Week's end and I got a review!

Good morning! I took yesterday off to see my mom for her 50th birthday. I had a blast! Sorry about no post yesterday but I knew you would understand ;)

This morning is starting with a review! I tried a new product yesterday and was impressed! I got a little package from Nutridel!

NUTRIDEL is an artisan, gourmet cookie, made by hand in small batches with all-natural, earth-loving high quality ingredients. Our cookies contain no animal or dairy products. They are baked to perfection, and the result is a crispy, crunchy snack you can enjoy any time with guilt-free pleasure!

The brand is a concoction of the words “NUTRItious” and “DELicious”, exactly what our cookies represent. Our products are 100% natural, contain no additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, flavorings or sweeteners of any kind. They are loaded with seeds, grains, nuts, fiber and sweetened with a touch of molasses.

Our gourmet, round and perfectly crisp cookies are available in coffee shops, health clubs, and specialty stores in California and the Pacific Northwest. We also offer our products for sale through our on-line store. With ingredients like sesame seeds, pecans, almonds, flaxseed, wheat germ, oats and amaranth, each 2 cookie package is a no-guilt yummy treat!

Crumble them over frozen yogurt, top them with fresh fruit or create a nutritious almond butter cookie sandwich. The options are endless. Finally, a cookie that you can feel good about!

I ate it all by it's self and it was amazing! I tried the Almond one and it was sooooo good. It was actually the first thing that I ate this morning and the website was right....I didnt feel bad for eating "cookies" for breakfast!

Here is a close up! Very good for you indeed.

And here is the cookie. Thin and crispy I LOVED them. Oh so good. I love that they are all natural and that they are crunchy enough to crumble on top of just about anything. Thanks so very much Marisela! I give you guys two thumbs up! Please go to their site and check them out for yourself! You wont be sorry you did.

www.nutridel.com

So, two more days guys and the week is almost over! It sure has flown by for sure. I have a training session with a friend today and I know that by the end of the day I will be pooped. I am just looking forward to actually relaxing this weekend. The last few weekends have been hectic! I am thinking that maybe a nice hike somewhere may be in the books for this weekend or maybe even a trail run. We shall see! I do have to get two new tires today for my car so finding cheap fun is on the agenda for sure!

This morning started off with the nutridel cookies and I decided that I needed more after a few hours of plugging away at e-mails. I went back for more this morning and I have to say....The bread idea is working. X 2

I had Ezekiel and Pb2 with banana and blueberries. YUMMY! I love this breakfast so much!

I am walking with my favorite co worker (Shelly) today so that is going to be a good 4 miles I am sure and I am meeting my friend for a training session (repeating myself now) after work. We plan on hitting legs and abs pretty hard. I like to pick three exercises for each body part that I want to hit and then do 20 reps 3x. This is the best way for me to show a newbie. If she does it three times she is bound to remember some of it.

Right before my walk I plan on having some un-pictured raw almonds. Karen aka my bestest friend, lover (joking), walking buddy, sex in the city watching lady bought me from trader joes. Then I will walk like I have never walked before.

When I get back this is goin in my belly!

This salad doesn't do it justice. This thing is HUGE! I chopped up some chicken, half a avocado, mixed field greens, tomato, almonds and cilantro. Filling....for about a hour.

After lunch I plan to get some major work done and then pick up my car from the shop. I am not looking forward to forking over 200 bucks. Ouch! I am hoping that they dont tell me that something else is wrong with it. I know that they will though ;)

I am going to have another snack before leaving work though so hold on! Veggies and hummus. Well, celery and hummus. I eat this at around 3:00 and I leave work at 4:30. No matter how late I eat before leaving work I go home and eat something. It never fails. It is just so funny. I go home put my things down and into the fridge I go. I usually just have a bite here and there of something (I never track this) but I am sure it adds up to be about 200-300 cals. Do you do that? Is there a time of day where it doesnt matter if you are hungry or not you go into the kitchen. I must admit...I have two. One right after work and about 9:00 at night. Never fails. I swear.

After mindless snacking I head to the gym to meet my friend. I plan on getting there early so that I can get my "real" cardio out of the way. Yesterday while I was visiting home my grandmother invited me to the gym with her and so I took her up on it. I lifted some weights and did 20 minutes on the stair climber. It was 8:00 in the morning so I lost steam really quick. Man...my 72 year old grandmother is a freak! Yesterday morning when I got to her house BEFORE going to the gym she was on the treadmill and walked 30 minutes then we got our things, went to the gym and spend an hour and a half there. I wonder where I get my gym obsession now.....Hmmmmm. Thanks Nannie for being so darn awesome, you rock and are my idol. Heck, if I am 72 and working out for 2 hours a day, well just pat me on the back will ya?

After sweating it up I am coming home to shower and eat my new found LOVE.

Karen got me hooked on yet another thing. Low sodium organic soups. I have to say the soup it's self tastes amazing but I need some substance to keep me full for a few hours so I add a TON of things to my soup.

