Lakeside Tavern and Weight Loss

You may recall that for Christmas, I gave Cindy and good friend, Kathy, five free lunches and today was number four.  Cindy had never been to Lakeside Tavern located on Fort Loudon Lake between home and Knoxville – about a 40 minute drive – and the rest of us have always enjoyed it with our last visit being Nov 2025 which I blogged about.

This is us at our table and a shot out the window showing the outside dining area (87F was too warm for us) and a cove of the lake.  

As usual, we began with an order of their delicious Colossal Onion Rings for the table but we didn’t think they were quite as good as we remember from our last visit.

Pat ordered the Chicken Tenders – “Fresh, hand-breaded chicken tenders fried crisp and golden, accompanied by our honey mustard dipping sauce. Served with French fries. $14.99.

Pic missing - Not sure how, but when I got home and looked at my pics, Pat's meal and mine were missing, which I hate as mine was beautifully plated.  Learned lesson:  Always look at my phone to be sure the pics are there before sticking it back in my pocket.

Cindy had the Salmon Avocado Salad - Fresh, cold-water salmon grilled to order. Served over farmers’ market greens tossed in our classic vinaigrette dressing, with avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños, sautéed mushrooms and feta cheese. $17.99

Kathy opted for Southwest Egg Rolls - Grilled chicken breast, sweet corn, black beans, red pepper, onions, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses inside a crispy wonton wrapper. Served with avocado-ranch dipping sauce. $13.99

Bev just had a small Caesar Salad  - Romaine, parmesan cheese, garlic croutons and home-made Caesar dressing. $6.99  Then she ordered a Chicken Pasta Combo to go to have for supper.  No pic of it.

I went with the Ahi Tuna Salad Sashimi-grade Ahi tuna, encrusted with black pepper, lightly seared and served over mixed field greens tossed with classic vinaigrette, red onions, cucumbers, Mandarin oranges and pickled ginger. Accompanied with a side of soy-ginger sauce. $17.99

pic missing.

Everyone enjoyed their food as well as the ambience, and the view.  My food was good but the salad needed a little more dressing – something I rarely ever say.  While I enjoyed this visit, next time, we'll pick a different time so it will be less crowded and quieter, I believe I would rather go there around 1pm (got there at 11:45am this time).

Weight Loss

One of the downsides of taking weight loss drugs is that it can result in loss of muscle mass if you don’t get enough protein.  To help with that I have been drinking a protein shake each day.  I’ve settled on Fairlife’s Core Power shakes which contain 42 grams of protein or about half of the 100 grams I want to take in each day.

As long as I can remember, I have loved store bought chocolate milk and I still do so after trying the three Core Power flavors, I’ve settled on chocolate.  As it turns out, I really like it and may continue with it after I quit taking the Zepbound.  I’m well pleased to be down 40 lbs. in 3½ months – the weight is coming off faster now that I am alcohol free.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/11/25 event date