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Yearly Archives: 2020
How to Layer Tops in Winter
Happy Friday!! I’m so ready for this 3 day weekend! I have TWO girls’ nights planned and a relaxing Sunday with my boyfriend on the schedule so far. I’m also hoping to tackle some blog work and little tasks around the house. Hopefully, it will be a good combo of fun, relaxing, and productive.
Living in a warmer climate during winter months, usually means I plan lots of layered outfits. Our Houston weather can go from 80 to 50 in a day, and cold outdoors usually means cranked up heat indoors. To create the perfect layered look, I want all the pieces to work well together and stand alone if need be. Keep reading for a few of my tips on how to layer tops in winter months.
A white button up blouse is a great starter layer underneath a sweater. It gives a polished and professional look. If you get to hot, you can easily remove this layer and go with just the sweater. You can also opt to remove the sweater and go with just the white button up, but I find sometimes sweaters leave behind lint on a white top.
A loose fit sweater is the perfect middle layer. I look for sweaters that will easily fit over another top and not show any possible bunching or shirt buttons. I also just prefer looser layers for a more comfortable fit. This sweater has a boxy fit and is the perfect amount of loose to fit over my button up blouse. It’s also a good length so that the white peaks out just enough at the bottom.
My final layer is some type of outer layer like coat, jacket or cardigan. A layer that can be easily removed or kept on depending on the temp. I choose my outerlayer based on the outside temp and where I’m headed. For a night out with friends, I usually opt for a jacket, and for work, typically a cardigan. Any time the weather is dipping in the low 50s or lower, I grab a coat.
My Club Monaco trench coat was a semi-splurge find a few years ago. I found it on sale during Black Friday which brought it more to my price range. A classic trench coat is must have for any closet. It works with both professional and casual looks and keeps you warm. Sometimes when I’m feeling a little extra, I will do the no arms off the shoulder look, usually at events and parties with no coat check. I think this works well with trench coats and blazers, not so much thick wool coats.
There you go, pretty simple and easy. Hopefully this also including items you already have in your closet! Hope ya’ll have a fabulous weekend! Thanks for swinging by this week!
| OUTFIT DETAILS |
Similar Trench Coat | Olive Green Sweater | Similar White Button Up Blouse | Bootcut Jeans | Tan Suede Heels | c/o Pink Tassel Hoop Earrings
Photography By: LA Photography
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12 Healthy Lunch Ideas for Quick and Easy Meal Prep
As I mentioned in my 2020 goals post, I’m hoping to re-focus on adding more nutritious meals back into my week. One key way to stay on track with this goal is with my lunch meal prep. It’s so easy these days to order any kind of takeout that you want and have it delivered to you in less than an hour. Meal prepping helps make sure I always have a healthy and filling option at my finger tips to prevent reaching for fast food lunches. I’m always on the hunt for new healthy lunch ideas for meal prep Sunday.
Over the past year, I snapped some of the meals I prepped that worked with my quick and easy needs and reheated well. I always try to include a large serving of vegetables in my most of my meals. Many meals include a small source of animal protein, although I do occasionally make vegetarian and vegan lunch options too.
My meal prep strategy is to bulk prep for the entire month in one or two days. I pick about 4 different meals and prep about 20 lunches. I mainly use these containers from Amazon, but I also use these 3 sector ones on occasion. Since all the meals I prep are frozen after cooked, I look for freezer-friendly recipes and food. I find sturdy vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes freeze best. A few other freezer friendly favorites are kale and asparagus.
When bulk meal prepping, I try to pick 1-2 easy recipes like cut up chicken sausage with roasted vegetables that can be quickly prepped along side 1-2 more complex dishes like kung pao chicken or lentil meatballs. I will bulk bake chicken breasts and roast and saute vegetables that can be used across all meals. To save more time, I use frozen vegetables like green beans and okra that don’t need to be chopped and pre-cooked. Another easy way to build up my frozen meal prep supply is to freeze dinner leftovers. If a recipe says it makes 4-6 servings, I will save 2-3 of those to eat for dinner and freeze the leftovers in lunch sized portions.
I have found a few tried and true recipes that I like and tend to rotate through these throughout the months. If you are looking to give lunch meal prepping a try, scroll through for some of my healthy lunch ideas for meal prep. I also included links to some of the recipes where available. If you would like more meal prep tips, check out my full post of meal prep tips HERE.
