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Weekend Recap – Keeping It Low-Key

It’s funny to me how my weekend recap posts are by far some of the most popular ones I share. This can be attributed to one of two things – Mondays are just good blog traffic days or people really are just curious about how I spend my weekends. If it’s the latter, I feel like I’m bound to disappoint. Most of my weekends are pretty basic and normal. Exciting things only happen when we’re travelling or have visitors!

Despite this, you guys keep coming back for more, even when all I talk about is how we kept it low-key. Thanks for that!

Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of our low-key weekend!

FRIDAY

This Friday night was more productive than last Friday.

After Vishnu left for work around 6 pm, I figured out how to connect my phone to a bluetooth speaker he was gifted for Doctor’s Day (I didn’t learn about this day until after it passed…oops!). I then picked a “Girls Night Out” Spotify playlist and cleaned (and danced) my little heart out!

Excuse our dusty table…this was taken pre-cleaning!

After I finished cleaning and showering, I did a very adult thing and reviewed all of our financial accounts and made an appointment with a financial adviser to talk about my 401k account. I also ran some calculations on my student loans to see if we can pay them off sooner rather than later. I’ll be honest, while I’m not a personal finance expert by any means, I do find all of this stuff interesting. Well, most of it anyways!

Before the end of the night, I also finished a few other computer errands (things that require a computer and the internet), did a load of laundry, and painted my nails.

Not an exciting Friday night but a low-key one for sure!

SATURDAY

I had big plans for my Saturday morning. I wanted to get up at 6:30, go to the gym, shower, and be ready to go to Trader Joe’s as soon as Vishnu got home.

Soooo…that’s not exactly what happened.

I woke up at 7:45 when Vishnu got home. I then sat on the couch and talked to Vishnu for the next two hours before finally showering and getting ready for the day. I postponed my grocery run and actual run to Sunday. And I chose to spend my afternoon at a local coffee shop writing my wedding speech (draft one is done!).

Plans?! What plans?

Truth be told, I’ll take some good quality Vishnu time any day. So there’s that!

The rest of the day was just as low-key as the morning. I came home from the coffee shop to a quiet apartment and took advantage of that time to relax on the coach with a book. When that got old, I watched a couple of episodes of Friends.

Once Vishnu was up, we got ready and went to dinner at Zaytoon Grill, a newish Greek restaurant that I’ve been wanting to try.

The restaurant itself is located in a very unassuming strip of shops. Once inside, you’re greeted by a few tables and an open kitchen. Looks aside, the food here was really good. We ordered the Zaytoon sampler to start. It came with falafel, pita bread, and three different dips (hummus, babaghanoush, and something called foule). Delicious and very filling! So much so that I didn’t order an entree for myself. I was stuffed! Vishnu ordered a chicken shawarma wrap and said that it definitely hit the spot!

SUNDAY

Sunday started off with a quick trip to Trader Joe’s. I hate to admit this, but I’ve fallen off the meal planning bandwagon over the past few weeks. And the meals I do end up making aren’t all that great in my opinion. Hope to jump back on this week!

Believe it or not, the rest of the day was even more low-key than Friday and Saturday. I went to the gym, made a few snacks for the week, did blog work, helped Vishnu with some of his medical licensing stuff, and went for an evening walk to get some Starbucks (!).

With that, happy MONDAY!

Tell me – what did you get up to this weekend?

Weekend Recap – Home Sweet Home

written by Parita 8 Comments

Last week was a whirlwind. I feel like my whole team was on the go from sunrise to sunset (and sometimes beyond!). Regardless, it was a great week. I got to spend time with some of my favorite people and eat delicious food. What more can a girl ask for?!

I don’t plan to recap my trip, but I do have a few new restaurant recommendations – Remington’s, Beatrix, and State and Lake Chicago Tavern.

My weekend started when I got home on Friday night. Vishnu was up and waiting for me. It was nice to sit and chat for a while, especially given that we hardly talked all week. I filled him in on my meeting and what I ate/did, and he told me about some of his work stuff. We called it a night around midnight!

