In the City of Chicago…

…there is shopping to be had!

Yes, it’s true.  A lot of shopping to be had.  The weekend has absolutely flown by (as usual) but not before us ladies stormed every shop and boutique in this fabulous city!  We arrived late on Thursday night after a llloonngggg 6-hour drive and immediately hit the hay in preparation for dia numero uno en la ciudad de viento!

We prepped and primped then made our way into the city just in time for some lunch at a fabulous cafe in Bucktown – Northside Bar and Grill!

Vegetarian Falafel Wrap + side salad with a dijon vinaigrette = SOOOO GOOD.

Me and my newest married friend, Jess.

After lunch, we continued our way through the Logan Square neighborhood perusing all the fab boutiques and finding perhaps one of the greatest lil’ hidden treasures N. Damen Avenue has to offer…

A Bucktown must!

Yes, the restaurant is called HOTCHOCOLATE.  Do you really need another reason to have to go inside?  Well, if you by chance do, know that the owner/chef Mindy Segal is a two-time James Beard award winner for Outstanding Pastry Chef.  She is the ridiculous genius behind this creation…

ONE YUMMY HOMEMADE OREO COOKIE

Then it was more shopping!  No lie, I’ve made several purchases throughout the weekend.  However, us 5 ladies are perhaps the GREATEST bargain shoppers ever because I haven’t paid more than $50 for any one item – including a pair of jeans, one chunky sweater, a dress (for another wedding this weekend!), a blouse, three tank tops, a shirt and a pair of capri pants.  That totes deserves a woowoo!

We also headed to the completely adorable Lincoln Park neighborhood…

Beboppin' and shoppin' in Chitown...

For dinner, we headed to the fabulous tapas restaurant Cafe Ba Ba Reeba!

Unfortunately, I didn’t snap any pics of any of the goods, but since it was all tapas-style, there were SO many plates at the table and small tastes of everything going around, it was foodie chaos!  However, the roasted beet salad with honey vinaigrette and Marcona almonds was FAB-U-LOUS!  It was all incredibly delicious, and I highly recommend this restaurant.  If for nothing else, than the caramelized bananas with vanilla ice cream!

Day #2 in Chicago was full of well, more shopping!  However, Jess’s mom didn’t feel too good on Saturday so instead of going into the city, we stuck closer to Jess’s apartment and headed off to the mall.  In the middle of shopping, I got uber-hangry and needed some fuel…pronto!  Luckily, one of my fave quick bites is also healthy…

Starbucks Power Protein Plate: bagel w/ PB, apple, grapes, cheese + hard-boiled egg. Perfect satiety.

In a mall of fast food fanaticism, this was a much welcomed break.

Saturday night, we kept things low-key and went to see the movie My Sister’s Keeper.  Ummm…can you say sobfest?  I am not even that big of a crier (I have only really cried at the movies Forrest Gump + Armageddon in my life), but I was a huge, sobbing mess by the end of the movie.  Followed up by lotsa episodes of Sex and the City and Archer Farms Monster Trail Mix from Target (the best!), it was a fabulous girl’s evening :).

Breakfast this morning was a new, yummy combo…

Banana Nut Cheerios + Banana Nut Bear Naked granola + skim milk = yummalicious combo.

Now, we are finishing watching more Sex and the City (can’t help it, we’re girls!) then hittin’ the road back to MN!  Be back later tonight with some on the fly eats from the day and more Chitown lovin’!