Happy Friday, everyone! What activities do you have on your radar for the weekend? I’m looking forward to some downtime, planning a lunch menu for Christmas Day (we’re hosting Christmas for our families this year), and polishing up my Piloxing moves (I start teaching the beginning of January!!).
I’ve put together a quick list of some of my favorite things from around the web and beyond this week. If you’ve come across anything cool/fun/awesome recently, please share in the comments! :)
Favorite Workout: I love workouts that mix cardio with strength exercises. Not only do you get the best bang for your buck, it really makes the time fly by. I had my boot camp class do this workout a couple weeks ago, and I think we were all feeling the burn by the end of it. We did the circuit 3 times total, but you could also just do it 1-2 times depending on how much time you have. The best part is that the exercises are completely customizable, so you can switch out different moves to keep it fresh or if you don’t have any equipment available (we used medium to heavy weights and a bench with 1-2 risers).
Disclaimer: I’m not a certified personal trainer. Please talk to your doctor before starting any new fitness program.
Favorite Pizza Topping Combo: I just made this incredible Autumn Apple Pizza for dinner last night, and it was the bomb!! (Forgive the horrid photo lighting.) Tons of cheese, apples, bacon, oh my gosh, you should make this right now. The pizza dough is actually also a new favorite. It’s about half/half whole wheat and all-purpose flour, and I really liked the texture of it, plus it was easy to work with when rolling out. Score!
Best Ginger Beers: I only discovered ginger beer within the last couple of years, but it quickly become my favorite mixer and, well, all-around beverage of choice (it’s not alcoholic as-is). This is not even comparable to a ginger ale, and depending on the brand, the ginger can be incredibly potent. This article gives a great overview of 11 of the very best ginger beers. It highlights two of my favorites (Fever Tree and Barritt’s), and I’ve added a few new ones to my list of must-tries if I can get my hands on them!
Alternative Gift Wrapping Method: I am the world’s worst gift wrapper. I have no patience for cutting out the right size of paper, nor do I enjoy getting the folds just so. Luckily I have a very kind boyfriend who has handled most of my holiday wrapping this year (I even had him wrap his own gift. :) ) Given all that, I was quite intrigued when I saw this video demonstrating a new to me method of gift wrapping. I haven’t tried it yet, but definitely will be the next time I (actually) do my own wrapping!
Favorite Pasta Dish: I always love the recipes posted on Iowa Girl Eats, and this delicious looking Bacon Brussels Sprouts Spaghetti Carbonara is no exception. Plus I was instantly intrigued by the photo and mention of Rome in the post. I want to go back to Italy so badly! Definitely going to be making this soon.
Favorite Comfort Food: I’ve had this Hearty Beef Stew bookmarked for ages, but had never gotten around to making it. Luckily that was a mistake I rectified this week! I did a half batch, which provided enough stew for dinner and leftovers. The apartment smelled amazing while the stew was stewing in the slow cooker all day. So good!
Favorite Seasonal Salad: Omg I just love everything about the look of this Balsamic Butternut Kale Panzanella Salad. Kale is one of my favorite greens right now, and the panzanella takes me back to a salad I had while we were in Florence. Plus the sweetness of the squash and the flavor of the balsamic really bring this together. Must make, soon!
