John and I planned a treat for ourselves and went out to lunch, dinner, and stayed over at hotel for the first time since February, 2020. I have to admit that not being able to go to restaurants for over a year probably helped a lot with staying on a diet but now that we are semi-free to do so, I have to figure out strategies to make good choices.

For lunch I ordered mussels and John ordered octopus. Seafood, as a long as it is not fried, is always a good choice. Giving John my bread is also a successful strategy for me but probably not for him.

Roasted mussels in a saffron broth

Marinated grilled octopus

For dinner we employed a similar technique which had us eating hamachi, a salad, and halibut. Of course these were not simply the item on a plate but each course was carefully prepared with delicious accompaniments.

Hamachi crudo, sweet potato, crispy shallots, escabeche tiger’s milk

Seared Alaskan halibut, peas, carrots, wild onion soubise, sorrel sauce

Of course we are not going to eat like this very often and I have not stepped on the scale to see what damage has been done but I am confident that if I go back to my usual at-home diet that no significant weight gain will have occurred.

It was so great to go out again. John and I are planning a little getaway soon but we definitely will not be dining like this! I will have to figure out how to eat reasonably before we go. A conscious effort to exercise and make good choices has to be a major part of the equation.