Another summer weekend in the books! Also…HOW is it almost the end of July?
Anwayyyz. Friday night Nick and I did a wine + cheese tasting on a boat that cruised around Manhattan. I bought the tickets for Nick’s birthday back in June. The tastings revolved around Greece… meaning it’s the closest thing I’m getting to Greece in this moment. It was pretty great.
The black walnuts below were sweet. Paired with the sharp bite of this cheese (that I forget the name of….) it was PERFECTION.
My favorite pairing though was this herbal, savory white wine with a salty feta that was mixed with olive oil and oregano. It was so unique and surprisingly fabulous.
The trip included five wine tastings paired with five cheese tastings and stunning views of New York. It was so peaceful to be out of the craziness of the city and appreciate the beauty of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
They only allow about 20 people on the boat at once so it was nice that it wasn’t crazy overcrowded. Definitely recommend Manhattan Yacht cruises if you’re in the city and want to do something non touristy!
We ordered Bareburger from Seamless on our way home and it was ready to pick up by the time we got back downtown to our apartment. Nick made some margaritas and we went to town on this meal. I was starving since it was 9pm by the time we got off the boat. I usually get my burger wrapped in a steamed collard, not because buns are “bad” but so 1) I have more room for sp fries and 2) buns (ha) just don’t do it for me at all, they’re just meh in my mind. Give me a bagel or toast all day, buns….not so much.
The next morning Nick left for a bachelor party on Fire Island and I had the whole day wide open. I didn’t make any plans with girlfriends during the day because when I have a day to spend by myself I try to keep it that way. I tend to want to fill up time with social things, but I want to always know how to spend time with myself.
So I spent the morning doing some blog work and eating breakfast. Egg + avocado flatbread plus pb and banana flatbread plus coffee. I also drank a green smoothie mid morning. 
And then I jogged ups to TJs to grab some groceries. Plus I haven’t been to TJs in like five months since we don’t have one near us and I reallyyy wanted to stroll around and see what new products they had. Anyone else actually enjoy doing that when the stores aren’t crowded? Maybe just me…
Also my knees have been hurting (despite not running that much at all lately, so that’s annoying) so I’ve taken the past three weeks completely off running and instead done my PT exercises, iced and foam rolled like a maniac and on Saturday I was able to run slowly for 30 minutes pain FREEEE.
The goods. Including cheese and snacks for Saturday night and fresh flowers because they are happy and $4. Super jazzed about the “everything but the bagel” seasoning.
I biked home (don’t worry the bag was very snug) and chatted with my friend Kelli.
And then made a huge salad because that’s all I was craving. This was leftover kale massaged in olive oil and sea salt topped with leftover rotisserie chicken, avocado and cherry tomatoes along with the last of a bag of buffalo ranch popchips.
A couple of my good girlfriends came over Saturday evening and we drank wine, ate cheese and sat at on our terrace. When it started to rain we came inside and ordered take out. It was one of those relaxed nights that’s full laughs and really good, easy conversation. The best. 
We split a couple orders of enchiladas plus guac, rice and beans and fried plantains (that were amazing!) from El Vez.
I got into bed at 11pm with plans of waking up around 7:30 so I could do a few things before going to morning church. Wellll I didn’t hear my alarm and slept till 9 (guess I needed those 10 hours) and by the time I woke up I was crunched for time. My sister in law called while I was eating breakfast and we were in deep conversation before I realized I was going to be late to church.
So I stayed in my pjs and baked banana bread instead and it ended up being restful and just what I needed Sunday morning to be.
I ate a slice of banana bread and then did a 30 minute Barre3 online class (which I love love love btw) and when Nick got home in the afternoon we strolled around Battery Park before grabbing a late lunch at Chopt.
I got the mediterranean falafel salad that had local feta, pita chips and a yogurt cucumber dressing (super good) and we brought it home to eat while watching a lot of HGTV. I wrote this post, talked to my brother and spent the afternoon laying around and doing some brainstorming about the blog + business. It was rainy/cloudy outside which made being inside cozy. Love that.
We made turkey burgers + broccoli and kale + leftover potato + jambalaya steel cut oats using this Grainful mix for dinner. Never did I think to make steel cut oats savory but it was good! Kind of like the texture of barley.
Sunday wrapped up with an evening stroll, a little Netflix, peanut butter and chocolate ice cream and an early bedtime.
How was your weekend? Share the most restful part below in the comments!
![Weekend Recap [Dinner Parties and Red Wine]](https://www.thereallife-rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/IMG_2071-150x150.jpg)
![When You Need Some Introvert Time [Weekend Recap]](https://www.thereallife-rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/FullSizeRender-146-1-150x150.jpg)
The picture of the skyline from the boat is gorgeous!
