Friday Five #22

How’s it hanging? You ready for the weekend? I know I am! I don’t want to get too much into it, but basically work sucks and I’m over it (and currently job hunting 😬) and that kinda put a damper on the whole week. I’m working on a couple of posts that sum up my work woes that I may publish soon.

I think we’re all at our max stress level at this point, and unfortunately my job isn’t making things easier, though the higher-ups claim they want us all to “give each other grace”. Um, ok, so why aren’t you extending us the same grace?!

I’m just sick of ending up in toxic work environments and I know the reason mine just became unbearable and it has nothing to do with the pandemic.

Anyways, enough negative vibes. Let’s get into the good stuff of the week!

1) Sushirrito from Pokitrition

Are you a sushi lover? I am! That may seem weird since I’m vegan, but there are a lot of vegan-friendly veggie sushi rolls out there.

I rarely eat sushi though because my fam isn’t a fan (my sister is though, I think) but when I saw someone in the local vegan group I follow on Facebook post about their “sushirrito”, I was intrigued.

I drove over to Pokitrition in Chandler last Sunday to pick it up. It was very convenient since I placed the order online and then just picked it up at the counter, with very minimal contact (and everyone was wearing masks). It was also conveniently located near Whole Foods, where I happened to be grocery shopping that day.

I saved the sushirrito for Monday since we were doing our weekly “wine and cheese” night on Sunday, and I couldn’t wait to dive in! I ordered mine with tofu, green onion, cilantro and carrots and it was amazing! The sauces on the side were swoon-worthy 😍 I don’t typically like burritos, but this one I can support!

Pokitrition is local to the PHX area (with locations in Chandler, Phoenix and Scottsdale) but I’m sure there are other sushi/poke places nationwide that offer sushirritos! And if you are local, go check them out! They have fish options too (obviously) if you’re not vegan. Next time, I’d give their poke bowls a try!

2) Doggie Playtime

When my sister first moved in at the beginning of July, her dog and mine didn’t get along. They would growl at each other and we had to put up gates around the house to keep them separated. It wasn’t ideal and we were considering hiring a trainer to work with them.

Fortunately, we didn’t need to do that because one day, they just started getting along. We tried letting them play outside with each other and they had a blast! Since then, they’ve played together at least once a day and can now be in the same room together (supervised, of course).

It’s just so cute watching them play together because I really never thought it would happen. Honey (my dog) typically only likes playing with bigger dogs and my sister’s dog Mika is less than half of Honey’s size. But they really have fun together!

Honey and Mika wrestling!

3) Bath & Body Works Sugared Cherry Crisp Body Cream

The calendar says August and the weather here is most definitely still summer (still above 110 most days!) but stores have already begun stocking fall items.

While I’m so not ready for sweaters or Halloween decor, I can get behind autumn scents. Bath & Body Works always has some great seasonal body care products and I love trying new scents each year. I recently ordered some lotions and body washes in a couple favorite fall scents and decided to try out the new Sugared Cherry Crisp scent, too.

Cherry may not be a very fall-like scent but this body cream reminds me of pie, which is very fall-like in my mind. And it’s nice and fruity, which I enjoy.

The packaging is cute too! 🍒

4) SmartSweets Sourmelon Bites

I’ve shared my love for SmartSweets candy here before but it really is the best! It’s so hard to find vegan gummy candy and not only are most SmartSweets flavors plant-based, they’re also very low in sugar, like 3 grams for a serving.

The Sour Blast Buddies are my personal fav so when they recently released the Sourmelon Bites I was pretty sure they’d be a contender for favorite flavor. And they definitely rival the Sour Blast Buddies! They’re tart and sweet and perfectly chewy.

Pretty (& yummy) in pink 🍉

I hope their next candy creation is a plant-based take on gummy cola bottles because I really miss those!

