Grits in the City - Fitness. Family. Food.

Hope you enjoy all these as much as I do!

long weekend blueberry muffins

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Something about an extra day makes everything seem possible. Pile on things to the to do list and pull out the oven mitts and other baking gear. It’s no secret I love to bake. I made beignets and blueberry muffins over Memorial Day weekend. The later was me trying to take a new spin on breakfast for Quinn.

I love blueberry muffins. They were one of my mom’s staples and the smell of them alone makes me remember Saturday morning with my family. I’ll admit, my attempt at them though over the long weekend wasn’t 100% successful. The first recipe I tried ended in disaster. But it was kind of my own fault? I didn’t have my glasses on and accidentally put in 3/4 cup of wheat flour instead of 1/4. Oooops? Those ended up inedible. I decided to try again with a different recipe, which I liked better.

The original recipe called for Greek yogurt. I wanted to use blueberry yogurt to up the flavor, but we were out of it at the house (see failed attempt #1, above). I would suggest subbing it into the recipe, especially if you’re using fresh blueberries. [Read more…]

7 home purchase tips for first time homebuyers

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Last year on Cinco de Mayo, we closed on our first home. After living in small white-walled spaces in major metropolitan areas, it was a change I was excited for. A space just for us, much more room for Quinn and so many other things. Our home search process spanned around four months and was a stressful time for us. Before we started, I did not look into home purchase tips. There were many unknowns and several months crammed into my parent’s basement. We realized though how lucky we were to have that option and for the time to spend with family.

Going through this process once by no means makes me a pro. However, below are some helpful tips for others going through this for the first time.

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5 top finds at the 2018 new york baby show

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This past Saturday and Sunday was the annual New York Baby Show. This year, there was another excellent line-up of vendors showcasing their products and services over the two days. I was there for day two, which included talks featuring Dr. Harvey Karp, BabyGuy Jamie Grayson as well as panels on safety, breastfeeding, and getting back to you. There were five things in particular at the New York Baby Show that stood out that I’d suggest you check out as well. [Read more…]

the magician at the nomad

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I have a confession: magicians aren’t my thing. To be honest, I always find myself mostly focused on trying to figure out what trickery is going on and on the over the top and mostly lame delivery. When T wanted to check out The Magician at the NoMad as a part of our early anniversary celebration weekend in the city, I decided I’d put my usual reservations on hold to see if Dan White (“The Magician”) lived up to the hype. And boy did he ever and then some. [Read more…]

breakfast at nomad’s cha cha matcha

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We stayed in the city this past weekend in NoMad and were trying to figure out a good spot for breakfast in the area since our hotel did not include one for us. We were making our way over to the New York Baby Show, so didn’t want to stop somewhere that would entail a big wait. We also wanted to be able to walk there to enjoy the day before the rain inevitably returned. When I heard about Cha Cha Matcha and their super intricate matcha cappuccinos and lattes, I was sold. [Read more…]

mother’s day without mama

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I’ve been dreading this upcoming weekend – the same one I couldn’t wait for at this time last year. The one where finally Quinn would understand who “Mama” is. The one where now I find myself without my own to celebrate with, now unwilling part of the group dubbed as Motherless Daughters. I can’t wrap my head around Mother’s Day without my mother. It seems impossible, but yet it’s there – looming on the calendar and fast approaching just the same.

I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to do as much as I could to make the most of it. In keeping with my focus for the year, I wanted to do so in a personal way way that worked for me. I’ve been getting swamped with Mother’s Day promotions from all sorts of companies. It’s everywhere you turn – from TV to social media to workplace conversations. Instead fighting it or trying to ignoring it, I decided to embrace it. Force myself to get through this extra painful first one. Have I broken down in tears over the last week? Yes. Will I do it again? Probably yes. Do I feel at least a bit better for the different things I’m doing to try to have a good attitude and embrace the day? Absolutely.

I wanted to share a few of these things I’ve been doing in case they’re helpful to anyone else going through the same thing. [Read more…]

downtown seattle pizza at zeeks

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When you take two girls from the NYC metro area and give them one nice meal to share together in Seattle, I’m sure that the top choice you’d guess is pizza, right? Probably not, but as you’ll see below, perhaps it should be!

I had only a few extra hours between when we arrived back in Seattle the trek back from Write Doe Bay (drive, ferry, drive) and my flight back to the right coast. We decided to make the most of it, hitting up the Space Needle and grabbing dinner. Someday Seattle, I promise – I’ll return for a proper visit. This is my second time in Seattle that didn’t really count as a visit. Next time! Anyhow, Zeeks Pizza caught our eye as it had great reviews and the upside of being so close to the Space Needle. [Read more…]

write doe bay

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Almost six years ago, I got a quill tattoo on my foot as a reminder of my commitment to writing. Over the past few months, I’ve looked at it and realized I haven’t been honoring that commitment. It felt like a permanent lie. I stopped trying to find representation for my first novel and shelved the second one I started years ago. I’ve upped the writing on here, but that’s not enough. Something needed to change to get back to where I wanted to be. Enter Write Doe Bay.

Back in March, I came across the website for Write Doe Bay. I hadn’t heard of it before. I didn’t have a close friend who attended. I’ve actually been working with Claire Bidwell Smith, a writer I greatly respect and someone who understands mother loss deeply from personal experience. Finding this opportunity to finally meet her face-to-face bundled in with a writing retreat seemed like too strong of a sign to resist – and something in keeping with my personal theme for 2018 I had to admit I needed.  [Read more…]

visiting the turtle back zoo

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If anyone had told me that there’s a solid zoo less than half an hour from Central New Jersey, I would have thought they were joking. On Saturday, a visit to the Turtle Back Zoo proved me wrong.

Located in West Orange, the zoo is a part of a broader South Mountain Recreation Complex that also includes an ice skating/hockey rink, a mini-golf course, paddle boats a restaurant, and a nautical themed playground. Admission is reasonable – $15 per adult, $12 per kid 2 to 12, and no charge for children under age 2. [Read more…]

just breathe

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This week, I’ve slowly and gently returned back to “my normal.” I’m sitting in my backyard right now, breathing in some fresh spring Jersey air. Last week at Write Doe Bay was amazing. I’m still processing it, but walked away back in touch with something I’d lost touch with over the years. As I’m thinking on all that, returning to my commitment to yoga has been an important immediate step. Yoga has never been a consistent part of my workout routine. Around 15 years ago, I’d occasionally go to a class here and there when I lived in South Florida – more enchanted by the rustic wood cabin where it took place than the class I was attending. I began to wonder over the last few months if it could be good for me as a next step in my fitness journey   [Read more…]