Perfect Fit Protein Powder Review and Giveaway

The Perfect Fit company (from the ToneIt Up! girls) is sponsoring this giveaway. They sent me a couple of samples to try and I just tried my first sip! Simply delicious!!!

There will be 3 winners! Each will receive 10 individual serving packets of the PerfectFit protein powder - over a $14 value.

Let's say thank-you to the PerfectFit people by linking their FB page. :) And, if you want to - you can like my FB page, too :P

Ingredients look good!

I made the ToneItUp berry vanilla smoothie with 1 of my 2 packets . This recipe was really sweet and great tasting!

What's not pictured here is the greens I added to the mix. :P It changes the color but you really can't taste the difference! Plus, the greens slow down the fruit sugar which is always good.

Perfect Fit Berry Vanilla Smoothie
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 banana
1 cup unsweetened AlmondMilk
2 drops vanilla extract
handful of ice cubes
1 packet Perfect Fit Protein

They have tons of other recipes and ideas to use the protein powder in: click here.

I planned ahead for yesterday's lunch and made this salad the night before. It makes mornings run smoother when all I have to do is pull it out of the frig and walk out the door!

I need some more ideas for creative salads! What are your favorite toppings?

After music practice for almost 3 hrs Monday afternoon I was definitely ready for supper! This homemade spaghetti sauce was part of the package. :) It's so fun to eat something you canned and to share it with others!

This morning I had my sights set on a 3 miles run but I didn't get up early enough to make that happen. Instead, I did a 30 min workout which included a 1.25 mile run and lots of squats and lunges. :P

Okay, so to enter the giveaway for the PerfectFit protein powder it's simple.  Just follow the below directions. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Supper :)

Announcing . . . Fresh Fridays!

I'm so excited to share the start of Fresh Friday's blog link-up! This is something I'm kicking off in hopes to keep us all more connected and inspired on a weekly basis with fresh reports of the fresh foods we've been eating throughout the week. :)

So, let's commence . . . ! I'll go first :P

3 Things that Made my Week Fresh & Fantastic:

#1 - a visit to Whole Foods
#2 - spinach salads
#3- first time voting in a presidential election!

Now, it's your turn! What top 3 things made it a fresh & fantastic week for you? Link-up and share!

<center> <a href="http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Real Food Runner" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOumQM2yF_FEHvETbs4XTEHe_qNEHWI1mGsUWTsV580PMsOBfqGdpBSrBOznR3ir6-9YstVfw_zvwfjdyaR5GOZuP7JDj7EuzjqxShomI-BWhHLUL1xxUps1d66_6glL01dhbbPPvBNg/s1600/fresh+fridays+6.jpg"/></a></center>

Thoughts for Thursday

Happy Thursday! There's a big day ahead but before I run out the door I wanted to share the lastest eats and hear about your's, too.

This was last night's supper- the chicken was nice treat! I kind of burnt the toast, though . . . lol!

I put a curry fig dressing on this chicken that was served over a bed of romaine lettuce. 

Tuesday night I threw together this BLT sandwich. :)

This tomato was super juicy! I ate 1/2 of this before leavening the house for a class and the other 1/2 in the car. I'm trying to get better about actually sitting down and eating versus either skipping a meal or rushing through. I do better when it's a family meal, and I really enjoy that, but when it's just me on go I'm not always super balanced. :P

This was Wed's refreshing spinach salad topped with diced red onion and tomato cubes.

There was some Greek style hummus in the frig so I added some of that, too.

The dressing I used was a first timer and really good! My sister somehow managed to get the Bragg's balsamic vinaigrette while it was on sale so that makes it taste even better! It's only 90 calories per 2 Tbsp and as far as I can tell the ingredients are pretty good. :-)

My 40 minute workout yesterday morning included squats & lunges, overhead presses, bicep curls and some good ole fashioned ab work.

In addition to that I hopped on the treadmill for a 1 mile run for some good cardio. Later in the day stretching helped me to wind down. I really needed it since I've been pretty worked up since the election . . . enough said. Don't you feel better after a good nice stretch that releases tension in your body? 

Workout wise, today is my off day and to that I'm saying "yeeeeeaaaaaah!" because I'm sore. :P

***I have the start of something new and fun planned for you all tomorrow! Stay tuned and check back on Friday. :)

Mind Over Mattress

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Okay, folks- I'm curious! With the time changing over the weekend, I want to know what motivates you to get of bed each morning. :) Is it your life purpose so inspires you that you can't wait to get a start on the new day? Or, do you have special techniques that you use to coax yourself out of your warm, comfy bed each morning?

There are tons of helpful techniques out there but #1 what has helped me the most is making a to-do list the night before. Sure, we all want to accomplish great things with our life - but what about today? What are we doing today that will ensure our life isn't wasted? 

