Phew! It's been a long but productive past couple days with my co-workers. I feel like we're all really starting to gel now, which is great. Go teamwork!
I was planning to have one of my homemade granola bars for an early breakfast (had catering coming in later for our meetings) but was running later than I hoped and only had coffee.
I fully intended to bring that granola bar in to work with me but FORGOT! I totally regretted that later when A. the breakfast I ordered was good, but didn't have any really good healthy options (I know, I could have ordered it since I was in charge of food, but somehow the idea of an oatmeal bar didn't seem like a winner for my co-workers - maybe one day I'll try that?) and I ended up with a half blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese.
On the upside, we did get organic coffee and some mini egg sandwiches that were BIG WINNERS! I mean, they went quick! So fast, I didn't get them!
Oh and I didn't get to eat right away...not only was I trying to make sure things were set up in the conference room, they moved my presentation from after lunch to FIRST THING!
Luckily, I rocked out my presentation (and had lots of good support from my team). Hoorah!
I did manage to take photos of lunch. We ALWAYS get sandwiches, so I decided to switch things up by ordering a HOT MEAL- LASAGNA!
Lasagna, mixed green salad (with goat cheese and pine nuts!), caesar salad, and foccacia.
Dessert tray - mixed cookies and brownies (heavy on the brownies!)
My plate - some lasagna (I got too much!), salad, and foccacia.
Dessert - one of those FANTASTIC BROWNIES! We had these last time and I fell in love with them. They seem to have a cookie-like base with a fudge-y top, nuts, and chocolate drizzle...yum!
The HOT LUNCH was a BIG HIT! Yippee! Gonna have to switch it up with something else hot and yummy next time (whenever that is)
The day's meetings went well, but who knew meetings could be so exhausting?! No one tells you when you start working how hard it is to do all day meetings. If you haven't done them yet, trust me, they ARE! When I worked in the restaurant, I remembered thinking that it would be easy to get paid to be on phone conferences and in meetings all the time, but now that I'm there....it's not as easy as it looks! Truuuuuuust me! By the end of the meetings, your brain feels totally fried!
Dinner:
After our meetings, we went out for a team dinner. I love team dinners and team building events. I think it really helps a team work together when they can bond outside of work. I suppose that sounds cheesy, but I think people are more likely to help you and work with you when they know something personal about you and get along with you at a non-work level. I always try to get to know my teammates at a semi-personal level.
Shiraz
Our tables apps - combo and calamari
My apps - 1/2 chicken finger and cheese stick. Yup! That's a cheese stick! I thought it was an egg roll, but it actually had some monterrey jack cheese inside it's won-ton-like-wrapper. Interesting...I like classic cheese sticks best.
I split a spinach salad with my foodie-teammate. We LOVE to share food and it's so nice to have someone on the team with similar tastes who likes to share. Not to mention, although much of my general work-related food is expensed, 1. I don't like to waste food, so I try to only order what I can eat and 2. it's nice to be responsible with the company's money.
Dinner: Beef Tenderloin tips with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.
Closer look
Dinner was pretty fantastic, but I was pretty full from lunch, my apps, and the salad. I probably ate about 1/2 the carrots, 1/3 of the beef, and 1/4 of the potatoes.
We got one dessert to split amongst our entire group - dessert sliders (cookie ice cream sandwiches).
I was in charge of cutting each cookie in half.
I had 1/2 and a 1/4 (3/4) cookie slider. So good!
Hubby was super-happy to see me coming home with leftovers. He loves leftovers - it's one of the reasons he likes going out to eat because I almost never finish mine! lol
Phew - decadent last couple of days...My body is ready for some healthy eats, for real! Too bad I'm going out of town the next couple days. I'll try to work some healthy eats into the next couple days. I'm really craving veggies and whole grains right now!
Hopefully I can work some veggies and grains into my food soon.
Yum cookies and ice cream you can't go wrong with that! I gotta say I really love your tea/coffee mug its lovely x x
Posted by: Tamzin | November 19, 2009 at 04:07 AM
those are some seriously good eats. I love how they called the chipwiches "dessert sliders" - good idea!
Posted by: lauren (athlEAT) | November 19, 2009 at 09:43 AM
Glad to hear your presentation went well and all the eats look wonderful! Those brownies look so decadent. I love going out to eat with Chris too because I can always count on him to eat my other half and then some! Even though you did some good eating, I think that's so great you can still incorporate and follow portion control, you rock :)
Just did my first couch to 5k this morning at 4:30 and it was perfect, just what my joints ordered :) thanks again!
Posted by: EatingRD | November 19, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Ice cream sliders!! Those look ridiculous!
I agree though, I always crave veggies and whole grains when I have a few heavy meals in a row :-)
Posted by: Lauren @ Eater not a runner | November 19, 2009 at 04:29 PM
I am sitting here STARVING while reading this. All of that food looks FANTASTIC! The lasagna? YUM!!!
I love team building meetings too. It's nice that you have a co-worker willing to share with you too. Restaurants always manage to give way too much food and sharing helps promote less waste. Which is awesome
Posted by: Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) | November 19, 2009 at 05:46 PM
that dessert looks sooooo good!
jenna
Posted by: Jenna | December 05, 2009 at 07:39 PM