Hey all!
I’m currently busting at the seams to tell you about a recent adventure as well as a project that consumes 80% of my brain as of late.
But also, this post feels a little awkward to write.
I feel like I’ve checked out for so long that coming back for a “chat” just feels . . . weird.
But since I’m 99% sure I’m overthinking this, I’m just gonna plow right through the “weird” and settle down for a nice cup of Crio Bru and a chat with you anyways!
So it’s like a coffee date, but I don’t drink coffee, so it’s a Crio Bru date! Grab a cup of whatever makes you happy, and let’s chat!
IMPORTANT ITEMS OF BUSINESS TODAY
- Blog and Freezer Meal Business Update
- Freezer Meal Cookbook Update
- A Life Changing Adventure – My Birthday Present to Myself
- Show I’m Obsessed With Lately – that you probably haven’t heard of
- Latest Favorite Finds – Vacation style!
- Recipes I’m Living On Lately – Salad and bread. I need nothing else
1) BLOG AND FREEZER MEAL BUSINESS UPDATE
If you’ve been around for a while you are probably familiar with the roller coaster of the past several years, but here’s a speed timeline recap of my biz for any of those who don’t use precious brain space to ponder on the happenings of Marci:
- Started a food blog.
- Wrote some cookbooks.
- Started a business with my sister called InstaFreeze Meals making and selling freezer meals.
- That business went down in a depressing puff of smoke.
- Put all our freezer meal recipes into cookbooks.
- Had my sister join me on the food blog. Wrote new recipes. Sold freezer meal cookbooks.
Now, what’s happening next on this timeline is the thing that has been consuming my every work hour!
Annoyingly, I’m not ready to share about this yet, but I will say this:
The painful rise and fall of our store, InstaFreeze Meals, has taken some interesting turns, and I can’t wait to tell you what has happened next.
This will hopefully be my greatest service to all of you, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
In the meantime, I just wanted you to know that this project is why all blog work and recipe creation has come to a screeching halt, but I promise you, it’ll be worth it 🙂
2) FREEZER MEAL COOKBOOK UPDATE
In lieu of exciting things to come, my sister and I decided to put all 4 seasons of our Freezer Meal Cookbooks online (instead of releasing them one season at a time) and cut the price SIGNIFICANTLY!
If you have had your eye on our cookbooks or want to buy some for friends and family, now is a great time to do that!
Find all of our cookbooks in our InstaFresh Shop. You can also add some fantastic printable packets to the cookbooks to make meal prep incredibly slick!
3) A LIFE CHANGING ADVENTURE
One year ago, I had an itch to go adventuring, but wanted it to be more than just a vacation.
This itch led me to this company, Discover Corps. This organization creates adventures all over the world, from Africa to Asia and SO MUCH MORE!
So after spending hours diving into all of their locations, I booked an adventure to Costa Rica for me and my daughter for a special little birthday gift to myself. I really give the best gifts 😉
We just returned home a week ago and I can quite confidently say it was my greatest life adventure yet (and also quite a memorable birthday!).
It was the most amazing mix of humanitarian service, cultural experiences, and adrenaline-rushing adventures.
All we had to do was get there, and they took care of the rest. The transportation, the food, the lodging, etc.
I made a recap video specifically for Discover Corps and thought I’d share it with you as well. It’s a bit long, but if this sounds like something you and/or your family would love, put it on 2x speed and check this video out.
I can’t wait to go on another adventure with them!
Discover Corps even gave me a coupon to share with you to take $100 off. I realize this isn’t a huge discount by any means, but think of it as money for a swimsuit or 2 🙂 Use the code MARCI to take $100 off your trip.
If you have any questions about the trip, put them in the comments below! I LOVE talking about it!
4) THE SHOW I’M OBSESSED WITH AT THE MOMENT
I never hear anyone talk about the shows I’m into, and I never know what others are talking about when they tell me about the shows everyone in the world is obsessed with.
My kind of shows are sweet and wholesome with a good mix of adventurous and intriguing. If I can’t sit down and watch it with my young-ish kids, I’m not into it.
Insert me and my daughter’s show obsession: The Way Home
Have you seen this show? It’s on the Hallmark channel, but it’s not a typical cheesy, predictable Hallmark movie.
They just finished their 3rd season, and we loved it so much that we rewatched all the episodes on the long flights to and from Costa Rica.
