Creatures in Costa Rica

My kids love being outside and seeing animals "living free and in the wild."  Our recent trip to Costa Rica went much more smoothly than I anticipated and my girls absolutely loved it.  Today, Middle said to me, "I'm sad mama because I wish I was at Costa Rica still."

There is a lot I could write and share (if you are ever headed that way, please drop me a line!) but I don't want this blog to start boring you with family vacation shots.  However, I do want to show you some of the amazing natural encounters we had in the country.

And, I know she's not an animal, but this is one of the cutest babies I've ever seen :)

The rest of Kaua'i

We had an amazing trip to Kaua'i this year and I wanted to post a short recap before we move on to other summer adventures.  We stayed at the Marriott Waiohai Beach Club in Poipu Beach for two weeks and at the Marriott Vacation Club Kauai Lagoons for the last three nights.  Both properties are favorites of ours and come highly recommended.

Big, my husband, my cousin & our friends went on a snorkel / scuba tour with Blue Dolphin and they saw lots of dolphins and some turtles from the boat.  The weather and views of the Naapali coast were great and they liked the tour a lot.  It's the only Naapali Coast boat tour company that offers snorkeling and scuba diving off the same boat.  Along those lines, my husband did some dives with Fathom Five in Koloa and the twilight dive at Tunnels was his favorite.

I stuck close to the beach and the pool with the girls most of the time but my one "big girl outing" was an afternoon at my favorite spa - the Anara Spa at the Grand Hyatt.  Amazing.

We went to a luau for the first time on Kaua'i and after reading lots of reviews picked Smith Family Luau.  The food was actually quite good and fresh, the drinks were plentiful, and the show was a lot of fun.  I think it was one of our favorite family activities this time around.

*I have not been compensated by any of the aforementioned companies and services although I wouldn't mind!

So, onto the photos.  It's hard to pick and choose but this should give you a feeling of what our trip was like.  Aloha and Mahalo!

Beach in front of the Waiohai - our view from lunch at the pool bar the first day

Lots of games and fun with Hannah! 

We tried to get a picture of the three of them . . . this one cracks me up.   

So much fun with Amber - so sad when she had to leave!

Luau girls

Big discovered her great love of boogie boarding

This shallow area was Middle's favorite place to play and swim

Kauai Lagoons aka Kalanipu'u (two names - not sure why / which one they're going to stick with)

Dining Out in Kaua'i

Last year, I posted about our strategies for cooking on vacation, especially with a family.  While eating in our condo saved us lots of money (and probably calories), we did splurge on some amazing meals and this year, I'm going to tell you about some of my favorite places to eat out.

On our recent trip to Kaua'i, we stayed primarily on the south shore in Poipu Beach and I didn't venture very far in the car for most of our trip (for over a week my longest trip was into Lihue for urgent care and an airport run).  Within a couple mile radius, there are some fantastic fine dining options and I got to experience 3 in particular:  Tidepools, Merrimans, and Plantation Gardens.  We were blessed to have my cousin join us so we could go out without kids a few nights!  Honorable mention goes to Keoki's Paradise and Pizzetta.

Tidepools is at the Grand Hyatt and the restaurant is thatched huts over the water with koi fish and birds around you.  While the resort has an amazing beach front view, you're not on the beach at Tidepools but it's a great Hawaiian ambience.

I've had some really terrific meals there in the past and this year I ordered the Opah which had a spicy blackened crust and was served over mashed potatoes and succotash.  Our friend said his steak was one of the best he's ever had.  The molten chocolate cake was sooooo good.

One night my husband and I had a date at Merriman's.  Merriman's has two other locations (Kapalua and Waimea)  but the Kaua'i location in Poipu is relatively new.  The restaurant is situated upstairs with beautiful views.  Last year we had our anniversary dinner there and I remember the food being great but it was dark and rainy.  This year we went for an earlier dinner (our first meal out without baby girl!) and it was a gorgeous view and setting.  We shared a beet salad with local tomatoes, papaya and goat cheese . . . I'd go back for the salad alone!  I followed it with a shrimp scampi - it was light, flavorful, and served over sauteed spinach and creamy polenta.

Finally, we had dinner at the Plantation Gardens - a favorite of ours in Poipu and especially nice because we can walk there from where we usually stay.  Sadly, I only have a photo of the delicious cucumber ginger mojito that I drank and my cute kids . . . not the meal itself (I was a little preoccupied with the conversation and baby girl).  I've had many items on the menu and a meal here never disappoints!

Adventures in Atlanta

It's hard to believe that just last weekend we were in Atlanta.  We visited my husband's aunt, uncle and grandmother and had a wonderful trip.  The girls loved spending time with their great-aunt, great-uncle, and great-grandmother, getting to know Barkley the dog, and seeing some of the sights.  We visited the Georgia Aquarium and the Tellus Museum and had some memorable meals out.

Since this blog is all about the food, I'll share two spots you can't miss if you're in the Atlanta area.

First, the Varsity.  The original location opened in the 1920s in Atlanta and it seems like the equivalent of In-N-Out in California . . . fresh ingredients, enormously popular, great burgers . . . but the menu is more diverse, it's known for being the world's largest drive-in, and it has an Atlanta flair all its own.

Their hot dogs are popular but I had a cheeseburger, onion rings (to die for!) and a Frosted Orange (tasted like a 50/50 bar).  We had dinner here after the aquarium and Little was so tired she slept through the whole meal.  Big gave her burger two thumbs up.

