Buenos Aires is a little cafe just down the street from our house in Izmir that opened shortly after we moved in. We met the owner one day as we were hauling an old toilet to trash… He kindly came out to help us. Since then we intended to go eat there but haven’t made it. This week we decided to finally try it and we were very glad that we did!
Catie and I were just coming off of the Whole 30 and were ready for some ‘real’ food! We asked the owner what was best to order and he suggested the Buenos Aires Burger and the Turkish Pizza. In my experience, it’s not wise to ignore order suggestions from the owner. We were hungry so I also ordered a side of onion rings.
The hamburger and the pizza were delicious! The hamburger, unlike a lot of other Turkish hamburgers, had a really good texture. This burger also had a piece of steak filet on it! The pizza had a thin, crispy crust that had a variety of toppings on it, including sucuk (a spicy turkish beef sausage), a type of pastrami (which may have actually been pork) and corn (which is not uncommon for Turkish pizzas). After not having pizza for a month, it was a great step back into the italian world.
The only negative thing about the dinner were the french fries. They were a soggy mess. While the flavors were fine, they had none of the ‘french fry’ texture that you want. (*UPDATE: We have been there 2 more time since this review and the fries are our favourite thing to order! It seemed to be a one time mishap!) My hamburger came with some and our onion rings came with some too. (The onion rings were delicious but there were only 6 of time in a large basket of french fries — pro tip: more onion rings, less french fries!)
After dinner we ordered a Magnolia. Catie had seen it on the sign as we walked by day after day and wanted one. We didn’t actually know what it was though! As it turns out, it is banana pudding named after Magnolia Bakery in New York City. We were served two kinds – banana/strawberry and oreo. Man… it was thick and delicious. I had not heard of it before but we may need to go the next time we are in New York or Chicago.
In a non-travel related post, Jason and I just finished our 4th, yes FOURTH, Whole 30. (Ok, we were a few days short due to travel, but shhhh don’t tell!)
For 30 days, your diet is limited to unprocessed, ‘whole’ foods (mostly meat, fish, veggies and fruits) – no legumes, grains, dairy, sugar, or alcohol. You can read more about it here and if time, read the book that explains the logic behind it! Since our first round, more helpful resources and recipes have come out, and a few more foods have been added to the ‘acceptable’ list (like kombucha and white potatoes as well as sweet potatoes… which is really helpful for us here in Turkey because sweet potatoes are at fancy store and cost you your first child…)
My sister is actually the one that started us on this journey, thanks sis…. Then, Jason read the book while we were dating, and decided to try it. I said, “Heck, well if you are going to eat this way then why not try this food thing together for 30 days…” And so it started the journey of learning more about food. Even more so, I learned about the relationship certain foods had with my body.
Here are 4 things I learned/habits it broke:
1. Dairy- I learned dairy is not very kind to my system and it makes me feel bloated. I realized this when I moved to Turkey the first time, but thought it was just milk. Not having any dairy produces for 30 days (which was REALLY hard by the way) taught me that I need to be more picky about what dairy I eat. It broke my habit of ‘having’ to have cheese on everything, and now I mostly go without it.
2. Coffee – I can drink coffee without yummy delicious coffee creamers. In fact, now I prefer it! I still like a little creaminess but I use other options like bulletproof coffee, coconut oil, and heavy whipping cream (non-box cream is really hard to find here in Turkey)
3. Sugar – This was the MOST frustrating part of Whole30. I did not realize how MUCH sugar I was consuming daily from grabbing a piece of candy here and there. Also, sooo much processed (boxed, prepared, powder, frozen) food has sugar hidden in it as well. I learned to check everything before I bought it even when I am not on the Whole30 for the rest of the 11 months of the year. If I can enjoy it without sugar then why buy something with extra sugar in it?
4. Cooking – I can cook, and it’s get easier the more you try. In fact, the more we cook with veggies, the more I can change up spices, oil, and combinations to create unique flavors. Messing up and creating messes when cooking is part of the deal!
For those who are just starting off with Whole30, here are my tips for you!
To be clear, we were not strict on organic/grass-fed products. At the time (and even now to be honest) it just isn’t always an option and it can be expensive depending on where you live and what is accessible to you.
