Lifestyle

Friday Favorites: On Outdoor Patios, Homemade Guacamole, Pumping Iron and More

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Good morning lovely ladies; hope you are all having a glorious Friday. I’m about to take off to New Hampshire for Memorial Day Weekend with my family and The Boy. We’ve got lots of fun events planned for the weekend, including  Chowder Fest, hiking, and lots of margaritas. I’m sure all of you have some exciting plans in store too!

Anyway, today’s Friday and you know what that means; it’s time for Friday Favorites. Here’s what made my top 5 this week:

The Sign: This morning, Ace of Base’s “The Sign” came on my iPod shuffle and I was so loving it. It used to be my driving jam in college and I haven’t heard it in years. It’s seriously one of my favorite, feel-good tunes and I absolutely love belting out the lyrics. Give it a go yourself.

Outdoor Patios: Now that it’s summer, the Boston bars are beginning to open up their roof decks and patios. An iced-cold cocktail on the sunny patio tastes that much better than in a crowded, muggy bar.

Last night, my roommate and I went to the block party at Downtown Crossing, and had a blast. There were … Read More!

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Hump Day Lesson of the Day: What to Do When You are at a Loss On What to Write

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I get inquiries from friends and family all of the time, asking how I overcome writer’s block. “Don’t you ever run out of things to write about?” “How do you even think of a topic?” Well, fortunately for me, writer’s block doesn’t seem to affect me (most of the time.) But I’d be lying if I said I always had something to write about. Although it’s true that I do always have something to say (I am a chatter), but that doesn’t mean it’s something you all will find of interest.

Here’s four little steps I take whenever I catch the writer’s block bug. Step away from the pen & paper and simply read on…

1. Step away from the situation: Speaking of stepping away, that so happens to be step 1. If you sit staring at your computer or blank notebook, your creative juices will be extremely limited. What’s so inspiring about a screen saver and dotted blue lines? I don’t know about you, but no way in hell is that going to get me writing.

I usually take a mini field trip with my thoughts. I’ll go to the gym for a bit, hit the road for a … Read More!

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Friday Favorites: Spelt Pasta, Rain Boots, and Anniversaries

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TGIF! It’s Friday and you know what that means; it’s time for this week’s Friday Favorites. Here’s what made my top three this week:

Spelt Pasta: Usually I shy away from pasta when going out to dinner because of my wheat & gluten sensitivity, but last night at Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, I decided to give the Spelt Pasta with Basil Cream sauce a go. It looked too darn delicious not to try. The waitress explained to me that all of the food at their restaurant is organic, local and fresh, and that spelt tends to be easier to digest than other wheats, and tends to cause less sensitivities in many who are intolerant of wheat. Sure enough, my meal was delicious (the cream sauce was light yet decadent) and I had no tummy problems afterward either. A win-win!

Rain Boots: Since it’s been raining every single day for the past week in Boston, I had to make the best of the situation. So I rocked my rain boots all week long and have to say they have become one of my best friends. My L.L.Bean green argyle wellies are comfy, stylish and there for me in … Read More!

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ZING! Pizza: The Best Darn Gluten Free Pizza There is

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Last night, my parents came to pick me up from Boston. We’re heading down to Baltimore this morning for my sister’s graduation weekend and I couldn’t be more excited! Anyway, they naturally had me pick a good place for dinner. We all agreed we wanted something casual, quick, fun and healthy. So I did what I do best and researched a bunch of restaurants in the area that fit the mold. Once I narrowed it down to three, I let my dad pick because it’s his birthday week. Thankfully he chose my #1 option: ZING! Pizza in Porter Square.

I had only been to ZING! once before for a video shoot while at my old job, so I was super excited to go back and actually taste their pizza. More particularly, their gluten free pizza. But their unique, delicious pizza isn’t the only thing that drew me to this little gem.

It’s the atmosphere and company’s mission that really sold me. Not only do they use fresh, all-natural, mostly organic ingredients, but they are also a super green restaurant, meaning they work hard to recycle, compost and get their ingredients locally whenever they can.

What can I … Read More!

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Quotable Sunday: Why Friendships are the Perfect Ingredient to Life

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most of the bunch. <3

This weekend I was lucky enough to be reunited with the group of best friends I went to college with. Some I hadn’t seen for months, some in well over a year. But even though we may not see each other as much as we’d like, our friendship never changes. It’s just one of those things that stay the same, no matter what the distance.

