While I like to get creative with my meals, there are certain foods/types of meals I eat almost daily. This list includes some type of protein/granola bar, Greek yogurt and smoothies. While my smoothies have for the most part been very summery lately (like watermelon smoothies every other day!), recently I was craving more of an autumn-ish type of flavor with my smoothie meal of the day. Call me crazy, but sometimes on a dreary summer day - or even on a perfect sunny day for that matter - fall flavors are just what I'm craving. Enter this guy: In case you're wondering, I know that the above image is a completely autumn themed photo and it's July, but I'm taking a Photoshop class for work and brush strokes - including the above leaf one - was one of my recent lessons. You see, I'm being a ... [Read More]
Archives for July 2014
Weekend Beach Picnic + My Picnic Essentials
Ahhhh, the beach.... Like a lot of people on the planet, it's definitely one of my happy places. This weekend I was able to get to the beach two days in a row! On Friday, my hubby convinced me to take an hour work break at lunchtime to head to the beach with him. There had been an insane amount of anchovies in the water the day before - apparently the largest school of northern anchovy seen in local waters in 30 years: (source) Wow right?! There are so many anchovies it looks like an oil slick. Adam had gone surfing and swam amongst them the day before and said it was really cool. We were hoping the fish would still be around, but they had moved on by Friday afternoon. I'm not going to lie, if they were still there I probably would have been a little freaked out swimming in the ... [Read More]
Review: ProCakes High Protein Pancake Mix
It's no secret that I love pancakes. I regularly include them in my diet on at least a weekly basis, and I've gotten into the habit of making my own healthy batter. I often add protein powder or throw Greek yogurt into the mix, especially if it's a post-workout meal. I think it's important to include some protein in every meal to keep it balanced, and what some pancake mixes on the market today are missing is a good amount of protein. Say hello to ProCakes - a gluten free, no added sugar, high protein pancake mix. Recently launched by, Caren Magill, a fellow FitFluential ambassador, ProCakes pancake mix is made with whey protein, organic coconut flour, gluten free baking flour, and almond flour, and sweetened with xylitol, a naturally occurring sweetener derived from tree bark. A ... [Read More]
Let’s Get Sweaty! Heated Workouts: Yay or Nay?
Confession: I don't do well in the heat. If the temperature's cold, I'm usually fine with a blanket and a hot cup of tea, but what I don't like is being hot and sticky. This may be in part the reason that I'm living in SoCal, since I love being outdoors and the mild weather is so conducive to that. When I go back to Jersey in the summertime, where I was born and raised, I practically melt with the high humidity. It's not even that I've turned into a spoiled Californian. My body just has never done well in weather over 85 degrees. My house doesn't have air conditioning (which I recently found out is common in this area), and I actually have a heat paranoia. All windows and doors are opened and my ceiling fans are turned on first thing in the morning, for fear of getting hot and not ... [Read More]
Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad + 4th of July Weekend Recap
Hi everyone! I hope that all of you American readers had a great 4th of July weekend, and that everyone else has had a fabulous last couple of days as well. On the workout front, my long weekend included a mountain biking + swimming workout on Sunday... ...my first ever TRX class on Friday morning (more on that sometime soon!), and hiking with my pup on a hot but breezy Saturday. Fun and food-wise, my weekend included Sunday afternoon wine tasting with friends, followed by tempeh tacos with sweet potato fries from a cute vegan joint we found... ...spinach and artichoke dip making, muffin baking (also more on that later on!), and having another couple and their adorable baby over to hang out poolside on the 4th. My drink of choice that day was sangria.... ...and I made salsa and ... [Read More]
Because I’m Happyyy [5 Things I’m Excited About]
Hi friends! First thing's first: the results of my KIND Healthy Snacks giveaway! The winner is Sharon, who commented and said that she loves KIND bars and really wants to try the peanut butter & dark chocolate protein flavor. Congrats Sharon! I've emailed you for your address. The other day as my husband and I were sitting down to have dinner together, I said something like, "So guess what? I'm so excited...." Him: "That's good baby." Me: "Well don't you want to know why?" Him: [Smirk] Me: "What does that smirk mean?" Him: "Well you're always excited about something." Indeed, one of the running jokes in our relationship is A saying that I'm always enthusiastic about something, whether it's something little or something that's a big deal. It's a stark ... [Read More]
