Friday Favorites #20

Good morning everyone! I hope you've all had a great week, and are ready to talk about some Friday Favorites!

1. Kindle books from the library

I've always known that it was possible to download library books on to my Kindle but I never really did it on a regular basis. I first got my Kindle three summers ago for traveling purposes. I'm definitely the type of person that likes to hold an actual book while reading but it was always too much of a hassle to lug along multiple books on trips. So, I asked for a Kindle for my birthday. It's nothing fancy, just the bare basics one because I literally only need it for reading. I like to keep all my electronics separately based on their purpose. Why would I need apps on my Kindle when I have my iPhone for that? Am I the only one that thinks that way? Anyway, it's so easy to use and my favorite part is how the books automatically disappear after the allotted borrowing time. No more worrying about late fees! Well, actually my first favorite part is that I can check them out from my computer. My second favorite part is that I don't have to worry about forgetting to return them! Most of the books that are on my to-read list are available in Kindle format so I just check it out and then download it through Amazon. It goes straight to my Kindle, so easy!

2. Applegate Naturals Smoked Turkey Breast

I have never been a fan of lunch meat. The slimy texture has always grossed me out! I'm very picky about it and usually only like Boar's Head lunch meat since it tastes like actual meat and not slimy at all. The only downside to Boar's Head is that it's ridiculously expensive, and I'm way too cheap to justify spending money on it ha! Well, my friend at work also is a big Trader Joe's fan and we like to exchange ideas of things we find there. She suggested trying out this turkey! She knows about my thing with lunch meat haha but insisted that it tasted great and wasn't like the usual gross lunch meat. I admit I was skeptical but she hasn't lead me wrong before so I took her up on her suggestion. Turns out, I'm a fan! I also like how it's all-natural without any of the funky antibiotics and who knows what else kind of chemicals that they put in lunch meat. I've been making turkey sandwiches for lunch this past week with a new spicy mustard that I found at Trader Joe's too, and it's a nice change up! For some reason I can easily get bored with my lunches unlike breakfast or dinner. I could probably eat the same thing for breakfast and dinner (most likely pancakes haha!) every day, and not get bored. Lunch is a different story! I know, it doesn't make sense to me either. 

3. Healthy Banana Bread Bites

My coworker brought in these little banana bread bites as a treat a couple weeks ago! They were delicious and I of course asked her for the recipe. I love that her and I share a passion for health and fitness, which helps a lot having a friend like that around in the office. Not everyone else in our office gets the health thing or what we love about it so much, so it's great having a support buddy! We're usually swapping recipes or workout ideas, and in fact after hearing my own testimony she signed up with my coach Katie a few months ago.

4. "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift

Usually I'm not a fan of T-Swift's new music, I much prefer her old-school country stuff from years ago. BUT my coworker showed me her Bad Blood music video, and I have to say I really dig it. This has definitely become a guilty pleasure song because it's typically not the type of music I listen to at all. It's funny because neither my friend or I like Taylor Swift or rap but for some reason the combination of her and Kendrick Lamar in the song just works. I added it to my running and lifting playlist because the beat definitely gets you going!

5. My cousin Ben

I wanted to give this guy a special shout-out this week since he's been such an amazing help! Amanda is currently staying at our Bible study leader's house since both her and her husband are out of town. Awhile back Amanda offered to stay with the kids to keep an eye on them. Well, Ben has been great since I work full-time so he's been stopping by the house to check on my mom and let Layla out. Technically both of them are able to stay alone all day without any problems but it's just a relief to know that someone is checking on my mom in the afternoon. Layla's able to hold it all day but I feel bad that I'm gone from 7:30-5 since that's a long time for her. She's usually not used to that because Amanda is often home during the day so she normally goes out every 4-5 hours. Ben has even been sweet enough to take her for walks even without anyone asking! I felt bad because I didn't want Layla to be a hassle but Ben is just very thoughtful in that way, and I appreciate his help so much this past week. I've said it a million times before but I feel so blessed to have my family right in town, and to be able to be close to all of them!


6. Quote of the Week

"And if I asked you to name all the things you love, how long would it take for you to name yourself?"

I was simply scrolling through Instagram minding my own business when I stumbled across this quote, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I've definitely made huge progress in terms of accepting my body and learning to love my body, but I asked myself if it would it have made the list? Just for an experiment I started listing things to myself and this is pretty much what started out: Jesus, my family & friends, Layla, running, lifting, living a healthy lifestyle, the outdoors, blogging, my #Katiesfitscript team, cheesy puns, music, sleeping, basically all the food, etc. I don't know how far down the list I would have been, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who wouldn't have named themselves. I'm comfortable with who I am as a person, but body image still and always has been a struggle for me. Things that I can do with my body (i.e. running and lifting) made the list but not myself alone. Learning to love my body at every stage is still something I work on because I do still have health and fitness goals. There are muscles that I want to continue to grow and develop which again is NOT a bad thing! It's just that I need to make sure I don't get ahead of myself and enjoy the process and journey. I think it's something that we, as a society, need to work on because I believe it's important to love yourself in a healthy and balanced way.

What are some of your favorites from this week?