1

we got engaged while watching game of thrones ;). we had a spa day then ate pizza on the couch in our pajamas…7 years later and that is still my version of a perfect day.

2

we have seriously considered bb being an only child. every time the idea of a second child comes up, we both have the same hesitation. things feel so perfect and easy with just bb, and we are scared to throw that off with a second. but we both love our siblings and cannot imagine growing up as an only child. although bb seems to have fully embraced her only-child status thus far. before I get frantic texts from both sets of grandparents, I also can’t imagine only doing this once. I miss being pregnant, giving birth, the newborn phase (I actually loved that phase), and I will really miss this toddler phase (my brain has already started blacking out those terrible toddler moments) too.

3

we did long distance for 3 years. once in college for 4 months while I studied abroad in Barcelona. and then for the 3 years I was in law school.

4

we have traveled to 10 countries together and LOVE any excuse to travel. here they are: france, italy, germany, belgium, the netherlands, cambodia, thailand, mexico, canada. I just asked blake and we are in agreement that our favorite of the bunch is and always will be France. we could go there bazillions of times. but a very close second is Thailand.

5

we are homebodies and actually have the opposite of fomo, jomo (joy of missing out). we love food, and can usually get ourselves out of the house when the prospect of yummy food is on the other end. but strictly “going out” has never been our thing.

The post confessions from a 30 something appeared first on But First Koffee.

I can literally relate to the crazy people on this show who cry when they are asked to get rid of a gross old t-shirt. All of my items spark joy! HELP…but I am determined to make this house a calm & organized place. I am going to live by the 80% rule. Your house should never be more than 80% full. Our condo was 120% full.

Living with my parents made me realize I need a fraction of my clothes. I brought a very small amount of clothes to my parents. We lived there for almost 2 months. I NEVER ONCE missed an item of clothing that was packed in storage.

I am actually the opposite of Marie Kondo. Tidying does not bring me joy. But every once in a while, I get in major nesting, cleaning, decluttering mode and go crazy. Luckily, I am in that mode right now and prepared to declutter and organize this house from top to bottom.

So here are 7 tips that help me declutter my closet

1

start with an empty closet.

I agree with Marie Kondo here. Whenever I clean out my closet, I take every single item out of my closet and drawers before I purge and organize.

2

keep things that are easy to wear.

you know what I am talking about, the shirts you can wear with anything, the sweaters you wear over and over again, the skirt you can pair with everything. And the opposite is true. Purge the items that are hard to wear. I have items in my closet I absolutely love, and hang on to them purge after purge, but they are too hard to wear. I try to style them, I try to put them into an outfit, but they just do not work with my wardrobe and lifestyle.

3

purge items you hang on to “just in case”

I have an entire wardrobe of suits and business attire from when I was practicing law. I am talking nice suits, ones I invested a lot of money into. I have not been able to part with them. Not because I like them, not because I have any use for them, but because I keep saying “what if I go back to working in an office?!” I do not plan to do this anytime soon, and when I do, I will want to buy new suits. I need to get rid of them. You can expect these on a poshmark account soon!

4

ask yourself, would you wear something else first

you only attend so many baby showers a year. I have dresses that I say “I could wear this to a baby shower.” But I never actually wear them to a baby shower. There are countless other outfits in my closet I would wear first. I have countless sequins outfits, I keep them because I tell myself they are great new years eve outfits. Guess what, I have rang in the new year on the comfort of my own couch the past 3 years in a row, and there is no end in sight. The old sequins skirts and tops need to go.

5

did you wear it last season?

when it comes time to bring back out your summer or winter wardrobe, ask yourself if you wore that item the year before. If your answer is no, you are probably not going to wear it this year. Let it go.

6

keep your color palette.

you know your color palette. Do you wear a lot of red, beige, black, pink, blue? Whatever your palette is, keep those items. I wear a lot of black. 3/4 of my closet, which is color coordinated, is black. Day after day, I reach for the black items and neglect the rest. Most of my outfits looks like some version of the above, head to toe black. Having a closet full of my color lets me get dressed almost mindlessly when I don’t have time to put together a true outfit. If you know you are not going to wear the brightly colored sweaters and tops, let them go.

