Cafe de Arts Lunch Date

My guy works for a financial institution and gets extra postal holiday days off throughout the year. This allowed us to have lunch together on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day last month. Because of its proximity to my job, and the fact that my guy had not been there yet, we went to Cafe de Arts.

I cannot say enough nice words about Ayhan, his wife and the staff of Cafe de Arts. No matter how busy they are, which is all the time, they stop what they are doing for a moment and say hi to everyone that comes in. It's that extra step of customer service that really sets them ahead of the pack.

We chose a small table with comfy wingback chairs by the front window. Menus were brought to us and I ran down a quick list of my favorites to my guy. I always have a tough time deciding because everything is consistently delicious!

I went for one of my faves, the chicken Caesar salad, and my guy chose something I had never tried before, The Fauve, a breakfast sandwich. It came highly recommended by the owner :)

While we waited for our lunch, I explained to my guy that the interior was recently painted and looks great. The warm wall colors were replaced with a refreshing blue. The owners really have a knack for design and it shows with the mural concepts inside and on the outside of the building. 

Our lunches soon arrived and looked splendid. The thing that makes the chicken Caesar salad my favorite is the perfectly grilled, juicy chicken. Just the right amount of dressing coats the salad but doesn't take away from the other flavors. Excellent croutons and Parmesan cheese complete the salad. The crusty roll with butter on the side is top notch too!

My guys sandwich was presented with a gorgeous and refreshing side of strawberries and apples atop lettuce with light dressing. The sandwich itself was a revelation in the words of my guy - something he would have never thought would go together and it did. I tried a bite and was pleasantly surprised I could taste each flavor. Just a small amount of jelly added sweetness and the warm egg and bacon made the peanut butter creamier. The egg was also cooked perfectly to my liking.

We were both really big fans of our lunch and left full but not stuffed. I couldn't finish my salad but ate up every bit of chicken and croutons I could find.

Although neither my guy or myself are coffee drinkers, the way the place smelled of fresh brewed coffee made us feel energized and happy. My coworkers grab coffee regularly on there way into work and rave about it. He sells the roasted beans by the pound as well and has a small selection of other coffee related merchandise.

This is definitely worth a stop for a cup of joe on your way into work, breakfast or lunch, or just to to have a drink with a friend and catch up. Many people also hold small meetings or do work at one of the tables while enjoying a drink and eat. The place is very conducive for those purposes. They are only open through lunch and then they begin roasting the coffee for the next day so get there early in order to enjoy!

Walking Around Waukesha

I attempted to sit outside my work yesterday and enjoy my lunch in the sun, but the bees had another plan for me. They tried to steal my lunch and get their germs all over it. I feared if I swatted them away one more time, I was going to be stung. So I went off on a walk around downtown Waukesha instead.

 I love how the sun comes through this bridge on the Riverwalk.

The Fox River really is beautiful this time of year.

 This ugly building will soon become apartments with a skywalk (South Street)

 Hard to see but Jackson's added a garage door to the front for windows making it easier to see in as well as let in the fresh air!

 This gorgeous plant takes up half the steps to Chill, but it's really vibrant. (Gaspar Street)

 Generations at 5 Points has taken over RiverMill Foods and the windows are all papered up while they work on the pub!

 Yellow Cab seems to be gone in Waukesha so this spot on the 5 points is available (Broadway)

 I like the expanded sidewalks for outdoor seating. Can't believe no one was enjoying it on this beautiful day! (Clinton Street)

 A new salon has gone in on Clinton and they accept Carroll University card holders. I think this counts for Alumni too!

I love Cafe de Arts and you can't miss this place in Waukesha with it's purple color and bright sunflower.

 Brook Street Little Free Library! Look for a post on these soon!

Healthy Living Week 2

15 days  down, 31 to go!  A third of the way there......

Before I get into the details - I want to shoe this picture of the amazing Pairdd meal that I made last Thursday. Details on what Pairdd is and how the fabulous the meal was will come up later this week. 

Salmon w/ quinoa, kale, chickpea and craisin salad -- Pairdd

Week 2 was much harder than Week 1. I knew it was going to be more of a struggle, but I really didn't think it would be this hard. I think my body is finally realizing that I am depriving it of jelly beans, Starbursts, diet soda and other processed treats. And it's rebelling. I really have no want to eat the overly processed junk again because I know I will feel miserable after. It just tastes so good. My brain is craving it, not my body.

So it's a body over mind challenge for this week. I just have to treat food like fuel, which doesn't mean I'm going to eat cardboard, but does mean that I have to train myself that I don't need those extra snacks and treats.

I also had a setback with my back this past week. I went to the Dr. on Friday and was told that it's not a pinched nerve or anything with my spine but I did something to the soft tissue and need to take it really easy. No running, no back related workouts. So since Friday, I have been trying eat extremely well (two dates don't really help that cause) and do any workout I can do that doesn't hurt the back.

Situps are out as it's the bending action that really hurts it. So I have been working on toning my arms. That's about all I can do this week. I really hope the pain goes away and I can get back into it soon. I think I was using poor form and that's why my back got hurt. I plan to watch form videos on YouTube to make sure I am doing the workout right.

Not to mention, I tend to overdo things. When I jump into working out, I go all in and end up with very sore muscles for a week or so. It's a great feeling that makes me feel progress that I can't yet see.

So I have found that iced tea and Jamaican Lemonade are getting me through the afternoons at work.

Cafe de Arts

Salads are becoming my friend, like this Chicken Ceasar salad from Cafe de Arts. I used to eat the entire thing, but now I portion it out for myself and eat only half of it.

I am making wiser decisions when I am out with friends too. I might want the bacon cheeseburger and fries, but I can't have that if I want to lose the weight and be healthier.

So if I want to "indulge," I still choose something better for me and then I don't eat it all. I will take some home and let my friends try it - like these Reuben Egg Rolls from Bullwinkles - delicious but I didn't eat them all.

So here's to Week 3 and getting back into the swing of it and not letting my mind take over!

Happy Fall - It's Pumpkin Time

Fall has officially begun! It's my favorite season of the year. Sure Summer is warm and such, but because my skin is not friends with the sun, I love Fall - warm days, cool nights and nature's colors are truly fabulous.

And the best part......Pumpkin spiced everything!!!!!

I love that pumpkin is mostly limited to the Fall season for products as I would hate to overwhelm my buds and potentially dislike the flavor. I really, really enjoy it!

I am on the hunt for Pumpkin and Squash flavored items and hope to share with you my opinions of what I have found. Please let me know if you have spotted items at stores and restaurants for me to try.

Here is what I have tried so far:

Iced Chai Tea Latte from Cafe de Arts in Waukesha - Sure this is available year round, but the flavor reminds me of Thanksgiving and pumpkin spice. I will soon transition to hot Chai, but for now - this hits the spot.

I swung through the drive thru at McDonald's to get myself a sausage biscuit for breakfast and saw they have Pumpkin Spice Lattes, so I decided to give it a chance. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, (unless you count gas station cappuccino) but I figured with the pumpkin flavoring, it couldn't be too bad, right? WRONG!!!! It was a sweet pumpkin syrup that was dripping all over the outside of my cup and then the texture was just wrong. For saying that coffee even has texture, you know something is awry. It coated my tongue like liquid cough syrup. I had to dump it. Maybe I'm not ready for lattes, or maybe this one was just bad.

 

Kashi Pumpkin Spice Flax Granola Bars - They come two to a pack and are absolutely pumpkin-licious. They are crumbly and make a mess if you aren't careful, the but the cinnamon flavor comes through nicely. I am a big fan. 

 Next up are items that I'm going to be trying soon.

Found this granola at Woodman's

 Wasn't brave enough to buy this yet unless someone can tell me what I would use this for, for $9.99?

 Wasn't brave enough to buy this either - I am hoping for a smaller container to become available. Has anyone had pumpkin ice cream before to tell me if this is worth it or not?

My pumpkin beer tasting will hopefully ensue in the beginning of October. I am too pressed for time before my trip to Vegas this weekend to sit down and enjoy more than one and I want to have some friends try these with me. And I am trying to really watch calories before Vegas and work out more so that I feel good when I'm on vacation.

 Butternut Squash soup is one of my favorite types of soup and I bought two to see if they compare to this one or this one I made last year. And I hope that O' What A Day Cafe in Waukesha brings this one back again this year.

And pumpkin muffins, although they say they are made with sustainably grown Oregon pumpkin, I see a lot of other ingredients I can't read. Not to mention the fat content is a bit high. I'm sure they will taste great, but definitely not good for me. 

My friend Shauna raves about this tea, so I will take this to work to try tomorrow, and this Pumpkin Bar mix was on sale, so I snatched it up.

My friend posted a picture of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies she just made. I think I will have to try the recipe soon.

Do you love PUMPKIN (and squash) as much as me or am I crazy? Do you know of other unique pumpkin items that I should try in the next few months? I'm definitely up to try anything so please share :)