Cookie Butter & a juice called Yellow

Once a foreign world to me, Trader Joe's has become quite a staple these days in my "Fit Girl" life. I can remember when the TJ's opened up in Winter Park and how excited everyone was; "why is everyone so hyped up over a grocery store? Oh goodie, produce and milk!" It was a strange concept to me, for one to like a store so much so I stayed a Publix regular and didn't give it a second thought especially since it was located out of my way.

One day after a few drinks at Mitchell's Fish Market my friends and I ventured in to the land of fresh produce just to see what all the talk was about. I left with $3 wine, fruit leather, and a jar of cookie butter, there were zero complaints. If you've never had cookie butter let me explain- you can literally eat it off of the spoon, it's that fantastic. I like it best with bananas and sometimes put a small spoonful in my oatmeal. In the aforementioned shopping trip I didn't do much price scouting or give any thought to the produce so I didn't come back to Trader Joe's anytime soon after.

At the beginning of the Fit Girl journey I purchased all of my detox week's food at Trader Joe's and was completely overwhelmed. I went into the store on a time crunch and with an anxious (and very much acting like a bored child) boyfriend accompanying me so things were already off. The organization of this store is what first threw me off; the isles aren't labeled, but they're grouped together sensibly once you figure it out. I mean, there are only like four isles in the entire store but they manage to have everything that you need.

That day I chose to not buy my cashew and almond butter there because the price tags on those items were a bit steep but everything else seemed to be fairly cheap. They get away with having such low prices by not selling any brand names, everything in Trader Joe's is their own unique brand. One of the things I've really liked about this store is I find the produce stays fresh longer; I think this is because their vegetables are so fresh in the store that you're bringing them home quicker than you would be from any other big-chain grocery store. Something else I like about this place is their atmosphere- I don't know if it's because it's in a well-to-do area or what but the people at this store are always so friendly and the cashiers always try to strike a conversation which I think is really nice.

I haven't compared the prices yet to that of Publix but I surely plan to in the future because I feel like they are cheaper at Trader Joe's which (if true) is phenomenal. I'm going to continue shopping here, even if I have to refrigerate my bread because it lacks preservatives. If you haven't checked out a Trader Joe's I would recommend it if you're ever given the opportunity. It's a place that makes me happy, and I'm sure it will make you happy too!

Epcot Flower & Garden Festival 2016

This year my friend and I decided to get annual passes to Walt Disney World; we go at least once a year and I wouldn't mind being able to go whenever I want so it seemed like a great idea. Now that I have purchased my pass and have experienced the park as an annual passholder I have to say it's a great experience. To be able to go to the park without trying to cram everything into a single day is in itself rewarding, if you live relatively close to Disney I would totally recommend getting an annual pass.

I have been to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot on two separate occasions and was pleased with the outcome both times so I was excited to learn of another festival at Epcot: the Flower and Garden Festival. Much like the Food and Wine Festival, the Flower and Garden Festival has different booths spread out among the countries at which you can purchase unique food items and beverages that you can't get the rest of the year. I approached this new found festival not having looked up any of the offerings, so I was full of hope as I was voyaging around the world showcase. 

When we go to the festivals, my friend and I prefer to do two things: 1) we don't like to get dessert on the first round, that way we can have all the savory snacks we want without mixing our palate and 2) we always start in Mexico and work our way around. I'm going to address the booths in order of when we approached them, whether we got something there or not. 

Happy Hour at Mitchell's Fish Market

Mitchell's Fish Market

Monday - Thursday 11 am - 11 pm

Friday & Saturday 11 am - 12 am

Sunday 11 am - 10 pm

Happy Hour Sunday - Friday 4 pm - 7 pm

(sn: the website says that Happy Hour is now EVERYDAY)

Often I have found myself with friends in Winter Park around 5 o'clock in the evening and as always, we're usually hungry. One of the places I can never say no to is Mitchell's Fish Market. Tucked in a little corner just a block away from The Cheesecake Factory and Brio is this little gem of a seafood restaurant. I have never been to Mitchell's when it wasn't happy hour so I cannot comment on their normal menu anything other than two things: the menu changes daily (so there's always something new), but they're also quite pricey! I would very much recommend going between 4 and 7. I can't say that I've ever spent more than $30 there including food and alcohol. 

