Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! I am SO looking forward to the long weekend. It has been raining non-stop here in southern California (which we need), but I'm looking forward to some sunshine. As always, I'm linking up with Shay for my Friday Favorites.

1. In my quest to eat healthier (see related post here), I have been trying different salads from Trader Joe's for lunch daily. I had this Sriracha tuna salad yesterday and it was amazing! I love spicy foods, and most foods I come across that are labeled as "hot" or "spicy" rarely are to me, but this one does not disappoint.

2. I am in the middle of researching kitchen remodeling (I will be putting in granite counters and a backslash), so I have been in the middle of Pinterest-pinning mania. I came across the cutest idea for the kitchen-- a little coffee bar! How perfect is this?  I also fell in love with the three jars pictured, so I broke down and ordered them. What can I say...although they are pricey they are too pretty. You can find them here (they come in three sizes).

 

Photo credit:  farahmerhi_ 

3. For those of you who live in L.A., DineLA starts today through the 27th. It's a great opportunity to try fabulous restaurants for lunch and dinner at a reduced price (lunch prices are $15-$25 per person; dinner prices are $29-$95 per person). Some of my favorites that I'd recommend are: The Little Door, Red O, Rock Sugar, Osteria Mama, Bouchon, and Pizzeria Mozza. For a complete list of participating restaurants, go here.

4. And speaking of restaurants, I had brunch at Le Petit Paris, which is located in downtown and is featured as part of DineLA. I love all things French (I studied abroad in Marseille for 6 months my senior year of undergrad), so I was super excited to try a French brunch place. It did not disappoint. If you are there, you must try  the truffle omelette and the French toast (pictured below).  YUM!

5. And finally, Nashville is back...but this time on the CMT channel. I am so glad CMT decided to pick up the show. Although the story line is sometimes a bit too soapy for my taste, I LOVE the music.

Have a great weekend!

Workin’ It Wednesdays Series

Today, I am linking up with Shay for her new monthly "Workin' It Wednesdays" series.

Today's topic: New Year's Goals. This is so timely for me, as I sat down last night and wrote my goals for the year in my Erin Condren planner. Here are my goals for the year:

1. Become more fitness minded. In the past year, my fitness routine has slacked off a bit due to a hectic schedule and more work travel. I started this goal on Monday and I am using the My Fitness Pal app to keep myself accountable. I love that it tracks calories and exercise, and it even "talks" to my Fitbit app and logs the number of steps I complete each day as exercise. My goal is to exercise five days a week. I find that when I have a regular exercise schedule, I sleep better, feel better, and have more energy. If you use the app too and are on a health journey like me, feel free to add me as a friend! I find it motivating. My user name is jmaboud. :)

2. And on a related note, my second goal is to eat better. This again ties in to feeling better. When I eat less processed food and junk food, I find that I feel better and sleep better. " If I don't find it in nature, I won't eat it" will be my mantra for eating in 2017 (at least 80% of the time). ;) I love any and all salads, so lately I've been having a salad with some kind of lean protein for lunch.

3. Sleep more! I am really bad at getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep per day. I will be using my Fitbit app to help me track my sleep.

4. Stick to my budget! I found an app I love that I am using for this. It's called Pennies. You simply set your budget and then track your purchases. It also breaks down how much money you have left to spend daily, monthly, etc.

5. Read more. My goal is to read at least one book per month. I started Book 2 of the Neapolitan Novels, The Story of a New Name, last night.

 

Have a great day!

2017 Golden Globes Fashion

I love awards season, and even more so when I've seen the majority of the films and TV shows that year. This year, I was rooting for The People vs OJ Simpson and Stranger Things. And given that La La Land won so big, I'm planning on seeing it this weekend before the Oscars.

Here are my favorite gowns from last night's ceremony. Who were your favorites? Was anyone robbed? Did you love Meryl's speech? And what was up with all the man beards? Comment below...I'd love to hear!

Happy Monday!

2016 Year in Review

I'm still getting used to writing 2017. Here's a look back at my 2016 by month. I enjoyed the travels and events along the way.

January - Participated in my gym's annual Boot Camp.  So motivating!  Started eating more healthfully.  I also finally caved in and joined Snap Chat.  I'm sure I will regret the latter one day.  #soaddiciting

February - Visited Lake Arrowhead.

March - Baby shower fun and other events with friends.

April - The month of Broadway. I saw Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots with friends, followed by dinner at Eva Longoria's restaurant Beso in Hollywood.

May - My best friend visited me from Phoenix.  My mom also visited and we took strolls around the neighborhood, enjoying the longer days and warmer weather.

June - Visited the Getty Villa in Malibu.

July - Finally did the Warner Brother's Studio tour in Burbank (I felt like such a tourist!) and attended a Conan Show taping. AND I was Peet's coffee customer of the week and was rewarded with free coffee for a week. #personalmilestone ;)

August - I was off to San Francisco for work (and some play!). Loved all the independent coffee shops there. Also attended the L.A. Food and Wine Festival in downtown. Yum!

September - Viewed the Dali sculptures in Beverly Hills.

October - Visited my best friend in Phoenix. Enjoyed Fall. Carved my Halloween pumpkins.

November - Traveled to Boston for work.  It's my second favorite east coast city after NYC.

December - Traveled to Boston for work (again) and then wrapped up the year at my parent's house for Christmas.

Wishing you health and happiness in 2017!