Sharing some of my favorite food and non-food discoveries this month. Since it’s only the beginning of August, these are technically my favorites from July which I planned on posting at the end of July but time just got away from me!
1. Matcha Affogato from Iceskimo
Iceskimo debuted a new dessert this summer and I love how creative and unique it is. Inspired by the Italian dessert, hand-whisked matcha syrup is poured over milk snow ice paired with toppings like almond jelly and mochi. They also have a black sesame version and a coffee version. I like them all, but the matcha one is my favorite.
2. Kitsch Hair Coils
I recently discovered Kitsch hair coils and they are all I have been using to tie my hair up this summer. At first glance they seem like they would tangle in my hair, but it’s the opposite. I lose far less strands of hair when using these hair coils (usually no strands at all as long as I don’t yank them out) and I don’t have that indent in my hair after that I usually get when I put my hair in a ponytail.
I also love how light and small they are!
3. Coconut Ash & Banana Super Dark™ Chocolate from Vosges Chocolate
We discovered this chocolate company during our trip to Chicago and really enjoyed several of their chocolate bars. We brought some back as souvenirs but recently found that they are also sold at Whole Foods, so now we can get more! Our two favorites are the Matcha Green Tea & Spirulina Super Dark™ Chocolate Bar and Coconut Ash & Banana Super Dark™ Chocolate.
I really like that the matcha is paired with dark chocolate. Most of the time, matcha is always paired with white chocolate which is too sweet for me.
But our absolute favorite is the Coconut Ash & Banana. The flavor combination is just so unique. It has a little sweetness from bits of bananas, but the bar doesn’t taste like a tropical vacation. It’s much more subtle and wonderfully aromatic.
4. Henoda leather fitbit bands
The band that comes with my Fitbit Alta recently broke and then I discovered these Henoda bands which I am loving. Not only do they have a lot of fun colors, but the bands are like watch bands. I find them easier to take on and off and I think the bands make the fitbit look much more attractive.
I used to always wear a watch, but stopped after I started using a fitbit as it didn’t really make any sense to wear both and it was just too many things around my wrist. I’ve missed wearing a watch, and using this band makes me feel like I’m wearing a watch again.
I bought them in rose gold and silver.
5. Hourglass Ambient® Lighting Powder (in Dim light shade) is my current summer face powder. I like that it absorbs oils on my face but also leaves a very subtle glow and radiance that is perfect for summer. I bought the small travel size one but there is also a full version. I’m all about products that give me a fresh faced appearance!
6. My favorite meal last month (and one of the best I’ve had all year) was at Girl & the Goat in Chicago. The menu was just so creative and the flavors of each dish were so bold. I loved everything we ate and I highly recommend dining there if you’re in Chicago or visiting Chicago. Post coming soon!
7. Pureral Gummies
One of the things I really loved doing in Japan was trying out all their gummy candies. They taste quite different from the offerings in the US and I especially enjoyed the fruit flavored ones that were often shaped like fruits and had a soft, juicy center that make it feel like you are eating fruit.
The Japanese markets carry some of the gummies I love (though they cost quite a bit more). Recently I’ve been obsessed with the Pureral ones, especially the peach flavor. I bought these at Mitsuwa.
8. This spring we were joined by a family of birds. It was quite an experience. I don’t know why they chose the ledge above our front door, which is only about 3 inches wide, to built their home, but that’s the spot they chose.
It definitely made it hard for us to enter our front door but we were excited by the prospect of baby birds. A few weeks after the nest was built, we heard the unmistakable cries of baby birds. Soon we could see them peeking above the nest. And a few weeks after that, the baby birds were already so big that they didn’t fit inside the nest anymore.
They’d be perched all along the front ledge. It was such a cute sight! The only downside was all the bird poop! They left splatters all over our porch and ledge and our packages kept being left on top of the bird poop.
We were wondering how long they’d stick around. We went to Chicago in early July and when we came back, they had moved out. They stayed around in the neighborhood for a few days and I’d randomly see them in our backyard, but now they are officially gone. The first thing we did after they left was wash the porch area!
That’s all for now! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Please note, some of the product links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