Actual grocery shopping, I hate, but I’m like you in that I enjoy having a lil browse once in a while. I love just checking out if theres anything new and interesting/yummy-looking, without the pressure of having to buy “real groceries”.
It was a stunning night!
You’re going to love the Everything But the Bagel seasoning!! It brings avocado toast the next level
ON EGGS it’s amazing! Especially avocado toast – life changed.
OBSESSED
I love barre3 too!! The workouts are amazing for my body and mind… I’ve learned so much in the year and a half that I’ve been doing it about how to listen to my body.
YES YES YES agree. I think it’s good for connecting TO your body
agreed agreed agreed!
It wasn’t really restful, but my cross country team had a course preview run Friday night and I had some people from the team over for a cookout and bonfire afterwards. It was so much fun and I can say making a s’more with two chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers is definitely a must-try! Again, not so restful haha, but I started my Saturday off with a team long-run. It was sooo hot! I was totally ready for my big, leisurely breakfast afterwards. Later that day I did get to chill out and go to a movie with a friend. I definitely didn’t mind sitting and resting for a couple of hours. Sunday was a slower day and I just went to church, did some cleaning, studied, then made my absolute fave dinner (allll the crispy roasted veggie+pesto salmon) for my dad and myself. Love seeing your weekend recaps! That boat trip sounds so relaxing and OMG the food.
xxMeah
Your weekend sounds like a good mix of rest and fun…glad you enjoyed Meah!
sounds like quite the weekend full of lots of good things Meah! I remember my XC days 🙂
I consider wandering the aisles of TJ’s one of my favorite hobbies! 🙂 Also, LOVE Barre3. I’ve been lucky enough to live close to one of their studios this past year, but I’m about to move so I think I’m going to resubscribe to their online workouts!
There is only ONE studio in all of NYC (about a 20 minute bike ride away so a little too far for everyday..) so I LOVE the cost and time convenience of the online ones!
you totally should – I love the convenience!
That boat ride looked like such a cool experience! And I absolutley love wandering around grocery stores when it’s not busy to look at products, happy I’m not alone on that! Looks like a nice and relaxing weekend, also the choco chips on that banana bread look huge (and delicious). I didn’t have a whole lot of restful time this weekend, but I’m getting ready to move away to start my MS/DI so I’ve been lucky enough to fill my weekends with lots of friends + fun times recently. I know once I’m settled in my new place I’ll have more restful weekends (until assignments pile up..) Have a great week!
they are Ghirardelli! Congrats are starting your DI soon – such an exciting time!
so exciting about starting your DI!!! enjoy this time with friends before it begins!
You make NYC look so calm and peaceful! When I lived there I was so overwhelmed.
Can you share where your dining room/kitchen table and chairs are from?!
ohhhh girl, I am overwhelmed EVERYDAY ha! I’ve learned to stay near home and do stuff in my neighborhood often to create more calm but I have an emotional breakdown moment with the city at least once weekly… you’re not alone 🙂
They are both from Wayfair!
hahah welllllll it’s because I don’t go outside the 1 mile radius of our apartment…I definitely have an emotional “omg I’m so overwhelmed by this place” moment at least 1x a week….
they are from wayfair!
Love your weekend recaps! Your eats look SO delish. We had a wedding on Saturday night, but Sunday was a pretty chill day. I didn’t do much besides watch the huz play outdoor vball and make a batch of pesto and snacks for the week.
You need a chill day after a wedding I think 🙂
sounds like the perfect weekend though Edie!
That’s sounds like an amazing weekend. After that walnut and cheese PERFECTION statement, all I couldn’t think about was that Friends episode where Chandler says, “gum would be perfection” hehe.
Baking in pj’s is the absolute best, as is relaxed friend time with tons of laughing and soul-fulfillment.
Definitely will have to check out those online Barre classes; do you pay for a membership or are they free?
My weekend was restful through and through because I was visiting my college roommate in Massachusetts and just absolutely fell in love with every place we visited. I actually have a recap on my blog of Cambridge and Boston, if you wanna check it out 🙂
hahaha I love that episode
Online membership I think it’s up being like $30/month. Totally worth it in my mind since I don’t have a gym membership!
I LOVE BOSTON so I really hope the weekend was a blast 🙂
This all looks and sounds SO wonderful! Making me want to come visit NYC even more!
Thanks again for all you do, Robyn. You inspire me!
thanks haley!! come visit 🙂