It feels balmy at 24 degrees here this morning.
This weekend was bitter cold. As in my legs would go numb within 5 minutes of walking outside if I didn’t have 2 pairs of pants on. But it was also cozy and restful. And I ate a lot of satisfying foods. So that’s a win I think.
We are really lucky in that we have a close couple friend that lives in Boston. Through them we’ve become close to another couple. And then our good friend Emily moved from New York to Boston in December. Everyone knows each other and lives within a 10 minute walk so it’s formed a small friend group for us which has made the transition so much easier. Really thankful for that.
Friday night being outside was unbearable so Nick and I invited friends over for chili. We snacked on a cheese board that I forgot to photograph and drank wine. For the chili, I used this recipe made in the Instant Pot (favorite kitchen appliance as of late) along with roasted potatoes in olive oil and a simple mixed green salad – almonds, cranberries and honey dijon vinaigrette.
Plus brownies + ice cream for dessert.
Saturday morning I woke up and had breakfast + coffee but forgot what I ate and didn’t take a picture. I remember it kind of sucking though so maybe that’s why… oatmeal maybe?
I had a client at 10am and then spent most of Saturday working on the amenorrhea e-course. I’m hoping to release this by the end of January. I’m excited about it! And I hope it’s helpful for many women. I so wish I would have had a resource like this when I was going through hypothalamic amenorrhea. It’s taking a little longer to develop the material and accompanying handouts because I realized I wanted to incorporate a lot on developing positive body image and cultivating self care. More details on this coming in my newsletter (sign up in the sidebar –>) and on the blog/social media in coming weeks.
Lunched on leftover lentil soup.
In addition to some plantain chips and chocolate.
Nick watched the UNC/UVA game and I watched here and there and worked at the same time. Nick was disappointed (he’s a very intense UNC fan) but I wasn’t mad at the UVA win 🙂
I had been inside all day so around 4:30 decided to walk over to the gym for some sort of movement. I’m trying out this new gym as a free week trial period and it’s growing on me by the day. It’s an all women’s gym which I love because the classes are less hardcore bootcamp-ish and so far (from what I can tell) the culture and environment seem more “move your body to feel good” rather than “burn off what you did this weekend” which is nice. The classes aren’t as amazing as you would find in a small studio like Barre3 or a yoga studio but they are good enough I think.
I loved the Barre3 studio when I tried it out. And I would love to belong to a barre or yoga studio, but it’s hard for me to justify the price for an unlimited package (I hate paying the crazy price of an individual class) when you can only do one type of class. I need variety! (I also realize deciphering between which “gym I’ll join” is a first world, luxurious decision) HealthWorks is more “affordable” and gives a small discount for health care practitioners which is nice too. Sooo all that to say, I think I’ll join for the barre and yoga classes, machines when I want to do that and mostly the sauna and whirlpool. If you live in Boston and are part of HW, I’d love to hear your experience in the comments 🙂
Came home. Showered. Drank a smoothie (almond milk, banana, blueberries, spinach, ice, Vega) and snacked on cheese and crackers Nick had out.
Then we braved the negative degree cold to walk to our friends for dinner. Being inside a home cozied up was the only way, in my opinion, to survive the weather..
We snacked on charcuterie.
Drank red wine. And ate spaghetti carbonara that was very good. I’ve actually never had this, but how can you go wrong with spaghetti, bacon and cheese? You can’t.
Peppermint brownies with chocolate chip ice cream were dessert, served in these adorable ramekins that I now think I need. I have no idea where they are from but I’ll ask Alicia and report back.
And since we stayed until 1am talking, we drank hot chocolate later on. By 1am everyone realized it was bedtime and Nick and I bundled up for the 10 minute walk home. –> I am LOVING the closer proximity of where we live and Boston as a whole compared to New York.
We slept till 9:30 on Sunday. I ate a smaller breakfast before church since I knew we were going out for brunch in a couple hours. Whole milk greek yogurt + maple syrup + brown rice cereal + banana + sunbutter.
We went to the 11am service at City on a Hill church in Brookline. Finding a church can be a long process so I’m trying to be patient even though I want to find a church home, like yesterday. All in time, Robyn. I thought the worship and preaching were great and I met a blog reader (hi, Suzanne!) so that was fun. It’s a little far away (15-20 minute drive) and so we’d love something more in our neighborhood, but we’ll see.
Brunched at Tatte afterward which was fab. I ordered the shakshuka which was incredible and so comforting. Highly recommend! They are opening a location less than a mile from us in a week or so and I’m so happy.
