Meg, Author at Mostly Balanced

Sunday Morning Coffee – July 30, 2017 – Readings & Recommendations

July 14, 2020July 30, 2017 by Meg

We made it through the last week before vacation. It’s been a pretty pleasant week in the Boston area, but as always, it seems like there’s a million things to do before heading out of the office, if even for a short time. On Friday night, we went down to the south shore to join my sister, who flew in from Minneapolis, to start the week off with a long family-focused weekend. We lounged on the back deck, let Charlotte play in the yard, and grilled an octopus (a repeat recipe from Christmas that worked really well). We also experimented with eel, but we were less wild about those results.

Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – July 23, 2017 – Readings & Recommendations

July 14, 2020July 23, 2017 by Meg

My dad snapped this photo from the window of his plane as it departed Minneapolis, en route for a visit to us in Boston. The back-and-forth between MSP and BOS is very familiar to me after over a decade living on the east coast and heading home for holidays. My parents are back in town for the last 3-week stretch of what has been a great year of having them living locally on Massachusetts’ south shore. In reflecting on all we’ve done in the past year, it was a great slice of Charlotte’s life for them to witness as she emerged from her infant years into toddlerhood and now careens towards becoming a three-year-old.

Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – July 16, 2017 – Readings and Recommendations

July 14, 2020July 16, 2017 by Meg

This week has had a balance of hot and temperate days. On the days that are cool for the summer months, I’m trying to take advantage of the absence of heat and cook some of the foods I usually avoid in stifling weather: this week, it was brownies, last week it was cauliflower cake. On the hot days, we’re having simple pastas, lots of summer produce, and grilling a little bit. We’ve also had the chance to introduce Charlotte to some of the water parks and this weekend went to the neighborhood pool for the first time. She loved it but was also a little nervous at times, attaching like a tree frog in our arms while learning to splash and explore.

Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – July 9, 2017 – Reading and Recommendations

July 14, 2020July 9, 2017 by Meg

It felt like both a very short and very long week with the 4th of July holiday smooshed into a Tuesday. We debated about keeping Charlotte up for the fireworks this year. She’s two and a half, so she kinda knows what they are, but a 10:30 start time is also pushing it way past her bed time. At 10:15, though, we could see in the monitor that she was still rolling around (quietly but awake) in her crib. Instead of venturing outside and down to the river front, we opted to bring her out and let her see some of the show on TV. It went OK – she liked the fireworks, but she didn’t get quite the majesty and splendor of seeing them for real in the sky. We’ll have to try again next year.

What I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – July 2, 2017 – Readings and Recommendations

July 14, 2020July 2, 2017 by Meg

It’s been a busy, busy week at work, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend when we’ll have a bit of down time with Charlotte (and my parents are coming, too, which means there are two extra sets of eyes on that toddler). It’s been a good week food-wise, and I have some fun ideas planned for the 4th of July holiday next week.

Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – Readings and Recommendations – June 18, 2017

July 14, 2020June 18, 2017 by Meg

The week started with blazing heat, or at least 80s and 90s feels hot relative to what we’ve had so far this summer, though by the end of the week, temperatures had retreated into the 60s. It’s always a little interesting to plan dinners ahead of time in weeks like this because you’re grilling and avoiding turning the oven on at all costs one day and then relishing the warmth a heartier meal brings to the kitchen the next. We took advantage of the hot weather to explore some of the fountains in the parks in the neighborhood (Charlotte is definitely a fan).

Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – June 11, 2017 – Readings and Recommendations

July 15, 2020June 11, 2017 by Meg

We got our first real taste of summer this week after a drizzly, chilly May and early June. We’ve gotten in to a bit of a routine of having a more elaborate weekend breakfast and then hitting the Esplanade along the Charles River for a bit of activity, nature, and to let Charlotte run around the playground. There are several options for play areas, so we’ve been able to vary our route each day. We come home, grab a quick lunch (she’s ready for her nap at this point) and then all take a break in the height of the summer afternoon.

Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – June 4, 2017 – Readings and Recommendations

July 15, 2020June 4, 2017 by Meg

Better late than never was my motto when it came to this week’s National Donut Day. We grabbed a few (delicious choices: glazed sour cream and apple cider donuts) on Saturday morning as we were out and about at the library and the park with Charlotte. Just in time, too, as it started to rain on the way home. The photo above is a misty view of the bridges over Charles River (viewed from the Cambridge side).

It’s been an otherwise enjoyable, relaxing and productive week. I so appreciated the extra down time on Monday with the holiday off, and we also spent a good chunk of time socializing with different groups of friends. Charlotte’s starting to do a bit better in restaurant settings (we experimented with a brunch out last Sunday). We keep bringing an iPad in her diaper bag to use in case things start to really fall apart, but so far we haven’t needed it.

Here’s what I’m eating and reading this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – May 28, 2017 – Readings and Recommendations

July 15, 2020May 28, 2017 by Meg

I hope everyone’s enjoying the weekend. These photos were from a few years ago when David and I took a road trip through Gettysburg and spent the Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend visiting around the monuments and cemeteries and retracing Pickett’s charge. It was a somewhat chilly, misty weekend, which is kind of close to what we’re getting in Boston this evening and tomorrow. We’ve been flip-flopping between sunny almost-warm days and damp, chilly weather. We’ve celebrated the long weekend a bit by having friends over last night for a cookout and then going to brunch this morning at the Lower Mills Tavern, where I had one of the messier sandwiches in recent memory (but with Sriracha mayo, cheese, runny eggs…)

Here’s what I’ve been reading and cooking this week:

Sunday Morning Coffee – May 21, 2017 – Readings & Recommendations

July 15, 2020May 21, 2017 by Meg

After weeks and weeks of temperatures in the fifties, we’re finally starting to get some warmer weather. I’ve been back in the kitchen with a little more energy, gusto, and creativity, though sometimes my plans for a spring dessert (strawberry-rhubarb butter crumb bars) were thwarted by not wanting to turn the oven on in 90-degree heat. Despite the frenzy that has been our national political news, it’s been a good week for us in the refuge of family dinners and spending evenings together at home.

Here’s what I’m cooking and reading this week: