Texas Roadhouse

Not Sponsored: I really like Texas Roadhouse. I remember the first time I went to one. It was with some co-workers after work. We use to have these hectic week-long federal and state audits. We always passed (we were a super smart group), but you were drained by the end of the week. So that week, we celebrated at Texas Roadhouse. I thought their steaks were tender and tasted delicious! I loved their loaded potato skins. I felt overall, they had great tasting food. I've been to the one on the Westbank (New Orleans) and in Cincinnati, Ohio. I went back to the one on the Westbank. It has a great restaurant and sports bar. There are televisions everywhere to watch various sport events. They bring you freshly baked hot rolls (Kim doing an eye drool roll) that are absolutely delicious. Spread the butter on them and they are a treat. I ordered a ribeye, ribs and loaded baked potato!!! I know! I know! Not healthy, but it tasted GOOOOOOD! HaHaHa And as usual, had to bring half my dinner home. If you haven't gone to Texas Roadhouse ... do so!!!

Dooky Chase Restaurant: Your Second Home

Not Sponsored: Dooky Chase was my dad's favorite restaurant while going to college in New Orleans. My dad often told me that he would go to Dooky's in the evenings for dinner. He said the Chase Family always made him feel at home, the food was absolutely delicious and it was like a home-cooked meal. He loved it. I hadn't been to Dooky's in a very long time. I must've been a child the last time I visited. My dad passed in 2007. I knew it was his favorite place. Maybe indirectly I didn't go because it would bring back memories of him. Sometimes when dealing with grief, you shut out and shut down. Well, it was time to return. I'm glad I did. I would like to share it with you. Let me tell you the story about Dooky Chase Restaurant and Leah Chase (She passed June 1, 2019 at the age of 96).

Dooky Chase is a family owned and operated restaurant, located in Treme (New Orleans). It started off as a sandwich/po-boy and lottery ticket shop (1939), owned by Edgar "Dooky" Chase's parents, Emily and Dooky Chase Sr. So how did Leah Chase become connected to the Chase Family? Leah Chase (born Leyah Lange) grew up in Madisonville, Louisiana. Madisonville didn't have a Catholic high school for black children, so her parents sent her to New Orleans to stay with relatives and attend St. Marys Academy. After high school, she worked as a waitress and marking race horse boards (often only making $1 a day). Leah fell in love with and married Edgar Dooky Chase (jazz trumpeter and band leader) in 1946 and together they took over the operations of the shop (turning it into a sit down restaurant/establishment). Leah incorporated her own family's creole recipes into the menu. Dooky Chase became a staple in the black community where African-American's could meet. Despite segregation during that time, Dooky's had both black and white patrons.

 

Dooky Chase Restaurant has hosted many organizations and important people. In the 1960's, Dooky's was the place to meet during the Civil Rights Movement. Leah Chase and her husband would host black voter registration campaign organizers and the NAACP. Civil Rights leaders such as A.P. Tureaud, Ernest "Dutch" Morial (first black mayor of New Orleans), Martin Luther King Jr. and The Freedom Riders held meetings at Dooky's. While they had their meetings, Leah would feed them her famous gumbo and fried chicken. The restaurant has been patronized by U.S. Presidents such as George W. Bush and Barack Obama (see pictures below). She's fed celebrities such as Hank Aaron (baseball), Lena Horne (actress & singer) and James Baldwin (novelist, playwright, essayist, poet and activist).

The layout of the restaurant is very warm and hospitable. As you enter, there's a hallway (with yellow walls) filled with pictures of presidents that have visited (ex. Bush and Obama), Pope Benedict XVI, accolades and news articles of Leah's accomplishments and achievements. There are also beautiful pictures of her lovely family. I snapped a peek (picture above) of a dark green room. It houses a bar and some tables where you can sit and drink (its currently closed due to the covid pandemic). I found it to be so warm, inviting and cozy.

