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Things I’m Loving Friday #328

May 29, 2020 by Julie 27 Comments

Another weekend is upon us! Anything fun on your agenda? It’s looking like another warm and relatively sunny weekend in Charlotte which means we’ll likely be filling our days with boat time, backyard sprinkler splash pad fun and a cookout or two with our crew.

I don’t have too much to share with you guys this morning other than my usual roundup of Friday favorites, so let’s dive right in, shall we? As always, I’d love to hear a little bit about something you’re loving this week in the comments section of this post!

Things I’m Loving Friday

  • Dash Egg Cooker

This egg cooker showed up as a surprise on my doorstep from my Aunt Alison who surprised me with this handy little contraption when I posted more than a handful of photos of horribly-peeled hard boiled eggs on Instagram Stories. (And yes, I’ve tried the whole ice bath thing, but the struggle for perfect hard boiled eggs is real!) Anyway, after this egg cooker arrived, I put it to use and cannot rave about this thing enough! It makes perfect, easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs every single time! (It also apparently makes great soft boiled, medium boiled and poached eggs as well as omelettes but I haven’t tried this yet.) Our family goes through a lot of hard boiled eggs  — both of our boys love them for snacks and I love using them in various salads and recipes — and this egg cooker has quickly become one of my most-used kitchen gadgets.

  • Balsamic Baked Chicken with Balsamic Tomato Sauce

balsamic baked chicken

If you’re looking for a recipe to add to your meal plan for the coming week, this was a winner! My picture does not do it justice but this balsamic baked chicken with balsamic tomato sauce was wonderful! It was easy to make and came together in around 30 minutes. While the chicken baked, I made a batch of angel hair pasta to serve with it (along with some roasted zucchini) and was so glad I did because the sauce from this the dish was the star of the show! I ended up chopping up the chicken and scooping up the sweet little tomatoes and onions to place on top of the pasta before drizzling the sauce all over everything. This dish smelled good and tasted even better! Also, as a side note, I think this is the first time I’ve made anything from the Cafe Delites blog but it definitely won’t be my last. After perusing Karina’s blog, it’s safe to say her recipes look incredible!

  • The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

Woohoo! My good book streak continues and I have another great read to recommend to you guys today! This week I began reading The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict and had high hopes for the novel because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed a handful of the author’s novels in the past (Carnegie’s Maid and The Only Other Woman in the Room).  Marie Benedict does a wonderful job creating interesting fictional stories about the lives of real people with a lot of interesting historical information sprinkled in the mix. The Other Einstein was another winner.

The Other Einstein was the best novel I’ve read by Marie Benedict yet and focuses on the life of Mileva Maric, the brilliant physicist whose determination and intelligence helped her find her way out of Serbia and into all-male university classrooms in Switzerland. Though her presence at the university was met with skepticism and even disdain, she caught the eye of fellow student Albert Einstein and despite Mileva’s initial reluctance, a relationship formed based on a passion for knowledge, mathematics and physics and “bohemian” ways. Today there’s debate in the world of physics over Mileva’s contribution to her husband’s work, specifically the formation of the theory of special relativity, begging the question, was Mileva more than a sounding board for her husband?

  • Toddler Challenge

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A post shared by Julie Fagan (@pbfingers)

Have you guys seen the toddler challenge all over social media? It’s hysterical and seeing how different kids respond is so entertaining to me! The basic gist: Leave a bowl of candy (or something tempting) in front of a toddler. Tell them they cannot eat it until you get back. Leave the room for around a minute and film them to see what they do. (Note: This likely goes without saying but please be very aware of the food you use for little ones in this challenge and keep their safety as a top priority!) We couldn’t resist seeing how Ryder would fare in the challenge and the video of how he handled what appears to be a rather stressful struggle made me and Ryan laugh out loud. And the way Ryder yells, “MOM!” like that will forever remind me of Will Farrell in Wedding Crashers. “Mom! The meatloaf!”

  • Friday Flashbacks

At Home Circuit Workout (A throwback workout from 2011!)

Simple Summer Pasta Salad (Perfect summery side dish for cookouts. Made with a homemade Italian dressing and easy to whip up in no time at all!)

Simple Summer Pasta Salad

 

Question of the Day

 What is something 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, 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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Comments

  1. Vera says

    May 29, 2020 at 6:41 am

    That egg cooker looks interesting!
    I love your kitchen gadgets recommendations!
    Do you have any recommendations on a waffle maker or ice cream scooper?

    Reply
    • Joanna says

      May 29, 2020 at 10:04 am

      I just made waffles with the Bella waffle maker and it works great. Bought it about a year ago for $20 at Khols.

      Reply
  2. Kaitlyn says

    May 29, 2020 at 8:11 am

    Hi Julie!! I hope you’ve had a great week 🙂

    Regarding the toddler candy challenge, would you be at all open to putting some kind of note in your post for anyone else considering it to be mindful of safety? There are some safety concerns with this challenge, including the type of candy used (I’ve seen some videos of young toddlers with large, hard candies that can be a serious choking hazard), or even toddlers taking in fistfuls of candy (could be another choking hazard) – even though they’re only being left alone for a minute or two, sometimes a minute is long enough for something bad to happen, especially with regard to choking :(.

