The Best Day Date Ever

Happy Friday friends!

What’s up for your weekend? I’m heading up to LA later today to hang out with my cousin and stay at her place, and then tomorrow I’ll be attending IDEA World to workout with Jillian Michaels and see the latest & greatest in the fitness world! If any of you are attending IDEA as well, definitely shoot me an email or let me know in the comments below. I love meeting fellow fitness enthusiasts & bloggers!

Backing it up to last weekend, today I want to recap my date last Saturday with my hubby — AKA the best day date ever. We decided to head south into the area we used to live in in San Diego. First up on our agenda was hitting up my favorite farmers’ market, the Little Italy Mercato.

I used to go this market nearly every weekend when we lived nearby, and for good reason: It’s awesome! When we got to the market, I was immediately reminded why I frequented it so much for years. From fresh green juice and organic seasonal produce to freshly baked cookies and gelato, this market is a foodie’s dream. Some vendors also offer crafts, decor and clothing. There are even booths geared towards pet owners.

We walked around the entire market, did some taste testing and purchased a couple of things: including the above pictured hydrangeas, the below watermelon cucumbers (how cute right!!) and micro greens…

…along with locally made honey. This is the first time I’ve ever found cinnamon honey, and I was pretty excited about it! I love cinnamon and I use honey daily, so when the woman who makes it said that her favorite way to eat it is on pancakes, my pancake loving self had to nab a jar.

After we got our market fill, we left downtown and headed into the area we used to live in, Mission Valley, to visit Mission Trails Park. This was my favorite park for the 3+ years that I lived just a few minutes down the road from it.

Our plan was to go mountain biking together. I actually forgot to pack my sneakers, so it marked my first time biking in flip-flops! I would not recommend it, but I made due. Missions Trails Park has some great biking trails, and we biked for a good 80 minutes.

As we biked, lots of memories were flooding my brain:

Hiking my favorite trail there, Kwaay Paay, many times while my hubby was deployed. It was really where my love for hiking developed! 

The first time we ever took our pup for a hike when she was just a little puppy.  

The morning that Harley and I had a standoff with a bobcat. 

The years I spent living in the area were when we first moved to California, so it really marked me falling in love with the state. It also was the beginning of my marriage. Though It’s only about a 45-minute drive from our house now, we’ve rarely spent time there recently. There’s just too much to do and see in so many other little pockets of California! But, we have so many great memories in the park and area in general, and I loved spending the day there.

After the park, our bellies were growling and we headed over to True Food Kitchen for lunch. It’s a lovely restaurant focused on whole foods, and they have lots of locations across several states. I love seeing a real foodie restaurant like this grow into a healthy “chain” available around the country!

I was in the mood for some greens and ordered their Mediterranean quinoa salad. I typically never think to put quinoa in an actual salad with lettuce, and I need to do this at home more often! I also loved that there were green beans in the dish.

My hubby ordered a mushroom and asparagus pizza, which I stole a little slice of. It got a thumbs up from us too!

After our late lunch, we headed back up to our home in North County. Tired from our day of fun, we watched the Tour de France and took mini naps, then took Harley for a long walk at dusk along the coast.

Afterwards, I had a healthy milkshake for dinner to complete my fabulous day! It was a chocolate banana protein shake topped with Halo Top chocolate ice cream, Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips, blueberries and Lenny & Larry’s cookie pieces….

Every once in awhile, a milkshake for dinner just hits the spot! All in all, my date with my hubby was kind of perfect. It included some of my favorite things: an outdoor market full of local food, time in nature, a workout, yummy, healthy food, and of course, quality time with my love!

Tell me… What’s your idea of a perfect date? Any fitness plans for the weekend?