5) Glass Animals’ New Album

ICYMI, Glass Animals just released their new album last Friday. I’ve listened to most of the songs and it’s hard to pick a favorite because they’re all so good in their own way. But I’m really loving the song “Tangerine” and it’s very catchy. Give it a listen, and then go check out the rest of the album!

What’s your favorite candy? Favorite fall scent? Anything pumpkin & woodsy is a winner for me!

What I Got In My Thrive Market Box: April 2020

I’m a big fan of Thrive Market. I’ve shared about this unique online grocery store before, but basically it’s better than Amazon as far as prices, company mission, product selection and employee treatment.

I still order from Amazon occasionally for things I can’t buy from other online retailers, but I prefer to support Thrive Market when I can. I don’t order from them every month, but at least once every other month or so, and going forward I’d like to try to place an order monthly and limit my grocery shopping trips to buying perishable food like fruits and veggies, and buying more snack-y items from Thrive Market.

Right now, unfortunately, is not a good time to order frequently from Thrive Market, as they’ve temporarily paused orders due to overwhelming demand. It’s understandable but still disappointing. The coronavirus is changing all our shopping habits and putting a lot of strain on online marketplaces. I’m hopeful Thrive Market will open back up again soon.

Fortunately, I placed my most recent order shortly before they decided to close, and just got my box at the end of last week. I will say it took longer to ship than normal, which makes sense, but from the time it actually shipped to when it delivered was pretty quick, like 2 days. Keep in mind that Thrive Market is West Coast-based, so since I live in AZ my orders are delivered more quickly than they would be if you live in the Midwest or East Coast.

I will also note that there were some items I had in my cart that were out of stock by the time I ordered, which was a bummer but again, understandable. It’s a good idea to order ASAP to make sure the things you want are still in stock.

Ok, let’s get to sharing what I got in my box this time around! I actually ordered quite a few new-to-me items that I’m excited to try out, as well as a couple “staples”.

Winged Relaxation CBD Gummies

I’ve tried CBD once before (actually a free sample from Thrive Market) but I’ve been curious about using it for stress reduction. Let’s be honest, we could all use that during these uncertain times.

I have a thing for gummy supplements (as long as they’re vegan, obvs) so I had to try some CBD gummies. I like Winged because their CBD is 3rd party lab tested full spectrum hemp extract (organically grown, too). These gummies are also formulated with evening primrose oil, which may support balanced hormone levels, as well as chamomile, lemon balm and L-Theanine for a stress support complex.

I also love that Winged is geared toward women — I’m always down to support female-founded brands!

I’ve taken these for a few days now and I do notice I feel a bit more calm after eating one of the gummies, but I plan to focus on using them when I’m having a really stressful day to see how they help me cope.

Thrive Market Organic Seaweed Snacks

Seaweed snacks are a staple in my diet. I always have at least a few packets of them in the pantry!

I typically go for the teriyaki or spicy flavors because those are the most interesting options I can find at Sprouts (where I usually buy them from), so I was intrigued by the Korean Kalbi flavor offered by Thrive Market’s flagship brand.

Skout Organic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I typically buy my nuts from Trader Joe’s because they’re inexpensive but I haven’t been shopping there weekly lately, and I like to have nuts/seeds daily.

I’ve had my eye out for the newish chili and garlic cashews from TJs but haven’t been able to track them down yet. Then I remembered I ordered the Mountain Ranch pumpkin seeds from Skout and my disappointment faded. I love savory flavored nuts and seeds and I’m obsessed with the plain (salted) pumpkin seeds in the shell from TJs so I couldn’t wait to try these (vegan) ranch flavored pumpkin seeds.

These seeds are unshelled and they have a great flavor — definitely a tangy ranch vibe!

Prima The Trifecta CBD Botanical Elixir Sampler Pack

More CBD! This time, in drink mix form. I drink lots of water daily, and usually like to add something to at least one of my servings of water to spice it up. Typically, it’s a greens powder or one of the beauty powders from Pacifica but I love the idea of adding CBD to water to sip my way to better balance, focus and sleep.

