Envitote!

Huge thanks to Tana and Envicorp for sending me an amazing Envitote to try out for my review!  This thing is one of the neatest little tote bags I’ve ever gotten to use, not to mention its part of the GO GREEN lifestyle.

I used it for toting everything from groceries, to sneakers and gym stuff, to gifts! It’s totally resilient and easy to store, too!  With the removable insert, you can keep it up-right and sturdy in box form or fold it up for storing!  It gives you TONS of space on the inside (14 x 9 x 9).  I could honestly probably fit EVERYTHING I would need for a picnic or something inside of just one! Made from eco-friendly canvas, it’s got an adjustable, velcrow strap and two handles on the sides!  Total convenience.  It’s washable, too! 

 From visiting the Envitote website, I learn some shameful facts about all the plastic I’ve been using…

Could you imagine how much harm we could save wild life and our planet by switching to products like Envitote? 

Envicorp also makes some cute little Envipals & Envisacks

Envipal is actually an insulated, lead-free carrier that prevents hazardous lead from entering landfills and the Envisack is a washable, canvas produce bag with easy-to-use drawstrings at the top for loading and unloading!

You can get your own Envitote from my OpenSky SHOP  starting TONIGHT! or on the Envicorp website! I absolutely LOVE mine!

Teas’ Tea

Thanks so much to Rona and Teas’ Tea for sharing the goodness of these thirst quenching, anti-oxidant rich beverages with me!  I’m very much a tea fan.  I think it comes from the fact that as a child, tea was a real treat in our household.  My Mom made the BEST sweet tea in the world, however it was also PACKED with tons of sugar.  As I’ve gotten older, I haven’t lost my taste for teas, but my preferences have changed quite a bit.  Now I look for teas that are nutritionally beneficial and ALSO are tastefully brewed.

For ages, green tea has been known for it’s many wonderful health attributes including powerful anti-oxidants which help maintain a healthy heart and neutralize cell damaging free radicals.

Check out this table of OTHER great things green tea can help you improve, health-wise:

Isn’t it amazing?!  And the blends from Teas’ Tea are made with absolutely NO concentrates, NO colors, and NO tea powders.  All the teas that I was sent were unsweetened, making them guilt & calorie free, made with nothing but purified water, high-quality tea leaves, and Vitamin C.   It’s totally revitalizing and renewing! 

Naturally Sweetened.

They DO have three naturally sweetened flavors as well, Citrus Black, Blueberry Green, and Mango Oolong.  Even these flavors are just 40 calories per serving and are naturally sweetened with a touch (9 grams) of cane sugar.

Of the Unsweetened varities, Golden Oolong, Green Hoji, Green Jasmine, Green White, Lemongrass Green, Mint Green, Pure Black, Pure Green, and Rose Green, my favorite was probably the Rose.   It had a subtle brew taste that I adored!  Each of the flavors were a tad different.  The Black tea was strong and powerful, while the Pure Green was light and flavorful.  I actually added some Splenda to mine, since I needed a bit of sweetness.  It would’ve also been yummy with a touch of sugar free honey though!  I experimented with my Sugar Free Peppermint syrup in the tea, but wasn’t a fan.  I felt like I was robbing it of all it’s pureness!  Try it heated.  It’s amazing!

You can buy these teas online from the website or find a retailer near you!

Thanks again, Rona! 

 

 

I cracked.

Don’t forget to enter my Oxygenfit giveaway!

Verse of the Day:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

- Romans 3:23-24

Last night, I finally broke down and bought a membership at the gym in our town.  Even though it’s $39/month, I figured it was dumb not to.  I’m not sure how long it’ll be before I get the elliptical from my Aunt, and I don’t want to keep paying $7/day to use the equipment.  I figured, I’ll at least get my money’s worth! 

Anyway, I left work early yesterday because I had a dentist appointment.  No cavities here!   It was just my 6 month cleaning.  When I got home I made some snacks to fuel my workout. 

Green monster making at its finest.

Diet V8+frozen spinach+frozen fruit

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Granola gourmet berry energy bar.

Don’t be fooled, I ate one whole bar.  This photo was just taken when I realized I forgot! 

I did an hour and five minutes on the elliptical at level 7.

Then, I hit the ab crunch machine.  I only used 25lbs. but I did 3 sets of 20 verrrrrrry slowly, making sure to get the best burn for my buck   I’ve noticed that a lot of people at the gym, including myself, just “throw weight” around.  It was brought to my attention by a nice man on Saturday morning while I was there.  He reminded me that the better control I have while I’m lifting, the harder my muscles are working.  You can do 3 sets of 50 quick reps or 3 sets of 20 slowly and get a better burn for keeping your muscles contracted and not using gravity to your advantage.

After the abs, I did some side crunches, and 3 sets of 30 each on the hip abductor & hip adductor machines with about 100lbs.

When I got home, I started on dinner. I decided I was in the mood for beans, and I wanted to try this yummy looking blend that I got in the mail from Allen’s!

Seasoned Pinto Beans with Vidalian Onions

I grabbed my Oikos, chopped some lettuce, spooned out some salsa, and we were in business.  Check out my cutesy little assembly line!

the components.

After heating up the beans, I spread some on a Light Flat Out for a bean burrito & then topped my lettuce for a side salad, too!

bean burrito.

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mexican salad.

I really loved the sweetness of the vidalia onions that flavored the beans!  It was perfect.  After I ate the main course, I packed my lunch to avoid double the clean up.  You guys are going to be SO glad…I’m officially on the last carton of hard-boiled eggs from Easter!  That means variety in my lunches again!    I can hear you cheering from here.

veggie tub + egg whites & homemade honey mustard + flatout w/ sonoma jacks.

This time for my homemade honey mustard, I also added cinnamon.  I think it’ll make a nice touch.  It certainly tasted good when I licked the spoon after combining!

I needed something sweet for dessert, so I reached for the Oikos & spooned a few dollops into a bowl topped with some SF syrup.

dessert.

Tasted just like a caramel parfait….I should probably invest in stock with Log Cabin SF syrup.  I use it at LEAST once a day.  It’s just that good.

The rest of the night was spent organizing my closet!  Putting away Winter stuff & getting out all the Spring/Summer clothes that had been packed away!

Before bed, I also had an apple & some diet sweet tea, but it wasn’t very photogenic.  Just a basic golden delicious! 

Make sure you check out Missy’s Yoplait giveaway of this cute polka dotted lunchbag!

What’s your favorite before bed snack?