Adventures in Nutrition: Arbonne Fit Kit Detox (review)

June 1st through 30th I removed all gluten and dairy from my diet and followed the Arbonne Detox Fit Kit.

Now let's get this straight--this was not easy, especially when much of your diet is wheat- or dairy-based. I think I chose a good time of year to do this experiment. Fruits and vegetables abound, making my food prep fairly easy and straightforward.

Now the specific Arbonne products...

The whole Fit Kit: chocolate protein powder, vanilla protein
powder, two boxes of herbal detox tea, citrus fizz sticks,
pomegranate fizz sticks, lemon fit chews, caramel fit chews,
and daily fiber boost. 

Protein mix - I used coconut milk and a banana in every shake I made. Initially I struggled with grittiness, but once I began using bananas I found the thickened consistency to be pleasant. (I wasn't doing the detox to lose weight, so the banana fit my plan. Others who were trying to lose weight most likely didn't use bananas since they're considered extra sugar, etc.) I noticed that mixing frozen fruit changed the flavor more effectively than fresh fruit (with the exception of the banana). I was most pleased by the way my GI tract handled the protein. I've gone through several brands trying to find something that didn't bother the "I" part of GI, if you know what I mean. My only real complaint was that the zipper closures on the bags weren't that great, so I ended up using a clip on the bag to make sure everything stayed fresh. Both chocolate and vanilla flavors were satisfying, but I enjoyed mixing things up with the vanilla mix most. Coconut milk, pineapple, banana, and orange juice were amazing mixed with the vanilla shake.

Energy fizz sticks - Delicious. I was originally nervous about using these since they were supposed to be replacements for coffee and other caffeinated beverages because I don't do well with caffeine anymore. (Before my tumor I was fine... Now that I've only got one adrenal gland and no tumor making extra adrenaline, if I have a cup of coffee I usually end up feeling really loopy.) But I didn't feel jacked by the energy aspect of these drink mixes. The flavors were nice--citrus and pomegranate--and I was pleased that I could have even two of these in a day and not feel crazy. My only complaint is the little perforated area to tear open the packets was usually insufficient for opening it. I often had to use scissors to open it, which makes it slightly less convenient for on-the-go drink portability.

Herbal detox tea - This is amazing as sun tea. Herbal iced tea is one of my favorite things to drink in the summertime, but making sun tea with this particular tea was really enjoyable. I used five tea bags per quart and no added sweetener.

Fit chews - I had to keep these in the refrigerator after a bad experience with the wax paper not peeling off of the chew. The consistency is like salt water taffy. The lemon is my favorite flavor. Caramel was okay, but not as satisfying as the lemon was, as a replacement "candy" treat.

Fiber boost - I think this did its job--it helped me stay full between my breakfast shake and lunchtime. No flavor here, so it's an invisible extra in the blender.

All in all, I recommend the Fit Kit if you're looking to do some detective work around your diet. I was majorly uncomfortable after eating any gluten once I finished the 30 days, so I've learned that I'm sensitive to gluten. This has been really helpful information for me when shopping and planning. I still enjoy bread, beer, pasta, and pastries... just not all at once or all the time. I'm selective about what gluten to include in my diet now. It has to be quality if I'm going to eat it. (I'm not sitting around eating plain white bread!)

I learned a lot about what I *can* eat too. I've not gone the route of finding all my gluten-ridden favorites in a gluten-free form. I admit I'm concerned that I could end up swapping one unhealthy thing for another if I'm taking sugary or fattening versions of GF food. I really stuck to a meat, fruit, vegetables, and brown rice diet pretty well. (Again, doing this in the summer made the difference for my palate and patience since veggies and fruits were plentiful.) I can't say that I tried any new recipes or food preparations. It felt too complicated to try to overhaul my diet and my way of cooking in just one month. One thing at a time... :)

So before and after is a big deal with this Fit Kit, but mostly for folks who were trying to lose weight. Since I didn't get to workout for about two weeks in June, I know I didn't do anything truly spectacular for my physical shape. (I kept my same weight, within a few tenths of a pound, and my measurements didn't change either.) Lots of people kick up their fitness routine to get the maximum benefits from this kit, but I actually toned my routine down (by force, not choice) and ended up noticing how the nutritional changes affected my appetite. I wasn't hungry. I felt fuller longer and my GI--both G and I!--felt better and I'm okay attributing that to not eating handfuls of gluten every day. Dairy (fortunately) is not a problem for me, so I've integrated that back into my diet slowly (so as not to shock the system).

Good tidings of great gluten free Fit Kit

I'm interested in finding more information about digestive enzymes to help me process gluten better. I'm also interested in just keeping a low profile on the gluten-filled foods I like. I know I can live without them and I know how they will affect my insides. I pray I never get to the point that I have Celiac's disease or some other affliction that forces me to act on my diet again. I also have a new respect for my friends and acquaintances who eat gluten free regularly, either by choice or force, because I now know the pervasive grip that gluten has in our society's generalized diet. It's tough to be 100% gluten free because that little protein gluten is in so many things that we don't even realize it sometimes.

