Fall Fun

Hello! I’ve got lots to catch up on after my Saturday out in the ‘burbs. Mal and I ended up having a late evening out with friends, so we decided to stay at his parents’ house last night. We just got back to our apartment a couple of hours ago… and now it’s time to blog! :) 

So, I was going to name this post “Tina Eats Unhealthy,” but I thought “Fall Fun” was a tad more positive! My food choices yesterday included an all-star cast of junk: pizza, donuts, cake, bar food, and beer. Obviously, I didn’t make many “nutritious” selections yesterday, but they were sure fun! 

After a quick 3-mile run on the treadmill yesterday morning, Mal and I headed home to visit my mom on her birthday. (She turned 53 yesterday! Happy Birthday, Mom!!!) On the car ride home, I sipped a hot coffee mixed with organic chocolate soy milk.

We finally arrived in our hometown close to 1:00 pm, and we were hungry for lunch. Mal and I offered to pick up a quick meal for everyone (my mom, sis and her fiance, Pat) and bring it to my mom’s house. We stopped at our favorite hometown sub shop to order a large cheese pizza and a sub for Mal. When we placed our order, one of the sub shop employees recognized Mal from his high school years! It was fun to see that small town connection many years later. 

I love the Sub Shop’s cheese pizza! Both their cheese and crust are soooo unhealthy (super greasy!), but soooo good at the same time. I ate 2 small pieces for lunch. 

I also ate a handful of candy corns. 

After our quick lunch at my mom’s house, we headed to Honey Pot Hill in Stow, MA with plans to pick apples and eat some yummy fall treats. When we arrived, however, we discovered that all of the apples at the orchard had already been picked! We decided to make the best of the situation and visit Honey Pot anyway. 

Our first stop at Honey Pot was a visit to the Farm Store. Outside was a beautiful sea of fall mums.

Inside, I stumbled upon one of my favorite fall treats: Hot Mulled Cider! The price was right (just $1), so I filled up my cup and enjoyed the warm, apple-ly goodness while we wandered around Honey Pot. 

Inside the Farm Store…

After purchasing a few things in the Farm Store, we headed to the pumpkin patch. Here we are sitting in the middle of it… 

This sign cracked me up!

Honey Pot Hills has the most AMAZING cider donuts– you can smell their sweet aroma all the way from the parking lot! We get them every year, and there was no way we were leaving without purchasing some. I enjoyed one with my hot apple cider. 

Before we left, Mal wanted to feed the farm animals. (He’s such a kid! ) 

Mal thought “Oreo,” the llama, was hysterical!!!

We still wanted to pick apples, so we tried another nearby farm, Shelburne Farm. Shelburne still had apples to pick, so we were happy campers!

Of course, we had to take advantage of this fun photo op! Left to right: Me, Mal, Pat, and my sister. 

If you hadn’t realized yet, Mal is a funny guy! (Yep, that’s his behind!)

Yay, lots of apple varieties!! We made sure to pick a few of each type of apple.

Mal in action…

The reason for the shortage of pick-able apples this season was because the area was hit by a massive hail storm this past summer, which damaged quite a few of the orchards. Mal was sad that he kept picking rotten apples.

Here are the ladies taking a break from apple picking… my sis, my mom, and me (l-r). 

We also visited the Farm Store at Shelburne, where we found this cute decoration! Of course, we HAD to buy it! 

After a few hours of fun fall activitives, we headed to my mom’s house to celebrate her birthday with a homemade low-fat pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting that my sister baked. 

I wasn’t too hungry, but I couldn’t turn down homemade pumpkin birthday cake! I’m glad that I didn’t because it was SO delicious!!! 

After birthday presents and cake, Mal and I headed to JP O’Hanlon’s, an Irish Pub in Ayer Center to meet up with our friends, Jim and Ursula. At the pub, I enjoyed 2 Shipyard Pumpkin Ales while chatting and catching-up. 

The bartender suggested a special addition to my pumpkin beer: nutmeg! I wasn’t sure if I would like nutmeg in my beer, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try it. The bartender sprinkled just a little on top of the beer foam. It definitely jazzed-up my pumpkin brew!

Mal and I pretty much ate all day long, so we didn’t get hungry for dinner until almost 9:00 pm. At the pub, we decided to split the Celtic Quesadilla, a crispy grilled tortilla filled with seasonal vegetables, shredded cheeses, and Cajun seasonings. It was much better than your typical bar quesadilla– it had lots and lots of fresh veggies and was served with a delicious homemade salsa. 

Here we are at the pub… 

What a fun Saturday in the ‘burbs!!! I love getting out of the city every once and awhile and enjoying the laid-back lifestyle of the suburbs. It’s so relaxing! 

Wow, that was a marathon post! Be back a little later with this morning’s recap!