The Best Travel Dress. Ever.

You know I am super picky about my work-out clothes and I have a similar attitude about some travel gear. I love a good travel dress since they are cute, casual, & feminine. Sometimes after a long day of hiking it just feels plain old good to put on a dress.

Key Features I Look For in a Travel Dress:

1. Doesn’t wrinkle- Self explanatory I think! I want a dress that I can ball up in a backpack and put it on for dinner.

2. Can be worn more than once without having to be washed- Sort of like #1. You know how some outfits get stretched out or wrinkle really easily which require more frequent washing & drying? Yea, I don’t want that in a travel dress. I want something that can get 2-3 + uses.

3. Can be mixed & matched with different accessories to look like a new dress- This is where I factor in color/pattern. A plain, solid, neutral color can be made to look very different with different shoes, sweaters, & accessories. There are a ton of cute patterned “active wear” dresses but if I were to only invest in one, I would choose a solid color.

4. Could be casual or dressy- I want to be able to wear a dress as a beach cover-up or out for a nice dinner.

5. Has a built in bra- Crucial for me. Depending on the type of travel you do, space and weight of your luggage is very limited. I don’t want to have to pack a special strapless bra to wear with a dress.

6. Moisture wicking material- Similar to my qualification for work-out gear. When I was in the Grand Canyon last summer you literally start sweating the second you step outside. I could essentially go swimming in this Best Travel Dress Ever and you would never know unless you gave me a hug. Also useful if you tend to be spontaneous and adventurous. You never know when you will want to go wading in a river, wearing a dress…

7. Flattering- Obviously! I don’t want to feel like the dress is too tight or I’m going to be re-adjusting it constantly.

Here is the Best Travel Dress. Ever.

Patagonia Morning Glory Dress in Black

Worn with simple flat sandals. Don’t mind the wet hair. This dress has been folded up for a week.

Nice detail in the back.

Worn with wedges & a sweater.

The possibilities are endless. I would even hike in this dress if I had to. I would just slip on a pair of leggings or compression shorts underneath. I’m not wearing any jewelry here but I normally put on a cute necklace. Maybe a cute colorful scarf & a sweater?

Have any secret travel tips?

Everything I Didn’t Cook

This week has been crazy busy trying to fulfill some elective rotations and then also trying to catch up with friends & family. Needless to say it has involved a lot of eating out. Here are some of my eats, some random pics, and some random tips.

Plain oatmeal is awesome because you can choose your toppings. To add sweetness, I really enjoy brown sugar in oatmeal because a little goes a long way. That is only about 2 teaspoons. I love cinnamon and then the almonds for some healthy fat & protein.

I love Cafe Rio’s salads! Looking at this menu Top 3 Healthier Picks would be:

1. Tostada- Smaller portion size and a smaller tortilla shell is used. It’s basically like the salad but much smaller.

2. Salad- This is huge but you can make it pretty healthy (or unhealthy if you’re not careful). I sometimes choose the vegetarian option. It has rice & beans only, no meat. This is a huge salad (see below) so I usually eat all of the lettuce part, some of the goods (beans, rice, chicken, tortilla shell, cheese) and then save the rest of the goods to top with more of my own lettuce and make salad #2 the next day. Beans, rice, cheese, tortilla save well as a leftover but lettuce not so much. Oh, I also get the whole wheat tortilla.

3. Taco Meal- You can choose 1 or 2 tacos and then rice & beans on the side. I told you what I do with rice & beans here.

I went to University of Maryland yesterday, where I went to college. I definitely walked a lot yesterday! I miss walking several miles every day without even noticing it.

Finally, I went to a place called Addie’s. Surprisingly I had never eaten here! It is in the Rockville/Bethesda area of MD.

Local beer.

I really like when restaurants highlight the local agriculture they support!

This restaurant was moderately priced. I was going to get a salad & an appetizer but then decided to go with a burger since I saw it came with greens anyway and would be cheaper than 2 appetizers. I love when food isn’t huge portions. This burger was a perfect size. It came with 4-5 small homemade tater tots and a generous side of mixed greens. I think this is a very reasonable way to enjoy a burger!

Off to graduation now. More eating out! I think I am going to go to the grocery store and get a couple of healthy snacks for the weekend.

Do you bring healthy snacks when you travel?

Good Friends & Good Food in D. C.

I am so happy I got to see my friends Tuesday night! I love life on the west coast but I do miss my family & friends a ton.

A few of my friends live downtown D.C. (not DC as in Diet Coke, note the periods) and a few live in MD or VA on either side of the city, and some in Baltimore (also full of young people).

We all met at some of my friend’s house in D.C. This house was built in the early 1900′s and has stunning details: the ceiling beams, old hardwood floors, beautiful custom windows, crown molding.

Look at that beautifully set table! Seriously, when did we become so sophisticated? I’m a fan of dinner parties/parties in general. I’ve always enjoyed hosting people and I can’t wait until I have the space to do it again!

I really enjoyed the red on the left. We cracked open a few more bottles too…

Appetizer! I believe this was a lightened up version of this classic taco dip. Light cream cheese, turkey, and salsa with cheese on top. I’m guessing it was low-fat cheese too since it didn’t look like it melted all the way. Delicious!

