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Current faves: Dinner event, food, fun and weekly workouts

September 21, 2018 By Ashley 11 Comments

Hi, my friends! How are you? I’m doing well-ish. This week has passed by in a blur, that’s for sure. Having my Mom here has been totally awesome, but I think I’ve been trying to fit in too much during her visit, because a cold made its way around our house this week, and I rarely ever get sick, so it must be a sign to slow down. Anyone else ever feel that way?

But today, let’s keep it light and get to our regularly scheduled selection of favorites …

Events

Inspiring dinner event in Russian Hill in SF

Earlier this week, I ventured into Russian Hill in the City for a dinner hosted by a company called Brandless. Brandless is a pretty new company, sold only online, with a mission to get healthy and useful body, home and grocery food products into the hands of people for a very reasonable cost — like everything is $3, which is incredibly reasonable. I hope to talk more about Brandless soon, but wanted to show some highlights from the dinner I attended, because they’re worth sharing.

All of these photos are courtesy of Brandless too …

Bloggers Brandless dinner in SF - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Brandless dinner in SF - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

I walked into the door happy to see some local influencers that I’ve met before and really enjoy hanging out with, and then I also met some new people, including a few gals I’ve followed for forever and was hoping to meet in person one day. It was an excellent group, and we were treated to an amazing dinner as well as conversation. And Brandless made donations to Feeding America in our names …

Brandless dinner - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Bloggers Brandless dinner in SF 2 - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Bloggers Brandless dinner in SF 3 - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Now while the food and scenery were both great, what was absolutely the best part was the conversation. I don’t know the last time that I had dinner table conversation with such inspiring, strong and smart women about such important topics — health, wellness, fitness, the Bay Area, you name it. We each shared a little bit about ourselves and focus and then just chatted. I loved it! I had originally planned to leave by 9 p.m. so I wasn’t out too late, but the first time I even thought to look at my watch it was already 9:15 p.m.. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Bloggers Brandless dinner in SF 1 - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Bloggers Brandless dinner in SF 5 - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

It’s not easy for me to get out to these things, and I’m so glad I made the effort for this event. I love learning about quality companies and spending time with like-minded gals — away from my usual night-time set-up of momming and staying home. Thanks to Brandless for a great night.

Fun

Seeing a show with my Momma

This week, my Mom and I went to see Mamma Mia the musical at our local theatre, the Lesher Center in downtown Walnut Creek, which resulted in another late night for me. The show was super cute, and I loved the tunes and dancing. It had been a fairly stressful day for me trying to get a bunch of things done that I was behind on work-wise, and we even considered skipping the show (actually tried to sell our tickets and had no takers), but both my Mom and I were so glad we went. Good times and a perfect show for a mom and daughter to see! Oh, and I wore this new shirt, with my favorite black pants …

Ashley at Mamma Mia - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Food

Tasty bone broth

Now that the temperatures are cooling down, I’ll probably be having bone broth a lot more often. I recently got a shipment of some Osso Good organic bone broth, and it’s delish. I usually have to add sea salt, turmeric and pepper to my plain varieties to drink straight up, but this kind is good as is. It comes frozen, so you defrost the pack when you’re ready in the fridge, then heat up your servings in a mug or pan or add it to dishes you are cooking (I’ve added it to boiling water for lentil pasta before — major flavor booster).

Osso Good bone broth - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Osso Good is made in Marin, California and it’s a quality product. The beef version is grass fed and the chicken version is antibiotic free.

So what’s the deal with bone broth? It’s warming, nourishing and has a lot of valuable protein and collagen too, and it also has gut healing properties to help your digestion and tummy. Apparently it’s pretty easy to make, but I like to get it already done for me. Thanks to Osso for sending me the samples.

Books

Because everyone else is reading it

I ended up ordering the book “Girl, Wash Your Face” because it seemed like it was getting a ton of coverage. Quite honestly, I listened to the author, Rachel Hollis, as a guest on a podcast and I didn’t really like her. But I heard good things about the book, and I’m about halfway into it. I can tell you for sure that it’s not as good as “You Are a Badass,” which I reviewed here and we read together in the A Lady Goes West Friends Facebook group. (P.S. I’m still trying to decide what our next official book will be. Let me know if you have any suggestions.) 