Would I recommend the Fit Kit? Sure. For people who are looking for a way to jumpstart their foray into dairy- or gluten-free life, this is a good way to get used to new things in your diet. It's simple too because there is no restrictive calorie counting or other numeric calculations (outside of your weight and measurements, if you choose to track them). Having the Facebook group to go to with questions and successes was a nice addition. (The Facebook group helped me solve the gritty smoothie problem in a matter of minutes, when I could have spent hours trying different combinations.) If you're looking to investigate your GI health in a safe way (no crash dieting), I think this is a good program with lots of information and support. The Arbonne consultants stick with you and have answers to questions, which makes the system really work. (Kudos to Becki from Fighting for Wellness!)

I'm on Team Ignite! (plus coupon code)

I'm delighted to report that I'm now part of Team Ignite, with Ignite Naturals!

As an ambassador for Ignite, I'd love to share my initial review of the electrolyte beverage mix. I love the dragon fruit!

Want to try it? Use my coupon code for 10% off! (IN0720)

I'm looking forward to being part of the team and learning more about the all-natural approach Ignite takes with its products. Real ingredients for real health!

And... we're back

My apologies for not being in touch lately. Life's craziness got in the way, but now I'm back in action.

Here's what I've got planned for the next few weeks:

• Energy Bits review 
• Arbonne Fit Kit review
• Vapur antibottle review 
• Injinji yoga toe socks review
• Conscious Box review
• Oiselle apparel review
• Gardening updates
• Running progress alert

I'm working on getting some giveaways too, so stay tuned. :)

Garden Update: Tomato Flowers and Popeye's Spinach

I have lots more now, but here's the first!

Everything in my garden I have grown from seeds. I'm really proud of my plants. They're strong and they are just about as big as plants I've seen that other people have purchased, so I feel good about their age and maturity too.

Late last week, in between rainstorms, I was pruning tomatoes when I saw some fully opened tomato flowers!

After a few more days of rain, I decided it was time to pick some spinach. My plants took awhile longer to mature, but I think I let the biggest leaves get a little too big... they were as big as my palm!

Nevertheless, the spinach would've made Popeye proud and it was the first yield from my garden this year. I happily made a salad with it and enjoyed each scrumptious bite.

Note varying sizes in spinach leaves. :-o

Adventures in Hydration: Ignite Naturals IN Refresh Electrolyte Drink (review)

This month I was delighted to have the opportunity to try out Ignite Naturals IN Refresh Electrolyte Drink mix. I sampled the Dragonfruit lemon lime mix.

I learned about Ignite Naturals on Twitter. Their approach to active hydration is different than most other sport drinks. Some sport drinks are sugary or salty to the taste and contain food coloring and other unnatural ingredients (e.g., Gatorade*, which includes long explanations for use of food coloring, sodium, and isomaltulose in the FAQ for the product). Other sport drinks created with tablets are more balanced when it comes to sugar and sodium and contain natural flavors and colors, but the ingredient list reads like a chemistry textbook (e.g., Nuun*).

IN Refresh ingredients are simple, non-GMO, whole foods.

from IgniteNaturals.com

So I started my trial with a small glass of Dragonfruit lemon lime.

Whoa! Flavor!

The directions indicate one level scoop (about a teaspoon) for 6-8 oz. of water. That, my friends, produces a rich, bright, tasty beverage. 

Scoop & mix from Ignite Naturals and my resulting beverage.

The flavor is sweet, but it doesn't taste like a sweetener or sugar. It's more fruity than anything, which I really enjoyed. My tastebuds were dancing freestyle.

I tried the drink mix in water several more times, experimenting with more water (up to 16 oz.) to experience the diluted flavor (which I associate more with drinks like Nuun). My personal preference is to mix one scoop into a 12 oz. glass of water. That hit the perfect level of saturation for me. Not too sweet, not too dilute.

In other experiments, I mixed the drink powder with other liquids. (Bold, I know!) Since the ingredients include freeze dried organic coconut water, it seemed like an obvious choice was coconut water.

Let the chemistry begin!

I mixed one scoop of the mix with 8 oz. of coconut water. The result? Spectacular. Coconut water is not my favorite on its own, but I usually don't regret mixing it with other things. It tasted like the IN Refresh Electrolyte mix was made for coconut water, really. The thicker feel of coconut water combined with the fruity taste of Dragonfruit lemon lime made me smile on even the hottest afternoon.

I also tried mixing the powder with coconut milk (nah), in a banana coconut-milkshake (okay), and orange juice (meh--the OJ overpowered it).

But what about the actual hydration component of this drink?

I don't let myself get dehydrated on purpose, so I just incorporated this mix into my daily routine of water, water, protein shake, water, and more water. :) I almost ALWAYS need to drink water while I am running. I am one of those people who sweats just thinking about sweating, so I need to replenish my fluids pretty quickly. (I'm also a "salty sweater," meaning after a really sweaty workout I get little salt crystals on my forehead and temples. Sexy, I know.) So my IN Refresh mix came along for a few runs too. It felt a little too high-maintenance for a run because of having to make sure the mix was, well, mixed. (Some powder does separate in the solution.) I would say that it helped me recover from my workouts best of all. I didn't feel like I needed to chug it in order to rehydrate and I felt better sooner, even in humid, hot weather.

So let's break it down...

