Happy Friday and happy Easter weekend! I have a few “Friday I’m in love” faves to share with you today including matcha, my favorite mascara, a Premier Protein giveaway and more but first…throwback Easter.

I always miss my grandmother extra on Easter. I have so many memories of Easter Sunday at her house and taking photos in our Easter dresses in front of her azaleas.

A little “flash back Friday” to four years old.

And fourth grade. That dress!!!! I match the flowers.

I have a trip booked to visit my family in April and I am counting down the days! 🙂

Here are my recent faves (along with a few things I am not loving!).

These gluten free rosemary olive oil crackers from ALDI. I wish you could reach through the screen and taste one because they are awesome. I just want to lick the seasoning blend off of them. ALDI is doing a great job expanding their liveGfree line. I really missed crackers and salty snacks while I was on Whole30. I almost always eat a handful of something like this while I’m making lunch.

I’m finally on the matcha bandwagon! Not going to lie, it’s fun to drink a mug of bright green tea.

I’d never tried matcha powder until Eat Clean Tea offered to send me a bag of matcha powder and a frother to try out. It’s so easy to prepare…two tiny scoops of matcha, hot water and lots of stirring. I’ve been reading about the health benefits of matcha and it’s an energizer, immune supporter and detoxifier. It’s packed with antioxidants, boosts energy, improves mental clarity and calms your mind in addition to a host of other benefits you can read about on Eat Clean Tea’s website.

For those of you who have been in the know about matcha for a while, I’d love to hear how you use it and if you have any creative suggestions for adding it to things.

I’m so on and off with using Latisse but when I do I see a huge transformation in the appearance of my lashes. Recently I’ve been on a Latisse kick using a kit I received from Carolina Facial Plastics a while back. It truly does help you grow longer, fuller, thicker lashes. I also wanted to share the mascara I’ve been using a lot recently. I’m stuck on L’Oreal’s Voluminous Million Lashes waterproof mascara. The waterproof formula is a must for me when I’m in the hot yoga studio in 100 degree heat and 65% humidity every day.

These two. Always loving on these two. <3

I received samples this week of Premier Protein’s brand new Bananas & Cream flavor that will be available in select Sam’s stores starting April 5. Given that the only three flavors they had before were vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, this is a big addition! I usually default to using the protein powders versus the ready made shakes but I wanted to share for those of you who need a shake you can take on the go. (And now that I’ve typed all this out, I’m thinking I’m going to have a peanut butter and banana protein shake for my afternoon snack!)

Want to try Premier Protein’s line of shakes and bars? Leave a comment below to be entered for a chance to win a sampler pack including this flavor! Just tell me what your favorite shake flavor is. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or banana? 

And we’ll wrap this up with a few things I’m NOT loving from around the web. I don’t usually share a lot of stuff like this but I couldn’t not today.

Tracy Anderson is loony tunes. I can’t even with “If you want to be longer and leaner you’ve got to stay away from 10-pound, 15-pound weights.” I read this to the other trainers in my gym this morning and we a) laughed and b) lamented that this only furthers the confusion around women, lifting and the “bulkiness” myth. I love this response from Adam Bornstein.

Parents are up in arms in Georgia about their children saying “namaste” in elementary schools during yoga classes that are designed to help them deal with stress, anger and anxiety by teaching breathing and mindfulness techniques. Washington Post.

The governor of North Carolina signed a bill into law on Wednesday night that basically overturns an expanded nondiscrimination ordinance that the Charlotte City Council approved in February that was set to go into effect on April 1. From the Charlotte Observer, “In North Carolina today, there are no legal protections for gays and lesbians. That means a private business in Charlotte or anywhere else in the state can refuse to serve someone who is gay, and a bakery could refuse to make a cake for a wedding of a gay couple.” This is CRAZY.

While I love my home state of Georgia, living in Charlotte and the south in general, this is the kind of stuff that I have a hard time with.

Okay, I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend whether you’re celebrating Easter or just enjoying spring wherever you are!

xxoo,
Jen

A portion of this post is part of my ongoing ambassadorship with Premier Protein.