Sunday, June 26, 2016

Palazzo Pants

Marimekko Palazzo Pants

A few weeks ago, I picked up the Marimekko for Target Palazzo pants. The colors fit into my travel wardrobe, and I love the print and colors. Plus, I was very happy that they are long enough!

WideLeggedPants03

The pants are thin and keep me cool on a warm day. When I wore them for the first time, I decided to wear them with my Trina Turk Accomplice Top. But I think next time I’ll wear something more formfitting on top to balance out the wide pants. 

WideLeggedPants02

WideLeggedPants01
WideLeggedPants04

WideLeggedPants05
WideLeggedPants06

Conscious Cleanse Update

We are done with the Conscious Cleanse. Overall, the cleanse went well, but Andy did get a bit of “cleanse fatigue” toward the end of the cleanse. I think one element that made the cleanse easier for me than past cleanses was the variety of foods we ate. Here are a few of the foods we ate. I will share some recipes soon.

Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken 
Pulled slow cooker chicken

Raw Blueberry Pie 
Raw blueberry pie

Lamb Chops 
Lamb chops

Poached Lemon Chicken (so flavorful and so easy - basically just poach chicken in a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice)
Poached Lemon chicken

Questions: Do you like palazzo pants? Do you own any? What have you been eating lately? 

Linking up with:
Saturday: Up Down All Around 
Monday: VisibleMonday, Inspire Me Monday, Classy Monday, iwillwearwhatilike, Style Nudge
Tuesday: Confident Twosday, TurningHeads
Wednesday: Midweek Inspirations, Create28, Wednesday's Wardrobe, Style Me Wednesday, Fresh Fashion Forum
Thursday: Daily Style Finds, Thursday Moda, Top of the World, A Labour of Life, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, Thursday Favorite Things
Friday: Edge of the Week, Sweet Inspiration, Fancy Friday, Fabulous Friday, Weekend Wear, Passion for Fashion, Fridays Fashions, Fun Fashion Friday

Be well,
Andrea

[Disclosure: I’m a Conscious Cleanse ambassador and will earn a commission if you decide to sign up for the cleanse using one of my links. Links to clothing items are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission on actions taken on the links.] 

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Travel Skirt & What We Eat on the Conscious Cleanse

Maxi Skirt

I’m not only taking my maxi dress with me on our trips but also my maxi skirt. It fits perfectly into my travel wardrobe color palette and keeps me actually nice and cool in warm weather. Plus, I’m also bringing leggings to wear underneath it in case it’s cool.

Maxi Skirt 2
Maxi Skirt 3 
Maxi Skirt 4

 

What We Eat on the Conscious Cleanse

The Conscious Cleanse is going well. Since the boys are doing the cleanse with me this time, I have been trying to cook more interesting foods and am mixing things up a bit. When I’m doing the cleanse by myself, I keep things very simple since I also cook other food for the boys. But I have to say making new and interesting recipes really helps! It’s more fun to eat pulled chicken (hubby’s favorite), lettuce wraps or ginger salmon (the kid’s favorite) than a baked chicken breast every day! I’ve also made a creamy, cashew-based salad dressing/dip which we have enjoyed a lot. In addition, we are enjoying curried carrot soup (I could eat that soup every day!), lentil soup, and veggie soups. And we eat of course lots and lots of raw veggies and some fruit. To satisfy the boys’ sweet tooth and give them something to snack on, we always have frozen grapes, banana chips and roasted, seasoned chickpeas on hand, both of which the boys love!

ConsciousCleanseLettuceWraps2

Questions: Do you have a favorite travel skirt or dress? 

Linking up with: 
Saturday: Up Down All Around 
Monday: Inspire Me Monday, Classy Monday, iwillwearwhatilike, Style Nudge
Tuesday: Confident Twosday, TurningHeads
Wednesday: Create28, Wednesday's Wardrobe, Style Me Wednesday, Fresh Fashion Forum
Thursday: Style Finds, Thursday Moda, Top of the World, A Labour of Life, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, Thursday Favorite Things
Friday: Edge of the Week, Sheela Writes, Sweet Inspiration, Fancy Friday, Fabulous Friday, Weekend Wear, Passion for Fashion, Fridays Fashions, Fun Fashion Friday

Be well,
Andrea

[Disclosure: I’m a Conscious Cleanse ambassador and will earn a commission if you decide to sign up for the cleanse using one of my links. Links to clothing items are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission on actions taken on the links.]

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Travel Accessories & Conscious Cleanse Update

I used to not take any accessories on vacation, other than maybe a small silver necklace. But since I like to wear a lot of different accessories in “real life,” I never felt completely dressed. So this year the plan is to take a very small travel wardrobe of well selected pieces that all go together along with plenty of little scarves and necklaces to change up the look. And since I believe in the power of photos, I tried some of them on the other day to help me make a decision of what to take.

