Tag: Boston

Weekending: Massages, Farmer’s Market, Lots of Shopping & Grill 23

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Good morning! It’s time to talk about the weekend! I don’t know about you, but I feel like Tuesdays are a lot harder than Mondays. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it has to do with the fact that I generally just roll into Mondays without much thought and I’m usually pretty busy, so the day goes by fast. Tuesdays, though, are the days where everything from the weekend tends to catch up with me. It’s terrible getting out of bed, I’m yawning all day, and I have to really give myself a pep talk to get a workout in, because I know that’s exactly what I need to get some energy.

Friday

I treated RM and myself to massages at Exhale Spa. Per usual, the experience was perfect: relaxing, calming and just a really nice escape from reality. After our massages, we headed to Whole Foods to get dinner: salmon, spinach and carrots. Paired with a nice Malbec and you have a happy Monique.

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We started Saturday morning by making a trip to the Waltham Farmers Market. Athena and Ashley- thanks for the great recommendation! RM got some meat and I came home with a bunch of veggies, for half the cost of what I’d pay at the store. The only annoying this is that I could be getting these from my dad for free if I was going home anytime soon!

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We also stopped at Whole Foods again for weekly groceries and I splurged on a couple of festive treats. Pumpkin Fig granola and Pumpkin Cranberry “chips”? Yes, please.

After lunch, we headed to Assembly Place to check out the new stores. Although it was beyond crowded (hello, rainy Saturday), we were able to shop around enough to get some great deals. I forgot to take pics of everything, but here’s a pic of one shirt I got, as well as the necklace RM gave me for our anniversary.

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He also got me a gorgeous handmade frame. These are really special things because they are handmade in India. I can’t wait to get a picture of us to put in the frame.

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Although it was really tempting to stay in on Saturday night because of the rain, we made our way to dinner at Grill 23, which is one of the nice steak houses in the city that I had not been to yet. Per usual, we scored seats at the bar and enjoyed drinks, oysters and a delicious meal.

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Not the best pic, but oh well! It was a great dinner and so fun to finally have a weekend date night!

We went for a nice walk on Sunday and then headed into the city for some more shopping. It was too nice to be stuck inside all day!

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Later that evening, we came back to my place so I could do my Sunday meal prep. I had a lot going on: stuffed peppers, meatballs, acorn squash, roasted veggies, sautéed veggies, quinoa and kale. #thankgoodnessforwine

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I also whipped up a batch of these beauties. Grain free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins? Ummm, yes. I added in walnuts, coconut flakes and did half almond meal, half coconut flour and they came out SO good. Such a healthy, tasty treat!

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And, there you have it. Another weekend roundup in the books. Although we were on the go a lot all weekend, we didn’t have a timeframe which was wonderful. We did what we wanted when we wanted- if only all weekends could be like that!

Your turn! What did you do over the weekend? Have you been to Grill 23? Do you go to a farmer’s market? Have you baked any festive treats yet?

Introducing #BosFIT: Workouts, advice and swag bags (and a chance for you to go for FREE)

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Good morning! I don’t have a workout for you today, but I DO have a chance for you to attend an awesome workout event this weekend, so I think that counts for something, right?! I feel so fortunate to have been contacted by an event coordinator at Bostinno to introduce me to an AWESOME event they are hosting this weekend. #BosFIT is being held this Saturday from 9-12:30 at The Club- by George Foreman III.

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#BosFIT is THE event to attend if you’re a fitness addict like myself. They’ve got a bunch of 30 minute workouts to try from some of the leading “boutique” studios in the city, including Barry’s Bootcamp, BollyX, The Club by George Foreman III and even more that they haven’t announced yet. On top of that, they are holding panel sessions with some top nutritionists and trainers in the Boston area AND everyone will go home with a pretty sweet swag bag which includes 2 free weeks of classes at Health Yoga Life, a free class at Pursuit Boston and Burn Fitness Studios, a 3 pack of classes at The Club and so much more.

Oh, and did I mention it’s only $27?! That’s the price of going to ONE class at some of Boston’s leading studios.

