Hi, friends! Happy Friday 🙂 I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve popped in with a casual post like this. When I looked through my phone and realized I had lots of things to share, I figured today was as good as any day to do that.

On a side note, can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?! We are hosting this year, and while I’m SO EXCITED for this, I have to admit – I’m pretty damn nervous about having the responsibility of cooking the turkey. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips on how to make sure the turkey comes out nice and – dare I say it – moist?! Thanks in advance!

And now onto my Friday shares 🙂

• Maple Holistics– A while back, Maple Holistics reached out to me asking if I’d be interested in trying any of their products. When I took a look at their website and read about their high standards for products, I decided to give it a try. At a high level, all Maple Holistics products are made in the USA, they are all natural, cruelty free and sulfate free. After perusing their site, I decided to try the Coconut Oil. With the winter months quickly approaching, I figured having a liquid coconut oil on hand would be really beneficial for my dry skin. I love coconut oil for many reasons, but what I don’t love is that unless it’s hot in the house, it lives in solid form. With a bottle of coconut oil in liquid form and with an easy pump dispenser, it makes it so easy to quickly add a little to my dry hands, hair, feet, etc. If you’re interested in trying some out yourself, or any product on their page, I encourage you to go to their free samples page and take advantage of their offer to send you a free sample of a product of your choosing!

• Thanksgiving with Whole Foods – Did you know that Whole Foods has everything you need for Thanksgiving? You could literally order your entire meal there, should you wish to do that! A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity of going to a Whole Foods event where they showcased all of their holiday meal & entertaining options. It was such a fun event and everything tasted delicious! I also love how friendly all of the Whole Foods employees are 🙂

• Health Warrior new flavors – As a Health Warrior Ambassador, I’m lucky enough to receive random packages from them with new bars to try. The best surprise was when I received a package of their brand new Caramel Sea Salt Chia Bar, which, I promise you, is as good as it sounds! I love that the bars are small, because they make for a perfect pre-workout or teaching snack. I had one of those and a half of a banana before my Monday morning class and it was the perfect amount of fuel.

• Fall Fashion – I’m trying to dress a bit more trendy these days, but I’m also trying to do it on a budget, so when I found these awesome distressed jeans at Lucky’s (in D.C.) for $25 I had to get them! I had also wanted some slip on shoes and found these Vans at DSW for I think maybe $40 or $50, which I thought was a good deal. I’m loving the look of the distressed boyfriend jeans and a baggy sweater – it was a great fall outfit!

• New “must try” restaurants – Over the past couple of weeks, RM and I have enjoyed some Saturday day-dates in the city. While I love getting all dolled up for date NIGHT, I have to say, day dates are pretty fun… and you get to be home in your comfy clothes nice and early 😉  The first day date we had was at Explorateur on Tremont Street near the public gardens. RM had walked by it earlier and suggested it when we found ourselves looking for a good lunch spot. I loved the open concept where the front of the restaurant was more of a “cafe” feeling where students were studying and ordering from the cafe, but I also loved that the back part of the restaurant was filled with a bar and tables with table service. We saddled up at the bar, per usual, and enjoyed a really delicious lunch consisting of bubbly, beer, French Onion Soup, a mini burger and a Croque Madame. Everything about our trip there was great and we will definitely be going back.

• The next place we tried was Kava Neo-Taverna, in the South End, and judging by all the comments I received after I posted a picture of us there, it seems to be a popular among many of you! But, I can see why – everything was incredible! We didn’t get much, but everything we got (baked feta & honey, grilled octopus and braised short ribs) was so flavorful. Plus, the wait staff were all very nice and I loved the bright, white feeling in the restaurant – very Mediterranean feeling!

And that does it for me! I hope all of you have a great weekend 🙂 We have friendsgiving in Maine tomorrow, which I’m looking forward to, and then i’ll be busy prepping for Thanksgiving!

Questions for you: What’s your favorite pre-workout snack? Have you been to any good new restaurants lately? Do you prefer day or night dates? What’s your favorite fall fashion item?