APRIL….
It’s been A MONTH.
So much joy (hello snuggly new puppy), so much stress (potty training, puppy teething, and oh yeah, we moved, too), so many appointments (puppy obedience classes and meetings and vet visits, oh my!), so many life changes and new stressors that I wasn’t expecting.
Here are a few things that made my April that much better.
(links below are affiliate links)
VEGAN PEPPERONI JERKY
Holy yum. It’s salty, its savory, it tastes like spicy pepperoni, and I want to snack on it forever and ever. I’ve been buying it on Thrive Market since it’s cheaper there (save 25% off your first purchase with this referral link!) and am not sure if I will ever be able to live without it. Next up: putting it on my pizza tonight and reminiscing about the neighborhood dog who used to come visit me for nibbles of pepperoni at the pizza place I worked at in high school.
EVERLANE JEANS
I finally (finally!!) found a company that makes jeans that fit my body (!!!). I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s been over a decade since I’ve owned a pair of jeans- and never in my life have I owned any that actually fit well. I’ve heard lots of great things about Everlane (sustainable, transparent, ethical factories, plastic-free shipping, etc), but just assumed that their jeans, like all others, wouldn’t work for me. WRONG. I’ve been living in the authentic stretch mid-rise skinny jeans lately and already ordered a second pair in another color. Game. Changer. They’re legitimately comfortable and I want to wear them 24/7.
BITTER APPLE SPRAY
Peanut is in full on chew everything mode, and bitter apple is a LIFE SAVER. If you don’t have a puppy, this probably will have no impact on your life, but if you do…it’s literally just a bitter apple extract that, as the name suggests, tastes really bitter so puppies don’t want to chew whatever it’s been sprayed onto. The taste doesn’t last forever, so you’ll need to re-apply often, and obviously it’s not a solution to training your dog not to chew things they aren’t supposed to. But, in those puppy teething days where they just want to chew chew chew, bitter apple is a great way to save your slippers, boxes, wooden chair legs, couch corners, etc.
MELLOW ROOSTER HERBAL COFFEE
I’m not quitting real coffee anytime soon, but I do drink decaf since I’m pretty sensitive to caffeine (#jittersallday), and have been loving Mellow Rooster’s Herbal Coffee this month. It doesn’t taste exactly like coffee, in the sense that I certainly wouldn’t be fooled in a blind taste test, but it still has the dark color and complex, bold, bitter flavor profile that coffee also has. It’s different, but quite tasty. You can brew it any way you would tea or coffee, and I love it with a drizzle of honey and a big pour of half and half (Califia Farms’ Better Half is my current go-to…another Thrive Market find that’s cheaper than anywhere else!).
If you want to try out Mellow Rooster, use the code: ‘mellowbakedgreens’ for 15% off your order! <–not an affiliate code, just a discount they sent me for you to use!
DARK CHOCOLATE SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER STUFFED DATES
Um. I made these 4 times this month. That’s like 48 dates for one person, if you’re counting. So, I’d say the obsession is pretty real. I don’t always use sunflower seed butter (almond, peanut, and cashew butter are all great, too!), and sometimes I get lazy and stuff a chunk of dark chocolate into the nut butter instead of melting it and dunking them all, but the flavor combination is just so irresistible that I can’t stop. I love buying these big bags of dates on amazon and storing them in the fridge…they keep forever when chilled (or, like, six months…but I go through them waaaaaaay faster than that!)
Tell me…how was your April? Anything you’re loving that I need to know about? Leave a comment below and let me know so I can check out all of YOUR favorites! Happy (almost) May!
XO,
Chelsea