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering where the heck you can buy a ticket because the event sounds THAT awesome, right? I’ll help ya out 😉 Head on over to the Eventbrite page to get additional details and to purchase your ticket.

But… it gets even better! I was lucky enough to be given TWO tickets for the event, which means I get to give away one of those tickets to one of you. Cool, right? There are 4 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me what excites you the most about the event.

2. “Like” Burpees to Bubbly on Facebook

3. Follow Burpees to Bubbly on Twitter

4. Tweet or share details about the even on Twitter or Facebook. Make sure to use the hashtag #BosFIT and also tag @BostInno

Leave a comment for each thing you do- I will pick a winner on Friday morning. I can’t wait to workout with one of you 🙂

I cannot tell you how excited I am for the event this weekend. I love getting a chance to try out a bunch of different classes at different studios in Boston because it gives you a chance to see what you like and don’t like and what ones you’d want to visit for the “real deal”. I can’t wait to see what professionals they are going to have on the various panels AND since we all know I’m a sucker for free swag, that swag bag with all those free class offers is pretty much like Christmas for this girl. I hope to see some of you there- it’s a great way to start your Saturday and #earnyourweekend, like I always like to say.

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.

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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!

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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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Boston Day of Fun, Pat Green Concert & Easter Weekend in Maine {Recap}

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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there’s nothing like the feeling of spending a weekend home in Maine. I come back to the city feeling totally re-charged. I love the fast-paced, city life style 95% of the time, but after weeks and weeks of that, it feels really great to come home to Maine for a slower-paced, less busy weekend.

I cannot tell you how amazing it was to have Friday off. I don’t know what my problem was last week, but I had ZERO desire to work. I managed to get through it, but it wasn’t fun! Friday started off with a much-needed hair cut, followed by a sushi lunch with the guy. We had planned to have a “day of fun” in the city since I had the day off and he had a half day.

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After lunch, we headed to Copley and did some shopping. I got my watch fixed and he scored big time at J. Crew. We finished the day at The Salty Pig, which would have been better if it wasn’t Good Friday (meaning we could eat meat). But! They had Gluten Free beers and a great music selection, so it was the perfect way to end our day.

That night, I had plans to go to the Pat Green concert at the House of Blues with my sister and some friends. Danielle surprised me with tickets for my birthday and even though I had never heard of him, I was excited to go to a country concert with a fun group of people!

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After a very sweaty (per usual) and still fairly packed kickboxing class on Saturday morning, Danielle and I headed north for the rest of the weekend. We met our mom in Kennebunkport for lunch at Federal Jacks, which was delicious! I got the beef and barley soup (so random, but it sounded so good) and the strawberry and goat cheese salad. I knew I had to go try on clothes after lunch so I wanted to keep it on the lighter side.

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After shopping around at PJ’s Unique Peek for an outfit to wear in the fashion show next weekend, we headed home to finally see dad! He and I prepped veggies and meat for the BBQ- I cannot tell you how excited I was to have a BBQ!

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Danielle and I were in bed and asleep before 10pm… and didn’t wake up until 8:45 on Sunday morning. I haven’t slept that long in who knows when and it was amazing!!! We did Easter baskets, church, brunch and then helped dad clean up the wood on the lawn (for the winter months) Mom and I went for a nice 40 minute walk and then we all had a bonfire until it was time to cook dinner.

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We had an absolutely wonderful meal… so good that I think I need to share it with you soon 😉

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All in all, it was such a good weekend! From the time I woke up on Friday, to the time I went to bed on Sunday (ahhh, the joys of having a flexible job that allows me to work from home in Maine!), I pretty much had a non-stop smile on. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life- both family and friends, and getting some solid, uninterrupted family time over the weekend was exactly what I needed after a very hectic March and April.

I hope all of you had a nice Easter celebration (if you celebrate it)!

Questions for you: Have you heard of Pat Green? Do you like going to concerts? What did you do for Easter- was it a small celebration or a big family thing? Were you able to enjoy the nice weather?

