Y’all… I apologize. It’s been a year since I last told you my favorite things of the moment. Whoops.

So many favorites have come and gone during that time… damnit.

Well, better late than never. Here’s the vibe for early 2022:

1. Almond oil for skin health

Idk about you, but my skin gets hella dry these days during the winter. It doesn’t help that I’m also 25+ weeks pregnant and this kid is taking all my good fatty acids! (Fatty acids help with nourished, moist skin, btw!)

I have a variety of hand lotions that I like, but nothing beats plain old almond oil. Bonus, it’s even enjoyable for this ever-expanding belly to not only nourish my dry, itchy skin, but help prevent stretch marks! Check it out here at Thrive Market. (This is an affiliate link that should provide you a discount and a free item in your first order!) I use the Aura Cacia brand.

2. Old Navy’s maternity line

I know, this might not hit home for the majority of you right now, but of all the maternity brands I’ve tried thus far, Old Navy has the best leggings ever — specially the 7/8 PowerChill brand. I don’t have any affiliation with them at all. I just love this product. I bought them in mediums and larges, since my normal size is medium but I also needed options for when I got bigger.

Best part — they’re always running sales or offering coupons, and I’ve never paid more then $15 per pair.

3. Tony’s Chocolonely

The name sounds weird, I get it. (It also takes a few tries to ensure you’re saying it correctly.)

But gottttttdamn is this some of the best tasting chocolate I’ve had in a LONG time. (And for those who know me, you know I’m a chocoholic…) You can also find them at Thrive Market.

They’re on a mission to properly support chocolate farmers and make it all slavery-free. They also address child labor. You can read about their awesome missions here.

4. Vital Farms grass-fed salted butter sticks

Y’all… being pregnant has allowed me to consume BUTTER again, without any gastrointestinal issues!!!

I don’t think you understand how excited I am about this. Butter is nature’s true superfood and I’ve been unable to eat it pain-free for YEARS. I can live without milk, cheese, regular yogurt… but butter? That was heartbreaking.

Enter changing hormones and metabolic patterns, and voila! Butter is back in my life!

But not just any butter.

Especially when it comes to dairy, you want full-fat, organic-only, grass-fed-as-much-as-possible options in your house. This is because the fats in cow dairy (and of the animals themselves) provide a healthy blood sugar balance, while also having the potential to store toxins and feed additives. What the animal eats, becomes what you eat; their fats are crucial to our health, but only when they’ve been given the right diet and treated fairly.

Vital Farms has some of the best dairy and egg options a grocery store can carry! And if you can’t get to (or don’t like to) grocery shop in-person, there’s a delivery option we personally love in our house, called Imperfect Foods. (This link gets you a total of $80 off (spread over a couple orders), and they offer free delivery on grocery carts over $65. We get a TON of stuff from there — produce, of course, but also snacks, beverages, meats, nuts, etc.! It can definitely be a one-stop shop for the major essentials, and they sell this amazing butter!)

5. The Mind Pump podcast

It’s hosted by three fitness trainers — Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, and Justin Andrews. They talk about fitness, sure, but they also talk a TON about general health and wellness tips, nutrition, life hacks, and current events.

They have a couple different kinds of podcast formats — Q&A, where you can submit questions ahead of time to get answered on the air; interviews, where they bring on special guests or experts to talk on a specific topic; or they’ll choose a single topic ahead of time and just discuss it back and forth. Most episodes are 45-60 minutes long.

It’s not a new podcast. In fact there are over 1,500 episodes in their archives. I was definitely late to this party, because I didn’t discover them until last year.

HOWEVER.

Their banter is amazing, and they’re all so honest and insightful. Even their casual conversation in the opening of the episodes is great. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it — for laughs, for information, and for general wellness support. I have been listening to 50+ different podcasts for over 6 years now and have yet to really connect with one like I do with Mind Pump. They’re one of the top-rated fitness and health shows out there, and with good reason.

What are your thoughts on the above? Comment below or contact me!