Friday is here!!!

Besides not sleeping that well last night and drinking my double shot wheat grass to fast this morning and it coming out my nose, I am great!

I woke up early this morning and went to the hospital to get my MRI. I am so glad that I am FINALLY going to get something figured out about my back and knee. Thank god for insurance. I didnt have health insurance for 6 years before this job. To tell you the truth it is really the only thing that is keeping me here. Having benefits is a huge deal for me now. I love being about to take care of myself if needed. Today's post is going to be a big one! I am reviewing two product and I must say they are pretty impressive. Before I get to that though, more about me! This weekend is going to be rainy so I am thinking that house work is in the future. It is always a good excuse for me to stay in and have a day of cleaning if need be. With the roommates out of town this will allow me to give the house a deep clean. Exciting eh? Last night was a great Heather night. I went home, walked an hour, made a awesome smoothie, showered and crawled into bed to watch The Reader. I only give the movie about 2 1/2 stars. I mean there were plenty of steamy sense but not enough to make it a good movie to me. Something about a women in her late thirties hooking up with a 15 year old kinda grosses me out. Call me prude. Anyway, the cinematography was good though. I did however take a pain pill half way through so that could be the case. Either way, I enjoyed myself.

This morning oats was something special and it is because of two products....Youbars and I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter! First, lets take a look at YouBars.

This is straight from the site!

After years of being enthusiastic consumers of commercially available nutrition bars, L.A. mom Ava and her USC business student son Anthony got fed up with buying mass-produced bars that reflected generic tastes. Ava wanted bars that weren't too sweet with loads of protein to fuel her days teaching snowboarding and bellydancing. Anthony, a marathon-running athlete, needed high carbs and no milk products (he's allergic). The nutrition bar craze went wild at the beginning of the new millennium, but the number of commercial bars Anthony and Ava (that's us!) could eat actually decreased....So we took the bar by the horns and began making our own nutrition bars at home. It was as though we'd died and gone to heaven, except for the dishes we had to clean! We finally had nutrition bars with the exact ingredients that we wanted free from preservatives and corn syrup, freshly made and as delicious as Mom Ava's fluffy wholegrain pancakes. And they never got boring either: smooth, crunchy, chewy, sweet and savoury to suit any mood!We began making customized nutrition bars for the rest of our family and friends' the response was great. (Dad didn't even mind the messy kitchen!) We learned we weren't the only ones fed up with eating mass produced bars. Almost everyone we knew lit up at the possibility of creating bars tailored to their own tastes and dietary dreams. And so You Bar was born.We've been making our own nutrition bars for over two years and now you can too. Try creating your own nutrition bar it's fun, easy, fresh and most importantly tastes like you want it to with the nutritional content that you choose. You are what you eat (as Nana used to say), so choose!

I got two bars and two shakes and two packages of trail mixes!

I couldn't wait to tear into these as soon as I got them and because they came to my work place I did! First I opened up the Great Date Chocolate bar and bit right into it. WOW, I could really taste the dates! Then when I got home last night I made a smoothie with this!

Can you say D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! This package I have read before makes the perfect creamy consistency but seriously this really made the perfect smoothie. I mixed it with some unsweetened almond milk, fresh strawberries, egg whites and flax meal and boom! I had dinner! It filled me up and satisfied me until my late night snack. I loved it!!!

So this brings us to this mornings breakfast. I decided that the perfect thing to top my oats with was the trail mix. The Mix Up Your Day one is the one that I went with this morning! It made my oats that much more special!!!

You cant even see my oats for the lovely trail mix on top. This was perfect and just what I needed to get through my Friday. This company has seriously mastered all of their products. You have got to go to their website and make your own up!!!

www.youbar.com

Joel over at YouBar says: any time someone uses your code “kind2u” they will receive a 5% discount on their order. Thanks Joel!!! Your the best! So now is the time to go and order! I love love love these products and think you should fine out for yourself! 4 stars from me!!!

So there you have it, yet another awesome product coming my way and to my door step to try and yet again....I loved it!

One to round two and my snack for the day !

I also got yesterday something in the mail that I have seen in the stores but was just skeptical to try. I am a lover okay a LOVER of almond butter and peanut butter however never have I tried Soynut Butter. Well last night I did. Boy did I.

I got in the mail two jars from I.M. Healthy Soynut Butter. One was original and the other was chocolate.

I opened up the orginal and got a spoon.

I was amazed at the taste. It didn't really taste any different than regular peanut butter and I loved that the taste was sweet but wasn't filled with sugar. I had about two table spoons full and I caught myself getting the jar out several times and dipping my finger into it. It was great! I loved it. I saved the chocolate one for my snack this morning so that I could get a full review. This morning I did double duty.

I had this!
A sprouted grain tortilla with both the soynut butter and the chocolate soynut butter. A-W-E-S-O-M-E! This combo will be appearing more often I feel. This was a satisfying snack. I have a feeling that today's plate is going to be full of great foods and I have to say when I am eating all of my favorite things I feel much better! This is a little bit about I.M. Healthy.