I had every intention of sleeping in on Saturday, but it seems that I’ve lost my ability to do that. So I woke up at 7 am, ate breakfast, and waited for Vishnu to get up. A few hours later, we headed out for a (hot/humid) long run/walk. My ankle starting hurting almost immediately, so we stopped at a bench and Vishnu stretched it out a bit. Thankfully, it was okayish after that.

I didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping on Saturday, so we decided to grab lunch at the Saturday Morning Market. After checking out all of our options, both Vishnu and I decided to get a taco plate from the Taco Lady food truck. My veggie tacos were delicious and so flavorful. Unfortunately, I overdid it with the hot sauce and could only eat a few bites of the beans and rice and one taco. Oops!

I spent the afternoon filing our taxes (so happy to cross that off my list). The whole process simple and easy-to-follow, AND we got a hefty little return. Turbo Tax for the win!

Our friend Cara’s sister is in town, so a few of us met up for dinner and drinks in the evening. More Mexican food and a delicious ginger beer for me!

We got home at a reasonable hour, but I didn’t physically make it to bed until a little past midnight. Oy vey!

And of course, the next morning started at 7 am (seriously?!). Overall, Sunday was more low-key because I was forced to keep quiet. Vishnu started his final (!!!) nights hospital rotation last night which means he slept all day. I, on the other hand, hit up Trader Joe’s, squeezed in a workout, and meal prepped a bit.

I am more than ready for this work week because it’s a short one. I head to Austin on Thursday for my sister’s bachelorette party! Can’t wait!

Side note – Did you notice that I didn’t mention cleaning this weekend? Well, that’s because Vishnu deep cleaned the apartment before I got home on Friday. Love my hubby!

Weekend Recap – Three Highlights

written by Parita 8 Comments

As far as weekends go, this one was pretty great. We had a few set plans, however, most of our time was spent in a more leisurely fashion.

Instead of revisiting every last detail like I usually do, I thought I’d share the three highlights that come to mind as I sit down to type up this post.

One — St. Pete Grand Prix

It was race weekend in St. Pete, and the the annual St. Pete Grand Prix was happening in our backyard. Literally. I could hear the cars zooming around all weekend…from inside our apartment.

On Friday afternoon, Vishnu, our friend Cara, and I met up with one of the doctors from the hospital and his friends to watch practice rounds. It was such a cool experience. We were on the 23rd floor of a condo building facing the race course. I’m not a big race car fan, but even I got into it!

We planned to go back on Sunday to watch the actual race, but Vishnu decided that boards studying was more important. Such is life!

Two — Venice, Florida

On Saturday morning, Vishnu and I got ready and drove down to Venice, Florida to spend a few hours with our friends Jayesh and Ankita who drove up from Naples. Vishnu and I visited Venice for our minimoon and really loved how cute and quaint the downtown area is. Fortunately, it’s still just as nice, if not better!

We decided to meet in the middle and grab lunch at Made in Italy. The four us shared a spinach salad and pizza – a meaty one for the guys, an eggplant one for me and Ankita, and the margarita for all of us. The pizza was delicious and just the way I like it – a thin crust and perfectly balanced/seasoned toppings.

After lunch, we checked out the local farmer’s market, walked to the beach, and indulged in Kilwins amazing ice cream (peanut butter chocolate for me!).

I love that J&A are only a few hours away. I just wish they had moved down sooner…like 3 years ago!

Three — House of Cards

When it comes to shows that we both LOVE, Vishnu and I are a little nuts.

A week or so ago, we decided to not watch House of Cards until after boards. Then we said that we could watch it separately as long as we didn’t get ahead of the other person. Well, all of that went down the drain the minute we decided to watch the first two episodes last Thursday. In fact, by Sunday morning, we had finished ALL of the episodes. NUTS!

In our defense, this season is incredible. The story lines, the character development, the twists and turns. Every single episode left you hanging and wondering what the heck would happen next. Can’t wait for season five!!

Your turn – what did you get up to this weekend?!

Weekend Recap – A True Hodgepodge

written by Parita 8 Comments

This weekend was a true hodgepodge. It was one of this weekends where you actually did way more than expected/planned.

Let me break it down a bit…

FRIDAY

I went for a lunchtime run on Friday because it was so beautiful out. We are definitely transitioning to summer here in Central Florida. The temperature has been and will continue to be in the mid to high 70s for the next few weeks. Before we know it, it’ll be 85 degrees and HOT!

I watched a couple episodes of Fuller House after work. Ummm…I absolutely love this show! Full House was my FAVORITE sitcom growing up. I still remember watching the series finale with my family and running into the bathroom and crying my eyes out when it was over. Yes, it was that serious!

Dinner on Friday was homemade mac n’ cheese. I made the cheese sauce with almond milk and was afraid that it would taste too almondy. Thankfully, it turned out just fine. In fact, Vishnu couldn’t tell the difference!

We settled in to watch a movie after cleaning up. Too bad I fell asleep 20 minutes in. Vishnu tried to wake me up, but I was out cold! Parita + PM movies = sleepy time!

SATURDAY

Needless to say, I woke up nice and early on Saturday morning. Because of this, I was able to accomplish a lot before noon – watch the last three episodes of Fuller House, run a few errands, go to Trader Joe’s, and a squeeze in a quick workout.

After a quick lunch, my camera and I went for a little walk (per my March goals). There were so many people out and about in downtown St. Pete… and I soon found out why. There was an outdoor market and a reggae festival happening in downtown. If you follow me on Snapchat (@myinnershakti), you may have caught glimpses of both.

It was a little hard to snap pics that didn’t have a million people in them, but I got a few…

I was starving by the time I got home, so I whipped up two batches of my Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins. If you haven’t made these yet, I highly recommend you do. Both Vishnu and I love these bad boys. They’re the perfect snack, breakfast, lunch, and even dinner!

Later in the evening, Vishnu headed to the Steve Aoki concert in Tampa. I stayed in and made a dent in my newest book – What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.

SUNDAY

You guys, I woke up at 6 am on Sunday. 6 freaking AM. It was not intentional either. Vishnu got home at 4:45 am and decided that he needed to give me a big hug upon getting into bed! It was really cute, but after that, I was only able to doze on and off for another hour or so before I got up.

I decided to go for another outdoor run since it was gorgeous outside. I’m really going to miss our little neighborhood come June!

After cleaning the apartment, Vishnu and I got ready and headed to Besito for lunch. We had very high hopes for this restaurant per the reviews we read, but unfortunately, it was nothing to write home about. The majority of the food we ordered lacked seasoning. A big fail!

Since the mall was right around the corner, we headed there so I could pick up some stuff for my sister’s bachelorette party! 🙂

Our evening was filled with laundry folding, meal prepping, and TV watching.

Annnnnnd now it’s Monday. Time to get back to the work grind!

How was your weekend? Do anything fun?

FYI – there are affiliate links included in today’s post. There is no extra cost to you, but I do receive a small commission on anything you buy through my links. Thank you for reading and supporting My Inner Shakti!

Il Ritorno – St. Petersburg, Florida

written by Parita 10 Comments

As you all know, I LOVE food…not just eating it but the entire experience that comes with dining out. And this is something that Vishnu also enjoys. You should hear us talk about the decor/ambiance, the service, and each dish as it comes out! Two amateur restaurant critics over here. 🙂

With that being said, something I’ve wanted to do for a while now is review restaurants on the blog. I keep saying I’ll start when we move to Chicago, but after an amazing birthday dinner this past weekend, I came to realize that there’s no time like the present.

To be fair, Kacy’s restaurant reviews are what really pushed me to incorporate this into MIS. Even though she lives in a different city and doesn’t follow a 100% vegetarian diet, I really look forward to reading about her foodie adventures. And now when I visit DC, I’ll know exactly where to go!

I know these kinds of posts aren’t for everyone. But I absolutely love reading and writing about food, so I hope you’ll join me as I explore new-to-me restaurants and try some [hopefully] delicious dishes!

And as always, all opinions will be two things – honest and my own (and sometimes Vishnu’s)!

Il Ritorno – St. Petersburg, Florida

If you’re looking for the kind of meal that will transport you to Italy, look no further than Il Ritorno in downtown St. Petersburg.

