Good morning – we’re caffeinated and up and at it early today. Before getting into today’s snackable news, it would mean the world if you would take two seconds to answer a ONE question poll.

Yesterday, we had a reader ask us a question about a NA beer that we featured and it got us thinking: having more information from you helps us create the most useful content. Our goal is to  curate news that helps save you time – everyone’s most valuable resource.

For anyone new here: this is The Skinny, where we serve up curated, need-to-know lifestyle news designed to entertain, and inspire a better (and more informed) day/week/life.

What we’re covering:

• Let the games begin: the three [new] Olympic sports we’ll be watching 

• Potholders-down, we have the easiest, laziest and tastiest ACTUAL 3-ingredient recipes for summer 

• Why coffee body scrubs are how we’re waking up this summer 

• The camping edit: Where to go, what gear to buy and the chic-est new ‘campgrounds’

• A new cereal brand from your favorite NFL twins, last-minute summer destinations & how to make a Hugo Spritz

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Pass the torch

Three Olympic sports we’ll be watching

The Skinny: The Paris Olympics are here, and if you haven’t yet researched the sports you want to focus on, we have some recommendations. These are all newcomers to the playing field, and sports you can try yourself. 

• Speed Climbing was introduced in the last Olympic Games and, based on this video with Alex Honnold, this is going to be must-watch TV. Honnold, who you may know from the film “Free Solo,” says that the climbing these athletes are doing is “next to impossible” and that they’re doing things even he “can’t possibly imagine.” 

• Next up: Surfing. We took a deep dive into this category and can’t wait to tune in after learning first about the venue itself – Teahupo'o, a big barrel, unpredictable wave famously located “at the end of the road” in a remote part of Tahiti. Read more about its history here, and how this spot is a manifestation of “mana,” the spiritual power of nature. As one of the interviewees states: This is a wave so powerful, “it can give you everything, but also take everything away.” Side note: Olympic surfers aren’t crashing in a traditional village…and they are pretty “stoked to get to stay here.” 

• Breaking is a new sport debuting at the Paris Games and for those at home we’re dropping this link: A b-boy, b-girl 10 minute bodyweight workout with Hatsolo of the Finnish Olympic breakdancing team (bonus baby freeze tutorial at the end). Disclaimer: Looks super challenging but we know you’re up for it. 

Pantry raid

Actual 3-ingredient recipes

The Skinny: Two things you won’t find here: 

1. Lengthy write-ups – crafted for SEO purposes – about someone’s [yawn] personal experience and/or long-winded memories related to whatever recipe or food they’re covering. We’re here to save you time, not drive traffic 

2. Recipes that claim to be a certain number of ingredients, but that are actually way more complex (classic “gotchas” are either a complicated marinade or dressing or recipes with hard-to-find seasonings that are beyond “three”) 

That being said, let’s get to these easy, lazy, and tasty recipes: 

• Berry fro-yo (whole milk yogurt, frozen berries, honey). Just too easy, but this recipe does a good job explaining the details worth paying attention to. 

• Tinto de Verano (red wine, lemon/lime soda, orange - optional!). Forget sangria – this is the true drink of your Spanish Summer. To order while day drinking shopping, or football watching in San Sebastian; make at home with your day-old opened bottle of red wine. 

• Baked chicken breasts (chicken, salt, butter). Loving this for a quick, simple meal if you have some fancier sides or salad, but also to save for making chicken salad – or salads with chicken. 

• Chicken and pineapple skewers (chicken, teriyaki sauce, pineapple). This can be made more complicated if you’d like with the addition of a sauce, but just delicious on its own as well. A reminder that canned pineapples are one of the canned fruits that can be actually better than fresh (not to mention, much more affordable) 

• The Kitchn has a series on  “Hack a can of corn” soup (can of sweet corn, butter or oil, milk) 

• Great YouTube short of a Japanese cucumber salad (cucumber, mirin, sugar). Have it ready for your poke bowls.

Crème de la Skinny  

Waking up with a coffee scrub

The Skinny: Today’s best of the best is a tale of two trade shows, along with our own unsubstantiated claim: coffee body scrubs are effective in reducing the appearance of cellulite. We believe it, but 100% cannot scientifically prove it. That being said, if you love scrubs like we do, our trade show hopping has resulted in two choices based on your preferences. If you love upcycling, we met Made to Sustain at the Fancy Food Show and she has the goods on DIYing your own scrub. And if you’re more White Lotus, may we recommend the Coffee Scrub from Palermo (a brand we found at Shoppe Object), which was inspired by a Caffè Corretto.

