Current faves: Brandless, food, fashion and weekly workouts

Happy Friday, my people! How was your first week of December? Mine was good! It’s been totally chilly here (I mean, 40s and 50s is chilly for me), and that makes it feel very December-like. We’ve got the tree up and Christmas lights on the house, and I’m loving it all. 

Tonight, we’re going to a holiday wine tasting party at a friends’ house, and that’s about it for plans, which is fine by me. Hope you’re up to something good! Now, let’s get to our weekly selection of random favorites … 

Food

Stocking my pantry with $3 items from Brandless

*This portion of the post is sponsored by Brandless. Thanks for supporting our sponsors.

A real favorite coming your way. What if I told you that some of my favorite pantry staples are only $3 each and I order them online and they come right to my house? It’s the truth. I’ve been ordering from Brandless.com for a while now after learning about the brand during an event I attended with them back in September in the City, and I’m so excited to share more about the company with you.

Here’s the deal: Brandless is an online store, which is super easy to shop, and everything on Brandless.com is $3 — yes, I mean everything. How are they able to do that? Brandless cuts out the middleman by working directly with suppliers, and thus can offer lower prices on quality snacks, food, pantry staples, household items, cleaning supplies, stationery, cutlery, personal care products and more. And here’s the best part, when you order from Brandless.com, they donate a meal to Feed America, an organization fighting hunger.

What was in my latest shipment? I decided to stock the pantry. Organic fair trade coffee (for Dave), organic green tea (for me), organic virgin coconut oil, organic applesauce pouches (for Brady), almond butter, organic tahini (LOVE it), organic honey, organic sunflower seed butter, organic black beans (a frequent addition to our dinners), organic instant oatmeal, organic black pepper, sea salt and even some non-pantry items like mouthwash, shave cream and toothpaste just for fun.

To be honest, sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with online shopping, even though it’s my preference. But with Brandless, it’s super easy to choose what you want, because there’s only one kind of each item. And the products have been vetted: Most of the foods on Brandless.com are organic, and all of the food products are non-GMO without artificial preservatives or flavors.

The no-nonsense labeling is different too. When you get your shipment, you can see all the information about the product on the label that matters. For the virgin coconut oil? That means the label says organic, unrefined, cold pressed, and that’s that. I happen to love the simple aesthetic. 

Brandless got its start last year (based in SF!), and I’m really happy there are companies like this popping up to make it easier for more people to get healthy and quality products for less. And, by the way, you get free shipping when you spend more than $39 too. Check out Brandless.com today. Thanks, friends!

Vital Proteins mocha collagen creamer

I’m still putting collagen in my daily green tea in the morning, and lately I’ve been using this new mocha flavor from Vital Proteins. It’s good stuff! I actually really like the combo of mocha with green tea and a little coconut milk to boot, and you get 10 grams of collagen protein per serving.

Still wondering about collagen? It’s the most abundant source of protein in the body, found in the connective tissues. Vital Proteins collagen is sourced from grass-fed bovines and is high quality, and taking collagen regularly helps support healthy skin, hair, nails, joints and even digestion. I take 1-2 servings daily mixed in with teas.

Fashion

Vineyard Vines pullover

Every time I wear this pullover, it brings me back to my University of Florida days in Gainesville, where the preppy look was quite popular. I don’t think I had any Vineyard Vines items back then, but I probably would have liked to. I’m not sure my current style falls under the preppy category, but I live for comfort and quality items. I’m definitely into getting less items, but better items, so this fits in with that philosophy.

It’s made from cotton and polyester, is soft, has big pockets and a little zipper and just feels good. I throw it on in the afternoons over workout leggings during the week and with jeans on the weekend. You may have seen this sweatshirt make an appearance on my ultimate gift guide earlier this week, by the way, but wanted to share it live in action on me too.

Fitness

Weekly workout recap

And now we’re into the fitness.

Here’s a look at my workouts from last week …

• Monday: Rest day
• Tuesday: Rest day
• Wednesday: 25-minute full-body workout, 11 a.m.
• Thursday: Taught 1-hour Bootybarre class, 12 p.m.
• Friday: 30-minute CXWORX class, 9:30 a.m.
• Saturday: 25-minute full-body workout, 10 a.m.
• Sunday: 45-minute SoulCycle class, 10:45 a.m.

This past week (which was last week) started out with two full days of rest in Florida, then moved into some short workouts. I enjoyed my time off, but was excited to get back to the gym and pick up some weights. The short full-body workouts I did are below …

I’m definitely repeating this one again, because it’s full of quick, total-body, functional moves. 

This one was fun, because we used the double-cable machine in the gym, which is frequently busy, but can be used for so many different types of exercises. I like that machine and need to use it some more!

Favorite reads

From around the web

• Workout intensity. How many times have you heard me say that you can’t do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or super-tough workouts too many times a week? I also like to remind you that short workouts are beneficial, and that exercise is stress on the body. All of that being said, this article about the trend toward cortisol-friendly fitness is SPEAKING my language. Don’t miss it!
• Women lifting each other up. Loved this episode of The Almost 30 Podcast with the founders of Tone It Up. They seem like really genuine women, and I love that they promote learning to love your body by movement, fitness and community. All for that!
• Granola. Coconut-avocado granola sounds pretty strange and fantastic to me. How about you?
• Intervening with others. I usually choose very positive articles to share, but I feel that this is a worthy one, although about a tough subject. Erin talks about how to speak to someone you suspect has a problem. Hoping you don’t have this situation, but if you do, it may be useful.
• Skin checks. This is another one that doesn’t fall under my usual suggested links, but it seems pretty important to share, explaining why we need to worry about sun exposure. Have you ever had your skin checked? You should. I’m due!

A Lady Goes West archives

• Need some gift inspo? Here’s your master list … “The A Lady Goes West ultimate gift guide for 2018.”
• Can’t stop eating this … “Superfood pumpkin oatmeal breakfast bake (gluten-free).”

Have a most wonderful weekend! Hope you shine as bright as a Christmas tree …

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

Do you have a favorite sweatshirt?

Did you go to college? If so, where?