January Favorites

January Favorites

Happy Sunday! I hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful weekend. Do you have plans to watch the Super Bowl? Since Bo and I are both from Georgia, we have hopes that the Atlanta Falcons will Rise Up and win tonight. Unfortunately, we just realized that since we got rid of cable this month, we don’t know how we can watch the game at home. Any tips? If your football knowledge is less than stellar, give this article a glance before you watch the game tonight.

Since I didn’t have a chance to share my weekly favorites with you this month, I decided to share a round-up of the things I loved during January. Now, let’s dive into this edition of favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught or that I found myself loving this month.

  • Orangetheory – Since the new Park Slope studio opened in January, Bo and I have loved working out together at Orange Theory one to two times per week. As I mentioned previously, their coaches have been terrific in helping me make adjustments as needed due to the pregnancy and I love that each coach truly creates a motivating and supportive environment. The 60-minute classes fly by and so far I’ve really enjoyed the longer treadmill sets intermixed with the rowing and strength portion. The high intensity interval training has complemented my YMCA routine as well as the more gentle barre and pilates workouts I’m taking.
  • Acure Sensitive Facial Cleanser – The past month my face has become victim to the cold, windy weather and dry air. While I’m still using my favorite oil cleanser in the evening to remove my makeup, I’m using this sensitive, mositurizing cleanser in the morning and in the evening, following the oil cleanser. If you’re looking for an economical, natural skin care line, Acure can be found at Walmart, Target and Whole Foods and is a great way to transition your routine and experiment with different items.
  • I’ve been using this rich, hydrating, natural face moisturizer a few nights per week after exfoliating and have noticed a visible difference in my face. My makeup went on smoother and my skin feels healthier after just a few uses.
  • Even though my parents have been to New York many times over the years, it’s always fun to plan a few special activities during their visits. This month our plans include indulging in safe to eat cookie dough creations, high tea at The Plaza and spending time at our favorite NYC museum in between some maternity and nursery shopping.
  • While Bo and I both enjoy duck, I often find many of the recipes to be overly rich or complicated. Thanks to Serious Eats Dinner Tonight section, we enjoyed a simple and flavorful duck dish last night. We made a perfect winter meal by pairing the fig duck with homemade mashed sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts.
  • If the winter air has your hair screaming for help, I highly recommend Oribe Supershine Moisturizing Creme. I’ve been using it for the past six weeks as a styling cream before blow drying my hair and see and feel a noticeable difference. My hair is softer, smoother and has less frizz throughout the day.
  • Burrito Bowls – I’ve been craving Mexican food this week so after seeing Nicole’s burrito bowl tutorial post I did some research and ended up buying the ingredients to make a hybrid recipe this week including inspiration from Nicole, Damn Delicious and Ambitious Kitchen.
  • Looking for a few new running blogs or just some inspiration to get off the couch? I find Amanda’s posts to always be informative, but this round-up of running blogs was especially helpful for someone looking to update their blog and Instagram feed.
  • Julia’s idea to sip this green smoothie as an afternoon snack inspired me to buy the ingredients today and try whipping it up when I’m working from home this week. I love that the recipe includes a few items I’d never think to put in a green smoothie like collagen and sunflower seeds!
  • Since receiving this under eye concealer in last month’s Birchbox, I’ve used it daily and recently ordered the full-size version. It doesn’t crease, goes on easily and helps give me that well-rested look we all crave.

What is a recipe, product or post you loved in Janaury? 

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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This Week’s Favorite Things

Good morning from San Francisco!

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The first 24 hours were an absolute blast, filled with lots of good food, exploring and fun. I’m so thankful that we both decided to run the Nike Women’s San Francisco Half for fun versus putting time pressure on ourselves. Since our mentality is all about enjoying the course and having fun, we’re able to do things like Bar Method together and go bar hopping until well past midnight!

While we’re off sweating together and exploring the Marina area today, here is a round-up of this week’s favorites. Usually posted on Friday, these favorites include links, recipes, articles and other things that caught my eye this week.

I spiced things up this week by giving my morning yogurt bowl an autumn makeover with Siggi’s Pumpkin & Spice yogurt.  This Fall yogurt flavor has 14 grams of protein, a short list of clean ingredients, and a 130 calories.