You cant even see the goodness because it is at the bottom. I roasted some veggies (sweet potato, red onion, zucchini, yellow squash, beets and tomato's) and threw in about a cup and a half in the bowl with a chopped chicken breast and topped with walnuts. I also doused this soup with siracha, dried basil and topped with some stolen mozzarella cheese (just a pinch). It was heavenly. I took this picture last night (that was what was for dinnah) and decided to just use the same picture. I have to say. I have to take about 20 photos before I get a actual good one. I think that a new camera will be on my wish list (as if I get Christmas presents anymore). After all I am a real blogger now and I need a REAL camera. My mom had a Nikon that was a point and shoot with a touch screen that was inexpensive and took some really great pictures. I feel in love with it over the visit.

I am sure to have another snack (or two) so don't think that this is all that went into this curly girls belly today. I am on a roll. I was "blessed" with a cup full of dark chocolate Reese's peanut butter cups from Jessica (other fave co worker, shhhhh). So don't think that a few pieces aren't had through out the day.

I hope that you all have a FANTASTIC day and I hope that you are as excited about the weekend as I am.

See you tomorrow with another review and a great attitude!

Luv,

Heather

Mom's B-day!

Today my mother turns a young 50! Yes, you herd right I have a 50 year old mother. Now that I am so close to 30 I really think that this is YOUNG. That is so funny to me because when I was younger I can remember thinking that 25 was super old. Oh, how the times change. My mother is one of the hardest working people that I know. She so deserves to have a really great day. Something that has REALLY upset me this morning was this:

I noticed last night that my car was driving that well. Kinda bumpy. It was dark so there was really nothing that I could do about looking around the car. So this morning when I got to work and got out of my car I took a look at my tires. This is what I found....My tires are bald. All of them need to be replaced but especially the front ones. I am so upset. This means that I will not be able to be there for my mom's 50th birthday. I called around this morning and found that they would have to order my tire size. There is a place in Warner Robins that could do them but that would mean that I would need to drive 2 and a half hours on bald front tires and I am just afraid. I dont want to risk it. Should I just drive slow? I think I know the answer to this one. I do have the gift with me and unless something great happens I will have to run to Fed Ex to get the present overnighted. I am so down right now. I wish that there was something that I could do. I hate it when things like this happen but I have to admit that I do listen to signs when they occur. Anyway, I needed to vent this morning and so it goes.

I do however have a review that is going to knock your socks off!!!

I got a sweet package the other day and over the weekend I was able to try them all out. This is going to be good, so sit back and relax!

I got three count em THREE lovely products from:

The first product that I got was this one!

While sauerkrauts and cultured vegetables have been used as healthful food in various cultures around the world, most commercially available sauerkraut's are processed with heat that eliminates the naturally occurring enzymes and micro flora that are so beneficial to the digestive tract. Rejuvenative Foods Raw Sauerkraut is a handcrafted fresh cultured vegetable, high in fiber and low in fat, that is handmade with great care to provide a flavorful, rich source of enzymes and lactobacilli (a micro flora, naturally implanted by mother's milk, normally present in a healthy human digestive tract). We begin by grinding fresh, raw cabbage which we then allow to culture in stainless steel containers for five to seven days. No water, salt or vinegar is added.

I will admit...This jar was opened when I got it. It kind leaked in the box but I put it right in the fridge and hoped that it would be ok. I tasted it right away and was blown away at the amazing taste! I am not a huge sauerkraut fan but I have to say I ate this just by it's self and it was great. If I had a tofu dog laying around I would have totally loaded it up with is stuff and mustard. Luckily, I still have some so that will be sure to be had!

The second thing that I tried was this:

Kim-Chi has been a staple of the Korean diet for centuries. It is made from fresh, shredded, unheated vegetables which are put into stainless steel containers and left to culture for five to seven days. No water or vinegar is added. These delicious, high-fiber, low-fat, unheated, organic, cultured vegetables are one of the richest sources of lactobacilli and enzymes available. Lactobacilli are probiotic micro flora, naturally implanted by mother's milk, normally present in a healthy human digestive tract.

I have never tried Kim Chi before and I am so glad that I was able to try this brand FIRST! I think that I got the best Kim Chi around and now that my standards are so high I doubt that anyone's elses will eb able to compare. I kid you not, this is a fantastic side dish if you are having a stir fry of any kind!

Last but certainly not least was Raw Almond Butter. Ok you know you had me when you said that you were sending me Almond Butter. Who doesn't like Almond Butter? Well I don't just like it....I LOVED it. OH MY GAWD. This (and I will say right now I have gone through a MILLION jars of nut butters) was the BEST I ever had. Not kidding you folks. You MUST try this if you dare.

Rejuvenative organic almond butter is freshly ground two or three times to keep the temperature low and the nuts raw. This process maintains flavor, nutrients and minerals as well as the inherent enzymes or life energy. The final product is immediately refrigerated to bring you a delicious nut butter that is guaranteed to taste and feel better than high-temperature roasted and/or ground nut and seed butters.

