Jerry Remy’s NEW Paleo Menu Review

Located in the heart of Fenway, Jerry Remy’s is your quintessential sports bar and grill, with a menu full of standard “sports bar” fare..ie. burgers, sandwiches, and fries. So, when my cross fit box, CF Southie, was invited to try out a sampling of some of their paleo-friendly options, I was psyched! A lot of restaurants are beginning to “up” their game with gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian options and Jerry Remy’s certainly isn’t falling behind.

We had the chance to sit down with General Manager Don Bailey while he informed us of his new menu, the purpose being to offer athletes healthy fare while dining out! Come- on, just because they train hard does not mean they eat junk or want to eat junk all of the time! As a CF athlete my diet is one of my #1 priorities during training and I appreciate places like Jerry Remy’s making an effort to combine the fun aspect of a sports bar with healthy, delicious food.

His servers then graciously began serving us some of the soon to be menu options. Of course, with any great manager and chef, the opinions of the consumers must first be considered. Is this stuff athletes and cross fitters would really eat?

We started out with the Paleo options first, which included a grilled chimmichuri steak served over a healthy bed of grilled vegetables, honey roasted pork belly tacos wrapped in lettuce leaves, and herb seared atlantic salmon finished with a balsamic glaze and again over grilled veggies. The salmon was impeccable! I don’t know what seasoning they used for the grilled vegetables but it was delicious!

The steak was also cooked to perfection, and the tacos could have used just a tad more seasoning or sauce!

For those looking to get their vegetarian on, we were then served the grilled tempeh burger with arugula, soy mozzarella, and fresh avocado. Probably one of my favorite sandwiches of the night. Oh! And did I mention it was served on a Gluten-free bun? I don’t eat Paleo 100% of the time so this would be a nice option to have if I was in the mood for healthy bar food.

Next came the Kale and Crisp Apple salad, a vegan option. Unfortunately, this was me least favorite dish of the night. It was super bland and could have definitely used some seasoning and maybe even some pine nuts for a tasty addition. Oh well- this was the point of this dinner! To provide feedback and make some changes before rolling out the menu to the rest of the public.

Our last dish was a cashew avocado sandwich that was also just incredible. The flavors blended so well together and I had to apologize to the rest of the table for not sharing!

Lastly, what meal would be complete without a little booze? Us cross fitters like to drink too ya know! We were served FIVE drinks to round out the night. FIVE!. We were first served two varieties of blood mary, one with a celery salt rim (yummy) and the other with a chili flake rim (holy hotness!). I am not a bloody mary fan and these set my mouth on fire. What was cool about them though was there unique names: Bloody Grace and Bloody Fran (name after cross fit workouts)…hehehe. Then came the Paleo Bellini (peach puree and Prosecco).  I could have had about 3 more of these it was that good. The peach puree was such a nice touch and really added some smoothness to the drink. Next came the “Stairclimber Margherita,” a Paleo-guru’s fave. Tequila and lime, that’s all we need! A little too alcoholic for my liking but nonetheless pretty darn good!

And finally, my favorite drink of the night! The “Not-A-Colata.” White rum, coconut water, and coconut milk round this drink out, making for a dessert-like experience. I am already dreaming of when I will consume this drink again.

Anyways, all in all, we had such a great time an Don and is staff were so gracious to us. We walked away having had a wonderful experience and will definitely be back! It was nice being able to dine out at a place where we could order a few things without any modifications needing to be made. That was a real treat!

Bloggers Wod at Crossfit Coolidge Corner

Hey hey!

It’s that time of the year when everyone is sick and lucky ol’ me just happened to catch what’s going around. Which means I have been slacking big time when it comes to the gym. A runny nose+coughing doesn’t equal a very good workout. So when the opportunity presented itself to attend a workout at Crossfit Coolidge Corner this sunday for bloggers- I was in! Every so often I get invited to these blogger events where we are provided with the opportunity to try out new products/new services and have fun connecting with fellow  bloggers! 

So,  Crossfit Coolidge Corner invited us to try a Crossfit style workout in their brand new facility on beacon street. I have to say, spending an hour or so working out, specifically cross fit, was not a bad way to start my week. For anyone that knows me, I’m a tad bit obsessed with this high energy, fat-burning, killer workout. 

