Nothing says ‘I love you’ like free.
Or cold, hard cash. Â Either way.
By now we are all aware of the free Starbucks drink on your birthday.  Even though I didn’t get an offer this year – wtf?!  People like to make a game of how much they can get – whether its a birthday freebie or just to pay too much for already over-priced coffee.  The previous record for ONE drink was $54.74.  Child’s play!
A Florida woman managed to order a $60.58 Frappuccino.  According to Consumerist, the drink consisted of 60 shots of espresso, matcha powder (gotta stay healthy!), and caramel, white mocha, and hazelnut syrups. She even brought along a jug for the barista so it would all fit!  I’m assuming she didn’t drink it all… I didn’t see any follow up reports about her having a caffeine-induced heart attack.
Yet another way to order obnoxiously at Starbucks. Â You’re welcome.
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This WIAW is a birth-day east celebration!  Actually, it was pretty mundane until dinner… I was busy at work and I knew what was coming to me for dinner!
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!
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Breakfast:
My morning cocktail, as always.  Today I added a shot to celebrate my special day.  An extra shot of cayenne, that is.
Everyone should have pancakes on their birthday.  I saw Gina post her pancakes yesterday on Instagram and saved it with breakfast in mind!  I *almost” followed the recipe.  I just subbed goat milk yogurt for cottage cheese, used Growing Naturals rice protein, and added almond extract.  Topped with cocoa syrup and sprinkles. Amazeballs (you’re welcome, Lucie).
Snacks:
This is where some repetition starts. Â I’m leaving town this week to go see this girl compete in her second bikini competition, so I didn’t do a huge food prep. Â And it’s my birthday week, so I’m eating out for a couple of meals. Â All of this translate to tuna in a can. Â Twice. Â This was mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Â
Tuna mixed with heirloom tomato, mushrooms, and hummus “dressing.”  I love making quick sauces with hummus, apple cider vinegar, and spices.  This one had cayenne and garlic added.
Lunch:
Another easy meal – salad in a box!  Local greens, no-salt deli turkey, red bell pepper, and snow peas.  I dressed with with peach salsa.
Dinner:
For my birthday, all I really wanted was to do “bro day” at my gym with one of my trainers. Â Bro day (chest and biceps) is my favorite, so I never get to do it with a trainer. Â It’s the day where I can push myself alone, so I generally save the paid sessions to lower body (which I dislike), or areas I need to focus more on.
The other thing I wanted was to try what is allegedly the best burger in Atlanta. Â My trainers, my friend Natoshia, and I headed to Illegal Food to check it out. Â I’m a skeptic – I have tried most of Atlanta’s touted burgers and have a running list of the top 5. Â Let’s just say this lived up to expectations. Â Holy mother of burgers, I have found the new #1 burger.
We got 3 different varieties and a chicken sandwich.  Of course, we passed them all around to sample all the meats.  I swear, each bite was better than the last.  After the first tastes we sat there for a moment in stunned silence before alternating between wanting to devour it as fast a possible and wanting to slowly savor each delectable bite.
My selection was a special called The Warden’s Burger.  7.5 ounces of meaty goodness (a secret blend that involves brisket, shoulder, and other fatty cuts) with goat cheese mousse, summer tomato jam, red onion, rocket (arugula), and a pain de mie bun from H&F Bread Co. (aka the most perfect bun in Atlanta).  Think of the most juicy, flavorful patty you’ve ever had with pillowy tangy cheese and on a bun that refused to get soggy.  Add a little sweet from the jam and a teeny bite from the rocket… I’m getting chills all over again just typing this.
The pile of sushi-like fries in the top right below was also stand-out.  It was a giant plate of fries worth every cent of the $10 they cost.  They’re called okonomiyaki-style fries, a nod to the Japanese dish.  They’re hand-cut before being soaked and double fried.  What this means to you is that each bite remains perfectly crispy on the outside, even after it’s topped with the multitude of Japanese flavors. Â
With accouterments like shredded cabbage, green onion, seaweed, bonito flakes, okonomi sauce, Japanese mayo, fermented chili sauce, sesame seeds, and red pickled ginger, each bite is a party in your mouth.  #twss
Now for the sad news… Illegal Food is currently operating out of Joystick Gamebar. Â At the end of June they were given a 60 day notice to vacate. Â There are two sides to every story, but the conclusion is that Joystick prefers to lend its kitchen as an incubator to new restaurant concepts and decided it’s time Illegal stand on its own. Â Hopefully they’ll make bail and move on to bigger and better things. Â They have to… because I have an addiction to feed.
