Healthy, simple butternut squash purée. 

That's all I was craving a few weeks ago, as you might've seen on my Insta. While I've shared my recipe for a butternut squash carbonara (w/sage-maple bacon!) before, I've never shared my super easy and quick recipe to throw together a delicious butternut squash purée.

This butternut purée is one of my favorite things to throw together on a weeknight because it doesn't require preciseness on cooking technique/spices or hovering over the stove, and it's also so versatile for the many different ways you can eat it.

Often in society, bravery is equated to lack of fear. But I think it's just the opposite actually.

I believe that the true meaning of bravery is feeling the fear deeply, and choosing to embrace and face the fear. 

Those who are knocked down then learn to stand up are so much stronger and braver than those who have never experienced being knocked down in the first place. So let yourself fall, I promise, it will be okay...

Whether we want to think about it or not, Thanksgiving is only a little over 3 weeks away! Trust me, I'm just as confused where time has gone this year. 

Even if you aren't involved with Thanksgiving cooking and simply want to enjoy fall's bounty of produce, I wanted to go over how to peel and cube a butternut squash without losing a finger (or two). I first put a little guide together in my recipe for Roasted Brown Butter and Sage Butternut Squash, but I figured I should do an entirely separate guide for this for all my new readers and for those who might have missed that recipe! 

Squash can be oddly intimidating, especially for someone who doesn't spend too much time in the kitchen. Breaking one down can seem too difficult, and a lot of us resort to using the canned stuff.

While I have no qualms about taking my shortcuts where I can and using the canned stuff sometimes, using a fresh squash while in season is so worth the extra 5 minutes to break it down. 

Happy first Friday of November! 

The leaves are FINALLY turning goldens and reds in Washington Square Park (see on my Insta Stories), and it makes me so happy. The little things will affect you as much or as little as you let them, so let the good little things fill you up and let the bad little things flow away!

Things are looking crazy until straight through the end of the year, and I'm going on half a dozen flights and hitting nearly ten cities by the end of November- whew! As I talked about in my post earlier this week on some autumn reflections, I've been focusing on counting my blessings and also immersing myself in the present.

I've been slipping back into looking at my social media too much and absentmindedly scrolling through feeds, so I've been making an effort to read more real content, less clickbait, and put my phone away altogether to be 100% present when spending time with friends and company. So there are some links below that relate to both of these themes...

It's really hard to fathom that we are now in November, and there's a mere 2 months left of 2016. The leaves are falling, storefronts are all on the Thanksgiving and Christmas trains already, and everyone is left wondering where the time has gone so quickly yet again. 

On the personal front, I'm feeling a bit melancholy these days. While it's easy to just say I'm feeling blue and call it a day, I'm working on digging a little deeper into those feelings, to better understand why I'm truly feeling this way. Which is why I've been ruminating and reflecting, trying to step back to see the bigger picture. It's been awhile since I've done a personal update, and so I wanted to share some of my autumn reflections and intentions with you guys incase any of you might be feeling similarly...

There's nothing worse than feeling healthy going into a trip, then arriving at your destination feeling like you got sick on the plane. Not only is that a good way to ruin a vacation or travel trip, but in some cases on work travel, you can’t afford to be sidelined at all. Whether it's too cold, too hot, or you're eating crummy airplane food, stiff from sitting for hours, nothing about flights do you any favors when it comes to staying healthy, honestly.

With my schedule being on the erratic side lately, it makes the times that I am home in NYC, it's super important to make that time count. But it can definitely be hard to feel connected and productive, when all you want to do after a some work travel or a big project is burrow in bed for a few days. Also, around this time of year, it's easy to feel a bit burned out with most peoples' work seasons being in peak right now.

If any of you are feeling a case of the Mondays, give some of these 8 easy tips to instantly feel more connected and productive a try:

I love New England. There's something about it that feels strangely like home to me, even though I'm not from the area at all. While I've visited several cities in the region for weekend trips, I had yet to check off that weekend trip to Portland, Maine I had been wanting to take for so long. 

When the opportunity came up, I immediately jumped on it to make it work. It's a decent drive (about 5.5 hours with no stops) from NYC to Maine, so I wanted to maximize my time in Portland to fit as much as possible into a single weekend. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same, which is why I curated this weekend guide to Portland, Maine here...

I was starting to put together my weekend guide to Portland, then I realized the post was getting a little too long because I just had too many gorgeous photos to share, just like with the dining experience at Tempo Dulu in Portland. So, I'm breaking it up to do it justice. Today, I'm going to take you guys on a tour of where you should stay if you're looking for a boutique hotel in Portland, Maine. 

Boutique hotel is not what I would use to describe Black Point Inn, as it's more of a classic historic New England Inn gone lux, however it does pop up when searching for accommodations in the Portland area. 

It just doesn't get more classic than this. If you are looking for a gorgeous historical New England inn...

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Oh this weekend was most certainly filled with goodness.

Celebrated one of my best friend's birthday, another one of other best friend got engaged the day before her birthday, I got to catch up with several friends, do lots of walking around in gorgeous NYC fall weather, AND finally checked off an...

Yep. Another pumpkin recipe. Don't hate me yet, though.

Why? Well, girl's gotta try to not waste food, so having leftover canned pumpkin puree after making my gluten-free pumpkin pancakes, I wanted to figure out another easy recipe that didn't involve baking to use the rest up...

I knew Portland in Maine was a town full of food fanatics, but I don't think I was quite expecting the level of innovation that I experienced. 

That statement might seem ironic, coming from a New Yorker who lives in the epicenter of the home to some of the best restaurants in the world.

But in New York...

Hello October and hello to these gluten-free pumpkin pancakes!

I think I've said this nearly every month this year, but how on earth is this year flying by so quickly? Feels like it was just my sister's wedding at the end of July, but yet here we are. The leaves are beginning to turn, there's that beautiful fall chill in the air; the season is in full swing. 

People (bloggers in particular) tend to jump on the pumpkin train... 

Happy Friday, everyone! How's your fall going so far?

It was my birthday on Wednesday, and it's been a time of reflection and evaluation. I've been thinking about all the things I want to experience and accomplish in this next year, and more importantly...

Happy Monday, everyone!

We had a gooooorgeous fall weekend with sunny weather in the low 70's with an amazing breeze. If only NYC was like this year-round!

The farmer's market is full of fall goodies now, lots of kale, apples, dahlias, and of course, an abundance of winter squash and gourds...

"Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver. And our world could stand to be a little kinder and braver."

-Brené Brown

I've always found it funny how we work so hard to conceal the best parts of ourselves.

Our vulnerability. Our emotions. Our heart. 

These are the beautiful parts of us that...

Okay, so the autumnal equinox is not until the 22nd, but I am already in full-fledged fall mode! 

I truly am a fall baby, and not just because I was born during it- there is something that makes me feel more alive and in my element during fall that doesn't happen the same way in any other season. 

This weekend...

I think most women and a good chunk of men have thought this at one point or another:

"I'm doing all the right things: mostly eating well and working out, but why does my fitness progress always seem to fluctuate and yo-yo?"

Have you or anyone else found themselves in a constant, never-ending state of "trying to cut those last few pounds?" It is so understandably frustrating to feel like you are constantly fighting an uphill battle, and never being satisfied for too long.

I've noticed...