Gracie | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

{LOTS of} good eats lately.

19 July, 2015 by Gracie 3 Comments

I kinda sorta hate when people say “food porn,” but…get ready for a serious dose of it. I’ve been eating real good over the past week or so. Oh, how I love NYC and it’s food/restaurant culture…

First up, rewind to last Sunday where I had an amazing feast at one of my favorite NYC restaurants, ABC Kitchen. Everything there is amazing (highly recommended if you’re ever in New York), but their Salted Caramel Popcorn Sundae is what dreams are made of.

Usually when I make food at home it’s something quick like toast or eggs, but the other day I got a little fancy with my breakfast and made this big Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Pancake. To make it I combined:

1/3 cup oats
1 mashed banana
cocoa powder
cinnamon

Then topped it with peanut butter, more banana, and a drizzle of honey. AKA dessert for breakfast.

Clearly I’ve had quite the sweet tooth lately, so I might as well confess to this Coconut Creme Donut I snagged before some morning meetings from Doughnut Plant. This thing was rich - I could barely get through eating half of it (but so worth it).

I balanced out the carb intake with some rice-less sushi 😉 Did you know you can get cucumber-wrapped sushi at a lot of places? Just ask for “Naruto.” It’s a delicious + healthier option…my lifesaver when I did the Whole30.

Fast forward to Thursday, where we snacked on some oysters + crab legs for Happy Hour at The Standard Grille.

On Friday night we went to what is definitely one of my favorite new restaurants - Upland. We went to town with a ton of amazing dishes, but my favorite was definitely the Estrella.

If you ever find yourself there, I’d also highly recommend the Whole Crispy Mushroom, Five Lettuce Caesar (pictured below), Burrata, and Crispy Duck Wings.

five lettuce ‘caesar’ from Upland NYC

And last but not least is yesterday’s taco party. I rarely make it to the Upper East Side, but we were there yesterday after a visit to the Met and stumbled upon Cascabel Taqueria. Rachel and I split the steak, battered fish, and carnitas tacos. They were all uh-maze-ing.

See…I told you it was major food porn 😛 I must admit that there were a lot of healthier options in between those meals, which is why I’m such a fan of following flexible dieting. I love being able to indulge…and indulge often…without a hint of guilt!

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What’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately?

five things friday | 7.10.15.

10 July, 2015 by Gracie 11 Comments

I’ve been meaning to do a Five Things Friday post forever (a la Clare). They’re such a fun way to wrap up the week! So here’s my life in 5’s lately…

Five life updates

* Yesterday was Jessi’s (30th) birthday! We had a great group dinner out to celebrate…and some more fun things lined up for the weekend.
* I found out some chick was impersonating me on Facebook and using all of my photos. HA. Thanks to the people who let me know/reported her with me. It was so weird.
* I may have mentioned this before, but I’ll be out in California in August/September, and I’m getting so excited! First stop is Santa Barbara, then a few days in LA.
* I’m taking a little Instagram hiatus. Nothing in particular happened other than I felt strongly like I was supposed to.
* Not to be a debbie downer, but I can’t say I love NYC in the summer. It’s like a big oven here. I just want to be on the beach! Less than 2 more weeks ’til I’m back there…

Five things I ate

* Avocado toast just about every day
* Massive quinoa/veggie stir fry
* The best seared Duck Breast ever from Hudson Clearwater
* cupcakes for Jessi’s birthday
* Green smoothies

Five workouts

* Monday: off
* Tuesday: 55 minute boxing/bootcamp class at Work Train Fight (booked through my trial at FitReserve, which I’m loving so far!) AND a 45 minute SoulCycle class. I never do two-a-days, but I forgot that I double booked for this day. Whoops.
* Wednesday: off
* Thursday: off
* Friday: planning on an afternoon Peloton class (via FitReserve), depending on how my day goes

Five Pins

This. It’s okay to change your mind.

One day…

Fig and prosciutto tartines.

Oversized tee.

Everything about this look.

Five things making me happy

* My new playlist
* The weekend ahead with more birthday celebrations and fun plans.
* This article about being more vulnerable when it comes to dating/relationships. It’s definitely not the norm these days, but I think there’s a lot to be said for being fully honest and allowing yourself to be more vulnerable.
* Just feeling very much at peace lately with work stuff, new things coming up, etc.
* Your comments/emails in response to this post. You guys rock. If I haven’t responded to your email yet, I will by tonight!

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Your turn! What’s been a highlight of your week?

style: a girl and her rompers.

