Category: Boston

Weekending: Home improvement is hard work!

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Good morning, friends! How was your weekend? This was the first weekend in a really long time where we were around ALL weekend, without many plans, too! It worked out really well since RM and I were really itching to finish home improvement projects and get more unpacked. Living in a half unpacked apartment for 2 weeks has been challenging, to say the least!

For those of you who may not know the whole story, no, we did not buy a home! We are renting a 2 bedroom apartment in a 2-family home that RM’s mother owns (she doesn’t live in it, in case you’re wondering 🙂 )and it really needed some serious updating. To help keep the costs down for his mom, we have taken on projects that we can do: painting, sanding, etc. Ideally, we would’ve done this BEFORE we moved in, but we didn’t want her to go a month without rent so we’ve been living and renovating at the same time. While it hasn’t been terrible, we are both really ready to be done the renovations and be fully settled in!

But, before we got to renovations, let’s talk about the weekend. I met up with RM in the city after work since it was such a gorgeous night (and because I had an appointment in the city at 6pm so it worked out great). We started at Vanderbilt (used to be The Vault) and then decided it was too nice to have drinks inside and went over to Sterling’s because they have a great outdoor patio.

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Once we got home, we decided to walk over to Buff’s Pub since it’s so close AND so good. I got a delicious Gyro-style wrap and RM got their famous wings. Both were delicious!

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After kickboxing on Saturday, I ran a bunch of errands, including a stop at Watertown Main Street Florist, where my friend Jen works on Saturdays. She hooked me up with a beautiful bouquet of fall-esque flowers. Thanks, friend!
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Summer is a great time for juices, smoothies & acai bowls! {Review: Thirst Juice Co.}

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Good morning! I’m finally back to the grind after a mini “vacation”. RM and I took Friday and Monday off for a weekend getaway in Maine. My friend, Meredith, got married up in Boothbay Harbor so we figured we might as well extend the trip since we didn’t have any summer getaways besides Cape weekends. I can’t wait to share pictures from the wedding and the amazing Inn we stayed at, but first, let’s talk about juices, smoothies and acai bowls.

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I’ve mentioned a few times that I hate making smoothies. I love drinking them and think they are a great way to sneakily get more fruits and veggies into your diet, but the thought of getting out the blender and ingredients to make one, and then cleaning the blender after, just isn’t appealing to me. I also find myself not always feeling satisfied after a smoothie or juice because I haven’t gone through the act of actually CHEWING anything. Weird, I know, but I do think that’s something I can train myself to get over, so when Heather, one of the owners/founders of Thirst Juice Co. reached out and invited me into the shop to try out some juices, smoothies and acai bowls, I happily agreed to head over!

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There are so many things that I love about the company- I love that Heather and her husband left their corporate jobs as lawyers in NYC to come to Boston to start up a juice/smoothie company. I love that she and I chatted nonstop about health/fitness. I love that all of the options were healthy- truly healthy. I love that she was so knowledgeable and passionate about the company and benefits of juicing and power smoothies. I could go on and on, but first let’s talk about what I tried. Unfortunately RM wasn’t able to join me, but they did a good job of giving me smaller samples so I could still get a taste for everything.

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For juices, I tried the Kaleidoscope (kale, spinach, carrot, pineapple) and Buddabeet (beet, carrot, pear, pineapple, ginger)- side note: how fun are these names?! I thought they were both delicious, which says a lot because I am not a big “juicer”. Even though Heather said the Buddabeet is their sweetest/least vegetable tasting juice, I thought the Kaleidoscope was actually sweeter!

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Next up were the smoothies- my favorite! I forgot to write down what ones I tried, but I *think* I tried the Vitamin “G”reen (Kale, spinach, mango, banana, pineapple, coconut water) and the Peruvian Pick Me Up (Mango, rolled oats, banana, dates, almond milk, maca). Both were really, really tasty- and super filling!

