Eating and Exercising Go Hand in Hand

It's true. I love to eat. I'll eat almost anything and usually in massive quantities. Once in high school, we had to sell these amazing candy bars for band. Chocolate with the most incredible gooey caramel center that oozed out onto the chocolate like sweet gold...I can almost taste it now. Which isn't surprising since I ate the entire box that I was supposed to sell and had to pay for it myself. Kind of not the point for a band trip fundraiser. Sometime I'll tell you about how I ate so much of the candy that was going in our table favor boxes for our wedding that I had to buy more...but I digress.

Since I eat shocking amounts of food, I also work out a lot to offset the caloric intake. It was imperative that I find a gym upon relocating to Atlanta. I had done some research on the internet first but being completely unfamiliar with the area, I didn't want to commit to anything until (of course) I had seen the facility and I had some idea of how long it would take me to get there. The two that I were interested in (Lifetime and LA Fitness) proved to be too far of a drive and I just couldn't see us doing it. Luckily for me, there is a Gold's Gym just 5 minutes from my house. So far, it's been great with a good class offering, excellent instructors, and a nice facility. Thank God because now I'm going to talk about food.

Here are the places we've been so far in our limited time in ATL - this list includes two from a previous visit in December:

Goldbergs Deli - http://www.goldbergsdeli.net/

This place was a total lifesaver for a post-rehearsal dinner hangover of unprecedented proportions. The bride (my second cousin Kristen) is about 27 or so. I apparently thought I could keep up with my younger cousins and her friends. Saturday morning, it was obvious that I was mistaken. As I sat on the edge of the bed with my eyes closed, Brian (who had been working a lot in Atlanta and knew the area somewhat) said "I know just the place. Get dressed, we're going to Goldberg's." The bagels, corned beef hash, potato latke, and coffee (and a gallon of water) made me able to function by about 3pm.

Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Cuisine - http://www.unclejulios.com/

We went to Uncle Julio's to watch Sunday NFL football the day after the wedding. The drinks were good, the food was delicious, they had all the games on at the bar and the bartender didn't talk too much. I can't wait to go back and have a real meal since we basically just sampled appetizers and had margaritas. I would like to experience some more "authentic" Mexican here though - any natives with suggestions?

The Loving Hut - http://www.lovinghut.us/georgia/

Great vegan food - even though I personally need some meat for protein. Every now and again I get the urge for something super healthy and this was great. We ate it the day our movers were supposed to come with our stuff. We'd been eating so poorly and drinking lots of alcohol (the stress of a move will do that to you) that I decided to clean out our systems a little. We had the Rainbow Salad and the Won Ton soup and both were really great. Definitely will go back and try more!

Ten Bistro - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ten-Bistro/217069984976750

We went on their "soft opening" night for friends and family. We know the owner so we scored an invite. This is going to be a great restaurant! The night we were there the staff and kitchen were still sorting things out but the food we had was excellent. Brian had a caesar salad, and salmon served with something I can't remember, and I had flat iron steak with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. We'll definitely give them a few weeks to iron out service and go back - I think it's going to be a huge success!

Caribou Coffee - http://www.cariboucoffee.com/

I'd been in one before but they weren't common in Cincinnati. I was pleasantly surprised by the breakfast sandwiches and the coffee was good. Service was great at the one in The Forum - http://www.theforumonpeachtree.com/

Chick-fil-A is apparently an Atlanta staple - http://www.chick-fil-a.com/

I had no idea. The first one I went to with Brian was on a road trip to ATL before we moved here. I think it was in southern Kentucky or Tennessee. I was underwhelmed. But yesterday my friend Shannon wanted to meet me for lunch at one since she'd have her little boy with her and this is super kid-friendly. I said sure and went off for an adventure. The chicken salad sandwich was excellent and didn't feel like fast food. The fries were delicious so I'm sure they weren't good for me. But all in all, I was super impressed. Even more impressed hearing that they are a family-owned company and all locations (including in malls!) are closed on Sunday. I appreciate a company that sticks to what they believe in even if they could make more money by being open.

So that's all I have for now - I would love more suggestions on where to eat in Atlanta!