Benefits

• Made from 100% plant-based, natural, non-GMO food
• Ingredients list is readable (not chem class all over again)
• Sweet, not sugary/sweetener, taste
• Fruity, tastebud dance-provoking taste
• Serious electrolyte recharge for post-workout
• Makes coconut water a worthwhile beverage
• 1% of Ignite Naturals sales go to onepercentfortheplanet.org

Drawbacks

• Some of the powder separates and sits at the bottom of the glass after mixing. (I just kept my spoon in my glass, but it was a little weird to see a little bit of mix at the bottom of my glass. Also makes this drink higher maintenance for running or other activities for which you might bring along a beverage.)
• "Pepper" in the glass. I let several friends try the mix and they all brought up the little black specks floating in the mix and sticking to the sides of the glass. I'm sure they're from the food ingredients, but it's worth mentioning since several friends told me about it.
• The canister for the powder is too large. It arrived with 30 servings, less than half full. Proper packaging is important for shipping, marketing, etc., but the canister seemed like it could've contained 90 servings, not 30, so psychologically it was a "glass-half-empty" feeling. (Also, smaller canisters would mean less packaging, which could result in savings for the company.)

Overall reaction: I'd encourage you to try Ignite Naturals if you're looking for an all-natural solution to your hydration needs. IN Refresh comes in four flavors: Dragonfruit lemon lime, Tangerine passion fruit, Blueberry, and Prickly pear.

*Don't get me wrong--I drink Gatorade at races and I love Nuun. I am just pointing out the differences between these popular drinks and the Ignite Naturals drink mix I'm reviewing. 

Adventures in Nutrition: eMeals to the Rescue (review)

Once upon a time, there was a GroupOn deal for a year's worth of dinner recipes curated by a website called eMeals. Grammarissa's struggle with what to make for dinner after running through the same tired recipes led her to buy the GroupOn deal for $29. Thus begins our story.

Grammarissa began her eMeals repertoire with the Classic recipes program (very American meat-and-potatoes stuff), but before long she tried the Clean Eating recipes and noticed how the lower fat and more natural approach to cooking was changing her outlook on making dinner. Even boyfriend noticed, and that's saying something because he doesn't usually notice much about food except when there isn't any sauce at a meal.

eMeals continued to deliver Clean Eating recipes to Grammarissa's inbox every Wednesday through stormy weather--both literal and metaphorical--and even when she didn't feel like cooking, there was usually some simple recipe she could extract from the eMeals plan for the week and put together. Best of all, when she lost her job and feared she couldn't afford to keep up the natural, good, clean approach to her nutrition, Grammarissa studied her finances over the last few months (during which she had been shopping with eMeals lists for recipes) and found that eating well was NOT out of the budget.

Now, as Grammarissa tries to wade her way through dairy- and gluten-free weeks of the Arbonne Fit Kit, the Clean Eating recipes are good, but grains pose some problem. She looked to eMeals.com to see if there was a gluten free offering and--alas!--there is a recipe set dedicated to this special diet request. Billed as "variety without the guesswork," the Gluten Free plan is Grammarissa's newest subscription. To be honest, she's not sure why she didn't think of this before... of course eMeals has a gluten free choice... eMeals is awesome.

If you, dear readers, should decide to give eMeals a try, please use this link (or the one in my sidebar):


And I'll get a referral credit for bringing my friends along! :)

eMeals also offers breakfast and lunch meal plans, so it's plausible that your entire diet could be planned through eMeals, if you like!

And if, after this happy story, you needed another reason to try eMeals, I'll give you the story of a friend I turned on to eMeals. She and her husband follow the Paleo Plan. Within weeks of starting, she emailed me to thank me for sharing eMeals with her and wrote a laundry list of things she learned thanks to the recipe instructions and feeling brave enough to try new things (like making marinade and curry paste from scratch). The last line of her email? "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Serious reduction in stress and increase in happiness. Thank you!"

Day 1: Arbonne Feeling Fit Kit

I decided to start my Arbonne Feeling Fit Kit today, June 1st. It's well after my half marathon so I'm
physically recovered, I'm moving through some new things in life as far as jobs and trying to find one that's really for me, and I think the availability of produce (and my general excitement about that so early in the summer) will help me sustain me as I start this program.

My decision to try this kit came through several conversations, some of them via Skype, with Becki at FightingForWellness.com. Yes, Becki sells Arbonne (and I bought my Fit Kit from her), but she had completed her own Fit Kit and shared her results. This lady works hard for what she has (as she notes in her "Weight Loss" section on her blog) and I admire that about her. But my reasons for trying this aren't about weight loss. Many of you who know me in real life would probably slap me if I said that was why I was doing this. So trust me when I say that it is not.

I've had some... let's put it politely shall we?... discomfort after eating in the last few months and I don't know why. I'm trying to figure out what's making me miserable. A sensitivity? A potential allergy? This is a good way to do it and it's also a good way to really jumpstart a healthier way of eating--cut sugar, gluten and dairy, but eat lean protein, eat more veggies, and eat healthy fats. That's what this is about.

I admit that giving up dairy will be the most difficult. I love milk and I love yogurt. In fact, yogurt is a regular part of my diet... I'm fairly certain that dairy is not the culprit in my gastrointestinal grudge. But I am going to try my best to cut it out to see my body's reaction.

But I am weighing myself and measuring key points on my body to monitor changes. I'm going to be working out like usual (hopefully on a regular schedule after this sinus cold thing hits the road), so I want to make sure nothing unexpected happens.

