Winter Archives - Page 3 of 5

Hump Day Treat! Recovery Protein Bowl

January 4, 2017

Happy Wednesday everyone! With it being the first week of 2017 I thought that I would give you all a healthy recipe for those of you that their new year’s resolution was to eat healthier. My friend Brooke who I worked with when I interned at Glamour Magazine is honestly one of my fitness inspirations. She is currently training and going to be running the marathon in London after running the marathon in NYC this year. Yesterday she posted this amazing protein bowl and I had to ask her how to make it. These are a great alternative to those who don’t necessary like having a smoothie or are still looking for a healthy alternative this new year.

Ingredients:

Almond Milk – plain almond milk, but if you want to try vanilla almond milk I did and it tasted great!

Ice

One Large Frozen Banana (peel it before freezing it! I learned that mistake the hard way)

Plant Protein – My friend got hers from Garden of Life

Almond Butter

I did this myself today in a blender and I started with a ¼ of a cup of almond milk and added more as I saw fit and I did the same with the almond butter and plant protein. I personally love protein shakes, but only when they taste more fruity than protein. If you have a nutribullet you can also make this in there as well. It may be easier if you want to use the container to bring it to work with you on the go. Brooke topped hers off with flaxseed, walnuts and organic shredded coconut. YUM! I personally put on top of mine some of the organic coconut and strawberries. Hope everyone is having a great day and for those of you in New York City I hope you are all preparing for the snow that we are suppose to get on Friday! <3

Image was taken from Brooke’s instagram story 🙂

Steals & Deals – Faux Suede Bodysuit

December 23, 2016

Happy Friday!!! Today is the last Friday before Christmas and Channukah and I hope everyone has found their perfect gifts for the special people in their lives. If you are still looking for a great outfit to wear for the upcoming holiday parties and for New Years Eve look no further than this Steals & Deals. As you all already can guess from previous posts I love bodysuits. They are so easy to wear and just make an outfit simple and easy. I found this amazing faux suede bodysuit from Charlotte Russe and it is only $15!!! They used to have it in this light purple grey color like the one I am wearing, but now they only have it in a burgundy color. I am very tempted to buy it in this color as well because it just fits so well! The burgundy is also a great color for holiday time because it isn’t a true red, but still festive. This bodysuit is great to pair with a pair of mid rise or high waisted jeans with or without a belt or you can even pair it with a skirt. I hate having to tuck in a shirt when I wear pants, shorts or a skirt because it always seems to bunch up around my waist and just not lay correctly. This bodysuit fits like a glove! If you are concerned about how low cut it is and not revealing too much my suggestion is to use fashion tape. When I wore this out the first time I used fashion tape. Since the straps aren’t adjustable and I did not have time to go and get it altered I used fashion tape by the chest area and it worked perfectly! The top did not move out of place the entire evening that I wore it. Most pharmacy in the beauty section carry fashion tape, but if you can’t find it they also have it on Amazon Prime. Pair it with a simple necklace like the one I have on and you are all set. Hope everyone who is traveling this holiday weekend travels safe and gets everything that they want and more. <3

Amazon Prime for Fashion Tape

Charolette Russe for Bodysuit

Fitness Tuesday- Foam Roller

December 20, 2016

Happy Tuesday everyone! With the holidays fast approaching I know that everyone is doing their last minute work outs in order to look great for when they see their families. One of the things that always happens after a great workout is you muscles tend to be sore. For me I always am sore some days I am more sore than others depending on the work out I had the day before, but this is something that isn’t bad. I tend to get a lot of muscles spasms especially on my back. I grew up with scoliosis and instead of surgery I wore a back brace from 7th grade until my sophomore year of high school. This was pretty difficult especially growing up in Florida with all of this humidity. Since I have been working out more frequently than before I have noticed my back acting up from it. My brother Ira suggested that I use a foam roller to stretch out my muscles. I looked at it and said that thing you have in your bedroom is for that? He said yes and showed me how to use it properly so that I wouldn’t hurt myself in the process. Since that day I use after every hard workout I have which is normally after I go to a Fhitting Room class or a SoulSurvivor. This is has truly made a difference with my muscles and helped with my back spasms tremendously! If you don’t own a foam roller no problem there are tons of options online now and at different price points. If you have never used a foam roller before and aren’t sure which one to purchase stick with the simple ones that almost look like a rolled up yoga mat to start and then go from there. Hope this helps all of you with your muscles. Have a great Tuesday!

Velvet Jeans

December 19, 2016

Happy Monday Everyone! It is the final stretch until Christmas and Chanukah and I personally can not wait to make latkes and eat holiday cookies all week long! Now one of the biggest trends this season was velvet. As a kid I loved the feel of velvet I would always tell my parents that I was petting the velvet item and making nice with it. This season I wanted to find a great pair of Velvet black jeans. I tried on so many pairs and I just couldn’t find one that fit. It was crazy to me because I would try on brands that I knew my size in from previous purchases, but because it was a different material the jeans didn’t fit the same. At one point for one of the brands I tried on a double zero 00 and it still didn’t fit me! I started to become concerned, but finally I found a pair that fit me like a glove. These pair from J Brand are honestly the most comfortable pair of velvet pants. All the other velvet pants felt more like a jegging and just looked slouchy when I tried them on. These fit like a tight fitted jegging in the sense that they aren’t as firm as a jean, but they aren’t as loose as a jegging would get after a few wears. I also love the fact that they are mid rise on the waist because as we all have seen these past few months I am addicted to anything mid rise or high waisted. I will say this that if you are looking for a velvet pant go into the store and try on a few different brands. Don’t just buy online based upon your size. In my other J Brand jeans I was a size larger than I am in these velvet ones. If you are stuck on where to look my suggestion is go to your local Nordstrom or Bloomingdales. Especially right now before the Christmas and Channukah a lot of the stores will be having huge sales and if for some odd reason they do not have your size in the store ask if they can order it for you to be shipped to your home. More likely than not they will give you complimentary expedited shipping. Happy shopping everyone and I hope you all get all of your holiday shopping done soon! <3

This pair of velvet pants is on sale right now at Bloomingdales click this link now to buy Bloomingdales J Brand

Steals & Deals – The Choker Necklace

December 16, 2016

Happy Friday! With Christmas and Channukah starting next week everyone is going crazy to find last minute gifts and I am here to show you something that could help you with at least one person on your list. This season the hottest trend was the choker necklace. We saw every model sporting this trend in all different styles, but a lot of the time these chokers were super expensive. For me I knew that I wouldn’t wear a choker necklace everyday, but I wanted the option to wear it when the occasion suited it. I wanted one that was adjustable as I have a very small neck a lot of the original chokers I liked a lot were too big and looked more like a necklace that just was sitting higher on my collar bone than others. I also wanted an adjustable one because sometimes with chokers even though they look proper you may feel like you are actually being choked by them and you do not want that feeling when you are wearing something for multiple hours. After much searching I found this amazing black velvet choker at Urban Outfitters and it comes in two colors black and maroon. Right now if you buy them separate they are $14 but if you buy both of them it’s only $20! I personally have both colors and they are so easy to wear and fit most neck sizes. Urban Outfitters have a ton of options if you go to their website and a lot of them are having the same deal where you can buy 2 for $20! Now who doesn’t want chokers in multiple colors? Head on over now and get one before they are all gone! Hope everyone had a great week and stays warm during this polar vortex in New York <3

Check out Urban Outfitters selection of chokers here

Embroidered Bootie

December 15, 2016

Happy Thursday! It’s been a crazy week in New York especially this morning it was so cold it snowed for a little bit, but the magically stopped! Luckily I was bundled up and all warm. Today I want to talk about one of the hottest trends that is everywhere. The bootie trend that I have seen everywhere is the embroidered bootie. Luckily my mom was so ahead of the trend and purchased these amazing booties from ASOS back in September and luckily she and I are the same size. She may not think that way because magically some of her shoes disappear, but it works out very well for me. These shoes are so comfortable and I love the floral details on them. If you are looking for an embroidered bootie yourself and don’t want to break the bank head on over to ASOS right now. They have a 4 different pairs currently on their website and they are all under $100!!!!! When looking for your pair you don’t have to have to necessarily get ones that have the entire shoe covered in embroidery, but just on the side of the shoe. My suggestion is try and find one with colors that match your current wardrobe. The pair my mom got are black with light colored flowers and pretty much match with everything that I own. Also like any shoe you should weatherproof them especially if you live like me in New York where the snow would ruin your shoes. I hope you are all having a great week and getting ready for Christmas and Channukah next week. <3 stay warm!

The Tall Ugg Boot

December 12, 2016

Happy Monday! Well it’s finally time to break out those winter boots from your closet. Now even though some of us won’t admit it but we all have more than one pair of Ugg boots in our closet. Even growing up in Miami I had a few too many pairs, but now living in New York City you need them! Especially for this cold weather that we are having. This winter if you haven’t purchased a new pair of Uggs recently I think it’s time for you to go out and get a fresh pair. These tall Ugg boots are knee high and like all my other pairs of Uggs are so warm and cozy. These are great with a pair of leggings or skinny jeans. I like how they fit around my leg almost like they are a glove to them. I know sometimes at least for me after some wear the Ugg boots don’t fit as snug around your leg, but these I have had for over a year and they still fit just as snug as the first day I wore them. Don’t forget as with all Uggs except the new weatherproof pair they have come out with they do need to be weather proofed with the Ugg boot spray. I know some people don’t see the need in buying the spray, but I am here to tell you that is well worth your money. You will be wearing these boots all winter long and you want to make sure they stay in great shape. Unlike the traditional Uggs these pair have a stitched in design which for me I think personally makes my legs look longer than they actually are. These boots are currently on sale on the Ugg website and you should grab a pair before they are gone! I personally have them in both black and brown and you all should too <3

Click here to get your hands on these boots!

Sunday Hair Care

December 11, 2016

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend and is preparing for the week ahead of them. Now since living in New York City I have noticed a big change in my hair. I went from living in Miami to Arizona to then going back to Miami briefly before New York. I color my hair often, but I always make sure that I don’t do things that will truly damage it beyond repair. Up until a year ago I used to do the Keratin hair treatment in order to make it easier to blow dry my hair and also have less frizz. It was very helpful when I lived in Florida with all the humidity and in Arizona because my hair would dry within minutes, but when once I moved to NYC my new hair colorist told me to stop doing it. She told me that because of the type of ombre I was doing that the keratin was causing my ends to look more yellow than frosted blonde. Once she told me that I noticed it myself and I couldn’t believe that I didn’t notice it until now. She also told me that she tells all her clients who are blonde not to do the keratin treatment for the fact that it affects the coloring of their hair. It is different when you are doing it on someone who has an all over brown hair color because it isn’t noticeable. Another thing she taught me was especially during winter that a lot of hair gets very dry due to the cold and that once a week I should do a deep conditioning masques. Especially since as I said I do color my hair about every 8 – 9 weeks. The products she suggested have forever changed my hair. There are two different products that I use on rotation once a week. For the week after I get my hair colored I always use the BB mending masque which as it says on the bottle is for the (truly) damaged hair. It helps my hair after it is colored to not automatically feel like I just damaged it by all the hair dye. The other masque I use is BB quenching masque for the (terribly) thirsty. This I use on the weeks that I feel like my hair is feeling super dry and that happens often during the winter. After using this I lightly blow dry my hair and honestly my hair looks like I just stepped out of a salon it’s AMAZING!!! Currently at Bumble and Bumble if you buy two products you get the third one FREE! Head over now if you have the chance and pick up these masque for your hair this winter. Hope everyone has a great Sunday and especially a great hair day! <3

Steals & Deals – Lipstick Bag

December 9, 2016

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone had a great week and are preparing for the holidays which if any of you are curious this year Channukah and Christmas are on the same day! So the holidays begin in 15 days! That is two weeks and one day for all of you counting so if you haven’t found the perfect holiday gift here is a good option for you. Now we all remember the episode where Big gave Carrie the swan purse instead of saying I love you, but in the past few years purses that are unique and different shapes and sizes are becoming more apparent. This adorable lipstick shape purse from Circus by Sam Edelman is only $48 and absolutely adorable! It is something that is different enough that will make your holiday outfit stand out, but not so different that it isn’t something that you can not wear all year round! Check out their website for some of the amazing selection of purses they have this holiday season. <3

Circus by Sam Edelman link

Hump Day Treat – Dog Cakes

December 7, 2016

Happy Wednesday Everyone! So if you saw yesterday’s post you know that it was my sweet puppy Stella’s 1st birthday! Now I didn’t have the chance to throw her a birthday party ( Yes that is a thing dog birthday parties don’t laugh) and I wanted to make her birthday extra special. I had previously taken Stella to her first birthday party for her puppy friend Oliver and his mom had got him a cake made from a bakery in the city. Now I didn’t think of getting a cake made until this past weekend and I knew it would be too late to order one so I thought why not make one myself? How hard could it really be? I searched different stores to get a cake pan in the shape of a dog bone first, but since it was just for Stella I opted out to make 3 small pie ones instead of one large one. Thanks to food.com for the recipe Stella really did enjoy it and still this morning is looking to see if she left any crumbs on the ground 🙂

Ingredients:

1 egg

¼ cup peanut butter ( I used skippy natural creamy)

¼ cup cooking oil ( I personally used vegetable oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup of honey (optional but I personally used it)

1 cup carrot, shredded

1 cup whole wheat flour ( if you don’t have whole wheat flour then use white flour but it’s better with whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.Grease your baking pans that you chose to use. For me I chose 3 small disposable pie tins.

3.Combine the egg, peanut butter, oil, vanilla and honey (if you use honey) in a large bowl. Blend well

4.Stir in the carrots and mix thoroughly

5.Now add in the flour and baking soda and mix it all together fully

6.Spoon the batter into prepared pans. To make the batter flat in the pan just lift it up and lightly tap it to the counter surface. I personally do this when I get froyo in order to add more into my cup!

7.If you want add on top a milkbone, but don’t push it into the cake just place it nicely on top of the batter

8.Bake in oven for 40 minutes

9.Take out cakes and let them cool in pan for 10 minutes then if you have put on a wire rack to cool completely or onto a different plate.

Hope all of your furry friends enjoy this cake! Stella for sure did <3

If you want to see the recipe yourself here is the link Dog Cake Recipe