“Favorites” posts have always been some of the most fun to read from other bloggers, and one of my favorite posts to write. It’s a post where I share recipes or products I’m loving, fun things to read, etc. If it’s tasty, makes you laugh/think, or has the potential to make your life easier, I want to share it with you! 

(My college roommates and I had a rule that anytime was a good time for froyo. This is from a froyo date with my mom on Mother’s Day.)

Grab a cup of coffee and let’s chat!

Life Lately

May was a fun month! My sister-in-law got married, I celebrated Mother’s Day and my cousin’s college graduation in College Station (my first trip back in YEARS), and my backyard garden is truckin’ along. I ended the month with a couple days in Austin to visit my (basically) sister and had so much fun. I’m also really proud to say I changed a diaper for the first time in my life, and the kid talked me through the entire thing. It was quite comical.

Fun new things from this month:

• I TRIED BUBBLE TEA FOR THE FIRST TIME. It was magical. 10/10 would recommend.
• I also pickled red onions for the first time (recipe coming soon!)
• We made homemade empanadas! This is the recipe we used and it was actually pretty easy. Except for the part where we realized our plastic tongs were melting into the oil…Definitely won’t do that again! Ha.

Okay, now the good stuff! Here’s what we loved in May:

Foods & Goods To Try

If you’re not following me on Instagram, I post a lot of my daily meals over there with quick recipes to go along with them! You can see some of them to the right in the sidebar on my site. Here’s some of the recipes and foods we loved this month:

• These paleo chocolate chunk blondies. They didn’t even last three days, y’all (they’re all the way to the left in the photo strip above)
• We’re a big fan of red blends (Apothic Red is my favorite) but recently we tried Witching Hour Wine and LOVED it. Definitely add it to your list if you’re a fan of red blends! (And it’s a good price point)
• I recently tried Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee (the Texas Pecan flavor) and I’m in LOVE. I was originally not a fan of the $10 price point, but since it’s a concentrate, it ended up making a whole week of coffee (I mixed it with Califia Farms unsweetened vanilla almond milk- another new love). That comes out to less than $2 a coffee, which is definitely cheaper than a coffee shop!  You can find it in the refrigerated area at Target and probably Kroger, Whole Foods, etc.
• Favorite snacks this month: EPIC jerky bars, these paleo chocolate chip banana bread muffins, and pears with almond butter.

Odds & Ends

• We caved and got the 30 oz Yeti’s and y’all, in these Texas 100+ degree days, I SO appreciate them. It helps me stay hydrated throughout the day and I’ll fill it up and take it in the car when I’m running errands, too. I’ve been adding sliced lemon or cucumber lately!
• I’ve been making time to journal each morning and it totally starts my day off on the right foot. I’ll read through a devotional from the First5 App or Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Doing this before I check my email or scroll through Instagram helps me get centered and get my priorities straight.
• I used to be OBSESSED with the lemon bars at Starbucks. I don’t mean the lemon loaf- they really used to have a bar. Does anyone else remember this?! I’ve been hunting for a copycat ever since it disappeared and I can’t wait to try this healthy lemon bar recipe from Ambitious Kitchen.

Reader Faves

Here’s what y’all loved most from ASL this month!

• These Poblano Sour Cream Enchiladas that are SO good and crazy easy to make. This was my first time making enchiladas! I included a tutorial in case you’re a newbie like I was.
• Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies – This recipe was posted over a year ago and y’all are still loving it!
• How to Manage Money As A Couple – Another older post that’s gotten thousands of hits. Although recipes are my thing, I also love writing about budgeting (the printable worksheet on the how to make a budget is also a reader favorite). Let me know if this is something you want to see more of!

I hope you enjoyed this favorites post! We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled recipes next week. We’re almost to Friday, y’all!

Thanks for reading,