Behind the Savor

Becoming a Regular Part 2 – Petra Cafe Greek & Mediterranean

“I could eat there every day and get the same thing” – Zach

I am truly enjoying becoming a part of Hattiesburg and learning more about the people and culture here. Before I visited, I had no real idea what to expect from Mississippi or the South. My only reference was movies, the media and a few people I knew who lived in the South a long time ago. I had driven through Mississippi on my way to Florida before, but that was about my only contact with the state. Truly, I have been so excited to get to know the people and cultures of the city and state because it’s been new and surprising.

The week I helped Zach move to Hattiesburg, we decided to find a Mediterranean restaurant to try out. Mediterranean food is one of our favorites for many reasons, one of which is that you can usually eat relatively healthy. We found Petra Cafe Greek & Mediterranean one evening with Zach’s parents and immediately wanted to try it out because the menu sounded authentic and delicious.

Side salad at Petra Cafe — Instead of rice, I got a side salad with my meal. Seriously, some of the best salad dressing ever.

When you walk into Petra Cafe it will most likely be dimly lit, yet inviting. The walls are painted with rich colors and lined with beautiful artwork and scenes from the Middle East. Many delicious scents flow through the restaurant, making you immediately hungry as you walk through the doors. The menu has a wide variety of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes.

The first time we came, we immediately appreciated the service. I enjoy when servers are friendly and willing to chat a bit, especially since we were trying to discover more about the city. The people who run Petra Cafe are kind and always have smiles on their faces. They seem to truly enjoy the food and customers.

chicken dish at Petra Cafe — Sauteed veggies and feta cheese make me happy.

The first time eating there, I decided on the Mediterranean Chicken dish because it seemed unique and had a lot of veggies, which I love. It is sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, onions and mushrooms, topped with chicken and feta. I know we loved everything we had and truly enjoyed the experience. We all tried something different that day and it was all delicious. Even Zach’s dad really enjoyed his food (which is not always an easy accomplishment).

Zach's dad enjoying a gyro — Zach’s dad enjoying the chicken shawarma pita.

Zach is a huge fan! Before I moved he would send me pictures and tell me how often he went to Petra Cafe because he loved the Gyro meat so much. Also, they usually have really fast service which is a plus when you are in a hurry. Since I moved to Hattiesburg, we have continued to go often. Zach and I both enjoy the salads because they are filling and the salad dressing is delicious. Zach usually gets the Gyro salad and I switch between the Gyro salad, the chicken Shawarma salad, and the grilled shrimp salad. We always get falafel as an appetizer. They recognize us when we come in to order and the food is consistently great.

We are definitely regulars at getting food, especially take out, at Petra Cafe. It is one of our top go-to places in Hattiesburg. I would definitely suggest it to anyone who enjoys Mediterranean food, healthy options, great service, and easy take out. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

2902 Hardy Street, Suite 50, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 / 601.268.8850 / http://petracafe.net/

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Becoming a Regular Part 1 – Town Square Cafe & Bakery

I have officially been in Hattiesburg for three months and I’m starting to get a better feel for the city. I don’t feel like a tourist or an outsider on a regular basis, especially now that I have settled into a routine with a job. I slowly feel like I am becoming part of the city, which is exciting. Finding where I fit is important to me because I moved from a city that fit me perfectly. Thankfully, I can say I found my fit in San Antonio and I am finding my fit in Hattiesburg.

I can’t remember how I first heard about Town Square Cafe & Bakery, but not long after I moved I was set on trying it out because the food sounded good and coffee is necessary in my life. The cafe is new-ish to Hattiesburg and recently celebrated their first birthday. I think this appealed to me too. They were kinda new, like me.

Town Square Cafe & Bakery is located in the downtown area and is pretty large inside. From the outside it doesn’t look like a house, but on the inside it definitely has the feel of an antique home. There is a fireplace, recessed ceilings, white wood beams, multiple chandeliers and tables that you would see in a home dining room. It’s very well lit and very pretty, while still feeling casual.

Americano outside of Town Square Cafe & Bakery — Americano to go!

