11 Hours

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Between yesterday afternoon and last night, I slept 11 hours (but laid in bed for a total of 15 – I was a lazy lady lump).  I think I’m catching up on the sleep zombie vortex I entered during the last month of book writing (have I mentioned I’m SO glad it’s over?).

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I didn’t blog yesterday afternoon, but was planning to write about our Valentine’s Day dinner at an Indian restaurant called Copper.  We went on a double date with Nicole and Isaac.

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Dinner ended up being… horrible, actually (and I never say that… my expectations are pretty low, and I’m easy to please)!  We had reservations at 8:45 but they accidentally gave away our table, so we waited an hour at the bar to sit – even though I could see a ton of open tables.  The manager only comped our drinks and appetizers after we asked him to, and the entrees were totally overpriced ($17 for a veggie entree is ridiculous).  After such a seating disaster, you’d think they would give us the best table in the house, but they stuck us in a crowded and noisy room in the back.  By the time I sat down, I was so bitter that I refused to photograph my food. ;)  It was a shame because it was our special night out. I did, however, tip the waitress 20% because it wasn’t her fault. 

 

But… I came home and slept and everything was right in the world again!

 

Plus, breakfast more than made up for our lackluster dinner out:

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A new spin on the classic breakfast burrito!  In the whole wheat tortilla:

 

  • Mashed sweet potato
  • 1 egg + 1 egg white, scrambled
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Stir-fried broccoli

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Eat-In February

 

I’ve decided to take you all up on a little challenge – Eat-In February.  This will be much easier because we’re halfway through the month.  :)  I’ve been eating out too much ($$) and want to nip the habit in the bud, so for the next two weeks, I’m putting a kibosh on eating out. However, I will make the following exceptions:

 

  • Traveling for work tomorrow and Tuesday and will have to eat out.
  • Dad’s birthday celebration is on February 16.

 

Other than that, it’s going to be DINING IN in the Boyle house.  And that means lots of new recipes.  :)  This also means that I’m going to do more meal planning, so we’ll see how that goes.

 

Have a wonderful Sunday, my dears!

{ 81 comments }

 

  • jen @ taste life February 13, 2011, 9:22 am

    Sorry your dinner experience stunk! On Friday my guy and I went out and even though we got right in and our food was good, we were seated next to a couple who had a toddler who was coughing with his mouth wide open during dinner…it kinda ruined it! I’m not one of those people who thinks kids shouldn’t be at restaurants, but this is a pretty nice place, not a family-friendly joint. And no one likes to hear coughing while they eat. I was bitter that night, too!

    I look forward to hearing about your eat-in month!

    • Kara February 13, 2011, 9:45 am

      What about snot bubbles, is that ok? My baby was blowing snot bubbles at our lunch yesterday at a local restaurant 🙂

      • jen @ taste life February 13, 2011, 10:11 am

        Snot bubbles are okay! Something about the noise of the cough – the poor kid sounded like he had bronchitis or something!

  • jen @ taste life February 13, 2011, 9:23 am

    Looking forward to all the eating-in posts 🙂

  • AJ @ Flowing to Fifty February 13, 2011, 9:26 am

    How disappointing! Perhaps a romantic dinner at home is needed?! P-)
    I’ll take your challenge with Eat-in February!! Better nutrition and fiscal responsibility. All good.

  • Caitlyn (A Spoonful of Life) February 13, 2011, 9:30 am

    That’s a bummer about your Valentines Day dinner. You’re breakfast, however, look incredible. You had me at mashed sweet potato!

  • Christine February 13, 2011, 9:34 am

    Too bad about dinner — but that breakfast looks AWESOME! I just had breakfast and already I want THAT!

  • Katie @ peacebeme February 13, 2011, 9:35 am

    Love your flowers. 🙂

  • Holly @ Couch Potato Athlete February 13, 2011, 9:36 am

    Sorry to hear about the bad dinner — but thank you for being kind to the waitress!

    I love the eating in challenge and I can’t wait to see your future posts with more at-home meal ideas.

  • Amanda (Eating Up) February 13, 2011, 9:37 am

    That breakfast looks delicious! Sorry about your bad dinner experience. That’s a bummer!

