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I owe you some updates! It’s nothing huge so there will not be some giant announcement within this post, rather, I wanted to be able to have a dedicated area for all the things I’ve been wanting to link and add for you lately!

Eats

I’ve been trying trying to make new things lately, instead of falling into the cycle of the same five things rotating throughout a couple of weeks.

• I really love the Half Baked Harvest Instagram account (and blog) and have been saving a ton of her recipes. I modify them if we don’t like an ingredient or prefer a different protein – they’re super adaptable!
• I also got the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple cookbook for my birthday and I reach for it often.
• Here are a few of the best recipes from HBH (available outside the cookbook) that I’ve been making as of late:
  • One skillet tortilla enchilada rice bake
  • One pot spicy alla vodka pizza pasta
• I mentioned that I gave Bob his birthday present about seven months early (it’s a Traeger wood fired grill and smoker – on sale here!) and we have been using it at least once a week. We’ve talked about getting one for a couple of years and since we’ve still been stuck at home, it seemed like the right time to get one. Some of the best things we’ve done are:
  • beef jerky
  • smoked burgers
  • smoked salmon
  • prime rib
  • beef brisket
• Last but not least, I have made these healthier banana oat muffins with chocolate chips a couple of times. I like them because they’re filling and keep my blood sugar stabile without being overly sweet and carb city. I swap the coconut oil for canola (personal preference) and add more cinnamon, and they still turn out great!

Entertainment

Watching things and reading are two activities that I’ve kept up with as of late, due to our crummy winter.

Things I’ve watched that I’ve enjoyed:

• Firefly Lane (Netflix)
• Palmer (Apple TV+)
• Good Girls (on NBC) – I’m caught up
• Your Honor (HBO Max)
• The Undoing (HBO Max)
• Shameless (Showtime) – we finished the series and I cried like a baby at the end!

I’ve been so behind on adding my book reviews to my blog but if you want to follow along on goodreads, here is my account.

Books I’ve read and enjoyed lately:

• The Dead Girl in 2A
• No Exit (so creepy!)
• When I Was You
• One to Watch
• The Hating Game
• The Last Flight

I did have a nice break from the monotony of our home back in early February. After much deliberation, we did get out of here and went to visit 30A. I was actually very nervous about going but I’m going to dedicate a separate post to that experience later this week. It only seemed fair to add that into the “entertainment” section of this post.

Extras

I mentioned on stories that I’ve been trying to keep a tight budget lately, but there are a few things I’ve received from brands (gifted and love!) or have purchased myself that I wanted to share here.

• We can all laugh at the Target butter churning dresses lately but I bought one for under $25 (with a deal) and LOVE it! I’ve styled it with a belt, which makes all the difference. No butter churning here! 

  

• In the image above with the dress, I’m wearing one of my new favorite lip glosses. I miss wearing lipstick and lip gloss so much that I sometimes wear it around the house. I grabbed two new ones that I love! One, I’m wearing in the photo above and here is the other one (another bold pink that’s so fun!)
• I showed you my eternity band a few weeks ago and I’m going to let you in on a secret: it wasn’t even close to the $10K that you think it was. It was under $50 with the code OFFER but you can also try HELLO10. They have different metals and shapes. Mine is the rose gold oval (to match my wedding set).

  

• At the same time, I also showed you my magic jewelry cleaning machine and the cleaner I use in it. I’m still using it weekly and loving it!
• Last but definitely not least, I’ve been a big fan of Klorane dry shampoo for a few years after getting it in an Ipsy bag. Klorane started producing dry shampoo 50 years ago! Klorane was so kind and sent me a big box of dry shampoo the other day, just in time for National Dry Shampoo Day! I love all 4 varieties that you see here, on different days and for different reasons. Check out all the different kinds of dry shampoo that Klorane offers here.

  

 

That’s life lately for me! Let me know if you try anything I’ve mentioned in my post – I love getting messages and seeing the tags of things you’re trying too!