Friday Five

Gracious word, thank goodness we made it to Friday!

This week was an absolute whirl wind and while I am happy to have the day off... I am reporting back to work tomorrow and Sunday to work the weekend. Working on Easter... gross I know. However, I did switch to work this weekend because this time next week I will be headed home then off to NYC for 2 days! I am so excited to spend some time with my momma, doing what girls do best- shopping, eating, and relaxing! 

 Here are some things that brought me joy this week

One. 

Fresh tulips to brighten up my apartment 

 Two.

Warm cups of coffee on chilly mornings. (Completely over the cold weather, where are you spring?!)

Three.

Reminiscing of great times at Carolina Cup- wish I was going this year!

Four. 

This past week I booked my plans for 4th of July... a week away in Avalon with some of my best friends... I could not be more excited!

Five.

Like I need to add to my collection of stripes- I scored this cute top from H&M for only $7!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Yours truly, 

Thursday Eats

Happy Thursday loves. Sorry for the lack of posting this week, work has been nuts and I've been trying to get back on my workout game. I actually ended up signing up for a 10k next weekend. Yes you read that right... I just now signed up for a 10k next weekend. Mind you I have not run over 3 miles in a LONG time so we'll see how it goes. It's actually the Monument 10k, which is a pretty big deal here in Richmond if you've ever heard of it. 

I'm pretty excited because it will not only be my first race but also my dad will be in town to cheer me on! So here goes to training in a week... wish me luck. 

Today I am sharing a recipe that I made this week for the first time and I am OBSESSED. I know, me obsessed with something.. shocking. You have to try this dish, its amazing.

Sauteed kale with white beans and tofu

You will need:

- Kale

- Cannelloni beans

- Yellow onion

- Garlic 

- Extra firm tofu

- Toasted sesame oil - optional 

Begin by cubing the tofu. Place tofu on tinfoil lined baking sheet and bake for 10-20 minutes at 375 degrees. (Toss halfway through)

To saute the kale, I used toasted sesame oil but you could really use any oil you want, I chose this because I felt it gave it a nice earthy full flavor. 

Begin by sauteing the onion and garlic in the oil, then add kale and cook until it begins to wilt. 

Add beans towards the last few minutes.

Add tofu in with kale, sprinkle with a little mozzarella and enjoy!

This was my first time cooking with kale and I am so excited to use it again! It even made for a great lunch the next day!

Have you tried cooking with kale?

Yours truly, 

Total Body Cleanse Review

Last week I kicked off my week by starting a Total Body Cleanse. I chose to do the Whole Foods 365 

7 Day Cleanse.

I talked briefly about it last week but the cleanse included 3 parts:

Liver Cleanse- 2 pills to be taken in the morning with or without food

Acacia Fiber Drink- 1 scoop of powder mixed with water

Colon Cleanse- 3 pills to be taken at nighttime 

The drink surprisingly had no taste and wasn't a struggle to take twice a day.The pills also were not bad either, a tad big but that's coming from someone who doesn't like taking pills. 

Day one was a serious struggle. It was my first day of going without coffee and it was rough! I had headaches ALL day and just felt really sluggish. 

Day two and three were a little bit better, less headaches but still felt my self lagging behind. 

Day four and five things starting improving but I was feeling frustrated from feeling no difference in my body. Day five ended on Saturday, when I decided enough was enough and I wanted to enjoy my weekend with the things I loved... aka coffee and wine. 

This may be TMI but I only went to the bathroom normally once a day and since that's normal for me anyway, I wasn't sure if it was working. Now, don't get me wrong... I did not want to be running to the bathroom constantly but did expect to be going more then normal. I also had read reviews saying you feel lighter and more balanced... yea that was a no for this girl. 

I kept my eating mostly plant based and ate a ton of veggies and fruit occasionally. I also stayed away from anything processed and avoided carbs. The only time I cheated was in the morning to have steel cut oats because I was feeling I needed a little extra something to get my day started. 

Overall I'm not sure I would do it again, seeing as how I didn't have much luck with results. However I am glad I tried it and I can now say I have tried a whole body cleanse! I've been looking into a 3 day juice cleanse through Blueprint and will definitely keep you posted! 

Have you tried a cleanse before?

