BIG news and some weekend shenanigans!

Hello, hello!

First things first – I have BIG NEWS!!!!

I found out on Friday that I’ve been selected as one of the new FitFluential Ambassadors!!!

I’m so excited!!! I got the email while I was still at work and I totally let out a Whoop! and did a happy dance at my desk. EEEPPP!!!

Okay, back to calm….. 😉

Normally, I’d be telling you Sunday food prep stories today but I’m mixing it up a little!

Cuz I didn’t food prep.

I wasn’t home to.

I went to visit my G-ma. 🙂

one day, I will learn to take a decent selfie.

She’s 94 (and a half!) and most definitely the coolest lady on the planet.

She lives with my folks a couple hours north of me and I try to get up there whenever I can. Travelling wears her out and my folks are pretty busy so it’s easier for me to go to her.

We talk, we share stories, sometimes we just sit in silence – it’s all good. Being near her makes me happy. I especially love kissing the top of her head. Her hair is so soft!

While I’m there, I get to cuddle with these two love bugs! #bonus

Another bonus about going “home” (I still think of that as home even though I haven’t lived there in 25 years and it’s not really home – home is where my sailor is.) is that they have a Potbelly Sandwich Shop nearby!

The last time I had a Potbelly sandwich was last year when we went to Chicago for Thing 1’s boot camp graduation!

So, don’t you go judging me for that dozen bag of cookies. I was WAY overdue for one of their cookies.

Besides, I actually only ate one (even though they’re like CRACK) because I got them for G-ma since she didn’t go with us.

The Potbelly’s happens to be pretty much next door to the Wegmans, which I don’t have near me either.

One is scheduled to open in Norfolk in 2015, though!

I love going to Wegmans!  I can find things there that I can’t find down here. Mom always tells me she’d be happy to send me a care package if I tell her what I want. 🙂

Good gravy, I love that pecan butter!!! And, even though I recently found Chia Bars down here, I had to grab some anyway. The apple cinnamon flavor is the bomb!

Now, those Epic bars. I’ve never tried them before – actually never seen them before either – but they sounded interesting. There was this guy in that aisle browsing other bars, etc and he told me he’s tried them and they’re not bad. He said he prefers the lamb but, yeah, I’m not trying that one.

(and don’t sit there judging me for not eating lamb because of Lambchop and cute lambs but still eating meat – I know where beef and bison and chicken and bacon come from, I just try not to think about it. Otherwise I’d never eat. :/)

Anyway, he said they’re not tough like jerky and they kinda have a granola bar texture/consistency to them.

I was going to try them anyway but it was nice to get someone else’s opinion, too. 🙂

Then, we got back to Mom’s house and, after a bit, I went to grab something out of my purse and I discovered these!

First of all, I am a SLAVE to the mellowcreme pumpkin. I both dread and love halloween because of those pumpkins. I will eat them until my teeth hurt and then I will eat more. I cannot help myself.

So, I had seen these in the store and purposefully avoided them.

Imagine my surprise when I found this container in my purse!

The first thing I thought was, “OMG, did I steal these?! I didn’t even TOUCH them!!!”

Maybe I had an out-of-body experience and stuffed a container in my purse?

Or…..maybe Thing 2 and her boyfriend (who came along with me) had bought a container and sneaked it in my purse when I wasn’t looking.

Ha! Got a pretty good laugh about that.

But, now I’m stuck with a full container of those silly pumpkins and they are just DEMANDING to be eaten.

My teeth will probably fall out.

What?! Can’t remember the last time I saw gas for less than $3.00/gallon!!!

Talk to me: What did you do this weekend? What holiday food do you secretly love and count the days until you can eat it all up dread?

– jennifer

Friday favorites!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

It’s Friday!!

Seriously, this week has been something else. I’m so looking forwarding to relaxing this weekend and enjoying a nice glass of wine. Or two. Don’t judge me.

