A Journey With Jenna

Happy Friday! What a week! Let’s just say I was ready for Friday on Tuesday. It was one of those days where I had to call a plumber, got stuck in a meeting where people got into an argument, and had a bird explode on my car on the way home. Anyway, 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. Childlike gratitude. Amy’s kids came on and named several things they’re thankful for, like their dog and technology. This was a good reminder that we should practice gratitude more as adults, and be thankful for even the little things.
2. Healthiest wine ever. Amy’s favorite wines are from Dry Farm Wines, the only health-focused wine club in the world. Their wines are sugar-free, low alcohol, all natural and free of additives. To order the wines, you have to get either six or 12 bottles each month or every other month, and you can choose from red, white, or mixed. You’ll receive a variety of different wines each time, sourced from small farms around the world.
3. Enneagram numbers when stressed. Enneagram expert, Hunter Mobley, was back this week to talk about how you can journey to different enneagram numbers during times of stress, but your core number remains the same. When we journey to these other numbers, we often pick up the unhealthy traits, but we can learn to grab the healthy aspects of each number. One thing that helps is to make friends with someone whose core number is your stress number so you can recognize their positive traits and gravitate toward that. For example, I’m a six, and Hunter said that a six will journey to a three during times of stress, and it just so happens that I have friends who are threes!
4. Cleaning your dishwasher. Amy shared a simple way to clean your dishwasher and remove any musty smells it might have. Just place a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher safe cup or bowl in the top rack of your dishwasher, then run it through a cycle. That’s it! The vinegar will do all the work. I actually did this when I first moved into my house. I did it in the microwave, too, and then wiped it down. You can also run vinegar through your washing machine. This makes me want to clean everything with vinegar again!

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

• Homemade salsa. I had to use up the last of my fresh picked tomatoes, so I ended up making some salsa. I squeezed the juice and seeds from about six tomatoes and threw them in my Vitamix with half an onion, some cilantro, garlic, lime juice, a jalapeno, a poblano pepper, and some seasonings. The exact recipe I used is here.

• Nik Wallenda high wire rehearsal. I was able to go see Nik Wallenda and his sister rehearse for their upcoming high wire walk over Times Square on June 23. I saw Nik rehearse a couple years ago before he crossed the Grand Canyon, too. He’s a super nice guy, and it’s always fun to watch him. It just amazes me! I’ll share more pictures next week as a reminder to watch the live special on ABC.

• TLC shows. I’m not a big tv watcher, and typically just have it on for noise, but I’ve recently gotten hooked on a couple TLC shows: 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Smothered, and Kate + Date. 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way follows several Americans who are willing to give up everything they have and move to a foreign country for love. Smothered is about mothers and daughters who could stand to give each other a bit more space, and Kate + Date features Kate Gosselin as she gets back into the dating scene after getting divorced a decade ago and raising eight kids as a single mom.

• Host Defense MyCommunity multi mushroom extract. I don’t know how I haven’t thought to share this sooner. I order this stuff from Amazon all the time! I’ve been using it for about three to four years now and it has worked wonders for me. Prior to using it, I kept feeling like I was getting sick a lot, which isn’t normal for me. I think my immune system had gotten weaker, so I wanted to find something natural to build it up. A former coworker told me about this mushroom extract, and it has really helped me stay healthy. I bought the liquid version, and I just put one serving in some water every night before bed and drink it. The bottle recommends to take it twice daily, but I’ve always just taken it once a day to make it last longer.

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to do something nice for dad for Father’s Day! See you back here next week!

It’s Friday! It was a busy week for me, so I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend, and hoping we get some rain. It’s been really hot and dry lately, and I wouldn’t mind a reason to stay in and get some things done. 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. Science of happiness. Amy talked about an Instagram post that she saw, and explained how just three minutes of negativity (like watching something on the news) can affect your mindset for the next six hours. Similarly, doing something positive first thing in the morning, like sending an email or text to someone to thank them or let them know you’re thinking of them, can lift your mood. Recognizing and writing down what you’re thankful for also plays a big part in your happiness.
2. Enneagram numbers when stressed. Enneagram expert, Hunter Mobley, was back this week to explain how our enneagram numbers can shift during times of stress or security. We often do things we wouldn’t normally do when we’re under stress or feeling secure, and a lot of this has to do with our personality type, or enneagram number.
3. Eat the rainbow. Amy reminded us that when we’re grocery shopping, we should be filling our shopping carts with many different colors of produce. Don’t just reach for the same fruits and veggies each time you shop. Try different things. Maybe you need some purple or red in your cart, in addition to your normal greens, or whatever it may be. Also, remember that many veggies contain protein, like broccoli, edamame, green beans, and spirulina. So, even plant-based diets can get protein in its natural form.
4. Clean out your inbox. Having too many unopened texts or emails can cause you to miss important ones. This is something Amy has struggled with, but she recently started clearing them so she could keep up and respond to the people she needs to. She even recommended a free app called Unroll.me that will filter through emails for you and unsubscribe from whatever you don’t want. Personally, I always try to keep on top of my emails, and I constantly delete the junk throughout the day. I also try to respond to texts as soon as possible so I don’t forget! It just keeps things less stressful for me that way.

