Hello, week № 29. This past week was spent appreciating a lot of little things in the house that simply make our daily lives more pleasant. So today I want to tell you about our favorite savory snack bar, my favorite K-Beauty samples lately, one of my sleep aids, an essential kitchen tool for broth lovers, and the grab-and-go-simplicity of single serving fiber packets. Sexy. I know.
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Here are my five favorites this week:
- EPIC bars
- SK-II samples
- GABA supplements
- Extra Instant Pot liner
- Single-serving Benefiber
— EPIC BARS
These are more for Mister Jupiter, but I enjoy them too!
Epic bars are jerky bars; primarily seasoned dried meat sometimes with fruit. I like to keep some at home, but I buy them for Mister to keep at his desk for those days where he doesn’t get the opportunity to clock out for lunch.
They have clean ingredients, and a variety of grass-fed animal sources. The venison bars are our favorite, with bison trailing behind as a close second. If it’s important to you these bars are also Whole 30 approved, gluten free, paleo, and keto friendly. When I suddenly crave a burger during naptime (and can’t leave the house), I grab one of these bars and my meat craving is immediately satiated. I definitely subscribe to these bars!
— SK-II SAMPLES
I use cosmetics sparingly, so sample pots and bottles last me a long time. I got these SK-II samples from a Sephora order and am happy that I finally started using them.
It’s just essence and moisturizer, nothing too complicated. I use these after a shower on my way to bed, so the essence soaks into a clean face and the moisturizer has all night to sink in. The result? Immediately super soft and hydrated face in the morning! The softening is most pronounced when I only use those two products and only on a freshly washed face. Other combinations are soft…but just regular-soft; not plushy-like-a-bunny soft.
The jury is still out on me buying full-size products though. I love the softness, but I only feel it when I apply sunscreen in the morning; nobody else touches my face enough to notice it. Besides, I am trying to clean up my body products overall and SK-II (like other K-Beauty brands) use a lot of ingredients that I wouldn’t touch otherwise, so I’m divided.
— GABA SUPPLEMENTS
Oh hey – a supplement that’s not a pill! Yay!
If you’re new here, know these two things about me: I like supplements, and I cannot swallow pills. I’m on the record for being fond of transdermal patches, but I haven’t really talked about my occasional chewable supplements. Long story short is that I like to cycle my supplements, and that I’ve been sleeping badly lately.
For whatever reason my sleep quality tanked and I started regularly waking every two or three hours in the night…versus my usual dead-to-the-world-for-ten-hours sleep that I have had most of my life. So I started searching and trying different supplements to improve my sleep and finally tried GABA; gamma-aminobutyric acid.
I started chewing two wafers before bed, and the first week was amazing! I was suddenly sleeping through the night again and feeling refreshed upon waking. Then I started to pull back a little and now my supplementation is random, but my sleep has overall improved. I really think that my brain forgot how to stitch my sleep cycles together, and GABA was the training wheels that I needed. Also, these taste like orange cream candy and are delicious. I’m going to continue randomly taking them until the bottle is all used, then I’ll take a break from it for a few months until I need it again.
— EXTRA INSTANT POT LINER
This pick of the week is definitely for you fellow broth makers.
I love making a hearty bone broth, but I don’t enjoy straining because I would rather be sipping my beautiful broth. One day I was searching for a pho recipe, and landed on Amy & Jacky’s recipe. Not only did they provide the pho guidance that I was looking for, they also recommended buying an extra liner and large strainer. I bought both and am very happy!
Being able to quickly and easily strain a complex broth is a game changer.
Simple? Yes. Obvious? Maybe not. So if you’re reading and love making broths, I highly recommend pouring your entire broth from one vessel to another, and straining as you pour. It does cost one more dish, but I can wash a second IP liner faster than I can strain a gallon of fresh broth cup-by-cup. Regardless, the second liner is perfect for sous vide cooking.
— SINGLE-SERVING BENEFIBER
Fiber is good for you!
As we learn more about the microbiome, we learn that the fibers we humans cannot use are instead used by our “gut bugs.” And not-surprisingly, the bacteria that best benefit humans really love veggies; the bacteria that thrive on processed foods do not benefit the human body (for the most part, surely there are exceptions).
Through many years of casual trial and error, I have learned that the more fiber I have in my life the better I am overall. I am happier, healthier, leaner, sleep better, and feel more emotionally resilient(?!); my stress bucket is larger and I can handle more things. It’s kind of amazing really.
So why do I love these single-serving fiber packets? Because I can easily supplement fiber away from home. At home I have all of the things, like the un-sexy bottle of Benefiber, beans for days, and frozen broccoli. So the single serving packets are a big win because they make fiber supplementation easy when I’m away. I travel with at least one packet for each day away!
Looking for something specific? Scan the Picks of the Week, Index.
Otherwise, here are more picks if you’re feeling clicky:
