A fast week yet again, but I’m welcoming Friday with open and ready arms! There were some not so fun personal things that had to happen this week and I am so glad they’re over and I’m starting to feel back to normal again. Even with all that, I feel like I just published last week’s Finisher. However, I’m glad to say that this week was my last week of classes! I just have an exam on Thursday (at 7am!) and a precalc final to get through next week and this semester is in the books! Each day is one step closer, one step wiser.
I’m still enjoying every minute of this holiday season though. Bonus points this year that the weather is bearable! But I do think I should move to Australia so I could enjoy the season during summer 😉 That sounds like perfection to me! Alas, I’ll live with what I have…for now 😉 As long as their love, joy, and sweet Christmas memories, I’m good!
Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend dear friends! xoxo Enjoy this week’s (a bit shorter) Finisher!
Monday: Gingerbread Quinoa Coffee Cake
Tuesday: Gift Guide For The Nut Butter Addict
Wednesday: Chocolate Candy Cane Crunch Cookies
Blog Posts and Links I loved this week:
Life, Mind, Body, Spirit:
+ 5 Tips For Overcoming Self Doubt
Don’t doubt yourself!
+ 15 Simple Ways To Reduce Your Stress And Anxiety
Wonderful techniques to implement!
+ Her Success Is Not Your Failure
It’s motivation!
YES!
+ Why Increased Efficiency Will Make Us Miserable
We lose micro-communications.
If you’re still hesitant to embrace a gratitude practice. (I am.)
+ The Importance Of Learning To Critique You Story
Don’t be afraid to ask yourself these questions!
+ 14 Things I Learned From Working With The Dying
Yes! I think we should all be thinking about these!
+ 7 Tips To Know If Your Boring Someone
Make sure you know when it’s not worth it anymore 😛
+ Living In The Cult Of Likability
We’re losing our voice.
+ Why Rejection Hurts So Much And What To Do About It
You know it hurts.
Fitness:
+ Keep Your Eyes On Your Own Yoga Mat
I will…since I practice alone 😉
+ This Not That: Common Yoga Mistakes
Don’t make silly newbie yogi mistakes that could put you at risk!
+ 33 Ways You Know You’re Into Power Yoga
My beloved yoga of choice 😉
+ Dealing With Forced Rest Without Going Crazy
It’s a hard one!
Food:
+ 99 Kitchen Gadget Gifts For 20-Somethings
Omg…this is one of the best gift guides ever!
+ Using The Term “Natural” Unnaturally
She nailed it with this one!
+ 10 Things You Should Never Say To A Vegan
I bet you can guess #1 😛
Now this would make the ultimate cookie party!
Yes! I wish we’d done this more growing up and I wished we could somehow do it now.
Health:
+ Can ‘Cute Aggression’ Inspire Actual Violence?
Omg! Hahaha! This is kind of weird!
May you never actually need it though :O
How to take care of your body in unfathomable times.
+ My Thoughts On The “Holiday Fix” Craze
And also my thoughts exactly!
Celiac Disease & Food Allergies:
+ Quaker Oats’ Gluten-Free Oatmeal Launches Nationwide In January
Here are the final results. But celiacs…beware!
+ The ONE Diet That Healed My Daughters Gut (After Years Of Miserable Food Allergies)
Well now…I knew fermented foods were good, but this good!?
+ NJ Senate Passes EpiPen Bill Allowing Business To Stock Drug
This could be life-saving.
+ Why It’s Dangerous My Food Allergy Is Perceived As A Fad
Another perspective from a Celiac.
Blogging, Social Media, Tech & Photography:
+ 7 Mistakes People Make When Trying To Monetize Their Blog
Don’t make these rookie mistakes!
Wow, yes! These are so true!
+ Why You Don’t Want To Buy An Esty Blog Design
Yes! I shake my head when I see newbie bloggers recommend this to other new bloggers. So frustrating!
+ 7 Tips To Photograph Christmas Morning
No one in my family has ever wanted their picture taken in the morning 😛
+ Before You Hit Send: Email Tips For Clear, Positive Communication
If you’ve emailed me, you know I am very terse, blunt, and to the point 😛
Other:
+ America’s Best Ranked Cities To Stay In 2016
And I know one so well! Woohoo, beautiful Cape May, NJ!
