Arigato Japanese Restaurant

For lunch today, Craig and I met up with a friend of his from high school who was in town. The restaurant we planned on going to was closed, so we opted for Arigato Japanese Restaurant across the street.

I had been to Arigato’s before and while my first experience was pleasant, it wasn’t enough to bring me back, but I was willing to give it a second chance.

Arigato’s has a small and intimate setting. There are only a handful of booths and a few tables, so if you appreciate eating your food without a lot of noise, this would be a selling point for you. The decor and furniture haven’t been updated in a while–so don’t expect anything chic and hip.

The waitress was very prompt with taking our orders, but my water glass did run empty twice.

After ordering, our salad and miso soup were served.

I ordered (actually Craig ordered for me because I couldn’t decide) the Caterpillar Roll.

I really liked the Caterpillar Roll. I’m sure I’ve had it before, but I can’t always remember what each roll tastes like, but I loved the combination of flavors and the toasted sesame seeds on the outside.

Craig ordered the Spicy Calamari Roll.

I had a couple bites of Craig’s roll; we like to share. It was definitely a little on the “fishy” side. Don’t get me wrong, I still liked it, but I preferred my roll.

Overall, it was a good experience–great food, good service–but the setting in which I dine in does make a difference, so we will probably stick to our favorite sushi place in Anchorage–Dish.

~~~~~~~~~~

The sushi did not hold me over very well, so I had a almond butter banana sandwich on a thin bun as an afternoon snack.

This afternoon I made Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins. This recipe has been cycling through the blog world recently and it was about time I found out what they were all about.

I will be honest in saying I was a little skeptical. I had recently tried another “healthified” dessert recipe and was deeply disappointed. However, these were awesome! They had a moist texture to them and the crunchy texture of the walnuts topped with coconut were great additions! I will be making these again!

Recipe from Oh She Glows bog.

Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins

I call these ‘scuffins’ because they are a hybrid between a scone, cookie, and a muffin! They are packed with nutrients, healthy fats, protein, and fibre and make an excellent power snack when you need a burst of energy. If you like these you should also try my Pumpkin Chia Spelt Scuffins.

Adapted from Pumpkin Chia Spelt Scuffins and Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole grain spelt flour
• 1/2 tsp baking power
• 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
• 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice (OR: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup* (note below)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Chia/flax egg: 1 tbsp ground chia seeds + 3 tbsp water OR 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, mixed and set aside for 5 mins
• 1/2 cup regular oats
• 1 cup shredded or grated carrots (approx 2 medium)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
• Coconut, for garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, mix the chia/flax egg and set aside. In a large sized bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Using a food processor or grater, process/grate the carrots. In a medium sized bowl mix together the wet ingredients (carrots, vanilla, oil, maple syrup, chia/flax egg). Add wet to dry and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Scoop mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or greased with oil. Scoop about 1/4 cup for each Scuffin to make 6 large scuffins. Wet hands and shape into a circle if desired. Sprinkle with coconut. Bake for 25 minutes at 350F. Top with coconut butter for an extra treat!

Nutritional info: (Per scuffin, Approx) 265 kcals, 9 grams fat, 1 gram sat. fat, 5 grams fibre, 4.4 grams protein, 61% vitamin A, 10% iron, 59 mg calcium, 180 mg potassium.

Note: These are not overly sweet baked goods, so if you prefer your baked goods quite sweet, I would maybe add a couple tbsp of sugar in addition to the maple syrup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

This afternoon I ran another 3 miles. The run went well and it felt so short to go only 3 miles.

After I got back, it was time to make dinner.

Grilled sandwich–sourdough bread with turkey, cheddar cheese, tomato, and lettuce. Along with a side of roasted brussel sprouts.

I gave in to my sweet tooth with a Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffin. Off to bed!