Thanksgiving 2024 and the best Black Friday deals

Sharing a recap of Thanksgiving and sharing my favorite Black Friday deals!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that my US friends had a happy, healthy, beautiful Thanksgiving filled with amazing food and lovely memories. Our was a great one this year.

I started off the morning with an F45 strength class,

and then we all went over to madre’s for coffee and pastries. We hung out with the fam for a little while, got to see baby Daisy, and then we came home to get ready for the usual Thanksgiving lunch/dinner at my uncle’s.

Our contributions to the feast:

Ina’s bourbon chocolate pecan pie

and maple roasted Brussels sprouts.

The food was ridiculous as usual, and we had a great time seeing everyone, especially our newest baby cousins that we born last year. There are four new babies in the family!

Annual Thanksgiving pic:

(outfit is linked here)

After we ate, the boys all took the kids out on the golf course with them for a round of golf, while the rest of us stayed back, drank coffee, and chatted. After we finished, we were pretty tired and full, so we went back home for Christmas movies and pajamas.

One of my favorite late-night Thanksgiving traditions used to be midnight shopping with my mom and nana. Now that everything is online, it takes away a liiittle bit of the nostalgia, but it is pretty convenient to order everything you need from home, eating a slice of pie in your pajamas. 😉

I wanted to share some of the best Black Friday sales that I’ve found! I was able to scour some of the sales in advance, and included my favorite finds below.

(Maisey helped me find the best of the best to share here!)

For a full roundup of my top wellness essential Black Friday deals, check out this landing page.

I’ve also been updating my LTK page and Amazon storefront!

*Note: affiiliate links are included in this post. They don’t affect purchase price, but they enable me to earn a very small kickback on each purchase. Affiliate commissions directly support this little blog and our family, and I’m so thankful to those of you who shop through my links!

The best Black Friday Deals

Fitness, detox + wellness:

– A sauna blanket or PEMF Go Mat. My life and two of my very favorite things. I use the Go Mat daily for meditation, and use the sauna blanket 2-3 times per week and it feels amaaaaazing. I sleep so well and it makes my skin glow. Use FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off HigherDOSE faves, including the best red light face mask.

– Get $750 off your Integrative Health Practitioner Level 1 and 2 certifications (plus a free Candida, Metabolic and Vitamins test). Check it out here and use the code BF750. It’s one of the best things I’ve done for my health, our family, my business, and cleints.

– EquiLife Holiday Sale sale goes through Monday! This is when everything is on sale, including my favorite supplements, at-home functional labs, and detox kits. We’ll be doing another community detox in January if you’d like to pick up your kit now. *My code is FITNESSISTA10. If it’s your first time ordering, you’ll get an extra 10% off!

– Organifi. Use this link to stack my code onto current promos! We use and love the Gold, Red Juice, Green Juice, and I love the Harmony.

– An Oura ring!

– I ordered two bags of this protein powder.

– Amazing price on this yoga mat. I’ve had mine for about 15 years and it’s still my go-to.

– Vivarays! If you need some blue light blockers, these are my #1 pick. You can use this link and the code FITNESSISTA.

– Endorphin set with EMF-blocking fanny pack.

– Sakara is 30% off right now with my code GINAHSAKARA. This is their best price of the entire year! I love to order breakfast and lunch, which saves me on busy days, and then have dinner with the fam.

– Magnesium oil

Home essentials:

– The best nontoxic bakeware. We swapped all of our bakeware to Caraway and will never go back!

– This gorgeous non-toxic pan << my link gives you $20 off your first order. I use the Always Pan almost daily and it still looks great, and also love the Always Pot.

– A filtered showhead! This is the best one; I’ve noticed a huge difference in my skin and hair. (code FITNESSISTA) We’re also obsessed with the humidifier.

– An Air Doctor! We have a few of these in our house and I can’t rave about them enough.

– Stainless steel air fryer

– Little green cleaner

– This lifechanging vaccuum and mop combo

For her:

– This palette. It’s the perfect mix of everyday and glitzy shades- only $20 right now!

– Such a great price for the coziest blanket!

– Hero hair towel

– An everyday sweater dress

– This caryall bag

– A foot massager! I have a similar one and it’s heavenly

– A Kendra Scott necklace

– Great price for this lulu lookalike

For him:

– Ordering a new pair of these for the Pilot

–Also got him this Vuori jacket

– So many people are obsessed with this eye massager

– Theragun mini massage gun

– Portable Bluetooth speaker

– Shiatsu massager

– This half-zip sweater

For the kids:

– gap 50% off! I ordered pants and sweats for P, plus this cute sparkly skirt and a Christmas dress.

