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Life, Travel, Weekend

Day Trip to New Haven and Car Shopping (weekend recap)

October 30, 2017 By Robyn 22 Comments

It was beyond awesome to not pack a suitcase this weekend.

Friday was a busy morning with three initial clients and two follow up clients all before noon. Then I spent the afternoon working on my inbox for a while and tried to respond to so many of your very kind thoughtful comments + emails on our move. Thank you thank you thank you. I’ll keep you guys posted on details as they come!

By the time 6pm rolled around I shut my laptop and Nick and I walked along the water to City Vineyard for some drinks.

They don’t grow the grapes in the city (obviously) but they do make all their own wine. We don’t go often because it gets so crowded when it’s warmer, but now that it’s cooler it’s much quieter with a lot less people. It was the perfect fall night to sit outside. We each had a couple glasses of their Syrah and loved it. Bold and juicy, but drinkable on its own without food.

We grabbed a thin crust pizza on the way home and spent the rest of the night watching an episode of This Is Us. Between the two of us, we ate the whole pizza. 1 slice of the meat lovers + 3 slices of the arugula tomato for me and the rest for Nick. The pizza is from Skinny Pizza and while I hate the name, the pizza is so good that I get over myself and eat it anyways.

skinny pizza nyc

We were up and out the door pretty early on Saturday to shop for a car in New Jersey. The idea of a car feels sooooooo exciting and freeing! For now, we’ll just have one car in Boston since we don’t have any reason for two. And it makes financial sense. I ate avocado toast + banana on the ride into New Jersey.

We test drove a CR-V and really liked it. I know you guys do too based on on your instagram messages so that’s good to know 🙂 I bought my first car at 23 and it was a Honda Civic so now I’m partial to Hondas. And I’m really into the sunroof.

car shopping new jersey

We drove several other cars but liked the CR-V best. I also never should have sat inside a Toyota Land Cruiser because now that’s all I can dream about even though I know it’s never happening. But still…it’s a dreamy car and I can pretend I might own one someday.

road trip

Then we headed to New Haven to spend the day with my good friend Jess and her husband Graham! Jess and I met during my first year in Charlottesville. She moved to New Haven last year after marrying her husband who just finished residency at Yale. I’m so glad they are only a 2 hour drive away from New York and from Boston. Having old friends within driving distance is so nice!

Our first stop was for lunch at the Eatery in Wallingford. I was in between the fall special sandwich (fontina + brussels + bacon + pumpkin butter) and the rittenhouse (ham + vermont cheddar + apple mustard slaw + baby arugula) and went with the rittenhouse. But I had total food envy when I bit into my first bite because the sandwich was….mehhh. So I ended up eating several bites of Nick’s since he went with the seasonal and it was SO GOOD. Lesson learned.

eatery in wallingford

After lunch we headed to Gouveia vineyards. I had no idea Connecticut had vineyards, but apparently they do? The views were pretty! We sat outside and split a bottle of red wine that I’m totally forgetting the name of now..

Gouveia vineyards.

PSA –> this scarf from my fall capsule is the coziest thing ever. It’s from target and I want three more in different colors. Also I wear this vest 5/7 days of the week and I don’t care because it layers well with everything.

Gouveia vineyards.

We had an hour or so to kill between the vineyard and our dinner reservations at 7pm so we strolled around downtown New Haven and the Yale campus. I think downtown New Haven is basically Yale? It was gorgeous! So different from Indiana University where I did my undergrad. I love seeing different college campuses. The kids that go to NYU have a totally different college experience than the kids that go to Yale or the kids, like me, that went to a midwestern massive university.

I always knew I would stay close to home so I didn’t look far when it came to college. And I knew I wanted a bigger school with huge sports programs and tailgating and greek life and all that typical college stuff. Yes I was that annoying, sorority girl in college. Oh lawdy. And now that I’m older, I’m like there are so many schools to choose from!

yale campus

Anyways. We ate dinner at MidPoint – a Turkish restaurant – and it was incredible! We started with an assortment of dips + spreads. Lots of eggplant spreads, babaganoush, hummus, grape leaves, a roasted red pepper spread….all amazing. And the soft, pillowy pita was the perfect vehicle.

Midpoint New Haven

Nick and I split the halloumi salad and some sort of skewered lamb dish that had a fire roasted tomato and yogurt sauce. Both so good! I would order them again and again.

Midpoint New Haven

It was the perfect Saturday. We had gorgeous weather, spent time with close friends and saw all the New England fall foliage. We made it back home by 10:30 and went straight to bed.

It was a rainy, nasty Sunday and much of it was spent inside.

rainy day nyc

Breakfast was the same thing I had the day before – avocado toast + almond butter and banana. Plus two cups of coffee.

avocado toast

I spent the morning working on some business strategy + planning. Because really…most days I feel like I’m all over the place with where I want the blog and business to go.

Then my brain got tired so I flipped through some cookbooks for dinner inspiration.

vegan cookbooks

And decided on shepards pie. Now that we’re likely moving (if all goes as planned) in less than a month I feel like we need to eat down our pantry and freezer.

vegan cookbooks

Then I spent the afternoon baking five dozen cookies and a loaf of banana bread. Both the oatmeal coconut chocolate chip and pumpkin cookies are from the Oh She Glows cookbook so I don’t have a recipe link but, I can tell you they were awesome.

lazy sunday

By the late afternoon, I was stir crazy and like I needed to get out of the apartment for a little bit after not wanting to leave all morning. So I went and read while sitting on a stationary bike to get the blood flowing. If you’re a health practitioner interested in IE/HAES and eating disorders I highly recommend this book.

HAES books

Cookie batter, a green smoothie and a bowl of popcorn made up lunch on Sunday.

Our grocery delivery was delayed because of the rain and the doorman in our building won’t accept food deliveries. Because of that, I stayed back for the delivery and Nick went to church since he had to be there for volunteer stuff. A dumb reason to have to stay home…but it was either that or a lot of money wasted on groceries. Oh well.

nyc grocery shopping

I prepped some veggies for lunches this week and we put together a quick dinner of leftover sausage, mashed potatoes and steamed kale. Random but tasty. For the potatoes I just chopped some russet potatoes, boiled them, and then mashed them + whole milk + butter with a fork in the pan.

simple paleo dinner

I plan to make the shepard’s pie tomorrow since we’re having a friend over for dinner and then we’ll eat the leftovers all week long.

Bed time snack was a couple pumpkin cookies and maple pecan Nada Moo.

nada moo ice cream

How was your weekend?

What recipes are inspiring you? Share in the comments!


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Filed Under: Life, Travel, Weekend

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Comments

  1. emily vardy says

    October 30, 2017 at 6:25 am

    Your Friday night sounds ideal – This is Us is my favorite, and that pizza looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:30 pm

      we love that kind of friday 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jessica says

    October 30, 2017 at 8:13 am

    I live in Oxford, England have the same thoughts regarding universities. I didn’t study here but work in the university and I often thing how different( in both good and bad ways) the student experience is here compared to 95% of British universities. Sometimes I wonder how different we would all be if we’d gone to a different university – friends, jobs, cities, partners – everything would likely be different?? Crazy.

    So exciting you’re moving! Best of luck wrapping up NYC life. Boston at Christmas-time will be so magical.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:30 pm

      haha I think about a lot of those things too!

      Reply
  3. Shannon K says

    October 30, 2017 at 10:12 am

    I cooked this weekend too and it was so soothing — I made a pumpkin lentil soup, a butternut squash/shredded Brussels sprouts/parmesan quiche with thyme/nutmeg and a Yukon potato “crust” (inspired by an Ambitious Kitchen recipe!), and adapted a stuffed peppers recipe from the CSA-type organization Boston Organics’ website!

    Re: car shopping, not sure if you already made your choice, but speaking as someone who had a Honda and now has a Subaru/lives in Boston…three words for you: SU-BA-RU! Hondas are great cars, and the CRV would definitely be the way to go if you’re definitely going with a Honda, but Hondas are known for having terrible windshield wipers, and you will notice a difference in the amount/quality of the precipitation in Boston vs. NYC, whether it’s rain or snow or something in between.

    I also had a Civic as my first car and loved her dearly, but was told by everyone I know that a Subaru was the way to go once my lease was up, despite the uptick in price compared to leasing Hondas. And they were so right — it’s worth the investment! Last winter blasting my car out of snow was a walk in the park, and I always felt so safe on the road even when conditions weren’t great. Plus, Subarus are one of I believe three cars whose engines drop down in a crash (Volvos and Mercedes are the other two, I believe) so they’re extra safe. I have a 2016 Subaru Impreza 5-door (the sportier version of the Impreza sedan) and I recommend it highly — not too big, not too small, and it’s very spacious…I should know, it helped move me up here in the first place!

    Happy cooking/pantry cleaning/car shopping 🙂

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:28 pm

      Those recipes sound amazing!! We bought the CR-V but that’s good to know for the future!
      Have a great week!

      Reply
  4. Emily says

    October 30, 2017 at 10:13 am

    I have definitely been inspired by some of my favorite food bloggers and their fallish recipes that have apples and pumpkin in them; for some reason Pinterest and Instagram get me craving all things apple and pumpkin. I”m so thankful God made different seasons.

    I LOVE seeing the adventures you and Nick go on; going to a vineyard would be so fun (I don’t love wine), but I would kind of like to see the process behind making it or just visit one to have dinner.

    And Robyn, I have seen you grow and grow and grow in just taking those slow days, investing in friendships and just balancing those different parts of life; you really are an example to me. I know you’re not perfect, but I see the peace of Christ really governing how you spend your days. <3

    Reply
  5. Abigail Trainor says

    October 30, 2017 at 12:26 pm

    Sounds like a fun weekend. I keep hearing things about This Is Us. I guess I should see if I like it. One thing about the blog comments: is there a way to get a notification that you’ve responded back? I put my email in the form when commenting but I don’t seem to get a notification that you’ve responded. It’s not that big of a deal but I want to read your response and I know you try to respond to a lot of comments but sometimes I forget to go look at the post again…

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:27 pm

      hmmm let me check on that!

      and you should definitely watch This Is Us 🙂

      Reply
  6. michelle says

    October 30, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    omg I’m from NJ in the land of car dealerships haha bet i know the neighborhood where you shopped! good luck choosing 🙂

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      hahah I didn’t know NJ had that many car dealerships?

      Reply
  7. Laura White says

    October 30, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    This was such a fun post 🙂 Robyn, where did you get your cute grey and white rug?

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      wayfair!

      Reply
  8. Nicole @ Laughing My Abs Off says

    October 30, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    What a wonderful weekend! I love those weekends when you take a day trip to a totally different place and explore it with friends. Such a great way to have an adventure without much fuss or planning. Nick’s sandwich sure sounded delicious; sorry about the food envy :p
    My weekend was nice; very college-y hehe since it was Halloweekend, and I’m sure you can remember from undergrad what that was like 😉

    Reply
  9. Eva says

    October 30, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    Omg u guys were in my stomping grounds this wkd!! I work at Yale New Haven hospital so new haven is my jam 🙂 Gouveia is my fave vineyard in CT!!! CT has soooo many vineyards— you can actually get a CT wine passport and if u make ur way through enough of the vineyards u could win a trip somewhere!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:23 pm

      oh cool good to know for next time!

      Reply
  10. Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen says

    November 1, 2017 at 9:07 am

    My first non-hand-me-down car was a Honda Civic too – and my second (because my first car was the victim of arson this summer)! And my mom had a Honda CRV for years and adored it. They last such a long time!

    I’ve been eying both of those recipes from OSG. I need to make them soon. One of the best recipes I’ve made lately is miso-sesame glazed eggplant from the My New Roots cookbook. SO good!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 2, 2017 at 2:16 pm

      That’s good to hear and why we chose that car! Highly recommend the cookies 🙂

      Reply
  11. Amy says

    November 4, 2017 at 11:44 am

    My husband’s old 2004 CRV got rear-ended a couple weeks back and was totaled. So we just bought our first car together & also went with a CRV! There’s good reason for them being rated so highly! 🙂 They sure will last lotsa miles! Congrats on all your life changes! New cars, moving, woohoo!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 4, 2017 at 12:33 pm

      Bummer on the car but cheers to a new one!!

      Reply
  12. Amber @ Bloom Nutrition Therapy says

    November 8, 2017 at 9:26 am

    This looks like such the perfect weekend. Connecticut looks beautiful! And looking at your cookbooks here has totally inspired me. Another book I would recommend for health practitioners branching into the treatment of eating disorders is Beyond a Shadow of a Diet. It really was a complete paradigm shift for me. I’ll definitely have to check out the book you have suggested here, as well. It is new to me!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      November 8, 2017 at 2:20 pm

      Thank you for that recommendation – I’m going to pick it up!

      Reply

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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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I have yet to experience postpartum myself, but I've had many clients and readers that have been through that season of life. Or perhaps you are currently living through the postpartum period. Every woman's body is different, therefore every woman's experience after giving birth will be different. What works for one woman, might not work for the next. While one woman might go through postpartum and adjust to newborn life quiet seamlessly, another woman might find it much more difficult. She might need the support of medication, therapy, extra help and many other things. One way is not better than the other - they are simply two different ways of navigating the postpartum period. I hope this post helps you better care for yourself, whatever that means for you. There's no right or wrong way to care for yourself as a mom or your new baby.

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A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years o A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years of getting to spend so much time with my kids: aka another way I’m discovering some pockets of peace so my heart & mind & soul don’t crumble under the reality of dependent & emotionally dysregulated tiny humans.  About once a week we go somewhere for baked goods. We drive or walk, buy something buttery & then find a beautiful, relatively quiet outdoor spot where the boys can romp and I can sit and think my thoughts while I watch them play. This past week we were found ourselves at the Wool Factory where the boys threw rocks & whatever else off the bridge while I ate 90% of this almond 🥐 from @coucourachou that will blow your mind. Boys ate the other 10% bc they were busy playing and didn’t ask for more quickly enough 😜  I’m finding *for me* playgrounds have a time & place but they aren’t where I enjoy motherhood & my two toddlers the most. Baked goods & a pretty outdoor spot without high drops my 15 month old could launch himself off of…I’m here for it.
I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the boys to hike out at one of our favorite spots last week and when I ripped it open I was regretting my choice to share them with my kids. @baresnacks randomly sent me a box of snacks and I usually eat free food we receive or give it to a friend/neighbor and move on. But I felt it my duty to tell you about these bc they are THAT GOOD. I’m not getting paid and this isn’t sponsored - I was just shocked at how tasty these were and felt you needed to know. We ate them with some buttery roasted nuts and the combo was 👌🏻 but they are good just on their own.  The boys climbed rocks and swam in the reservoir - leave it to my almost 3 year old to want to strip down naked and fully submerge himself in chilly water on a sixty degree morning. “Mama can I get super nakey?” Sure baby. Sure. This is your childhood.
It’s a hard sell to get me to accept an offer of It’s a hard sell to get me to accept an offer of extended alone time away from the babies to just be. And that isn’t something that’s best for me, it’s an area I gotta grow in. So this afternoon when Nick pushed me out the door and was like - get out of here plzzzz - I walked to my favorite cafe and ordered a thick pastrami sandwich and sat there for a good LONG while before taking a long, peaceful walk in the rain to wrap up the afternoon. Note to self: stop being such a control freak and go be by yourself sometimes.
a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face from @mariebettecafe this morning when she came to get her toddler who played with us all morning and it is v good. even better when paired with an iced latte 😍
#AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing a #AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing about how taking @alignprobiotic regularly has improved my digestive regularity.  And I’m still taking them! I’ve permanently added Align 24/7 Digestive Support* into the roundup of supplements I take before bed (prenatal, vitamin D, choline & DHA - all which help keep me healthy while breastfeeding) so I can keep seeing the benefits.  Just because you see benefits, doesn’t mean you should stop taking your probiotic. Keep taking Align daily (under the supervision and recommendation of your health care provider of course) to keep seeing the benefits!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - one of my favorite parts of Align probiotics is that they don’t need refrigeration AND they come in a convenient little blister pack that has the days labeled. It’s the little things people! #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoo I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoon (91 and muggy in MAY 🤯) when a toddler nap was refused and a baby nap was cut wildly short ....so my tired mom brain pulled out two plastic storage bins, filled them up with soap & hose water and striped ‘em down naked in the yard. Two hours later, it was almost time for an early dinner and I had magically been able to sit for most of that time and we already had baths checked off the list. 👍🏻 I’m archiving this idea for my future self, hope it helps another tired mama out.
#AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about #AlignPartner I left off a month ago sharing about getting better at doing the basics to care for myself which included taking my supplements and @alignprobiotic regularly.  Probiotics take time to work so I wanted to give it a full month to see the full effects of @alignprobiotic. So here are my honest thoughts: it took a few weeks to notice any differences, but near the end of the month I did notice some changes in my digestive balance - even while traveling! I’m not someone who experiences occasional gas, bloating or abdominal discomfort frequently enough to notice a difference, so I don’t feel like I can comment on how well Align works for those benefits.  All in all though, taking @alignprobiotic was a positive experience and I really appreciated how the capsules don’t need to be stored in the fridge, making it convenient to take them with me anywhere #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Where we will spend a good majority of our summer. Because the swampy VA summer has already begun (it’s in the low 90s today 🥵 lord help) and creeks are our retreat - not only from the heat but also from the noisy world. I need this just (if not more) than they do! We’ll be at the splash pads and pools too, but the quietness of the creek...my mental health is so about it. And it’s hours of play for them! Win win.  A couple things to note: this scene also included a few toddler reminders on finding another direction to throw rocks instead of at his brother - so not all is serene 🤪 and also, yes I am now that mom who buys the same clothing for both kids bc it keeps things simple & i think i kinda like it too 🤷🏻‍♀️
Things I love about midwifery among many: the appo Things I love about midwifery among many: the appointments, no matter how long, feel so unhurried. 
Just walked in from an appointment with my midwife because I was due for a Pap test + an overall wellness visit. My last pap was during my first trimester with Cal which feels like a jillion years ago, but it’s only actually been three years. Life changes so fast! Pre-baby life feels like a whole other life.  I’m wayyyy overdue for a visit to my PCP bc I’ve been under OBGYN or midwifery care for the majority of the past three years while having babies, but I am pretty good with keeping up with my paps. It seems women often think they need pap and/or HPV testing way more frequently than they do (and providers sometimes perform these tests more frequently than necessary - remember more testing doesn’t always mean better outcomes!)  So if you need it, here’s a quick little reminder on this chilly spring Friday afternoon on how often you need this testing (these are the recommendations from ACOG)  Women aged 21–29 years should have a Pap test alone every 3 years. HPV testing is not recommended.  Women aged 30–65 years should have a Pap test and an HPV test (aka co-testing) every 5 years (preferred). It also is acceptable to have a Pap test alone every 3 years.  If you get abnormal results, this testing frequency could change - but for healthy women with normal results, you actually don’t need testing as frequently as you might think. Which is great news for those of you who hate the speculum.  Ok, off to finish up some things on the to-do list (including cleaning this kitchen) during nap time and then come 5 o’clock, crack an IPA with our neighbors 🍻
#AlignPartner Over the past seven months since bec #AlignPartner Over the past seven months since becoming a mom of two, caring for myself has gotten shoved to the back burner. And it's been a challenge to make it a priority. My routine-resistant personality has upsides and downsides when it comes to motherhood. So I'm starting small this year with a consistent bedtime routine that includes taking my supplements and @alignprobiotic and hoping as that becomes consistent, my mornings will naturally shift too.  In short my bedtime currently goes like this….jammies & face care when putting the babies to bed. Before I go to bed (anytime between 9pm and 12am...) I’ll pump, take my supplements and fill my water. Then I go upstairs and brush my teeth. And then get in bed. The kicker: 70% of the time I find myself finishing up tasks on my phone IN BED. I hate this habit.  Back to supplements. This is something I have been able to stick with. On top of fish oil, my prenatal, choline and vitamin D, I recently added @AlignProbiotic 24/7 Digestive Support*§ to see if it helps with abdominal discomfort and regularity because when I don’t drink coffee or am traveling that can get thrown off.  I’ll be taking it every day for the next 28 days since it takes TIME for our bodies to adjust to probiotics - and I'll be taking you guys along with me as I share my honest thoughts. Many people think if they don’t see changes within the first 7-10 days then the probiotic isn’t working, but that’s not the case. I’m giving myself more than just a week or two and instead a full month to see the full benefits. I’ll keep you posted over the next month. Check out my stories to learn more! #MyAlignGutJourney #guthealth
 
