June 15, 2017June 15, 2017 by jesswellnessblog

More Champagne for the Engaged People, Please!

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Getting engaged will probably be one of the most exciting moments along the timeline of your life. Maybe you’re one of many who dreamed about this day your entire life. Maybe you’re like me & hadn’t really anticipated it until recently, when you knew your relationship was headed there. Maybe you’re a cool cat & it was really NBD. Either way, people are going to want to celebrate you! And I strongly encourage you to soak it all up.

One of the best pieces of advice we got right after our engagement was: drink as much champagne as you can before you start planning anything.

YES!!!!!!! We did not follow that piece of advice nearly as much as I wish we had. That being said, we definitely celebrated. But we struggled with the how/what/where/when/with who to celebrate at first. Luckily this girl right here is a party planner at heart, so we wound up rocking our engagement celebration(s) and here’s how we did it.

*Disclaimer: there are 1,348,234 RULES about engagement parties on the internet. This is not that. Throw those rules out. The only rule is to do what works for YOU.

Now that we got that out of the way, here’s what worked for US.

Splitting up the celebrations: My fiance has a huge family & the two of ours hadn’t met each other yet. We also had a lot of close friends we wanted to celebrate with, but didn’t really feel comfortable combining family + friends We wanted to have some intimate time with BOTH groups. So we had two! Again – throw out the rules. If you have 3 separate groups of people you want to celebrate with, have 3! If you prefer not to celebrate (though I doubt you’d be reading this post if that were the case) then have zero. All this to say, do what works for YOU.
Picking a date that worked for US: It’s easy to get caught up in trying to please & accommodate everyone, but it’s also impossible. Pick a time, date and place that works for you as a couple & whoever wants to be there will make it work. My dad flew in from South Carolina. My mom, stepdad & brother took a bus from PA. My friends traveled from multiple states. They all slept in our tiny NYC apartment. It wasn’t comfortable, but they made it work because they wanted to be there for us. And, of course, we would have understood if they couldn’t be.
Picking places that we loved & were practical: For our family celebration, we wanted to have a nice dinner together somewhere so we picked a spot that we LOVE & is good for groups: Good ol’ Carmine’s! If you’ve ever been there, you know the portions are huge and the food is delicious. Ideal for a group of 14 people who have never met before. We chose to pick up the tab for this, but my dad decided to contribute at the last minute, too. For our friends-celebration, renting out a NYC space was just not practical for our budget, so we classed up our apartment a bit & threw a bash at home! We wanted it to be different than our other house parties, so we went hard with the decorations, but it was fun and worth it because we still had just as much fun for a fraction of the cost. My best friends chipped in where they could and we covered the food & drinks for our guests.
Keeping it casual: We had our venue booked before our engagement celebrations (remember how I said we didn’t listen to that advice of drinking lots of champagne BEFORE starting the planning? yep). But it’s a good thing, because it was all booked up 2 years in advance! ANYWAY – stories for another post. We knew we would be getting married in the fall & decided to coordinate our engagement party to the theme of the wedding with some rustic, fall decor. The party was in our apartment, though, so it was obviously casual & we preferred it that way, especially since our wedding will be a little more on the casual side, too. Advice: don’t get too caught up in a theme. If you ask me, “fall” is a perfectly acceptable theme! Add little accents that compliment the two of you – photos, engagement decor, etc.
Living in the moment: This is something I’ve personally struggled with during every event I’ve ever thrown! It can be hard not to get wrapped up in making sure everything is going smoothly, everyone else is having a good time, and that the food/drinks get refilled. But we truly got to spend time talking to each of our guests & just being fully present and aware. We didn’t get to spend a substantial amount of time talking to each person, but we got just enough time with everyone and a little extra with our close friends who spent the night. Great practice for the big day! 😉

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When thinking about how to celebrate your engagement, try not to go overboard with the small details & keep the reason for the celebration at the core of it. Obviously every scenario is different and if someone else is throwing the party for you, different circumstances may apply, but this is a special time for the two of you & THAT should be the focus. And champagne. Lots of champagne.

I’d love to hear about YOUR engagement celebrations in the comments below! What worked? What didn’t work? What tips would you give a newly engaged couple? What questions do you have if you are one?

