Fall Archives - Page 2 of 2

Hump Day Treat: Banana Bread

November 16, 2016

Happy Wednesday! Today’s Hump Day Treat is one of my favorite recipes thanks to my Mom. My Mom is known for her cooking amongst all of our family and friends, but if you ask any of my friends this is one of their favorite treats that she would make for us when we had some left over bananas. Now if you want to make banana bread one of the main things you need to remember is you don’t need to use super old bananas, but it does help when they are a little bit brown on the outside. You can also make this recipe into banana muffins or keep it as the traditional loaf of banana bread. Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

½ c ( 1 stick) unsalted butter

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp salt

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.Put the sugar and butter and butter together and mix it well in a mixing bowl

3.Add bananas, eggs and vanilla.

4.Blend well all the ingredients

5.Sift flour, baking soda and salt together

6.Add to mixture and stir thoroughly

7.Pour into greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan

8.Bake approximately 70 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

9.Remove from pan

10.Cool completely on cooling rack before slicing

Hope everyone enjoys this delicious treat! <3

(image taken from google)

Winter White Lace

November 14, 2016

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I don’t know about you but I am counting down the days until Thanksgiving. There has always been a stigma when it comes to wearing white during winter. I know you can’t wear white pants after Labor Day (even though I do because it is appropriate to in Miami), but does that go for everything? I say no. This white lace top from Joie is one of my favorite go to tops for the holiday season. I pair it with a white Wolford bodysuit underneath it and it looks amazing. I have seen other people wear it without a tank or anything underneath, but if you are like me and don’t want to show too much skin, especially with it being so cold out, this is the next best solution. I also like it because with a normal tank if you tuck it in you still see the shirt in your jeans and you want a tank that lays flat under the lace top. If you couldn’t already tell from today and yesterday’s post, I am a bit of a bodysuit fanatic. It just makes your outfit look more put together and it allows everything to just lay better. If you are looking for a lace top this holiday season I recently went to Bloomingdales and they have a large selection in all different price ranges. If you aren’t sure if you could pull off an all lace top and don’t like the idea of a bodysuit that is okay! There are tons of other top options that have lace detailing and are still super cute for this holiday season. For me, with these tops, I always go a size up because I like a lace top to lay loose on me vs skin tight, but that is completely up to you. It also depends on what kind of look you are trying to achieve. With this look, I was trying to achieve a relaxed look and something that is comfortable and simple. Hope everyone had a great weekend <3

Check out Bloomingdales for lace looks

Crop Top Sweater

November 13, 2016

Happy Sunday! It’s the last week before Thanksgiving, crazy I know, and I hope everyone is getting themselves ready to spend quality time with family. Cropped sweaters have always been a big hit in the fashion world, but there is always the dilemma of how to wear them during the winter months. I purchased this black cropped knitted sweater a few years ago at the LF sale at the end of the season. That is personally when I get a lot of my items from there because they are so heavily marked down and then I can store them away for the next season. To me, if you buy a sweater in a neutral color you can wear them from season to season. Cropped sweaters are super cute and make your outfit that much more unique, but during winter that is difficult. You want to be able to still look cute while you are going out and be able to not freeze while you are outside. During fall / winter, when it starts to get cold out I have found a solution to be able to wear cropped sweaters. What I do is I wear a bodysuit. I have worn this cropped sweater with a black bodysuit underneath by Wolford so many times and it is the perfect solution. Sometimes just wearing a sweater isn’t enough to keep you warm, but also with a cropped sweater if you raise your arms then your belly shows then you are going to be cold. I can guarantee it. The last thing you want is to be frozen outside waiting to get inside with your friends. In this outfit I am wearing the bodysuit under the sweater with a high waisted black leather skirt from Alice and Olivia and it is perfect. I have even worn it with black tights as well and you can’t even tell that I am wearing a bodysuit under the sweater. Some people even thought that the bodysuit was part of the sweater, but little did they know it wasn’t. It’s a simple way to keep wearing those cropped sweaters like this black one I am wearing during winter and still keeping yourself warm. Hope everyone had a great weekend and remember to layer up and stay warm. <3

Black Denim

November 12, 2016

Happy Saturday! I am the girl that during winter I normally live in my leggings, but once it hits a certain temperature no matter how thick the leggings are they will not keep you warm. What’s a girl to do but find a great pair of black jeans! These are another pair that I got from Bloomingdales last month during their amazing jean sale. I always seem to find great pairs during this time because even if you buy one pair that is full price, sometimes if you buy one full price you will either get the second pair discounted or you get BMoney in return. These pair are from 7 For All Mankind and they are absolutely amazing. Some of the jeans that I have purchased over the years I have noticed that even after one wear of them they become so loose that I feel the need to wash them so they shrink a little. It is known that you aren’t suppose to wash your jeans very often because then the jeans will lose its color fast, but also then they wear too quickly over time. These pair are mid-rise ankle skinny and I have had them for over a month and have only washed them once! Also, surprisingly unlike other pairs of dark / black denim that have had the color run onto my clothing, this pair has not. They are so comfortable and soft that to someone that is just looking at you they look like jeans, but feel like a soft pair of leggings. They are not too thick that you feel like you are walking around with firm jeans, but they aren’t too thin that even on the coldest nights in New York City you are still kept warm. I tested it to see if I needed to, once it is snowing outside, if a pair of tights could fit under them comfortably and to my surprise they do! Right now if you head to Bloomingdales.com they are having a private sale and if you have a Bloomingdales charge card you get even more of a discount! Head on over there now and check out their sale selection especially their black colored denim. Hope everyone has a great day! <3