This little sampler pack comes with 6 single dose packets, with 2 of each of the 3 elixirs. Besides 10 mg of hemp cannibinoids from whole plant extract, the packets also contain superfood type ingredients like ashwagandha, lion’s mane, valerian and hops.

SmartSweets Peach Rings

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite of the SmartSweets candies, but I do really love the peach rings. They’re so soft and chewy and tangy 🍑

I buy these from Thrive Market because they’re the one flavor I can’t buy at either Sprouts or Target. I can only find them at Whole Foods and I shop there once a month at most.

Cocomels Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk Caramels

This may seem weird to order in spring, but Thrive Market sold out of the chocolate-covered Cocomels and I remember liking these little pumpkin spice caramels when I ordered them last fall, so I got another 2 small bags (these, like many other candy items on Thrive Market, must be ordered in quantities of at least 2).

I’m considering adding these to cookies, if I decide to bake sometime during this quarantine. I haven’t baked anything in years because I always make so many substitutions and never end up loving the end product, plus it’s overwhelming for my eating disorder to have a bunch of home-baked treats around (it’s hard for me to justify eating them, but then I feel bad if I throw them away). But I have a mix of vegan, GF cookies from TJs that I’d like to use up, so these may make their way into those!

What new food have you bought lately? What’s your favorite nut/seed — mine right now is pumpkin seeds, but I also love cashews and pecans!

Friday Five #6

Hey hey it’s Friday! And it’s an extra good Friday for me because I have off from work for Good Friday. It’s kind of weird having the day off from work when you’re working from home because it doesn’t feel that different from a workday but it’ll be nice to get my run in earlier in the day (I plan on running at my favorite trail, which I haven’t been to in two weeks) and have more time to relax.

As always, I’m sharing five of my favorite things from this week!

1) SmartSweets Sweet Chews

I have been a SmartSweets fan since I first discovered their candy about a year ago. They make low sugar treats for people who are trying to #KickSugar and they actually taste good and aren’t made with weird ingredients. Most of their product line is plant-based, which means I can enjoy candy again without the unhealthy sugar rush!

Up until now, SmartSweets has only had gummy candy, but their new Sweet Chews are more like Starbursts. As a SmartSweets Champion (basically, me and other Champions get to share our opinions on the new innovations SmartSweets is developing), I got early access to the new candy, and just got my box in last weekend. After letting the package sit out for a couple of days (new package protocol thanks to COVID-19), I was eager to tear into the bags and try the new candy. And I was not disappointed! The Sweet Chews come individually wrapped, with 3 flavors (mango, strawberry and watermelon) and are perfectly soft and chewy and very flavorful. They may actually be my new fav SmartSweets candy!

Thanks for the candy and cute stickers, SmartSweets!

You can now buy them for yourself on SmartSweets website, or if you can wait this long, they’re supposed to be debuting in Target stores in June. I’m pretty sure I’m going to order some more Sweet Chews very soon!

2) Zoom Meetings with My Work Team

There are soooooooo many memes about Zoom meetings, but I gotta say I’m kind of enjoying them. I am liking my new WFH reality in that it gives me more time in my day to take care of non-work related things, but it also leaves me feeling disconnected from my co-workers, who I enjoy working with.

Lol I’m still closer to day 1 than day 14…

We’ve only been meeting once a week, but it’s nice to see them and hear them and feel like we’re still a team, even if we’re spread out all over the Valley. Our meetings have been kinda long (2+ hours), but it helps the day go by faster, which is good when there’s less work to fill my day.

I still haven’t been invited to any Zoom get-togethers outside of work, but I’m hopeful that I’ll get to chat and “hang” with friends sometime soon.

3) Braids

I seem to go through phases when it comes to how I wear my hair when I run. I’m generally not a huge fan of ponytails personally (I don’t love how they look on me) so I usually have my hair in a half ponytail (haven’t done this in awhile), in low pigtails (it seems childish, but I like how they look) or lately, two braids.