Girl Wash Your Face Book - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Anywho, I’ll share more thoughts when I’m done. It’s a quick read, and I’m enjoying it, I just don’t think it’s quite as significant for me as some other non-fiction books, but maybe the second half will change things. Anyone else read it and have thoughts?

Apps

Check the safety of your products with Healthy Living

I just learned about this Healthy Living app yesterday and am still working with it, but so far, I’m totally liking it. Basically, you download the free app, then scan the barcode of the beauty and body and home products that you use to check to see what the EWG, Environmental Working Group, thinks of the ingredients and their safety, as far as chemicals and additives. 

Healthy Living app - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

I try to use nontoxic products, and you can read more about that in this post, “Five nontoxic body product swaps I’ve made to my daily routine,” but I still have a lot of work to do. This app is definitely eye opening. Nobody is perfect, but making a few changes here and there certainly adds up.

Fitness

Weekly workout recap

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

Weekly Workout Recap by A Lady Goes West

  • Monday: 45-minute full-body weights workout, 11 a.m.
  • Tuesday: 45-minute SoulCycle class, 10:30 a.m., 45-minute barre class, 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 30-minute GRIT Strength class, 7:30 p.m.
  • Thursday: Taught 1-hour Bootybarre class, 12 p.m.
  • Friday: 30-minute CXWORX, 9:30 a.m.
  • Saturday: 25-minute BODYPUMP workout, 10:30 a.m.
  • Sunday: Rest day

This past week of workouts was all over the place! I took a lot of classes and did one solo workout, and I had a lot of variety. I did three official resistance sessions, so that’s all good stuff. I only had two days that had workouts an hour long — the rest were much shorter — and that’s fine by me. Remember — workouts DO NOT have to be an hour to be effective! 🙂 

Suggested reading

Best links from around the web

  • Kitchen cleaning. I’m guilty of a couple of these mistakes when it comes to cleaning up the kitchen. Whoops!
  • Stop rushing. This is a simple list of ways you can slow down a bit and stop rushing from task to task in your life. The first one? Just breathe.
  • Productivity. Have you heard of the concept of deep work? Basically, it means to truly focus. I love this article on how to do it. (Hard to do as a mom much of the time, am I right?)
  • Dance. I like to watch the show, “World of Dance,” and this performance was the first ever to get a perfect score. It’s totally captivating!

A Lady Goes West favorite archives 

  • Have you ever tried a FlyWheel or SoulCycle class? Here are my thoughts … “The difference between FlyWheel and SoulCycle cycle classes.”
  • Not sure what to do in the gym? Here’s some structure … “What should you do in the gym?“
  • And just for fun, a walk down memory lane, as we approach the 1-year mark for little Brady … “My second trimester of pregnancy favorites.”

And I’ll leave you with this picture of my two little men and me last week when I was all dressed up before I went out for a baby sprinkle …

Ashley and Brady and Rudy - September 2018 - by A Lady Goes West

Have a most wonderful weekend, my friends! We don’t have a ton on the agenda, except a dinner party with friends and some birthday party planning for little Brady — and some relaxing. Talk soon! xoxoxo

Just some food, fitness and fun favorites on A Lady Goes West Click To Tweet

Questions of the day

How was your week?

What are you up to this weekend?

What’s your favorite part about attending a birthday party?

Read anything good lately?

Filed Under: Friday Favorites, Weekly Workouts Tagged With: blogging, books, Brandless, dinner, faves, SF, Visitors, weekly workouts

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About Ashley

I'm a mom and fitness instructor in Charlotte, North Carolina. And A Lady Goes West is where I share fitness, wellness and clean beauty tips, as well as stories from my life.
 
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Comments

  1. Patricia @Sweet and Strong says

    September 21, 2018 at 4:25 am

    My sister told me about Brandless a little while ago, I have yet to buy anything though so I’ll be eager to hear your thoughts! And what a fun night out with your Mom, I love a good musical.

    Enjoy your weekend!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      September 21, 2018 at 8:42 am

      Hi Patricia! You seriously cannot beat the price of the Brandless products — so go check them out for sure. Happy Friday to YOU, lady! Hope it’s a good one! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Courtney Koch says

    September 21, 2018 at 5:13 am

    I did not think this day would ever come, but I disagree with you! Hehe.

    I actually enjoyed Wash Your Face waaaaaay more than Badass. But I think that is probably because I am super sensitive these days with this kind of stuff. Badass made me feel like I was not doing enough. While it was motivating, it left me feeling like, ok but what if I don’t do these things? What if I am not SUPER inspired to be a Badass or a Girlboss or whatever. Wash Your Face made me feel like I already am enough and to just keep pushing myself and moving forward.

