Motivation Monday: The Woodberry Kitchen edition

“Really?” you’re likely thinking. “Motivation via brunch? She must have really wanted to write about her brunch.”

OK, fine. I partially just really want to write about my brunch. But it’s because it was the kind of brunch that motivated me to eat better, live better, be better than I did before I walked in the door, which fits the Motivation Monday theme perfectly.

Let me explain. Ever since starting this blog, I’ve made it a goal to try one new local, in-season fruit or vegetable per week. Ever since writing about disordered eating among women runners, I’ve been thinking more seriously about what I put in my body before and after I ask it to complete hard workouts, and focusing on making sure every workout I do is fully supported by rest and nutrition.

To say that this awesome brunch with a lifelong friend in a farmhouse-chic restaurant serving food from local producers supported my training yesterday is a vast understatement.

See the wood stacked in the background? It's for a wood-burning oven. I also love the visible rows of canned veggies.

Baltimore happens to be halfway between me and my lovely friend Alexis, and we chose to meet at Woodberry Kitchen for brunch partially because of this description: Features the seasonal best from local growers and emphasizes organic meats and sustainable agriculture. Our goal is to nourish and delight our guests with cooking grounded in the traditions and ingredients of the Chesapeake region. That, and Tom Sietsema’s fantabulous review a couple years ago.

The company was reason enough to drive to Baltimore.

How cute is my brunch date?

But a maple latte (sweetened with real maple syrup) and homemade yogurt with Cybee’s honey and Reid’s apples? That’s just overkill.

You could really taste the maple in the latte. And that honey! (!!)

Especially when you follow it with housemade pecan challah French toast with blueberry-plum compote …

Lex's brunch. I'm definitely motivated to make plum compote at home—yum!

… and cast-iron-skillet eggs with squash, sweet peppers and skillet potatoes.

Why was this the first time I ate squash for breakfast? Delicious with eggs!

Is it any surprise that, after sitting to chat (and digest) a while, then driving the hour from Baltimore to my pool, I finally knocked out that long swim to cram for the Daiquiri Deck Tropical Splash 5K Swim? The 5,000 meters (actually, 5,500 yards, which translates to about a 5K) felt smooth and easy, leaving me feeling confident that my general fitness and training base for swimming will translate into a fun, not-too-painful race on Oct. 1.

What’s motivating you this week?