Brunching on North Ave

4/24/14

     The Wicker Park restaurant, Trencherman, used to be known as the Luxor Russian Baths, which was a social center for hard-working immigrants in Chicago. It then transformed into a transient hotel followed by a brothel. In the 90's the City of Chicago pushed to demolish the building. Good thing they didn't! How would I have been able to enjoy their fabulous brunch??

      I loved the interior of this restaurant because it was fancy yet rustic at the same time. This date was also another from Howaboutwe that included 3 cocktails and a 3 course brunch. Although we were pretty full and a bit overwhelmed with all the food we had been eating that weekend, we found room for more!

I was very eager to try the drinks and had a tough time deciding which ones to order. My hands-down favorite was the wake and bake (left) which included cold brewed coffee, coffee liquor, and kringle (whatever that is!). It reminded me of the frappes I enjoyed while visiting Greece. We also sipped on mother's milk (top right) and a beermosa (bottom right) which were also delicious.

The first brunch appetizer we split was the greek yogurt with salted quinoa granola and fruit compote. I'm a huge fan of yogurt parfaits, so my eyes lit up with this was brought to the table =).

Next on the list was the Kale Salad which combined vegetable escabeche, bagna cauda, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and a fried egg. This was uniquely tasty, but I for some reason could not eat too much due to the texture so Justin took care of this dish!

 



     Since Justin and I are both fans of breakfast sandwiches, wraps, tacos- anything like that- we knew to order the breakfast sandwich at Trencherman. It was built with bacon stuffed bacon, a sunny side egg, cheddar, and potatoes. YUM!

 



      Lately I have been trying to spice things up and order random dishes I would have ignored otherwise. I decided to order the Corned Beef Benedict with poached eggs, english muffin, cabbage, and mustard hollandaise. This was tasty as well, however, I was still eyeing Justin's breakfast sandwich the whole time =0.

     

     Last but not least, and my favorite part, was the dessert! Just when I didn't think my stomach would allow anything else, I managed to make room for a pistachio lemon cake and a banana bread & nutella coffee cake. These little cakes were a little piece of heaven and a perfect ending to a lovely brunch.

     If you don't come to Trencherman for brunch, you should definitely come here to chill at the bar and have a fancy cocktail. Until next time, happy eating! xo 

Eating Healthy on a Budget

4/21/14

     Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a lovely Easter weekend. Now that you have finished shoveling down chocolate eggs and bunnies (which may not be yet, because I still have an entire bag of candy), I bet you're thinking...wait, it's actually nice out now! Where is my summer body??! If you're like me and like to follow health blogs, you'll notice lots of people spending hundreds of dollars on expensive organic food, flax seeds, chia seeds, protein powder, etc. Since I live on a tight budget AND still manage to eat healthy, I thought I would share my tips!

1. Buy frozen vegetables
           My freezer is usually stocked with frozen vegetable mixes that you can steam in 4-5 min in the microwave. There are so many different kinds and they cost anywhere from $1-2. Dress these veggies up with parmesan cheese, spices, balsamic vinaigrette, or whatever fancies your tastebuds.

P.S. The BEST vegetables I have found to eat is edamame- it has TONS of protein and keeps me full for a long time. I also am a huge fan of the asian medley by Steamfresh.

2. Make oatmeal your friend
           I used to HATE oatmeal. I never used to understand how people managed to swallow the mushy stuff. However, once I tried it when I was a bit older, I found I loved it! A box of oatmeal is $2.50 at Walmart and it will last me a week and half. It helps me stay full during the morning, revs up my metabolism, and has lots of fiber!

My favorite is the banana bread with 7g protein and 8g of fiber,

3. Add lemon to your water
          I used to spend so much money on crystal light packets, fuze drinks, snapple diet tea, gatorade...you name it. I hate water. Instead, i've learned adding a few lemon slices to my water really spices things up (and makes me feel like i'm at the spa). I've seen people add frozen berries which looks lovely, however, lemons are definitely cheap and also aid in fat burn and digestion. It's a win-win!