After walking by this particular restaurant several times, Vishnu and I decided to eat here this past Saturday for my birthday. And I’m so glad we made that decision. This elegant restaurant serves some amazing Italian comfort food – perfect for a celebratory meal.

Ambiance

Il Ritorno is a small yet cozy restaurant in the heart of downtown St. Pete. The overall ambiance is romantic but slightly rustic at the same time. The dim lighting, candles and imperfect brick walls give the whole space an edgy yet attractive glow. We loved it!

Service

In terms of service, Il Ritorno really delivered. Our waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and made several recommendations based on our personal preferences. He stopped by to ask us how our meal was a few times but otherwise let us be. And he kept our water glasses full (it irritates me when this doesn’t happen!). I could tell that the whole staff strives to deliver a special dining experience for their customers.

Food

We started our meal with drinks – a delicious Malbec (Primus Malbec, Mendoza, Agentina) for me and a chocolate stout beer for Vishnu.

After perusing the incredibly creative menu for a few minutes, we narrowed down our choices and were ready to order.

For our appetizer, we decided to go with the Warmed Burrata. This dish was more complex than it sounds, as it was topped with caramelized fennel and citrus oil. The toasted baguette pieces added a buttery/salty element which paired well with the light and creamy texture of the cheese.

For my main course, I ordered the Tallegio Cappelletti – a ravioli like pasta stuffed with a thick creamy cheese and topped with mushrooms, charred leaks, and black pepper. I found this dish to be satisfying on so many levels! The house made pasta was perfectly al dente. The mushrooms and cheese played well together and added depth to an otherwise simple (yet delicious) dish.

For his main entree, Vishnu also ordered a pasta dish – the Pepper Cavatelli. Obviously, I didn’t try his food, but from what he told me it was very good. There were steamed mussels, caramelized onions, lemon, breadcrumbs, and spicy chili. Vishnu prefers his pasta super well cooked and not al dente, so that was the only aspect he didn’t enjoy. Otherwise, he said the seafood was fresh, the sauce was hearty, and the spice level was on point.

And of course, we couldn’t leave without sneaking a peak at the dessert menu. I wasn’t feeling a heavy dessert after all of that pasta and cheese, so instead we opted for the Nutella house gelato. It was incredible and unlike any restaurant ice cream I’ve ever tasted. It had a light, whipped consistency that reminded me of a milkshake!

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Il Ritorno. The fresh, simple ingredients and innovative flavors were the stars of the show. We look forward to eating another celebratory meal here before we move to Chicago!

Do you have a favorite Italian restaurant where you live?

Weekend Recap – I got my MOJO Back

written by Parita 13 Comments

End-of-the-year-itis (noun): an affliction that affects people as the year comes to an end; characterized by laziness, a lack of motivation, and a dismissive attitude.

I’ve had it for a while now. Totally being dramatic, but I feel like I’ve let loose (too loose) with a bunch of different things since the beginning of October. And that’s not like me. If anything, I gain motivation as the new year approaches.

Well, I don’t know what did it, but I got my MOJO back this weekend. Woo! Let me tell you all about it…

FRIDAY

Earlier in the week, I asked Vishnu if he wanted to try The Ciderpress Café. What I left out was the fact that this restaurant is 100% raw and vegan. I figured that wasn’t super important information!

And luckily it wasn’t because we both loved the food and overall experience.

We started with cauliflower buffalo bites (raw cauliflower covered in a cashew buffalo sauce). The bites were tasty, but the star of the appetizer was the “ranch” sauce. It was light, creamy, and herby.

For my main entrée, I went with the Pad Thai. Apparently this is the most ordered dish on the menu. There were zucchini and kelp noodles, pineapple, cabbage, almonds, mixed veggies, and a spicy tamarind sauce. This was nothing like regular Pad Thai but it was delicious in a fresh, clean way. Vishnu decided to go with the Bella Burger. I am definitely going to order this next time. The bread made out of zucchini and flax, the eggplant bacon (YUM!), and the house mayo were ah-mazing. Such a unique sandwich!

And we couldn’t leave with trying one of the fabulous raw desserts! After consulting with our waitress, we decided to go with the coffee fudge torte. In my opinion, this was the star of the meal. Rich, creamy, chocolaty, with a coffee kick. I will be back!