I give Rejuvenative Foods a A+. This company knows what it is doing and I have got to say YOU GUYS ROCK! I REALLY want to try their Tahini and Pecan Butter more than anything. If you dont believe how great they truly are by my post then just take a peak at their site....You will not be sorry that you did!

http://www.rejuvenative.com

Thank you Lisa for sending me such awesome products. If there is anything else that you would like for me to review on my blog I would be MORE than happy to do so. I am now not only a fan but HOOKED!

I would just like to leave you guys today with a few facts about Raw Living Foods and the benefits.

What is it about Raw Cultured Vegetables that enhances health? Raw Cultured Vegetables are delicious and provide an excellent self-rejuvenating source of non-dairy lactobacilli, including acidophilus and lactobacillus plantarum, important for the maintenance of healthy intestinal flora and the alleviation of digestive disorders. This is important for people who are lactose intolerant, have pathologies that prevent the consumption of dairy or simply choose to avoid it.

What is it about Rejuvenative Foods' Nut and Seed Butters that is so special? Our freshness-dated, raw, refrigerated Nut and Seed Butters are special because they are unheated (not roasted) and still have life energy, vitamins and minerals that are further retained as a result of immediate refrigeration and assured freshness that you know of by our 9 month "best if sold before" date. Ask for Rejuvenative Foods Nut and Seed Butters by name, as you would cold processed oil. An important aspect of retention of life energy is: We monitor temperature during grinding so that heat friction doesn't cook our nuts and seeds.

So with all this being said....I am sold! I hope you all have a chance to try out one of their products as this company is amazing!

Have a wonderful day. I am going to try and see what I can do about this tire situation.

-Heather

Start of November

November started yesterday...Can you believe it? We are officially starting the holiday season people! I can not believe that this year is only two months away from being over. I mean truly have no idea where the time has gone....With November starting and the time change I think that there are going to be a few adjustments that I need to be making to really end the year well. What does that mean? Well I will tell ya. There are a few things that I do when November hits. First of all, November officially starts the holiday season for me. I really LOVE the holidays and with all the excitement going on around me it can be very easy for me (or anyone for that matter) to fall off the wagon as far as diet and exercise goes. That paired with the time change it can be a disaster for me. I don't know what it is but when it gets dark...I want to get into bed. I am so effected by the weather and time these days. I have a plan this year though and I think that is is going to work VERY well for me...If I can just sick to it. Here are a few things that will help me I think when the going gets tough.

First thing that effects me I feel is not getting the sunshine that I so love during the spring and summer months. I am a LOVER of the sun and warm weather. From March-September I am outside soaking it up every chance that I can get. Unfortunately I am not able to get as much during the Fall and Winter months. So this year I am going to be taking a supplement that I have never taken before. Vitamin D! I went to the store last night and got some vitamin D tablets. I think that this will allow me to get my daily dose of rays without having to try to use my lunch break to sit outside. I do still go on my walks during the day, 3 days a week but I feel like I need Vitamin D every day. This was a good idea on my part! When it gets dark outside I tend to think that it is bedtime. During the cooler months I am not nearly as active as when it is warm and sunny outside. I have a plan for this too! When I get home I am going to make myself be proactive and productive. I plan on going home from work and doing cleaning or going straight to the gym.

The next thing that effects me is the coldness. If there is one thing that almost always makes me eat more it is when it gets cold. You might already know this but warmer foods tend to be higher calorie. During the Spring and Summer I pretty much live off of raw foods. I eat a salad on most days for two meals out of my day. I have a hard time eating anything warm when it is hot out. When it gets cold I want warm comfort foods which equals fatty, bad for you things like hot bread, pasta, rice dishes, casseroles, and cobblers. Yes, I said cobbler. I always want comforting southern food. You throw a holiday in the mix and I am in trouble. This year however I have a few ideas! This year I am going be eating a lot of this.




Low sodium soups are the way to go. I have decided that a hardy soup for dinner will keep me warm and fill me up. This brand is my favorite. What I like about this soup is that it is low sodium, organic and simple. I then add some vegetables, chicken and some spices and I have a BIG hardy bowl of soup for dinner. So smart! I should have thought of this years ago. Imagine has a ton of varieties and they are all wonderful (the ones that I have tried anyway). The other thing that I will be turning to when the going gets tough will be hot teas! There are a million flavors and with so many to choose from I doubt that I will ever get tired of them. With flavors like candy cane, sugar cookie and black chia I will feel like I am cheating without the calories or the guilt! These are also so warm and comforting that it is the perfect "snack" before bed. It totally relaxes me.





