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

July 22, 2014July 21, 20146 Comments

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!.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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:

It 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!

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?

Weekend Getaway to Miami {recap}

June 19, 201413 Comments

Confession: I’ve never really thought of myself as a “Miami” girl. I thought it was too clubby and too flashy for my liking (and, let’s be honest- I don’t stay out past midnight these days!), but I was so wrong! Miami is a place for everyone- there are clubs if you want them, but if you’re looking for a relaxing getaway with delicious food and great hotels, it’s also the place for that!

We stayed at the Surfcomber Hotel, which was right on Collins Ave in the Art Deco District of Miami. This was a perfect place to stay, in our opinion. The rooms were clean, the service and hospitality were awesome, the food was delicious and the drinks were too easy to drink. We were even served a glass of champagne upon arrival… you had me at hello… right?!

Rather than give you a play by play of the weekend, I’m going to let the pictures do most of the talking. We spent a lot of time at the hotel’s pool and outdoor bar, but we did venture to the ocean once (and when I say “venture”, I mean walk out of the hotel’s property and onto the sand… it was so close!), which was a nice treat since it felt like bath water and I am used to frigid Maine ocean temps. We didn’t do any excursions and ended up staying close to the hotel since it was such a nice place to be and the food was delicious. We did go for a nice, long walk one afternoon to look at the hotels in the Art Deco area (which is where we stayed), but other than that we just wanted to relax. Not having a plan to get up and go elsewhere was a really nice feeling 🙂

Dining– Since RM and I are both “foodies”, we strategically planned out our dinners based on cuisine; Friday we went with sushi, Saturday we did Italian/American and Sunday we did steak. Lunches were a bit sporadic and we ended up sharing things or drinking juices. Overall, though, I was more than pleased with the food options and quality in Miami.

Doraku– The place was packed, but it was well worth the wait (and everyone we spoke with confirmed that it’s the best sushi place in the area).The rolls we got… and the brownie lava dessert… were to die for. The coconut roll was probably my favorite- I’ve never had a “sweet” type of roll- delish!

Maxine’s– This restaurant was across the street from our hotel so we ventured over there for breakfast on our first morning in Miami. While the food was good, the service was not so good.

Bianca at the Delano– For dinner on Saturday night, we went to the Delano, which is an absolutely beautiful, beautiful hotel. We had drinks out by the pool first and then enjoyed dinner at Bianca, which is mostly outdoor seating (perfect!). I cannot put into words how good the food was, but I’ll just say it was drool-worthy. Totally worth the money if you’re in Miami looking for a nice place. I got the salmon and couldn’t stop raving about it!

The Social Club at the hotel- On Sunday and Monday we ate breakfast at the hotel. They had a really nice menu with some healthy options on it. I had Greek yogurt both days and a lot of fresh fruit- absolutely delicious!

We also did lunch from the restaurant a few times. We shared the cheese burger and salad on our first day, which was probably the least healthy thing we ate the whole trip. We really tried to stick to our usual healthy eating, but when you’re on vacation you have to indulge a little! We also juiced one day for lunch since they had a fresh juice bar (amazing!) and the other day I had a raw kale salad which was so, so good.

And if I didn’t have enough good things to say about the hotel, they had a complementary wine hour every day from 5-6; free- champagne upon arrival and free wine every night!? I told you we picked the right hotel!

Meat Market– Our favorite hotel bartender, Summer, suggested that we go to Meat Market for our steak night. Wow. What a great recommendation! We were able to sit outside and it was the most perfect weather for that. We had gotten an app at Monty’s so we jumped right into the food order: we shared a piece of steak, quinoa and avocado salad and sautéed kale. The steak and kale were delicious, but the quinoa and avocado salad kind of stole the show for me. I’m dying to recreate it!

Drinks- Judging by our pictures, it’s no surprise that we did our fair share of drinking! I mean, can you blame us, though?! Sunny, hot weather, being poolside all day, being on vacation… that’s a perfect recipe for drinking if you ask me 😉 Here are some places that we enjoyed drinks at (other than our hotel, which I mentioned earlier all the drinking we did there!).

Delano- Before our dinner on Saturday night, we went to the Delano a little early to have cocktails (stupidly expensive cocktails) by the pool. How gorgeous is this?! You’ve got to visit the Delano if you go to Miami!

Haven Lounge– After dinner one night we went to Haven for a drink. The restaurant had a really cool vibe to it and a great bar area.

