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Friday Favorites – January 29th, 2016

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Is anyone else ready to unwind from the week? This morning’s Rise and Shine yoga class was the perfect way to start releasing the stress of the week.  This weekend’s plans include a steak and red wine date night at home tonight followed by a long run tomorrow morning with Theodora and some quality time with my cousin who is in town tomorrow as well as a few of our friends tomorrow night. In between there will be a few baking experiments as well as a lot of sleep. I’m still feeling the effects of Wednesday night when I only slept 5.5 hours. This 32-year old can’t do that mid-week anymore and still wake up energized for the day.

As promised, in regular Friday fashion, here is this week’s version of Friday Favorites. So, as you count down the minutes until the weekend begins, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

  • Now that I have a bath tub at home, I love taking at least one relaxing bath per week. I fill the tub up with warm water, drop a few sprinkles of this heavenly coconut and vanilla bath soak, enjoy a glass of wine and read a good book.
  • During the Winter months, I tend to only drink red wine. There is something so soothing and warming about the rich tannins of a red wine that makes me want to sip it all through the weekend while bundled up in a sweater. The Josh Cellar’s Legacy is a well balanced blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sarah. This bottle paired perfectly with everything we enjoyed last weekend, even the chocolate cake! An easy to drink and approachable wine, it is a perfect wine to stock for your next dinner party as every guest will enjoy it.
  • Speaking of comforting, Tina’s Light & Creamy Chickpea Salad looks like the perfect pairing for any meal! I always love pairing Brussels sprouts with Dijon mustard so I know I’ll love this recipe. In fact, I think I’ll whip up a batch on Sunday to enjoy for lunch throughout the week.
  • I’ve been inspired to improve my smoothie game this year thanks to Kristine, Rachel and the rest of the smoothie Instagram images brightening up my Instagram feed daily. The team at Well+Good continues to deliver with perfect articles including the 11 staples for a killer smoothie pantry, which inspired this week’s shopping on iHerb.com! I had no idea that you could get Goji berry and Acai powders.
  • The winter weather combined with this week’s client meetings forced me to swap leggings for tights as I donned dresses or skirts three days this week. Our team of ladies ended up joking about our favorite tights and it turns out we all agree that these are the absolute best! They hold everything in without making you feel like a sausage, stand up to my often jagged nails and are perfectly opaque!
  • I’m so glad hat the modeling world is starting to evolve from the “heroin-chic” days of yesteryear when models were idolized for their visible ribs and gaunt figures. I loved reading that Nina Agdal, Sports Illustrated cover model, likes to sweat with the best of them at some of my favorite NYC workout locations.  Maybe I’ll run into her at Y7 soon!
  • Are you one of the lucky runners who snagged a spot in the NYRR Brooklyn Half Marathon? I can’t believe that the race sold out in just 52 minutes! I’m now some how signed up for three Spring half marathons including one which I’ll be running for fun with a bunch of other NYC blogger friends! If you’ve read my race recaps (here and here) from this race, you’ll know it’s never been my favorite due to the six miles of monotonous running towards Coney Island. BUT, the start is walking distance from our apartment and so many of my friends are running it that I just couldn’t resist.
  • Another week, another couple who is giving me and Bo some major #couplegoals. I loved Dax Shepard in Parenthood (BEST SHOW EVER) but I think I may love him even more in this video that he and his wife made together! Let’s go to Africa and dance with the giraffes and zebras, okay Bo?
  • The results of this I Side With survey scared me a bit BUT I loved the ability to click on each issue and learn more as well as getting more familiar with each candidates views. Take a few minutes, please, to become more educated in advance of the elections.
  • Dogs in photo booths – need I say more? There is nothing more hilarious than these images of pups cheesing it up in front of the camera!
  • If you love using scrubs to slough off the dry skin, you may want to toss out your coffee infused ones based on this latest finding that it can actually clog your drain. Good to know, especially since our brownstone’s pipes are definitely not new.

Happy weekend! What are you loving this week??

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A Snowy Weekend in Brooklyn

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Greetings from snowy Brooklyn!

Unlike many of my friends, I spent the entire weekend smiling. Snow makes me feel like a child again.  I absolutely love the peace and tranquility that a fresh snow brings to the streets of New York in addition to the child like antics that come out during the aftermath.  We so often finds ourselves going constantly, with very little relaxation and down time so it is a welcome blessing to have snowy conditions force us to rest and relax. My in-laws, Bob and Mimi, happened to be in town this weekend which made things even more special. I can’t tell you the last time we all spent so much time together.

