After a jam-packed first day exploring Boston, we spent a more laid-back Saturday drinking coffee and shooting photos for The Eighty Twenty Magazine at my friend Jenna's house with Katie, Anna, Lindsay, and Julie. Volume one is coming out in January and I'm so, so excited about it (but more on that later). Other than Jenna and her husband, I was meeting everyone there for the first time that day.

Even after years of blogging, it still gets me all emotional to think about the connections we make with people we have so much in common with; who we otherwise would have gone through life just not knowing. It was crazy and awesome to finally cross paths with these women in the flesh and work on something together.

On Sunday, we had a few hours to kill before it was time to head to the airport, so we went to Sinatra Brunch at Lucky's Lounge before walking to North End to explore a bit. There was even a Christmas parade that we watched for a while! North End has so much personality and so much of it reminded me of the Italian side of my family. Rob picked up a chocolate chip cannoli (of which I said I would take a bite, but then ended up eating half) at Mike's Pastry and then we sat down for coffee at Thinking Cup.

Rob and I had such a great time exploring a new city together. Hoping to do a lot more of it in 2015! What are some of your favorite Boston spots? I'm already compiling a list for our next visit!

I'm a big fan of one-pot meals that have meat and veggies in them. They're easy, they're quicker, they mean less clean-up, and I can make them when I have free time in the afternoon and reheat them when Rob gets home and we're ready for dinner. This super simple Paleo chili is one of my favorites--I make it almost once a week!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• About a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 green or red peppers (or one of each), chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• About 2 pounds grass-fed beef
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• One large can (about 28 ounces) of crushed tomatoes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Toppings (included but not limited to): green onion, bacon, jalapenos, sliced radishes 

Instructions:

1. Place a large pot over medium heat. Drizzle olive oil and add garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper and let everything cook until it starts to brown.
2. Add the ground beef, chili powder, and cumin. Combine well and add crushed tomatoes once the meat begins to brown.
3. Add the green/red peppers, give it a stir, and reduce heat to low. Let it simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes or until you're ready to serve. If you're making it ahead of time, simply refrigerate until ready and throw it back on the stove later.
4. Serve with toppings! I like green onions and pickled jalapenos but this time I added radishes and some thick-cut bacon. You could also do full-fat shredded cheddar and/or sour cream if you eat dairy. Enjoy!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm seriously feeling the holidays this year. Last weekend, I spent the afternoon at my parents' house and made some really fun Christmas ornaments with my mom. She has a huge collection of wine corks that we've kept over the years, so we picked out all the La Crema ones and made a reindeer, some grape clusters, and a couple of angels to hang from the tree. They were super easy to put together and turned out so adorable! I think we may have a new holiday tradition on our hands.

This post is brought to you in partnership with La Crema. Make your own wine cork ornaments by following the tutorials I posted on their blog last week--happy holidays!

Photos by Sarah Gatrell of Photo + Love.