Friday Favorites – April 8, 2016

jetting to savannah

Happy Friday friends!

This week was a whirlwind as I tried to finish as much work as possible before putting up my out of office for four lovely days! Bo and I are currently en route to Savannah where we’ll spend a long weekend enjoying relaxation with family while celebrating my mom’s 65th birthday. We’re hanging with his family today, enjoying time on their boat and grilling dinner before I dedicate the rest of the long weekend to all the quality “mom time” I can soak up in one trip. I hate that we live so far apart but after living abroad for two years, a 2-hour flight seems like a hop and a skip!

As promised, in regular Friday fashion, here is this week’s version of Friday Favorites. So, as you count down the hours 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.

Secrets for Saving Money at Whole Foods  – Love the shopping experience at Whole Foods but find yourself spending far too much of your paycheck there? These 9 tips will help you save money and shop smarter!

Top Morning Habits of Fitness Bloggers – Ask anyone and they will tell you that I am a morning person. Early, pre-dawn workout class? I’m the annoying person who is all smiles and giddy to see you. But, even though I’m already a morning person I love other peoples’ tips, tricks and habits. My favorite tip from the group is Kayla’s – prepare EVERYTHING the night before to make your morning easier!

Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats – When people tell me they don’t have time for breakfast in the morning I want to shake them and say have you tried overnight oats? So easy and it takes just minutes to prepare the night before. Even better, you can whip up a batch in individual mason jars and have breakfast ready for a few days. This blueberry muffin version is the perfect way to put the first berries of the season to good use!

7 Tips for Transitioning to An All-Natural Beauty Routine – I wish I’d had this article as a resource a few months ago when I started updating my skin care regimen with natural products. I never expected to make this switch, but after reading one too many articles that linked cancer and other illnesses with the chemicals found in many common beauty products, I decided to start learning more and doing my own research. Even though I wanted to clean up my regimen, I also didn’t want to spend a fortune replacing everything nor make it overwhelming. Therefore I started small, following many of the tips in this article. I bought face wash and a moisturizer from Whole Foods that is reasonably priced and works just as well, if not better, than what I used before. As I run out of the rest of my beauty items I’m slowly replacing them with smarter choices.

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Greek Yogurt Waffles – Now that we FINALLY own a waffle iron, I have a desire to whip up a new recipe each Sunday to enjoy before church. This recipe packs in plenty of flavor as well as 12 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Suddenly, waffles don’t seem like a Sunday indulgence but instead a great option to make ahead and freeze for easy breakfasts or even pre-workout bites.

Asparagus Salad with Feta Dressing  This would be the perfect side dish for a backyard barbecue or even a Spring brunch when paired with a frittata.  

Shrimp and Avocado Taco Salad – I’ll admit it, I’m not the best when it comes to recipe planning or making sure we have a stocked fridge when we return home from travel. But, knowing that the next few weeks are busy, I chose a few recipes and ordered the ingredients from Fresh Direct so they’ll be delivered Tuesday when we land. This recipe was the first on the list as really, what is better than taco salad, especially when it includes shrimp? I am going to add some extra lettuce, tomatoes and chopped cabbage to give it enough bulk for dinner but otherwise, the recipe sounds perfect!

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 1st, 2016

cherry blossomsphoto

I can’t believe it’s April 1st already. Where did March go? How have we been back in New York for nine months already? It’s crazy how fast life is moving. April is one of those months I have mixed feelings about. The weather in NYC is either amazing, sunny Spring weather filled with pollen, flowers and sunshine or it’s rain. In addition, I accidentally overbooked myself this month. As in I’m traveling EVERY single weekend this month and even though the destinations and reasons are fun, it still leaves me a bit stressed. Sometimes a girl just needs her downtime, am I right?

As promised, in regular Friday fashion, here is this week’s version of Friday Favorites. So, as you count down the hours 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.

There’s a good reason I didn’t ask you guys to click Turn on Post Notifications this week on Instagram. Get in the know on all the Instagram changes before you push that little alert button.

Oatmeal has long been a breakfast standby in our house but it isn’t something I’ve thought about eating for dinner until I saw this delicious, savory oat recipe.  As soon as I shared with Bo he immediately responded with “Why don’t we have that for dinner one night next week?” Done and done!

Inspired by Carly, I immediately added this top to my shopping basket.  The loose fit, navy pom-pom detail and thick material made me fall in love immediately! Now, is it too early for me to slip into these jeans and these wedges for my client meetings today?  (Don’t forget, 25% off Spring styles at J.Crew and an extra 30% off sale styles!)

As if I needed any further inspiration to fully embrace the athleisure craze, Infatuation shared a list of 19 restaurants where you can eat in your gym clothes, comfortably, without getting that judgmental side eye from your table neighbor.

As if Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, needed to something else to impress us, this week he showed off his wicked strength with a peacock pose. Really, what will this guy do next?