Friday evening Mimi (my mother-in-law) and I started the weekend with a donation based community yoga class at Brooklyn Yoga Project before dinner at the adorable Locanda Vini e Olii. Their house made olive oils stole the show but everything we tried was delicious.

Saturday morning, I woke up and ran to the window, like a kid on Christmas morning. I managed my expectations, after years of disappointment, expecting to see a few inches and nothing more. Instead, I saw that our back yard was a blustery, winter wonderland!

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Like crazies, we bundled up and headed to another wonderful hot, power yoga class at Tangerine Yoga. Considering the conditions, we were tempted to stay in our pajamas and bake an elaborate, warm breakfast but we wanted to share this yoga studio with both Meg and Mimi after weeks of raving about their classes and hands-on instructors. By the time we left the studio at 10:30 the wind gusts were reaching 30 miles per hour and Brooklyn looked like the inside of a snow globe.

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The rest of our snow day accomplishments included making homemade pizza dough, baking a chocolate cake from scratch, perfecting the art of creating snow angels, working on our snowball aim and warming up with a beer at our favorite neighborhood bar, Buschenschank.

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Your turn: What did you do this weekend? Were you in a snow globe or in one of the few areas that didn’t see cold weather and flurries? 

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Virtual Coffee Date

Have a seat friends and refill that glass of wine or coffee, depending the hour of day you’re reading this, because it is time for a virtual date. A lot has transpired since our last date together. Winter has arrived in New York City and we’ve quickly realized that our old house has more than a few drafty spots. But, regardless of the draft, we’re still thrilled with the apartment we chose and the home we’ve created. We’ve hosted a number of dinner parties over the past month and love having a kitchen large enough to accommodate a large group of friends while we cook, drink and talk together.

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If we were sitting together today, I would tell you that I think I’m the only crazy person who is hoping that New York City gets more than just a few inches of snow this weekend. It’s been six years since Bo and I went sledding in Central Park and I would love nothing more than to sled down the hills of Prospect Park this weekend. There is something so inviting about a winter snowstorm. Movies on the couch, wine, time together and the cozy warmth of your home. Yes, I realize all of this goes out the window if you lose power during such snowstorm, but let me romanticize it in my head.

If we were sitting together today, I’d rave about my office. Even though I spend way too much time in it, I’m head over heels in love with the space. Maybe it’s the small space heater I use when I’m working in the office each day or the cozy slippers I wear while sitting at my desk. When designing this room, we knew that we wanted a soothing color pallet since I’d spend at least eight hours a day in here and luckily, that desire has translated.

If we were sitting together today, I would tell you how unbelievably thankful I am for our parents. We are so lucky to have parents who support us and love us unconditionally. After living abroad for two years, it is so nice to have the space to host them for multiple weekends a year. This weekend my in-laws are visiting and in two weeks my parents will be here.

If we were sitting together today, I would rave about the movie Spotlight. Bo and I saw it together on Monday and immediately called our parents, insisting that they see it. The cast is stellar and the storyline is straightforward yet perfectly crafted. I think Spotlight deserves even more recognition than it has received.

If we were sitting together today, due to two days of subway issues, I read over 100 pages in When Breath Becomes Air during yesterday evening and this morning’s commute. I was so thankful to have a book at my fingertips to pass the time. I am also very glad I didn’t apply mascara this morning as the author’s prose brought me to tears during this morning’s commute.

If we were sitting together today, I’d tell you that I signed up for NYRR coached run club on a total whim but am so glad I did. The eight-week outdoor group training has already helped me after just two sessions. Both sessions start with a five minute warm-up of butt kicks, high knees and strides which even though coaches have recommended in years past, is something I rarely do. I’ve felt the difference in both of these runs and therefore built it into my solo runs over the past week. It is also helping me fill the void that I have since my running buddies don’t live down the block anymore.

If we were sitting together today, I would tell you how amazed I am that months later, I’m still wearing my Shine activity tracker. I never expected to wear it longer than the month partnership but now I’m in love with tracking my sleep.

If we were sitting together today, I’d tell you that I wish I could fly my girlfriends who live across the United States, to one warm location for a beach weekend. While we’ve had the opportunity to spend time with our families recently, I would like to have more time for friends in the coming months.

If we were sitting together today, I would tell you that I am more tempted than ever to cut my hair short. I keep seeing women with adorable lobs (long bobs) and think they look so chic and cute. But then, I remember how easy my long hair is and decide to keep things simple.

Your turn, what would you share? 

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