{Relaxed San Diego} Weekend Recap

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend, mine was very relaxing! On Friday, we went to have an early dinner at Fireside. They have meat and veggie grilled kabobs, so it's easy to stay close to the Whole30 guidelines. Afterwards, we saw Why Him? and I have to admit, I was a bit of a skeptic about this movie but it ended up being hilarious. Just a warning, it's pretty vulgar, so not for everyone!

On Saturday, I had plans with a friend in the morning and then went to workout at Orange Theory. I'm back to feeling pretty addicted to the workouts. They are always tough but manageable, so it's encouraging. It's no fun to go to a workout and everything just seems too hard lol. The rowing portion does make me feel like I'm going to throw up though lol.

Afterwards, Mark went on a run and I followed him on my bike. It was such a beautiful day and the views were pretty breathtaking. Mornings like this make me want to stay in Point Loma forever.

Mark worked on packing most of the day and I did laundry and other random things lol. We had a quick lunch at Jimmy's Famous and then headed down to IB to have dinner at a friend's house. We got there a little early so we decided to walk on the pier for a little while. Once again, just so pretty!

We had a great time at Sara and Dave's house. The boys are just so dang cute! I didn't get a picture of Braxton though :(

Sunday morning, we got up super early to take Mark to the airport and then I was off to have an early coffee date with Emily. We are the worst at taking pictures! Afterwards, I went home and cleaned the entire house, did more laundry, worked on some R+F stuff, made breakfast, and ran errands. It was a very productive day!

Dina and I also went to see LaLa Land. I've been wanting to see this for awhile so I'm so excited that I finally did! The movie was super good but definitely a chick flick.

It was a great weekend and I'm excited for this week as well. I hope you have a great day!!

Five on Friday {A Bunch of Randoms}

HAPPY FRIDAY everyone! This has been a whirlwind of a week but it has also been really productive. :) I am excited for the weekend though! Let's jump in!

Knights of Heroes

Team GiVe supports Knights of Heroes from Helm Creative Studio on Vimeo.

One of the most exciting parts of my business is being able to partner with really awesome organizations, and to give back to our community. During January and February, we are raising money for Knights of Heroes. This is a camp for kids who have lost a parent due to military service. There is so much sacrifice for a military family already, and then to loss a parent, is just devastating. Last year, Team Give was able to build several cabins for the camp through our fundraiser. This year, we plan to raise $50,000 for the moms and daughters at the camp. 

I am donating $10 for each preferred customer order through February and $50 for anyone who joins me in business. I'm so excited to be part of this and encourage you to help in anyway you can. Please watch the video above to learn a little more about what we are doing. I pretty much cried the whole way through! :)

Best Dry Shampoo

buy it here

I have been trying out several dry shampoos but now I am going back to an old favorite. The Batiste Dry Shampoo is just the best. It doesn't make your hair feel dirty or sticky and the smell is awesome. I have been using the tropical one and I'm in love!!

Planner Sticker Heaven

I'm back to ordering more planner stickers. Those of you who aren't obsessed with planners, will find this incredibly boring lol. Anyways, I've found a couple of shops that I really LOVE. One is Virgo Paper- this shop has super cute stickers that actually fit the horizontal layout for Erin Condren planners. They are also pretty reasonably priced. I ordered this Love Note sticker set for Valentine's day. SO CUTE! I also ordered from Hello Petite Paper. These stickers are so beautiful! I purchased the February monthly kit and the Celebrate set since my birthday is coming up. Using these stickers is like doing a mini-scrapbook. I LOVE it. :) 

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

buy it here

I have been listening to a new audiobook, Into the Darkest Corner, and I'm obsessed. It's super suspenseful and keeps me wanting to listen all the time. The story goes back and forth between past and present, so you know what's coming but you don't know exactly how it all happens. I'm only halfway through and I wish I had it in print version so I could easily plow through the pages lol. Listening takes soooo much longer! I highly recommend this book though!

Portable Charger

buy it here

My phone pretty much dies by noon everyday unless I put it on low power mode. UGH! I think it's time for a new phone but in the mean time I decided to buy a portable charger. Its not the cutest option out there but it was really inexpensive and people seem to like it. So far, it's been working great. :) This is a must if you're going to be out of the house all day. Mark is taking me on a secret trip for my birthday, so maybe it will come in handy there as well! 

Well that's it for my Five on Friday! I hope you have a great day!

Whole30 Diaries: Week 3 Recap

As I am writing this, we are 25 days into Whole30. HOLY MOLY! We've almost made it! I'm so excited. This is going to be a recap of week 3 and then my final post will cover week 4 and my last few days. So now let's jump into the things you're really curious about... what we ate!

