From the category archives:

Weekend Recaps

Weekend Recap: Jelly arms & Grilling

by agirlandhermutt on May 14, 2013

Hello there! If I had to score this past weekend on a 1-5 (5 being the best), I would give it a solid 4. I always like to save that extra point for any time I get to go to the beach or go on vacation. Or maybe if I won the lottery.

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Friday

I met up with a few friends at Ole Mexican Grill in Sommerville for dinner. Ole is the same spot that I co-hosted Karen’s surprise party a few months back. I had never been to the restaurant before that party so it was nice to come back on a regular night. I was a little worried when I walked in to be greeted by the snottiest host they could find. Please don’t huff me when you can’t figure out how to read you reservation system. Not my problem. Fortunately, our server was great and made up for all the previous huffing.

I had the appetizer tamales with a side salad and the jicama salad. I also enjoyed some grilled corn with cotija cheese and lime-chile salt. That corn should somehow be illegal.

If you ever go to Ole, you MUST NOT MISS their guacamole. They add lime to it and for some reason this is magic. We ate it before I even thought to take a picture. So good.

Saturday

I woke up a tad bit sluggish from my dinner the night before (Surprise, Surprise!) and ready to work in my Total Body Shred class. And work we did.

I absolutely love this class. The quick circuits that we do keep me from getting bored and the quick pace keeps me moving the entire time. My motivation is to not be the last one wiggling around on the ground doing abs while everyone else is standing up waiting for me to finish. So far, goal met.

I spent the remainder of Saturday just running errands and cleaning my house. It was a bit rainy outside and I can’t say that I was complaining. Sometimes I feel so guilty when I’m inside on a nice day so I force myself to be outside. The only problem with that is things on the inside of my house go neglected. The nicer it is outside, the dirtier my house. During the snowstorms this winter, my house was pristine!

Sunday

Happy Mother’s Day! I wish my Mom (and my Dad) lived closer to me. Although I am so glad that I get to talk to her on a regular (daily!) basis, it just isn’t the same as seeing someone in person.

For whatever reason, I was up super early on Sunday. I usually am struggling to get to a 9:30 Zumba class at the gym so I decided to take advantage of the early morning and try a new-to-me class called 3-2-1 SHRED. My Zumba instructor teaches the class and people are always super sweaty when they come out of the room. Eh, what could it hurt, right?

Apparently it will hurt every muscle in my body.

My arms were like jelly after this class. Those 5 lb weights felt like small children hanging from my arms after just a few minutes. There was also a lot of cardio which is always a pain because cardio in a strength class really just means jumping jacks. FUN! I can still hear Jillian Michaels in my head, “If I can get 400 lb people to do jumping jacks, then so can you.” Fine Jillian. *Shaking my fist at Jillian.*

The naïve Erin thought about staying for the Zumba class right after Shred, but as I crawled out on all fours I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. Laughing, as it turns out, is painful after a Shred class. Lesson learned.

I managed to get it together to head over to meet up with my friend Deb at The Paint Bar and work on my surprise Mother’s Day gift. My mom loves tulips, but isn’t a fan of receiving them because they just die. Ever so practical. How are we related?! She has also mentioned that she wouldn’t mind having me paint her something.

I sent her this photo to give her a hint at what I was up to. Art at its beginning.

Tulips that can’t die for my Mom!

She sounded surprised and pleased with my artistic effort. Thanks Mom. Now I just need to get it in the mail.

Sunday night we officially broke out the grill to begin grilling season. Kebobs were the theme of the night. I skewered some shrimp and seasoned them with Trader Joe’s African Smoke seasoning. The veggie kabobs were a mix of mushrooms, zucchini, onion, red pepper and campari tomatoes. I just sprayed everything with some coconut oil spray and threw them on the grill.

I used to think there was some kind of secret to grilling. I’ve since come to realize that the majority of the items I enjoy really don’t require much effort at all. Yes, you do have to watch some of the meats to make sure you don’t overdo or underdo them, but the rest of it is so easy. I feel kind of lazy when I grill and I love to feel lazy.

I finished the day and weekend off by sitting taking a few minutes to sit down and plan out my week. Just a quick jot down of my menu and workout schedule have really been helping to keep me on track. I am aware that this is not a groundbreaking idea. I’m just a little late to the party.

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I hope you guys have a great week!

Are you the griller or the grilling supervisor?

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Weekend Recap:Brunch at BOKX 109!

by agirlandhermutt on May 6, 2013

Well hello there! Another beautiful weekend has come and gone. This was my first weekend during my 30 Day Spend Less Challenge and I’m happy to report that I was successful!

Friday-

MOVIE NIGHT! I went to see Iron Man 3. Final review: Pretty good, although Iron Man 1 was my favorite. There were too many similarities with the Boston Bombing for my taste in this one. Not their fault, but just another example of using too many real life scenarios for movies. Not my fave. I didn’t buy the tickets, but I did treat us to dinner which ended up being just a small $20 because we split a dish.

Saturday-

I dropped $49 before I even started my day. I had to replace my broken iPhone so I consider this money part of my necessity fund. It was necessary for me to not cut up my finger every time I wanted to scroll down the screen.

I also had a major sweat session at Total Body Melt. Kettle bell swings were our primary focus. I pushed through and used a heavier weight than I have ever before. Progress!

