I am just wrapping up an annual Girls Weekend trip Up North in Boyne City, MI! I am literally sitting at my parent’s kitchen table sipping my last cup of coffee of the the trip. Every year, my mom and dad open up their home to myself and some of my best girl friends for a long weekend. The guests have varied over the years depending on what everyone has going on, but fun, laughter, and good food has always remained a constant.
This year, I was super lucky and was able to spend five whole days Up North–I got here this past Monday. For the first two days, my Aunt Sue was here. Her, my mom, and I laid pretty low–we did a lot of reading, lounging in the sun, and relaxing.
They don’t look related at all, do they?! We went to Cafe Santé for dinner one of the nights. We all split Shrimp Scampi for an appetizer. The real trick is to use a piece of bread to soak up the oil-laden breadcrumbs and top it with a piece of the shrimp–heaven in a bite. I am going to hope the Salmon and Kale Salad I had for dinner helped to balance out the Shrimp Scampi! The salmon on the salad was really, really good. Cody and I had an awesome breakfast there last time we were in town too. I highly recommend Cafe Santé if you are in Boyne.
I have been working really hard on putting the finishing touches on the next 21 Day Rabbit Food Reboot Meal Plan and I had a few recipes that needed some minor tweaks. I used my mom and Aunt Sue as guinea pigs for my Healthy Blueberry Banana Pancakes recipe! Let’s just say, they approved! I think these pancakes are going to be a favorite from the breakfast section on the new meal plan! The next Reboot starts September 8th and early registration is now open! If you register by Sunday, August 23rd, you can save $30!
On Thursday, it was just my mom and I. We spent the morning hiking at Avalanche Mountain. I was able to take Magic and he loved it! The top of Avalanche has one of the best views of Lake Charleoix–so pretty!
That afternoon, we walked around Petoskey for a few hours and then ate dinner at Barrel Back in Walloon. Barrel Back is one of my favorite restaurants Up North–the food is really good and the atmosphere is fun. We ate there last year during our annual Girls Weekend too! My mom had the Steak Sandwich and I had the Smoked Pork Tacos special. For dessert, we split the S’mores. We actually have had it before and it is so good! I pretty much can’t go there without ordering it. The graham crackers are coated with toffee and they serve it with cinnamon ice cream–I mean, come on. It may even be worth driving there just for that. Wine and S’mores date night anyone?! < Hint, hint Cody.
One of my best friends from high school Meghan got into town late Thursday. We took our time Friday morning catching up, sipping coffee, and laying in the sun. That afternoon, we rented bikes at Boyne Mountain and rode around the resort. After that, we took a chairlift up to Eagle’s Nest, a restaurant at the top of the mountain. The view was beautiful, the cocktails were cold, and the company was good! I had a Moscow Mule and Meghan and my mom had a Citrus Surprise—the bartender’s latest creation! That night, we had dinner at Red Mesa—a Boyne City staple. We were all way too into our food to get any pictures—oopsie! But trust me, it was the bomb. We split guacamole for an appetizer and I had the Black Bean Cake appetizer (my fav at Mesa) and a single chicken taco for dinner. Our Girls Weekend wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to Red Mesa!
Saturday morning, another one of my best friends Jenny got into town! Jenny and I went to Central Michigan together and have been good friends ever since freshman year. Jenny and Meghan have gotten to know each other over the years too and us three have a ton of fun together. Safe to say, both Meghan and Jenny have seen me at some of my worst and some of my best times! True friends, like them, stick by your side no matter what! I know we will always remain friends.
We literally spent all day Saturday sitting outside by the lake talking, sunning, and flipping through magazines. My mom’s friend Kristin joined us for most of the day too. That night, my mom made ribs, green beans, potatoes, and salad for dinner. She also made dirt pudding for dessert in honor of my birthday. Dirt pudding is one of those desserts that is so ‘Up North’ to me–I look forward to it every summer! Ribs were always my favorite dinner growing up. My mom and dad used to give each of us kids a wet washcloth to use as a napkin and I thought it was the coolest thing. Either I was easily impressed or it was just really, really cool.
It was such a great week Up North. Some of my best memories are from Boyne City and I look forward to adding to them every year.
