Happy Friday!!

How has your year been going?  Mine?  So far, it’s been pretty darn relaxing which is always a good thing!

Brian and I had a fun and low key NYE celebration at his brother’s house.  Just an intimate group of friends with tasty drinks, cute decorations, yummy snacks, fun music, and watching the ball drop.  A great way to ring in the new year.

Brian and I are flying back to Denver tonight, which is kind of bittersweet.  I’m excited to be back on a schedule with my workouts, experiment in the kitchen, and just go back to “normal” life, but I’m also sad that we have to say goodbye to our families for such a long time.

To really make the most of our time here, we played tourist in Indy (much like we did in Fort Wayne) and it has been so much fun!

On Monday, we spent the day with Brian’s grandma and checked out a couple of new local restaurants in the Broad Ripple neighborhood.

Lunch was at Public Greens which describes itself as “an urban kitchen with a mission.”

Public Greens is owned by Patachou, Inc. which owns several restaurants in the Indianapolis area, but this restaurant is a little different than the rest.  The profits from Public Greens go toward the Patachou Foundation which is a startup foundation that focuses on feeding nutritious after-school meals to at-risk children in the Indianapolis community.  This foundation also provides education regarding the foods they are eating.  How amazing is that?!

I was excited to try this restaurant because I love every other Patachou restaurant, but having a mission I can stand behind as well made me REALLY excited to see what it was all about.

Upon walking into the restaurant, things can be a little overwhelming.  When we walked in the door we were greeted by a friendly and welcoming employee who anticipated the overwhelm and explained how the ordering process worked.

For the most part, it seemed as if most things were already made kind of like when you go to a cafeteria or deli counter to order some of the side dishes or salads they have.  You can pick one item and add a protein if you want, or you can do a pick two or a pick three.  The menu changes constantly, and the farms that sourced the local ingredients are listed on the menu.  After listening to the explanation and going through the process, ordering doesn’t seem that intimidating anymore.

I opted for the Kohlrabi Soup (which was vegan and had a walnut base as the thickener) and the Brown Rice Fun which had shiitaki mushrooms, edamame, greens, and a miso dressing.  Both were extremely yummy!

After our delicious lunch at Public Greens, we walked a couple of blocks to a new local bakery called the Cake Bake Shop.  Brian and I both follow this cute little bakery on Instagram and thought that it looked adorable (and tasty!) so we thought it would be the perfect little place to take Grandma for a treat.

When we first walked in, I heard someone call out “Tara!”  and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the girl I used to nanny a few years ago 🙂

Now, let me tell you about this cute little bakery.  Seriously, it is so adorable!

The simple and elegant “Cake Bake Shop” logo is tastefully placed everywhere (napkins, plates, mirror behind the coffee bar), and the entire bakery is decorated with a pink, lace, and pearl theme would be perfect for hosting a bridal shower, baby shower, little girl’s birthday party, or even an engagement photo shoot.  I loved the decor!

There was a slightly larger open room in the back that would be great for hosting an event.

All of the treats looked absolutely beautiful and delicious.

Because everything looked so tasty, I was a little overwhelmed when it came time to make a decision an order my meal so I asked one of the girls working at the Cake Bake Shop what she recommended.

The “famous” cake that she made for Ina Garten (receiving rave reviews!) was the Earl’s Court Chocolate Cake. As a huge fan of Ina myself, Brian and I decided this was the piece of cake we had to share.

It was as amazing as it looked (and topped with sparkles!).  If you are in Broad Ripple and you are looking for a fun place for a date or hanging out with friends the Cake Bake Shop is perfect 🙂

On Tuesday morning, Brian and I woke up the earliest we have on our entire holiday vacation to attend Tuesday morning Bodypump with Tasha.  It was so great to see everyone at NIFS again!

After pump, Brian and I headed over to Yolk, a new brunch place in Indianapolis, with Tasha

The menu was huge with TONS of egg options.  Despite the yummy looking egg-based meals, I chose my go-to breakfast…oatmeal with a side of peanut butter topped with blueberries.  Yum!

Brian got a delicious-looking portion of eggs benedict and we both enjoyed some coffee.  Such a fun way to start our Tuesday.

As far as the rest of the week, we have been relaxing and hanging out with family.  Seriously, these past two weeks have been absolutely fantastic.

I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to completely rock 2015!!