Welcome to the Neighborhood

I have an adorable habit of pretending it's not really that cold in Boston. I've lived here for 10 years and, up until this winter, I never got around to buying warm winter boots (I gave in only because Sorel boots are warm and cute). I routinely under dress for the weather and then I'm all surprised when I'm cold. I drink iced coffee when there is a better than average possibility of getting frostbite. I mean, iced coffee is just really, really delicious. And I make smoothies year round.

I have a love-love relationship with smoothies. I love smoothies. For breakfast, for a snack, for dessert, pre-workout, post-workout, whatever. I love smoothies. Banana, frozen blueberries, vanilla protein powder, almond butter, almond milk. Or, strawberries, frozen blueberries, peanut butter, almond milk. Or, frozen mango, Greek yogurt, almond butter, almond milk. I could go on. But you get it.

Pressed Boston opened today in Beacon Hill... Hooray! When I walk in, I am the most excited. And the staff is excited and all of the other customers are excited, so we are all excited together. So excited!

I order the Charge smoothie (raw cacao, almond butter, cold brewed coffee, almond milk). I really like it. It's a little crunchy - I think maybe from the homemade almond butter? - but really delicious. All of the Superfood smoothies are priced at $10 which, let's be real, is a little pricey. But let's be more real: a $8-10 price tag is now totally the norm for this kind of smoothie.

And like I said, it's really delicious and the shop is spectacularly trendy. It's an upper level Beacon Hill storefront with antiqued, paned windows but, inside, we're talking 2015, re-purposed materials, compostable straws, and bar stools with a Charles Street view. Hours are Monday-Friday 7am-8pm, meaning there's time to swing by between an AM run and work. Works for me!

Welcome, Pressed. Beacon Hill is excited you're here.

Healthy Is As Healthy Does

D and I had a really interesting conversation about granola bars a couple of days ago... you know, how some bars are "healthy" but have added sugar or weird ingredients. And then we started talking about health.

Health is such an intensely personal thing. Every body and each body are so incredibly different. And what does health feel and look like anyway?

When B asked me a few months ago if I have always been healthy, I didn't know how to answer. Because my own definition of health has changed and evolved. I have eaten things that I thought were healthy but actually made me sick (7-grain bread, I'm looking at you. You devil you.) It has been a process of trial and error to find the foods that make me feel happy and healthy, to create an active life, and to make sure that my diet and my physical activity work in tandem.

This means fruit and vegetables and protein. Nothing processed. This means a boatload of water. This means quinoa and oatmeal (grains I can eat!). Coffee, because I (really) like coffee. Almond butter. Berries. Spinach. More protein.

This means running. This means strength training. Bootcamp. Barre classes. Plenty of yoga. And it also means November Project because I like forty stadium sections at sunrise and planks in the mud (read: dirt, sweat, and endorphins). 

I have been stoked to see new food and fitness options come to Boston. Flywheel. Barry's Bootcamp. SoulCycle. Plus, Exhale Spa just added a Core Fusion Barre + Cardio class. I like the kale and the quinoa at Boloco and Sweetgreen and there are finally more and more smoothie bars. These are all good things, especially when it's cold as sh*t outside and you need a fun new workout and something delicious to eat. 

{Cue the smoothie/snow montage}

Love Alive from Life Alive

PB&J from Fuel Bar at Barry's Bootcamp

Especially the smoothies. I'll hike to Southie for Nourish Your Soul, I have a crush on the PB&J smoothie at Fuel Bar, and today I tried CocoBeet, the new organic eatery near Government Center. I scoped out the menu beforehand and I was pumped to try it post-Sunday run. Granted, I was a little bummed that the smoothies and juice are bottled and not made to order. CocoBeet also does not serve food on the weekends, so it's really just open to sell the smoothies and juice (I think this business model may be a bit questionable, yeah?).

Regardless, I'm happy Cocobeet is there. I bought the Blue Coconut and the Kale Karma (points for fun names!). I liked the Blue Coconut - I definitely tasted the almonds and coconut oil. The Kale Karma is in my fridge for tomorrow.

I'm excited for kale and November Project tomorrow. I'm excited for yoga class this week and running in San Francisco next weekend. I'm excited for health, always.

It's Peanut Butter and Jelly Time

I love everything about smoothies. I love the fruit, I love the protein, I love the highly saturated colors that look Photoshopped but are real. I make a smoothie most days. (There are also those days when protein powder and coconut milk go into a blender bottle and that's it. Those are the lazy days.)

Last Friday, L and I tried Barry's Bootcamp for the first time. It was totally my kind of workout. When I lift, I like to keep my heart rate up and Barry's does that by alternating intervals on the treadmill and weights on the floor. The music was loud (perfect), it was sweaty (perfect), and we. worked. out. (Perfect!)

After class, we went to the Fuel Bar at Barry's for smoothies. The smoothie menu is solid and most of the smoothies are priced at $7 and clock in around 300 calories or less. I picked the PB&J and, really ever since then, I've been thinking about peanut butter. It was that good. (And filling too!)

Here's my version:

PB&J Smoothie
3/4 cup milk (I used SoDelicious coconut milk)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons peanut butter

Blend all ingredients until smooth and drink up!

Smoothies in Southie? Sure Why Not.

I wake up Sunday and there are two things I want to do: buy new pillows at West Elm and get a smoothie at Nourish Your Soul. West Elm is in Fenway; Nourish Your Soul is in Southie. Not a great plan. But I do it anyway.

I go to West Elm and buy all of the pillows and then my pillows and I get back on the T. I get off at Broadway and walk to Nourish Your Soul. It's pretty funny walking through Southie on a Pats game day. Everyone is carrying thirty racks or going into the bars and I'm all, "Hey guys! I got pillows! And I'm here for the smoothies!" (I'm hilarious.)

Nourish Your Soul is not exactly central, but it's right across the street from Rue La La headquarters and adjacent to The Club, so the location does make sense I guess. It's a super new, super modern space and one whole wall is glass, overlooking the boxing rings in The Club. This makes for some pretty good people-watching.

To my (admittedly) untrained eye, I don't see sugar all over the menu. I love Life Alive and Blue Shirt Cafe, but so many of their smoothies have sorbet or coconut ice cream in them. I'm all game for non-dairy ice cream and I'm definitely game for dessert, but I don't want a ton of sugar in my smoothies. Smoothies are smoothies and desserts are desserts and I would really like to keep it that way.

I know I should order the Green Glow smoothie (because... spinach), but I get the Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie instead (dates, almonds, banana, almond butter, cacao, sea salt, and filtered water). Heads up: juices and smoothies are $10 a piece (well, $9.99), so a drink is a commitment. Good thing I like my smoothie. What I really like is that I can taste the almonds.

I also picked up a bottle of cashew milk (for smoothies at home?) and a bottle of Chilmark Coffee Company cold brewed coffee (for my caffeine addiction).

Pillows. And bottles. And I need to stop shopping.

I get on the T with Pats fan headed to the bars and, all the way downtown, their cases of beer are rattling and clinking. And then there's me. Chilling with my pillows and cashew milk. Yup.

P.S. Go Pats!

Cruisin Down the Coast Goin' Bout 99 (Route 1, Summer, and Sol Bean)

As far as I'm concerned, everyone should take themselves on a drive up Route 1, play 101.7 so loudly it drowns out Google Maps, steer with one arm, and dance with the other.

Lana Del Rey kept playing today. I didn't mind. On an Indian summer kind of day, driving somewhere I'd never gone before, it seemed right. You know, DJs used to play Will Smith's Summertime when the weather got warm. Now they play Summertime Sadness.

One summer ago, I spent a lot of time on Route 1, going up to Revere Beach or the North Shore. For me, it's impossible to be on that road and not think of summer. With the sun streaming through the car windows and a smoothie to look forward to, I could still pretend that it was summer today.

At Sol Bean in Middleton, I got a Tropical Colada smoothie (coconut water, pineapple, spinach, mango, and coconut butter), plus an Athena quinoa bowl with chicken. The smoothie was so good. It was green and refreshing and it tasted like straight up pineapple. Best parts of the quinoa bowl? A seriously ample portion of hummus (totally beat the chicken for flavor) plus warm quinoa. The menu is huge and I would happily try another smoothie (maybe the Purple Rain next time).

I sat outside on the porch. Yeah, the porch overlooks Route 114. But at least it's a pretty part of 114 (green leaves, green hills, and cows) and I was happy to be outside.

When it was time to leave, I got in my car and turned the volume to low. I had to pay attention to get back to Route 1 and I got confused. But as soon as I was back on Route 1, it was a straight shot to Boston. So the music came back on.

What Kind of Wednesday Is It?

It's the kind of Wednesday...

When I put it all on the line in an early morning workout at Harvard Stadium. I'm pretty sure the stadium is covered in my sweat. (Too graphic? Sorry.)

When I'm one of the first customers at Trident Booksellers (so peaceful on a weekday morning!) and I buy this:

Source: www.roughguides.com

And then I buy these. What can I say? 'Tis (preemptively) the season, y'all. (Also let's talk about my pink nail polish and gold bracelets and the pink/gold holiday cards. I did not do that on purpose.)

When a hot pink sports bra is the basis on which my outfit is built. (No photo. Come on. What kind of girl do you think I am?).

When my afternoon coffee break and escape from percentages/clauses/dollar signs turns into an afternoon Life Alive break. That there is the Coconut Alive.

What kind of Wednesday is yours?