Five Amazing Things | 1
The world is filled with amazing things, many of which are not “things” at all. I love to learn about them and share them with others. As I discover great things, I jot them down and share them with you once I get to five.
I’ve been obsessed with travel lately…not actual travel, but virtual travel. Whether it is via YouTube videos, books, or even House Hunters International, it’s such an amazing escape to visual other places and escape for a little bit.
I came across Conan Without Borders on Netflix last week and instantly fell in love and proceeded to binge watch Season one. He journeys to Cuba, Korea, Mexico, Israel, Haiti, and Italy. At times it’s poignant and at other times I was almost in tears from laughter.
The scenery is beautiful and Conan is engaging, but the biggest takeaway for me is the people. People are generally kind and good everywhere in the world and this series does a wonderful job of showing how alike we all are.
I believe that any kid who doesn’t learn to code is being sent out into the word at a huge disadvantage. For the past couple of years I’ve been looking for a kids coding program and they are surprisingly hard to come by. The ones I have found have been outrageously expensive.
Last Friday, we were looking once again and my husband came across a new to our market business called Code Ninjas. It operates on a belt system where students slowly progress from a white belt through to a black belt over the course of 3-4 years. The pricing is reasonable and the people are amazing. We signed our daughter up immediately and can’t wait to watch her grow into a coding ninja!
If you have a kid who is interested at all in coding or gaming, I highly recommend you checking them out.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
If you are low-carb, this one isn’t going to fly, but if you are trying to eat a real food diet, this is the most unbelievably delicious shake ever.
One note: be sure to use overripe / browning bananas similar to the ones you would use for baking. The smoothie just doesn’t taste great with yellow bananas. You may even be able to buy the ripe bananas on sale, then you can peel and freeze them.
Calories: 327
Ingredients:
1 overripe banana, peeled and frozen if you like.
1/2 cup milk of your choice (whole, skim, almond, soy)
1/2 cup ice
1/8 cup creamy peanut butter (fresh ground if possible)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp organic vanilla extract
Throw everything in a blender and enjoy. It tastes like a peanut butter cup in a glass!
In an effort to use less plastic, I have been searching for alternatives for products as I run out. As my shampoo started to get towards the bottom, I began my search for a no-plastic shampoo option. Lucky me, discovered that one of my favorite brands has a wide selection of shampoo bars.
Shampoo bars, you say? What is that?
It’s exactly what it sounds like. Just like a bar of soap, it’s a bar of shampoo. I use Brazziliant which is for curly girls like myself, but they have a lot of different options and fragrances. It lathers up like crazy and seems like it will last months. At $12 a bar, it will end up costing me about $3-4 a month and when it’s gone, there will be no plastic to dispose of.
Plus, it makes my hair feel great!
SipWell Stainless Steel Drinking Straws
Continuing on with the “less plastic” theme, about a year ago our family eliminated plastic straws and purchased a beautiful set of four stainless steel straws for about $1 a straw. They are absolutely perfect in every way.
We keep them in our utensil drawer along with our forks and knives and they are simple to clean with a little brush.
There is absolutely no need to ever use straws in your home (and you can certainly argue that you should never need one outside of your home because you are equipped with a mouth that is perfectly suited for drinking) These little straws are a perfect addition to any home that is trying to be a little bit kinder to our big blue marble.
Do you have any recommendations for Five Amazing Things? Let me know in the comments and include your website. If I choose to feature your recommendation, I’ll link back to your site.