I'll let you know what I learn and, when June is over and I've completed the Fit Kit, I'll report back on my thoughts about the Arbonne products I used during the month.

In the meantime, cheers to summer!

Adventures with "Love With Food" (review)

I received my first box from Love With Food today. I bought this box subscription through Fab, an awesome, excellent source for very cool things which I highly recommend based on my superb experiences with their products AND customer service.

I was delighted to receive it after only getting the tracking number four days ago. Considering that it arrived in my mailbox (i.e., via USPS), that's speedy delivery.

For every box Love With Food sells, they donate a meal to a charity. The start-up story is heartening too, so it's nice to know that a business has good intentions and kind roots.


My Love With Food box came chock full of items curated by Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel... not that I have cable. Because I don't. And I haven't for almost four years now, so I didn't know who he was before this box came about. (Apparently May's theme is for Mother's Day--"breakfast in bed." I love breakfast, so this should be good.)

The group of items that arrived are interesting. I can't say I would've gone out and bought any of them myself. I would say that if this was the "weird food" concept they were going for, then they nailed it. For my pantry anyway.

• Cocomels coconut milk caramels, by JJ's Sweets
• Lemony lover olives, by Oloves
• Salty pepper sunflower seed snacks, by Somersault Snacks
• Gluten-free itty bitty butter popped sorghum, by Mini Pops
• Organic fennel pollen, by Pollen Ranch
• Smoky chili and lime roasted chickpea snacks, by The Good Bean
• Creamy buffalo ranch dip, by Buff Lo Dip

The stocked items are available on Love With Food's website for purchase at a discount. (But again, the prices there are such that I'm not seeing the real "deal" value of this subscription.) Some I won't be able to share with my boyfriend because of his food allergies, but I guarantee he'll want to try the olives and the buffalo ranch dip. :)

I was pleased that my box arrived as JUST the box--not packed inside a larger box. It had a plastic wrap on the outside with my address label affixed to it, but it wasn't like some other box subscriptions I've gotten where the smaller box with the goods in it is packed inside a larger box with smushed up paper padding--that's wasteful, if nothing in there is breakable or particularly fragile. So kudos on the eco-friendly front, Love With Food.

I admit I was a little disappointed with some of the sample sizes. I realize they can't send out giant containers of stuff, but I'm not convinced it was a "deal."

Anyway, I'll give my new food stuffs a try and see what I like. As it stands, I recommend Love With Food for its service and variety. I'm just not sure the value is there. Extra points for more eco-friendliness than some other boxes, though! :)

Spring sprouts!

SPROUTS!

I started some seeds for my spring garden crops last weekend and--lo! and behold!--midweek I had some sprouts!

Plastic greenhouse with grow light
and water spray bottle near my
heating vent. This is gardening, folks.

My setup isn't ideal, but I'm doing my best. I used the little plastic greenhouse tray I kept from last year's "Secret Garden" mishap and decided to leave the lid on only until I got my first sprouts. Last year I ended up with mold and sick seedlings to boot... No one really mentions that on the greenhouse packaging. They just say to keep the seedlings warm and moist... but that *duh* equals mold. No more mold for my seedlings! I have the tray on top of a towel on the ground near a heating vent in my house. (My house is old and doesn't warm up really well... so I wanted to keep the plants warm.) I bought a fluorescent "grow light" to give my plants some faux sun since Pittsburgh is anything but sunny right now... not that I have decently sunny windows anyway. Three-quarters of my house is surrounded with porches, which keeps the house cool all year (whether I want it to be cool or not).

I learned a LOT from my garden last year, and I'm taking a new approach to gardening thanks to the stellar class I took through Grow Pittsburgh. (Best $60 I ever spent!) I grew several flowers and vegetables from seeds last year, but I'm going to try to grow all my crops from seeds this year--vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

So far I've started the following seeds:

• lettuce (sprouted)
• broccoli (sprouted)
• lavender (some sprouted)
• Shasta daisies
• lemon balm

I need to get my spinach seeds SOON so I have those seedlings ready to plant when the rest of these seedlings are ready at the end of April/beginning of May. The rest of my spring crops I plan to plant by direct seeding (seeds in the ground, not started indoors for transplanting). But, naturally, I will need to wait for the weather to cooperate for most of those to even have a chance at survival.

This year's garden is off to a great start!

Look at those happy little sprouts. :)

Adventures in nutrition: Spinach smoothies 101

I told a few friends on Facebook that I was blending spinach into my smoothies, and they wanted details... So here we are! Details!

My stomach is yelling at me for a bad lunch choice, so I'm not running tonight... Instead, I'll blog one of my favorite spinach drinks for you. :)

My very best friend bought me the little blender you see pictured below for Christmas. The cup disconnects from the blender base and is a handy travel mug of sorts, even though it has yet to venture much farther than my living room... It's small, easy to clean, and blends up a storm when I command it. I've been able to crush ice, frozen fruits and veggies, and every other softer entity (yogurt, fruits, etc.), so it's really a great little addition to my kitchen. It's certainly prompted me to be more creative... because until a few months ago I definitely wouldn't have considered drinking spinach.

Begin with a clean blender and all of your supplies!

I start with about 1/4 cup of water in the blender with any drink. Otherwise things tend to get stuck down by the blades and don't move.

