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Updating My Smoothies + $50 iHerb.com Giveaway

Happy Tuesday! I can’t believe it’s already the second week of February. How are the days flying by so quickly? Well, just in time for that second month of the year when resolutions and healthy habits start to fly out the window, I am partnering with iHerb.com today for a post and giveaway that will help you guys stock your home with items to help you live your healthiest year yet!

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Over the past few weeks, my love of smoothies has grown exponentially. The perfect way to pack a lot of delicious, healthy flavors into an easy to sip and refreshing serving, I’ve been enjoying them for breakfast, snacks and even lunch if it’s an especially busy day. After dreaming about the delicious smoothies that Kristine, Rachel, Georgie and others make, I knew I needed to invest in some new ingredients. In comparison to their vibrant, unique, nutrition packed smoothies, my typical green smoothie seemed simple and boring.

Based on their recommendations, I hopped over to iHerb.com to stock up on a few ingredients that would help me elevate my smoothies to a new level in terms of flavor, nutrients and aesthetics.

If you’ve never heard of iHerb, you’re in for a treat. I became an iHerb fan while we were living abroad as they were on of the only websites which would ship Kind Bars to Switzerland without charging a fortune or taking forever. In fact, my friend Lauren once received her order of Luna bars from iHerb in just a few days even though we were thousands of miles away!

The online retailer sells thousands of products that help you live a healthier life including vegan, natural, vitamins & supplements, and a huge beauty section. In this month’s order I updated both my smoothie drawer and my beauty regimen. Tonight I’m going to focus on the smoothie aspect as I’m going to include a few of the beauty items in an upcoming Friday Favorite’s post once I’ve had a few more weeks to test them.

iHerb believes in delighting the consumer especially in their shipping! You qualify for free shipping if you spend over $20 AND most orders arrive in 1-2 days. My order was delivered in less than 24-hours!

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So, what did I order for my smoothie drawer?

  • Goji Berries – Often advertised as the most nutritious fruit on Earth, these tiny berries have more than 140% of your daily Vitamin A, 20% Vitamin C as well as four grams of protein and 3 grams of sugar! I love the tart punch and chewy texture they give to my smoothies. I’ve also tried substituting them for raisins and dried cranberries in my afternoon, homemade trail mix. Love it!  I would buy these again!
  • Acai Powder – I’ve heard about this miracle fruit for ages but never spent the money to buy the frozen or powder version. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try. Unfortuntely, I think I’ll stick to the antioxidant mix which includes acai versus this rough, hard to dissolve, expensive powder. I didn’t taste the flavor when adding it to my smoothie and ended up with a grainy texture. I will not buy this again.
  • Superfruit Antioxidant Smoothie Mix – I saw this item recommended in a few different blog posts over the past few months and had taken a screen shot of it. The blend includes goji, pomegranate and acai powder which provides a great sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and antioxidants. It tastes delicious and provides a rich color to smoothies! I would buy this again!
  • Tera’s Whey – I’ve gone through three tubs of this protein powder since discovering it back in October. It blends perfectly in smoothies and results in a frothy, thick smoothie that also tastes delicious thanks in part to the use of Madagascar vanilla. Each serving packs 21 grams of protein for only 3 grams of sugar and 110 calories. I would clearly buy this again!

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If this is your first time shopping at iHerb you can use my discount code TCB960 to receive $5 off your order once you register on the website.

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Now, it’s your turn to win your own $50 shopping spree on iHerb.com! Winners will need to register on iHerb to claim their prize but shipping will be paid for both US and non-US winners.

You can enter in 1 of 3 ways:

  • Leave a comment letting me know your favorite smoothie combination.
  • Follow @healthyhappier and  @iherbinc and leave a comment letting me know you did.

Giveaway will close on Thursday, February 11th at 11:59 PM EST.

This post is a sponsored partnership with iHerb.com but all product and website opinions are my own.

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ashleyd /

Making It Through the Holidays Healthy

It’s that time of year. In between the fun of holiday parties and the stress of work and hosting loved ones, I inevitably start to feel run down and exhausted. Two years ago I found myself in bed with flu and a fever for more than half of holiday vacation in Savannah. In order to prevent that from happening again, this year I’m taking proactive measures with help from my friends at Pure Encapsulations.

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After the vitamin deficiency issues I experienced while living in Geneva, I’ve been an advocate of supplements such as a multi-vitamin and biotin in order to ensure my body is getting the vitamins and minerals it needs.  Until recently I wasn’t brand loyal to a particular supplement. I’d peruse websites or the aisle of my local drugstore, letting the promotional price determine that month’s selection.  I thought all vitamins and supplements were created equally, only differing by whether they were liquid, gummy or a traditional pill.

When Pure Encapsulations reached out to me, I immediately wanted to understand what set them apart from the hundreds of other vitamins on the market.

