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Things I’m Loving Friday #268

February 15, 2019 by Julie 17 Comments

Hi friends! How are you doing? We had quite a week over here.

I hoped to share a recap of our weekend and then dive into some random musings from the week on the blog but that clearly didn’t happen because our house was hit hard with some kind of a bug. (I thankfully had Tuesday’s blog post about my favorite chicken thigh marinade pre-written.) Just when I thought we were going to escape cold and flu season without any sickness in our house, I went down hard on Monday (throwing up, achy, the works) and then nausea returned for most of the day again yesterday. Poor Chase has been out of school sick since Tuesday so we are quite the duo. By some miracle, Ryan and Ryder are both healthy and I’m crossing my fingers and toes it stays that way!

On the bright side of things, my father-in-law arrived in town yesterday and didn’t seem to be too phased by our less-than-healthy household (he’s a trooper) and Ryan was able to get off work earlier than usual so we enjoyed a nice Valentine’s Day at home as a family even if Chase and I were a little out of sorts.

(Chase was pretty excited to see the final heart on his door yesterday morning! I definitely see that becoming a Valentine’s Day tradition in our house!)

In today’s Friday post, I wanted to recap a little bit of last weekend’s fun since I didn’t get the chance to earlier this week and also share a few things that are currently making me smile. As always, I’d love for you to join in and share something you’re loving right now with me in the comments section of this post. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and have a fantastic weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

  • Valentine’s Day Secret Santa

I felt bad that Chase had to miss his preschool’s Valentine’s Day celebration because they did the cutest thing this year! Las week, every kid in his class drew one of their classmate’s names out of a hat for a sort of Valentine’s Day Secret Santa. The kids were then supposed to spend time making their classmate a homemade Valentine to go along with a simple little treat or toy ($5 or less). They did this in lieu of the usual candy/card exchange to emphasize the importance of thinking of others and I thought it was the sweetest idea.

Chase drew his best friend Claire’s name and took Claire’s gift selection very seriously. He had the best time making her a card and putting together her little surprise so we dropped it off at school and his teacher sent me home with a sweet gift for Chase from his friend Cayla. Chase couldn’t stop talking about the fact that Cayla made him a card and got him a special gift and seemed blown away by the whole thing!

  • Ryder’s Dedication + A Visit from My Parents

Last weekend, my parents came into town and were able to witness our family dedicating Ryder at our church! (You may read more about dedication vs. traditional baptism in this post about Chase’s dedication if you’re curious.) It was an incredibly special day for our family and I was so grateful my mom and dad could join us to celebrate.

The rest of our weekend with my family was a wonderful one, despite the fact that my mom and I both started to feel a little sick toward the end of the weekend. We ate at CAVA for the first time on Saturday night and it was fantastic (why have I waited so long to try that place!?), grabbed ice cream from Kilwin’s, hung out close to home and just enjoyed being together. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I love where we live but man oh man I wish our families lived closer!

  • Vegan Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Prior to my parents’ visit last weekend, I did a little digging and tried to find some new plant-based recipes to try since my mom and dad are currently sticking to a mostly plant-based diet at the moment. I stumbled upon a recipe for vegan spaghetti squash lasagna and was instantly intrigued by the faux-ricotta cheese made with soaked almonds, fresh basil, pressed tofu, lemon juice and spices. It was pretty easy to assemble and we all really liked the recipe. One tip if you make it: Serve it in bowls and stir everything up to maximize the faux-ricotta mixture in every bite!

  • Plant-Based Juniors: First Bites

I have a wonderful resource to share with any of you out there who may be on the cusp of or in the middle of introducing solids to your little ones. One of my blogging friends, Whitney, is a registered dietitian and self-proclaimed “science and research junkie” who adheres to a predominantly plant-based diet. After the birth of her son, she teamed up with Alex, a fellow registered dietitian and mother, to launch Plant-Based Juniors in an effort to share evidence-based nutrition advice to empower parents to make the best nutrition decisions for their families. Together, Whitney and Alex created Plant-Based Juniors: First Bites, an ebook created especially for those looking to introduce solids to their little ones in a healthy way. They sent a copy my way and I instantly LOVED it. Plant Based Juniors: First Bites is packed with information and I love the science-based approach to feeding babies, as well as the visual guides that make it easy to see what bites of real food for little ones should look like at such a young age. The picture tutorials were truly SO helpful, especially if you’re a visual person and want to see a simple photo of what bites of real food should look like for babies of a certain age.

The ebook breaks down baby led weaning in an easy-to-understand way and is only $12.99. I am doing a mix of real food and purees for Ryder (you may read more about my approach in this post: Beginning Solids with Baby) and have found the ebook incredibly helpful and a wonderful resource. I’ve already made a handful of the recipes in her book for Ryder (they’re kid-friendly and not just for babies!) and the cinnamon sweet potato sticks and mango chia pudding were both major hits with our little guy!

Friday Flashbacks

Coconut Hemp Seed Granola (I made a batch of this granola earlier this week and enjoyed it all week long on top of Greek yogurt with fresh berries.)

Beach Legs Workout (This leg workout incorporates lots of squats and lunges to target your quads, glutes and hamstrings and will make you feel the burn in only 15 minutes.)

Question of the Day

What is something that is making you smile this week? 

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I'd love to connect with you! I am always so grateful when you let me know you tried one of my recipes or workouts and tag me in your photos or updates. Thank you so much!!!

Filed Under: Things I'm Loving Tagged With: Things I'm Loving

About Julie

My name is Julie and I am a full-time blogger, new mama, fitness enthusiast (certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor) and food fanatic (mostly healthy... but also not-so-healthy) living in North Carolina with my husband, dog and baby boy. Thank you for visiting Peanut Butter Fingers! I hope you enjoy little glimpses into my life and have fun trying the sweaty workouts I frequently share and making some of my favorite recipes along the way!

« The Best Chicken Thigh Marinade (Paleo + Whole30)
A Weekend with Granddad »

Comments

  1. Stacey says

    February 15, 2019 at 10:55 am

    I gotta say, on EVERY Things I’m Loving Friday post, I immediately scroll for the latest book picture. I’m never disappointed by this post every week at ALL but that’s for sure my favorite part! Love your blog!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      February 15, 2019 at 10:58 am

      I love sharing books with you guys & reading your recommendations as well, so I hear ya!!

      Reply
    • Sara Wilson says

      February 15, 2019 at 12:01 pm

      I get most of my book ideas from Julie, her readers, People magazine, and Us Weekly magazine! Right now I have Behind Closed Doors, An Anonymous Girl, The Au Pair, The Current, and Looker. I just need to find the time to read as a mom of two!

      Reply
  2. Sara Wilson says

    February 15, 2019 at 11:55 am

    Beautiful family photos! I am so sorry you and Chase have been sick.

    I did the Valentine’s heart project for my boys! My 7 year old son loved it! Confession… I did all 28 hearts midday yesterday and surprised my 2nd grader after school! Thanks for sharing such a great idea! I think I will keep the hearts and write 2019 on the back of each one. Then each year I will keep all of the hearts in a cute bin or something. Because this year two things I wrote “You do a great job sharing Legos with your brother” and “you are a great team player on your basketball team” and it’ll be fun to see how his interests change over the years!

    Reply
  3. Katie @ Live Half Full says

    February 15, 2019 at 12:07 pm

    Hope you all are feeling better soon!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      February 15, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      Thank you, Katie!! <3

      Reply
  4. Jan says

    February 15, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    I knew something had to be up. Hope you’re both well very soon! I am so excited for this weekend. My sister has a big birthday coming up next week & almost all of our family is coming in town to celebrate! Have a great weekend!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      February 15, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      Aw!! Enjoy the extra time with your family! And happy birthday to your sister!

      Reply
  5. Katherine says

    February 15, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    I got hit with the stomach bug a couple weeks ago and it was awful! Hope you have a healthy weekend.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      February 15, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      Ugh it was awful!! Thankfully feeling a million times better today!

      Reply
  6. Ba says

    February 15, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    Oh no! That sounds so miserable 🙁 Hope you all get better soon – and that everyone else stays healthy!

    Reply
  7. Emily says

    February 15, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    Glad you are feeling better. And so exciting about Ryder’s dedication!

    Reply
  8. Devin says

    February 15, 2019 at 11:13 pm

    I hope y’all are on the mend and start feeling better!! I know that is no fun at all and so draining.

    Y’all would LOVE the Hummusapien’s Vegan Lasagna…..it is amazing!! I have made it many times just as the recipe is written and it’s the best! But, one time i needed to use up a spaghetti squash and tried the recipe with that instead of lasagna noodles and that turned out so good too! She has several other vegan and vegetarian recipes that are awesome too if you or your parents want to check out her blog! Can’t go wrong with any of her stuff.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      February 16, 2019 at 8:09 am

      Thank you! I’ve made a few of her recipes in the past & they’re always a hit! I’ll have to try that one!

      Reply
  9. Ikram says

    February 16, 2019 at 5:44 am

    I tried the spaghetti squash lasagna and it was really amazing. Thank you for sharing the link to the recipe.

    Reply
  10. Melissa says

    February 17, 2019 at 10:50 am

    I’m so sorry to hear you and your family has been ill! I hope you’re all feeling better soon! The vegan spaghetti squash lasagna looks incredible! I’m a huge fan of spaghetti squash and would love to recreate this lasagna. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  11. Anurag Singh says

    February 17, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    The recipe was great and hope you and your mom are feeling better now.

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Julie and I am a mom to three energetic boys and a personal trainer and blogger living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Welcome to my blog! Peanut Butter Fingers follows my life and my interests in food, fitness, family, travel and (mostly) healthy living.
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