Vintage feel inside of Town Square Cafe — I love the vintage home feel inside.

natural light inside the cafe — So much natural light puts me in a good mood. Also, look at that stained glass window…so pretty.

I’ve been back many times since I first moved and have enjoyed it every time. Before I even talk about their food and coffee, I have to talk about their service. The people who work here work hard and are always friendly. We went for lunch on Friday. It was completely packed and there was a decent line to order at the counter, yet somehow we were still able to order, eat and get back to work before my hour lunch break ended.

The owner, who also is the baker and chef there I believe, also came out to make sure everything tasted good. One of the girls who works there, Raven, has started to recognize Zach and I and makes sure to say hello and ask how we are. It makes me feel like a regular and a part of the city, which makes me happy.

The Americano from Town Square is definitely my favorite in town. I go grab coffee there when I need a mid-day pick me up and enjoy the rich flavor their coffee has. They also have the right temperature down, so it is never ridiculously hot (still hot, just not to where I can’t drink it for 30 minutes without burning my tongue).

I’ve enjoyed multiple dishes here, but most recently had the roasted chicken plate with curried spinach and steamed broccoli. I know I just wrote about roasted chicken in my last post, but dangit I love roasted chicken!! They have healthy options on their menu, which is necessary for us. We can choose from multiple vegetable side dishes. The food always tastes fresh and is cooked perfectly. The chicken I ordered on Friday was moist and my side dishes were not overcooked – side note: I hate mushy vegetables so I love when a restaurant knows that steamed broccoli should still have some bite to it.

Friday Lunch — My lunch last Friday – roasted chicken, steamed broccoli, and curried spinach.

Zach's Friday lunch — Zach’s lunch – roasted chicken, collard greens, and roasted carrots.

The soups are delicious and I love the omelets too. They have breakfast, brunch and lunch foods all down for sure. They have delicious looking baked goods as well, including bread, cakes, cookies, and pastries. For those that don’t know, we don’t partake in grains or sugar, but if you do I would definitely love to hear how their baked goods are because they look spectacular. Also, right now they have Mardi Gras king cakes for sale, including individual sized cakes..fun!

Chicken salad

Soup!!!

Breakfast!

Inside the delicious omelette.

Overall, the experiences I’ve had at Town Square Cafe & Bakery have brought me back. It’s a relaxing place with nice people and great food. Plus, they have made this Hattiesburg newcomer feel like a regular, like I’m home, which is something only a great restaurant or coffee place can do.

129 Walnut St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 / 601.909.0804 / http://www.townsquare.cafe/

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Happy 2018: New Year’s Lunch at GrateFull Soul

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry we have been out of the writing game for a little while. Between job hunting and holiday events, there were other things to focus on for a bit. We’ve ate at some great restaurants over the past few months, so we have plenty to talk about.

GrateFull Soul was open on New Year’s Day and we were happy to start off the new year with a wonderful southern meal. We had not tried GrateFull Soul, which is a Southern kitchen, since we moved to Hattiesburg and we decided this was the perfect time.

When you walk into the restaurant, you instantly feel like you are at home. The brick walls are decorated with old, framed art and embroidery. There are vinyl tablecloths covering the assortment of tables, many of which have a mash up of different chairs. You stand in line and order at the counter. They usually have two or three entrees to choose from, about six side options, and a few desserts. They post their menu on Facebook every day in case you want to know your options before going in. It’s all Southern and everything sounds delicious.

Panoramic of GrateFull Soul — Panoramic of the inside of GrateFull Soul. I love the way it looks inside!

On the menu was your choice of herb roasted chicken or fried pork chops. You can get an entree with one, two, or three sides or opt for a plate of just sides. We got there a bit late that day and they were pretty busy, so we missed out on trying their collard greens or braised cabbage, but there were definitely other tasty options. We both decided on the herb roasted chicken, lima beans with bacon, and broccoli salad. We were in for a treat!

Roasted Chicken Lunch — A great way to start 2018!

