Category: Boston

Guest Post: No Bake Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

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Hi there! And TGIF! Before I get to the post, I want to send a very special birthday shout out to my mom- I hope you have a wonderful day and I can’t wait to see you and celebrate you tomorrow. Love you so much!

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How has your week been? Have any fun plans this weekend? My week has been quite different than normal in that my company held it’s “All Hands” meeting in Boston (Boston Harbor Hotel- oh, la la!) on Tuesday and Wednesday so I was making my old trek back into the city instead of my new commute to Wakefield. I have to admit: it made me miss working in the city even more than usual! On top of that, Thursday I spent the day in a “new hire training” back in Wakefield. To say this week was a bit of a wash on the work front is an understatement, but it was kind of nice! I’ll take “easy” weeks whenever I can 😉

Tuesday night, we went out on an Odyssey dinner cruise which was a blast!! The food, open bar (wine and beer), conversations and view made for an awesome night.

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As for this weekend, tonight I’m going to RM’s mom’s house to have her teach me how to make authentic Italian sauce. I’m so excited! Tomorrow I’m teaching my FIRST class at my new gym and I have to admit, I’m a little nervous! It’s always kind of scary going into a new gym to teach because you don’t know what they’re used to or if what you planned is too hard or easy. Hopefully it goes well! After that, I have to rush back and get my place ready for my parents to come down. I’m hosting them at “Hotel Monique” for the night and I can’t wait!

But, before all those fun things kick off, I wanted to share a recipe that I think you’ll all enjoy. My friend, Noelle, posted some pictures on Facebook and Instagram and as soon as I saw them, I knew I needed her to guest post the recipe on this ol’ blog. I can’t wait to make them. Thanks again, Noelle, for sharing this!

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Hi everyone! I’m Noelle and I am elbow deep in buttercream frosting and croissants 50 hours a week. I am a pastry chef at Whole Foods in Wellesley, MA where I am busy cake decorating and opening and closing hot ovens… It is an absolute blast! I worked for a gluten free bakery start up business last year after I finished pastry school and learned quite a bit. It was a perfect start to ease me into the baking world, seeing I am gluten free myself (not Celiac, just feel better without it). I learned a few tricks to the difficult world of gluten free baking that I will take along with me. Although gluten free flours can be quite tricky, baking with simple and clean ingredients is what I choose to do at home. This recipe below is a dump-in-a-bowl and call it a day kind of recipe, which will leave you with some pretty satisfying bites. Enjoy!

No Bake Gluten Free Breakfast Bars– Inspired by Two Saucy Sisters

Ingredients:

  • 3 c. gluten free rolled old fashioned oats, divided
  • 2 T chia seeds (or ground flax seed*)
  • 1⁄4 tsp salt
  • 1⁄2 c. chopped raw almonds
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed
  • 1⁄2 c. peanut butter (we used all-natural)
  • 1⁄4 c. honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1⁄4 c. chocolate chips, optional (I chopped up Easter chocolate..yikes)

Directions:

1. Grind one cup of the oats in a blender or food processor until it is a fine flour. In a large bowl, combine the ground oats with the remaining 2 cups of whole oats, chia seeds, salt and chopped almonds.

2. In a separate bowl combine the mashed banana, peanut butter, honey and vanilla and stir until it is smooth and fully mixed. Pour the peanut butter banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until no dry spots remain. You may add the chocolate chips at this point if you are using them.

3. Line a 9×9 inch square glass dish with wax paper. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the dish and set in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to firm up. When they are ready, use the edge of the wax paper to gently lift the un-cut bars out of the dish. Cut into 12 bars and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

GF granola bars 1

GF granola bars 2

Umm, I’m pretty sure these will be made within the next week or so. I love that there is very little added sugar, which is my goal with baking recipes at this point. I also love that you don’t have to cook anything- perfect for hot, summer days and nights!

GF granola bars 3

Thank you so much for sharing, Noelle! If you want to see more of her delicious treats, check out her Instagram account- I drool over her posts daily!

Questions for you: Who do you follow on Instagram for food pictures? What’s your favorite gluten free recipe? Do you make granola bars?

Speaking of gluten free… check out this meal that RM made on Monday. Orange Macadamia Nut Encrusted fish… amazing!!

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This Week: Workouts, New Gig & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Good morning! How was your weekend? I was on the Cape with RM and some of his family (including two adorable little boys!) and although the weather was less than to be desired, we still had a great time. He and I grabbed a quick dinner at Jeveli’s in East Boston before making the trek to the Cape, which was smart because we avoided the 93 South daily traffic nightmare. The rest of the weekend was spent sleeping in (finally!), playing with the babes, drinking (lots of) wine, cooking and playing games- have you played Heads Up? SO FUN! I’ve mastered one of his mom’s ciambotta dishes, so I made that as well as some baked kale. Everything was so good and it was nice to be away from the grinds of the city for a little bit.