I bought a gigantic bag of spinach and I've only eaten it in liquid form... :) What's nice about that is if the spinach gets a little limp, it doesn't matter at all. If it's clean and edible, it blends.

It's quite reasonable to ask "How much?" when puréeing spinach the first time.


I had no clue. I just grabbed some and pushed it into the cup.

I've found that roughly 3/4 cup (or one hearty fistful) works really well in this size blender. If your blender is larger and you want to blend more, I say go for it! My blender cup measures up to 14 oz. on the side... but clearly there is room to go well over that. I could probably jam more spinach in there... But I'll leave that for another day.

Today's smoothie was made with the fistful of spinach in the photo on the left. (Also, enjoy my snazzy nail polish. Haha!)

Again, to help with visuals, here (to the left) is that spinach, along with the water, in my blender.

And here (to the right) is what that looks like all blended up!

Not really appetizing, I know. But it will be!

For today's smoothie, I'm putting a too-ripe banana to use. I am one of those folks who prefers her bananas to have some green on the peel... If it gets too ripe, I can't eat it straight. It's a compulsion. I have to find something else to do with it. Banana split, on cereal, in yogurt, or in a smoothie.

When I add fruit to my smoothie, I do it in chunks. For the banana, I added half first, blended, then added the other half. In between, I added a little splash of orange juice. Why? I like orange juice.

Personally, I like to add my *taste* fruit/veg (the things I want to *taste* over the spinach and other base ingredients) before I add yogurt, ice, or anything else to thicken the mix. That way, I can see the consistency and freestyle a little more or less, depending on the circumstances.

Okay, so this probably sounds too complex for a smoothie, but bear with me. It's for your good! (No, seriously... it is. These smoothies are good for you!)

Next up is yogurt! Today I have low-fat vanilla yogurt. (I bought this at Aldi's. For those of you who shop there and aren't sure about their yogurt: both plain and vanilla are delicious and worth the bargain price.)

I always freestyle this part, sooo if I had to estimate how much I use, I would say about 1/4 cup of yogurt. This changes if you're using ice, though; I would most likely swap out the ice for the yogurt, to be honest. I don't like to pack the darn thing too tight... I'm not adding ice today.

But I AM adding chia seeds! These are so small you barely notice them (like blending flaxseed, which I also use from time to time), but they add so much nutrition and you don't really need to use a lot! (If you're still stuck on Chia Pets, read this.)

Seriously, I paid like $8 for this bag of seeds (photo to the right; Bob's Red Mill) and for the amount of nutrition I get from each 1-2 tablespoons I add to my smoothies, it's like I bought a bag of gold!

Okay, so everything is all blended together! Voilà: spinach smoothie.

1/4 cup water
3/4 cup spinach
1 banana (blended in two halves)
1 splash (ha!) orange juice
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons chia seeds

Does it taste like spinach? No. It tastes like banana. :)

Last week, I made one with frozen strawberries. It was green and tasted like strawberries. It screws with your head a little--it's like ordering a Sprite and when you take a sip it's just the seltzer water. It catches you off guard at first... But it is delicious. I promise you won't regret blending your spinach!

I have a difficult time with food sometimes, like not having an appetite, which I am working on (especially since I need to fuel properly in order to run; I did see a dietician a few weeks ago). But getting things into a drinkable form makes food seem more do-able sometimes. Actually, usually once I blend up some veggies and drink it down, I want something else... so it helps me in a couple of ways, I think. :)

Have you tried blending anything that's a little unorthodox? Spinach? Other veggies? Tell me!

Adventures in nutrition: Premier Protein shakes (review)

In January, I won a "Protein Pop" box prize from Premier Protein via Twitter (@PremierProtein). In the box I found two chocolate shakes, two vanilla shakes, and two of three different flavors of bars: chocolate deluxe, chocolate peanut butter, and yogurt peanut crunch. (See my review of the bars here.)

I decided to take about a month to try all my samples and see what I thought before writing my reviews. That way I could see how my body liked them in addition to how much my taste buds liked them.

The shakes: Until this point, my experience with protein drinks has been mostly negative. I would mix powder with water or milk and meet with dietary suffering like chalky texture, insolubility (read: chunks of gloppy powder), overbearing taste, and unpredictable body responses--bloat and nausea being the most common.

The Premier Protein shakes were none of those.They come as liquids, not powders, which I think helps solve the problem with taste quite a bit--it's controlled by the company when the beverage is packaged. I'm not measuring and mixing and hoping I get it right so I taste what someone else deemed to be acceptable...

The vanilla is like a liquid version of vanilla yogurt. It goes down easily and mixes well with berries in the blender. (Definitely a delicious way to incorporate the shake into my diet!) It's not overly sweet and has no yucky aftertaste like other vanilla protein drinks (powders) I've tried.

The chocolate is even more delicious, however. One of my favorite post-workout treats is chocolate milk. While milk is a great source of nutrition in general, I know that adding sugary chocolate syrup makes the treat just that--a treat. But Premier Protein's chocolate shake is delicious in its own right, and is more nutritious than my chocolate milk in numerous ways.

The shakes come in paper cartons like a juice box (think of when you were a kid!) with a top that opens by unscrewing the lid. (I had a defective lid that popped off the carton, but I poked open the foil cover and used a straw instead. I had another lid, though, that didn't seem attached properly because it dribbled on me...)

