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

what i’m loving right now.

19 November, 2015 by Gracie 6 Comments

Hi hi friends! How is your week going?

Mine has been great - a bit on the busy side as I’m getting all caught up before going home next week for Thanksgiving (yay).

I’m in the process of writing a post that I’m really excited about (hint - it has to do with becoming free from STRESS), but in the mean time I wanted to share a few things I’m loving lately as we go full swing into the holiday season.

FITNESS - Nike Flyknits
I got my first pair of Nike Flyknits a few months ago, and I loved them so much I went back last week and got them in a different color. These are my favorite sneakers ever - they’re super comfortable and light weight - perfect for casual wear but also working out.

Nike flyknit sneakers

FOOD - Juice Press Roasted Veggie Salad
For the days that I’m on-the-go with meetings and what not (which, lately has been at least twice a week), Juice Press is definitely my “fast food” of choice. I’ll be honest - I’m not usually the biggest salad girl in the world. But their new Roasted Veggie Salad is really hearty and flavorful - it tastes like fall! Juice Press stores are only local BUT they ship nationally if you ever want to give it a try (their juices, desserts, etc. are all amazing).

Juice Press Roasted Veggie Salad

FASHION - Rado Chocolate Ceramic Watches
The other night I stopped by a Rado watch event, and I was so glad I did. It was at the Francois Payard patisserie on the Upper East Side, and we were treated with goodies like chocolates, wine, and macarons.

The event was to highlight Rado’s new Chocolate Ceramic watch collection, and they were seriously SO beautiful. Rado watches are made of high-tech ceramic which qualities include hypo-allergenic, highly scratch resistant and durable. Being ceramic, the watches are extremely lightweight and provide ultimate comfort to the wearer.

The new chocolate collection is the newest ceramic color to the brand and provides a fashion-forward unique look in a beautiful warm, earthen tone. I really loved the look and feel of the ceramic (which was actually very lightweight), and the chocolate shade was so chic for fall and winter.

LIFE - it’s beginning to look a lot like…
Christmaaaaas 😀 I was in Midtown yesterday for a meeting and took the opportunity to make a stop at Macy’s. With the decorations, gift displays, and music…let’s just say I am now very much in the Christmas spirit. If you’ve never been able to experience NYC during the holidays - you absolutely must add it to your bucket list. There’s nothing like it!

Christmas at Macy's

ON THE WEB - Self Made From Scratch
I’ve been meaning to do more shout-outs here on GML to people on the ‘net that I think are doing rad things - and Jenny from Self Made From Scratch is the first person who came to mind. I’ve known Jenny via the blog world for a while now (she created this GML design!), and what she’s doing with her new business is so incredible. If you’re interested in learning more about how to start your own blog/business, I couldn’t recommend her more.

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rado. All opinions herein are my own. Please note that I was compensated for this post. You can refer to my product review policy here. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

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What are you loving right now? What’s your favorite blog/website? I’m always looking for new ones!

scenes from the weekend.

27 July, 2015 by Gracie 8 Comments

…and just like that, another incredible weekend in Montauk has come and gone.

I made it out there on Wednesday just in time to spend a few hours on the beach reading + relaxing.

Montauk New York

Later that night the rest of the gang arrived - Joyce, Sydney, and Syd’s brother Max.

Romper - Urban Outfitters

(Fun fact - Joyce has been reading GML for years and ended up coming to Liberty Church where we met and became friends. How cool is that?!)

We spent the next few days beaching, going out, working out (SoulCycle, of course), and just enjoying the perfect summer weekend away.

Sydney and Gracie

Pink skies at Surf Lodge:

Surf Lodge Montauk

Bikini top - American Apparel. Bottom - VS. Body chain - H&M. Sunnies - Quay

Dusk at Navy Beach:

Navy Beach Montauk

Dress - Free People

Last but not least - some good eats were had. How beautiful are these meals?!

Thai Chicken Wraps from Joni’s // lobster roll and Burratta from Harbor // Pepper Crusted Chilled Tuna and oysters from Surf Lodge

’Til next summer, Montauk.

{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?

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

#herestohome: kicking off summer at the Tasting Table Hamptons House.

28 June, 2015 by Gracie 2 Comments

If you follow me on social media you probably saw that for the past two Saturdays I was out east at the Tasting Table Hamptons House. They have a handful of events going on out there, and I was so excited to be a part of them! I was invited by my friends at Coca Cola Life, who was one of the sponsors of the events.

Gracie Gordon and Sydney Vincent | Tasting Table Hamptons House

Tasting Table Hamptons House

Rewind to two Saturdays ago, where Sydney and I headed to the summer barbecue event. It was everything you could hope for in a BBQ - burgers, hot dogs, great sides and passed au d’oeuvres, specialty cocktails, and of course Coca Cola Life.

Tasting Table Hamptons House

Coca Cola Life

Gracie Gordon | Coca Cola Life | Tasting Table Hamptons House

And then this past Saturday, we headed back out for their Rosé tasting event. Once again, everything was exactly what you’d hope for in a summer party.

Gracie Gordon | Coca Cola Life | Tasting Table Hamptons House

This time the food spread included oysters, shellfish, ceviche, and more.

Tasting Table Hamptons House

They also had fun games set up outside like Jenga, ping pong, and corn hole.

Tasting Table Hamptons House

Full disclosure - I didn’t actually drink the Rosé because we had to drive back to the city afterward, but I did have one too many bottles of Coca Cola Life 😛

Coca Cola Life | Tasting Table Hamptons House

These events definitely made it feel like SUMMER up in here, which I needed because sometimes the craziness of NYC makes you forget that. I loved being able to escape the city for a bit and just enjoy the warm weather, incredible food and drinks, and great company.

I can’t wait to be back out in the Hamptons soon! We’re heading to Montauk on Wednesday for a nice long 4th of July weekend.

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What are your plans for the 4th of July weekend? Got any good summer BBQs coming up?