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Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- RM and I were still in Chicago, but we both got up for a little gym sesh first thing in the morning. I did 25 minutes on the elliptical before completing a little HIIT workout consisting of 15 exercises of 45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest. It was good!
  • Tuesday- I had all intentions of going to check out a class at a new-to-me gym, but since we got in really late on Monday night- errr Tuesday morning (1am style), I was exhausted and knew that if I wanted to food shop, cook dinner and get to bed at a reasonable hour, the workout had to go. I was very ok with that decision.
  • Wednesday- Since I wasn’t teaching my Thursday night double, I doubled up on Wednesday. The girl who teaches before me on Wednesdays teaches a killer class so it was fun to have my butt kicked. We did A LOT of burpees! I also taught my class after and did probably 75% of the workout.
  • Thursday- I went to a class at a new-to-me gym. It was actually a really good class- we did cardio (kickboxing!), weights and core work.

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  • Friday- I went for a 3.5 mile lunch time run and then did some core work (push-ups, planks, Russian Twists, Side Planks, etc.). I was happily surprised by how good the workout ended up being- all in a lunch break!

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  • Saturday- Mostly a rest day. RM’s sister-in-law wanted to workout with me so we ended up doing about 30 minutes of yoga/pilates/core work/squats in the living room. I was actually pretty sweaty by the time we finished!
  • Sunday- Initially it was going to be another rest day but by 12:30 I was getting antsy and starting to bug RM so he suggested that I go for a run, haha He’s always hell bent on making me rest so the fact that he was encouraging me to run was a nice change… I must have been really annoying 😉

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- By the time this post goes up I will have taught my Monday morning Muscle Work class and done some cardio. I know I always say this, but it’s so true: it sucks getting up but my Monday is so much better when I know my workout is done before 7:30!
  • Tuesday- We have an “all hands” meeting at the Boston Harbor Hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday so I’ll get up before that to get my workout in.
  • Wednesday- I might double up again, but I may just run before I teach UXF Burn.
  • Thursday- Not sure! Might go to that class that I went to last week again. We’ll see.
  • Friday- Probably a rest day.
  • Saturday- I’m subbing a class at the new-to-me gym that I’ve mentioned earlier in this post. It’s called Chisel, which I think is mostly a muscle class. I hope they like me!
  • Sunday- Not sure- maybe another rest day. My parents will be here so my mom may want to walk with me which would be fun.

New Gig

As I’ve mentioned, I may have a new little teaching gig. I know, I know. I just gave up my Thursday double because it was too much and here I am adding more on again. Don’t worry, though– nothing has been added to my schedule as a permanent class- I’m just on the sub list for now. The best part about the gym is it is literally at the end of the entrance for my new office, so it’s super convenient. It’s an all women’s gym called PUMPS and I love what I know about it so far. I have been to a number of classes and the instructors are great and the member base seems really dedicated. I’m excited about having a new place to workout and meet new people!

Things I’m Looking Forward To

This is a busy week, but I’m excited about it. I get to spend Tuesday and Wednesday at the Boston Harbor Hotel for a work conference with my entire company, which is a great way for me to meet more people. Tuesday night we are going on an Oddessey cruise around Boston Harbor, which is always a good time- I just hope we have good weather. On Thursday night, I am going to my sister’s apartment to make pizza and have wine. We haven’t seen each other in a MONTH, which is unheard of for us so I’m really looking forward to it! And, lastly, and what I’m most looking forward to is the fact that my parents are coming down on Saturday to spend the night! Mom and I are going to get pedicures during the day and then RM will come over and we are going to cook a nice dinner for my parents. I’m going to learn how to make his mom’s sauce- can’t wait for that!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? How many rest days did you take? Did your weekend plans get ruined because of the weather? What are you most looking forward to this week?

Guest Post: Marblehead Marathoner’s Weekly Workouts

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Good morning, friends! Since I’m still in Chicago, I decided to reach out to a friend for a guest post. Her name is Cara and she blogs over at Marblehead Marathoner. Funny little background story- Cara and I went to college together and met during orientation! We didn’t end up in the same group of friends at St. Mike’s, but we’ve recently reconnected… over fitness, of course! If you think my weekly workouts are crazy, just wait until you read through Cara’s workouts last week- she brings crazy athlete to another level! It’s inspiring to see how often she changes up her workouts. We’ve got some fun things planned in the next month or so (once life slows down a bit!), so be on the lookout 🙂

Here’s an example of a week of Marblehead Marathoner’s workouts- enjoy!