The last thing that I want to tackle before I go to my food for the week is the holiday eating. I am just as bad as the next when it comes to wanting the pumpkin pie, sugar cookies, eggnog and bread pudding. I have decided though that this year I am going to only partake in ONE day in November and ONE day in December to have these sweets. You dont have to celebrate for two straight months. I plan on eating the holiday foods this year on the actual holiday. This is a way that I can REALLY enjoy it. If I just let myself eat these things whenever they are in front of me I will take it for granted. This way when I have that slice of pumpkin pie I will really enjoy it. I know that some people will be thinking "Come on...Live a little this is the only time that you can enjoy these things!" Well, you know what? I will (hopefully) have many many Thanksgivings and Christmas's to enjoy the festive foods so why cram it all in one month! This is what will work for me, not necessarily for you. I am just telling you what I have decided.





On to eats for the week! Hold on to your seats ladies and gents, there will be no oats this week. Instead I am trying something new....



Yes, you are seeing correctly. BREAD!



Now I know what you are thinking..."Oh my gosh...Heather is leaving her oats for BREAD?" What in the world? Well, folks I have been a die hard oat bran, oatmeal eater for breakfast for about two and a half years now. I loved it more than any other meal! One thing that I recently noticed was that A: My oat's were tallying up to almost 500 calories for my first meal and I eat 6 meals a day. I eat every two hours so for my first meal to be so much it was causing me to cut back on other meals to make sure that I didn't go over my calories for the day. I could easily make my breakfast a 500-700 calorie meal. B: It was making me STARVING just after a hour. I would eat this HUGE bowl of oats packed with nut butters, banana, almond milk, egg whites, jam's, chia, dried fruits and even protein powder and still I was starving just after I ate it. I decided to try something different over the weekend and boy it made a difference. The out come....300 cals and a full belly for three whole hours. I only ate one slice of Ezekiel sprouted bread with PB2 and half a banana and it kept me full and energized through my workout. I knew right then that I found a new breakfast. This morning I had TWO slices of toast, one with 2 egg whites and one with .25 of a banana and 2 table spoons of PB2. With only 340 cals I am pleased with the outcome. I also get the savory slice and the the sweet slice and that helps with cravings as well! I am not saying that Oats are out of the picture forever but I am enjoying this change.



For my pre workout snack and my second meal of the day I am having this.



Fage greek yogurt topped with raw almonds. I also put some pomegranate seeds on top as well. Oh so good! This is the protein I need to get me through the weight lifting hour that I am doing today.



When I get back it will be lunch time and I will be eating a simple chicken salad. I will be adding some cucumber and chopped tomato to this as well.
This salad looks plain but it is really filling and tastes great to me. I like simple foods so I just go with what I know. I will more than likely eat a raw bell pepper about a hour after this dipped in mustard.





For dinner tonight I am utilizing the soup idea that I have. Tonight is going to be Low Sodium Roasted Red Pepper. I added mixed veggies and steamed chicken to the mix. I topped with some cottage cheese and was amazing. Warm, comforting and filling. Can you ask for more?





Some other snacks that may have been eaten this week are celery and PB2 and a occasional piece of dark chocolate (Even I have to satisfy my sweet tooth!). All in all I think that I am doing right by my diet and really feel that by implementing these few changes I should be able to get through the rest of this year without extra weight. For the first time in years I just may be able to start the new year off with out the resolution of loosing the weight that I put on from November and December. We shall see though.





My question for you today is this:


What are your favorite things to indulge in during the holidays? Do you have a substitute for it?





I hope that you all had a fantastic Halloween...Mine was the best! I should have some pictures very soon! When I get them I will do a recap for you all!

Check out this sweet give-a-way!

http://blueskyworld.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/sodastream-giveaway/#comment-4243

-Heather

This week and this month is almost over.

I know that you may have already herd this from me but can you believe that this month is already over? I mean seriously....Where did it go? I would like to just recap what a wonderful month that October truly is. There are things about October that no other month have. October is the month when (In Georgia anyway) we get a peak of what winter will be like. A few cooler days in there along with the days starting to get shorter.

That is one thing that I dont like the most about Fall/Winter, the days are shorter and I get lazy. I tend to just want to crawl into bed when it gets dark. The sunsets and sunrises are amazing though. I absolutely love it when it is about a hour before sunset. Everything seems so much clearer and I feel like I can just see better. Some other things that are wonderful about October are the fairs. I did it once again...I didn't get a chance to make it out to one but I know what it is like...One of my favorite things to do in October is the corn maze here in Athens.

I love the corn maze in Georgia. I have really been fortunate to be able to go to quite a few over the years and it is always so much fun. Running around in the dark with a flashlight and not knowing where your going until you get there is my kind of fun! This years is the best yet! October also has some pretty amazing foods that come out. Almost everything has pumpkin in it!

All in all a very orange month....I LOVE anything that is festive. I have to say. I thought of more ways to cook pumpkin than I ever thought was possible! I am going to keep pumpkin around for a while longer I think ;)

Lets not forget though what October is really about though...

