Month: July 2015

Currently I’m Crushing On {Part IV}

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I go through phases for things I’m loving. Whether it’s fashion, food or fitness, I tend to be really into something for a while and then once I get sick of it, I move on to something new. I’ve share some other things I’ve been crushing on here, here, and here. But it’s time to share some new things I’m loving- most are fashion related, as that is currently something I’m really into- enjoy!

  • These Lululemon casual pants- I don’t remember what the name of them is, but I got them on super sale and LOVE them! So comfy.

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  • Skinny Jeans and Wedges/flowy tops (Shirt is from a boutique in Kennebunkport, jeans are J. Crew and shoes are Lucky Brand)

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Studio Review: Raising the Bar in Harvard Square {HandleBar Indoor Cycling Studio’s new location}

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Hi! How’s it going? I’m so excited to share another new studio with you today. If you’ve been reading B2B for a while, you know that I LOVE trying out new studios. Whether it’s indoor cycling, bootcamping, yoga’ing or barre’ing, if there’s a new studio or a new-to-me workout, you better be sure I’ll be there checking it out! (Full list of studio reviews here.)

So, when the owner of Handlebar Indoor Cycling reached out to me to see if I wanted to attend a ride on their opening weekend at their new Harvard Square location with other bloggers and people in the media industry, I obviously jumped at the chance to check it out.

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The best part? I was able to invite a friend, so obviously my sister came along with me since she loves indoor cycling!

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I Drank Wine On A Random Tuesday

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I know some of you are probably shaking your heads going, “ok, Monique. Big deal!”, which is exactly the point of this post! At the start of the summer, I told RM that I wanted to be more spontaneous and plan less and in general, be more easy going and ok with going off schedule. Halfway through the summer, I’ve realized I haven’t really been very successful in accomplishing this. So many nights RM will say “want a glass of wine?” or “I made a pseudo spritzer- want one?” and I politely respond with, “no thank you”.

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I will say that *most* of the time I turn down drinks during the week because I really don’t feel like I need or want one. Most of the time I’m getting home late because of teaching or some other fitness event and by the time I shower and sit down to eat, wine is not even close to being on my mind. However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t turn down drinks sometimes because I didn’t want to drink extra calories. Or because I’ll feel guilty having a drink because my weekly goal Monday through Thursday is usually to not drink alcohol in order to give my body a little break (unless there’s a specified event during the week that will likely result in drinks- girls nights, sporting events, traveling, etc.).

But the thing is, what’s the difference between drinking on a Friday than on a Tuesday? Some Friday’s I don’t feel like a glass of wine but have one anyway because it’s Friday (#becauseFRIDAY)! And everyone drinks on Fridays to celebrate the weekend! Right? Maybe, but does it mean I have to? Nope. I shouldn’t feel like I need to conform to societal “rules” or my own rules instead of tuning into myself and listening to how I’m feeling and what I want on that particular day/time.  Which is exactly why on Tuesday night last week, I poured myself a glass of wine after my workout and shower. RM was over, it was HOT and we were grilling. What goes well with all of those things?
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Scenes from the Weekend

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Good morning and Happy Monday 🙂 Did you guys have a good weekend? I sure did! It kind of started on Thursday night when I hosted book club, continued on to Friday night when RM and I tried a new place in East Boston and then to Saturday/Sunday when my sister and I tried out a class at the new Handlebar Indoor Cycling Studio in Harvard Square and then headed up to Vermont for a quick one night getaway with our parents. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking- enjoy!

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Great book! We all highly suggest it. Rose was delicious too 😉

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I grilled pizzas- they were fantastic!

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Love my SMC girls.

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We found a new place on Maverick Street in East Boston- it’s a market/café called Maverick Market and it has a small menu and beer and wine. We had some ginger BBQ chicken sliders and a spicy shrimp and veggie stir fry. We were so impressed with everything!

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Because sweaty/post spin pictures are always necessary…

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Sausage, Veggie & Pineapple Grilled Summer Skewers

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Good morning! I am so happy to say that I FINALLY have a recipe for you 🙂 RM and I have been grilling quite a bit lately and this meal was so healthy, tasty and fun I figured it was perfect to share with you. I loved the colors from everything and it was like a flavor party in your mouth between the sausage, veggies and sweet pineapple.

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We decided to amp the skewer meal up even more by serving them on a bed of deliciousness- spinach, quinoa and corn and everything was topped with a really simple and fresh EVOO/fresh lemon juice/s&p/garlic powder concoction.

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Of course, if you don’t have sausage, you could do this same meal with steak or chicken- no problem at all!

Ingredients

Skewers:

  • 4 sausage links (we used RM’s homemade sausage- 2 were plain and 2 were garlic, parmesan and parsley)
  • 1 small green pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 small red pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 small onion, cut into thick slices
  • 1 cup chopped pineapple

Salad:

  • Spinach for 2 people (about 1/2 a box for us)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 ear of corn, steamed and then the kernels shaved off
  • 2-4 tbsp. EVOO per salad
  • Juice of 1 lemon- 1/2 lemon per salad
  • Salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to the package and let cool. Steam the corn and let cool- once cool, take a knife and shave off the kernels.

2. Turn on your grill to heat. Cut up your veggies, pineapple and sausage and arrange them on skewers. Place on grill, rotating sides every 3-5 minutes. I think it took about 15 minutes for the sausage to be cooked through on low heat.

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3. Combine the EVOO, lemon juice and salt/pepper/garlic powder and set aside. Place the spinach in the bowls, top with the quinoa and corn and then the skewered items. Lastly, coat everything with the dressing and serve.

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This meal came together so quickly, which was perfect for a weeknight meal. I was also able to enjoy leftovers the next day, too. We decided that we are big fans of quinoa spinach salads- so much so that we made them on Thursday of last week, too, to go with the burgers we grilled. Great texture/flavor combo!

Would love to know if you see these- take pics and tag me @Burpeestobubbly.

Questions for you: What’s your favorite thing to grill? Do you like sausage or do you prefer chicken or steak? Cooked pineapple- yay or nay?