Find your tribe and love them.

That is the favorite saying that refers to finding those special friends that love you for you and help you navigate this life with love, clarity, and laughter. Once you find that tribe, you should make a point to see them often, and if at all possible, over a good meal.

These two ladies and I have been scheduling regular lunch dates for as long as I can remember. This group is unique because we don’t run in the same weekday circles, we attend different churches, live in varying zip codes, and have children of different ages, but we meet once a month to support each other while enjoying a new local restaurant. While every meal is different, the conversations are typically the same. We catch up on professional adventures, parenting blunders, and marital martial arts. (Marriage can feel like martial arts sometimes!)

My girl Ashley suggested a new place in Highland Village, Aplos. It labels its self as a fast-fine Mediterranean restaurant that focuses on eateries you might find throughout Italy, Greece or the Middle East. I’ll have to take their word for it because I’ve never had the pleasure of eating in those countries. Service was friendly, and the atmosphere was inviting. Although when us three get to yapping a packed room fades into the background.

The food was photo worthy (ha, not that it matters, but it matters) and just as delicious to eat (the most important part). Enjoy a few photos of our first experience. I am not getting paid to promote their location, but I will sincerely be back!

The roasted cauliflower is worth a try.

As a registered dietitian, it warms my heart to see so many plant-based dishes on a menu. The produce was fresh, crisp, and full of flavor. No wonder that the Mediterranean diet remains named one of the top eating plans anyone can follow and reap healthy results. Heart-healthy, heart happy.

Top notch hummus.

I ordered the Aplos salad bowl with chicken, dressing on the side and an order of hummus with vegetables and pita bread. Rate Your Plate, and you snag protein (chicken), a carbohydrate (half the pita bread), veggies galore, a dairy food (feta cheese), and heart-healthy fat (from the hummus and very sparingly dressing.) I didn’t let anything go to waste and took half the hummus and most of the dressing to enjoy at home. Main meals need 4-5 different food groups to be balanced.

Greek pizza!

Bonus! I brought home the leftover hummus and feta dressing. Offered it to my six-year-old, and she lapped it up with carrots and whole-grain crackers.

“Enjoy good health, good food and take time for the good things! ”

— RT

Do you enjoy good health? 

Before you jump to the conclusion of “yes,” I’d like to challenge your thinking. Just because you're “in good health” doesn’t mean you “enjoy” it. And just because you’re trying to “improve your health” doesn’t disqualify you from getting to enjoy the health you have now. 

Let me explain. 

Americans are OBSESSED with “healthy living.” The amount of money and manpower that is spent demonizing entire food groups (and farmers), glamorizing pills, powders, and patches, and persuading the public they are less than because they weigh more than, is heartbreaking. 

After a decade in the field of nutrition and dietetics, I fully understand that there is not a single road to optimal health and I am convinced that “good health” isn’t somewhere you arrive but it is a state of being that you live out actively indefinitely. 

Let’s break down “enjoy good health.” 

Enjoy is a verb that is defined as taking delight or pleasure in. 

Good is an adjective that is defined as to be desired or approved of. [Good should not be confused with an entirely different word: perfect.]

Health is a noun that is defined as the state of being free from illness or injury. [Health should not be confused with other nouns like abs, biceps, or buns.]

When you put it all back together, you see that to enjoy good health means that you take delight or pleasure in the desired lifestyle that keeps you in a state of being that is free from illness or injury. 

You may currently be living free from illness or injury, but I have met people managing chronic diseases, living with cancer, medically necessary food restrictions, or physical limitations that enjoy the health they do have way more than most of those with abs, biceps, and buns of steel. 

Move past the mirror and answer the question, “do you enjoy good health,” by questioning your mood on the inside. 

I know what is like to “look healthy” but not enjoy a single second of the blessing that is decent health. Stressing and striving to reach the next level of perfection whether with food, fitness or finally fitting into something, isn’t enjoying, it’s suffering. 

God, the creator of the universe and the One who breathed life into your thick thighs, ab-less belly, and imperfectly perfect figure, never intended for you to spend your life suffering over what you see (or don’t see) in the mirror. 

There is not one verse in the Bible that says you are meant to have abs, but there is also not one verse in the Bible that says you shouldn’t strive to achieve them if it brings you joy. Your intention and motivation mean more to God than your waist size or BMI. 