7 July, 2015 by Gracie 3 Comments

Ever since rompers (AKA jumpers, AKA jumpsuits, AKA onesies) became popular a few years ago, they have been my absolute favorite thing to wear. If you’re a regular reader of GML you’ve probably already noticed that they’re my “thing.” With my build - petite with some curves - I’ve found that (the right) rompers are usually really flattering on me.

One of my favorite things about rompers is that they’re just so…simple! No need to pick out a top and a bottom - just throw on a romper and shoes and you’re good to go. I also love that they can easily be transitioned from day to night, just by going from flats to wedges and changing up accessories.

This romper is from Boohoo, which has one of the best romper selections I’ve seen (and very affordable, which is always a plus).

Gracie Gordon | Boohoo.com | girlmeetslife.com

The whole look:

hat - Urban Outfitters
clutch - Top Shop
sunnies - Forever 21
rings - Top Shop
shoes - Eric Michael
necklace - Speakable

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What clothing item would you say is your “thing?” Are you a fan of rompers?

faith: no turning back.

7 July, 2015 by Gracie 19 Comments

I get asked fairly often what the *why* is behind my faith - more so than usual over this past weekend - and I started feeling convicted when I found myself giving a sort of fluffy, easy answer. So I’m challenging myself to be more bold in my response (hence this post).

Why I follow Jesus isn’t about how I was raised, and it’s not about checking off “Christian” as my religious preference. My reason is a pretty simple one, but it’s also one that makes people a little uncomfortable when they learn it, as it may for you right now.

The truth is that I’m completely and utterly lost without Jesus. Period. Gracie without Jesus is hopeless, depressed, anxious, and selfish. That’s right - I’m not a “good” person in my own strength or doing. Anything good about me comes from Him.

I’ve tried finding fulfillment in the things of the world, and it has always left me feeling emptier and more hopeless. Money, alcohol, status, approval from others, and even self actualization are terrible masters. The only real joy and fullness of life comes from Jesus. And when you realize that, and once you’ve been set FREE, there’s no turning back…

I feel like I’m supposed to extend an invitation. If you’re reading this and think it seems crazy (ha) but it still struck a chord with you, or if you just want to chat more about faith/Christianity - shoot me an email at gracie(at)girlmeetslife(dot)com <3

scenes from the {holiday} weekend.

6 July, 2015 by Gracie 11 Comments

Hey babes!

I’m going to keep things light on the words since I have a lotttt of work to catch up on today 😉 But here’s a little photo recap of my long weekend away in Montauk with the gals.

weekend in Montauk || Gracie Gordon || GirlMeetsLife.com Ruschmeyer's Montauk La Brisa, Tacombi restaurant | Montauk NY

The highlight of the weekend for me was definitely spending days on the BEACH. I forgot how much it was my happy place. I needed some salt water & sand in my life. I can’t wait to go back in a few weeks…!

weekend in Montauk || Gracie Gordon || GirlMeetsLife.com

p.s. wanted to say HI and give a big virtual hug to Catherine (Kathryn?) who I met at Sloppy Tuna in Montauk. You’re the sweetest + made my day meeting you!

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For those of you thinking about going to Montauk, here are my favorite spots:

Gurney’s/Scarpetta Beach
Surf Lodge
Ruschmeyer’s
Navy Beach
Joni’s
La Brisa
Harbor Montauk
Left Hand
Montauk Juice Factory

from the outside looking in.

1 July, 2015 by Gracie 5 Comments

Just about every morning I have an hour of “quiet time” where I pray, read, journal, and sometimes even just sit in silence. I’ve actually become quite dependent on that time alone with God. It sets my heart and mind in the right place before starting the day, and it’s during that time that I get the deepest revelations/realizations about God, myself, and life in general.

Today as I was journaling (I’ve posted before about how important I think journaling is), I made a list of all of the things I’m thankful for. This is something I do pretty often, and to be honest the list usually looks the same most of the time.

Today, though, it looked a bit different. I started writing things down that I didn’t even know I was thankful for…things that I either didn’t realize I had, and even things that one arguably wouldn’t/shouldn’t be thankful for.

I realized that the moments of my most sincere thankfulness and gratitude comes from looking at things from an outside perspective. Sometimes I even look at my life as my 16-year-old self. I think she’d be pretty excited if she knew what life in her late 20’s would look like.

It’s so easy to focus on the things we don’t have - “if only THIS happened I’d be so much happier,” or “if only THAT happened my life would somehow be complete.” But if you take a second to look at your life from the outside looking in, you might be surprised that you’re a lot further along - with a lot more to be grateful for - than you realized.

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When you look at your life from an outside perspective, what does it make you most grateful for?