My First Taste of Ethiopia

Mmmm…. Ethiopian food is good.

I mean who doesn’t enjoy food you eat with your fingers? I know, I do!

I had a rather pleasant Friday afternoon. Work went smoothly and I left the office at a decent hour. I really couldn’t ask for more.

Before I left I had some dried fruit with the last of some peanut butter I had in my snack drawer.

A little birdie told me there was some crazy deals happening at the Lululemon Outlet this weekend. So – of course- I had to check it out.

(please ignore my ‘I didn’t feel like blow drying my hair this morning’ hair, mmmkay?)

Ashley became my personal shopper and loaded me up with a whole bunch of Lululemon goodies to try on.

Here’s a hint at some of the deals you can score at the Orlando Lululemon Outlet.

I managed to walk out with a new pair of pants and two sports bras for $80. Score!

I also purchased two dresses I needed for upcoming weddings and bridal showers at the Anne Taylor Loft Outlet for a decent price. If it wasn’t for the long drive and crowds of tourists I’m sure I would be at the outlets every weekend.

I really could not wait for dinner tonight. I’ve seen Ethiopian food pop up on a few blogs lately and I’ve been dying to try it! I was pretty sure Orlando didn’t have an Ethiopian restaurant, but after a quick google search I discovered we had one – Nile.

There’s a reason why I’ve never heard of Nile before, because it’s on International Drive! If you ever come to Orlando, I beg of you, please stay far far away from International Drive! It’s awful! It’s dirty, crowded, and not what Orlando is like at all. Derek and I were only on International Drive for 5 minutes trying to find this restaurant and I was already cursing the street. Ughh….

But, I digress.

The restaurant itself was not touristy at all. It was quiet, quaint and relatively empty. A rare gem on a street of craziness.

I had read a few reviews regarding what to order at Ethiopian Restaurants and the consensus seemed to be to go with the combination platters.

I held strong with the vegetarian combination.

And Derek at the meat combination.

The two were served on the same platter.

With a side of injera as our ‘utensil’

Derek was a little scared when he saw the injera. I believe the words chicken skin and rubber came up? But, after a few eye rolling and a little nudge on my behalf he dug right in.

And you know what? He liked it.

I liked it too. It was fun to eat and though the bread has an odd texture, the flavor of the food is really all you taste, not the injera at all. The food reminded me of Indian food you eat with bread. My only complaint was that it could have been a bit spicier.

Side note: Some people have the hardest time taking photos with my DSLR. Here is what the waitress got of the two of us.

Oh well.

It just so happened the Manchi’s was on our way home. Who drives by Menchi’s and doesn’t stop in?!?! Not me!

Fro yo before toppings.

With toppings.

Glorious!!

Tomorrow Derek and I will be celebrating my birthday at a secret, special location.

Please disregard the fact my birthday was in February, this was the first weekend we could make this happen. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon with all the exciting details. Trust me – it’s going to be good!!!!

Quick Announcement: Tickets for the 2nd Annual Healthy Living Summit, which will be held August 13-15 in Chicago, will go on sale WENDESDAY, May 19 at 9 PM EST. There are 200 tickets for sale for $75 each and will go on a first-come, first-serve basis. We’re using a new ticket system this year so things will hopefully go smoothly, but last year we sold out in 20 minutes… so GET READY! The complete agenda will be available on the Summit website prior to ticket sales. It’s going to be better than ever this year!