Monday, August 25, 2014

Weekend Recap

Another great weekend had come and gone!  As usual, I fit quite a bit in!

On Friday night we met up with some of Phil's high school friends at Bauhaus Brew Labs which is a local brewery in Northeast Minneapolis.  They have a great outdoor area with lots of picnic tables and some lawn games and there is a food truck there to provide some eats.  I don't drink beer so I stuck with a locally made root beer, which was good but totally overpriced IMO ($3 for an 8 oz bottle). A lot of people brought games to play, including our group.  I got to play Cards Against Humanity for the first time, which was a lot of fun.

On Saturday morning I met up with my running club for a very hilly run that the coaches refer to as the "potpourri of hills."  The miles ticked by fairly fast and I debated extending my run from 13 miles to 16 miles so I could finish with the group but in the end I decided to stick with my plan.  I definitely could have kept going if I had wanted to, though, which is a good feeling.

All smiles after 13 hilly miles!
Saturday was the anniversary of my RA diagnosis so I spent a lot of time thinking back on where I was a year ago.  A year ago, I was in a walking boot, had a tough time pushing revolving doors, pressing elevator buttons, opening jars, you name it.  I would cringe when I'd get up every morning from the pain I'd feel when my feet touched the floor.  365 days later I'm running 13 miles and feeling great.  I'm so thankful to be where I am today health-wise. 

On Saturday afternoon, Phil picked me up and we headed over to the golf course where his best friend is a golf pro.  I took a lesson from him which was very helpful.  I've got some work to do at the driving range but I am hoping that I can golf an executive course before the end of the summer.

On Saturday evening we stayed in for the evening and I made dinner.  A dish Phil loves is Moussaka, which I would loosely describe as the Greek version of lasagna.  He had Moussaka earlier this summer when we went out for Greek food and I told him that I thought I could make it on my own.  I researched recipes and found this GF one.  This recipe was definitely a labor of love as it took several hours to make, but it was all worth it and it was fun to work together in the kitchen (Phil made the bechamel sauce and assembled the Moussaka).  I served it with a Greek salad.  After dinner we watched some of the Vikings game and played a game of Trivia (Phil kicked my butt) and 2 games of cribbage (I won both games!). 


It yielded quite a bit so we have lots of leftover Moussaka to eat this week!
On Sunday morning, I met a friend for brunch that I hadn't seen since I moved back (yep, there are still people I have not seen since I got back).  It was fun to catch up with her.  She had a baby shortly before I moved so lots has happened in both of our lives since we last saw each other.

I spent Sunday afternoon and evening cleaning, doing laundry, catching up on the phone with several friends, and reading.

I'm well-rested and ready to tackle another week but am VERY happy that the coming weekend is a 3-day one!

What was the best thing you ate all weekend?  Mine was the Moussaka!

18 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

Very impressive that your 13 mile run included a lot of hills but you still could've kept going! You definitely have come far in a year :)

Your weekend sounds great. We played Cards Against Humanity up in NH with Eric's family. It was fun!

Marlys said...

Another great sounding weekend! That moussaka looks so delish that I wish I could reach in and grab a forkful! It is amazing that you can run 13 miles of hilly trails and feel like you could do more!

missris said...

I ran 13 miles in 2:02 this weekend! I'm so sad we don't live closer, otherwise you would be my #1 running buddy!

Nora said...

I've never played cards against humanity, though have heard good things.

Best think I ate this past weekend was the potato salad that I made to go with (more) smoked ribs on Saturday night. D has become a smoking legend among our friends so his smoking abilities are requested on a regular basis now =)

Amber said...

I have never played cards against humanity but I really want to. It sounds fun!

Glad you had such a great weekend. I have only had moussaka a couple of times (and once was when we were in Greece!) but I think it would be a difficult dish to make. I'm glad all the effort was worth it and it was delicious though!

Anonymous said...

If you make me moussaka you can totally be my girlfriend! Seriously I love moussaka.

I think the best thing I had to eat this weekend was the moules frite I had on Saturday night. They were prepared in a spicy tomato sauce and the fries are sprinkled with herbs de provence.

Stephany said...

I love your weekend! It was the perfect balance. :) Impressed by the dish you made - way to go!

Hm... the best thing I ate this weekend might have been dark chocolate brownies my mom made for dessert on Saturday night. So yum!

Caroline said...

Sounds like a great weekend! Very good balance to it :) Congrats on 13 miles! I hear you about being ready for a 3 day weekend...

Abby said...

Sounds like a fantastic weekend! That is such a great feeling to feel like you can keep going. Dang, I hope it's just the heat that's getting me. Every run - whether it's 9 or 4...I finish feeling like I couldn't possibly take another step. Which has me questioning this HIM. Maybe it's the 90 degrees with 70-80% humidity we are getting these mornings?!

That moussaka looks delicious! I don't think I've ever actually had it. Nice work on the labor of love meal!!

We played Cards Against Humanity at the party we had Saturday night - SO MUCH FUN! It had us laughing into the night.

Unknown said...

I ate way too many great things this weekend. I could't possibly pick! And yes, Cards Against Humanity is really fun to play!

Leigh said...

Sounds like you had a fun but busy weekend! That dish looks super yummy...I've never heard of it before

Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks said...

I know life isn't ever perfect and that you're still settling into work ... but, I really love how many positive things are going on in your life right now. Puts a smile on my face. The best thing I ate all weekend was an appetizer of figs, prosciutto and shaved Parmesan served on argula leaves with olive oil drizzled on top. Delicioso!

Jeanie said...

Sounds like you have been incredibly busy and having fun, too! I have a gluten free brownie recipe to send you. And must catch up. I've been on the road again!

Emilie said...

Nice job on your run! It's incredible to see how far you've come in a year. I'm so happy to see you so happy! :)

I had some of Pete's mom's potato salad - made without mayo! She uses dill, parsley and apple cider vinegar. So good.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Moussaka is soooo good! I love how cheesy that one looks - yum!! The best thing I ate all weekend was probably chicken in Montreal. I should probably take a golf lesson at some point ...

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

hmm that looks super yummy!

Shoshanah said...

I'm not actually a big fan of moussaka, which is surprising in a way since I love Greek food and list lasagna as one of my favorites. A lot of that though if because I'm not a big fan of bechamel sauce, but maybe I could try to create a version without it sometime? Although my husband isn't a fan of eggplant, which makes it even harder to work for us.

And since you and Phil are up for planning games together, I think you have to try out Carcassonne, which is our favorite 2 person game. They tend to sell it at Barnes & Nobles, although you should also be able to find it online.

Jeanie said...

That moussaka looks to die for! My weekend food favorite -- a very light pasta with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil and shrimp. Yum!