Well holy moly, I’ve had a busy day today!
My three little kiddos are in swimming lessons this week, which is awesome, but always busy! I decided to head out on a quick run in-between their lessons today.
I only ran 3 miles, it was quite hot (about 75 degrees) and it felt harder than it should have, BUT I’m glad I went! I never regret a run or any workout for that matter!
It felt so good to be outside and just enjoy the beautiful sunshine and summertime!
After my run, I went to two more swimming lessons, and then I took my little kids to see Spider-man Far From Home. My boys have been asking to see it since it came out last week and Tuesdays are only $5 at our theater….so we went!
It was a great movie! I love that Tom Holland. He is darling and plays THEE perfect Spider-man IMO.
After the movie, we heard it was Chick-Fila’s Cow Appreciation Day, so we decided to go to that!
We started going to “Cow Day” many years ago and we love it! Hey, it’s free food…what’s not to love?? You can click here and here to see pics from our Cow Days from years past if you care to.
So, I got a free 12 piece grilled nuggets (with buffalo dipping sauce, yum!) and I bought myself a diet lemonade. Sooooo good!
After Cow Day, my two littlest boys had back-to-back soccer games.
I am a tired lady! I’m hoping tomorrow will be a little more “chill.”
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Well today I thought I would share some things that I’ve been loving lately. I may just make this a regular thing because there are always so many things I want to share with y’all!
Things I’ve Been Loving Lately
Activated Chia Seeds
Folks, I’ve been eating chia seeds for years. I’ve added them to shakes, smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, pudding and whatever else I can think to add them to!
I’ve known for years that you can “activate” chia seeds by soaking them in water, but for some reason I never wanted to bother with it, so I didn’t!
Well, a couple months ago I decided to try soaking/activating them to see what I thought. I learned that it is not a bother! It’s super easy! AND, the activated seeds add a lot of additional nutrition.
BTW, raw chia seeds are awesome and healthy too! You don’t have to soak them. Chia seeds are high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, Omega 3, fiber and protein! They provide a ton of unique health benefits. You can click here to read a great article that explains all of the benefits in great detail.
When you soak chia seeds, you essentially “sprout” them. They turn into a gel-like consistency. They help to slow digestion and make you feel fuller, longer. They can help to decrease cholesterol, increase nutrient absorption and prevent blood sugar spikes. They are truly a superfood!
I’ve seen 700 different recommendations for what the water/chia seed ratio should be. So, I just don’t overthink it! I just pour a tablespoon or two in a small container, fill it with water (probably like 5-6 times the amount of chia seeds, shake it up, put in the fridge overnight….and let it do it’s thang!
I really don’t think you can mess it up!
The activated chia seeds seem to stay “good” in my fridge for 5-6 days. I love to add a tablespoon or so to my smoothies and protein shakes. It’s such an easy way to add a huge health benefit boost!
Giovanni Hydrating Facial Prime & Setting Mist
I heard about rose water “face setting sprays” from a random YouTube video a few months ago. Apparently, Rose Water has been used for thousands of years. It soothes skin, reduces redness, has anti-aging properties, controls excess oil, hydrates skin and has a bunch of other benefits….plus it smells good!
I heard on that YouTube video (I have no idea what video it was or I would link to it!) that it refreshes your skin and helps your makeup to stay on better too.
I wanted to try it, but since I’m cheap I decided to look for some at TJ Maxx. They had a bunch of options. I looked a few of them up on the internet to see what kind of reviews they had. Well this Giovanni Hydrating Facial Prime & Setting Mist had great reviews and it was only like 6 bucks, so I got it. And I love it!
When I remember to, I like to spray it on my face after I’ve applied all my makeup. Sometimes I like to spray it on again later in the day to feel refreshed. It feels so good and does seem to help keep my makeup lasting longer. Yay.
Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Bone Broth
Um guys, I love this stuff! I buy it at Costco in a pack of 6 and it is the bomb!
I use it in so many of my stews and soups recipes. I also love to add it to my rice or quinoa as I’m cooking it or even just drink it plain (warmed up!)
I love that it’s such high quality, low in sodium, high in protein and tastes good! Check out these nutrition facts…
I’m super impressed with the 9 grams of protein and that it only has 90 mg of sodium! Woot! I love to keep a case or two of Pacific Foods Organic Bone Broth in my pantry at all times.
Collagen Peptides
I talked about this briefly in my last post as an easy, healthy thing to bring along when traveling.
I try to take a scoop of collagen peptides (mixed into a glass of water) every night if I remember! Our bodies already produce collagen naturally on a regular basis, but it does slow down as we age. Things like sun exposure, an unhealthy diet or smoking can slow it down even more!
So, adding an extra dose in our daily routine can help with a lot of things! It can definitely help with anti-aging and can actually reverse skin aging. I’ve actually noticed this as I consistently use it! I feel like my wrinkles minimize, my complexion improves and my skin just looks younger and smoother. I’m serious folks! It surprised me too!
It’s just hard for me to remember to take it on a regular basis.
Collagen Peptides can also ease joint pain, improve digestive health, build muscle and burn fat. Awesome. Apparently, bone broth is an excellent source of collagen too! So, there’s another reason to use the Chicken Bone Broth that I mentioned too.
Oh, and I’ve only used Sports Research and Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. They are both awesome, they both taste the same (relatively no taste) and they really seem to be identical to me! Sports Research is cheaper on Amazon and Vital Proteins is cheaper at Costco.
FYI, Vital Proteins is the “trendy” brand that most people are talking about.
Paul McCartney!
Well, I thought I would end with my love for Paul McCartney! I’ve loved him since the 8th grade. When I was 13 or 14, I wanted to marry him. Ha ha!
As I was taking the picture of myself with the Vital Proteins Collagen, I noticed the t-shirt I was wearing and thought I would share it along with my love of Paul with y’all!
My friends and I went to Vegas to see him in concert (Freshen Up World Tour) and we all decided to buy the same shirt. Sadly, we never got a picture of us all in our shirts. Boo! But, here we are heading to the concert…
He is just such a class-act and an amazing man and artist. I still love him so so so much! I took a bunch of videos throughout the concert. I decided to upload them to YouTube and share them here.
Sadly, our seats were crappy (we were trying to not spend a lot of money, but they were still not cheap!) The video footage is quite crappy too, but I loved every second of that concert.
It is a night I will never forget.
It is just so cool to sing along with songs like Let It Be and Hey Jude with Paul McCartney himself!
During the encore, he also brought Steven Tyler (from Aerosmith) out to sing Helter Skelter with him. You can see that footage at 36:06 if you care to! It was such a great concert!
Well, that’s all I will share today! I truly love all of these things/products/person (ha ha!) I hope you all will love them too! Have a great night! xoxo
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