I go through phases of rising at different times, but 5:30 seems to be the ideal time for me right now. It's funny- I feel behind if I get up later than this just because I've developed a morning routine that works for me at this point in my life. If I don't get those "morning routine" things done on the list, I feel pressured - which may sound strange, but I think is a good thing. :-) If there's no motivation to do something, why do it? 

I love learning new tips and tricks about how to make my daily routine more effective. We all have a daily routine you know, the question is - what is it?

I read this yesterday (link credit) and thought it was really neat: 

"Discipline is 100% within your control. Take the first letter in the word Discipline - D and give it the numerical value 4. Then, take each of the following letters in DISCIPLINE and give each letter its respective numerical value. Add all the letter values and take note that the sum equals 100. If you want to increase your performance by 100%, then, put discipline in the driver's seat." -Bob Urichuck

And, here's a interesting blog post I ran across that I thought you guys would enjoy: Learning to Love Exercise. 

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I used a kale/spinach combo for my green smoothie this morning and frozen banana for sweetener. :) 

For my workout, I ran 2 miles and did a 20 min FIRM. Fun stuff . . .  :P 

The morning was productive and I was ready for an early lunch around 11:30.

My mid-afternoon snack. :-) 

I was ready for supper when the time came- starved you might say! Aaah, it's dark outside . . . :P 

Puppy love. :) These are my sisters' puppies and they're 4 wks old now!!! To see a picture of when they were just born: click here. 

 I've nicknames this little man "Mammoth". He's absolutely huge, especially compared to his sister! 

This little guy is so fat it's hilarious to watch him "try" and walk. :P 

So, mind over mattress- what helps you to roll jump out of bed each morning?

A Giant Pot of Beef Stew

Is anyone else a fan of beef stew? It's November and I can't think of a better weekend comfort food! Friends from Alabama will be here tonight for the weekend so I wanted something that would make the house smell good, helping them to feel at home and relax a bit.

Probs just being the oldest of 9 kids, I get this job.... Don't be fooled. It's work. :p



15 lbs of potatoes - a big crowd to feed!

I am so good at making a huge mess of the kitchen. :P

In addition to the regular hearty beef version of the stew, I threw together a simple vegan version. And, if you're looking for a lower glycemic option than the potatoes - parsnips or turnips make great substitutes!

While I was preparing the stew my sister was juicing. :) You go, girl! 

For the vegan pot, I used this organic vegetable broth. Can't wait to try it this evening! Speaking of which - I should probably taste it before I serve it . . . always a good idea. :) 

I can laugh at myself now, but until about an hour ago I didn't know when the guests would be arriving. Would they be here at 12 noon or 6pm (that's a big difference!).

It was almost 1pm and there was still tons to do before the thought of guests stepping foot into the house would be a welcome one. At the same time, I was trying to figure out a way to fit in a workout and finally decided to just stop and hit the treadmill for a least a short 1 mile run. I am so glad I did! Stress relief? I think so. Muscles are made to move and exercise makes me feel better as a whole. :) I missed lunch, though, and was absolutely starving by 3 o'clock! But, the house looks great now and there's just enough time to spend some time on music practice before the friends arrive!

Happy Friday, peoples - enjoy your weekend! What do you enjoy for stress relief?

Playing Catch-Up

Hello, dear blog readers! Wow - it feels like forever since I posted last Saturday!!! I've missed keeping up with all of you - gonna try and stay more consistent. :)

A lot of wonderful, crazy activities have been going on here in my neck of the woods. :P Friends from out of town last weekend and more to come this weekend! But, I'll try to keep it mostly to food updates because that's really what this blog is about :)



I'm trying a new salad dressing. Have you heard of Salad Girl? It's amazing. I took a picture of the ingredients from back of the bottle to give you an idea of what it's made from.

Yummy!

I've been adding hemp seeds to my green smoothies the last few days. :) Great for omega 3 fats!

Have you ever tried carrots in your green smoothie? Carrots are great for your liver and a wonderful natural sweetener! 

Okay, so this has to be one of my favorite lunches. :) To make: just fry a little chopped red onion and fresh broccoli in ~ 1 teaspoon of coconut oil for a few minutes, add a couple of fresh eggs and scramble it up! Throw onto a plate of fresh romaine and - ta-da! 

It's so easy and yummy, too! I cracked some fresh garlic salt into the scrambled for extra flavor. If you don't cook your eggs dry and they're still a little "wet" you almost don't even need a dressing for your salad. 

Wednesday's dinner was a night out with my grandparents - love them to death! 

I am really loving salads with apples and lots of peanut butter. :) Apples this time of year are so good, it's hard to resist! This salad was topped with alfalfa sprouts and a juicy tomato.

For supper this evening, I had chicken soup. I baked the chicken before adding it to the pot, seasoning with freshly cracked pepper.

And, this picture? Um-hum . . . I have a new appreciation for painters - to say the least. :) Check back for "before" & "after" pictures of the project. :-)