Friday Favorites

Another Friday, another Friday Favorites post! This week went by fairly quickly but this weekend is much needed. With the end of the school year approaching, the work is piling on. I'm looking forward to June 16th to be able to stop remote learning for good {fingers crossed!}. The weather around here looks iffy for the weekend but hopefully that changes and we get a little sunshine! I hope you all have a great weekend!

ONE Birthday Cake Protein Bar

I received this as a free sample a week or so ago and I finally tried it this week during a busy day of meetings. I'm a huge fan of birthday cake flavored foods and this did not disappoint in the flavor department! It has the same texture I feel like all protein bars have which isn't necessarily good or bad. The best thing about this protein bar is it is NUT FREE! As someone with a nut allergy, I struggle to find a protein bar without any sort of nut ingredients. I'll have to check out their other flavors to see if they have any other nut free options.

Not the most photogenic meal but it's much tastier than it looks!

Cheesy Fajita Chicken Bake

John found this on Pinterest a few weeks back so we decided to give it a try this week. It's a pretty simple recipe. You mix up cream cheese, salsa, and fajita seasoning, pour that over chicken breasts, and bake! It also calls for cut up green peppers to give it that fajita feel but we didn't have any in. It still tasted great without them! We had it both on its on and in a tortilla. We are definitely adding this into our recipe rotation! 

iPhone Screen-time Setting

This has been a thing for the  iPhone for awhile now but I'm just now hopping on that train. Quarantine has me on my phone for an embarrassing amount of time. For the past few weeks I've been utilizing the App Limits setting to limit my time on certain apps that I seem to get lost in. I can't tell you how helpful it's been! It's almost like a game each day to see how little time I can spend on those apps each day and never get to the 5 minute warning. If you are finding yourself spending what you feel is too much time on your phone, check out the screen-time setting!

Question of the Day: What is something you’re loving this week?

Friday Favorites

We are officially ending week 10 in quarantine and I honestly can't believe it has been that long! My sister and I keep talking about how crazy it is that back during that first week of schools being shut down we really thought it was only going to be a two-week thing. This all feels normal now that I can't imagine how life will feel once we start getting back to "real normal," if that is even a thing anymore. Anyway, I'll stop the quarantine talk and get back to why we are here- my Friday Favorites! With life being a bit bland, my more exciting blog posts are non-existent (but only for a bit!!) so my Friday post is something I look forward to typing up each week. I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Bowl & Basket Tortilla Chips
We eat tortilla chips like it's nothing in this household. We LOVE them! We're talking buy-four-bags-at-a-time and eat-a-bag-in-one-sitting love (or maybe it's a problem?). If you weren't aware, Tostitos brand chips are a bit pricey. I got into the habit of buying the Aldi brand ones since they were under a dollar a bag, but I've been avoiding that store lately since I was stressed shopping their even before covid. While at ShopRite recently, I noticed they had a store brand of tortilla chips so I grabbed them figuring it was worth a shot. I'm happy to report that we love them and they are our new go-to tortilla chips. They are are the perfect combination of salty and crunchy. Our wallets are pretty happy we found a cheap option, too!

TikTok
Oh gosh, I'm embarrassed to even admit this but I fell down the TikTok rabbit hole this week. It started with my friend sending me a TikTok video through text, then I downloaded the app, and next thing you know it's an hour later and I was still scrolling through the "for you" videos. I haven't actually created an account, and I don't really plan to, but I could spend hours watching videos on there! They are just so funny and often relatable depending on the topic.

Taylor Swift City of Lover Concert
Earlier this week, Taylor Swift released a recording of her Paris show which you can now view on Hulu or Disney+! I played it during my lunchtime on Wednesday and I absolutely loved it! It's only about a 40 minute long show where she plays some of her songs from her newest album, Lover. Since a live concert won't be happening anytime soon, this was just as good :)


Question of the Day: What is something you've been loving this week?

Friday Favorites

TGIF! Today wraps up week 9 of remote teaching. It was a long week of meetings and preparing for the rest of the year. It still hasn't hit me that we won't be returning to school this year but I'm sure it will soon enough. I'm planning to have a relaxed weekend after such a mentally exhausting week. A hot bath and fuzzy socks are calling my name! Today I'm share a few things I've really been loving this week so enjoy and have a great weekend :)

KG Designs Initial Necklace
I have been wanting a necklace with an H on it since John and I got married to represent my new last name. Before Christmas, I did some research and found a lot of good options. I didn't end up getting one so I was super excited when I found out one of my best friends had a friend who made them! I ordered my necklace a few weeks ago and was thrilled when it came in. It was everything I ever wanted. I may never take it off now!

KG Designs makes the most adorable jewelry by hand and I insist you go check out her shop!She offers necklaces, earrings, and rings for spectacular prices. Some of her pieces are even made using recycled materials so that's a winner in my book!

Priority Planner
You will be hearing me talk about this planner for the rest of my life because it is PERFECT! If you don't know Rachel Hollis, author of Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing, then I highly suggest taking some time to peruse her Instagram and website. But anyway, I'm here to rave about her Priority Planner. The Priority Planner is a 3 month planner that helps you map out your days in order to help you achieve your goals. This has been key for me during quarantine due to a lack of schedule and sometimes motivation. I map out each day in my planner to see what needs to be done and when. I am currently working on towards a goal relating to my Poshmark shop and this is helping me tremendously! I feel like my description is not doing this planner any justice, so if this sounds like something up your alley, watch these videos on Rachel's website to get a better idea of what I am trying to convey to you guys!