4. Make a crock pot meal
          If you don't have a crock pot, you should probably invest in one. They are only around $30 and can save you a ton of money and time when you make meals. Make a slow cooker recipe on Sunday or Monday during the beginning of the week and you can eat it all week long! The cheapest kinds would be a salsa chicken, a tortilla soup like this one, or anything that involves lots of flavor without too many ingredients. If you get bored with your meal, switch it up by adding extra toppings, throw it on top of your frozen vegetables, or make it into tacos!

5. Groupon
          Justin and I tend to use Groupon pretty often because it can save you so much money when dining out. We also tend to split entrees when at restaurants. As you know, most places give you like 3-4 serving sizes per meal. Use that to your advantage and split it with someone else who likes the same food as you! If you do dine out, try and keep it healthy! Grilled over fried and keep the dressing on the side =).

6. Buy 1-2 snacks per grocery trip
          I am a huge fan of snacking, but it can get pricey! A bag of chips and pretzels can be $4-5 and add up on your grocery bill. I know it's tempting, but if you think about it, do you really need a ton of snack items sitting in your cupboard half-open getting stale? Choose one processed snack and one fresh snack per week (Mine would be carrots and popcorn). You won't be tempted to overeat with all of the choices you have to pick from and you will definitely save some $$.

7. Use coconut oil
          This isn't food related, but it will save you money and make your skin glow at the same time. I used to buy face lotion and it would run out so quickly. Also, has anyone else noticed how expensive lotion has become? It's like $10 for a tiny little bottle! Half of that is probably filled with water which evaporates from your skin anyway. Instead, I buy coconut oil which hydrates my skin through the entire night. You only have to use a pea-sized amount...maybe even smaller. One $7 jar will probably last for over a year. Crazy!

     I live by these tips every day and it's been making the expensive Chicago living a bit less stressful and I can still treat my body well. If you think of any good tips yourself, pass them my way! I love talking healthy eating and money-saving tricks.

Have a fabulous week! xo Jill

Links & Drinks

4/16/14

     I think almost everyone in Chicago can say they are a big fan of brunch, especially when bottomless mimosas are involved. To continue our weekend of Howaboutwe dates, we decided to check out a new restaurant for brunch in the Lincoln Park area.
   
    Fairways is a chill, golf-themed weekend hot spot that even has virtual golf upstairs. Although we didn't try the golf experience, I definitely loved their food and drinks! I noticed that people seem to linger at their tables for a while because there's just a fun and cheery ambiance in this place. If you don't feel like waiting in the long line at Zella's on a Saturday, you should head over to Fairways.

For drinks, Justin and Reid ordered Baileys and Coffee (yum!) while Sarah and I chose a mimosas. Of course one mimosa led to two, which led to bottomless...yikes!

These breakfast tacos kept coming out of the kitchen left and right so I had to order them. These corn tortillas were filled with short rib, scrambled eggs, salsa verde, and queso fresco. Hey, at least I stayed healthy with a side of fruit!

Justin always seems to stick to breakfast burritos, which tend to be my favorite too. This one contained chorizo, potato, salsa fresco, white cheddar, and avocado.We definitely enjoyed this one...especially the seasoned potatoes.

Next time I come here I definitely would like to try the virtual golf, however, I feel like the experience is still nothing compared to the real thing. Good thing summer is right around the corner!

P.S. For those curious, this is what the upstairs looks like (not my picture, obv.) Pretty sweet!

E.T... drinks please?

4/15/14

     Nothing says "love" like a night of making robots, right? Ya, that's what I was thinking too. Since I love trying new and different things, I decided to sign Justin and I up for the Howaboutwe "Robot Date Night". Reid and Sarah also joined us on an evening of robots, movies, and of course...wine!

