Ahh....Home Sweet Home!!!
I am finally back from my cruise and it was AMAZING!!! It was my first cruise and it turned out to be one of the best vacations of my life!! If you haven’t been on one, you have to!! Our first port was at Ocho Rios, Jamaica where we climbed a huge waterfall (scary, but exhilarating!) The second port was the Cayman Islands, where we went scuba diving and shopping!Although both places we ported were beautiful, I have to say some of the best memories were made while we were at sea! There was so much to do (and EAT) that we never got bored, or hungry for that matter! ;) We spent the days laying out on the upper deck overlooking the ocean, and the nights getting all dolled up and going to fancy dinners and to the theater!

My husband Sean and I at a formal dinner

Newlywed Game
Two of my favorite evenings were spent in the theater ON STAGE!!! One night my husband and I were chosen to be on the ‘Newlywed/Not So Newlywed Game” where we competed against four other couples to see how well we knew one another! We were the only ‘actual’ newlywed couple and the other three couples were married for 10+ years, (one couple was married for 50 years!) There was a lot of laughter (and red faces) in the house considering my dad was sitting in the front row, and of course they asked plenty of ‘newlywed’ style questions (if you catch my drift), and to top it all off, we ended up winning! The next day, Sean and I said we felt like celebrities when almost everyone on the ship recognized us as the ‘Newlyweds’ and almost everyone asked how my dad was ;) too funny!

My husband Sean and I playing Newlywed game...Most likely answering an 'embarrassing' question!

Iron Chef Competition
Just when I didn’t think it could get any better than winning the newlywed game, the next day I got randomly selected out of the audience to be a chef on the Iron Chef competition! I have to tell you...when I was up on stage cooking, I felt like God was preparing me to be something greater than I have planned for myself. I felt like I was totally in my element cooking on stage! I ended up loosing by 1/2 a point to the other competitor, but I have to say (in my defense) that the other team grabbed the fillet Mignon and blue cheese from the table, which happened to be all three of the judges favorite entree! However, win or lose....I had a wonderful time! I even got a real chef hat and apron to take home! Too bad they didn’t have the ingredients to cook a dashing dish recipe though...or I think I could of definitely won! ;)

Me after the Iron Chef Competition!

Eating Healthy on Vacation
Overall it was an amazing trip, but I’m glad to be home and be back ‘in the swing of things’...Especially when it comes to eating! There were a lot of food options on the cruise, but not many healthy options. I, of course, do allow myself to eat what I want on vacation, but try and find the healthiest options available, which even then were not very healthy (i.e.: egg white omelet with ham and veggies....very healthy until you drown it in 2 huge ladles of oil...So NOT needed- I wanted to scream “where is the Pam on this boat!?” Ha ha)

Some of the healthy choices I made, which still tasted amazing, were simple swaps such as choosing frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, or ordering a side of grilled veggies instead of fries with my entree. And at the end of the meal, I always felt like I was thoroughly satisfied and never deprived! Which goes to show, even on vacation (and every meal is ‘out’) you really can make ‘healthier’ choices and still enjoy every bite of your food! One of my 'healthier' choices for dessert... A No Sugar Added lemon custard with fresh fruit in a puff pastry shell! Mmm!!! :)