Hello hello sweet friends,

Happy Full Moon and Partial Lunar Eclipse Day! Do you feel the energies shifting? I sure do, and I feel particularly called right now to spend some extra time really tuning in to my heart, breathing more deeply, and surrendering more fully. Phew, we’re in the final stretch of this marathon of a year, and I’m just feeling grateful for the holiday season. It obviously looks different this year, but it’s still a very necessary reminder that love, joy, and magic can always be found on the other side of the darkness.

I hope your Thanksgiving was as cozy, warm, and sweet as you hoped for. We did a super mini one with just my mom, grandma, and myself because that’s our little quarantine bubble. I normally invite at least one of my best friends over, so this year’s holiday was certainly smaller and quieter, but I think it was exactly what we all needed.

So today we’ve got a lot of goodness because it’s been a while since I’ve shared what I’m up to with you guys!

Firstly, I thought I would share some of the delicious eats I enjoyed over the past couple weeks, including Thanksgiving dishes of course. Don’t sleep on these recipes, by the way. I’ve been making them for upwards of 7 years now, and they’re true gems. I also have discovered small tweaks to make each of them even better, so be sure to read the blurbs below!

Additionally, I’ve been feeling really grateful for movement, particularly as the days are getting shorter and colder, and being outside is not quite as fun as it was in the summer months. So we’ve got some great workouts down there. As always, I tend to do a wide variety of workouts week to week, ranging from yoga to hiit to strength training to Pilates. I never set a schedule in advance and instead just listen to what my body is craving that day, and I always take at least 1-3 days off from intense workouts. Take what works for you; leave the rest. <3

Finally, I’ve got some gems I wanted to share with you that I recently listened to and just really loved. You’ll find those in the Favorites.

 

Alright, without further ado, let’s jump in. Eats first!

Eats

Cornbread

I’ve used this recipe for years now, except I have never made it exactly according to the instructions because I always felt like I could make it healthier. Well, at this point, I don’t even really care what the original taste like because my version has become a beloved classic on the table. I think super sweet and super buttery cornbread certainly has its time and place, but I just prefer my Thanksgiving cornbread a little lighter to leave room for other deliciousness (like the upcoming recipe!).

So for this one, here are my substitutions. I always use spelt flour instead of white. Instead of the full amount of sugar, I do 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey, which makes it PLENTY sweet. And I replace half of the butter with applesauce. I’ll bet this cornbread would be REALLY divine baked in a cast-iron skillet (which is currently my biggest cookware desire hehe), but it’s also super delicious toasted the next day.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Confession: I have never made a “real” pumpkin pie. The traditional kind, with the crust, and the whipped cream, and all that. I’ve had it, though, and it’s certainly delicious when prepared well. But we’ve loved this recipe for years, and it’s honestly so EASY and perfectly light after our giant Thanksgiving meal, so why fix what ain’t broken? No substitutions with this one. Just know that it’s definitely more of a custard, and it doesn’t rise much. However, I promise it tastes really really good, and if you’re open to trying something different, give this a go. Also awesome on non-Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Sauce

Another one I have perfected over the years to our tastes. At this point, my recipe is as follows. 4.5 cups fresh cranberries, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice, 3/4-1 cup water, 3 half cinnamon sticks. It always takes longer for me to cook than the recipe says too, so definitely keep an eye on it and take it slow. This one’s good to make while you’re working on prepping other dishes.

Fall Kale Salad

I can’t tell you how much I was craving a good autumn kale salad. I knew exactly what I wanted in it, too, so I didn’t want to find a recipe. However, I did find recipes for the various parts of the salad, and it turned out marvelous.

Essentially it was 2 big bunches kale (stripped from the stems), these spicy maple roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts (I just used the part of the recipe relating to the veggies), these DIVINE maple candied pecans, a few handfuls dried cranberries, and goat cheese crumble. For the dressing, I used the one from this recipe, and it was great. I pretty much eyeballed all of the ingredients when assembling the salad, as there’s no going wrong. This was so good. I actually made another batch a few days ago, so we’ve been eating kale salad for about 5 days now, and it hasn’t gotten old hehe. Also, those maple candied nuts are incredible as a sweet treat too.

Duck Confit

I found this recipe for my mom, and she prepped some duck legs using it exactly, and it was amazing. I’m not too big on meat dishes, but trust me when I say, this is one of the best meat dishes I had. It tastes like something straight out of a French restaurant, and though it takes a while to cook, it’s incredibly easy and virtually fool-proof.

Roasted Butternut Squash

I had some leftover butternut squash after the kale salad, so I roasted it up using this recipe, and I will definitely be adding this to the arsenal of classic dependable recipes. So so good and easy.

 

Movement

Kickboxing + Upper Body Strength + Yoga Workout – one of my all-time faves for an upper body + cardio burn

38 Minute HIIT Workout – another fave. Don’t underestimate this one. Amazing when you’re short on time but want to really sweat it out.

Solo dance party in my room (basically me jamming out to this playlist for like 30 minutes or so) + this 20 minute obliques Pilates routine

Yoga for Creating Space + Return Yoga + Be Kind Yoga – this felt so so necessary for my body and soul on this day

16 minute hiit workout + this INSANE 30 minute thigh Pilates routine (I’m not kidding with this one)

1 hour power yoga flow – perfect blend of challenging and stretchy. Love power yoga.

Long walk with my mom and dog along the beach near my house – I think we walked for almost 4 hours, but neither of us felt tired because it was honestly so recharging, and the views were beautiful. We did need to take turns carrying the pupper after around 2 hours though. 🙂

 

Favorites {Inspiration & Laughs)

How to Live Your Most Creative Life with Elizabeth Gilbert and Marie Forleo – I have adored Liz Gilbert for years now, and I am a new fan of Marie’s. This conversation is pure gold, and I highly recommend if you’re also curious about creativity and/or are currently struggling with feeling uninspired.

Inside Rainn Wilson’s House on AD – Yep, still loving those AD videos, and I’m so grateful for their continuing to come out even in these crazy times. Can we just talk about what a sweetie Rainn is? I also find it adorable how much he loves The Office and Dwight. 🙂

4 Things Really Productive People Do Every Day – Like I said, I’ve been really into Marie Forleo lately, and she has an incredible arsenal of short and super helpful (and hilarious!) videos on her YouTube Channel MarieTV. Highly recommend checking out the whole library. I’m slowly working my way through, and will definitely share the ones that particularly resonate!

73 Questions with Harry Styles SPOOF by Jimmy Fallon – I couldn’t. stop. laughing. Jimmy is a national treasure, and it was ridiculous how on-point this was. Watch if you need a good laugh. 😀

I think we have a boy turkey – Okay I’m just going to leave you with this one because my boyfriend sent this to me on Thanksgiving, and I thought it was hilarious. 🙂

 

And that’s all for me today, loves! Take care of yourselves, and remember to breathe deeply.

Lots of love. xx