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November 15, 2019

Mini Vacations

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I’m a big fan of the “mini vacation” – anyone else? Meaning, an hour or two that feels like vacation but that’s close to home (or even at home) and doesn’t involve travel or anything big.

I had two mini vacations this week, which was a big (and unusual) treat! 

The first was a run date with Matt (without a stroller!) – he had Monday off and the weather was AMAZING so I played hooky too and we went for a run late morning down on the National Mall. 

It was gorgeous down there – lots of tourists around, which was weird because I’m so used to being there in the super early morning when it’s empty!

We made it about 3 miles and then grabbed food after our run at Farmers, Fishers, Bakers on the Georgetown Waterfront. I love this place – their brunch buffet (which is normally just on the weekends, but they had it going since it was a holiday) is insane in the best way possible. 

We decided some drinks were in order since it was 65 degrees and sunny and amazing out on the patio and it really did feel like a mini vacation. Mimosa for me, bloody mary for him!

farmers fishers bakers brunch

First round at the buffet – apparently I was craving salty meat! Their kale caesar was awesome, too… reminded me of my Vegan Kale Caesar Salad recipe! 

farmers fishers bakers brunch buffet

Round 2 at the buffet was more savory stuff + one of their amaaaaazing cinnamon rolls. I’m not a huge sweets person in general but I do really love cinnamon rolls and I know from previous experience that theirs are a must not miss – so good and doughy!

farmers fishers bakers brunch

My second mini vacation this week was a VERY long overdue lunch date with my friend Anina Belle!

(Remember her from our fun batch cooking baby playdate?)

Anina Belle went back to work full time last winter so we haven’t been able to meet up for weekday playdates anymore and as a result it had been wayyyy too long since we hung out!

After emailing for months we finally found a day that worked for a mama’s only lunch date. She is in charge of PR for the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel in DC, so she kindly offered to treat us to lunch at Bourbon Steak, the hotel restaurant. 

I’ve been to Bourbon Steak a few times before and LOVE it so she didn’t have to ask me twice. 😉

bourbon steak four seasons dc lunch

I always love meals where the person I’m dining with also likes sharing food – it makes it way more fun to taste a ton of different stuff! We ordered a lot of variety and shared everything: oysters, tuna tartare, and a side salad to start, plus some amazing must-not-miss truffled butter rolls (I brought the leftovers home and am so excited to eat them again). 

And for entrees, we shared the crab cake (amazing – all crab, very little filler) and the New York strip (super flavorful) with sauteed mushrooms and spinach.

Plus some fries for good measure – I loved the unique seasonings they had on the fries! I believe one was an herb seasoning, one was cajun, and one was cool ranch (so creative) – plus delicious sauce pairings, too. 

bourbon steak four seasons dc lunch

Yum. Such a fun treat, and so great to catch up with my friend, too! Thank you again for the delicious meal, Anina Belle. 🙂

A couple other random things of note from the past week:

  • I had a fun run date over the weekend with my friend Kathleen!

We hadn’t run together in forever because Kathleen had her second child about 5 months ago. Welcome back to the trails, Kathleen! I missed you. 🙂

  • I got rid of our old shoe rack that was just two bars that all the shoes constantly fell off of and bought a more legit one with actual shelves and our hall closet situation is now much, much improved. Here’s the link to the shoe rack on Amazon (affiliate link) if you are looking for something similar! Yay for organization. 

best shoe organizer

  • We had a backsplash added to our kitchen and I’m OBSESSED. Love the pop of color and the fun shape of the tiles!

