finally, friday

Look at all that marbled fat! Seeing this beautiful case of meat makes me wanna go back to eating it on the regular. Sorta.

Breakfast this week: Egg frittata with bell peppers, zucchini, olives and of course, cheese.

Super excited to see this heirloom spinach at Trader Joe's. Go TJ's! It's also very delicious and is a little bit thicker than the spinach you're used to.

Oh, and by the way if you're at Trader Joe's don't forget to pick up the bake at home Kouign Amann. Soooo amazing considering it's frozen and ready-to-bake.

Shrimp Sinigang for the rainy weather and perfect for using up whatever leftover veggies are in the fridge.

Happy Friday everyone. Is it just me or are you loving the rain too? It's been really nice to get some rain since California is in a drought and I really can't wait for it to rain tomorrow (as forecasted) again. We need all the rain we can get! On another note, I haven't been feeling to well lately, so it'll be a good time to rest up and get better for the big Thanksgiving week ahead.

What Chef's eat after work.

Not sure how you're going to prepare your sweet potatoes this year? This recipe sounds amazing.

Men: Not much of a dancing machine? Here are some tips to what will make women swoon at your dance moves, lol.

I am so obsessed with the Fiber Florist. It's one girl that makes amazing floral arrangements all out of felt and you would never be able to tell.

Loving this small, but intimate tablescape for the Holidays. 

the most wonderful tropical green smoothie

Besides eating a ton of greens throughout the day or during your meals, there's no better way to get your veggies in than juicing or making smoothies. A couple years ago I started juicing everyday. Everyday. For three months straight. While it was very good for me and my skin glowed everyday it just wasn't feasible for every day. There's a lot to juicing. There's the prep from buying ingredients, to washing and chopping, juicing, then the clean up. Not to mention it gets super expensive, especially if you choose to use organic ingredients. I've never really been into making green smoothies-- I'm not sure if it was because I didn't like the thickness of them, or maybe I was just so burnt out from the three months of juicing, or maybe I never found one I really, really enjoyed, but after recently making the above smoothie I was kind of hooked. I've been having a smoothie almost every day since and the process has been so easy I could definitely see myself doing this long-term.

It's packed with greens (and the fiber I lost when I only drank the juice), some protein (from the chia seeds and kale), and it tastes like you should be on a white sandy beach, bikini and sunblock on. I've made variations since, but this combo still wins. I've even been drinking it on the go in my insulated Klean Kanteen to keep it ice cold or enjoying it at home with my new stainless steel eco-friendly straws (yay for never using those plastic ones again!).

Tropical Green Smoothie
(Serving size is 2 large smoothies or 3 smaller ones)

- 1 1/2 cups of very packed spinach
- 1/4 or 1/2 cup of very packed baby kale (I like baby kale it seems to have less of a bitterness to it)
- 1 ripe banana (feel free to freeze the banana if you want)
- 3/4 cup of pineapple (I like the frozen pieces from Trader Joe's)
- 1/2 a ripe pear (or any other fruit you want to add really... mango is also very good)
- 1/2 cup of OJ (I like the not from concentrate)
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds depending on how much you want
- 2 ice cubes

Add the spinach and baby kale into the blender first and pack it down as much as you can. Pour in the OJ and water (it will seep down in between the greens and help everything to blend). Top with the banana, pineapple, chia seeds and other fruit if you have it. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Enjoy immediately.

Sometimes I add more greens depending on how I'm feeling, but for starters this is a great amount. I realize this is packed with a good amount of sugar (but hey at least it's natural sugar right?) so might try switching out some of the fruit and using ginger as a flavor replacement. I'll be sure to give you an update once I do. Let me know how you get along with this recipe and leave a comment of your yummy smoothie concoctions if you have any!

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october favorites

This new hair product has made a huge difference in how my hair behaves and feels. I used to use the Bumble and Bumble color-minded shampoo and conditioner, but now that they have come out with this new Hairdresser's invisible oil line I'm never going back. This new line of theirs makes my hair so soft and leaves it feeling moisturized yet still weightless-- a really good thing especially since I have fine hair that can be weighed down easily.

I was browsing NARS's new audacious lipstick formula and was instantly wooed by the super pigmented, gorgeous range of colors. I was tempted to get a vampy red or deep berry color, but since I already have many a shade like them at home, I opted for this color called Anna. It's a purple-toned neutral and like nothing I have at home. I have been wearing it non-stop since I got it and that trend will likely carry over into November too.

How I had not had a cosmetics bag/pouch is beyond me. Now I can keep all the makeup I usually throw into my handbag in one place and don't have to worry about caps or lids falling off and ruining the inside of my purse. This pouch in particular I made myself from remnant fabric I bought from my trip to Portland a couple years back and I love it so much.

I've wanted a leather backpack for a while now and this one from Madewell totally fits the bill. I really love that I can wear the weight evenly on my back now instead of carrying around a shoulder bag that tires out only one of my shoulders. The only downside (or could be a good thing) is the space inside is quite large so I've been filling it up with all kinds of things and man is it heavy!

I really love a messy, undone hair style so you'll rarely see me with a completely polished look, instead I like rocking that matte, choppy, piecey 'do and these two products have been helping me achieve that lately with the utmost ease.

These boots from Madewell are surprisingly comfy even with the short heel on them. They have been the perfect addition to Fall and slightly dressing up casual outfits to avoid looking frumpy has been effortless.

I haven't yet finished this book but I'm more than half way through and it's been so entertaining a little funny, and just really refreshing to read. If you're interested in reading about a company that saw a need for a product, filled that need by making quality products, turned it into a growing business that started to boom, and through that growth continued it's philosophy on business then this one's for you. Totally recommend this one and I haven't even finished it yet.

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