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Thanks for having me over today! I’m Cara from Marblehead Marathoner and I’m really excited to share my weekly workouts with Burpees to Bubbly fans! I love working out, being active, and motivating others. I work out with Beantown Bootcamp and love trying new fitness class throughout our awesome city. Every Friday morning  this summer I help lead a free bootcamp at 6:30am at Christopher Columbus Park, so if you like the work outs below please join me!

I believe in a full body approach to training and fitness happiness. I think anytime you can mix up what you are doing and work different muscle groups you will start seeing results. So the next time a friend mentions a new class they love, go check it out with them!

Monday

Upper Body Strength Training & Speed Training on the Treadmill 8 800s in 3:13 with 400 recovery

Cara guest post arm workout

Tuesday

Morning: Legs day! Stair repeats, lunges (1/4 mile weighted with 20 lbs dumbbells each hand), 100 squats, 4 hill repeats ( 2 backwards, 2 forward).

Evening: Cycling Class at B/Spoke. Mostly hill simulation with a few weighted arm exercises.

Cara guest post B.Spoke

Wednesday:

Tababta Style! Each exercise is 25 seconds on 5 seconds off. 4 cycles for each drill.

  1. Wall climb, hands on ground, legs running up wall.
  2. Lung Backs Prison Style- hands behind head ( 2 cycles each leg).
  3. Squat Jumps with Donkey Kicks.
  4. Wall sits.
  5. Planks with leg raises.
  6. Box Jumps.
  7. Step Ups ( rapid fire! 2 cycles each side).
  8. Single leg squats with bench. Fully sit between squats.
  9. Push Ups ( modify on knees).
  10. Crunches on stability ball.
  11. 2 mins on the bike with resistance high and aim to burn 20 calories in the 2 mins.

Repeat entire cycle for full one hour workout.

Cara guest post tabata

Thursday:

Hills and Drills! I headed to Beacon Hill and ran 10 hills with 5 squat thrusts at the top of each hill. Finished with 10 hills and 50 squat thrusts and some burning legs.

Cara guest post hills and drills

Friday:

Free Friday Bootcamps at Christopher Columbus Park 6:30am with Beantown Bootcamp. A mix of cardio/ strength/ agility always changing and motivating!

Cara guest post bootcamp

Saturday: (typically my long run day but this weekend moved to Monday)

4 rounds in a tennis tournament aka 6 hours of tennis. A full body work out if ever there was one!

Cara guest post tennis

Sunday:

30 min yoga for runners DVD

75 mins elliptical cross training

Cara guest post yoga

Here is a total body do anywhere workout for your to try this week on your own. You can watch the video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwtu6bYowRU

Do Anywhere Work Out:

  • 25 Jumping Jacks ( straight arms and legs, clap those hands together at the top!)
  • 25 Push Ups ( modify on knees or challenge yourself and use a desk/ chair elevate your shoulders higher then your feet).
  • 25 Jump Lunges ( Total, make that knee touch the ground! Stand tall!  Belly button pointing straight ahead)
  • 25 Dips ( move the legs further out to make it harder, remember to drop down straight and aim for getting that bum close to the ground!
  • 25 Sit Ups ( come all the way up- touch those toes!)
  • 25 Burpees ( challenge yourself with a hand release at the bottom, stand up straight at the top of each one).
  • 25 Squats ( get low! Drop that bum below those knees, chin up, belly button facing straight out, not down!)

Repeat 4 times.

Nice work! You just completed 100 Jumping Jacks, 100 Push Ups, 100 Jump Lunges, 100 Dips, 100 Sit Ups, 100 Burpees, 100 Squats

You can follow me to find some fun fitness ideas and motivation!

https://www.facebook.com/cara.elisa.5

https://twitter.com/carabednar

http://instagram.com/marbleheadmarathoner

https://www.youtube.com/user/carabednar/videos

http://www.corepower.com/cara-bednar-pages-81.php

Thanks again for having me!

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How about those workouts, right?! I love how Cara varies her workouts from day to day- it really is the ultimate way to see changes and keep your body guessing and growing stronger. Big thanks, again, to Cara for sharing a week of her workouts with us!

Questions for you: Have you been to Beantown Bootcamp? What’s your favorite sport to play (that ultimately replaces a workout)?

Let me know if you try any of the workouts that Cara shared with us- I know I will be trying them!