The chicken was outstanding!!! I seriously wish we could have purchased a whole chicken and ate off of it for the week. It was seasoned perfectly so it wasn’t too salty and had a lot of flavor. It was also moist and was a nice size serving. I loved both side items we chose. Lima beans are delicious, especially with bacon. The broccoli salad was creamy but not overdressed. Thinking about the broccoli salad made me immediately hungry for it. It was very, very good. All of the food was perfectly seasoned and simple in the best way.

We went back last Friday for lunch because we were craving the chicken. This time we got the black eyed peas. They score another point in the flavorful side category. More than the food though, we noticed the service this time around. There was an older gentleman behind us in line. Instead of making him stand in line, one of the servers came out and told him they were going to take his order. He was able to sit quickly instead of struggling to stand through the line. That single act of kindness makes me love the restaurant even more.

Go to GrateFull Soul because the food is terrific and the people who work there are kind. It is definitely a place to take a break from the craziness of life and just enjoy food and company.

205 Main St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 / (601) 336-9186 / www.facebook.com/gratefullsoul/

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Saturday in Downtown Laurel, MS

Welcome to Historic Downtown Laurel painting

This past Saturday we ventured 35 minutes north to Laurel, Mississippi. Zach and I had been wanting to visit downtown Laurel and noticed there was a Christmas market going on hosted by The Market Beautiful. There were vendors from all over the South selling vintage, refurbished, and handmade items of all kinds. Another big selling point was that Ben and Erin Napier from the HGTV show Home Town were going to speak at the event and have a meet and greet at their store.

The market was great. They had a portion downtown closed off with the vendors lining the streets. There was rain in the forecast, but thankfully the weather held up perfectly, so we were able to go by each vendor. There was a wide variety of items available and I ended up purchasing a few Christmas gifts, a small wooden cow painting (I love cows), and a handcrafted skin toner from Aqualime Natural Skin & Body Care. We also got to meet Erin and Ben and check out Laurel Mercantile, which was super exciting.

Once we were done with the market, we made our way around downtown Laurel to check out all the other stores. Despite Laurel being relatively small, there were plenty of stores and restaurants in the downtown area to check out. We definitely want to go back and get some meat from The Knight Butcher. We ended up getting some salty, delicious creole popcorn from Southern Kernels Gourmet Popcorn. Our favorite stop of the day was definitely Shug’s Cookie Dough & Candy Bar. They had multiple sugar-free chocolate candy choices and I promise you the peanut butter cup was one of the best we had ever had. So creamy. So delicious. For a list of all places to visit in downtown Laurel, check out the Laurel Main Street website.

Check out the photo recap below from our day in Laurel, all taken by my incredibly talented adventure partner, Zach. Also, make sure to check out his Instagram, @meandmy35 for more beautiful photos. I love that he captures our adventures in a unique way.

Made in Mississippi – Scotsman Co.

Scotsman Co. Chevy Truck.

1953 Blue Chevy truck

Yellow Pine Capital of the World

Pup just relaxing in the sun

The City Beautiful visit Laurel painted sign and musician

Live music makes every event better!

The City Beautiful!

What’s shakin’ Bacon dish towel

The Market Beautiful

Maker’s Alley

The Pearl Diner and JParker Reclaimed.

K’Nex carousel in Loblolly

Another view of a downtown Laurel street

We will definitely be coming back here to buy some meat because it looked delicious.

Southern Kernels Gourmet Popcorn wall of popcorn

Eat Popcorn. Be Happy. I love that they have a wall of popcorn samples at Southern Kernels!

Menu at Southern Kernels Gourmet Popcorn

creole blend popcorn from Southern Kernels

YUM! Popcorn! Thanks Southern Kernels.

I loved the muted colors of this mural in downtown Laurel.

This mural made us happy.

We love old Theatre signs

Interesting mess in a back alley.

Guild & Gentry Distinctly Masculine store sign

Loblolly Boutique is a cute children’s boutique and toy store. It was fun to look at all the toys inside!

Zach has a weenie dog named Sugar and we usually call her Shug, so the name of this candy store made us happy!

We loved the old school sign for Shug’s Cookie Dough & Candy Bar.

Candy from Shug’s!!

Before we ate the peanut butter cup.

We were both happy about the peanut butter cups. Look at that delicious filling. Seriously, it was soooo good.

We saw this sign right as we were leaving and I pulled over so Zach could get out and take some pictures of it.

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Mid-Month Catch Up (Nov. 2017)

November has been a fun month so far in Hattiesburg. There have been a ton of events going on and I have been taking full advantage. It has also been a bit chilly here, which means fall food time.

Zach and I have been craving winter squash, so that has been on our menu a lot lately. We have found butternut and acorn squash, but if anyone in the Hattiesburg area knows where I can find some delicata squash, I would literally jump for joy. I have been craving it and so far can’t find it anywhere in town.

I made a pretty tasty turkey chili/stew concoction last week and we ate that pretty much all weekend on top of squash. I ended up making up my own recipe because I was in the mood for a chunky chili with a lot of vegetables, which made it more like a stew, and I couldn’t really find what I was looking for online. Thankfully, it worked out well. I made my own tomato sauce with Roma tomatoes and chili spices, browned the turkey with onions, garlic and an Anaheim pepper. I used a ton of vegetables cut into chunks including baby bella mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and celery. I threw everything into the Crock-Pot and six hours later we had a delicious meal.

This was the chili before it cooked in the Crock-Pot. Look at all those delicious vegetables in there!

Six hours later, we had a delicious fall meal to warm us up!

I tried a recipe for some grain-free “corn bread” made with coconut flour. It had a similar texture to real cornbread and I added jalapenos to it for a kick.

Acorn squash topped with chili — We topped an acorn squash with the turkey chili. Squash and chili go together so well.

Butternut squash topped with chili — We also tried the chili with butternut squash. It was also a nice addition.

Last Thursday I went to “An Evening with Robert St. John and Wyatt Waters” at the Hattiesburg Library. I am really grateful to the owner of Main Street Books. When my best friend, Lianne, was in town we went to Main Street Books and Lianne ended up buying a beautiful Wyatt Waters 2018 calendar. The owner of the bookstore told us all about him and he also had some Robert St. John books on display. Wyatt Waters is a famous watercolorist from Mississippi and Robert St. John, amongst other things, owns multiple restaurants in Hattiesburg, is a chef, and food writer. Together, the two have created multiple cook books with Wyatt’s paintings and Robert’s recipes. Their newest book is titled A Mississippi Palate and highlights all things Mississippi.

A Mississippi Palate — This book cover makes me hungry…

The library had a book signing, Q&A, and viewing of their Hattiesburg episode of Palate to Palette, a show they have together on PBS. This was such a fun event for me because it helped me to know more about the city I just moved to and I enjoyed seeing the passion they both have for Mississippi. I was able to meet them and of course bought a copy of the book. I would definitely suggest checking out their show online. Fair warning, the Hattiesburg episode is going to make you extremely hungry for blueberries.

signed copy of A Mississippi Palate — My first Mississippi cookbook and it is signed. Makes me happy!

Robert St. John had such a love for food and the culture of his state, it made me instantly feel the need to try one of his restaurants. Zach and I decided to try out Crescent City Grill on Friday night. As usual, we were hungry for a lot of veggies so we both ended up getting the vegetable sampler and adding chicken. It was nice because we both got to try four different sides. I enjoyed all of the sides, but I think my favorite was the creamed spinach…I say I think because I am looking at the picture of my plate right now and it really is hard to decide.

Zach’s plate at Crescent City Grill with steamed veggies, fried green tomatoes, coleslaw, and asparagus.

My plate with creamed spinach, broccoli with butter and lemon, asparagus, and coleslaw!

The stuffed mushroom with shrimp and crab meat inside.

Stuffed mushrooms. The horseradish dipping sauce was SOOOO good.

On Saturday, I got Java Moe’s coffee to start our day. I really like that Java Moe’s is a Hattiesburg chain with three locations. Their coffee has been great every time I have been and I was excited to get a rewards card. Don’t you worry, I will be utilizing that for sure! Coffee makes us happy.

Zach and Steph with Java Moe's coffee — Getting caffeinated!