I LOVE Halloween and Halloween parties! They make me smile. I love watching the kids get dressed up and I have to admit....I love:

I never manage to get through a season without some Halloween candy action....It is my downfall. I buy the candy as close to Halloween night as possible but it never fails....the bags gets opened and a few pieces are bound to be missing! A few pieces of Halloween candy never hurt anyone.

This morning I kept with the October theme. I went for a fall breakfast!

I could eat this bowl of oats for breakfast, lunch and dinner! This one was the best yet! It was a pumpkin, berry infused yummy bowl. I decided that I am going to trade in my oats for some toast for the next few weeks to see if it holds me over longer. Just a experiment that I am going to try. So today and tomorrow's oats will be the last two bowls of the month! Today I am going to walk with my Fav Shelly for a hour and then head back to finish up my day. I am having the same eats for the rest of the day as yesterday. I have a great review for you all to read tomorrow so please stay tuned!

We are that much closer to Friday!!! Let's keep positive and our eye's on the prize!

-Heather

So much better!

Listening to your body sometimes is the best gift that you can give yourself. Last night I had a after work function to go to. It was raining and cold. I decided no more exercise for me...instead a glass of nice wine and some great food was in place. I got there in perfect timing and really had a blast. I am so glad that I decided this because this morning I hoped outta bed and was feeling great! Today is clear and should be a gorgeous day. I am going to enjoy it because it is suppose to be raining for the rest of the week. In the mornings as I am walking out of the house I try my best to stick something, anything in my mouth. I think that it is important to eat something as soon as possible when you wake to go ahead and get things moving! This morning I ate half of my amazing grass protein bar.

I think that I like this bar even more because everything about this bar is better than the others. Lower calories, higher protein and even the carbs are lower. I am so glad that they sent me one to try out. Go to their site! http://www.amazinggrass.com/ you dont have to take my word for it, check out their products. TRULY AMAZING!

This morning my breakfast is a little different.

BOB'S REDMILL GLUTEN FREE BREAKIE:

They had samples at the Co Op this week of the Gluten Free breakfast so I went for it this morning. I have to say that I was very pleased. It is a cross between oat bran and grits! In the mix this morning:

-1/3 cup of Bob's Breakfast

-a hand full of thick rolled oats

-1/2 cup of mixed organic berries

-.25 of a banana

-1/2 cup pf organic pumpkin puree

-1/4 cup of almond milk

-2 egg whites

-2 tbl spoons PB2

-Salba

and

-1 stevia pack

This all mixed together and popped in the microwave. I ended up with a divine breakfast!

Two hours later and right before my 50 minute weight lifting freak out I ate these. x3

Karen, my roommate, best friend, sex in the city partner and walking buddy bought me some goodies from Trader Joe's. We don't have one in Athens so she was a saint and got me a few things. Two of which will be appearing here! To start, these individually wrapped raw almonds. You know that I cant be trusted with nuts of any sort. This is my saving grace! These allow me to have what I want BUT CONTROLLED. For once, I am handing over the control to someone else! Mr.Joe, take control anytime ;)

These held me over until the workout was done. A random piece (or two) of dark chocolate may or may not have made a appearance with these yummy almonds. :)

When I got back from the YMCA it was time for lunch, my stomach was SCREAMING at me today. This was had:

A mixed veggie salad and a Arnold Sandwich Thin I also had a whole can of light tuna in water. It was goooood! I also had a chopped raw bell pepper dipped in mustard. As you can see....There was multiple cups of coffee on my plate today. Sorry! I have a bad habit on my hands people. It is getting to be unstoppable.

When I got home I decided that I needed a little bite of something to get me through my walk. It is so nice today that I wanted to go for a nice 45 minute walk. It was lovely. Before that though I ate some un pictured tofu and veggies. When I got home, I showered changed clothes and decided that dinner needed to be had....

Oh yeah!

Check it out! I got some Low Sodium Butternut Squash Soup from Karen and I add some really hardy things to it to make it a REAL dinner. I am sorry but the soup itself is just not enough! I think that they want you to add things to it anyway to make it a meal. I added some lentils, onions, beans and spinach to the mix. I also put in some PB2 and siracha to make it a spicy peanut buttery squash soup. HOLY YUM!

This was dinner and I was SO incredibly happy with it. Hot, hardy and handy! It is the easiest winter meal EVER! This will be making another appearance, and soon!

Hot tea was had later just to keep my belly happy and I passed out as usual early. That is just what happens when it gets darker sooner. I am ok with this but only for a few months. I want SPRING back...I may be getting a head of myself though. After all, Winter hasn't even started.

Well, chickens! It is that time. Time for me to get to WORK! I will see ya tomorrow peeps!

See ya!

-Heather

Already a much better day....

This morning so far is going smoothly. Yesterday turned out to be a pretty stressful day for me and it flew by. Today will not the the case, not if I can help it. I came in this morning and was greeted (like most days) by Jessica (my co worker) she is always in a cheerful mood usually in the mornings and it is so nice to walk into the office and be greeted in a cheerful way. Thanks Jess!

