- 3 min read

Calories Don't Count on Vacation

The Mealy's just returned from our summer vacation to Cape Cod and I wanted to share all about the FOOD we devoured on this trip! Food brings Relief in many ways. Vacation meals just taste better. It's a change of pace. Seafood is fresher. Menus look a little different than in the midwest. Experiencing new foods/restaurants with my family is a top five favorite thing to do for me personally. While the belly hugs we prepare for Caregivers aren't exactly "vacation" meals, I do still hope that the act of sharing a new/different meal with loved ones brings that same "belly hug" feeling.

This is the second year we've stayed in Hyannis on Cape Cod and so we knew some of the restaurants (and ice cream shops) we wanted to go back to. We stayed in Falmouth the summer that my daughter Violet turned 1. That was such a fun experience and one we will remember forever! As they say, the 1st birthday is really about celebrating the parents ;)

My husband Kyle spent time with his grandma and cousins/aunts/uncles/ on Cape Cod as a child and I'm so glad he introduced me to it's beachy towns and Door County (to the extreme) vibes. As a kid vacationing in the summer, Tio (Kyle's Uncle Emillio who is from Barcelona) cooked fresh seafood for the whole family and, I speak from experience, it is delicious! Living so close to the Mediterranean meant that seafood was majorly in his repertoire so Cape Cod was a perfect vacation spot. I look forward to being able to meet up with Tio (and cousins Marc, Ale, and Leo) at the Cape when the kiddos are older!

We were able to walk to many restaurants in Hyannis and also had a full kitchen in our rental. Kyle whipped up some shrimp fettuccine alfredo one night as well as fish tacos with fresh cod. We ate Father's Day brunch out at "The Egg and I" which delighted the kids because of the Mickey shaped pancake :) We had some excellent lunches including pizza at Palio with Jan O'Brien (Right Relief Boston founder and board member!), seafood platter at the Sea Street Cafe and our favorite Mexican food at Anejo under their towering weeping beach tree (planted in 1776!). This is the coolest restaurant with an outdoor eating area under an unbelievable tree that looks like it is straight out of a beach jungle (if that is even a thing). You can't even tell it is there from the street. The decor and ambiance are just so fun too. Warm chips and to-die-for salsa made us full before even eating our chimichangas and steak taco salad. We seriously contemplated going back the next day for lunch again LOL.

We snacked on "Saturday Morning Cereal" flavored popcorn at Smith Family Popcorn and had a Mac Daddy grilled cheese (with bacon AND mac and cheese on top) at Grilled Cheese Gallery. Katie's Ice Cream is our absolute favorite dessert place and we had to stop not once but twice!! Robbie even got to experience having his own dish and own spoon for the first time: big deal!! Lastly, we recently had Kilwin's ice cream in Lake Geneva and there is one on main street in Hyannis (one of only 2 in the state of MA!) that is equally as sweet! I had apple pie ice cream which was heavenly and such a nice treat in the early summer vs waiting for the fall!

On the raining days we ventured to the Cape Cod Mall and indulged in Five Guys as well as overpriced popcorn at the new Buzz Lightyear movie (Robbie's first!). You also can't go to the East Coast without going to Dunkin for donuts! We have officially converted Violet and she chose an apple fritter over a pink sprinkle ring. I was shocked!

Our last meal was simple: Potbelly's subs but the company was what gave me a belly hug. We purposefully chose a long layover on the way back with a stop in DC so we could see my sister! She navigated us from the airport to the metro to lunch and then Pennsylvania Avenue to see a few sites. The weather was perfect and it was such a great end to the trip.

Time to go run a million miles after this trip ;)