Hello from another week in a locked-down New York City. While I can’t share fun things to do or places to go, I’ve been trying to keep busy and rounded up some of my current favorites.
one // Outshine No Sugar Added Popsicles
You are most likely sleeping on these and I’m here to awaken you because my mom and I went through a box in one week. They’re 25-30 calories and totally replaced my cravings for ice cream and other sweets for dessert. The best box is Black Cherry, Strawberry Lime and Mixed Berry.
two // Jabs by Gina
My former boss-turned-friend took me to a jabs class at Equinox pre-pandemic and I was so nervous going into it, but ended up enjoying it. I’d described it as boxing-inspired cardio, with light weights. Despite getting a great workout, I wasn’t sure about going back because I had a hard time following along and felt like I was going to injure myself because she moved so quickly through the choreography. I followed Gina, creator of Jabs on Instagram and when she posted a sign-up link for a 1,000-person class I figured why not. It ended up being a great workout, so I did a second jumbo class, then signed up for a few more. Her abs classes are brutal but burn so good, and I love her bands’ classes.
three // my little brother is a published author!
My brother had always had a way with words and he recently published what we hope will be his first book of poetry. I know I’m biased, but it is very good (and worth paying for shipping from the UK).
four // a great homemade pesto
After seeing an amazing-looking homemade pesto recipe on TikTok I splurged on mass amounts of basil and cheese to try it out myself. Honestly, it came out perfectly. It was easy to follow and tasted as good as it looked. So far I’ve only made a classic pasta with pesto sauce but this week I’m going to try a cold pasta salad with mozzarella and tomato. Some hacks I’ve learned from two rounds of making it:
If you have a food processor, I’ve learned that it works much better than a blender.
Don’t grate the cheese too finely – I found the Microplane took away from the cheesy flavor in the pesto. The second time around I used a regular grater and it worked much better.
I bought fresh basil plants from Whole Foods and because of how small they were, I needed two. This recipe requires a LOT of basil and only makes enough for 1/2 a box of pasta. If you can manage to get your hands on some fertilizer and a pot, you can grow new leaves so you can keep making it fresh without a million trips to the grocery store. Miracle-Gro Performance Organics has been working wonders for our plants!
five // TV shows I’ve loved lately
Honestly, I’ve always been a big TV-watcher, so quarantine didn’t really change my habits that much. I’ve most recently binged Private Practice, Little Fires Everywhere and Too Hot to Handle, and I’m currently watching Killing Eve. I didn’t even know Private Practice existed until I saw it in (another) TikTok. It was fun because I love Grey’s Anatomy, but the characters and plot lines felt very similar to those of Grey’s.
Little Fires Everywhere was the best show I’ve watched lately in terms of storyline and production quality. Some storylines that played out differently from the book and tripped me up, but the cast continuously left me wanting more. I can’t wait to see Lexi Underwood in more shows and movies; she was one of my favorite parts of the show.
Lastly, we have Too Hot to Handle which was hilarious. It was the Bachelor in Paradise drama I’ve been missing and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire season. Tell me what to watch next in the comments!
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