Saturday evening, I went to the Hattiesburg Downtown Art Walk and Holiday Open House. The streets were closed off and there was art and music everywhere. I went by myself and enjoyed taking in downtown with so many other people around me. There was even a wedding reception going on in the street and I saw the bride and groom walking around taking photos downtown. I think Hattiesburg does a great job of showcasing their love of the arts and this event was no exception. People here seem to really enjoy creativity. It makes me happy.

The wedding reception in the street downtown.

It was such a pretty evening.

Music!!

On Saturday night, I met up with a networking group I joined at Branch, which is a cocktail bar and also one of Robert St. John’s ventures. It was such a fun night getting to know some new friends and discussing life in Hattiesburg. I got a lot of great ideas of restaurants I need to try and places in Mississippi and Louisiana I need to take an excursion to. The deviled eggs were pretty dang awesome. They each had a different flavor and all sat on top of a pickle slice which was unique and great.

Deviled eggs at Branch.

Sensation salad

Zach made a raspberry and strawberry coconut milk ice cream over the weekend too. I will post that recipe in a separate post because it was really delicious and easy to make.

It has been a fun start to November. This week we have a few Friendsgiving events that I am excited about and Zach has a bit of time off this weekend to explore with me. I will keep you updated on the Hattiesburg happenings. Have a great rest of your week my friends!

New City. New Food. New Fun!

Tuscan roast beef omelet at Southboud Bagel.

We try to cook a lot of our food and we meal prep, but we also love to try restaurants. Since I am in a new city I definitely want to make sure I am trying out restaurants every week. There is no lack of places to try or things to do in Hattiesburg so I have been staying busy.

I’ve enjoyed a lot of the places I have ventured to over the past two weeks and included some snip-its below. I know there are a ton more restaurants and other exciting things to check out, so feel free to comment or email me at behindthesavor@gmail.com with recommendations.

Food & Coffee

Petra Café Greek & Mediterranean – Zach has probably been here every week since he moved, but I have been twice so far. They have quick and friendly service and the gyro salad is delicious. I love the falafel, which is perfectly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. The salad dressing is full of flavor and everything seems fresh. I know this will be a go-to for me.

2902 Hardy St #50, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Gryo salad from Petra Cafe — Fresh and tasty gyro salad to go from Petra Cafe!

Southbound Bagel and Coffee Shop – Ok, we don’t eat bread usually but I want to go back here when I feel like breaking this rule because the bread and bagels look and smell delicious! I’ve tried the Greek omelet and the California omelet. Both were terrific and had strong, unique flavors. It is a small place, so you can see everything being made and chat with people in line to order which is really cool.

217 E Front St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Greek omelet at Southbound Bagel and Coffeeshop — Look at that feta cheese on top of the Greek omelet at Southbound Bagel & Coffee Shop! Photo by Zach.

Java Werks Coffee and Tea – I’ve tried the cold brew and an Americano here. Both were delicious with great, strong flavors. They have unsweetened almond and coconut milk, which is appreciated. I will definitely be back for more!

2902 Hardy St #10, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Cold brew from Java Werks — Cold brew with unsweetened almond milk at Java Werks. So pretty. So tasty.

Town Square Café & Bakery – The French veggie omelet had some great veggies in it, but the cheese is what made it. I don’t know if I have ever had Gruyere cheese with eggs, but it was so dang good. I’ve been in an Americano mood lately and I enjoyed one here as well. It had a nice flavor. This place is so bright with natural lighting and cool fixtures, so it is a nice place to sit and enjoy coffee in the morning. I want to go back here to try something off their lunch menu as well.

129 Walnut St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Breakfast at Town Square Cafe — An omelet and coffee are the perfect combination.

Depot Coffeehouse & Bistro – If you can’t tell already, we love eggs and breakfast food. I tried the breakfast bowl and substituted roasted veggies for the grits. I appreciate that they let me substitute. My best friend was in town and tried this place with me. She had the veggie breakfast sandwich and loved it.

127 Buschman St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Breakfast at Depot Cafe — Breakfast bowl and coffee to start the day.

