Happy Hour

I’m looking for a camel color wool coat. Can you give me an affordable option and a splurge option?

Sure can, girlfriend! I’ll give you a couple options for each.. how about that?! Your affordable options: Bloomingdale’s has this one on sale, ASOS double breasted here and a wrap option here. As for splurge options: All Saints will always be my favorite and a classic that will last you forever. Mackage is a close second and this one is gorgeous (and I love the length).

Do you have any weekday ideas I can pack for my kids school lunch?

Packing a lunch is my arch nemesis.. I really don’t like it.. probably because I’m running out of ideas myself. I actually go on Pinterest a lot and see what other moms are making. Just put “Kids lunch ideas” in the search bar and you’ll get all sorts of results. I try and keep it balanced with a protein, veggie, fruit and dairy so I know my son will remain full and satisfied while burning all that boy energy at school. Typical lunches include a combination of the following: hot dog, turkey sausage, peanut butter/jelly sandwich, turkey/cheese roll ups, leftover pizza slice, yogurt squeeze pack, string cheese, carrots/hummus dip, raisins, strawberries, blueberries and apple slices. Again, NEED ideas myself! Maybe I’ll make a Pinterest board so you can follow along on my own personal journey in this arena lol.

I’m in the market for a diaper bag and curious which ones you used and which ones you’d recommend?

Heather: I’ve used a few diaper bags but my favorite was probably the Honest Company Diaper Backback because my husband could also wear it when we were traveling or out and about. But I also follow a lot of motherhood accounts on instagram and came across these diaper bags that not only have a few friends of mine used, but they get good reviews. Check out Fawn Design, Birdling Bags, and Ryla Diaper Bags. And if a true diaper bag isn’t your jam and you just want to use your normal purse as a diaper bag, you need to get the Tote Savvy. This is what I currently use with my big Louis Vuitton tote and the Tote Savvy keeps my purse protected from sticky finger foods and leaking bottles that I carry around on the daily.

I see you posting about Hillary’s bites… what are they and where do you get them.. are they veggie burgers?

I love Hilary’s veggie burgers it is true, but I sadly cannot find the “bites” anywhere in Seattle (if you’re local and have found them please let me know!) On their website you can type in your zip code and find out who sells them near you or order online. They are a gluten free veggie burger with legit ingredients (good source of fat, carbs, protein, and fiber). They come in 4 “flavors” but I like the green box (original ones) best. I will cut them up and make my own bites and put on top of a salad bowl for some extra nutrition. Another way I like to eat it is with smashed avocado and a fried egg. These are also a fav for Quinn too.

Have you ever used a running app? I was thinking about trying one for my 1.5 months of maternity leave. I need to be able to work out whenever and class schedules aren’t meshing well with my newborns non sleep schedule. But I wanted to know if you had any recommendations. Goal is to work up to running 5+ miles without dying.

I hear ya…so hard to get in a workout with a newborn. Once cleared by your doctor running is great because you can just leave from your front door and not waste time getting to and from gym/class and it’s something you can do almost anywhere.  I don’t currently use any apps specific for running.  I use my apple watch to track my distance so I know how far I’m going. I’ve used “map my run” before which is helpful to find a good running route the distance you’re looking for. I’ve heard good things about the Nike run app and Strava (my husband uses for bike rides, but you can also track runs).  My advice would be to start slow and slowly increase your distance by .25-.5 miles a week.

I “need” a new Spring bag, emphasis on the need. Have you been eyeing any lately and care to share?

Yes, you absolutely need a new bag if we have anything to say about it 😉 I’m loving the stark white trend for Spring/Summer and so I’m eyeing this Rebecca Minkoff cross body (in white), this Tory Burch classic, oh and this Rebecca Minkoff is in my cart. Ok and then I just found this Phillip Lim and I’m LIVING for it. K, really into white. I’ll move away from that now in case you’re not down. For a splurge, this Gucci cross body in my favorite tone of blush/rosé is a classic. And if you want to go BIG, just get this Burberry belt bag… gaawwwwdddd talk about love at first sight.

I never know what whole grain bread to buy at the grocery store. Like what’s the difference between all the Wheat bread, 9 grains, Ezekiel… are they all equally healthy? Why is one better over another?

There are so many bread options these days and with all the fancy marketing it makes it difficult to know which ones are actually the healthy.  My go to advice on bread is to find one with 100% whole wheat (unless GF of course) as the first ingredient and one that has >3 grams fiber per slice.  GF breads are typically going to be lower in fiber.  Also watch for added sugars…many brands do this to sweeten it up. Sprouted grains like Ezekiel are lower in gluten (lower glycemic index as well) and are a more concentrated source of nutrients like protein and amino acids. Sprouted or not…at the end of the day just try and find a bread with good ingredients.

What does the keto diet entail?

A ketogenic diet is essentially a very low carbohydrate (20-30 grams carbs per day) and really high fat and moderately high protein. The goal of this diet is to put your body in ketosis (you metabolize fat for energy because so little carbs aka glucose being consumed). The keto diet was initially designed as a diet to help treat epilepsy, but has now somehow turned into the newest weight loss trend. Once again, you know I’m anti-fad diets and this one is no different.  This is a really difficult diet to follow and it is not effective unless you follow it strictly to remain in ketosis…soooooo unless you’re needing to do so for medical reasons I’d say save yourself the stress and PASS!

Thanks for sending in your questions. Send us an email at champagnetheory@gmail.com with subject Happy Hour if you have more! xx