Who is still in denial that we are already in September? Don’t get me wrong, I’m feeling quite excited about fall and a change in the seasons, but also time is moving so fast I sometimes feel I can’t keep up.

Just me?

I know it’s been a while since I’ve come to you with one of these posts, and I am currently working on a post to kind of explain where I’ve been and what you should be expecting on here from now on. I’m thinking I’ll put that one out next week, but today it’s all about the frivolity of fun foods, movement, and random favorites I really want to share with you.

I thought about writing that post first and doing this one the week after, but quite frankly, there are TOO MANY recipes + workouts + random things I’ve been loving that I’ve been holding in my head for way too long, and I really want to share them! That’s what having a blog is for, right? 😉

Let’s jump in.

 

Eats

Zucchini Mac and Cheese

This is the second time I made this recipe. I used shells (best shape for mac and cheese) and again I added my own spin on it by adding a bunch more spices (I did Everything but the Bagel Seasoning, 21 Seasoning Salute, paprika, and everything else was from the recipe), adding sautéed balsamic brussels sprouts (my FAVE in mac and cheese), and doing a mix of cheeses since I had a bunch left over from cheese plates. I think I did two kinds of cheddar and one goat gouda. YUM! Mom and I devoured this in 2 days, and it was dreamy with a cold glass of Sav Blanc. We fancy like that. 😉

Zucchini Bread Pancakes

Shared these countless times before, but made them recently after a couple months of not, and….yep, they’re still my fave pancakes ever. If not for that pesky step of shredding the zucchini, I’d probably make these every week. Oh and my personal spin is I use half spelt flour half oat flour, and I always top them with almond butter and maple syrup. You are so welcome.

 

Devocion Iced Coffee

I recently found myself in Williamsburg for the first time this year, and first of all, I was very pleasantly surprised by how safe it felt (in the social distancing way). All the shops and restaurants seem to have really taken all the guidelines to heart (this is true about most of NYC thankfully), but also it’s so much less crowded than it’s ever been. Can’t say I’m mad about not having to sidestep crowds of people just to get to the other side of the block.

Anyway. Devocion is one of my absolute favorite coffee places in NYC, and obviously, I had to get an iced coffee with oat milk when I was in the area. Literally, it was one of the best things that I’ve ingested in all of quarantine LOL. That’s a bold claim, but seriously, their coffee is unreal. And because I couldn’t resist, I purchased a bag of their beans to make French Press coffee with (already tried once, and it was heavenly).

So Delicious Oat Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream

My mom and I have been loving this ice cream. I was surprised because I’m not always a sea salt caramel fan, and I just felt like it would be too much going on to have that combined with chocolate, but I don’t know, it’s phenomenal. Might be the oat milk too. Oat milk can do no wrong.

Halo Top Brownie Batter Popsicles

Another very pleasantly surprising ice cream find. I like Halo Top well enough, but their ice creams do sometimes have that off-putting artificial taste that I don’t love. These popsicles, though, have none of that. They just taste like cold chocolatey perfection, particularly satisfying on hot summer days. Highly recommend if you see this in your neighborhood supermarket.

Pizza

Can you believe when I say we got our first order of takeout pizza in all of quarantine, only this past weekend? Before that, the only pizza we’ve been eating was the TJ’s cauliflower crust cheese pizza (that I always doctor up with different toppings) and the Simple Mills almond flour pizza dough (LOVE!!!) also with similar toppings.

But we hadn’t had LEGIT pizza in so long, and my mom and I had a simultaneous intense craving for it this past Sunday, so obviously we had to get it from a small Brooklyn joint nearby. Hit. The. Spot. Especially eaten cold the next day dipped in hummus (is that weird?)

Apple Sharlotka (Russian Apple Pie)

I don’t know how many of you know this, but I’m actually Russian (born here, but my family is all from Russia, and I’m fully fluent). I grew up eating a lot of Russian foods, including this here “Russian apple pie” that’s actually nothing at all like American apple pie except it also contains apples. I actually think this pie is far superior to the American version, both in terms of flavor and texture and also ease of preparation. I decided to try my hand at making this very traditional dish, using a new recipe because I trust Deborah. Well, you guys. My family was HEAD OVER HEELS for it. The best moment was when my Russian grandmother, who literally NEVER eats sweets, inhaled 1.5 slices and told me to make this again immediately. Oh and she does NOT just say that, so I’d say this was a major win.

 

Movement

Running – Okay this is a shocker for me too, but I’ve started running once a week (as of 3 weeks now), and it’s honestly so great. I’ve never really been much of a runner, averaging around 2 runs a year. But it’s been a really lovely way to get extra fresh air and just feel FREE (isn’t that something so many of us are craving right now?). I don’t have any particular goals with running; I honestly just run until it’s no longer fun, but yesterday I did my longest run EVER, which was 7 miles, and I honestly was very impressed with myself. I do not see this becoming a weekly thing though LOL.

Power Yoga – I’ve been loving power yoga to break up my hiit and running during the week for a low impact workout that still makes me sweat and makes me feel super strong. This hour-long routine was awesome.

HIIT + Pilates – 32 minute hiit + Abs butt thigh Pilates routine (I know I share this hiit routine all the time but combined with this Pilates burner, it was KILLER. I was sore for 2 days.)

Yoga (stretching)– Hip opening yoga flow + yoga for splits + this 10 minute stretching routine

Dance parties + abs – I’ve been loving this combo around once a week when I need a good shake-it-out sesh. I turn on this playlist and dance around all crazy until I get tired of it, and then I do an abs routine for as long as I want. Makes for an awesome workout, and most recently . Most recently, this ab routine really kicked my butt.

 

What I’m Loving Lately

Skincare Research

This is so random, but lately I have gotten really into looking up all the skincare things because I’m trying to revamp my routine a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve tried something new, and while some of my products are almost finished, I’m not feeling in love with them enough to repurchase. So, I’ve been diving deep into the world of clean beauty and trying to figure out what I actually want to splurge on. If anyone has recommendations for blemish-prone combination skin, lemme know! Also when does one start an anti-aging routine?? I’m clueless.

The Alchemist

I have definitely written about this book on here before. Apart from Harry Potter, it is absolutely my favorite book and probably one of the most life-changing ones I’ve ever read. I read it twice when I was studying abroad, and it actually served as the impetus for my solo trip to Seville, Spain. I recently decided to start rereading it as my first foray into fiction during quarantine (literally could not concentrate on fiction books before this), and of course it’s been marvelous. It’s one of those books you really need to read at the right time, and it feels like now is the right time for me again.

The Lively Show

I’ve sung praises to this podcast in the past, and I recently decided to go through all the episodes I listened to last year when I was studying abroad and listen to them again. For a full year (2017), Jess released episodes that are all about flow, alignment, intuition, and law of attraction. There is so much content, and I remember when I was abroad it just really really resonated and felt so aligning to listen to. Now, when I again find myself in a strikingly similar situation of having more time on my hands and less external responsibilities, I felt called to pull these episodes out again. I’ve mostly been listening to one episode a day while on my walks, and it’s just been really lovely. If you are interested in the woo woo spiritual stuff and prefer a more practical approach to it or if you just feel a bit lost and want to feel less alone, I really highly recommend it.

 

There you guys have it. I’ll chat with you really soon with that update post I mentioned above, but until then, have a magical joyful week. Lots of love. xx