Happy Hour

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, which can only mean one thing: cocktails. Cheers to making it through the week, ladies! We hope you have something fun planned but if not, just remember to take some time for yourself. For us, that means roaming the Target aisles solo. Is there anything better? Nope. Below is another round of Q&A – Heather is tackling the fashion forward questions while Alix is responding to the nutrition stuff. Now go grab a drink and chill:

How did the two of you meet and why did you decide to start blogging together?

It’s a bit of a twisted web so try to keep up. I (Heather) am friends with two sisters here in Seattle. Last December, one of the sisters told me that her fiance’s brother, wife (Alix) and 4 month old little girl were moving to my neighborhood.. literally a few blocks away. She told me Alix was originally from Orange County but had been living in San Fran the past few years and that we should totally meet because we are both stay-at-home moms with young babies. Alix and I first met at a girls brunch and then started walking and meeting for play dates thereafter – the rest is history. And cheers to Alice for playing matchmaker ha 😉

As for the reason for blogging – once we got to know each other better, we quickly realized how much we have in common and enjoy similar things: fitness, healthy eating, champagne, fashion.. literally we’d show up in the same workout outfit at Orange Theory and be so embarrassed. We kind of joked about starting a blog because we didn’t have much else going on during the day besides keeping little humans alive. And as difficult as that is, we itched for a creative outlet. So the joke turned into reality over text one night.

I see you adding Vital Proteins to your smoothies and coffee. What is it, what are the benefits and what does it taste like?

There are a lot of varieties of Vital Proteins to choose from based on your preferences and dietary needs/restrictions. We both use the OG collagen peptides (this one) and it’s a great basic collagen powder to start out with. It is tasteless and easily dissolves in your hot coffee or smoothies.  I’ve learned I can only do 1 scoop at a time in my coffee or it becomes lumpy (servings size says 2 scoops).  Collagen peptides are great for hair, skin, nails, joints, and gut health.  I originally started taking it around 5-6 months postpartum when my hair was falling out!  (pregnant and nursing mamas ask your doctor before taking).  I’m starting to play around with the beef gelatin (this one) which is supposedly even better for gut health!  I also want to try the beauty water (this flavor sounds yummy!)

What are your favorite protein bars and why? What should I look for when choosing from the many options on the market?

Alix: This will be a much longer and more in-depth post soon, I promise.  Right now I’m loving Rx bars, Lara, and Perfect.  I always have these bars in my pantry.  Quinn loves perfect bars so I’ll share with her!

Look for bars that have around 10-20 grams protein, some fat >5grams (this will help keep you full I promise!), <10-12 grams sugar, and minimal ingredients.  When reading the ingredient label avoid sugar alcohols (Quest bars..cough cough) and heavily processed soy ingredients like soy protein isolate.

I always love to hear what bars you guys are loving so I can try too!  There are SO many on the market!

Heather: I just wanted to add that I have had the hardest time finding a bar that I truly like because some are seriously gross. Alix told me to try Lara chocolate chip cookie dough and it’s actually pretty tasty (better be for $10 a box). I am now a believer.

I’m going to Vegas in April and have no clue what to pack. I think I want a cute dress or romper for hitting the strip at night and a new suit and cover up for the pool. Have you found anything worth splurging on?

Funny you should ask because we are going to Vegas in April too 😉 (we may have gotten this question from a friend who is going with us). We’re going to see JT with a group of girls and CAN’T. FREAKIN. WAIT. Ok, so what to wear… let’s break it down. For the plane, we’re loving comfy jumpsuits like this and this. This one is in my cart for under $100 and in cargo green – kinda obsessed. For the pool, I think this suit is so flattering, this plunging one piece is giving me all the pool party vibezzz and the color is having a major moment. If you want simple black, this Marysia is so popular and classic. A closet staple! And lastly, I’ve seen this number (and comes in so many colors) on a lot of girls and it’s so cute. As for cover ups, it’s Vegas. You can get away with anything. Loving this (for preorder), this and this. Ok – now we’re hitting the strip. We’re thinking rompers all night long. Dyyyyying over this cut and color. This off the shoulder is just hotttt (also in this color). And if you’re in the mood for a dress – can’t get over this simple silhouette (only $66), this (sleeeeeves, honey!) or this cold shoulder little numbaaa for $72.

You both drink a lot of kombucha. What are the benefits of drinking it and what’s your favorite flavor? 

Kombucha is a type of fermented tea and has a good dose of probiotics.  I have been drinking it since college and really enjoy the taste…and it makes for a great afternoon pick me up!  There are many health claims for drinking this stuff, but I primarily drink it for gut health and immunity.  Watch out for sugar content in a lot of brands and flavors…I stick with GT (obsessing over Lemonade right now and Gingerade is always a staple) and Health-Ade is a high quality brand (pomegranate and maca-berry are bomb).

I see all of these bloggers eating GG crackers – what’s the scoop?

GG crackers are all the rage because of this book.  Once again I don’t believe in these types of fad diets, but there are some good reminders and takeaways from this eating plan.  It focuses on FIBER which is something we all probably struggle to get enough of in on a daily basis.  Enter GG crackers…these babies are packed with fiber (4 grams per cracker to be exact).  The catch?? They don’t taste great solo, so you need to add some toppings for sure!  So if you’re not getting in 25 grams of fiber on the reg…these could be helpful to add into the snack mix and you can find them at most Whole Foods or Amazon.

Have either of you ever tried Whole 30?

Alix: I have not…I’m anti fad diets in general and this one is pretty hard core and restrictive.  I’m all about taking bits and pieces from different eating plans out there and developing a way of eating and living that works best for you.  Like 30 days without champagne..hard no for me (and probably Heather too- I’ll speak for her here).

Heather: I tried it after I had Cam and it was a big mistake. I should not have been restricting anything in my diet because I was breastfeeding and it was the dumbest thing I could have done from a milk supply perspective. Anyways, I failed for a number of reasons but I do have the cookbook and enjoy looking at it from time to time for inspo.

I am so ready for Spring fashion – anything you’re specifically eying to add to your wardrobe as the months get warmer?

I don’t think you KNOOOOOW how ready we are for Spring – especially here in Seattle. This rain and snow, woof. But we are gearing up for some warmer weather in the coming months and these are the pieces in my (Heather’s) cart:

 

Happy Weekending!!