I ate a real cheeseburger… white bun and all…

“I’ll have a ground turkey burger, no cheese and no bun, please”

Umm. No thank you. While that was something I maybe ordered once in my life years ago when I had some food issues, these days I’ll take a real beef burger, with cheese and with a bun, thankyouverymuch. A cheese burger isn’t something I eat on a weekly basis, so when I have the opportunity to eat one, I want it to be good. Real good. And to me, that’s accomplished when you use good, organic, grass fed beef, a nice strong cheese and a simple bun.

Over the weekend, RM and I grilled on my back deck and when I was going to the store to get the necessities, he specifically requested “those white buns, the cheap ones, with sesame seeds on top.” Granted, my first thought was “you’re kidding me, right?!”, because standard, basic, “cheap” white bread is not something we generally eat, but I have to say- it made for a pretty fantastic burger.

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The thing is, when you get all fancy with a super big, bulky, non-white roll, it generally ends up taking over the lead role (I initially wrote ‘roll’… subconscious pun intended??) in the dish. No offense to all you bun lovers out there- I want the meat (and cheese!) to be the start of the show. That’s what I’m most looking forward to when I have a burger. And even though that’s the case, it doesn’t mean I am about to order a bunless burger because where is the fun in that?! I often pick off the extra bread/roll for my burger, but there’s something to wonderful about grabbing a bunned burger and taking that first bite. Summer perfection, in my eyes! Served with a side of corn, pasta salad and/or chips and I’m pretty darn happy 🙂

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If you’re interested, here’s the “ingredients” list for the burgers we made over the weekend:

  • 1lb. organic, grass fed beef (ours was Angus and delicious)
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped very small
  • 1/2 chopped red pepper, chopped very small
  • garlic powder, salt & pepper, oregano and/or any other herbs/seasoning you prefer- to your liking (a few shakes for each is what I did)
  • 8 slices of block pepperjack cheese
  • 4 hamburger buns (we used standard Shaw’s brand white sesame seeded buns, but feel free to go a healthier route if you want!)

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Chop your pepper and onion and use your hands to mix the beef with the veggies and herbs/seasoning. If you want big burgers, create 4 equal size patties and grill ’em up! I ended up making 6 smaller size ones and we froze 2 so that we could have them on hand for the next time we wanted a spur of the moment burger.

Questions for you: Do you like cheeseburgers? Do you prefer fancy rolls, simple white rolls or no rolls? What’s your favorite thing to grill?

Weekending & Life Lately Catch-Up

Good morning! I hope you all had a great weekend 🙂 Mine was really pretty great and I actually took pictures so I thought I’d spend today sharing those with you! But, before I get to that, let’s catch up over the past couple of weeks. I can’t believe we’ve been back from Italy for over 3 weeks- seems like just yesterday we were packing up to go there.

  • I’ve been working out outside a lot- whether in the form of running or bootcamp style workouts. With the nicer weather upon us, I just want to be outside as much as possible!

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  • But, I’m also loving being back in the gym with weights and strength training! Feels so good to leave the gym with jello-feeling everything 🙂

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  • I’m participating in Neghar Fonooni’s Bikini Rebellion challenge this month and am more than obsessed with it. If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve probably seen some very personal, “leave it all on the table” types of posts, which has been hard, but also really refreshing.
  • We’ve been loving healthy, light meals. In the heat, it’s awesome to throw something together quickly!

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  • My curly hair is back… BIG and back! I was afraid my curls were going away over the winter, but fear not… it was just the dry weather that made my hair less curly than usual!

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Weekending: Barry’s Bootcamp Roof Deck Workout & A Maine Visit

Good morning! I hope today’s off to a great start for all of you. The weather is supposed to be perfect all week, so for all of you who may be vacationing, I’m jealous! I was also very jealous listening to my mom and her friends plan out their week: beach day, pool day, lake day, baseball game. Retirement/summer vacation seems pretty awesome!

Last weekend was a blast! It was nice to have a night in Boston, but even nicer to escape the city for a night and head up to Maine.

Friday

My gym friend, Jen, somehow found out about a bootcamp that Barry’s Bootcamp was offering on the roof deck of the Revere Hotel and when I found out it was on a night I could go, I jumped at the chance! It was $20 which included the 60 minute workout and a cocktail… can’t really go wrong with that 😉

photo 3I wasn’t sure what to expect for the workout, but I was expecting hard since the last time I went to Barry’s I died a little. Mostly because of the treadmill runs, but still, it was tough! I knew there wouldn’t be treadmills for this workout, but I was expecting a lot of burpees and other cardio exercises, which sadly, we didn’t do!

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All in all, though, the workout was pretty tough! We just used resistant bands and our body weight and worked all the big muscles. The arm sections were by far the hardest part for me- SO. MANY. PUSH-UPS!!! It was good to feel challenged with that! The leg exercises were all things I’ve done before- actually, things I’ve posted videos of here, here, and here! That’s ok, though- still had my legs screaming because we did all of those exercises with booty bands around our ankles. Yikes!

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Once the workout was done, we enjoyed our free cocktail- love gym friends and workout get togethers!

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After, I met RM at City Landing for dinner and drinks. I thought I’d be able to find a shower, but no such luck. Nothing like a little baby-wipe “shower” and running water through the hair to try and look somewhat decent… and clean!

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City Landing has a whole gluten free menu- check out this pizza and Ahi Tuna! Delish!

