Happy Monday, friendly faces! 
ā¦ and welcome to the last Monday of April! The closing of an old month calls for a new monthly favourites post, and while I know that April technically has a few more days left in it, I very much doubt that Iāll fall in love with anything new in that time, and since Iāve already got other posts planned for the next few days, April favourites gets defaulted to todayā¦
Thatās all for intros! Letās jump right in to the good stuffā¦
The foods of April were brought to you by the letter āCā. First up, Chickpeasā¦
I buy the canned beans from Eden Foods because theyāre organic, salt-free, and come in a BPA-free can. I always have these grand notions of buying dried beans, soaking them, and cooking them up myself, but reallyā¦ aināt no one got time for that! I tried it on a few occasions and after being less than impressed with the results, I threw in the towel and went with store-bought instead. Eden Foods cooks their beans in kombu, which enhances the flavour and gives them a softer texture. I canāt even tell you guys how many cans I went through this month, and Iāve been enjoying them roasted, blended, and even straight up from the canā¦
Next up? Chocolate. This one shouldnāt come as a surprise considering Easter assaulted us with all things cocoa, but I was introduced to a new-to-me brand of chocolate this month that I kind of fell head over heels forā¦
Giddy Yo Yo ā organic, fair-trade, and 100% raw chocolate. Not only do the bars have an amazingly deep and complex chocolate flavour, but the company itself kicks some serious butt. Theyāre dedicated to using the highest quality and most nutrient dense ingredients available, as well as improving the quality of life for many Ecuadorian workers. As an added bonus, their products are also free of gluten, nuts, dairy, soy, refined sugar, and āall other nasty funkā 
And if you need further proof that I was obsessed with both of those Cās this month, just take a look at Aprilās recipesā¦
Crunchy Honey Almond Roasted Chickpeas
No-Bake Double Chocolate Fudge Protein Bites
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Oatmeal Cookie Dough Breakfast Bake
Can we say chocolate in ALL the things? Apparently 
You guys, I think there might be something wrong with meā¦ Remember how I didnāt set foot into a Sephora in March and barely had any beauty products to share with you? Well, the same thing happened in April. I only managed one trip towards the end of the month, and only walked out with one item. That one item, though, Iām absolutely smitten withā¦
Benefitās Theyāre Real! mascara. I received a little sample size of this mascara in a gift set that I got for Christmas, but put off using it because I didnāt buy into all the hype. Cue me kicking myselfā¦ repeatedly. This stuff isnāt mascara ā itās magic. Not only does it add great length and volume, but it isnāt clumpy, doesnāt flake off, holds a curl, and stays put so that I donāt have to worry about being left with raccoon eyes by the end of the day. And the brush is basically a dreamā¦
āThe specially designed brush features staggered bristles that grab close to the root, boosting length and volume beyond belief. The custom-domed tip uses precision bristles to lift, define, and curl even your tiniest lashes.ā
Itās like a push-up bra for your eyelashes No joke!
Other than that, I only have one more beauty-related thing to share with you guys ā oil pulling.
Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic detoxification technique which involves swishing a tablespoon of oil around in your mouth for 20 minutes before spitting it out and going about your normal brushing/flossing routine. The oil supposedly pulls toxins out of the mouth, teeth, gums, and throat, which not only improves oral health, but affects the rest of the body as well.
Iāve been oil pulling on a daily basis since around the middle of March, and I would have mentioned it sooner, but I wanted to give it some time to work its magic before I offered any opinions. You guysā¦ I love it. I donāt want to go too in depth into what oil pulling is and what the benefits are, but I will say that a few improvements I noticed were: whiter teeth, a cleaner feeling mouth, better digestion, and better sleep. Obviously I canāt say whether or not oil pulling is whatās 100% responsible for those things, but itās a practice Iāll definitely be keeping up for quite some time. Let me know if youād like to learn more about it and Iāll write up a more detailed post for you guys!
Remember my book haul from a few days ago?
I decided to start with Graceling
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight ā sheās a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the kingās thug.
When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.
She never expects to become Poās friend.
She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace ā or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far awayā¦
Iām a big fan of books that have a strong female protagonist, which is definitely one of the things I loved about Graceling. I did have a few issues with the some of the ideas surrounding womanly strength and independece that Cashore not-so-subtly puts forth throughout the novel, but overall I found it to be an enjoyable read that Iād recommend to anyone whoās a fan of books like The Hunger Games or Divergentā¦ although it errs to the side of fantasy rather than dystopia.
First off, I really liked the idea of The Graced ā individuals who are born with a remarkable ability that sets them apart from ānormalā people and changes their eyes so that they are two different colours. Definitely an interesting concept to build a world around.
Second, I loved the characters. Katsa drove me crazy in some regards, but she was also a character that I could really empathize with. I loved her strength, I loved her determination, and I loved that you could see her grow with some of the walls she built around herself coming down by the end of the book. Perhaps not as much as I would have liked to have seen, but enough to be content.
Po was my favourite ā now where can I find myself a guy like him? 
He was a stark contrast to Katsa in every way, but their chemistry was absolute perfection, and their relationship made the hopeless romantic in me do all sorts of happy dances. Still gushing about it.
Overall, it was a fast paced book with a good story, an interesting world, and characters you really come to love. I definitely recommend picking it up if you get the chance.
April was a blasty blast! Hereās what happened on Spoons this monthā¦
- I was lucky enough to be able to take two snowboarding trips to the mountains this month, but only recapped one ā as we speak styleā¦
- Birthdays! Both my mom and dad are April babies, so there was a lot of cakeā¦
- Food talk (read: WIAW) involved:
- I shared some blogging tips with a post on 11 helpful WordPress plugins.
