I Run Like A Girl

Hey friends! How are you? I had a unique week as Joe was traveling all of last week, so I was flying solo for the first in a while. While I initially felt odd being alone, throughout the week I got more comfortable with solitude, and I filled my time with seeing friends and enjoying the extra space at the apartment.

I have my usual weekend recap with more food pictures than usual – food was a big focus last week as I also filled my time trying new recipes. 🙂

Friday: relaxing evening in

I started off the weekend with an evening in. I felt under the weather on Friday, so I canceled plans to see Barbie in theaters which I was bummed about! I knew some rest would be good for my body before the weekend ahead.

I tried a new recipe for dinner – Asian-marinated tempeh with a side of sticky rice. I love eating tempeh at restaurants and I wanted to try cooking it myself. Overall, I think my tempeh needed some work as it came out dry, but I’m glad to finally check this off my recipe bucket list. Cooking it was much less intimidating than I expected.

With Joe gone last week, I ate mostly plant-based and tried new recipes that I knew Joe might not like. 😛 I’m not fully vegetarian, but do tend to eat more plant-based when I’m on my own. Also, cooking raw meat freaks me out (apparently, I get this from my dad who has the same quirk). Joe usually handles the meat when we cook together. 😉

After dinner, I got some fresh air and checked in on the dahlia garden at the Conservatory of Flowers. Since I last checked in on them a week ago, they grew a lot. August will probably be the best time for the dahlias and I’m excited to see them in full bloom.

Saturday: park hangout + trendy dinner night

The next morning, I woke up feeling much better. I took longer than usual emerging out of bed because Ben was snuggling next to me. It was funny to see the two cat’s behavior change this week with Joe gone. I had to admit, I loved the extra cat attention, especially from Ben. Flashback to when we split up the cats and Ben lived with me for a year in my studio. I have such fond memories of this time as Ben never left my side. I think Joe leaving triggered his memory and he was back to being the affectionate Ben I remembered. ❤

Ellie was more distant as she just loves Joe so much, but there were moments I saw her affection come through.

After a slow start, I got out of the apartment for a yoga class in NoPa. I’m happy to report my rollerskating injury from last weekend has gotten better, but I’m still easing into working out again. The class was a slow flow and felt more like a stretching session which was just what I needed.

For lunch, I scrambled together a salad with the leftover tempeh and whatever veggies I had in the fridge. I loved this meal as the fresh veggies helped bring the tempeh to life. I will probably be making this on repeat this week!

In the afternoon, I met up with Rene, Jeff and Kayla for a park hangout at Golden Gate Park. We all live in the same neighborhood so it was easy to meet up at the park. We all brought some food and drinks to share and it was the perfect, impromptu hangout. We caught up over the last few weeks and got excited for some upcoming activities with our friend group.

After the park, I headed home for some downtime, and then I went right back out for a spontaneous dinner with Carmina. Earlier in the week, I saw an Instagram reel for a trendy Italian restaurant called Pink Onion. I sent it to Carmina, and a few days later we checked it out! We didn’t make reservations, but we got seated in 45 minutes. Time flew by as Carmina and I never run out of things to talk about. 😉

It’s been a while since I found a restaurant that I LOVED, and this was one of them. We shared the 4-course meal for $55 – phenomenal. Every bite was scrumptious and I feel like we got so much value for the money – the quality and huge portions should have made the meal double the price! Carmina and I joked that we’re usually not the types to find these hidden gems, so this was definitely the highlight of our week.

Sunday: rollerskating + low key afternoon

On Sunday, I had a productive morning cleaning up the apartment. Joe was coming home today and I wanted to tidy up from my bachelorette lifestyle before he got back. 😉

For breakfast, I had chia seed pudding topped with peaches and blueberries. I’ve been experimenting with chia seeds for a while now and I think I finally found a combination that I love. I was struggling with finding a good sweetener for the pudding, but I found that sweetened almond milk + fruit is the perfect level for me.

I wanted to get some fresh air, so I headed to Golden Gate Park for a rollerskating session. I was a little intimidated after falling last weekend, but I’ve found it’s better to face my fears earlier rather than later so they don’t grow out of proportion. I had a solid session completely upright – it was just what I needed. 🙂

Lunch was silken tofu topped with soy sauce, chili oil, scallions, garlic, and sesame oil. Another recipe I’ve been wanting to try as I’m trying to build up my quick-recipe repertoire for weekday lunches. It was absolutely delicious and I’ll be making this again for sure!

In the afternoon, I killed time before Joe got back. I took a walk through Interior Green Belt, a massive forested park right in SF with trails that transport you out of the city. The trailhead is a few blocks from our apartment which is a major blessing.

Then it was time to pick up Joe from the airport! It felt so good to have him back, although I will miss the extra attention from the cats. We spent the evening ordering burgers and watching tv. It’s these simple moments I missed the most. ❤