Sharing a full review of the HigherDOSE red light hat and if I think it’s worth it. You can use my code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off HigherDOSE products here! (excluding bundles and full-size saunas)

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had an amazing weekend! Ours was a busy one but it was a lot of fun. P crushed her basketball game, we tried a new Tucson restaurant, and started decorating for Halloween.

For today’s post, I wanted to share more details about a product I’ve been loving for the past few weeks: the HigherDOSE red light cap! I love all things HigherDOSE, so needless to say I was pumped when they sent this to me to add to my collection.

HigherDOSE Red Light Hat Review

Red light therapy has grown exponentially as a wellness trend and is going to continue to surge in popularity. I think friends are seeing how easy it is to implement red light therapy into a daily health routine, and there are so many potential benefits. I’m a huge fan of my red light face mask and red light neck enhancer, and the new HigherDOSE red light hat is a convenient biohacking tool that my busy friends out there can use to support their hair growth and scalp health.

It’s so easy for me to wear this hat around because it looks like a regular ol’ baseball cap! The power is hidden underneath.  In this post, I’m going to share a full HigherDOSE red light hat review and how you can use this at-home red light therapy in your own routine.

What Is the HigherDOSE Red Light Hat?

The HigherDOSE Red Light Hat uses 650nm red light and is designed to increase blood circulation to the scalp, which can potentially help with hair loss, optimized hair follicle function, and increased growth. It’s designed to be worn for 10 minutes, which makes it super easy to use on a regular basis. Plus, it looks cute!

Benefits of Using Red Light Therapy

Red light therapy can be used for many potential benefits, and it really depends on your goals.

Some of the things red light can do:

– Improve skin health and texture (reduced wrinkles, improved skin texture, , decreased fine lines, and acne)

– Enhance mood and reduce stress

– Increase energy and better sleep quality

– Boost circulation and faster muscle recovery.

Read more

Crunchy toasted Brioche topped with jam and almonds creates an irresistible pastry called Bostock.

As simple as it sounds (and is to make) once you’ve tasted it, I’m willing to bet that you’ll be telling everyone about it. I’ll go ahead and call this the Ultimate French Toast in the sense that it puts French toast to shame.

Bostock may not sound like the fanciest pastry or bakery treat, but I’m telling you now that this is absolutely positively irresistible.

I tried Bostock for the first time while visiting my friend Rebecca in Western New York several years ago.

There is an amazing bakery called Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora that we visited a couple of times, and their list of tempting treats goes on for days. When I spied the Bostock, I had to try it.

Bostock

Bostock is made with a sweet bread cut into slices and spread with a thin fruit glaze and topped with an almond spread. A sprinkling of sliced almonds goes on top and then it is baked until crispy.

Brioche is the most common bread used for making Bostock, but challah works too and can often be easier to find.

The taste reminds me of Italian Pine Nut Cookies (aka Pignoli Cookies) or these Italian Almond Cookies, which makes sense, as those cookies are made with almond paste as the main ingredient.

I am sitting here struggling for words because I love this so much. I compare it to French Toast, except that it is so much simpler and tastes better by a mile.

I made this recipe twice, in the week after I returned home, and I have been making Bostock on repeat ever since.

As we sat in the bakery, Rebecca and I chatted about how to recreate the Bostock at home. The bread is topped with a toasted frangipane.

All you need to make frangipane is almond meal, sugar, butter, and an egg. It makes a heavenly topping for this Bostock and it literally takes just a few minutes.

While I’m sharing traditional Bostock here in all its glorious almond deliciousness, Rebecca dreamed up a Nutella Raspberry Bostock and shared hers as well.

I’m thinking there are endless flavor combinations possible and we are duty bound to try them all, right?

Read more

Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Satisfy your fall cravings with these delicious frosted pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with luscious cream cheese frosting. Made with pumpkin puree and warm spices, these cookies are the perfect treat for the season.

There is nothing I love more than fall colors, feelings and food. There’s something that truly starts to stir inside of me as the leaves begin to fall. My sister once told me that she loves fall but doesn’t love the famous flavors of fall, so I set off to find something that she would love.

A friend many years ago delivered these frosted pumpkin cookies to our house and I’m pretty sure that the soft and chocolatey cookies with that dreamy, creamy frosting that your teeth completely sink into will sell her forever!