I shared some of them on Instagram last week, and it was interesting to see which ones people liked best.

Travel Accessories

I really like my statement pearl necklace, and it goes with other items in my travel wardrobe. It’s a bit bulky, but it may make the cut. One comment I got on Instagram was that the necklace really brightens up the outfit, and I agree.

Pearl Necklace

Travel Wardrobe

My goal this year is to photograph all my travel outfits before we go so that I can take a good look and see what works and what doesn’t. So often a photo tells the true story…  I’ll share more of my travel wardrobe with you soon.

The color palette of my travel wardrobe will be black, white, blue and a little green. The black and white neck scarf goes with everything, and it’s tiny, so it’ll definitely make the cut.  It was also a favorite on Instagram.

Black White  Neckscarf

I really like the blue necklace. It may actually go better with some of the other outfits though. 

Blue Necklace

I like the pink neck scarf with the blue top, but since the pink isn’t one of my travel colors, it’ll probably stay home. But then again, it’s so tiny and light, I may tuck it in somewhere just in case... 

Pink Neckscarf

The next necklace isn’t one of my travel colors either, but I love it, and it complements the colors I’m taking, so it’s coming with me.  

Peach Necklace

The next look reminds me a bit of a flight attendant, but I really love the colors. 

Light Blue Neckscarf 
 And this one is definitely a flight attendant look… It's probably staying home.

Blue Red Neckscarf

Finally, I’ll have to take my turquoise necklace. It goes with everything in my travel wardrobe, and it’s one of my favorite necklaces. Unfortunately, it’s quite heavy. Oh well... 

Turquoise Necklace
Outfit Details: Pleated Shoulder Blouse by Daniel Rainn (under $25 Nordstrom Rack), square scarves multipack

 

Conscious Cleanse Update


We are completing the five day transition period to the Conscious Cleanse today (Sunday), and the official cleanse starts tomorrow (Monday). The transition period is optional, but I find it really helpful to ease into the cleanse.

Here are the changes you are asked to make if you decide to participate in the transition period:

Wednesday: Add more vegetables and fruits to your diet. - This one was easy. To prepare, I had bought lots of fresh produce on Tuesday. I ate a delicious peach in the morning, a green smoothie mid morning, carrot soup for lunch, and chicken and a salad for dinner.

Thursday: Eliminate added sugar and alcohol. - Alcohol was easy, but added sugar is a bit more tricky. It’s actually a great way to eliminate most processed foods and condiments (which I love!), so I had to be more mindful. It’s a great reminder of all the little ways sugar had snuck back into my diet.

Friday: Eliminate or reduce your caffeine intake. - I had been working on reducing my caffeine intake since Monday (I was drinking way too much). Eliminating caffeine was TOUGH. Even though I reduced it gradually, I had terrible, pounding headaches and was very sleepy throughout the day. Two nights I slept very little because my headache kept me up. I took several epson salt baths, which are supposed to help with headaches (dunk your head under water), and it helped a bit, but the withdrawals were a very unpleasant experience. Luckily, I was completely off caffeine by Friday (and had only minimal headaches on Friday), and I was relieved that that part of the cleanse was behind me. It also made me vow - once again - not to get dependent on caffeine again. We’ll see how that goes long term…

Saturday: Eliminate dairy, eggs, and soy. - I was prepared for this and had bought groceries accordingly, so we actually ran out of eggs on Thursday and dairy on Friday.

Sunday: Eliminate gluten. I have been gluten free since my first cleanse three years ago, so this one is easy.

Stay tuned for more Conscious Cleanse updates. The real fun is just beginning. Click here for more Conscious Cleanse information.

Questions: Do you take accessories on vacation? If so, what kind and how many? Is there anything in your diet you would like to clean up? 

Linking up with: 
Saturday: Up Down All Around 
Monday: Inspire Me Monday, Classy Monday, iwillwearwhatilike, Style Nudge, VisibleMonday
Tuesday: WAYWOW, Confident Twosday, TurningHeads
Wednesday: Create28, Wednesday's Wardrobe, Style Me Wednesday, Fresh Fashion Forum
Thursday: Style Finds, Thursday Moda, Top of the World, A Labour of Life, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, Thursday Favorite Things
Friday: Edge of the Week, Sheela Writes, Sweet Inspiration, Fancy Friday, Fabulous Friday, Weekend Wear, Passion for Fashion, Fridays Fashions, Fun Fashion Friday

Be well,
Andrea

[Disclosure: I’m a Conscious Cleanse ambassador and will earn a commission if you decide to sign up for the cleanse using one of my links. Links to clothing items are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission on actions taken on the links.]