Swung by the grocery afterward to pick up things for lunch + dinner this week.
And then I ran a few errands in the afternoon, talked to a friend on the phone and sat down to do some planning with this new planner I found at Staples. I mentioned it on insta stories yesterday, but I’m loving how it’s just enough detail but not too much where I feel overwhelmed with structure.
While we reheated leftovers for dinner that we needed to eat so they didn’t go to waste, I made this peanut soup in about 20 minutes using, yes, the Instant Pot. Side note –> I love Pinch of Yum’s blog for many reasons. But I was bummed out to see them posting about a sugar free January challenge. I still love her recipes and so I’m just tuning out that when I go to the blog, but if that is triggering for you, don’t click that link.
I shared this “recipe” for unstuffed cabbage rolls on stories last week – it’s not really a recipe, more of an idea. Sauté 16 oz. of mushrooms, 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil. Brown ground beef in separate pan. Add a head of sliced green cabbage to the veggies and let it cook until soft. Then add the cooked beef and a jar of marinara. I add some oregano and crushed red pepper at the end. That’s it. We cooked up some pasta last night for carbs. I also like it with rice or potatoes.
And we wrapped up the evening with This is Us and vanilla ice cream + leftover brownies. I bought this pint for our Friday dinner party at Trader Joes for $1.99. Win.
Have a great week! Share your weekend highlights in the comments – I love hearing!
![Our First Weekend In Boston [Recap]](https://www.thereallife-rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_1400-150x150.jpg)
I lived in Boston for several years and was a member at Healthworks in Coolidge Corner, Brookline. I now live in Nashville and have been a Barre3 member for almost a year. Totally get what you’re saying about the difference between the two. I do miss the variety that Healthworks provided because, obviously, I cannot afford to be a member at more than one boutique studio. With Healthworks, I loved the tabata and spin classes. Sometimes their barre classes are good, too. If Sarah Reed is still teaching you have to try her classes! She’s amazing. Also, my favorite class became a les mills class (( think it was called Body Attack or something equally intimidating). It was SO FUN. I couldn’t do more than one per week, but I loved it. Over time I found my favorite instructors and stuck to them. Hope that helps. Boston is my favorite city. I hope it continues to be good to you. Peace!
This is helpful to hear thank you! I went to a great Yoga Sculpt class today that was SO GOOD. I will have to look out for Sarah Reed too. Hope you’re loving Nashville – I have good friends there and they love it. Happy New Year!!
That is so awesome you guys have found a great group of friends! My husband and I spent some time with some amazing friends of ours and found out they are having their first baby this year! It made us realize how important spending time with friends can be in this stage of life! Don’t sweat the Church home either, we are still looking for the one for us and it’s been a little over a year now, but you will land in the right place!
Seasons move so fast! Comforting to know you are in the same boat.
I love Pinch of Yum, too, but was also disappointed to see their January challenge. I’m working on giving myself grace as I navigate recovery and getting out of the diet mentality and I am also reminding myself to give others some grace as well. It’s so normalized in our society! Finding a gym is tough. We are trying to save money (I’m frugal to the point is drives my husband crazy) and it’s so hard for me to justify spending so much money, but I really enjoy group classes. I’m about to get my third period after basically 16 years of an eating disorder and HA so I would love to start incorporating some more movement into my life. I’ve realized I really don’t like working out by myself at home so I’m brainstorming other ways to work out that don’t cost so much!
Yes agreed – like nobody is under the expectation to agree with my IE/HAES mindset or anyone else’s anti diet mindset – I was totally there at one point. But I think it’s okay to feel disappointed.
Look into meetup.com where there might be community groups!
Absolutely loved Healthworks! I’ve used both the Back Bay and Cambridge locations for years. The only reason I don’t belong now is this season of life with two small kids means I can only pull off exercising at home otherwise would definitely still be at Healthworks.
That’s good to hear!
I lived in Russia on my year abroad and BOY is the cold hard! You do get used to it though which is crazy when it’s that cold but amazing what your body and mind can adapt to. Anyway, hopefully the worst is over. 🙂
P.S. I unfollowed Pinch of Yum on Instagram for the same sugar-free reason.Disappointing I have to admit!