XOXO,

Jess

June 7, 2017June 15, 2017 by jesswellnessblog

My Favorite Personal Development Books

The Compound Effect

You Are a Bad Ass

Mastering Your Mean Girl

Year of Yes

I Am That Girl

Girl Code

April 18, 2017April 18, 2017 by jesswellnessblog

21 Day Fix Extreme: Review & Results

21 Day Fix Extreme is a fitness & nutrition program meant to get you results quickly. This is a more advanced version of the original ’21 Day Fix’ and is meant for more intermediate/advanced fitness levels. The workouts combine cardio with strength training for well-rounded results. They are 30 minutes each, with a different type of workout done on each day of the week for the entire 21 days.

Monday = Plyo, Tuesday = Arms, Wednesday = Pilates, Thursday = Legs, Friday = Cardio, Saturday = Total Body, and Sunday = Yoga.

*This review is for the fitness program only and is based solely on my personal experience. Your results and experience may vary & I am not an expert, so please read with those things in mind.

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Results:

-Weight: lost 3.5 pounds

-Inches: lost 3

-More definition in arm/back muscles

-Loss of bloat

Contributing factors:

-I did not skip a single day of the 21-day program

-I used 4 pound & 8 pound weights

-I completed T25 & Core De Force (two other, intense workout programs) prior to this

-I found myself getting lazy at times/not pushing myself as hard as I could have during the workouts

-I drank a superfood-packed protein shake for breakfast each day

-I did not drink any alcohol

-I did not follow the meal plan that comes with this program as strictly as I would’ve liked to though I did keep it in mind for guidance

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Pros:

-30 minutes flew by!

-I became noticeably stronger and more toned, particularly in my arms/shoulders/back

-It’s a short program designed to get results quickly, so while the workouts were only 30 minutes over the course of 21 days, they were also effective

-Pilates & yoga were incorporated in between some of the more intense workouts, so it allowed a chance to rest and stretch my body

-There were 7 different workouts and each one is only done 3 times, which was nice for purposes of variety and not getting sick of any particular workout

-Each workout started with a motivational quote! I am all about those

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Cons:

-The workouts and even the modified moves are pretty intense and may be a challenge for someone just starting out and/or even for somebody at an intermediate fitness level (I know they were for me at times!)

-The amount of equipment needed — this program required 2 sets of dumbbells and resistance bands; I loved using the resistance bands, but I had to buy some beforehand

-I prefer to workout barefoot, but a couple of the workouts required sneakers because of the resistance bands, which were wrapped around the feet for certain moves

-No rest days

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Overall, I think this is one of my favorite programs so far because of the quick results and I will definitely be re-visiting it in the future when I want to tone up fast! I would recommend this program to anyone that has been exercising consistently and wants a new challenge. It is best suited for intermediate/advanced fitness levels and even my fiance, who I would consider to be ‘advanced’ found this program challenging & effective and saw great results. I would encourage beginners and beginner-to-intermediate level exercisers to start out with the regular 21 Day Fix workouts before attempting these.

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**YOU CAN CURRENTLY TRY THIS PROGRAM IN IT’S ENTIRETY FOR FREE – No strings attached! Contact me at jesswellness247@gmail.com to learn more!

XOXO,

Jess

March 6, 2017March 6, 2017 by jesswellnessblog

The Perfect Proposal (and a little seaweed, ew!)

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Before leaving for our cruise to the Caribbean, I was asked countless times: “Do you think you’ll get engaged?” – my response was a bashful “Ohhh, I don’t know! We’ll see!”, but real talk: I had been thinking about the possibility of getting engaged at several points throughout the entire year prior to this trip. So of course it was on my mind and I was feeling hopeful, but I had no preconceived notions about when it would happen or how. I wanted to enjoy the trip & not put that pressure on it and that’s exactly what I did.

We enjoyed the heck out of our first 3 nights in Miama & at sea. I assumed at that point that if it was going to happen, it already would have. Regardless, I was just thrilled to be away from work and disconnected from the world and spending time with my love as we drifted off to a tropical paradise.

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We got to Jamaica – a place where we anticipated having a fun, drunken day at the beach. I’ll tell ya what… walking around in extreme heat, getting hustled every 30 seconds, having people on the street reach into your cab & touch you, and being charged $5 for a single hair-tye can really be a buzzkill. Jamaica was beautiful & I absolutely love experiencing new cultures, but we felt more bothered than relaxed. It didn’t really set the tone for a fun, drunken day. However we still had some fun & got a little buzzed.

