Friday Favorites: Week of 1/29

It’s Friday! Hi, hello, and how are you?

It’s in the teens outside (brr!) here in Brooklyn, which has equaled a slow start for me this morning. Today’s pace is different than most weekdays, and I woke up later than my alarm feeling extra thankful for sleep, warm coffee, and the option to set my schedule and intentions for the day when I was ready.

Working for yourself definitely has its perks, but I have also learned that there are drawbacks and harder parts, too. If you’re interested in hearing more about my experience transitioning into a very full-time job, out of it, and back into being self-employed, I’m happy to share. Maybe I’ll cover it in an upcoming blog post!

Getting back to schedule over here, today we’re covering Friday Favorites with the latest round up of things that brightened up the week. Thanks for clicking over to read today!

FRIDAY FAVORITES: WEEK OF 1/29

• Getting out of my comfort zone with exercises

I had the pleasure of being the client and not the trainer at the gym with Scott yesterday, which is not normally the case. It was nice!

I’ll admit that I don’t structure my workouts as much as I used to, but I hope to change that soon. Basically, the equipment at the gym is spread out and a lot of it is closed, due to space limitations and social distancing practices. I am totally on board with this, but it does make it more challenging to plan specific workouts and exercises ahead of time if I go at a time when other people are using the popular equipment as well.

That said, I’ve been gravitating more towards the studio area where I can grab a few sets of dumbbells, a kettlebell, a stability ball, and call it a day. This has been working and helping me maintain strength throughout this season of being outside of our normal routines, but I’m starting to crave heavier lifting to be able to gain more strength again.

Scott expressed interest in leading us through a strength workout using the cable machines and some dumbbells yesterday, and it was really good! I did exercises that I haven’t completed in years, and I’m feeling it today. Love that.

I wanted to share this as a reminder for you to get out of your comfort zone in your workouts from time to time. It will keep your body guessing and remind you of other formats or areas you tend to skip over. I enjoyed it!

• New Trader Joe’s favorite: Mochi

If you haven’t tried mochi yet, you are definitely missing out. It’s a Japanese dessert with a rice cake dough filled with ice cream in the middle, and it’s one-of-a-kind. I’ve tried it several times out at restaurants and events, but I have never bought it to have at home until this week.

Thanks to suggestions from you on Instagram (I’ve polled twice and have received some really great picks!), I picked up two boxes of mochi on my latest trip over to Trader Joe’s in the Green Tea and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavors.

Scott isn’t a fan of Green Tea or Green Tea desserts, but I am and can attest to both of them tasting great! Skyler likes the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor, but isn’t quite sure about the doughy consistency of the chocolate. We’ll try it again tonight and see how it goes.

Either way, I am certainly a fan and will be trying more flavors in the near future!

• Alpha Marriage course

Speaking of Scott and I taking time to work out together (this doesn’t happen often), it was all prompted by an online course we are leading (and taking alongside the class!) with our church called Alpha Marriage.

The course meets weekly and is seven sessions, so we will be doing this until the beginning of March. It’s designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a strong marriage, and it’s been awesome. We discussed strengthening connection this week, and material for the future weeks cover things like resolving conflict, the power of forgiveness, the art of communication and more. We watch a video-led lesson and have private breakout sessions with our spouse (muted and off video), throughout the sessions.

It has been really eye opening so far, and I absolutely love it. If you think this is something that could benefit you, please reach out. You do not have to be a member at our church, or even a Christian to get a lot out of the course. The next session will be held Tuesday at 7:30pm EST, and it’s not too late to join here!

• WILD – Park Slope, Brooklyn

Our assignment for the week was to discuss specific topics with our spouse and to start planning a non-negotiable date night once a week. They don’t have to be fancy, and can be as simple as eating dessert with a glass of wine in your pajamas or eating brunch at home. The only three requirements are to plan one per week ahead of time and don’t break it once it’s set, to make sure that they are distraction-free – without phones, interruptions from children, and to be alone … just the two of you.