FYI: Full-fat cheese melts much better that low-fat or fat-free! If you’re looking for a gooey, smooth cheese go for the full fat! Interesting right?

That’s Ashley, my extremely tall friend and college roommate of 2 years. She brought dessert from Matchbox! If you live in the D.C. area you must go to Matchbox! I love their chopped salad, burgers, and any of their pizzas!

Sipping wine before dinner. Erin, Ashley, & Katie.

Me & Michelle. Another college roommate and great friend. She came to visit me in Cali last October! We did so many fun things including a trip down to San Diego & up to Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley (great wine tasting!).

Hint hint: I’m a pretty good host, you should come visit me.

Spinach & Strawberry Salad

Homemade Mac & Cheese + Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Super easy way to dress up crescent rolls: sprinkle Feta on the dough before you roll them up. Brush a bit of olive oil on top & sprinkle with herbs.

I had on my plate: Salmon + Brussels Sprouts + Spinach Salad + Roasted Chicken + Mac & Cheese + Crescent Roll

I had a salad size plate which was perfect! I had plenty of room for dessert.

Preparing the best course: dessert.

German Chocolate Chip Cake + Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding + Brownie with Fresh Berries

Kelly, Michelle, Kathryn, Katherine, Erin, Ashley, & Katie

Ok you know what’s hard to believe? I’m 5’6″ a very average height and I almost look petite in this picture! I have such tall friends! So do you think stripes & colorful pants are in??

Fun times had by all. Nothing I enjoy more than a long, leisurely meal surrounded by good company. That’s really what food is all about to me.

What I Ate Wednesday: Life at my parent’s house

I spent the day at NIH yesterday and will be there again today. Talk about some amazing dietitians! They also have an au bon pain and a great (although expensive) cafeteria. I’ve enjoyed trying other hospital food. NIH is seriously cutting edge and it is so amazing to be surrounded by some of the smartest medical professionals in the world. I’m not exaggerating.

Back to WIAW. This is what I ate 2 days ago, on Monday. Such a delicious day.

Latte left on my bedside table! Still dark in my room obviously. So spoiled I know.

Steel Cut Oats + Chia Seeds + Granola

Made my mom try chia! She keeps referring to them as chia pets and not chia seeds. She’s not even trying to be funny.

Raspberries

We met up for lunch with one of my favorite moms (besides my own) at a place called Sisters Sandwiches & Such. Out of this world salads, sandwiches, & soups. They also serve wine!

I got 1/2 salad + 1/2 sandwich + a DC :)

Vinny’s Salad: Lettuce + Green Apple + Candied Pecans + Gouda + Maple Vinaigrette

J. Man: French Baguette + Tomatoes + Lettuce + Shredded Chicken + Cheddar + Bacon + some really good olive oil based dressing

I know the dressing has mustard seed in it, but I can’t figure out the rest!

I saved some of the salad for later since it was huge!

Handful of Quaker Oatmeal Squares before BodyPump! I went to one of the gyms I used to teach at in MD and it was so great to see so many friendly faces who remembered me. I was really touched by their kind words :)

So I love throwing leftovers in a salad. Seriously try it, anything tastes good on top of a salad. Check out this random assortment:

Leftover salad from lunch: {romaine + gouda + pecans + green apple} then added spinach + red leaf lettuce + corn + couscous + leftover maple vinaigrette

A huge salad just makes me smile.

Some sweet potato fries!

Fro-yo. You know by now that I go all out with ice-cream. I got way too much though and didn’t finish this.

I met up with a friend who recently started running half marathons and has really gotten healthy (& lost some weight while at it)! I am very proud of her. I am trying to convince her to sign up for a full marathon somewhere in California…

Favorite yogurt topping?

What’s your favorite salad add-on? I want some ideas!

Weekend Recap & Recipe

Too late for a weekend recap?

I wasn’t prepared enough to pack my own snacks on the flight back to DC and I didn’t buy anything at the airport. I always try to snag 2 snacks from the flight attendants and make peanuts one of them.

Reunited with my dog- Bryn.

I got the special because doesn’t that sound/look delicious?? I swapped out the rice for double salad.

Whoa, wild wind blown hair!

If you’ve never had a fresh Maryland Crab Cake, you are missing out! It’s all lump crab meat, broiled, never fried.

Don’t my parents have a beautiful front yard? It’s so green compared to California!

Recipe time. Again, not a fancy one.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Brussels Sprouts

3 Cups Spinach

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds

Dressing:

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

2-3 Tablespoons Oil ( I used olive oil)

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

Directions:

Wash, and thinly chop brussels sprouts

Put spinach & sliced brussels sprouts in large bowl
In small bowl mix together all dressing ingredients
toss salad with dressing
top salad with cranberries & almonds
Serve!

This is a very light tasting dressing. I love citrus & cranberries together :) I also don’t really measure things, so I would use any amount of lemon, lime, orange juice you want with a bit of oil.

Bonus Nutrition Fact: Eating spinach with citrus helps you absorb the iron from the spinach better!