One of the things that is the most intriguing to me is the value of their drink selection! They have eight drinks that are all $5. You can also get select draft beers for $3. I've tried every specialty drink on the happy hour menu and let me tell you, none of them disappoint. My personal favorite is the Vermont Apple Martini-- although in my opinion it's more of a spin on a cosmo but we won't go there. This martini gets its apple-li-ness from the Absolut Apple Ginger flavored vodka and then it's shaken with cranberry juice (cosmo anyone?), ginger syrup, and fresh mint. It's garnished with pieces of crisp, green apple. I could drink these by the pitcher, but I guess that's not advised since they're basically vodka. My second favorite is the FM Mojito but there's nothing special about this one besides the $5 price tag and the absence of sour mix (that's a win, right?); I may be biased here when you take into consideration that a mojito is one of my "go to" drinks. 

The food at Mitchell's is something to note for sure! I am a complete snob when it comes to fish tacos, they have to be made perfectly. The only other grilled tacos I have liked as much as these are the ones you can find at Rocco's Tacos. Almost every time I go I must have the tacos, this time though I opted for more of a new variety. I hate to say that I wasn't thrilled with our choices. I chose the Lettuce Wraps and the Conch Fritters. My friend ordered the Fried Zucchini and the Shrimp Dumplings. My choices were flavorful, I just wasn't crazy about the peanuts on the wraps, it gave it a flavor I'm not too fond of, but it was a good healthy option. Of course in contrast to my healthy lettuce wraps I got something fried. The conch fritters were just okay. I think they could've had more flavor and I didn't like the sauce they were served with. My friend wasn't pleased with her food at all. The dumplings were... well, dumpling-y. I personally know I don't like dumplings of any kind, so I can't really give an opinion on them; she gave them a chance though. The zucchini fries were good, but she said they could've used more flavor. Our bartender also scared her by saying some of the "green ones" were jalapenos. This confused us because zucchini is green and none of them were particularly spicy. 

Like their regular menu, the Happy Hour menu changes frequently. The items we ordered were new to me, so they may not even be on the menu now. A few things that I always see though are things that are definitely worth your while and money. The warm pretzel bread is wonderful! Little soft pretzel nuggets served along side beer cheese. Yes, beer cheese. This cheese is so wonderful and it goes perfectly with the pretzel nuggets (or whatever else you have to put it on). The Spinach & Artichoke dip also never disappoints anyone, it's warm and flavorful, it's sure to leave you scraping the dish. The Spicy Crispy Shrimp is good (sort of bang-bang style), they also put it on tacos, so if you like shrimp tacos I would suggest that! Last but not least the Blackened Fish Tacos. These tacos are simple but flavorful. They have a mango salsa on top as well as a lime sour cream, two items I love on top of my favorite kind of taco!

So Mitchell's Fish Market is always winning in my day planner despite some bad menu choices. Their happy hour is reasonably priced and it provides quite the drink selection. I would give it a try if you've never been and I would go back if you have.

The Porch in Winter Park

The Porch in Winter Park

643 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801

Hours:

Mondays 4 pm to 2 am

Tuesday - Sunday 11:30 pm to 2 am

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of dining at The Porch in Winter Park for lunch with a couple friends. I was psyched to try the place out after reading reviews about their unique menu online. The environment that The Porch offers is so comforting and country-home like. The outside patio is lighted at night by the over-head lights that are strung from side to side which I imagine looks so cute. One of the things I was really excited about was the diverse drink menu; each one of their cocktails are made with at least one unique ingredient.

Two of us got "Honey Boo" and my other friend got "The Serendipity;" each drink was delicious and unique. The Honey Boo (pictured right) was a peach iced tea made with lemon and cucumber and Tito's vodka. It was very light and refreshing. The Serendipity (pictured left) was a spin on gin and tonic made with apple juice and chamomile syrup. I didn't personally like the flavor of this one and in comparison to my drink it was kind of syrupy but my friend said that it was good!

For the meal options there were almost too many good choices; I will definitely have to return a few more times to try everything that I was interested in. I chose The Club Brie, the other two got Taco Shorties and The Porch TV Dinner. The Club Brie was so delicious! I recently became fond of sandwiches made with Brie so this one stood out right away- I'm also not a huge fan of bacon but with everything else going on on this sandwich you could hardly taste it. The Taco Shorties were more Asian inspired than the Hispanic inspiration you would expect from tacos. They were made with braised short rib and green peppers, they were quite delectable. The TV Dinner brings so much food! You get chicken tenders, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob, mac and cheese, and a sweet treat. You could also substitute the chicken for meat loaf for two dollars more. This dish was particularly cute because it's served on a lunch tray and the sides are served in measuring cups!