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Maxi Dress for Summer

Summer Dress


I’ve started to mentally put together a travel wardrobe for a couple upcoming trips. I think my color palette will be black, white, blue, and green. One of the items I plan on taking is my Tommy Bahama maxi dress. I got the dress several years ago in an outlet store on our way to Tahoe. It was 80% off and cost less than $30. I think I wore the dress almost every day on that Tahoe trip. I honestly could have left most of the clothes I packed at home...

Maxi Dress 1
I haven’t worn the dress in a couple years, but I still love it, and I know I will love it on our trips. It’s nice and airy but will work if it cools down with a cardigan or even leggings underneath.

Maxi Dress 3
Recently, when I realized that my manicure matched the dress, I knew I was meant to wear it again… :-)

Maxi Dress 4

Maxi Dress 2
Outfit Details: Tommy Bahama Dress old (I love this black/white striped Tommy Bahama dress), Birkenstock Gizeh sandals, black cardigan (I like this one), turquoise necklace (I like this turquoise pendant)

Questions: Are you thinking of putting together a travel wardrobe? If so, what’s your color palette? Do you like wearing maxi skirts and dresses in summer? 

Linking up with: 
Saturday: Up Down All Around 
Monday: Inspire Me Monday, Classy Monday, iwillwearwhatilike, Style Nudge, VisibleMonday
Tuesday: Ageless Style, WayWow, Confident Twosday, TurningHeads
Wednesday: Create28, Wednesday's Wardrobe, Style Me Wednesday, Fresh Fashion Forum
Thursday: Style Finds, Thursday Moda, Top of the World, A Labour of Life, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, Thursday Favorite Things
Friday: Sheela Writes, Sweet Inspiration, Fancy Friday, Fabulous Friday, Weekend Wear, Passion for Fashion, Fridays Fashions, Fun Fashion Friday

Be well,
Andrea

[Disclosure: Links to clothing items in this post are affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com may benefit from actions taken on the links.]

Thursday, June 2, 2016

White Denim Jacket

Perfect Summer Jacket

A white blazer has been on my list of clothing items to get for a while now. Unfortunately, I still haven’t found the perfect one (to be honest, I also haven’t really looked all that hard). In the meantime, I really enjoy my white denim jacket. To me a white jacket, including a white denim jacket, is the perfect summer jacket.  Wearing one always makes me happy! 

White Denim Jacket 1

Recently, I paired my white denim jacket with a blue/white striped tee, capri jeans, and a red necklace. A casual, comfortable outfit, perfect for running errands.  

White Denim Jacket 2
  
White Denim Jacket 3
 Outfit Details: White denim jacket (I like this white Paige denim jacket), blue/white striped tee (I really like the blue white striped tee from Comme Des Garcons), red necklace (I love this red necklace).

Healthy Living Update

Since my Conscious Cleanse post last week, I have started to clean up my eating a bit. I’ve started every day with a green smoothie, eaten a large salad for lunch, and started to cut down on sugar and caffeine. I’m really excited about starting the Conscious Cleanse on June 8! If you are thinking of doing the cleanse with me, click here for more information about the Conscious Cleanse. You can get $25 off with code Andrea25. The last day to register is June 6.

I also signed up for a month of unlimited barre classes at a local studio. I have been doing barre-type workouts at home, but not as consistently as I should have. Also, I always get a much better, deeper workout at a studio, and I was very sore after my first few classes. In addition, I stand up straighter and already feel a lot better. My plan is to take 5 classes per week, and I really look forward to them. It feels good to take care of myself!

Questions: What’s your favorite summer jacket? Do you like a white denim jacket in spring/summer? Have you recently "cleaned up" anything in your life?

Linking up with: 
Saturday: Up Down All Around 
Monday: Inspire Me Monday, Classy Monday, iwillwearwhatilike, Style Nudge, VisibleMonday
Tuesday: Ageless Style, WayWow, Confident Twosday, TurningHeads
Wednesday: Wednesday's Wardrobe, Style Me Wednesday, Fresh Fashion Forum
Thursday: Style Finds, My Refined Style, Upsy Daisy, Thursday Moda, Top of the World, A Labour of Life, Throwback Thursday, Thursday Fashion Files, Thursday Favorite Things
Friday: Sheela Writes, Sweet Inspiration, Fancy Friday, Fabulous Friday, Weekend Wear, Passion for Fashion, Fridays Fashions, Fun Fashion Friday

Be well,
Andrea

[Disclosure: I’m a Conscious Cleanse ambassador, and I will earn a commission if you sign up for the cleanse using one of the links above. Links to clothing items in this post are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission on actions taken on the links.]