Novel Ideas

I haven't had time for much fun lately, but I have been pushing forward on my resolution to read 52 books in 2014! Here are a few of my latest recommendations for you:

1. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

 

Photo Credit 

 This is such a lovely novel. The main character is Don Tilliman, a genetics professor with Asperger’s, and how his very practical approach to life is altered once he meets a bartender/student named Rosie. A very quick read with an already promised sequel, you are guaranteed to fall in love with this story. By far my favorite read so far this year.

2. The Cuckoo's Calling by "Robert Galbraith" (aka J.K. Rowling)

 Photo Credit

Fantastic! I love mysteries, and Ms. Rowling creates an exciting plot with rich character personalities as she tells the story of detective Cormoron Strike and his investigation of the death of legendary supermodel Lula Landry. This also has a sequel, The Silkworm, due out in June.

3. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman 

 

Photo Credit 

 This was our most recent book club pick. I like books that bring up ethical questions and really force you to think what you would do in a similar situation. The story begins on Janus Rock, where an isolated lighthouse keeper Tom and his wife Isabel discover a washed up boat with a dead man and a living baby. It is a fast paced, enjoyable read about two good people and the effects of a tragic decision on their lives.

4. The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan

 

Photo Credit 

I picked out this book of loosely connected vignettes in honor of Valentine's Day and really enjoyed the stories. This novel intertwines a handful of tales of marriage across the decades and conveys that love definitely does not come in one shape and size. This is a good book to read at your leisure; the novel switches back and forth between the stories and the chapters stand up well on their own.

Happy reading! Tell me, what books have you been enjoying lately?

Little Goat Diner

There are a few different types of restaurant reputations in my book. You've got your tried and trued favorites, your list of places you hope to make it to soon, and then those places. You know. The ones that everyone seems to want to try with wait times that just won't quit. Somewhere towards the top of that list is Little Goat Diner, the more casual across the street cousin of Stephanie Izard's famous Girl and the Goat. This past weekend a concert at the United Center meant dinner beforehand on Randolph, and the girls and I decided Little Goat Diner was the place to be!

We went on a Sunday night, which I believe helped our wait time to be minimal (don't get me wrong, it was still quite busy). The decor definitely had a diner vibe with some modern touches-there was a cool photo booth towards the front and the kitchen was open to see the cooks hard at work. Take a look (Photos courtesy of Little Goat Diner's website):

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

After being seated at maybe the biggest booth I've ever sat in, we approached the very difficult decision of what to order. Little Goat Diner offers breakfast all day, plus a slew of sandwiches and entrees. "The Goats", as I shall deem all of Ms. Izard's restaurants, have a reputation of using shall we say peculiar items. This isn't the place to go if you are a picky eater or not feeling adventurous….which may have been my problem.

I wasn't feeling on top of the world and as such my taste buds were a bit off. After a very stressful internal battle of what would taste good, I literally left it to the last second and blurted out "I'll have the grilled cheese!" to our waiter.

What? I mean, don't get me wrong I love a grilled cheese every once in a while. But it's not something I would usually order. I think my mind was going for something simple and comforting, which doesn't work when said grilled cheese includes "smoked gouda and mont amore cheese, pork guanciale, and smoked tomatoes". Combine this with the fact that the sandwich came with nothing else and cost $10-not my best dining experience.  

The girls and I split an order of chocolate cake for dessert. Don't mistake "order of chocolate cake" for a whole cake; the $8 portion was quite the opposite. Served in a tiny ramekin I was worried it wouldn't be enough for three. But the cake was rich (and a bit on the dry side); we didn't finish. 

I'd love to say I plan to go back on a day where I am feeling more myself and ready to be more adventurous with my ordering. But considering the fact that I feel the food is overpriced for the quality and quantity you get I think I've officially crossed Little Goat Diner off my list. There are too many places to eat in this city to get hung up on trying to convince yourself something is good! 

Sidenote on that concert we went to: it was Justin Timberlake. It. Was. AMAZING. 

Vitamix Preview and Mocha Protein Smoothie!

In the midst of January I saw one of my friends after a particularly rough week for her. She'd clocked 60+ hours at work and was, very understandably, exhausted. She told me that one night around midnight, she was sitting at her desk and decided that if she made it through the week she was going to motivate herself by promising to buy something that weekend. Well, the actual statement used was "I'm going to buy myself something really f-ing nice!"

I thought this was a) hilarious and b) spectacular motivation. Now, I must say that my friend had been wanting to make this purchase for a while. The buying was not impulsive but merely a motivation to get through a stressful week. Inspired by this story and looking at a rough next few weeks I made myself a similar promise. So without further a do, my "really f-ing nice" purchase:

Vitamix 7500

I cannot express how excited I am to integrate my Vitamix into my daily cooking routine. For my lifestyle this is definitely a worthy investment piece that I know will be a staple in my kitchen.

