Thursday, May 31, 2012

Lovey's Lunch at Wrightsville Beach


Last week Marc and I stole away to the beach during the middle of the week. Chris was awesome - he was working from home and helped with Joe's obligations so we, rather I, could play hooky. I know that now that Marc's graduated and searching for his first "real" job being able to do things like this may not be in our future.  So I asked him if he would take me to lunch at Lovey's for my birthday and he sweetly complied.

Lovey's is our favorite lunch spot in Wrightsville, NC.  It's just a few minutes away from the beach and we always, always stop at Lovey's whether to buy lunch or fill out our picnic. It's a great health food store and cafe.  There are wonderful gluten free specialty items in the store with some  that even our local Whole Foods doesn't carry.

The cafe is great - we've never had an issue with cross contamination after several summers of visits. Make sure your order taker knows that you are gluten intolerant and don't just "prefer" to be gluten free and they will take care of you. The sandwiches and wraps are perfect for a picnic on the beach. Their menu is varied and there's something for everyone from vegan to omnivore. There's also a large food bar with hot items and lots of salads.

One word of caution - I avoid the pastry case entirely.  There are some wonderful looking gluten free treats but they sit on plates next to, above and below regular treats and I cannot risk that cross contamination. They have some that are pre-wrapped on the counter and there are many other options in the grocery section to choose from so no worries.

This time Marc picked the chicken quesadilla and I ordered a Sunshine Burger grinder - as I almost always do.  Both came with chips, his with salsa, too. We picked up some drinks and a treat and went straight to the beach.

We found our parking spot down near the end of the beach where the dunes are so beautiful. Weekdays in May are usually quiet but the beach was nearly empty.  We gathered all our gear and just about as soon as we got settled the wind kicked up and the drizzle started.

Oh well, we were still at the beach, still having a great picnic and still hanging out together!

Marc's lunch looked amazing - the brown rice tortilla was crispy and filled with chicken and cheese and all kinds of veggies.


But eating it in the wind and drizzle proved difficult.  =D


My Sunshine Burger Grinder is almost exactly what I make but I never have Green Goddess dressing on hand and it's part of what makes Lovey's different and "beachy" to me.

Pictures were pretty much impossible with the wind so you'll have to trust me that it tasted much better than it looks here.

For our dessert we had wandered through the gluten free section while we waited for our lunch and Marc found these goodies. They were really sweet and chewy and perfectly wonderful. Loved the coconut to chocolate ratio. Far too sweet to be in our usual rotation but perfect for a splurge. How the package got a little melted sitting in the cold I will never know.

Just after we finished the cookies the sun came out again and it was gorgeous.

Marc swam a bit and then we walked and watched the kite surfers taking off and gliding across the waves and sky. I love the chance to hang out with my guys and I know how precious these times are. Before we knew it we had to leave but not before one more quick trip to Lovey's for a few groceries to take home and coffee. We'd both been off coffee for a few weeks and we both feel much better for it.  Still it was getting cool out again and a hot cup sounded great. I think I will make it a very occasional indulgence.



(((Another quick stop into a shop yielded a birthday gift for Joe.  Shhh! I can't tell you where or what because his birthday is tomorrow!)))

We no sooner got on the freeway and the heavens opened up. Serious downpour with lightning flashing across the horizon. Marc was an excellent driver and I felt safe enough to try to capture a picture of the lightning that was entertaining us. Marc pulled this shot off video I took.





We made it home safe and sound with not a drop of rain having fallen at our house. Even with that rainy drive home, there's nothing as relaxing as the beach for me and I can't wait for our next trip.

When it comes to eating out in Wrightsville and Wilmington, we really have not explored too much. We often pack picnics and Lovey's is so convenient and great we haven't felt the need. When we stay overnight we have a kitchen so we usually cook something easy.  But on our way into Wrightsville we noticed a new Mellow Mushroom and when I checked it out online later I found there's one in nearby Wilmington, too.  Both locations carry gluten free crusts. We've had really good luck with the few Mellow Mushroom locations we've tried so we'll definitely give it a shot sometime this summer.

