I’m pretty excited about what I’m sharing in this week’s post. Most of the items I’m mentioning are things I’ve been using/watching/doing for a while now.

mason jar salads

There was a pin a couple years ago that seemed to be everywhere. The post detailed how to prepare several salads, including dressing, in mason jars and eat them throughout the week. The post promised that the salads would stay fresh for several days. The catch: you had to vacuum seal the jars, just like when you can fruits and vegetables.

That was ridiculous to me. I never gave the idea a second thought. Until a few months ago, when I read this. The post goes into much better detail than I ever could, but the gist is that, if you pack your salad ingredients in the right order, everything will stay fresh and there’s no need to vacuum seal anything.

the blacklist

Surely J. and I aren’t the only ones hooked on this show. I won’t even try to get into the plot, but it stars James Spacer and it is so good. If you’re into shows like White Collar and Burn Notice, you should definitely check out The Blacklist. Be warned, though, it’s quite a bit darker than either of those shows.

pretzel chips

One of my biggest craving weaknesses is for something salty and crunchy. I try not to buy tortilla chips too often, because tortilla chips lead to nachos and nachos lead to pants that don’t fit. I don’t really buy crackers, either, like cheez-its or wheat thins. So what do I reach for when I can’t fight that craving anymore?

Pretzel chips (this is a link to the brand we buy, but they’re currently $8+ a bag, which is way more than we usually pay). The whole family loves them. They’re crispy and salty and perfect for dipping in hummus or as a vehicle for tuna. My kids eat them plain or with slices of cheese. They offer a better calorie count than tortilla or potato chips, too: 110 calories for 13 crisps.

green smoothies

Green smoothies are another one of those things that have been talked and blogged and written about a million times. I first started drinking them a few years ago, when I as pregnant with B. There are so many recipes floating around Pinterest that I won’t add mine to the mix (plus, I don’t really follow a recipe) but I will throw in my two cents. J., my non-vegetable eating husband with the palate of an eight-year old, loves these. Even though the primary ingredient is spinach, I can’t reiterate enough that they don’t taste like spinach. G. and B., who are as vegetable-averse as their dad, love a good “monster drink”, too.

Note: if you don’t have a blender capable of blending ice or a frozen banana, I highly recommend getting a Magic Bullet. I’ve had and used mine steadily for four years, including to make all B. and G.’s baby food, and I’m just now considering buying a new one.)

soma panties

We’re getting intimate on the blog today. Over the course of my adult life, I’ve owned underwear that fall all over the price spectrum, from cheap Walmart multi-pack to Victoria’s Secret. And I have to say, I’ve been happier with the panties that fit somewhere in the middle- think Target individually-sold pairs- than with the more expensive brands.

Until I met Soma. My mother-in-law picked up a few pairs of Soma panties for me at the outlet a few weeks ago. These underwear are incomparable. They’re comfortable and soft, yes, which I would expect from a pair of pricey underwear (though if you hit a sale, they’re cheaper than VS). But they’re so much more than that. The leg holes are lined with a thin layer of silicone- it sounds crazy, I know, but it’s hard to explain- that keeps them from riding up or giving you an underwear line; Soma calls it “vanishing edge”. They stay perfectly in place all day, regardless of what you’re wearing them under. If you splurged on a pair- or six- of Soma panties, I don’t think you’d be disappointed.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. When you click those links and make purchases, you support me, this blog, and my family.)

What are you loving this week?