It's been one... something of a year.

2016 was something of a gargantuan cluster for most everyone around the world. When you list off all the happenings around the world in 2016, it's hard to believe all that chaos fit into 12 months. It really seemed like one massively disturbing or heartbreaking event after another. The trending memes about this year hit home all too well...

Happy Holidays, my dear readers!

Merry Christmas + Christmas Eve this weekend to those of you who celebrate, Happy start of Chanukah tomorrow to my Jewish friends, and simply wishing everyone a festive and loving time with whatever holidays they celebrate and rejoice in!

Firstly, THANK YOU to you all for your continued love and support this year. From always...

We're really getting down the wire now with Christmas presents, with only 4 more days to go! 

I'm planning on swinging through the Union Square holiday market later today on the way home from client sessions, but I did some online shopping earlier today and wanted to share one last gift guide with you guys for last-minute gift ideas. 

This gift guide is for all your health-conscious food-loving friends- because let's face it, usually a love for the gym usually means love for the food too but we all want things that enable us to keep making healthier choices. This is a perfect complement to my gift guide for the fit foodie, kitchen gadgets edition.

Starting right now, this season, let's live intentionally instead of passively.

Don't let yourself get lazy and live out of habit rather than intent.

The life, connection, and deeper fulfillment we all desire doesn't just happen upon us.
It's a result of practicing intentional living, day by day.

Being intentional with...

6 days to go, and still in a crunch to find a thoughtful gift? I got you with this gift guide is pretty universal for everyone on your list. Why do I say that?

Relaxation and stress management are major priorities for optimal health. In our lives when it seems all too rare when we take time for self-care or to disconnect, it becomes all the more important that we make it happen. And there's nothing like a fun new gift to help encourage you to take those few extra minutes in your day to indulge in a little self-care and other activities that bring you happiness and calm. 

I've rounded up some unique and affordable gifts to help bring your loved one some calm and pampering to their day- so without further ado, here is my gift guide for gifts that pamper and relax! 

Happy Friday, everyone! 

We are officially in the single-digit countdown to Christmas! And it is FRIGID outside in NYC today, oh boy. But I'm trying to embrace that "Hygge" feeling, regardless!

If work and life have been keeping you busy and unable to join in on holiday activities like holiday baking, I've got a perfect roundup of festive holiday recipes for you guys today to jump right in.

Many of these recipes are super easy and don't require much advance cooking or baking skills, so there's no intimidation factor here! Also most of these are gluten-free and vegan optional for those with dietary restrictions....

Every year, I always write handwritten holiday cards to my loved ones.

No matter how busy I am, I make sure to prioritize this one thing during the holiday season above all. I know, the holidays are so hectic and it feels like you're always crunched for time.
So why do I go through such effort?

Think about how nice it is to open your mailbox to get a handwritten note via snail mail these days. Nowadays, in the time of infinite texts, snapchats, and other fleeting technological communication, those things feel more disposable. A handwritten card is much more personal, thoughtful, and you physically have something pretty to keep on your desk to perk up your day...

Hey Santa,

Gift Guide #3 (check out #1 and #2) is here, I've been really good this year, and this fitness chick wants everything on this list for some extra holiday cheer!

Okay, I promise, I'm done with rhyming for the rest of this post😂 I carefully narrowed down my ultimate favorites for this gift guide, compiling all my must-have gym accessories to help you get the perfect gift for your fitness-loving gym-rat loved one.

In addition to nicer items like the fitness tracker, compact hairdryer, and the best yoga mat in the industry, I've also included stocking-stuffers that you normally might not think to gift, like the pampering facial wipes, washable tote, or athletic socks. But trust me, these are things everyone is thankful to have in their gym bags after a good sweat session!

Happy Friday, everyone! We are heading at full speed 'til Christmas it seems!

Been busy gearing up for a lot of fun content coming your way for the rest of this month, and I'm thrilled to finally be getting my first weekend at home in over a month to catch up on some stuff. I'm also SO excited to get my new computer next week. That is the understatement of the century haha!

Here are the 7 things that inspired me, that I learned from, and that made me laugh/smile this week:  

Austin, Texas is known for its great local food, music, art, design, and rapidly expanding city. It's become a destination city for fun weekend getaways and bachelor/bachelorette parties. After all, good food, entertainment, and fun things to explore all make for the perfect weekend getaway, no?

While I'll be sharing an entire Austin city guide with you guys soon, I wanted to share my experience at the Archer Austin first because it just surpassed my expectations on every level.

When looking for the best place to stay in Austin, I discovered that the Archer Austin had newly opened. The newest addition to the boutique hotel scene down in Austin, it is located...