This metallic pencil skirt gives the sometimes boring office wardrobe staple a bright, creative spin. I love that J.Crew has it in regular, petite and tall so ladies of all builds can sport it with a turtleneck, casual chambray or crisp white shirt.

As soon as cooler temperatures begin, I swap out the bright, Summer nail polish colors for rich, deep shades. Amy and I fell in love with CND Shellac in Masquerade, a rich, burgundy color.

Running before the sun rises or after it sets can be dangerous, especially when near cars. The Night Runner 270 shoe lights ensure that everyone will see you, regardless the hour. The lightweight lights clip on to your shoe laces and can flash in three different settings: white, red, or red flashing. These are a perfect gift for any runner, walker or cyclist!

While Bo and I are still loving Purely Elizabeth and Small Batch granola, Megan’s Salty Macadamia Nut Granola recipe has me motivated to make my own. Requiring only 10 products that you already have in your pantry, the salty sweet flavor combination will upgrade any yogurt or smoothie.

Sometimes, without realizing it, my dad aids in my shopping rationalization. He sent me this WSJ article which provides tips from stylish but economical women on how to navigate through the most fashionable of trends.

 

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Eating, Reading & Watching Lately

I hope your weekend is going well! My weekend has been exactly what I needed – a perfect mix of friends and relaxation. While Geneva’s weather was less than stellar, gray and gloomy, it worked out quite well. I had no desire to leave the house today other than a short walk to Le Pain Quotidien and to take out the recycling. Luckily, our hike yesterday provided us with a break from the gloomy weather, as we discovered blue sky and sunshine above the clouds! I’ll save the rest of the details and pictures for tomorrow’s post, but safe to say it was another gorgeous Geneva adventure!

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I spent five hours hiking yesterday with friends and then hosted a girlfriend for dinner, which means that I was able to enjoy some time in the kitchen cooking and baking! I went to bed exhausted last night at midnight, after falling asleep while watching The Holiday with a girlfriend. Waking up naturally, after 9.5 hours of sleep, was the perfect way to start this relaxing Sunday.

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Most of today, this has been my view, save for an hour I’ve spent folding clothes and the other hour spent writing letters to friends and family. I’ve kept up with my note writing habit and am now mailing an average of 3 notes per week.

Today I wanted to take a break from reading and relaxing to share a few of the things I’ve loved this week ranging from recipes, YouTube videos, and articles.

Eating

This 10-minute pumpkin pie oatmeal was delicious and made six days worth of breakfasts! I just whipped up another batch today! As an FYI, I altered the recipe to include two scoops of protein powder along with only using a quarter of the brown sugar.

These pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies came out perfectly even when baked after a bottle of wine and cutting the recipe in half!

This pumpkin chili, flavorful and filling, was the perfect dinner last night to warm our souls on a cold Geneva evening. I added some extra veggies such as chopped peppers and a bit of spice to the recipe, but it’s a keeper. I loved that it was satiating even with the omission of meat.

We are hosting 21 people for Thanksgiving on Thursday night, and I think this pumpkin bean dip could be the perfect, easy appetizer to make!

As if she read my mind, Anne posted this healthy, homemade cranberry sauce recipe just as I was writing my Thanksgiving shopping list!

Reading & Watching

Even though I’m not as familiar with Amy Poehler as many people are, I’m enjoying her book Yes Please and really identified  with and appreciated her chapter on apologies.

In keeping with Amy Poehler and reading the book, I’ve spent some time on YouTube watching SNL clips referenced in the book. If you need a laugh, check out this hilarious clip from the 2008 Sarah Palin era.

This article is a good reminder that spending too much time on our devices is not only bad for the mind sometimes but also our neck. Just another reminder to keep going to yoga and put down the device.

I saw this inspiring video posted on no less than 20 of my Facebook friend’s pages this weekend and finally clicked through yesterday. Twelve minutes later I was a puddle of tears.

Have you watched Madame Secretary yet? If you like West Wing, Scandal, The Good Wife or other political dramas, you’ll love this new series. Bo and I both LOVE it!

Inspired by Meghann’s Instagram pictures yesterday, I had to click through to this article  about one persons experience visiting each Disney Park when I saw it on New York Times this morning!

Your turn: What are you eating, reading or watching lately?

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