As tasty as it is nutritious, this Mango Banana Spinach Smoothie highlights the tropical sweetness of mango and the creaminess of bananas.

Mango Spinach Smoothie

I was skeptical the first time I tried spinach in a smoothie. All it takes is a wheatgrass shot at Jamba Juice, and you’d be suspicious of blended greens, too. But, spinach is one of the most frequently used ingredients in our smoothies, now.

It might seem like an unlikely partner in this dance of flavors, but when blended it becomes a wonderful, earthy undertone. It adds complexity and depth to the fruit flavors in a mango spinach smoothie.

Mango Banana Spinach Smoothie

I have always struggled to get my kids to eat their leafy greens. And, if I’m honest, I came pretty late to the salad game as an adult. Smoothies became a surefire way to get them to eat an entire serving of greens in one sitting when they were little.

This spinach mango smoothie is a dream for getting ahead in the vegetable game. If you’re struggling to meet your fiber goals or to get enough spinach or kale into your diet, I strongly recommend it.

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Sharing my favorite finds from Trader Joe’s! 

Hellooooo! How are ya? I hope you’re enjoying the day so far. I have a couple of meetings this morning and looking forward to a massage later today. I hope you have a lovely day ahead!

For today’s post, I wanted to share my favorite Trader Joe’s finds! I LOVE learning about new Trader Joe’s products — they have so much good stuff. Since 2020, the Pilot had been doing most of the grocery shopping. Since he was “out in the world” more during that one time that shall not be named, it was something we did for safety. He would get most of our groceries at Trader Joe’s, and we would order everything else for pickup from Whole Foods.

Over time as things changed, the grocery routine remained the same. He would get most of the groceries at TJ’s, I would pick up the extra stuff at Whole Foods or Natural Grocers. While I loved the fact that he took this major chore off my plate, I definitely missed browsing Trader Joe’s and finding new fun things. When I finally went back… I went a little wild lol. The guy at checkout was like, “I’m going to grab you a second cart” lol.

For today’s post, I wanted to share some of my all-time faves. Please try to keep in mind that I tried to only include more *fun* stuff on this list. Yes, Everything but the Bagel seasoning is life-changing, and Trader Joe’s has lovely medjool dates, salad greens, flowers, and candles, but I wanted to include products that are exclusive to Trader Joe’s. Please let me know if you have any favorites, especially for fall!

My 15 favorite Trader Joe’s products

1. The gluten-free brownie mix

I’ve tried so many gf brownies mixes over the years and this one is hands down the best. It’s fudgy, soft, super rich, and let’s just ignore the fact that the #1 ingredient is sugar.

2. “Everything but the Elote” chips

These chips are LIFE and there’s nothing that tastes as good as the first chip. They’re extremely savory, a little spicy, and have the perfect Frito-esque shape and crunch. 10/10

3. Chili and Lime Flavored Rolled Tortilla Chips aka TJ’s Takis

We all agree that these taste even better than Taki’s and have way better ingredients. The flavor is much more bold and lime-y, and no red food dye. Wins all a

Sharing a full review of the HigherDOSE red light neck enhancer and if I think it’s worth adding it to your wellness routine. Check it out here and use FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off. 

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I missed this past week’s Friday Faves post – Friday ended up being wild – but I have to post the winner of the NOW giveaway! Congrats to Katie M.! I’ll be sending Katie an email this morning to get her prize on the way. Stay tuned for more giveaways this fall, including my annual Favorite Things giveaway 🙂

For today’s post, I wanted to chat a bit about something I’ve been using and loving in my routine lately: the HigherDOSE Red Light Neck Enhancer! You guys know I’m obsessed with my HigherDOSE products, including the PEMF Go Mat, Sauna Blanket, and Red Light Face Mask. I was so pumped to add this to my routine, especially since I’ve been a fan of Red Light Therapy for so long. I use this for skincare, but also for injuries (of course, after seeing a doctor if necessary. When Liv hurt her knee, we did red light therapy everyday using this wand.)

Red Light Therapy is a groundbreaking technology transforming skincare and wellness. The HigherDose Red Light Neck Enhancer takes this innovation to a new level by focusing on the often-neglected neck and chest area. I feel like the neck and chest can tend to show more visible aspects of aging, because it’s easy to forget about treating and protecting this area.

