Hey hey heyyyy friends!!!
It’s the end of Julyyyyy and it’s time for my monthly favorites roundup!
For the first time in my adulthood, this summer has really felt like summer. There is just an energy, and I am not sure if it’s external or internal based on my environment or my inner mindset but whatever it is I am loving it. I really do feel like every season I am in becomes my favorite. Except when it’s still snowing in March during winter. But all in all, the ebbs and flows of seasons have changed my life for the better. They have really made me slow down and appreciate every moment.
Nowww without further adooooo, let’s get into my favorites roundup! 10 things and rituals I have been loving, recent discoveries, tried & trues, habits, things I can’t live without & more. All things vetted and loved by me. Let’s get into itttt….
1. Sweet ‘n Savory
I love a sweet&savory combo. I’ve always felt like saltiness makes things sweeter (queue me saying a sweet is not a sweet without little bit of salt)—a savory element to a sweet just elevates it! And vis versa. I feel this way all year long, but I feel like I am reaaallyyy able to get the most out of these flavor combination during summer with the abundance of juicy fruits and vibrant veggies. And we’re always snack plating during the summer time because it makes the best appetizer or meal. So here are some of my favorite flavor combos to inspire you.
Fruit x herbs (been obsessed with tarragon, but mint and basil also go so well and ofc rosemary and thyme)
Cantaloupe x prosciutto
Honeycomb x parmesan
Watermelon x feta
Olives x tomato
Blackberry x brie
Peaches x burrata
Radish x salted sweet cream butter
Blueberry x basil
Corn x honey x butter x salt
Apple x cheddar or manchego
Fig x burrata
and by the way all of these are so good with a spritz of lemon too. and maybe some lemon zest. and maybe some extra virgin olive oil. and maybe some more flakey salt. drizzle of honey perhaps? but seriously if anything ever feels like it’s lacking some oooopmh….these are my go tos + some herbs. I like a dish that hits all flavors, sweet, sour, salt, and maybe bitter & umami to reaaalllly tie it. and a crunch factor pls.
2. Red Light Therapy
You guys know I have raved about Boncharge for yearssss now. I love their red light therapy, they combine different light wavelengths in their red light devices (near infrared & red) which covers both surface skin and deeper tissue benefits. They make it so you can customize it to your needs based on intensity, lights and time. I use their panel for body/face, and then their mask for face-focused concentration.
Near infrared light & red light are both amazing for the skin and body, to explain the differences between the two, near-infrared light penetrates deep into muscle and joints, supporting cellular energy production to speed up repair, while red light works more on the skin’s surface to support collagen production and radiant complexion. The same healing light is emitted during sunrise & sunset, when the sun’s lower angle filters out more blue/UV and lets more red and near-infrared through relative to other wavelengths. This is why it is soooo integral to get outside in the morning & evening.
I love my red light because I am not alwayysss able to do that and where I live now with the seasons I don’t always get that opportunity. Red light therapy essentially isolates these important wavelengths for overall repair and rejuvenation. Sunlight is most important, and I like using my mask to help optimize. Plus I love all of Boncharge’s products, especially their circadian friendly lighting it’s completely changed my sleep.
They are having a BIG sale that ends TODAY! It’s 25% off everything so if you are interested I recommend checking them out! Thank you Boncharge for sponsoring this post!
3. Pan con Tomate
I ate this every single day when I was in Spain. They served it with every meal, and it was heaven. So that has been inspiring me to make it every day at home too especially with all of the gorgeous heirloom tomatoes that are in season!!!!
I think this is such a great dish because even though it is one of the most simple things ever, literally bread x tomato, there is so much variety that can be added into it. First, the bread, this can change the entire thing whether you’re using sourdough or a french baguette or ciabatta or something else entirely.
I personally love to toast the bread until golden brown and crisp so it has some bite to it, and then rub it with a garlic clove to get a nice subtle garlic flavor without being overpowering. Then, the tomato. You can use any variety of tomato but I prefer heirloom because they are juicy and sweet and flavorful but also because there are so many different colors. Making a pan con tomate with different varieties and colors or heirloom tomatoes literally becomes a piece of art. I grate my tomato into a mesh strainer and then get rid of any excess liquid before layering on the bread (also the tomato juice is delicious you can save it for a bev). Then I drizzle with some good extra virgin olive oil, add some flakey salt, maybe a spritz of lemon and then I love it with anchovies sometimes too. Sooooooo good.
4. Being Young (is a mindset)
I don’t know what it was but I had this epiphany recently that the older people I know who feel like they have the most young and vibrant energy are the ones who are still going out and experiencing life. Getting out of their comfort zone. I see the same thing when I go to European spots, everyone is out and about, with family, with community, chatting, drinking wine, laughing, walking, there is an energy about it that I love.
I feel like a lot of times I get caught up in my routine, and I become too rigid.Feeling the need to go to bed early and stay in, not for the right reasons. I forget that the whole purpose of the routine was to make me feel good. So this year especially I have been pushing myself to break out of that routine and just have fun. Be young. Experience life. Go out with friends, eat out at yummy restaurants, explore and adventure more just for fun. It sounds stupidly simple but the mindset shift has been life changing for my energy and health. I feel like sometimes we choose “health” for the wrong reasons. Health is expansive, it’s not always staying in and eating at home and going to bed early. There is health in loving, laughing, community, memories. In having fun. Of course there is a balance and that balance is different for everyone, but this reminder for me has been important.