Who is the first person that you see when you get to work? Are they pleasant?

This morning I ran to get some hot coffee (It is cold here) and my water and got started on my work. I have a after work social event tonight so I am going to try to allow some room for a glass of wine and some yummy finger foods later. I am thinking that it will be pretty simple but good food considering where it is coming from. Today's Oat bran is going to be a bit different. It is not going to be pumpkin goodness. It is going to be berry delicious! Here she is! This morning was Bob's Redmill 10 Grain oat bran mixed with egg whites, almond milk, and mixed organic berries! Yum! Simple but should do the trick for a little while anyway!

Now this is not what was the first thing that went into my mouth this morning...In fact I tried something NEW! I contacted the folks at Amazing Grass when I herd that they had some new flavors and of course being the best company on earth...They sent me over a few to try out. This morning I had to go for the chocolate peanut butter bar....Oh my.

If there is one thing that you should know about me....It is my love for peanut butter. I LOVE it more than anything (almost!). I opened this bar and took a bite first thing this morning to get my metabolism going and I was so pleased. Chocolate and peanut butter is the perfect marriage. They never fight!

I give this flavor a 10! It tasted seriously like a candy bar (in a GOOOOOD way). I always stick my bars in the fridge and I am telling the truth when I say, this bar would be perfect for breakfast, pre-workout snack, post workout snack or even desert. Seriously, just give me 20 of these babies! Of course I am raving about them to everyone that I see at the office. I have told so many people about this company, I am a walking add. I love my t-shirt and wear it all the time too!

Please go to their site and check out all of their AMAZING products. I am not kidding when I say....I love this company!

www.amazinggrass.com

So, needless to say my morning is starting out MUCH better than yesterday. I am counting down for this MONTH to be over. It should be much much much easier from here on out as far as stress goes. Or so my horoscope says so ;)

I am not going to bore you with the same snacks and lunch. I had it yesterday and I am more than likely going to have it for the rest of the week. I am going to give yo a peak of my dinner though....It is AMAZING. I am in love with soup, more than you know.

I got Low Sodium Butternut Squash Soup (from my BFF in the whole world K) and added tofu. spinach and red onions to make this a totally hardy dinner. I never liked soup before in my life. I always felt like it was just a waste of time. It never filled me up in the past, I dont like the thought of drinking my dinner....This is not the case anymore I am thinking that I am transformed my way of thinking, about soup anyway.

Ok, on to some other things. Yall...I am getting some great things to try this week so you better believe that I will have some great things to review. I cant wait!

Today I am going to run on my lunch break. I plan on doing 40 minutes (4 miles) while on lunch. After work today I have a function to go to which means this:

Food spread and wine that I can expect at a after work function today. These things usually are awful as far as food goes but this one is being catered by a restaurant that I love. I am excited! That does mean though that I have to get in my exercise before hand. I will be running like crazy!

Well...I better run. I have a lot to do today and need to get on it!

See you all tomorrow!

Oh and check out this great give-a-way!

http://healthhappinesshope.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/its-the-great-giveaway-charlie-brown/#comment-4012

-Heather

Mondays, I could do without.

This morning went just the way I knew that it would....sort of.

I woke up right when my alarm went off. Got ready and then scurried into work. Mondays usually go a little quicker for me as far as getting ready goes, I think that it is because I have all evening Sunday to get myself prepared and through out the week I get slacker and slacker as far as laying my clothes out and getting outta bed on time. This morning was no exception. I got dressed this morning but just as I was about to head out the door I though "It's actually not that cold out, I think that I want to wear a skirt." I dashed to my closet, grabbed mt skirt, threw it on and out I went." With a new outfit on and my arms full of my Monday eats (really I bring on Monday my food for the whole week with me) into the car I went. Warmed up and ready I ran into the building with full arms and a Monday mindset.

Some Monday you just know that you are in for it. Some Mondays come as a surprise and become busier than you imagined and some Mondays (and I stress that word...SOME) are very quite and run smoothly. Today, not the case. This Monday could be labeled as busy, hectic, crazy or just the work "Monday" could be used to describe this one. I got into work with a ton of e-mails. A full "things to do" list and voice mail box. Ahhhhh. I knew that the end of this month would go out with a bang!