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

• Mexican quinoa bowls. Caitlin from Southern Curls & Pearls inspired me to try these, and now I’m hooked! These Mexican quinoa bowls are such a quick, easy, and delicious meal that’s perfect for lunch or dinner. I used the frozen quinoa from Trader Joe’s just to save time, then added organic fire roasted frozen corn from Whole Foods, some black beans, black olives, jalapenos, sliced avocado, my homemade salsa, and some fresh cilantro. You could add any toppings you’d like and any amount you like! I kept mine vegan, but the possibilities are endless. The quinoa makes it really filling, too. You can find Caitlin’s exact recipe here.

• Yasso frozen Greek yogurt bars. I bought these on a whim while I was at the grocery store recently because they’re made from Greek yogurt and are healthier than a lot of other sweet treats. Plus, they had my favorite flavor — butter pecan! I honestly thought these were just as good as regular butter pecan ice cream. They have tons of other flavors, too!

• CMT Music Awards. I’m a sucker for country music awards shows, so I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. I love watching all the performances and hearing some new songs that haven’t been released yet. If you missed the original airing from Wednesday night, CMT typically re-airs it all weekend.

• Bubly sparkling water. I’m typically a plain, still water fan. I don’t need fancy fruits or bubbles in mine, but once in a while if I want something different, I enjoy flavored sparkling waters since they have no sugar, calories or really anything in them! I don’t know how they literally have zero grams of anything, and the only ingredients are water and natural flavor. I’ve tried several brands now and like them all, but when my grocery store had the Bubly ones buy one get one free this week, I had to stock up because they’re that good, and you just can’t beat a deal like that! So far, I’m enjoying all the flavors I’ve tried.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s 4 things! Thanks for reading, and see you back here next Friday. Have a great weekend!

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!

1. #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.
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. 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!

This weekend is the official unofficial start to summer! Or, if you live in a climate like me, summer began around Easter! Either way, I hope you have a great weekend and get to do something fun! 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. Foster care: all kids need love. Eddie from The Bobby Bones Show came on this week to tell his story of taking in two foster kids. He and his wife have two biological sons, ages 5 and 11. Eddie hadn’t really put much thought into being a foster parent until he heard country singer, Jimmy Wayne, speak at his church. Jimmy was a foster kid, and his story really touched Eddie and changed his feelings. When he mentioned it to his wife, she was already on the same page, so they went through their church to find out how to get certified. After months of waiting, they were finally matched with a newborn boy. The next day after taking him home, they got a call asking if they’d also take his 4-year-old brother, which they did. Eddie and his wife have about a 9-month commitment, after which time it will be evaluated if the kids can go back to their biological family. Eddie emphasized that there are so many kids out there who just need love.
2. A practical health journey. Nicole, aka @kalejunkie on Instagram returned this week to talk about things we can do to make our health journey a little easier. She said we should take time for ourselves — whether that means self care or working out, and it’s okay to want to look good, but don’t let that be tied to your self-worth. We should also keep healthy snacks on hand so we don’t make poor choices. And do an inventory of who you follow on social media — evaluate how their content makes you feel, and unfollow anyone who is hindering you from becoming your best self.
3. How to cut back on salt. Amy gave some tips on what we can do to reduce sodium in our diets. Too much sodium causes bloating, high blood pressure, and many other health issues. But salt seems to be in everything! Most adults should get no more than 1,500 mg per day. But just one slice of pizza averages 957 mg! One thing we can do to cut salt intake is to eat at home, rather than eating out. That way you can control the amount of sodium that goes into your food a little better. When cooking, you can also substitute salt for other spices and herbs — even lemon juice and wine. Another trick is to combine cinnamon with low sodium broth when cooking grains like quinoa. It actually ends up giving your food a nice savory flavor.
4. Stop comparing and start loving your body. Counselor and life coach, Kim Anderson, was back to give us some advice on accepting and loving ourselves. There are certain things, like our height, that we just can’t change, so we might as well learn to love it. Choose to have positive thoughts about yourself, like “I feel great.” These strong, healthy feelings will perpetuate. And for those times when you’re not feeling so great, just remember that feeling a certain way or thinking a certain thing about ourselves doesn’t mean it’s true.

