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Boston, Daily Eats, Recipe, Weekend

A No Plans Weekend & Pizza Stuffed Potatoes

February 19, 2018 By Robyn 29 Comments

This weekend was nothing exciting but it was soooooo good. Restful with zero expectations or things we had to do. Nick got home Thursday night after being away all week in NJ for work (he works remote and commutes back about every 4 weeks for a few days) so we did a belated Valentine’s Day dinner on Friday. We’ve actually never been together on Valentine’s Day so we always do something low key before/after.

First, we cracked a bottle of wine and made a cheese plate at home to wind down from a a busy week.

And then we walked over to Kava. I was beyond excited to eat here given all the amazing reviews this place has gotten and how many people have recommended it. The thing is, they don’t take reservations (hence filling up on cheese + crackers) so we knew it would be a bit of a wait. But it was well worth it. Around 8:30 we snagged a couple seats at the bar.

The wine list is 90% Greek wines. I don’t even remember what this was called but it was a little funky…not my favorite, but Nick liked it.

We started with the zucchini chips with tzatziki sauce. Plus an arugula and hallaoumi salad. The zucchini chips were incredible! I’d go back for those alone.

We also shared the eggplant stuffed pepper that went unpictured and warm bread + olive oil.

With all the apps, we decided to split an entree – the sea bass. I think I imagined a fillet and we got the whole fish. Well…first time for everything so I dug in. Thankfully it was de-boned and really easy to eat. Paired with the lemon and olive oil sauce and some of Nick’s white wine it was light and really tasty.

The service was stellar. Since we were first timers they brought out this for dessert – a thick, whipped greek yogurt with honey and candied nuts. And then the owner brought us some honey sweetened grappa to end the meal. We will be back!

Saturday morning started with pumpkin oatmeal topped with honey pb plus coffee. I read a little and worked on some e-course things (I’m so excited several of you have signed up!) and then headed out to a 9:30 yoga class. My mind and body have been enjoying yoga so much these past few weeks.

All I crave after a hot yoga class is a smoothie – even in winter. This was the usual, spinach + frozen banana + chocolate Vega protein powder + almond milk + ice. Then I showered.

And we made breakfast tacos with leftover veggies from the fridge. Nick scrambled up eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms and toasted up some tortillas with oil in the cast iron. We topped them with cheese, avocado, salsa and sour cream. So messy. Hit the spot.

I worked on the new Nutshell Nutrition website and re-branding (coming soon!) since it will no longer just be Nutshell Nutrition. So that’s exciting. 🙂 And then we drove about 20 minutes outside Boston to buy some plants.

All but one of our house plants died in the move. Between moving them across state lines and having them at a friends house where everyone was gone for much of the holidays…those buddies got a little dehydrated. Plus I wanted a few more to add to our new apartment. Not because we have space, our apartment is actually smaller lol, but I love how plants make a home feel.

So we got a little excited and ended up getting 4 new plants plus some herbs for the kitchen because this is the closest thing I’m getting to a garden anytime soon. Welcome to the family, you little baby herbs.

It was actually really fun to learn about all the different plants and spend time pursuing the greenhouse and picking out ones we liked.

Since we were out in the burbs where it’s less crowded in grocery stores at 6pm on a Saturday we swung by TJs for groceries for the week along with some dinner ingredients.

And then came home and made homemade pizza. We had homemade pizza all the time growing up since my mom would make the dough in our bread maker and I’ve been wanting to make it homemade for a while. I’m not to the homemade dough level (thank you TJs $1 dough) but we might get there one day..

I snacked on another cheese plate while cooking because I was super hungry by the time we got home.

For pizza, we did one with veggies (pepper, onion and mushrooms) but used 1/2 pesto and 1/2 pizza sauce to have a little of both and the other with just pepperoni. Topped with mozzarella, some of our new basil and crushed red pepper. They turned out great!

We drank some Chianti and I threw together a salad…aka I put all the ingredients from a TJs salad kit into a bowl.

Together we crushed all the pizza. Thumbs up Saturday night meal while watching the Olympics and the UNC vs Louisville game.

Capped off the night with vanilla ice cream + brownie bites. Everyone go buy the $1.99 pints of vanilla ice cream at TJs….it’s super vanilla-y.

I finished Letting Go of Leo last week that Simi gifted me (highly recommend, so easy to read and Simi and insanely vulnerable, honest, so relatable and brings laughter) and loved it. I also adore Simi. Sunday morning I started Looking For Lovely. I also love Annie Downs so this should be good.