Belcorva Shorts
Since I'm so in love with my Belcorva capris, I decided to check out their shorts selection as the weather is beginning to warm up. I learned that they sell both biker shorts and running shorts with the pockets I have grown to love. I instantly fell in love with the Runner's Dream 5 Pocket Shorts due to the 5 inch inseam and the fact that the pockets are part of the inner compression liner. Because I wasn't sure if they would be perfect for me and I didn't want to shell out the money before knowing, I hopped on Poshmark and found the exact pair I wanted for a fraction of the price. Now that I've worn them for a couple runs and have confirmed they are just as great as the capris, I plan to order more pairs! They are the perfect length so they don't bunch up and the pockets in the inner liner hold my phone perfect. It's a little annoying that I have to pull up the outer layer to get to the pocket but if anything, it stops me from pulling out my phone constantly!


Question of the Day: What is something you've been loving this week?

Friday Favorites

I've been thinking the past few days that is has been Friday so now that it actually is, HAPPY FRIDAY! Work was super busy this week so a weekend is much needed for me to recharge. I need to close my office door and not think about work until I decide I need to do work on Sunday Monday morning! We have another relaxing weekend ahead of us. Sunday is Mother's Day so we are going to visit bother our moms, social distance style. My sister and I gifted my mom with an at-home Board & Brush painting kit so we are going to Zoom later that night to all do our own boards and drink wine :) I hope you all have a great weekend!

Wasabi Peas
If you've never had or heard of wasabi peas, they are just roasted green peas that are coated in some sort of wasabi coating. These are a snack I've always enjoyed but last week I picked up a huge container of them at BJ's so they've been my go-to all week. They're the perfect mix of crunchy and spicy that satisfies my snacky cravings.

This person went super overboard for this wining! You don't have to do anything more than a bottle of wine but some people are really have fun with it :) I loved this surprise!

Wining
I was invited to a group last week called The Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine that was based out of my area of New Jersey. The idea of the group is that you share your address based on your county and then people go around and "wine" you and then you return the favor to somebody else. I was a little skeptical at first but it's actually a super cute concept and people are really getting into it. I've been "wined" 3 times so far, one of which was by a close friend. I've been gifted some really cool wines that have been fun to try out. I've "wined" one person in my neighborhood so far but I plan on "wining" some fellow teachers this weekend!

Gallo Watermelon Wine
Let's stay on the topic of wine because wine not? I crack myself up... Anyway, my mom surprised me with this wine over the weekend! We are both big Gallo fans due to their sweet flavors and low price. We had found out about the new watermelon flavor through the traveling wine group and both knew we had to try it! My mom beat me to it and found it at a local liquor store which had curbside pick up {what a time to be alive!} so she picked it up before delivering it to me. It's the perfect blend of sweet and watermelon flavor. Not too overpowering on either end which was good! Highly recommend!


Question of the Day: What is one thing you've been loving this week?

Currently: Quarantine Edition

Hey! How is it already May?! With all the free time I have you'd think I'd spend it coming up with some cool blog post ideas but that hasn't been the case this week. Now that schools in New Jersey have officially closed for the remainder of the year, the stress is REAL. I've also been using this time to get a lot of house work done.

Since I feel like the past month or so has been a real blur, I'm taking a moment today to check in and share a "currently" post with you!

I am currently...

Eating

Super Hero Muffins from Run Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. I've been enjoying them as a mid-day snack!

Purple + gym clothes all day, everyday!

Wearing

Work out clothes all day, everyday. There is no real point in dressing up while working from home and I try and sneak in random workouts through out the day, so leggings, a tank, and sweatshirt are my normal attire. 

Reading

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. It's a book all about habits which is right up my alley. I bought it when it first came out a couple years ago and am finally getting around to reading it.

Watching

Grey's Anatomy... again. John and I love this show and we are currently re-watching the whole series.

Drinking

Whipped coffee. This has been my favorite pick-me-up in the afternoon!

On Saturday we did our long run together and even went as far to wear completely matching outfits!

Loving
My new routine of getting up early and running almost every morning! My sister and I have gotten into the habit of going on a run every morning at the same time. We talk on the phone during our run, which gives us a chance to catch up before our days get crazy.

Question of the Day: What is something you’re currently eating, wearing, listening to, etc.? Pick one :)

Friday Favorites

I honestly can't keep track of the days of the week anymore but I do know that today is Friday! And it's the first day of May?! This is crazy... This week felt extra long for some reason so a weekend feels much needed. As usual, we have nothing planned but I'm sure we will find ways to entertain ourselves! My sister was supposed to run a 10-miler tomorrow but since it's cancelled, we are going to "run" 10 miles together in the morning. I hope you all have a great weekend!

HabitBull App

My sister suggested this app to me awhile ago and I really like it! HabitBull is where you can track the habits you are trying to build in a neat and organized way. You can track up to 5 habits in the free version and are able to really personalize each habit. Most of my habits are set to be completed each day in order to be "successful" but I do have my yoga habit set to be completed 4 times a week in order to be seen as "successful." If there are any habits you are trying to build, try using this app to keep track!

Homemade Tortillas

An Instagram friend of mine shared a recipe for homemade tortillas with me recently and they are to die for! I don't think I can ever go back to using store bought tortillas now! The recipe and process is super simple. 

Combine 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl and stir. Add 2 tbs oil and 3/4 cup warm water and stir until combined. Kneed the dough on a floured surface until it elastic, but not sticky. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes- 2 hours (we usually do 30 minutes cause we are in a rush most nights). Divide into 8 parts, roll each out, and then cook on a frying pan on medium-high heat. Flip once it forms bubbles. Each should only take a few minutes. 

These are so worth it! We save these as our last step in whatever recipe we are making that night so we can eat them hot and fresh!

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?