I absolutely plan on providing a detailed review here on the blog once Mr. Vitamix and I get to know each other a bit more. I just couldn't wait to share and for now, I thought I'd post one of my latest favorite smoothie recipes! I like this either as a mid-morning boost, a post-workout snack or as breakfast along with a piece of toast.

Mocha Protein Shake

1 cup coconut milk*, plus filtered water to get to desired consistancy
1 packet VIA instant coffee
1 handful of greens (I used frozen kale, however I'd recommend fresh spinach or kale if you have it because it blends better with this particular set of ingredients)
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
a few ice cubes (optional; depending on whether you want this to be super cold!)

Throw everything into your blender and blend for about a minute. Depending on your blender you will need to add some water to get the smoothie to your desired consistency (I like mine to be a bit more liquid-y so I add about 1/2 cup of water).

Approximate calories per smoothie: 175

*Note: I am a devoted almond milk user and this was my first purchase of coconut milk. I have since learned that Silk (my brand of choice!) sells an unsweetened version that I will be buying from now on. This will reduce the calorie count on the recipe by 35 calories, and cut 6g of sugar versus the original. Check out Silk's product options here.

Enjoy!

You can shop for Vitamix blenders here.

House of Blues Chicago

The House of Blues Chicago is like a secret hidden out in the open, as it is smack dab in the middle of downtown. This concert venue hosts a TON of artists for reasonable prices and is a very cool idea for a night out. I recently visited House of Blues (HOB, if you will) to see the group Karmin!

Can you spot it?

I hadn't been to HOB since high school (when I saw The Fray) and was excited to see if it was what I remembered. 

We started out by eating an early dinner at Crossroads, the HOB restaurant. The restaurant is cosy, with big booths and a nice sized bar. There's even a mini stage! The menu itself is pretty standard, but has a wide range of both options and prices. We sampled the jalapeño pepper cornbread with maple butter, the lobster mac and cheese and customized a burger….can I also interject that we got the burger with a side of seasonal vegetables? Ha despite not being the healthiest of meals, everything was very tasty! Cocktails (obviously) were ordered as well; I recommend the Italian iced tea.

A very cool offer from HOB is what they call "pass the line". For dining at the restaurant  or purchasing merchandise (each person has a $20 minimum to spend) you are issued a pass the line ticket. You get to go to the front of the line and are some of the first people to be admitted into the concert hall. This is a must for getting the best spot you can by the stage!

We grabbed our spots up close and were ready for the show to start! Some of my favorite snapshots:

And of course, who doesn't love a twitter shout out?!?!

Check out Karmin's latest single here and the House of Blues Chicago here. Now the concert calendar can be hit or miss, but don't let that deter you. You never know; you could find a new favorite musician! 

Let's Face It

One of the countless things I am grateful to my mom for is imparting on me the importance of skincare at a young age. Washing my face every night, using moisturizer…these habits are basically like breathing for me. But in the last few years I have found that the products which used to keep my skin clear and glowing were failing me. Whether it be stress, lifestyle changes or just getting older, I needed to discover a new lineup. Between subscribing to Birchbox, being a magazine addict, and going to Ulta/Sephora usually on a weekly basis, I consider myself pretty well versed in skin care options. I thought I would share with you my most favorite products:

Morning Routine

1. Toner: The jury is out on whether or not toner is beneficial. I've read tons of articles that cast it aside as an unnecessary item, but also articles that highly recommend using it daily. For me, I've been incorporating toner into my skincare regime for years and love it. Each morning I put a little toner onto a cotton round and wipe my face. I feel like this preps my skin for my day moisturizer, and gets off any lingering stuff from my routine the night before. My favorites are Korres Pomegranate Toner and Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner (not pictured).

2.  Eye Cream: The skin around your eyes is sensitive; it's thinner than the rest of your face and is one of the first areas to show age. It's important to pay attention to this area with a good eye cream. In the mornings, I love using the Clinique All About Eyes De-Puffing Serum. This product is a cooling rollerball that dispenses just the right amount of product, and it's a soothing way to wake up your skin for the day. 

3. Day Moisturizer: EVERY magazine article tells you this, but it's extremely important to use sunscreen on your face. I battled with this for years because I could never find a face sunscreen that a) wasn't oily b) was not astronomically priced and c) didn't smell overwhelmingly like sunscreen. I also was constantly trying products with SPF and finding that they were too harsh for my skin. I wouldn't necessarily describe my skin as sensitive, yet I've suffered many a time from sunscreens that irritated my face. I'm happy to report I have found two amazing products that I am completely devoted to. The first is Cetaphil's Dermacontrol Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30. This is so lightweight and has a pleasant smell. I usually wear this alone, but sometimes blend in my liquid foundation for a homemade tinted moisturizer.

The other product that I just absolutely adore is Dr.Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45. I found this after buying an SPF value set from Sephora two summers ago and have been in love with it ever since. Some BB creams can be overly tinted but this one blends seamlessly into my skin. I constantly will wear just this on weekends and in the summer; something a bit unheard of for me as I used to refuse to go out of the house without makeup! 

