*This is a modified transcript of an episode from my podcast, The Nourished & Thriving show. This episode is titled “Things I’m Loving Now” (published June 2024), which you can find on your favorite listening platform here.

*This is not medical advice.

Today I’m going to share five things that I’m loving right now as a dietitian and mom. Some of them have been things I’ve actually been loving for a lot longer than right now. Some things are newer. Some things are things I’ve loved in the past, put away for awhile, and then rekindled my love for them in this season of life.

So let’s, let’s dive in…

1. Kale Junkie’s Gut Healthy Glow Up Tonic

This is one of those things I loved a couple of years ago, and I just got out of the habit of it. I recently was thinking about Kale Junkie’s recipes and how amazing this one sounded. And I was like, I’m going to go make one of these drinks. If you don’t follow her on Instagram, go check her out. If you’re more of a blog reader, you can find recipes on her website here. She has some really great, clean recipes, and I think she has a cookbook. The interesting thing is… She’s actually a lawyer!

The recipe I’m hooked on right now that I love is this golden, sunshine-yellow glow tonic. This is something that she does year round, but I really love it in the summer. To make it, I put ice in a Mason jar, fill it up with plain, unsweetened coconut water, and add in some ginger to taste, the juice of one lemon, turmeric, sea salt, black pepper, and a little bit of honey. She says you can use maple syrup as an alternative sweetener. It’s so refreshing you guys! It’s salty and sweet and complex and earthy. All in one.

Get the Kale Junkie’s “Gut Healthy Glow Up Morning Tonic” Recipe here to try it for yourself!

 

2. My Lashify Eyelashes (that last a whole week!)

This is a product I’ve been using for almost two years now, but just this past week, two different people commented on my eyelashes and asked me where I got them done, what mascara I was using, what I was using on them, etc. I do my eyelashes myself using the product, Lashify. They’re the OG and their creator is amazing! They’re always coming out with fabulous new products and sizes and all of that.

These lashes go on underneath your eyelashes. You wipe on this glue with a wand, use cute little tweezers, and just stick them on and clamp your eyes shut. Let them dry, and then you can wear them for a whole week! I swim in mine. I workout in them. I sleep in them.  They last well for me.

Having three young kids, a full client load, a husband, a house, a really old dog, and volunteering, I just didn’t feel like I had the capacity to fully get ready every morning. So I thought, “If I just had my lashes on, it will save me that much time in the morning.” And at night when I’m tired and don’t feel like taking off my mascara, I don’t have to. It also eliminates the constant raccoon eyes from smudged mascara.

As a bonus, Lashify has a really active Facebook page and Facebook community with tutorials. They’ll give you help and pointers as you’re figuring it out, because there is a little bit of a learning curve involved. Now that I’ve been doing it for so long, it takes me 10 minutes to get them all on, and then they last for a week, which is so worth it.

Another pro tip is to reuse them. Normally I have two sets in rotation. I’m wearing one, while the other is sitting in an old prescription bottle filled with alcohol. The alcohol sanitizes and sterilizes them and also gets the glue off. And then I do “lash laundry,” where I use a paper towel to dry and scrub the glue off of the edge. I lay them out on my “lash map” how I want them and put the glue on and all of that. Then I’m good to go to reuse them. I have to reorder them every four months or so, which is so cost-effective.

Lashify has a bunch of different sizes and shapes and lengths. I normally wear one of the shorter lengths. I’m like a 10 millimeter, which is definitely on the short side, but I don’t have a lot of real estate between my brows and my eyes, so anything longer looks ridiculous. And normally I like a Fluffy Gossamer, which is part of their collections. They just came out with a Fluffy Lite, which I’ve really been enjoying as well.

Use this link to get 20% off your starter kit! It a little plastic case with a mirror in it. It comes with your special little tweezers and their most popular starter glues, plus lashes to try based on your eye shape and style preference. If you end up trying it and loving it, sign up for their membership because it’s worth its weight in gold—You end up saving so much money whenever you place orders. Lastly, be weary of imitators—The quality is not going to be nearly as good!

 

3. The Cookbook, Skinnytaste One & Done

Number three is food-related. Summer has been great so far, but it’s been busy! So I dusted off this cookbook, Skinnytaste One & Done by Gina Homolka and Heather K. Jones (who happens to be a registered dietitian!) It’s 140 no fuss dinners for your Instant Pot®, slow cooker, air fryer, sheet pan, skillet, Dutch oven, and more.

