Healthy Travels

I'm back from vacation! I went to Florida to visit my beautiful best friend and we went to Universal Studios. I finally got to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you know me, you know that I love Harry Potter. We went to Halloween Horror Nights on Thursday and Friday night and got sufficiently scared by all of the zombies. I had so much fun! I want to go back right now.

Matching cupcake temporary tattoos because we're awesome. Yes, that is a zombie in the bottom corner.

I always allow myself to go wild on vacations. No counting calories for me! I mean c'mon I'm so much more active on vacations anyways since I sit at my desk ALL day long at work. Case in point, I wore my Fitbit around the parks and racked up over 30,000 steps each day, which is almost 10 miles per day. So I will allow myself a delicious Butterbeer without any guilt.

I will never say "No" to Butterbeer! 

But when it comes to flying I like to keep it clean. Since my parents live on opposite coasts (Mom's in California and Dad's in North Carolina. That's about 7 hours in the air, plus any time during a layover) I fly A LOT and the flights are always extremely long. I've gotten pretty good at packing exactly what I need on a flight so that I don't have to pay the $10+ for a box of crackers and cheese on a plane and I won't feel tired or gross when we land.

1. First, and most important, I always pack a reusable water bottle. Preferably one that has a built in filter so that you can refill it at the water fountains through out the airport.  In case you didn't know, TSA does not allow you to bring a full bottle of water through security. I refuse to pay $5+  for a bottle of water at the airport and the little cups they give you on the plane are gone in a sip. Flying really dehydrates you so it is important to keep water on hand at all times. 

2. Healthy snacks are key to any flight. I like to pack granola bars and prepackaged bags of almonds. Apples, Bananas, Babybel, or 100 calorie pack snacks would also be a great options.

3. Bring your own meal. A lot of people aren't aware that it is totally acceptable to bring your own meal to the airport. I love to go to the grocery store the night before a long flight and pick out a fresh prepackaged salad. Place it in a safe spot in your bag so that it doesn't get crushed and enjoy whenever you get hungry. This saves me probably over $5 since this Kale Crunch salad that I bought was about $4 and the salads at the terminals are about $10. 

4. Since flying completely dries out my skin I need to bring a thick body lotion and a good lip balm. Always remember to apply generously before you board and then keep it close at hand during the flight. I absolutely hate getting off the plane with chapped lips.

5. Hand Sanitizer and Anti-Bacterial wipes are super important when flying. This may seem crazy but I feel so much better if I just wipe down my tray table before I use it. I would rather look like a germaphobe than get to my vacation destination and be sick.

And of course magazines to keep entertained during the flight. I also like to download movies to my iPad the night before just in case they don't show any on the flight. 

If you do have a layover try to walk as much as you can during your time there. I know most people already have to run from one side of the airport to the other to catch their next flight but sometimes I have a layover that's 2 hours or longer and it's good to just walk and stretch my legs.

What are some of your tips for healthy travels?

Steins Beer Garden

I was recently invited to a limited-seating "soft" opening of Steins Beer Garden in Mountain View, CA. I have got to say this was hands down one of the best dining experiences I have ever had.

We began with a tour of the restaurant, which has a beautiful patio area, and then made our way to the bar. The staff was extremely knowledgeable. I asked the bartender to surprise me with a beer he thinks I would like. He asked what my favorite beer is, most people out on the West Coast have never heard of Yeungling but when I told him he laughed told me he wished they sold it on the West Coast and went over to the taps and carefully selected a brew that was pretty darn close. I believe it was called Lost Coast Pale Ale. 

 We then took our seats in a corner booth or the dining area and ordered one of each of the appetizers.

*Pardon the picture quality, I took them all with my phone. 

 They have a really great menu. I cannot wait to go back and try the Veggie Burger. 

I decided to go with the House Cut Kennebec Fries with truffle oil, parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Aaaamazing. 

For my entree I chose the Fried Chicken Sandwich with apple slaw, pickled red onion, spiced honey and aioli. I can guarntee you that I will order this again. The apple slaw with the fried chicken was incredible. There are no words. 

My mom ordered the Smoked Game Hen on a bed of Creamy Polenta. She loved it. I have no idea why I didn't try it for myself.

One of the really interesting things about this restaurant is that there are servers who walk around with trays of different beer for you to try. I was really intrigued by the Banana Bread Beer and I just had to give it a try. Holy Amazingness! It didn't taste like beer at all, just banana bread. Even the non-beer-drinkers loved it. 

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be back. I loved this place so much.