Monday- Buffalo Chicken Casserole: this was one of Mark's FAVE meals of Whole30. I didn't love it. There's something about casseroles that just grosses me out lol. People rave about this dish though, so try it out for yourself.

Tuesday- breakfast for dinner: Mexican brunch potatoes, sautéed portobello mushrooms, bacon, and two fried eggs. Mark cooked them in the bacon grease so that's why they look dirty lol

Wednesday- Proscuitto wrapped chicken stuffed with homemade (whole30 approved) pesto and roasted veggies. This is from the Against All Grain cookbook.

Thursday- I just couldn't get myself to make dinner this night so we went out to eat. I had an ahi tuna sandwich minus the sauces and bun. I ate it as a salad and WOW it was good.

Friday- I honestly cannot remember what we ate. I'm assuming leftovers??
Saturday- Breakfast scramble with sausage

Saturday dinner- Crispy Orange Beef (minus the honey in the glaze) & cauliflower fried rice. This was Mark's favorite thing I've made. SOOO GOOD! It took a lifetime to make though.

Sunday- Tacos with tomatillo salsa and almond flour tortillas. This is where I cheated a little. I didn't realize you can't use tortillas, even if the ingredients are okay with the program. I looked it up after we ate them. Do I regret it... not one bit lol! These are the Siete almond flour tortillas. They are very expensive but are a good replacement for the processed kind. Disclaimer: I'm not encouraging you to cheat on the program. Stay as true to it as you can :)

Feeling- 

This week I'm feeling pretty great. My body has adjusted to what we are eating/ not eating. I am getting more sleep and feel more rested. I'm not craving sugar as much, which is a plus. Clothes are starting to fit better so I know I must be losing some weight. I didn't weigh myself before I started, because I really just wanted to focus on eating better. Also, I have NO idea where the scale is from our move lol. 

 I am over ALL the cooking and preparations for food though. My goodness I've never done so many dishes in my life. Mark has been super helpful with that though. I have been having weird aversions to food as well. If we've eaten something the night before, and I smell it again, I feel sick. I have NO idea what's going on and no I'm not pregnant lol. It's frustrating because I'll like the food and then just all of a sudden can't eat it. Oh well!

Craving-

I have been super into fresh fruit bowls again. Strawberries are starting to taste like a dessert, which is exciting! I have been eating them every morning for a snack. YUM! I am also still craving pizza but more for the habit of it, not because I actually want it that badly. This is a good sign, because my body is changing! 

Loving-

I am loving avocado on everything! The healthy fat just gives the food more flavor and keeps me full longer. It's super hard to keep avocados in the house that are ripe but not too ripe. Has anyone seen that meme about avocados and the window you have to eat them??? lol I'll try and find it. 

I'm also loving the blueberry RX bars. I found them at Trader Joe's and holy moly they are delicious. 

So that's it for this edition of the Whole30 diaries. Check out my past posts here:

Whole30 Diaries: Getting Started

Whole30 Diaries: Week 1 Recap

Whole30 Diaries: Week 2 Recap

New Finds at the Loft

I went shopping this weekend with my friend Ashley and found some great items at the Loft. I LOVE this store for work clothes because the clothes are good quality and look professional. I found several items I wanted but limited myself to just two.

The first that I LOVED was this long sleeve shirt. It's pretty basic but looks cute with jeans and with black pants as well. I actually bought it in the heather blue color because neutrals are much more my thing. I want to go back and get it in this red though.

I wore it this weekend and even again yesterday because I love it so much. The material is stretchy and comfy, without being clingy at all. I was a little nervous about the slits on the side, showing some skin, but that didn't happen :) The best part was that it was 50% off! Woohoo!

excuse the awkward fitting room photos- I was sending these to Steph for girl approval :) 

I also bought this dress. I thought it was transition well into spring and summer and in the meantime I could wear it with leggings, boots, and a jean jacket. I love everything to look like a big bag lol, I just hate clingy material! Also, the neutral color just speaks to me. This would be a cute valentine's day dress with some fun earrings and ankle boots!

Also, their Lou & Grey line is soon comfy! I LOVE this jacket, but not at full price lol. The 50% off deal in store is way better! Check out their sweaters and long sleeve tees as well, there are some good finds!

buy it here

That's it for my little round up of items at the Loft. I LOVE this store and especially love their jewelry as well! Have a great day!