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Next step: Grand Cayman. We were still determined to have that fun, drunken day. Day drunk on the beach is the best kind of drunk. And today we had an ALL-INCLUSIVE drink package, so what could get in the way of that?! We got dropped off at our private resort and I suggested heading to the bar for some drinks. “Let’s put our things down first”, he said. Okay. We went and put our things down, soooo DRINKS, right?! Let’s do this! “I’d like to walk down the beach first… before it gets too crowded”, he said. Cool, so like, drinks as we walk down the beach? Maybe? “We’ll get them when we get back”, he said. Now THIS DUDE was killing my buzz! Or so I thought…

As we are walking down the beach, he starts to set the tone by drawing our attention to the absolutely beautiful views and scenery (and that’s an understatement – it really was picture perfect). Then he pauses us to ground us – he asks us to be still and present and to really take in the moment and sit in it for a bit. I’m glad he did that because I can still take myself back to that exact moment – the smells, the sounds, the feelings. Then we start walking a little more, he starts to get a little nervous-sounding and rambly… and in my head I’m piecing together why he might be nervous & getting all romantic on me and then I start to get nervous, too! Am I about to get engaged right now?! He continues with his sweet ramblings and then I jump in with some horrific ones of my own. I start to blurt out all the gross things I see in the water – “OMG, do you see that seaweed?! So gross. Ew – is that a FISH? Ugh. I hate the ocean”. Now I was the buzzkill!

Eventually, he stops me, shaky hands and opens his camera case where he had been hiding the ring all week so it was always by his side and ready for the perfect moment (genius!) and gets down on one knee. He opens the box and I see the EXACT ring I envisioned myself wearing (but never told him or dropped hints about – ever). I don’t say yes. I can’t say anything other than “omg! ah! omg! ah! omg! ah!” for a few solid minutes (there is video footage of this & it’s super embarrassing). I think it’s understood that YES is my answer & then I eventually do find my words and say it. Both of us shaking, he gets the ring on my finger successfully without dropping it into the sand/ocean of which he was kneeling on. Risky move! But we did it…

…WE’RE ENGAGED!

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March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by jesswellnessblog

Grilled Veggie Caprese Salad

This is another Skinnytaste favorite of mine that works for either lunch or dinner. It’s surprisingly filling and takes under 30 minutes to make, which is a win in my book! I have the hardest time getting my veggies in, but this recipe makes it easy. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Ingredients

1/2 bunch of asparagus (~10 stalks) with ends broken off, cut into thirds
1 large zucchini cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 large red bell pepper cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of jarred pesto
Olive oil spray
4 ounces of fresh mini mozzarella balls (bocconcini), halved
2 tablespoons of balsamic glaze (I usually make mine without this & it’s still good)
12 small fresh basil leaves (I usually skip these, too)

Instructions

Combine vegetable pieces in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Add pesto, toss well, and marinate for at least 15 mins or as long as overnight.
Preheat a grill to medium-high (I cook mine on a stove-top and it works well, too).
Place 1/2 the vegetables in a single layer on a large grill tray (or skillet) sprayed with oil and cook, flipping constantly for 6-8 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly charred.
Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining vegetables.
To serve, divide the veggies between 2 plates, add 2 ounces of mozzarella to each dish and drizzle with the balsamic glaze, topping each with 6 fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!!

February 27, 2017 by jesswellnessblog

Slow Cooker Chicken Santa Fe

This recipe is from Skinnytaste & is one of my all-time favorites. It takes about 10 minutes to just throw everything in a slow cooker and makes about 8 servings! It’s perfect for when you have limited time or just don’t feel like cooking (we’ve all been there!), but still want a healthy, delicious meal that will give you a few days worth of leftovers. To be honest, I skip the cilantro & scallions in my version, but I’m putting the recipe below as it is for those who might enjoy those ingredients.

Ingredients:

-24 oz (1.5 lbs) chicken breast
-14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
-8 oz frozen corn
-1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
-14.4 oz can fat-free chicken broth
-3 scallions, chopped
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
-salt to taste
-1/2 cup brown rice (optional)
-tortilla chips (optional)

Instructions:

Combine chicken broth, beans (drained), corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt in crock pot.
Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.
Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.
Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste.
Serve over rice or tortillas and your favorite toppings.

February 13, 2017February 13, 2017 by jesswellnessblog

Healthy Turkey Chili

My fiance & I make this recipe once a week – usually on Monday. Not only is it a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious dinner, but it also gives us leftovers to take for lunch for about half of the week! We have yet to get sick of it and I hope you’ll love it as much as we do!

Feel free to play around with the ingredients – sometimes we’ll add some extras (jalapeno, corn, different amounts of the seasoning, etc) depending on what we’re in the mood for. It’s hard to mess this one up, so have fun with it & do whatever tastes right to you!

If you try it, please share your thoughts in the comments section!