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My final sample was the infamous Acai Bowl! Loaded with anti-oxidants, it seems as though Acai Bowls are allll the rage these days. The first and only other time I had one was in Hawaii, long before they were as popular and trendy as they are now! I choose the Peanut Butter Acai Bowl (Peanut butter, acai, cacao powder, blueberries, banana, almond milk, topped with granola), but we put the topping from the Coconut bowl because it was more fun (granola, banana and coconut flakes). The verdict? I LOVED it!

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The only problem is that it was so pretty I almost didn’t want to eat it… almost 😉

All in all, I really loved my visit to Thirst Juice Co. and left there with a very full belly 🙂 I think Heather and her husband have done a tremendous job of bringing a little more “healthy” to Boston. If you’re looking to see more of what they have to offer, head on over to their menu page- everything sounds so delicious!

Thanks for having me in, Heather- I can’t wait to go back!

Questions for you: Have you ever had an Acai bowl? Do you drink smoothies or juices?

Weekending: Girls night, Cape Weekend & Boston Sunday Funday

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Good morning! Although we ended up leaving the Cape early on Sunday due to crap weather, it was a really fun weekend! Here’s a picture recap- with some descriptions, because I love words! My girlfriends and I went to Brewers Fork in Charlestown on Thursday night for my friend Jessi’s birthday- if you’re looking for good pizza, I suggest checking it out. We all loved it!

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Sunset on the way home.. yes, we were on our way home before 8pm. We have officially gotten old because our weeknight get together events end early.

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Since I took a rest day on Thursday (more on that tomorrow), I went to the gym on Friday. I did an Jill Fit workout and felt it was appropriate for a #flexfriday post 😉

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Friday night, RM and I headed to the Cape for the weekend and stopped at the local Cotuit hang-out, the Kettle Ho for dinner. Mom- how about this pour of Kendall Jackson?
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Weekending: A Boston Summer Weekend

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It’s crazy to think that we spent all of last weekend in Boston. I can’t remember the last time we did that during the summer months and even though I had wished we were at the Cape since the weather was so gorgeous, it was so nice just being close to home and not having to deal with summer traffic! Here’s a picture-focused post with the weekend highlights- enjoy!

  • Making good use of time by going for a walk while waiting for my oil to get changed

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  • Beautiful sky on my way to dinner with some friends in the North End

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  • Saturday afternoon at the beach

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  • Dinner and margs at Tico in the Back Bay- absolutely delicious!

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  • To get some movement in on my rest day, I walked to church and then walked to Shaws and the liquor store- it was a heavy walk home!

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  • Delicious fruit salad that I whipped together before going to a pool party

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  • I could get used to this- absolutely gorgeous!

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  • Hazy, hot and humid during my morning 4 miler- so happy to have done it first thing!

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Questions for you: What did you do this weekend? Did you go anywhere or stay local? How did you survive the heat? Do you prefer the beach or pool? 

Studio Review: Cyc Fitness Boston

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Disclaimer: I was provided some free classes in exchange for this post. As always, these are my honest thoughts and opinions on the studio I’m reviewing.

Last week I had the opportunity to check out a new Boston indoor cycling studio, Cyc Fitness, which is located at 50 Park Plaza inside the David Barton gym. The gym itself is really easy to locate AND they validate your parking ticket at a near by garage so you only have to pay $7, which is a steal in Boston. I was able to bring my sister with me and we had no problem getting to the gym and checked in. Since Cyc is inside the David Barton gym, you have access to their locker room, which was beautiful and fully equipped with everything you’d need to get ready for the day or night after your workout. Checking out nice locker rooms is such a treat since the Y and BSC aren’t known for having fancy, well equipped ones 😉

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We got to the class in plenty of time to change our shoes and get set up on the bike. The room is set up in a horseshoe-like shape and it seemed as though it was really big. I was happy that our class was mostly full since I think it makes the class better when you can feed off of everyone’s energy. The bikes were pretty standard bikes, but we both mentioned how we loved the shoes- maybe it’s because they were brand new and therefore more cushiony? Who knows, but I’ll take it! Another difference was the weights. Unlike using a bar at Flywheel or small hand weights at Recycle, B/Spoke, etc., we used small sand bags which was kind of cool. With all the indoor cycling studios in Boston I’m happy when studios try and do something that sets them apart from all the others.

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