KUNG PAO CHICKEN (recipe) WITH OVEN ROASTED BROCCOLI
NAKED CHICKEN WITH OVEN ROASTED MIXED VEGETABLES
CHICKEN MARSALA (recipe) WITH ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND DIJON AND BALSAMIC COATED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
ROMESCO CHICKEN (sauce recipe) WITH SAUTEED KALE AND MUSHROOMS
CHICKEN PICATTA (sauce recipe from this book) WITH FROZEN OKRA AND ROASTED ASPARAGUS
MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN (recipe) WITH ROASTED CARROTS AND SAUTEED KALE
TURKEY CURRY MEATBALLS WITH CREAM SAUCE (recipe from this book I add mushrooms) WITH FROZEN VEGETABLES
GROUND TURKEY AND VEGETABLES IN MARINARA SAUCE WITH ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
CHICKEN SAUSAGE WITH SAUTEED LACINATO KALE AND ONIONS
SAUTEED SHRIMP WITH SAVORY OATS (steel cut oats cooked in vegetable broth) AND SPINACH
LENTIL MEATBALLS WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE (inspired by this recipe) WITH ROASTED CARROTS AND BROCCOLI
SAVORY OATS (steel cut oats cooked in vegetable broth) TOPPED WITH SPINACH, ONIONS, AND MUSHROOMS
Affordable Red Puffer Coat
Hello friends! How was your weekend? My Saturday was filled with all the activities, and Sunday was a relaxing-ish day at home. I did laundry, some cleaning, and blog work, but I also managed to get in some me time. All in my cozy loungewear of course. It was a good balance of fun, relaxation, and productivity.
In November, my boyfriend and I attended my first Aggie football game. A few days before, the weather changed and was predicted to be a little chilly, so I started searching for a maroon coat that would arrive quickly. I also didn’t want to spend too much since I didn’t think I’d wear it too much outside of the game. My search lead me to this affordable red puffer coat. The color on the site makes it look more dark maroon, but I think it has a more dark red with a hint of maroon coloring to it.
It was perfect for the game! It kept me warm but not hot. It has a lightweight feel and isn’t bulky which I really liked. It’s also packable and folds up super small which is perfect for this over-packer! For the price, I think the quality is really good. For size reference, I went with the XS. It’s a perfect fit with a thinner top underneath. For a thicker sweater, I would probably need to go up one size.
To keep this look pretty casual, I paired my puffer coat with my gray slip on sneakers and matching gray mini backpack. My lightweight turtleneck is perfect underneath my coat and I love the stripes paired against the red. This turtleneck is such a great basic staple to have in your closet. I wear mine under cardigans and sweaters, and paired with skirts for work. I like that it’s thin but not see through.
Hope ya’ll have a great day and see ya’ll back here later this week!
| OUTFIT DETAILS |
Dark Red Puffer Coat | Striped Turtleneck Top | Dark Wash Jeans | Similar Slip On Sneakers | c/o Mini Gray Backpack Purse | c/o Gold Stud Earrings
Photography By: LA Photography
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Beauty Trials: Tatcha The Essence
Get ready ya’ll because I have lots of beauty content coming at you over the next couple months. I spent so much of last year trying out different products and routines, and I can’t wait to share with you!
I’m kicking my 2020 beauty off with review of Tatcha The Essence. It’s a new to me product and brand. A friend first told me about the Tatcha brand and how much they loved their products. I decided to try out one of the more popular products from Tatcha, The Essence.
If you have never heard of the Tatcha brand before, here’s a little backtstory. Tatcha was founded by Victoria Tsai after a chance encounter with a modern-day geisha that changed her skin. She learned classical Japanese beauty secrets passed down by generations that took a less is more approach to skincare. She learned that the foundation of a geisha’s beauty ritual is rooted in a trio of powerful nutrients—green tea, rice, and algae. She combined what she learned and a little science to create the Tatcha line.
What is Tatcha The Essence?
It’s a water like product filled with anti-aging Japanese superfoods that will help hydrate, smooth, and resurface the skin. All of which should also help your other skincare products work better.
Why I wanted to try this out?
I’m a big fan of my micro-needling tool which helps open up your skin and allow skincare products to seep in deeper and work better. While reading about Tatcha The Essence, it sounded like it might do something similar with just a few splashes of the product on my face. Plus during winter, I need all the hydration help!
How do I use it?
I currently only use this in the evening, but you can use it both morning and night. After I wash my face, I pour about 1/4 teaspoon into the palm of my hand. I use my fingers to lightly apply the water onto my face. Then, I use my fingers to lightly press the water into my face and spread around to make sure I cover my entire face. I let it soak in for a minute or two and follow up with my serums and moisturizers.
My Results
I have noticed an improvement in hydration of my skin. Winter is typically when my skin is a little drier, and I use extra moisturizer. I haven’t really had to do that while using this product. I also think it helped my skin survive the chaos of the holidays. All the yummy food, sugar, and alcohol that happens during the holiday season usually takes a small toll on my skin with redness, unevenness, and breakouts. I used this all of December and didn’t really have any skin inflammation issues during the holidays. I noticed a more even skintone and less fine lines with use of this product. I think this is probably a combo of the product plus it helping my serums work a little extra.
Overall, I’m planning to keep using this product and will probably make it a regular in my winter skincare routine. Hope ya’ll enjoyed my Tatcha The Essence review and that ya’ll are liking the Beauty Trials series! I’m looking forward to continuing it this year!
SHOP THE PRODUCT
