I don’t have too much to report about our week but it was a good, albeit typical one over here. We finally had some peeks of sunshine this week after so much rain and it was really, really nice. I almost didn’t realize how much rain we’ve had until the sun peeked out on the way to preschool drop off and I was surprised to see it. We’re back to rain right now but I’m ready for the clear skies that are in our forecast. Bring on the warmth and sunshine, especially for my Texas friends!
Our weekend plans are more of the same — hangin’ with our family, hopefully bundling up and getting outside and knocking some household chores off the list. Nothin’ fancy over here!
Before signing off for the next few days, I wanted to share my weekly roundup of favorites with you guys, Things I’m Loving Friday style! Feel free to tell me about something you’ve been loving lately in the comments section of this post. I always love reading your replies!
Things I’m Loving Friday
Be still my coconut-loving heart! I have a feeling this North Carolina-based small business is going to do big things because this coconut spread is what coconut dreams are made of. It’s smooth and creamy and tastes like some beautiful hybrid of coconut butter and a thicker, smoother, more dense coconut frosting. In short: I LOVE it and cannot stop eating it! I was sent the Kokada Original Coconut Spread and the Kokada Brownie Coconut Spread and both taste indulgent and perfectly sweet but in a wonderfully natural way. The ingredients are sustainably sourced and totally recognizable (organic dried coconut + organic coconut syrup — and organic cocoa powder in the brownie spread) and though my favorite way to enjoy the spread is by the spoonful, I’ve also loved it stirred into oatbran and oatmeal and thought the brownie spread was wonderful drizzled over vanilla ice cream. It’s SO darn good!!!
I bought these two lash primers a looong time ago… maybe a year ago? Pre-quarantine? I’ve had them for a while but since actually taking the time to put on makeup these days isn’t exactly on my daily to-do list, they’ve been seriously neglected. Well, within the past month or so, on the days when I don’t wear makeup (most days!), I’ve recently started at least applying mascara because these blonde eyelashes need all the help they can get and I feel a little better about myself when my eyes don’t completely fade into my face. I found my previously beloved eyelash primers in my makeup drawer and started using them again and instantly remembered why I love them so much. I can use them under any mascara and they help my eyelashes look a million times longer and more voluminous.
My two favorites: Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer (this one made it on my last Beauty Favorites post and is the “cleaner” option with an EWG score of 2) and L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Primer (works so well and is a great budget-friendly find)
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Biceps + Triceps Workout
As much as I love upper body workouts, I admittedly find biceps the most boring upper body muscle group to train. I’ve been trying to change things up from basic biceps curls in my workouts lately and it makes a huge difference. I loved Thursday mornings biceps + triceps workout because the biceps exercises weren’t boring and the superset format kept things moving. I made the workout into an image to share in today’s post because I wanted to save it to my phone for the future, too! It was a good one!
Don’t mind me, I’m just over here doing the happy organic produce dance! I received my first Farmbox Direct delivery earlier this week and, despite my love for fresh produce, I was surprised how excited I was to open this box of vibrant fruits and veggies! When the Farmbox Direct team reached out to me about receiving a box, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. I’ve found myself feeling a little burnt out on shopping for organic produce at the grocery store and the idea of someone to just picking out a bunch of in-season, fresh, healthy food and sending it to me was way too appealing. Is that lazy? I don’t know but the less time and energy I can pour into shopping for food for our family these days, the better. (Hellooo postpartum life.)
I thought a Farmbox Direct delivery might also be a nice way to break out of my current vegetable rut (aka green beans, spinach, zucchini, sweet potatoes… wash, rinse, repeat) and this delivery helped me branch out a bit and remind myself of other vegetables I love! Like swiss chard! And mini sweet bell peppers — I actually ate half the bag right when I opened the box! I love getting creative in the kitchen and this delivery box put a little pep in my meal prep step. Also, an unexpected bonus: The boys got really into the unboxing and were excited to see what “surprise” fruits and veggies we got in our special box and immediately wanted to try the red pears (new to them!) and also snacked on the mini bell peppers with me. Win!!
For our first delivery, I went with the medium organic fruit and veggie box and we loved it! I’ve already placed another order for a medium vegetables-only box because I was such a fan and thought the quality of the produce was fantastic. Bring on the veggies!
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Friday Flashbacks
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken and Broccoli (An easy meal that uses frozen broccoli and actually makes it taste good!)
Avocado Pesto (Fellow sauce-lovers, this one is a personal favorite! It’s fantastic tossed with pasta but also tastes wonderful drizzled over grain bowls or as a dip for veggies.)
Question of the Day
What is one thing making you smile today?
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Happy Friday Julie!
Thankful for you and your blog!!!
Hope you and your sweet family have a wonderful weekend!!!
♡
This is a really dumb question, but how do you use the lash primer? I have the one from Tarte and can never seem to get it to work properly. I’ve tried using a coat of it, letting it dry and then putting on mascara and the mascara seems to get clumpy so then I tried NOT letting it dry, putting mascara on and nothing was really noticeable. I really want to love this product since it has so many great reviews. Halp! 😉
Hope you have a great weekend!
Checking out the Kokado page now… their products sound incredible!!
Essence volume booster lash primer is a good option at amazon for $4.99. It’s the same company that makes the popular $5 Essence mascara so many bloggers are loving. Have a great weekend!
Hi Julie. From one personal trainer to another…a more “bang for your buck“ workout (efficient & more exciting) is to train movement rather than muscle. You’ll hit more muscle that way in the same amount of time (& engage your core). In other words, pushing and pulling (pushups/presses & rows) will work more muscle (including biceps and tris) in less time (& not as dull). Pushing & pulling my own bodyweight is one of my favorite ways to train. Once in awhile though, I might do a biceps/triceps workout for something different. Maybe you already know all this but as your time is limited, thought I’d offer it.
Misfits Market is another really great option for organic produce being shipped right to your door, and what I like about it is that you actually do have some choice in what you get—they give you about 30 options, and you pick 14. We just started doing it a few months ago because we moved to a much more rural area and hardly ever go to the grocery store anymore, so it’s been such a lifesaver! It’s also quite a bit cheaper than most traditional organic subscription boxes because the produce consists of the “seconds” that the grocery stores couldn’t take because of size, weird shape, etc. Everything we’ve gotten from them has been delicious and beautiful, though, and I love the funkiness of some of them!
If you end up wanting to keep doing the organic subscription box but want to save quite a bit (their biggest box of produce is only $35 and includes a TON), I’ll drop my referral link below so you can get an extra discount if you decide to try it out:
https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?promo=COOKWME-QX0EEF
She is clearly sponsored by Smartbox so I doubt she would highlight another brand!
As mentioned above, I received a complimentary box and already placed another order with my own money because I thought it was great! I was not paid/sponsored nor required to write about them and can absolutely try and mention competitors if I choose to.
This sounds amazing!!! Thank you for sharing. And that price point is really great!
Can you share the nutrition facts of the kokada? Interested in buying some but their website doesn’t have any!