Night Routine

4. Clarisonic: The last few years, advanced skin cleaning tools have been all the rage. Clarisonic started it all and many brands have followed with cheaper imitations of this classic tool. I absolutely believe that this is well worth the investment. For me, I didn't exactly experience a "life changing moment" where, after using the Clarisonic for a few weeks I noticed a complete turnaround in my skin. Not to sound conceded, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I already was consistently taking care of cleaning my skin each night. That being said, this is one of those things where if I stop using the Clarisonic, I notice the change in my skin. I usually use the Clarisonic every other day; partially because I don't want to irritate my skin and partially because sometimes I just forget. I bought my Clarisonic pretty early on (I think I've had it for about two and a half years) and I purchased the Clarisonic Plus Sonic Skin Cleansing System (in pink, because duh). I've read through the reviews of the newer versions and think if you want to spend a little less money, the Mia 2 is the way to go. One aspect of my Clarisonic Plus that I love is that it has a built in timer which indicates when you should switch which section of your face you are using it on. It looks like the Mia 2 comes with this feature, while the Mia does not. Check out the Clarisonic website for comparing models. I really recommend buying your Clarisonic through Sephora's website; they offer some great value sets with samples of cleansers to try. I sampled the Clarisonic products which came with my Clarisonic Plus and can tell you they are nothing to write home about. Right now Sephora is selling this kit which comes with the Mia 2 and samples of some Kate Somerville products. I'm pretty sure I am going to buy a Mia 2 sometime soon for traveling, the hard part will be what color should I pick?

5. Face Wash: I've tried SO many face cleansers. Seriously, take me to the skin care section and I can point out a ton of products I have tried. I personally do not care for foaming cleansers (it doesn't actually feel like my skin is getting cleaned) and you have to be very careful with scrubs as they can be overly abrasive. Two cleansers that I highly recommend are Philosophy Purity Made Simple and Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser. Both are creamy washes (which is necessary when using the Clarisonic) and do an amazing job at taking off all of my makeup. 

6. Makeup Remover: I also am fairly well versed in makeup removers. Years upon years of applying heavier makeup (I was a dancer growing up and show makeup is intense) have exposed me to a wide range of removers. I am not a huge fan of makeup remover wipes since they feel like they leave residue on my face. My main concern is residual eye makeup after washing my face and the only makeup remover that I have found which really does the job is the Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. It takes off stubborn liquid eye liner and does not irritate your skin at all. 

7. Eye Cream: I turn to Clinique All About Eyes at night. This serum/cream is lightweight; all you need is a light dab around each eye. And can I give you a tip? Clinique's bonus gifts usually have a sample of their eye cream. You don't need a lot so these last forever. I've actually never bought this product I've just used samples from the gift with purchase! 

8. Night Moisturizer: One old favorite and one brand new discovery. Clinique's Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturizer is like gold and I keep finding myself coming back to it after I try and switch up my routine. I like to be a bit heavier with my moisturizer at night during the colder months, and I really take comfort in this thicker night cream. This is so nourishing and I do think it makes a difference in how my skin looks when I wake up. 

My other favorite is a new find. Oils are having a moment now and I've jumped on the bandwagon. I walked into Sephora one day and asked for a night moisturizer recommendation. The consultant told me that she really likes natural products (there are no creams found in nature!) and she really loves this Josie Maran 100 Percent Pure Aragan Oil. Now I'll warn you, oils take a bit of getting used to. You really just need 2-3 drops, then rub the oil together in your palms and pat onto your skin. It's lightweight and smells yummy. I look forward to using this more during the summer but like to rotate it into my routine every few days. 

And there you go! A bit wordy of a post, but hopefully you've seen something you are interested in trying or have been inspired to take a look at your own skincare regime. Tell me, what are some of your favorite products? I'm always looking for recommendations! 

Rabbit Rabbit, It's February!

Thank goodness. I instagrammed this photo a few months back and it proved to be completely true…

Luckily it's a new month full of possibilities!

I want to check in on a little thing called New Years resolutions. How are yours going?

If you looked away from the computer in shame muttering excuses, you aren't alone. It's proven that an alarming number of resolutions fail. A big part of why is that people are too broad with their goals. Which do you think is easier to measure your success with: saying 'I want to lose weight' or 'I will run 3 times a week'? Taking small steps that you can specifically monitor are a great way to stay on track for your long term goals.

An idea I had for 2014 was to tackle one very specific goal each month. I would come up with an action plan and track my progress. For January, here's what I picked:

And it's been great! It wasn't a perfect month (I'm human) but I feel that for the most part, taking my vitamins is now in my daily routine. I'm still deciding between a few ideas but look forward to sharing what I've accomplished at the end of the month : )

How do you hold yourself accountable when you are tackling a new goal?