Being ALL about this assignment, we wanted to kick off our first one with an outdoor dining experience in the neighborhood. Skyler was in school yesterday, so we deemed it our “date night” (day) that started at the gym, took us to lunch, and then spent the afternoon shopping around outlets for a little winter wardrobe refresh.

I took pictures of our meal to share here, but other than that, our phones stayed out of our hands and it was so nice. I highly encourage doing this!

It was cold, but we decided to eat lunch on the patio of WILD, all alone in a bubble with a space heater. It wasn’t the typical dining experience, but it was still a treat to be able to do.

I’ve mentioned WILD the blog once before, and it’s becoming one of my favorite local spots. The menu is entirely gluten-free, and there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options to choose from.

Scott’s fast ends on Sunday night, but since his diet was still very limited, we ordered entirely vegan starting with Shishito Peppers (YUM).

We split the Avocado Salad, a Skinny Bitch pizza, and a side of EVOO Mashed Potatoes, and it was all so, so good!

Neither of us are drinking right now (again, the fast ends Sunday night!), but they also had a great Happy Hour menu with $5 specialty cocktails, $1 or $2 oysters (I can’t remember), and many more things that we will be back to try in the future.

Cheers to date days, nights, date nights in, or whatever makes sense for you!

• The Jellies Duos

One of my go-to Beautycounter holiday sets every year is The Jellies. They’re so cute and have become my favorite set to break up to strategically place in different bags as well as break up to gift to others. And once you try them, you get it. They leave the perfect shine without the stickiness.

Well, good news, The Jellies are officially BACK and here to stay as DUOS!

(Just in time for Galentine’s … the perfect gift.)

Here’s what you need to know …

• They come in sets of two in the following shades:
  • Orange Cream & Honey
  • Raspberry & Cocoa
  • Sorbet & Peppermint
• Each Jellie contains 6ml of product. Our lip glosses have 5.5ml of product and are the same price as two Jellies ($29)! The tubes looks misleading, but rest assured, there is a lot of product loaded into the tubes. (I’m still working on my 5-pack from the Holiday 2019 collection!)
• Jellies don’t leave a ton of color on the lips. They leave a hint for sure, but if you’re looking for bolder options you might want to look at Beyond Gloss shades instead.
• They remind me of my childhood in the best way! These glosses are perfect to use on-the-go and for anyone looking for a good, clean shine.

My favorite combo is the duo pictured in Raspberry & Cocoa, but they all look great. I would probably pick Orange Cream & Honey next and see them looking fab on more sun-kissed skin in the warmer months. Sorbet & Peppermint are the most shimmery and transition well from season to season, in my opinion.

Shop The Jellies Duos HERE! (Isn’t the packaging adorable?)

You know I could just keep going on the subject of clean beauty, but I’ll leave things there for today. You can always catch the latest scoop, promos, and giveaway news on the Life In Leggings – Beautycounter page or .

If If you’re new to Beautycounter, browse the site and use the code CLEANFORALL20 to get 20% off of your first order through Sunday!

Please reach out with any questions at all, and thank you for your continuous support and for shopping with me. It really does mean the world. <3

• favorite LIL posts

» Tips on Finding Time To Work Out

Busy mom? Entrepreneur who never takes breaks? It can be challenging to dedicate time to exercise, but here’s why it’s important and ten tips on how to get it done, even during your busiest days.

» Black Bean and Vegetable Soup

This black bean and vegetable soup is vegetarian and vegan-friendly with a Mexican flare. It’s chunky and loaded with healthy ingredients. Enjoy as a liquid base or thicken it up with instructions here!

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Okay friends, it’s time to get back to mom duty and run a few errands in the freezing weather. (I’m definitely eyeing the soup above as a dinner option. Yum!) I hope that you have a great weekend, and thanks for being here.

*ALSO! Make sure you’re following along on Instagram because there is an exciting giveaway coming your way very soon. Woo hoo!*

Happy Friday!

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*Disclaimer: Friday Favorites posts may contain affiliate links. Also, I am a Beautycounter consultant and love what I do with the company. By using the links provided in this post to order products, you are supporting my business. I always appreciate you!