But good news for people who do want/need more options in the area. A couple of nights ago I was looking up a restaurant that Marc and Marie will be going to in Wilmington with her family this weekend and found this new-to-me site Eat, Drink and Be Gluten-Free with a Wilmington dining list. I've only had a chance to skim through Kimberly's site but I know we'll be back to check it out.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Marie's Birthday!

One of my favorite pics of Marie & Marc!
Today is sweet Marie's birthday.  Because Marie is a crafty girl, last night we had a DIY birthday dinner for her with Asian Salad Rolls and S'mores.

Marc and Marie were great and helped get everything ready for the salad rolls. We packed the table full of sauces and fillings and we had so much fun making seriously messy rolls. No pictures this time.

  After dinner we had a fun surprise visit from Gabby & Olive, did presents and went outside to make dessert. The DIY s'mores don't need a recipe.

Just pick your favorite gluten free chocolate chip cookies - ours were thin and crispy.  We use Eylon marshmallows because they are dye free, gluten free and all natural.

Chris had the tabletop grill ready to go so we got our marshmallows good and gooey.










Just smash the toasty marshmallow between two cookies like Marie.


It looks like we're all watching Marie eat that s'more! =D

After s'mores Marie and I went inside and did another DIY project just for Marie and got to spend a little more time before the busy week ahead. We had so much fun just getting to hang out together.

And, if you didn't get enough of the graduation photos in the last post - here's one more featuring Marie!




Thursday, May 17, 2012

Marc's Graduation & Poha with Coconut & Cashews from Michael Natkin


It's been a busy few weeks and I've missed blogging but Marc just graduated from college last weekend and we were fortunate enough to celebrate with family and friends.

How I love these two!


Gorgeous photo of my gorgeous parents with Marc taken by Gabby.

Wonderful family friends even came from California to celebrate making the weekend even more special.


Words cannot express how proud I am of Marc and the wonderful young man he has become. His future is in God's hands and I can't wait to see it unfold. It was a crazy busy, deeply emotional and ultimately blessed time.

We had a great time at his party.  My friend Ruth helped me with set up.  Gabby not only made a trio of dips and her amazing beachy fruit salad but she also took gorgeous photos that we will treasure. Marie and her mom made shrimp skewers, watermelon skewers and the hit of the party - gluten free lemon bars garnished with strawberry slices.  They've shared the recipe and I'll be sure to pass it along soon.
She loves him as much as I do!
Oh my gosh!

I haven't had much time for catching up here or anywhere else for that matter. There are several posts that need to be done - one on Martin's Curry Rice's South Indian Sunday Brunch (which is amazing), one on our weekend in New York and a scrumptious gluten free bakery we enjoyed while we were there and some new recipes I've played with, too.

If you've stuck with me this far you deserve a great recipe!  Here's a new favorite recipe from an old favorite site I love. The website is called Herbivoracious.com and it is such a wonderful place to visit and just wander through. Michael Natkin presents vegetarian recipes from around the world with gorgeous photographs and the unique combinations he comes up with make simple foods really shine.  While not a gluten free site, many recipes are either already gluten free or easily adaptable. His Enfrijolada recipe is a family favorite and once you've made it the first time you'll find you can adapt it a million different ways for quick weekday meals.


This Poha with Coconut & Cashew is a recipe I intended to make a month ago or more. I've always got a bag of raw cashews in the freezer in case I need a quick fix of Sri Lankan Cashew Curry and I'd just gotten a nice big pail of shredded coconut from Tropical Traditions. All I needed was the Poha (flattened rice from the Indian market) so I ran out to get it that afternoon. Then something came up and I didn't make it that night or for the next couple of weeks. I finally got to make it right before all the graduation craziness began.  Although there are a few ingredients to gather everything comes together very quickly if you have everything ready and measured before you start. Our meal was a simple one of Sri Lankan Lentils, Basmati Rice and quick frozen organic veggies.  It was flavorful, satisfying and absolutely delicious.



I think you'll enjoy this as much as we did - let me know if you try it!