River City Cellars

Wow. I’ve had such a great day I don’t even know where to begin….

For starters, it’s the beginning of a 3 day weekend, which just so happens to encompass both Valentine’s Day and my 25th birthday!!

I woke up early to hit the gym, came home and took the time to make myself look extra nice since I had plans after work. This meant eating breakfast at home was out of the picture so I topped my overnight oats with some thin slices of banana and a little bucknola then headed out the door.

The tasty and filling oatmeal, chia seed, and almond milk combo was enjoyed from the comfort of my desk while checking emails.

Mid morning a delivery arrived and it just so happened to have my name on it.

Ah…. I was so excited to have received an Edible Arrangement for the first time. Seriously a basket full of fruit is the best gift my Dad could ever have given me for my birthday. He’s such a generous, supportive, and thoughtful father. Thank you again Dad!

The basket was decorated with hearts for Valentine’s Day and some of the pineapples were shaped as hearts as well.

Take a wild guess as to what I ate for a mid morning snack? I must say that having a chocolate covered strawberry before noon was the perfect treat on a Friday morning! After sharing some of the fruity goodness with my co-workers I headed home for lunch with my basket in tow.

I still had some lingering sauce and toppings from the Thai Chick-Un Pizza so I made a mini version and served it up with some veggies, hummus, and fruit.

Later Isaac, Olive, and I met up with this lovely lady and her sidekick for a Friday eve wine tasting.

Isn’t she just gorgeous? I’m totally jealous of her fashion sense- she always looks so put together.

As it turns out Matilda wasn’t very fond of Olive and we ended up causing quite a scene at River City Cellars. Isaac offered to take Olive home, which was probably for the best. Katharina and I enjoyed some wine, cheese, chocolate, and great conversation.

Gearheart’s Chocolates – locally made in Charlottesville, VA.

I tried a sample of the Pistachio Toffee Orange and a piece of the Criolla bar- dark chocolate with natural cacao nibs. I love the crunchiness that nibs add to dark chocolate. mmmhhhhh…..

The most exciting thing happened while at RCC- I got noticed as Eating Bird Food by a blog reader. This was the first time it’s ever happened to me so I was in shock, but it was definitely fun to randomly run into a blog reader! Hi Rebecca.

To finish off an already stellar day, Isaac’s parents took us out to a birthday dinner at this local spot. We’ve been there plenty of times for late night drinks and a few small plates but never for a full dinner.

For me: a salad to start with hearts of palm (one of my favorite salad toppings), walnuts, spiced apple slices, roasted garlic with a mustard dressing.

And for dinner, sushi grade tuna in a coconut ginger sauce, zucchini fritters, mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts.

The tuna was perfectly seasoned and cooked medium rare. Each bite was better than the last. The zucchini fritters were so-so, the potatoes were rich and creamy, but the brussels stole the show. I really need to prepare brussels sprouts more at home. I love them! As you can tell, this was a massive amount of food. I shared a good portion of the fish and fritters with Isaac’s mom but still didn’t end up eating it all. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals so I’m sure we’ll be eating at Avalon again in the future.

I’m now cuddled up with a little furball and it’s lights out time. After such an eventful Friday, I can’t wait to see what the rest of this weekend will involve. I turn 25 in less than 48 hours so who knows what craziness will come about.

Any big plans for Valentine’s Day? Single ladies night out, a romantic date for two, or is it just a regular old Sunday in your mind?

-Brittany