    I totally understand how Badass can appeal to more people and I truly think it has to do with how we are all in such different chapters in life. I am quite “behind,” so certain books leave me feeling more overwhelmed than motivated.

    I’m so sorry you have a cold and that really stinks. I’m happy your Mom is there to help with Brady though in case you need an extra hour or two on the couch to help kick that cold to the curb. Happy Friday!

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      September 21, 2018 at 8:46 am

      Hi Court ahahhah! OMG — it’s TOTALLY okay to disagree with me! And I totally hear what you are saying about how you felt after reading Badass. I also felt like I needed to do more, but yet, still enjoyed the book. I guess I opened up Wash Your Face with a chip on my shoulder just hoping not to like it hehhe, so I need to push past that, and like I said, I’m only halfway, so my thoughts could change. Thank YOU for sharing your opinion, my friend — a very valid one. Happy Friday, to you!! And yesss to extra couch time today!

      Reply
  3. richard says

    September 21, 2018 at 10:09 am

    Hey Ashley. You know anytime you put a picture of Brady on the blog it will be my favorite part of your blog. He seemed to be waving at all of us. Do you happen to have any ideas on low sodium diet or menus. Maybe a good place to look for it. It is very difficult to purchase food not with low sodium content.

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      September 21, 2018 at 11:03 am

      Brady loves to be featured on the blog! Low sodium! Ahhh interesting topic — so processed food and microwavable and canned food has a lot of sodium — you can usually find low sodium canned veggies, but frozen veggies are better to buy, as they don’t have any preservatives. As far as restaurants — the healthier restaurants won’t have as much sodium, but I can’t give you much info on more popular chains — you’d have to check their menus. Are you trying to reduce your sodium input? The easiest way to do that is to cook more of your own food — using sea salt isn’t bad at home, but it’s mostly the processed and store-bought meals that hold a lot of sodium.

      Reply
  4. Allison says

    September 21, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    I read and loved The Great Alone! Highly recommend! I actually have a question… I can’t remember if you used/consumed stevia during your pregnancy, but I’m reading and hearing so many different views on it. Did you have it?

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      September 22, 2018 at 9:07 am

      Hi Allison! I did have stevia — it’s natural and from a plant, and I only had 1-2 packets a day in my tea — I think it’s fine — for me anyhow. You will drive yourself crazy reading, so you can ask your doc and then go with your gut! 🙂 Thanks for the book rec, lady!

      Reply
    • Jessie R says

      September 22, 2018 at 3:20 pm

      I second The Great Alone! I couldn’t put it down

      Reply
  5. India says

    September 27, 2018 at 7:16 am

    I haven’t read the Badass book, but I loved Girl Wash Your Face. But I listened to the audiobook, so maybe that’s different? Sorry you don’t love it! My favorite chapter was the new mom one. Have you gotten to that yet?

    And I’m so sorry about your cold! What a bummer. I’m trying the Healthy Living app too…slowly trying to switch to less toxic things (but it can be so overwhelming too!).

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      September 27, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Hi India! I don’t think I’ve read the new mom chapter yet — maybe that will help hehehe — I’m actually like the book a bit more as I get more and more into it. I’m TOTALLY switching to more non-toxic items! I’m going to write more about it all soon! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Ashley. I'm a mom and fitness instructor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. I love to help you live a balanced life with no extremes, making sure you never skip a rest day. A Lady Goes West is where I share my workouts, simple meals, clean beauty tips and wellness insight with you. Find out more about me and stay awhile!