  • Marie-JourneytoBodyZen February 13, 2011, 9:37 am

    Cute coat! I love it!! I’m sorry your dinner experience was not good. I hate it when I get so excited about trying a new place and it turns out to be horrible :(. That burrito looks delish!

  • VeggieGirl February 13, 2011, 9:40 am

    Sorry about the dinner 🙁 But I LOVE that photo of you and your husband!

  • Widad February 13, 2011, 9:44 am

    bye-bye alcohol detox? or is that just coke in a glass bottle?

    im also excited for your eat-ins, im curious to see what you make!

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 9:50 am

      He lasted 3 weeks and 2 days 🙂 Close enough to a month.

  • Haleigh February 13, 2011, 9:45 am

    I’m sorry to hear about your poor experience with Copper 🙁 I’ve been thinking about going there with my husband, but I could never justify the price. But after hearing this, I don’t think I will go now.

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 9:51 am

      Yea – there are better Asian restaurants in Charlotte to try – like Cowfish!!! LOL

    • LJ February 13, 2011, 12:23 pm

      it’s actually a really great place. just go for lunch instead so you can get the cheaper fare!

  • Kara February 13, 2011, 9:47 am

    I hate bad experiences at restaurants, especially if you’re already pissed off by the time they seat you! I’m impressed that you stayed, that kind of stuff makes me want to just leave.

    Good luck with your eat-in challenge!

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 9:51 am

      If it had been just me and K, I probably would’ve bounced after 30 minutes… sigh.

  • Ann @ Day by Day February 13, 2011, 9:47 am

    That’s so frustrating about your dinner. I hate when that happens! The picture of your burrito is beautiful. The ingredients are so creative- I would never have thought of combining sweet potato with broccoli and tomato!

    My main problem isn’t eating out too much (I usually eat in), but I spend way too much on groceries- I always try to buy organic and I’m a sucker for trying the newest “it” thing!

  • Freya February 13, 2011, 9:51 am

    Ohh no that meal experience sounds awful! You’ve sure got patience – I would’ve left 😛

  • Fit Chick Britt February 13, 2011, 9:55 am

    Good for you for tipping the waitress right. I used to wait tables and people didn’t understand things weren’t always our fault. Love the eat in challenge.

    Breakfast looks fab! I might need to replicate.

  • Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun February 13, 2011, 10:02 am

    I cant believe that! At least you ended on the more sour note…maybe it will make dining in easier. 😉

  • Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table February 13, 2011, 10:08 am

    Do you read this blog? http://noteatingoutinny.com/

    She went 2 YEARS without eating out in the world’s largest restaurant playground (NYC)!

    I actually made a .xls to help with meal-planning. (Big Dork 🙂 )

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 10:15 am

      That is insanity.

  • Alex @ Healing Beauty February 13, 2011, 10:15 am

    I think it’s great that despite a not-so-wonderful dinner out you still were really positive, and I really mean that. Your positivity and bounce-back attitude are very admirable and two reasons that I really enjoy your blog.

  • Camille February 13, 2011, 10:16 am

    Ush, what a horrible experience!
    You should have pulled the “Do you know who I am?” card 🙂 Kidding! Sort of…

  • Amary February 13, 2011, 10:17 am

    i laid in bed from 6 yesterday until 830 this morning! I’ve been sick and can’t seem to kick the cold. I’ll take your eat-in February challenge too!

    p.s. Congratulations on finishing your book! Quite an accomplishment for such a busy lady!

  • JenRD February 13, 2011, 10:22 am

    Sorry your dinner was such a bad experience! Was the food good at least?
    So I finally tried the famous grilled banana sandwich, and the bananas were a failure! I’m not sure what I did wrong, but they got all black and charred, not all soft and carmelized, like yours look in the photos. I used a cooking spray, then let the skilled warm (don’t have a griddle), and placed the sliced bananas on it. After a few minutes, I tried to flip, but they were stuck to the skillet. It still tasted pretty good overall, once I removed the charred bits. I guess I just need to practice!
    Jen

  • eliza February 13, 2011, 10:24 am

    THANK you for including the fact that you tipped the waitress well. As a fellow server, I appreciate it so so much when people tip on the SERVICE and not the things the waitress can’t change. That’s great 🙂

  • Stacy @ Every Little Thing February 13, 2011, 10:29 am

    You can do 2 weeks, definitely! We have been eating out too much too, because of my birthday and other family birthdays, and just because. We need to reign it in!