Weekending: Red Lantern, BBQ, Grocery Shopping Fail and Festa Italiana

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Good morning! How are you doing today? I slept terribly on Sunday night because of a weird stomach ache, so I feel like I’m still catching up on sleep. This past weekend was perfect in so many ways. Even though the weather was not great and ended up causing us to cancel a Cape trip, we still found lots of fun things to do. I have to admit, after having been on the road for the past number of weekends, it was nice to stick around Boston for a bit!

Friday Night

After work on Friday, I ran some errands (including trip to Lens Crafters where they replaced my glasses for $25!! So happy I bought the protection plan. Best thing ever!) and then came home and sat on my back patio for a while. It was nice- I haven’t had a chance to do that enough this summer. And, my dad told me to “watch my garden” for 10 minutes a day… does watching it for a half hour count for 3 days worth of watching? It is coming along quite well!.

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Later, RM and I went to Red Lantern for dinner. I had bought a Living Social deal a while back that was due to expire soon, so it was the perfect time to use it! Although the prices are rather high for both drinks and food, everything we had was delicious and I would definitely go back. Even better? They have a whole Gluten Free sushi menu which is awesome.

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Saturday

After teaching a very sweaty kickboxing class, I went to get a pedicure at Queen Bee Nails- my favorite place to get them! Between my nails and new toe color, I’m going a little bright with my colors this summer. It’s a fun change!

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In the afternoon, RM and I headed to my friend Amy’s apartment for a drink with a few other friends before going to a summer BBQ at Rachel and Dan’s apartment. We had lots of good food and about a million good laughs while playing Cards Against Humanity. That game gets funnier every time I play it!

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The best part about Saturday afternoon parties? You still get home early… I am so old!

Sunday

I woke up and did some yoga and core work while RM made us some delicious Pumpkin Walnut Banana Protein Paleo pancakes. I’m not a big pancake person but these are amazing because they actually keep me full for a long time!

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Once we were digested, we headed out for a long power walk. I think we covered about 3.5 miles before calling it quits to *attempt* grocery shopping. Have you heard about all the Market Basket drama?? We hadn’t, so you can imagine our faces when we walked in and were faced with this scene:

IMG_8135 IMG_8136It was the craziest thing ever- we literally couldn’t even shop because there was NOTHING to choose from. So frustrating. I hope everything gets settled and back to normal asap!

We headed to RM’s mom’s house for a late afternoon lunch/early dinner. She is from Italy and makes the most amazing food, which yesterday included Eggplant parmesan with home grown eggplants. Wow. It was SO good and I’m so happy she gave me leftovers to eat this week!

Later in the evening, we met up with some of his friends/family at the Festa Italiana, which is an Italian Festival/Fair in Newton. There was live music, beer/wine, lots of fair food and rides. I love stuff like this so I was in my element!

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In addition to some delicious Carlo Rossi (I can’t say that with a straight face…), we had some oysters and an ice cream cone. No wonder why I was up all Sunday night with a stomach ache- those are dumb things to mix in one night!

All in all, though, it was a really great weekend… the only thing missing was hanging out with my family 😦 I miss them!

Questions for you: Have you been to Red Lantern? What’s your favorite Sushi roll? Where do you get your pedicures? Have you been to any BBQ’s this summer?

This Week: Workouts, Announcements & Things I’m Looking Forward To (CHICAGO!)

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Good morning and happy Monday, friends! It feels weird not having started my day teaching my 6am Muscle Work class. I have to say, although it’s not necessarily fun getting up and to the gym that early, especially on a Monday morning, it sure makes for a much better day knowing my workout is done and over with and I can spend my evening relaxing, blog writing and cooking!

I’ve got lots going on this week, but think the most important thing to talk about first is a BIG (at least for me) change I made recently. It wasn’t an easy decision and although I wanted some consistency in my day to day, especially after my other big change, I felt like it was the right thing for me to do right now. It was something I needed to do, even though it was a really hard decision to make. You ask what that is?

I have decided to give up my teaching my Thursday night double.

I know- it kind of came out of nowhere after my one (err 5) too many little mental breakdowns I’ve had over the past couple of months. I just realized that something had to give, and although I didn’t want it to be my classes and teaching schedule, I realized that, ultimately, that was giving me the most stress and wearing me down the most. By the time Thursday afternoons came around and I realized I was going to have to gear up to teach my double after work, sheer dread came over me. And, it’s not like this happened once and a while. It started to be a weekly thing. I didn’t feel this way before any other class, so I can only attribute it to how much energy it takes for me to teach and DO a double, generally after an intense workout on Wednesday night, too.

