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GoodBelly's are Good in the Belly!

This is a post dedicated to my love for GoodBelly's! I can't get enough of them. I have sampled both the GoodBelly Plus and one of the regular kind.
For the GoodBelly Plus I first had the Strawberry flavor. The flavor was good for me, but I am a person who doesn't like chunky yogurt of seeds in anything, so the strawberry seeds threw me off. But I would definitely drink this flavor again. It was very good!
Next I tried the Blueberry flavor, I didn't like this flavor as much as the strawberry. This one also had seeds in it. But the flavor just wasn't for me.
Lastly I tried the Peach Mango, which is by far my favorite flavor! Its so smooth and not too sweet. I get this one all the time. I also like the fact that these GoodBelly Plus flavors have vitamins in them too. So you get an added benefit from drinking these little guys. Plus how can you not feel good drinking out of a smiley face?

The larger sizes just showed up in my Co-op in the last couple of weeks. I have so far tried only the Mango flavor. I LOVED it! I put it in my Green Monsters and it made them so so so much better! It added a nice tropical sweet flavor. Plus I also tried the drink straight up and it was so good! I can't wait to try the other flavors in the larger sized containers!

I highly encourage everyone to try GoodBelly's if they can get their hands on them. I have been asked to get some for friends who cannot get to the Co-op who have tried mine because they also love them!

CSA Week 3

Welcome back Amanda. Boy I've had zero time this week! I worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night. I brought CSA salads all three nights. Of course I was running late and didn't get a picture of even one!

My sister picked my goodies up this past Wednesday. I got a head of boston lettuce (will have to make something with lettuce wraps), swiss chard, scallions, 2 tomatoes, potatoes, snap peas, and 2 different kinds of radishes.
Its still been raining and cold here in NH, not good for growing. Yesterday was the first nice day since May!! Hopefully it will bring a trend of nice warm sunny days for growing!

Last night I went out for Thai food. It was only the second time I've had Thai food. I had Pad Thai with shrimp. It was so good. But again, I'm not comfortable taking pictures in public, nor on a date.

On the Amazing Grass front...I have already found things I love and others that I don't really care for. Look for a formal review probably next week!

Amazing Grass

I received a very generous package from Teri Jo over at Amazing Grass today!

I can't wait to try everything! I already made a Green Monster with the Chocolate Green Superfood when I got home from the gym. It was so good. It tasted like a chocolate banana smoothie! I even used my little shaker cup, after mixing everything in my magic bullet of course!

Yesterday I brought the dogs to Rally Obedience class and we didn't get home until 8pm! I was starving by that time. So I just threw together a quick veggie scramble.

Its zucchini, red pepper, red onion, and 2 eggs. It was so good and light, perfect for right before bed.

Today I went shopping and finally got stuff for Green Monsters, lots of hummus, cherries, and avocados.

This is a short post because I have to get ready for work. Back to the grind!

CSA week 2

I got my second week of veggies today. Here they are!

As I mentioned before they are beet greens, radishes, snap peas that are almost gone now, big ass bag of spinach, popcorn, and lettuce.

I am out of Green Monster supplies and its killing me. I've gone 2 days now without one and I seriously think I'm going through withdrawls! Tomorrow I'm going to go get more bananas. Here is the last one that I had

Last night I went out to dinner. I didn't take pictures because it was a first date and I didn't want to go into the whole blog thing. Plus I'm not exactly comfortable taking pictures in public yet. I had salmon over tempura green beans over soba noodles in a soy sauce glaze. It was so good. My dining partner had steak tips with barbecue sauce with mashed potatoes. He said his was really good too.

Then we went to see The Hangover. That is where I saw an Operation Beautiful note in the bathroom! I was so excited! When I got home I emailed Caitlin and she was so excited that someone found a note! She is going to post my email tomorrow for the Orlando newspaper to see!

Giveaway Alert! and Some Updates

Kristen over at Iowa Girl Eats is hosting a Real Simple and Pure bar giveaway! Be sure to enter!

My dinner last night was perfect! I didn't get hungry until about 11, but didn't eat until midnight because I was doing stuff. Then I had my Tings mid morning and my toast at the witching hour of 5:30am. I was fine on the ride home when I usually eat a bar of some kind (think Larabar), but sadly I don't have any right at the moment.

And I can't believe it but the sun is shining!!! I was almost taken aback as to what it was!!!

For my CSA this week I got popcorn (up thats right!), sugar snap peas (my sister made sure they were good and yes indeed they are), radishes, salad greens, spinach, beet greens, and I think thats it. My mom and I are trying to figure out a time to meet so I can get my goods! I'll photo them and post the photos when I get them!

