Tag Archives: TV

What I’m Loving Lately #3

It’s time for another post where I round up what I’ve been into lately, be it recipes, TV shows, books, restaurants, etc. If you missed the last two editions, you can check them out here (12/5/16) and here (6/13/17…clearly I had a significant lapse in inspiration for a bit).

Caprese Pasta Bake: This was super easy to make and came out great. I combined cooked wheat penne, mozzarella balls, chopped chicken, a can of crushed tomatoes (drained), and a container of chopped grape tomatoes in a casserole dish. Then I sprinkled shredded Parmesan and Romano cheese on top and baked it at 350 degrees. The addition of fresh basil after it was done really made it.

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Weekly Wins #2

I really enjoyed writing my last Weekly Wins post, so I’m back with another one, because it’s honestly an easy way to share what I’ve been up to lately…and that’s a whole lot. Without further ado, here are some wins from this past week.

Workout Win

It’s been awhile since I set a mini fitness-related goal for myself, but last week I came up with a new one when I took Reid Eichelberger‘s TRAINxCARDIO class at Everybody Fights‘ Financial District location. What a tough workout! The routine featured moves I never do without an instructor asking me to, like jump squats and lunges, rope swings, and suspension training mountain climbers. And we all know that the workouts we hate most are usually those that are best for us. So I’ve decided to strive to sign up for one TRAINxCARDIO class per week. I think adding those kind of explosive HIIT moves to my routine will only make me stronger and, more importantly, will make me feel great.

Recipe Win

Last week I made a fantastic new recipe, Skinnytaste’s Cheeseburger Casserole. Jeff called it a “next-level American Chop-Suey”. This tasted incredible, especially leftover, and was so easy to throw together! I definitely will be making this again.

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Weekly Wins

I started writing this post with the intention of finishing it next week, and calling it a February recap. Then I decided I wanted to come up with a more fun title, like February Wins. And then I realized that “week” and “win” both start with a “w”, so here we are, with a post called “Weekly Wins” (because alliteration) that’s getting published sooner than I anticipated. You probably didn’t need to know any of that!

Anyway…here are some “wins” I experienced in the last week. It’s been a bit frustrating because I haven’t had as much time to work out as I’d like to, but fun all the same.

Recipe Win

Oh man, we have a new favorite recipe in the house. I’ve made tons of different Mexican casseroles and “lasagnas”, but the Mexican Style Lasagna by Picky Palate is a clear winner. I think it’s the addition of Mexican-style rice (I used a box from Goya) that does it. It tastes fantastic both fresh and leftover and is an excellent pick for a meal to make at the beginning of the week and portion out for lunches.

Workout Win

I’m not a huge workout buddy person after work, but when it comes to weekends or early morning workouts, I’m all about it. ClassPass’ cancellation fee usually keeps me pretty accountable, but sometimes it feels worth paying $15 to stay in bed. That’s why I was psyched when my friend Matt agreed to join me for a Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, and Miley Cyrus ride at Turnstyle Back Bay this past Saturday morning. I knew that no matter how much I didn’t want to work out, the promise of a friend waiting for me would get me to class. Plus, how could I miss out on that theme!?

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Giveaway Winner and Off I Go!

I’m popping in to say hi and quickly announce the winner of my giveaway five free product coupons from Dr. Praeger’s. Congrats to Alex! I will be emailing you about claiming your prize!

I’m on the road again, or shall I say the water? Likely when I hit publish on this pre-written post I am either about to leave on a drive to Hyannis, or on the ferry itself to Nantucket. I’ll be pouring wine for 90+ Cellars at one of tomorrow’s Nantucket Wine Festival Grand Tastings, and aside from that will be hanging out on that wonderful island, likely collecting material along the way for another event recap!

The remnants of last year's festival.

The remnants of last year’s festival.

It’s been a week of night out, night in, night out, night in. Monday I stopped by a Boston Bloggers event at Audubon – a last minute decision but an easy one once I found out my dear friend Emily was going. I kept things chill with a couple glasses of Rose, finally met Christina, got a chance to photobooth it up, and grabbed Whole Foods takeout (for the first time ever I was disappointed by it) on the way home. I felt reassured by my ability to go out and not GO all out.

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5 Benefits of Extended Winter

The idea for this post came to me last night as I was reflecting over parts of my week that probably would not have been “possible” given the fact that Boston had snow over the last few days, and was also STILL in the 30’s and 40’s. Winter’s ugly face has been sticking around for longer than anyone would like, but in an effort to stay positive, I started brainstorming the benefits of winter’s extended stay. I thought five benefits would be perfect for Five Things Friday.

