November Favorites | The Products, Books, & Podcasts You Need

It’s that time again. Time for me to share all of my favorites from the last month. Here are all the products, books, and podcasts you need to check out that I loved in November.

I can’t believe it’s that time again. Another month has come to a close and with that comes another favorites post. If you missed last month’s, you can read it here. But if you already read it, let’s just cut to the chase and get into the products, books, and podcasts you need to check out that were my favorites in November.

the products, books, & podcasts you need to check out

products

I don’t have a ton of actual products to share with you this time. But I am going to add a few recipes to this section because I need to share them with you. They’re so good and you have to try them out! But first, I’ll share a couple of my favorite products from the month.

cbd beauty boost

I know that not everyone is interested in using CBD products. And I also know that this serum is very expensive. However, it’s so good that I have to share it. I’m very minimal when it comes to my skin care. But this is the one product I splurge on because it’s well worth it. It’s also important to note that it lasts forever. A little bit goes a long way, so you only need to use a few drops. I bought the bottle I’m using now in August and I still have about a quarter of it left. I think it will go a little faster in the winter because my skin’s dry so I’m using more drops. But I’m still not using a lot, so it’ll still last a while.

But anyway, onto the reasons why I love this stuff. So many women call this serum “botox in a bottle” because it’s so great at evening out the skin and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. I’m only 24 so I don’t have wrinkles yet. But I have noticed a huge improvement in the evenness and smoothness of my skin. It also just helps to make my skin look so clear and like its glowing. Plus it smells so good!

One of the great things about buying Young Living products is that you can get points back if you’re part of their loyalty program. I saved up mine and used them to buy this serum as well as a couple other products which means it was basically free haha.

Candy cane essential oil blend

Another Young Living product, I’m sorry. But I can’t help it because this one is so good too. This blend smells exactly like a candy cane, maybe even better. The best way I can describe it is that it smells like those soft peppermint candies taste. It also has such a strong scent so it’ll fill up your entire house when you diffuse it in one room.

The Simplified Collection that it’s a part of is specifically designed to serve as great candle swaps. I’ll talk about candles more in detail another time. But for now I’ll just say this: you need to stop burning them. At least the ones with artificial fragrances. They wreak havoc on your body and are horrible for your hormones. I choose to diffuse essential oils instead. They don’t only smell good, but they also have a ton of medicinal benefits as well so its a win-win.

blender banana muffins

I just started making these a couple days ago, but they are currently mine and Chris’ current obsession. I discovered them on Sarah Therese’s youtube video earlier this week. I’ve already made them twice because they’re so good. The best part is that they’re relatively healthy. There’s no flour and it uses only 1/3 cup of maple syrup for a sweetener aside from the bananas. If you try or buy anything from this post, make it be these! Here’s the recipe:

3 bananas
2 eggs
1/4 C peanut butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 C maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 C oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C chocolate chips ( I use dark)
Add all the ingredients besides the chocolate chips to your blender and blend until completely smooth. Once the mixture is as smooth as you can get it, add the chocolate chips and blend until just combined. Don’t over-blend because you want the chips to remain whole. Pour the mixture into a muffin pan and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

sourdough cinnam on rolls

Out of all the things I bake, this is probably my favorite. These sourdough cinnamon rolls are incredible. Don’t let the fact that they’re sourdough scare you. They don’t taste sour or like sourdough bread at all. I’ve made these on Thanksgiving morning the past three years and it’s one of our favorite traditions. I need to make them more often throughout the year because I rarely do and I really don’t know why. I would love to try this recipe out with different fillings like chocolate or blueberry in the summer. Yum!

books

The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart

This book! It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read. Now I’m on a mission to read all of her books because I know they all have to be amazing too. This one follows the story of two Polish midwives, Ester and Ana, who find themselves in Auschwitz during World War II. Here’s the description on the back of the book:

“Ana Kaminski is pushed through the iron gates of Auschwitz beside her frightened young friend Ester Pasternak. As they reach the front of the line, Ana steps forward and quietly declares herself a midwife – and Ester her assistant. Their arms are tattooed and they’re ordered to the maternity hut. Holding an innocent new-born baby, Ana knows the fate of so many are in her hands, and vows to do everything she can to save them.

When two guards in their chilling SS uniforms march in and snatch a blond-haired baby from its mother it’s almost too much for Ana to bear. Consoling the distraught woman, Ana realises amidst the terrible heartache there is a glimmer of hope. The guards are taking the healthiest babies and placing them with German families, so they will survive. And there are whispers the war is nearly over… Ana and Ester begin to secretly tattoo little ones with their mother’s numbers, praying one day they might be reunited.

Then, early one morning, Ana notices the small bump under Ester’s thin striped clothing…”

The Midwife of Berlin by Anna Stuart

This was the sequel to The Midwife of Auschwitz. It tells the story of Ester’s journey to finding her biological daughter after the war. It’s not as good as the first book, but it was still so good. Historical fiction has become my new favorite genre because it’s not only entertaining but it also teaches me about history. Of course, you have to take everything you read in historical fiction with a grain of salt because it isn’t always completely historically accurate. But the books usually do a good job of at least giving you more knowledge and interest than you would’ve had previously.

podcasts

I usually only listen to the same handful of podcasts, so I won’t have new ones to share each month. So I’m going to start sharing my favorite podcast episodes so that I still have new things to share in this section each month.

Bright Hearth

Homemaker Chic

And that’s it! If you made it this far, thank you for reading! Let me know if you try any of these things out, and be sure to share this post with someone else who you think would enjoy it as well! 🙂