5 Things I'm Loving

Happy Friday everyone! Who is ready for the weekend? This girl is for sure! I thought I would share 5 things that I'm currently loving on this Five on Friday. Here we go...

My Sweet Hubby

Well this is a give-in but I'm especially grateful for him this week. I've been so busy with after school activities, meetings, R+F, trying to fit in workouts, cooking, cooking, more cooking, and the list goes on. Every night I feel like I've been hit by a train and Mark has totally taken it upon himself to lessen the load for me. He has been doing dishes, running to the store for me, and making dinner when I'm too tired to move. All of these things don't go unnoticed and I'm so thankful for all his help. :) 

Tarte's Maneater Mascara

I have been a HUGE fan of Lancome's Grandiose Mascara for almost a year now. I LOVE how it makes my lashes look and it stays all day. Well, I think I found my new fave with the Maneater mascara by Tarte. It's not as thick but it makes my lashes extra voluminous. My lashes are already pretty intense because I use Lash Boost, so the mascara just amps up what I already have going on. :) Lash Boost is right up there with my favorite products I've tried in months. I LOOOOVE it! If you're interested in it, email me and I'll let you know the details!

The OA

We binge watched the entire season of the OA this weekend and WOW it was so good. Super different than I thought it was going to be. Actually, I have no idea what I thought it was going to be lol but it was out there! It's hard to explain, so just go watch it immediately! 

Hidden Figures

Speaking of things we've watched that we LOVE, we saw Hidden Figures on Monday night and holy moly it was good. I wanted to cry the entire time... some happy tears, some sad tears, and some tears in pure awe of these incredible women. You should go watch it and bring your family. It's only rated PG and has a great message.

New Office Decor

I recently went to Hobby Lobby and found the cutest things for my office. I wanted to buy everything but decided on two prints because they were such a great price. I am obsessed with pineapples, so the bottom frame was a perfect fit and the flowers in the mason jar are sooo my colors. This is a terrible picture because the lighting is really hard to photograph in this room. You get the idea though right?? :) 

If you haven't checked out my Whole30 Diaries series, then click here for Getting Started, Week 1, and Week 2. :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Whole30 Diaries: Week 2 Recap

Hi everyone! Two weeks down...whew! Last week was a lot better than week 1 but time-wise it was a little harder to get meals on the table. I think hands-down the worst part about Whole30 is the amount of cooking and dishes. I feel like I unload the dishwasher twice a day and wash about a million dishes. I just want to sit down and not worry about cooking lol. We are more than half-way through though... we can do this!

What we've been eating...

Monday: PaleOMG's jalapeño popper chicken chili. SOOO GOOD!

Tuesday: chipotle salad bowl with salsa as a dressing (not pictured)

Wednesday: Spicy steak skewers with pineapple, bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions. This is from the Whole30 cookbook. 

Thursday: Grilled chicken with greens and a half of a potato

Friday: Indian Butter Chicken with cauliflower rice

Saturday: breakfast- two over-easy eggs, sausage, and sweet potato hash

Dinner- buffalo chicken salad with Tessemae dressing

Sunday- Steak, roasted broccoli, and roasted golden potatoes. 

Snacks:

Spicy cocoa almonds- from the Whole30 cookbook

Feeling:

This week I felt like I had no energy. We definitely needed to add more carbs into our diet, so we tried to eat more potatoes. I think this was in combination of it being such a busy week as well. I also felt like I slept better, which is funny because of the lack of energy. I am sticking to my New Year's goals to go to bed earlier and to stay off my phone late at night.

My clothes seem to be fitting better which is great! I still feel a little bloated but it might be from all the nuts I'm eating. I'm going to slow down on those this coming week. :)

Craving:

I haven't had any major cravings this week other than chips & salsa. I would kill to have that as a snack right now. I'm pretty much over everything we've been making to eat, so I need some fresh inspiration for next week. 

I'm also craving time to make breakfast in the morning. I truly don't have enough time or willpower to make a full on breakfast in the morning which means that I am starving by lunch. I always have some protein in the morning and then fruit as a snack, but I need something more. 

Loving:

I'm truly loving how much healthier I feel when I do Whole30. I just feel like I am eating good food, that's fueling my body. Now I just need to find the right balance of protein and carbs. :) 

Weekend Recap {Relaxation}

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all had a nice LONG weekend, I know we did. Can every weekend be three days long?? I would get so much done and feel so rested lol! This weekend was truly about relaxation and spending time together. I feel like I accomplished everything on my to do list but also found time to just stop and enjoy the weekend. It was also filled with lots of cooking and food prep, because that's just what you do during Whole30 lol. Let's jump into the weekend details!

