The #RefreshVoxbox from Influenster (<--- free stuff!)

I can't express how much I have LOVED the free boxes of stuff that I have gotten from Influenster! The most recent one (the RefreshVoxbox ) was the perfect pick me up in the dead of winter! Even better, this box contained many products that I had actually been wanting to try but wasn't sure about! Please enjoy my honest review of these complimentary products!

Skinnygirl Tasty Nutrition Bar: Banana oatmeal & dark chocolate
I honestly LOVED the flavor of this bar! The banana taste was quite strong but not overpowering, and the dark chocolate was divine. However I had hoped to use this post-workout because it had a great carb to protein ratio, but it made me feel queezy. My guess was that the sugar content was just a tad too high for a sensitive stomach. However, it sure was an amazing treat! 

Orgain: Vegan, Organic, Chocolate Protein Shake -  I was so impressed by this shake! I am all about the protein drinks but the thought of a vegan one just sounded plain nasty. However, it was great! The taste almost reminded me of muscle milk, but I actually get like it much better. The most impressive thing in my opinion was the ingredient list!

Orgain: Vegan, Organic, Vanilla Protein Shake - I also loved the taste of this one! It had a slightly funny texture, but it kept me full for about 3 hours

Beanitos Nacho Cheese Chips- Ok, I have to admit, I had been interested in trying these for a VERY long time but the husband turned his nose up every time I mentioned it. This was the perfect opportunity because he can't say no to anything free! They were very good! I just loved the flavor and the non-greasy texture. However, I didn't like how there was more than a serving size in a bag because I was NOT going to be leaving the rest for later! Also, since they were made out of beans they had a decent amount of protein! 

COVERGIRL UltraSmooth Foundation - I'd like to start by saying that I am not a make-up person in the least. I had never tried a cream foundation before and I'm honestly not quite sure about the product because I don't have anything to compare it to. It had a pink plastic applicator that I ditched very quickly when trying to apply the make up. It just worked so much better using my fingers that I was totally ok having to wash my hands afterwards. It blended into my skin very well and did give me a smoother look, but my face... felt funny? Maybe that is normal but I'm not sure. I kept wanting to touch it lol. Either way, I like the way this looked on me, but I probably wouldn't buy again. 

L'Occitane Shea Butter Light Comforting Cream - I was actually a huge fan of this cream!! Usually I have a dry forehead but an oily nose (tmi?) but this cream seemed to really help without making the other problem worse. The scent was pleasant as well :) 

Listerine PocketPaks - who doesn't love pocketpaks?! I've been a fan of these for quite some time! Perfect for morning coffee breath but my latest use for them has been to knock out those snack cravings! 

Montagne Jeunesse Black Seaweed Peel-off Mask - This is another product that I enjoyed much more than I thought I would! Even though I looked silly during the process,  I felt pampered and my face felt great after using this mask. At first I thought there wouldn't be enough to cover my whole face but if you spread it thin a little does go a long way. I was also really impressed how it peeled off in one piece! I was worried that I would have to spend a long time making sure I got all of it off but it really was a quick and simple process. 

DenTek Fun Flossers - These flossers were designed for kids but I found that I liked them better then the adult version. They were smaller so it was easier to get to the hard to reach places. 

DenTek Comfort Clean Floss Pics - The adult version of the fun flossers. I did like how they had a floss and tooth pick in one device, but I couldn't help but wonder how much plastic waste they caused ? They were convenient but I think I will stick to my normal floss in the future. 

P.S. If you are interested in joining Influenster yourself here is my sign-up link! Connect with facebook and I get extra 'points' on my profile! There are truly no strings attached with the free products, except that if you don't do the 'tasks' they probably won't be sending you a lot :)

Have a blessed day!

**I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes, but all opinions are my own. 

Feeling accomplished

I'm 11 days into my Body by Vi Project10 challenge I can honestly say I'm feeling great. I love the shakes and so far I'd have to say they are the best tasting shakes I've ever had. Perfect for someone with a sweet tooth like me! My only complaint is that they don't seem to be as filling as my beloved Unjury shakes, but there is no contest with the taste. 

My highlight of the day was my workout. I ended up bribing the hubby into working out with me and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed having company after working out alone all these months! We did week 3 of the c25k and then finished up with a circuit workout at home. . I didn't feel nearly as silly doing burpees when he was doing them too! I'm hoping to be a lot better in the future about incorporating body-weight exercises and strength training into my routine.

I've seen a decent amount of weight loss during the Project10 so far too! However, I'm being cautious because I have also cut back on the carbs in my diet which I know can lead to a loss in water weight. Either way, I'm still enjoying the lower numbers! Hope you all have a great night!

Project10 Challenge for Kids

I've decided to stop putting "Day X" on my titles because I've done a pretty poor job sticking to daily posts in October. However, I still am fulling planning on continuing my 31 days of movement and linking them up to my '31 Days' original post, so I promise I'm not giving up!