This week I’ve been diving into this book, which I don’t normally equate slow cooker with summer, but this cookbook is really great. I made two different recipes this week, which gave me pretty complete meals just from my slow cooker:

• The first one was sweet potatoes and shredded Buffalo chicken. This was something I haven’t done before. You put your chicken in Buffalo sauce and garlic powder. Then you wrap your sweet potatoes in foil, and sit them in that slow cooker right next to the chicken. I added a side salad… Boom! Perfect meal. It was even something my husband could do while I was at my kid’s dance recital rehearsal (and he just learned how to make grilled cheese this year–Bless him!)
• Then I made the cookbook’s “Complete Barbecue Chicken Dinner”. You put chicken thighs in the slow cooker, use your favorite barbecue seasoning and barbecue sauce on top, and cook it for four hours. Then for the last two hours, you add corn in the husk on top of the chicken. Mind blown! All we had to do was add a side of healthy coleslaw.

Note: If using pre-packaged barbecue sauce, check the ingredients label like I’ve taught you, because they can be loaded with sugar. Be extra careful if they say “no sugar added” or “sugar-free” on the front label. Spin that bottle around… A lot of them are adding sucralose, which can be harmful to your gut microbiome. It’s easy to whip up a quick homemade sauce, or if you’re in a time crunch, Primal Kitchen is a really good, reliable brand that most chain grocery stores should have.

If you’re looking to add to your cookbook arsenal, I like this one a lot. Order Skinnytaste One & Done on Amazon!

 

4. Flavcity Vanilla Protein Powder

This is a new protein powder for me, and while I normally shop around with protein powders, I just ordered my second bag. I really liked it. It is the Flavcity protein. Now if you can’t tolerate dairy or milk, I would not recommend this one for you. It has whey protein in it and milk powder. And if you’re not interested in a sweetened protein powder, this might not be it, since it does have a sweeter taste.

It includes 100% grass-fed whey and 100% grass-fed collagen. It uses banana powder to thicken it up a little bit. You guys! This protein powder has the most milkshake-like texture I’ve had in a protein powder… Ever! It’s thick and fluffy and nice. It even has cordyceps and reishi mushrooms, which is such a nice touch, and there’s so many health benefits to these mushrooms. It’s sweetened with both Stevia and Monkfruit. Plus, this company has a lot of different flavors, like Vanilla Cream, Brownie Batter, Butter Coffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and a berry flavor for kids.

I just do vanilla because then I can make it my own. I add frozen strawberries, chia, seeds, water, and the protein powder blended together. My kids legit thought it was a strawberry milkshake. I’ve also blended a Four Sigmatic instant coffee packet with the protein powder, water and maybe a dash of milk to make a Frappuccino. Or you can do a cold brew coffee with the vanilla. I love how versatile it is. I love the flavor and the texture. It’s definitely something I’m loving right now.

Try the Flavcity protein powder and see if you love it, too!

 

5. Dazzle Dry

Bringing it home at number five—this is something I’ve been using for a long time! Again, it was born out of a desire to have something fast that lasts and is clean. It’s for your nails! It’s Dazzle Dry. If you have not been on the Dazzle Dry wagon, you need to jump on. I love this product. It’s something I consistently use.

Dazzle Dry is a little system. You do their prep coat to remove oil from your nails. Then a base coat. (I also add in the “Transform” step, which is an add-on to their original system, but it makes my nails stronger and makes it last even longer.) Then you do two coats of color and the the top coat. It goes on beautifully. It’s easy to paint. It’s completely dry in 10 minutes or less. You could do this and wash dishes or change sheets or clean a diaper or type on your keyboard or whatever you do. It lasts a full week with no chipping. It comes off with regular nail polish remover. You do not have to soak it off. You don’t have to file your nails and there’s no damage. They have a nail polish remover that’s really lovely too. It has a lemon grass scent and oil in it, which really helps nourish your cuticles.

The bonus is that my nails are actually stronger from wearing it even without the polish on. My nails are stronger than they would be otherwise. I love this product. They have a ton of different colors online. Kind of like Lashify, they have a little starter set you can get, where you pick your own color, and it’ll come with the prep, the base, your color and a top coat. I would recommend adding in that Transform step. I’m just not the kind of person that’s ever going to consistently go get my nails done somewhere. I’m not going to spend the time or money to go do that, but I do like having my nails done. Dazzle Dry is the perfect thing.

Order the 5-step system and let me know if you think it’s the best at-home nail solution, like me!

As always, I hope you are feeling inspired and empowered to take bold action towards your health goals.