If you love our classic pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, then you will love this recipe with an added layer of creamy rich flavor in the cream cheese frosting! Pumpkin desserts and cream cheese frosting are a match made in heaven!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Cookies

If you have a can of pumpkin puree, then chances are you have the rest of the ingredients in your pantry for these pumpkin spice cookies! Here is everything you will need:

• Wet Ingredients: Vegetable Oil, Granulated Sugar, Light Brown Sugar, Egg, Pumpkin Puree and Vanilla Extract
• Dry Ingredients: All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt and Pumpkin Pie Spice, see note
• Mini Chocolate Chips: I like to use the mini chocolate chips so that they stay evenly distributed in the cookie dough, but you can use full size chocolate chips too.

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting

• Butter: unsalted and softened to room temperature
• Cream Cheese: full fat and softened to room temperature
• Vanilla Extract: adds flavor
• Powdered Sugar: the base of the frosting and all the sweetness
• Salt: enhances all the flavors

Keep scrolling to the end of the post for all the measurements and information you need.

How to Make Frosted Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are thick and pillowy, dotted with chocolate chips, and everything you want in a fall cookie. If you’re looking for a more chewy cookies, try our chewy pumpkin cookies, because this recipe is more of a cakey cookie. Here are the steps for making them:

1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
2. Beat: Add the oil and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
3. Mix: Add the egg and beat to combine. Decrease the mixer spe

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! As always, when October rolls around, I simply must quote my beloved Anne girl, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” Our weather has been absolutely lovely this week and I’ve soaked it up whenever possible. As I write this, the sun is shining and there’s a chilly breeze outside. 

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Cheesy, saucy, rich and hearty Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a favorite in my house. Whether you serve them on their own, with a side of rice or potatoes, or chopped up and tossed with pasta (that’s my favorite way to enjoy these for lunch leftovers!), these zucchini boats are likely to be a win with your whole family.

Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, these Roasted Red Potatoes are sure to become a regular feature on your menu. The kids absolutely loved them.

Dip those potatoes or some crispy roasted Brussels sprouts in this Bang Bang Sauce for a side dish delicious enough to steal the dinner show.

Heath Bar Cookies start with a chocolate chip cookie dough base, but in addition to those melting semi-sweet morsels, these rich buttery cookies contain the toffee-tastic magic of Heath bars.

This smooth and creamy Honey Ice Cream with Cardamom and Cinnamon is the ultimate complement to a bowl of berries or grilled peaches. It’s also terrific scooped into a cone or bowl on its own, or drizzled with warm berry sauce. The flavors in this ice cream are unforgettable.

Full of tender apples, beautifully citrusy rhubarb, and crowned with a classic brown sugar oat crisp topping, Apple Rhubarb Crisp blends seasons together in sweet tart harmony.

What I’m CRAVING: I’m really wishing I had some of my cousin Hannah’s Cranberry Bliss Biscotti in the house this morning. I need to put these on my must-make baking list soon! 

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are my dishwashing gloves. They have a cuff that helps prevent water from splashing and getting inside the gloves. I have the medium size and they’re the PERFECT not-too-tight, not-too-loose fit, super easy both to put on and take off. I’ve been using them for almost a year now and still love them as much as the day

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I hope you have a fun weekend ahead! I *hope* we’re finally going to decorate for Halloween, and I’m going to make an ofrenda for Día de los Muertos.

P has a basketball game, Liv has dance, we have a date night planned, and jet photos on Sunday. It’s going to go by quickly!

My heart has been aching all week for the victims of Hurricane Helene. When disasters strike, it’s hard for me to write posts about anything… everything I’m feeling or want to talk about just seems so meaningless, especially when others are suffering. In the spirit of finding distraction through little pockets of joy, I’m still going to post Friday Faves, even though my mind is absolutely elsewhere.

If you’re looking for ways to help and organizations to support, here are some options:

– Both Terilyn and Jenna have been posting resources on their Instagrams. Terilyn has created Amazon wist lists that will go directly to organizations who can distribue the items, and Jenna has been shopping and delivering items, using funds that are donated to her Venmo.

– Samaritan’s Purse is another option

– If you have any others to include, please leave them in the comments below

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party. This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

10.4 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

New Oliveda goodies. Our Vitamin C sermum is SO good (it’s in stock!) and I’ve been wanting to try this eye cream. I’ll definitely reoprt back. Remember that if you take the skincare quiz and purchase two items from your recommendations, you’ll receive a free gift (it will automatically show up in your cart after you add two items from your recommendations to the cart).

Read more