I am very excited to announce that I have accepted a Project10 challenge with ViSalus! I first heard about ViSalus by a friend from high school who has had absolutely amazing results. Since starting this product not only has she lost 70+lbs, but she is off almost all of her medications, and now takes 10x less insulin per day! Amazing huh! Let's just say I was intrigued. This product clearly was effective, but I already have my own type of protein shakes that I really do love. What convinced me to try their products was when I heard about their Project10 for kids. If you purchase one of their challenge kits and lose 10lbs during the 90 day challenge, ViSalus donates 30 meals on your behalf to kids in need. What an amazing program! Not only can I continue on my own health and fitness journey with nutritious shakes, but I can help kids in need at the same time. I am so excited to have accepted my challenge and my kit should arrive by Tuesday! (I really hope I like it!)

As a part of the challenge I had to submit a video of my first weigh-in. I wasn't too happy about shouting my weight out to the world, but it's even more incentive to film that second video when I'm 10lbs down.

As you might have seen in the video, I have also shared that I will be running (maybe some walking in there too) my first 1/2 marathon in May 2015! I am SO excited and nervous about this! Most of my free time the last few days has been spent checking out different training plans. :-) I can't wait to document this Journey as well (haha no pun intended, but I am doing the Journey's 1/2 marathon in Eagle River, WI!) This will be quite the adventure!

Wish me luck!

*P.S the Project10 program has a system where if you refer 3 people you get your kit for free, so if you're by any chance interested in accepting the challenge as well hit me up for my referral website!

WIAW (What I ate Wednesday) #2

Hello!

I'm happy to share another WIAW with you! I've been doing better with the sugar which is great but it's still a work in progress :)

Breakfast: Mocha Frappe Protein Shake (totally reused last week's picture) However this week I did add some chia seeds -high protein, low carb, low sugar 

• One Cup Unsweetened Almond milk
• One Scoop Chocolate Unjury 
• One tablespoon instant coffee
• One tablespoon unsweetened coco powder 
• Half tablespoon chia seeds soaked overnight in one tablespoon water 
• Three ice cubes 

Lunch: Leftover grilled chicken panini & homemade potato chips from last night's date & green beans from my garden! -high protein, fresh home-grown veggies, probably too many carbs

Dinner: Taco salad with lettuce from the garden & skinnytaste zucchini tots - I ate about 1/2 of what's pictured 

In the salad:

• 3 cups romaine lettuce
• one ounce shredded cheese
• one tablespoon salsa
• 1/4 cup ground beef with taco seasoning 

Dessert: Leftover fruit and yogurt smoothie turned into a popsicle (so tasty!)

Hope you all are having a great week! My 5-mile race went excellent :-) more details to come! 

Protein peanut butter cups

As most of you have probably figured out by now, I have a killer sweet tooth. I also have another small addiction... Pinterest. While browsing one day I happened to stumble across a few different pins for protein peanut butter cups. YUM! By looking at these I was able to come up with my own recipe that has no added sugar, and no more ingredients than I would put in my protein shakes. Though these weren't as sweet as the candy variety I thought that they still tasted very good and they are definitely something that I will be making again!

Protein Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients 

4 tin foil cupcake cups 

1 scoop Unjury chocolate protein powder (or your preferred brand) 

1 tablespoon coco powder 

2 tablespoons plain Fage 0% greek yogurt

3 tablespoons of PB2 

1 packet Truvia or Honey 

water 

Directions

In one small bowl mix the greek yogurt, protein powder, coco powder, and truvia/honey. Slowly add in a little bit of water at a time while mixing until the chocolate mixture is liquid enough to pour. Set aside. 

In a second bowl add the PB2 and again just enough water for the peanut butter mixture to be easy to pour. 

Then prepare your cupcake tins by placing them in a Tupperware container. This container should be the size where the cupcake tins are all touching and can support each other, but are not crushed in. Then pour about 1/2 the chocolate mixture evenly into the cups, followed by the entire peanut butter mixture. Top with the remaining chocolate and put in the freezer for at least an hour. Enjoy! 

Nutrition facts for one peanut butter cup (using Truvia not honey)

 50 calories, 5 carbs, 1 gram fat, 8 grams protein, 2 grams sugar

P.S. It's ok to eat more than one! 

Recipe very slightly modified from   http://aleshahaley.com/2013/09/12/protein-peanut-butter-cups-clean-eating/ 

Fighting the Chocolate Attack

My mind is screaming for anything and everything chocolate today! Instead of depriving myself I decided to indulge in a healthier way. My hope is that by doing this I can prevent a binge later (what would usually happen). I'm allowing myself two things. First these skinny cow dreamy clusters. They are delicious and truly hit the spot when the craving hits.

And then to prevent myself from grabbing two of these I am making one of my super chocolate protein shakes. At least this way I get some nutrition in and can call it lunch!

This shake is made with dark chocolate almond milk, Unjury chocolate splendor protein powder, and one serving PB2. I also added some frozen banana slices to thicken it up and make sure there was no room for anything else afterwards!

The end result was a lunch that crushed my chocolate cravings with 420 calories, and 27 grams of protein. Sure beats demolishing my husbands stash of icecream and oreos and feeling hungry and crappy in a few hours.

Question: What do you do when the craving hits?

Husband approved turkey BBQs with Sargento Cheese!

