LOVING LATELY

I have been thinking for a while that it would be fun to pass along my current obsessions every so often so this will be the kick-off of my Loving Lately lists. I explained this to Peter and he said, "like Oprah's Favorite Things?" And I said yes, but I currently can't give you all a free car yet. Bummer. Hopefully some helpful product recommendations will suffice!

Favorite #1 : Hilary's Veggie Burgers

Ok. So I've been in love with these since the fall, but they are SO good that I have to share. You can find them at Whole Foods or probably any health food store in the frozen section. They are made from whole grains (like, actual whole grains. Not the ones Cheerios claims they use...), vegetables, spices, and coconut oil. That's pretty much it! Simple, delicious, good for you, and a few great flavors to choose from. They are my go-to lunch. I heat one in the oven, throw it on a toasted brown rice wrap with avocado, arugula, dijon, and balsamic glaze. Easy and so good.

Favorite #2 : Hope Hummus

This is the best hummus I've ever had. Great consistency, and a LOT of flavor, including a little kick from some jalapeño. It is delicious. Try it.

Favorite # 3 : Almond Butter Sundae

My beloved sister-in-law first told me about heating almond butter to use as a healthy fudge for ice cream, but of course I had to take it a step further and add honey to it, and now love to top it with my favorite coconut ice cream, so... add 1 tbsp almond butter and 1/2-1 tbsp honey in a small bowl, mix, and microwave for 30 seconds. Then top with Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss, Vanilla Island flavor, which you can find any any Whole Foods or health store, and even some Kroger grocery stores. It is SO good. You can thank me later.

Favorite #4 : My Flo

I have been nerding out over this app. Instead of just tracking your period, it tells you what phase of your cycle that you're in, and gives you recommendations based on the phase. That includes nutrition, physical activity, what kind of work you'll be most efficient with, and self-care. Also, you can sign your partner up for emails so that they know what's going on with you, a.k.a. when to not mess with you. You KNOW Peter Woodward is signed up for the partner emails! It is so cool. Well worth the $2.

Favorite #5 : J.R. Liggett's Shampoo Bar

Heard of the 'No Poo Method'? I've been fascinated for a long time but never could convince myself to give it a try. If you haven't heard of it, it operates on the fact that traditional shampoos strip your hair of its natural oils and that because of this, our scalps overproduce oil to compensate. The method says that if you stop using these harsh shampoos (and use baking soda and apple cider vinegar instead), eventually your scalp will sort of recalibrate and start only producing what it needs to nourish your scalp and hair without overdoing it. That is the gist of it. If you search the reviews online and on YouTube, the results are pretty incredible. However, having gross, oily hair for 4 months until your scalp catches up? No thanks. I may be a hippie but I have to draw a line somewhere... I've been using healthier hair products for a while in efforts to avoid the nasty chemicals that live in most traditional hair care products, but even the so-called 'healthy' products can have harsh ingredients for your hair. Enter J.R. Liggett's. I decided to give this a go, after being impressed with the ingredients, which are: olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, and rose oil. Yeah, that's it! The crazy thing about washing your hair with a bar made completely of oil: it leaves your hair SO squeaky clean. No heaviness. It leaves my hair super light but nourished, and I don't use a conditioner afterwards. I'm obsessed. It has now become my body soap too because I love the simple, nourishing ingredients, how it lathers, and how it makes my skin feel. Talk about simplifying your shower products! I'm down to just this bar. I also have added an apple cider vinegar rinse once a week to make my hair really soft, and I love that too, but will write about it another time along with my full haircare routine thoughts. Grab yourself a bar on amazon to check out and let me know what you think! So far my favorite is the Coconut + Argan Oil, but love the others too: Original Formula, Moisturizing Formula, Hemp + Tea Tree, and Jojoba + Peppermint. Ok, that is it! Try some out and let me know what you think and what your current favorites are!