The camping edit

Are you a backpacker, cowboy camper, caravanner or glamper?

The Skinny: If you’re planning a summer or fall camping trip, which are the most fun to plan as they typically involve incredible nature experiences like the above (in Maine), first decide what kind of camper you are. Three resources: 1) AAA provides a description of several types of camping, including suggested destinations; 2) this one includes 19 different types of camping – many of which we’d never heard of; 3) two brands to check out if you don’t want to actually camp: the chic and back-to-nature Getaway House; and buzzy AutoCamp, which recently announced a partnership with Hilton. 

To eat: We’ve been camping on several continents (and in various levels of hard-coreness), and never heard of living in the camping lap of luxury with recipes like these (as delicious as they sound). They include sheet pan pizza, foil packet shrimp, and actual baked potatoes. (And for anyone who doesn’t want to be so bougie, we’ve got you with an excellent round-up of the boxed mashed potatoes as well.) As for camp breakfast goals, look no further than Camp Chef’s Instagram – or you can browse and shop their portable grills, griddles, stoves and even pizza ovens.   

Regardless, any kind of camping requires gear. And in our mind, the only five things you really, really need for summer camping – unless you’re actually backpacking, meaning out of range from basic facilities – are: a tent; mattress or pad; kickass cooler, lantern/flashlight, first aid kit. Oh, and I guess a portable phone charger. That’s it. But below, we included some extras because…shopping for camping is fun.

The camping shop edit:

• For a tent, don’t skimp here: you need high-quality from a trusted brand. No need for sleeping bags; it’s too hot in the tent. Just use a sheet and a light blanket will do. We experienced driving rain the last five times we camped, so you need a tent from the pros. We wholeheartedly recommend Marmot, which has kept us 100% dry, 100% of the time.

• This is a great roundup of tested lights and headlamps, courtesy of Wirecutter

• Rug: Not necessary, but we kind of “need” this as it sets the tone for a more civilized, stylish set-up

• Also to consider, if you’re going to be in the sun for an extended period, sun protection clothing. First, do you need it? According to the Cleveland Clinic, it does actually work. Finally, a list of the best/tested choices, from hats to hoodies to water shirts to colorful neck gaiters. With this topic, though, we’d also recommend reading this article – which makes an argument for allowing yourself to soak in some vitamin D, safely, before the full cover-up.

OHM, THERE'S MORE

This week’s newsfeed

• Last-minute summer getaway? Yes, please. The Points Guy has the scoop.

• Can you guess which NFL players-slash-cereal enthusiasts launched a breakfast cereal this week? 

• Are you Team Hugo or Team Aperol? Some argue that the Hugo Spritz has surpassed the Aperol Spritz in terms of popularity, even in Italy. Since the more wild Fernet Branca is usually our drink of choice whilst imbibing in the Alps, we’d never tasted the Hugo until experiencing it at a recent pop-up in Manhattan. We’re now sold on its herbaceous intrigue and adorable “travel” bottles (shown). See recipe above, and if you want to know about the spritzes associated with the various Italian regions, Giadzy is serving them up here. One thing to agree on is that this 4-pack of balloon glasses are the ultimate vessels for any kind of spritz. 

• Food & Wine delivers the news we have been waiting for: “Japanese 7-11s,” which are focused on increased % of sales from food – and making said food fresh and more interesting, as we have reported on prior – might be rolling out in the U.S. 

• Ayurvedic TikTokker Kirti Tewani shows how to make your own Snickers bar with dates and peanut butter (but, don’t forget to check inside your dates first for the unwanted surprise you’ll see in the video).  

• Can Uncrustables save the world? Maybe not the whole world. But as it turns out, they are a large piece of an important regenerative peanut farming initiative: here’s how, thanks to a collaboration between Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) subsidiary Golden Peanut and JM Smucker Co. 

• PS: consider  filling your back-to-school freezer with Uncrustables, because this eater/writer makes a bold – and convincing – claim saying they’re actually better than an actual handmade PB&J.  

• And now, a word [from us] about our sponsor: It was exciting to have Brodo sponsor this week’s newsletter because, well, BONE BROTH. We love bone broth. Why? Hydration, gut health, collagen, amino acids and protein, to name a few. We bought this before they became a sponsor and if you are curious or already a fan, this is the top shelf BB. Uses: sipping, slurping, make ice cubes with it, add to dips and salad dressings, and smoothies, stir into  your morning coffee, you can even make bone broth chocolate milk.

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