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Things I’m Loving Friday #323

April 24, 2020 by Julie 19 Comments

Another week of social distancing has come and gone. I don’t know about you guys, but I sure would like to have some kind of an idea of when life will get back to normal. Are we talking weeks? Months? I admittedly don’t love the limbo phases of life too much and I’m trying my best to roll with the punches and keep my focus on gratitude during this crazy time. Some days are better than others but we’re doing pretty well over here. How are things with you?

Our weekend plans are similar to what they have been for the past few weeks… Lots of family time + outside time. I’m also hoping to enjoy a little takeout picnic at some point. I hope you guys have a good weekend and are able to fill your days with some things that make you smile. And, as usual, below you will find my weekly roundup of some simple things that are making me smile right now!

Things I’m Loving Friday 

  • Ice Cream Creations 

Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream

Since opening my new ice cream maker last weekend, I’ve been an ice cream making machine! I had no idea making homemade ice cream was so easy and I’m loooving this early birthday present so much! So far my flavor creations have included cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream, cinnamon oatmeal cookie ice cream and strawberry ice cream. Every single one was a winner but the standout was my cinnamon oatmeal cookie ice cream. Inspired by my beloved (retired) Ben & Jerry’s Oatmeal Cookie Chunk ice cream, I set out to try my hand at recreating a masterpiece. I LOVED the base of this ice cream but still need to work on finding a good oatmeal cookie recipe to serve as the cookie chunks.

In the meantime, here’s the sweet cream cinnamon base I made that was a slam dunk!

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

I blended everything up in my Vitamix and then put it in the ice cream maker for 30(ish) minutes. I added my chopped cookie pieces for the final five minutes. It was absolutely fantastic but I know it could be even better with the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe! Stay tuned because I am determined to perfect this one.

  • Orange + Eucalyptus Essential Oil Combination

As I’ve researched essential oils that are safe to diffuse during pregnancy, I’ve come up with some combinations I’ve absolutely loved in recent weeks. My favorite this week was a combination of sweet orange and eucalyptus essential oils. I love the way the soft, woody scent of eucalyptus mixes with the vibrant, citrus smell of sweet orange and found myself diffusing this combination almost every afternoon as a little pick-me-up. (Note: I’ve mentioned this on the blog before, but after attending a seminar about the safety and efficacy of essential oils, I became a firm believer in the power of essential oils and also the importance of choosing high-quality oils. I look for organic oils and have loved Plant Therapy and NOW organic oils. This organic oil sampler of Plant Therapy’s most popular oils is a personal favorite and includes both orange and eucalyptus oils.)

  • Worms, Bugs, Slugs and all the Critters

Some of my fondest childhood memories center around searching for toads, frogs, tadpoles and other little critters in the pond behind our house in Palatine, Illinois. It was so fun to find new little animal friends and seeing Chase and Ryder’s excitement level shoot through the roof when they find a worm, slug, ladybug, etc. brings all of those memories to the forefront of my mind. (The fact that I found a slug in our bathroom last night is not quite as lovely… ahem, Chase.) The boys have now pinpointed the best “worm spots” in our neighborhood and found a slug jackpot under rocks in our backyard earlier this week so the entertainment provided by Mother Nature has been non-stop over here!

  • Daily Harvest + New Flatbreads

Daily Harvest Flatbread

I know I’ve shared my love for Daily Harvest bowls and smoothies for well over a year now, but they’ve become extra handy right now when we’re not going to the grocery store nearly as often and food seems really picked over in our area. Thank goodness for healthy, freezer-friendly harvest bowls and smoothies! Plus, some days I am just OVER cooking a bazillion meals for our family and having something I can quickly heat and eat feels like a gift to myself.

Daily Harvest recently reached out to me about trying some of their new flatbreads and I was all about it. The flatbreads are made with an all-veggie crust (seriously ONLY veggies + seasonings!) and after less than 20 minutes in the oven, bakes up into a perfectly doughy and crispy flatbread! They’re completely gluten-free and vegan with zero additives. So, so good!

If you’d like to give the flatbreads or any the Daily Harvest goodies a try, my affiliate link + code pbfingers will give you $25 off your first box. Let me know if you need any recommendations because my list of Daily Harvest favorites continues to grow!

  • Around the Internet

Food: Butterscotch Banana Bread / Instant Overnight Oats / Healthy Pantry Staples

Fitness: 15 Minute At Home Barre Burner / 25-Minute Quiet At Home Workout

  • Friday Flashbacks 

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry (I had a few of you tag me in you IG Stories this week when you made this recipe and it made me so happy! LOVE this recipe so much! Serve it on top of rice or all by itself for a flavorful, veggie-packed meal.)

