One of the best pizza joints in Portland is Apizza Scholls over on SE Hawthorne.
The place is popular. It’s not uncommon to show up on a Tuesday night and have to wait quite a long time to be seated. They also stop making pizzas after a certain time each night so if you don’t get in and get on the list they stop seating people! Weird, I know. It’s almost like a hot club with a line to get in and a bouncer at the door choosing who gets to enter.
Guess what? Michael knows a guy. In fact he grew up with a guy that works there so we almost always get in no matter what. Last night was no different. He texted his friend and asked if we could get a table at 7:30 and he said sure. We arrived to a crowd of people in the entryway — so many we could barely move to get to the front counter — and Michael found his friend. They had stopped taking names for tables because there were so many people waiting to get a table. If I had to guess I’d say at least 20 people? Maybe more?
3 minutes later Michael and I were seated and we had beers waiting for us. Talk about VIP treatment! I got a pint of the Anchor Steam beer. It was light and fruity (similar in taste to a Blue Moon or Hefeweizen). Delish.
We ordered a half Sausage and Peppers pizza and the other half was the pineapple, ham and onion for me! It’s my new favorite combo on pizza.
Yum yum! It was a nice night. It had been too long since I’d had Apizza Scholls. It was a nice treat after such a hard workout and a busy day. I enjoyed two slices of pizza and restrained myself from eating a third. They are huge pieces, thin crust but still huge.
I stuck with only one beer. Despite being busy at the restaurant we got our pie super fast. Michael and is friend caught up a bit and then we headed home. It was a nice night. And it definitely helped “to know a guy.”
Sunday
The moment I opened my eyes on Sunday morning I knew I was going to hurt when I crawled out of bed. My back was tight. I know exactly which weight machine did it, too–the ab machine I use. My arms and shoulders also ached from lifting weights. I knew swimming would be a challenge.
Before I headed to the pool I started dinner and put it in the crockpot (recipe to follow tomorrow). I got to the pool later than normal but enjoyed a lane by myself for my workout. I was SORE. I would classify today’s swim as a “recovery” swim instead of a workout. I took it easy and let my muscles stretch. It definitely helped remedy the soreness I was feeling (so did the hot tub afterward).
One thing about swimming that always baffles me is the HUNGER it creates. I always eat before I swim (sometimes just a snack, sometimes a meal) yet half way through my swim I’m almost always hungry. It’s strange how different activities can create such a different bodily response. One 50 minute swim session for me creates the equivalent hunger of a 5 hour bike ride or 7 mile run. Strange, huh?
Meal Planning Attempt
I’ve never been the type to Meal Plan for the week. I don’t know why because it’s a concept that would make my life a lot easier I think. My wish is to cut down on how often I go to the grocery store.
Sunday: Flemish Beef Stew
Monday: Blackened Salmon, Caesar Salad
Tuesday: Leftover Beef Stew
Wednesday: Nachos
Thursday: Black Bean Quesadillas
Friday: Bacon and Jalapeno Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday:Â Quick Coq au Vin
QUESTION: Tell me about your hunger. What activity causes the most hunger in you? And do you meal plan? Any tips?
Kristin
Funny thing about swimming hunger! I’ve never swam “seriously” but when I was young my family spent summers at the beach and my sister and I swam daily…we were always ravenous when we got out!
Lisa Eirene
I wonder why that is compared to other activities?
Lori
That pizza looks sooooooo yummy!
I find swimming makes me very hungry, and running longer than 5 miles makes me ravenous.
Funny, when I do my really long bike rides (40+ miles), my appetite gets totally dampened, which is really weird.
Lisa Eirene
Isn’t that weird? Cycling doesn’t make me as hungry either. When I was training for Reach the Beach I just ate GUs and chomps. Never really got hungry though.
steena
Lucky you to get a seat in that hopping pizza joint! I hate having to wait, if there’s a wait, I go somewhere else. My hunger doesn’t have time to wait! I’m also a big fan of pineapple & ham on a pizza 🙂
Lisa Eirene
I’m with you Steena! If there’s a wait longer than 10 minutes or so I’m outta there!