When we arrived we were taken through the basics of foam rolling. For those of you unaware of the benefits of foam rolling, I wrote all about it not too long ago here. We then went into some basic mobility and movement prep work. I thought it was really neat that even after 2 years of cross fit, I am still learning new ways to prep for a workout! I don’t do much mobility work, but know the importance of it, so I appreciated the instructor taking the few extra minutes to walk us through this and explain it to us.

Then- came the warm up! Hello sprints, high knees, sled pushes, broad jumps! Still sick with a slight cold, this definitely got my heart rate up faster than expected. We managed the sled pushes in team though and ended up having a really fun time with it. Unlike many other Crossfit gyms, this one had a turf, which I found neat for a CF facility and obviously highly versatile! What a great tool to diversify workouts even further. 

Of course no workout would be complete without the actual workout itself! It was an a Strength of strict press 5X5 and ring rows 10 reps 4 sets and then an EMOM (every minute on the minute) on 3 burpees and 2X down and back on the turf with a med ball  (20,14). I enjoy when Cf facilities program this way- first with a strength and then with a higher intensity workout. I find that it really helps prep me for the workout and allows me to work on both systems- cardiovascular and strength. 

Once we started, about the 3rd round in, my legs and arms were definitely burning. This was a tough one, tougher than I thought it would be going in, but it left my lungs smoked and my body sore. Fortunately, with my CF background (at Cf southie) I was able to push through until the end. Probably not the best workout to do post-cold but nonetheless it was highly functional! The instructors were all super friendly and paid close attention to our movements and corrected when necessary. Coach Brett taught the class and he was just fantastic! He was smart about choosing a workout that anyone could do really and go at their own pace. I think it would have been way too difficult for some of the newbies if it was a snatch day or thruster day! Overall it was a safe and effective workout that I think portrayed to some of the other bloggers what cross fit is all about.  One of their core beliefs is that “the real joys of fitness come from the achievement of proper functional movement; learn to move well and you will start to live well.” I think they held firm to this belief through their attention to proper movement. 

After our sweaty session, the event concluded with a goodie bag (how cute is that saying!) filled with a CF coolidge corner T. some yummy matcha sparkling drinks, hint water, and a sweet green (coming to Chestnuthill soon!) headband to keep your hair out of your face. It was super sweet of everyone who contributed to provide us with one incredible workout and the thoughtful goodie bag!

You can check out  CF Coolidge Corner at 1285 Beacon St in Brookline. 

http://www.crossfitcoolidgecorner.com

So go check it out! Post below letting me know which workout or Crossfit movements you love the most! 

#NovemberProject

This past Friday (okay a few fridays ago at this point), kind of on an impulse, I decided to join fellow Crossfitters and Bostonianas on the hills of Allston for what is known as November Project. Per usual, I enjoy throwing my body into intense workouts, and I had heard about this group for quite some time. So around 630am (yup 630!), after groggily forcing my body up out of bed and downing a quick cup of coffee, I met up with a few friends and the other insane participants, to anxiously await for the workout to begin. The workout that day was 45 minutes of steep hill runs, repeatedly running up and down the steepest hill I have ever encountered. Then around 7am, it began to rain. But, that didn’t stop us, as we climbed hill after hill, determined to finish. It was a race against the clock, and we all wanted to win, even though we were only competing against ourselves of course.

The morning rain reminded me that Summer is almost over with the runners having to take the streets and stairs in the dark. I had to remind myself that this is only rain and that for the past year some of these individuals have met in wind, rain, and even snow! It’s at that point that your bed (and body!) starts telling you that sleeping in is much better than working out. According to November Project “Being #WeatherProof is way more badass than snuggling with your pillow.” Of course, I don’t plan to continue this into the winter.. I’ll take my heated crossfit box over snow any day.

 

So what exactly is November Project and how did it start? It started with two highly motivated, competitive individuals named Bojan and Brogan, who were looking for a way to get an intense workout in, no matter how cold, hungry, or tired, without the cost of a gym membership essentially. And hence, November project was started. It has turned into a group of well over 100 people, coming together to run, and build a sense of community. You arrive, you are greeted by a hug, and then you run. So, if you’re a runner or looking to get started with running, this is a great group to check out! Next time you are in Boston be sure to stop by! You can follow Nov. Proj @Nov_Project.