After a hour of getting settled in and barely making a dent in my task list I decided that breakfast needed to be had. I went into the kitchen at the office to make my oats. As usual I was putting my ingredients together in my bowl and was mixing everything up when my boss walked in...I was minding my own business and just really wanting to get the oats made and get back to my desk when this came out of my boss's mouth. "Heather, did you know that you have a disorder that I was reading about in one of my health magazines over the weekend." I became frozen. I was standing there for one of the first times in my life not knowing what to say. I waited for a few minutes in silence and then she said. "Well, would you like to know what disorder you have?" This kind of shocked me but I already knew what disorder she was going to say. I didn't hear it come out of her mouth yet but I knew what she was going to say. I said "Orthorexia?" she said "Yes, you know about this disorder?" "I have never herd of this disorder until I read about it. I said "I do know about the disorder and in fact own the book." "I am aware that I have this disorder....thanks for letting me know." That is not really what I wanted to say. What I wanted to say was "Why in the world would you at 8:30 in the morning come in the kitchen for anyone to hear you say that I have a eating disorder??? Couldn't you ask me about this in your office or in private? Couldn't you ASK me if I had this issue instead of TELLING me I had this disorder??? This has caused me this morning to be very upset. I just recently found out about this disorder myself and it did shock me when I bought and read the book Health Food Junkies. It is me to a T. I usually end my posts with questions but I am starting one today with a question. What do you think about this disorder? Orthorexia? Here is the definition if you would like to know.

Symptoms of orthorexia nervosa may include obsession with healthy eating, emaciation, and death by starvation. Orthorexic subjects typically have specific feelings towards different types of food. Preserved products are described as "dangerous", industrially produced products as "artificial", and biological products as "healthy". Sufferers demonstrate a strong or uncontrollable desire to eat when feeling nervous, excited, happy or guilty.People suffering from this obsession may display the following signs: Spending more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food, Planning tomorrow's menu today, Feeling virtuous about what they eat, but not enjoying it much, Continually limiting the number of foods they eat, Experiencing a reduced quality of life or social isolation (because their diet makes it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home) Feeling critical of others who do not eat as well they do, Skipping foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the "right" foods. Eating only foods regarded as healthy, Relying on only natural products to treat an illness, Feeling guilt or self-loathing when they stray from their diet, Feeling in "total" control when they eat the correct diet.

I will admit...this is me.

I prefer to eat things that are alive. That have less than 5 ingredients, that are organic, that have no preservatives and that are local. So Sue me!!! Is this bad? Yes, I will admit I don't like to go to pot lucks or gathering where food will be there because I don't know how it was prepared or with what it was prepared with. I have limited restaurants that I will eat at (actually only three). That doesn't stop me from being social though. It doesn't inhibit me from going anywhere or doing anything though. It is just a preference. I wonder why is it that it is so easy for people to want to make things into a disorder when maybe it is just healthy. Has America been so use to being over fed with horrible for you foods that now if someone is actually picky about what goes into their bodies that now they have disorders??? This upsets me. I will tell you a short answer for why.

I have spent so much time and effort to take care of my body and to truly treat it as a temple that I will be damned if someone will cheapen that by placing a word like Orthorexia on me. I exercise 6 days a week, I eat 6 small meals a day and I get 8 hours of sleep a night. I drink a gallon of water and stretch daily. I also eat chocolate, have a cocktail two or three nights a week and take a day off completely from my routine every once in a while. I try to have a good balance. I try to be "good" about 90% of the time and have the other 10%. I do all these things and try my best to be well rounded and this morning I was told I have a eating disorder. Sometimes you cant win for loosing! So here is my question:

How do we get the right balance between eating healthily and healthy eating obsession?

With this being said. Here is my malnourished breakfast.

1/2 cup of thick rolled oats

1/2 cup of almond milk

1 tbl Salba Oil

1/2 cup of pumpkin

1/2 banana

3 egg whites

chopped walnuts I also had a piece of dark chocolate. (Totally eating disorder food....)

after about two hours I was hungry again and I knew that because I was going to the gym in 45 minutes I needed some fuel! I went for it....Big time!

Trader Joes Greek yogurt, raw almonds, blueberries and strawberries with one stevia packet. Oh so good!

I went to the gym and lifted weights for a hour. When I was done I was ready for a nice lunch. Today I decided to go back to good Ol' tuna. I was glad that I made it back to my tuna induced lunches. I was getting sick of tuna there for a while but all that I had to do was just stop eating it for a few months and then add it back. I am a happy camper with this meal. Almost a whole can of tuna, Avocado (which you cant see) mustard and some carrot and Romain on a wheat Arnold sandwich thin. YUM! I also had a chopped green bell pepper dipped in mustard on the side. It was great!

After work I went home, went on a 45 minute walk to get the work day off of me and decided that it was time for some din din. I am having something different this week for dinner. Low Sodium Butternut Squash Soup!

Of course having the eating disorder that I have I had to ADD MORE FOOD! Ok, I am sorry for being so sarcastic....

I added steamed chicken, roasted veggies and mushrooms. You know I added some siracha! It was a spicy bowl of heaven!

Whew! What a day and I am just so glad that it is over. Tomorrow will be MUCH better!

Promise!

-Heather

Rabbits!