This looks like a spectacular weekend! My weekend included grocery shopping (yay Clicklist!), having lunch with my parents, a visit at the track since it was a teeny, tiny bit warmer on Sunday, some Bloom work on my new virtual book club, and also a glass of wine and some homemade potato soup! I made mine in the slowcooker and definitely thought about the Instapot when I was making it. I think I’m going to have to add one of these to my kitchen soon!
I’ve never heard of Clicklist! potato soup – sounds fab!
This sounds like a lovely weekend, Robyn. All the food is so cozy and comforting and it sounds like you were able to both nourish yourself physically as well as emotionally and physically. Praise the Lord for good friends and people who can nourish your soul. So happy for you and Nick!
This weekend was pretty chill for me also – a friend from out of town came up because she was bringing two puppies to their new owners. She breeds Australian sheep dogs and they are the cutest! We laid low for the most part… went skating which was fun and then went to Ikea on Sunday! My first time 🙂 Fun but overwhelming too! I made some yummy lamb chops last night with sauted onions in ghee and celtic sea salt. Dessert was homemade yogurt and pb/ab with dark chocolate!! Yum! Have a great start to your week!
Hi Bekah!
Thank you for your kind comment. Oh my goodness Australian sheep dogs! Sounds like a great weekend – thanks for sharing 🙂
Oops! Meant “as well as emotionally and *spiritually.” 🙂
I have those sweet little red ramikens too! They’re Le Creuset!
thank you!
I just want to thank you and other IE/HAES bloggers for helping me reshape my mindset around food/exercise. Particularly in January. In other years I would have felt obliged to do something like a no-sugar challenge in January or at least felt very VERY guilt for NOT doing it. But this year it completely doesn’t interest me! It is a combination of having an IE approach through the holidays (enjoying meals/allowing desserts). Since nothing is ‘taboo’ or ‘off limits’ I didn’t go overboard or fall into a restrict/binge cycle, so I don’t feel like I need to drastically change my eating habits come January! (well, maybe eat a bit more at home, but that’s more because eating out is expensive, and I actually like when I have time to cook). Thanks for being the IE/HAES bubble that I needed to keep diet talk at bay and help me feel good about me!
Thank you for your comment Daniela – it means a lot that this blog and other’s blogs have been so helpful for you – especially this holiday season. Sending lots of love to you and thanks for reading!!
What a great weekend for such freezing temps! I absolutely love brownies with mint IC – favorite dessert I think! So glad you are already socializing in Boston and starting to feel connected there. have a great week 🙂
Love mint this time of year 🙂
Have a great week too Suzanne!
Long time reader and I mean this with no disrespect but that’s exactly how I felt when I opened your blog to see you doing Whole 30 awhile ago. Just food for thought.
100% hear you and appreciate your respectful comment – and thanks for being a long time reader. Two years ago I did do that and have since deleted the post – I’ve been on my own journey too and two years later, looking back, can see how that was contradictory to the message of this space no matter what my motivation was. For that, I’m sorry. I’ve actually spent a lot of time teasing through old posts and making sure everything on here aligns – it’s been a journey for me over the past 6 years. Lindsay from Pinch of Yum can post about whatever she wants, she does not have to align with the IE/HAES message but I think it’s okay to feel disappointed. It’s okay for us to feel how we want to feel about it. I don’t think (or at least hope) I was judging her personally for it, but just stating I was disappointed – just how you were with me. Thank you for sticking at this space when I did disappoint you. I do feel like to an extent I have a responsibility to put a little disclaimer out there since a large portion of my readers still have active eating disorders and I feel like I have the responsibility to not be the catalyst to any triggering content which is why I said anything in the first place.
Again, thanks for commenting and for reading Meg!
Thank you for such a wonderful and truthful reply. I definitely appreciate how authentic you are and love that your eating gets even more intuitive every single year (have been reading since the early days of Charlottesville!). I don’t read A Pinch of Yum so I don’t know what message that blog tries to promote but yours is always well worth the read for me, especially lately!
Thank you so much <3 And you are right, it's been a journey of growth and it's not until the past 18 months or so that I felt like I've truly hit my stride with IE/HAES both personally and professionally. Love to you!
I love Pinch of Yum and follow them as well. I was disappointed to hear your comment on their sugar free January. They have made it clear that this challenge can be personalized to the individual and you can make “sugar free” what it needs to be for you. I think being openminded and nonjudgemental about all approaches to healthy eating is a better way to see it.
