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Showing posts from May 2, 2019

The Friday 5 + Giveaway

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Hey, happy Friday! How is it May already?! I feel like April was the fastest month of my life. Holy cow. I’m obviously not complaining because I am very much looking forward to warmer weather (and beach days!), so, hopefully, summertime is here before we know it! As always, I’m sharing a new Friday 5 today featuring five things I’m loving lately. Plus, I have a Beautycounter giveaway for you. Don’t miss it at the bottom of this post! 🙂 1. Mike Birbiglia – Our friends from NYC introduced us to him – he’s a comedian and story teller, and SO FUNNY! If you need a good laugh this weekend, or just need to “Netflix and chill,” check out “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend” or “Thank God for Jokes” on Netflix. Mal and I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time! 2. New York Times Custom Birthday Book – How cool is this (especially for a history nerd)? This book makes an amazing gift for a birthday as well as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, which will be here very soon. The customized book, preser

Recipe Roundup: 7 Low-Carb Spring Salads

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With warmer temps come lighter fare…and the spring produce to inspire it. Whether you’re a Big-Ass Salad fan or more of a side salad connoisseur, we’ve got seven great tastes for you to enjoy this spring. Recreate them as pictured, or customize with your favorite ingredients, right down to DIY dressings . Enjoy, everyone! Strawberry Spinach and Basil Salad We couldn’t think of a better salad to celebrate spring than this. Simple, fresh, and sweet, it’s a perfect accompaniment to an omelet breakfast or a grilled chicken dinner, but it’s also a satisfying light meal in its own right. With just 6 ingredients (including the dressing ) and 10 minutes of prep time, you have a delicious salad (and nutrient powerhouse) on the table. Wedge Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing Salads can be as Big-Ass or as simple as mood and time dictate, but they always should be flavorful. We love this classic (and keto-friendly) recipe for a quick side or (topped with some bacon crumbles) a light lunch

13 Things Thursday

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Hi, guys! Happy Thursday to you! I have so many random things to tell you, so I decided to put them in a “things” blog post. I used to write these kind of posts back in the day, and they’re honestly fun for me to write. They’re kind of like a “brain dump,” so there’s a little bit of everything included! 🙂 Ok, here we go! 1 . The 30-Day Build a Booty Challenge started yesterday. Woohoo! You can still join if you’d like. There are 5 workouts each week, and they start on Wednesdays, so you have plenty of time to complete them. I’m sharing some video demos on Instagram, so feel free to pop over there to check them out. Additionally, I’ll be hosting weekly giveaways on Thursdays on the blog, so be sure to check back for a chance to win all sorts of goodies! 2. The deadline to sign up for the May group of Master Your Macros is today . If you’re interested, please sign up ASAP, so we can get you up and running for Monday! 3. We donated some of Quinn’s baby toys the other day, and I’m

My Beauty Routine: An Update

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Here is an update post with my new-ish beauty routine and how I’m liking all of the different products. I’m saving makeup for another day!  How I’m Liking Beautycounter I Like That I Actually Have A Routine I’ve been using Beautycounter long enough now that I have a nice routine that I’m doing every morning and night. So far I have been very happy with both the products and my results (see below!) It’s nice to actually have a routine. For years I mixed and matched products and never committed to one line of skincare or makeup. Thanks to my propensity towards sample sizes, I constantly rotated different products and brands in and out. And because I am actually not a beauty junkie or skincare expert, I was probably using them wrong and doubling up on function. It feels really good to have a morning and nighttime lineup and know the purpose behind each product. I Like Following A Recipe It’s also nice to have someone tell you: these are the products to use and in this order. I wo

Clean Eating Sweet Potato Smoothie Recipe

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This sweet potato smoothie is a deliciously sweet and filling way to start your morning! I’m a little ashamed to admit that I totally got out of the smoothie game for a while. It wasn’t for any reason in particular, I just stopped making them for quite a while and I’m wishing I hadn’t. The truth is, smoothies are a great way to get nutrients packed into your morning as you’re running out the door. They are fast and easy to make and travel well, making them a great breakfast on the run. So recently I got back into that smoothie game, and my mornings are looking better and better each and every time! This sweet potato smoothie recipe is my latest adventure and boy was it tasty! It almost tasted like pie! I have gotten a lot of questions about smoothies in my ten years of blogging here on the Gracious Pantry, so I thought I’d address some of them here. ARE SMOOTHIES ACTUALLY HEALTHY? Yes and no. Confuse? Don’t be. A healthy smoothie is all about what you put into it. If we’re ta