You can actively make lifestyle changes that (with enough time and consistency) may lead to a specific outward appearance, but if you’re not enjoying the journey, you’re missing the mark. 

Do not confuse Bible verses about long-suffering for the benefit of God’s Kingdom with your desires to achieve a worldly physical standard of beauty as justified suffering. You’re suffering in vain. 

Living with food guilt, consistent body comparisons, or anxiety around what to eat, or when to eat is a clear sign you need to pause and dive deeper to see if your desire for better health hasn’t crossed over to an idol you’re secretly and (possibly unknowingly) worshiping. 

And that dive takes more words than this post, or your mind can handle. All I am asking is that you ponder the question with honesty and you don’t settle for an outward goal that sacrifices your inward health. 

It is my experience that the body you despise today could very well be the body you pray to have back tomorrow. If life doesn’t take your health away quickly through an illness or accident, time will certainly slowly chip away at your overall health. Let’s spend more time enjoying and appreciating the health and physical body you have at this moment (even if you are making positive changes to impact your overall health).

My mission is to live out and inspire my daughter as well as you to enjoy good health. A verse that I love is 3 John 1:2 (NIV) and I sign every Mind Over Fork copy with it. 

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 John 1:2 (NIV). 

The third book of John was written to Gaius, a member of the church, as an encouraging letter from one friend to another. As one friend - encouraging another my heart's desire is for you to ENJOY good health brought about by honoring God in your choices and stewarding the body He has given you for so much more than “hitting a goal weight” or suffering to fit into the world’s standard of beauty.

Enjoy good heath. 
~ RT

Rule number one: never turn down a free meal.

Rule number two: always be up for making new connections.

Rule number three: when you're pregnant, ask a qualified bartender for a mocktail.

Those are three of the life lessons I gleaned from accepting a dinner invitation from the Mississippi Perks Pass team. I already love Mississippi; why wouldn't I want to learn more about getting a pass to enjoy the Magnolia State's best perks.

Bravo! Italian Resturant and Bar opened their kitchen to serve ten bright-eyed and eager guest the best they had to offer. From grilled portabella mushrooms with roasted red bell peppers and white bean hummus to fried brie, and more.

Grilled Portabella Mushroom

Pizza after wood-fired pizza kept coming around the table. The registered dietitian in me appreciated the Vegano pizza which has a gluten free-crust, and plenty of vegetables: sun-dried tomatoes, grilled portabella, asparagus, arugula, with a basicl pesto, pine nuts, aged balsamic and cashew parmesan. Hungry yet?

Wood-Fire VEGANO Pizza

Bravo! has salads after my own vegetable loving heart. The chicken and sweet potato salad is a mound of amazing flavors drizzled with a delicate pomegranate vinaigrette. The seared yellowfin tuna fits perfectly onto mesclun lettuces layered with veggies, olives, gorgonzola, a touch of bacon and more.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad

Seared Yellowfin Tuna Salad

Jeff Good, Dan Blumenthal, and their staff were the perfect host. While the food was on par, the mocktails were the highlight of my night. Expecting moms who appreciate good food paired with good wine can feel isolated when everyone else is enjoying sips of bubbly that accentuate the flavors on the plate. Judge me, but I miss my wine, dang it!

Tanya, Bravo!'s excellent sommelier, went the extra mile to make this mom-to-be feel included and extra special. She delivered me a "Virgin Bloody" a sparkling spritzer, and finished off my night with a coffee delight in a martini glass!

Virgin Mary and Sparkling Spritzer

Utilizing Seedlip's Spice Non-alcoholic (NA) Spirit, she added a shot of espresso and Vanilla Tornai. Shaken (not stirred) and served chilled to perfection. Do you see that smile? That is not a fake smile.

It’s as delicious as my smile is big.

All of this was made possible because of the idea behind Mississippi Perks Pass. It is a simple key card that you can purchase and show at the time of purchases to over 100 of the best places to EAT, STAY, and PLAY in Mississippi and receive exclusive deals and offers all year long.

Learn more by visiting www.MississippiPerksPass.com

HUGE Thank you to BRAVO! and Visit Jackson for their hospitality. But my love lies with Tanya and her mock-toni and the desserts! I almost forgot the desserts! I am no scientist but I predict that the peanut butter-chocolate pie and tiramisu at BRAVO! could cure mild depression and make your best day even better.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie / Tiramisu

“Enjoy Good Health and Take Time for the Good Things! ”

— RT