Current Faves: Quarantine Week 9

Happy Fri-yay my friends! It is Friday, right?

I’m not the most reliable source to tell you these days. But even though every day is starting to feel like the same day with a few variants, Fridays are still exciting for me.

Before we dive into this week’s edition of Favorites, who is still under quarantine? I know there’s a split, and today is the day where New York is starting to go “off pause” in certain regions. As expected, we’ll still be on lock down here in New York City until further notice.

We’re wrapping up Week 9 in quarantine around our neck of the woods, and we’re holding on to whatever sanity we can find. Lucky for me, there’s a beautiful and huge park nearby that offers a daily refuge for sunshine, fresh air, and tons of green areas to explore and exercise.

One of my favorite places to be this week has been right on this running loop. The best time to take a stroll is always in the spring or fall, right when the leaves show up or start to change colors. It really is stunning, especially for being in the middle of city-life with endless buildings, cars, and crowds on the outside.

Fresh air is high up there on my list of recent highlights, and today we’re covering some of the other good things about the week. I would love to hear about something that has brightened your week, or something that you’re looking forward to for the weekend, too!

Here we go …

CURRENT FAVES — QUARANTINE Week 9

• the perfect running weather

To tack on to what I mentioned above, the weather in Brooklyn this week has been on point. The lows have been in the fifties (but sunny) and the highs are getting into the eighties today. It’s finally feeling like springtime, and it’s a beautiful thing.

This time of year ties with fall for me, as it’s the perfect weather to lace up your running shoes and hit the pavement. It just makes the miles go by faster when it’s nice out, ya know?

It may be the weather talking for me, but I think I might actually start training for a half marathon again. Do I think there will be a race anytime soon here in New York City? Not really. But I sure have been loving my longer runs, and it couldn’t be a better time to run for breaks of fresh air while we’re still encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible. Stay tuned on that!

• this baked honey mustard chicken recipe

I shared a sneak peek of this one on Instagram, and I had a lot of interest on it. Scott made baked honey mustard chicken a few nights ago, and it was so, so good. (And this is coming from a girl who doesn’t usually like mustard!)

It was accompanied by a side of mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts (cooked in the instant pot — here’s a similar recipe), and I couldn’t wait to dig into the leftovers the next day. Do yourself a favor and make all of it. You won’t regret it!

• toddler bed life

We’ve been working on a few important milestones with Skyler during quarantine, and transitioning him into his toddler bed is one of them. Unlike most kiddos his age (from what I hear), he hates his crib and refuses to be in it alone. He was doing fine going to bed on his own several months ago, but something changed, and he started to scream anytime he woke up in it without one of us there.

We figured we’d give a transition a go to see if he was still scared of it, and it’s been such a good move. We’re still working on getting him to go to sleep on his own again, but he will at least lay down in it — which is a big step.

There are times where we have to lay with him (lol), but I’d still consider it a good step in the right direction. Fingers crossed that he gets more independent here. Now onto the beginning of potty training … prayers are welcomed!

• monster salads

Monster salads are making a comeback y’all! I tend to go through phases of loving salads and then needing a break from them, but I’ve been all about a big plate of greens and goodies this week.

With the weather warming up, I like to add more fruit to my salads, too. This one includes the perfect amount of crunch with sesame sticks, pumpkin seeds, too. (Also pictured is a Moscow mule — we are diving face first into warmer weather food and drink inspiration around here!)

• living room forts

Are you even quarantining if you haven’t made at least one loaf of banana bread and one fort in the living room?

I found out that my fort-making skills have weakened over the years, so I’ve been leaving it to the boys to set up something sturdy for us to enjoy for a day or two at a time. It’s been so fun!

But, of course, that comes with some exclusions. Lucky for me, I got an exclusive invitation for the latest VIP showing of Frozen II earlier this week and hopped on the opportunity to join the crew for a watch party.

It’s the little things that make your days during the madness, right?

• latest workouts

Here’s a look into what last week’s workouts looked like. I generally take a long walk with Skyler and Roadie every morning, so I should mention that, too.

The past week included several strength workouts, all 30 minutes or less. This has been my sweet spot during this time of shelter-in-place, and I’ll take it for now. I sure am missing the gym, but it’s also been nice to slow down and revisit more Pilates and barre-inspired workouts that I love and tend to forget about.

Friday: REST after that extra long run the day before.

Saturday: 30-Minute Calorie-Torching HIIT Workout With Weights via POPSUGAR (ohhh man, this one was good and had me seriously sweaty.)

Sunday: 30-Minute Butt and Abs Pilates Bikini Workout via POPSUGAR (one of my go-tos that moves fast and really targets those areas!)

Monday: REST

Tuesday: 4 mile run through the park

Wednesday: 15 Minute Backyard Bodyweight Workout — short and sweet!

Thursday: 25-Minute Pilates Workout via POPSUGAR (this one wasn’t super challenging, but was a nice low-impact option.)

I’m planning on getting a run in later today, so it should be a well-rounded week with a variety of workouts. Also worth noting, it’s funny how much the intensity can vary with POPSUGAR Fitness workouts. They’re clearly a channel that I like to frequent, and I really appreciate the free content. I will say, however, that you never really know what you’re going to get level-wise. Two videos could be labeled similarly and one could have you moving crazy fast and sweating in two minutes while the other could have you on the ground and moving at a slower pace for most of the video.

That’s a big reason why I like to share the good ones (or my thoughts on the not-so-great ones) with you here. I hope you get something out of the shares and feedback.

• favorite LIL posts

» Things I’m Doing For a Healthier and Happier 2020

This post is all about focusing on better times ahead, and what I’m currently doing to make this year healthier and happier than the last — even in quarantine.

» Tabata Strength Workout With Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are more effective than you might think. They provide plenty of functional strength and offer better injury prevention than other forms of exercise. If you have a set or even access to one that is collecting dust right now, it would be as good of a time as ever to break it out and join me for a workout!

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All right. It’s time for me to wrap things up and get on with the day. I hope you all have a great day and enjoy the weekend as much as you can!

Thanks for stopping by!