Crayola Is Going Green!

COLOR GREEN during this back-to-school season with Crayola!  Crayola is making crayons with solar power, markers from recycled bottle caps and colored pencils from reforested wood.

“By using solar power, reducing waste and protecting the rainforest, Crayola is doing its part to ensure that the inspired kids of today grow up to inspire a healthier world.”

 

Supporting a brand like Crayola that is making an effort to be environmentally friendly, also means great quality products at the same price! 

“**Crayola Markers – Thanks to new, innovative ways to manufacture Crayola markers from recycled bottle caps, “black” is the new “green!” Crayola markers will now have black barrels instead of white, which allows for more recycled plastic to be used and gives a second life to more than 1 million pounds of plastic bottle caps. Plus, switching to black barrels keeps hundreds of tons of plastic out of landfills each year. Available in 10-ct. Broadline Classic Colors, 10-ct. Broadline Assorted Colors, 10-ct. Fineline Classic Colors, 8-ct. Washable Broadline and 8-ct. Washable Fineline.”

“**Crayola Green 24-ct. Crayons – The quintessential school supply found in virtually every elementary classroom will be made with the power of the sun. More than 26,200 solar panels will convert sunlight into electricity, generating the energy required to make 1 billion of the 3 billion crayons Crayola makes each year, which equals 60 million 24-ct. boxes. Mother Earth will be smiling down on every forest green, pine green and jungle green crayon that rolls off the assembly line!”

“**Crayola Green Colored Pencils - Committed to protecting the rain forests since 1987, all Crayola colored pencils have been made from reforested wood instead of wood sourced from tropical rainforest or endangered species. For every tree used, a new tree of the same species is planted. The 12-, 24-, 36-, and 50-ct. boxes of Crayola Colored Pencils will be among the first to carry the “Eco-Evolution” callout on their packaging.”

NOW for the FUN part!  

Thanks to My Blog Spark and Crayola, for offering to host a giveaway of a PRIZE PACK for you guys to enjoy in celebration of their new GO GREEN movement! The prize pack includes Crayola Green Markers, Crayola Green Crayons and Crayola Green Colored Pencils for your kids to take back to class!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite thing about these new Color Green products!

2. Become a fan on Facebook and leave another comment telling me you’ve done so.

3.  If you have a blog, link back on your next post and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so.

Sweet Vs. Savory

Verse of the Day:

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

- Matthew 5:14,16

Sometimes I know exactly what I’m craving for breakfast.

Spinach Bolani with Cedar’s Cucumber Garlic Tzatziki (introduced to me by Julie!) with a greek yogurt bowl on the side topped with 1 tbsp. SF cherry preserves and 1 scant handful Fiber Bran cereal

Other days I walk to the fridge, open up the door, and stare into the abyss considering all my options:  sweet vs. savory being my main dilema. 

I can never decide…soooo I had a little bit of both.

Since lunch on weekdays is always eaten at my desk, I have a hard time packing for what I’m hungry for.  After all, I can’t anticipate what will sound good to me a whole 24 hours later!

1 Butterleaf salad (yes it’s under there!), diced veggies: yellow pepper, red pepper, orange pepper, cukes, snap peas, carrots, and tomatoes topped off with a 1/2 Helen’s Kitchen tofu steak

It’s like a rainbow in a dish!   I wasn’t totally impressed with the tofu steak (not too much flavor), but I was sent coupons to try some Helen’s products and this was one of three items that our store carried-the stats are pretty good too!…I’m gonna keep an eye out for the Chik’n Gardensteaks!  Anyone else have suggestions on what to try from Helen’s Kitchen?

Along with my salad, I had half of this container of Pumpkin Bolani, saving the rest for dinner between my workout & class.  The green stuff on the bottom was a scoop of Basil Pesto sauce from the company too!  Thanks so much to Saleem for hooking me up

After work I hit the gym.  On the car ride there, I munched on this incredibly sweet gala apple.

The workout had to be somewhat quick, since I wanted to get in a little extra study time for my exam. 

• Cross Ramp 35 min.-avg. HR 148
• 3 sets of 1 min. planks
• 3 sets of 25 in-and-outs
• 3 sets of twisting obliques
• 5 min. quick sprints on the dreadmill
• 5 min. quick uphill sprints on the Cross Ramp

Shower & studying were done after eating parts of dinner in my car, which was a plethora of roasted provisions

Okra, carrot & green bean fries with reduced sugar ketchup.  I roasted these babes in the oven, a la Kath.

Roasted stuffed peppers filled with Fantastic Foods refried beans, salsa, and fat free sour cream, along with a sliced mozarella cheese stick

Not sure how my exam went…I went into it fairly confident, but I’m nervous about the results!  There were a lot of things I was unsure of…I think I second guess myself tooo much.  Math does that to me!  I hate it..

When I got home, I began the unpacking/repacking process, yet again!  By this time, it was about 8PM, but my beau wanted to see me, so he came over and we watched Underdog together  

Before he got there, I made some Banana SS and had a snack of some Manna Bread (unpictured because my camera battery was exhausted).  Review to come!  I cannot wait.  It is DELICIOUS!  I tried 4 different flavors last night!

FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY!

Ask me anything

I’ve got a few for you all, first!

Sweet or savory?  Sweets for me!

What class made you nervous in school?  Definitely MATH for me.

XOXO.

Living On Muffins.