– A new bike

– The best fidget toy

– A Tomagotchi

– A little drum set.. if you dare lol

– A 3D pen. P has this one and loves it!

–Tonies! I wish these existed when the kids were smaller; perfect for toddler/preschool age

– AMAZING price on this Barbie dream house

Where to shop:

– J. crew up to 50% off almost everything

– Anthropologie – 30% off!

– 20% off everything at Bombas

– Hanna Andersson 50% off! This is when we get Christmas jammies. I ordered ours last night because they run out of sizes!

I’ll be back on Monday with Cyber Monday deals and stocking stuffer ideas. I’m determined to crank out all of the holiday shopping by Monday!

So, tell me, friends: what was a highlight of your Thanksgiving? Are you shopping today? Please share what you’re getting in the comments or if you’ve found any awesome deals!

xo

Gina

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2024 Holiday Gift Guide for the Kids

Sharing my 2024 holiday gift guide for the kids this year! We tend to stick to the purchasing strategy of: “ Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” 

Hi friends! Happy Wednesday! I hope that you’re doing well and that all of your Thanksgiving prep is going swimmingly. I have a couple of last-minute to-dos but am sneaking away for a yoga class with a friend.

I’m really excited for today’s gift guide because kiddos really bring the magic to Christmastime. I’m basically like Buddy the Elf and thought that nothing could possibly make the season more enjoyable… and then we had kids. They just magnify all of the magic of the holidays. We’re getting our holiday shopping done early, so I wanted to put some ideas out there if you’re doing the same thing.

When we holiday shop for the kiddos, we keep things on the simpler side. They get their Santa gifts and stocking stuffers, and then from us, we stick to the “something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” This checks all of the main boxes and keeps things from getting too bananas with gifts from my parents and their other relatives. [Another hack: any gifts that aren’t opened in the first couple of days are stocked away in the playroom. I bring them out on a rainy day or when the kids say they’re looking for something to do.]

2024 Holiday Gift Guide for the Kids

Today, I’m sharing some of the things on their personal wish lists, along with tried and true favorites. I’d love to hear your kids’ gift requests in the comments and any ideas you have! I’ll also be sharing my first ever tween gift guide this year, too.

Something they want:

–A 3D pen! P has this one and loves it

-Karaoke system

–Tonies! I wish these existed when the kids were smaller; perfect for toddler/preschool age

–Fold and Go farm playset

– Mini Polaroid

– Horse earrings

– American Girl doll. These are always a huge hit… the girls have at least 10. Liv has outgrown them, but I’m saving them for the future 🙂

– A new bike or scooter

– Super Gross chemistry set

– Puzzle sets

– Initial bracelet

– Zingo! This is a perfect board game for younger kids. They also love Guess Who, and our girls also love Operation, Bop It, and Uno

– New roller skates or skateboard

– The most incredible tutu

– Barbie dream house

– Magnatiles or anything Lego

– Power Wheels. We did this when we lived in Georgia and the girls went wild for them

– Science magic kit

 

Something they need:

– New Ugg boots << the waterproof ones last the longest

– New Jordans

– Nike dunks

– Rain boots

– Art supplies

– Pastel set

– Dance or gymnastics leotards

– Personalized tote bag

– Custom night light

– A hiking backpack

– A new jacket

– Light Up pickleball set

– Experience gifts are always a hit, like tickets to a museum or activity they love, or memberships at the Children’s Museum or indoor trampoline park

–Sleeping bag that turns into a backpack

– A kids’ yoga mat

– New water bottle

– Practice goal and a new soccer ball

 

Something to wear:

– The cutest unicorn onesies

– Dinosaur Christmas sweater

– A festive dress or dapper blazer

– Holiday jammies

– Cozy bear slippers

– Nutcracker book and pajamas

 

Something to read:

–Anything Mercy Watson. We love reading these together

-The Babysitter’s Club graphic novels. I highly recommend if you have an 8-11 year old.

– Harry Potter box set

–The Wild Robot

– Ivy & Bean

– The Pigeon books

– anything Pig the Pug

– Thelma the Unicorn

– Pinkalicious collection

– Fancy Nancy

– Pete the Cat

– Where’s Waldo?

