Five Fun Friday Things
Yay! Even though I work on Saturdays, I can’t help feeling festive on Fridays. I love “Friday Favorites” type posts, so here are a few of my favorite things lately. Olipop! Olipop is a “healthy” soda, sweetened with cassava syrup, fruit juice, and stevia. It has 2-5 grams of sugar (depending on the flavor). prebiotics, and 9 grams of fiber. It’s advertised as tasting “just like soda” and to that I say- no. I was disappointed in the Cola, although someone left a review saying that if you put it in a glass with one ice cube, it tastes just like Diet Pepsi (I love these detailed reviews!) Well, I never drank Diet Pepsi- I was a real Coke person. The root beer flavor was better, but the true winner is grape, with orange coming in second. I’ve been having one or two a week, and when I have one I love to say “I’m having a pop.” Growing up, that’s what we called soda. It seems so weird now- “pop?” I’ve called it soda for years and years- ever since I moved away from Chicago. But calling it “pop” is strangely satisfying- I guess I’m getting back to my midwestern roots. My son and I have been watching the first two films in the Fantastic Beast series on HBO Max. The films are written by J.K. Rowling and could be considered a prequel to Harry Potter. The main character is Newt Scamander, future author of one of Harry’s textbooks. There are no books to go along with these films, other than the screenplays. My son read the screenplays and has already watched the movies, so he filled me in on a few things because these films are complicated. The third one is coming out in April, and I can’t wait! Secrets of Dumbledore will be revealed. It feels good to be immersed in the Wizarding World once again. Okay, I guess a memoir about Auschwitz can’t really be considered “fun.” Nicole recommended this book and it truly is incredible. Considering what happened to her- barely surviving the horrific events of the Holocaust- Edith Eger could have written a book along the lines of “Boy, did I get the short end of the stick, and you’re all going to hear about it,” but instead she wrote this inspiring book with the intention of helping other people to free themselves from pain and suffering. One word of warning- on the first day I read about thirty pages, and that night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t stop thinking about it. So, safe to say there are some haunting scenes. I’m about halfway through it and it’s hard to put down. A “favorites” post wouldn’t be complete without waffles. Elisabeth has talked about her favorite oat waffles recipe, and I remembered that I used to make something similar, but without the eggs. I found my old recipe- it’s basically two cups of oats, two cups of milk (any kind), a banana, and any flavorings you want to add in- I used cinnamon and a little salt, and also added some hemp and chia seeds for added nutrition. You blend it all up, pour it in the waffle maker and voila! Quick, easy and delicious waffles. I love waffles. Lastly, a podcast! This episode of Trail Runner Nation with Hillary Allen, where she describes her trail running accident. She fell 150 feet off the side of a cliff, and broke bones in her back, wrists, ribs, and tore the ligaments in her ankles. Of course her doctor told her she wouldn’t be able to run again (why do doctors love to say that?) but she got through her recovery by telling herself “my best athletic days are ahead of me.” She was right- she recovered from that accident and went on to win several big ultramarathons. Definitely worth a listen if you’re struggling with injuries- or any kind of setback right now. That’s what I’ve been watching, listening to, reading, eating and drinking lately! I’m linking up with Michelle, Darlene, Jenn, Zenaida and Renee for this post. And now a very important question: Soda, or pop? Does anyone still call it pop?