Merry Christmas + some new healthy eats!

Like I mentioned in my last blog post, the holidays have been insane! The good part at least is that I am pretty much finished with Christmas shopping.

Besides decorating and shopping for Christmas, I also recently received some healthy bars in the mail from Thunderbird Bar. I was so excited to try these out for myself!

These bars are dairy free, grain free, soy free, sugar free, gluten free, vegan, paleo certified & Non-GMO. Perfect for my diet! I requested the Fruit & Nut to try, but they also carry Nut & Seed bars.

I love that these bars are all whole food ingredients- fruits, nuts, seeds and spices, nothing else added!! All of the bars were amazing, but my favorite bar was the hazelnut + coffee- of course! I love how these are chewy instead of crunchy bars; so much less messy to eat when I'm out and about. These would be perfect for before or after a workout or for hiking, especially with the added protein.

To see more flavors, you can also check out their online shop. I am looking forward to trying the nut & seed bars next time!

What type of healthy snacks do you like?

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. These opinions are entirely my own, based on my personal experience.  

Enjoy this Healthy Chocolate without the Guilt!!

So I recently was in contact with the nice people over at ChoNanga about reviewing some of their chocolate products & they sent me one of everything! Let's be honest, I'm not about to turn down chocolate, especially gourmet chocolate!

I really love how all of the chocolates have added benefits such as peppermint, maca, hempseeds, turmeric, matcha green tea, bee pollen & more! It made me feel so much less guilty about enjoying chocolate! My favorite was the Energy & Vitality but they were all so amazing that I would probably just order the sampler pack so that I can enjoy them all again!



I love supporting companies like ChoNanga because all of their ingredients are free of gluten, soy and GMO's. They use organic and fair trade ingredients whenever possible. When you purchase ChoNanga chocolate, you are also helping farmers get better prices, educating children in rural communities & keeping pesticides out of the environment. In addition, they pledge 2% of their profits to organizations that support a healthier planet, such as the Sacred Valley Project, which provides boarding and education to low income young women in rural Peru.

To grab some of these amazing chocolates for yourself (or as a stocking stuffer for your loved ones), you can check out their online shop here. Their prices are very reasonable too! Let me know if you try some and which is your favorite!

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. These opinions are entirely my own, based on my personal experience.  

Weekly Updates

Happy Friday y'all! How was your week? I currently have a load of laundry washing and just finished washing a few dishes. Even though I stay pretty busy, I have been making a conscious effort on slowing down in my life instead of being so stressed & chaotic. I have also realized that I have to stay away from people who are so obsessed with being chaotic, busy and rushed because they cause my anxiety to worsen. That's the life that they have chosen for themselves, but it's not the life that I want. Okay, enough about that- on to this week's updates!

Here is what went down this week:

|| Visited my Mom last Friday & brought pizza and lasagna for dinner
|| Scheduled hair Appointment for next Wednesday
|| Ordered costume for upcoming Fall Party!
|| Ordered Fall Booties. I am so excited to get them in!
|| Additional client work/hours
|| Applied for some VA work with an awesome company
|| Lots of yard-work! I love working with the hubby, picking up sticks + pine-cones when the weather is so nice in the Fall!
|| Finished the concrete- I ordered top soil which they delivered yesterday and later we will order gravel and plant crepe myrtle trees
|| Cleaned Pantry, Fridge and Freezer (now I need to go food shopping this weekend!)
|| Cleaned Bathroom/organized cabinet
|| I also won a huge gluten free giveaway from Canyon Bakehouse! I actually buy their products, but it was nice to win some that I haven't tried yet.

Another big thing is that I started writing a new book about Health. After going through the past couple of years dealing with GI issues, weight gain, anxiety, etc., I figured that I needed to write a book on everything that has helped me heal. I have prayed for God to show me the things that I am doing that has harmed my body and he has shown me several things lately that has helped me lose some additional weight (6 lbs) and feel better! It's a huge epidemic in the world right now and I want to be able to help other people live a healthy, fulfilling life and not be overweight and sick all of the time.