T-Bones Records & Café – I’ve been told I need to try the food here, so I will venture to do that soon. I’ve had the cold brew and a regular cup of coffee here. They had cool music playing and everyone who works there seems to be happy about life, which is always nice.

2101 Hardy St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Glory Bound Gyro Co. – I went on a Tuesday for $5 gyro and then again for brunch one Saturday. I appreciate the prices here. $5 for a gyro meal is cheap and appreciated. They also will do a lettuce wrap instead of pita which is a win for us.

6174 US 49, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Breakfast gyro at Glory Bound served on a bed of spinach with a side of veggies.

Lettuce wrapped gyro with veggies instead of potatoes.

Cheese and jalapeno stuffed falafel. Very different, but good.

Blu Jazz Café – The seasoning on the chicken in the café salad was really tasty. I enjoyed the atmosphere and they were playing the Spurs on the TV at the bar, which means I was happy. I want to go back on a night when they have live music soon!

213 E Front St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Fun

Library of Hattiesburg – This library is beautiful and has a ton of events going on, which I am excited to check out.

329 Hardy St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Hattiesburg Farmer’s Market – I went downtown for the last two farmer’s market days of the year and found some great veggies for salsa, an unsweetened blueberry jam, and some delicious goat cheese. Plus, there was live music which is always a sweet addition. I will be back when it opens again in 2018.

Town Square Park: 100 Main St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

The Lucky Rabbit – THIS IS THE COOLEST PLACE EVER. I spent hours walking around and finding treasures. I definitely will say that you need a loose plan when going in because otherwise you will either get overwhelmed and not buy anything or buy the whole place out. I got a few Christmas presents taken care of and a few decorative items for the kitchen.

217 Mobile St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

Hattiesburg Zoo – I saw two sloths and my heart exploded. Seriously, I was so happy. We went during ZooBoo which was really well decorated. I can’t wait to go during Christmas because I have a feeling it will be pretty and festive!

107 S 17th Ave, Hattiesburg, MS 39401

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Goodbye San Antonio. Hello Hattiesburg.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Last week, this born and raised San Antonio girl made the jump and moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Why, you ask? Zach had already moved in July and it was a hard few months without the person I enjoy life, meal prepping, eating, and adventures with.

Leaving San Antonio was HARD because it has been my home my entire life. I can name a thousand reasons I love SA (my family, my friends, the Spurs, Fiesta, HEB, TexMex food…just to name a few). With the sadness also came excitement. This is going to be an adventure that gets me out of my comfort zone and a time where Zach and I can grow together. Thankfully, a lot of my mom’s personality rubbed off on me and I can basically talk to anyone, so this will be a good time in my life to really utilize this skill as well.

Before moving, I spent about a week in Hattiesburg and explored a bit. This was helpful in the transition because I already knew the people were friendly and the city has a lot going on. I also started following a lot of local restaurants and businesses on social media so I had a better idea of what was happening in the city. I felt prepared because social media helped me to get a feel for what goes on in Hattiesburg. For anyone moving to a new place, I highly suggest following social media accounts before you actually get there.

I moved last week and so far I am loving the city. My best friend, Lianne, came with me on the drive and spent a few days in Hattiesburg. This was great because I had someone to explore with for a few days. My first week in town, I learned the following:

The Hattiesburg Library is beautiful and has a ton of events.
The owner of Main Street Books really knows his stuff. Also, I found a book full of food writing for $1!
There is a farmer named Donnie that has farm fresh fruits and veggies for sale on Roosevelt St. and Lincoln Road. I have to find out the name of his farm on my next visit. The tomatoes I bought were outstanding.
The thrift stores in Hattiesburg are fantastic. Lianne and I both found some good finds at multiple stores.

So far I have tried a decent amount of restaurants and coffee shops. I will write some food posts about the restaurants I have been to soon. I can’t wait to share my adventure with you!

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Meal Prep Fun & Curry Recipe

Zach and I usually don’t plan out what we want to eat for the week until Sunday morning. Although we use similar ingredients on a regular basis, our creations are a different every week because we play around with spices and flavors. After breakfast on Sunday morning, we often come up with a menu for the week or sometimes we just go to the store for some inspiration.

