One of my favorite restaurants in the entire world is conveniently located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mas Tapas has awesome sangria, fun margaritas, and some of the best food I've ever eaten; and because it's a Spanish place, it's mostly Paleo without even trying.

It's been some time since I called Charlottesville "home," which has given me the opportunity to attempt to re-create some of my favorite dishes from Mas' menu. I'm almost there with a goat cheese and artichoke dip, but it still needs work. The bacon-wrapped dates, however, I hit out of the park on my first attempt (if I do say so myself).

This is one of the easier and still most delicious things you could probably ever make. You don't have to do anything to either of the ingredients, because both ingredients are inherently perfect. I do like to stuff them with goat cheese before wrapping them in bacon, though, because I'm wild like that.

Ingredients:

• As many dates as you want. (I would make 3-4 per person, though.)
• As much bacon as you want. (Each date gets half a slice.)
• Several tablespoons of softened goat cheese. 

Instructions: 

1. Split open each date with a small paring knife and stuff with goat cheese--I like to take a little spoon, get some cheese, and roll it into an oblong ball before just popping it right in.
2. Wrap each stuffed date in about half a piece of bacon. Place on a baking sheet.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until bacon is cooked through and the whole bite is caramelized. They're going to be really super hot, so give them a second to cool if you can. If not--I understand--just enjoy with caution! They're best when still quite warm. 

This post was originally published in June of 2012, but I've since updated the recipe and wanted to include a new photo. Old comments are kind of wonky since I switched from Blogger to Squarespace, but I now reply to everything right there in the thread.

Photo by Courtney of Sweet C's Designs, when we were in California together this summer.

I very rarely take the time during the week to make a breakfast that isn't a couple of really quick eggs, so when Rob has a day off like he did yesterday for Veteran's Day, I can't resist taking a bit more time and making something a little more special. 

Ingredients:  

• 1 banana
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/2-1 cup coconut milk
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar 
• the heavy part of a can of coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions: 

1. Turn on your waffle iron.
2. In a large bowl, mix almond flour and coconut flour together. Add eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and agave nectar. Mix until smooth.
3. When the waffle iron is hot, scoop large spoonfuls of the batter onto the iron. Close it and let it cook for a few minutes, or until the waffle is nicely toasted and you can pick it up with tongs or a spatula. Keep in mind that these are grain free and not nearly as hardy as waffles with regular flour, so you may need to be a bit more gentle.
4. While you're cooking your waffles, combine the heavy white part of a can of coconut milk and the pumpkin puree in a mixer. Blend until it gets thick and add the pumpkin pie spice. If it isn't thick enough, you can store it in the freezer for a few minutes, until the waffles are done.
5. Stack waffles on a plate and top with pumpkin cream. Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee!

Lavazza sent me a couple pounds of their Perfetto roast and it's so delicious on a chilly fall morning with a sweet breakfast like this one. We're spending Thanksgiving here in Charlotte this year (and so are a few of our neighbors and friends), so I'm really looking forward to gathering around the table for coffee and breakfast every morning. It's a year for new traditions, I think, and I think the holidays (and waffles) are a good place to start.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Lavazza.

I was reading some responses from the reader survey I linked to on Friday and a couple people asked for a Paleo update and for some thoughts on my fitness routine. It's been some time since I shared anything like that, so I thought it was a great idea for a post! (I'm also going to be sharing a new episode of Hello, Butter that touches on a lot of the same issues I want to write about today.)

I changed my diet in late 2011 and haven't really looked back until this year. For several years I was very strict--no rice, absolutely no sugar, really low carbs, and a lot of meat and vegetables. I felt really amazing. I lost like 25 pounds and almost felt like I didn't even need to work out. But then in the summer of 2012 I started CrossFit and became temporarily addicted. I went regularly for about two months, which I think is confusing to a lot of people who were reading my blog at that time and are still here--it was definitely just a phase for me. I still go with my mom sometimes when I'm in town (my friend Emma and I always do the Black Friday WOD together when we're both home for Thanksgiving), but I haven't gone regularly since 2012.

I started working a full-time job in Roanoke and couldn't really find the time to work out regularly--instead of CrossFit, I would go running or take a walk on my lunch break and then do some push-ups or pull-ups, but it was never super formal or even very routine. I was living at my parents' house and Rob and I were at the beginning of a long-distance relationship, so I had a lot of anxiety and found that controlling my food (i.e being very strict about not eating things that weren't Paleo) was oddly comforting. I wouldn't say I was disordered, because I ate plenty and was never hungry, but I definitely clung to the tenets of Paleo in a way that could only be described as extreme.

I was super thin and found myself feeling really anxious all the time. My doctor ran some tests and actually found that my cortisol levels were way too high because I didn't weigh enough to regulate them. She recommended that I gain five or ten pounds, which I did, and I started feeling better.

When I moved to Minneapolis I lightened up a bit with my diet, but I also started working out regularly at the gym in our apartment building. We were planning our wedding and Rob and I were really great about eating well and exercising every day. I started eating Paleo-friendly-but-not-necessarily-Paleo things like French fries and realizing that sushi didn't bother my stomach, but I was still staying away from gluten and dairy, which was easy because Minneapolis is so friendly to every single diet you could possibly imagine. I look back on that time as the best for my food/body image/exercise--I was never out of control in any way and I was super happy with my body. Looking back, now I know that I felt so good because I was living in a really successful middle ground of cardio, strength training, Paleo, and the occasional coconut milk soft serve.

Once our wedding was over I started eating a lot more foods that I used to completely ignore, for example I'll sometimes eat breaded chicken nuggets, which actually make me feel pretty sick. I've been experimenting with my gluten-sensitivity, which has led to a lot of migraines. A few years ago I never would have even tried, but now I know more about what works and doesn't work for my body. I can live without bread, but now I know that I really like craft beer, and it doesn't bother me the way a full bowl of pasta would. I've definitely gained a few pounds in the process, but that's just par for the course, I suppose. Honestly, I'd rather carry around those five vanity pounds and be less anxious than be at my "goal weight" and feel like I was about to panic every single day.

And finally, a few words about barre! Someone in the survey asked if I felt that barre was enough of a workout and if it was helping me reach my fitness goals, and the truth is that on its own it's not enough for me right now. It's a full-body workout for sure and I really, really love it; but I want to find a way to incorporate cardio as well--I miss running. The problem, though, is that when I spend an hour every day in the studio working out, I feel like I should be done with exercise for the day, so I don't do anything else. 

I currently have an unlimited membership that expires at the end of the year, and I think I may take a few months off and see if I can go back to what I was doing in Minneapolis--just working out on my own and switching it up every day. That was much more manageable then because I was trying to get in great shape for our wedding, but now that I've been doing barre for over six months, I've made time in my schedule to exercise every day, no matter what. We'll see how it goes!

So there you have it! I still love Paleo and eat that way at least 85% of the time. I definitely feel better when I'm closer to 100%, but Pad Thai and ramen and beer and gluten-free salted caramel brownies are pretty awesome, too. If anyone has any questions for me, I'd love to hear them. As always, thanks so much for your interest and to those of you who have responded to the reader survey so far!

Photo by Sarah Gatrell for Freckled Italian.