– Mad Libs

– The Ramona Set

– The Boxcar Children (this makes a fun read-aloud)

What’s on the kiddos’ wish list this year? Any previous gifts that were a home run?

xo

Gina

Note: None of my gift guides are sponsored, and companies are not able to purchase spots on my gift guides. These are all items I curated myself and genuinely think they’d make awesome gifts for someone you love. Affiliate links are included, which don’t affect purchase price but enable me to earn a small kickback. Thank you so much for purchasing through these links and supporting our family.

 

 

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Holiday Gift Guide for Teens

Sharing my holiday gift guide for tweens and teen girls.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope your week is off to an amazing start! P had a hard time waking up for school today, but I reminded her that it’s a short week that ends with parties and pie, and she was ok with that. 😉

Gift guides are also in full force and I LOVE putting these together each year.

Here are this year’s gift guides so far:

For Her

For Him

*I’ll have the kids’ gift guide up before Thanksgiving so you’re ready to go.

I’ve also rounded up a landing page with all of my favorite health and wellness black friday deals, in addition to my LTK page and my Amazon storefront HERE — everything is in one spot for you!

I wanted to start the kids’ gift guide for teens because it’s so much fun shopping for them! The reality is that they’ll often tell you exactly what they want – Giftful is a good idea for this! – but I wanted to share some extra ideas if you’re looking for inspo.

When we buy for the kids, we try not to go too bananas and just stick to the following categories: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.

Here are some ideas that fit within these categories and including some of the must-have items for this year.

Holiday Gift Guide for Teens

Something they want:

– Ugg Tasman

– These Birkenstocks

– Palm Pink Puff hoodie

– Sneakers (these or these)

– An Apple Watch

– Kendra Scott

– Enewton bracelets

– Glow Recipe

– Laneige

– Mini fridge

– Gel manicure set

– Concert tickets

– Polaroid camera

– Stanley water bottle

– CZ pendant necklace

– Honey enzyme mask

Something they need:

– dance leotards and tights — anything sports or activities-specific

– Crochet kit

– New art supplies

– Bedroom decor, like these twinkly lights, a hanging chair, or canopy

– New luggage

– The best weighted blanket (use code FITNESSISTA)

– Hatch alarm clock

– A comfy robe

– A cosmetics bag

Something to wear:

– Aviator Nation anything

– lululemon hoodie

– lululemon Align tanks

– a cozy new coat

– Align leggings

– White Fox hoodie

– Oversized hoodie

Something to read:

These ideas are more for tweens; Liv will be 13 in January and has read these books. For older kids, I’d do a Barnes and Noble gift card!
– A Good Girls’ Guide to Murder *older kids

– Wild Robot – a fan favorite for all ages

– The Babysitter’s Club graphic novels

– Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul

– Beyond the Bright Sea

– Guts

– Stargirl

– The Iliad Graphic Novel (older kids)

Stocking stuffers:

– Touchland hand sanitizer

– Laneige minis

– Hair clips

– Sheet masks

– Bombas socks

– Pura Vida bracelets

– Fuzzy socks

– Body scrub

– Makeup erasers

– Their favorite candy or local chocolate bars

So tell me, friends: are you shopping for teens this year? Anything else you’d add to the list?

xo

Gina

Note: None of this post is sponsored and companies are unable to purchase spots on my holiday gift guides. These are all curated by yours truly and include items I genuinely think would make awesome gifts. Affiliate links are included, which have no impact on purchase price, but enable me to earn a small kickback. When you shop through my affiliate links, you directly support my little blog and the cost of keeping everything running smoothly over here. Thank you!

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Make-Ahead Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Make-ahead vegan green bean casserole! While turkey tends to get all of the attention, I’m a HUGE fan of a good ol’ green bean casserole. They’re simple yet savory and are among the many healthy dishes you can prepare for any meal or gathering. Sometimes at Thanksgiving, it’s a rare vegetable amongst the indulgent spread, and it feels good to eat a vegetable. 😉 Plus, it’s super easy to sneak even more veggies into this recipe (it’s great with added mushrooms and spinach) and this dairy-free side dish doesn’t use ANY of the canned stuff. You can also make this recipe ahead, which makes it super convenient for busy weeknights and special occasions.

Are you getting excited for turkey day?! I can’t wait! I would love to hear what you’re cooking this year! Today I’m excited to share a vegan green bean casserole you can make ahead of the big day. Be sure to check out the bottom of this post for more of our go-to Thanksgiving recipes!

Make-Ahead Vegan Green Bean Casserole

This make-ahead vegan green bean casserole can be assembled in less than 20 minutes and baked the day of your event or gathering. All you have to do is sauté some mushrooms and garlic, make a simple roux, and stir in the remaining ingredients. As a non-vegan who loves vegan recipes, this one is a home run. It’s super simple and so delicious! Pin this for your next Thanksgiving feast.