Monty’s– This was a bit of a hike from our hotel (had to take a cab), but one of RM’s coworkers told him we “had to go there”. And, while we didn’t want to go, we ended up being happy we did! They have a HUGE outside bar area/swimming pool/live music area which is perfect for daytime drinking. It also looked to be a big place for boaters to dock for lunch. We had a drink and shrimp cocktail and had a great time people watching.

The Gale Hotel– For our post dinner drink after Meat Market, we stopped in at the Gale hotel, which we both fell in love with. The décor and ambiance were awesome and they have a rooftop pool!

By the time Monday morning rolled around, we both agreed that we were not ready to go home.

The weekend was just so perfect! We had a little bit of crappy weather in the afternoon on Sunday, but since we had massages planned, it didn’t end up being a big deal. Other than that, though, the weather was great (but hot!), the accommodations were great, food and drinks were delicious and the company, well, couldn’t have been any better! I’d say we had a really successful trip together and it’s safe to say we’ve already started thinking about where the next weekend getaway will be!

So, if you’re looking for a nice, long weekend getaway, I really would suggest Miami. It’s easy to get to (short 3 hour direct flight), there are lots of hotels to stay at, the beaches are gorgeous and the food was impressive!

Questions for you: Have you been to Miami? Do you plan your days around your meals? Do you like planned out vacations or ones where you just relax and go with the flow?

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

April 22, 2014April 20, 20142 Comments

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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

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?

A jam-packed weekend full of working out & dining out

March 13, 2014March 12, 20145 Comments

Do you ever have those weekends where you’re so busy you feel like you need another day just to breathe and catch up on everything you didn’t catch up on over the weekend? That was me last weekend… and, well, all of last week, actually. I have spent the majority of the beginning of this week catching up on everything I wasn’t able to do last week or this week- my floors need to be washed desperately, but that keeps getting pushed further and further down my list, which is totally ok 🙂

Anyway! After work on Friday, I met up with someone for drinks at Vintage Lounge, which I hadn’t been to in years! From there, we headed to Sakurabana for sushi (as a Catholic, I’m not supposed to eat meat on Friday’s during lent, so sushi was a perfect option!).

Saturday started with kickboxing (loved seeing Jen, Mary, Valerie, Dani and all the other familiar faces!) as my first workout and then I met my sister at Exhale Spa for a Core Fusion Cardio class with my sister. We met up with our friend, Jessi, for lunch at Anthem. It was such a beautiful day in the city- perfect for walking around and having lunch out (actually, who am I kidding- any day is a great day for lunch out in my mind!). We shared a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, the Fondue (cannot go there without getting it- SO SO SO good) and a pizza.

I did some serious bar/restaurant hopping on Saturday night, which was great at the time, but not so great when I had to wake up at 7:45am on Sunday to teach a 9am class, after having gone to bed at 1:30am and losing an hour of sleep due to the time change. Womp. Oh well, I made sure to not drink too much so at least I wasn’t hungover! My Saturday night locations included: Prima E Dopo, Back Bay Social Club, M Bar at the Mandarin Hotel and finally Towne… phew! I wasn’t kidding when I said I hopped around 😉

Sunday I taught my 7th class of the week, puttered at Target and then did my CPR recertification. Not really my favorite way to spend a Sunday, but I didn’t really have a choice!

Lunch at Pizza Etc. after the recertification did make me happy… I’ve missed their Greek salad with grilled chicken. When I lived in Brighton, Rachel and I would get that salad once a week!

By the time I grocery shopped and got home, the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner. I ended up going to Santarpio’s to grab pizza… not the healthiest choice, but I had been craving it for a while so I decided to just do it. It did give me a crazy bad stomach ache later on- I wonder if it was the pizza or just the fact that I had eaten out literally all weekend.

By the time Monday rolled around, I was so ready for my usual clean eats! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy eating out and would never deprive myself of it, but my body just likes it better when I don’t eat out consecutively for days in a row. I used to let it bother me when I would eat out a lot, but at this point in my life, I’ve gotten to a place where I just let it go and enjoy it because I know as soon as Monday rolls around, I’ll be back on track with my eats. No better way to do that then kale & onion stuffed turkey meatballs served over spaghetti squash and sautéed veggies, right?

I’ve been enjoying this all week!

Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Did you try any new workouts/classes/studios? Did you go to any new restaurants? Have you been to any of the ones that I went to over the weekend? Do you beat yourself up after indulgent weekends of eating out and drinking? What’s the first thing you do to get back on track?

