Morning! Lots of recapping to do today!
Since Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday this year, our plan was to make a home cooked meal together and lounge with a bottle of wine on Friday night, and then have a day of fun out of the house on Saturday. Nothing wrong with turning Valentine’s DAY into Valentine’s WEEKEND, right?
Tim and I make home cooked meals together all the time, but on Friday we ventured to Whole Foods without a plan (gasp). We plan and prep all our meals on the weekend to help us stay on track during busy weeks, but for Valentine’s Day we just ventured in and made up a menu on the spot. How adventurous of us!
Here’s the menu we decided on:
- Appetizer: Homemade pita chips with smoked Gouda cheese
- Salad: Roasted beets and goat cheese over spinach
- Main dish: Rack of lamb
- Side dish #1: Roasted red and purple potatoes
- Side dish #2: Roasted balsamic asparagus with garlic
- Dessert: Chocolate thumbprint cookies with a cherry filling
By the time we finished our meal, we were too full for dessert. I ended up saving my thumbprint cookies for later in the weekend.
On Saturday, we slept in and went to the gym in the morning. Our intent for the rest of the day was to go to the Body Worlds Vital show downtown, get a couples massage, and then try a new restaurant in Needham for dinner. Only two out of the three ended up actually happening. Womp womp. We waited WAY too long to try to schedule the massage (everything was booked solid), and the snow got in the way of driving 30 minutes to the restaurant in Needham. Despite the weather, we were still able to venture into Faneuil Hall for the Body Worlds Vital exhibit.
I was offered two complimentary passes through F&F, and even though I had gone to a Body Worlds show at the Museum of Science years ago, I wanted to check out what this one was about since I’m definitely more interested in the human body now than I was back in college. Here’s a description of it if you aren’t familiar:
“Body Worlds Vital provides a unique and educational experience that gives health nuts and novices alike a detailed look into how the body functions. Featuring authentic human bodies, the exhibition shows the body through cautionary displays about distress and disease, and inspirational insights about the resilience of the human body.”
Seeing all the different bodies was so cool. The exhibit featured different “characters” such as the runner, the dancers, the hockey players, etc. Each body focused on a different anatomical system and provided different cross views. My favorite “body” was the runner with all of its muscles stretched back. It was so interesting to see how all of the muscles actually connect and function.
Aside from the bodies, the show also displayed the different organs of the human body throughout the room. There were examples of healthy organs versus those affected by disease. The difference in look between the two was so interesting, but also so scary!
Of course, I loved that every single exhibit said that the best ways to prevent disease is with exercise, a healthy diet, and not smoking. 🙂
It took us about two hours to walk through, but that’s because we took the time to read through every display. Also, more information than what we could read was available to listen to through a little hand-held audio headset.
This was a fun little date to go on for something different in the city! If you want to check it out, Body Worlds Vital will only be in Boston until April 3rd.
After Body Worlds, we realized the snow was coming down pretty hard and that our dinner plans in Needham weren’t going to happen. We decided to just make the most of our time in the city while we were there. We started by going on a little winter walk toward the seaport area. Check out some of the pretty snowy pics I took:
The rest of our night was spent eating, what else? We ate a LOT of food, but over the course of six hours so I think it’s okay. First we got beers and clam chowder at The Sail Loft.
Then we headed back toward Faneuil and got more beers and food (Mediterranean flatbread and shrimp tacos) at Anthem Kitchen and Bar. This place did not disappoint! I loved the vibe, and it definitely was not like your “typical” Faneuil Hall establishment.
Even though our original plans were different from what ended up happening, we had a good time. And now we’re psyched to get a couples massage and try The Farmhouse another time.
Sunday was definitely a clean the entire apartment kind of morning, followed by another gym sesh. At night, my uncles came over to catch up, and more eating was involved. On this menu: spinach, feta, and roasted red pepper stuffed chicken breasts, salad, Greek green beans, leftover roasted potatoes from Friday, and my thumbprint cookies (for reals). Thank you, Gina, for the recipe inspiration!
Phew! After all this, I was thankful to have Monday off to catch up on blogging and exciting things like paying bills, homework, etc.
–Let’s chat–
How was your Valentine’s Day weekend? Did you stay in or go out? Did the snow/weather affect your plans at all? Have you ever seen a Body Worlds exhibit? Would you want to?
Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post, but I was provided free passes to the Body Worlds Vital exhibit by The Gold Group As always, all opinions are my own. Body Worlds Vital is located on the 2nd floor of the Quincy Market Building in historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
Fitness & Feta 