Friday Favorites–April 14th, 2017

Happy Friday! I hope you all have had a good week.  Overall, it’s been a good week here in Brooklyn. I was worried that I was getting sick yesterday morning when I woke up with a bit of a scratchy throat but luckily it was nothing that lots of sleep, tea and some ginger/citrus couldn’t remedy. The weather finally improved this week meaning that we’ve enjoyed sunshine and temperatures in the 60s or 70s each day. I’m thrilled that it’s going to be 80 degrees on Sunday for our small, Easter backyard bbq and Easter egg hunt we are hosting. This weekend’s plans includes a birthing class at our doctor’s office, Easter festivities and some relaxation.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

• I enjoyed two long, evening power walks this week along the Brooklyn Bridge waterfront. The 5.5 and 6.5 mile walks flew by thanks to podcasts and gorgeous weather. I asked for podcast recommendations on Twitter and received a ton of great recommendations including the following:
  • Another Mother Runner
  • Thanks for Asking
  • S-Town
  • Sorry not Sorry
  • Ali on the Run Show
  • WANTcast
  • NPR How I Built This
  • Criminal
  • The Sporkful
  • Dear Sugar Radio
  • Popcast
  • The Moth
  • Burst Your Bubble
  • Art Curious
  • Pregnancy Confidential
  • Missing Richard Simmons
  • I’ll Have Another w Lindsey Hein

• Since my legs and feet have started to swell this week, I’ve made a point to take at least a few relaxing baths. These bath salts and this foot scrub have provided my lower back, legs and feet with some much-needed relief.
• This salad looks so fresh and delicious and includes two of my favorite things – grapefruit and avocado! I think this would be perfect to enjoy before dinner!
• I think I’ll be buying the ingredients for this updated avocado toast recipe this weekend! I love the extra kick of flavor from the pesto!
• After a long day of sitting and typing, most of us can use these five yoga poses that we can do at our desk.   Also, can we talk about the palm print crop top Kayla is wearing? How perfect would this be for Summer funday when paired with jean shorts and Birkenstocks?
• Brittany’s salads not only look delicious but include such an array of ingredients that I know the flavor profile will be out of this world. This pistachio salmon salad includes so many ingredients I rarely use but enjoy, making it a perfect recipe to try soon.
• As you all know, Bo typically does the cooking in or home, but thanks to Hello Fresh I cooked dinner three times this week from start to finish! After receiving a mailer from them we decided to give it a try as we’ve never tried any of the ingredient delivery brands. To say that we are in love after just the first week would be an understatement. We’ve already arranged to have it delivered for the next few weeks! The seven different menu options are fresh, balanced and flavorful while I love the lack of waste since I don’t have to buy excess ingredients. Also, since many people have asked, YES THE MEALS TAKE THE TIME PRESCRIBED on the recipe cards, which I appreciated since most nights I didn’t start cooking until at least 7pm.  If you’ve never tried Hello Fresh you can get $40 off your first week by clicking here.
• I’ve tried to curb my nightly ice cream cravings by alternating my favorite ice cream with some healthier options. I’ve made a few different homemade frozen yogurt recipes including this chocolate, peanut butter one and this simpler one. So far, my favorite combination is 2 frozen bananas,  a splash of vanilla almond milk, Fage 2%, bananas, chocolate chips, vanilla extract and some peanut butter powder.
• My Sperry Perforated shoes arrived yesterday and I’m already tempted to buy them in another color. Seriously guys – they run true to size, have so much padding and are so fun especially for Spring and Summer! You can find a few colors on sale right now for $50 as part of the ShopBop sale or the full range of colors and sizes are available at Macys!

• Last but not least, since a few people emailed me asking about my recommendations for the JCrew Factory sale, here is what I’d be buying if I wasn’t focused on all things maternity, nursing and baby.

Okay guys, that’s all I have this week! Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you guys on Monday for a recap of our Easter fun!

 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!