you had to pick only one Easter candy to eat this year, which would it be?
Peeeeeeeps! And Reese’s eggs.
What’s your job? What would your dream job be if money and education weren’t factors?
I also think it would be fun to be a travel book journalist. Travel and luxury accommodations for free? Yes, please!
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