Ingredients

– 8 oz sliced mushrooms

– 4 cloves of garlic, minced

– salt and pepper to taste

– 1/4 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup vegetable broth

– 2 (14.5oz) cans of green beans. You can also use fresh green beans if you would like. Just trim, boil for 5 minutes, and blanch in cold water.

– 1/2 cup coconut cream (if you don’t want this to have a slight coconut flavor, use 2 tablespoons Kite Hill cream cheese and 1/3 cup almond milk, or other non-dairy milk). We’re making our own vegan version of cream of mushroom soup.

– Salted crispy onions (make sure they’re vegan and/or gluten-free if needed)

Instructions

Step 1

Start by sautéing the mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil on medium heat, until soft, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. 

Step 2

Add the flour and veggie broth and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut cream (or Kite Hill and almond milk) and stir well until smooth. 

Step 3

Add the green beans and 1/3 cup crispy onions. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish or baking dish. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake. 

Step 4

When you’re ready to bake the dish, preheat the oven to 350. Top the mixture with 1/3 – 1/2 cup more crispy onions (you can also use bread crumbs) and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, until bubbling. Top with extra crispy onions if you’d like before serving. We tend to go a little wild with these things. They’re so good!

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Make-Ahead Vegan Green Bean Casserole

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A delicious make-ahead side dish for Thanksgiving or any gathering.

• Author: Gina Harney // fitnessista.com
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

8 oz sliced mushrooms

Olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 (14.5 oz) cans of green beans, drained

1/2 cup coconut cream (or 2 tablespoons Kite Hill cream cheese and 1/3 cup almond milk)

Crispy salted onions (or breadcrumbs)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Start by sautéing the mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil on medium heat, until soft, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. 

Add the flour and veggie broth and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut cream (or Kite Hill and almond milk) and stir well until smooth. 

Add the green beans and 1/3 cup crispy onions. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish or baking dish. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake. 

When you’re ready to bake the dish, preheat the oven to 350. Top the mixture with 1/3 – 1/2 cup more crispy onions (you can also use bread crumbs) and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, until bubbling. Top with extra crispy onions if you’d like before serving.

Notes

Feel free to add in some fresh spinach to the mixture!

Use as many crispy onions as you like.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @fitnessista on Instagram

What To Eat With Green Bean Casserole​

The following foods are great to serve with green bean casserole:

• Roasted turkey
• Mashed potatoes
• Dressing/stuffing
• Grilled or roasted chicken
• Steak or pot roast
• Fish and seafood

Tell me, friends: what are you cooking this week? Which side dish is your favorite?

xoxo

Gina

More Thanksgiving recipe ideas:

Just posted this how-to for turkey brine and the BEST roasted turkey breast. If you try it this way, you’ll never go back!

New green bean casserole recipe coming to the blog on Monday! I also love this bright and delicious green bean salad

Holiday spice sangria

We have my nana’s famous egg casserole for every holiday

Our favorite cinnamon roll recipe! We’ll have these while watching the parade

These grazing boxes make an awesome party appetizer or holiday gift for neighbors/friends with a bottle of wine

Buttery herb stuffing (YES. yes. yes.)

Pumpkin pie mousse

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2024 Holiday Gift Guide for Him

2024 Holiday Gift Guide For Him: It can be so hard to shop for the guys for the holiday season! I’m sharing gift ideas for him at varying price points, and for anyone in your family you may be trying to cross off your list. 

Hi friends! How’s the weekend treating you? I’m popping in this weekend to share more shopping finds for my fellow friends who are trying to cross off their holiday lifts!

For today’s post, I’m sharing a gift guide for the guys since it can kind of be impossible to shop for them. I always love to hear if you have any awesome guy gift ideas, so please share the goods in the comments section!

Here are some of my top picks:

2024 Holiday Gift Guide for Him

For the fitness fanatic:

The best sports headphones – I went back to wired headphones, but the Pilot uses and loves these.

A classic metal vent tech tee

A Vuori polo

A sauna blanket. The guys LOVE this for recovery after tough workouts and for relaxation. Use FITNESSISTA20

An Oura ring

The Pilot’s fave workout shorts

New weights or even a bench set with squat rack

New running shoes

For dads/uncles/brothers/guys who are tricky to shop for:

A CUSTOM BOBBLE HEAD. I got this for my Dad for this year and I can’t wait for him to open it. It came out so well and looks exactly like him!!

Funny golf socks

A super soft tee.

Customized pet portrait

A diffuser for his office.

Heating pad for back pain relief

Waterproof portable Bluetooth speaker << this one is the best!

Customized face socks

Pajama pants

New slippers

A cozy robe

Waterproof weekend bag

A Hatch light – we love ours!

The Pilot and all of his friends love these things

For the chef and foodie:

Some fancypants whiskey from a local distillery.

A pizza oven

The ultimate BBQ set

Stainless steel set

Mountain decanter

Nontoxic cookware

New knives

Cold beer coats

A real chef apron

For the guy who appreciates good fashion but needs you to shop for him:

A new jacket

The best polo

A dressier coat

Casual pants to wear to the gym or for life

A classic watch

Half-zip

Classic aviator sunglasses.

The most amazing button-down shirts – the Pilot LOVES these!

Casual low-top sneakers

Stocking stuffers:

A nod pod weighted sleep mask.

Golf in a tin.

A meat thermometer.

Cleaning gel for his car.

A scalp massager. Why do these feel so amazing??

Traeger seasonings.

This is hilarious.

So tell me, friends: what are you gifting for your husband, dad, or the guys in your family this year? Any good experience gift ideas?

xo

Gina

Note: None of this post is sponsored and companies are unable to purchase spots on my holiday gift guides. These are all curated by yours truly and include items I genuinely think would make awesome gifts. Affiliate links are included, which have no impact on purchase price, but enable me to earn a small kickback. When you shop through my affiliate links, you directly support my little blog and the cost of keeping everything running smoothly over here. Thank you!

More Gift Guides:

• Gift Guide for Her

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11.22 Friday Faves

Hi friends! Happy Friday! How was the week? I hope you had an amazing one! What’s going on this weekend? I’m looking forward to decorating for Christmas, a girls’ night, and a family hike. We’re also headed to see Wicked today. Have you seen it yet?!

My week started off the best possible way because it was birthday celebration at Miraval. Betsy drove down from San Diego and we enjoyed True Food and shopping at La Encantada, and then Sunday morning, we met up with everyone for a spa day.

I didn’t really want a *party* to celebrate my 40th. I just wanted to hang out with my closest friends, enjoy some activities, spa treatments, and eat delicious healthy food. That’s exactly what we did, and it was perfection. I’m so thankful to have an amazing group of friends, and I loved spending the day with them. It was also my first time playing pickleball and I get the hype. It was super fun!!

(Jacket is here // leggings are here)

(Grounding massage: head, hands and feet. Pure bliss.)

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.

11.22 Friday Faves

Fashion + beauty + random:

Canopy secret sale! Ok friends, Canopy is having a secret sale just for my reader friends, so if you’ve been wanting the best shower filter or a humidifier, now is the chance. It’s up to 50% off everything with the code FITNESSISTA 50 – shop it up here.

We LOVE these shower filters – we have one in each bathroom and it’s made a huge difference in our skin and hair. It’s one of the things I miss whenever we travel.

Also, let’s take a moment of silence for these humidifiers. I mentioned this last week, but the girls were sick all week last week with nasty colds. I was POSITIVE they were going to be up hacking all night, and they slept amazingly well, thanks to these humidifiers. They didn’t cough at all during the night, even though they were coughing all day.

I started to feel a little tickle in my throat and was a little worried – I kept thinking I’d get sick and would have to miss out on the Miraval fun – but after one night of using this, I woke up feeling great and could breathe clearly. I’m a huge, huge fan and will be using it in our room for the rest of time.

Shop everything here and use FITNESSISTA50 through the 26th!

HigherDOSE Black Friday sale is still going strong. Check out all of my faves here and use the code FITNESSISTA20. This is perfect if you’ve been wanting a sauna blanket, PEMF Go Mat, or red light face mask! The sauna blanket was a Black Friday gift to myself years ago and I still use it 2-3x a week.

This year’s Gift Guide for Her is here! (The For Him guide goes live tomorrow, so be sure to check back!)

Read, watch, listen:

What’s your low-key wish for humanity?

Overcoming the pressure to do more.

More reasons to encourage active lifestyles for kiddos.

Fitness, health, life, and good eats:

My favorite Thanksgiving pie!

Sculpt Society review.

More holiday recipes are here.

25-minute barre strength workout with dumbbells.

Best of the best Thanksgiving recipes.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today! Have an amazing weekend and I’ll see ya soon!

xoxo

Gina

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