Hello!

I've been super busy finishing up my student teaching so I haven't gotten around to blogging much lately. Looking forward to summer and having more (too much?) time to relax and get my act together! Today I am excited to share with you a recipe that my little family just loves! The best part is that it can be sleeve (tiny tummy) friendly as well.

I've been experimenting with turkey in my cooking a lot lately because of the lower fat content but so far have had little luck impressing my picky husband. I've even tried to 'sneak it in' but he can always tell. When I finally found something that he actually enjoyed, I was ecstatic!

I based this recipe off of the Sargento Cheese website found here. I actually received some Sargento Ultra Thin cheese slices complimentary of Influenster to test and review.  If you haven't heard of Influenster I'd highly encourage you to check it out! It's a pretty sweet website where you can review the latest products. Sometimes you may even qualify for a Voxbox, which is when they send you free samples of the latest products to review. Well anyway, I received my Sargento Cheese slices in a Voxbox and I just LOVE them! They are all less than 40 calories a slice, and the thickness is perfect for my ham and cheese roll-ups. :-)

So, where were we? Ah, Turkey BBQs! 

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey breast

3/4 cup BBQ Sauce

1/2 diced red onion

Sargento Ultra Thin Cheese slices 

Directions 

Cook turkey until no longer pink, Add onion and BBQ Sauce and simmer 3-4 minutes or until heated through, Place on bun and top with cheese, Serve warm 

The nutrition facts can vary a ton based on the type of BBQ sauce and bun you use, but mine turned out to be around 300 calories and 31 grams of protein! Enjoy!

P.S - If you are interested in joining influenster I have plenty of invites left, so all you have to do is ask and I can get you set up :) 

WLS Friendly Flatbread Pizza

Pizza. What a wonderful food! I mean seriously, who doesn't like pizza! Since the beginning of my diet starting in early November this food had been torturous to me. It is often a go to food for any college hangout so I found myself in many situations where I had to practice some serious self-control. No matter how many times I tried I just couldn't justify the 19 grams of fat for one slice. (Like I'd only eat one slice...) Worried that this beloved food may be out of my diet forever, I was very intrigued when someone posted in a FB group about a skinny 'flatbread pizza' that was safe for WLS (weight loss surgery) post-ops. I experimented around the other day and was able to come up with something super delish and simple! The best part is that it only takes 14 minutes to make and contains a whopping 22 grams of protein!

WLS Friendly Flatbread Pizza 

Ingredients

1 flatbread - I used flatout multi-grain w/flax

1 TBS olive oil

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Turkey pepperoni

4 TBS natural pizza sauce


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Brush flatbread with olive oil and place directly on the oven rack for 7 minutes. At this point the flatbread gets crispy. Top with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni and place back in the oven for another 7 minutes. Enjoy!

Per one pizza: 239cals, 13carbs, 22g protein,13g fat, 3g sugar 

Muscle Recovery & a Product Review

Lately I've been trying very hard to listen to my body, particularly in the areas of exercise and muscle recovery. It's really easy to get caught up in your goal of exercising 6X a week and forget to give your body some rest. I still haven't learned exactly what my body needs as far as recovery yet, but I am getting much closer to figuring it out. So far I've learned that I better plan on at least two easy days after a Jillian Michaels workout, and one for weight lifting. If I'm to sore to walk down my stairs I take that as a resting day. It's all about listening to your body. Once I've started doing this I've noticed a huge improvement in my workouts. I feel like I get much more out of them and they are much more enjoyable.

Many people who go through rapid weight loss have the unfortunate side effect of muscle atrophy. This is why protein is SO important in a weight loss diet. When your body is starved for protein it can start to breakdown your muscles as a last resort. I have been told to try to get in 75 grams of protein each day. It's a difficult task but I know that not only will it prevent atrophy, but it will help promote the rebuilding of muscles after exercise and strength training. The only way I come close to getting my recommended amount of protein in is by supplementing with protein shakes. I have been using UNJURY medical quality protein powders.

 They have a few flavors to choose from which include chocolate splendor, strawberry sorbet, vanilla, and unflavored. I have tried all the flavors and by far my favorite is chocolate splendor. When mixed with 8oz of milk it really tastes just like chocolate milk! It really doesn't have that proteiny taste and blends very well in my blenderball shaker. I try to get in at least one of these shakes a day, especially if I've had a good workout. The unflavored is actually pretty unflavored. I've added it to things like pudding, mashed potatoes, and milk for my cereal. You can tell it's there, but barely. The strawberry and vanilla are ok, but I love my chocolate. :-)

Here are some nutrition facts: One scoop + 8oz skim milk (IGA brand)

Calories: 190

Carbs: 17

Fat: 0

Protein: 29

Sodium: 185

Sugar: 15

Also here is the breakdown. You could cut down a lot of the sugar and calories by replacing the milk with something like unsweetened almond or soymilk. 

In other news, I'm seriously considering getting a Fitbit. I'm leaning toward the Fibit Flex but i'm not so sure. Does anybody have experience with one? Do you love it? Also are there any other fitness trackers that I should consider? 

Happy Monday!