The Club Brie

Taco Shorties

The Porch TV Dinner

We also tried each of the dessert options that were available that day. Everyday they offer Mom's Peach Crunch and Fun Fries as well as a Chef's Special. The Mom's Peach Crunch is a cobbler served with a cute little cup of vanilla ice cream. The Fun Fries are a mixture of Apple Pie fries and Funnel Cake Fries tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with caramel sauce. The fries were okay, I think they could have used a little more flavor. The sauce that was served with the fries was served cold, I think it would have been much better served warm. I ordered the Chef's Special which that day was a Chocolate Cake served with berries. The cake was moist and the ganche was rich. The berries added a very nice flavor too.

Chef's Special

Mom's Peach Crunch

Fun Fries

All in all I believe that The Porch is a wonderful lunch option, they advertise a Bloody Mary Bar on Saturdays and a Bottomless Mimosa special on Sundays which would make them a wonderful brunch selection. I will definitely be returning and I encourage you to try them out as well, you won't be disappointed!

Happy Hour at Dexter's Thorton Park

Dexter's Thorton Park

808 E Washington St.

Monday to Wednesday- 7 am to 10 pm

Thursday- 7 am to 11 pm

Friday- 7 am to 2 am

Saturday- 11 am to 2 am

Sunday- 10 am to 10 pm

Happy Hour Hours:

Monday- 3 pm to close (which I thought was phenomenal)

Tuesday to Friday- 3 pm to 7 pm

After an afternoon of wedding dress alterations with my friends, we decided to grab a small bite to eat in Thorton Park. We ended up at Dexter's in the Thorton Park district of Downtown Orlando and chose to sit outside on the patio because the weather was nice for a change. Two of my friends each had the Peach Bellini Martini, and my other friend had the Ultimate Bloody Mary. I chose to have a drink made with 44's North Mountain Shore Huckleberry vodka (Misspelled as "Ghuckleberry" in their drink menu). For food all together our table ordered the Chicken Tortilla Pie, Chicken Noodle Soup, Creme Brulee, and the Caramel deLites® Cheesecake. The specials were only on the drinks but they were good deals, all of our drinks were $2 off and they also had $10 off bottles of wine. 

I chose to drink the Huckleberry Lemonade. I didn't decide to take a picture until after I squeezed in the orange garnish but I think it still looks nice. The drink was really good, it had a berry lemonade taste which I think was how it was meant to taste. 

One friend had the Ultimate Bloody Mary, it was really flavorful and spicy (the peppery spicy not the hot) it came garnished with olives that were stuffed with a smoked cheese.

Two of my friends each had the Peach Bellini and the Creme Brulee. The Peach Bellini was a bit strong and kind of orange-y tasting rather than the Mango/Peach flavor that was advertised in the menu. One sent it back, the other suffered through it. The Creme Brulee though, they said, was really good. 

The Chicken Tortilla Pie. This is not at all what I was expecting. For starters, it was crispy. I was expecting something that was soft, like tortillas, not crispy tortilla chips. And then the flavor- it tasted more like pizza than it did any sort of Mexican entree. It was still good despite the crunchy-Italian flavor. 

The other friend ordered the Chicken Noodle Soup and chose for her second drink the Sunset Martini. The martini was good, it was sweet and drinkable, everything I would look for in a martini. The Chicken Noodle Soup was a bit different because it was made with shells, not a pasta usually used in Chicken Noodle Soup. She said the dish was good but that her "mom's is still better."

The friend who sent back her Peach Bellini ordered the Lemon Berry Martini instead. The drink was a little tart but with the sugared rim it was good. I didn't think the drink was too tart without it. 

Caramel deLites Cheesecake. Two of us ordered the cheesecake for desert. I originally ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake but then our waiter returned and told us that they no longer had that cheesecake it had been replaced with this one. I was a little disappointed to hear that (strawberry and chocolate are on two different ends of the flavor spectrum) but I ordered it anyway. It was really good, the Caramel deLites cookies were used as the crust for the cake. I thought the chocolate drizzle was a little strong and syrupy tasting for the cake, kind of over-whelming. 

Overall I think Dexter's was a good choice. They're a nice environment with a wide variety of food to choose from. I also don't think their menu is too pricey, I spent $30 with tip included for the drink, entree and dessert. I wouldn't make a long drive to go there but if you're in the area, it's something I would recommend. 4 out of 5 stars.