7

less is more.

I do not need 15 sports bras. Bottom line. I do not need 4 pairs of black booties. I do not need 20 swimsuits. Even if I like all of those items, I do not NEED all of them. I am never going to be a minimalist. I do not want to be a minimalist. I like my stuff, it brings me joy. But there is a happy medium between minimalism and just plain excessive. So, instead of going item by item and deciding if I want to keep it/if it brings me joy (Marie Kondo style), I am going category by category. For example, I will put my sports bras and workout clothes in a pile. Then BEFORE I go item by item, I am deciding how many pieces I want to keep. If I decide I need 7 sports bras, then I am picking my 7 favorite and purging the rest. If I went sports bra by sports bra, they would all stay because I love them all. Deciding first how many I need/want helps me eliminate.

The post 7 tips to help you declutter, closet edition appeared first on But First Koffee.

If all goes according to plan, we should be in the new house by the end of the week! Ekk, I am so freaking excited. This feels like it has been such a long time coming, and I cannot wait to just be settled and back to normal life. I miss our routines and I am excited to get back to good habits.

We are treating this move as a fresh slate. A time to drop our not so great habits, get back to our good habits and pick up some new ones. Yesterday we flew home from florida and bb was such an angel on the flight. I mentioned this in my stories last week, but she has taken such a huge independence leap lately and it makes flying soooo much easier. We have been really blessed that she has always been a fairly good traveler. But let’s be honest, even a good toddler traveler is still not easy. I feel like I need to be 100% on with her the entire time we are traveling, and by the end I am emotionally drained. But our last two trips have been so different. She entertained herself and I actually had some down time on the flight. She is so curious and excited about traveling, that she is just happy and content to be on the plane in her own “big girl seat.”

Anyways, I digress. All of this is to say that Blake and I actually had an hour last night on our flight to talk about the new house, habits we want to keep, habits we need to ditch & new ones we want to start. So here they are!

the one minute rule

I’m sure you’ve heard of this in some way or form. This rule is really easy and my family is adopting it 100%. It’s simple. If you can accomplish a task in 1 minute or less, do it now. Examples: hanging up your jacket & purse, putting your shoes away, putting your dish in the dishwasher, throwing in a load of laundry, etc. I am all about enjoying your down time. I would never let household stuff get in the way of me time or time with my family. When Blake goes down for the night, me time starts. I am not one of those moms that puts my child down then immediately gets to the laundry, dishes, and cleaning. I would lose my mind. But if I can keep up on small tasks throughout the day, they won’t pile up as much.

no more phones in the bedroom

I am a bad sleeper. Have been for as long as I can remember. It takes me a long time to fall asleep and I wake often during the night. There are a lot of changes we are making in regards to this, I might even write a whole post about it, but ditching the phones is priority #1. We all know the deal about phones at night and what they do to our brains, so I will spare you the lecture. But that’s why we are ditching the phones. Sadly, this one honestly stresses me out. I do a lot on my phone in bed, which is all the more reason I need to commit to this rule and never turn back. When I am trying to fall asleep, I suddenly remember 9000 things I need to do, so it helps me fall asleep to type them into a note on my phone. It never occurred to me that I could just as easily have a bedside notebook that will serve the same purpose. So…that’s what we are going to do! I hope this encourages both me and Blake to read more, disconnect more, and just be overall more rested people.

no hoarding

This move has made me realize that I am a hoarder. I keep everything. I place a sentimental attachment on the most mundane items. T shirts that I know I am never ever ever ever going to wear again are saved because of that one time in Barcelona when I wore the shirt and have good memories. Or my dance team uniforms that I cannot part with (WHY?!). I am also fairly certain that I do not need 12 different sets of plates. Why do I keep a serving platter I know I am never going to use? Well, because I feel guilty that someone was thoughtful enough to give it to me as a gift. New rule in the new house: if there is not a place for it, it GOES! In the condo, there were always things out on the counters and dressers. Mainly because there was not enough room for everything to have it’s own place. Not because there wasn’t enough space, but because I have too much stuff. So I was constantly shuffling stuff from one place to another because there was not a proper place for everything. I am cutting down in the new house.

family dinners

All in all, we are pretty good about this. But sometimes we are guilty of feeding bb an early dinner then enjoy a more leisurely adults only dinner after she goes down for the night. bb’s preschool brings in a child psychologist once a month for the parents to meet with, talk to and ask questions. She also shares some unsolicited advice as well. Something I found SO interesting is how much value she puts on family dinners. In her professional opinion, there should be 6 family dinners a week. According to her, whether a child grows up in a house where family dinners are the norm is the single greatest predictor of future happiness (which is measured in terms of substance abuse problems and incarceration rates). I grew up in a house where family dinners were just the norm. Until I was old enough to go to friends houses on the weekends, we had 7 family dinners a week. I want that to be the norm for bb too. Almost all of the families in bb’s preschool have at least one parent who has to miss dinner frequently, either for travel or late work hours. Blake misses dinner a lot when he is traveling. So I felt extremely relieved to know that the benefits from family dinner come from having at least one parent who truly connects (no cell phones, real conversation) with their child during meal times.

good, old-fashioned chores

While we were on our flight, we wrote down chores for the whole family. Yep, bb too. I want her to feel like the house is hers too, and feel some (good) responsibility for it. Her chores are: make her bed every morning (literally throwing two pillows in her crib, but it’s the habit that counts), water her plant (we are getting her a small plant for her bedroom that she can take care of, maybe she will be better at keeping plants alive than her mama), feed George and walk George daily…with my assistance of course. For Blake and me, we broke ours down into daily, weekly and monthly chores. Sounds intense but it is mainly things we do already, just going to be more diligent about doing them regularly. And we added in some new ones that go along with owning a house, like who is in charge of each general upkeep category associated with the house. We have a strict “I cook, he cleans” philosophy in our house. I meal plan, grocery shop, and cook. Blake does all the dishes and loads and unloads the dishwasher every day. We addressed some common grievances we each had in our old condo, so we can start fresh and get rid of them. Blake likes to have snacks available at the house, but I do not like having junk in the house. So he is making me a list of healthy and husband approved snacks, and I will make sure we have them every week. I hate when I get into the car with the baby and it is out of gas, so part of his weekly duties is making sure both cars have a full tank of gas. I hate the word “chores” by the way, so if someone could come up with a better word for this, that would be much appreciated. Wish us luck…

less food waste

I know I have talked about this before, but we are terrible about food waste. Every Friday, I am cleaning out the fridge FULLY. If I know what I have and what is about to go bad, I can meal plan accordingly and waste less. I also hope that having less access to amazing restaurants (insert major tear face) will cut down on our spontaneous meals out. That is what really kills us when it comes to food waste. We have something I could easily make in the fridge, but Sushi Dokku sounds way better, so we go out instead. Hopefully, there will be less of that in the burbs!

morning workouts

OH EM GEEE am I excited for this one. I am a better person all around then I am working out consistently. I have less stress and anxiety, better patience and just feel 1000% better. Getting back into a workout routine cannot happen soon enough. The only thing we have in our empty house right now is a Peloton bike + some workout equipment. The Peloton bike was literally the very first thing we bought for the house. Top of my list of things I miss in the city is soulcycle, :(. I am still going to try to make it downtown to a weekly soulcycle class, but I needed to find a realistic replacement and I am hoping and praying that the Peloton bike can be that. Do any of you have it!? If so, what are your thoughts? Please send instructor recs!! I am really not a morning workout person, but I am hoping I can become one. Day time workouts are just too hard and unreliable with kids.

