September 19, 2016

Some current favorite things

I used to do periodic posts about thing things that I'm into lately, and it's been a long time since I've done one. I always like reading those posts by other bloggers, because I may think of something I haven't thought of before, or discover products I didn't know about. There's nothing super exciting on this list, but through the fall, I'm going to try and remember to take pictures of things that I enjoy so I can make a list of current favorites at the end of the season. Anyway, here are some current things I'm enjoying...

#1. Cold Oats! I've written about these a few times lately. It's been too hot for cooking breakfast, and I (finally) started to get tired of having Larabars. I hadn't eaten much oatmeal over the last year, and bringing back the cold oats has been handy!



#2. Outshine Fruit Bars (Creamy Coconut flavor). These are 120 calories, and SO good! They're kind of expensive, so I don't buy them very often, but if you ever see them on sale, they're definitely worth picking up. The texture is like a creamier version of a popsicle, and there are tiny shreds of coconut throughout.


#3. David's Banana Nut Bread tea + plain black tea. I don't really like herbal teas by themselves, so I generally mix them with black tea. This combination has become my favorite!


#4. Noah asked me to download an app called DrawSomething so that I could play it with him. It turned out to be a really fun game! It's kind of like Pictionary, where you are given a word and you have to draw it and then send it to the other player, who has to guess what it is. I'm a terrible artist, and I can't draw to save my soul, but Jerry and I have shared a lot of laughs over our terrible drawings ;)


#6. Mixed fruit. I've been really into melon this summer, but I love to mix melon with pineapple and grapes for a good combo!


#7. A day planner. I've never been one to use a day planner for the way it's really intended, but I found this one at Michaels for 40% off, and it looked like a good way to track my calories and activities on paper (I miss keeping a paper journal, instead of using apps only). I use the top section for things I have going on that day or appointments; the middle section for my food log; and the bottom section for an activity log. I've seen some really great bullet journals on Instagram, and I really wish I was artistic and creative enough to do that! But a regular old planner works just fine ;)



#8. True Lime flavor packets in Watermelon flavor. Ever since I was a kid, I've been obsessed with watermelon flavored things, and these packets are amazingly good! My stomach doesn't agree very well with Crystal Light anymore (the artificial sweetener causes stomachaches for me) but the True Lemon and True Lime products use stevia, and that doesn't bother my stomach at all. There are a few other flavors, but the Watermelon is, by far, my favorite. I typically mix one packet into a quart of water, so it's not as strong tasting--just very refreshing.


#9. Better Pop (Guilt-Free) Popcorn. I love Skinny Pop, but it's pretty expensive, and when I saw that this had the same ingredients (popcorn, oil, salt) but was $2 cheaper, I decided to try it. Jerry and I both agreed that we actually like it better than Skinny Pop, because it's "fresher". I keep this on hand if I'm having a day where all I want to do is snack. Even if you ate the entire bag, the caloric damage isn't TOO terrible.


#10. I finally ran out of the La Croix water I bought in bulk, and I just can't bring myself to pay $5 for 12 of them; so, I decided to try the Kroger brand, and it's not bad! I find it to be a little fizzier than La Croix, and if they were the same price, I would probably choose the La Croix; but, the Kroger brand is worth the switch. My favorite flavor is the Blackberry Citrus. These waters don't have any sweeteners in them--they're just seltzer water with some sort of flavor.


#11. Making lists. I've always been a list-maker, and I have notebooks that are filled with lists of all sorts. It's kind of an odd habit of mine. This summer, when I was going through a serious bout of depression, my friend suggested that we make lists of 100 things that make us happy. When I did it, I could only come up with 17. A couple of months later, I tried again, and I'm up to 75! My mindset is in a much better place, which allows me to see things more positively.


#12. Scream, the TV series (on Netflix). I am a slasher/horror movie junkie, but I'm kind of particular about the movies I like. I don't like anything supernatural, because I only get scared by things that could actually happen--so serial killer movies are my favorite. Scream is probably my all-time favorite of its genre. When I saw there was a Scream show on TV, I didn't have any interest, because I just thought it couldn't possible be very good--but I finally watched the first episode, and then I was hooked! It follows the same sort of theme for the movie, only with different characters and situations... and it's much longer! It's an entire season (and I believe season two comes out soon). It kind of reminds me of a more gruesome version of Pretty Little Liars in a way.