Staying healthy during the holidays. Haha. Ha. Hahaha. 

I know, it might seem like a faraway dream or false reality, but I promise you can actually enjoy yourselves during the holidays AND stay on track with your nutrition without choking down a kale salad while wistfully looking at people devouring holiday treats. All it takes is 3 simple tricks in order to stay healthy throughout the holiday season...

Hello gift guide #2 and basically my wishlist this year!

I've done a lot of traveling this year. Like, almost 30 flights this year, and that's not including roadtrips and train rides. Because of this, I've become super efficient at packing the perfect carry-on suitcase and my Lo & Sons weekender bag, along with learning just exactly the minimal items I need while traveling

Using this knowledge, I created a kickass gift guide for the jetsetting traveler in your life! All of...

Happy first day of December!

Because I have been traveling an insane amount which has = ZERO time in the kitchen, I'm bringing you something awesome to stand in for recipes at the present moment:  HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES.

Yes, I know, just what the world needs, more blogger gift guides. But I pride myself of my stellar gift-giving skills, because I'm darn good at sussing out what people actually use and appreciate. I'll have a bunch of holiday gift guides sprinkled into our usual content over the next few weeks that I really hope you guys find helpful when looking for the perfect gift of all price points. 

My gift guides will all revolve around the central themes of Living Minnaly here:
health, fitness, food, and travel. 

For all those New Yorkers looking for a quick weekend getaway, Beacon and Cold Spring have become the hotspot destinations in the Hudson Valley. Accessibility, nature, good food, and relaxing activities to do all have the makings of the types of weekend getaways that New Yorkers crave after hectic workweeks. 

Per my usual city guide format, I'll be dividing up these differing sections by where to stay, eat, and explore in both Beacon and Cold Spring for the perfect weekend getaway. But I have so many amazing pictures from this trip to share with you, but I'll be formatting this guide a little differently than usual, in the interest of efficiency!

I'm gonna be honest. With my crazy travel and work schedule this year until the holidays, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to squeeze holiday baking in. Which makes me sad, because I adore this part of holiday festivities and more importantly, I'll miss out on my favorite gluten-free gingerbread cookies. So my gingerbread granola is a great one to turn to when I want to make a big batch to eat throughout the weeks, BUT, I wanted to whip up something dessert-like that takes less time than baking cookies. 

Enter, these gingerbread pancakes. HELLO. That are gluten-free, vegan, unbeknownst to whoever you feed them to, because it just tastes like straight up fluffy gingerbread heaven in pancake form.

It is crazy pants that it is only 3 more days until Thanksgiving! 

Most everyone is probably finding themselves in a frenzy, trying to prepare for this holiday, so today, I've got my best tips for Thanksgiving and a roundup of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes to help you out. Whether it's your first Thanksgiving you're in charge of or a guest responsible for one or more dishes, I've got all the tips and tricks I've learned over the years to help you out.

This year is a year of firsts for me personally, as we used to always celebrate my Dad's birthday on Thanksgiving, so this makes my heart ache that it's the first Thanksgiving and holiday without him. Secondly, I won't be in charge of making a Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in I think about 5 years, as I'll be at my boyfriend's family's for Thanksgiving. 

So, it's a little strange not preparing menus and making pie crusts to put in the freezer, but I'm kind of enjoying it this year. First up, here are some of my favorite signature recipes I've made throughout the years for my family's Thanksgiving:

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”

Hello and Happy Friday! Boy, do I have the best finds for you this week- not only fun and interesting stuff, but some straight-up darn useful stuff for the upcoming holidays!

How unbelievable is it that Thanksgiving is less than a week away now? It's hard to believe that we are already in full-on holiday season mode now, but I actually am already feeling the holiday spirit. I love seeing the holiday Starbucks cups all around, the lights and decor going up, gift guides, and other festive cheer. I think we could all really use the giving spirit of the season in many ways this year after a rocky November for a lot of people in light of recent worldly happenings...

I've switched over. I'm a convert. Even with my being so health-conscious with my food and exercise, I didn't really think I'd one day be using soap that has hemp in it. Or that I'd be parting from my failure-proof aluminum deodorant and delicious-smelling shampoos and hair masks, even though I knew there were things in there that probably weren't too great for me.

How big of a deal could it be, anyway? It just seemed too hard. Too hard to learn which of those unpronounceable ingredients were the bad ones because they all sounded too similar; too hard to dump out all my not-exactly cheap cosmetics and beauty products to replace them with things I didn't know would even work; too intimidating, basically. 

Have you guys felt this way before/now? Switching over to all-natural beauty products free of harmful toxins and chemicals can be really intimidating...