+ Real Or Fake: Christmas Tree Is More Eco-Friendly?
You may be surprised, but I wasn’t!
+ 27 Absurdly Cute Gifts That No One Could Resist
Those little Octopi!
+ Collect The Year’s Memories In This Cute (And Organized!) Way
I LOVE this idea!
+ Is College Worth It? Goldman Sachs Says Maybe Not
Well if they say no…
Favorite Pins:
(Follow me on Pinterest – RebeccaGF666)
Chicken and Cashews. Used to be one of my favorite Chinese take-out options!
Mango Brulee. Now that’s a creative way to eat a mango! (Remember to eat the skin!)
Warm Tahini Kale and Quinoa Bowl + Roasted Chickpeas. Just what we need to fuel ourselves right!
Lentil “Meat” Balls with Easy Marinara + Mashed Cauliflower. Now this is healthy comfort food!
Almond Joy Granola Bars. One of my favorite childhood candies in bar form!
Slow Cooker Gingerbread Oatmeal. If you had this cooking the night before…you’d have gingerbread dreams of joy!
Indian-Inspired Falafel Bowl with Roasted Broccoli. Indian Middle Eastern fusion!
Crispy Roasted Purple Potatoes with Fried Shallots. Since potatoes should be a daily thing 😉
Chicken and Walnut Stew with Petimezi. It’s Persian Fesenjan in lovely stew form! Yes!
A few things I loved about my week or am grateful for:
+ I’m grateful this week that my family sticks by each other when we need the most support.
+ I’m also super grateful for all my lovely dear friends who made the cookie party happen!
So tell me:
+ Big question. Real or fake? Real tree! That’s what I grew up with until a few years ago and my mom was suddenly allergic. Now we have this sad fake tree, but my mom always buys a small tiny real tree for the other living room 😛
+ Have you ever done a real cookie swap? I wish!
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Mary says
That chicken walnut stew looks divine, as well as those banana flour brownies. I can never say no to brownies. Enjoy your winter break.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
All comforting food!
Thanks Mary!
sue says
Great to see another Friday Finisher Rebecca. I love all the food photos and would try them all.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Same here!
Magda | My Little Expat Kitchen says
Thank you so much for including my recipe in your collection, Rebecca. Great collection of interesting links here. Can’t wait to explore more.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Have fun!
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
So much yum in this Finisher! I actually haven’t put up a tree in a while, but I saw something on Pinterest the other day that was just a drawing of a life size tree on canvas which is a nice eco friendly alternative (even though not the same, I know! I had real trees growing up…) to buying a tree each year. I miss having a tree! Side note: I have a store bought Etsy theme and I love it! I am in the midst of getting a site redesign but I’ve loved it for every second I’ve had it 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Some of those “small space” and alternative tree decorations are actually super pretty!
Well, I bet your real design, you’ll love even more 😉 xoxo
Linda @ Veganosity says
Thank you for including my 10 Things You Should Never Say to a Vegan article. I’m so happy you liked it.
I love the Living in the Cult of Likability article. That was a fascinating read, and unfortunately true. These are strange times we’re living in.
Thanks for the great links!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Even though there are so many posts like that…it just needs to be said over and over till it sticks!!
Mmhm, exactly!
Sophia @veggiesdontbite says
Awe! Thanks so much for including my mac and cheese bake!! All these look amazing. Especially those lentil balls and cauliflower!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
That mac looks amazing Sophia!!!! xoxo
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama says
I grew up with a real Christmas tree. The act of going out in the woods and cutting down the tree was always a memorable time in my family. Not because we were bonding, making memories. It was because we always all ended up fighting over what our idea of the “perfect” tree was. It would take forever! Ahhh, memories!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes! Haha! It’s the little things about going out to get the tree (a a huge tree farm), the fire they always had going to the front shop that would leave this smell on my dad’s clothes along with the smell of the trees. Weird things like that I really miss!
Melanie says
Thank you so much for including my post on the term “natural” in your Friday Finisher! You just made my day! I always love seeing the links you’ve rounded up. Have a great weekend!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
A much needed post!
Thanks dear!
