health & fitness | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

eats: whole30 approved chili.

16 October, 2014 by Gracie 11 Comments

I’m now on day 5 of the Whole30 challenge, and so far it’s being going great! I’m already feeling some changes in my body/energy, and I just keep getting more and more motivated to stick to it as the days go on.

…That’s not to say it’s been easy, though 😉 Turning down pumpkin whoopie pies last night was not my defining moment.

The first couple of days were particularly tough because I was eating boring food (i.e. plain grilled chicken and veggies). So on day 3 I decided to get creative and experiment with making chili, and I was VERY happy with how it turned out.

(Recipe can easily be doubled to serve more. I used all organic ingredients, but obviously not necessary!)

ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
2 bell peppers, diced
1 large onion, diced
14 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
coconut oil

directions:

First cook the ground beef in a stovetop pan with coconut oil and seasonings of your choice (I used salt, pepper, and a bit of extra chili powder). Set aside.

In a large pot, sauté the peppers and onions in coconut oil. Once they’re softened (about 10 minutes) add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cooked beef, and seasonings. Mix all together and let simmer for another 6-10 minutes uncovered.

It’s that simple! It might not be the real deal slow cooking chili, but it tastes pretty darn close. The tiny bit of cinnamon makes a HUGE (delicious) difference. Not to mention it’s QUICK, and Whole30 approved!

**********

Anyone else doing (or have done) Whole30? Would love any tips/suggestions you might have!

here’s what | 10.13.14.

13 October, 2014 by Gracie 7 Comments

Bonjour and happy (1:45am on) Monday, hotties. Here’s what have been a few things happening in this life I’ve met.

1. Thanks to the rain on Saturday I spent a good deal of time in bed with my hot dates Barney Stinson and Jake Johnson.

Netflix, people. Get your mind out of the gutter.

2. The rain/bed situation also resulted in THIS situation – hair full of secrets, and not the good kind.

3. I managed to pull myself together for a night out. Don’t let the jacket deceive you – I haven’t played a non-leisurely sport since 2003.

4. Pardon me for sounding like a crazy person…but I think I might be a crazy person. When I shook people’s hands over the weekend I found myself thinking EBOLA EBOLA EBOLA.

5. Sooo I’ve decided to do the famous (infamous?) Whole 30 challenge. I started it yesterday. My good friend Emily has been doing it and suggesting it to me, and over the course of the past week I went from being adamantly opposed, to considering it, to reading It Starts With Food. I realized that I’ve been complaining about feeling BLAH lately but not actually doing anything to change it. So not anymore. I need accountability so will be posting meals + updates over on my Tumblr (as to not inundate my Instagram or GML with ugly food pictures ;)). You can go ahead and follow along if you’d like!

Oh, and as much as I’m doing this to FEEL my best, I’m also doing it look as smokin’ hot as possible. Sorry I’m most certainly not sorry.

6. I have a crush on someone, and it might be you. (insert monkey covering its mouth emoji)

7. Probably the most productive part of my weekend was cleaning the whole apartment. It always starts by just wiping down the counter, then I find myself in full out Danny Tanner mode, on the brink of washing the cleaning products themselves.

8. The decision process for what I’m going to be for Halloween is getting REAL. So far I’ve narrowed it down to not wanting to look “cute.” Not to mention I refuse to wear the same costume two night in a row because I’m a brat like that.

9. This is a really interesting article about the downside of living in New York. I can definitely relate to this:

“The greatest thing about Manhattan is the worst thing about Manhattan: self-actualization. Here you will be free to stretch yourself to your limit, to find the beach that is yours alone. But sooner or later you will be sitting on that beach wondering what comes next.”

What the article doesn’t address, though, is how having friends, family, and a sense of community here in the city makes all the difference in the world. I definitely wouldn’t be able to continue living here without that.

10. To end things on a lighter note, here’s a bunch of cute animals wrapped up like burritos.

**********

Have you decided on a Halloween costume yet?

SBC: catching up again.

25 September, 2014 by Gracie 10 Comments

Hi hi!

(I just had the strongest desire to say “happy hump day,” but that’s probably my least favorite term in existence. Moving on.)

Let’s catch up a bit on the September Blogging Challenge, shall we?

#23 – things I want to learn how to do.

(re-learn) how to play piano.
I played for 11 years and only remember one song. Boo!

(re-learn) how to speak French.
Same thing – 4 years and I remember next to nada. Anyone have success with Rosetta Stone…?

martial arts of some sort.
100% because I just want to be able to kick someone’s ass if necessary.

how to drive stick shift.
This will never happen.

crow pose.

#24 - favorite form of exercise(s) and why.

Lately I’ve really been getting into Yoga again, for a few reasons – 1) I can be a bit of an anxious person and it calms be down and 2) I get more satisfaction from having flexibility than strength.

I’m also still on a major Stair Master kick because it makes me a sweaty mess.

Aaaand I’m finding myself getting into classes lately! SoulCycle and CityRow are the ones I’ve tried most recently, and I definitely want to do both again soon. I love the energy in classes.

#25 - what I’m reading right now.

Approval Addiction by Joyce Meyer
So far this book is great and much needed for me. Gotta love a good self help book, right?

Good to Great by Jim Collins
Okay, so I actually haven’t started reading this yet, but I just downloaded it! Yesterday TWO people separately suggested I read it, so I figured that was a sign that I should.

**********

Your turn! Something you want to learn how to do? Favorite exercise? What are you reading?

SBC: link love.

18 September, 2014 by Gracie 1 Comment

Ohhh the Internet. Full of "experts” and articles that we just can’t stop reading/sharing on Facebook.