Indoor Cycling at Flywheel

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If you read my post on my experience at Recycle Studio, it’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of indoor cycling. In fact, I don’t know if I can go back to regular spinning. I love the experience that indoor cycling classes bring: loud music, crazy good energy, great choreography AND the addition of weights for some upper body work and sometimes even core work. When I workout- unless I’m planning to just do lower or upper body or core workouts- I like to leave the gym or studio feeling like I had a total body workout. I feel like indoor cycling accomplishes that far more than just a regular spin class. It’s more bang for your buck (and that’s necessary when you’re dropping $$$ on boutique studio classes) and I’m all about that.

With that said, it was a no brainer that I wanted to go to a blogger event that was being hosted at Flywheel last weekend. I’m on a serious “boutique studio” kick, whether it be barre, yoga, indoor cycling, bootcamps (you get the idea), so having a chance to try out a “new” studio without having to pay the hefty class fee the boutique studios charge was pretty awesome.

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Anyway! I headed to the Prudential Center at 1pm last Saturday for the event. I love blogging events because it’s so fun to meet other bloggers and hear about what they blog about and to make that connection with each other. I was stoked to see Stacey and Sarah, as well as meet a bunch of new ones (Lucie was a total sweetheart and I want to have her do fitness photos of me!).

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I was surprised to see how big the room was! I feel like boutique studios are often on the smaller side and space seems to always be limited (I had to sign up a week in advance for a class at Recycle!), but I think Flywheel had over 40 bikes set up in a stadium seating manner and I can only imagine what the energy would feel like if the room was packed- I love that!

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I was a little nervous going into the event because I heard that they post your speeds up on monitors… ummm, while I am very competitive, I wasn’t stoked about this because spinning/cycling isn’t my thing and I didn’t want that type of competition to hinder my experience. The instructor did use the monitors, but I liked that she only displayed our speeds when she wanted us to push ourselves. It really does serve as great motivation and I’m happy to say I didn’t get caught up on the rankings! My legs were beat from having taught kickboxing earlier in the day, so I knew I wasn’t able to give the ride my all and I was ok with that.

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Flywheel was different from Recycle in that the rides were not as choreographed at Flywheel as they were at Recycle. The rides at Flywheel were more interval based, which was a nice change and they definitely pushed my boundaries and forced me to get out of my comfort zone. I loved that the bikes had little screens so you could see your level (torque), RPMs and power. I’m a big numbers person, so being able to know where I should be level and RPM-wise helps me pace myself and push myself.

We used weight sticks for upper body strength training for 1 song and I loved it. My arms didn’t burn as much as they did during Lindsay’s arm song in her Recycle class, but it was still a good burn. We didn’t incorporate any core or chest exercises at Flywheel like we did at Recycle, but I think that’s the difference between the two: Flywheel is more interval based and Recycle was more total body/choreographed… or at least that’s how it seemed to me based off of my experience at both.

What I love about Flywheel is the fact that they offer a “first class free” pass, which I think is SO important at these boutique studios. Classes are expensive and I think a lot of people don’t even try it out because they don’t want to drop $25-$30 on an hour long class (which I totally get, I’m just a sucker for new fitness classes and know (hope) that the classes will be worth the money… which they usually are!), so offering a first class free option is a great way to get people in the door!

All in all, I loved my experience at Flywheel and definitely look forward to going back, maybe with my sister since she’s been spinning lately and would love to take advantage of a free class pass!

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Also, big thanks to Jessica for setting up such a fun blogger event! And big thanks to City Sports and all the other vendors who provided the best goodie bag treats. I’m a sucker for free things AND treats, so goodie bags are like my favorite things 😉

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So, if you’re looking for a fun place to workout and get an incredible workout (seriously, my quads were BURNING and I was soaked by the end!), definitely head on over to Flywheel and you can snag your first class free!

Questions for you: Have you been to Flywheel? What’s your favorite type of spin class? Intervals/Endurance/Choreographed/Song Tempo? Are you a sucker for giveaways?