It’s been super easy to just twist my hair into braids and head out for my run. Sometimes I wear a hat or headband over it, but usually I go without. I leave them in overnight and then when I get up in the morning to start work, I take them out and my hair is super wavy, which I love. Then when it’s time to run in the evening, I braid my hair again, rinse & repeat.

From Sunday, when I got all fancy for a trip to the grocery store 💁🏻‍♀️

Sometimes, I rock the braids all day long, and add a braided-style headband for something fun!

4) New-to-Me Running Paths

I haven’t been running my favorite trails as much due to concerns about crowdedness at state/regional parks as well as still figuring out my WFH schedule, but I have been making an effort to run in new-to-me places.

Before this year, I basically only ran in my neighborhood (at least since moving to PHX — before this I ran on the river paths near me in Tucson and Tulsa), but I’ve discovered several parks within 20 minutes or less from me that are perfect for running. I avoid road running (aka running on sidewalks or pavement) because I much prefer dirt paths and fortunately I can still do this while exploring new areas near me.

This week’s discovery was the Veterans Oasis Park in Chandler, and I know I will be back weekly! It’s similar to the Riparian Preserve where I live in Gilbert, but much less crowded and even larger. I ran 8 miles there on Monday and I’m fairly certain I could complete a 10+ mile run there without much repetition of the same paths. Parts of it also reminded me of the Turkey Mountain trails in Tulsa, where I first discovered trail running, so it makes me happy.

I love seeing water on my runs since it’s so rare in the desert!

5) “Youth” by Grouplove

Since I don’t have a 2 hour long commute on weekdays anymore (BLESS!) I don’t have that time to listen to music anymore but now I’m listening to music throughout my workday which helps me get through work when I don’t have much human interaction.

I’m really loving all of Grouplove’s new music (from their recently released album Healer) but my favorite right now is “Youth”. It’s got a more chill vibe than their hit single “Deleter” (also love) but still feels like them.

What music are you listening to while working from home? What’s your favorite Starburst/chewy candy flavor — I’m loving the watermelon Sweet Chews flavor most!

Favorite Finds of the Month: May

Long time, no blog! I can’t believe May is already over and I only ended up publishing two posts last month, whoops! I’ve been trying to post at least once a week, but last month ended up being crazy busy and obvs that didn’t happen.

I was out of town Memorial Day weekend, as well as this past weekend, and during the week I’ve been trying to get my life together amidst job interviews (why do I suddenly have so many now, when they could have been spread out over the past month?) and my current job and running, etc. In the past week, I found myself spiraling into my stress over everything I have to do over the next few weeks, plus the big expenses I have coming up and it’s just been no bueno. So yeah, that’s why the blog hasn’t been so active lately, but I’m gonna try again to get up a post per week in June, we’ll see!

Anyyyyyyways, let’s get to my favorite products from May — there were some good ones!

1) SmartSweets Peach Rings

If you don’t follow me on Insta (maybe even if you do), you may not know that I’m a SmartSweets Champion. If you haven’t heard about SmartSweets, what are you even doing with your life? They’re a candy brand that does candy differently, as their gummies only have 3 grams of sugar in the entire package! Their mission to #KickSugar spoke to me, as I was a candy fiend growing up and haven’t had gummy candy in years because I’m vegan and I wanted a candy I could feel good eating.

Side note: not all of SmartSweets’ products are vegan. The two gummy bear varieties (as well as their seasonal flavors) are made with gelatin, sadly. Fortunately for me, their new peach rings are plant-based!

I’m already obsessed with their sour blast buddies (like Sour Patch Kids) and I also like their sweet fish (like Swedish Fish) but these peach rings blew me away! They’re so tangy and soft and perfectly peachy.

Disclosure: as a SmartSweets Champion, I get sent free products to try out, so I did get two packages of the peach rings, but I actually bought my first bags (at Whole Foods) before I even got my freebies, and I would buy them over and over again!