 

 

Above (pictured) are connected dining rooms (the walls are light green in color) used for lunch/dinner overflow or private parties. You can't help but admire the beautiful antique furniture (sofa and chairs) and lamps positioned in these rooms. I loved looking at the family portraits displayed on the wall. I love chandeliers. I find them fascinating and pretty to look at. They're detailed and intricate. You don't see many chandeliers anymore.

 

The dining room where I ate had beautiful red walls, striped chairs and gorgeous artwork. Leah Chase loved art. She studied art in high school. She was the first African-American to sit on the Board of the New Orleans Museum of Art. She was a collector of African-American art. The pieces that were displayed were very beautiful.

The food was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I started with a bowl of her Creole Gumbo. I was gluttonous (I couldn't resist) and had the Seafood Platter (shrimp, oysters, catfish, stuffed crab and macaroni & cheese) I really enjoyed my food. I had to take over half of mine home :).

Here I am :) . The chef and a member of the family visited each table. They were so nice and you can tell they truly care that you're enjoying yourself and having a great time. You don't get those kind of personal touches at a lot of restaurants anymore. It was nice to experience. They are doing a great job fulfilling Leah Chase's Legacy.

You guys, even the bathrooms had artwork! Look how beautiful!

I took home some chicken and gumbo to my mom. Below is their to-go box (how classy!). I was so glad I went to Dooky Chase's. It evoked memories of the past that I will always cherish, but also created new memories. It's important that we patronize local restaurants. Support them as they have supported the community through the years. It was a real treat to eat at Dooky Chase. Patronize them and if you're not from New Orleans be sure to stop by.

7 Tips to Staying Focused on Weight Loss Journey

Image Credit: Pixabay

Weight loss can be considered a fascinating yet challenging journey for anyone. It involves conscious efforts to reduce one’s weight as well as avoid weight-related problems like obesity.

Sometimes, starting is considered the easiest part of any journey because of how tasking it can be to keep up with the journey. The weight loss journey is not any different; however, instead of seeing weight loss as just a journey with a fixed destination, it has to be seen and treated as a lifestyle.

When the weight loss process becomes a lifestyle, it will be hard to stop; instead, more work is put into place. Here are seven absolutely easy tips to help you stay focused while trying to lose weight.

Be Prepared

Just as preparation is an essential part of every journey anyone embarks on, it also applies to weight loss. Starting a weight loss journey requires a lot of commitment, and for this, one has to be prepared. It isn’t something one should just start and expect results immediately; rather, it takes time and focus. You should be prepared to change diets, set and achieve goals, exercise, change habits, as well as stay focused throughout the weight-loss period.

Set Realistic Goals

Image Credit: SkitterPhoto from Pexels

One incredible way to stay focused on a weight loss journey is to set realistic goals. Unrealistic goals cannot be considered as goals because, after some time, people tend to get tired and sometimes bored, thereby leaving them incomplete. Setting realistic goals can involve having a long-term plan and breaking it further into shorter terms. This way, it is easier to keep track and stay focused during the weight loss journey.

Always Eat Healthily

Image Credit: Trang Foan from Pexels

The importance of eating healthy cannot be underestimated, especially when weight loss is involved. No sane person would eat whatever comes their way and still expect to lose weight except by magic, of course. Eating healthy would always serve as a reminder that one is on a weight loss journey. It could be a whole new menu that comprises more fruits and vegetables, increased consumption of whole grains, cutting down sugar and junk intake, or even taking green tea.

Have a Role Model

A role model is someone who you can look up to as an example while imitating them. Getting a role model is one of the surest ways to stay focused while losing weight. In this case, the role model has to be someone that can be related to weight loss, probably a friend or celebrity that was focused and after a while lost weight. Having a role model would make one have the mindset that weight loss is achievable if you are focused.

Have a Weight Loss Journal

Image Credit: Jess Bailey Designs from Pexels

The personal assessment is important when it comes to staying focused while losing weight. There is no better way to track how much improvement there is than having a weight loss journal. Just like the diary, a weight loss journal is used to keep track of what is eaten by an individual. However, keeping this journal also involves writing down areas where you struggle more, successes, exercises, and rewards. A weight loss journal could be a notebook, diary, computer spreadsheet, or even an app.

Get Professional Help

Image Credit: mentatdgt from Pexels

Being a solo player sometimes is not always a nice idea. As much as a little research would help an individual know the do’s and don’ts while striving to lose weight, professional help is much more advisable. Signing up at a weight loss clinic can help one get in touch with professionals to know how best to lose weight. It is quite reliable as there would always be room for one-on-one interaction with friendly professionals.

Use Your Smartphone

Image Credit: Adrianna Calvo from Pexels

Sometimes, all individuals need when trying to lose weight is a little push or reminder. Since smartphones are everyone’s companions now, a good way to stay focused while on a weight loss journey is to use mobile apps. There are so many apps on the app store that can help one stay focused while losing weight. These apps can help with reminders, exercises, diets, goal setting, as well as keeping track of a weight loss journey.

Conclusion

While going on a weight loss journey, it doesn’t always matter how nice one started but how extremely committed one was. What matters the most is keeping up and finally achieving the desired weight class. There will always be several setbacks that would make anyone want to quit losing weight, but with these tips, being focused is achievable.

The Health Dangers Of A Sweet Tooth

Image Source: Pexels CC0 License

Some of us are more addicted to sugary foods than others. This sweet tooth could have a negative impact on your health in the long run. Here are a few health problems that can be caused by eating too much sugar, how to spot them and how to prevent them.

Tooth decay

The most obvious health problem associated with eating too much sugar is tooth decay. In order to break down sugar, our mouths produce bacteria that release acids - these acids wear away at our enamel, destroying our teeth. If you and your family all consume a lot of sugar, consider finding a dentist that offers exceptional family dentistry and get a checkup. A good dentist will be able to offer advice and treatment for any current dental concerns. You can then start taking measures to cut down on your sugar intake.

Obesity

Consuming too much sugar can also cause excessive weight gain. Our body ordinarily converts sugar into energy, but when we’re consuming too much of it, our body doesn’t know what to do with the excess amounts and so stores it as fat. While you can do exercise to help fight this weight gain, the best thing you can do to beat sugar-related weight gain is to reduce your sugar intake.

Diabetes

Our bodies produce a hormone called insulin to help regulate our blood sugar levels. After years of continuously consuming too much sugar, you may find that your body struggles to produce enough insulin to keep up with the sugar that you’re pouring into your body. As a result, too much sugar ends up in the blood - a condition known as diabetes - which can cause extreme fatigue, thirst, frequent urination and blurred vision among other symptoms. Diabetes can be treated but it is very hard to cure. By reducing your sugar intake, you can reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

Heart disease

Consuming lots of sugar causes weight gain and high blood pressure, both of which can end up leading to heart disease. Symptoms of heart disease include chest pain, shortness of breath and frequent dizzy spells. A heart attack is the worst case scenario if you don’t take measures to treat your heart disease. Cut down on sugar and you could maintain a healthy heart longer.

Cancer

Overconsumption of sugar has also been linked to a higher risk of developing cancer. Sugar is also known to help with cancer growth - if you develop a tumor, you could find that it grows faster if you’re not restricting your sugar intake. To reduce your risk of developing cancer, consider cutting down your sugar intake.

How to consume less sugar

Cutting down on sugar isn’t simple - our body develops cravings that can be similar to withdrawal from a drug. You should try to fight through these cravings as much as you can. Drinking more water and upping your protein intake can sometimes quell sugar cravings without having to turn to sugar itself. Opting for sugar-free alternatives and targeting healthier sources of sugar such as fruit could meanwhile help you to get your sweet fix.