Check out the selection at Bloomingdales here

Suede Booties

November 10, 2016

Happy Thursday! Now it may be November, but thankfully it hasn’t snowed once this fall / winter. Phew! There is always the dilemma for every girl when it comes to suede. Do you buy them or not buy them? My answer is yes buy them! Winter is the time to wear suede and that includes your shoes. I purchased these suede booties from Stuart Weitzman back in January 2012 and they are my go to suede shoes for fall / winter. I personally weather proofed them myself by buying those sprays from Amazon, but instead of doing just two coats like the bottle suggests I did 6 coats. The reason why I did this is because like any of us there have been times where we dress for the weather the morning of and by the end of the day the weather has completely changed. The amount of times that the weather app has told me that there was 0% chance of rain to me walking outside to pouring rain I can’t even. You want to make sure with anything suede that it is fully protected no matter what weather is outside. I love how these suede booties have a wedged platform heel inside and even though they have the buckles on the outside they have a zipper on the inside of the shoe. Also, unlike other suede shoes I have seen recently the heel is also suede all the way around. These shoes are so comfortable and easy to walk in that I even once walked from my apartment in Murray Hill all the way to Madison Square Garden. No blisters or anything! When looking for suede booties I personally prefer the darker shades because they don’t show dirt easily and they are easy to match with multiple outfits. If you want heeled suede booties make sure that you can walk in them especially if the weather changes outside because the last thing you want to do is trip and fall outside. Check out Zappos right now for the amazing selection of suede booties they have in stock right now. <3

Click here to see the amazing selection at Zappos

How To Keep Your Nails Healthy

November 6, 2016

Happy Marathon Day for anyone living in New York City! On Sunday’s I like to relax and take care of whatever I need to for the following week. One of the things that I am very diligent about is getting my nails done. My parents always told me that the next thing that anyone sees after your face is your hands. The last thing you want is someone who you are trying to get a job from looking down at your hands to see them not groomed! Some people would disagree with me, but even one of my teachers in college and graduate school told me that they 100% agree with this. My graduate school teacher told me he didn’t hire someone partially because their nails looked like they had been through a war zone and didn’t feel like the employee would be a good representation for their brand. Personally, I am a huge gel manicure fan. The day that it came out when I was college I was hooked. I was always that girl that would somehow ruin my manicure even before I left the nail salon so this was the best solution to that. However, over the years the gel polish has gotten better for your nails, but still it does wreak havoc on them over time. I personally wait 3 weeks in between my gel manicures, but a week before I get my gel manicure I take off my gel polish at home. This gives my nails a break from the gel polish but also time to get stronger. To take them off I buff them with a nail file and then I take aluminum foil which I have already cut into small squares and place one around the bottom of my finger. After that i use half a cotton ball soaked in acetone and put on the top of my nail. Cover up the nail and let it soak for about 10 minutes. If the gel polish is done right it will come off 1 – 2 – 3. After that I take it off with one of those sticks that they use when you get your manicure to clean off the edges. After this I wash my hands with soap and water and dry them and then I proceed to do the other hand. I only do one hand at a time so if I need to do something the other hand is free. After both hands are done I then buff and file my nails. After that I apply a base coat on that is meant to strengthen your nails. I personally love either the OPI or Essie base just depends on your preference. If you hate having no color on your nails find a pale pink that with one coat it will look like you have polish, but won’t be able to tell if it is not perfect. Then apply a top coat and let it dry for a while. Having a simple coat of polish until your gel will allow your nails to truly heal and I have also learned that it helps the next time you put your gel polish on. I also like removing my gel polish at home because nail salons, especially in New York City, charge an arm and a leg to do it. Hope you all have a great Sunday and for all of those who are running the marathon good luck and hope you all aren’t too sore tomorrow :-).