Miss Smarty Pants

Today I slept half the day because I have to work tonight. When I got up I had a Green Monster of course! Speaking of Green Monsters...Check out N Her Shoes for an Amazing Grass Giveaway! I hope I win because I so want to try Amazing Grass!!!

Before dinner tonight, which was left over stir fry, I decided to make the most of my time today so I wouldn't have to rush around the next two nights before work. I made three salads, figured if I was chopping for one how much harder would it be to chop for three? I also grilled some chicken for them.
I used up almost the rest of my CSA greens. There was a head of Boston Lettuce in there and while I was cleaning it I thought that it would make great lettuce wraps for something. I hope I get some again so I can make a meal that needs lettuce wraps!

I also made some Zucchini canoes, I realized I totally forgot to take a picture of the final product, so I'll have to make them again sometime if they come out ok. I kind of flew by the seat of my pants on the recipe! With those and my salad, I also have two slices of bread with some Barney Butter and some Tings. Hopefully that will all hold me over!

Last night I was playing with my camera. I use a point and shoot. Its an Olympus Stylus 600. I like it ok, it has lots of options. I usually use the "cuisine" option to photograph my food because it works the best. For some reason without a flash everything comes out blurry...this is an extreme
I mean she was just laying on the couch not moving at all, and I don't think I was moving that much!

So I figured what if I use the "reducing blur" option and this is what came out

Better

I have been thinking of getting a new camera. Mine is kind of old, I got it when I got Miss Luna and she will be 4 next week. I have no idea what to get though! Maybe I will see if I can borrow my mom or my sisters SLRs sometime and see how those work out!

Sesame Chicken Stir Fry

I was thinking of ways to use my CSA bok choy and this is what I came up with. It was so yummy!

2 thin chicken breast sliced

1 head bok choy cleaned and chopped

1 head of broccoli chopped into pieces

1 red pepper thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic minced

2 inches of ginger minced

1/2 tsp fish sauce (optional)

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp sesame seeds

oil for the wok

brown rice

While the rice is cooking prepare the veggies and chicken.

Slice the chicken breasts thinly and put in a bowl with a tbs of soy sauce and fish sauce if you are using itNext cut up and wash the veggiesHeat the wok or large pan over medium heat and coat with the oil of your choice, I used canola oil. Stir fry the chicken until its brown. Remove from wok.

Add additional oil to wok and add veggies and the rest of the soy sauce. I had to add the bok choy leaves a few at a time until they wilted because there were too many. Stir fry the veggies

When the veggies are done add the chicken back to the wok and sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Place some rice on the plate and cover with the veggies and chicken. Add additional sesame seeds if you wish. Enjoy!

Father's Day Weekend

This weekend was Father's Day. Yesterday I went to a baseball game with my parents. I had a hot dog with my father. It was alright until the migraine last night!

For dinner after the soggy game we had steak tips, shrimp on the barbie, peas and onions, and potatoes cooked in foil (mine had olive oil instead of butter). It was all very yummy!

Saturday I slept all day after working Friday night. Of course I had a Green Monster when I got up. I tried something new though, I put my GoodBelly in the smoothie and it was so good! The peachy mango flavor definitely added a little something, I'm glad I thought of that! I wish my Co-op carried the big containers of Goodbelly too!

Saturday night when I felt up to eating something I made this salad. It used up the first bag of salad greens from my CSA

I wanted some protein so I used up the last two hard boiled eggs in my fridge. It was yummy with my new go to dressing of ACV, salt, pepper, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil! I also made a little something else, but that is for a whole new post.

Friday night (boy this post is going backwards huh!) I made this salad before work

Look refreshing huh! Too bad it isn't even hot here! It hasn't gotten above 70 in weeks! And all its doing is raining! Anyhow, this is salad greens, spinach, cuke, scallion (the biggest ones I have ever seen), and mint. And of course my go to dressing. I also had the left over pork tenderloin that I had made earlier this week, it wasn't very good the second time around though.

I am very sad to say that my strawberries are gone. They were very good, I can't wait to see if I get more this week!

The First CSA Pick UP!

Well Yesterday was the first CSA pick up for me! I was so so excited and I couldn't even go. My mom and my sister went to get my goods for me. My CSA consists of 6 different farms who are all organic. I am not sure if you know which farm your veggies come from, I'll have to ask my mom to pay attention next week when she goes. So the system they have is this...you go in and check your name off the list and then walk down the aisles and take one of each thing. You bring your own tote bags for carry out, its very environmentally friendly too, which I like.