Today, I’m excited to talk about Red Light Therapy, share details about this new HigherDOSE device, and chat about how this can potentially enhance your skincare routine.

HigherDOSE Red Light Neck Enhancer Review

What is Red Light Therapy?

Red Light Therapy, or Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT), uses low-intensity red or near-infrared light to penetrate the skin. This non-invasive treatment offers various potential benefits:

Collagen Boost: It can stimulate collagen production, leading to smoother and firmer skin.

Wrinkle Reduction: By increasing collagen, it can reduce fine lines and

This Broccoli Slaw is filled with crunchy ribbons of broccoli and carrots, paper-thin onions, sweet chewy cranberries, and pecans before being tossed in a light, tangy dressing. You’re going to love all of the different textures in this salad!

Broccoli Slaw

Broccoli slaw served as a side dish makes a nice change from some of the underwhelming mayo and cabbage-heavy coleslaws out there.

I’ve found a great many slaw recipes I like (like this Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw that’s loved by even the coleslaw-averse members of my family) but there’s something extra wonderful about a good broccoli slaw. The crisp broccoli and carrots keep their crunch for days, even after being mixed with the dressing. 

Broccoli Slaw Salad

I like my salad recipes abundant with fresh, flavorful ingredients and lots of different textures. Broccoli Slaw is no different! In this version, I added pecans and dried cranberries for a satisfying layer of crunchy fruity nutty goodness.

The finely sliced red onions bring zest, spice, and a gorgeous color to the salad. Be sure to slice the red onion as thinly as possible to get the right texture and balance of flavors in your broccoli slaw.

I can make this recipe again and again and not get tired of it. That’s how I know it’s a real winner.

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Key Lime Bars-Torta De Limão

These key lime bars hail from the beautiful country of Brazil! They are light, tangy and I adore that graham cracker crust.

Known as torta de limão in Portuguese (pronounced tor-ta gee lee-mow, “mow” like “cow”, not “mow” like “mow” the lawn, English is so dumb), these key lime bars are truly delicious. They are like a lime cheesecake or a key lime pie in bar form. I was re-shooting our photos for our blackberry lime bars and thought I should update these photos too. After all, they are the inspo for the blackberry version!

Torta de limão is a favorite that my husband had when living in Brazil from a sweet lady named, Vania. (Thank you for taking such great care of Cade!! You all meant so much to him!) So, here’s Cade and his thoughts on the dessert. Love you B. *I know his name is Cade, and B doesn’t make sense. Don’t worry about it! *

“I lived in Brazil for awhile and toward the end of my stay I was introduced to this amazing, sweet and tart dessert. At first I thought it was just a lemon meringue pie. As I took my first bite I was taken back by the flavor and texture of it all. It was creamy like banana pudding, but had the crisp peaks of the meringue and graham cracker-like crust. The lime flavor combined with the sweetened condensed milk was an immediate party with my taste buds. This is still one of my all time favorite desserts and brings back many great memories.  I think that’s what food does for us a lot. I cannot remember the names of all the people I enjoyed this dessert with but I made sure I came home with the recipe in hand and the name of this awesome treat!”

Recommended Equipment

• Zester (or Microplane)
• Juicer

Before You Begin…

You are going to need about 18-20 key limes (10 regular limes) for this recipe to get enough key lime juice so start by first zesting 5-6 of them and juicing all 18-20 limes. It’s a lot easier to remove the zest before a lime is juiced.

Ingredients for Torta de Limão

Now is this going to sound crazy, but you’re only going to need 9 ingredients for these key lime pie bars – 4 ingredients for the crust and 5 ingredients for the filling. It is that simple and so incredibly delicious! Here is your shopping list…

For the Crust

• Graham Crackers: You will need about 21 full graham crackers to get the amount of crumbs you’ll need.
• Melted Butter: Binds the ingredients together and creates a rich flavor in the crust.
• Sugar: Adds sweetness to the crust.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors in the crust.

For the Bars

• La Lechera Leche Condensada: You’ll find this on the baking aisle by the sweetened condensed milk. It’s a little different than just sweetened condensed milk, so be sure to grab the right thing. It will look similar (and probably be right next to) to the La Lechera Dulce de Leche.