Dark Denim- Frame

November 5, 2016

Happy Saturday! These past few months I have had to get all new jeans because of me working out a lot more, but it hasn’t been that easy finding the perfect pair of dark denim. For months I searched and I couldn’t find a pair that i was absolutely in love with. There is always an issue with the pairs that I was finding. When it came to fit it was difficult because I am still working out a lot so I wanted a pair that wouldn’t be too big in the next coming months. Then there was the problem with the color. It was either so dark that it almost looked like black, too dark that it almost didn’t look like jeans or it was lighter in certain parts so it didn’t really look like dark denim. I found a few pairs that were almost leggings, but for winter in New York that was not going to work. Finally I found them! These pair of Frame Denim Le High Skinny jeans in a dark denim wash are unbelievable. They are are a great wash of dark denim, but like any dark denim be careful the first few times you wear it. They tend to bleed off onto your clothes without you even noticing it. I have washed these jeans now only once, but when I washed them I made sure that they were washed alone. The worst mistake for washing brand new jeans is to wash them with other clothes and to also put them automatically into the dryer.I would not do that if you don’t want them to shrink. If you do get any of the dye from your new dark denim on any of your clothes I have learned to soak them in a bowl of cold water with salt for an hour then switch out the water and do it all over again until the dye has mostly come out. Make sure that you wring out your item of clothing after each time you change the water. If you want to see some other great denim from Frame check out their website here and see all of their amazing styles. Frame Denim

Fitness Tuesday- 30 Day Squat Challenge

November 1, 2016

Happy November everyone! Wow crazy that today is the first day of November. This year has truly flown by and can’t believe that we are so close to the holiday season. Most people know November as no shave Movember, but since the 1st of the month fell on Fitness Tuesday here at Just Jodi Style I wanted to give you all a challenge for this month. This month I am going to be doing a 30 day squat challenge. Different than the ab challenge for last month I wanted something that was similar in the sense that it’s not as time consuming, but target a different area of your body. I have done the challenges in the past where you do wall sits or lunges, but I have never done one with simply just squats. You think that it wouldn’t do anything to your body, but look at Jen Selter. She is now known for building her backside into what it is today and she did a lot of that with simply doing squats. I mean I don’t necessarily want the same results as her, but she has truly made her brand with it. With Thanksgiving coming up just around the corner I know that it’s going to be full of food and treats so I want to be mentally and physically prepared for it :-). For all of you who did the ab challenge last month I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I personally can tell that my abs are stronger than before and I do feel more toned. I don’t have the flattest abs in the world, but I am surely getting closer to it. If you didn’t do the ab challenge last month you can always try again this month. Hope you all have a great Tuesday and happy November to you all! <3

Steals & Deals: Halloween

October 28, 2016

Happy Friday everyone! We all know what that means: It’s time for some steals & deals but this week, halloween style! Right now if you go to party city online and order any costume they are up to 80% off! They have done this in the past and yes they do get you on the shipping because who doesn’t want their costume on time? BUT I have heard people that have gone into the store and they show the online price and if you get a really nice in store employee they will match the online price! Another great place to get a cheap halloween costume is Target! Yes, Target! One of my friends went to Target and got footie adult pajamas and because it wasn’t considered a halloween costume it was a fairly good price and they had a ton of sizes left for her. For me, every time I go halloween shopping I never seem to find a costume in my size since by the time I figure out what I want to be there is nothing left. Another great place to look for costumes is on Amazon. If you are a prime member this is the day to use it and get it by Monday for halloween. If you are like me and live in the city, check Prime Now. Since there is a warehouse right outside the city I am sure they have a lot of inventory on hand for the holiday. Can’t wait to see what everyone dresses up as. Check out these links below for some great costumes:

Target – http://www.target.com/c/women-s-costumes/-/N-5tf57?lnk=womenscostumes

Party City – http://www.partycity.com/category/halloween+costumes/sale+halloween+costumes.do

Amazon – https://primenow.amazon.com/browse?srs=15429241011&ref_=pn_br_tl_15429241011

It’s All In The Details – Skull Cashmere

October 23, 2016

It’s Sunday Funday and I hope everyone is out having a good time on this beautiful day. The weather in NYC has been a bit crazy the past few weeks. Even the other day it was 80 degrees outside and I was wearing shorts a t-shirt! Crazy I know, but now it is finally starting to feel a lot like fall. My favorite part about fall weather is all of the amazing sweaters you can bundle up in. In the past, in stores, it was always the same when it came to sweaters. Whether they were cashmere or a blend of fabrics, they always seemed to be in solid colors or maybe have some stripes, but nothing more than that. Now I am seeing designers take a little bit more risk and adding different unique details into their sweaters. One of my favorite cashmere sweaters brands is 360cashmere. I may be a little biased because the brand was started by one of my best friends’ parents :-). Their son Andrew started his own line under the 360cashmere umbrella and called it Skull Cashmere. The moment I saw the first sweater from Skull Cashmere line I was hooked. I am one of those girls that my closet, including my sweaters, is normally solid colors. I have my black, greys, and neutral colors, but I didn’t have anything with any pattern on it. Especially in my sweaters I didn’t own one with a pattern on it. This Skull Cashmere sweater is honestly my go to sweater for fall. It is a great color and the cut of the sweater just fits me perfectly. Whether I am wearing leggings or a pair of jeans it just works with everything. You can wear it day or night, doesn’t matter the occasion, it’s perfect. I also love how the sleeves aren’t tight around the wrists because I always feel like with my other sweaters, since I’m short, when they are cut that way it just doesn’t fit me properly. The Skull Cashmere line has expanded tremendously since its inception and I can’t wait to see what the future of the line holds. If you haven’t already seen it, check out their website now! They are also sold in many retailers across the country. Have a great Sunday everyone!