Thanks for your thoughtful and respectful comment Kiki. Lindsay from Pinch of Yum can post about whatever she wants, she does not have to align with the IE/HAES message. And anyone can do whatever they want when it comes to their food choices. But I think it’s okay to feel disappointed in the challenge, not Lindsay personally. I think we all are disappointed at one point or another in our lives and that’s okay. Perhaps if it had a different title or tone it would feel a bit different – but a large part of the challenge is eliminating sugar. With that said, it might not be triggering for me or you but to an extent I feel like I have a responsibility to not be a catalyst to potentially triggering content since a large portion of my readers still have active eating disorders which is why I put a disclaimer out there.
Thanks for commenting and for reading!
Hi Robyn, I respect this comment but I believe you don’t have to call others out to “not be a catalyst to potentially triggering content”. In fact, you really were a catalyst to triggering content by bringing it up to begin with. Everyone has their reasons for doing things, just as you did for doing the Whole 30, and I think if another blog that followed you at the time had called you out publicly for being disappointed, you’d not have been too pleased.
I had that same planner in 2016 and LOVED it. Totally agree, just enough structure without getting ridiculous. Also, they have day designer planners just like that at Target for $10, cheaper than Staples 🙂 Just an fyi for other readers and for you next year!
I just joined Healthworks and it’s made a world of difference for my attitude around going to the gym. I had been a member of a different gym with subpar classes and just not a great vibe for me. Then I joined Healthworks and it feels like joining a community. It’s very welcoming and clean but also supports all women. I enjoy the variety of classes. I’ve tried a spin, yoga, and body pump class. Overall it’s been a great experience and the sauna and steam rooms are a definite plus! Hope to see you there sometime!
Great to meet you too! Glad y’all enjoyed City on a Hill! I would also check out Renewal which is in the South End. It has a similar feel to COAH!
Ahhh I put Susan instead of Suzanne – I’m so sorry.. 🙂
So good to meet you! We have Renewal on our list to visit. Thank you!
Oh my gosh, no worries! Most of the time when I meant new people, names go in one ear and out the other 🙂
I’m assuming Boston has Classpass? I, like you, need variety in my exercising. Some days you feel like yoga, some days you feel like barre, or something more intense like hiit. I’ve done class pass for three years now in Minneapolis and still not sick of it! You might be able to get a free trial too to see if you’d like it 🙂 Glad you’re settling in i Boston!!
It does! I’ve thought about checking it out and have heard great things – so might have to do that. I think you can get a 5 pack for under $20 right now with a promo ….but wish they had unlimited!
I can’t say enough about Healthworks! We moved out of the city a couple years back and I still miss it, haven’t found anything that comes close.
good to know you still miss it – that’s a good sign 🙂
I remember being in Boston for New Years in 2010/2011 and walking outside to the sensation of pain rather than my body even being able to register cold! I think it was -6 at the time. Do you think you’ll do a post about your winter capsule this season? Would love to see your cozy, warming finds!
It’s been extra-cold here, but what I’ve been hearing about Boston is crazy. Bless your heart! The best part of this weekend for me was going out to Shake Shack with a group of girls from my track team. The ShackBurger, fries, and vanilla shake (obviously with whipped cream added!) is the MOST satisfying combo! We went to see The Greatest Showman afterwards and I really liked it. The music was so fun and it has a great message. I’ve been playing the soundtrack non-stop ever since. We all had such a great time and agreed we need to make going out a weekly thing. I really wanna visit Boston this summer, so I love all your recaps because I can take note of awesome restaurants and places to go 🙂 .
xxMeah
Hi Robyn,
I wanted to actually say thank you for the trigger warning regarding Pinch of Yum’s Sugar free challenge. I was also disappointed when I was on Pinch of Yum a few days ago and saw that. While I am thankfully in a place of peace and recovery with food and sugar, when sugar free challenges first started cropping up on blogs(and having a sugar free roommate), I tried it myself. To see if I could. Then to see how long I could. Well you know what they say about everything in moderation, including moderation. Combined with a variety of other circumstances, I was in full blown ED by the end of the year. Anyway, I still strive for low sugar, don’t believe it has a place in everything, but it shouldn’t be shunned & feared the way I used to when orthorexic(working at Tatte has helped me overcome this too!) Your HAES/IE an embrace of a variety of foods in a balanced diet inspires me. Anyways, I’m actually pinning that recipe to try as well & will also filter out the sugar free message!
Glad you enjoyed the Shakshuka – it looks like a roast beef sandwich there too 🙂
I was really bummed to see the sugar free challenge on Pinch of Yum too – I had hoped the sugar free trend would be buried in 2016/2017!