So, today I want to share with you a few things I’ve been totally loving lately.

IN Refresh

Remember last week when I shared that I received some IN Refresh from Ignite Naturals to try?

I am totally loving this stuff!

I hit the Y yesterday for a treadmill workout and tried the Tangerine Passion Fruit flavor.

Ready to run!

So yummy!!

I feel refreshed and my thirst is quenched with this stuff. And, it doesn’t dry my mouth out like Gatorade and Powerade has a tendency to do. I’m pretty sweaty when I work out (okay, fine, I’m a mess but hey, it is what it is) and while water is fabulous, it doesn’t replace the electrolytes I lose – which, based on how much I sweat, is A LOT.

Oh, TMI? Sorry. Okay, fine, no I’m not. It’s a fact of my life. I can’t help it.

Anyway, IN Refresh helps replenish my electrolytes without making me want to drink a gallon of water after one sip. Which is how Gatorade makes me feel. When I run marathons, I’ll usually take the Gatorade AND a water starting around the mile 15 water stops. I sip a few sips of Gatorade but pound all of the water just so my mouth doesn’t feel dry. Of course, that doesn’t help me NOT want to stop and use the porta-potty but hey, at least my mouth doesn’t feel like the desert.

 Bare Minerals

my Bare Minerals starter set – just in case I couldn’t commit

Okay, so, I don’t wear a whole lot of make up. Mostly because I don’t like the way it feels on my face. My pores kinda like to breathe and covering them with a whole bunch of make up tends to prevent that. Plus, I have sensitive skin – as in, will break out and will also itch – so I can’t use a variety of products. I use Aveeno lotion because it doesn’t have any extra fragrances, etc. I’m also a HUGE proponent of sunscreen so I’m all about the SPF in a foundation or powder or whatever.

Anyway, I got a Sephora gift card for Christmas and finally went and checked it out.  The consultant was SUPER helpful and really listened to what I was telling her. Out of her suggestions, I decided to give the Bare Minerals a try. She said it was light and I liked that it wasn’t a liquid foundation – those can be difficult to blend if you’re a novice – and it had SPF! She matched my skin tone and put some on my face and I could immediately see a difference. I wasn’t “covered” but I looked “finished.” Does that even make sense? Anyway, I liked it a lot so I bought the starter kit. I really really like it!

Probably not the best lighting but hey, it was early and the sun was still sleeping. 🙂

Pecan Butter

Oh. Em. Gee.

This stuff is just amazing! I found some at the Wegman’s up near my folks’ house and bought a couple to try. It’s delicious! It’s smooth and creamy and so flippin’ good. And, of course, I can’t find any down here and we don’t have a Wegman’s so helloooo, Amazon! I also really love the individual serving sized packets – perfect for lunch boxes or purses or your pocket when you’re out hiking or walking or whatever. YUM!

Wholly Guacamole

I love guacamole. Like LOVE. It ranks right up there with nut butters in my book. And Wholly Guacamole makes some seriously awesome guacamole. Like it’s all real stuff – not like guacamole “dip” which doesn’t even have avocado in it. What the efff? When I eat guac, I want it to be real guac. Like I could have made it myself. And individual serving sized packets? Yes, please!!

I love both the original and the spicy but I tend to gravitate towards the spicy. Yes, I realize that I took a picture of the original. What of it? 😉 I put it on sandwiches, hot dogs, chilis, all sorts of stuff! I love the little cups for dipping veggies or tortilla chips into. And, if you like spicy stuff, you’ll probably enjoy their spicy guac…..makes me sweat a little. 🙂

Almond Pops

 

These things are so good. Lightly sweet and salty and 100% addictive! For some reason, the only place I can find them is TJ Maxx. ‘Splain that one to me – I got nothin’. But, I’m not sad about having to go to TJ Maxx to get more. Lots of fun stuff in that store! 😉

Talk to me: What are you loving lately? Any fun new finds?

– jennifer