Fall Favorites – 2017

The leaves are falling, there’s frost on the grass every morning, and the snow keeps creeping down the mountains more each day.

Fall is here!

Don’t get me wrong, I love fall, but I am just not excited about the season that follows–especially since it puts such a damper on my running.

But for the time being, I’ll enjoy the dry pavement and the tad bit more daylight–even though the sun doesn’t rise until 8:45 a.m.!! And I’m going to enjoy all of my fall favorites: soups, squash, booties, fall running gear, and guess what: nothing pumpkin-flavored! Are you impressed?!

Lululemon – Tight Stuff Tight

After posting about these tights in my Fall Running Essentials post, I ended up purchasing them and absolutely love them for running in the dark because of all of the reflective area at the bottom. They are a compression tight, so they are more snug, but that didn’t bother me. Plus, they are the 7/8th length (which I love), and they have several pockets for storing all of your running essentials. (FYI – These are the ‘Midnight Navy’ color–it is a dark blue/almost purple, and I love it!!)

Acorn Squash

Fall is really the only time I make acorn squash, and this Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pistachios is one of my favorites. Plus Craig likes it too, which is always a plus. It comes together in a snap and is filled with healthy quinoa, savory feta, and the pistachios add a nice crunch.

A New Day Jacket

There is a new clothing line at Target, and it is awesome! Fun, chic, I am completely in love with this anorak jacket I bought for the fall weather. I have to admit, I didn’t know if I could pull of the olive green color, but I am totally digging it. It has a longer back, which is really cute and the cinch waist gives it a more fitted look.

Taco Soup

This is one recipe I make every. single. fall. I love that this Taco Soup is a slow-cooker recipe because it is so simple! You literally brown the beef and throw the beans, tomatoes, and seasonings into the slow-cooker, and you’re ready to go. It also makes great leftovers and freezes well.

Sorel Lea Wedge

I purchased these Sorel wedges last year, and by mid-winter, they were incredibly hard to come by online. I’m not sure if the same thing will happen this year, but I wouldn’t take your chances. I am even considering ordering them in the brown color because I love them so much.

Beautycounter

These four products are my go-to every day makeup routine: Tint Skin (foundation) + Mattifying Powder + Touchup Skin Concealer Pen + Lip Gloss (peony). It is simple yet evens out my skin tone and gives a little pop of color on my lips. I also recently received another bottle of the Rejuvenating Radiance Serum (which I am obsessed about) and the Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion (which is great for combination skin and sold out twice already)!

Lululemon Extra Mile Running Shirt

I’ve gotten picky with long sleeve running shirts. Either they aren’t really that warm, ride up, the sleeves aren’t long enough to pull over my hands, or don’t have a cute cut. This shirt has none of those imperfections. I wore this shirt plus a vest on my 24*F run on Monday (Yes, TWENTY-FOUR!) and was very comfortable. This shirt is a little thicker than many of my other long sleeve running shirts, which is perfect for me who runs a little cold (no pun intended). I also appreciate that there are cuffins (mittens on the cuffs of the sleeves), which allows me to pull the material over my hands. Plus this shirt has a cute fit, pin-tucking on the shoulder, and ruffles on the sleeve for a fun, feminine touch.

Trader Joe’s – Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend

I had been seeing this seasoning blend all over my Instagram feed, so when I went to Minnesota in September, and I had to buy this Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning from Trader Joe’s. So far I’ve tried the seasoning on hard boiled eggs, avocado, added it to an oil dip for bread, and as a meat seasoning. It is super good!

This picture features two of my favorite weekend casual wear items:

Lululemon Press Pause Pullover

I am in love with this sweatshirt. I need to stop randomly grabbing things off the racks at Lululemon to try on because every time I do, I end up buying the item. Ugh! But I can’t get enough of this sweatshirt, so cozy and warm, which is a must for me here in Alaska during the winter.

New Balance Cruz Shoes

I have been wearing these New Balance shoes all the time: for work, running errands, and just for fun after a run. They are super comfortable and super cute. They come in black too!

Athlete Shout-Out

I need to give a shout-out to my athlete Sam for setting a new PR this past weekend at the Zombie Half Marathon here in Anchorage on a fairly hilly course with a wretched half mile *steep* hill that leads right into the finish chute. He dealt with an injury all summer but still managed to run 2 minutes faster. AND he ran 18 minutes faster than he did two years ago right before we started working together! Hard, consistent work pays off!

Now it’s your turn to share:

What are you loving this fall?

I am actually pretty happy I didn’t include anything pumpkin-flavored in this post. Ha! Honestly, I don’t really go for all those pumpkin-flavored food products because, let’s be honest, most of them aren’t very healthy. It is fun to indulge, but I try to avoid buying that kind of stuff in the first place.