I’m feeling much better! Yay! I’m still not 100%, but today was the best day yet. Progress, baby. I’ll take it.
(FYI: Today’s Reebok event was awe-some. I have a ton of photos to organize and a couple of videos to upload to YouTube, so I’ll probably have my recap finished sometime tomorrow. It was such a great timeāāI can’t wait to tell you guys about it!)
Snack
After the Reebok event, Katelyn and I went back to Theodora‘s apartment to shower and get ready for the evening. On our walk, we popped into Starbucks. I thought once I walked in and got a whiff of coffee, I’d be dying to have one, but, surprisingly, it wasn’t that tough to resist. I guess the thought of iced coffee angering my colon turned me off. I ended up ordering a Passion iced tea and grabbing a banana for a snack. I have to admit, going cold turkey with my iced coffee addiction habit hasn’t been too bad. I figured I’d be miserable, but I’m doing much better than I thought.
I got a couple of NoGii bars at the Reebok event, so I snacked on one of those when we got back to Theodora‘s apartment. It was goodāākind of like a Larabar, but with more nuts.
Dinner
A few hours later, Theodora came home from work and then she, Katelyn, and I met Meredith at Rare Bar & Grill for dinner. (Jocelyn showed up a little while later to enjoy a drink with us.)
Reunited at last! Theodora and I hadn’t seen each other in 3 whole months. I missed my friend!
Our lovely dates, Katelyn and Meredith!
At dinner, Theodora ordered a beer. I did not.
For my dinner, I ordered a plain burger, which was just okay. With a restaurant name like Rare, I expected a really flavorful and juicy burger, but, sadly, this one was neither of those things. I ordered it medium, but it was pretty dry and bland inside. Boo. I still ate almost the entire thing.
On a more positive note, the coleslaw was (surprisingly) really goodāāprobably the best I’ve ever had. I usually hate coleslaw and avoid it all costs, but this one looked really fresh, so I gave it a tryāāit was very lightly tossed in mayo, chopped, and made with fresh basil. Mmm!
We also shared a French fry sampler among the table. I pretty much dominated the sweet potato fries.
Theodora and I are back at her apartment now. We’re both pooped and need to get up early to grab the bus to Boston in the morning, so we’re heading to bed.
Good night, friends!
54 Comments
I love the Starbucks passion iced tea! I don’t know what it is about it, but it’s so good! And, it’s a beautiful color.
Good for you girl! One glance at that beer and I might have caved! š
Ha I used to cocktail waitress there. Had you been on a liquid diet I would have said you should have just hung out at the rooftop bar instead š
Haha!
Passion tea is my favorite!! I love it so much I make it at home now. And I’ve read that it’s great for your liver and kidneys. :]
I am totally with you on coleslaw. I think it is icky. But I can’t have mayo, so that may have something to do with it. lol
Those waffle fries look soo good!
Glad you’re feeling a bit better! Hang in there!
Looks like a fun time! Can’t wait to see the Reebok recaps!
So glad you are feeling a little better! I love Starbucks teas! Have you tried their new teas with green tea extract: Lime and Hibiscus?? Yum and yum!
Have a great day!
I haven’t, but I’ll give it a try next time I’m there. Maybe I’ll be come a tea person! š
@Tina: I think those drinks are made with green coffee extract not green tea (who even knew that existed!?) so be careful if coffee is a trigger! Enjoy the HLS!
I’ve been wanting to try those bars, but held off bc they ar pricey & difficult to find. Are they super sweet? Also, have you read Elizabeth’s book? If not, you may find in interesting.. lots of helpful info & recipes (in the cookbook) š
Not super sweet. They’re JUST like Larabars.
I didn’t know she had a book! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for letting me know!
Sometimes just the act of going into starbuck’s makes me feel better – even if I don’t end up ordering a coffee!
It’ll get easier not ordering beer! Try a cider or gluten free beer… Not the same but at least you’ll have something similar to sip on.
What a fun day! I hate it when a burger is just meh.
The restauant looks like it would be a fun place to go to. It’s a bummer that your burger didn’t live up to expectations.
I hope you continue to feel more better! (Sorry about the bad grammar. :))
I love passion tea too! I have a hard time making myself pick it over hot or cold coffee beverages, but I’m always so glad when I do! So refreshing!
Well done, making the smart choices for your body!
So glad you enjoyed yourself! The bars look yummy, I’m always up for nut-filled granola-type bars!
The dipping sauces are the best part of Rare! and I’ve never had just a plain burger but every one of their specialties burgers i’ve had have been phenomenal! You’ll have to go back when your feeling better for a better experience!
I love the NoGii Bars but they are hard to find.
I totally would have put the coleslaw on top of the burger and devoured it that way. Yum!!
sweet potato fries always make things 100% better. question – did you eat the bun of the burger, and is that okay with your colon issues/paleo diet?
No, I didn’t eat it.
Adorable no-beer-sad-face. Passion tea is my favorite!
I had my 25th birthday at Rare. Delicious!
Congrats on feeling better! That’s awesome!
How was the no gii bar? been curious about those! Keep going with the diet changes, you’re doing great girl!
Glad you’re feeling better! I’ll have to look out for those bars, sounds good š
Passion tea is definitely my go to at Starbucks when I’ve already had coffee for the day! Plus it’s so refreshing in the summer š Hope you are having fun at the event!
I always dominate the sweet potato fries. Always. š
Love me some sweet potato fries!!
did the cavemen eat sweet potato fries? im sure your colon loves the grease.
My colon loves grease! Actually, they weren’t that greasy at all.
As someone with colitis, anything fried and greasy just about kills me (and my sister who also has it)! You must be lucky.
You mean when you have a flare?
Definitely if I’m having a flare, but even when things are normal I try to avoid it at all costs just to keep things ‘calm’. Glad you are on the mend though! Colitis flares THE WORST!
This is another thing I don’t understand about colitis. When I’m healthy nothing bothers my stomach. I can eat whatever I want and then boom flare out of no where.
So glad to hear you’re feeling better!
Glad you are feeling better! That coleslaw looks yummy! I also love passion iced tea!
WANT that fry sampler NOW!
It was so nice meeting you! Have fun in Oregon!
You too!! š
I don’t have colitis, but I do have anxiety problems. From what I have seen here, I would say that what you eat when you aren’t experiencing a flare *does* bother you, but not enough for you to notice. It is like a build-up effect. I know that if I don’t take my meds (which I really don’t want to do) I go along fine, feeling great, living life, and then BOOM something really debilitating happens for “no reason.” But the reason is that I have been unconsciously fighting the anxiety for days, weeks, or months and then whammo, my body can’t take it anymore and I have problems. Colitis may be the same way. I was surprised you ate the fries because of the fried/grease thing, too. I would assume that would be hard on the colon. But what do I know? lol! I am glad to hear you are feeling better.
Yea, that’s probably true. It seems all fine and handy, but I guess it adds up.
I love finding good sweet potato fries. Lame about the burger though!
Unsure if your stomach can handle coffee (in any form), but if it can, Starbucks Refreshers with green coffee extract are OUT OF THIS WORLD.
Hey Tina! First of all, Rare looks amazing and second, I’m really glad that you’re feeling better. I have Crohn’s, and believe me, I know the relief and the frustration. But at least you have a snnaaaaazzzy new bathroom to spend time in š you gotta laugh. Otherwise, what is there? Anyway, I’m sure you’re getting tons and tons of unsolicited advice, and I know that this is coming far after you asked for advice, but ive had to break my diet down before and build it back up, and so if you have any questions or just need to know that it can work out in the end, give me a shout. Also, I read something really interesting about the potential for almond flour to really upset the GI tract. I believe I saw it on The Fitness Dish that you might find interesting. I go with chickpea flour. I know that seems random, but you might find it interesting as you add things back into your diet.
And yes, your diet might be a little more boring than usual for a while, but once you figure out what works (ie I cant do butter, oil, or a lot of milk that isn’t yogurt etc, but where I could NEVER before have onions or garlic etc, they are now one of my favorite and most used foods!), you’ll be good to go!
Anyway, good luck, and hang in there. And come to the Nashville women’s half marathon! Team challenge is participating!
Take care
Thanks so much for your comment, Susie!! š
OH and something about coffee- when you do start to add it back, stay away from Starbucks and light roasts. Starbucks drip coffee is VERY acidic, and light roasts have more acid as well. Espresso is actually a better choice, I’ve found, as is decaf (plus, when you get a decaf Americano, it is fresh!). Caffeine (in any form) is a huge trigger for the GI tract, as I’m sure you know, and the extra acid in coffee is danger danger danger.
Again, good luck!
Haha! Danger, danger, danger! Good to know! Thank you! š
I totally get how you were able to kick iced coffee so easily – when I first went gluten free I thought it would be hard to resist temptation, but I get so incredibly sick from it that sometimes even just the smell of fresh bread can make my stomach turn…not fun but at least the willpower part is easy š
One thing to consider is the potential for cross contamination when eating out. I have celiac and am pretty sensitive–so I make sure my fries are done in a dedicated fryer so that there is no potential gluten in them from something else like chicken strips. I always often order burgers without the bun and places are so accommodating. Just thought I’d mention cross contamination if you get sick and can’t pinpoint what it’s coming from. You are going to be amazed at how good you are going to feel!
Your arms! Give me your arms! Haha!
Aw, you look so sad staring at that beer š Glad you’re feeling better, though.