Goodbye 21, Hello 22!

I wish I could tell you that I had a super crazy wild P-Hilton style birthday, but then I would be lying. One of these years, it’s gonna happen–mark my words! My birthday was actually quite mundane to tell you the truth. I was home alone for a good chunk of the day with no friends in sight, so I baked a birthday cake and had a rockin’ workout.

I always make out birthdays to be a grand celebration in my head and when they fall short, I get the case of the birthday blues. I have to remind myself that it’s just another day!

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My Momma got me these beautiful birthday flowers!

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As someone who loves to bake, but doesn’t get a chance to bake very often (cough skool cough), there was no chance I would let my parents spend $30 on a cake. That would take away all the fun! I made a chocolate zucchini cake for my birthday last year too. Perhaps, I’ve started my own tradition?

When your fridge gives you carrots, you make carrot cake!! Vanilla didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.

It was a good thing I was home alone because I made a big ol’ mess!

We don’t have any cake pans in this house, so I had to use a pie pan, which made for an awkwardly shaped cake.

A pineapple chunk peeking out….

This birthday carrot cake was made with whole wheat flour, oat flour, coconut oil, walnuts, coconut, crushed pineapple, eggs, and agave nectar.

For the cream cheese icing, I creamed 8 oz. of cream cheese, agave nectar and vanilla extract with an OLD SKOOL electric beater. No Kitchenaid stand mixer over here .

I decided to cut the circle into two halves and make it a double layer semi-circle cake. Ya gotta have a layer of icing in the middle!

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Birthday Workout:

• 65 min. elliptical: I squeezed in about 7-30 sec. intervals of all out high intensity pedaling while watching Oprah and Barefoot Contessa
• 25 min. leg weights: lunges, squats, calf raises, hamstring curls, etc.

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For my birthday dinner, I chose a restaurant 2 blocks from our condo (there are about 10!), American Tap Room.

Fun Fact: I waitressed here the summer after my freshmen year but a few months later, they were bought out and the entire restaurant/bar was revamped.

It looks completely different now and the menu (that I worked so hard to memorize) has changed.

This was my first time back since waitressing there and since they got bought out.

***Warning: a dimly lit restaurant + an old skool point ‘n’ shoot camera= blinding photos!

I ordered the Seared Tuna Salad: Sashimi grade tuna with an exotic mix of Asian greens and seaweed

It felt like there was a birthday candle burning in my mouth!!! Oh my goodness, my tongue was sizzling this was so spicy! I guzzled about 5 glasses of water in about 15 minutes.

My mom ordered the Blackened Fish Sandwich. You can see the tie of the manager in the background as well as my BLOG address written down on a napkin. Hello Mr. Manager if you’re reading!

My uncle and dad went to a buffet for lunch with a friend so they weren’t too hungry. They shared a plate of Phoenix Wings and each ordered a big ol’ beer.

We sat in comfy couch-style seats.

We passed on dessert because there was a cake waiting for us, made by yours truly.

No, I didn’t turn 211!

My Momma forgot to pick up candles, so we had an interesting ‘22′ on my cake. We had a ‘2′ leftover from my 21st birthday and then stuck two candles beside it.

Making a wish and blowing out the candles.

A BIG slice for a BIG girl with a BIG carrot cake tooth!

This cake was suuuuper dense and moist, just how I like ‘em!

Goodbye 21!! Adios! Sayonara! Au Revoir! Ciao!

I’ll be back later with the birthday prezzies! I need to take advantage of the sunshine while it lasts….oh and get cracking on the boatload of work I have for this week!

Tagged as: Agave Nectar, Ahi Tuna, BBQ Wings, Carrot Cake, Carrots, Coconut, Coconut Oil, Cream Cheese, Eggs, Fish, Fries, Icing, Pineapple, Salad, Sandwich, Tuna, Walnuts