I love being at the beach, and all of the delicious meals that come with it – from fresh seafood enjoyed at a local establishment, to turkey sandwiches on sourdough eaten in a sandy beach chair. While I tend to travel with many heathy habits, I like to think I have a balanced approach to food while on vacation. On the drive down to the Outer Banks, my husband noted how much he wanted to maintain his relatively recent clean eating plan. It is so easy to toss nutrition out of the window as soon as you roll it down to smell the salty, ocean air. Don’t get me wrong – I am a big believer in the 80/20 lifestyle, but I do think good nutrition while traveling can only benefit your well-being, not take away from your trip. I returned home feeling light and energized, even despite some indulgence. This is not how I would describe myself after past vacations. I can specifically remember times in my twenties and early thirties when I felt like I overdid it on both the alcohol and unhealthy food. But when you break free from that cycle mentality, it is the such a liberating feeling. I will say, I am currently pregnant, so I didn’t have the alcohol aspect as part of the eating equation (this is where people can get tripped up). With that in mind, here are some (balanced!) food highlights from a week at the beach.
Dinner at The Village Table & Tavern
We arrived in the afternoon on a Sunday, so were planning to grab a casual dinner somewhere after getting settled in. We took our chances at The Village Table & Tavern, and fortunately, were able to be seated at a table right away. The restaurant exceeded our expectations, both in ambiance and food. We ordered the calamari appetizer to start, and then I got the scallops as my entree.
For breakfasts, I love a good yogurt bowl at the beach. It is what I ate every morning after going on a walk. I brought a big cooler with perishables, which included Siggi’s greek yogurt and organic berries. I also made sure to bring a big container of my homemade granola as well.
Breakfast number two was usually a protein smoothie. Pregnancy hunger is real! So many smoothies, which hit the spot when it is so hot outside. I am really happy I brought my travel blender and ingredients from home.
Lunch pretty much looked the same every day as well: a big plate of raw veggies with the best sourdough bread for an open-faced sandwich, Mary’s Gone Crackers, hummus. We found the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes, which made for a colorful addition to my toast and tasted like summer.
Dinner at The Blue Point
On our second night, we ate dinner at our favorite Outer Banks restaurant – The Blue Point. The menu offers a good mix of southern fare meets coastal food. While I am usually not a soup person in the summer, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share the she crab bisque with Alex as an appetizer. And since we were both craving some leafy greens, we also got a salad starter. For my entree, I ordered the scallops once again. Delicious!
After dinner, we promised Mason an ice cream cone. He was in heaven. I would have had one too, but earlier that day, I found some local chocolate fudge which is more up my alley. I had a little piece as a sweet treat after dinner every night to satisfy my chocolate cravings.
Mid-week, we had some friends join us. That first night we were all together, we had happy hour at The Tap Shack and ordered food from Coastal Cravings right next door. The family-friendly atmosphere has live music and games, and the kids had so much fun. The hushpuppies were some of the best I have had, and the crab dip was a crowd-pleaser as well. I ordered the crab cakes with extra veggies for my entree.
The rest of the week, we cooked dinner at home, which is how we like it while on vacation. From fresh halibut, to burgers on the 4th of July, to shrimp tacos on our final night – we ate well!
So many good meals and memories!