    I don’t mean this in ANY way to be shaming the challenge – so I very much apologize if it comes off that way – but I know personally, I thought it was an entertaining thing to watch until the safety considerations were brought to my attention. I’m all for people doing it if they choose, but just wanted to spread the word to keep as many kiddos safe :).

    Have a wonderful weekend with your family! <3

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:41 am

      yes! i’ll add this right now. thank you, kaitlyn!

      Reply
  3. Molly b says

    May 29, 2020 at 8:41 am

    Ok that video is SO CUTE. what an adorable kiddo!

    Reply
  4. Joanna says

    May 29, 2020 at 9:57 am

    What a cutie! I’ll have to try it with my little guy too. I love Karina’s site and make this a lot! https://cafedelites.com/oven-baked-barbecue-chicken-pizza-tacos/
    Making me smile is my 5 yo finished with preschool! Where has the time gone? He’s my oldest so I’m a little teary over here! ? Have a great weekend!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:40 am

      i don’t think i’ve ever had BBQ chicken pizza tacos and this must change — sounds so good!

      Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:41 am

      also, huge congrats to your little guy!! and hugs to you — i’m sure there’s a rollercoaster of emotions going on in your heart right now. <3

      Reply
  5. Valerie says

    May 29, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Your blog is making me smile today!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:39 am

      <3 thank YOU!!!

      Reply
  6. Kori says

    May 29, 2020 at 12:37 pm

    Ryder was so cute in his challenge! I always love your Friday favorites posts. I bought a Dash mini waffle maker a few months ago and love it. I think I’ll get this egg cooker. I try not to buy a bunch of kitchen gadgets, but it looks and sounds so handy!

    Reply
  7. Tiphani says

    May 29, 2020 at 12:42 pm

    Funny Story: I didn’t know that you could make hard boiled eggs without an egg cooker until I was in college! My mom and grandma always used one so I had no idea you could just boil them. I had an egg cooker for a long time but now we use our instant pot but we LOVED our egg cooker – perfect eggs every time. Enjoy!

    Reply
  8. Christina says

    May 29, 2020 at 12:46 pm

    Hey Julie – You do know that this is all based on a longitudinal Stanford experiment started in the 1970s called: The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment? The original study is behavioral psychology and was testing delayed gratification and what it means about those kids later in life (those with stronger personal willpower were found to have higher SAT scores, be more physically well, etc).

    This challenge you showed isn’t exactly the same thing – but definitely a similar vibe. I wonder why it’s become such a thing right now …? (I had no idea about the challenge, myself).

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:39 am

      so interesting! i feel like i vaguely remember learning something about this in my intro to psychology class back in college! thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  9. Josie says

    May 29, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    Your circuit workout is making me smile! Apparently, I’ve been following your blog for quite some time because I wrote out your workout on a piece of paper that I used to take to the gym with me. This was before I had a smart phone or used Pinterest for everything. I found the paper during my quarantine cleaning and did that workout yesterday! So funny!

    The weather is going to drop to the 60s this weekend. After high 80s all week, it will feel very chilly!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:38 am

      aw, i love this so much!!! thanks for following for so long!! <3

      Reply
  10. Nyssa says

    May 29, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    The video of Ryder made my day! So cute!

    Reply
  11. Theresa says

    May 29, 2020 at 1:40 pm

    Julie, do you have any tips for mastering the jump rope? LOL I know it’s random, but I attended BBC for a while when it first came to my area and I tried and TRIED to become a decent jump roper since it’s in so many workouts but I just stink at it!! So I just jump and use my arms like I would if I was actually able to jump the darn thing. Any tips would be super! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Lissi says

    May 29, 2020 at 6:05 pm

    Yes! I looove Karina’s blog, highly recommend her butter chicken curry…lovely mild curry perfect for kids (and adults!!)
    https://cafedelites.com/butter-chicken

    That video of your boys is making me smile today!! So so adorable!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:37 am

      YUM!! Thank you for sharing — that sounds delicious!

      Reply
  13. Erica says

    May 29, 2020 at 9:42 pm

    So funny, I bought the exact same egg cooker (same color and everything) for my husband for Father’s Day and it just arrived today! I can’t wait to give it to him. He’s a huge fan of hard boiled eggs and eggs in general so I’m so glad to hear you are liking using it! Have a great weekend Julie!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:37 am

      He will LOVE it! I’ve honestly been shocked by just how much we use it! Perfect eggs every single time!

      Reply
  14. Kelli Harrison says

    May 30, 2020 at 1:42 am

    Funny about that challenge I just did one of yours I found on Pinterest loved it!

    Reply
  15. Sarah says

    May 31, 2020 at 5:04 pm

    Hi Julie, my family lives in the LKN area and we are interested in getting quotes for a screened-in porch. I searched for like 20 minutes and couldn’t find the post that I swear I had read before about your porch addition. I remember that it looked great, and that your contractor’s name was Mike. (I remembered this because of Mike the contractor from Desperate Housewives, LOL!!) Can you share his info?

    Reply
    • Julie says

      June 1, 2020 at 7:36 am

      Absolutely!! He’s fabulous and very reasonably priced. His name is Mike Howie and here’s his #: 704-223-7862

      Reply
  16. kathryn says

    June 1, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    toddler challenge: OMG, he is ADORABLE, def needed to see this for a smile.

    Reply
  17. Jenn says

    June 2, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    Thanks for including the workout!! I did that one and now going back and trying out other ones you have posted!! 🙂

    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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