Thanks Clare for hosting Five Things Friday!

1. Hot yoga feels way more satisfying. Days have been extra-dreary and that fact has made me look forward to CorePower Yoga Sculpt classes a few times a week all the more. I’ve even tried getting there a few minutes early so I can just lay on the mat and sweat in serenity. (Sweating while laying on your back is much more pleasant than sweating while doing a bunch of jump squats.) And when I exit class, the wintery temperatures actually feel…refreshing! For a few minutes at least.

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Trade Em Up Tuesday: Quickie

Not much time to write but I’m in the writing mood (funny how that happens…Sunday I had plenty of time to write but wasn’t in the mood). So let’s do a quick Trade ‘Em Up Tuesday – written last night between Mad Men viewing. Which, by the way, I would not trade.

Including an appearance from the ever-evil DAN SCOTT!

I also would not trade…the wonderful dinner I made myself last night. I made Julie’s Kale & Turkey Sausage Breakfast Casserole to have on hand for the week. It wasn’t very pretty but it was delicious and really quite easy to put together. The only difficult part was waiting for it to finish cooking! Big ups to Julie for this one.

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Trading into March

Remember to enter my Redpack Tomatoes prize pack giveaway – it ends tonight at 11:59PM EST!

I can hardly believe it’s March. It sure doesn’t feel like it! I can only hope that once I get back from the cruise my family and I are going on in a couple of weeks (my first cruise!), spring will have arrived in Boston. For now there is no sign of the weather warming up, which I’d certainly trade. But there are also a few things I wouldn’t trade, so I’m here to update you guys on life via Trade Em Up Tuesday.

I would not trade…a baller spin class last night. Just had to mention that one straight off. It felt great. Thank you Danielle Dee for starting my week off with a kick-ass workout.

I would trade…my free week at CorePower Yoga ending. I got in four classes – three Sculpt (heated with weights) and one Hot Power Fusion. I decided to purchase a Groupon for a month of unlimited classes, and am going to activate it once I’m back from the cruise. I seriously am so excited about how much I have enjoyed these classes. It’s been awhile since I found a workout that left me undoubtedly satisfied once completed. No question about whether or not I did enough, no consideration of going to the gym to do more. I just walk out feeling refreshed and strong. I can’t wait until I’ve returned to Boston for a full month so that I can get back to the mat!

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I Would Trade WINTER.

I’m blogging two days in a row thanks to working from home. I refuse to thank the thing responsible for me working from home…snow. Winter. Freezing temps. Huge messes. That’s because I would rather work EXTRA than have winter stick around and keep acting the way it has. So I’ll start Trade Em Up Tuesday with that – I would absolutely trade winter.

I would not trade…this incredible tempeh and black bean casserole I had for dinner last night. There was not a lot leftover, despite my plans for it to last me 2-3 dinners this week. I’m so glad I chose to use corn tortillas instead of flour. So much more satisfying!

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Five Things FriYAY

Man oh MAN I’m so glad it’s Friday. The week felt ridiculously long, probably because I didn’t have Monday off for MLK Day, and I was well aware that many people did (due to the silence that descended over GChat). But now F-day, the day known today as FriYAY, is here. Let’s get to the fun part of it!

Link up with Clare and share your five on Friday!

1. It’s time to announce the winner of my Balance Bar giveawayYou guys seemed so into it and I appreciate all the entries. The randomly selected winner is Jess W…I will be contacting you to get you your prize!

2. Has anyone else fallen in LOVE with the new Fox show Empire? I can’t be the only one, especially since ratings have been climbing with each episode, which is nearly unheard of. I’m digging all of the actors, and the music isn’t bad either. I’m especially liking this song!

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Fall TV: What I’ll Be Watching

I sat down to write this post yesterday afternoon (while chatting with Annie at Refuge Cafe!) and had no idea what to write…I just know I wanted to get a post drafted because I have a buuuuusy week ahead. I know there’s always Marvelous In My Monday but to be honest, I didn’t feel that marvelous this weekend and I don’t feel like using a post to convince myself why I should feel marvelous. Just not feelin’ that right now.

So instead I’m going to feed off my current excitement over the shows I caught up with over the weekend, and share what’s on my fall TV schedule. Most are shows I’ve been watching since they premiered, but there is one newbie that hooked me from episode one (and from what I hear, some of you guys too). And let’s use the term “schedule” very loosely, because I don’t watch ANY of these shows when they are scheduled to air. Thank goodness for On Demand – no DVR required!

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