Breakfast was blueberry oatmeal pancakes. Sunday. It felt so right.

Plus some fried eggs over leftover arugula. Topped the pancakes with butter and lots of maple syrup.

We went to church at 10:30 and then I met up with my friend Amanda – one of those friends who’s actually new but you feel like you’ve known her for years. Moving to a new city is never easy no matter how exciting it is, but finding easy friendships makes the transition so much easier and I’m thankful for that. We went to a spin class at Turnstyle and then walked and talked our way home. It was my first time at Turnstyle – I’m not a huge spin fan but I’ll try anything once. And it was actually pretty fun – the music was fantastic and there were no numbers on the bike which I LOVED. You could just ride based on feel.

I got home, showered, drank a smoothie for something quick to eat and then Nick and I spent the afternoon exploring + walking around Boston. Our first stop was sandwiches from this old school family owned deli, Giorgiana’s. I went with the Mediterranean on ciabatta instead of a wrap. Bread > wrap everyday for my tastebuds. This was fab! Tons of roasted veggies, hummus and I added feta cheese. And it was super sunny and warm enough to eat outside on a bench.

We meandered in and out of shops, up and down the streets and soaked up a semi “warm” day for Boston in February.

For dinner we took leftover pizza ingredients and potatoes (no dough left, sadly) and made pizza potatoes! Super random but actually tasty. I roasted Yukon gold potatoes until fork tender, then smashed then down a bit with a fork and topped with pizza ingredients and baked for another 10 minutes.

And in regular fashion…we ended the weekend watching the Olympics. And eating this new to me ice cream I picked up because 1) vanilla and pb 2) it was 1/2 off at Star Market for $2.75 and 3) Breyer’s makes almond milk ice cream and I had to give it a try. Verdict – one of the best almond milk ice creams I’ve had! I actually think almond milk ice cream sucks (if I’m going non diary it’s cashew or coconut) but this was fluffy and creamy and on point. Way to go Breyer’s.

Hope you had a great weekend! Share your favorite parts in the comments!


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Filed Under: Boston, Daily Eats, Recipe, Weekend

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Comments

  1. Julianne says

    February 19, 2018 at 8:43 am

    Went home and visited my family for the weekend :)the best part was a hike in the gorgeous 70 degree weather with my sister! Need to find that ice cream!

    Reply
    • ROBYN says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      70 degrees sounds AMAZING!!

      Reply
  2. Katherine says

    February 19, 2018 at 9:15 am

    I love your weekend updates!! It’s so fun getting a peak into your life 🙂

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      So glad you enjoy them Katherine – thank you for reading!

      Reply
  3. Samantha says

    February 19, 2018 at 9:54 am

    Just saw Annie F. Downs at a conference last weekend (not to be confused with Annie Downs, just google it!)… she’s hilarious! Will have to check out this book! 🙂

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:08 pm

      I did! had no idea she went by Annie F. DOWNS. Thank you :))

      Reply
  4. Caroline Averitt says

    February 19, 2018 at 10:48 am

    Thank you Robyn 🙂 Seeing women eat a variety of delicious foods in sufficient, satisfying amounts really gives people the inspiration to do that themselves! Speaking from personal experience reading your content.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:08 pm

      I’m so glad it’s refreshing for you Caroline! Hope you had a wonderful weekend 🙂

      Reply
  5. Emily says

    February 19, 2018 at 11:01 am

    Sounds like a great weekend. I am going to make a recommendation for plants and amazing food. Go check out Russo’s market. Here is the address: 560 Pleasant St, Watertown, MA 02472. I recommend going early on a Saturday because it gets BUSY! I love love it and miss it more than anything. The produce is awesome, there are amazing breads/pastas (made in house), desserts, and more. Plus the prices are really good! I wish I could transport myself back there from North Carolina every Saturday. Also the whole front part is plants!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:09 pm

      ON OUR LIST NOW! This places sounds AMAZING and is only an 18 minute drive from our apt. Thank you!!

      Reply
  6. Jessica says

    February 19, 2018 at 11:27 am

    Such a nice weekend! How do you make your pumpkin oatmeal? It looks so good!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:10 pm

      Just cook oats like usual on the stove and then stir in 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and a pour of maple syrup and cinnamon 🙂

      Reply
  7. Megan @ A Continual Feast says

    February 19, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    No plans weekends are the besttt! We went shopping for plants this weekend too and it was surprisingly fun. We also got a grill which I’m super excited to start using once it warms up!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:11 pm

      Love that you guys did that too – oh man a grill! We don’t have outdoor space at our place so thankfully our friends who live a 4 minute walk away do so we can take advantage of their grill,. Summer night bliss!

