Friday night we stopped by our friends place for a glass of wine. And then Nick and I explored Boston and bopped around to different places. We had no set plans. When we were at our friends, Phil recommend Cafe Jaffa for really good middle eastern food. It was really good! But really casual, so next time I’d go there for either a very chill dinner or lunch.
We started with babaganoush and salad. The pita was perfectly fluffy.
And I ordered the falafel sandwich which was pretty tasty. The falafel was piping hot and crispy on the outside. I was satisfied on pita after eating the babganoush so I ate the insides of the sandwich.
I purposely left some room for dessert after dinner so we walked around in search of something sweet. We strolled through Eataly…
And as we were in there we remembered some people had said the French restaurant right by us, Petit Robert Bistro, had a really good dessert menu. So we walked over to check it out.
It did not disappoint. We ordered the puff pastry with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. It actually was lighter than I expected – if Nick and I weren’t sharing I would have eaten the whole thing.
We headed home, I read a bit and then slept a good 8 hours.
Saturday morning began with coffee.
And then a bowl of apple cinnamon oats topped with cranberries and peanut butter. I just cooked regular rolled oats on the stove top and added chopped apple and cinnamon half way through.
And then, like I talked about in Friday’s post, I met up with the Heartbreakers running group for the Saturday morning run. I was a little nervous because 1) I was by myself 2) knew absolutely nobody and 3) didn’t really know what this all entailed.
I got there a couple minutes after 9am and saw a lot of people running right by the running store (where we were suppose to meet) so was confused. I knew there were a lot of people who met for this run (like 100ish) but there were people running in a lot of directions and it looked like they had been running for a while. So I basically parked my car and just hopped into the group and started running. But then about 5 minutes into the run I was like, “ummm, let me ask what is going on..” So I asked the people running near me and they were really nice and told me there were a handful of running groups out this morning and the group I was looking for hadn’t left yet.
So then I jogged the 1/2 mile back to the running store, but by that time the group I was looking for had left already. So I walked into the running store and was like….”Hi, I’m new here. I’m really confused…how can I catch up with the group?” The guy gave me a welcomed laugh and then pointed me in the right direction and I caught up with the group I was actually looking for.
It was a gorgeous morning and my legs felt great (still zero knee or IT band pain which is so crazy to me that getting a more supportive shoe solved my problems) and I ended the run feeling so so happy. Because I was running with people (even if they are complete strangers at this point) in gorgeous weather with zero pain. I turned back way early because the group I was with was running longer than I planned on.
Soooo all that to say, I’ll be back. And I’m sure I’ll settle in and make some friends after a few weeks. And next time, I’ll know where to meet and how the whole thing is organized.
I stopped by the grocery afterward to pick up the week’s goods. Drank a smoothie and some samples while grocery shopping.
And then got home and made some epic avocado toast. One of those meals where you have to vocalize, “THIS IS SO GOOD.”
We sold our huge TV and hadn’t gotten a new one yet so we watched the UNC game on the laptop…but they lost in a close game so that sucked.
Saturday afternoon I took a hot bath, did a mud mask, read the rest of Letting Go of Leo Simi sent me (such a refreshing and relatable read – highly recommend!) and took a nap.
Then ate a banana and sunbutter. I bought this sunbutter on sale and actually don’t really like it but I’m eating it anyways because I don’t want to waste it. It tastes too earthy I think. I thought it was going to be sweeter, but it’s not.
After napping, I put myself together and Nick and I walked down to Urban Grape for a wine tasting. They do tastings from 3-6 so we strolled down there to taste some wines a handful of times. It’s also a really social wine shop so we see a lot of the same people each time which is fun.
We bought a bottle to take home and pair with a cheese plate I threw together. I bought this goat gouda at Whole Foods and it is insanely good.
Then we walked over to a friends for Thai takeout. We shared this spread of curry, beef and broccoli, garlic chicken, steamed dumplings and chicken wings.
By 10pm I was exhausted and we headed home for bed.