So outside of the minor issue of the lids, I give the Premier Protein shakes my highest recommendation.

Adventures in nutrition: Premier Protein bars (review)

In January, I won a "Protein Pop" box prize from Premier Protein via Twitter (@PremierProtein). In the box I found two chocolate shakes, two vanilla shakes (read my review of the shakes here), and two of three different flavors of bars: chocolate deluxe, chocolate peanut butter, and yogurt peanut crunch.

I decided to take about a month to try all my samples and see what I thought before writing my reviews. That way I could see how my body liked them in addition to how much my taste buds liked them.



Here is my review of the bars... 

Double chocolate crunch bar: (top left) This tasty treat comes packed with 30g of protein. I was pleased with the texture of the bar. It wasn't gritty. It wasn't so chewy that I wore out my jaw trying to eat it. But it was easy to swallow because of its flavor. Chocolate-on-chocolate foods can't really go wrong. Premier Protein takes chocolate to the next level, though, by making your daily dose of chocolate a better source of protein for energy and everyday nutrition.

Chocolate peanut butter bar: (not pictured) Again, nothing wrong with 30g of protein in a small package! The chocolate peanut butter bar was a little too sweet (even by my standards, and I like cake flavored ice cream). I ate this bar slowly and tempered the sweetness with a nice glass of milk to wash it down. I still enjoyed the bar, but I didn't taste so much peanut butter as I did very sweet chocolate.

Yogurt peanut crunch: (bottom left) I'll admit it--this is my favorite. Perhaps because it's completely different, perhaps because I haven't tasted anything like it before, or perhaps because I loved the crunch of the peanuts... But no matter the reason, this was the best thing I received from Premier Protein! I loved the mellow sweetness of the yogurt coating paired with the oh-so-slight saltiness of the peanuts inside. I ate this one faster than the other two... and now I wish I had more!

All in all, I think the Premier Protein bars are a great value (check out their website for pricing) for as much protein as you get in every bar.

A Teaview: Get Burning, by Republic of Tea (review)

I just returned from the southwest where chili peppers are king with a capital K. I tried both green and red chilis in my enchiladas, my breakfast biscuits, my fudge candy, and my coffee.

I had to come home and dig into my RunnerBox to get red chili in my tea. The pop of flavor in this tea isn't just red chilis, though: in each sip you're greeted by ginger, cloves, and black pepper, which I never thought of as a tea flavoring until trying this blend. (See below for full list of ingredients.)

Get Burning by Republic of Tea is an herbal tea for boosting metabolism. Gluten-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, zero calories, kosher, and certified organic, this tea is for everyone.*

Thermogenesis is the metabolic principle at work, by boosting the body's core temperature with ingredients like chilis and rooibus (pronounced roy-bus). Other herbs in the blend boast fat oxidation for weight loss and claim an increase in cellular energy production, supporting health and boosting metabolism.**

While I can't speak to the efficacy of the herbs, I can agree to their tastiness. The sweet taste makes the tea smooth and easy to sip as a warm drink and as you swallow the liquid, the warmth only increases as the heat in the chili peppers is activated on your tongue. The overall experience is quite pleasant and much different than most teas I've had (and I'm basically addicted to tea; ask anyone who has seen my pantry...).

I waited a few hours after trying the tea to post this blog because normally I get headaches from Stevia. Since Stevia is an ingredient in this tea (see below) instead of an added sweetener from a packet, as one might expect with tea, I was a little nervous about how I might react. I drank my tea four hours ago and I don't have a headache. Hopefully that bodes well for my experience with Get Burning (and Stevia at large, though I am not a fan of non-sugar sweeteners in general, artificial or natural; they all seem to bother me).

Overall reaction: go get yourself some hot Burning tea! The pep from the peppers is a delicious and welcome change of pace.

Ingredients: organic green rooibos, ginger, cinnamon, holy basil, black pepper, cloves, chili peppers, cordyceps extract, stevia and natural sea buckthorn flavor

*Except pregnant or nursing moms, who should read the warning here.
**These claims are not evaluated by the FDA and the product is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease

Chobani special delivery!

It's a snowy day here in Pittsburgh, so I worked from home. Good thing I did! I was here to receive one more prize from the Healthy Holidays Challenge... An entire case of Chobani Greek Yogurt!

I had completely forgotten that this was part of the winner's package, but what a delightful surprise on a Friday morning! Coincidentally, I had just written "yogurt" on my grocery list dry-erase board this morning... Now I've got a dozen cups of Chobani with my name on them!

I love the creamy, delicious goodness of Chobani. It's my yogurt of choice these days since it provides me with a source of protein in addition to calcium, and the flavors can't be beat! (My absolute favorite is pineapple!) I haven't tried the passion fruit or cinnamon apple flavored yogurt before, so this prize is, again, exposing me to new and wonderful things!

If you haven't tried Greek yogurt, I urge you to try Chobani. It's the best out there in terms of texture and flavor. The plain yogurt is great as a substitute in a number of different recipes. Personally, I love the fruity flavored varieties and, when I can get it, I eat it every day!

Needless to say, I'm stoked to have such an awesome prize delivered to my door. Thanks, Chobani! I'll enjoy every bite!

