Helpful Tips for Healthy Eating

During sports seasons or after exercise in general, I feel compelled to eat healthy. I think this is because after a workout, game or a run you feel really good and don't want to ruin that by diving into a pint of ice cream or eating a cheese burger...Anyways, by no means would I consider myself a health expert, but I thought I would share some of my favorite healthy snacks and meals along with some tips and tricks! Leave some of your tips below and also comment if you would like to see a healthy snacks post!

Eating Organic// Honestly I don't go to the grocery store with my mom all the time, so I don't know what she buys that is organic and what isn't.  However, last year for my bio final project I was assigned organic foods, so I feel pretty well versed in this topic. Obviously, there are many health benefits to eating organic food, but I thought I would share a few that stood out to me when I did my project. Organic food is actually significantly more flavorful than nonorganic foods, although regular fruits and vegetables appear to look "perfect" they are actually fairly bland. In addition to this all organic foods have a much more antioxidants in them, which have many health benefits in your immune system.

Snacking// I'm not going to lie, sometimes I eat when I'm bored, let's face it a lot of people do. I could sit in my kitchen snacking for hours on whatever I see talking (or ranting) to my friends or parents if there is nothing better to do. When it comes to snacking try to eat things that will fill you up and are not horribly unhealthy. I find that eating things with protein work the best for efficient snacking. I love having pretzel crisps with hummus, bananas with peanut butter, chips and salsa and granola bars.  I might write a post about my favorite snacks in a post soon!

Salads// I am such a sucker for a good salad, especially during the warmer months because everything is so fresh. Sometimes I get home super late with my busy schedule and am just not that hungry. A salad is the perfect small dinner, you get lots of different vegetables, protein (if you add chicken to have some sort of bean) and top it off with your favorite dressing for extra flavor! Salads also make a great school lunch!

Well Balanced Meals// Let's start off with breakfast. Sometimes before school at 7:30 in the morning I'm just not particularly hungry, but I always make an effort to eat something. I few months ago I wrote a post about my favorite smoothies, which are a small healthy on the go breakfast. Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day, you have not eaten anything since the night before so you need to get something in your system. There is nothing worse than having to take a test the period before lunch and not being able to concentrate because you are starving. Eating a well balanced lunch and dinner is a very simple way to stay healthy. Make your proportions just right so that you feel full after a meal, this will stop you from compulsively snacking in between meals or late at night.

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

Fall Essentials

Now that we are back in school and Summer seems like forever ago, it is time to start taking inventory of our Fall wardrobes to see what needs to be purchased for this year! When making bigger purchases for a season I like to buy more classic pieces that I know will last a long time and not go out of style. Fall in New England is absolutely beautiful, and the crisp air allows for lots of cute layering pieces and it is not horribly cold like our brutal winters. Although it is still pretty hot here I am looking forward to pulling out these pieces and putting them to good use!

Quilted Jacket// I have this navy jacket from C. Wonder and it is the perfect weight for fall. I love the corduroy elbow patches and collar and the pop of orange when you cuff the sleeves. This jacket is timeless and goes with everything! 

Simple Sweater// A basic sweater is perfect to pair with jeans and completes a layered look. This J. Crew Factory elbow patch sweater is the softest thing and so comfortable! 

Riding Boots// If you are going to make one investment for the fall I would suggest getting a nice pair of riding boots. I have the Dolce Vita Lujan Riding Boot and Julinna has the Frye Melissa Button Boot! 

Black Flats// A black flat is the perfect shoe for that transition time in between sandals and riding boots. I am really considering splurging on the Tory Burch black and gold Reva flats, they are so chic and match almost anything. 

Plaid Shirt// I might consider myself a plaid addict. It is a great pattern because it incorporates so many different colors, so you can really wear it with so many different things.  

Puffer Vests// I have three vests, the warm bisque and herringbone from J. Crew Factory and a cobalt blue one from J. Crew. Last year I wore a vest at least twice a week in the Fall and Winter, they are so cute for layering and they keep your warm. I highly suggest purchasing one before they sell out! Also, if you want the look for less, check out Old Navy they have some really cute ones for a fraction of the price!

Jeans// I am fairly particular about my jeans and the way they fit, so if I find a pair I love I am definitely willing to splurge. The 7 for all mankind "slim cigarette" is one of my favorite styles and I also like majority of Joe's Jeans. 

Fun Dress// A cute shift dress is my final Fall necessity. Recently, I have seen a ton of cute kids dresses at Crewcuts that I can actually fit into, which is a plus! I love this orange dress with the zipper detailing and a good long sleeve striped dress is always a favorite of mine! 

What are you favorite things for Fall?

xoxo,

Catherine

Tiny Tulip Monogramming and Gifts + Giveaway

I am such a sucker for monograms and tend to follow the "if it doesn't move, monogram it!" saying. If there is something better than monograms it would definitely have to be FREE monograms and thanks to tinytulip.com you have the chance to win a $50 gift card to their shop! Tiny Tulip has a wide variety of monogrammed items, from jewelry to clothing and everything in-between at great prices. In addition to all the monograms they have a lot of Lilly Pulitzer paper goods and customized Greek items. Below are a few favorites we picked out from the website. The 1/4 zip is perfect for the cold upcoming months, the make up bag is super versatile, a monogrammed phone case adds a cute personal touch to a simple iPhone and a monogrammed necklace is a general must have. It was hard to pick just one Lilly item for the graphic, but who doesn't love a cute pad of paper for back to school!?

Make sure to check out Tiny Tulip on social media Facebook// Instagram// Pinterest// Tumblr// Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xoxo,

Catherine and Julianna

Preppy by the Sea 

Go Green

I'm a huge supporter of all things environmentally friendly, but I'm thinking of "going green" in a more literal sense in this post. Emerald green is the ultimate fall color for clothing. I'm not one to typically look great in green, but I think emerald is a neutral, like navy or black, that really looks good on anyone. In the new InStyle this month (700+ pages might I add- I was in fashion heaven!), there are pages upon pages about styling emerald green, incorporating it into your wardrobe, and everything in between (see it here) From looking online and shopping in stores, I've seen some awesome green items worth taking a look at. Fall is my favorite season for clothing because I feel as though layering with sweaters and jewelry can really represent my personal style. So what's my goal for this year? Pick out a versatile and adorable emerald green item (most likely from this list) and style it on the blog before the end of fall. It shouldn't be too hard, I convince myself to buy things all the time anyways…

1//2//3//4//5//6

Do you love emerald green as much as I do?

xoxo,

Julianna 

Preppy by the Sea

No Shop September

Throughout August I have shopped way too much and spent a ridiculous amount of money. I pretty much own half of the J. Crew Factory fall collection seeing as I have been to the outlets twice and made three online purchases, plus the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale just happened. I am putting a stop to my shopping habbits during the month of September. I think that September is a great month to put a ban on the shopping because I know I have plenty of clothes for the type of weather it has to offer. I have stocked up on fall clothing and can still sport some of my summer clothes during the next month, meaning I really don't NEED anything. I hope this little experiment is successful, as I think that it will be a really great way to save this month!  Leave a comment below if you are going to try and make it through "No Shop September"!

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea