Brooke and Dave

Chapel Dulcinea

Vanilla Wedding Cake

The cake above was from the cake reception that Dave and Brooke planned. Chapel Dulcinea can take care of that for you as well, and it was beautiful!

I WISH that we were planning such an intimate affair! Sadly, Chapel Dulcinea would explode if our 200+ wedding guests showed up there for an event.

Full Disclosure: I approached Snap Kitchen and offered to blog about my experience on the program in exchange for them helping defray the total cost. Luckily, they saw the marketing benefit, and gave me a gift card for $395 towards the cost of food, leaving $195 for me to make up the difference.

The total cost for my plan, which includes Snap Commit at 1200 calories per day ($550), Snap Clean Start ($40 for one day), and a consultation with the dietitian (free since I paid up front with the gift card and my credit card together), was $590. This breaks down to close to $30 a day.

My blurry iPhone 3GS pic of dietitian Andrea Hinsdale, RD, LD

My Goals

• To stick with the program, which includes 22 days of meals, along with room for 3 “cheat” meals of my choosing
• To share my experience and progress with you, along with weekly weigh-ins (to take place on Fridays)
• To work out 2-3 times a week during the program

What I Like So Far

• Not having to worry about shopping for food, cooking food, or trying to eat healthy during this challenging time of year
• The menu looks exciting and seems to have a wider variety than other programs like this — I also love that they source locally as much as they can
• The access to the dietitian via e-mail to answer any questions I have, and the encouragement to give feedback on what I like and don’t like so that my plan will be tailored to what works for me
• The fact that there are lots of veggies on the menu, even though the focus is still on lean proteins

Challenges

• I can already tell that its going to be hard to do this and still be social. Tonight, I’m going to dinner at a friends house, and he wasn’t thrilled when I told him I was bringing my own meal. Also, Ill likely have some work-related dinners with vendors later on in the month, plus lots of holiday parties of course! I do have three “cheat” meals built into the program, but two out of three of those are accounted for — one is a tasting with a potential wedding caterer, the other is a wedding cake contest I’m judging!
• Finding the time and motivation to work out. I’ve been pretty sedentary recently — and also very busy planning this wedding, but I need to prioritize exercise for both body and mind.

Snap Clean Start Juices

While I had my usual breakfast yesterday — skim milk with shredded wheat — I started the Snap Clean Start juice program at lunchtime, when I met Andrea (the dietitian) at Snap Kitchen. I was actually amazed at how well these five juices filled me up, and how good they tasted. I enjoyed each one of the juices, and was surprised that I liked some of the less sweet options. In fact, I finished every one with a smile on my face (no wincing!).

I didn’t start to feel my stomach growling until it was time to go to sleep. It’s been a while since I’ve let my stomach growl and it’s kind of nice to remember what it’s like to feel hungry, since I’ve been feeding myself well before there is any growling to be heard of late! And, I could have grabbed a piece of fruit if I wanted before bed, and still been following the “rules,” but decided not to this time.

Other than the bedtime hunger, I enjoyed today’s juice meal plan on the whole, and would recommend it, even with the much more frequent visits to the ladies room!

Related:

• Snap Kitchen: Some Favorite Dishes
• Snap Kitchen: How It Works

When we arrived, the folks at the front desk invited us to head down to the Back Porch for a complimentary happy hour of wine or beer. We felt like we won the lottery, especially since we hung out on the porch watching the sun go down, but apparently this is something they offer everyday for guests.

Back Porch at Lakeway Resort

We chatted with some other folks who were in from out of town — we were the only ones from Austin, and everyone else we met was from Houston and Dallas. There were families, couples, and other groups of girlfriends, and most were there just to enjoy the resort itself.

Sunset at Lakeway

I had tried Josey’s restaurant at the Spa and Resort before (photos and recap of a blogger event from MisoHungry here), so in the interest of trying something new, we made a reservation at Artisan Bistro. Recommended by my friend and colleague Francois as his favorite French restaurant in the Austin area, Artisan has been on my “to try” list for quite a while.

And since it was “girls night” and we had brought bottles of wine to enjoy in our room, we were thrilled when the staff at Lakeway offered us complimentary rides both to and from the restaurant.

Mussels and Frites at Artisan Bistro

Due to all the wine, I’m not able to really give an opinion of Artisan, but I do remember enjoying everything I tried, and being provided with great service by all of the staff and owners. I’ll definitely have to go again with Adam.

The next morning, we put on our bathing suits and headed out to the gorgeous pool area. The pool alone is a great reason to stay here!

Pool tiers

The temperature outside was in the 70s and sunny (in November), so we could have swam in one of the big pools, but instead we soaked in the hot tub and read wedding magazines while gazing out onto Lake Travis. It was just lovely.

Flipping through wedding mags and hot tubbing = happiness

While our room was on the house, according to the website, it would have cost about $176 with tax, and the prices go up from there. However, they have lots of specials, especially for those who book more than one night.

However, for me, the room wasn’t a highlight. While the hotel is under new management, it has been around for a while, and the rooms show its age — mostly in the bathroom, which also lacked a fan. I didn’t get a chance to tour the more higher end rooms on the property, so I can’t speak to anything but our own experience.

If you live in or near Lakeway, Josey’s restaurant offers a three course prix fixe dinner with a focus on local ingredients for just $25 every Wednesday. And if you haven’t yet made plans, they are also serving a Thanksgiving brunch.

The barn

These are really nice farm apartments (with full kitchen) that you can rent for the weekend.

Montesino Farm Studios

I was hanging out in their outdoor kitchen/bar area when the Montesino herd of Miniature Herefords came by for a snack. They looked huge to me. I later learned that while these cattle are 2/3 the size of regular Herefords, they eat 1/3 the food. When their time has come, they are taken to Harvest House in Johnson City to be killed humanely.

Miniature Hereford cow

This is Melody and David taking our group around the farm. Before Melody started farming, she had been working as a florist. Coming home from her first full day on the farm, she told her mom,

“I’m tired, my body hurts, I’m filthy, I smell like fish guts, and I love it.”

David has worked in agriculture and farming since he was 20, and he is now 34.

Farmers Melody and David

They told us horror stories about drought, flooding, sudden freezes, and other weather challenges. Melody says, “I’m glad I started my career in farming in Texas, there are more pests here than anywhere. If I can do it here, I can do it anywhere.”

Protected crops from the freeze

Their advice for future farmers? “Grow fruit. Everyone wants fruit.”

Later on, it was time for the barn dance! I chatted for a while with Scott, the owner of Montesino Farm and Ranch.

Scott of Montesino Farm & Ranch

And then it was time to enjoy delicious gumbo and pumpkin-pecan pie from the Leaning Pear, and of course, dance!

Beautiful barn dance

One of the bands we danced to was Sour Bridges, and they had the crowd dancing non-stop. It was such a magical, relaxing, and fun day.

Related Link:

• Tasty Tuesdays: Best Wedding Venues in Central Texas

Special thanks to Antoine Marsot of Interval Export for planning a wonderful day for us. We are also so grateful to Sebastien, the manager of one of the Paris locations of Beillevaire, for opening the store for us during his lunch break and gracefully letting us taste anything in the store.