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Saturday

We got up relatively early for a Saturday and hit the road to head north around 9am. I was afraid of traffic, but the roads were clear the entire time! Sadly, it wasn’t beach weather when we got to Ogunquit, so we grabbed a gluten free breakfast sandwich at Cafe Amore and then walked part of the Marginal Way, which is a gorgeous path along the “cliffs” in Ogunquit.

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So pretty! Once it reached a reasonable time to have our first cocktail, we headed to a favorite: Barnacle Billy’s. RM hadn’t ever been to Ogunquit or Perkins Cove so it was fun to show him around… and introduce him to his first Rum Punch, Billy’s signature cocktail. If you go to Ogunquit, you need to go to Barnacle Billy’s and have one!

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(yes, I realize I’m wearing the same thing as I did Friday night- I promise it was clean!)

The weather finally started to clear and our seats on their upper deck couldn’t have been more perfect! After a few cocktails, we ordered a lobster roll and steamers- holy.yum. Such a delicious lunch!

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On our way home, we stopped in at Shaw’s Ridge for an ice cream and to catch up with Mr. Shaw and Meredith (who, btw, just got engaged!!! So, so, so happy for you and Brandon, Mere!!) and grab an ice cream cone. Mr. Shaw wasn’t there, but it was good to see Mere!

We finally made it to my parents around 4:30… just in time to pick veggies from the garden for dinner (<— love doing that. nothing better!) and start on cocktail hour. We all were responsible for different things and the kitchen was quite busy!

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Dad wanted a lamb, so he did it on the rotisserie- I wasn’t sure I liked lamb but it was delicious! Even cooler? All of the veggies we ate were from our garden or a nearby farm (the corn). There’s just something to be said for the whole “farm to table” way of eating. So fresh and flavorful!

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We finished dad’s 65th bday celebration with a bond fire. It was the most perfect night for one! I think it’s safe to say he had a really great day!

Sunday

After breakfast and some reading, RM and I went on a nice 2 mile stroll. It helped clear my wine headache 😉 By the time we got back, it was getting late to make it to the beach, so we opted for going to our family friend’s pool instead. Poolside, wine in hand, family and friends- can’t get much better than that!

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All in all, it was a really awesome weekend… we were both so sad it had to end! Trips back to MA from ME are always the worst 😦 Luckily I’ll be home for a few nights this weekend!

Questions for you: What did you do this weekend? Have you been to Ogunquit and/or Barnacle Billy’s? Where is your favorite place to get drinks?

10 Things To Do Before Summer Is Over

Hey Friends! Happy Friday! I hope you’ve all had a good week.  Mine was relatively uneventful, but I worked out before work on Monday and Tuesday and it was SO NICE to have some extra time after work to do, well, whatever I wanted! My Tuesday workout wasn’t terrific (I did one of my recent UXF workouts and it is really hard to do those first thing when I don’t have the energy I do at the end of the day!), but it was something so that’s all that matters!

Anyway, I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but ever since August 1st came around, it seems like everyone is officially doing a “summer countdown”. I don’t know about you, but I am NOT ready to even think about summer being over! I know I’m probably not alone when I say this, but I cannot believe how fast the summer has FLOWN by. But! Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to do fun summer things before we officially step into fall.

10 Things To Do Before Summer Is Over

1. Go to a local produce stand and buy fresh summer veggies! Or, visit a friend who has a garden; I’m sure they would love to share the fruits (err, veggies) of their labor. You’ll be amazed at how fresh your salads and meals taste when you eat freshly and locally grown veggies.

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2. Go out on an ice cream adventure! There’s something about going to an ice cream store just to get an ice cream cone. And when I say “ice cream cone”, I mean just that: get real, full fat ice cream. None of that “fro-yo” crap (ok, jk, it’s not crap, but get the good stuff!).

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3. Get outside and enjoy the weather! Go for a run along the water or a pretty trail, grab a friend and go for a power walk to catch up, get an iced coffee and stroll through your city or town. Soak up the nice weather while we still have it!

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4. Find a new beach, grab a good book or magazine and a cooler and take an afternoon for yourself to relax and chill out.

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5. Go shopping! Stores are FULL of summer sales right now, but summer isn’t over yet so everything that’s on sale is still great to wear for the rest of the season. And, getting a good deal is a great feeling 😉

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6. Check out a farmers market and talk with the vendors. They always have loads of information to share! If you’re in the Boston area, you have to check out the SOWA Open Market in the South End. I have only been once, but I’m dying to get back!

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7. Find an outdoor workout class or boot camp to take. My friend, Athena recently went to an outdoor CrossFit Class that looked like SO MUCH fun!

8. Find a fun roof deck or outside bar to go to and spend an afternoon there! Day drink and push all your other “to-do’s” aside! Take advantage of nice weather and the great mood it puts people in.

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9. “Summer clean”. Go through your closet and bureau and clean out everything you haven’t worn in the past year. I recently did this and couldn’t believe how much I could donate!

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10. Make a fun summer cocktail. Sangria is always a good choice and Rachel provided a delicious recipe in her Guest Post a few weeks ago!

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Focus on the now and stop your “days left of summer” countdown. That little trip you’ve been putting on? Plan it! That recipe you’ve wanted to try? Make it! The new restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to? Go! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Questions for you: What’s something on your “summer list” that you still want to do? Favorite roof deck bar? Have you been to any outdoor fitness classes? What’s something I missed?