I quickly learned that that all vitamins and supplements are far from being created equal.

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Did you know that many vitamins on the market aren’t tested by the FDA? Any supplement or vitamin that Pure Encapsulations sells on their site has been tested to ensure that nothing is included other than what the label says.  They use the purest of ingredients in their production facility, ensuring that we the consumers, ingest the most quality product possible. The industry leader in manufacturing excellence and quality control, they even allow consumers to visit their production facility in Massachusetts via their “open warehouse” policy which allows anyone to stop by to visit and tour the facility.

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Over the past few weeks I’ve had the chance to take their O.N.E. Multivitamin as well as their Best-Rest Formula.

The Best-Rest formula helps improve sleep quality as well as make it easier to fall asleep due to the melatonin, chamomile, valerian and other ingredients.  During stressful periods, I have a hard time turning my brain off which often results in horrible sleep or not being able to fall asleep immediately. Since taking this supplement nightly, my sleep patterns, as tracked by my Misfit Shine, have improved to more than ¾ the night being restful sleep.

The O.N.E. Multivitamin, perfect for adults over the age of 18, only requires one capsule per day and provides me with a great blend of vitamins and minerals as well as MicroActive Q10 and lycopene for heart and cell health. In addition, unlike my prior multivitamin, none of the Pure Encapsulation products contain fillers, preservatives, artificial sweeteners or colors.

If you’re interested in learning more about how vitamins and supplements may help you, check out their website or have a conversation with your doctor. The more you know, the better preventative measures you will be able to take for your health.

Your turn: What vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?  

While this is a sponsored post, via Pure Encapsulations, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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ashleyd /

Working from Home: Why Comfort & Style Are Still Important

Thank you Hanes for sponsoring this post. Click Here to shop your own Hanes Off Duty Style!

As you all know, in my new role, I’m working from home 90% of the time. Transitioning to this new work environment has gone quite well, even though I’ve been working in less than ideal conditions between our temporary housing in Times Square which was loud and our new apartment in Brooklyn which until today, didn’t have a proper desk or table.

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For many, the idea of working from home seems to be intimidating in a way I never imagined. As soon as they hear that I work from home their mind begins to race, their face becomes perplexed and I immediately get one of the below questions:

So do you wear yoga pants or pajamas all day?

How do you force yourself to be productive?

Aren’t you lonely?

Do you find yourself snacking all day since you have access to the kitchen?

They are right to be concerned. If I was wearing my workout clothes or pajamas all day, it would be hard to get in a productive mindset and bring the mentality I need to conduct conference calls, lead strategy work and take myself seriously. If I never interacted with other people during the day, I would definitely be lonely since I loved the camaraderie of an office environment for the past six years. At the same time, I do find myself taking advantage of the work from home situation to dress more comfortably.  Similar to the professional and personal style I’ve had for years, I’ve found that my work from home style is a mix of comfort and style.

I want to dress nice enough that I can do a video conference with a colleague or sporadically head to the coffee shop for the afternoon, but comfortable enough to focus and reduce our dry cleaning bill. 

Luckily, the team at Hanes believe that life should be like this everyday. While they are known for soft, comfortable clothing they also believe that when styled properly, these comfortable classics can take women like me from the work day to date night.

Using a few of the pieces they sent me, I styled two different looks this week which I wore yesterday and today.

The first look, which a few of you saw on Facebook and Instagram earlier today, includes four different Hanes items and will be perfect for those upcoming transitional weeks in September and October when Summer is over but the winter freeze hasn’t arrived. When paired with some simple jewelry, canvas flats and an over-sized tote I was ready to catch up on work emails at Smith Canteen, my new corner coffee shop, before the movers arrived.

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This look includes the oh so comfy but not see-through Hanes cotton legging, a cozy, pastel pink Hanes fleece crew sweatshirt, along with the Hanes ComortFlex fit get cozy seamless wirefree bra and Hanes ComfortFlex® Cotton Stretch Smoothing Underwear underneath. I want to order this soft sweatshirt in every color and style with a vibrant infinity scarf when Fall arrives!  It can easily tie around the waist, get tossed in a tote bag, or be worn on top of a tank to ensure you’re never cold but always cozy! Even though it’s the dog days of Summer, I still haven’t adjusted to American air conditioner and find that I’m cold everywhere, especially on subways and neighborhood coffee shops.

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The second look is a bit more business, perfect for video conference calls or face to face meetings, but includes a pop of Summer color with the classic Hanes cotton leggings. Yesterday I paired the black capri-length Hanes cotton leggings with a pink and white check tunic,  Hanes ComortFlex fit get cozy seamless wirefree bra, tan flats, a messier than usual bun, and iced cold brew for a long day of conference calls and work.  Wearing a crisp, tailored blouse is an easy way to dress up this wardrobe staple.

If you work from home, what’s your style? 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. 

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