no junk food in the house

Both of my blakes are addicted to sugar. They could eat chocolate and candy and sweets all day long. So, I end up eating it too because I have no self control. I don’t officially make new years resolutions, but I do reevaluate things and think about what I can do better and what we can do better as a family. Sugar needs to go. So I am ditching the added sugar this January to try to kick the habit. I just want to feel better/get back to my normal self and sugar makes me feel awful. Did you know your brain has a similar chemical reaction to sugar as it does to drugs? Moving forward, there will be NOOOOOO candy, sweets or processed junk in our house. If we need something sweet, which we all do on occasion, we can go out for the occasional ice cream cone.

no shoes in the house

Ew, I do not know how this wasn’t a rule in our old condo, but we never took our shoes off at the front door. I know how disgusting that is, and I know the kinds of germs and bacteria we were tracking into our house. New house, new rule. NO SHOES IN THE HOUSE.

morning routines

This goes for all members of my family. We all have different things we need to do in the morning to make us feel in control of the day. For Blake, that is time alone so he can prioritize what he needs to do that day. For me, that’s time to drink my coffee and have some quiet time before miss b wakes up. In an ideal world, I somehow become a morning person who wakes bright and early, enjoys my coffee and quiet time then works out all before bb wakes up. Maybe I will even put on real clothes before she is awake…but that might be overly ambitious. When bb wakes up, we have quiet reading time and it is my favorite part of the day with her. She snuggles with me and it just starts the day off on the right foot. Since we have been at my parents, we have had no morning routine. She is too excited when she wakes up and it’s off to the races the moment her feet touch the ground. She has to wake up everyone in the house because she is so excited to start playing with her gram and papa. While I love how much fun she is having here, I am excited to have quiet and calm mornings again.

The post 10 habits we are making & breaking in the new house! appeared first on But First Koffee.

FOR THE PICKY FRIEND WHO HAS EVERYTHING

We all have one of those people on our gift giving list. You rack you brain year after year to come up with something unique that won’t get returned! Here are three gifts that are sure to please even the pickiest people.

A MONTH TO THEIR FAVORITE FITNESS CLASS

SoulCycle addict, Core Power fan? Whatever their class of choice is, treat them to a month on you! Maybe throw in a new workout top or water bottle to go with it!

SPA DAY

I am a major spa person. If you want to make me happy, gift me on a day of pampering. Does your friend love a good facial? Maybe she is a massage girl? Whichever their pamper of choice is, send them on their way!

HIRE A SOMMELIER

Wine lovers? We did this for a friend a couple years ago, and I have to say it was the most well received gift of all time! Find a sommelier in your area and hire them to work a dinner party or night in at your friends house. They can bring wines, do a tasting and everyone gets to learn a little something about wine along the way.

FOR THE INLAWS

Duh duh duhhhhhh, the most dreaded of all gifts. JK, my in laws are the best and so laid back, so gift giving is really easy. But not everyone is so lucky! Here are three gifts you can’t go wrong with.

A PROFESSIONALLY FRAMED PHOTO

This was one of the first holiday gifts we gave to Blake’s parents, a matted and framed photo from our wedding! We told them in advance, so they could pick a frame & size that went well with their house.

SOME QT

Blake and I are big on giving experiential gifts. We don’t give eachother traditional gifts anymore, but instead try to plan something we can do together. Same goes for in laws! I feel like parents and in laws really just want to spend time with you, especially when there are grandkids. So plan a time to see them in the near future! Maybe a trip to the beach, family day in the city, or a musical!

DIGITIZE FAMILY VIDEOS

Get your hands on some old family videos and have them converted to digital copies! It’s so fun to gather around the TV with your family and watch old family videos. This one is sure to be a BIG hit and maybe even bring a tear to their eye!

FOR THE MEN

I finally have the hubby figured out, but only after years of lackluster enthusiasm and returned gifts. For years, I used holidays to try to reshape Blake’s wardrobe. His sense of style and mine are different, to say the least. Nothing says “I love you” like a sweater he is going to hate, right!? Here are some winners for the men in your life…

SOMETHING PERSONAL

Blake’s gift this year is something he mentioned he loved in passing. I am so excited to give it to him, because it is kind of a memory wrapped into a gift. Stay tuned, I will share it on Christmas morning!