Here are some links I’ve checked out recently that I thought were worth sharing (whether for a good read or just a good laugh).

**********

Mark Manson

This guy’s articles are definitely worth a read. Possibly tough to swallow…but on point.

The Great Unraveling

7 Dodgy Food Practices Banned in Europe That Are Just Fine Here

New York on Instagram Vs New York in Real Life

Every time I think I’ve quit BuzzFeed, they nail it with posts like this.

At This Adult Camp, Social Networking Means Hot Tubbing, Breakdancing, And An Open Bar

Genius.

Meet The Homeless Man Who Survives By Going Home With Women And Looking Good (Video)

Some might find this disheartening/insulting, others humorous. Either way it’s thought-provoking and definitely worth watching.

6 Ways to Manage and Thrive Through Transition and Change

Typewritten Verse

When you need some inspiration via the good ol’ BIBLE.

The Pros and Cons of the Paleo Diet

Guard Your Gates

16 Books You Need To Read This Fall

Is “Hangry” Real?

I didn’t even have to read this to know hell yes it is.

‘Cause Anything Could Happn: Finally a Dating App That Gets You A Second Chance at a First Impression

How cool/fun is this app? Whether or not actual (good) dates come out of it is inconclusive.

Agoraphobia and the Telecommuter

Looks like working from home isn’t for everyone.

I Dressed Like An Idiot At Fashion Week To See How Easy It Is To Get Street-Snapped

**********

Read any good articles/blogs lately? Let me know- would love to check them out!

snapshots | 9.16.14.

16 September, 2014 by Gracie 3 Comments

I always try to find a way to make these snapshots posts cohesive, but it never works. I guess the all-over-the-place-ness is what makes them unique, right?

I’ll start with last Friday, where I went to the lovely wedding of my friends Mark and Trish.

It also happened to be the definition of a Brooklyn wedding, in the best possible way.

Mexicue food truck for dinner, Van Leeuwen ice cream truck for dessert. Yes please!

My poor ice cream sundae only had about two bites taken. Dancing had to be done.

I wore a black dress with crochet detailing, from the super fashionable juniors’ section at Macy’s.

Rewind back to Thursday (where I went to my first fashion show). Jessi and I also took the opportunity to shoot social media images for the 438435 brands we work for, haha.

Just a few…

(“Modeling” my own brand is so awkward, haha)

On Thursday I also finally got my new Daniel Wellington watch after a week of missing the UPS guy. The NYC apartment life struggle is REAL, you guys.

It was worth the wait.

(This is the Men’s Classic St. Andrews)

So I’m not the most competitive person in the world, but I feel pretty badass for being the only person to break into this guy/gal’s winning streak on the Stair Master.

I’m coming for you, CJF.

Let’s get real about SnapChat for a sec. I hate to break it to my SC friends, but 99% of my snaps are sent out of sheer boredom.

Still love ya 😀

Last but not least – and this isn’t so much of a snapshot – but I’m just loving this verse so much lately. Such beautiful words…

**********

What’s your favorite thing about weddings? Any fun highlights from the past weekend?

scenes from the weekend {+ SoulCycle review}.

7 September, 2014 by Gracie 12 Comments

Want to know the truth behind this photo?

It was taken 5 minutes after I thought I left my phone in the gym locker room, ran back to find it wasn’t there, bawled my eyes out like a lunatic on the street, then found that I had left it on the counter at Liquiteria.

Ugh. Moving on.

On Friday I went to our Liberty Sisterhood event with Sarah Dubbeldam, and it was SO GOOD. We sold out the entire theater!

But probably the most exciting part was the announcement of SHE IS FREE – a celebration of freedom happening in April, hosted by Andi Andrew. I HIGHLY suggest checking out the website (especially the promo video!) and considering making the trip to NYC for this. It’s going to be unreal…

Afterward a bunch of us headed to The Standard East Village for my friend Tia’s going away party.

On Saturday I did something I’ve been wanting to for a long time now – I took my first SOULCYCLE class. I was a bit nervous, to say the least.

My roommate Rachel is basically a SoulCycle enthusiast so I finally made it to a class with her. We took Jaws’ class at the SoulCycle Soho Studio. The class definitely kicked my ass…in the best possible way. I was really intimidated at first because SoulCyclists are quite the intense bunch (it’s definitely one of those cult-like fitness trends). The fact that I couldn’t even snap my shoes in the bike at first didn’t help either, ha.

BUT – as soon as the class started I totally understood the draw of SoulCycle. First of all – it is FUN. The studio is really dark, which I loved, and the music was 100% on point (super important to me). And then of course, it was a killer workout. I think there’s a misconception that spinning is just cardio, but SoulCycle has all sorts of strength moves throughout the entire class – pushups, squats, crunches, hand weights, etc.

So bottom line – I loved it! I probably won’t be able to make it to SoulCycle a ton just because it’s expensive and I already have a gym membership, but I’m going to try to treat myself to it once a week or so if I can!

After SoulCycle we headed home and got ready before heading back out to brunch with a group of friends. I embraced the disgustingly hot weather to rock cutoffs and a crop top one last time…

(top – American Apparel, shorts – Necessary Clothing)

As for brunch – our go-to De Santos never fails!

Then we spent the rest of the day hopping around some of our favorite bars in the West Village.

I’m all about the tablescape shots, can you tell?

On Sunday (today) I spent a few hours catching up on work/blog stuff then hit the gym. I powered through with my new Nespresso VertuoLine machine, which I was gifted at that Nespresso event a few weeks ago.

I. am. OBSESSED. with this machine…! Seriously – it makes better coffee than some of my favorite cafes in the city.