Merinda
I noticed that when I do a longer run I’m ravenous after (long for me being 20+ minutes). I’ve also noticed that if I skip or skim a workout one morning I’m jittery and restless the rest of the day. I work in a call center and I’ve literally been so restless I’ve taken a phone call while pacing in circles around my chair. I’m just glad they don’t care if your not sitting the whole time.
Maybe swimming makes you hungry because of the temp of the pool compared to your body? Your body is burning more to keep you warm?
Just my theory, I’m not a real science person.
Lisa Eirene
You know I never thought about the temperature of the water playing a part! That’s kind of a good idea. I’ll look into that.
Jennifer (She's a Fit Chick)
That is so awesome about the pizza place! We have a place like that around us, I wish we knew someone to get that kind of treatment!
Lisa
I try to menu plan each week. We might not follow it, but at least I have something to work from. Tips would be using the crock pot or having “freezer meals” on busy nights. We have home made pizza on Sundays. And if you run out of ideas, there is a blogger who sponsers Monday Menu Plan and has lots of links – http://www.orgjunkie.com
Lynne
I cook dinner 5-6 nights a week and a meal plan is a must for me! I don’t necessarily plan ahead exactly what night I’m eating each meal, but I always come home from the grocery store every Sunday with stuff for 2-3 meals, then I have leftovers the other nights. I sometimes don’t even decide what I’m making until I’m in the store and seeing what looks good or is on sale. But I find I make the same meals over and over–I love all the variety you have!
Lisa Eirene
I’ve never tried meal planning but I’m going to give it a try this week. Part of the problem is that I get cravings and so that would throw the plan out the window.
Eva
My partner and I try to plan meals, even roughly, for each week. He and I have designated days on which we’re responsible for dinner, whether that’s take-out or cooking or going out or whatever, though we change things around fairly often.
We originally started planning meals when we signed up for a CSA box; we’d get the list of contents a few days beforehand, then get the box on Fridays. So over the weekend we’d often eat out or eat leftovers, but try to plan our meals around the week’s produce. Now that it’s winter, we have a subscription to Organics to You, and do the same thing. It helps a LOT to avoid wasting food, and it goes hand-in-hand with getting this kind of enforced produce-diversity. 🙂
As far as strategy goes, we try to cook new things and each of us is pretty good about requesting favorites from the other — e.g., he makes really amazing chicken stews and rice pilafs, so I ask him for those a lot. We try really hard to use a new recipe at least once a week. Otherwise, we ALWAYS start with vegetables and build our meals around those, adding protein and carbohydrates. It makes for a much healthier, seasonal, and veg-driven diet and I think we both feel so much healthier now than we did a few years ago, even though we both still struggle with being overweight.
Also, we try really hard to make things that will generate leftovers at least a few times a week. Leftovers get rolled directly into lunches the next day or later on, so it again cuts down on food waste AND calories from eating out.
I very much recommend meal planning, but it really doesn’t work for everyone. I think the key is being flexible but having the foundation of a plan. It gives you something to look forward to, something to fall back on, and if you spontaneously decide to go out or get a dinner invitation, no worries!
Lisa Eirene
I think Michael and I do a good job of sharing the cooking of dinners. I tend to be more into it when it’s not a night I’m working out at the gym. I hate having to figure out what to eat after spending an hour + in a gym. I usually cook on weekends when I have more time, too.
Most of the leftovers tend to be my lunches at work. It’s a lot easier for me.
Sheri
You are so lucky! Apizza Scholl’s is by far my favorite restaurant in town, and I am always waiting for a table when we go there. I do find it very hard to stop myself from devouring the entire pizza, though! 🙂
Lisa Eirene
Another fan! Sweet! Have you tried Mississippi Pizza? They are my favorite.