Weekend Favorites

What a beautiful Sunday morning it is in Charlotte! I am sitting down to chat with y’all while Finn watches a show and eats his “Mema bagel.” The boy loves his morning routine and a slow wake up…and it’s a great thing for me too!

My grandmother got Finn hooked on cinnamon sugar bagels during one of our visits earlier this year. He now asks for a Mema bagel almost every morning. Cinnamon sugar toast takes me back to my childhood…as does this vintage Sesame Street plate which actually is from my childhood! It was packed in a box of china that my mom gave me along with a cup and bowl.

I’m drinking my usual – black coffee and a smoothie. Current favorite smoothie combo is this:

• Add to Vitamix first: plain unsweetened almond milk, one scoop of Bulletproof collagen protein, one scoop of Bulletproof innerfuel prebiotic, plain greek yogurt, spoonful of almond butter. If you add the liquidy things first, it blends better.
• Add to Vitamix second: frozen chopped spinach, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, frozen mango, frozen strawberries.
• Blend until smooth and then add one scoop of Naked Whey protein powder at the very end. Blend until just incorporated. I don’t add the whey protein with the other powdered supplements because it makes the smoothie too airy if it overblends.

Yes, I have this down to a science. I am smoothie obsessed! My other tip for you is to drink your smoothie out of an insulated cup. It stays so cold! I always use an oversized silicone straw.

WEEKEND FAVORITES

I missed the boat on sharing a Friday favorites round up so we’re going to call this weekend favorites instead. I have a very all over the place but fun mix of things to share.

Okay, you know you’re living #momlife when you’re excited to share laundry detergent on your blog but I am really liking this 9 Elements laundry detergent. There was a coupon for several dollars off in my Target Circle app a few months back so I decided to try it. I’ve been hooked ever since. I usually buy unscented free and clear detergent but like their lavender formula. It makes my clothes smell so nice. On the scale of “clean/green” laundry detergents – this one falls squarely in the middle. Not the best but definitely not the worst and gets my clothes very clean.

Can’t stop with my peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread. I made another loaf this week. I like to individually wrap the slices and freeze them. I can pull them out as I want a piece and pop them into the microwave for a warm, delicious treat.

A few things I bought on a recent Trader Joe’s trip. Some existing faves and new-to-me finds.

• Vegetable fried rice – love this for a 10-minute dinner. I usually add a scrambled egg and a quick protein like ground chicken/turkey or shrimp.
• 10-minute farro – I like to prep this to add to lunch salads.
• Greek chickpeas with parsley and cumin – super flavorful and great on salads or in grain bowls.
• Thai-style red curry sauce – I’ve bought the yellow sauce a few times recently. This is my first time trying the red. Will report back!
• Lightly smoked salmon – this canned salmon is amazing! Great texture, taste. No bones or skin. So good on salads!
• Dolmas – love these stuffed grape leaves and buy them all the time.
• Multigrain blend with vegetables – one of my all-time favorite Trader Joe’s frozen foods. I always keep a bag of this in the freezer for an easy lunch option. I will often load it up with toppings like hummus, feta, tomatoes, etc and then scoop it all up with pita chips.
• Strawberry shortcake sandwich cookies – this was my first time buying these and I made my way through the package in a week. If you like strawberry-flavored baked goods, you’ll probably like these. I won’t be in a rush to buy again but I enjoyed them.
• Patio potato chips – these seasonal chips get a lot of hype. I’ve never tried them so excited to break into this bag!
• Cheese and truffle fancy cheese crunchies – we love a good cheesy snack over here. These are pretty good but I won’t be in a rush to buy again.
• Shitake mushroom chicken – haven’t tried yet! Will report back.
• Gluten-free chicken breast nuggets – no secret that these are my all-time favorite frozen chicken nuggets. They cook up so well in the air fryer. I add them to dinner salads regularly.
• Ready veggies – my new favorite veggie blend for sautéing. It’s a great easy side dish.

I have been getting eggs from one of my neighbors (whose daughter also babysits Finn) and they are so fresh and so good. I cannot even believe the difference in taste. My dad told me I should get some chickens for my backyard and I informed him that I don’t need one more creature to take care of. 😉

The best kombucha flavor of all-time is Brew Dr.’s Clear Mind. It’s a mix of rosemary, mint, sage and green tea. It’s light and refreshing.

I made it back to the farmers market this weekend for the first time in far too long! I visited my friends from Bluebird Farm and came home with cauliflower, cucumbers, rainbow chard, radishes, arugula and ground beef. I am beyond excited for tomatoes to arrive in the next few weeks!

And I’ll wrap this up with some words that I appreciated on Instagram recently.

It’s been nice to have a quiet weekend at home with Finn after we traveled to Florida for MDW and I was in yoga teacher training last weekend. The plan for today is to hit up Home Depot for some herbs and tomato plants, afternoon pool time and some yoga!

Hope it’s been a great weekend for you guys too!

QUESTIONS 

Do you have a local farmers market that you visit? What summer produce are you looking forward to? 

Favorite laundry detergent? 

Favorite kombucha?