Local food & friends-Manhattan, Kansas

I have become much fonder of a little town called Manhattan than I ever thought I would.  Most of that has to do with Josh.  It's where we first started our relationship, where we had our first kiss, and it's the place I spent many weekends driving to from Lincoln while we were dating.  However, after years of proudly wearing red and cheering for the Huskers the unthinkable happened; my brother decided to play football at Kansas State in Manhattan and I was going to need some purple.  At first, it was very strange and I refused to wear anything unless it specifically said Kansas State FOOTBALL.  Now, he's a senior and while I still own more Nebraska stuff, my K-State apparel has grown quite nicely.  While my affection for Manhattan and all things purple has grown over the last few years so has the town and it's restaurant selection. 

My brother, Travis called me a couple months ago and told me he ate at this new place called Local food & friends and I was going to love it.  He said the name is Local because they use all their ingredients from local vendors and support the local community/farmers.  Secondly, ALL proceeds go to a local charity, which changes each month.  Like me, you are probably wondering what kind of owner can open up shop and send all this proceeds to charity.  You may have heard of a company called GTM Sportswear.  You know, the one lots of people get their college game day apparel from, but more importantly, where the majority of rec leagues buy their uniforms.  The owner of GTM lives in Manhattan and he started Local.  In fact, my other brother, Tyler, told me many of the vegetables actually come from his land!  So cool.

Unless you live under a rock, you know college football started yesterday. (FINALLY!)  K-State didn't play until 6 p.m. so I planned it all out.  First stop, Local right at 11 so I would be hungry by late afternoon for the tailgate food.  I picked Tyler up and we were on our way.

I highly recommend this place if you are ever in Manhattan.  The restaurant is nicely put together on the interior, with a wonderful open prep/kitchen area.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture, but they also have a stone oven for pizzas and the flames were blazing.  We were welcomed right when we walked in by the chef and he asked if we had been in before.  Tyler has been a couple times, but when I told him it was my first visit he explained how they make everything fresh from local ingredients and all proceeds this month will go to The Boys and Girls Club.  He was very friendly and it was a great first impression.  We proceeded to the counter where you order and I had a tough time making my selection, but I went with the veggie burger and a side of vegetables.  Tyler chose the buffalo chicken wrap, but in the past had ordered the burger and said it was delicious.

The menu is nothing fancy; salads, pizza, wraps and burgers, but FAR from "bar food" atmosphere or preparation.  The chef described it as, "Simple American food prepared with the freshest ingredients for the best taste".  After my first visit to Local I couldn't agree more with his description.  I will be visiting this place again during this football season!

Here's a link to their website if you're interested in viewing their full menu:

http://local-manhattan.com/index.htm

 Open area showing the preparation of the food ordered.

 

 Interior of restaurant...keep in mind we got there right when they opened so that's why it's so empty.

 Sign right when we walked in telling us the charity for the month.

 

 Tyler's buffalo chicken wrap.  He said it was tasty, but they weren't messing around with their buffalo sauce-it was spicy!  I took a bite and agreed it was spicy, but we both thought it was great.

 

 My veggie burger and side of vegetables.  Both were great!  Vegetables were perfectly cooked and still crunchy.  Nobody wants soggy vegetables!

 

My burger had black beans, carrots, and red peppers in it topped with pepper jack cheese, mayo, tomato and avocado.  I ate every last bite.

 

 

 

And, just for fun here's Tyler, my other brother Trevor, my mom, and me toasting to the season while tailgating.

 

Josh, me and Tyler visiting some friends' tailgate before the game.  Great way to start my Labor Day weekend.

 

What I Ate Wednesday

Have you heard of WIAW?  I just read about it last week, but apparently I’m out of the loop!  It’s been going on for a long time and is very popular with bloggers and it’s been mentioned on Pinterest.  I heard about it on a blog called Peas and Crayons.  Since I am obsessed with food I find this weekly posting of what people eat very fun!  I like hearing and seeing what people eat and cook.  I thought I’d join in on the action and start blogging about what I eat on Wednesdays.  Beyond just reading what other people eat, if you’ve never kept a food diary I highly suggest it.  I don’t do it on a regular basis, but periodically I will.  It’s a really great way to track all you put it in your body.  Sometimes, through the course of a day you don’t realize how much you actually eat.  I’m not big on calorie counting. (Although I know it works great for many people) Some days I eat like a “normal” person and then other days I could eat all day and still feel hungry.  If you’re lucky, that will happen one of these Wednesdays. J  One of the people I work with has mentioned how she doesn’t understand how I don’t gain weight since I eat all day long sometimes.  News flash, my broccoli, my apple, my hummus, my Greek yogurt, my edamame, and my brown rice are not going to make me fat. 

Without any further blabbing, here’s WIAW #1:

Wednesdays are one of the mornings I wake up early and run and go to yoga.  I don't like eating before I run so as I got ready in the locker room I ate two No Bake Energy Bites. 



Usually I order decaf coffee because too much caffeine gives me migraines.  However, I have learned as long as I don't drink it two days in a row I'm fine.  I needed some caffeine to get me through hump day yesterday!  This week, I will be up by 4:30 every single day due to either workouts or my work schedule.  A girl needs a caffeine kick sometimes.  I usually go against my "rule" of not eating artificial sweetener and get ONE pump of sugar free syrup in my coffee.  I grab a coffee only once a week or so and I figure it's such a small dose it's okay.  I just can't bring myself to get regular syrup and drink my entire daily sugar limit in one sitting.  However, it looks like Starbuck's messed up and gave me regular.  I see no SF before that Hazelnut on my sticker.  Shame. On. Them.

 

My mid morning snack was three bean salad.  My grandma brought this to a family meal once and I loved it!  I buy the can of three bean salad at Aldi's and then add some black beans and kidney beans, northern beans, whatever I have in the pantry.  Usually, I add some celery and white onion too, but I didn't have any when I mixed this together on Sunday for the week so I'm eating it plain this week.  It's still delicious.  Drain all your cans except the three bean salad one and you're good to go. 



For lunch, I had leftovers from dinner Tuesday night.  I had a black bean veggie burger on a 100% whole wheat sandwich thin with Sriracha ketchup and shredded sweet potatoes.  (I'll post both recipes soon)

My afternoon snack was a bowl of Grape Nuts with Almond Milk.  I know, kind of a weird snack, but I had originally packed it for breakfast.  Sometimes, after I workout I eat a small post workout snack and then still want some breakfast an hour later.  Yesterday, my energy bites and coffee kept me full until I was ready for a snack so I didn't eat my cereal.  However, after I ate lunch I was hungry again around 3:30 so I ate it then. 


 I forgot to take a picture of our dinner, but we had Brinner last night.  We've been married 6 years and I bet we have done this three times.  I always forget about it, but I should really do it more often.  I love it!  It wasn't very healthy, but I enjoyed every bite!  I guess I was so excited to dig into my pancakes I forgot to take a picture.  If you haven't tried Trader Joe's Pumpkin mix you are missing out.  I don't know if they have them in stock yet as it's a seasonal item, but I was a crazy lady and bought about 5 boxes last year to last me through the winter and summer.  And, if I do say so myself, I have shown excellent self control.  I still have one box left thank you very much!  Anyway, I ate two pumpkin pancakes with 100% maple syrup, one piece of French Toast on 100% whole wheat bread and 1 scrambled egg.  Yes, just horrible for me, but so good! 

If you'd like to comment when I post these what you ate on Wednesday I'd love to hear!