Sunday morning we decided to go to an early church service since we were up by 7…I know I’m 89 apparently. We stopped by the Thinking Cup for breakfast before checking out Park Street church. Nick went last week when I was in Nashville and really liked it, so we went back together this week.
I went with the breakfast burrito + coffee. The burrito was a little meh. I needed to be hotter so the spinach would wilt and cheese melt and then it would have been great! But it’s okay for every eating experience not to be 100% satisfying. I ate it and moved on.
We walked back through the Boston Commons after church. I stopped and shopped for some organization containers at Marshalls on the way home.
And when I got home threw together a lazy lunch. This is what I do when I don’t want to put effort into food. Smoothie with blueberries, banana, peanut butter, spinach.
Plus popcorn popped in coconut oil on the stove.
And then a bomb went off in the kitchen as I reorganized a bit.
But now I feel like I don’t have a zillion bags and boxes of random grains and lentils and pasta…
So that’s a win. I bought a bun of the plastic containers you see above at Marshalls for like $4-$6 each. I thought that was a pretty good deal!
I meal prepped for the week a bit in the evening while Nick delivered our table to a friend who bought it from us. We ordered a smaller, circular one that fits the space better. I loved our old table, so I’m selfishly happy I’ll still be able to enjoy it because our friend now has it.
Dinner was leftover stir fry using random veggies we had in the fridge that were on their last leg. I used this leftover sauce I made a couple weeks ago. And cooked up some brown rice for the week. Love when you can use up the fridge and actually make a meal.
The rest of Sunday night was spent typing up this post, watching This is Us and eating some Breyer’s with strawberry crumble bars.
Hope you guys had a relaxing and fun weekend! Share in the comments – I love hearing about your weekends too!
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great post! what are strawberry crumble bars?? sounds good!
from the OSG cookbook!
You were in my neighborhood this weekend! Next time you’re looking for a super nice but not stuffy spot, try Porto. It’s right near Eataly on Ring Road. Amazing tapas, seafood, and cocktails/wine. I’m really good friends with the owner, Jody, and manager, Tim, and go at least once a week. If you go, tell them Katie sent you 🙂
I’m traveling a ton this spring, so I took advantage of this weekend–dinners with friends, church, errands, SLEEP. It was much needed.
Oh yum will have to put it on my list! I’ll tell them we know Katie 🙂
Your kitchen is so lovely! You may have mentioned this in another post but where did you get that organizational shelf thingy? My husband and I are about to move and our kitchen won’t have much storage so I’m on the lookout for something like that! Your weekend looks wonderful, and I’ve been loving ending the night with ice cream lately too 🙂
Thank you! The kitchen baker’s rack? Amazon!
That sounds like a great weekend! I got to take a quick trip to the beach with my boyfriend, which was so nice, and spent the rest of the weekend (we had a long weekend 🙂 ) catching up on work, as well as resting. I took a nap too, it was much needed!
The beach!! That sounds like a dream right now 🙂
sounds like a great weekend!
For the BEST breakfast, check out The Neighborhood in Somerville (and Union Square Donuts). I live in Connecticut now and sometimes think about driving to Boston just for breakfast.
on my list!!
I turned 25 this weekend! It was filled with yummy food, exploring more of Boston, and good friends. 25 feels weirdly momentous and scary, but exciting at the same time. Trying to lean into the exciting bit.
I’m glad you took the plunge with finding the running group and giving it a try. I’ve found a running group I could potentially join but I’m intimidated and worried about being alone and not connecting with anyone…but you can’t meet people if you don’t show up! Maybe I’ll try it out 🙂
P.S. Pro-tip if you venture into Thinking Cup again in the lunchtime region — their jerk spice turkey sandwich with mango chutney is so. good. Flavor explosion. So much so, I try to recreate it myself sometimes!
25 felt really “grown up” for me too – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
It’s scary at first but you never know who you might meet!
I need to try a sandwich – those looked amazing!
I’m so excited you found Cafe Jaffa – in my opinion it is the best kept secret in Boston. Next time, try their chicken shawarma salad – you will never want to eat any other salad with chicken again, it’s AMAZING!!!
I’ll have to try that! The food was really good! Just not quite the vibe we were looking for at dinner that night 🙂
Your kitchen is gorgeous! Trying a running group is something I’ve been wanting to try…sounds like a great way to meet people!
I do love it!! Too bad we are just renting haha.
Your weekend looks SOOO relaxing. The perfect way to spend a weekend! I love that you guys can just walk down the street to a wine tasting. How fun! We had a really relaxing weekend, too. My husband actually did NOT have to work this weekend (for once). So we took full advantage of the extra time together by curling up together and watching some movies and we also went out to breakfast on Saturday morning. It was perfect!
We do love the walkability of a city and feel thankful to be able to live close to Urban Grape – it’s such a fun community and we love learning about wine and how to pair it with food. So glad you got QT with your husband!
Love your weekend recaps! All of your food looks delish, per usual. Have a great week!
Have a great week too Edie!
Definitely try the goat gouda at TJ’s as well — it’s a winner!
WAIT. I’ve never seen that? At WF it’s pricier so if I can find it at TJs that would be fab!
Yah, girl. It’s real good. I’ve bought it in Denver, Nashville, and Louisville so hopefully Boston has it as well. I found a picture of it on this blog: https://aintfoundagoodtitleblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/trader-joes-goats-milk-gouda-cheese-food-review/
That vanilla ice cream is some of the BEST EVER! 🙂 And that looks like such a fun experience getting connected with some new runners there in Boston; I hope you can find some sweet friendships to develop there.
Also that breakfast burrito does look like it would be really really good if you just microwaved it and let that cheese and spinach melt together a bit.
I really appreciate how you said that you felt satisfied after the pitas, and you realized you didn’t want the extra bread. 🙂 That’s intuitive eating RIGHT there! 🙂
🙂 Hope you had a great weekend Emily!
I love your blue living room rug- where’s it from??
I think Wayfair! Or Amazon…one of them!
I was in Boston this weekend! There was a dental convention (Yankee Dental) going on and me and my fellow hygienist coworkers took some courses! We ate dinner Friday at The Capitol Grille – SO good but expensive…definitely a treat for me, thanks to my boss. On Saturday before heading home, we ate at Lincoln for brunch which is in Southie… HIGHLY recommend!! I had eggs benedict with a single pumpkin pancake and it was perfect. My friends got a fruity pebble pancake 🙂
Ohh yum! I’ll have to check out Lincoln
I can relate to changing running shoes working miracles! I had shin splints for ages while training for a half marathon and simply changing my shoes made them go away!
This has been incredible! Glad you found healing too!
Lol! your running club confusion sounds exactly like something that I would do.
haha glad I”m not alone
Hi Robyn,
I always read but rarely comment, but as I continued to read this post I kept having to make mental notes on things to comment about haha! So first a question, which shoes did you switch to? I feel like I’m having the same issue and finally got to a running store where they evaluated my stride and I bought new shoes that felt great. I’ve worn them a handful of times walking and once jogging but my knee pain persists. I was curious since your’s immediately dissipated. Second I also find sunflower butter to be too earthy and not sweet enough. For many years I was on numerous restricted diets for health reasons and tried to substitute nut butters with sunflower butter and it is SO NOT the same. Try adding some honey, that made it better for me, or use it up baking (I hate wasting things too). And third, I’ve been so wanting to use glass containers for all my dry goods lately. I hate having all the plastic bags and half open packages sitting around so you’ve inspired me to finally get on that! Thanks for sharing, it’s always fun to read your blog!
I feel that same way about that brand’s pumpkin seed butter, but like you, trying to finish it anyway. What shoes did you end up with?
So glad you’re enjoying Boston so far! I go to Park Street- will have to keep an eye out for you guys if you go back 🙂 (I am usually there at 11 though- not a morning person haha)