Friday Favorites 2.9

I polled my Instagram friends and got an overwhelming response that “YES” you would love to have a Friday favorites round-up of my favorite finds, tips, and reads of the week.  

Since social media is so algorithm-driven, I know you guys don’t always get to see what I post on Instagram and Facebook.  SO here’s things I’ve shared there this week, and some of my favorite reads of the past week!

Farmhouse deals:

Love this rug – has great reviews and comes in lots of sizes:

 

What a great price for this beautiful lighting fixture!  Has amazing reviews too:

I love using eucalyptus stems all over our home all through the seasons!  These are under $4 – love!

 

This light is just SO pretty & at an amazing price point:

 

Favorite inspiration:

OK so this kitchen has me drooling!  Love the mix of wood, brick, beams, lighting…all the things!  

 

And a different style – but this kitchen proves that white kitchens can be cozy and warm!

 

Favorite hacks:

This tip from Finders Keepers Designs is SO smart!  Keep the corners of your rug down for $2 in 2 minutes:

 

I am also so in love with our molding hack – this video has blown up on Facebook (share it here with friends!) Read about the super simple way to fake chunky trim here.

 

 

In my home:

I had a LOT of fun taking my Instagram friends for a tour of my bedroom in my stories.  I got so many people messaging me saying that it was super helpful!  Here’s where you can find the whole behind the scenes look and all of the DIY projects and budget-friendly products that made up our farmhouse bedroom makeover:

Just visit my Instagram here and click on this circle right here for a behind the scenes tour:

 

Our family:

Oh I won’t lie – it’s been a rough few months.  I feel like we’ve been so sick ever since Christmas!  Just when one of us starts recovering, another one of us is down for the count.  I started by dealing with asthma issues around Christmas, and then we’ve just had colds, flu-like sicknesses, fevers, the works!  I feel like I’ve been living at the doctors this winter!  But I’m so thankful we’re all on the mend (for the moment at least) and we’re getting back into a routine (literally – starting today.  Ha!)

I’m also dealing with gestational diabetes for a third round.  I’ve never dealt with it this early and I’ve already had to start insulin (at 21 weeks).  This is after overhauling everything we’ve been eating and cleaning up all of our food choices.  I’ve been eating a lot of Whole 30, Keto & Paleo recipes, as well as putting a big emphasis on whole foods and protein.  But, sadly, insulin is still needed for my fasting blood sugar numbers.

On a parenting note – I bought this book that was highly recommended.  It’s coming in the mail today and I can’t wait to start digging in!  People claim that it’s completely transformed the way they view their kids and their role as a parent – I can’t wait to share what I think once I read it!

Finally – this post was super popular and you guys really seemed to resonate with it.   Makes my heart so happy!

 

What we’re eating:

Everyone’s been curious about our healthy family friendly weeknight meals we’ve been eating – here’s what was on our menu this week:

• Cheese stuffed turkey meatloaf (recipe from Skinnytaste)
  • I just mixed all of the ingredients together (didn’t roll out). I omitted the brown sugar from the glaze. It was SO good and my kids especially loved it!!  I love that there’s lots of veggies inside – I’ll be making this often!
  • We served with roasted asparagus and a riced cauliflower
• Creamy Whole 30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs (recipe from 40 Aprons)
  • This recipe tasted really great! I loved the creamy sauce (made with canned coconut milk and thyme) and the kids especially loved the bacon in it.
  • We served with a side of broccoli.
• Whole 30 sloppy joe bowls (recipe via Physical Kitchness)
  • My husband requests that we make this every week, and I’m happy to do it!  We love this recipe and it’s really simple to make.  It’s become our standard Monday dinner.  The kids love it too! 
  • We made this when we had another family over last week and I put out rolls for anyone who didn’t want it over a potato.  Clean plate club!
• Keto Cashew Chicken (recipe from Keto Connect)
  • We’ve made this recipe a few times now – it’s officially become a favorite!  I thought it needed a little more substance for a full dinner, so we put it over cauliflower “rice” and added a lot of broccoli and an extra bell pepper.  Love this dinner!
• Chicken Shawarma with Mediterranean salsa and garlic sauce (recipe from Iowa Girl Eats) 
  • We’ve also made this recipe a few times – it’s so good!  Filled with LOTS of flavor.  
  • I use chicken thighs and put them in the crock pot for the day using the same seasonings as the recipe calls for.  Then I shred them and put them over cooked frozen sweet potato fries (instead of making our own fries). I make a little extra of the “salsa” and we found a ranch greek yogurt “dip” to drizzle on top.  The flavors are SO good!

As for what I’m eating during the rest of the day?  It varies!  BUT I couldn’t make it without having RX bars in my life.  They do really well with my blood sugar numbers and I eat them with a handful of cashews – SO good.  I love that they’re not filled with artificial junk.

Here’s where I get them.  My favorite flavors are peanut butter, maple sea salt, and mint chocolate chip.

Blast from the past:

This came up on my Timehop this week – crazy that this was just 3 years ago!!   Salmon laminate walls, a rotted floor…yikes!  Come see the whole makeover story here.

 

 Have a great Friday, friends!  I’m working hard on a special project only available to my e-mail subscribers – make sure you’re part of our group so you can get first access!