Sharing a roundup of cute and festive outfits for holiday parties this season.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the morning! We’re back in the swing of things after our trip and looking forward to upcoming holiday events, festivities, and travels. What are you looking forward to right now? I’m so excited for our annual staycation at the Scottsdale Princess and taking the girls to see the Nutcracker in Phoenix.

For today, I wanted to talk about cute and festive holiday outfits! While I don’t *love* winter attire (give me summer dresses and sandals any day), I definitely love party clothes. The holiday season is filled with sparkles, plaid, red, leather accents, and I’m into ALL of it.

Today, I’m sharing a roundup of 15 festive holiday party outfits!

(this dress is from my Rent the Runway Unlimited subscription. My referral link to try it out is here – perfect for holiday events and formal attire – and the link to the specific dress is here.)

15 festive holiday party outfits

1. Classic nap dress with bow heels (I have these from Lulu’s and love them. This link gets you a discount)

I just recently got on the Nap dress train and now I 100% understand the hype. T

Sharing my opinion on the best functional labs for women. Please keep in mind that this is not medical advice. If you’re curious about testing options, reach out to your doctor or practitioner for best fit for YOU. xo

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you had a wonderful post-Thanksgiving weekend! We are traveling back to Tucson from a super fun trip to Arkansas to visit family.

For today’s post, I wanted to share a bit about functional lab testing. Functional lab tests have helped me a lot personally, and they’ve provided invaluable information for my 1:1 clients. Please keep in mind that these tests are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or illness. Instead, it’s about finding unique information about deficiencies and toxicities within your body. When you have this information, you can create an action plan to help bring the body back to balance. You never *have* to do any of these tests, but it’s an incredible way to gather information about your unique body.

Functional lab testing has become an invaluable tool for individuals seeking a deeper understanding of their health. While conventional lab tests are primarily focused on diagnosing diseases, functional lab tests provide insights into how the body functions on a cellular and metabolic level. For women over 35 who are looking to optimize their well-being, certain functional labs can be particularly insightful.

best functional labs for women over 35

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA): A Window into Mineral Balance

One of the key functional tests for women over 35 is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA). This non-invasive test analyzes the mineral content present in the hair, providing a valuable window into nutrient deficiencies and imbalances. As women age, hormonal changes can significantly impact mineral absorption and utilization. Imbalances in minerals like magnesium and zinc, for example, can influence mood, energy levels, and hormonal health.

Understanding your mineral status through HTMA allows for targeted supplementation and dietary adjustments, as well as lifestyle changes. This nuanced approach can positively impact hormonal balance and contribute to overall well-being.

A peek at my HTMA. I’ll be going over some of this on IG stories today!

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Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins with Streusel Topping

Grab that leftover cranberry sauce and make these sweet and tart cranberry sauce muffins. They make a great breakfast or brunch!

Last year I got fed up with all the leftover cranberry sauce so for months after, I tried sticking it in and on everything trying to find the best ways to use it. You can only eat leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches for so many days before you’re totally burned out. In fact, our leftover Thanksgiving turkey sliders is a fabulous way to use leftover cranberry sauce, but I still wanted to find something different. These heavenly cranberry sauce muffins with streusel crumb topping were born.

Recommended Equipment

• Muffin Tin
• Stand Mixer

Before You Begin…

Make sure you have your cranberry sauce ready to go. Hopefully you have leftovers from Thanksgiving so this step is already done. You can make it homemade or use store bought cranberry sauce. I’ve linked to our homemade cranberry sauce recipe in the recipe card.

What Do I Need to Make Cranberry Sauce Muffins?

I’m going to divide the list of ingredients up between the streusel topping and the muffin batter. Jump on the streusel topping first…

For the Streusel

• All-Purpose Flour: gives the streusel topping structure
• Light Brown Sugar: adds sweetness and rich flavor
• Kosher Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Cinnamon: adds warmth and that classic fall flavor
• Ground Cardamom: I love the flavor of a little cardamom with cranberry sauce!
• Butter: binds the streusel together, the key to a good streusel

For the Batter

• Sugar: adds sweetness and balances out the tart cranberry sauce
• Vegetable Oil: adds needed fat and moisture to the muffins
• Eggs: give the muffins structure and rise
• <

Crisp and buttery on the outside, fluffy on the inside, this easy waffle recipe is perfection. Included are loads of options for sweet or savory waffles, plus all the toppings you could ever desire.

I like sweet waffles, savory waffles, snack waffles (handheld Ham and Cheese Waffles, I’m looking at you). If you can waffle it, I will probably love it.

Homemade Waffles

Want to know a secret? I almost never order waffles at a restaurant. That’s how picky I am about my waffles.

I know exactly how I like my waffles and restaurant waffles are never as good as the homemade waffles from my own kitchen.

I take my waffle enthusiasm too seriously to waste a meal on waffles that are anything less than spectacular. Rest assured, I’d never share a waffle recipe with you that I didn’t absolutely adore. My standards are just too high.

Easy Waffles

Considering how deep my love for waffles runs, it’s high time I shared with you my ultimate list of best waffle recipes.

I’ve been making waffles a long time and I’ve discovered that, while everyone has their own preferences, there are a few things that all great waffles have in common.

The ultimate waffle recipe is crispy on the outside (but never oily or greasy!) with a soft fluffy interior. The best waffles won’t fall apart when you lift them from the iron, they won’t bend in half, and they also won’t get tough and dense as they cool.

Rest assured that when I say this is the best waffle recipe ever, I don’t make that claim lightly. Part of the reason this recipe is the best is simply because it’s as easy as can be.

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Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and Stuffing Acorn Squash

Everyone needs more acorn squash recipes, especially when they are stuffed with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing! Repurpose all those leftovers in big way!

Last year I was fussing to my Mom on the phone about how much turkey I needed to use up after the holidays and she mentioned that she’d made the yummiest little concoction to use up the last of their turkey leftovers the night before. Quickly she typed up a text to me and I put it to the test within 24 hours. Turkey stuffed acorn squash uses everything you have lying around and my goodness, it’s almost like the perfect sandwich with all of those layers of flavor!

Ingredients for Leftover Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash

The best thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy and almost all the ingredients are leftovers, so they are already set to throw in. Here is what you will need:

• Acorn Squashes – you want two squashes, cut in half and scooped clean
• Onion – yellow onion, diced small
• Turkey (cooked and chopped) – you can use white meat or dark or a mix of both
• Stuffing – any type of stuffing works great, we love to use our no fuss make ahead stuffing
• Cranberry Sauce – adds the perfect sweetness and tanginess
• Chicken Broth – since you are baking cooked food again, you want to add a little moisture so it doesn’t dry out
• Salt – flavor, you can add as much or as little as you want

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash

It’s as easy as cleaning out a couple of acorn squashes and stuffing it with a bunch of Thanksgiving leftovers. So simple! Here are the basic steps:

1. Preheat the oven.
2. Cut the squashes in half and clean them out. Slice a thin piece off the bottom of each so they sit flat.
3. Roast the squashes.
4. Saute the onion in a skillet over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together.
5. Spoon the mixture into the roasted squash and bake.
6. Serve with more cranberry sauce or gravy.

All of these instructions in full detail can be found in the recipe card below.