Things I’m Loving Friday #136

Good morning, my friends!

I hope you are having a great Friday so far and that the weekend ahead is filled with the perfect mix of relaxation and fun. We have plans to attend our first NASCAR race and grill out with friends, so I’m really looking forward to the next few days. I have no idea what to expect at the race on Saturday, but I hope it’s a lot of fun! I’ll be sure to share a recap next week!

But now let’s keep up with our Friday tradition around here and dive into the weekly PBF Things I’m Loving Friday post roundup where we all share a little bit about what we’re loving most each week. Feel free to play along in the comments section!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Gelatin

As you may have seen on Snapchat, I hopped on the bandwagon and started adding gelatin to my coffee every morning. I initially purchased this can of gelatin last year when I was pregnant after stumbling upon this blog post but completely forgot about it until I started seeing it pop up everywhere again! I figured it was time to bust it out and started mixing it into my morning coffee. I put a tablespoon of the gelatin in the bottom of my mug and brew my hot coffee over it before whisking it together and adding milk. (You can’t taste it AT ALL.) I use Great Lakes kosher gelatin, but after a little more research, it seems like this version made by the same company might dissolve a little easier in beverages. (The Amazon reviews for both are amazing.)

Regularly consuming gelatin apparently comes with a ton of benefits and a few that stuck out to me include: Promotes hair/nail growth, reduces wrinkles, improved digestion, helps joint and cartilage health, provides a boost of protein and lots of amino acids and more!

I only started adding gelatin to my coffee this week, so I cannot personally speak to any noticeable changes yet, but if you guys would like me to report back on this stuff in a month or two, let me know and I’ll be sure to share any noticeable changes (or lack of changes).

• 10-Minute Evening Yoga

I’ve been trying my best to sneak in a quick 10-minute yoga session at night after Chase goes to bed to help relax my body and mind. I am not taking myself through any challenging sequences (nothing sweaty!) but prefer to follow beginner 10-20 minute videos on Grokker (there are a few bedtime/evening yoga videos that are quite relaxing) or 10-minute Yoga For Runners videos on SWORKIT. (I have both apps on my phone for easy access.) It’s a nice way to give my body a wonderful stretch and calm my mind a bit at the end of the day. (Okay, fine, I definitely did this while watching The Bachelorette on Monday night. Whoops.) I would love to continue to do this every evening, but so far I’ve managed to do it around three or four times a week for a few weeks now. If any of you out there do something similar and have videos/routines you like to follow, please let me know! I’d love to try some new ones.

• Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish

I have a giant collection of nail polish (and 98 percent of my nail polish colors are some shade of pink), but ever since Chase was born, I find myself reaching for the cheap-o Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes I’ve found at CVS and Target because they dry so darn fast… We’re talking 90 seconds, max! (I also really like the thicker brush. It’s the little things, right?) I love the look of painted nails but constantly smudge them while I’m waiting for them to dry, so this fast-drying polish works well for me. I almost always get the idea to paint my nails 10 minutes before we’re leaving to go somewhere, so these work well for me in a pinch. They do seem to chip within three days, but I’ll take it for a quick-drying polish I know I can slap on my nails in a hurry. Just wanted to share this with any of you out there who may be in the market for a quick-drying nail polish that’s rather inexpensive!

• Sesame Oil

Oh sesame oil, why have I waited so long to incorporate you into my meals? Actually, that question isn’t rhetorical… I know the answer. I was too cheap to buy it when a recipe called for only a tablespoon or two of sesame oil because I figured it wouldn’t make that big of a difference and would typically just substitute olive oil instead. Big mistake!! Sesame oil adds SO MUCH FLAVOR to a dish and I’m now kind of obsessed with incorporating it into marinades, salad dressings and one pot meals like my favorite chicken cabbage bowl. (I made a winning marinade for grilled chicken on Monday night with sesame oil, coconut aminos, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper. So good!) Big high fives go out to Blue Apron for making me realize that sesame oil is one ingredient you shouldn’t swap out for another kind of oil in a recipe. It’s so darn yummy!

• Evening Boat Rides

It’s that time of year again! Hooray! With temperatures climbing into the upper 80s this week, we couldn’t resist swapping our typical evening walks for evening boat rides on the lake. Getting out on the water at the end of a long day is simply the best and helps me leave some of the stress and frustrations from everyday life behind. I have always been a big-time water girl, so the return of the summertime boating season has me feeling way too excited!

• Joyful Eating, Nourished Life Program

My good friend Anne from Fannetastic Food recently teamed up with two fellow dietitians, Alex from Delish Knowledge and Rachael from Avocado A Day Nutrition, to create Joyful Eating, Nourished Life, a program that focuses on intuitive and mindful eating that I wanted to share with you guys! The Joyful Eating, Nourished Life program is a virtual 6-week group program created to teach you how to get healthy without deprivation, calorie counting, or stress about food or exercise. The program will not introduce restrictions into your life, but focuses on changing the way you interact with food and exercise and create awareness of the emotions behind those decisions.

According to the program’s website, Joyful Eating might be right for you if you:

Feel extreme guilt when eating certain foods

Struggle with lack of energy despite trying to eat healthy and exercise

Experience periods of uncontrolled or binge eating

Feel uncomfortable in your own body

Turn to food in times of stress or sadness

Are out of touch with your body’s hunger and fullness cues

Are sick and tired of calorie counting and following rigid diets that leave you feeling exhausted, depleted and like a failure

The first Joyful Eating program begins June 20 and you may find out more information here.  

• Friday Flashbacks

Ginger Curry Roasted Cauliflower (A simple side dish that always seems to steal the show!)

TRX Workout (I initially created this workout for the TRX class I taught back in Florida. It supersets a TRX exercise with a non-TRX exercise that targets the same muscle to fatigue the muscle in a short amount of time. It’s a great one if you’re in a time crunch!)

• Around the Web

Interesting Reads: 19 Spot-On Tweets About Marriage / Thank You To The Woman Who Spoke Up During One Of My Lowest Parenting Moments (Love this: “If you are thinking kind thoughts, always share them. If you have something nice you could say, say it.”)

Food: Toasted Coconut Wild Blueberry Smoothie Bowl / Flourless Cinnamon Stuffed Pancakes / How To Make A Quick and Healthy Weeknight Dinner / Mini Chocolate Chippers

Fitness: Core + HIIT Workout / Yoga Poses For Runners / Kettlebell Workout

• Memorial Day Sales

Here’s a brief roundup of some awesome Memorial Day sales I found that might be of interest:

Fabletics – 50-70% off

Roolee – Extra 20% off with code REMEMBER (I am in LOVE with their moto leggings! They look like denim but are super stretchy. I have them in olive and black and think they fit true to size.)

ASOS – Extra 25% off with code HISUMMER (So many gorgeous maxi dresses!)

Reebok – 20% off 2 items, 30% off 3 items, 40% off 4 items + free shipping with code MEMDAY

Nordstrom – Up to 40% off

Macy’s – 20% off plus free shipping on orders $50+ with code MEMDAY

Neiman Marcus – Up to 40% off regular items and 60% off clearance

Lorna Jane – Up to 50% off

Pottery Barn – Up to 25% off with code SAVEMORE (If you are looking for a great baby shower gift, we have this stroller blanket and love it!)

J.Crew – Extra 30% off with code WEEKEND

Banana Republic – Extra 40% off with code BRTAKE40

Old Navy – 50% off select styles

Bloomingdale’s – Extra 20% off with code BROWNBAG

Question of the Day

• What is one thing you are loving this week?