I have a few random things that I’m loving right now – things that make me happy or bring a little comfort on hectic days and I want to share them with you in hopes they might brighten your day a bit too. Here’s to a weekend full of favorites, whatever that might look like for you!

My current favorites, in no particular order….

  1. Oldies Country Music on Saturday mornings

This is what prompted my desire for a favorite’s post in the first place. I usually listen to KLOVE, which is the contemporary Christian station, but one Saturday many weeks ago, they were playing a song I really didn’t like, so I started flipping through the other channels on my pre-sets. When I landed on the country station (if you’re in the Raleigh, NC area, this is 102.3 on your FM dial), I could not contain my grin! They were playing the theme song to the Dukes of Hazard!

And when that song ended, they played The Statler Brothers and then one of my favorites by Johnny Cash and on and on. This type of country music takes me back to sitting in the back seat of my grandparents’ big Buick listening to their country tapes. Yes, cassette tapes! These songs (generally) have such upbeat music that you can’t help but smile every second. This oldies music is only played for a short time on Saturday mornings, but this just happens to be when I’m out and about doing my grocery shopping for the week and I enjoy every second of it. I know there are these new-fangled streaming devices that will allow me to listen to this type of music whenever I want, but there’s something special about listening on the radio with the windows down. It brightens my day right from the start.

  2. This one’s a little more serious, but still a favorite! EWG’s Dirty Dozen and Clean    Fifteen Lists

Just because you read the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15” list four years ago, don’t assume they’re still the same. In fact, the lists do change somewhat from year to year. Be sure to check this out each spring to find out where you need to spend your grocery dollars on organic produce and where you can save a little with conventionally raised items. Please read the article linked above, but I will go ahead and tell you that Strawberries top the Dirty Dozen list again this year. I know that picking strawberries is a really fun activity for lots of little ones (my family loves it too), but please try hard to find an organic farm. Or at the very least, discourage your kids from eating too many berries while they pick. That’s really the reason this is so important. Those bright, red, juicy berries are so tempting, you know they’re going to stuff their little mouths full while picking, and conventionally raised berries are drenched in pesticides. Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here, just wanting you to be aware. I’m thankful for EWG putting out this list each year!

  3. Soup – in no other way can we pack in so many nutrients and keep everyone happy.  Soups freeze beautifully making them perfect for batch cooking, which means quick dinners down the road! They’re full of gut-healthy bone broth. You can use up veggies that may be slightly past their prime. So many reasons to make a big pot of soup. Here are a few of our favorites:

Cauliflower Soup (Paleo, Whole30, AIP option)

Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage

Primal Cheeseburger Soup (Paleo and AIP options)

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup (Paleo and AIP)

The one we probably eat the most is my Beef and Vegetable Soup. That recipe can be found in the New Year’s chapter of my book, Your Paleo Holiday. 

 4. Beautycounter Color Intense Lipstick in Backstage

I’ve mentioned these new lipsticks before in my What We Ate Wednesday post this week and also on Facebook, but they really are good enough to bear repeating. I’ve worn this lipstick all week and have settled on my favorite shade: Backstage. It’s a neutral taupe/slight pink shade.

Unlike any other long-wearing lipstick I’ve ever tried, this one does not dry out my lips. It does stain the lips a bit because I still have color at the very end of the day – but this is the whole idea! I even find that I’m applying lip balm less often than normal. The moisturizing comes from jojoba extracts and it really works! I highly recommend these lipsticks. I do love Beautycounter’s Lip Sheers, but definitely need to reapply regularly to keep the color. The color intense line is a one swipe and done for the whole day. Seriously!