My latest Whole Foods haul feat. new-to-me items, including the peach rings & ranch dip!

2) Kite Hill Ranch Dip

I was never one of those kids obsessed with ranch dressing growing up (I always preferred Italian vinaigrette for some reason) but it’s nice having vegan versions to turn to when I want to fulfill a ranch craving.

Most vegan ranches(?) are of the dressing variety, so having a dip is a game-changer. TBH the Kite Hill ranch dip could totally work as a dressing too, as it’s not super thick. But it’s got that perfect tangy ranch flavor we all know. I personally love it with the grain free jalapeno crackers from Simple Mills!

Kite Hill also offers a French onion dip(!) and both are available in the Whole Foods refrigerated section right now (for $3.99 I think).

3) Schmidt’s Sensitive Skin Deodorant in Coconut Pineapple

I’ve said that I’m not sure how I feel about natural deodorants because most of the ones I’ve tried either don’t work that well or leave my skin raw. I had tried Schmidt’s deodorant before because so many people raved about it, but it fell into the latter category and I thought I’d never try it again…until I saw they offered sensitive skin products!

First of all, I love the smell — it’s so tropical without being overly fruity. Also, it leaves my armpits feeling so smooth, which I’ve never experienced with a natural deodorant before.

So tropical!

It’s not an antiperspirant, so it won’t stop sweating completely (those aluminum-filled antiperspirants aren’t good for your body anyways!) but it eliminates the odor and feels good on my skin so it’s a winner.

I got mine at Target for $7.99 I think, but they also sell it at Sprouts/Whole Foods/etc.

4) Stasher Aqua Reusable Silicone Bag

If you’re still using plastic, what are you doing? JK, but soooooo many products are moving away from plastic, which is great for the environment!

Enter, the Stasher bag! It’s not just any resuable bag though — you can actually cook with it! You can bake, steam, boil, even microwave food in it and then store it in the fridge or freezer. You can use it in place of Tupperware to transport salads and other food to work, in the car and even the airport (it’s TSA friendly).

I haven’t tried cooking with it, but it works so well for storing food and you can throw it in the dishwasher between uses. I also like how well it seals cuz some plastic bags suck at closing.

Check out the Stasher bag (& all my other Thrive Market goodies from my latest order)!

I got mine from Thrive Market (I pay for a yearly membership) where it’s only $9.99 but it goes for a bit more than that at Target and on Stasher’s website. Still a good deal for a bag you don’t have to toss out!

5) Theo Root Beer Barrel Chocolate Bar

I was on a quest one afternoon after work to restock my SmartSweets stash, and since Whole Foods is out of the way, I used the store locator on their website to see where else they were sold near me (I know they’re also at GNC, but the GNC near me only has the sweet fish, and I wanted the sour blast buddies too). World Market popped up on the screen, and since there’s one right off the freeway exit I use to get home, I decided to stop in and check it out.

I’ve been to World Market a few times, and I love their snack section. They have stuff from all over the world (duh, it’s in their name) and interesting things I’ve never come across anywhere else. Long story short, they didn’t have the SmartSweets (whomp whomp) but I did spot two Theo chocolate bar flavors on an endcap that I’d never seen before: grapefruit ginger and root beer barrel.

I was pleasantly surprised to see both flavors were vegan (I’ve had Theo chocolate before, and they have a decent selection of vegan bars, but not all of them are, even the dark chocolate) so I grabbed one of each and headed to the register.

Root beer chocolate? Yes please!

I have yet to try the grapefruit ginger, but the root beer barrel one called my name first. It literally tastes just like the root beer barrel candies from childhood, but with an adult twist (the dark chocolate). If you don’t think root beer and chocolate go together, well you’d be wrong. They are a perfect match (at least for people with tastes for the unusual, like me).

Each bar costs $2.99 and I think it was supposed to be one or two servings but I made it four, which is pretty good for a small-sized bar.

Did you try anything new in May?