On Saturday, after my Orange Theory workout, I went on a run with Mark. Well he ran and I biked lol but it was still such a beautiful morning and the perfect way to get in some more exercise. I wish I would have brought my phone to capture the beautiful bay but at the same time, it was nice to just enjoy the moment.

I also FINALLY got to cut my first project with my Silhouette Cameo. I still feel so dumb when trying to use it lol. I have no idea what all the words mean but I'm learning. I'm going to use the same lettering to go on a wooden sign, above a really neat wooden shaped Nevada, that Breyen and Katie got us. I bought some vinyl this weekend and will work on it soon. YAY!!

The highlight of our weekend was seeing the Canfields. They were staying in San Clemente but I'm so glad that we were able to see them on their getaway. Davy gets bigger and bigger every time I see him. It's so depressing that we don't live closer... don't forget us little dude!!

On Sunday, we treated ourselves to massages and holy moly it was amazing. We've been saying we're going to get a massage for months and months and we finally just booked one. It was so relaxing and just what we needed. 

On Monday, I worked on my business and then we went to see Hidden Figures... oh m gosh, it was so good! I was on the brink of tears the entire movie and holy moly it was so touching. If you haven't seen it, go and watch it immediately! 

Have a great day everyone!!

Whole30 Diaries: Week 1 Recap

We are officially done with our first week of Whole30, woohoo! The first week is usually the hardest because your body is adjusting to the new change in diet and the lack of sugar. You really don't realize how much sugar you consume, until you take it out. Then it's like this nasty demon comes out and you can smell a cookie from a mile away haha, well not really, but maybe!

So for the first week, we were super prepared. I had tons of food ready to go and a meal planned for every night. We normally eat leftovers for lunch, so I made sure we would have plenty. I also prepped lots of food for snacks because that will help in those moments when you are starving. Keeping food on hand is super important.

Some snacks were: apples (with cinnamon on occasion), the apple+ banana fruit bars from Trader Joes, bananas, berries, beef jerky, nuts (almonds, cashews, and walnuts), RX bars, dried pineapple, sausage sticks from Trader Joes, pickles, veggies with guacamole, and many more...

Here's what we ate for dinner (+some breakfast and lunches):

Monday: Grilled rib-eyes, roasted broccoli, and a mediterranean salad

Tuesday: Slow-cooker Italian beef- from the Whole30 cookbook

Wednesday: Chicken & green olive meatballs with spaghetti squash from the Whole30 cookbook

Thursday: Lechon asado + fried plantains **forgot to take a picture, whoops! This is from Juli Bauer's Paleo Cookbook

Friday: dinner out- lettuce wrapped burgers

Saturday: breakfast- sweet potato hash, sausage, and two fried eggs.

Lunch- chicken & apple sausages with sautéed peppers.

Dinner- chopped salad with Tessemae dressing

Sunday: lunch- roasted chicken, cucumbers with vinegar, and a pickle :)

Dinner- braised short rib "tacos"- from Juli Bauer's Paleo Cookbook 

Feeling:

The first week you feel like you are obsessed with food and alcohol. All you think about is wanting to eat pizza and have a beer. Well, that's how we felt lol!! It's crazy how much your mind can play tricks on you. Also, on day 5 we both had a massive headache and were super run down. This is pretty normal because you're body is trying to figure out why you aren't giving it all the quick energy sources from grains and sugar that it normally uses. It gets better, I promise!

At some point, you will think, "Why am I doing this?? This is dumb! No one should deprive themselves.... I obviously need to eat some carbs." These are normal feelings and they will pass :) I pretty much felt this way all last week!

Craving:

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. We were pretty bad over break when it came to having treats, so the sugar monster was rearing it's ugly head last week. I was definitely craving a sweet treat and ended up having an apple or dried fruit in times like that. It helps, but I'm also trying not to be dependent on those sugary items to get me through. I also just want pizza, really bad.

Loving:

La Croix sparkling waters, especially the passionfruit and apricot varieties. Plain water gets really boring so these sparkling waters really jazz things up. I also found a couple recipes for drinks in the Whole30 cookbook that I plan on trying this weekend.

RX bars have also been a lifesaver. As I've talked about in previous posts, the mornings are not my friend. I am like a sloth in the morning and can barely get myself out the door, much less make a big breakfast. RX bars save me during those mornings. They are also a good "emergency" snack for long commutes, or other times that you are out of the house.

I will be posting more pictures FB and snapchat as the weeks continue. I hope this helps give you a little insight though!