What I Ate Wednesday || Snacking Favorites and a Foodie Giveaway
| May 9, 2012 | Posted by jillconyers under Blog Hop, Clean Eating, Food and Drink, Nutrition, Product Review, Vegetarian, What I Ate Wednesday |
Welcome to this week’s What I Ate Wednesday!
Lately I seem to be eating the same things so instead of a bunch of photos of foods you’ve seen before I’m sharing my favorite snacks. I eat 5 times/day and 2 of those time are snacks which lately have been…
grape tomatoes and fat free cottage cheese with black pepper
chilled orange wedges (During one of my recent half marathons they handed out chilled orange wedges on the course. They were the best oranges ever and I’ve been craving them ever since.)
Pretzel Crisps with fruit (or hummus)
mini sweet peppers
Probably my right-now favorite, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 fat free cottage cheese, granola and sliced strawberries.
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NatureBox offered me the the wonderful opportunity to try a month’s NatureBox. Given my preference for all natural foods I was immediately intrigued and agreed without hesitation. A little about the company in case they’re new to you too…
At NatureBox, we source and deliver healthier alternatives to today’s junk food to our customers on a monthly subscription basis. Our products include whole grain granolas, dried fruits, trail mixes, and raw fruit and nut bars, to name a few. Additionally, we provide our community with nutritious education such as healthy tips and snacking ideas from our team of nutritionists via our newsletter and our blog. Most of our customers are health-conscious (and busy!) individuals and parents who want to make more wholesome choices in their daily life or for their family but may be overwhelmed or intimidated by all of the information and products out there right now (or just want fun new snacks to add to their day!).
The NatureBox I received exceeded my expectations with quantity, quality, and food selections! I love the convenience of home delivery, and after seeing what is included in the monthly package I thought the price was beyond reasonable. Maybe more than anything I liked this about NatureBox products…
To give you an idea of what is included here are a few of the items from April’s NatureBox….
Dried Pears
Peppery Pistachios
Smoky Pumpkin Seeds
Cranberry Jubilee
I was sure I would write this and include what was my favorite, but there were too many good foods to pick just one. So instead I’ll say, honestly, there wasn’t one thing I didn’t like. And did I mention home delivery? With the crazy busyness of life that’s a convenient bonus!
A Giveaway
NatureBox is generously offering one lucky reader a month’s NatureBox (Note: prize will include a variety of items and not necessarily what is shown above).
How To Enter
Leave a separate comment for each of the following:
Mandatory Entries
- Like NatureBox on Facebook HERE and tell them [Fitness Health and Happiness] sent you.
- Subscribe to [Fitness, Health and Happiness] via email. Enter your email address on the right sidebar.
- Leave a comment answering this question what snack do you wish was considered a “healthy snack” because you would eat it everyday?
Giveaway ends 12:00 a.m. EST May 17, 2012. If winning entrant doesn’t acknowledge their win within 48 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to US residents only.
Disclosure: For the purpose of this giveaway, the prize was generously donated by NatureBox. No monetary compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions of this product are my own and not influenced in any way by the company or products I received.
Motivation Monday || Attitude and Success
| May 7, 2012 | Posted by jillconyers under Inspiration, Motivation, Motivation Monday, Quotes, Running |
It’s over the past 2 months that I have come to realize how true this really is. I just ran half mary #5, The Cincinnati Flying Pig, yesterday and truly ENJOYED THE RUN and accomplished my goal. It was my attitude from the start. The attitude and outcome can be positive or negative. It’s up to you.
Workout schedule for this week:
Mon: Chest & Back
Tues: Run (speedwork); Abs
Wed: Legs & Back
Thurs: Run; Abs
Fri: Shoulders & Arms
Sat: Run (long); Abs
Sun: Run (recovery); Abs; Stretch/Foam Rolling
What’s on your schedule this week? Have you accomplished a task/goal recently and your attitude affected the outcome? Was it positive or negative?
Fitness Friday || Kentucky Derby Festival Mini Marathon Recap
| May 4, 2012 | Posted by jillconyers under 2012 Goals, 2012 Race Recaps, Blog Hop, Challenge, Fitness Friday Blog Hop, Goals, Half Marathon, iFitness, Product Review, Running |
Half mary # 4!
It never fails. I get butterflies in my stomach at this point. As soon as I cross the start they go away.
I was freezing in this picture.
Something Christine said a week or so ago has stuck with me ever since and I realized I was approaching the whole 12 in 2012 with the wrong mindset. Not intentionally but inevitably with every race this year and I was sabotaging myself without even realizing it. Not this time. I ran this race with no thought of a PR and with no thoughts of running faster. During the race I started describing it as “I ran my smartest race ever.” I literally smiled. My goal was to use this as a training run (that’s a first!) and to maintain a pace of about 10:15 the entire 13.1 miles. A pace that left me with a little kick at the end. I probably could have run a faster pace but in the end I accomplished what I set out to do. I crossed the finish line thinking I want to feel like this every time. Success!
Thoughts on the race:
- Running through Churchill Downs was amazing. My favorite part of the course.
- The weather was perfect!
- The morning was so cold but I was glad I decided to bag-check my jacket.
- I like my pre-race routine. I tried out of my “comfort zone” and didn’t like it.