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How was your weekend, friends? Did you take care o How was your weekend, friends? Did you take care of yourself in some way? This weekend, I did a workout, worked, walked outside in the sunshine with my fam, spent far too many hours looking online for area rugs, and I caught up with four friends over the phone, which was good for the soul. I also had some wine, some veggies, a PBJ, a brownie from Panera and wore nothing but activewear and pajamas, with a little lipstick too. Charlotte doesn’t exactly feel like home yet, but we’re getting more and more settled as the weeks go on. Hope you had a good one! What’s one thing you did this weekend?
Brady was all smiles for his first official day of Brady was all smiles for his first official day of preschool as a Charlotte resident (while wearing big-boy undies, BTW). And let's be honest, I was all smiles too. Although I love spending every waking second with this adorable curly haired boy, I also love some time to myself, so I can fit more work into the regular workday and maybe a workout too. Fun fact: Even though I'm an extrovert, over the last year, nothing seems to recharge me like some time alone to think and just be -- and that's not always easy to come by as a mom of a toddler during a year-long pandemic. What recharges you, friends? Hope you can get some of it this week.
G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y closed!! 🎉 Who gets excited for G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y closed!! 🎉 Who gets excited for protein powder like I do? I've tried so many protein powders over the years, and this is hands-down my favorite -- Organifi Complete Plant-Based Protein. It's 100 percent organic, has no soy, no whey, it's vegan, gluten free and dairy free, and each serving has 20 grams of plant-based protein. But the most important part: It tastes delicious mixed with nothing but water. I'm a fan of the chocolate flavor, but the vanilla is good too. I drink this protein powder several times a week, and I look forward to it after a tough workout. As a little thank-you for following, I'd love to give away one tub of @organifi protein to one lucky winner. And if you want to try out anything from Organifi in the future, my code, ALADYGOESWEST, gets you 15 percent off on the site, and I highly recommend the GOLD powder for a nightly relaxing treat too.
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I've got to be honest, I'm much more of a writer t I've got to be honest, I'm much more of a writer than an Instagrammer and many times I feel like what I want to share doesn't fit well into a grid. But I'm able to bring much more long-form content to my blog each week. Speaking of that, this week, I debuted a new series called "A Lady Goes West Advice Corner" which has been something I've wanted to put together for a while. In this series, I'm taking totally anonymous questions from YOU and giving you some neutral third-party advice on it all. Here are the questions I addressed in the first advice corner edition:
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-“I became a first-time mom last spring and am currently dealing with all things motherhood. How do I deal with my expectations vs. reality of being a mom?" (such a good one, and I've been there)
-“How do you deal with days when you don't love your body? I think we can all relate to looking in the mirror and being disappointed with what we see?" (this happens to us all)
-“How do you deal with comparing yourself to others on social media and not feeling like everyone is doing things better than you?" (spoiler alert: everyone has their issues that you don't see)
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The answers are long, they come from my heart, and I hope they can provide some value to you! If this is something you're interested in, head over to A Lady Goes West today to check it out, and you can submit a question for the next edition.
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Here's the direct link: https://aladygoeswest.com/ask-me-anything-a-lady-goes-west-advice-corner-first-edition/
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Have a great night, friends! And when in doubt, talk it out.
G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y closed! 🎉 Who doesn't love a co G.I.V.E.A.W.A.Y closed! 🎉 Who doesn't love a collagen giveaway? As a little thank-you for following, I wanted to do a giveaway of one of my favorite products. I've been using Vital Proteins collagen in my morning tea latte for years, and not only does the collagen creamer add a great taste, but it also supports healthy hair, skin, nails and joints too. Today, I'm giving away not only one canister of collagen creamer, but also a canister of collagen peptides to one lucky winner.
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You can leave as many comments as you want, and each one serves as an entry. You can earn an additional entry by sharing this post to your stories and tagging me. This giveaway closes on Saturday, February 27. The winner must live in the U.S. And this giveaway is not associated with Instagram. Good luck, and thanks for being here! 🙂 xoxo
HOME! We closed on and moved into our home in Char HOME! We closed on and moved into our home in Charlotte over the weekend, and we're so excited to get settled in our new neighborhood, city and state after many weeks of transition. In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought it would be fun to look back at the places Dave and I have lived together over the last 12 years. Here's what it has looked like -- and each place has been special for different reasons:
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-2009-2012 in a high-rise condo in downtown Orlando, where we lived when we got married.
-2012-2013 in a one-bedroom apartment in South of Market in San Francisco, which was always freezing no matter the time of day or year.
-2013-2014 in a tiny studio apartment in Nob Hill in San Francisco, which was only 550-square-feet, but we could hear the cable cars out of our always-open windows, so that was cool.
-2014-2017 in a two-bedroom townhouse in Walnut Creek, where we brought home both Rudy and Brady and had many sleepless nights.
-2017-2021 in a house that we owned in Pleasant Hill outside of San Francisco, which was across the street from a Starbucks so we went there way too often.
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And now we're here in Charlotte. It's good to be home! I'd love to know: Where do you call home?
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