Hello, my friends! Happy Friday! How are you? Did you have a good week?

This week was pretty normal for me. I taught my four usual group fitness classes, worked on the blog, had some fun conference calls for Beautycounter and spent a lot of time preparing for a barre and beauty event I’m hosting this weekend at a local studio. I’ll be sure to share all about it on Instagram stories on Sunday afternoon after it takes place. Other than my event, we have lunch with some friends on the agenda, and that’s about it. 

Now, as we do on Fridays, it’s time for a look at some of my latest favorite things …

Current faves

Food

My review of Daily Harvest

(Thanks to the Daily Harvest folks for sending me product to try out and for inviting me to be an ambassador.)

I’ve got to be honest, I was fully prepared to dislike the Daily Harvest food delivery service. Why? Because it just seemed too good to be true. Incredibly healthy plant-based meals delivered to your door in a little take-on-the-go cup …

However, after working my way through my third month of Daily Harvest deliveries, I can honestly say I’m not only a fan, but I’m also perhaps a little bit obsessed. I’ve been eating them non-stop, and I look forward to deciding which one I’ll be eating next.

And here’s why I like them …

Not only does Daily Harvest offer frozen smoothies, but they also have oat bowls, soups, harvest bowls, lattes and snacks. Everything comes shipped to your door in a refrigerated box, and all you have to do is mix up the smoothies and heat up the bowls. (Yes, you do need a shelf in the freezer for these, and that comes at a premium in our house, but I’ve made it work.)

First of all, let’s talk ingredients: These are SO healthy and clean and made from real whole-food ingredients entirely. Daily Harvest has a special way that the company freezes the ingredients at their peak of nutritional value (called farm freezing), and they choose foods that are full of vitamins and minerals to keep you feeling good. No meat, no dairy, no junk and almost 95 percent organic too.

My favorite Daily Harvest options thus far …

• Mint and cacao smoothie
• Acai and cherry smoothie
• Sweet potato and wild rice hash harvest bowl
• Brussels sprouts and tahini harvest bowl (my favorite favorite)
• Cauliflower and leek soup
• Hazelnut and chocolates (a dessert, a snack, a taste sensation all in one)
• Red lentil and cumin harvest bowl

Now here’s what you need to know …

• These are on the smaller size, and one is not enough for a full lunch-time meal for me, so I add something else. I do, however, think they are big enough for a breakfast for sure.
• I think the bowls, soups and smoothies make great sides. In fact, when I have a harvest bowl, I often add an egg or two or some cauliflower rice for more volume.
• When I have the smoothies, I usually have it in addition to a small meal, and I make the smoothie with some plain or unsweetened vanilla Ripple milk, but you can also try using coconut water.
• Daily Harvest makes it easy, but you do have to take a step or two before consuming. You’ll either have to heat up the bowls or add liquid and blend up the smoothies. But once you do, you can put them back in the cup they came in and add the same top for safe transport. 
• You order them online, and the process is super easy.
• Because there are no preservatives, all the meals/smoothies have an expiration date within a few months. 
• Daily Harvest partners with sustainable local farms and chooses the best ingredients, so you know you are getting high-quality nutritional food. And the meals certainly aren’t cheap, but really good ready-made food never is.

Having these Daily Harvest bowls and smoothies has been a GREAT way for me to diversify my meals, get in more beneficial fruits and veggies, and eat delicious and healthy food at home with hardly any prep. And THAT’s something I can get behind. Yum.

PROMO CODE: If you want to try Daily Harvest for yourself, you can get $25 off your first box using the code ALADYGOESWEST. Get started here.

Bar giveaway over on Instagram

Speaking of food, I’m giving away some Vital Proteins collagen bars over on Instagram. If you didn’t enter yet, here’s the link … 

Fashion 

New Lululemon backpack

I’ve been using this bag as my gym bag for a couple months and it’s working out great for me — I need my arms free, because I’m often holding a foam roller and Brady when I walk into the gym.