Last week we were hungry for Asian food. To be honest, I always want Asian food. It’s just so dang good, but we obviously would get tired of it quickly if we didn’t switch up the tastes throughout the month. We had curry from a restaurant we like, Thai Chili, last weekend and we realized we had never attempted to make a curry dish ourselves. Challenge accepted.

Our meals last week consisted of the following.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with spinach and zucchini

Lunch: curried chicken and spaghetti squash with zucchini and bell pepper

Dinner: fried cauliflower rice with beef, egg, and/or sausage for the protein

spaghetti squash cut — Getting ready to bake the spaghetti squash

We usually start with anything that needs to be baked and move on to prepping anything that needs to be cut, diced, etc. Next is the meat. Breakfast is last since it is the quickest to make. We started by getting the spaghetti squash in the oven. Then we prepped all the veggies for the lunch and started a curry sauce (see recipe at the bottom of the post).

prepping chicken — Zach likes to cut chicken into thin pieces when possible so that it cooks quickly.

As I was working on the sauce, Zach was working on cooking the chicken. By the time the spaghetti squash was done, so was everything else for the lunches. We put the spaghetti squash at the bottom of our lunch containers and added everything else on top.

We took the easy way out and only made the meat for dinner. We bought frozen cauliflower rice from Sam’s Club. Who know they had frozen cauliflower rice in bulk? This was easy enough to throw together every evening since it was basically just warming food up and cooking the veggies for a bit.

I prep my breakfast so that I don’t lose my mind in the morning when running out of the house. Meal prepping breakfast and lunch has honestly made me 500 times happier when starting my day because I am not running around the kitchen at 7:15am trying to contemplate what I can possibly throw together in the three minutes I have before I need to leave. We only prep for Monday-Thursday, so sometimes this still happens to me on Friday morning if I am lazy on Thursday night.

saute spinach — Sauteing the spinach and zucchini before adding the eggs.

After heating up my breakfast in the morning, I add half an avocado and either salsa or ketchup and hot sauce (ketchup and eggs rock!).

Overall, the week was delicious. Our first attempt at curry was delicious. We enjoyed all the meals. It was nice to have different options of meat for our dinners.

curry chicken meal prep — Curry chicken and spaghetti squash meal prepped.

I hope you enjoy the recipe for the curry sauce. I usually start by looking over a few recipes I find online and change them up. This week, I started with a curry recipe I found on Williams Sonoma blog and then added or changed multiple ingredients for our liking. The original Williams Sonoma recipe is linked above, but the ingredients I used are below.

Curry Sauce Ingredients:

1 can full fat coconut milk
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons of red curry paste
2 Tablespoons of green curry paste
1 medium white onion, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
4 zucchini, chopped
1 or 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil
Salt, pepper, dried basil, turmeric powder and ginger powder to taste (I just sprinkle until it feels right honestly and taste test to see if I need to add more.

Instructions:

Saute the onion, bell pepper and avocado oil in a large pot until onions are translucent.
Add the zucchini and curry paste. Stir to incorporate and cook for a few minutes uncovered.
Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, and spices. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes while covered. You can also add cooked chicken at this point if you wish.
Pour over noodles of your choice (we used spaghetti squash).

Meal Prep Journey

Eating healthy is not always an easy journey. I know some people act like it is a simple process, as if there is a switch you can flip and suddenly you know how to cook healthy meals and what not to eat. This just is not true in my opinion.

Zach has been prepping his food for a more than a few years. He was very used to doing this for himself and when I started dating him, I was definitely not used to it at all. I actually was slowly changing my diet because I knew I had been gaining weight, but I was known to throw whatever I could find in my fridge in a bag and try to make it into a lunch. I once brought a raw potato to work and that was pretty much it, which still cracks my friends and me up.

chicken meal prepping — Cooking some chili lime chicken!