I also just have been feeling very inspired, I said this earlier but it’s the first summer I have had in adulthood that it actually feels like summer. Like the summer I had when I was young. I think it’s partly because being in New York, and coming out of a brutal winter I just feel so grateful for every day, but I do also attribute a lot of it to this energy and mindset shift. I am channeling a European vacation, but just here at home in New York.
Someone commented on my substack Habits that Make Life Feel More like a Vacation and said “One thing I noticed after living abroad is that what felt like “vacation” wasn’t always the place, it was the pace. Walking more, lingering over meals, fewer rushed moments. I’ve been trying to bring those habits home instead of waiting for my next trip.” and I think that is so true. It’s our energy just as much if not more as it is the place itself, and I do think we can channel that here at home.
5. Muse
I have been writing a deep dive on movement as a ritual, and the main theme of it is that movement should not feel like a chore or something you are dreading, it should be something you crave, a release, something of pure enjoyment and endorphins and pleasure. and I need to shout out Gabi of Muse (the g spot) because she has become my, for lack of better words, Muse, in this mindset shift for me.
I have never felt so strong, physically and mentally, so fulfilled and nourished, than after following her workouts. I truly crave them. They are SPICY, FERAL and healing. I have been able to push the boundaries of what I never thought myself capable of, and it has become a really amazing and therapeutic ritual of my day. Plus, it’s low lift. At home workouts are something that feel doable. I can’t recommend her enough, I think what she has built is amazing and I am OBSESSED with her energy!!!!!
6. Film Photography
I have been into photography forever, and film since high school. I think it is a beautiful art form, capturing the world from your eyes. Film is especially special to me because I feel like there is something more precious about it in the way that you can’t look at the photo right away, you don’t know how it is going to turn out, and because of that you take one and you move on and hope for the best. Every film photo is different, depending on the lighting, the development process, it’s incredibly unique.
Last year Cooper got me my first real film camera, before I had been using disposable cameras for as long as I could remember. It’s been so much fun. It’s made me dive deeper into the world of film and become obsessed with thrifting old cameras (mostly on facebook marketplace but ebay too) to see how they work. So in the span of a year I went from one camera to three. I am so excited to keep using all of them and learn more about it.
The main one I use is the one Cooper got me which is a Olympus Trip 35.
7. Dish Soap
I have my cleaning products I love & rebuy, linked here. Recently I have also happened upon Dirty Labs and I love everything about them but specifically been really enjoying their dish soap, it’s fragrance free, clean, hypoallergenic and plastic-free and I just feel like it makes my dishes really clean. Which is all that really matters when it comes to dish soap lol.
8. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
I am a suckkkkerrr for a good extra virgin olive oil!!! I am a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to evoo and there are definitely certain things I look out for when trying a new one: harvest date, polyphenol count, origin/varietal, farming practices and how it’s bottled. I have my fav evoos that I go back to linked here. & my recent obsession has been Olivea their olive oils are incredible.
I specifically like the high-polyphenol one it has a kickkkkk to it (the greeks say the more coughs the better the evoo). It has over 1000mg/kg of polyphenols (the average ranges from 50-150 for context). Their everyday one is also wonderful for, everyday lol. & then something new I have been trying from them is their Hydroxtyrosol Supplement, I am not big in adding new supplements but this one is great because it’s sourced directly from extra virgin olive oil and it has 20x the polyphenol count of an olive oil shot, a powerful antioxidant. But I also just love drizzling evoo all over my food and that’s the norm for me. I reached out to them for a discount code to share so you can use “glowwithella” for a discount on their products!
9. Homemade Ice Cream and Froyo
My passion. Every season but especially during summer (obviously). I have many more recipes to come this summer don’t ya worry, but these are some of my favorite frozen treats sooo farrrrr:
Lotssss more to comeeeeee.
10. Summer Tea Series
I haven’t stopped drinking loose leaf tea during the summer, I have just been drinking less of it. My favorite tea in the morning and afternoon has been a spearmint x peppermint combination, something about the two combined unlocks this depth and sweetness that I love, plus it’s very cooling. Spearmint tea can be helpful too with women’s health & hormones because it has natural-anti-androgen properties that can help with hormonal acne. Peppermint is wonderful for helping to relax and calm the digestive tract and ease bloating.
If you’re like wtf is wrong with you I am not drinking hot tea during the summer I am not a psychopath, I understand that, and I recommend a cold-brew tea infusion it’s lovely and can be served cold/over ice.
I have also been loving rose tea, which is rich in antioxidants and vitamin c and has this beautiful floral flavor, and then in the evenings I always drink chamomile.
Chamomile may be my favorite ever. It is incredibly soothing and relaxing, for mental and also for digestive. I love it so much. I usually drink it as is but it’s great with a lil milk & honey, bonus with a scoop of collagen for sleeping like a baby. I always use these loose leaf tea infusers in my mugs to steep my tea.
Thank you for tuning in for another month of Gut Feelings my lovely friends. I am so grateful for you. As always comment any thoughts, questions, comments, anything. I love connecting and chatting with you all.
Stay tuned this Sunday for August’s Meal Shortcuts because mannnnnn it’s good. May just be my favorite menu yet. Talk to ya soon.
Xo - Ella
PS: Always ask me if you have any questions! I linked everything I talked about here in my ShopMy page, some are affiliate links some are not. I also reorganized my entire ShopMy + Amazon Storefront so if you are looking for something I posted about hopefully you can find it easier.
What are your favorite rose teas?!
I live for your content ella 💞 thank you