Lunch

Baja Fresh

Hi guys

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts this morning. My grandpa did make it through 3 1/2 hour surgery this morning, but now is in intensive care because his heart is not doing well. I’m just so thankful my mom was able to be there and talk to him this morning. Now all we can do is pray and stay strong in our faith.

I was in for a special treat today because I met the boy for lunch! We went to this burrito place that my brother would have adored….there were surfboards all over the walls and it just so laid back and cool. Everything was organic and all the meat was hormone free.

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One quick look at their extensive menu and I knew what I was ordering! A grilled baja fish salad bowl—look at how yummy!

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My bowl had layers of crisp lettuce, grilled fish, black beans, cilantro, onions, jalapino peppers, corn & black bean relish and fresh guacamole. No cheese or dressing because there was just so much good stuff goin’ on that I didn’t need it!

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I love me some guacamole!

Of course I covered everything in super hot sauce, per usual.

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I also really loved that they didn’t overload you on the chips. Usually I ask for no chips but Ryan told me I would definitely regret that decision because they have the best chips around. I was not let down…..they were absolutely amazing. Super thin, hot and salty.

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Out of these, I ate all the blue ones and one or two white ones. I don’t eat the red ones….don’t ask. I must have a complex.

To drink, I had organic green tea mixed with a little lemonade!

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I destroyed my salad and now my tummy is very happy. I just got home and I’m about to start baking a loaf of banana bread, Ryan’s favorite! This time I’m using a recipe from one of my very favorite cookbooks:

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The banana bread I’m about to make isn’t necessarily healthy or whole wheat but sometimes you just need an old fashioned baked good like the kind your grandma used to make, right? I can’t post the recipe since its from a cookbook but I highly recommend this cookbook, as it is one of my favorites. We’ll see how it turns out!

See you in a bit!

Click here to vote for Jenna as the new Murphy-Goode Wine Girl! 🙂

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  • Jocelyn
    May 14, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    That salad looks yummy 🙂
    and I also agree…we don’t cook like our grandparents used to..enough..we should more often lol cheers! Enjoy baking that banana bread!

  • weight and meditate
    May 14, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    Yes, sometimes it’s AOK to make something that is old-fashioned and delicious, and the boy will certainly approve!

  • Emily
    May 14, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    I LOVE that cookbook! It’s so cute and has great recipes!

  • Emily L.
    May 14, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    I highly recommend making banana chocolate-chip pancakes if you are in the mood for something home-y (and not healthy).
    Made them for the bf last night…but ended up eating most of them me-self.
    I miss being a child.

  • Courtney (The Hungry Yogini)
    May 14, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    Ooh I need to check that burrito place out. It sounds wonderful!! I love hot sauce too. The spicier the better!

    Enjoy baking your banana bread. Such a delicious comfort food. YUM!

  • Erin
    May 14, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    Glad to hear about Grandpa. And that salad looks perfecto.

  • Anais
    May 14, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    I actually love the banana bread I make. It’s got whole wheat flower, olive oil, and I think it’s pretty healthy for a banana bread. On top of all that, it tastes DELICIOUS! It’s usually gone in a matter of hours 😛

  • Marina
    May 14, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    Thinking about your family and grandpa, hope he gets better soon. And, baja fresh is the best! I miss it so much!

  • Jen
    May 14, 2009 at 1:01 pm

    That’s good news about your grandpa, Jenna. 🙂 And that Mexican food like insanely fresh! Yummm. (Yum to fresh-baked banana bread too!)

  • Jenna
    May 14, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    your salad looks so fresh and good. I’m glad to hear your grandpa made it out of surgery okay!

  • Tanya
    May 14, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    Yay for your grandpa. And gosh you have me craving burritos now!

  • ryan
    May 14, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    thanks for meeting me for lunch!!!!!!! Glad you liked my weekly lunch spot!

  • Red Head, Yellow Dog
    May 14, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    I agree about the banana bread 🙂 sometimes you just need what you grew up on!

    that salad looks delish! I love mid week lunch dates!

  • K
    May 14, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    I just checked out your entry video, Jenna, and you are SO FREAKIN’ CUTE! I hope you are selected. Best wishes!

