Hey guys! I’m back in London after an incredible weekend in Venice attending a close family friend’s wedding. What a city, what a wedding, what a couple!
While every wedding has its charm, this one was truly spectacular. And like most weddings/holidays, it involved everything seen typically as unhealthy:
- Indulging in copious amounts of gluten & dairy #sorryimnotsorry
- Mixing alcohol- wine, vodka…sometimes you just gotta have both
- Sleeping an average of 5 hours a night
With the groom!
- Eating carbs before going to bed – risotto never tasted better
I’m going to disagree with conventional wisdom – in the grand scheme of things, I personally think all of the above is healthy. As much as I love eating “clean” foods and waking up feeling energized, there’s a time & place for kale. And hey it would be crazy to visit Italy without getting a taste of it- from the bruschetta & seafood to even just the artichokes, tomatoes & olive oil, everything tasted incredibly flavorful.
My only regret was not getting my gelato fix. I’m feeling pretty crap after 3 days of excessive drinking but the memories created & laughs shared were definitely worth it.
Although it’s quite common to expect the worst after a few days of gluttony & booze fest, no real damage is done so long as neither continue after the trip. I am looking forward to eating some light, home-cooked meals over the next few days. After nine hours of sleep last night , I started with the day my morning elixir i.e. hot water & ACV, followed by toasted Biona Rye & Sprouted Seeds Bread topped with nut butter- almond butter on half & peanut butter on the other half because I’m that indecisive.
Fortunately I placed a huge Sainsbury’s order before leaving for Venice so that should be arriving later on today. It’s loaded with the good stuff like avocados, leafy greens, hummus, fish fillets and sweet potatoes. You know what they say- if you fill your fridge with healthy foods, you’re more likely to eat healthy foods.
I also have a body pump class scheduled for this afternoon which I’m looking forward to- there was way too much dancing cardio this weekend and not enough strength training ;).
And before I sign out for the day and start playing catch-up with work, I want to quickly share a dinner from last week which I put together on the fly but ended up tasting amazing: Warm Kale & Blueberry Salad topped with Poached Salmon.
I simply sautéed kale for 3-4 minutes with sliced mushrooms & asparagus. Towards the end I seasoned the veggies with dried rosemary & oregano and simmered it all in balsamic vinegar & extra Virgin olive oil. After plating it up, I added blueberries & a piece of poached salmon. As salmon is already so flavourful, I merely drizzled over a squirt of lemon juice & freshly ground black pepper.
The flavour combination has summer written all over it and it’s especially apt for those days/evenings you want to detox with real food. I think I know what dinner tonight will be!
What’s your go-to detox meal?
What’s your favourite Italian food?
So jealous! Looks amazing!
It really was 🙂
I’m going to grill you about Venice when we catch up!!! This week??
See you tomorrow 🙂
What a fun weekend in Italia! Your friends get married in the world’s best places!
I don’t have a go to detox meal, but if I look back on what I’ve eaten after weekends away, it’s usually a huge salad. Starting off on the right foot helps keep me moving in the right direction!
Nothing makes you crave veggies more than a few days on holiday 🙂
I’m with you, girl! I totally think all that is healthy. I mean, there are things that are good for our body, and things that are good for our mind, and neglecting one in favour of focusing on the other isn’t going to lead us to a good place. Heck, I remember feeling worse than ever when I stuck to a 100% clean diet because of how big of a toll the restriction and stress took on my mental state. I don’t think enough people realize that taking care of our minds and happiness level is sometimes even more important than keeping such strict tabs on our physical health — especially since it has such a huge impact on the latter.
You’re so right about the danger of eating 100% clean…definitely not worth it in the long term, both for the sake of enjoyment and health!!
I raided sainsbury’s this morning to stick my fridge: avocados, almond milk, veggies & white meat… Hoping a balance of clean home cooking and indulgent London treats will keep me on track #WeddingDiet
I’m not sure where triple chocolate scones fit in though(!) but they sure do feature!
YUM- how amazing is it to grocery shop in London again 🙂
Oh Venice. I SO long to go there, it’s been YEARS and it is sooo beautiful!!
I absolutely agree on your statement that weekends filled with ‘unhealthy food/drinks are healthy – the REAL healthy part is the relaxing, letting go, laughing your a** off and just enjoying light-hearted time.
And then it feels so good to eat an enormous bowl of greens!!
I need to go back to Venice and properly explore it- so beautiful!!
um…..the only unhealthy thing about this is that you did NOT have gelato- K, what is wrong with you? Who are you? Why are you such a grilled chicken?
Haha I knew you’d be on my wavelength ;)!
I don’t think there’s anything unhealthy about living a little, especially when you’re traveling. Plus you balanced it with all that cardio and I’m sure the booze helped detox something. 🙂
Glad you had a great time, and the blueberries on top of the kale salad is a great touch.
Haha booze as a detox sounds legit to me 😉
Wait – you went to Venice and didn’t get gelato???? I am gonna excuse you because you were getting by with only 5 hours of sleep!
A little indulging goes a long way!
I couldn’t agree more, Shashi 🙂
I’ve always wanted to visit Italy. That pizza looks amazing. When you’re on vacation, calories don’t count right? haha
xx Yasmin
http://banglesandbungalows.com
Calories def don’t count on birthdays & holidays 😉
I need to detox too….am inspired !
Yay! I’m glad to have been of inspiration 🙂
Well color me green with envy. Italy is my favorite place in the world. Glad you had a blast! I can’t even choose a favorite Italian meal… wold boar, tajarin, gelato…
Ooh gelato- seems to be everyone’s favourite ;)!