Goooooood Morning! Man oh man am I glad that it is FRIDAY! I am so glad that today is the "last" day of the week for me. Something that is already different about this morning is I got to try something new....I will get to that in a minute though. Lets talk more about Fridays. This morning I was at my desk getting ready for the last work day of the week and I thought to myself. "Friday? Where does your name come from?" Well the English like to call it POETS day is a term used by workers in England and Australia, to jocularly refer to Friday as the last day of the work week. The letters in "POETS" are an acronym for "Punch Out Early Tomorrow's Saturday": hence Friday becomes a Poet's day. Just thought you would like to know. Sometimes I like to start out the day with learning something new.

POETS DAY is a term used by workers in England and Australia, to jocularly refer to Friday as the last day of the work week. The letters in "POETS" are an acronym for "Piss Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday": hence Friday becomes a Poet's day.

This morning I had a pre breakfast. I am not sure if you know this about me but I could eat breakfast foods for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. I love breakfast I guess....Anyway, this morning I kinda had two.

The first breakfast to join me on this wonderful Friday was this:

KIDDING!!!

More like this:

YES! Something different and something I enjoyed for a pre-breakfast. This morning I grabbed one of these for the first time. I got a package in the mail yesterday and I was so excited to see these. I have been reading a lot about these in the blog world for a while now. This morning though when I got the bar out of the fridge (by the way they are SO good cold) I wondered....why call them 18Rabbits? Well I wanted to find out so I went to their website and this is what I found out:

How did it all start?

It all started down a gravel road in Farmers Branch, Texas in the kitchen of Two Lost Valley Lane. I liked to play outside with my four brothers and sisters and our rabbit, Blackjack, while Mom watched from the kitchen where she made her special granola.
On days Mom made granola, the aroma of oats, coconut, honey and nuts wafted through the house and out the windows, and we’d all leave off playing and head inside. One day we ran off and forgot Blackjack, leaving him to a rabbit rendezvous. Soon he had a family of 18, and our yard was hopping with more rabbits than we knew what to do with!
I created my own recipe for 18 Rabbits granola because I like for people to feel good—the kind of good that comes from enjoying the most delicious, most nutritious food. Like the way your favorite childhood memory gives you a spring in your step, wherever it comes to you—even as you head down a busy city street far away from where you grew up. Eat some and see where it takes you.-Alison Bailey Vercruysse, Founder

I loved reading this. That these bars come from a real vision! Bright and early I grabbed the bar and a cup of the darkest coffee I could find. A sumptuous granola bar, Cheeky Cherry Chocolate enhances the mood, but not the belly. Reach for this bar to satisfy that sweet tooth or craving for chocolate after a savory meal, on a long airplane ride or during a road trip.I gotta be honest here for a minute....These bars would be good just about anywhere any time. I LOVED this bar. I loved the chunks of almonds and granola in it, I loved the sweetness but not overly sweetness of the bar, I love the bright packaging and the name. Something else that I noticed and LOVED was that it comes from my favorite place on Earth. San Francisco!!! I bit into this bar with my coffee this morning and it was perfect!

Showed up yesterday and I am not kidding, these things just may be in my life forever. I love 18Rabbits.

Product Mission: To share the value and health of pure food. Our passion is to remind our customers of the joythat handmade food and a sense of community brings to life.
Company Mission: We believe in a holistic and transparent approach to business where profiting positively impacts all of our stakeholders including our employees, the community, the environment and our customers.
Social Mission: To continue supporting local farmers and artisans in the Bay Area while spreading the values of sustainable agriculture throughout the world. We also cultivate foods that are inherent to global cultures and have been grown through tradition and ancient wisdom.

18Rabbits sells more than just these bars they sell Granola (which I want to try more than anything) too. Go to their site and check it out for yourself. You wont be sorry that you did.

http://www.18rabbits.com

I cant wait to try the other flavors. I totally give this company two thumbs up! You get four stars from me. Thanks so very much to be so kind to send me a few. I absolutely love them.

Something tells me they are going to be awesome.

After my pre-breakfast I wanted to get down to business about two hours later. This had to be had.

Pumpkin oat bran in my favorite oat mug with flax seeds and raw almonds. MMMMMMM. I also drank that HUGE glass of water. It was filling and just what I needed for my walk. Today is Friday which means a lot of things to me. Walking and no crazy exercise, going out and staying up past my bedtime and happy hour! I am siked! This 60 minute walk today is going to be intense. After all I am walking with Shelly today and she is puts the S in speed walking! I am excited to get outside and sweat a little.

After my walk I am coming back to the office for this!

Big Ole Salad from Earth Fare that I picked up while out. This is going to hold me over big time. I also drank half of a Gingerade Kombucha, something else I heart.

After work today I am meeting a lovely co worker of mine to have a happy hour drink before I make my way home. I plan on having a glass of champagne. Gosh I have been craving a glass for a few days now. i never liked it before but I just love how light and bubbly it is. Tonight I am going out to dinner but I dont know where just yet. I will have to fill you in later. I am sure though that you are getting the theme of my post today though, all my food/drinks will be great! It Friday....Why not?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend I will see you on Monday with more reviews and a re cap of the weekend as usual.

Peace!

-Heather