Next up, Henry's Louisiana Grill.  I love cajun food and every bite I had in this restaurant was amazing.  To get a feel for the place and Chef Henry, who is larger than life and we got to chat with for a bit, check out this video clip.  We had the scallop appetizer he prepares in that clip.

My husband had blackened petite filets over goat cheese grits and I had a sampler of the Louisiana Shrimp Creole, the Louisiana Ooh La La over grits, and red beans and rice.  Fun atmosphere and one of the best meals I've had in a long, long time.  Don't miss this place!  And Henry, let us know when you want to open a location in Southern California.  Thanks Joe and Sharon for everything!

Henry's Louisiana Grill
835 N.Main Street
Acworth, Georgia

Eating on vacation

Breakfast on the lanai on our anniversary - eggs, bacon, toast, and pineapple

I know what you're thinking:  this is where Bec will tell us about all the awesome restaurants she went to in Hawaii.  Wrong.  We had some awesome meals that I'll try to post about at some point, but this is where I'm going to share my tips and insights on stocking a condo and cooking your own food on vacation.

While I love eating out, trying new restaurants, and experiencing local cuisine, it takes a toll on the waistline and the wallet to do that for a vacation of more than a few days.  If you have young kids like me, chances are those meals won't even be that enjoyable because you're worrying about them bothering other patrons at the restaurant, running back and forth to the bathroom, eating chicken strips and french fries at every meal . . . you get the drift!

The past couple of years, we've been trying to stay places that have kitchens and eat in as much as possible.  Here are some of my tips (and reminders to myself for next year) about stocking your condo kitchen and making great vacation meals.

Tip #1:  Plan a flexible menu for about 3-4 days at a time

The trick is having a plan so that you don't either a) go to the grocery store every day or b) buy a  bunch of food that you end up throwing out at the end of the trip.  You don't want to run to the grocery store too much but you don't want to be committed to a week's worth of food if you feel like going out one night or ordering pizza or something.  We usually buy stuff for steaks, pasta, and fish or tacos or something.  Choose recipes without a lot of ingredients (not too many spices or things you won't use up) and simple sides.  If you like to eat leftovers, consider making something that you can eat again later in the week or for lunch.  Write down the meals you want to make (you can even do this before you arrive at your vacation spot) and go to the grocery store with that list.

We had these 3 meals in our condo the last week:
Steak, rice pilaf (from a box), steamed broccoli
Pasta, salad
Stir fry, rice, salad

Tip #2:  Buy more healthy choices and less junk

I try to think of fruit and vegetables that my kids will eat and have them on hand: (baby carrots, apples, raisins, pineapple, cucumbers).  When they ask for a snack, if they know the cupboard is full of chips and cookies, they won't eat the healthy stuff.  I've also noticed that the junk we buy ends up still there towards the end of the trip and I feel obligated to eat a bunch so I'm not wasting food.  You can always get an extra bag of chips, some more ice cream, another package of m&ms later so don't buy too much up front.  We enjoyed checking out some of the farmer's markets in Hawaii and picking out fresh, local produce for that night's dinner.

Tip #3:  Cut yourself some slack - it's vacation!

The flip side of #2 is that this is vacation.  I let the kids have dessert more than I do at home, I buy convenience foods that we don't usually buy because we don't have a microwave at home (instant mac & cheese, microwave popcorn, etc).  We also buy some local beer, a frozen pizza, some Ben & Jerry's and let ourselves indulge a little bit.  It's a lot less expensive than ordering drinks and dessert at a restaurant!  Also, remember that this is supposed to be a break.  Don't slave in the kitchen if you don't enjoy it - use the barbecue if you have one (less mess to clean up, less preparation) and the microwave if you can.

Tip #4:  Commit to a game plan for breakfast and lunch

You don't have to make 3 meals a day for everyone, but we have a strategy about breakfast and lunch:  pick something we'll be happy eating over and over for a week.  We bought those individual cereal boxes at Costco (think Frosted Flakes and Fruit Loops), milk, yogurt and oj for breakfast for the first week.  When we were sick of cereal by the second week, we bought eggs, bacon, and pancake mix.  For lunches, we had stuff to make pb&j and quesadillas.  We went out to breakfast a few times, which we love to do and have picked up lunches here and there but it's also nice to be able to pack pb&j to take to the beach or come back tired from a morning at the pool and know there's something everyone will eat.

Tip #5:  When you do eat out with kids, be prepared.

Make sure they've had a nap, you bring something to entertain them while you wait for the food, you pick somewhere relatively kid-friendly, and consider a bribe or treat for good behavior.  Here's what our dinners out looked like . . .

How about you?  What are your ideas for handling family meals on vacation?

Family Vacation

The past couple of weeks we've been to Hawaii.  We visited Kauai and the Big Island and were gone a little over 2 weeks.  There were many highlights, special moments, and fun times so it's hard to pick exactly what to write about.  In no particular order, here are some of them:

A few nights of 9+ hours of sleep (first time in over 5 years )

Watching the girls discover their love of the ocean and the beach

Watching the friendships develop between Big, Little and their 2 cousins

A break from work, from the everydayness of our routine and reading 5 books on my Kindle

Spending time with our little family and our extended family

A boat snorkel trip and my first time trying snub

Seeing the amazing confidence Big is developing in her swimming abilities

The beauty of the creation and miles of shoreline that we got to see on the islands

And, in no particular order, here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip.  It was hard to choose and I had to cut myself off because I know none likes to see vacation photos as much as we like to see our own!  Since I'm home, I'll be back to the blog with some new posts soon.