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Friday Favorites – August 12th, 2016

Nat Geo

Yesterday’s National Geographic Instagram Pic of Banff

It is finally Friday! My out of office message is up and we fly to Canada this afternoon. I’ve been dreaming of the views for weeks now and can’t believe it’s finally time! Even though neither of us have packed and our to-do list is still 17 items long, we are SO excited for this vacation together. This week was jam-packed with fun workouts, lots of work meetings and late nights trying to get everything done but now that Friday has arrived I’m ready to enjoy nine straight days of disconnecting from work. I am going to share our adventures via Instagram Stories and Snapchat as well as a blog post or two.

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.

  • These No Bake Almond Bars  would be the perfect sweet treat to bake the week we’re back from vacation since I already have all the ingredients!
  • I can’t wait to share pictures and videos from our trip with you guys especially now that we have a GoPro! Get ready for some awesome videos of white water rafting, mountains and hopefully a few animal sightings! Any tips for using a GoPro? We’re complete novices! 
  • We enjoyed the classes and atmosphere at Work Train Fight so much that we used all three of our ClassPass (<–Save $20 with this link) classes in just five days! The 60-minute classes combine a challenging 15-20 minute cardio portion with 25 minutes of bag and technique work with 5-10 minutes of ab work. Unlike some other boxing classes I’ve taken in NYC, I truly learned skills during these classes and the instructors did a great job explaining each move. So far our favorite instructors are Prashant and Clint!
  • No idea if I can pull this off but I love the look. I imagine pairing it with a tank now and then with a sleek turtleneck or silk blouse for winter.
  • Charlie headed to Africa last week to climb Mt Kilimanjaro and her pictures are making me want to add this to my travel wish list. Do you have this on your list?
  • Have you guys tried these crackers? I’ve been pairing the almond flavor with hummus for an early-evening snack recently, but even alone these  light, crunchy and flavorful crackers are delicious!
  • In light of the recent deaths of three female runners, everyone seems to have an opinion on how, where and when women should run but at the end of the day, that isn’t the problem.  If you are going to run alone, I think Strava’s Beacon technology is incredible and a great way to keep friends or family aware of where you’re running!
  • I finally invested in this stylish, sleek backpack after lusting over this one for quite a few months. My back and shoulders are thanking me after just three days of using it! I love that it has so many inner compartments for my things and easily fits my work laptop!
  • I love when dietitians share a peek into what they eat as it provides great inspiration, especially when they include recipes!
  • Did you see that Wal-Mart acquired Jet.com? It’ll be interesting to see what this does for the start up retailer but one thing is for sure – the eCommerce space is always changing.
  • Have you guys tried the new nut butter filled CLIF Bars? Bo and I were so in love with the flavors we received from the brand a few weeks ago that we ordered more of the peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter flavors for our Canadian adventures.

Have a great Friday friends! 

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!

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Highlights from the Weekend – August 8th, 2016

There are only four days of work between me and a 10-day vacation! While I’m looking forward to Friday, I definitely wasn’t ready for the weekend to end.  Even though we woke up groggy and a tired since we stayed up too late catching up on Homeland, we kicked off the week on a strong note with an intense boxing class at Church Street Boxing Gym (<–save $20 off ClassPass with this code).

I thought it’d be fun to share some highlights from our weekend with you guys to start off the week.

photo3

Reading – As I previously mentioned, I’m in love with my Brooklyn Public Library card. While I know that I can also rent books on my Kindle/iPad, I am really enjoying reading the physical book. I read Jane Green’s new book Falling this weekend and am about 100 pages into American Wife. I am still not in love with the book but am going to stick with it.
grilling out

Grilling – We had enjoyed a spur of the moment dinner at our friends house on Saturday night which included lots of Olympics watching, burger eating and laughter. This hamburger was one of the best I’ve ever eaten – at home or at a restaurant – due to the mix of meats, seasoning and Challah bread buns!

relaxing sunday

Relaxing – I woke up Friday, Saturday and Sunday without an alarm and spent the first few hours of Saturday and Sunday relaxing at home. It’s been ages since I’ve had the opportunity to relax like this and it was such a treat. Sunday morning we went to our favorite neighborhood coffee shop,  Smith Canteen, and enjoyed iced coffee, savory quinoa bowl and read the paper.