     Robot City Workshop is located in the Lakeview area and it's just a hole in the wall shop. When you walk in, there are robots literally everywhere and it's just fun to take a look around. We were greeted by our robot teacher who was extremely nice and upbeat and made the date so much fun. He gave us different options of robot kits we could choose to create and they all had different difficulty levels. He let us know, "If you just want to relax, drink and not have to focus too much, choose the beginner level". You can guess what we decided on. Yes, we chose the robots for ages 5+ (don't judge).

     I thought the whole experience was entertaining; from the romance detector game, to a robotic simon says, to learning how to create circuits- all while watching Wall-E in the background. My favorite part was having my drinks delivered via robot (I know you're jealous), and also receiving popcorn (because nothing makes me happier than snacks). We took home cute cleaning "brush robots" that wouldn't stand a chance cleaning my room, but at least they are cute!

     This was a fun and different pre-game before we went out for the night and I recommend trying it if you have ever wanted to attempt building a robot =).

hugs and robot kisses- Jill

Date Night at Deleece

4/4/14

     I'm a sucker for a fancy drink. Most of the time, I prefer a brightly-colored, sugar and fruit rimmed martini over a delicious dessert. So when Justin took me out to Deleece last week, I had nothing but good things to say. Since Deleece is a casual-upscale restaurant, I figured they might have some fun drinks, so I dove head first into the cocktail menu.


I love anything with vodka and pineapple so the "In the Wings" martini hit the spot. It included Grey Goose La Poire, rum, triple sec, and pineapple juice followed by a few blueberries at the end.

Justin went the more masculine route with a Lemon Basil Manhattan starring Makers
Mark Whiskey, sweet vermouth, fresh squeezed
lemon, and basil. This was a perfect mixture of strong and sweet.

We then decided to choose one of their side dishes as an appetizer because they had so many that sparked our interest. I decided on the Sesame Green Beans which were seasoned green beans with a sesame-soy sauce accompanied by sautéed peppers and onions. I never thought greens beans could taste this good!

While we waited for our main course to arrive, we decided to try out two more of their cocktails. I was such a fan of Justin's previous manhattan that I decided to order a whiskey drink myself. I chose the Deleece Sour and Justin went with a Founders IPA beer.

Last but not least came our entree, the Roasted Amish Half Chicken. This dish included 2 moist cuts of chicken along with baby turnips, swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, caramelized apples, and a maple-cider reductions sauce. The sweet maple sauce was the star of the meal and it went perfectly with the chicken giving it a sweet and savory flavor. It was a large meal and we were pretty happy we decided to split!

Deleece is definitely a hidden gem on Southport. We can't wait to come back and try all new drinks and dishes. I was literally eyeing everyone else's food at the restaurant so I have a feeling everything else is pretty amazing as well. What a perfect way to spice up a usually uneventful Wednesday night!

Happy Eating! xo

Bananas, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter... Need I Say More?

4/3/14

     Usually when I am in the mood to bake, I'll try and decide between some type of cake or bread. Many times I'll go with the bread recipe just because it seems like it's healthier (it's like breakfast food, right?)... even though it's not. It doesn't help that I will pour an entire bag of chocolate chips in either! I came across a banana bread recipe that looked extra chocolatey, moist, and just perfect. I even decided to use peanut butter chips in mine as well =0. Sorry for all of you who gave up sweets for lent, but at least you'll have something to look forward to after Easter!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 Cup Ripe Bananas
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Bag Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250F.
2. Beat together sugar and oil and then add eggs one at a time.
3. Mash up your bananas in a separate bowl and then add it to the mixture.
4. Once the bananas are well blended and there are minimal chunks, add the sour cream and vanilla.
5. Slowly add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.

6. Grease 2 baking loaf pans. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the top of the loaf is golden brown and firm to the touch. Check the inside with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean (My loaves took around 60 min).
7. Wait until the bread is completely cool to dive in so it doesn't fall apart while slicing. I know, it's hard to resist, warm bread is the best!