SATURDAY

Saturday morning started with a four mile run. The only reason I was able to go that far was because the weather was perfect – overcast and slightly breezy. LOVE!

A few hours later, Vishnu and I headed to The Saturday Morning Market. The plan was to photograph the market/stalls/food and then eat lunch. Guess what…we only got to the lunch part because it was SO HOT (the perfect weather disappeared). I was literally drenched in sweat from head to toe. Gross. On the flip side, the food we tried was awesome. Between the two of us, we tried an Italian sausage (Vishnu), a vegan veggie burger (me), coconut chocolate chip macaroons, a strawberry pineapple smoothie, an spinach/artichoke/heart of palm empanada, and fresh OJ.

We planned to walk around a bit afterwards, but neither of us could take the heat so we came back home. Vishnu prepped for his new rotation, and I organized my drawers and closet. It’s crazy how productive and good decluttering makes you feels.

And then we headed to the theater to see Spectre. My overall thoughts (and keep in mind I’m not a Bond fanatic) – it was good but not great. Casino Royale and Skyfall were much better. The action scenes were enjoyable, but the overall storyline felt like it dragged on a bit. Still a fun experience!

SUNDAY

Sunday was ultra productive. I work up at 5:30 to see Vishnu off to work. I then worked out (strength training + 30 minute incline walk), ate breakfast, cleaned, started the laundry process, and showered all before the time I would have normally woken up!

I also made and photographed muffins and granola (recipes to come soon!).

By the end of the day, I also filed a bunch of random documents, finished this blog post, did a little more blog work, did a little work work, planned my workouts for the week, and made a new-to-us Indian dinner. Go me!

I’m hoping this productivity streak lasts through the end of the year. Here’s to seven weeks and counting until 2016!

Did you have a productive weekend? Did you go see the new Bond movie? Thoughts?

Three Things Thursday (28)

written by Parita 3 Comments

Since coming back from Miami this weekend, Vishnu and I have been talking a lot about making better use of our time. We came to the realization that we’re not taking advantage of the opportunities that come our way nearly as much as we thought we were. We already have some fun plans in the works!

In other news this week, I think I overload our meal plan. When I’m making new-to-me dishes, I always forget about leftovers. I’m hoping this means we don’t need to buy too many groceries next week.

Ok, enough chit chat, let’s move on to this week’s Three Things Thursday…

(1) International Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT!!!

Vishnu and I are driving to Orlando on Saturday and spending the entire day at Epcot! In addition to experiencing the normal attractions, we’ll also get to sample some amazing food at the International Food and Wine Festival that’s going on right now! I CAN’T FREAKING WAIT!

I’ve been to Disney World and Universal Studios but have yet to visit Epcot. I can already see myself reverting back to my inner eight year old. Fun times!

Oh and I plan to Snapchat all the fun, so feel free to follow along (username –> myinnershakti)!

(2) Total Body Strength Workout

I did this workout on Monday and was sore for the next couple of days! If you’re looking for a great total body strength workout to add to your rotation, I highly recommend this one. It’s a winner!

(3) St. Petersburg Weather

If you’ve been reading MIS for the last few months, you know that the weather has been terrible. Rain, mugginess, humidity, more rain, etc.

Well, it looks like things are finally taking a turn for the better. The weather this week has been, dare I say, perfect! It’s still a little too hot for my taste, but there’s a nice breeze and the sunshine is so refreshing! My short lunchtime walks have me really looking forward to the next few months.

Well, that’s all I have today. Have a great Thursday!

If you’re a blogger, write a post and link back to one or all of the hostesses: Raj from Pink Chai Living, Nisha from Love Laugh Mirch, or Salma from The Write Balance. Then share a link to your post (not your blog’s home page).

Weekend Recap – Keeping It Low-Key

Weekend Recap – Home Sweet Home

Weekend Recap – Three Highlights

Weekend Recap – A True Hodgepodge

Il Ritorno – St. Petersburg, Florida

Weekend Recap – I got my MOJO Back

Three Things Thursday (28)

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