Yours truly, 

Weekend Report

Monday, monday we meet again. Please tell me everyone else hit the snooze button at least 4 times this morning? I had such a wonderful and relaxing weekend, I hardly made it out of bed this morning. It didn't help that there was a ridiculous amount of snow outside... yes the week of Easter. 

Friday I got out of work around 1 and headed to get new tires... not very exciting but I made the best of it. 

New Self and coconut water 

My 7 day cleanse only lasted 5 days- this was my plain old coffee I enjoyed on Saturday morning after a good gym session. It had been 6 days since I had coffee and it was amazing! Saturday I also went to meet a few friends to cheer on VCU. Unfortunately they lost but our fun did not stop there, we made a day out of it and headed to a local brewery to enjoy some live music, the warm weather, and few more beers. 

Sunday was up early for a Palm Sunday mass. 

I wrapped the weekend up with some hot sake and miso soup and also saw the new Olympus Has Fallen movie. The movie was SO good and I highly recommend you check it out!

Tomorrow I will be posting my review of my 5 day cleanse so stay posted!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Yours truly,

Friday Five + A Little Extra

Maybe it was the first day of spring which lead to spring fever, maybe it was the cleanse, or maybe it was the terrible cold weather but this week took forever! The days were beyond long and seemed like they would never end. each night I crawled into my bed exhausted and was asleep within minutes! Thank goodness it is Friday and I am lucky enough to be off this weekend! I'm also lucky enough to have a half day today, however not lucky enough that I will be spending my afternoon getting new tires... gross. Anyone else totally annoyed when it comes to spending money on their car? Unless I'm getting a new one, I find all things related to cars completely annoying to deal with. 

However for the rest of the weekend I have 0 plans and plan to thoroughly enjoy the weekend. The next few weekends are absolutely crazy so this will be a great chance to relax and prepare for the next upcoming weeks! Here's a few things that bought me joy this week...

I have been absolutely addicted to baths... lavender epsom baths to be exact. This week I took 3 but found that it was a wonderful way to wind down before bed.

Tuesday I had the day off and was lucky enough to have great weather for a run! I went for a run around my apartment and love all the history I am surrounded with. Afterwards, it was feet up for a little recovery action while the sun streamed in my apartment

A fun first day of spring party at work- complete with spring baskets, decorate your own cookie, and make your own stain glass 

A sweet and ripe dessert

Changing up my normal morning coffee routine to Yogi Chai Tea. 

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Yours truly, 

Things For Thursday

With the first day of spring yesterday, I seemed to have caught a case of spring shopping fever. Slightly upset I woke up to snow falling this morning? But eager to get some warm weather and new pieces for spring. Side note- when I wrote the title for this post, I completely wrote Wednesday Wish list, thinking it was Wednesday. Thank goodness today is Thursday, half day of work tomorrow and then this girl is off for the weekend! Here are a few things I spied this week.

Mildly obsessed with these gold rectangle highballers

LOVING this dress from F21. I have seen a few other bloggers that have ordered it and it looks adorable, great for dressing up with pair of nude heels or just out for a summer day.

How amazing is this dress from J.Crew factory?! And for only $55!

I'm a big hat wearer when it comes to laying on the beach and clearly this hat will be purchased before my beach getaway next month.

Also a necessity for sunny warmer weather.

Yours truly, 

A Day Off Midweek & Book Recommendations?

Every once in awhile I work a weekend or two out of the month, this past weekend happened to be one of them. Working on the weekends isn't the most ideal situation but its part of the job and I love my job so wouldn't have it any other way. The good part about working the weekend is getting a mid week break, which is what I will be enjoying today!

 Not too much planned today other then cleaning, laundry, and of course a trip to B&N (Barnes and Noble, for those of you that don't know that's my weakness.) Most would say that sounds like a pretty boring day but I am looking forward to a clean house, fresh laundry, and feeling recharged for the rest of the week.  

Today while I am at B&N I plan to try and find a new book. Last book I read was Gone Girl and while I did like it, I wasn't obsessed with it. What books have you read lately?

Also here's a quick cleanse update: 

Yesterday I woke up took my 2 pills and mixed powder drink.

 For breakfast I had greek yogurt with strawberries and a kiwi. 

Lunch was 1 cup of chickpeas and edamame tossed together. 

Afternoon snack included 1/4 an apple with a bit of almond butter. 

Dinner was boiled cabbage and 1/4 an apple with again a dab of almond butter. 

