life lately | 1.31.15.

by 14 Comments

Happy Saturday!

Before I go on - I’ve been meaning to say thank you so much for your responses to my acupuncture post. It’s not easy for me to be so open like that, so it meant a lot to read all of your support + learn that I helped shed some light on acupuncture for you.

Anyway, it’s been quite a good week over in this life I’ve met. Here are some highlights of life lately.

**********

1) I joined ClassPass! ClassPass is basically an “open relationship” with exercise (ha), which is really great for my schedule/lifestyle. For $99/month you get unlimited classes at a ton of top NYC fitness studios and gyms without having to get a full membership.

I’ve taken three classes so far - Pilates, Cyc, and a yoga class at Y7 this morning.

My favorite so far has been New York Pilates. I absolutely LOVED it. It was my first Pilates class using a reformer, and I enjoyed it so much. I must admit that I don’t love strength training (no matter how much I try to lift weights, I just…hate it), but I genuinely loved using the reformer. It worked muscles I didn’t even know I had! And it was just so chill - I didn’t even break a sweat. We’ll save that for the spin classes 😉

2) You probably heard that the supposed record-breaking blizzard Juno fell flat. What was supposed to be 20-30 inches was a measly 8 in NYC. It was awkward.

Still made for a pretty city, though.

NYC winter

3) I FINALLY got around to trying the new Quest S’mores bar. I hadn’t been eating Quest bars for a few months because I just got really sick of them, but…you guys. The S’mores one is ridiculously good.

Quest bar S'mores

4) You may have seen me share this piece of artwork on Instagram. My friend Andrea made it - how beautiful is this?! You can’t really tell from the photo, but the texture/paint actually comes off the canvas 3D-style (ha, I clearly don’t know art terms). If you’re interested in seeing more of her work, you can check it out here.

tumblr_niumzfrMn61s6md8go1_1280

5) Last night Sydney and I had a nice little dinner date at Hudson Clearwater (one of my favorite spots - definitely recommend it!) followed by some bar hopping in the West Village. It was ridiculously freezing out, but we ended up having such a fun night!

6) After yoga class this morning Monica and I had brunch at Two Hands. I had seen it all over Instagram, and it definitely lived up to the hype. It’s a cute little cafe tucked away on Mott Street.

Two Hands NYC

We got almond milk lattes and split the acai bowl and avocado toast.

Yes, us girls love splitting meals. It’s a scientific fact.

Avocado Toast, Acai Bowl, Almond Milk Latte from Two Hands NYC

And now I’m here relaxing for a bit + catching up on some work! Gotta love that balance of a fun/productive weekend, right? 😉

**********

What’s been a highlight of your week?

 

girl meets: 11.26.13.

by 7 Comments

fun.

Dark polish may be more suitable for the fall, but I felt all sorts of festive when I painted my nails the other day. Why not, right?

That would be Essie “DJ Play That Song” and Revlon “Hypnotize.”

food.

Whenever I order from Blossom Du Jour (which is quite often) I think, I should probably try mixing it up and ordering something different.

But I never do. The Smokey Avocado wrap is just too good!

Also on the avocado front – this favorite breakfast of mine, inspired by The Fat Radish. Avocado toast + eggs + sriracha.

fashion.

Sooo I should totally get myself this Reed Krakoff handbag for Christmas, right? 😀

 

Or these Louboutin booties?

A girl can dream. My swoon here is done.

faith.

Nobody says it quite like Spurgeon does…

**********

What’s on your Christmas wish list (realistic or not ;))?

my top 5 healthy snacks.

by 17 Comments

I’m a snacker.

Whether it’s in between meals or just grazing all day, I usually eat something at least every few hours during the day. To keep that working in my (metabolic?) favor, though, I do my best to keep those snacks on the healthier side by having them be 150-250 calories and a good balance of carbs, protein, and fat. Starting with…

1) banana + nut butter
Anyone who has ever lived with me knows that I’m slightly addicted to nut butter. Paired with a banana is a snack I have almost every day.

My favorite nut butters are Skippy Natural Peanut Butter, Maranatha Almond Butter, Justin’s Maple and Honey Almond Butters, and Artisana Walnut Butter.

2. avocado toast
Who would’ve known that something as simple as avocado on toast would be such a delicious, satisfying snack? I don’t know where the avocado toast trend first started, but it’s one that’s definitely sticking around for me.

Half of an avocado mashed on a slice of toasted grainy (Ezekiel) bread is just enough to hold me over.

3. oatmeal
Yep – the breakfast favorite is also one of my favorite snacks. The key to keeping oatmeal from turning into a full meal is to go easy on the toppings. For me, that looks like one packet of instant oatmeal (cooked with water or almond milk), topped with either fruit, or a tablespoon of nuts/nut butter.

4. peanut butter protein “fudge”
This is a snack I created a few years ago, but never blogged about it for some reason.

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (you might have to melt the peanut butter first). Once mixed together, form it into a square, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in freezer. The result may not look pretty, but it really does taste like fudge!

5. protein/energy bars
Bars are a perfect snack, and they’re especially convenient when you’re on the go. I’ve posted about my favorites often, and they are Quest, KIND, and Zing.

What are your go-to healthy snacks?