If you’re in Atlanta, you should go immediately if not sooner. Â And buy some beers from the crew at Joystick. Â It’s the perfect pairing to that pornographic piece of meat heaven.
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Don’t forget to check in with the #MoveHappy week 3 challenge! I’m hobbling Monday’s leg day Monday AND I can barely lift my arms.  #winning
Do you have workouts you’re better at pushing yourself on than others?
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
That burger!! Holy moly! Get in my belly!
That burger or Ryan Gosling between two slices of fluffy bun… Yeah, I am going for the burger!
Seriously. It’ll be less trouble in the long run.
Ok so I need a plane ticket for Atlanta. Goat cheese mousse? Okonomiyaki fries??? I might attempt to recreate the latter, I have the sauces at least! Happy belated bday missie 🙂
You just say when and I’ll be at the airport to collect you! 🙂
Ah now you have me craving a burger in a big way…definitely one of my favorite meals! So long as the company and food is good, I don’t need much more on my birthday….looks like yours was a great one :)!
Bahahaha. I freaking love you you sweet bloob.
Oh, I need a trainer for my lower body too. I am so bad at it! Squathate!!
And, OMG, that platter!! Did you see the seafood platter on my blog today?? That is the seafood counterpart of that fries platter. Amazingsauceballs.
Oh, Lucie… you know YOU’RE the bloob. 😛
I’ll forgive you for the amazingsauceballs because that seafood gianormousness actually did look amazeballs.
OMG. That burger………
WHY IS IT CLOSING BEFORE I VISIT????
Why laura. WHY. WHYYYY.
They’re going to reopen somewhere else! Just don’t know when or where…
Wait – a $60.58 Frappuccino???? Dang! You are not kidding bout that hypothetical caffeine related heart attack!
Happy Birthday again – those burgers are HOOOGE – my mind would be blown to find out your bite contained every one of those layers! 🙂
Girllll… I still could have eaten 2 of them. So. Good.
Did a guy just break the record for the most expensive “free” starbucks drink? COmpletely crazy….just like that burger. Whoa!
That burger!!! OMG!!! I’m going out with you the next time I want a good burger 😉
I have a whole list of the top 10 in ATL – we can work through it. 😉
God, I thought a £3.50 frappuccino was a rip off! That looks like an epic way to spend your birthday. Also, I am impressed at how quickly you can write up the recap of your birthday!
You would have died and gone to burger heaven!
sprinkles are a must on your birthday!! and i can push myself way harder with legs than upper body! i’m stronger on the bottom!
perfect bday celebration!!! holy burger!
Interesting about starbucks….my birthday is half a month away….will give it a go! Thats funny what people try to do….only a matter of time before they start writing some rules for that….but I love people are giving starbucks a taste of their own medicine for overpricing so much!
Birthday eats look great, ESPECIALLY that burger! Mmmmmm! HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!!!!
I can’t wait to see what you come up with! I wish I’d had time to go try to challenge them.
Happy bday! And, good golly!!!! Those are some awesome burgers. Sad news that I won’t get one any time soon!
OMG . . . . the Warden’s Burger! Happy Birthday . . . . mine was last week and my starbucks birthday beverage only totalled $6 . . . I’m such a loser.
$6? So you just got a plain coffee? LOL!
goat cheese mousse?! I kind of want to put that on everything I eat. Yup, I think I need that burger…
For my birthday, I usually go out to dinner with my family one night, and then go to a bar or a casino with friends another night.
FYI: Starbucks sent out a notice last year (I think?) that they are no longer reminding people about the free drink thing….probably because of people who order $60 frappucinos…hee, hee (:
They are charge so much anyway they OWE us some freebies!
Ah! That would explain why I didn’t get a notification… so lame.
Ok, totally need to go buy sprinkles now. 🙂 And that burger looks amaaaazing!
I’m definitely better at pushing myself on strength workouts than cardio. Probably just because I enjoy it so much more, its easier for me to say ‘just one more rep/round’ than ‘just one more minute.’