Overall I was not a fan of yesterday- I felt tired, sluggish, and had a headache all day. I am thinking it could have been a number of things but mostly a caffeine withdrawal. I normally have about 2-3 cups of coffee a day and had none all day yesterday- it was rough. 

I am hoping for a better day today and plan on drinking a ton of water!

Yours truly,

Here Goes Nothing... 7 Day Cleanse

Today's title kinda gives away today's topic... that's right ladies... I am doing a cleanse. I've wanted to try a cleanse for some time now but have never gotten up the actual courage to do it. Last week one of my best friends did a cleanse and inspired me to try the same one this week!

This is the cleanse I will be trying for the next 7 days- Whole Foods Brand 365 7 Day Quick Cleanse. 

It is a whole body cleanse and is broken down into 3 steps- 2 pills and a drink in the morning and 3 pills and another drink at night. You are allowed to eat while on the cleanse but they do tell you to eat as healthy and as clean as possible. I made sure to stock up on lots of fruits and veggies and more green tea. The cleanse says to try and eliminate alcohol and caffeine while trying it out... easier said then done when I have a dose of each everyday, well almost. 

I know there are a lot of controversies over cleanses and if they really benefit you or not and while I can see how people may think their bit extreme, I also can see the benefits. I think it will feel great to rid my body of all the toxins it comes in contact with on a daily basis, and that's coming from someone who eats a pretty clean diet as is. The truth is, someone was in town this past week, which lead to me barely making it to the gym and indulging in way too many unhealthy meals and snacks. I am looking at this cleanse as a way to get back on track and possibly even motivate me to make healthier decisions when its over. I will be sure to give updates throughout the week on how things are going and I'm also going to try and remember to check my weight throughout the week to see if anything is fluctuating. 

As for this past weekend... unfortunately I worked both Saturday and Sunday but I did manage to sneak in some fun...(good thing this cleanse has a liver cleanse as well, mine may have taken a hit this weekend)

Starting the weekend off with a Laughing Dog

Beer tasting with friends at a local brewery- Center of The Universe in Ashland. 

Ending the weekend in a cozy bath with my favorite candle burning. 

Yours truly,

Sunday Sayings

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yours truly,

Weekend

Happy Weekend loves!

Yours truly,

Friday Five

Happy Friday Y'all! TGIF. This week was SO slow and I am lucky enough to have the day off! Unfortunately I will be heading in to work tomorrow and Sunday but I plan to enjoy the day off as much as possible. Here's a few things that added a little something extra to my week...

Breakfast gets a lot better when it includes homemade blackberry jelly from your grandmother! Along with all natural almond butter- this was an easy go to for the week. 

My girls getaway has been booked! I am beyond excited to announce that this girl will be headed to the beaches of NC in April, along with my 2 girlfriends. Let's hope its warm enough to lay out because I need a tan!

I picked up this mask while perusing the store and absolutely loved it! My face felt so smooth and refreshed afterwards, I highly recommend it!

A fresh bouquet of lilies, my favorite!

A mid-day manicure treat. I promise my nails are not white, its a light pink color! I also do not think I will ever master the art of taking a good picture of my nails, my hands always look awkward taking this picture. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Yours truly, 

Em

Thursday Wish List- Bar Set Up

Happy Thursday Y'all. Almost to Friday and even better then being a Friday... its pay day! Please tell me how I work full time, and yes I do support myself but I mean the way I countdown to pay day, you would think I am poor. This girl could use some finance classes ASAP. I do have a few trips coming up that I budgeting for but also have a few things on my wish list for this paycheck...

For a long time now I have been wanting to make a small bar table in my apartment. I think it would add a great touch and I have the perfect little spot that could use a pick me up. I recently found this table while perusing at Target and think its the perfect size and base for my bar set up.

As for tray options, I have a couple in mind:

Now for the classes to put in my tray, I found these great gold rim tall glasses on sale at Anthropologie and can't wait to pick them up

They are super simple but I love that about them and think they will look great with the gold trays. 

Further necessities:

A simple yet sophisticated gold shaker

An orchid for decoration and touch of femininity amongst the black and gold. 

Gold dot cocktail napkins to compliment

And with this print mounted on the wall above, I think the look will be complete!

That completes the look for my future bar table set up! 

How would you arrange your bar table?

Yours truly, 

Em