Friday Favorites–April 14th, 2017

spring in bk

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:
  • 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!

sperry

  • 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.

jcrew factory sale

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!

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Friday Favorites–April 7th, 2017

tulips

Photo by Alexis Damen Photography

Happy Friday! I hope you all have had a good week. We had lots of rain in New York City this week but I am thrilled that the weekend forecast is sunshine and warmer temperatures! Tonight we’re having our next-door neighbors over for a casual dinner and then tomorrow I have a few dates with girlfriends including a workout at Uplift and brunch at Little Owl as Bo is going to be traveling during the day.  The rest of the weekend is going to include a prenatal massage, writing thank you notes, cooking and working on the nursery.

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.

  • Bo and I love cooking together on Sunday and always make at least a meal or two in advance for the week. This round-up of 20 Healthy dinners you can make on Sunday, or any day of the week for that matter, was immediately added to my recipe Pinterest board!
  • If you’re expecting or have children, did you know that you can stack the coupons at BuyBuyBaby! We were able to save more than $50 this morning by using multiple coupons!
  • After seeing these adorable Sperry Seaside Perforated Slides on Tina’s blog, I decided that they’d make the perfect third trimester shoes since it’s getting difficult to tie and untie my shoes. Comfortable slip-on shoes that are also stylish will be a great Spring accesorry as the weather continues to get warmer! Now, should I order the gray, pink or the gold?
  • As a blogger who also loves my full-time job and career, I appreciated Meghan’s thoughtful tips for the part-time blogger.
  • I’m excited to see Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard next week with one of my girlfriends. Have you all used the site TodayTix yet? It’s a great way to snag tickets for less than normal AND they hand-deliver the tickets to you! The website isn’t for NYC shows only as they feature tickets for shows in San Francisco, London, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC!

bouqs

  • I love giving and receiving fresh flowers as I feel they are a great way to brighten up any room in a home. Over the past few weeks we’ve recieved three separate bouquets from Bouqs and each time we’ve been more and more impressed! In fact, I’ve fallen so in love with this company that I’ve sent the same bouquet to three different people over the past month. Due to their freshness and high quality, we found that the bouquets we received each lasted AT LEAST a week if not longer. Never tried Bouqs? Use the code NEWB25 to save 25% off your first order!
  • We whipped up this healthy Mediterranean Quinoa Salad as a side dish Tuesday night and have been enjoying leftovers all week. The flavors only get better with time and I love that you can choose to add protein to make it a main dish or stick with the feta and vegetables when serving it as a side dish. 
  • If I wasn’t pregnant, I would have bought these adorable pieces for Spring and Summer as I’m loving the colors and details.

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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Friday Favorites – March 31st, 2017

 

Heading into the weekend

Anyone else ready to head into the weekend immediately, if not sooner? This week was a really tough week emotionally and mentally. As you may have seen in the news, a retailer who I worked closely with is going through some major changes which impact both myself and my team. In addition, both Bo and I had multiple evening commitments this week which forced both of us to eat out more than we’d like and get home later than normal. I’m looking forward to a weekend here in Brooklyn. Our schedule includes some time with friends, lots of work in the nursery and a few quality workouts.

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.

  • Similar to Julia, I’m craving smoothies these days and her three acai smoothie recipes are great updates to the basic smoothie I’ve been making.  I had no clue that you could get unsweetened acai packets but this is definitely on my shopping list after reading her post!
  • Did you see the latest ClassPass news? They now offer over 100 different workout videos that you can stream using your phone, computer or iPad. I love that these don’t count towards class credits and are just a new, added benefit for users of all levels.
  • This faux leather jacket is loose enough to accomodate my growing belly but chic enough for an after work happy hour. Even though I found it on A Pea in the Pod, it turns out that it’s not a maternity jacket and sold at multiple different retailers!
  • I love learning tips and tricks from others as many times their habits or tips can help me be a more effective leader, better friend or supportive wife. These nine habits of highly succesful people may not be relevant for everyone but I’m sure there is at least one tip that will be helpful.  Right now I’m doing 1, 4 and 7 very well but am continuing to improve on 2 and 3.
  • The BaubleBar earrings I’m wearing in the above picture have quickly become a favorite of mine this Spring as they add a perfect pop of color to an otherwise drab, all black outfit.
  • The dressing recipe for this Chicken Avocado Salad made me want to pin the recipe immediately but the pictures of the bowl made me want to make it imediately. I just added all the ingredients to this week’s shopping list as I’m hoping to make it for dinner on Tuesday night!
  • I am pretty low maintenance when it comes to my makeup but my mom taught me years ago that a quick swipe of lip color can go a long way. I’m always on the hunt for the perfect lip color but right now I’m loving this Beauty Counter Lip Gloss. As you can see from the picture, the bright, vibrant Dahlia color adds just a hint of color while also being easy to apply, hydrating and a great, natural lip gloss option.
  • I just started reading Lilac Girls and can already tell I’m going to love it. The next books on my Goodreads bookshelf are Paris for One, America’s First Daughter and A Man Called Ove.
  • I carry this MZWallace Metro backpack on a daily basis and am constantly amazed at how much it holds, how well it wears and the different pockets I continue to discover. I love putting my makeup and gym toilitries in the removable pouch while I store my laptop, water bottles, hard drive and phone in the other pockets.
  • When I bought new foundation at Sephora last week, I received a tester kit of OleHenriksen Three Little Wonders and have been surprisingly impressed with the products. During pregnancy my face has started to show some dullness and uneven skin tone so I was impressed that after five days of constant use, my face looked brighter and more radiant. While it is called natural by Sephora, I can’t figure out whether it’s truly a natural product so before I stock up on full-size products I’m going to do some more reserach BUT if you’re looking for a great trial size skin care kit this is a great option!

Your turn – What books should I add to my list?

 

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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