So true! A minute on the treadmill feels like an hour.
I get excited for my free Starbucks too. I love watching my points rack up on the phone app-things that make me happy LOL
All of my meals are fairly mundane up until dinner. It’s just easier that way then I can get a little more creative with dinner. I love using hummus and nooch for a sauce, but am totally going to start adding in ACV. Awesome idea! I’m great (too great) about pushing myself with running, but leg workouts? Um … about those …
Let me know how you like it! I think ACV belongs in all the things.
You probably mentioned it somewhere and I missed it, but what’s the food in the last picture called? It looks delicious! NOM NOM MEATATARIAN.
And I didn’t get an offer a few years back and realized they dont send you the coupon anymore, you just go to starbucks and hang them your card and tell them it’s your birthday month and they’ll accommodate you 🙂
They are okonomiyaki-style fries… the description is above the picture. ;(
I NEED to go back to Atlanta! I loved my first visit and know I would love it even more with one of those burgers in my tummy!
Yeah you do! Let me know when and I’ll give you recs! 🙂
I would be all over the chicken sandwich one!!
I”m so freakin excited you’re coming to see me!! I think we’re planning a pretty awesome week so far, despite that pesky job that we all have to keep doing too. 🙂 And I think we need to start planning a food tour of Atlanta when I come visit too. I may wait until September now. Or now that I think about it, maybe I do need to do both Florida and Atlanta in August. Hmm…
Wow… drooling. Happy belated birthday!
I can not even believe it’s legal to place that much caffeine in a drink. Wow, I can’t imagine myself after something like that.
Your birthday eats look awesome, and happy belated birthday!!!
Seriously! She must have been sipping on that for a month. LOL!
I could do without most junk food in my life, but fries are my jam. Love em any way they come. But SUSHI FRIES?!? What is this?! They sound amazing. They’ve got to exist in NYC somewhere I’d imagine…
It was unreal! I love that you assume it MUST exist somewhere in NYC… and I have to agree.
oh man, they are closing? I think we all need that burger first. foodgasm… amazeballs.. let’s see what other naughty words go with food.
😉
They’ll reopen somewhere! We will go one day, Brother!
Whoa to those fries! I’ve never heard or seen anything like it. Happy Bday!
Me either… until now. And whoa. 🙂
Thank you for thee b-day wishes!!
So glad you liked the pancakes, everything else looks delicious too!
They are perfect. 🙂
OMG YOU KNOW I have to order a Starbucks drink like that on my birthday in a few weeks!!! I’m a Starbucks ordering CHAMPION (ie so obnoxious that the barista rolls her eyes as I order).
Haha – I can’t WAIT to see this order. 😉
I’m in a feud with the baristas at my office starbucks. Maybe I can “win” by ordering that drink instead of my usual tall bold brewed coffee. 🙂
A feud? What happened?! In any case, you should totally order that drink.
Yum! Sounds like a good birthday!
My husband loves burgers so we have been to Farm Burger and Flip Burger Boutique. I will have to get a list from you the next time we are down.
Have fun cheering on Heather this weekend and throw in an extra whistle for me! 😉
Oh man… this is 100x better than Farm or Flip. Those are like fast food. Defintely let me know when you’re in town!
Happy belated birthday! Looks like you had a great day. I’m still trying to comprehend a $60 coffee. People and their fancy coffees…
I love trying new places for delicious burgers, my favorite burger place is in Baltimore: http://www.abbeyburgerbistro.com/ If you are ever in the area go, they always have exotic meats and a crazy amount of toppings to build your own. Their most popular burger was the PB and Bacon (while I was living there, may have a changed ). I can’t believe I was ever a vegetarian, gasp! Happy birthday 🙂
They have burgers like that here! There’s a place called The Vortex that does that, plus bananas. It’s called the Elvis. 😉
HOpe you had an awesome birthday!
I do LOVE a good burger! 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
If you say it’s the best burger, I believe you! Just told Chris we’re gonna have to go there so he can try their burgers.
Happy birthday again! Have tons of fun cheering on Heather this weekend!
You guys have to try it! And let me know what you think!
HOLY BDAY CELEBRATION!!!!! 🙂 AND, don’t sprinkles make everything better! 🙂
They do. 🙂
You had me at illegal.