Weekending: Pure Barre, Crock Pot Meal, Boston Visiters

January 14, 2014January 13, 201411 Comments

This past weekend was relatively quiet, which was good since I was still feeling pretty crappy unless I was drugged up on Sudafed. By Friday afternoon, though, I was itching to get out of my apartment (2 days in a row of working from home will do that to you!), so I decided to get my grocery shopping done. Woohoo, wild and crazy Friday night, huh? To spice things up, I stopped in at TJ Maxx first and scored this awesome Essie nail polish. Did you guys know they sell it there for $4.99?? I’ve been really into paining my nails recently, so I was stoked!

My Friday night wasn’t entirely boring, though, as I did get together with someone for a class of wine, which ended up making me so stuffy I had to stop after one. The horrors!

That was a bottle included in an awesome “box” of wine that I got as a Christmas present. I’m going to do a whole recap on that in another post because good wine deserves its own post, right?!

I had been looking forward to Saturday all week because I was finally cashing in my Christmas present from my sister, which was a class at Pure Barre on Newbury Street. I’ve been to a few barre classes, but I still went in without knowing what to expect. Well, 5 minutes in when I was dripping sweat holding all sorts of leg lifts and inner thigh squeezes and 90 second planks, I realized I was in for a real treat!

I loved the class and could see myself going more often if it wasn’t so expensive, but I have to say that my first reaction of my first class wasn’t what I expected it to be. I think the reason I felt this way was only because the class moved SO fast and I had no idea what I was doing, which left me a little frustrated (it’s the Type A “I want to know exactly what to do, how to do it, what it should look like and how long we’ll be doing it for” in me.). I kept trying to look around for someone who looked like they knew what they were doing, but it was a class primarily full of “newbies” like Danielle and me, so I was out of luck. Even though I spent a lot of time fumbling around trying to figure out what to squeeze and tuck, I was able to “get” the move before it was time to move on, which was good. The instructor was also really attentive and walked around and corrected form (I kind of wanted her to just stand by me and fix me the whole class…) which was great.

I talked to the instructor after class to thank her for a great workout and to ask if it’s normal to be confused with the moves/terminology and she said that everyone feels that way after their first class and that after a few classes you learn the lingo and the moves and it becomes easier in that respect (not in terms of the workout). This made me feel better! And just because I was frustrated didn’t mean I didn’t like it, because I loved it. We worked muscles I didn’t know I had and when I woke up on Sunday morning, I could feel EVERYTHING. Holy moly. My hamstrings, abductors, triceps (I didn’t even think we did anything to work our triceps) and back were screaming as soon as I woke up. It was great. Thanks for a great Christmas present, Danielle! It was so fun trying something totally new and having it literally kick my butt. I want to go back!

After class, we headed to Douzo Sushi for a healthy and light lunch. We shared a Bento Box, Tempura Broccoli and Edamame. We didn’t share our wine, though 😉

I love going out to lunch and having wine SO much. It’s probably one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday! I had to babysit on Saturday night, so I had to stop after 1 glass. Womp, womp.

Sunday morning I got up, did laundry, made granola (I’ll post it soon- SO good), went for a run and then got my crock pot meal ready since Danielle and I were getting drinks with our cousin on Sunday evening. I got the crock pot recipe from Eat, Live, Run and was happy with how easy it was to prepare. Are all crock pot meals as easy as cutting things up and putting them in the crock pot? I should do more of these…

I followed Jenna’s recipe exactly except I used sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. I tried to halve the recipe, but I ended up doing probably 3/4 of the recipe. Soup freezes well, so I’m sure I’ll be doing that!

On Sunday evening, my sister and I met up with our cousin who was in town for various camp fairs (He’s the director at Hosmer Point in Craftsbury Commons, VT.) at Otto Pizza in Coolidge Corner. We got to meet some of his former campers/counselors which was really fun. We talked about Burpees to Bubbly (Hi everyone if you’ve ventured over here!) and I loved it 🙂

And that about sums it up! All in all, it was a good weekend… a little quiet/laid back, but with this stupid cold thing that’s probably just what I needed.

Questions for you: What was the best part of your weekend? Have you been to Pure Barre or another Barre studio in Boston? Do you have tips for a newbie?? What’s your favorite crock pot recipe?

Burpees to Bubbly

Because good workouts deserve bubbly rewards!

Tag: sushi

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

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

Weekending: Pure Barre, Crock Pot Meal, Boston Visiters

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: