This week ended up a little different than I initially anticipated. My mom was supposed to be here for most of the week but ended up driving to Raleigh first thing on Tuesday morning to be with her sister for some family-related issues (everything is okay!) and should be returning to Charlotte later today for the weekend. I’m so glad she was able to be with my aunt this week and am looking forward to having her here with me this weekend! She also volunteered to watch Chase this evening since Ryan planned a surprised birthday date for me tonight! (My birthday is next Wednesday.) I am really looking forward to some quality time with Ryan and can’t remember the last time we headed out on a date without Chase in tow, so we are clearly overdue. I’ve been looking forward to our date all week!
Anticipating date night and a weekend with my mom top my list for this week’s Things I’m Loving Friday blog post, but below you will find a roundup of a few other things that are making me smile. As always, feel free to participate in the fun in the comments section of this post and tell me about something YOU are loving this week!
Have a great weekend, my friends!
Things I’m Loving Friday
I finally found it! A vanilla yogurt I absolutely adore! While I’ve found other vanilla yogurts I’ve thought were decent in the past, I never found one that totally wow-ed me until I bought a cup of Siggi’s vanilla yogurt last weekend. It is, without a doubt, the best vanilla yogurt I’ve tried to date! It’s incredibly thick – much like Greek yogurt though apparently it’s skyr, a traditional yogurt from Iceland – and packed with 14 grams of protein and the perfect hint of vanilla from Madagascar bourbon vanilla. (You can even see the vanilla bean specs!) While all of that is great, I love the fact that it’s not overwhelmingly sweet the most. It tastes rich and creamy without the typical sugar overload you find in most flavored yogurt these days. I eat it plain or topped with sliced kiwi, fresh berries, chia seeds or cacao nibs.
For Christmas, my sister gave me a beautiful necklace with Chase’s first initial on it but it unfortunately broke. She was so thoughtful to send me a replacement necklace as a surprise when she found out about the original necklace and I actually love the replacement necklace she selected on Etsy even more! It’s so delicate and pretty and more unique than other initial necklaces I’ve seen out there. For those looking for Mother’s Day gift ideas, I think this one would be a winner! (Bonus: It’s quite affordable – only $25! – and you can add more than one initial disc to the chain for multiple children.)
- Outside Play Dates
While I absolutely love Gymboree and Discovery Place play dates with my girlfriends and their babies, there’s something about outside play dates that are my favorite. Chase seems to do best outside and loves looking at anything and everything around him. He’s definitely a nature lover! This week we enjoyed meeting up with friends for walks and playtime at a local park where I could not get over how cute Chase and his buddy Claire looked in the swing together! They were born only four days apart and I quickly became friends with Claire’s mom through Burn Boot Camp since our little ones ended up in their childcare around the same time. They do so well together and it’s so fun to watch them interact even if interaction at this stage usually means trying to grab each other’s Wubbanubs. Ha!
- Juli Bauer’s Chimichurri Sauce
I know I’ve professed my love for Juli Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook on the blog a myriad of times before, but it’s still a personal favorite I reference regularly when looking for recipe inspiration. The other day I made the chimichurri sauce recipe (located on page 284, for those who have the cookbook) and we’ve been loving it on everything from chicken and steak to eggs and fish! (On Wednesday night, I incorporated it into the quesadilla you see above.) It’s so fresh and flavorful. The first time Ryan tried it, he said, “I could legitimately eat this every day.” If you’re a cilantro fan, it’s a must-make!
I love edamame as much as the next person and occasionally pick up a bag of dry roasted edamame to snack on since it makes a fantastic high-protein portable snack option. Thanks to my mom, I recently discovered Seapoint Farms Wasabi Edamame and even though I’m usually a big-time baby when it comes to spicy foods, the punch of spice from the wasabi adds so much flavor to the crunchy edamame and I find myself reaching for handful after handful of this stuff.
- Friday Flashbacks
Easy BBQ Meatloaf (I was reminded of this recipe after one of you Snapchatted me a pic of it this week. I need to make this one again ASAP! So good!)
Leg + Plyo Workout (A serious leg burner that combines strength exercises with killer cardio exercises!)
- Around the Web
Food: 5 Ingredient Pizza Pasta Bake / Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs / Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs / Pesto and Kale Pasta Salad / Vegan Kale Caesar Salad
Fitness: 3 Week Arm Sculpting Challenge / Half Marathon Training for Beginners / Best Spinning Climb Songs / Run the Chicago or NYC Marathon with Team Healthy Kids / Rowing + Burpees Pyramid Workout / Musical Strength Workout
Interesting Reads: Why I Don’t Believe In Cheat Days (<—Agree!)
Question of the Day
- What is one thing you are loving this week?
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This week I am loving fish tacos, week day drinks with friends and a gorgeous weekend ahead! I love the necklace so much, what a sweet gift for a new mom!
Omg cannot get over how cute they are in the swing!! This week I’m also loving warm weather in PA and coconut bliss peanut butter chocolate ice cream!
Love the cross necklace, I want to get that for my nieces Birthday! And reasonable priced. I’m loving all thing Lauren Daigle right now, especially her “Trust in You” and “First” songs. SO encouraging!!!!
I am loving passion tea at Starbucks and the warm weather. Siggi’s is my fav! Happy Friday. Have a wonderful weekend.
I live in Iceland and crave skyr when I am back home in the states, it is so good!
siggi’s is so good! i love the pomegranate/passion fruit and the mixed berries with acai.
i’m loving my quick trip to prague coming up this weekend! spending the year in budapest has it’s perks.
I’m looking forward to my mom coming to town for a race tomorrow and yoga in the park on Sunday!
Siggi’s yogurt is awesome. I love the plain with fruit or in a smoothie and the pumpkin spice on toast.
Agreed on Siggis But now you must try the COCONUT. Trust.
P.S. Your son is incredibly adorable. Though its quite possible I’m scaring my boyfriend away by showing him all your Chase-filled snaps. No regrets. 😀
Ahh!! Coconut is almost always my favorite yogurt flavor so I NEED to find this!!! I haven’t seen the coconut for sale around me, but I will keep an eye out!
Such a cute swing picture! I am looking forward to spending some time with my family this weekend and attending a yoga class tonight for some much needed time for myself.
We love outside play dates too! Especially this time of year. We’ve been cooped up inside with all the rain and flooding in Houston this week. Looks like we’re getting some sunshine, so I’m hoping for park time today!
I am a Siggi’s superfan. Their skyr for some reason doesn’t cause the stomach issues for me that I discovered too much dairy can do, and the plain flavor is the best around, as are the mixed berries and the pumpkin and coconut!
I have been wanting to find a good, not overly sweet, vanilla yogurt. I am going to have to give Siggis a shot! This week I am loving iced coffees (it’s finally that season!!) and freeze dried apple snacks from Target.
Those wasabi soy beans are really good.I’d always get a couple mild ones and be like, oh these aren’t that hot and jinx myself. Then I’d get a SUPER wasabi one and my eyes would immediately get watery. And then I’d immediately take another handful and the cycle would repeat haha! Hope you have fun on your birthday outing 🙂
My husband loves that yogurt. I usually stay away from dairy, but it’s definitely one of the better ones!!
I’m really glad you and Ryan are getting out, just the two of you! Hope it is a lovely date night.
I also have been looooving this weather lately too. And Chase in the swing is so adorable! That’s awesome he loves being outside so much.
Oh my goodness, I LOVE Siggi’s vanilla. I’ll definitely eat other vanillas, but that one is my favorite. It’s a little pricey, but so good! Have a fun birthday date 🙂
I make your BBQ meatloaf at least once a month. We LOVE it at my house!! 🙂
The Siggi’s yogurt is such a “Kath Eats Real Food” pic! She loves the stuff! Cacao nibs and toasted coconut flakes are my favourite yogurt toppings!
We love that BBQ meatloaf at our house and I make it all the time. Also love love Siggi’s! It’s the best!
I’m loving my gym workouts! I started working with a personal trainer and am seeing such a difference and am starting to feel comfortable in a gym.
Unfortunately the trainer I’m working with is moving and I have to quickly choose a new one in the same gym. Are there any particular questions I should ask a potential trainer? I’m worried about not getting one who is a good match for me.
I sent the link for that necklace to my daughters. We will see if they take my not-so-subtle hint. 😉
I LOVE siggi’s! I’m a part of their Culture Club haha! I’m a huge fan of their Orange & Ginger flavor too. Adorable picture!!
I love vanilla yogurt, but agree some are too sweet for me. I need to try the Siggi’s. I love adding a bit of peanut butter and a few chocolate chips to vanilla yogurt as a little dessert.
Love love love Siggi’s! The only thing for me is it makes my stomach hurt, but I like it so much sometimes I’m just like *worth ittt* lol
I am loving that Claire made the blog! We just adore you all and this lovely weather!! I’m digging all the yummy fruit that is starting to taste reallllyyyy yummy again! Pineapples, strawberries, kiwi oh my:)
<3 LOVE our playdates!!!
I LOVE siggi’s yogurt as well–the pumpkin spice is my favorite! Definitely a must-have. Anyways, these are great things to feature–what I’ve been loving is eating more savory breakfasts, going out of the house more often and solo grocery trips of course!
Thank you so much for sharing the necklace. My nephew passed away in a car accident several years ago and I think one of the cross necklaces with his initial would make a perfect Mother’s Day gift for my sister (ever since he passed away I give her a Mother’s Day gift “from him” each year).