Why Choose I.M. Healthy Products?
They solve difficult food problems.
- I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter
1. Suddenly your child cannot take peanut butter to their school, camp or day care? But peanut butter is a favorite and a diet staple that has your confidence.
2. You're an institution wrestling with the peanut allergy issue? The only way to effectively cope with it is to not serve peanut butter, but that causes problems that can negatively affect your business.
3. You have a peanut allergic family member that precludes peanut butter in your house, but all other household members want peanut butter?
4. You are a pregnant or nursing woman whose ob/gyn or pediatrician has recommended no peanut butter, but you love it?
5. You have children under three, your pediatrician says "no peanut butter for them"?
I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter offers an effective working compromise for all these situations:
1. It is peanut/nut free so safe for the peanut/nut allergic individual, but accepted as "peanut butter" by those who are not. It can be taken into any peanut free zone. It is available in commercial grocery stores and food service. Your child can have their "peanut butter" and an institution can maintain all the advantages of peanut butter without serving it. The legal and health risk is gone.
2. If you are pregnant or nursing, but crave peanut butter, that desire is satisfied without the risk.
3. It is safe for children under three.
4. It gives "peanut butter" back to the family of a peanut/nut allergic individual.
- I.M. Healthy Roasted Sweet Corn
1. You are bored with traditional snacks!
2. You need a snack that is safe for a peanut free zone or to have around a peanut/nut allergic person.
I.M. Healthy Roasted Sweet Corn is unlike any snack you have ever had: beautiful eye appeal, great crunch(but not too tough) and a decisive flavor, plus it is peanut/nut free and manufactured in a peanut/nut free facility.
- Southern Homestyle Corn Crumbs
1. You have just been diagnosed with celiac issues and your whole diet has been turned upside down.
2. You are bored with bread crumbs, but you like what they do.
Southern Home style Corn Crumbs are gluten free, made in a gluten free facility, but function exactly like bread crumbs. Fry, stuff or sprinkle over prepared food just like you did before the "gluten thing" came up. And if you are a bread crumb user, these are just different enough to rekindle your interest: a little stronger crunch, wonderful golden color and a touch less oil absorption.
Safe for schools.
Click here to read how I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter specifically addresses and answers the peanut/nut allergy problems faced by parents and food service directors.
Tastes Great.
Click here to read ideas of how I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter can improve recipes you may already know (and lots of new ideas!)
Peanut, Nut, and Gluten-Free.
Click here to read more about what I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter DOES NOT contain for those with Peanut, Nut, and/or Gluten allergy concerns.
Kosher
All I.M. Healthy and Southern Homestyle products certified kosher by The Orthodox Union(OU).

You guys get two thumbs up from me!!!

Go to the website and see for yourself, if you have any allergies to peanuts this is the butter for you! They have a ton to choose from so you will be bound to find one or more that you will fall in love with!

Sit back peeps! I am not done with ya! I still need to talk about my lunch/dinner and workouts for the week. Fridays are always my longest post because I will not be posting/reviewing until Monday morning and I wanna make sure I get it all in here!

So what is for lunch after all this goodness for breakfast and my snacks??? Well I am going light! With a simple salad.

Pulled chicken with field greens, purple onion, red peppers and some cheddar cheese. Yes that's right I am having a little cheese today! Yum! This is going to be light enough for me because I have a wine tasting and tapas dinner that I will be going to at the fancy National! I love this restaurant but cant afford to eat there. Tonight from 5:30-7:00 they will have wine tastings and tapas for 15 bucks! That is what I call the perfect Friday night event. I will be attending alone so hopefully there will be someone interesting to talk to! I am sure that their will be. Here is a picture of the restaurant. I have no idea what the wines will be or the tapas but they are sure to be great!

This is a little bit about the restaurant:

The idea behind The National is simple: to provide a casual neighborhood gathering spot reminiscent of the bars and cafés we’ve enjoyed on travels to Europe. Mediterranean inspired food and wine is served for lunch and dinner in the dining room and throughout the day at the bar. While our menu points to culinary traditions from abroad, we value our local farmers and our dishes reflect the changing seasons in Northeast Georgia.

This is the bar area where I will more than likely will be sitting since I will be alone!

So there you have it Heather's eats! What's in store for me as far as workouts? Well I will tell you. Today I am going to focus on chest and shoulders (I know weird combo but sometimes you gotta mix it up to keep your muscles guessing). Low weights of course and high reps. I wanna make my arms feel like they are going to fall off. I am also going to hopefully get in a nice walk as well today. If I cant then I will double up on the cardio tomorrow. I plan this weekend to get in yoga, pilates, walking and swimming. I am going to start on Monday to focus on my legs at very least twice a week. I have got to get these babies in shape! With my knee and back I am just not able to run or dance like I use to and they are going down hill quick! I can get them back though it wont take long with some sweat and tears! I am thinking that if I devote one month I will be back to normal (that is if I dont have to have surgery). Keep those fingers crossed for me! So there you have it my loves! Me in a nut shell this week. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. Thanks to YouBar and I.M. Healthy for showing me some love!

See ya Monday, bright and early!

-Heather