This backpack is thick and sturdy and fits everything I carry around. I also like that it’s not a plain black bag (which is my normal choice), but has a little texture …

(Loving this backpack, and it’s currently on sale.)

Lululemon makes a quality product, you know. Some of my favorite pieces are from there. And I like that they’ve branched out into lifestyle clothing even more lately. In fact, I was there two weeks ago and bought this dress, which I will be debuting soon — it is sooooo soft and comfy. I got the sandlot color.

And because we’re talking about wearing non-workout clothes: Last weekend, Dave and I did get to go out to dinner (hit up two of my favorites, Va da Vi and the Cheesecake Factory). And I always enjoy a chance to wear lipstick and animal print …

(Wearing the best Everlane skinny jeans, this top and Beautycounter 9 to 5 on my lips.)

Beauty

Want to start a cleaner skincare regimen?

The clean routine event is still going on through the weekend, and if you order a Beautycounter skincare regimen or collection, you get a free full-size product from that line. You can shop the regimens and collections here. 

• I currently use Countertime, which is great for anti-aging and antioxidant protection. 
• Countermatch is great for combination, dry or sensitive skin, as it’s all about hydration.
• Countercontrol is good for blemish-prone skin and mattifying oil.
• Counterman is for male skincare needs, like beards and shaving.

Everything is nontoxic, effective and can be returned within 60 days if you aren’t happy with the products for any reason. And the big benefit to choosing a whole regimen is that the products are designed to work well together, and they are discounted when you buy them as a set. Love that. As always, thank you for shopping with me and supporting this great company! 🙂 

Fitness

Weekly workout recap

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: 45-minute full-body weights workout, 10 a.m. (shown below)
• Tuesday: 30-minute CXWORX, 10 a.m., taught 45-minute BODYATTACK, 4:45 p.m.
• Wednesday: Taught 1-hour BODYPUMP, 9:30 a.m., taught 1-hour POP Pilates, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: 30 minutes of POP Pilates, taught 1-hour barre, 12 p.m.
• Friday: Taught 1-hour BODYPUMP, 12 p.m., taught 1-hour POP Pilates, 5 p.m.
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: Taught 1-hour BODYPUMP, 8:30 a.m.

This past week I did a solo workout. YAY! I’m happy I finally spent some time doing a workout for me that didn’t revolve around group fitness. I plan to be doing more of these types of sessions soon, and I’ll tell you more about that. Anyhow, I picked up weights several times with BODYPUMP, my solo session and Bootybarre, and I even took a full day off (as well as taught seven classes, oh my!). This was a full week, but I felt really good in all my classes and workouts, so that’s a win.

Here’s the solo weights workout I did. You can find more of these workouts on my Instagram stories under “workouts” or in this post …

Best reads

A few things from around the web …

• Desserts made from dates. I’m a date lover. We all know that. And I’m a dessert lover. One day I’ll get my act together and actually make my own desserts. Here are some delicious-sounding healthy options made from dates.
• Cycling your workouts with your cycle. I’ve done some reading on the idea of modifying your workouts depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, and I’m quite intrigued. I don’t really have the luxury of making any big changes here, due to my weekly class-load, but I’m very much interested in the science behind it. Here’s a quick look at the idea of workout cycling with an excerpt from Alisa Vitti’s new book, “In the Flo,” which I will definitely be reading. Her first book, “Woman Code” is on my list of best wellness books I’ve ever read — she’s a female hormone expert.

And here’s the quote of the week from the Calm app, which I use to do my daily morning meditations …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives …

• POP Pilates. I’m so excited to be teaching this program now. If you want to know more about it, read this one … “Review of POP Pilates workout and class.”

• Postpartum exercise. This is a popular one I like to refer people back to … “Five things no one tells you about postpartum exercise.”

Thank you for coming by to read the blog today. I appreciate you so much! See you soon, friends! xoxo

Questions of the day

What’s one thing you are looking forward to this weekend?

What’s one good thing that happened in your week?