Have on hand:
1. EGGS – This is your easy go-to lifesaver when you are feeling tired of cooking or just don’t have time! We always bought a large batch of eggs and boiled about half of them. This is a great quick protein option for pre or post workouts as well. The first round I was training for a half marathon and the extra protein servings were really important to me! Also, egg salad is a great lunch option!
2. MAYO – Spend the time to make your own mayo. If you take time on the weekend to do this, it will be a great help you during the week when you need a little ‘extra somethin’ for your food. Great for egg salad, chicken salad, lettuce wraps, burgers, dressings, etc.
3. SALAD DRESSING – Make a salad dressing on the weekend for your week. If you love ranch, use the homemade mayo and try mixing up the Whole30 Dump Ranch dressing (I like this one). If you don’t know much about oil based dressings, experiment! The usually ratio is 2/3(oil) to 1/3(vinegar) and add spices – THAT’S IT. Each week you can change it up a bit, and it will be helpful for a quick salad!
4. COFFEE lovers – You have a couple of options if you are a ‘milk and sugar with a little coffee’ person. First off, sorry, no sugar subs, but you CAN do this! But for milk – Canned coconut milk, ghee, heavy whipping cream and coconut oil. I personally prefer the fresh organic heavy whipping cream(I told you I am picky about my dairy products now!) or coconut oil (blend really well!). For the coconut oil, I use an ice cube tray and make little single serving coconut oil cubes (keep in the fridge). This makes it an easy go to for my morning coffee ‘creamer’.
5. COCONUT MILK – This is one of my most used items during Whole30. A lot of indian/thai meals use dairy and canned coconut milk is a great substitute. It is perfect for making soup creamier. Only use the canned milked as there are no additives.
6. GHEE – Just spend the money and buy it – or make your own. Yes, it is not exactly like butter so you have to get use to it. Perfect for the bulletproof coffee, roasting veggies, and topping a baked sweet potato.
Hobo meal when we were out camping! Whole30 compliant while out and about!
– Trader Joes or Aldi Nuts are great to have on hand for snacks(which technically is not encouraged)- the Whole30 list tells you which ones are preferred. Nuts are just expensive, but really good options to have on hand!
– Aldi Salsa – There are some that do not have sugar!
– Aldi Sweet Potato Chips – While this is technically not Whole30 ideals, the ingredients are only sweet potatoes, oil, and salt. And it was a heck of alot easier to buy these then make sweet potato chips (which we did our first round).
– Aldi has Grass-fed beef and chicken now
– Aldi avocados, avocados, avocccaaaaddddoooossss – So versatile! Breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Actually most of our produce came from Aldi or TJ.
Cooking – My advice for first-timers… KEEP IT SIMPLE! While it would be great to recreate your favorite Chinese meal Whole30 style, it is not always easy. Don’t frustrate yourself, but instead learn how to make the simple items great! Also, PLAN AHEAD. Food just takes more time in general when you cook from scratch. I am a planner when it comes to meals and Jason is not. So the last few times we have done Whole30, Jason just does it. He is better at last minute game-plans. However, if you are a planner and take your lunch to work, it easier to have a list of options to cook so that I wasn’t frustrated! Something like, Breakfast – Eggs and Avocados, Lunch – Salad with Tuna, Dinner – Chicken with roasted veggies. Nothing hard!
Eating out – This one is just hard, and we just gave ourselves some grace. There are lots of eating out guide out on the web – like this one. Whole30 also covers how eat out in a little question guide.
Lastly, if you mess up, IT IS OKAY. Just continue on with the program! Your life is NOT ruined. Actually, Jason and I got engaged around day 2o something during our first Whole30 (couple that eat together, stay together 😉 ). So we celebrated by going to eat Mexican Food which is exactly the opposite of the goal of Whole30… let’s just say that after 20 days of no grains, dairy or alcohol, that was NOT a good idea to have the margarita! But the next day, we were back on track and finished out the rest of the program!
The more I write on this, the more I have to say! Maybe I’ll write another post about it in the future!
Questions:
What would you like to know more about? Meal prep? Whole30 Instagram accounts?