  • Parita@myinnershakti February 13, 2011, 10:29 am

    So sorry about your dining experience last night…at least you were with the Husband and good friends! And breakfast looks like it more than made up for it…delicious! Sweet potatoes are so versatile. And good luck on the eat-in challenege. I think I will take that on once I move into my new apartment in April. 🙂 Have a great day!

  • Ashley February 13, 2011, 10:31 am

    That burrito looks delicious. I’m sorry your special night turned out bad. 🙁 good luck with your challenge! you’ll rock it.

  • Lily @ Lily's Health Pad February 13, 2011, 10:35 am

    Every day is an eating in day over here in the Smith apartment–at least until my student loans are paid off. At the beginning of the month, I took a hard look at my food expenses, and they were outta control! I am in shock because I used to be a total spendthrift. But $383 spent each month on food for one person is ridiculous. So…I’ve resolved to keep myself on a $50 a week food budget. You can’t do a lot of eating out when you’re spending that little. Anyway, good luck!

  • Susan February 13, 2011, 10:36 am

    If I don’t want to eat out during the week (it’s so easy to talk yourself into it) and don’t mind eating the same thing a few times a week, make a big pot of soup or chili or a casserole. That way if you don’t feel like cooking one night, you have something to fall back on.

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) February 13, 2011, 10:50 am

    Sorry to hear that you had a crappy restaurant experience. It is even worse that they didn’t offer you any compensation without being asked. Terrible service.

  • Tina February 13, 2011, 10:53 am

    Such a bummer about dinner! I don’t like paying for a meal when I know I could have made a better one at home!

  • Jessica February 13, 2011, 11:01 am

    Oh my gosh, how awful. This (almost) exact situation happened to us a few weeks ago. We had a 20 person party, reservations at at Japanese place, arrived a little early, yet still were told to wait an hour. When we decided to leave, they offered us free dessert and free apps. It was a nice gesture, but I was just too aggravated to enjoy fully :/ Oh well.

  • Jessica @ Jessica Balances February 13, 2011, 11:02 am

    Sad that your Valentine’s dinner wasn’t very good! 🙁 you are so sweet to leave such a great tip, though. You’re right, it wasn’t the server’s fault – but so many people blame them because they’re the person they are in contact with the most. I hope you have a fun, relaxing day!

  • Kristin @ FoodFash February 13, 2011, 11:08 am

    Fingers crossed for some kind of portobello mushrooms sandwich recipe! 🙂

  • Ann February 13, 2011, 11:09 am

    What a terrible experience at the restaurant! I’m sure you two made the most of your time together chatting at the bar, and now you know never to go back again!
    The breakfast burrito looks great!
    I won’t be officially on the eat-in bandwagon, but we mostly do anyways, I only work part time so I have plenty of time to cook!

  • Kristina February 13, 2011, 11:13 am

    I hate when restaurants screw things up-it totally ruins my mood!!!! But that bfast looks crazy good-I can almost taste the sweet potato, YUM!

  • Amber K February 13, 2011, 11:32 am

    What a horrible time! I definitely would have left. But I get really irritated when it comes to me and my food! 😉

    Oh my gosh, that breakfast burrito looks amazing!!

  • Amanda February 13, 2011, 11:45 am

    As a hostess at a restaurant it is my biggest pet peeve when people come up to the stand saying “There are all these open tables! Why can’t we have one!” You need to understand that we can’t seat all our tables, otherwise our reservations would have no where to sit. I’m sorry you had a bad experience though, they shouldn’t have lost your reservation.