blossom ice cream

Ice Cream – Sunday’s warm weather beckoned us to enjoy ice cream. After recently discovered a new, neighborhood ice cream shop, we used last night’s heat and humidity as an excuse to finally try it. Blossom serves the Thai style hand-rolled ice cream which hit the Manhattan ice cream scene last Summer. I wasn’t sure what to expect but after enjoying last night’s Classic Cooler which combines banana, oreo and caramel in multiple, delicious rolls, I will definitely be back. They have a menu with 12 signature combinations but customers can create their own as well as add toppings for the $6.50 price. Have you tried hand-rolled ice cream yet? 

bike ride

Bike Riding – For some unknown reason, I haven’t been on my bike this season. For the past three Summers I rode my bike an average of once a week but this year I forgot that riding was even an option. When Bo suggested we go for a ride in Prospect Park to shake out our legs after Saturday’s run, I eagerly agreed. Even though I only rode 17 miles yesterday I really enjoyed the Prospect Park loop and the number of bike lanes available to bikers in Brooklyn. Now, who wants to join me for a ride sometime because I definitely can’t keep up with Bo’s pace! 

 

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Thursday Thoughts

flowers

August. I am having a hard time comprehending that it is the eight month of the year and more than halfway through Summer. I thought it would be fun today to share a peak into what’s been going through my mind this week as I’ve kicked off the month.

  • For some reason, even though we have more than 20 flowering plants in our backyard, I never thought to cut any of the flowers and bring them inside. A few weeks ago Bo’s mom reminded me last week that flowers are to be enjoyed, and when left outside they aren’t enjoyed nearly as much as they would be inside our home. Since then I’ve been putting a fresh bouquet on our kitchen island every few days.
  • When I started blogging, there were two primary platforms I managed – Twitter and my blog. These days there are countless platforms and each week I feel as if another layer is added leaving me feeling more and more behind. I know I can’t do it all so for now, I am doing my best to interact with you all on both Snapchat and Instagram Stories until I figure out which platform I prefer. I love that I am able to see more followers and friends on Instagram Stories since I wasn’t following them or they weren’t active on Snapchat but I also find that I’m not going through the traditional Instagram content in the same way I was before.  What are your thoughts so far?
  • In an effort to enjoy the gorgeous August weather we are experiencing, I am filling my schedule in the best way possible with outdoor activities. Last night Bo and I saw The Lumineers live in Prospect Park and I have added Yoga in Prospect Park to the calendar for August 25th.
  • Speaking of The Lumineers, I have been listening to them on Spotify non-stop this week and love this Lumineers radio station on Spotify for a mellow work playlist.  Though I love their hits Stubborn Love and Ho Hey, since last night my new favorite is Ophelia, one of the songs on their new album, Cleopatra.
  • I have been working from a local coffee shop this week for a change of pace and have found that getting out of the house has really helped my productivity and mood. My perfect coffee shop combination is strong coffee, a delicious lunch menu, fast wi-fi and a cute atmosphere. So far my favorite Brooklyn spots are Swallow Cafe and Tekoa. Any Manhattan or BK suggestions? 
  • I am considering dropping down from the half marathon distance to the 10k distance for the Rock’n’Roll Montreal race. Bo and I are both really enjoying doing the workouts we crave versus the structure of required running and while I know I could finish the half marathon course, I think we’d both enjoy a 10k more at this point. Since this race isn’t sold out yet, Bo and I are going to wait until closer to the race to make a final decision.
  • Don’t worry – I am still ready for a training plan I just want to make sure I am building a quality training plan which provides enough time to get back in half marathon shape. Luckily, I already have plans to join my friends on their training runs this week and next week meaning that I’ll have a quality 7 and 8 mile long run done before vacation as well as shorter, faster runs. Thank you Zoe, Katie and Theodora for motivating me!
  • It hasn’t been easy but somehow I’ve avoided shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this year. While there were more than 20 things in my shopping care at certain points, this year Bo and I have decided to focus our Summer spending on our trip to Canada. If you shopped the Nordstrom sale, what was your best investment? 
  • Mornings that we don’t go into the city together for workouts, Bo and I have a new morning routine that has really helped me start each day in a wonderful mood. We take 15-20 minutes to sit together in our kitchen while sipping coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, reading the newspaper and eating freshly sliced fruit together before he heads to work.
  • As I think about our upcoming vacation, I continue to go back and forth on whether I want to blog during our trip or fully disconnect. The more I think about it, the more I think I want to focus on being present in the trip and limiting my time on a computer. During the week of August 12th-20th you can expect 1-2 pre-written posts on the blog (Friday Favorites and a few recipes) in addition to lots of gorgeous images capturing our adventures in Banff and Jasper.
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