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Happy Friday, y’all! Well, we officially survived the first week of school! We’re all exhausted, but the kids both enjoyed their first week to the fullest (they are both RAVING about their teachers, classes, being able to see friends every day again, etc.) so it was a success! Tonight, we plan to get in our PJs as soon as we get home from school and then we’re going to get takeout and relax on the couch all evening. Amen.
Let’s get to a few favorites from the week now, shall we?
O N E – Kodiak Protein Oatmeal
One of my goals for 2024 is to start getting more protein in my diet, and admittedly, I haven’t done so well with this for the first eight months because… I just haven’t taken the time to revamp my meal plan. Until now.
These last couple of weeks, I have finally taken some time to figure out the best – and the healthiest – way to do this, and I have slowly started purchasing a few items here and there. I recently started eating cottage cheese (who knew that a very small amount is PACKED with healthy protein?) and I am also starting to eat more eggs than ever before. Prior to this, I ate an egg every single morning for breakfast, but I want to start eating egg bowls for lunch some days, which means on those days, I need something else to eat for breakfast.
I found this Kodiak Protein Oatmeal to eat for breakfast on the days that I want to eat eggs for lunch, and y’all, I am pleasantly surprised at just how delicious it is. It is also incredibly satisfying, and it keeps me feeling full until lunch.
Each serving is low in fat, it doesn’t have a lot of added sugar, and it’s packed with 12 grams of protein per serving. I eat one packet of it each morning (made with milk for added protein) and a handful of blueberries, and it’s the perfect breakfast.
T W O – Kind Protein
Breakfast Bars
I drink two cups of tea per day, one in the morning, and one mid-afternoon. I relish my tea time, and I look forward to it every single day, probably similarly to how all of you coffee-drinkers feel about your cups of coffee. My only problem is… when I have a cup of tea, I always, always feel the need to have some kind of snack with it, and that snack is usually something like biscuits (I love Belvita breakfast biscuits), Biscoff, a muffin, or something carb-y that usually has little to no nutritional value.
I wanted to find a healthier option that still felt like a treat, so I purchased these Kind Protein Breakfast Bars. Now, I am NOT a protein bar girl. I do not love any of the ones I have tried because they all taste chalky or just weird, and a lot of them upset my stomach.
These Kind Protein Bars are so delicious, though! They are as satisfying as my Belvitas/muffins/Biscoff, they pair perfectly with my hot tea, they are gluten-free (another thing I’m trying to consume less of), and they have 8 grams of protein!
So now, instead of eating processed junk with zero nutritional value, I can enjoy a little treat that is made with whole ingredients and lots of protein! These come in different flavors, too. I have only tried the dark chocolate cocoa, but the other flavors look yummy, too. I’m sure I’ll be trying them all eventually.
T H R E E – Extremely
Affordable Backpacks
I was browsing the back-to-school stuff in the Target app recently, and I saw that they have backpacks for just $5. FIVE DOLLARS, y’all. The craziest part about it is that the backpacks are highly rated at 4.6 / 5 stars with over 100 reviews. While I can’t personally speak to the quality as we haven’t ever used these, I just thought I would put this PSA out there for any of you who are back-to-school shopping!
The backpacks come in six different colors and patterns and each backpack has multiple pockets including a laptop sleeve, and side pockets for water bottles. I just think it’s really great that Target is offering such an affordable option! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a backpack for a price this low. Truly.
F O U R – Sunflowers in
Bloom / Garden Stakes
Olivia’s sunflowers are officially in bloom, and for the first time in years, we’ve been able to enjoy the blooms for more than 24 hours. In previous years, we’ve had bad luck with strong winds/storms that have blown the flowers over just after blooming, and one year squirrels ate the tops off of them right after they bloomed, which was highly disappointing for all of us. Olivia diligently waters these for weeks and weeks leading up to the blooms, so it is always the saddest thing when something happens to them, and she can’t enjoy the fruits of her labor.
While we don’t have much control over squirrels, Brian and I were adamant that the winds wouldn’t take them down yet again this year, so Brian found this set of garden stakes on Amazon and they are awesome. The set comes with loads of stakes with connectors that allow you to customize the length of each, and then you just use the plastic clips that come in the set to clip them to the stems. They were so easy to assemble and put up, and it only took just a few minutes to stake each of the flowers. They worked like a charm, and they’ve protected the flowers from several storms already, including the winds from the outer bands of Hurricane Debby that rolled through earlier this week.
F I V E – The Summer
Pact by Emily Giffin
If I had to choose an all-time favorite author, Emily Giffin would probably be it. I love that her books are typically “chick-lit,” but that they actually have some depth to them. She just released The Summer Pact, and though I’m only a few chapters in, I’m already loving it. If you’re looking for a good chick-lit book with some substance, this one fits the bill so far! I’ll let y’all know my final thoughts after I finish it.
Friday Funnies
I may have to try that oatmeal. I eat oatmeal some mornings but I'm not a huge fan of the plain oats I've been using and that one looks really healthy! I also have The Summer Pact in my read soon pile!
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely give it a try! It's very satisfying since it has so much protein.
DeleteYay for those lovely sunflower blooms! We enjoy Kind bars too.
ReplyDeleteWe are so excited about the sunflowers. It's been so hot here, though, it's been hard to keep them watered enough. They're struggling a bit now from the heat.
DeleteAww! Good luck to the kids in school. It sounds like they've had a great first week.
ReplyDeleteYes! I feel the same when I have a cup of tea, I always need something sweet. I really should try something healthier than cake.
Well done with the sunflowers, they are such a cheery flower.
Yes, tea is just better with something sweet! And thank you! We are really excited about the sunflowers.
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