A STAYCATION

Every holiday season, we try to do a staycation at one of our favorite hotels downtown. We get into our robes, order room service, and go to bed before 10! We usually try to work in some spa time too and a decadent brunch!

CLOTHES THEY ACTUALLY LIKE

Does your man have a brand he is 100% hooked on? Blake will only wear Mugsy Jeans. He is insanely picky about his clothes and comfort and these are literally the only jeans he will wear! They’re having some awesome Black Friday deals, all purchases get a free belt, and purchases above $100 get 25% off using code BFCM25!

FOR THE HOSTESS

I always have holiday parties galore. I pride myself on being 100% done with my Christmas gifts by Cyber Monday, but somehow, every single year, I forget to account for hostess gifts and find myself scrambling as I walk out the door for the party. This year, I am appropriately stocked well in advance. Here are my three picks for the host or hostess!

CONUNDRUM WINES

I always have a handful of go-to bottles of wine. Right now, one of my top picks is Conundrum wines. Blake and I love love love a good bottle of Caymus Cab, and Conundrum was started by the same family that started Caymus. Conundrum is also amazing quality and the best price! I first got hooked on the red because it pairs really well with Asian and Mexican foods, which we eat allll the time. But they have a white, rosé and sparking wine too! I LOVE rosé but hate anything sweet, theirs is perfectly crisp and fruity.

GLASSY BABY VOTIVES

A family friend gave these to Blake and me as a wedding gift, and they are one of those things in my house that I absolutely love. We’ve used them as decor in our bathroom and as table decor for dinner parties. They come in 9 bazillion colors and make the best hostess gift.

MANI/PEDI GIFT CARD

Hosting can be a lot, especially with large families! Nothing says thank you like a little pampering. A mani/pedi is the perfect way to decompress after the craziness that can come with hosting!

FOR THE BOSS

This is something I used to stress majorly about! Thankfully, I am my own boss now, so I bought myself a massage ;). But finding the right gift that says thank you for being a great boss, with the perfect amount of sentiment and at the right price point is tough!

SOMETHING FUNNY

I had a boss that was obsessed with rolos. I gave her a massive bag of rolos and a gift card to her favorite coffee shop!

TICKETS TO A SPORTING EVENT/SIGNED MEMORABILIA

I had a boss that was obsessed with the Hawks. Luckily, I have a husband who used to play hockey so he was able to get a signed Hawks jersey! Let’s just saw it was very well received.

A BOTTLE OF THEIR FAVORITE SPLURGE WINE

If you’re in an office where you need to impress and pony up, a crate of their favorite wine or even just one bottle of a splurge worthy wine will do the trick! You know your office and the expectations that come with your boss’s gift, so plan accordingly!

Hope this helps make your tricky gift giving a little bit easier!

xoxo

The post BFK holiday gift guide appeared first on But First Koffee.

Throughout the holidays I am doing FIVE giveaways to thank you all for your support! To kick off the holiday season, I am giving away a holiday photo shoot with my FAVORITE Chicago photographer, Miss Libby Roth, who shoots the content for BFK when my insta husband is busy ;). And as an extra thank you, Libby is offering a 50% off special to my followers through the end of the holidays for anyone who misses out on the giveaway. Libby’s special holiday photo rate is $100 for a 1 hour photo shoot.

You guys, Libby is the BEST. Not only does she shoot awesome content, but for those of you with kids, she is the best with kids. We wanted to get some last shoots of our family in the condo before our big move and she nailed it. I didn’t want anything over staged. No fancy outfits, decor, or anything forced. Just us in our element, in our cozy clothes to remember the tiny corners in our condo we love so much. I could not be more obsessed with the pictures she got. Some I want to just keep for myself and our memories, but here are a few from our shoot to show you just how awesome she is. The last pic is Libby & bb, who has not stopped asking about Libby since the shoot. They are new bffs.

more on how to enter the giveaway below…

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

1 – follow me, @katelyngeoffrion, on instagram

2- like my giveaway post and tag one of your friends! bonus entries for more tags!

