Our fun didn’t stop after the cooking class though and I wanted to share a few more highlights from our low key weekend!
- Hiking
The weather was absolutely gorgeous in Charlotte this weekend. Temperatures reached 55 degrees and the sun was out both Saturday and Sunday, so we knew we had to take advantage of the beautiful weather and spend some time outside. We took Sadie on a five mile hike on one of our favorite local trails and had the best time watching her run around like crazy, sniffing everything in sight. (Can you spot her in the above picture? She’s a sneaky one!) Fun fact: Tomorrow is Sadie’s 7th birthday! And yes, we are definitely planning to follow through with her annual birthday challenge this year!
- Charlotte Health & Fitness Expo
Early Saturday afternoon, Ryan and I headed to the Charlotte Health & Fitness Expo, a free (if you print out tickets ahead of time!) expo featuring Charlotte-area heath and fitness-related vendors. I was really excited to check out what the website dubbed Charlotte’s “premier healthy living super show” and Ryan was intrigued as well. It was worth attending (especially since it was free!) but not nearly as large as I thought it would be. Truthfully, I feel like I’ve been to race expos that are bigger and more interesting, but it was still fun to chat with local vendors and learn more about fitness and healthy food options in the Charlotte area. The people who came to participate in the workouts that you see above looked like they were having fun! If I go again next year, I think participating in a new-to-me workout is the way to go!
- Friends on Netflix
Ryan was feeling under the weather this weekend, so we hung out on the couch soaking up our fair share of downtime on Sunday. This meant we flew through two episodes of Homeland before I declared myself in need of something much more lighthearted. Hello, Friends!!! Friends is my all-time favorite show EVER and after Ryan and I started dating, he began watching it with me and is a fan as well. We both laugh out loud during nearly every episode and since all 10 seasons of the show are now available on Netflix, watching a quick 25-minute episode when we were in the mood for a laugh was such a nice treat and the perfect way to add some laughter into a sick boy’s day! We watched my favorite episode of the entire series yesterday — the boys vs. girls episode with Miss Chanandaler Bong. It’s the best!!
- Sunday Afternoon Baking
During our Homeland/Friends-watching marathon, I kept my eye on the TV from the kitchen where I dove into some Sunday afternoon baking. My desire to bake sweet treats returned this month with a vengeance and I’ve been baking up a storm every weekend. Yesterday I made a small batch of chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing and they made the whole house smell heavenly for hours!
- Deep Dish Pizza
We found deep dish pizza in Charlotte! (Thank you, Yelp!) Oh my gosh, the former Chicago girl in me was so, so excited about this discovery. The restaurant, Matt’s Chicago Dog, didn’t look like much from the outside, but once we stepped inside, the place had a warm, homey atmosphere that instantly made me feel relaxed. Some fried pickles to start probably helped, too!
Ryan and I shared the 14-inch deep dish veggie pizza and it was more than enough for the two of us. I left feeling overwhelmingly full, but it was worth it! The crust wasn’t as thick as what I think of when I think back on my favorite Chicago deep dish pizza, but it was still tasty and the ingredients were clearly fresh and delicious. I want to go back for an Italian beef sandwich… A couple near us ordered one and it looked so good. I haven’t had a great Italian beef sandwich in years, so it may be time soon!
- Impractical Jokers
Have you guys seen this show? Last night, Ryan and I went over to our friends’ Chandra and Kevin’s apartment to watch the Colts/Patriots game and during halftime they put this show on after singing its praises to us earlier in the night. It was absolutely hilarious! My stomach hurt from laughing so hard!! Ryan and I don’t have cable, but if you do, you must check it out on truTV. If you don’t laugh out loud, I will send you some cookies.
Question of the Afternoon
- Tell me about the best thing you ate and/or the best workout you did this weekend!
Best thing I ate: Coconut butter salmon and deep dish pizza! Best workout I did: Hiking with Ryan and Sadie.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Did you ever go to Pequod’s when you were in Chicago?! It is my favorite place to get deep dish in the city.
no but now i clearly need to go back!!
I ran a half marathon this weekend and I did pretty well. I also have been watching Friends on Netflix. I love that show and I can’t stop laughing. I am now on season 8 and getting kinda sad I’m almost done.
congrats on your half!!
I ran for 30 minutes on a treadmill this weekend…which may not seem like much, but I haven’t been able to run in awhile due to an injury so I was super excited 🙂 I’m loving the North Carolina weather….I think it’s supposed to be in the mid 60s today!! I have also been watching Friends on Netflix…I love that show! My sister and I will randomly text each other random quotes from that show because, well, you can relate everything back to a Friends episode haha.
i started the first episode of Homeland the other day after hearing so many stories of addiction 😉 it is really good, but i think a little too intense for me to continue watching on my own ha. maybe when i’m hanging out with my boyfriend and we’re cuddled on the couch or something!
anyway, best thing i ate all weekend– buffalo wild wing’s new santa fe wings!! also gotta give a shout out to winter oranges here– they’re seriously the sweetest! best workout would probs be my long run on saturday– 10 ish miles in 25 degrees woohoO!
Yummy looks like a delicious week! xo C
Best thing I ate was homemade olive/tomato/mozzarella focaccia- my fiance doesn’t cook often, but when he does he nails it! Best workout was a booty-burning barre class on Friday evening.
My friend sent me this link this morning and it’s too perfect not to share!!!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/salmon-skin-roll#.bhVd6x5yJ
best thing i ate this weekend: homemade parfait bowls with the boyf for brunch two mornings in a row, because he’s the best and stocks up on everything i like when i’m there for the weekend. 🙂 best workout i did: a 6-mile run along the river last night when i got back to NYC.
What is your favorite pizza place Chicago? I have lived in IL my entire life, but am currently living in Chicago and I can’t get enough of the pizza! There are so many options! My favorite pizza here so far is Bacino’s (stuffed pizza) but Lou Malnotis deep dish is amazing too!
looooove lou malnotis and gino’s east!!
I love that episode too! 😀
Looks like such a fun weekend! Cooking and baking on the weekend is DEFINITELY a favorite thing of mine too 🙂
Love Impractical Jokers! My boyfriend and I can’t stop laughing every episode!
Impractical Jokers! So funny. My boyfriend introduced it to me one night while I was dozing off and I couldn’t go back to sleep I was laughing so hard. My favorite would have to be Joe!
The best thing I ate all weekend was prime rib and calamari on date night. 🙂
LOVE Impractical Jokers! My husband and I went to see them live on their tour and it was great!
Such a great weekend! I literally love Friends – so stoked that the whole ten seasons are now on Netflix. I love Impractical Jokers too 🙂
Eärendil
Favorite Food Item this Weekend: Red Mango Peanut Butter Yogurt
Favorite Workout this Weekend: Playing with my brother’s dog (sometimes I feel like I’m getting more of a workout than the dog is…hehe)
We played a drinking game to “Friends” over the weekend….not the healthiest activity but it was a great time! Quite effective 😉