I met my sister today when she was getting her hair done to pick up my goods, this week it worked out perfectly! Oh you can also get a bread share, which I did for my parents as a thank you for pick up my stuff. This week it was a light honey rye which my dad liked very much with his dinner tonight.

This week I got Bok Choy, these funny little garlic that look like scallions, a huge bag of spinach (hello green monsters), and two bags of salad green. I guess I had a choice with one of the greens of the greens and radishes and they picked the greens for me. My sister took some of the spinach and the mixed salad greens, she didn't think I would go through it all in a week. I told her the spinach would only last me a few days!!! I also got these beauties! They taste like candy!!! I can't wait to have them with the balsamic that my parents brought back from Italy! Its been so cold and rainy here, not good weather for strawberries, but these look good huh! I am trying to hold myself back from eating them all in about 5 minutes!

Everyone also got a potted herb so my mom picked a basil plant for me! This was in place of the herbs for the week. I can't wait to plant it outside!!! We are also supposed to get tomatoes every week, but again since its been freezing and raining, they haven't been growing so none this week. I'm sure as it warms up I'll be getting more and more each week. I made this simple salad tonight for dinner. Its the left over salsa chicken from earlier this week over the mixed salad greens dressed very simply with salt and oil. That was my favorite way we had salad in Italy, you can really taste the greens that way. They were very fresh tasting, a bit spicy and a little grassy, very good!

I'm on call for work tonight because we only have 4 kids in the unit. So I have this waiting for me at work with some hummus

We got sushi last night. We convinced the boss man to go get it for us! It was so yummy!

Some Highlights!

Here are some highlights of what I have been eating the past few days! The reason for this kind of post is I tried to get my wireless modem set up again, two hours of work, only to have it not work. The last thing I wanted to do was upload pictures! Then yesterday something was just not right with me. I didn't feel it at the gym and fell asleep on the couch in the evening. Anyhoo, On to the food!!!

I got Amy's California Burgers to try...and what do you put on a California burger? Why guacamole of course!!!

My Guac is 1 avocado, 2 scallions, 1 jalapeno, tablespoon of lime juice, cilantro, and a big pinch of salt all mash together. And of course I ate all the left overs with Green Mountain corn chips!

This is chicken from One Frugal Foodie I used roasted tomatillo salsa on thin cut chicken breasts. I didn't have a green monster that day and felt funny without any greens...so I steamed some spinach to have with my chicken, perfect!

I did make this smoothie from this months Vegetarian Times to enjoy while the chicken was baking

Its the Mexican Mind Meld. It tasted like Guacamole in a glass! So good! Can you tell that is one of my favorite foods?

Last night I made this little dish of goodies. Its a pork tenderloin with ginger, garlic, onion, and red pepper marinade. I roasted it with the carrots which are naked. The beans were made with garlic and fresh ginger with cilantro. They were yummy and I ate them all, tummy ache ensued after!

Juice Beauty-A skin post

I have really bad skin. When I was born I had eczema. My mom couldn't give me a full real bath for the first several months of my life. She had to use Cetaphil on me and wipe it off or else my skin would just get so irritated and crack and bleed. I continued my whole childhood with eczema on my face around my mouth.

I never washed my face until I got to college. I probably should have never started! Then I started getting cystic acne on my chin. It was such a pain and really embarrassing. It still has never gone away. Everything the derm gives me for it makes my face really angry and red and peeling/burning. So last year I went back to Clinique and asked them about their new redness reducing line. I tried it with their emergency gel for acne for my chin. It worked. My skin never looked so good! Until a couple weeks ago when it was back to burning/peeling and red. So I decided to try something new....

Juice Beauty!!! And can I say that in the few days that I have been using the products I LOVE them!!!! There is already a huge difference in my skin. The first time I used them, I swear my face went "Ahhhh"

This facial wash is actually soothing. It doesn't suds up, which is a little different, but that is probably why it feels to good. Before after washing my face it felt so dry even in the short time til I got the cream on it, but not when I use this!!

I put this on my chin. Just one drop is all it takes! So far it doesn't burn or make my skin red. It actually feels cooling when I rub it in! My scars are already fading and I have only been using this twice a day since Thursday night!

This was a little different for me. I have never used a concentrate before...always thick creams and a lot of them. But this I use one-two squirts and warm it in my palms then rub it in. I was unsure about using something that looked like olive oil on my face, but it feels so good and my skin has never ever looked so good! It feels so refreshed and moisturized after I put this on!I used this mask on Friday. You can use it three times a week. I used it when I got out of the shower while I was getting dressed, then I rinsed it off and put on the moisturizer. This felt good too! Like any other mask I could feel it tightening up and pulling the crap out of my pores, but it didn't make my skin dry like all the others I have tried. I indeed plan on using it three times a week!

All in all I wasn't sure if I would like this stuff. I ordered it from Sephoria so I could return it if I needed to, but that is not going to happen!!! I am even thinking about getting some of their sunscreen daily lotion! I also told my sister to pick out a couple of things and I would get them for her for her b-day (which was in April..Oh well).

I have to share what was going on in the other room while I was taking the pictures of my products....

Silly Nuts!!!

Ugh, work was hard

I have found that work is very very hard for me. We talked my boss into going to grab us dinner Wednesday night, so I had that instead of my salad (and the idiots put cheese on mine even though we asked then not to...I was not feeling well in the morning...I had tried to scrape most of it off). Then last night I was feeling munchy and went to the store in the hospital and got a bag of pretzels...but thankfully they didn't taste good so I didn't eat them! Yay me!



Before work last night I had a yummy bowl of oats with spiru-tein Pina Colada powder, banana chips, and a kiwi (I haven't had a kiwi in years!)
This with my green monster kept me full for hours!


Tonight I had a salad and the rest of my left over Baja Lime tilapia that I made on Tuesday. Then I had some toast with Cashew butter (was on sale at the Co-Op this morning) and 3 organic figs
I'm going out tonight so I hope this all holds me over! I felt like it was a lot of food when I was eating it.


I also went to the gym 3 times this week and walked on the treadmill! Today I almost fell off though because some guy got on next to me and started boxing! It was very distracting...I will have to make sure that I go when the place is empty in the middle of the day.


Tomorrow I will try and made a nice post about the new skin care products that I got for my face. I am in love!!!



Check out One Frugal Foodie for a great giveaway!!! If you like chips you'll like this one!

Cleaner Life Challenge days 1-3!

I'm doing the Cleaner Life Challenge with Heather and Rose and I'm very excited about it. I was thinking of doing something like this myself actually, then they announced their challenge and I thought it was perfect!

Well on day 1 I had a wrench thrown in right away! About a month ago, the house next door to me burned and Monday all the equipment showed up for the demo before I got home from work. I called my mom and told her that if I was going to get any sleep I needed to come to their house. So I packed up the doggies and myself, made a cup of coffee with rice milk and a green monster and hit the road!

For lunch we took my grammie out to The Long Horn (her fav place). They had a new salad on the menu that looked so good. My mom told the host/manager person we didn't eat chicken out though and he suggested we ask for salmon instead so we did! It was so so good! It was baby green, strawberries, mandarin oranges, pecans, and the roasted salmon with raspberry vinaigrette....so yummy! And very filling! I also grabbed my grammie's steamed broccoli off her plate cuz she can't eat them!

For dinner we had left over smoked chicken my dad had made the day before, my mom heated it up on the grill. I also had the roasted potatoes that my mom made with just olive oil and salt. I told her I was doing this challenge so she made sure everything she made I could eat!

Then the next day, Day 2, was the problem...there was no breakfast. I went and searched her soldier angels stash and finally found a Cliff Bar. I know it has soy in it, but otherwise I would have had nothing. They eat yogurt for breakfast or white english muffins which I don't like anyways.

For lunch we went back to Moe's and I got my sammy on a fresh whole wheat roll. It wasn't the same, but kept me fuller longer!

Then I came home and the house next door was gone! On the way home I stopped at the store and got some veggies cuz I was out and some fish cuz it was on sale.

For dinner last night I had tilapia with Baja Lime marinade. It was so yummy...I also had steamed carrots and broccoli.

For dessert I had a bowl of cherries, they were pretty good, not the best I've had.

Today I slept in because I'm working tonight. Then I got up and had a Goodbelly of course and a Green Monster. This time I put a kale leaf in it and frozen raspberries. It was so yummy!

Fueled me up for the gym, where I walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes. It felt good!

Tonight at work I'm going to have a salad with a piece of left over fish on it...I can't wait!

Soup and Salad Day

This morning I slept in. Easy to do when you work nights (only 3 a week, so today was a day off for me)...I was feeling tired so I just went with it. I got up around 10 and the birds were chirping away. The doggies were wanting to play and go outside. So we did!

