Hi friends! Happy Friday! The weekend is heeeeere again. I’m looking forward to spending time with the fam, catching up with friends for brunch, filming more Fit Guide exercise videos, and just chilling. Not having to wake up for school drop-offs always feels like a treat.
I’m enjoying this weird place between summer and fall. I can drink a pumpkin spice latte
(decaf with almond milk)
and swim in the same day. No complaining over here. 
I’d love to hear what you’re up to this weekend!
It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my fave finds from the week, and I love hearing about what you’re enjoying, too. Please share a fave or two in the comments if you’d like to join in the fun!
(Random fave: dinner plans with a friend fell through and since I had a sitter already, I decided to go to Commoner and Co. and sit at the bar, read a book, eat, and drink wine. It felt like one of the most relaxing and luxurious things I’ve done in a long time. PS the goat cheese tart on top of strawberry jam may be my favorite food ever.)
Good eats + recipes:
– Birch Bender Paleo pancake mix. This is a semi-old find, but I don’t think I’ve given it a proper shout-out on the blog. I got the enormous bag at Costco and have been mixing it with egg whites instead of water to bump up the protein content. With almond butter, syrup, and berries, it’s one of my fave sweet breakfasts.
Signs you’re getting older: I get the craziest thrill walking around Costco. The girls looooove the samples and I get so excited to see many of our favorite brands on the shelves. (You can get a 24-pack of LaCroix for $7. I KNOW.) We still get a lot of our faves from Thrive Market, but have been stocking up in bulk avocado oil, snacks for school (gummies, Clif Z bars, Mamma Chia pouches), Whisps, black bean burgers, eggs, frozen organic fruit, Nuttzo, and LaCroix at Costco.
– Trying this cauliflower rice ASAP.
– This salad looks amazing.
– Mochi. The girls tried this mochi the other day and loved it, so I picked up a pack. I decided to give it a whirl and immediately wondered why the heck I’ve waited so long to try mochi. I’m not a huge ice cream fan – if I’m having dessert, I want some type of dough to be involved, like cake, cookies, or brownies – but was so surprised by the flavor. I love the rice “shell” and the ice cream itself is really mild and perfectly sweet. I also like that this brand uses hormone-free milk and zero artificial colors or flavors.
– I’m going to try this chicken recipe next week!
Read, watch, listen:
– I’m so excited to share the news that I’ve been asked to contribute to the WebMD food and fitness blog. You can find my posts here, along with posts from other professionals in the health and wellness space. I was so honored when they asked me to collaborate and my first two posts are live if you’d like to check them out! Signs you should quit your workout and 5 effective exercises you can do anywhere.
– A good reminder to love more.
– Smart and funny tips for life.
– Something that made me laugh.
(Source)
Crowdsourcing:
– Livi bear needs glasses. We found out this week and I’m taking her to the eye doc this morning. I’d love to hear any tips or advice you have about picking out glasses for kiddos! I feel like there must be some secrets or tips out there, especially since I got glasses as a kid (I was 4) and things have obviously changed so much since then. I’m going to join her and update my glasses since they’re super old and one side has a giant scratch on them. (P stole/borrowed them one morning and rubbed one side against the fireplace. It was time for an updated pair, anyway.)
Fashion + beauty:
– This resurfacing peel! It’s SO hyped up, but I was skeptical about trying it because my skin is super sensitive. Whenever I get a facial, I tell the esthetician that my skin is sensitive and they always say, “Ok, we’ll use the most gentle peel on you!” Then I have to kindly ask to them to please remove it when it feels like my face has caught fire. There’s only been one peel that’s worked well for me and its the Eminence sweet potato peel, which is kind of hard to find. (I would not recommend getting it from Amazon because professional products are sometimes diluted or tampered with; you don’t know who you’re buying it from. You’d likely have to find an esthetician to order it for you.)
I was completely prepared for my skin to burn and… nada. It felt great! The best part: when I woke up, my skin looked really tight and bright. Usually when I wake up, I have blanket creases on my face and look a little beat-up. This is a gamechanger. I’m hoping it will help the WTF lines in between my eyebrows.
If you decide to order the peel or anything else at Beautycounter, you’ll get a two free gifts (travel bottles of the #1 brightening face oil + the hydrating lotion) for orders over $150! Please let me know if you need help with products. (My very faves are the dew skin, face oil, charcoal mask, lip glosses or lipsticks, and the cleansing balm.)
– Labor Day Sales! There are so many amazing sales this weekend. Here are some of the best ones:
J. Crew 40% off with code BIGSALE (loooove this sweater-blazer in pink, this peplum button-up top and these leopard flats)
J. Crew Factory 50% off everything!
Shopbop up to 70% off
macy’s 20% off
anthropologie extra 40% off sale and home
kate spade 30% off sale with code ONEOFAKIND
Banana Republic 40% off
Express 40% off everything
So tell me, friends: any plans for the long weekend? Are you taking a trip or staying local? I’m still trying to decide if we’ll head to Phoenix and shop it up for the day.
Happy FriYAY,
Gina
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