  • andrenna
    May 14, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    I love Apples to Jam! Such a cute cookbook. I love that the recipes are organized by color instead of meal-type. Cute, cute!

  • brandi
    May 14, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    what a fun lunch date! that place looks really good. I LOVE blue tortilla chips.

  • Kailey (SnackFace)
    May 14, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    I love that pic of you with the hot sauce- too cute! Mmm that salad looks sooo good. Minus the fish, but still- YUM! I’d be all over those chips, too. Have fun baking!

  • Bec
    May 14, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    I’m a total hot sauce girl too!

  • Nicole
    May 14, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    Mmmm…banana bread. There’s nothing like a freshly baked loaf. And I’m glad to hear your grandfather made it through his surgery, I’m definitely keeping your family in my thoughts.

  • Fitzalan
    May 14, 2009 at 1:39 pm

    Mmmm….banana bread. I need to find a recipe that incorporates strawberries into bread because I have a million due to it being strawberry season.

    There really is nothing like homemade bread…healthy or not, it satisfies the soul.

    Happiness Awaits

  • Sarah (lovINmytummy)
    May 14, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    That salad looks outrageously delicious!

    I’m sure your bread will turn out that way as well…I agree, sometimes you just need to make it like grandma did. As my mom always says, Granny ate bacon every day and lived to be 90!

    Prayers comin’ atcha!

  • Mara @ What's For Dinner?
    May 14, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    What a fun looking cookbook!
    I have complex about the red chips too… They just look so unnatural!

  • Kelly
    May 14, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    That cookbook looks awesome. I have another one by the same author.

  • Becca
    May 14, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    Mmmm, banana bread. It’s a cold day over here, and hot, fresh-baked banana bread would really do the trick right about now.

    Any idea how the voting is going for the wine blogging job?

  • Becky
    May 14, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    We must be on the same wavelength today…I just made some guac and am having an Arnold Palmer as well!

  • Katrina (gluten free gidget)
    May 14, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    Banana bread is my boy’s fav too! I love switching it up and making PB and chocolate chip banana bread, too. I just tried my first green juice. Check out my post!

  • Danielle
    May 14, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    What a salad! I am running to the store right now to buy some avocado, yum yum yum! 🙂

  • Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats
    May 14, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    Yum – GUAC!! That salad looks so fresh and fabulous!

  • Christina
    May 14, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    Looks like such a cute cookbook. It’s cold and rainy here in NY – I could do for some warm banana bread!

  • Emily (The Experimentarian)
    May 14, 2009 at 2:01 pm

    There are a ton of those burrito places in my town, and it’s my favorite to create a giant bowl like that–yummy! Best wishes to your grandpa and your family! xoxo

  • Mary Catherine
    May 14, 2009 at 2:17 pm

    I made your whole wheat banana bread last weekend for Mothers Day! I added a handful of dark chocolate chips and subbed appleasuce for the oil and it rocked! Very moist and delicious. I’ll definitely be making it again soon.

    Have you heard of eating “Right For Your Blood Type”? A friend of mine is reading a book about it and it sounds very intriguing. Just wondering if you have an opinion on the theory!

  • Stef
    May 14, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    What an amazing restaurant! Glad you could share a meal with the boy. I’m so sorry your grandpa isn’t doing well, I’m keeping your family in my prayers.

  • Lindsey (fiteats)
    May 14, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    Wow, I can’t imagine what your familiy is going through. You guys must be amazing people.

  • Diana by Design
    May 14, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    Hiya! New orlando reader here! 🙂 Love the blog, I was just wondering did you study abroad in paris when you lived there? Or how did you go about living there? I want to do that so badly!

  • Ashley
    May 14, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    Jenna,

    I am thinking about you and your family! My dad is having a simple hernia surgery tomorrow and I feel badly since i’m in NYC and he is in Savannah. It’s so scary not being there. Could you do a post about which recipes it’s okay to post/not link to/etc for copyright reasons? Thanks!

  • HeatherBakes
    May 14, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    Oh man, I love guacamole AND cholula!

    Glad to hear the cookbook review- I’ve seen that one at anthropologie a few times and wanted to buy it. It’s just so cute!