Today we head to Cappadocia, and I can’t help but reminisce about last time we were there. Three summers ago (yep 2014), just 5 months into our marriage, we took our first international trip together.
Our agenda? Turkey, of course! From Istanbul, we traveled to Cappadocia region and then onward to Adana.
While I am sure this is not a surprise, Cappadocia has a lot of history. The land has been occupied by the Hittites and a few other empires along the way. Early Christians thrived in this area which accounts for the numerous churches throughout the area until Islam(Selcuk Turks then the Otomans) came in force. Elevated caves and underground cities became a source of protection during that time. Tours are always a helpful way to learn the most about the history of the area and what you are seeing.
While I had been to Cappadocia before, we were still excited to see the area together! During that trip to Turkey we spent a lot of time reconnecting with old friends, our three day stay in the middle of our itinerary was like a mini retreat for us to experience something new together – just us. We enjoyed walking around the ancient town of Goreme and seeing the old cave homes and business creatively intertwined and renovated with more modern architecture.
Another day we rented a scooter to get around the area. There is so much to explore and having a scooter allowed us to wander and navigate the region on our own timetable as opposed to going with a tour. We explored the open air museum, found a pottery museum, climbed a castle, and journeyed through one of the many underground cities.
This weekend, however, will be the exact opposite of our sunny, summer visit. The forecast shows winter to be in full swing and a layer of snow is predicted to greet us when we land in Kayseri Airport. For the weekend, we will stay at Castle Inn (Instagram), a smaller one-of-a-kind five room boutique hotel renovated from a 150 year old house in Ortahisar, next to Goreme. Just from my email communications with the owner, Suat, I know we will love this hotel! (In my book, half of a good hotel stay is my interaction with the people who work there.)
Being located in Ortahisar means that we will have immediate access to Red Valley, Rose Valley, Goreme, Urgup, Uchisar, MustafaPasa, Avanos and many open air museums/amazing rock formations. A hot air balloon ride (our first!) may be on the itinerary as well…
Here are some helpful resources I have been using to plan our weekend:
Since this is our first Christmas season in Izmir, I didn’t know what to expect. When I lived in Istanbul before, I never even checked to see if there were holiday events in the city, malls, or international groups. This time around, a little research on Instagram and Facebook events/groups showed many holiday events. We did make it to the IWAI Christmas Market before we left town early on our #funkchristmas2016 tour. Fortunately, we made it to one more event with some friends of ours for the Lighting of the Tree at the Swiss Hotel.
The evening was lovely. The hotel very thoughtfully decorated and an itinerary of Christmas music. While either the pianist and violinists played or the choir sang, guest enjoyed cookies, special tarts, and my favorite, mulled wine.
It was a perfect send off to our Christmas vacation the next day and for others a perfect start to their holiday season. If you are living in Izmir and are looking for Christmas events, this is one I would definitely recommend!
One of the groups I found before moving was the IWAI – International Women’s Association of Izmir, a non-profit organization that blends international women from all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. This even includes Turkish women that have married foreigners, worked for international companies, lived abroad for a period of time, or want to help expats moving to Izmir. Throughout the year, the group holds regular coffee meetings, social events, and charity events. So when we moved, it was one of the first group events that I attended!
In December, IWAI hosted their Annual Christmas Market at the Swiss Hotel. Guests meandered through 60 tables arranged with goodies – from candies, scarves, jewelry, handmade Christmas items like ornaments and table clothes and even rugs.
Since Jason and I had already spent quite a bit on setting up our new home, I wasn’t really looking to buy anything special. So, instead, the food was the highlight. There were only a couple of food stands, but I managed to buy a jar of caramel, a cake pop(from the picture above), sweet potato chips, and banana chips (none of which are super christmasy, but a treat nonetheless!). I also loved meeting the small shop owners. I collected cards from a few of my favorite stands.
The market also served as a charity fundraiser. All guests paid an entrance fee and that money went towards a pre-selected group of single moms in Karşıyaka area of Izmir. Several ladies represented IWAI at the ceremony and presented the gift certificate from LC Waikiki to the ladies.
Picture from IWAI Facebook page
The group has been a great way to find new friends and provide support as we navigate expat living in Izmir. If you want to learn more about the IWAI, check out their website and Facebook page.