It’s got love stories, time travel, shocking twists and turns . . . Oh my gosh, it’s so good! Go check it out!
What about you? Have you watched any good shows lately? Ones the whole family can get into?
5) MY LATEST FAVORITE FINDS (related to the Costa Rica trip)
FAVORITE SKIN CARE: DIME. I think this is my forever face care brand. Dime uses ingredients I feel good about that are actually effective and they have completely transformed my face. I started with The Works System and have added a couple more things since, and I LOVE IT ALL! They also have the best travel-size version of the Works System that I took to Costa Rica. This link will take $15 off your cart.
FAVORITE SWIMWEAR: NANI. These swimsuits are so freaking cute and they are amazingly supportive. I have 3 of their suits (this top is my favorite), 2 of these shorts, and this sun-protecting top. Yep, I’m obsessed. However, I much prefer wearing swim SHORTS and these Title Nine Shorts are THE BEST! Cute, have zippers, dry fast, cover my bum – what more could I ask for?
FAVORITE BEACH TOWEL: SAND CLOUD. Where has this been my whole life? I took it to Costa Rica. It folds up tiny, dries fast, sand doesn’t stick to it, and it has a million cute designs. That link will take $15 off 🙂
FAVORITE SUNSCREEN: SUPERGOOP. I HATE wearing sunscreen because of the smell and sticky feeling. Supergoop has nailed it! Goes on like silk, doesn’t have a smell, and ACTUALLY WORKS! My favorite is the Unseen Sunscreen for my face, Play for my body, and Mineral Matte Screen for an excellent mineral face sunscreen that keeps shine down. I think this link will give you $10 off.
FAVORITE PROTEIN BAR: G2G BARS. I haven’t jumped on the protein obsession bus yet, but these bars were definitely my best friend when traveling. My daughter loves them for track. Clean ingredients and they taste AMAZING! My daughter loves the peanut butter flavors but I’m all about the Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookie flavor. Use the code INSTAFRESH for a discount.
FAVORITE HEALTH FIND: SILVERCEUTICALS. Five days before my Costa Rica trip my daughter and I were hit with fevers and body aches like I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m not a fan of making exaggerated claims, but I will say we hit my Silverceutical Active Defense Nano Silver Immune Support hard, and by some crazy miracle, we were better when it was time to go. I was blown away. Use the code MARCI for 25% off.
YOU’RE TURN!
What finds have you found that you are LOVING lately?
6) RECIPES I’M LOVING LATELY
I have fully moved out of winter food and am craving ALL THE SALADS!
This Kale Salad is a dream, this Strawberry Vinaigrette goes well with everything, and I could eat this Asian Chicken Salad every night.
I also got a subscription to Wildgrain Boxes and am now obsessed with a giant salad and some kind of fresh-baked Wildgrain bread for dinner every night. The croissants? Mind blowing.
My kids are obsessed with Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust so we’ve been eating that weekly as well.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE
That’s all for today!
I appreciate you all for being here, for making my food, and for sending me emails saying, “Are you okay? You seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth.”
So many good things to come! I can’t wait to share more.
As always, I love your comments and feedback on the topics above. Please leave a comment or question below! It is so fun to chat with you all!
Enjoy this beautiful weather and hopefully I’m back to chat sooner rather than later.
That doesn’t sound weird at all—honestly, it’s pretty relatable. Stepping back from chatting for a while can make jumping back in feel a bit awkward, but it usually fades fast once you’re actually in it.
I loved your insights about Crio Bru; it truly captures a unique way to enjoy cocoa. I recently tried a similar experience through Escape Road, where flavors reshaped my perception of healthy beverages.
Crio Bru is such a unique drink, and I love the idea of having a space to chat and share experiences about it. Whether it’s favorite brewing methods or flavor notes, I’m excited to join the conversation.
It’s so good to see another chat update from you. I had to laugh at your speed recap. You whittled it down to 6 bullet points! The Costa Rica trip sounds amazing, plus you visited a cacao bean farm! Thanks for the sunscreen recommendation. I also hate wearing greasy, sticky sunscreen and tried the Supergoop Unseen. I love it! I can’t wait to see what you do next.
It’s great to see you updating the chat again. The fast recap made me giggle. You reduced it to only six bullet points!