Anya says
Good luck on your exams….you’ll be glad to have that behind you. Those roasted potatoes look scrumptious. I always thought potatoes should be a separate food group in an of themselves. Oh and REAL tree all the way!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Omg! Hahaha! Yes! Potatoes are their own food group 😉 A potato a day…. 😉
Lauren says
A great list, as always Rebecca! Loved the ‘questions vegans are asked’ list, and ‘how to know you’re boring someone’…though, I think I might bore the hubs a LOT, lol. Have a great weekend!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Ahahaha 😉 Well family members just have to deal sometimes 😉
Lisa @ RunWiki says
I am always so honored to be including in Friday Finishers. There are so many great links here– I don’t know how you find them all, but I sure do appreciate having them in one place. Once again, thank you, thank you for the shout out. Have a wonderful weekend beautiful girl! xo
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You too Lisa!!! xoxoxoxo
Leah M @ love me, feed me says
I would be so happy if I could never hear one of those questions about veganism ever again!! Love all the yoga posts! The This Not That one is so useful!
I’ve only ever had a real tree once! I grew up with fake ones. I remember when I had the real one I found the little pine prickly things everrrrrrywhere for like a year!! I’ve never done a cookie swap, but I would love to!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
People will just never learn 😛
Real trees are where it’s at though!
We really need to turn our swap in to a real life thing!
Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says
Good luck with your exams! We’ve always had a fake tree because my mom never wanted to deal with pine needles everywhere ????But our current tree has these little pinecone-and-berry clusters and, for not being real, I like it a lot ????
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
If you take care and water your tree, it won’t be loosing needles!!!!!
EA-The Spicy RD says
I can’t wait to make your Gingerbread Coffee Cake-it looks so yummy! And, good luck with your exams! P.S. REAL tree all the way baby!!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thank you!!
O yea girl!!! Real always wins!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
Oh no, that absurd gift post totally ruined your gift! How did they know I was getting you unicorn vs. narwhal socks??? 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
O man! You are!? AH! 😉 (I’m “packing” up your gift two send out next week…hopefully!)
Dietitian Jess says
Lots of interesting reads and delicious looking recipes (especially the gingerbread ones!) Really loved the nutrition and grief post- I lost my dad unexpectedly this summer and I’m still dealing with the pain on a daily basis- nutrition and self health are so important to help the process! Thanks for sharing it!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It is. Taking care of yourself is probably one of the best things to do!
Michele @ paleorunningmomma says
Ooh that mango brulee and the poached pears look incredible! Yay for being done with classes! Every little bit of relief is always very welcomed 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes, sooo true!
Debbie says
Wow, all those food pins made my mouth water (and made me so jealous of their photo skills!).
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You’ve gotta have lovely photo to be a food blogger!
Farrah says
I hope everything’s okay! <3 Good luck on your exam, and yay for almost being done with the semester!! Looking forward to checking these all out! :]
P.S. I clearly missed the memo on college not being worth it, ahahahaha.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Hahahaha….o college….but it’s more a US problem too :/
Melanie @ Nutritious Eats says
Oh my gosh dying over those food links! This is the only post I need to read on friday!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes, yes it is 😉
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
It’s official I will never be bored or lacking inspiration for what to cook again. There are just too many amazing links and ideas here! I’ve opened several in another window already. Ha ha.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
There are always fantastic blogger out there producing the best!
rachel @ Athletic Avocado says
that slow cooker gingerbread oatmeal looks like heaven, ill have to check that out! Im so glad to be done with finals, now home for two weeks then back to school the 28th!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I think I should have gone slow cooker oatmeal today….my bowl of Scottish oatmeal blew up in the microwave this morning 😛 Whoops!
Emily @ My Healthyish Life says
This week went by fast for me too. But think, next Friday Finisher you will be done with exams and can go home and enjoy the holidays 🙂 We always have a real tree!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Next Friday Finisher will be the last before Christmas too since Christmas is on a Friday!!! I don’t know what to do about that 😛
Susie @ SuzLyfe says
Great links! And thank you for sharing mine. Erin’s link also was incredible. I am just so proud of her!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You are both 2 fantastic ladies 😉
jennifer says
Mango Brulee — I love that idea, thanks for finding and sharing! Have a great weekend
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
The simplest ideas end up being some of the most memorable!