I guess I had sort of "brunch" then...I was planning on going to the gym around 1pm so I wanted something light to eat. I had this soup with a piece of garlic sprouted toast. I swirled the toast in the soup so it had a hint of garlic in it...Yum!

I also had this

I love these little guys. Oh on the top is a smiley face...how can you not feel happy drinking out of that!

I went to the gym and learned how to set the weight machines for me. I rode the reclined bike for 15 minutes, my right leg was a tidge sore from yesterday. But I need to strengthen it for my knee which is an old injury from skiing freestyle (bumps) in high school. Then I walked on the treadmill (after they showed me how to start it) for 15 minutes and called it a day. I don't want to overdo it on my leg at first and totally hurt my knee and not want to go back.

For dinner I made this yummy salad

it has the left over chicken from my kabobs last night. It was so so good the second time around too! I will have to get more of those little guys! They also had steaks and pork loins too, I bet those are quite good as well!

After my salad I made a smoothie with my pina colada spiru-tein, a banana, rice milk, flax meal, and frozen fruit

It was very good!

Because I ate very early at 4pm, I am hungry now at 7...so I have some broccoli and carrots roasting in my toaster oven.

Check out Sara's Sweet Lips for a 200th post give away! Its a good one!

Finally feeling better!!! Woo Hoo!!!

This weekend I was miserable in that I was super busy and stayed at my parents all while still sick. Saturday night I went out with my sister and got a couple of cute shirts and a t-shirt dress...all were on sale, gotta love that! Then we went to dinner and both got chicken fingers and fries!!! Oh for shame, for shame!! They did come with salad though...a tiny salad...haha!!!


Sunday the doggies had a Rally Obedience Match. They did pretty well. I had made a spiru-tein smoothie, larabar, and banana on the way to the match and was still hungry when we got home at 10:30! Then I had the rest of my chicken from the night before! Even more shameful I had a hot dog that my parents were having! My dad smoked ribs for dinner, they were so so good!! We also had scallops on the grill and italian green beans with garlic. The dinner was so delicious!



Monday I had a Green Monster for breakfast of course. I love them and can't get enough! I also made these muffins Sunday night when I got home

They are Banana Wheat Germ Muffins from Veganomicon. They are really good! I ran out of cinnamon so I use cardamon for a substitute and it worked!



For lunch I had the pasta salad my mom made Sunday and sent home with me. I'm not a fan of green peppers, but oh well, I ate them anyways

Tuesday I had to work, so I slept in the morning. When I got up around 11 I made a green monster of course!
Spinach, banana, avocado, soy milk, ice cubes, pina colada spiru-tein...YUMMY!!!



For a lite lunchish meal I made egg salad in pitasI used Wickles (spicy pickles) and scallions and grape seed oil Vegonaise for the egg salad! It is so good! The pitas are omega plus with flax (or something like that!)



Before work I made the best oats in the world....Tropical Oats!!!
Oats, Kashi grains, pina colada spiru-tein, banana chips, and a mango...holy tasty! This will be a common occurrence because they were so so so good!!! I was so full but sad to see my bowl empty! And they held me over for such a long time...until about 11pm! At which time I had this salad...

I went to the Co-op this morning on my way home from work. I got some GoodBelly's They were on sale plus I had a buy one get one free coupon...so I got three packs, two peach mango and one blueberry. I tried the blueberry when I got home...pretty good.



I also got this to have when I got homeI had never had a tamale before. I was sort of expecting it to be thinner, but it still had good flavor.
The salsa verde was good and the rice was good too. This would be a good frozen dinner for when I'm in a pinch for time. I'm pretty sure I would eat it again.



After a nap this morning I had a Green Monster. Then I convinced myself to go to the gym!!! First time...WOOHOO!!! I rode the reclined bike for half and hour. My bum knee wasn't too happy about it, but that just means that I need to make my leg stronger. I thought about walking on the treadmill, but I have never been on one and don't even know how to start it. So I thought when I go in tomorrow to learn the weight machines I can ask them to show me the treadmill too! How silly huh!



Dinner tonight was so so good! At the Co-op I found these kabobs already made up and marinated. I got chicken teriyaki. I ended up taking everything apart though on the grill pan because it was so uneven that things were not cooking. But it turned out so so good! The chicken was so juicy! I usually don't like chicken, this might just change my mind!
I also had a salad after dinner like we do in Italy! It feels so good to eat the greens after dinner.

After you read this awfully long post (I'm going to try and post more often...it was hard being so sick) you should head over to Keep It Simple Foods for the Sunshine Burgers Giveaway!