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

• Honey balsamic mushrooms. I finally tried this mushroom recipe from Kathleen at Grey Stripes and Denim, and they were delicious! If you like your garlic a little more tender like I do, just leave it out of the sauce and saute it in the olive oil before you add your mushrooms. Then, after they cook a little, just add the honey and balsamic mixture. I will definitely be making these again!

• Broccoli crescent wrap. Another yummy recipe I tried this week was the broccoli crescent wrap from Trial and Easter. It was a big hit! I did use fresh broccoli, and I sauteed a clove of garlic in some butter first, then added my broccoli and bell pepper so the veggies were softened a bit before I mixed them up with the cheeses. I already have another idea up my sleeve for something else I want to try with this crescent wrap concept! Stay tuned.

• Then She Was Gone. I’m normally not much of a fiction reader, but I’ve been hearing great things about a few books lately, so I’ve picked up a couple from my library, and so far I haven’t been disappointed! The first one I read was Then She Was Gone. The story takes place in London, and is about a young girl who goes missing. I don’t want to give anything away, but it takes twists and turns throughout, and it keeps you interested to know what happens. It’s different from anything you could ever imagine!

• Dead to Me. If you’re looking for a new Netflix show to check out, try this one! It stars Christina Applegate. She plays a woman whose husband was hit and killed by a car, and ironically, she unknowingly ends up taking in the woman who hit her husband. It has comedic aspects and is just a fun watch!

Enjoy the weekend! See you back here next week, and thanks for reading!

Happy Friday! It’s looking like there will be some cooking and cleaning in my future this weekend. It’s been a really busy week, so I need to catch up on things at home. 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. Progress instead of perfection. Life coach and therapist, Kim Anderson, was back this week to talk about perfectionism, and I was especially interested to hear this topic, because I can be a perfectionist in some areas of life. Kim said toxic perfectionism (when it affects everything you do) gets in the way of our confidence and leads to anxiety. It’s important to reset your mindset, and remember that failure is part of life — we’re not supposed to be perfect — progress is more important. She said one thing that trips up a lot of people is people pleasing and worrying about what others think, so we have to give up both of those.
2. Motivational quotes. Amy read a couple of quotes she recently saw on Instagram and liked, and one was, “Either run the day, or the day runs you.” She thought this was a good reminder that we need to take charge and make a plan of action every day in order to get things done.
3. Enneagram wings. Enneagram expert, Hunter Mobley, was back to discuss the enneagram wings, the numbers on either side of your enneagram number. For example, I’m a 6, so my wings would be 5 and 7. The wings merely inform you why your behavior may look a little like those numbers at times. Hunter said that for the first half of your life, you have characteristics of one of those wings, and then for the second half of your life, you tend to have characteristics of the other wing. I think it just goes to show that we’re always evolving and changing.
4. Benefits of hot showers. Amy recently talked about the benefits of cold showers, and today she went through the benefits of hot ones since that’s probably what most of us normally take. The hot water is relaxing and can help you sleep. Because it relaxes muscles, it can relieve menstrual cramps. Hot showers also help with migraines by aiding in expansion of blood vessels, ensuring proper blood flow. So, whether you take a hot or cold shower, there are benefits. Plus, you’re getting clean!

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

• Peach and tomato caprese salad. If you’ve been following along, you know I recently went to pick peaches (sadly, I’m all out now and the season is over). I mostly just ate the peaches plain, but I saw a recipe on Instagram that inspired me to try something new. I make regular caprese salad all the time, but had never thought to add peaches. At first, I wasn’t sure how the combination of peaches and tomatoes would be, but it was amazing! I just halved some grape tomatoes, chopped my peaches and some fresh basil, then added a little salt, pepper, some olive oil, and balsamic glaze.

• U-pick fruit and veggies. Last weekend, I went to a couple different u-pick farms and picked black eyed peas, corn, and blueberries. This is one of my favorite things to do, and the produce tastes so much better than what you can buy in the store.

• Method ginger mango laundry detergent. I’ve been loving this laundry detergent, and even bought the fabric softener and dryer sheets, too. It smells amazing and works really well, while being a “clean” product. Anything I can use that’s safer and without chemicals is worth trying in my opinion, and this stuff doesn’t disappoint. I picked mine up at Target, but I’ve also been seeing it at the grocery store.

• Wawa Reserve Guatemela coffee. I don’t frequent Wawa, but my coworker keeps up with them and thought I would like this new limited edition coffee they introduced on Monday. It’s a medium roast with hints of dark chocolate and honey, so I was definitely interested in trying it! She offered to stop and pick up a cup for me, and we both tried it and loved it! It’s really smooth and delicious. If you have a Wawa nearby, give it a try before it’s gone!

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your weekend, and see you back here next week!