Protein Powder Giveaway + A Grad Party

Last night was. the. bomb. I love parties! The whole day was fantastic! A day we had looked forward to for weeks, but in reality- years as it was representative of a lot of hard work and sacrifice. I'm so proud of my little sister! (to enter giveaway, see end of this post)

{Getting ready! Homemade chicken salad with croissants and pizza pinwheels.}

{A blurry picture of us filling trays. The kitchen is a hoppin' place at our house when there's a party.}

{Bamboo fruit skewers. An excellent healthy choice!}

There was TONS of good food, organized by my aunt Rhonda and Mary, of course, seeing as it was her party  :) The rest of us pitched in with the cleaning and attacking the to-do list once the menu had been decided upon. The party itself was beautiful, but I'd have to argue Mary was even more so :-) 

I love the colors! Red, white & black are so classy, southern. 

Lots of yummy food!

This party had attitude!

Fun with friends :)

We had a total of SEVEN homemade pound cakes. The flavors included lemon, cream cheese and chocolate. I tired a taste of each, of course- why not! It was heavenly.

{And this is the grad, Mary, lovely as always!}

Okay, so another very important factor that I need to mention is working out, since this is a fitness blog :) I started the day (Friday) with biking, just 2 miles and as I'm learning to brick, I hopped on the treadmill and logged 3.1 miles at a 6.5 pace with my time coming in at 28:30. Not terrible for a beginner, but I definitely want to see myself get stronger :0) It was such an invigorating way to start the day! Since I went out early, the weather was slightly chilly during the bike ride but it felt so good and refreshing. 

{Green smoothies are an awesome way to start a work day! I tried to stock up on nutrients so I could enjoy all the party foods:) } 

Today, Saturday, we had voice lessons for 1 hour this morning. I know, unusual for a Saturday, and especially since we didn't hit the sack till past midnight last night with the party and everything (so fun!). Anyways, my sisters are singing at a Memorial Day picnic in honor of the WWII veterans who sacrificed so much so our country could be free. That's coming up in just a few weeks so we've been working to pull that together. I think we all feel better after today's practice :-) 

After voice and lunch, I went bike riding in a neighbor with lots of hills. Ouch! The challenge was a nice and welcomed one. Biking across grass pastures can be hard, depending how bumpy it is, but there is no substitute for a real hill! I'm not sure exactly how far I went, but my goal was 15 miles and I think I at least came close to that.

Interesting experience, included being chased by a wild very protective neighborhood dog. He just wouldn't leave me alone and it was on this killer hill, too. There were some guys working on a house not too far away and as the dog kept coming after me, I wondered how fast I could get over there for backup! {Bet I could have done it in "record" time. :P} Anyways, I was thankful to know that when dealing with dogs you have to be "the top dog" and act like it. It eventually worked and I finally got away- scary, though!

After biking, I ran out and bought a Mother's Day present for my mom. I was still in my workout clothes, and hope I didn't smell too bad... ahh! But then, workout out clothes are some of the cutest! Homeward bound, one fast mile on the treadmill, a few squats and lunges and decided I was done for the day.

We had delicious leftover party food for supper and I feasted upon the broccoli and celery sticks. Delish! I then had a small serving of pound cake and the night felt complete. I'm tired, but I love this feeling as I know it's my body getting stronger. How about you? How have you pushed your body to the "ouch"?

So, now onto the fun part! The protein powder giveaway!!! Thursday morning, I opened a delightful package of samples from Sun Warrior. This is one of my most favorite protein powders on the planet! I love the chocolate version and I'm excited to try the vanilla :-) Here are just a few reasons why I love it:

• Gluten Free
• Soy Free
• Dairy Free
• Hypo-Allergenic, and
• Non-GMO!!! 

The winner of the giveaway will receive the flavor of his/her choice of Sun Warrior Vegan Protein Powder in the 500g bag. 

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment telling me what you would like to see more of on this blog (more running posts, recipes, daily living info, you name it!) If you link to me on your own site or tell a friend- I will enter you twice, but please be sure to tell me when you comment so I know :P 

Okay, folks! There you have it! I'm excited to announce a winner this coming Wednesday, the 16th! Wishing you the best!!!

Friendship and Fitness

Tuesday was quite the day! I was able to spend quite a bit of time with one of my dear, dear friends, Casey Kay. She's such a beautiful person, inside and out, and I know all of you would just love her! Get this! She runs!!! Actually, Casey is one of the forces that helped motivate me to start running myself :) Great to have friends that stretch you! 

Surrounding yourself with the people you want to be like is a good tactic, but the best is becoming that person you wish everyone else in the world be yourself and that's when the world really starts to change. It starts with hearts, folks. Change happens from the inside out! 

