Friday Favorites
Happy Friday, lovelies! Are you guys pumped for the weekend, or what?
I’m excited for two reasons:
1. I’m attending a local blogger event tomorrow that Ashley is hosting which is going to be a blast. She’s invited us all to try one of her Orange Theory classes and it will be my first time. Have you tried it yet? It looks like a killer workout!
2. Sunday will wrap up a long stint of graveyard shifts that Brandon has been working for the past month and I can’t wait to get back into our normal routine. Having opposite schedules is no bueno.
Between those two things and a few tasty recipes, it ought to be a good one. I hope you find time for something you enjoy this weekend too! In the meantime, sit back and enjoy a round-up of my recent favorite finds.
************************************************************************
Favorite Wanderlust: 26 Real Places That Look Like They’ve Been Taking Out of Fairy Tales. Um guys, those are glow worms. Inside of a cave. In NEW ZEALAND. Somebody buy me a plane ticket!
Favorite Sip: Slow Cooker Pear Cider. Such a fun twist on the classic apple cider! I love that it’s made in a slow cooker.
Favorite Salad: Fall Quinoa Salad with Kale, Sweet Potato & Maple Tahini Dressing. Pretty enough for your Thanksgiving table yet simple enough to make for healthy lunches during the week. Yes and YES.
Favorite Soup: Creamy Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup. This sounds so comforting and nourishing. I bet the wild rice gives it the most amazing texture too!
Favorite Carb: Pumpkin Flatbread with Gruyére and Crispy Sage. So many delicious things, all on top of bread. Just give me a glass of wine and I’m set!
Favorite Snack: Chewy Almond Butter Power Bars. I have been searching for puffed millet (I wanted to use it in my pumpkin granola) but I can’t find any! As soon as I do I’m going to make these bars because they look perfect. All of the textures and flavors sound so good!
Favorite Instagram: ChrisBurkard. Speaking of places that don’t look real, this guy has been to more than I can count, including this spot in Arizona which has been on my bucket list for a while now. It’s fun to follow along with all of the incredible places he goes!
Favorite Monologue: Amy Schumer on SNL. This girl is freakin’ hilarious. She can be a little raunchy and inappropriate but…I love her.
Favorite Book: Woman Code by Alisa Vitti. Okay, so I know some of you probably jumped straight to the cover image and think I’m trying to get pregnant now. That is definitely NOT the case. I’m just naturally intrigued by this topic because of my career in healthcare, where I primarily work with OB/GYN patients. I see women of all ages with issues that are related to hormone imbalances and, being the healthy foodie I am, I can’t help but question the connection to diet and lifestyle.
Then recently I listened to a podcast interview with the author of this book who believes that the symptoms caused by imbalances can be improved by avoiding certain toxins, reducing stress, and eating the right foods which makes perfect sense to me. Of course I had to pick up a copy of her book and it’s amazing how spot on it is. The diet she suggests is a little extreme for me personally but I love that she offers holistic alternatives for others out there who are suffering. I wish I could gift a copy to every woman I know!
Favorite Candy Makeover: Healthy Snickers. Because I always like to end with chocolate AND because the upcoming holiday has my mind on all things candy. Snickers are one of my favorites and I might have to make some for Halloween and eat them all to myself, hehe.
The cave with the glow woooooorms! My friend and her husband went there last sring and they said it was amazing! I think it’s called Waitomo? Anyhoo, I wanna go. Let’s go. So, I’m now following Chris on InstaG (what a stud), and have added Woman Code to my To Read List…must get these hormonies ironed out!
The only thing that pumpkin flatbread is missing is my face…all over it.
Have a fun workout class! Hopefully you and B get some good quality time together this weekend!
Off to watch the Amy Schumer skit. The End. :D
Hi Sarah! I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! It’s going to be fun. As far as your favorites are concerned — YES to all things Amy Schumer. I would LOVE to see her stand-up live, and I’ve actually never been to a live stand-up show. And that’s great Brandon will be around more now — you need your recipe tester back, right? :) Have a lovely day, my friend!!
Oh wow – that glowworm cave is fantastic! My daughter and I went on a boat ride in a cave in TN where there were fish in the lake that was submerged in there – not as gorgeous as those glowworms though!
I’ve never tried Orange Theory but we acutally just got one here in richmond so I’m hoping to plan a blogger meet up there soon! Aren’t blogger events the best? :)
That quinoa salad looks SO GOOD!
Have a great time at the blogger meet-up!
Wish you could have been there, Hillary! We’ll have to plan something a little further north sometime soon! ;)
Yay for you and Brandon being back on the same schedule! I have a friend who LOVES the orange theory classes but I have yet to give one a try…. you’ll have to report back how you like it!! Happy happy weekend friend!!
It was such a good workout! I loved it! :)
I tried Orange Theory for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it! If I wasn’t a member of our CrossFit gym, I would totally sign up!
It was an awesome workout! I love that incorporate the row machine and TRX. I’m so sore! :)
That cave looks unreal! Although caves kind of scare me, so I don’t know if I would want to go in it haha. But some of those other places in that article like the castle and French village? Yes please!!
Hope you’re having a great weekend! :)
Love this roundup! I just moved from Sacramento and I’m so bummed to miss Ashley’s event! Sounds like a great time. Not going to lie, I’ve been seeing that photo of the glowworm caves in NZ for a while that we finally booked our trip this December to go see them! I’ll let you know if they are as amazing as they look :)
Aw, I would have loved to meet you! We’ll have to plan something for everyone again soon!
And that is SOOOOO awesome that you are going to NZ!! It’s so close too! I hope you’ll share a post from your trip!