3- comment on this blog post!

YOU’RE DONE! so easy!

For anyone who misses out on the giveaway, here is Libby’s website, her instagram and her email (lizdani220@gmail.com) so you can reach out directly to her! Just tell her I sent you and she will honor the 50% off discount!

Thank you again for following along :). Love you all so much!

Stay tuned for the next giveaway!

xoxo

The post holiday photos GIVEAWAY! appeared first on But First Koffee.

here are three of my favorite homemade brunch meals you can make for dinner! PS – brunch for dinner also might be the easiest grocery list of all time (and cheapest!) so that’s a win in my book.

BAGEL SANDWICH

We made this on sunday and OMG was it amazing. I want to eat it every day for the rest of my life. I am planning on making it again this week but subbing the bagel for thick cut wholegrain toast. I will let you know how it turns out that way!

Ingredients:

bagel of your choice

caramelized onions

fried egg

bacon (I buy the no-nitrate version from Whole Foods, so it’s a little less guilty)

avocado

salt + pepper + garlic salt

if you like cream cheese (I am not a huge fan) you can add a little shmear of scallion cream cheese

Instructions: toast the bagel then layer it all up! voila, ooey gooey deliciousness

HASHBROWNS + EGGS SKILLET

We made a homemade skillet one morning and it literally was better than any skillet I have every had from a restaurant. We bought the pre-made, frozen hashbrown potatoes from Whole Foods, so it was super easy.

Ingredients:

frozen hashbrown potatoes

egg your way

toppings (we went with caramelized onions & mushrooms)

toast, we served it with thick cut toast

Instructions: prepare the potatoes per package instructions and top with the toppings of your choice + eggs

LOADED AVO TOAST

We make this at home a lot. It’s easy and definitely the healthiest of the bunch.

Ingredients:

thick cut whole wheat toast

egg your way (I like mine over medium)

avocado cubed and mixed with lemon, salt + pepper and red pepper flakes

additional toppings (sometimes I add other toppings like bacon, caramelized onion, scallions, red onion, etc.)

Instructions:

toast your bread (if you want it extra delicious, toast it in your skillet instead of a toasted)

load it up with avocado + egg + any additional toppings!

GROCERY LIST

eggs

thick cut whole wheat toast or bagel or both!

bacon

onion

avocado

scallions

mushrooms

lemon

frozen hashbrown potatoes

The post meal plan, breakfast edition appeared first on But First Koffee.

I did a full blog post last October with the products I use daily, HERE. And another post with my favorite masks HERE. If you want a full review of each product, check out those posts.

Here is a breakdown of what I use daily and weekly and what it has cost over the course of one year!

DAILY SKINCARE ROUTINE

morning

wash with water (I have found that my skin does better when I am only washing with cleanser once a day)

apply Belif Bergamot Herbal Toner

replaced 3 times

$28

apply Belif True Cream Moisturizing Bomb

replaced 3 times

$38

apply Tata Harper Illuminating Eye Creme

replaced 1 time

$95

apply Coola Mineral Sunscreen

replaced 3 times

$32

bedtime

wash with Beautycounter Rejuvenating Face Wash

replaced 3 times

$43

apply Belif Bergamot Herbal Toner

apply Belif True Cream Moisturizing Bomb

apply Tata Harper Illuminating Eye Creme

WEEKLY

1-2x a week, at bedtime, between cleanser and toner, apply BEAUTYCOUNTER – balancing + charcoal mask

replaced 2 times

$48

1x a week after toner, apply BELIF – overnight brightening mask

replaced 1 time

$34

as needed (I usually do this one during the day when I am working from home and need a pick me up) BELIF – chamomile mask

has not been replaced

$36

as needed for breakouts, at bedtime, between cleanser and toner, apply HERBIVORE – blue clay mask

replaced 2 times

$22

GRAND TOTAL FOR ONE YEAR (plus a few extra months)

$1,068

The post my skincare routine + what it costs appeared first on But First Koffee.