      Reply
  8. Anna Bulfin says

    February 19, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    Looking for Lovely is SO good! And definitely gonna have to go get that Breyer’s ice cream now 🙂

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:11 pm

      I can’t wait to keep reading!

      Reply
  9. Meghan Dillon says

    February 19, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    My favorite kind of weekend is one with no plans (which kind of makes me a grandma, but it’s sooo nice!). I’ve been trying to find some new plants for our apartment too – I’ve gotten a couple from Home Depot but I’m waiting for a greenhouse near us to re-open so I can get some from there as well! I also have to say – I have the exact same wire shelving unit for all our pots and pans and it’s just the best :).

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      February 19, 2018 at 4:12 pm

      Well if you’re a grandma, I’m a grandma 🙂

      Love this shelving unit and it was a steal on Amazon 🙂

      Reply
  10. Edie says

    February 19, 2018 at 7:06 pm

    Love your weekend recaps! Those pizzas look bomb. And the dessert you had on Friday night – YUM. Have a great week, Robyn!

    Reply
  11. Cate says

    February 19, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Those zucchini chips look wicked good! I also am very into cheese plates, especially on a Friday/weekend night!

    Reply
  12. Taylor says

    February 19, 2018 at 8:29 pm

    I had a much needed rest day. After way too much stress (and hours) at work this week and not enough movement or sunshine it was great to get out in the 70 degree sunshine (yay, California!) and walk along the creek path after a casual diner brunch. Then we bought a patio table that was way on sale so we can start sitting out on our deck. Then because I didn’t feel ready to go home/inside or think about going back to work in the morning, I drove 45 minutes to the beach. We walked on the beach path until sunset which was gorgeous and then got pad Thai and afterwards I got a scoop of really intense dark chocolate ice cream in a fresh (still warm) waffle cone and may have actually done a little happy dance it was so good. I finished the day off watching the video devotional I’m doing for Lent and journaling. I want to have that Saturday every week. It was amazing! I worked Sunday but the church office was closed today for president’s day so today was my sabbath day to rest at home.

    Reply
  13. June says

    February 19, 2018 at 9:28 pm

    Today was holiday so I actually went to Boston to take a walking tour of the North End! Really fun. Your photos look familiar now 😉

    Reply
  14. leticia says

    February 20, 2018 at 5:08 am

    Haha fantastic weekend
    a couple of things i wanna say
    First, in Spain we serve the whole fish (with bones and skin and everything)
    Second, you can make pizza dough with a long fridge fermentation. the only thing you need is mixing the ingredientes and let dough rest in the fridge for 24/48/72 h.
    And thats it!
    Enjoy
    Leticia

    Reply
  15. Kate B says

    February 20, 2018 at 8:36 am

    Omg yes I love potatoes. Also, I didn’t know Breyer’s made non-dairy! I’ll have to try. Also, that ice cream inspired me to drizzle peanut butter on my vanilla ice cream last night and it was SO good. I don’t know why I haven’t always done this???? #foreverchanged

    Reply
  16. Emily Swanson says

    February 20, 2018 at 10:26 am

    Love that you made a new friend and that you were able to meet up with her after church! That sounds like a precious blossoming friendship. And I love how you had such a low key weekend and LOTS of good food! Those plants make me excited for spring, but I’m actually still enjoying snow too.

    And YAY for plants! I LOVE extra greenery in the house.

    Reply
  17. Allison says

    February 20, 2018 at 1:23 pm

    I’ve been loving the warm Boston weather! It feels so strange but I’m rolling with it. This weekend was spent packing and cleaning. We’re getting ready to move into our first house so everything is a little hectic!

    Reply
  18. Ashley says

    February 20, 2018 at 10:43 pm

    Sounds like the best laid back weekend! All your eats look incredible – I would love to try that restaurant. Also, loving your pancake and egg + arugula combo. I can never choose sweet or savory, so I love having some of both! All my meals were spontaneous and unplanned this past weekend and it was AWESOME!

    Reply
  19. Molly @ a la Molly says

    February 21, 2018 at 11:01 am

    I’ll have to keep an eye out for that Breyers! I also usually think almond milk ice cream sucks, but I always enjoy giving them a try!

    Reply
  20. emily vardy says

    February 21, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    I loooove visiting garden centres! That place looks so nice.
    Also, the pizza potatoes sound so strange, but so yummy! I’ll have to experiment.

    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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