Sharing the book recap from June and if I’d recommend adding these to your list!

Hey friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the morning so far! I’m off to an F45 class and am looking forward to taking the crew to see the new Minions movie later today. I also might get brave and post my first TikTok video (the first one feels like so much pressure!). I’d love to hear what you have going on!

For today’s post, I thought I’d share a recap of the books I read in June. One of these was an accidental re-read, one is a cookbook that’s destined to become a staple, and the other one was the most fun book I’ve read in a long time. Let’s get to it, shall we?

June book recap

1. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

If you’re looking for a cupcake of a book for summer (light, fluffy, sweet and satisfying), this is the one. It’s one of the most feel-good books I’ve read in a long time and I didn’t want it to end. I LIVED for the witty banter, the Sweet Home Alabama vibe to the whole situation, and the fact that while it was simple, it still had me fully intrigued and trying to figure out how it would end. 10/10 would recommend diving into this one this summer!

From Amazon:

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

2. Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow

This cookbook, by Shalene Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky, includes so many mouthwatering and healthy recipes that are designed to be nutrient-dense, yet cooked quickly. These are the exact type of recipes I love to make on weeknights for the family, and there are so many new ideas and recipes in here. I’m so pumped to try these! I’ve been in a food rut for a while – I just feel sick of cooking and uninspired – and this made me excited to plan this week’s menu. We’re making Superhero Muffins, Power bowls with a green goddess tahini dressing, a frittata, and pesto pasta with sardines this week.

From Amazon:

Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. is full of pre-run snacks,

Sharing a recap of some of the thing’s I’m loving lately – summer edition! Here are some of the items we’ve bought lately and I find myself using them all time time, and constantly recommending to friends. 

Hi friends! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and that you had a safe and happy 4th! We’re back from an incredible weekend in Vegas – I’ll share a recap soon – and while I’m a total zombie this week, it was 100% worth it. We had such a great time and it was a huge treat to spend some time together as a couple and also with our friends Betsy and Jeremy.

I’m slowwwwllyy making my way back into real life (and getting ready for a fun visit from the Pilot’s side of the fam this weekend!), studying for IHP and getting the finishing touches on Summer Shape Up. If you’re not signed up already, grab your spot here!! It’s free and we start on Monday!

For today’s post, I’m sharing a list of some of my very favorite things for summer, along with some of your top recs and fave purchases.

Things I’m loving lately (summer edition)

1) This backless strapless bra

Friends, I have worn this sticky bra SO many times with all of the strapless, off-shoulder, and tank tops this summer. The only downside is taking it off, which is borderline painful lol, but it keeps things covered and in place without wires (THE WORST) or straps. I just wash it with hand soap and water and let it air dry, and it’s remained perfectly sticky. The funny thing is that I originally bought it for an event, thinking I’d never wear it again. Who knew it would be such a staple?! It’s 14000x better than strapless bras.

2) These Madewell earrings

My friend Nicole has these earrings and I automatically thought they’d be super pricey because they’re structured so beautifully. Found out they were $28 and bought them that day! I wear them constantly with cute tanks and dresses, and always get compliments on them.

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wing woman immunity boosting popsicles

These festive and guilt-free pops are refined sugar-free, vegan, and made with our Wing Woman Immunity boost, so you can party all night long on the 4th (or anytime!). 

USE CODE FIREWORKS25 TO SAVE 25% OFF WING WOMAN THROUGH MONDAY, JULY 4th!

Wing Woman Immunity Boosting Popsicles

Ingredients (makes 6)

• 16 oz coconut water
• 1 scoop of LSF Wing Woman Immunity Boost
• Blueberries and raspberries as desired

Now, Freeze Them Up!

🇺🇸 For the first layer, mix 16 oz of coconut water and 1 scoop wing woman in a glass. 

🇺🇸 Pour mixture into popsicle molds, and add raspberries.

🇺🇸 Freeze this layer without the popsicle sticks until mostly frozen, 3-4 hours.

🇺🇸 Remove this layer from the freezer 

🇺🇸 Pour another layer of coconut water on top until the mold is almost full. 

🇺🇸 Add blueberries. add in the sticks and then freeze until solid!

🇺🇸 Remove popsicles from the molds and enjoy

THE SECRET INGREDIENT: WING WOMAN

TASTES GOOD: Throw her in some water for a quick, sweet berry pomegranate treat, or mix her in a cocktail for Friday night happy hour.

PROTECTING YOU ON DAILY WITH VITAMIN C & D: Wing Woman got your back because vitamin C & D are necessary for development and repair of all body tissues, proper functioning of the immune system and more!

IMPROVES IMMUNE FUNCTION: With echinacea, elderberry and vitamin C, you’ll feel defended from head to toe.

PACKED WITH ANTIOXIDANTS: Tons of adaptogen powders, like spinach leaf, ginseng and goldenseal that’s got all the health benefits you would possibly need.

ALL ABOUT CUTTING OUT THE BS: She’s gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, non GMO and vegan!

USE CODE FIREWORKS25 TO SAVE 25% THROUGH MONDAY, JULY 4th!

Hi friends! Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a wonderful week. Ours was a bit of a whirlwind. We headed back from dance competition Nationals

(we stayed at the Scott, which has super cute decor and a pool that the girls LOVE)

straight into fun with friends who visited from Florida for the week,

straight into VEGAS, BABY.

The Pilot and I are hopping on a plane to meet up with our friends Betsy and Jeremy in one of our fave spots. If you have any new Vegas recs, please send them our way!! We will absolutely be shopping (a lot), gambling (a little), and eating all of the amazing Vegas food.

Caviar spread going down in 3….2….

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Sharing tips on how to make and flavor your own kombucha at home!

Hi friends! Hope you’re having a lovely morning! This week is a bit bonkers and we’re enjoying time with some friends who are here from Florida! I’ll be back on Friday with some faves, but in the meantime, here’s a post from the archives. If you’re curious about making your own kombucha at home, here’s the full how-to!

So, it FINALLY HAPPENED.

After about a year (maybe a little longer?) of inconsistently making kombucha at home, I finally made some that tastes even better than store-bought stuff.

Orange Cranberry Ginger Homemade Kombucha

It was getting really close, and I was happy with the flavor combos I’d tried, but it was always a little too tangy, too sweet, not fizzy enough, etc.

After quite a bit of experimentation, I got the result I’d been searching for; it was a glorious moment indeed. A warm embrace was shared with the kombucha jar before holding the scoby in the air like a baby Simba while singing a celebratory chant.

(Ok, just in my mind.)

Tips on How to Make Kombucha at Home

-I followed the steps in this post, but will outline them again, updated with the current techniques.

1) The quality of the scoby (the starter bacteria that looks like a flat, opaque gummy disk) makes all the difference in the world. I got an awesome scoby from Amazon, but I’ve also ordered a dud that ended up molding. (A little tidbit about mold: a lot of people are rightfully fearful about making moldy or bad kombucha. If the batch is bad, it’s an obvious thing. You will know it’s bad just by looking at it. The scoby will have blue or greenish patches on it, and well, it will look like mold. Don’t drink it; throw it away to start over.) The scoby I picked up from the farmer’s market in Ocean Beach is a BEAST.

(I got a bottle from the farmer’s market, filled with scoby strands and starter tea. To say I was skeptical would be an understatement. Shame on me.)

I’ve made multiple batches with said amazing scoby and also gave one to Whitney; she now has a full-up scoby hotel.

I like ‘em thick.

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