Granted, by the time I finished my second cool down of the night and I knew it was time to go home I was fine, but I realized that I shouldn’t go into a workout or teaching a class dreading it. I- and my members- deserve more than that, so I decided that I needed to give up those classes to help free some time up in my schedule and hopefully allow some extra room for me to, dare I say it? RELAX. I can’t be entirely sure that will happen, but I will say it will be nice to be able to do things on Thursday nights, especially during the summer.

I’ve got some other things brewing on the back burner with regards to some new teaching opportunities, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy having 2+ hours back to my Thursdays. My last class is THIS week and I’m dreading it already. I’m going to miss my members so much! I’ve grown the 5:30 SHRED class from 3 or 4 people to generally 16-20 people and I’ve grown my kickboxing class to an average of 16 people (and before me there was no kickboxing class, so I had to build that all on my own). These members come to my classes week after week, ready for any of the crazy (and, I mean that- I throw some weird stuff at them) things I think up and throw into the mix. We’ve grown to know each other as more than just the person standing next to you in class, so it’s going to be weird to not see them as much anymore. One of the members said he felt like I was dumping them, and it broke my heart a little! Luckily, I’ve decided to keep my Wednesday night UXF Burn class at that gym so at least I’ll still see most of them… they’re just going to have to get used to only 1 dose of me, not 3.

So, with that said. I’m hoping this change will help bring a better balance to my life. I’ve been juggling teaching an average of 5 classes a week, working 40 hours, commuting, writing this little blog, spending a lot of time with RM and friends and going away on the weekends that if I didn’t cut back somewhere, I was going to break. I’m sad to end this chapter but excited to have more time for my own workouts (maybe even start to consistently lift heavier) and try out other classes in the area.

OK, enough heavy talk… let’s get to the workouts!

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I taught my 6am Muscle Work class, which did include cardio, and then did 15 minutes on the stair stepper again.
  • Tuesday- The heat and humidity were killer on Tuesday night so I ended up cutting my run at 3 miles and then doing a butt kicking bootcamp-style workout finisher. I’ll post it on Wednesday for you!
  • Wednesday- I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill before teaching (and doing most of) my SHRED class. It was a big class, likely because of the rainy weather, but I’ll take it! I even had a coworker come and there were 4 guys in the class!
  • Thursday- I taught SHRED and then Kickboxing… lots of members in both- we had fun!
  • Friday- Nothing. I went for a 15 minute walk during lunch but otherwise rested.
  • Saturday– After 2 weeks away from my Saturday kickboxing class at the Oak Square YMCA, I was back! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: that class is the best start of my weekend! We worked so hard and I love seeing the members push themselves each time I’m there.
  • Sunday- I got up and did 20 minutes of yoga and then 15 minutes of core and glute work at RM’s apartment before we went for a 45 min power walk. We went for another stroll after our afternoon meal at his moms, too.

This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- Not sure! I’d love to get in a workout during the day, but it may be an after work thing.
  • Tuesday- I have a hair appointment after work so I’ll either try to get to a muscle class during the day or do something before work.
  • Wednesday- Teaching UXF Burn and probably running beforehand.
  • Thursday- Teaching my LAST Thursday double *tears*. Dana requested stations during SHRED, so I may do that and some partner work at the end. Kickboxing requests? Maybe the booty burner?
  • Friday- I am going to Chicago for a long weekend and we have an early flight so my guess is that I won’t get up for a workout, especially after a Thursday night double!
  • Saturday-Monday- I’m not sure. Like I said, I’ll be in Chicago so I’m sure I’ll be doing lots of walking, but knowing me I’ll be getting some other workouts in as well 🙂

Things I’m Looking Forward To

So many things this week! My 2nd Stitch Fix is coming in today, so hopefully they gave me good stuff for Chicago. I’m also getting my hair cut, which is long overdue. Lastly, I’m going to Chicago for the weekend. A longggg time ago my friend Jessi asked if anyone wanted to go (she was going with her boyfriend and his friends) so my friend Lauren and I jumped at it and booked our stuff. Sadly, Lauren ended up not being able to go so I asked RM and he was game since it’s a city he’s never been to. I can’t wait to go back and do more exploring and hang out with my friend JP again! We are also having dinner at the top of the Sears tower and going to a Cubs game- I am SO excited!!

Questions for you: What was the best workout you had last week? Boston friends- do you have suggestions for any new workouts in the city to try since I’m going to have more free time? Any suggestions on what to do while in Chicago during the summer? I was there in November (Boston>Dallas>Chicago, Chicago: Part1 {Shopping and Bar Hopping}, Chicago: Part 2 {The Bean, Navy Pier, Boat Tour, Brewery}, Chicago: Part 3 {Brunching, Architecture Tour, Homemade Dinner}), but I feel like there’s still a lot of stuff that I didn’t get to do!