  • Kiran February 13, 2011, 11:47 am

    Oh no! I hate it when this happens.. But the burrito sure did make up for the dinner 😀

  • Cyndie February 13, 2011, 12:02 pm

    I’m glad you tipped your waitress well! You’re right, it isn’t her fault. As a server, I wish there were more people like you 🙂

    Sorry for the V-day debacle!

  • Paige @Running Around Normal February 13, 2011, 12:04 pm

    Ahhh that sleep must have felt life changing. Sorry about the crappy dining experience. That sucks!

  • Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy February 13, 2011, 12:06 pm

    I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but I give you credit for staying! If it was already pushing 9:00, I would’ve been too tired and hungry (and grumpy) to wait!

  • Ashley February 13, 2011, 12:17 pm

    Woohoo! I need to do this too, so maybe I’ll try the same thing for the remainder of the month. Question – what about getting a drink with a friend? Is that allowed? I usually go out with friends at least once a week so that may be a prob but I don’t want to give up my “friend” time. How r u handling this?

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 12:18 pm

      Your challenge, your rules 🙂

  • Allison @ OneWhiteTulip February 13, 2011, 12:18 pm

    Ahh, good luck not eating out! I always cheat when i try and do things that aren’t technically eating out…like the hot food bar at Wegmans. It’s not eating out if it’s at a grocery store, right? it’s just buying pre-made groceries!

    Oh the lies we tell ourselves…

  • Jennifer February 13, 2011, 12:20 pm

    I have a suggestion for eat-in.
    Where I work, we have a rice cooker. Everyday we set up the rice to cook (you can do brown rice in it, and I bet with experimentation, most other grains). For lunch, people just bring in the toppings they need and eat it with rice. Great, easy, hot lunch.
    All else you need is a sink to rinse out the pot after lunch.

    • Mary Ann February 13, 2011, 12:51 pm

      I like your challenge. I am looking at doing the same for the following two weeks. Here’s a tip to use some of that rice. Take about 1 cup of cooked rice, mix with an egg and fry as a pancake. Top with syrup (and grilled bananas) and enjoy. It also works well with quinoa. Bon Appetit!

  • Mabelle@ Dance, Love, Dine February 13, 2011, 12:41 pm

    Im liking the sweet potato twist on the breakfast burrito. Looks yummy.

  • Shari February 13, 2011, 12:54 pm

    Off topic, but I LOVE your coat. Where did you get it?

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 4:00 pm

      United Colors of Bennaton, but 5 years ago!

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 4:00 pm

      United Colors of Bennaton, but 5 years ago! Thank yoU!

  • Amy February 13, 2011, 1:08 pm

    I had a terrible Valentine’s Day experience at an Indian restaurant too! In our case, they just totally forgot to put our order in, and after two hours we hadn’t gotten any food, so we left and went out for pizza. 🙂

  • Katy (The Singing Runner) February 13, 2011, 1:11 pm

    Sorry the dinner was not good. :/ That’s not a good way to spend Valentine’s Day. But your burrito looks amazing! 😀

  • nicole February 13, 2011, 1:19 pm

    I love you coat, you look so pretty! Sorry you had such a bad experience on your Valentine’s night.

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin February 13, 2011, 1:22 pm

    What a bummer about your dinner! Sorry it was such a bad experience. 🙁 It’s understandable that mistakes like that can happen, but they really should have bent over backwards to make it up to you.

  • Brittany February 13, 2011, 1:27 pm

    Looks like an amazing burrito concoction. i think you deserve your zombie night of sleep. your working hard!!!!

  • Natalia - a side of simple February 13, 2011, 1:31 pm

    I was going to say you should try again for another date night to make up for it, but with your challenge to eat-in that can’t exactly happen. You should try to do a “homemade restaurant” night to spice up one of your dinners where you pretend you’re out, but in! If that makes any sense at all…it sounds better in my head.

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 4:01 pm

      OO what a fun idea, Natalia!!!

    • Allison @ Happy Tales February 13, 2011, 8:13 pm

      Haaaaa we totally did this for our Valentine’s Day dinner celebration last night… soooo much fun! Ate by candle light and everything 🙂

  • Julie (A Case of the Runs) February 13, 2011, 1:45 pm

    Yeah, I’m trying to stay away from restaurants this weekend and tomorrow… things like that are more likely to happen on Valentine’s Day. Fun challenge, though!

