4 Things Friday (March 22, 2019)

It’s the first Friday of spring! I hope everyone is enjoying beautiful weather and looking forward to a great weekend! Here’s this week’s recap of Amy’s podcast, “4 Things with Amy Brown.” Go listen to the full episode if you haven’t already, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

1. Amy’s husband talks infertility and adoption. Amy and her husband, Ben, shared their story and how they went to fertility doctors, but opted not to do IVF. They felt like the money would be better spent on adoption, which is what they ultimately did. After a long adoption process, they now have two kiddos from Haiti, who have been with them a little over a year. Ben explained that after many doctor visits, they still don’t know the cause of their infertility, but when one of the best fertility specialists told them he couldn’t explain why, they just knew it was God’s way of telling them they needed to adopt instead. It was such a touching story, and Amy and Ben recommended the book, Adopted for Life, for anyone who might be considering adoption.
2. Keys to happiness. Amy ran through a list of things we can do to be happier in general. We all go through times when we might be a little down, so try some of these tips to make yourself feel happier: give to others; connect with other people; exercise; be appreciative; learn something new; have goals to look forward to; be positive; accept yourself; and be a part of something bigger, like giving back.
3. Benefits of matcha. Amy makes herself a matcha latte almost every morning, and she talked about all the health benefits matcha powder has. It’s an antioxidant powerhouse — even having significantly more than foods like broccoli and blueberries. I ordered myself some matcha a few months ago and have made my own lattes using Amy’s recipe, and they are quite delicious! You can make them hot or cold. Check out Amy’s recipe on the highlight button of her Instagram page here.
4. Do breast implants affect your health? Amy had Bethany Ugarte on again to discuss why she is getting her breast implants removed. Bethany suffered a lot of health issues, including irritable bowel syndrome, and was even in a coma last year. After completely changing what she eats, she has made it her mission to help others live their healthiest life, too. Bethany has done a lot of research and decided to get her breast implants removed because she’s just not comfortable with having something foreign in her body anymore. She even found others who experienced feeling much better after having theirs removed.

Here are the 4 things I’m loving most this week.

• Sunsets. Speaking of the keys to happiness that Amy mentioned, exercise is definitely one that does it for me! I’ve been enjoying going for long walks in the evening. It’s a great way for me to wind down after work and get my steps in. The other night, I happened to be facing west at just the right time and caught the prettiest pink sky. It was so amazing to watch it turn colors (and I took these with my phone — no filter)!

• Vegan dressing. I discovered this dressing in the produce section at Publix, and it’s so good! I got the bleu cheese and have used it to dip veggies and my air fryer buffalo cauliflower in, but it would also be great on salad, and they have several other flavors to cheese from, too. This particular flavor only has one carb and no sugar, and it has all good, clean ingredients.

• Vegan ramen. I’ve been wanting to make this for a while now and finally did the other night. I just love peasandcrayons‘ recipes! This one was simple and really flavorful. I’ll definitely be making it often.

• The perfect pink spring nail color. I just got this color from OPI called Stop It, I’m Blushing, and have been wearing it all week. It’s the perfect light pink and has good coverage with two coats.

Thanks for reading, and let me know if there’s anything you’re loving that I need to check out!