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Planning to Succeed: Meal Planning and Prep Tips & Tricks
I LOVE PLANNING. Like obnoxiously so. And I don’t mean just the super fun things like parties and vacations. I mean everything from the totally mundane daily to do list to my five year plans. We did not have much advance notice of our relocation to Ireland (understatement) so we planned and executed our entire wedding in five weeks from start to finish (along with the help of many amazing friends and family members). In the six days following the wedding, we packed up our entire Boston apartment in labeled boxes numerically coded and their contents detailed on a corresponding Excel spreadsheet for customs. I have detailed out every exercise…
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From Arts and Crafts to Avocado Caprese Chicken Salad
As I contemplated my love for Sunday Brunch and the fabulous friendships I have had throughout the years, I reflected, as I have many times in the past, on the fact that for me – the time best spent has always been that which involves engaging in deep conversation. Most of the people that I have chosen to surround myself with also enjoy endless hours of discourse and metacognition, often focused on our own introspections and observations of the world around us. For me, this “thinking about thinking” and examination of mental and emotional processes has been not only a valuable source of knowledge, but also so fascinating to me…
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Lemon & Cucumber Smashed Avocado Sweet Potato Toast fit for Brunch & Besties
According to my social media feeds, this past Sunday was National Friendship Day in the U.S. Although I truly didn’t do anything to celebrate this “holiday,” I did stop briefly to consider some of the absolutely amazing women that I have been privileged to call my friends. Research shows that having strong social connections is one of the most meaningful contributors to happiness and life satisfaction. Like most people, I would argue wholeheartedly that my friends are one of the most valuable aspects of my life and I have some pretty fantastic ones. These are strong women who are running their own businesses and nonprofits, some have been published, some…
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Back From Pilates Holiday :: Avoiding Stairs At All Costs, Meal Planning & Prepping, and Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Jalapeno Herb Dressing
I am so sore. We are back from the London “Pilates Holiday” feeling completed depleted physically, but so inspired and deeply contented with the opportunity to take 11 classes over three days! We had the chance to visit so many beautiful and amazing studios; challenging ourselves with new exercises, techniques, and sheer stamina over the weekend. Some of my favorite classes were:
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A Pilates Holiday, Healthy Travel Hacks, and Roasted Red Pepper and Pesto Frittata Muffins
One of my absolute favorite things about living in Europe has been the ability to travel so conveniently and frequently! We have been taking advantage of every opportunity possible to go new places while we live in Ireland – visiting many of the big bucket list cities like Paris, London, Rome, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, and Madrid as well as many other amazing, but slightly less obvious excursions such as Edinburgh, Bavaria, Ephesus/Kudasi, Belfast and more. And I travel not only for fun, but also for business once or twice a month to meet with clients all around Europe. And this weekend, I am beyond excited to be headed to London…
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Simplicity, Minimalism and Cashew Dijon Salmon
Simplicity. Albert Einstein is credited with once saying that “everything should be made as simple as possible, but no more simpler.” Or perhaps a more direct, and certainly a more commonly known, principle is – “KISS: keep it simple, stupid,” as articulated by the U.S. Navy. The concept highlights the fact that most procedures and systems are best executed if they are simple as opposed to unnecessarily complex. Although the immediate thought is usually DUH, this can be a bit more elusive that it seems that it should be. It does appear that some people are very good at keeping things simple in terms of the clarity in their thoughts…
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A Summer Snack – Lemon Pie Bliss Balls
It is funny how a little perspective can change things oh-so-much. All my life I have lived in places which experience all four seasons. We always had abysmal winters with blizzards, snow (in one year – over 116 inches, an all time record in Boston), and ice. As someone who does not enjoy the cold or any cold weather activities, this was something that I could have definitely just gone without. But on either side of winter were spring and fall, both considerably better than what was sandwiched between. Spring had its fair share of rainy days, but at the end of you could count on some sunshine and beautiful…
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Whole30 Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs with Spicy Cashew Cream
Living abroad for the past year and a half has had some pretty substantial ups and downs. Ultimately, it has been a fantastic adventure and one that I never expected to have as an adult with a “big girl job” and a serious relationship. While living here, we have had the opportunity to visit 13 different countries (for fun!) thus far, some multiple times. I have had the opportunity to gain international business experience working with some notable clients and live out my dream of becoming a barre instructor in the best little studio ever. I have had the opportunity to meet some pretty awesome people, hear some crazy accents…
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A Savory Breakfast to Satisfy All Tastebuds: Blackberry Sage Turkey Sausages
Families are fascinating. I love seeing and hearing about all the ways that people who share not only blood, but also a roof over their heads (for a great proportion of their lives at least), the same parents, and even often the same educational system and community affiliations can be SO INCREDIBLY DIFFERENT from one another. It is clear why the either/or question of nature versus nurture is less than comprehensive and why the complex relationship between the two is one not easily understood. Although often you can see distinctive patterns or similarities, nearly every family I know of seems to be comprised of very unique members; each serving his…
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Reconciling “Health Halos” with Whole30 Granola and Coconut Yogurt
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how just how powerful positioning can be to shape our views, perspectives and understanding of something. Most, if not all, people are aware of the fact that the media and advertisers usually take a distinctive slant to satisfy their own agenda, for better or worse. However, if you really stop to think about why we think the way we think about nearly everything, you will find a myriad of messages that we have heard or seen throughout our various experiences and interactions which influence us, our beliefs, and our decisions more than one might initially assume. When I was an undergrad,…