The best part is that even though we are all different in our own ways, we each have a little piece of one another within us. And I couldn’t imagine it any other way. They were right when they said “You go to James Madison University to meet your bridesmaids, not to find your husband.” I couldn’t agree more. I’d be proud to have any one of these ladies as a bridesmaid any day.

So this Sunday I leave you with a quote about friendship because, well, all of my friends are a huge part of my life…and always will be.

… Read More!

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Friday Faves: On White Wine, Creativity, The Beach and More

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Good evening ladies (and all my male readers too)! Hope you all had a great week, and now are ready to take on the weekend by storm. Today was just one of those perfect days. Not only was the weather absolutely beautiful (high 60s in Boston), but I kept myself busy from the moment I woke  up.

My day started off at a wonderful blogger event at Stir hosted by Good Food Made Simple. I won’t go into too  much detail as I’ll write a full post on Monday about it, but I had a blast chatting with other food and mom bloggers, sipping coffee, and of course: eating. After the event, I used all of my positive energy to carry me through a lovely three-mile afternoon run. Boy did that feel amazing.

Anyway, it’s Friday and you know what that means: time for Friday Faves! Here are a few things I’m absolutely loving this week:

White Wine: If you know me well, you know that I’m a huge fan of red wine. Merlot is my go-to drink on a dinner date, and there’s nothing tastier to me than a glass of good Malbec or … Read More!

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National Mediterranean Diet Month: The Scoop on The Mediterranean Diet Featuring Oldways

10 Comments / Health & Wellness, Lifestyle /

Usually, I don’t agree with diets. I simply hate the word. D-I-E-T. Blah. It sounds scary. There’s the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Celebrity Diet, the South Beach Diet, and the Grapefruit Diet, and all of them are failures in my book. But when a diet has to do with a lifestyle and way of eating rather than an extreme method to lose 10 pounds fast, I tend to be a fan.

I’ve always been one to believe in healthy eating as a lifestyle as opposed to a weight-loss method, and believe it or not it all started on my trip to Italy a few years ago. I remember before I embarked on my journey abroad, I was scared to death I’d gain a bajilion pounds while there. Endless amounts of greasy pasta every day? What’s a girl to do? Well, when I arrived in the beautiful region of Reggio Calabria, Italy, I realized that was far from the truth.

Turns out, the part of the country I was in (near the boot, by Sicily) followed a Mediterranean Diet, that is a diet packed with fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, wholesome grains, fish and olive oil with room for a little … Read More!

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Tuesday Talk on Embracing Change: How to Change Up Your Workouts and Eating Habits

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In life, it’s very easy to get stuck in a routine. We find comfort in going to our favorite restaurant week after week, always ordering chocolate ice cream, wearing that sweater you’ve had forever one too many times because you love it too darn much. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but it is what it is: a routine we get used to.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about “getting stuck in a rut” or following the same ol’ routine, particularly when it comes to my workouts and eating habits. In fact, I had a conversation with my roommate about it this morning on how we were both looking for a little change in our everyday run-of-the-mill workout schedule. Don’t get me wrong: I am a spontaneous, vibrant girl who loves variety. But even the most adventurous of souls can fall into the trap of a routine.

Well that’s exactly what’s happened to me this past month. I got so used to running (nearly every day) while training for my marathon, that I put strength training and other variations of cardio on the back burner. Sure I slimmed up my tummy and lost a few pounds … Read More!

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I am Back: 16 Travel Lessons I Learned This Week

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Good morning and happy Monday! Well I guess it’s never really a happy Monday, but I hope you’re at least hanging in there. I myself am trying to hang in there, despite my sniffles and congestion, coffee withdrawal, and desire to be back on the road again with The Boy.

I just got back from a seven day road trip with my boyfriend which consisted of flying down to Orlando, enjoying two days in the Sunshine state, then driving two days up to New York, two days in New York and then a bus back to Massachusetts. Talk about a lot of traveling.

We had a wonderful time together, laughing, eating and singing our faces off. I’m sad it’s all over, but definitely happy to get back to my old routine up here in Boston. While I wasn’t working or studying on this vacay, there are definitely a few things I learned while on the road. Here’s a few of ‘em:

1. The little things like holding hands during the car ride, splitting fish ‘n’ chips on the patio at 11 p.m. or making each other laugh so hard you’re going to pee your pants is far more romantic to … Read More!

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