Pictured with a yummy dinner from this week – sauteed garlicky lemony kale, roasted squash, and a roasted crusted fish (coated with dijon mustard + breadcrumbs + a lemon juice squeeze on top once cooked). 

sheet pan squash fish

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Tell me about a recent “mini vacation” you had! Taking a bubble bath and reading my book at night after Riese goes to bed is another “mini vacation” favorite of mine. 🙂

And now, I will leave you with a whole slew of links of interest from around the web:

  • The Parenting Magic Word (and 10 Ways to Use It) via Janet Lansbury 
  • Tips on Intuitive Eating for Toddlers via ImmaEatThat – this is how we are feeding Riese too
  • Quinoa Tabouleh Salad via PB Fingers – thinking this would make a great simple make-ahead packable lunch with some salmon or chicken!
  • Avoiding the Power Struggle by Not Competing with Kids For Control via Calm Chaos 
  • Additive Wellness: 10 Things to Add To Your Routine via Healthfully Ever After – love the add vs. subtract approach – that’s what I use with my clients!
  • It’s Time to Stop Treating Parenting as a Mom’s Burden and a Dad’s Adorable Hobby via Glamour – hear, hear
  • 24 Days of Togetherness Holiday Bucket List via Carrots N Cake – love this cute printable PDF for the holiday season!
- anne
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11 comments
  • Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
    November 15, 2019 · 8:55AM:
    What a fun week! So nice to squeeze some fun into your week days. I try to take a 'me day' once a quarter but I usually am on my own for those days since my friends all work traditional jobs, mostly in the suburbs, so it wouldn't work out to meet up with them. But I still love those days on my own, especially as an introvert! My last "me day" was in October and it was lovely. I got a haircut, went out to lunch on my own and ran some errands that would be tough to do with our son on the weekend. I'm envious of your 60F day on Monday. Our high that day was 18F and with the windchill it felt below zero. Bleh. It's going to warm up to 40 this weekend, though, which is going to feel 'nice.' It's funny how fast your perception of cold changes in the Midwest!! Love your new backsplash! That is a fun pop of color! We have a backsplash in our new home which I love - it's a white subway tile so no color but it's really pretty. Our cabinets are two-tone, though - cream on the bottom, brown on top. I guess that was a trend when this house was renovated back in 2005? So we plan to have the cabinets painted but probably not for a couple of years since we have a lot of other things to focus on first like painting and buying furniture!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 15, 2019 · 1:47PM:
      I love white subway tiles - we had those put in on our new fireplace (we didn't love the tile that was there before)! And I love that you take "me days" once a quarter - what a great idea! Enjoy the warm ish weekend. ;)
      Reply
  • Ana November 15, 2019 · 11:16AM:
    Mmm, that Four Seasons lunch! ?
    Reply
  • Katie November 15, 2019 · 3:59PM:
    Movies during the day and solo Target trips during the week feel like mini-vacations!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 15, 2019 · 4:02PM:
      Ooo I haven't seen a movie in the theaters in wayyyyy too long!
      Reply
  • Roadrunner November 16, 2019 · 10:10AM:
    What fun mini-vacations! And well done on the run. Over 5 miles! Solidly on the comeback trail!
    Reply
  • Laura November 18, 2019 · 10:01AM:
    We're having a white subway tile backsplash done in our kitchen in the next week and I'm so excited! We have the four inch counter backsplash you have in your kitchen and we keep trying to decide if we want it removed to have the tile start right at the bottom or if we want to keep it. Was that much of a factor for you?
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 18, 2019 · 11:20AM:
      We were thinking of having it removed, but apparently it's hit or miss whether it's going to look okay without it because the counter might be kind of far from the wall so then you'd end up with a ton of grout... and you can't change your mind because they are usually hard to remove and break in the process, so we decided not to gamble. ;) We figured it looks good either way!
      Reply
  • Jess November 20, 2019 · 5:33PM:
    I"m drooling...Farmers Fishers Baker is SO good! That bruleed grapefruit is the best. :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 20, 2019 · 6:22PM:
      Agreed!!
      Reply
  • Kris S December 1, 2019 · 6:18PM:
    Welcome back to Kathleen! Hope she's feeling good :) Freaking love the backsplash!!
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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