So anyways, this was our lunch. La Croix are so good! I highly recommend them for a special treat. 

The two of us! Self-portrait :) 

Yummy, out-of-this-world delicious scones! Casey made these with whole wheat flour and sucanat. I'll have to see if I can snag the recipe so I can share it with you :) 

Homemade strawberry jam. This girl is amazing! Wouldn't you just love to dine at this house for a week :P

This picture is from my supper. I had an appointment with a client that evening which lasted several hours so I missed supper with the family and ended up eating rather late all by myself (super sad-- who likes to eat alone?).

This morning, I was out the door bright and early for a pressing matter that needed to be done ASAP at the office.

{Scrambled egg whites with sliced apple & natural PB}

{Wednesday's wrap. You can't really see from this picture, but it had tons of things in it! Black beans, cheddar cheese slice, delicious dressing and tons of lettuce straight from the garden. Yummy!}

My workout today including weights, biking and running. I biked 5 miles today which was so fun! Afterwards, I hopped on the treadmill and went 1.25 mile. Ooh, the thing I'm reminded of as I write this is stretching! I will have to make that a priority tomorrow :) It's a little past 11pm as I'm posting this so I don't feel much like doing it now :P

Stay posted for the weekend. Party pictures coming!

Tuesday Morning

Good morning, blog readers! I hope every one's week is off to a wonderful start :) Yesterday I woke up bright and early to work out and begin the day aright in God's Word and prayer. I did squats and lunges and than stretched for a while. Than as I was tight on time, I gunned it on the treadmill for 5 min. I so wanted to quit as I was going at a pretty fast clip, but you can do anything for 5 minutes, right?   

{Notes}

Part of the reason I was so crunched for time (other than not getting up earlier) was I had a new course I'm taking starting at 8am lasting until 11. It has me completely pumped and so excited! It looks like it's going to be challenging which is partly why I'm thrilled :-) I both need and want to be stretched. I like how my brain feels after (not always during) a tough mental workout. It's important that we exercise our minds as well as our bodies :) 

For dessert Sunday night we had this heavenly strawberry pie. Not your typical, but in my opinion, it's 10x better than the traditional as it's completely raw and good for you! Can you believe it?! 

{Raw strawberry pie topped with coconut chocolate}

This morning I ran 2 miles before breakfast. Yesterday afternoon I went bike riding instead of running because it was something fun and physical I could do while giving my hip a break :P

When I got off the treadmill this morning, I had the biggest surprise... I could barely walk. Something was definitely wrong with the muscle to the outside of my left knee. My sweetie of a little brother helped me to the couch and got me an ice pack. I iced it for a the longest time to reduce swelling and that really seemed to help. It was a strange, scary experience! It didn't hurt while I was running and than once I stopped- BAM! Ouch. Phew, that didn't feel good and hopefully it won't happen again!

{Basil peppered eggs with sprouted grain bread}

This morning's breakfast was really good! Seasoned eggs with a sprouted slice of bread and hemp seed butter. I'm taking a sabbatical from green smoothies because we out of so many ingredients at the moment, but not for long :) It was nice to enjoy some diversity. The day's begun and there's lots to do! Better hop too!!!

So how about you? What have your meals look like of late? Have you been exercising both your mind and your body?


PS: For all of you North Carolinians, go and vote for the Marriage Amendment. This isn't about personal opinion, it's about right or wrong. Everyone has a standard the question is, what's your standard? I pray it's God's Word. 

Interesting Food Combinations and a Bike Ride

This morning I ran 2.5 miles in my garage. I've finally pulled out the fan! It's nearly impossible to run without it (this is North Carolina, folks), otherwise I'm dripping :P 

Afterwards, I re-hydrated and stretched. I'd skipped the last few days of stretching, always a mistake, so getting back into it was a relief. When I'm on a regular running schedule, I have to stretch, otherwise I really feel it. I now think the reason I got injured last December was from not stretching (gasp!). 

Here was my yummy lunch from the day although I admit it was a very interesting food combo! Stir fry mix with 1/2 teaspoon of Bragg's soy sauce sub, red onion, cauliflower and... dill! Top that off with a squirt of mustard a dollop of Ranch and you've got a delicious, nutritious, people-pleaser plate :P

I just got back in from a 1 hour fabulous bike ride. The weather is perfect out there! Slightly cloudy but still some sun :) This morning's run invigorated me to the point of sheer excitement and since I love being outside, I decided to hop on my bright blue bike and take it for a spin. I didn't start out intending to ride for an hour... I guess that's the definition of a good time!

So how about you? Have you challenged yourself recently? Remember, challenging yourself is not about constantly comparing yourself to others. Use it to motivate you, but you are you and you can get stronger, little by little by increasing intensity and and your distance!!! No one else can live the life you've been given, cherish it and be grateful.

Welcome Friday!

So folks, I am greatly enjoying the beautiful bounty from our produce order this past Wednesday! I've used it to make several yummy smoothies and salads! All the leaves and vegetables are so beautiful, too pretty to eat :) 

If you haven't experienced anything fresh of late, I encourage you to go down to your local farmer's market this Saturday (most towns have them) and buy yourself a few garden fresh leaves. Your body will thank you for it later :) Sometimes, just getting out there and seeing the endless opportunities is enough to motivate and inspire you. 

This was from last night's supper. The salad was topped with pecans, dried cranberries, and as I'm a cheese girl I was super excited to add some feta cheese (strong, phew!) to the mix.

My little sister is graduating high school May11th so lots of fun party planning and home spiffing is going on. Speaking of Mary, here is a picture from a recent photo shoot we did together:

This girl is so drop dead-gorgeous, it's impossible to take a bad photo of her!  Sure do love this little sweet pea :) And, just judging by the past, I'm excited to see the difference she will make in the world  with her diligent work ethic, caring personality, and wild imagination. Watch out world!

I didn't prepare very well for today's lunch, so I hurriedly grabbed this chocolate Builder's bar that had been laying around forever and this lonely little orange that was just begging to be eaten :)

I didn't get to workout before leaving the house for work today, but I'm thinking I'll go bike riding (yesterday was so much fun!) and lift a few weights when I get home. Have a fantastic, full-filled weekend, everyone!

Quick Lunch Recipe + Local Produce (my favorite!)

I love healthy lunches! To make this light little lunch, you will need: whole wheat bread (I used Great Harvest from our local bakery), homemade lunch meat (chicken), a few leaves of fresh lettuce, mayo, avocado and hot sauce. Lay out your bread, slather on your mayo and mix in a thin slice of avocado with a shake of hot sauce. Add your chicken and lettuce and serve with your favorite seasonal fruit! 

The local produce is in full swing and it only gets better as the season progresses! We pay a good friend who loves to garden $25 a week in exchange for a boatload of weekly freshness. Wednesday is delivery day so yesterday I was very happy! My 7yr brother started snacking on things before we could even get them out of the bag. You would have thought it was candy the way he wanted it! I'm so grateful he's starting out with this as his base. If good food choices are his normal than he'll be a whole lot better off. Big sisters and other role models out there-- it starts with us! 

Look at those fresh carrot tops! The tops are the most nutritious part of the vegetable because they contain most of the nutrients, whereas the roots are more sweet (which we typically prefer!) because they contain more water and sugar. If you can, try and find ways to use the whole vegetable :) 

Washing straight-out-of-the-garden produce can be a lot of work, but it's a fun, relational thing as well. Purchasing a salad spinner will greatly benefit you. The time invested is worth it!

Okay, so I ran 5 miles this morning- amazing. Learning to love those long distances (well.. at least it's long for me). I'm trying to maximize my time by listening to thought provoking lectures or listening to some uplifting music while I run. It's fun to time those fast-upbeat songs for when I know I'm going to need the extra motivation :) And now, I'm getting ready to go biking and soak up some sunshine. It's a great day to be alive!

Kickboxing

Wow. I haven't done this in forever! Phew, that stuff will wear you out! But, and it's a big one- you will have the time of your life. I've never been "taught" kickboxing, just learned things here and there from DVDs so I'm still very basic, but I love it :) And, girls, if you're looking for a "be sore the next day" workout than you'll want to check out the FIRM's Pump, Jump and Jab which includes some kickboxing. It's the bomb.

After working out this morning, I made a breakfast smoothie with some of this beautiful looking, delicious tasting kale.

And, here's the finished product! It tasted amazing. Especially after such a tough workout. Don't you just love maxing out and then replenishing your cells with pure nutrition? 

This was yesterday's lunch at the office. I made it the night before so I could grab it and go. The small container is a black bean dish that Allie made. Not quite sure what her recipe is, but it this dip was awesome and a nice addition! This girl is such and inspiration. She was up before 5 am yesterday morning and ended the day with a workout at 10pm last night. I'm so blessed to work with such a loving, dedicated person and not to mention, she's my sister!

For a treat, we had this raw chocolate pie with a nut crust for dessert. Oh my, y'all! Hold onto your socks. I think I'm going to have to do a recipe on some of our favorites soon :) In the mean time, here's a link to a sweet and savory cheesecake that, yes- is out of this world!

And for lunch, well... welcome to the sandwich station :) We whipped up these little babies with homemade lunch meat which is so much healthier for you than the pre-packaged.

So there you have it, the highlights from my eats of the last few days. What dishes have you been enjoying?