Honestly, the research part for this book has been so much fun! I always love learning about new ways to live a healthier lifestyle. I have been doing some guinea pig testing (on myself) for the book including an 8 day detox replacing coffee with green tea. That was definitely one of the hardest parts!

That's pretty much it for this week. I am headed outside to go for my daily walk and prayer and then I am going to sit down and figure out a weekend getaway that I can plan soon. I would love something that is full of fun fall-like things- pumpkins, apples, mountains! I want to enjoy this Fall season to the fullest!

What are some things going on with you this week?

A Peek Inside my Healthy Fridge!

I don't know about you, but I love peeking inside of healthy fridges!! Since I have a lot going on this week, I thought I would do a short & sweet post showing you what's inside my fridge. Are you ready?!

 I'm trying to drink less dairy so I stocked up on coconut creamer. Target had it on sale for $1.90 plus I had a $1 off coupon when you buy three. I'm not that great with coupons but I try!

 This cauliflower "rice" has been so amazing to help kick my rice addiction!!

 Publix had the Udis pizza on sale for 2 for $10 this week!

 Grass fed Butter for Bulletproof coffee!

 Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs are on sale at Publix this week for $3.99- I bought 3 cartons!

 Organic fruit

All of the grains pictured are for the hubby since he is still eating grains. Sadly, I can't have any of those but honestly, I don't miss them quite as much as I did in the beginning. I also picked up some organic chicken, ground sausage, grass-fed steaks and beef.

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am back on the Ketogenic Diet which makes me feel amazing! What I love about eating this way is that I have tons of energy and also that I don't have to limit what I eat. I'm also seeing results from my HIIT daily workouts. I am on week two and this week, my sister, Becky is now joining me in getting healthy and toned! Right now we are doing mostly burpees, jump squats, planks, high knees, etc. and we are definitely feeling the burn!

We are planning on doing a girl's shopping + Starbucks day once we both get to our goal weight. Shopping is definitely the best way to get me motivated! 

What type of eating plan do you prefer?

Keto Scare + No More Swimming

 
Hi lovies! Hope your week is going well! I still can't get over that we have less than 5 months remaining in 2016. It's really made me realize that I need to keep pushing and working hard to get all of my goals accomplished!

So what has been going on with me lately? Well first, I'm back on the Ketogenic diet. I had gotten off of it for about 2 weeks because I kept getting nauseous and dizzy. I thought that maybe that it was the lack of grains in my diet that was causing this so I ended up adding back in brown rice, yogurt and more fruits. I figured out later, that it wasn't my diet but something else entirely different.

Rewinding back to last Saturday, I woke up and nausea and dizziness immediately hit me. I got out of bed anyway, thinking that I could just have an espresso and feel better but when I tried to walk to the kitchen, I couldn't walk straight and literally ran into the dining room table. I felt very out of it and not myself; it was like I was having an out of body experience. I immediately grabbed my activated charcoal from the medicine cabinet and some water and ended up going back to bed to lie down. I got really scared because I felt so dizzy to the point that I couldn't even lift my head up so I asked the hubby to please pray over me, which he did immediately. I ended up sleeping for half the day and once I woke up, I felt like myself again. It scared me so bad that I prayed to God asking him to please heal me and to reveal to me what I was doing or eating that was making me so sick.

The following Monday afternoon, the hubby and I headed to the pool as usual and as soon as I started swimming a few minutes, I started getting dizzy and nauseous and it hit me, it was the chlorine and pool chemicals that was making me so sick!! I told the hubby that I was going to test my theory and not swim for about 1-2 weeks. Today marks almost 2 weeks and I haven't been nauseous or dizzy even one time. I have always known that I am extremely chemically sensitive to the extreme that at home I only use organic cleaners, body washes, toothpaste, laundry detergent. All of our foods are organic as well so I knew it wasn't anything in our house that was causing the problem. I honestly didn't think that the little bit of pool chemicals would bother me, but it did. Lesson learned!

So now instead of swimming, I have started back with my HIIT workouts and speed walking daily. I have been doing jump squats, lunges, regular squats with weights, burpees, mountain climbers, etc. I'm hoping that this will help build my muscle much faster than swimming did. I had issues with muscle weakness when I was swimming which have disappeared since I have been pool-free.