That night I attended a Cinco de Mayo party. So fun and so free! Kidding. I brought goodies that I bought before the first day of May.

Sunday-

After sweating to the Zumba Gods, I was treated to brunch by the fine folks at BOKX 109 American Prime in Newton. Thanks to the Boston Brunchers I was given the opportunity for myself and a guest to enjoy our choice of their brunch items and a drink. My BF agreed to join me on a sunny Sunday morning to check it out.

Located in the Hotel Indigo, BOKX 109 is literally right in my neighborhood, but for some reason I had it in my head that it was difficult to get to. As we pulled in I realized that I was totally wrong. It was super easy to get to and plenty of parking.

The interior has a little bit of a classic steak house feel because of the rich leather seats and booths. One side of the restaurant was all glass overlooking the pool area so there was plenty of sunshine coming through to make it feel not as dark. I can imagine dinner would be pretty cool and kind of cozy, but classy feeling. Very Mad Men-ish.

While we gave the menu a good review, I sipped on a Bloody Mary that our server recommended.

Um, whoa. I love goodies in my Bloody. This one had cucumber, lime, Slim Jim, prosciutto wrapped stuffed olive and string cheese. Yup. String Cheese!!!!

I couldn’t decide on what I wanted so we decided to get one entrée to split like an appetizer and then one of our own to try.

First up…

Grilled Oysters-crispy pancetta, tomato, fennel pollen, buttery panko, chive fondu

Ok, these oysters literally had me speechless. They were absolutely decadent and divine. There was tons of topping, but also huge oysters hiding under there. Six HUGE oysters! I gobbled up my first one so fast that I had to physically tell myself to slow down. I would return to BOKX if this was the only single item on their menu. Rename your restaurant to Grilled Oysters and I will still follow you!

We both agreed that we could have eaten the entire plate all by ourselves. I’m glad we didn’t so I could enjoy my other dish, but I just can’t praise these oysters enough. Oyster lovers unite!

Our main dishes…

Steak Bomblete- frittata style omelet with tenderloin, smoked gouda, mushrooms, and caramelized onions

I enjoyed the idea of a frittata style omelet. It was fluffy and stuffed with perfectly cooked tenderloin and melty good cheese. The only part that threw me off a little was the salad that was on top of the omelet. The description on the menu is listed exactly as it written above. No mention of salad and no mention of balsamic reduction. Unfortunately, my BF is not a fan of balsamic. He still enjoyed the dish, but probably would have picked something different or asked for it to be left off. I enjoyed the salad and balsamic, but I also have a strange addiction to these things.

Crab Louie- Jumbo lump crab, chipotle aioli, grilled ciabatta, bearnaise, shaved lettuce, oil cured tomatoes

This dish was huge! And I loved it. The eggs were cooked perfectly and ran like liquid gold when I cut into them.

The ratio of crab to egg to bread to sauce was perfect. I could definitely taste the crab and it wasn’t totally masked by the aioli or béarnaise. Does the dish really *need* both the aioli and bearnaise? Not exactly, but it certainly doesn’t hurt!

I was pleasantly surprised that the bread wasn’t totally soggy either. It had a nice crush to it and held up well because of the shaved lettuce under the crab and egg.

In between the eggs was a little trio of sliced potatoes with parm cheese and truffle oil. Again, a wonderful addition to the dish, but not listed on the menu and I know quite a few folks who are not truffle oil fans. Fortunately, I am not one of them so I gobbled them up. I am a fan of all components of the dish being listed on the menu. Am I alone in this?

The service was the right mix of attentive but not intrusive. The food came out quickly, but didn’t taste or look like it has been made earlier and was just sitting around. It was definitely fresh and well made!

As we waddled out we took a look at the pool area that they are in the middle of getting ready for the upcoming summer season.

The pool features private cabanas, fire pits, and a full service outdoor bar. Perfect for a hot summer night! I’ve heard that it has a very South Beach Pool Party vibe. I have to come back to see it in action.

As I looked back at our meal I had to think back to the description of BOKX 109 on their website.

“Welcome to BOKX 109 American Prime, where exquisite dining and professional service work together like fresh sea salt and cracked black pepper. At BOKX, we take the most local farm to table ingredients and choicest selection of all natural meats and fish and celebrate quality recipes that will leave you satisfied, healthy and eager to return.”

Yes, their dining and service were harmonious. Every bit of our dish tasted like quality products that were fresh and treated well. I was more than satisfied with my meal too. But healthy? No exactly. I suppose I could have ordered the “Healthy Breakfast Panini”,but that didn’t seem nearly as fun as buttery panko, béarnaise sauce, and smoked gouda. Eager to return?! Absolutely!!!

Thank you so much to Boston Brunchers and BOKX 109 American Prime for having us for brunch. See you both soon!

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I hope you guys had a great weekend!

What is your favorite brunch menu item?

*Just a note: Brunch was provided to me and a guest free of charge by BOKX 109. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Weekend Away: Provincetown, Ma

April 30, 2013

I have been sporting some serious love for my city the past few weeks, but when its time to take a break, it is time for this girl to take a break! On Friday afternoon I left work early and headed out to Provincetown on Cape Cod for a little weekend away. A few of [...]