Buffet Survival

After this crazy work week, I wanted nothing more than to curl up in my sweats on the couch with a glass of wine. My good friend Heather had the same idea for her Friday night, so after dinner last night we headed over to her place to let the kiddos play and let the adults unwind by the fire. We cracked open the wine we bought at Laurita last weekend, and it was gooood.

Ahhh, isn't that the perfect scene for a cozy night at home with friends? Love! After a little while we got chocolate hungry, and thankfully Heather and Kev always have some snacks around. Chocolate covered cherries are my favorite this time of year (liquid centers only please, none of that white cream junk), and I'd forgotten about them, so was psyched when they landed in front of me.

We chatted for hours, and even started devising a potential trip to Jamaica together in the spring. I'm hoping we can make it work!

This morning I woke up with a fun day ahead of me. Every year I volunteer at my friend Lindsay's church to help families in need for the Christmas holiday, and today was the day. We've been doing it together for about 5-6 years now, and I love the tradition. Our job is to staff the nursery and take care of the kids while the parents "shop" for toys, so Riker came along with me for the day. Before we left though, Matt made us a nice cold weather breakfast to start the day.

Creamy buckwheat is back! I ate mine with a little cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts and skim milk. I was too full to eat my clementine, so took it with me for a mid-morning snack.

After volunteering, I dropped Riker off at home, picked up a skinny peppermint latte from Starbucks, and continued my day with some Christmas shopping. I crossed off about half of my list in less than 3 hours! When I was finishing up my last stop, I got a text message from Matt that had me laughing out loud at the register...

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He cracks me up! It's no secret that I am not a fan of buffets. I think the food is just mediocre and it's really easy to overeat even when you don't really like what you're eating. Matt, on the other hand, has a big soft spot for Chinese buffets. I honestly can't remember the last time I agreed to go, it has to be at least a few years. But our kitchen is currently a big mess since Matt's doing a mini renovation this weekend, so we needed to eat dinner out anyway, and after getting a text like that, how could I say no? 

I agreed to give the new Asian Fusion buffet down the road a try. Before sitting down, I vowed to eat a reasonable portion, stay away from the fried stuff, and not try a bite of every thing that looked remotely tasty. I started with a small plate of sushi, which was really fresh and actually quite good - I was proved wrong. ;-) 

After my sushi, I visited the hibachi station for a freshly made stir-fry of fresh veggies, shrimp and lo mein noodles.

I ate about 2/3 before calling it quits to save room for some dessert. Can't go to a buffet without having a little ice cream at the end. :) I left feeling good and not overstuffed. Buffet survival!

Off to watch The Santa Clause and wrap presents. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!