Pre-weekend Happenings: The Grange and a Smart TV

I love when spontaneity acts in my favor.

Case in point, Thursday night. I had made plans with a co-worker to hang after work at our usual spot, the Thirsty Beaver, but when she went home with a migraine, I texted a friend and suggested we go out that night. I'm usually really bad at coming up with new places to check out, even though there are a million places I want to try (I really should start keeping a list), but I suggested we grab drinks at The Grange in Providence. 

Fast forward to 8:30pm. We park in front of this:

Weirdest store front display I've ever encountered. Napoleon Dynamite status.

We waited for a seat at the bar and asked the bartender what he suggested off of their drink menu. We were a little indecisive, but decided on some drinks...somehow he managed to make us both the wrong drinks. Go figure. But it was a pleasant mistake, I'd say. I ended up with the Holy Smokes (left), a mezcal-based cocktail with basil and a smoky aftertaste. It was mind-blowing. My friend got the Adonis, made with bourbon, Pama pomegranate liqueur, and a slew of other alcohols. It was really strong, but had a good flavor. The best part? The drinks were mixed in a beaker, it was like watching a mad scientist work.

The place was adorable. There were swings by the windows and a little lounge area, a dining area for the restaurant, the bar, and it looked like there was a bakery section with a display case to the right of the bar that might be open during the day. I loved the vibe.

My friend ordered the quinoa dish with butternut squash, avocado, and lettuce. Delicious. The Grange is owned by the same people who run the Garden Grille so we expected nothing less. 

We opted to stay for a second round of drinks, something I don't typically do since I'm a lightweight, but we just weren't ready to leave and I'm trying to embrace my 20s. I had a tequila-based cocktail with various citrus notes and orange oil; Kristen ordered an apple cider cocktail served with a dried apple chip. Again, both were amazing. 

Gotta give The Grange a solid 9/10. A little pricy but so worth it for the experience. I'll definitely be back!

Sancho Panza (left) and Helen of Troy

Good thinking on having a hearty breakfast-for-dinner before I consumed all of that alcohol: Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal with 1/2 scoop of Designer Whey Sustained Energy vanilla protein powder and 1T dry butterscotch sugar-free Jello Pudding mix.

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I love the texture of Scottish oatmeal, especially when you add in the pudding mix. Dessert without the sugar.

Time felt like it was standing still throughout my entire workday on Friday. This long weekend is going to feel so good. I already started it off on a good foot last night when I made out like a bandit at JC Penney. Colored tights on clearance for under $3 a pair! Plus two unpictured fitness tops for $5 each and an adorable pair of workout capris. I rang up at $34 for it all, but the cashier gave me a random $10 off. Steals.

We ended up buying a new "Smart" TV for the basement with built-in wifi and all that jazz, so I spent the rest of the night with my sisters assembling the TV stand and setting up the TV while my mom watched, glass of wine in hand. She claims she helped. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mom ;)

My snack before said TV assembly. Weird, but so good.

Pictured above is a typical snack when I know I need to take in a little more fat and protein at the end of the day and when I'm blessed to have a near-empty jar of peanut butter. I was especially fortunate this time to have Peanut Butter & Co White Chocolate Wonderful <3. 

Basically I use 1/2 cup of egg whites and 1.5 T dark chocolate cocoa powder with a little chocolate stevia to taste. Mix it all up in a large microwave safe bowl until it's combined and microwave on high for 90-120 seconds. Then I break up my little chocolate egg white puff and scoop it into the nut butter jar, seal it up, give it a shake to melt all the peanut butter into the egg whites and enjoy straight from the jar with a spoon. Damn right I make sure to scrape every last bit of peanut butter out of that jar.

We took advantage of the WiFi to watch this hilarious Jimmy Kimmel segment where celebrities read mean tweets about themselves, then segwayed into Zach Galifinakis' Between Two Ferns videos. I also enjoyed a glass of Redvolution red wine. Don't hate on BotaBox.

I'll leave you with some LOLs, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel:

P.S. Apologies for the long-winded post, but it's been an eventful past few days!