When I started eating differently, it was more difficult to figure out what to eat daily. Zach had stopped meal prepping and we cooked every night and brought leftovers for lunch the next day. Truly, Zach cooked a lot more than I ever did and it took up way too much of his time every day after work. Eating healthy required more planning. We decided to start meal prepping together, but it did not go well for some time. There were tears, mostly because I felt like it took up our entire Sunday. I am also not naturally good at cooking. I have to work hard not to hurt myself, spill something, or overcook the meat.

Despite the challenges, we persevered. We go grocery shopping on Sunday in the morning or early afternoon. We cook for four days, Monday-Thursday. We have been meal prepping together for over a year now and it has become less challenging. Some of the tips we’ve learned along the way are…

Make simple meals. The more complicated the meal, the more time it will take.
Make one meal for all lunches and one meal for all dinners. This gives you a bit of variety, but you also aren’t taking all your time planning multiple different meals.
Breakfast can be prepped. Eggs truly taste great reheated. Eggs always taste great in my opinion. Mmmmm, scrambled eggs.
Salad is great for dinner because all you really have to prep is the protein.
Protein bars make great snacks. We don’t prep our snacks.

Fish and Salad Meal Prep — Salad with prepped fish.

I’ll post some of our meal prep adventures this week. Just remember, you can make it work for you and in the end, it will save you a lot of time and energy. Happy meal prepping my friends!

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Arctic Ape Wild Desserts

I mentioned in my last post that Zach and I love ice cream and frozen yogurt. It is, by far, our favorite dessert. We have tried many different places in San Antonio and while traveling. Our newest favorite in San Antonio is a self-service dessert store, Arctic Ape Wild Desserts on Walzem Road. They have been open for over a year, but we recently stumbled upon them a few weeks ago and have been three times because we love it so much.

Behind the Savor’s Top 10

Reasons to Try Arctic Ape Wild Desserts

It isn’t just frozen yogurt or ice cream. They have numerous types of frozen desserts, including frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato, custard, Italian ice and soft serve. The flavors are all served from soft serve/frozen yogurt machines so you can mix and match to your pleasing. They also have milkshakes and smoothies. You literally can make almost any frozen dessert you could ever think of.

arctic blast — Another dessert option at Arctic Ape!

TOPPINGS!! They seriously have plenty of topping choices for everyone, including sugar free and no sugar added options. We enjoyed that they had more nut options than many places, including almonds, peanuts, pecans and walnuts.

toppings — Just a portion of the topping choices.

more toppings — More Toppings PS: I love flax seed

They have a ton of board games for customers to use. There is a Trivial Pursuit card box on top of each table in the shop. Zach and I had fun with the cards on our first trip to Arctic Ape. We were probably there for over an hour asking each other random questions. The last time we went we tried our hand at Chess and I think we were there for another hour after finishing our desserts.

You don’t feel rushed. They have plenty of seating, games, free WiFi, phone charging stations, music playing via a social Jukebox app called Rockbot and really friendly staff. We felt like we could stay and hang out there without it being weird and I could tell other people felt the same way. There are families, teenagers and older adults all sitting around enjoying themselves long after they have finished their desserts.

It is far from typical. The shop has fun decorations, including ice hanging from the ceiling and a life-size ape figurine sitting in a scene of a cabin in the corner. He wears human clothes and even wore a suit the night of prom for the nearby high school. I need to get a picture with him soon.

They support wildlife. They have information on non-profits in the store and I noticed multiple posts on their Facebook page about fundraisers and how they are helping wildlife organizations.

They have color changing spoons, because they know how to have fun!

Check out that frozen yogurt and color changing spoon!

Everyone who works there that we’ve met has been happy, friendly and helpful. The service made us want to come back just as much as the tasty dessert did.

It isn’t a chain, so if you go you are supporting a local business that really knows their frozen desserts.

It is DELICIOUS! We loved the flavor choices and combinations. We also enjoyed that they had no sugar added (NSA) options. We tasted tested a decent amount and the flavors actually taste like the names. Everything we’ve gotten so far has tasted great!

Arctic Ape Wild Desserts / 5221 Walzem Rd. Suite 1, San Antonio, TX 78218 / 210-257-5949