Adventures with RunnerBox (review)

Oh my goodness, Monday morning couldn't have started out any better. I was getting ready for work when I saw a tweet from Rebecca at Running With Music telling me that I won her RunnerBox giveaway!

I was ecstatic! RunnerBox is filled with full-sized product samples of hand-picked goodies like protein shakes, energy gels, and other on-the-run (literally or figuratively) snacks.

Late last week I entered the giveaway. Evidently I didn't read the entire prize listing very well because I'm not just getting ONE RunnerBox... I'm getting THREE: one every other month! So I'll have a surprise again in March and May. Woo! I can only imagine the cool things I'll get to try out in just three boxes!

So the excitement of winning on Monday was shortly followed by the arrival of my first box on Wednesday! (Talk about lightning fast!)

Staci at RunnerBox was so kind--she put a little note on top, congratulating me on winning the contest, along with the tiniest holiday bow I've ever seen. I loved that personal touch. I think it's clear that there are people behind these boxes (not machines).

I also loved the little quote inside the top of the box. As I lifted the lid, I first noticed the bright green tissue paper (my favorite color!), but the quote made me slow down a little:

Ability is what you are capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz

That couldn't be more appropriate for me right now! I'm slogging through winter running like the rest of you, and I'm trying to reach new heights (also like most of the rest of you!). I think I might pin this quote up on my wall somewhere so I can see it each morning.

Then I pulled back the green paper and found the delightful, colorful surprises inside! Rebecca said she felt like she was digging into her Halloween pumpkin. This is EXACTLY what it feels like. :)

I was thrilled to find that some products I had recently been considering trying were in the box. Now I can try without a big commitment...



RunnerBox feels like an adventure to me. I don't know what I'm getting, but I can be sure that other people put a lot of thought into making sure it's worthwhile. I might have heard of these products, or maybe not. Either way, it's easier to try them in a small quantity before deciding on a 24 pack or a canister of protein powder, and, at the same time, plunking down a considerable chunk of change.

Rebecca did a great job wrapping up the joys of the RunnerBox with her review here. The contents of my box are exactly the same as hers, it seems (I'm thinking we should compare notes :).

I'm really looking forward to my relationship with RunnerBox. So far I am really impressed. The brand is clean-cut and professional, but the people and website are friendly and accessible. When I think about what I want as a runner, I realize that I am enjoying getting to know the landscape of people, races, gear, magazines, and nutritional items almost as much as I enjoy going for a run. This is a community. I think that RunnerBox fits into that community by making the myriad of products available to us as runners accessible in a user-friendly manner, with little hassle or heartache. I actually like that they pick things for me so I don't have to choose... Have you SEEN the food/nutrition stuffs shelves in REI or a similar store lately?! It's impossible to pick unless you KNOW what you want. And how will you know what you want? By trying it out.

Bottom line: RunnerBox helps you root through goods to find what you want by sampling a variety of things. (Or, you can help someone you love do that by sending RunnerBox as a gift.)

And I'm doing just that right now! Thanks, RunnerBox! (And thanks again, Rebecca, for the giveaway!)

I won the Healthy Holidays Challenge!

I won in the Muscle Building category of the Healthy Holidays Challenge! :) It was a real boost--reaffirming my workout goals, reclaiming my nutrition goals, and renewing my basic commitment to myself. The Healthy Holidays Challenge was just the beginning, though. I'm committing to a more focused approach to my physical health in 2013, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you as I continue to learn!

Becki over at Fighting For Wellness ran the Challenge via Facebook. It was a pleasure to get to know the group of ladies and gents that came together to be part of the challenge. Some were working towards weight loss, others towards losing inches off their waistlines, and then there were a few like me who weren't looking to lose weight or inches, but, instead, to build muscle. Whatever these folks were working towards, they did it with grace, perseverance, and humility. We all patted each other on the back and cheered each other on, but we also encouraged each other when we "fell off the wagon" or even got run over by said wagon, haha... and kept everyone going. It was a great group of people.

Each week of the Challenge, we emailed Becki our measurements. Sometimes I was reluctant to measure myself because I wasn't sure I was going to like the result... But I knew that my fellow participants were probably facing that same struggle, so I did it for solidarity when I couldn't do it for myself.

Wine 101

Oh, a glass of wine is fine when you dine...

Sorry. I'll stop rhyming now. Ahem.

A friend posted this on Facebook and The Wine Bar itself says to share like wildfire, so here I am sharing with all you fine people.

This little graphic details several types of wine by name and where they fall on the scale of bold to light and fruity to earthy.

Who knew that mathematically-familiar x and y axes would be so useful to plot out the finer points of one of the finer beverages we enjoy?

I learned by browsing their website that The Wine Bar is very sharp to point out that "you don't need a master's degree to enjoy wine." (And even if you do have a master's, well, you shouldn't feel silly about not knowing jack about wine... except for that little bit you absorbed on the wine country tour you took last summer while visiting San Francisco... like me.) They also offer pairings for snacks with wine and recipes with wine.

I like them already. Maybe next time I'm in New York, I'll see if my friend will take me to their leader. 

Appetite = Zero

This battle with food is hard fought, but I feel like I'm losing despite my best efforts.

It's probably the stress of the holidays combined with the difficulties I was already experiencing to make the perfect storm of absolutely zero appetite... But I have zero desire to eat. And when I do, I struggle to find anything that tastes good.