Vegetarian Chickpea Curry

1000 Rep Workout (A great workout to keep on hand when you want to ensure you won’t be bored for one second!)

1000 Rep Workout

Question of the Day

What is one thing making you smile this week? 

Be sure to follow PBFingers on Instagram and Facebook!

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: ice cream, ice cream recipes, Things I'm Loving, Things I'm Loving Friday

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!

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Week of Workouts: April 2020 (20 Weeks Pregnant) »

Comments

  1. Kori says

    April 24, 2020 at 6:37 am

    Love your Friday posts! My manager at my main clinic (I work as a Registered Dietitian in dialysis) finally went over my annual review yesterday, & I received a great overall rating. It felt so good for my work & efforts to be acknowledged! Especially since I had been feeling frustrated lately. My raise was reflected on today’s paycheck, & that was nice to wake up to as well. Hope you all have a great weekend! Matt & I are hoping to get Cruze Farm ice cream tomorrow as an early birthday celebration for him. ?

    Reply
    • Julie says

      April 24, 2020 at 10:45 am

      Congrats to you, Kori!!! I’m sure that felt amazing!! <3 And enjoy that ice cream!!

      Reply
      • Kori says

        April 24, 2020 at 1:21 pm

        Thank you so much, Julie!!

        Reply
  2. Melissa says

    April 24, 2020 at 8:41 am

    What’s making me smile this week is the book I’m currently reading called Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn! It’s the exact type of lighthearted, aspirational book I’ve been craving and is an absolute joy to read! I highly recommend it.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      April 24, 2020 at 10:44 am

      Sounds like an ideal read for this crazy time right now. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
  3. Anne @ fANNEtastic food says

    April 24, 2020 at 8:57 am

    Thank you for the link love to my Healthy Pantry Staples post! xo

    Reply
    • Julie says

      April 24, 2020 at 10:43 am

      Anytime friend!! <3

      Reply
  4. Lily says

    April 24, 2020 at 10:40 am

    That work out looks terrible. In a good way.

    Did you see that Governor Cooper made an announcement yesterday about phases to reopen NC? Give it a google. Of course any (sane) plans depend upon things improving in an expected way, but it’s good to have something.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      April 24, 2020 at 10:43 am

      I did see that! Definitely helpful to have a little bit of an update!

      Reply
  5. Jenn says

    April 24, 2020 at 10:44 am

    Don’t you need to heat the raw eggs before using as the ice cream base? Recipes I’ve used have you make a custard that gets the eggs up to safe temp before using.

    Reply
    • Emily J says

      April 24, 2020 at 2:51 pm

      I was wondering the same thing. Does the Vitamix get it hot? (I don’t have one, but I’ve heard it can make hot soup…)
      Thanks!

      Reply
  6. Caitlin M Edwards says

    April 24, 2020 at 11:14 am

    I love oatmeal cookie ice cream! There is a place in Denver/Boulder that has the best oatmeal cookie ice cream! I went to get some last night!

    http://www.themilestraveled.com

    Reply
  7. Adrienne says

    April 24, 2020 at 11:41 am

    Me: oh good, at least our landscaping is going to look good with time work on it!

    My 3 and 5 year old boys: joke’s on you, we’re going to overturn every landscape rock at least 5 times daily looking for bugs, and dig weird holes in the backyard on the same quest!

    Me: sigh. At least they aren’t fighting!

    Hahaha

    Reply
    • Julie says

      April 24, 2020 at 1:02 pm

      LOL!!!! YES! I think I’ve told Chase to put the rocks in our yard back a million times in the past few weeks… and they still don’t look right! Buuut, like you, they’re happy and not fighting soooo I’m picking my battles 🙂

      Reply
  8. Eliza says

    April 24, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    Are you pasteurizing the eggs first or eating them raw?

    Reply
    • Julie says

      April 24, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      There’s a brand of eggs called Davidson’s Safest Choice that I buy for things like this and they’re already pasteurized!

      Reply
  9. Jennifer Dubord says

    April 24, 2020 at 4:28 pm

    I have the same ice cream maker and love it. I can’t wait to make the Oatmeal Cookie ice cream. If you are looking for really good baked oatmeal cookies I would use Sally’s Baking Addiction’s recipe, it is amazing! I’m sure you could modify that recipe with pasteurized eggs to be safe raw.

    Also, love/hate that workout. I’m gonna try that one soon! Then go make ice cream 🙂

    Reply
  10. Correen says

    April 24, 2020 at 6:46 pm

    I always love your Friday posts, Julie! Congrats on your pregnancy! So happy for you!

    Reply
  11. Kim says

    May 5, 2020 at 4:15 pm

    I tried and loved the DH flatbread, but I have got to say… I think it’s bonkers that a serving is half a flatbread!

    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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