So for this week’s meals, we are keeping things really simple and healthy. Lots of smoothies, fresh fruits and veggies and lean proteins! I am craving salmon, so I think that might be first up on the list! I was surfing Pinterest and came across THIS delicious looking recipe. We are going to try it out this week! I will update on instastories and let you all know how it turns out!

image + recipe from The Cozy Apron

A crisp fall salad also sounds amazing. I love a brussel sprout salad. When fall hits, I want to eat one every single day. I usually make a copycat recipe from RPM, but I am thinking I am going to mix it up this week. THIS one looks ahhhmazing. I am going to give it a try and add some grilled chicken.

recipe + image from A Family Feast

If you followed me on Instagram last year, you know this recipe was one of my staples. I think I made it every single week. It is the very first story on my “eats in” story highlights on instagram. I am bringing it back and my mouth is actually watering thinking about it. I usually make gobs of it at the beginning of the week then eat it all week long. Here is how you do it:

sweet potatoes

1 – dice sweet potatoes into small pieces

2 – toss in olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper

3 – bake at 400 until crispy (about 20 minutes)

grilled chicken

1- marinade in garlic, evoo, and worchestershire sauce

2 – grill

3 – dice into bite sized pieces

add shredded red cabbage and shaved brussel sprouts

add salad dressing – diced shallots, garlic, evoo, champagne vinegar, salt and pepper

toss all together in a salad!

MEAL PLAN

breakfast

frozen mango + pineapple, coconut water, flax seed, collagen peptides

frozen banana, almond milk, black coffee

frozen strawberries + blueberries, chia seeds, coconut water, collagen peptides

lunch

salad leftovers

dinner

quinoa salad

salmon & cous cous

brussel sprout salad + grilled chicken

GROCERY LIST

red cabbage

shallots

shaved brussel sprouts

tomatoes

cucumber

red onion

yellow bell pepper

kalamata olives

lemon

fresh dill

quinoa

cous cous

craisins

chicken

salmon

feta (or whatever cheese you like)

ALREADY HAVE

dijon mustard

honey

evoo

balsamic

champagne vinegar

walnuts

spices

The post keep it simple meal plan appeared first on But First Koffee.

SALMON TACOS

Probably 1/3 of the recs were tacos, taco salads, mexican dishes etc! You all know me so well. I could eat some version of tacos every day for the rest of my life. The recommendation that literally had my mouth watering was a “fish taco bowl with guac”, um yummm. I just might have to add the tortilla for dinner then eat the leftovers in a bowl for lunches! We haven’t made salmon in a while so I am going to do salmon tacos. I used to make these allll the time, but I haven’t in a couple months. They’re so easy, healthy and incredibly delicious. Here’s how you make them…

salmon rub: chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you want them), salt + pepper. Cover the entire piece of salmon in this rub then I pan sear them in a cast iron or nonstick skillet with a little evoo.

toppings

chipotle aioli: mix together 2 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce with either mayo, greek yogurt or sour cream, depending on which flavor you like best. I prefer mayo or greek yogurt.

guac: avocado, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, salt and pepper

cabbage slaw: red cabbage, green onion, red onion, and cilantro. Since I am already adding chipotle aioli and guac to my tacos, I prefer to keep my cabbage slaw dry. If you want to add a sauce to the slaw, I do lime juice, honey, mayo salt and pepper.

I throw it all in a toasted flour tortilla and it is pure heaven.

MOROCCAN QUINOA SALAD

“Moroccan quinoa salad or avo/chickpea sandwich.” This recommendation is speaking to me in a million ways. I love Mediterranean flavors (is moroccan food considered mediterranean? I am not sure to be honest, but all the flavors seem really similar!) and anything I can eat with tzatziki is a winner. So we are definitely making this salad this week.

