Four Favorites in February

I’m back with my monthly Four Favorites posts! February was full of fun stuff including a great plant-based Mexican cookbook and nutritious power smoothies sent to me for review, a design blog I can’t get enough of and a beautiful trip to the Channel Islands!

Way back last July, I introduced my monthly post series Four Favorites where I share my four favorite B’s for the month — a book, blog, brand and break. 

Guess how many posts are currently in that series. Yep, one. I introduced it in July and that was the last time I did a monthly recap despite everyone telling me how they liked the idea. 

I have no valid excuses for why I didn’t follow through. The end of the month would come and I’d forget to do a recap. It certainly hasn’t been because I’ve had a shortage of the four Bs. 

I’m constantly discovering great books, amazing blogs, fun brands and our travel gives us plenty of exciting breaks to share. So I’m recommitting myself to the four favorites. Fortunately, this month I had an extra day to squeeze in the post! 

Book

This month’s book is Decolonize Your Diet by Luz Calvo and Catriona Rueda Esquibel. It’s a cookbook, but it’s also a lesson in plant-based Mexican cooking. I’m going to feature a full review and recipe from it soon. Right now, I’m absorbing all of the information.

I learned about it through a news story in the Bay Area. This book focuses on how Mexican-American foods became so processed and how to get back to the roots and traditional ways of preparing authentic foods. There are so many great ideas in here and cooking techniques that I want to master. More about the recipes to come!

Blog

Lately I’m finding myself drawn to design and home blogs that also incorporate DIY and food. It is such a refreshing mix as opposed to having my feed full of only food and recipes. Lately, I find myself constantly pinning and sharing from Lark & Linen. It’s become such a favorite that, despite never ever considering myself on the feminine side, I’m considering adding a few of those inspired touches to my new office here in a few weeks. You also must check out the Tea Bag Cookies Jacquelyn posted a few days ago. The cutest!

Brand

As you’d probably expect, I’m not really into juice fasts. I enjoy green juices, but not so much the getting irritable and ravenous from drinking only juices. So when I get invitations to try juice fasts, I turn them down. Recently, though, I got an email from Brigitte’s Naturally. I almost deleted it, but I’m so glad I kept reading.

First, these are Kale Power Smoothies, not juices. I was so intrigued by the unique ingredients that I quickly agreed to receive and review a a 3-day supply that contained the Original and the Protein+. 

One of the best things about these smoothies is NO STEVIA! Yes! I cannot stand that stuff and would much rather have fruit or even raw sugar or honey.

That being said, these smoothies have no added sweeteners so that is a big bonus all around. It’s all real food or a dehydrated version of real foods. The Original contains organic fruits and veggies like kale, pineapple, mango and a superfood powder blend with chia, spirulina and even broccoli along with digestive enzymes. It is delicious! It also kept me full for longer than I expected. 

I found the Protein+ flavor especially interesting as the protein powder contains mushrooms, pea protein and rice protein along with the fruits and veggies of the Original. I will admit that this one has a bit more of a bite or tang in the flavor, but it’s nothing you wouldn’t expect if you are used to drinking and eating natural smoothies and powders. 

Another thing I really liked about Brigitte’s Naturally (And Brigitte! We talked several times via email.) is the company’s approach to health. These smoothies are designed as a cleanse, but it isn’t like other cleanses you’ve seen. It’s not gimmicky. It’s instructions include the smoothies, eating a healthy meal and snacks and journaling about the process. I love this well-rounded, healthy approach. It’s is refreshing to find among a sea of the unhealthy fasts and cleanses that are full of empty promises. 

These drinks come to you from Davis, Calif. So they are what I’d consider local for me (yay!) and delivery is free in-state. A shipping fee is added for orders outside the state. If you are around the Bay Area there is also a list on the website of where you can buy the smoothies in stores. 

This is one of those products that I was so happy to review. Brigitte was a pleasure to work with and these drinks are something I would definitely grab on the go. 

Break

This month’s favorite break happened just this past weekend. My husband and I traveled to Santa Cruz Island of the Channel Islands off the coast of California. We camped for one night and enjoyed some very scenic hiking. It wasn’t the smoothest of trips (we both don’t like boats much), but it was worth the hassle. You can access the islands from Ventura, Calif. and you can book a day trip or camp overnight.
 
A lot of people do the day trip, but my husband and I both agree that for us, this wouldn’t be worth it. Right now (and probably for the next year) the pier at the beach is washed out so you have to travel 6 at a time from the large boat via a smaller boat to get on the actual island.  By the time it’s all said and done, you really only have 3 or 4 hours to hike and you are back on the boat. So camp if you can. 

Always feel free to contact me if you have questions about any of the travels I mention. I’ll have a full blog post about this trip on my travel blog  in a few weeks. 

So it has been quite the February! All of this and I haven’t even told you yet that we bought a house! During March we’ll be prepping for the move, picking out some paint and flooring for projects to complete before we move in. The next few months should be especially exciting!

Disclosures:  Some items mentioned in this post were sent to me for review purposes. I was not required to write about them and received no compensation for doing so. I never put product mentions I am paid for in my Four Favorites posts. 

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