- Lots of good stuff came out of my kitchen!
- Aaaaaaand to close off the month, Iāve got a pretty awesome recipe coming up for you guys tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Disclaimer: none of the products mentioned above are sponsored ā theyāre simply ones that I use regularly and love. This post does, however, contain some affiliate links.
Tell me 3 awesome things that happened in April!
Would you be interested in a post on oil pulling?
How about more blogging tips? Beauty tips? Health tips? Tips in general?
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Thanks for such an article! https://www.beautyheaven.com.au/treatments/beauty-treatments-worth-investment/
Chocolate mouse smoothie? Holy cow, this is the third recipe I see on your blog, and I already know that I am going to get so fat:)
That cell phone cover is so damn cute!
Gah, youāve been doing the oil pulling! Not gonna lie, I find the idea strange, but kudos to you for embracing new things and itās great youāve had some positive effects. Better sleep, even if it isnāt connected, is always a good thing. Iām not going to turn that down. Speaking of, Iāve gotten more sleep in April as well so thatās one good thing. GoT started is another and the very best thing is the Hubbyās return for the summer. Yep, Iām on officially on cloud nine. Iāve got my partner in crime back. And he does laundry and takes out the trash.
I absolutely adore that mascara. It worked wonders for my lashes! I definitely noticed a difference compared to other mascaras. I do admit that I need to venture out on different products.
Yes Yes Yes! Iād love to hear a post on oil pulling. I saw another blog mention it before, and Iāve kind of been intrigued ever since. Share away my beautiful friend xoxo
3 things from April: lovely date night w/ Joshua, Working with a new client, and just being able to wake up every single day is a blessing of itās own
I love oil pulling!! I actually started exactly at the same time as you, a few weeks ago and I wonāt stop.
I love your blog tipsā¦ definitely wouldnāt mind seeing more of those!
Hmmā¦ my April highlights: DC Half-Marathon, my trip to Charleston and Easter with my fam!
Awesome April happenings:
1.) signed a lease for an awesome place near my family. So excited to move close to home!!
2.) got to see my good friend at 9 months pregnant. So amazing.
3.) stuck to my budget and saved money! Go me!
Iād love more health and beauty tips!
your goal for may is to get me up to your kitchen to taste test. Can i bet your affiliate for RWS> LOL!
Only if I can taste test for Healthy Bites!
Your recipes this month were unbelievable. Every single one.
I tried the chocolate mousse yesterday (love) and have plans to make your breakfast bake sometime this week. Iāll report back when I do but I have no doubt that itās going to knock my socks off.
Iām so happy that you tried Benefitās Theyāre Real and loved it! Itās one of my go-to mascaras and Iāve continued to repurchase it since the release 2 years ago. I layer it with the CoverGirl Clump Crusher and my eyelashes are [almost] always flawless!
Hereās to a fabulous month ahead!
LOL 82% cocoaā¦.Iāve seen 72%, 80% and 85% but never 82%. Maybe thatās the magic taste number?
A colleague was telling me about oil pulling yesterday but then she said she ate the oil. Seriously. I never knew they actually had so many benefits though!
I loveeee Giddy Yo Yo! My fave is the Vanilla Bean and Sea Salt. Itās the best-tasting and best-textured raw chocolate Iāve ever tried! And Iām looking forward to roasting some chickpeas! Itās something new I have yet to try. Great post! I always like to see what other people are digging!
OMG, stop it with the skillet cookie. Youāre killing me. I want that, likeā¦ now.
Iāve heard of oil pulling but have never given it a try. It sounds interesting but 20 minutes seems like a long time to be swishing oil around in my mouth. Maybe Iāll get myself to try it one of these days!
I heard about oil pulling and I was like, huhhhhh? But then Iām all for homeopathic medicine, beauty methods, etc. since I grew up basically not going to the doctor and getting things done at home by my parents (kinda scary?) I THINK Iāll give it a try once I restock on coconut oil. My digestion is the biggest thing I want to improve right now.
Ooo oil pulling sounds interestingā¦ How on earth do you not accidentally swallow it?!
April awesomeness ā writing my first mini essay in Spanish on education, starting CrossFit and seeing England beat Argentina in the polo this weekend!
wait, what????
Iām from argentina (but now live in cali) and I always get sad when they lose something. Not sure what this is all about so Iām checking your blog now, hehe 
In a way Iām glad you didnāt make it to Sephora this month ā hear me out before you get mad
ā because that way thereās less to be jealous about for me. One day theyāll open stores over here, too [or at least a girl can dream, right?!]. I am, however, envious of the Giddy Yoyo chocolate because Iāve heard so much good about it before and ā guess what ā itās not available here.
Iām all up for more blogging advice as well as any other kind of tips. Regarding the health and beauty tips itās nice to see what has -actually- worked for others and not be swamped with advice in magazines and on websites left and right.
I WANT to like oil pulling soo badly but every time I get the oil in my mouth I gag!
It can definitely take some getting used to, but itās not that horrible if you start with something like a teaspoon and work your way up from there.
Isnāt oil pulling great? I think it makes a big difference in how clean your mouth feels. Iām planning on making your roasted chick peas tonight
Iāve heard really good things about that mascara! I tried oil pulling once and it was weird. I donāt know if it did anything and I had a really hard time not swallowing it. One of my best friends swears by it, though. You should definitely do a post about it!
I love Benefitās Theyāre Real mascara too. Itās SO good. I havenāt used it in forever but recently got a sample of it at Sephora. I canāt wait to crack it open!