Well, there you have it! Anyone else want to share something you've been enjoying lately?

20 comments:

  1. I recently picked up a Happy Planner and I love it! I also got a bunch of stickers and enjoy decorating it as well. Then I found the Fitness extension pack so I bought that too, but I haven't used it yet (getting over a bad cold). Everything with coupon at Michaels or Hobby Lobby of course :). My daughter caught the planner bug and has the same as yours, very pretty.

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  2. I LOVE pineapple but because it's so fibrous it doesn't go thru my lap-band very well. I had a recipe for Hawaiian kebabs. OMG, try grilled pineapple! It is so good and just brings out a whole different level of flavor.

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  3. I tried your cold oats. On Saturday morning a and got some of the ingredients mixed together only to realize I was out of white milk! I cut out the brown sugar and the cocoa and used chocolate milk! It was amazing . This morning I are them again but with all of the ingredients and white milk but wasn't really feeling it so I poured in some coffee and again AMAZING!

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  4. I'm not artistic enough for the fancy bullet journals either but I do keep something sorta like yours. I have a mini three ring binder, and I print out blank grid paper and draw out my own daily spread at the beginning of each week. This way I don't get frustrated if I stop for a few days or weeks, since there are no empty pages staring me in the face. On my pages go a list of things I did or important events, any treats or indulgences (versus a detailed food log), and a quick note about my mood. I'm still getting into the habit of filling it out, but I like it!

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  5. My friends have been trying to convince me to try cold oats for months! You are the final straw and I'm making them tonight for my breakfast in the morning. Yours always look SO yummy! I love your day diary too. So cute :)

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  6. I'm so trying your cold oats today! They look amazing -- and I love coconut and chocolate together!

    I tried mine with stevia instead of brown sugar... so I hope it's okay

    pointfivekorean.com

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  7. I just put Scream on my Netflix list the other day because I'm looking for a new series to get into. I'm glad to hear it's good! We just started Stranger Things the other night and it's good too!

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  8. I love your list of things that make you happy. I see that we have the same #1- clean sheets. :)

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  9. I just got a Happy Planner a few weeks ago and I am obsessed. I bought lots of stickers to decorate it too.

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  10. You have the neatest handwriting! I cant do planners or list because my handwriting is so bad LOL

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  11. I really need to try the cold oats. I love almond joy so that sounds perfect!

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  12. as a writer and same time reading this wonderful post about cookies. i think i love the one La Croix water and Outshine Fruit Bars (Creamy Coconut flavor), but honestly speaking i really like the one of mixed fruit.i will surely recommend it to my readers.you have an informative and educative article that has rich content.thaks

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  13. I LOVE cold oats. And you have the best handwriting! What kind of pens do you use?

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  14. Did anyone tell u how neat ur handwriting is...

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  15. Those outshine bars look yummy! I love the planner ideas!

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  16. I love lists! I have a million and don't think I could function without them. When I'm having a really rough time with my depression, I make a list of the things coming up that I'm really excited for and somehow it makes me feel tons better.

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  17. I've been totally hooked on the breakfast bowl from The Engine 2 Diet, though I cut his recipe in half because it's a huge amount. http://engine2diet.com/recipe/rips-big-bowl/ It's helped me with my weight loss and healthy eating goals. I want to try your oatmeal, too! Just found your blog today after watching the movie on netflix and can't wait to read further. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  18. I see a lot of people using the MAMBI planners, but I'm so very much an Erin Condren Life Planner girl; worth the cost. I'm on my 5th year of using them.
    If you use this link to sign up - you get $10 off, but through Sunday it's 25% off; using 25FRIENDS as a code!
    https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/jessparizek1123

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  19. love this list of faves! flavored fizzy water has really been helping me cut out pop and i too love the scream series! much better than scream queens. i gotta pull out my planner as i have been avoiding it since graduation. haha. and i totally caved and bought a bunch of those instant oatmeals and got a box of the fruit and cream flavors. not the smartest of food choices, but sometimes i just crave them. the peaches and cream was always my favorite.

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  20. Oh my gosh! I have to say, I think I got into Pretty Little Liars after I saw you mention it. Now I'm going to have check out Scream.

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