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss February 13, 2011, 1:52 pm

    Sorry your dinner was a bit of a flop. At least the company was great. 🙂

  • Kristina @ spabettie February 13, 2011, 1:53 pm

    aw… first, you can probably predict I’ll say this, but I LOVE that photo of Maggie. <3

    sorry your dinner was disappointing, glad you got some awesome much needed rest and relax time!!

  • christine February 13, 2011, 2:36 pm

    I love your jacket!

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey February 13, 2011, 2:37 pm

    I think you’ll do fine on your eat in challenge. Cut yourself some slack – you did just crank out a book! 🙂

    Sorry about your horrible dining experience!

  • Kristina February 13, 2011, 2:41 pm

    I hate it when a night out disappoints. A few years ago, we went down to one income, so we cut out eating out except for special occasions (b-days, people visiting…). Although we are now back to two incomes, we have tried to stick to the eat-in philosophy. Now, when we do eat out or do take-out often, I find that I really miss cooking and making meals, and it feels so good when we have a week or two of eating in.

  • Angie February 13, 2011, 3:14 pm

    I’m on board with this eating in idea! my wallet will thank me

  • Julie @ Shining From Within February 13, 2011, 3:41 pm

    Dang! What a bummer… people don’t realize that if you give your customers the service they deserve they’ll keep coming back which = more $. Guess that’s too complicated for them to compute lol.

  • Jessie Bea February 13, 2011, 3:46 pm

    My unsolicited advice on avoiding eating out: have (healthy) convenience meals that seem like treats on hand. If you know you have really awesome food that you want to eat at home, you’re more likely to skip going out.

    When I know I’m going to be tempted to just eat out (stress, busy weeks, etc) I make sure I have premade pizza fixings, my favorite salad additions, baked tofu, really good bread for sandwiches, etc. That way I have an easy meal that I look forward to waiting for me at home. And even though I spend more at the grocery store that week, I end up saving money because it costs significantly less than eating out.

    So this justifies buying those super $ (but I agree, sooo good!) Siggi’s yogurts!

    • Caitlin February 13, 2011, 4:01 pm

      Hahah thank you for justifying siggi’s for me!!!

  • Lisa (bakebikeblog) February 13, 2011, 4:00 pm

    oh that breakfast looks delightful!

  • Lauren February 13, 2011, 4:34 pm

    We had a bad dining experience for our V-day dinner too! Such a shame! 🙁 But at least you enjoyed the time with friends and your hubby. That’s what I had to tell myself after our awful dinner experience Friday night.

  • Allison @ Happy Tales February 13, 2011, 8:16 pm

    Ugh, so sorry to hear about your poor dining experience. I have yet to eat there, and now I’m not sure that I would! Good for you for still giving your waitress a good tip, though. Totally not her fault! And an 11 hour sleep sounds absolutely incredible… hope you are well rested, now! Oh, and yay for your eat-in challenge! Can’t wait to hear about it 🙂

  • Jillian Babbel February 13, 2011, 9:05 pm

    The eat-in challenge is great!

    Here’s my favorite menu planner printable: http://www.theprojectgirl.com/2009/01/19/menu-planning-form-free-download/comment-page-1/#comment-100

  • Mac February 13, 2011, 9:59 pm

    I’ve never thought to put sweet potato in a wrap, I am going to have to try that one out! I have been feeling the same way about spending so much money on eating out. My boyfriend and I eat out way too much on the weekends, we have slowly started to make changes though.

  • Nikka February 14, 2011, 12:55 pm

    Sorry to hear about your dinner fail..
    But a bad meal can’t take away how beautiful your tulips are! Lucky lady 🙂

    Your eat-in challenge, sounds great. I too, have been eating out more than I (and my wallet) would like, however I do not know how to do meal planning! I’d like to prepare a few dishes on Sunday to have ready for dinner throughout out the week. Since you’re my go-to healthy gal, perhaps you could do a how-to post on meal-planning? 🙂

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