  • amanda
    May 14, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    that place seems kinda like chipotle! only healthier

  • Leah @ Simply Fabulous Now
    May 14, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    I’m happy to hear that he made it through surgery!
    Still sending positive thoughts your way.
    Cute photo & great lunch! I LOVE guac!!

  • Casey
    May 14, 2009 at 3:34 pm

    OMG the video is adorable! You would be perfect for that job and they would be lucky to have you.

    P.S. 700,000 pageviews? You are a star.

  • Alison
    May 14, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    So tell me, why can’t you post the recipe since it’s from a cookbook? I mean I understand the copyright thing, but what if you cited your reference, etc. Would it be ok then? What if you modified it a bit, making it more “your own”. Relatively new to blogging and wondering what The Rules are with this sort of thing.

    • jenna
      May 14, 2009 at 3:59 pm

      Alison,

      Well when you blog you just have to be REALLY careful of stuff like that because it could end up in a legal thing…..technically even if you change an ingredient or two, it still belongs to the creator. You have to create a brand new original recipe and then you can post it. If not, it is considered copyrighting and could definitely escalate into a big legal issue! With the internet these days you always have to be very very very careful about what you write….

  • Shannon @ TheDailyBalance
    May 14, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    delish looking salad! So glad to hear your grandfather’s surgery was a success — still sending thoughts and prayers 😉

  • Amisha
    May 14, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    I also try and avoid red dyed foods! Look up conchineal extract and you’ll see why. They seriously make red food dye from INSECTS. IEW!! I’m vegetarian so I avoid it. I recently saw this on the side of a bottle of SOBE Life Water. I was so grossed out!

  • Melissa
    May 14, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    Jenna,
    So glad to hear your grandpa is doing well. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers. Your ability to maintain a positive attitude during these trying times has been such an inspiration. You’re one of a kind!
    On an exercise related note, what type of music do you listen to while running (if any)? I’m getting kind of burned out on my current playlists and am on the hunt for some fun, new music for my workouts. Any recommendations? Thanks!
    p.s. I’m SO jealous of the lunch you had!

  • K
    May 14, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    That restaurant sounds fantastic! Gotta love it when restaurants give healthy portion sizes not just A LOT! Good old banana bread hits the spot sometimes 🙂

  • Alison
    May 14, 2009 at 5:15 pm

    Thanks for the explanation Jenna. I just did a bit of googling to see what I could find, and thought this article (although dated 2006) had some interesting “food for thought” (no pun intended hahaha!)

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/03/AR2006010300316.html

  • Sarah
    May 14, 2009 at 5:20 pm

    Hi Jenna!
    Never posted a comment before but I have been a long-time reader. You are one amazing woman and I am so sorry for all of the intense sadness and loss that has been in your life with your brother and now grandpa. I am praying for you as well as your family and I know you don’t know me, but I just had to come from out of the shadows to let you know that I voted for you last night for the Murphy-Goode wine position and I was OVERJOYED and moved to tears when I saw that you have been “favorited” like a million times more than the other applicant videos…..I AM so proud of you!!!! I really want this for you and I am praying that good things come your way.

    Take care and thanks for being such an inspiration to me and all of the other readers out there.

    Sarah Knoll

  • Kelly T
    May 14, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    that restaurant looks like my dream come true. yummm on the banana bread i hope you have some warm out of the oven! sorry about your grandpa i hope your mom is doing okay.

  • Katherine
    May 14, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    That salad looks so amazing!!! I can’t wait to see your banana bread creation, I can smell it already :-).

    I finally bought gluten free waffles so that I could recreate your breakfast of waffles topped with yogurt, banana, almond butter!!! So good! It was everything I was craving and so satisfying.

    So thank you for the wonderful ideas!

  • Meg
    May 14, 2009 at 6:35 pm

    Saying some prayers for your grandpa!
    Looks like a great lunch!

  • Victoria
    May 14, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    Love Baja Fresh! I hope everything works out for your family and grandfather. Your positive outlook is such an inspiration.

  • Hangry Pants
    May 14, 2009 at 8:56 pm

    That is one of my favorite cookbooks! I love the pictures and little stories that go with each recipe! I’ve been wondering about that banana bread.

  • Caroline
    May 14, 2009 at 10:51 pm

    Lovin’ that guac!
    I must have a complex too–I eat only the red and blue ones;)