i have this problem where i sometimes engulf food. portion control goes out the window. it is a side effect of stress, probably, and the propensity stems, i think, from a mixture of two things:

1. having had an older brother who was much faster than me in, well, everything.  if i did not eat it first, he would for sure eat it before i could save it for later
2. in college, one of my close friends was a big eater (she is still now) and i felt compelled to get my share before she got to it (she is better at that now)

i need to remind myself that i am not the same size as the average person that accompanies me, i probably also expend less energy as i am fairly ‘energy-efficient,’ let’s call it… and that i am fortunate enough that the last bite of a meal is not my last bite ever. a long but necessary mantra

my body is sensitive to many things. this means food allergies and sensitivities. it also means that if i over eat, i will get indigestion, and then i will sit around for HOURS convincing my body that throwing it back up is not the answer. ridiculous, right? this is what i have to work with

so. the bigger the portion of salad/veggies and the smaller the portion of ‘other food’ the better as i work back down toward portion control

you cannot really tell by the angle i took this photo, but the empanadas (from Chris’ Marketplace) were actually quite small (albeit, packed with goodies) and the salad portion heaping

and today, i am satiated and not overly full. hooray!

the first certified organic restaurant in America, and a favorite of the Obamas… thanks to my cousins getting married two years ago [wedding gift card!], and the opportune moment of their anniversary date and my graduation colliding, we celebrated! together! at Nora’s!

to start:

• mustard braised Amish pork belly with grilled cabbage, caramelized apples, red cress, pickled ramps
• prince edward island mussels with white wine, fennel, local tomatoes, basil pesto, baguette

main course:

• [cousin e] citrus crusted wild alaskan halibut with local fava bean purée, herb roasted maitakes, basil vinaigrette
• [cousin j] local barley and almond stuffed squab with grilled asparagus, baby mustard and frisée salad, warm cherry vinaigrette
• [me] applewood smoked duck breast with spring vegetable ragout, crispy millet cake, rhubarb sauce

dessert (i ate dessert!):

• strawberry-rhubarb pie with strawberry ice cream
• peach crisp with ginger ice cream

my thoughts:

at this point, i feel like pork belly is hard to ruin. if you ruin it, you have problems.  the grilled cabbage had a nice char. truly delightful. and i love ramps. we all know this already.  as to the other appetizer, the broth was really tasty, and fennel has grown on me so much over the years that i am really confused as to why it is never on my grocery list

in terms of meats, i think i enjoyed the bite of squab the best. my duck breast was very good, and the smoked flavor was not at all overpowering, which i liked as well.  i am dying to try to recreate the millet cake.  i remember there being parsley in it, otherwise lightly seasoned. the vegetable ragout was a mixture of asparagus and fiddleheads, my new favorite spring veg!

both desserts were super tart, so the sweetness did not get in my way of indulging. yum!

i will say it again: YUM!