Sharing my review of the Canopy shower filter. You can check it out here and use the code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off site wide!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having an amazing week so far. We had to drag our mattress downstairs to sleep on the living room floor while they work upstairs, so sleep has been a little interesting lol, but other than that all is well here.

We’re making some huge improvements around the house for aesthetic and health purposes. When I found out our sofa and carpet both had mold, it was time for them to go. Water filtration is something that you can easily do for your health – I can do a post about my favorite filters for drinking! – but it’s easy to forget about the water you and your family use to bathe.

For today’s post, I wanted to talk about why you might want to filter your shower and bath water, and the best home shower filter that I’ve found: Canopy!

Why should you filter your shower and bath water?

When we shower, the water we use is absorbed into our skin, and we’re also breathing in the vapors of this water, often in an enclosed space. You can check out the quality of your local tap water here. (Tucson’s is horrible.)

Filtering bath and shower water offers several benefits for skin, hair, and overall health, including:

Skin Irritation Reduction: Chlorine and chloramines, commonly used in municipal water supplies, can strip the skin of its natural oils, leading to dryness, itchiness, and irritation. Filtering these chemicals can reduce the risk of these issues, leaving the skin feeling softer and more comfortable.

Mineral Deposits Reduction: Hard water, containing high levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium, can leave deposits on the skin, causing it to feel dry and rough. Hard water also contains various dissolved metals, like aluminum, barium, strontium, iron, zinc, and manganese. Filtering hard water can prevent these mineral deposits, resulting in smoother, more hydrated skin.

Hair Health Improvement: Hard water can also leave mineral deposits on the hair, making it appear dull and lifeless. Filtering the water can help maintain the hair’s natural shine and vitality.

Eczema and Psoriasis Relief: For those with eczema or psoriasis, which can be exacerbated by exposure to certain chemicals and minerals in water, filtering the water can help alleviate symptoms and reduce flare-ups.

Reduced Risk of Allergic Reactions: Some individuals may be sensitive to chemical

Hungarian Mushroom Soup is a lightly creamy, rich soup, full of earthy mushroom flavor that is brightened by a squeeze of lemon juice added at the end of cooking.

This is one of my favorite soups – and I just don’t make it often enough! This is a bowl of soup simply ideal for a chilly day.

Oh. My. Word. How did I forget just how amazing this soup is?? I’ll admit that with over 1800 recipes on this website, it can be a little tricky at times to remember exactly what I’ve made and when, but wow. Just wow. I remembered enjoying the soup, but this has blown my mind all over again.

I remade it a while back to shoot some new photographs and I could not stop eating it. I had a big bowl for lunch and then had another bowl for dinner when I shared it with my family.

I already have it on our meal plan again. This one is going to be in the regular rotation for a while. If you’re a mushroom lover, this soup needs to be on your must-make-as-soon-as-possible list.

Our friend Joe was a Hungarian American and he was a gift in my family’s life for over 15 years. He passed away 5 years ago, a few months before we moved to Ohio. We were lucky enough to live across the street from him in Phoenix for a few years and I always tried to invite him over for dinner when I was trying a new Hungarian recipe.

Joe’s parents fled from Hungary when he and his brother were just a few years old. The biggest compliment I’ve

Sharing some of my favorite healthy products from Trader Joe’s!

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope you’re having an amazing day! I have some calls this morning, and then am getting a massage… can’t.wait.

For today’s post, I wanted to share some of my favorite healthy finds from Trader Joe’s! During the time-that-shall-not-be-named, the Pilot did all of our grocery shopping because he was “out in the world” and the girls and I were at home. We also got a lot of grocery delivery from Whole Foods and Thrive Market. It kind of stuck around for years after that, until I realized that I actually love grocery shopping and had missed it. So now, we alternate, since we both like going to the store in person — you find so many more fun things that way!

Trader Joe’s has some amazing things, and here are some of my favorite healthier finds. While I believe that ALL foods should fit into your lifestyle, this is a list of things that have less ingredients and offer more on the nutritional front (with a few of the soul-hugging must-haves in here, too).

Here’s the list!

