Brunch and Frappuccinos

This is the third and final post covering our weekend in Atlanta – catch up on Part 1 and Part 2.

Since we were in town for the wedding, I was so very lucky to have the chance to spend Mother’s Day with my mom. This is kind of sad but I don’t even remember the last time I was with her on Mother’s Day!

We didn’t get in from the wedding until about 1 a.m. on Saturday night. I crashed hard and woke up around 8:15. After some coffee drinking and blog reading, I decided to go out on a quick run before our brunch reservations. I covered the same HILLY 4.2 mile route that Brandon and I ran Saturday but pushed myself and ran it at an 8:45 pace, which was about 30 seconds per mile faster than the previous day. Quick and tough run.

We had 11 a.m. reservations at The Shed at Glenwood. The chef is my parents next door neighbor!

With my mom outside of the restaurant. Such a beautiful day in Atlanta!

Brunch is usually a sit and order affair but for Mother’s Day they were offering a special buffet.

Brunch started with a plate of warm pineapple muffins with butter and jam. I also ordered a virgin bloody mary that was spicy and peppery.

My “appetizer” plate was fresh fruit, a roasted beet salad and a chicken salad slider.

Brunch was grits, zucchini quiche, cedar plank salmon, french toast, a mexican tortilla casserole and more fruit. The cedar plank salmon was my favorite.

Cheesecake, brownies and watermelon for dessert. And while I do have a major sweet tooth, this was not all mine! Half Brandon, half me! 😉

I loved being with my mom on Mother’s Day! I am so lucky that my mom has become a close friend and I am happy that my parents are living in Atlanta and I get to see them more often now! (They were in Texas for a while and that was just too far away!)

After brunch we took a quick trip to H&M to pick up a few things for our vacation. I got two bathing suits, three cover ups, a dress for work and a tank top for just around $100. Best store ever!

We said goodbye to my parents and hit the road around 3:30. We stopped for a coffee pick-me-up about an hour into the trip.

PSA! Starbucks is offering “happy hour” on frappuccinos May 6-16. From 3-5 p.m. all frappuccinos are half price. Brandon ordered a grande mocha coconut and I got a tall soy coffee light. It was under $5 for the two drinks. Unheard of at Starbucks. Take advantage!!!

I used to avoid frappuccinos because they were loaded with calories but now that Starbucks is making them customizable like their other drinks, you can control the sinfulness. For example…Brandon’s grande mocha coconut came in at 410 calories and 16 grams of fat while my tall soy coffee came in at 170 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.

And just for the record…the new mocha coconut flavor is amazing. I will be requesting coconut syrup in some of my drinks in the future!

Are you a frappuccino fan? What is your favorite flavor? I think vanilla bean, add coffee is my all-time fave!

Brandon and I got back to Charlotte around 7:30 and got to work on unpacking, laundry and dinner. I have tons to do before we leave Charlotte on Thursday for vacation. The list is a mile long but it all be totally worth it when I am reading a book on the beach just a few days from now!

Dinner was spaghetti sauce from the freezer with whole wheat spaghetti, spinach salad and foccacia. You can never go wrong with Sunday night pasta dinner!