I've been trying to work with some of the solutions my friends gave me last month, but even these are becoming difficult. I had Thai food this past weekend and that was good. I've tired of all things in bar form. Smoothies are also losing their touch. I'm beginning to fear what I will have to do if this continues.

Last night I told my boyfriend about how I've felt and, naturally, he was worried. We had planned to eat dinner together anyway, but he said he'd help me go get groceries so I accepted. Going to the store right now is difficult because I end up leaving with either a) almost nothing or b) nothing but crap.

So he came with me. The cart was mostly empty. I had tried to get a few things like sherbet for smoothies, but he talked me out of it (read: stood in front of the freezer case and told me "no").

I know I need to eat. It is so hard. I hate choking things down.

We walked to the diet supplement aisle and I looked at whey protein. I bought "Designer Whey" in French vanilla. It was really the recipe for the orange dreamsicle smoothie on the back that took me in. I like that kind of flavored thing, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I made it this morning, but I had to choke it down too. I had toast for breakfast, but I know that's not really enough, especially if I'm going to try to ramp up my running...

I've felt ill since I finished the drink, though, too. Burping it. Feeling like it's in my throat. Sigh...

It's really upsetting to struggle with this. I'm trying to use reverse psychology to go against myself, but even that seems to be failing right now. Even some of the "crap" that I would normally gravitate towards isn't appetizing (Velveeta shells and cheese, microwave popcorn, freezer waffles).

I'm pushing onward, but this is really getting old.

Down with Holiday Food Guilt!

And so it persists, this problem with food. I've been eating better than I was when I initially wrote about my struggle--mostly thanks to suggestions of pure brilliance from friends--but I'm battling boundaries I didn't know existed here in my mental waywardness of edibles.

Having the stomach flu this week did nothing for my desire to eat nor my ability to consume food... Even though I feel 100% human today after a terrific night's sleep, I hesitated when I went to pack my lunch this morning. I had almost nothing to go on because I hadn't had time to get to the store... So I left my house a few minutes early to hit the local grocery before work. Now THAT was a stroke of genius. I bought Greek yogurt, burritos, fruit, and Odwalla juice because Lord knows I need more vitamin C.

But back to the initial pre-flu struggle. I've been concerned about how to handle the holidays since they're centered around food and tend to put eating habits on display for observation. At Thanksgiving I was able to make myself eat a plate of turkey and fixins without too much trouble. Christmas and New Years (and for those of you who celebrate other holidays like Hanukkah or Kwanza), though, brings lots of little celebrations to dot the calendar as people are able to gather together. I've been a bit nervous about any critical remarks I might earn with the evidence of my appetite or lack there-of.

Thanks to some good Twitter friends, I found Shape Magazine's 10 Responses to "Food Pushers". These are things to say when someone tells you to have some more, to take seconds, or something like that. Admittedly, Shape Magazine probably has in mind who its readers are, so the article is slanted towards people who are fit (or trying to be) and body conscious.

Note: most of the situations indicate that the person is skinny or could manage to gain a few pounds, or suggest that the person is eating unhealthily or has an eating disorder. But in our world obviously there is a blurred line between fitness and illness... This is not a perfect world, with none of us perfect.

The title of the piece is a little misleading because not all of the responses indicate that the other person wants you to take more food (i.e., food pusher). For example, there are responses to "Girls don't normally eat that much" statements (indicating you've eaten quite a bit, or at least more than this person expected) and "Should you really be eating that?" kinds of questions. These are definitely helpful to people outside of what I am assuming is the standard readership of the magazine. (Disclaimer: I'm human and make assumptions; forgive me if I'm incorrect.) Have a look at the situations and the responses. I think I feel better about going to dinner parties just having read that because I think I can intelligently respond to whatever quip someone lobs my way, whether about my appetite, my size, or my weight. (Which, quite honestly, I've been doing for years, but somewhat less gracefully. Mostly with silence.) At the very least, this article prompted me to think about the things I wouldn't want to say...

I can talk myself into changing my habits for just these few days, few hours, few minutes that I'm walking past cookie trays and passing the butter and complimenting the cook... But I'd be sick, uncomfortable, and unhappy, so it's not worth it. Besides, it's honest to goodness work that I'm doing in all the time OUTSIDE of the holidays that matters most. (Furthermore: here's more evidence that mindful eating is the eating that matters most when making memories of food.)

Enough with the guilt. I know what I'm doing for myself. I am going to do my best and I hope that you do your best. I am killing the guilt with knowledge about my habits and how to work on them. I know the cause of my problem and I am taking steps to help myself. I am taking down the guilt by staying strong when facing food pushers who urge me to eat more than I might be comfortable with right now.

How are you taking down the guilt? How are you staying strong? I'll lead the charge. Follow at will. :)

Surprisingly Awesome Salad

This salad was born from the "you bought it, darn it, now eat it!" meal plan. On Sunday I bought groceries at Aldi based on a shopping list from my emeals subscription. The one special thing I bought that wasn't on the list? An avocado. I didn't have plans for it, but it was a cheap thrill at 79 cents.

Here's how it came together...
-chopped romaine lettuce
-sliced Bosch pear
-half of an avocado, diced
-seasoned croutons
-balsamic vinaigrette

Nom.