Gingerbread Pancakes
Gingerbread Pancakes

I'm gonna be honest. With my crazy travel and work schedule this year until the holidays, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to squeeze holiday baking in. Which makes me sad, because I adore this part of holiday festivities and more importantly, I'll miss out on my favorite gluten-free gingerbread cookies. So my gingerbread granola is a great one to turn to when I want to make a big batch to eat throughout the weeks, BUT, I wanted to whip up something dessert-like that takes less time than baking cookies. 

Enter, these gingerbread pancakes. HELLO. That are gluten-free, vegan, unbeknownst to whoever you feed them to, because it just tastes like straight up fluffy gingerbread heaven in pancake form.

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RecipesMinna LeeBreakfast, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Nut-Free, Pancakes
My 5 Tips for Thanksgiving Prep + Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
My 5 Tips for Thanksgiving Prep + Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

It is crazy pants that it is only 3 more days until Thanksgiving! 

Most everyone is probably finding themselves in a frenzy, trying to prepare for this holiday, so today, I've got my best tips for Thanksgiving and a roundup of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes to help you out. Whether it's your first Thanksgiving you're in charge of or a guest responsible for one or more dishes, I've got all the tips and tricks I've learned over the years to help you out.

This year is a year of firsts for me personally, as we used to always celebrate my Dad's birthday on Thanksgiving, so this makes my heart ache that it's the first Thanksgiving and holiday without him. Secondly, I won't be in charge of making a Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in I think about 5 years, as I'll be at my boyfriend's family's for Thanksgiving. 

So, it's a little strange not preparing menus and making pie crusts to put in the freezer, but I'm kind of enjoying it this year. First up, here are some of my favorite signature recipes I've made throughout the years for my family's Thanksgiving:

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RecipesMinna LeeCooking
Favorite Friday Finds 35.0
Favorite Friday Finds 35.0

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”

Hello and Happy Friday! Boy, do I have the best finds for you this week- not only fun and interesting stuff, but some straight-up darn useful stuff for the upcoming holidays!

How unbelievable is it that Thanksgiving is less than a week away now? It's hard to believe that we are already in full-on holiday season mode now, but I actually am already feeling the holiday spirit. I love seeing the holiday Starbucks cups all around, the lights and decor going up, gift guides, and other festive cheer. I think we could all really use the giving spirit of the season in many ways this year after a rocky November for a lot of people in light of recent worldly happenings...

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LifestyleMinna LeeFavorite Friday Finds
Switching to Natural Beauty Products + My Current Favorites
Switching to Natural Beauty Products + My Current Favorites

I've switched over. I'm a convert. Even with my being so health-conscious with my food and exercise, I didn't really think I'd one day be using soap that has hemp in it. Or that I'd be parting from my failure-proof aluminum deodorant and delicious-smelling shampoos and hair masks, even though I knew there were things in there that probably weren't too great for me.

How big of a deal could it be, anyway? It just seemed too hard. Too hard to learn which of those unpronounceable ingredients were the bad ones because they all sounded too similar; too hard to dump out all my not-exactly cheap cosmetics and beauty products to replace them with things I didn't know would even work; too intimidating, basically. 

Have you guys felt this way before/now? Switching over to all-natural beauty products free of harmful toxins and chemicals can be really intimidating...

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LifestyleMinna LeeBeauty, Skincare, Wellness
Butternut Squash Purée
Butternut Squash Purée

Healthy, simple butternut squash purée. 

That's all I was craving a few weeks ago, as you might've seen on my Insta. While I've shared my recipe for a butternut squash carbonara (w/sage-maple bacon!) before, I've never shared my super easy and quick recipe to throw together a delicious butternut squash purée.

This butternut purée is one of my favorite things to throw together on a weeknight because it doesn't require preciseness on cooking technique/spices or hovering over the stove, and it's also so versatile for the many different ways you can eat it.

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RecipesMinna LeeGluten-Free, Vegan, Veggies, Main Meals
Fear: The True Meaning of Bravery
Fear: The True Meaning of Bravery

Often in society, bravery is equated to lack of fear. But I think it's just the opposite actually.

I believe that the true meaning of bravery is feeling the fear deeply, and choosing to embrace and face the fear. 

Those who are knocked down then learn to stand up are so much stronger and braver than those who have never experienced being knocked down in the first place. So let yourself fall, I promise, it will be okay...

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LifestyleMinna LeeSelf-Improvement
How to Peel and Cube Butternut Squash (without losing a finger)
How to Peel and Cube Butternut Squash (without losing a finger)

Whether we want to think about it or not, Thanksgiving is only a little over 3 weeks away! Trust me, I'm just as confused where time has gone this year. 

Even if you aren't involved with Thanksgiving cooking and simply want to enjoy fall's bounty of produce, I wanted to go over how to peel and cube a butternut squash without losing a finger (or two). I first put a little guide together in my recipe for Roasted Brown Butter and Sage Butternut Squash, but I figured I should do an entirely separate guide for this for all my new readers and for those who might have missed that recipe! 

Squash can be oddly intimidating, especially for someone who doesn't spend too much time in the kitchen. Breaking one down can seem too difficult, and a lot of us resort to using the canned stuff.