Healthy Trader Joe’s Shopping List

PRODUCE/COLD:

– Organic fruit: we go for berries, bananas, grapes, apples, and anything seasonal and exciting, like cherries, melon, stone fruits, or rambutan

– Organic veggies: sweet potatoes, zucchini, celery, carrots, bell peppers, squash

– Edamame

– Root vegetable hash

– Cold-pressed green juice

– Mirepoix (makes soups and casseroles SO easy)

– Onions, garlic, and ginger

– Medjool dates

– Organic guacamole

– Salsa! We love their pico and their Salsa Especial

BEANS, SPICES, PANTRY STAPLES:

– ALL organic beans: each week, I get white beans, kidney beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans

– Organic chicken broth

– Organic jasmine rice

– Organic pasta from Italy

– ALL the spices! We love their oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and Everything But the Bagel seasoning

– Canned tuna, sardines, anchovies

– Almond butter

– Organic peanut butter

– Organic raspberry or strawberry preserves

Sharing the books I read in February and if I’d recommend adding them to your list. 

Hi hi! How are you doing? I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We spent a lot of it ripping out baseboards and moving furniture downstairs, but I caught a yoga class at Session and we had a lovely family dinner. Today, I have a couple of calls and am going to sneak away to work since the house is under construction.

For today’s post, I wanted to share the books I read in February! I made it through four books last month, and there was a mix of finance-related fare, in addition to SPICINESS. Here are the details if you’re looking for some new options to add to your TBR (to be read) list.

February Reads

Rich AF

I definitely recommend listening to the audio version of this, especially if you don’t mind a little sass and crass language. Vivian Tu, aka Your Rich BFF, has such a fun way of explaining basic finance priciples (investment types, budgeting, tips for saving) and is extremely motivating and encouraging along the way. It included a lot of necessary nudges to focus more on our investment and saving strategy; it’s one of my goals for the next year, especially as the Pilot transitions back to the airlines. One of my favorite quotes is that you can buy anything, but you don’t need to buy everything. It’s about making your purchases worth your while. 9/10 recommend.

From Amazon:

When Vivian Tu started working on Wall Street fresh from undergrad, all she knew was that she was making more money than she had ever seen in her life. But it wasn’t until she found a mentor of her own on the trading floor that she began to understand what wealthy people knew intuitively—the secrets to beating the proverbial financial game that has, for too long, been male, pale, and stale.

Building on the lessons she learned on Wall Street about money and the markets, Vivian now offers her best personal finance tips and tricks to readers of all ages and demographics, so that anyone can get rich, whether you grew up knowing the rules to the game or not. Vivian will be your mentor, dispensing fresh, no-BS advice o

Cold Buster Green Smoothie (How to Fight a Cold)

This cold buster green smoothie recipe is packed with fresh fruits and vegetables to boost your immune system, hydrate your body and send those winter colds packing!

Green smoothies were all the rage a while ago and still are, but I never really thought they were that big of a deal. And then I realized that with all of those vitamins packed into a smoothie we would actually be giving ourselves the proper nutrition that we are recommended in getting. So, we started keeping a full supply of spinach and fruits and sure enough, not only did we start feeling better but we weren’t getting sick.

I hate winter. I know, lots of people love it and cannot wait to get outside and enjoy all that the snow has to offer, but I hate it. Strong word? I seriously dislike it I guess. I am learning to really enjoy skiing, but I still freeze to death and cannot last very long out there. But the major reason I don’t like winter is because we all get sick and pass it around over and over again all winter long. I freeze all winter which I’m sure keeps me sick.

You don’t have to pass a cold around all winter. Last year we cracked down and learned how to fight a cold and this cold buster green smoothie was a huge help! Keep scrolling to the end to see other products we love to help us survive winter colds.

What Makes a Green Smoothie?

The definition of a “green smoothie” can be quite ambiguous but the basics of a green smoothie are:

Leafy Greens + Liquid + Fruit

Then, of course, you can add other ingredient to add protein and more nutrients. Keep scrolling below to see suggestions for the best types of leafy greens, liquids and fruits. We also want to highlight what makes this recipe specifically a cold buster green smoothie.

Ingredients in a Cold Buster Green Smoothie

This smoothie is unique in that we chose specific items to kick the cold right where it hurts:

• Spinach: adds great fiber, vitamins and nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K as well as iron, folate and potassium
• Orange Juice: isn’t just about the vitamin C it’s also about staying hydrated
• Orange with Peel: really slam dunk the vitamin C and the peel contains 4 times more fiber than the fruit itself, it has anti-inflammatory properties and may even help reduce harmful LDL’s
• Baby Carrots: great for killing germs in the mouth and helping with digestion
• Banana: gives the body natural energy which is something you are lacking when sick, and it helps the smoothie be extra creamy
• Frozen Pineapple: adds flavor and helps thicken the smoothie when it’s frozen
• Apple: adds flavor and natural sweetness
• Ice: helps thicken the smoothie without adding sugar or extra calories
• Optional: add a scoop of protein so our b