I love the Gladiator sandal trend this year! I just picked up a pair for myself yesterday and cannot wait to get my delivery. I am hoping this weather in Boston will warm up and stop raining soon. We are all looking forward to some sun and warmth and to wear our Gladiator sandals! I loved some of the baby and little girl gladiator sandals, so cute! I had to include them, what a cute accessory for your little one to wear. Click on the pics below to get yours!

It unfortunately has been cold, rainy and dreary in Boston for the past few days. So, I pulled out an old recipe from my favorite chef Giada and her cookbook Giada’s Feel Good Food. I love this cook book because it offers so many healthy and easy recipes to make in minutes. Here is one of my favorite recipes!

TURKEY, KALE,  AND BROWN RICE SOUP

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
5 large shallots, chopped 1 cup cooked brown rice
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into -inch pieces 1 small bunch kale, center ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (4 packed cups)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into -inch pieces 1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces ground white turkey meat, broken into small chunks 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, carrots, and bell pepper and sauté, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown and soften slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.

2 Add the turkey and stir until the meat turns white and begins to color very slightly around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the herbes de Provence and stir for 1 minute. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, and cooked rice and bring to a boil. Stir in the kale and season with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.

3 Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the parsley and some Parmesan cheese.

Per serving (with Parmesan cheese): Calories 361; Protein 24g; Carbohydrates39g; Dietary Fiber 6g; Sugar 10g; Total Fat 12g; Saturated Fat 3g; Sodium 627mg

If you haven’t stopped in this fabulous interior design store, then put it on your bucket list. Located right off of the cobblestones on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, is Cynthia Driscoll Interiors. Cynthia has eclectic taste inspired from all of her travels across the globe. If you are looking for some great conversation pieces or to take your decor to the next level then this is the place for you. Here are some pics of the store as well as some of her design work. She has been featured in New England Homes and Boston Magazine to name a few and she also happens to be my mum! Stop in and say hello! Enjoy!

We have all had wild weekends, parties, weddings that have left us feeling sick when Monday comes. After a busy weekend of moving things and getting ready for Nantucket, I was feeling awful, so I reached out to First Aid Shot Therapy. Within minutes they were at my door dropping off the liquid shots to help relieve my pain. These liquid shots are taken by mouth and taste like medicine. They are great for pain relief and also upset stomach relief. I did find that I felt less pain in my back from lifting and moving things.I think its a nice alternative to Advil or Tylenol. It also seems to work faster to relieve the pain. Give it a shot! Check out their website: http://firstaidshottherapy.com/about-f.a.s.t/

Chia seeds have been a huge trend this year due to all their health benefits, such as amazing energy and natural healing powers. I just came across this new Organic Mamma Chia vitality beverage at Wegmans this weekend. Yes, I know what an exciting late Sunday afternoon chore to do, food shopping! I am always looking for new ways to add Chia seeds to my diet and I might have found it!

Mamma Chia! The consistency of the beverage is like a jello smoothie. Strange I know, but kind of leaves you wanting more of this different consistency and it tastes good too! Give it a try! You can find Mamma Chia at Whole Foods as well! Drink up!

May 11th is right around the corner. I always like to be prepared with ideas to get mom. And my husband, forget it. He has not a clue what to get for mother’s day! So, my wish lists always help the men out there who are lost and show up with gifts that could get them in hot water (i.e. vacuum, swifter or a toaster oven) 🙂 Click on the pics , some items are on sale so get them soon!

This is it! I have found a healthy ice cream that only has 3 grams of sugar, 8 grams of protein and will not kill all the hours of sweating that I try to do each week at the gym 🙂 I was even able to taste every flavor and there isn’t one that I didn’t like. All of the ice cream has all natural ingredients! Stop by the grocery store to try this Good-For-You Ice Cream! I am stocking up on the my favorite flavor, coffee! Enjoy the day. I hope the sun comes out tomorrow!

Wow! What an awesome day it was yesterday for the marathon. It was so great to see Boston come together to support all the runners.  Nick finished after a grueling run, that was quite the challenge. He thought he was going to beat my Boston Marathon time! But, I still hold the record 🙂 We are all very proud of him. Nick was so lucky to have friends and family along the way waiting for him to pass and cheer him on. Thank you all for the support, Nick was thrilled to see you all! Boston is one of the greatest marathons with the best spectators that cheer their hearts out along the entire route. It’s truly an amazing and humbling experience. I know a few folks that were inspired by yesterday and now they have put the marathon on their bucket list to run next year. Here are some of my choices to start your training! And, a huge plus, they are all on sale! Click on the pic to start running with some of my favorite men’s and woman’s gear.Have a great day!

I am sure everyone had a wonderful weekend! Christa, Nick and I got up early on Saturday to run the BAA 5k. It was really a great race that gave us all the chance to cross the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street. I got goose bumps! It reminded me of the Boston Marathon back in 2007, when I crossed. Maybe, I should have done it one more time? Oh jeez! After the 5k we headed to a celebratory breakfast at Moo. It was a very posh breakfast in our sweaty clothes, but we didn’t care! We did have a great Easter weekend with great weather, family and fabulous food by chef Nick. I even found the time to make Easter cupcakes! I was even impressed with my work.  We are ready for the big day tomorrow. Nick is excited, nervous and looking forward to crossing the finish line for Team MR8 and also for completing the marathon as a personal goal he has been working towards over the past couple of months. Boston Strong!!! Thank you again for all those that donated! We got to our goal and Team MR8 has raised over 1 Million Dollars. See you at the Finish Line! xoxo