ashleyd /

Things i’m loving right now…

We’re heading down to Savannah tomorrow night for a weekend of Debutante Parties, wedding planning, a bridal shower, and hopefully some time in the sun. We’re both so excited about the trip and the mini 4 day break from work but that also means squeezing a TON of work into three days since a lot of people are taking next week off due to the holiday. I just walked in the door a few minutes ago and dinner just consisted of a banana, some leftover vegetables we prepared asian style last night, and a bit of Artisana Coconut Butter.

1) ARTISANA COCONUT BUTTER is the first thing i’m loving right now! HOLY YUM!! My awesome nutritionist gave me a few of these samples and i’m in love. I’ve mixed this one into morning oats, enjoyed on a banana like I did tonight, and even eaten plain. The best thing is the portion control. I’ve enjoyed this lil jar six or seven times so far and the ENTIRE jar is only 93 calories and 9 grams of fat according to the label. I would love more of these sample jars so I may review the whole line in case anyone from Artisana is reading this! 🙂

After wearing my ultra light Aasics out while training for two half marathons I knew it was time for some new shoes. While many people don’t love Nike for distance training I love them because they are soft, light, and super cushiony. I’m willing to buy new shoes every 250 miles versus 400 if it means enjoying every step. I also am not going to lie- I love the pink! I found these shoes, adorable shorts, and top on sale at Road Runner Sports this week and even enjoyed free shipping! Maybe these will incent me to run outside in the crazy weather this weekend down in Savannah and then back up here in NYC versus the dreadmill!
 
I can’t review the products yet as I should probably receive them when we’re down South but I’m so stinking excited I can’t contain it! I’m not a huge fan of the current protein powder we purchased- a 2lb container to boot- since it was on sale on Amazon. It is very blah. We bought Research Proven Designer Whey in Vanilla hoping it’d be a yummy french vanilla but really it just tastes like odd water and is not thick at all! Maybe i’ll hide Jay Robb at work and not even let Bo know we received it so he’ll finish the 2lb container. Or, this is when I could get over my frugality issues and let us throw it away since we don’t like it and just enjoy the amazing JAY ROBB COUPON that they have allowed me to share with readers! The code is BLOGJ9HHB and is redeemable on orders of all Jay Robb products purchased directly from Jay Robb Enterprises (via phone or at www.JayRobb.com). The code coupon is attached and is valid though July 7, 2009.

Okay kids. I’m out like a light since tomorrow is MY LAST DAY DRIVING TO HARRISBURG PENNSYLVANIA FROM NEW YORK CITY FOR WORK! I am SO TIRED OF THE SEVEN HOUR DRIVE DAYS!

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ashleyd /

An expensive addiction…

I still can’t believe it. My fiance has a new addiction and it’s 100% healthy and something i’ve been trying to introduce to him for over a year. His $1.99 a day addiction is Fage 0% Plain. Since cutting back on caffeine, artificial foods, and processed foods over the last week he realized he wanted something delicious and protein rich for a mid morning snack or afternoon treat. He has one of these bad boys each day mixed with 1 packet of stevia and some fresh berries. I can’t believe this guy is my fiance! His favorite things about Fage are its’ dense, rich, and creamy texture. He didn’t believe that it was healthy or low fat until he looked at the label because it tasted more like cream. Furthermore, it makes a great afternoon or morning snack due to its high protein content. I’ve started enjoying this for a breakfast alternative with ground flax seeds, berries, and stevia.

This weekend we decided to try Fage in some other ways such as a mayonaise alternative in tuna and chicken salads or as sour cream in Mexican dishes. Sunday we decided to test it with a healthier version of tuna salad.

ENJOY!

Healthier Tuna Salad 

Makes 4 servings

A low-fat/high protein tuna salad using non-fat yogurt.

Ingredients

10 oz. solid white albacore tuna
2 oz (1/4 cup) Fage 0% Greek Plain Yogurt
1 tbsp mayonnaise (Hellmann’s)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chopped dill
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Season with pepper to taste.

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ashleyd /

Amazing Grass but not so amazing oatmeal

Get ready folks for a super catch up of posts! I have 5 or 6 ready to deploy over the next day or two. First, I want to give a shoutout to the amazing people at Amazing Grass! They sent me their sampler pack to try and review on the blog. It included a few bars, a few Amazing Meals, Organic Wheat Grass packets, and then the flavored packets. I was super excited to try these as I’d previously felt amazing rushes of energy when i’ve enjoyed wheat grass in smoothies. Bo and I have decided to challenge ourselves to give up all caffeine except green tea for five days. So far we’ve been enjoying lots of decaf teas, lemon and lime water, and mint water. While we’ve been doing well I have definitely felt a decrease in my normal energy levels especially since i’ve started enjoying a morning cup of coffee at work each day. Our office has one of those individual pod coffee makers and they also stock the cabinets with Green Mountain Coffee in hazelnut, vanilla, and more!

This morning before heading out for a day’s worth of adventures, I thought the perfect breakfast would be my own version of green oats to help boost my energy and give me the extra nutrients i’m always craving. BOY was I mistaken! I can stomach a lot of things but after three spoon fulls I had to give up and make my regular old oats. The flavor was too “grassy” and it almost tasted like I was chewing a vitamin. I combined the following in this morning oats:
1 packet Organic Wheat Grass
1/2 c oats
1/2 c water
1/2 c light almond breeze
1 pack stevia

I was a bit worried with how green the oats turned out and would love feedback from folks on how to make them tastier. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping this could become a healthy morning burst of energy each day.

But, luckily, later today I gave Amazing Grass another try and thoroughly enjoyed their chocolate flavor packet with some almond breeze for a midmorning snack. It was absolutely delcious and my energy levels skyrocketed. I would definitely order more of their flavored options in the future as I think they could also be great mix-ins with protein shakes, chobani, and oatmeal!

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