Say what you want about self help books but over the past few weeks, Bo and I have read The Five Love Languages together. While part of it seems a bit like those Chicken Soup for the Soul books, that seemed to multiply on the bookstore shelves faster than bunnies back in the 90s, it’s been a very helpful read so far. Without getting into too much detail, we have different ways of showing love and it has been helpful to understand these differences. The book has multiple versions so you can even apply the material in a work or friendship situation.

beyonce-ivy-park-01 Source

Queen B has proven that she knows how to inspire women in American and that anything she touches, surely turns to gold. Therefore, I predict that her new active wear line, Ivy Park, will sell out on April 14th.  My wallet appreciates the fact that the line will be priced from $30-$200.

Available today, this year’s limited edition Brooks Nantucket Adrenaline GTS 16 is inspired by Nantucket. Featuring whales, vibrant plaid and anchors they are so adorable and I’ve already received compliments on them after just two wears! If you’re in Boston for the marathon you can snag a pair at the expo or online!

boston2016 shoe

A good reminder, In case you forgot, you can’t exercise yourself to weight loss. It’s about balance and your time at the gym can’t balance out what you put in your mouth the other 23 hours of the day.

Looking for some running inspiration in your Instagram feed? This round-up includes, Michelle, one of my favorite runners as well as other recreational and pro runners who will leave you wanting to lace up your shoes.

Your turn: What are you loving this week?

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 25th, 2016

bychloe

Happy (Good) Friday gang! Do you all have any special plans this weekend? While Bo and I wish we could be home to enjoy Easter weekend with our families, we will be here in Brooklyn. In keeping with some Easter traditions, we are going to church together Sunday morning and having lamb Sunday night. The rest of the weekend is going to be a mix of time with friends and relaxing at home. We’re kicking off the weekend with a “happy hour” workout at Fhitting Room before a double date where I’m looking forward to ALL the chips and guacamole! Tomorrow morning I’m heading to the Art of Yoga event at Brooklyn Museum which includes yoga with Faith Hunter and a live string band!

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.

It’s no secret that I wouldn’t mind looking a bit more like Jennifer Aniston. At the age of 47 I think she looks even better than she did during her Rachel days on Friends. Luckily, the gang at Well+Good shared the inside scoop on her morning routine with their readers. If she says to start your day with lemon water and add a scoop of collagen peptides  to my smoothie, you better believe I’ll add a dozen lemons to my shopping cart and order the peptides on Amazon!

I typically drink plain or sparkling water but thanks to a shipment from Core Natural Hydration I’ve been adding a bit of flavor to my routine. Their new, organic fruit-infused waters are loaded with flavor without some of the harmful additives often found in sweet drinks. Sweetened with Stevia, they aren’t something I’ll drink often, but every now and then it’s a perfect way to change things up and yesterday the peach mango flavor was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up after yesterday’s red-eye flight!

carrot cake pancakes

Image via RachLMansfield

See those epic pancakes above? The fluffy, flavorful paleo carrot cake pancakes  are the perfect breakfast option for Easter weekend or to cure any carrot cake craving you may have!

Looking to find curated, fashion-forward fitness apparel that won’t be the same spandex you’re seeing everyone else in your workout class wear this season? Bandier is your answer! While I haven’t been to their flagship yet, I loved learning more about the chain’s roots in today’s New York Times article.

vira sun

I misplaced my favorite Ray-Ban sunglasses last month. Instead of replacing them I decided to try a new, local brand, Vira Sun. Their sunglasses third of the price but have fun styles and names like full wheel, that feature polarized lenses!

It took me months to finally try byCHLOE but man is it delicious! A vegan, plant based, all natural fast food restaurant this place is constantly packed from the minute they open to late at night! This morning I hopped in exactly at 11 am when they opened and was in and out within minutes. The oven baked sweet potato fries, Mexican quinoa salad and gluten free chocolate chip cookie were the perfect Friday lunch treat!  Live outside NYC? They announced yesterday that they are expanding to Boston and will open their new location in the Seaport district.

We have the most adorable Benefit Brow Bar and Boutique in Cobble Hill but until last Friday I’d never stepped inside. After getting my eyebrows waxed I spent some time experimenting with their makeup range, quickly falling in love with a few of their items.  Their brightening foundation makes me look well-rested and gives me a healthy glow without looking artificial or too heavy.  Until I get tan in Jamaica I’ll be faking it with their bronzer which goes on easily and looks very natural!

I have cut WAY back on the number of artificial sweetners I ingest as they are just way too scary.  Good thing too, as the one that was once deemed the “safest” of them, is officially bad for you.

It seems like marathons are the latest craze in China. But, it seems that both runners and organizers alike have a lot to learn. Runners have been quoted saying that they are trying to run without training and last weekend participants mistook a grape soap, handed out in the expo bag, for fuel and attempted to eat it during the race! Better watch out for tasty soap!

Even though I had a less than stellar NYC Half Marathon this year, I teared up reading Michelle’s incredible race recap. Want inspiration each morning? Follow her on Instagram and read her blog. The way she balances the roles of mother, full time employee, wife, run coach and semi-pro runner is nothing short of amazing.

Your turn! What are you loving this week?

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