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care f We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care for a nap. Putting baby down was harder than I wanted it to be. Miraculously, I had a moment of clarity as I was covered in tiny humans and decided I wasn’t doing the nap battle thing a on 60 degree, gorgeous, sunny spring day 🙅🏻‍♀️ so I piled both babies into the car half naked, opened the sun roof, put on white noise for them and an audio book for me and drank a kombucha as I drove a meal to a postpartum mama. Thirty five minutes later we had a sleeping baby and a toddler who at least had a rest. Baby transferred without waking HALLELUJAH and although my toddler didn’t nap today (lord help) at least we got soaked in breezy sunshine 😎🤘🏻💆🏻‍♀️
We veered from our usual Friday night homemade piz We veered from our usual Friday night homemade pizza (minus the dough, we leave that to @albemarlebakingco) because we are eating pizza tomorrow with some friends - instead I called my mom and asked her how she makes her chicken fingers and we fried up a big ole batch of chicken nugs 🙌🏻🤤 along with a sheet pan full of sweet potato fries and a simple arugula salad dressed with parmesean, olive oil and s&p. Oh and my moms honey mustard recipe for dipping. It’s SO DANG GOOD.  Over the past 6ish months we’ve been practicing (and practicing and practicing bc it doesn’t come naturally) unplugging from technology and slowing down and resting and just being for one day a week. Some call it Shabbat. Some call it Sabbath. Maybe you call it something different. All I know is IT IS SO GOOD FOR MY WEARY SOUL and the day I look forward to ALL WEEK. Sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday. Nothing but rest. For us that means hiking (or something outside) and napping and reading and being with friends and eating really good food. And drinking some really good wine or craft beer. Sometimes whiskey. 😛  And because I know I’ll get asked about the chicken finger recipe and also because it’s too good not to share and Momma Coale said I could, here ya go:  Cut chicken breast into thin strips or small pieces (I prefer nug size bc the breading to chicken ratio is perfection). Salt and pepper those babies really well. Then dredge them in all purpose flour, then egg, then panko - just like you would bread anything else. Then fry them up in a light oil - I use avocado oil because that’s our everyday oil. You could also use canola or peanut oil. Just fill a pan with an inch or so of oil on medium high heat. They only take 2-3 minutes per side. You can always temp them to make sure they are at least 165 degrees F to really make sure they are done. Dunk in all the sauces and enjoy!  Happy weekend!

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