I pinterested “moroccan quinoa salad” and bazillions of recipes popped up. I am picking and choosing my favorites from a bunch of different recipes. Here’s the ingredients I am going with: quinoa, red pepper, red onion, cucumber, raisins, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, parsley, fresh garlic, and chicken, served with tzatziki sauce on the side!

SHEET PAN RECIPES

SOOO many of you recommended sheet pan meals. This is genius, only one pan to clean. I have no excuse for not making these all the time, so I am going to try one out this week! Here are some of your recs for sheet pan meals:

sheet pan chicken + veggies

sheet pan salmon, chicken sausage + veggies

sheet pan fajitas (um yum, definitely making this soon)

sheet pan nachos over sweet potatoes instead of chips (also making this asap)

I am going to do chicken breasts, brussel sprouts, red onion, lemon and potatoes with herb de provence spices! Here are 18 sheet pan recipes if you need some inspo!

RICE BOWL WITH FRIED EGG

I love how easy this is. As recommended, serve with rice, guac, black beans, corn salsa and top with a fried egg! I am thinking this will be my lunch all week long! I might mix it up each day with a few different toppings! So easy, but fresh, delicious and healthy.

MEAL PLAN

breakfast

smoothies

frozen mango + pineapple, coconut water, flax seed, collagen peptides

frozen banana, almond milk, black coffee

frozen strawberries + blueberries, chia seeds, coconut water, collagen peptides

lunch

rice bowls

salmon taco salad leftovers

Moroccan salad leftovers

dinner

salmon tacos

sheet pan chicken

Moroccan salad + tzatziki

GROCERY LIST

spinach

red cabbage

avocados

cilantro

jalapeño

red onion

green onion

red pepper

cucumber

brussel sprouts

garlic

lemon

raisins

fresh dill

black beans

corn

chicken breasts (enough for sheet pan and moroccan salad)

salmon

eggs

flour tortillas

ALREADY HAVE/TRY TO KEEP ON HAND

parsley

paprika

chili powder

cayenne pepper

herb de provence seasoning

quinoa

smoothie rations

coconut water

flax seed

chia seeds

collagen peptides

mayo

evoo

The post easy AND healthy meals appeared first on But First Koffee.

proof.

Rag and Bone – sold out (similar here) 

Moussy Vintage – more sizes here

Levi’s black 501 short

Levi’s black 501 short

Levi’s 501 high rise

Levi’s wedgie cut

Levi’s black 501 short

Levi’s black 501 short

Moussy Vintage – more sizes here

Parker Vintage

Levi’s wedgie cut

Moussy Vintage – more sizes here

Moussy Vintage – more sizes here

Moussy Vintage – more sizes here

Moussy Vintage – more sizes here

Moussy Vintage – more sizes here

But, to be 100% honest, I was not comfortable wearing shorts until I had bb. I never liked my legs and felt like shorts accentuated the parts of them I didn’t like. Post baby, it’s funny how much your perspective shifts (in millions of ways). I now really like my legs and love wearing shorts.

But I am really picky about how they fit. The brands that work for my body and that I buy over and over again are Moussy, Levi’s, Agolde, and Rag & Bone.

I have these black Agolde’s and they are the perfect everyday black cutoff. They’re high-waisted and hug your hips in all the right places, but they aren’t too tight. These black shorts, you’ve seen them hundreds of times this summer if you follow me on insta, do wondrous things for your legs. When I put them on, my legs feel 2 feet longer.

These are another pair of awesome everyday denim from Levi’s. I have them and love the richer denim color! They’re also a great price! And these extra distressed Levi’s might be my favorites of all.

I would say I am pretty well stocked with cutoffs. But I cannot help myself from constantly shopping for new styles. I have my basics covered, but now I am thinking I need a fun + different pair. These and these are on my wishlist. They’re so different and funky and I visit them virtually a couple times a day ;).

All my favorites, below!

xoxo

The post all the denim shorts appeared first on But First Koffee.