While I have no qualms about taking my shortcuts where I can and using the canned stuff sometimes, using a fresh squash while in season is so worth the extra 5 minutes to break it down. 

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RecipesMinna LeeCooking
Favorite Friday Finds 34.0
Favorite Friday Finds 34.0

Happy first Friday of November! 

The leaves are FINALLY turning goldens and reds in Washington Square Park (see on my Insta Stories), and it makes me so happy. The little things will affect you as much or as little as you let them, so let the good little things fill you up and let the bad little things flow away!

Things are looking crazy until straight through the end of the year, and I'm going on half a dozen flights and hitting nearly ten cities by the end of November- whew! As I talked about in my post earlier this week on some autumn reflections, I've been focusing on counting my blessings and also immersing myself in the present.

I've been slipping back into looking at my social media too much and absentmindedly scrolling through feeds, so I've been making an effort to read more real content, less clickbait, and put my phone away altogether to be 100% present when spending time with friends and company. So there are some links below that relate to both of these themes...

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LifestyleMinna LeeFavorite Friday Finds
Autumn Reflections + Giving Thanks
Autumn Reflections + Giving Thanks

It's really hard to fathom that we are now in November, and there's a mere 2 months left of 2016. The leaves are falling, storefronts are all on the Thanksgiving and Christmas trains already, and everyone is left wondering where the time has gone so quickly yet again. 

On the personal front, I'm feeling a bit melancholy these days. While it's easy to just say I'm feeling blue and call it a day, I'm working on digging a little deeper into those feelings, to better understand why I'm truly feeling this way. Which is why I've been ruminating and reflecting, trying to step back to see the bigger picture. It's been awhile since I've done a personal update, and so I wanted to share some of my autumn reflections and intentions with you guys incase any of you might be feeling similarly...

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LifestyleMinna LeePersonal, Self-Improvement
7 Tips to Stay Healthy on Flights
7 Tips to Stay Healthy on Flights

There's nothing worse than feeling healthy going into a trip, then arriving at your destination feeling like you got sick on the plane. Not only is that a good way to ruin a vacation or travel trip, but in some cases on work travel, you can’t afford to be sidelined at all. Whether it's too cold, too hot, or you're eating crummy airplane food, stiff from sitting for hours, nothing about flights do you any favors when it comes to staying healthy, honestly.

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LifestyleMinna LeeTravel, Physical Health
8 Easy Ways to Feel Connected + Productive
8 Easy Ways to Feel Connected + Productive

With my schedule being on the erratic side lately, it makes the times that I am home in NYC, it's super important to make that time count. But it can definitely be hard to feel connected and productive, when all you want to do after a some work travel or a big project is burrow in bed for a few days. Also, around this time of year, it's easy to feel a bit burned out with most peoples' work seasons being in peak right now.

If any of you are feeling a case of the Mondays, give some of these 8 easy tips to instantly feel more connected and productive a try:

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LifestyleMinna Lee
Weekend Guide to Portland, Maine
Weekend Guide to Portland, Maine

I love New England. There's something about it that feels strangely like home to me, even though I'm not from the area at all. While I've visited several cities in the region for weekend trips, I had yet to check off that weekend trip to Portland, Maine I had been wanting to take for so long. 

When the opportunity came up, I immediately jumped on it to make it work. It's a decent drive (about 5.5 hours with no stops) from NYC to Maine, so I wanted to maximize my time in Portland to fit as much as possible into a single weekend. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same, which is why I curated this weekend guide to Portland, Maine here...

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LifestyleMinna LeeTravel, City Guides
Where to Stay in Portland, Maine: Black Point Inn
Where to Stay in Portland, Maine: Black Point Inn

I was starting to put together my weekend guide to Portland, then I realized the post was getting a little too long because I just had too many gorgeous photos to share, just like with the dining experience at Tempo Dulu in Portland. So, I'm breaking it up to do it justice. Today, I'm going to take you guys on a tour of where you should stay if you're looking for a boutique hotel in Portland, Maine. 

Boutique hotel is not what I would use to describe Black Point Inn, as it's more of a classic historic New England Inn gone lux, however it does pop up when searching for accommodations in the Portland area. 

It just doesn't get more classic than this. If you are looking for a gorgeous historical New England inn...

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LifestyleMinna LeeCity Guides, Travel, Hotels
Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti Bolognese

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Oh this weekend was most certainly filled with goodness.

Celebrated one of my best friend's birthday, another one of other best friend got engaged the day before her birthday, I got to catch up with several friends, do lots of walking around in gorgeous NYC fall weather, AND finally checked off an...

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RecipesMinna LeeGluten-Free, Main Meals
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Hello October and hello to these gluten-free pumpkin pancakes!

I think I've said this nearly every month this year, but how on earth is this year flying by so quickly? Feels like it was just my sister's wedding at the end of July, but yet here we are. The leaves are beginning to turn, there's that beautiful fall chill in the air; the season is in full swing. 

People (bloggers in particular) tend to jump on the pumpkin train... 

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RecipesMinna LeeGluten-Free, Breakfast, Pancakes, Vegan