- Chad is my race coordinator. It took him not being there for me to realize he truly takes care of everything. All I have to do is run
- Oranges! Cold orange slices were handed out on the course twice and I swear they were the best oranges ever. Somewhere around mile 9 I spent a few miles trying to figure out how I could carry my own orange slices (probably not going to happen).
- I should have taken more photos.
- I finally met a blogging friend, Sandy, who was my P90X2 90-Day Challenge partner. I felt like I’ve known her forever instead of meeting her for the first time. Later, I heard Alyssa telling Chad that they were so much alike it was creepy. I should have taken pics! Next time!
- We played yes to the dress and helped Sandy pick out her Derby dress. My daughter and her friend loved this!
- Yes. I will run this race again.
One last thing. What I thought was a cold (and made it difficult to breath during the Gulf Coast Half ) turned out to be allergies. Really? I’ve never had allergies in my life! And allergy medication? What the heck? While it makes you feel and breath better it also sucks any and all existing moisture out of your body. Ugh! With this being so new to me I was concerned about staying hydrated. I had the perfect solution. iFitness! My favorite belt is the neoprene double pouch and with the add-on option of a single water bottle it was perfect. Which, by the way, I didn’t need but I loved having a little extra just in case I needed something more than the water provided on the course.
(photo not taken at the race)
What’s next? The Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon this weekend!
Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby? What are your running plans for the weekend? Any tips on having allergies? Do you set a goal every time you run a race? Do you get butterflies in your stomach at the start line?
Three Things Thursday || Lululemon. Running. A Blog Comment.
| May 3, 2012 | Posted by jillconyers under Inspiration, Inspired by..., Motivation, Ragnar Northwest Passage, Running, Self Portraits, Three Things Thursday |
1. Lululemon Athletica is opening this weekend closer to my house. Sweet!
2. Yesterday I went for a run and it was OMG hot! When I didn’t put the run off until it was cooler I realized a commitment to others is a huge motivator for me. Whether it’s plans to meet for a run, my coach (I love saying that I have a coach!) or my Ragnar Team (yeah, I love saying that too), my commitment to others is almost no-fail at getting me out the door and/or working out.
3. Yesterday I read this comment on my blog. It made my day
How’s your week going? Does a commitment to others motivate you? Have you ever shopped at Lulu? Are you ever surprised by a blog comment?
What I Ate Wednesday || Menu Planning Benefits and Tips
| May 2, 2012 | Posted by jillconyers under Blog Hop, Clean Eating, Food and Drink, Nutrition, On the Menu, recipes, Shakeology, Vegetarian |
Welcome to my 6th week of joining Peas and Crayons for What I Ate Wednesday.
Are you a menu planner? I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t plan weekly menus. It makes life so much easier.
Consider this. Benefits of Menu Planning.
- Saves you time. You always have the ingredients you need so no weekday last minute trips to the store.
- Saves you money. When you have your menus planned out, you know exactly which ingredients you need to buy at the store. You have a list and you stick to that it while shopping and fewer impulse buys.
- Promotes healthy eating. When meals are planned out, you will usually end up with a more balanced, nutritious diet. You don’t have to run through a fast food lane, grab a processed food on the go, or skip meals.
- Reduces waste. Often, we buy foods at the grocery store, thinking we’ll use them for something, but they end up getting thrown out. If you’re sticking to the list, you’re not buying anything you won’t NEED for your planned meals.
- Saves on gas. No more emergency grocery runs = less driving = less gas money.
- Encourages family involvement. Everyone has input and everyone has a chance to request their favorites.
- Supports regular eating of meals together as a family. If left to the last minute, it can be very tempting to whip something up quickly for the kids and then another meal later for mom and dad.
- Takes into account life’s busier than usual times. Plan for the school activities, working late, and the unexpected an you’re less likely to make a trip through the drive thru or grab processed food on the go.
- Reduce stress. Enough said
What works for me. Menu Planning Tips.
- Make creating a weekly menu part of your routine.
- Consider what ingredients you already have.
- Get family input.
- Plan for an on-your-own night.
- Make a list and stick to it when you’re shopping.
- Look at your calendar for the week before you start planning. Make note of busy evenings.
- Make lunches the day before.
- Cook on Sunday with leftovers in mind.
- Whether you’re using your computer or handwriting the menu use a menu template.
- Use recipes that can be made ahead of time and reheated for a meal during the week.
Now, on a day’s menu…
Early morning coffee and computer.
Chocolate Shakeology with banana. It’s like having dessert for breakfast.
Pretzels and Almond Cheddar Style Cheese. This continues to be my favorite vegan cheese.
Veggie wrap with vinaigrette with a side of kale chips.
I’m addicted to the greek yogurt and cottage cheese combo. This time I added a crumbled Kashi Honey Almond Flax bar and sliced half a banana.
A chicken pot pie recipe from Whole Living Body + Soul In Balance that I tweaked into a vegetarian dish. No chicken and added baby portabellas in addition to the shitake mushrooms. Love the whole wheat phyllo crust.
Do you plan weekly menus? What’s on your menu? What is your favorite snack?
I'm a wife and mom of 2 that is passionate about running, fitness and an overall healthy lifestyle. I thrive on motivating others, setting goals, attaining them and raising the bar. Living a healthy lifestyle is not about perfection. It's about commitment, effort and progress!