I'm waiting to hit my goal weight and then I plan on going shopping! I skipped both tax-free days in Georgia and Florida because I didn't want to buy clothes for the size I am now. I was really disappointed because I love shopping but I didn't want to buy clothes that I would just get rid of later. It really gave me a kick in the butt, looking at all of the cute clothing that was on sale that I couldn't even enjoy and for what? For me, it's just not worth it to not be in shape and to not feel good about myself. Now that I have figured out that the Keto diet is not harming me, I am excited to get back to it and get in shape!

Are you at your happy size? If not, what is holding you back?

Shaping up for the Summer + a Review

Lately, we have been enjoying the summer and going swimming at my brother's pool a few times per week. I have been taking advantage of the pool so that I can exercise and I have also been doing my HIIT workouts and speed walking. For some reason, it's been really difficult for me getting back in shape this time, so I ordered some Chromium Picolinate from iHerb today, and I'm hoping that it helps boost my metabolism and work some magic. Getting in shape is a daily commitment and it's definitely not for the lazy!

I have been eating really healthy since we got back from our week-long cruise. All gluten free, no breads and I have cut way back on sugar. Recently, I received these healthy heart bars from Rawxies to review. I was definitely in need of some healthy snacks and detoxing after all of the heavy foods from my cruise. 

I love the fact that rawxies are gluten free, soy free and dairy free; especially since I have allergies to all three. These heart bars were very filling and the perfect snack! My favorite two were obviously the chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate brownie- yum! They also carry other great flavors such as mint chocolate chip and cranberry pecan.

If you are looking for a healthy snack these are perfect for before or after your workout. You can find them online at Amazon Prime, Lucky Vitamin, Vita-Cost, Abe's Market or The Gluten-Free Mall. You can also check their locations map online and find them in a store as well.

What's your favorite healthy snack?

Purely Elizabeth Review

I recently spoke with Caroline at purely elizabeth and she kindly emailed me a couple of coupons to try out some of their products. I chose the Blueberry Hemp Ancient Grain Granola & honestly, it was the best granola that I've eaten! The granola was crunchy with sweet blueberries.  It was sweet but instead of regular cane sugar, they use a coconut sugar which is a low-gylcemic sweetener. I love that it is Gluten-free + vegan as well.

The only downside was that it was so good that I kept wanting to eat it..so maybe tell yourself that you'll just have a small portion so that you don't overdo it! They also offer oatmeal, cereal and muesli; so lots of great breakfast options! 

I'm really looking forward to trying out the Pumpkin Fig and Cranberry Pecan Ancient Granola next! You can order any of their products online or at your local food store (Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Sprouts,EarthFare, Kroger, Ralphs and lots more!) I picked mine up at Whole Foods.

They also have a cookbook that looks amazing!- it has over 100 all natural, organic and gluten-free recipes.It's available on Amazon,Anthropologie & more-here's the link to learn more about the cookbook.

Have you tried any of the purely elizabeth products? I'd love to know!

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. These opinions are completely my own, based on my personal experience.  

Raw Revolution Glo Bars Review

 Recently, Dorathea from Raw Revolution sent me some raw food bars to review. I mentioned in my last couple of blog posts about working on eating healthier. I love that these bars are vegan, low sugar, gluten free and dairy free! I honestly loved every one of the bars that Raw Revolution sent to me. My top two favorite bars were the mixed nuts caramel and sea salt as well as the dark chocolate and sea salt.

These bars are perfect for when you are on the go and don't have time to stop and grab something to eat! From 10-15 grams of protein in each bar, you will be sure to feel more energized and full enough to hold you over for a while. These are also perfect for pre and post workout to give you that extra protein boost that your body needs!

You can purchase any of their products on their online store Raw Revolution. Use promo code RRSM at Raw Revolution to get 20% off your entire purchase! I also plan on picking up some more of these bars at my local whole foods on my next food shopping trip.

Keep up with Raw Revolution on FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram to stay tuned to their Freebie Fridays where they give away free bars!!

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. These opinions are completely my own based on my personal experience.