It’s hard to believe it’s already the last day of May! I hope everyone has fun plans for the summer, whether it’s getting outdoors, taking trips, or just spending time with friends and family. 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!
- #PIMPINJOY for a hero. I typically prepare my 4 things for the week before Amy’s podcast comes out, and it just so happens that one of my favorites is also covered on the podcast this week. I won’t go into too much detail since I talk about it again later, but Amy interviewed Scotty West, the veteran who will get a new house thanks to the proceeds from the #PIMPINJOY line at The Shop Forward.
- Spotted bananas. Did you know that ripened fruit is actually better for you? It’s also juicier and tastes sweeter. Unripened fruit can be acid forming. When picking out bananas, you can tell if they’ve been chemically ripened by looking at the stalk. If it’s green, but the banana has spots, it’s been ripened with chemicals. But if the stalk is black and the banana has spots, it ripened naturally, which is what you want!
- Underarm detoxing. With many people making the choice to switch to natural deodorant, there’s often a detox period that your body has to go through before the new deodorant will work effectively. In order to properly detox, you can mix bentonite clay with water or raw apple cider vinegar (use a 1:1 ratio), then spread it on your underarms and leave it for 15 minutes before rinsing off. Do this once or twice a week for a month. You can also spread this mixture on your face for a mask. But just be sure to use a wooden spoon or your fingers — not a metal spoon (and don’t mix it in a metal bowl), as it will deactivate the detoxifying properties.
- Finding your purpose. Therapist and life coach, Kim Anderson, was back this week to give us some tips on finding our purpose in life. She said we should ask ourselves the following questions: “If you had all the resources you needed and you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?” “What do you love to do and don’t get paid for?” The answers to these questions will give you direction, which is crucial. It helps move you toward the things that really matter to you. It’s also beneficial to identify your top five strengths, which you can find by reading the book, StrengthsFinder 2.0.
Here are the 4 things I’m loving most this week.
- Avocado corn salad. I’ve been eating all my freshly picked veggies for the past couple weeks, and I wanted to try something new with the corn. I decided to make this avocado corn salad from Eating Bird Food. It was really delicious and so easy to make!
- Fresh picked tomatoes. Last weekend was the end of the picking season in my area. I was able to get a bushel of tomatoes, and have been eating them so many different ways! Just slicing them and putting a little salt an pepper on them is always a favorite, but I also made a tomato pie, fried green tomatoes, caprese salad, and tomato sandwiches. I even made a pimento cheese “BLT” by subbing the bacon for tempeh to make it vegetarian. It was so yummy!
- Biore pore strips. I love using these strips from time to time to do a deep cleaning of my pores. You just wet your skin after cleansing it, then apply the strips and leave them on for 10-15 minutes before peeling off. They tighten and get hard, and I love that feeling of my skin being really tight! There are two different types of strips in the box so you can apply one to your nose and the other can be used anywhere else on your face, like the forehead or chin area.
- #PIMPINJOY patriotic line. At 11:00 a.m. EST today, The Shop Forward will begin selling their patriotic #PIMPINJOY apparel, which will help build a house for Army Specialist, Scotty West, through the Building Homes for Heroes organization. Scotty lost both his legs while serving, and a new home will benefit his family so much! 100% of the sales of any #PIMPINJOY apparel will go to this cause. I’ve shared my love of this shop in the past, and you can see the cute sweatshirt I have in this blog post. If you see something you want, order as soon as you can because items usually sell out quickly!
I hope everyone has a great weekend! See you back here next week, and enjoy this last day of May!