Verse of the Day:

“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.”

- Psalm 119:93

Soooo this Nutrition First Blueberry Muffin mix just may be my favorite.  In fact, I’ve found a way to incorporate them into just about every meal these days, starting with breakfast.

2 crumbled mini muffins atop an Amazing Meal Vanilla Chai smoothie bowl (1/2 C. Unsweetened Almond Breeze + 1 scoop VCAG + 2 chunks frozen naner) all drizzled with Barney Buttah.

Mmmmm I love dessert for breakfast!    For lunch dessert at my desk, I packed another two muffins to accompany the main dish.

To make this, I simply sliced this enormo zucchini in 1/2, hollowed it out, and baked it in the oven.

While it was baking, I mixed together 1/2 C. Light Ragu with a bag of prepared Shirtaki Angel Hair Noodles (only 40 calories per bag!).

When the squash was cooked al dente, I filled removed it from the oven, filled the 1/2 with my noodle mix & sprinkled it with nooch. 

 

I baked it again for a tiny bit longer and then drizzled some cold Light Ragu ontop with 1/4 sliced avocado.  To be eaten with no sugar added pears in juice

Dinner was another story.  I had a sand volleyball match on City Island at 8:15PM, so my recent loveee interest and I packed a picnic and dined outdoors with the beautiful riverfront in sight. 

Before we left, I ate a 1/2 sweet tater with Barney Butter.

I swear, this combination is even better than OATS and BB…I know…hard to believe…but try it!  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I made him some ham & cheese wraps with pickles, mustard, lettuce, and honey wheat wraps.  I packed some veggies & refried bean dip (Fantastic Foods Refried Beans + salsa & ff sour cream) for me! {+an unpictured gala apple}

We enjoyed the view and took a stroll down to the “beach” on the island.  AKA cement city that connects to the river.

He tried to push me in!

Soon it was time for my game to start and I was “saved by the bell“.  I munched on a Raw Crunch Bar before stepping onto the sand, too.

I don’t write much concerning the love life on the blog, mainly because I know some of the people who read and aren’t sure I want them to know every little detail…buuuuuut I willll tell you that I got asked out…:)

Not before I dove into a chair during my game, bashed my leg open, lost 3 games in a row, and walked home with my tail between my legs.  All that being said, I really wasn’t that upset.  I mean… He took me home, made sure I was alright, taught me how to find the North Star, and stargazed with me for awhile…who would complain about a night like that??!

When I stepped off of cloud 9 and back into the house, I had a glass of 1% milk, got a shower, and headed to bed.  It was about 11PM, and I am SO not a night owl.

How was your Wednesday? Any exciting news on the homefront?

 

XO.

A Letter From God.

My Precious and Beautiful Daughter,

Everyone longs to give himself to someone,
To have a deep soul relationship with another,
To be loved thoroughly and exclusively,
But God says: Don’t be anxious, don’t worry.
Don’t look around at the things that others have gotten or that I have given them.
Don’t look at the thing you think you want.
You just keep looking at Me or you’ll miss what I want to show you.
When you’re ready I’ll surprise you with love far more wonderful
than you would dream of.
You see, until you are ready, and the one I have for you is ready
(for I am working at this moment to have you
both ready at the same time),
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me and the life I’ve prepared for you,
you won’t be able to experience love that exemplifies your relationship with Me.

For this is the perfect love.

Let me first show you what perfect love is. So you will never settle for anything less with another man. I am perfect. There is none like Me in all the earth. I am forever faithful—I will never forsake you or lie to you (Deut. 31:8). Everything that I say to you is True and Life. I will protect you as long as you live. I will never use you, manipulate you, or take advantage of you. I will always protect you. I am raising up a son with my very characteristics. But I first want the throne of your heart.

I want you to trust Me (Ps. 37:5). I want you to seek Me (Amos 5:4). I want to fulfill you. There is no one else I have created or nothing else on earth that has the ability to complete you—only Me (Col. 2:9-10). I have not created anyone or anything that will meet your every need or desire. Only Me. I want to know you. I want you to know Me. I want to laugh with you. I want to cry with you. I want you to include me in your daily activities. I want to share with Me things that excite you. I want you to share with Me things that grieve you. I gave you these feelings, you know.

I am always with you (Ps. 139:7). Waiting. Thinking about you. I am long suffering and patient (1 Cor. 13:4). I am so merciful (Deut 4:31). I love you with an everlasting love and with lovingkindness I have drawn you (Jer. 31:3). My Spirit longs and yearns jealously to be in a relationship with you (James 4:5). I am always thinking about you—my thoughts for you are more than the grains of sand (Ps. 139:17-18).

I alone am worthy of the throne of your heart. No one else can take my place and no one else will fulfill you or satisfy you. I want all of your heart. It’s all that I long for. I AM CAPTIVATED AND ENTHRALLED BY YOUR BEAUTY! (Ps. 45:11). You are the apple of My eye (Ps. 17:8). I will never disappoint you. Trust Me. I long for you to say that I am more than enough for you. I want to be your everything. I promise to never hurt you. I am not a man (Num. 23:19). I AM PERFECT.

There are men in your life who may have abused you, taken advantage of you, said mean things to you, who have broken your precious heart. My beloved, I long to have your whole heart so I can heal you. My Daughter, all I ever do is speak life to you. You may feel like the child in Ezekiel 16 who on the day she was born no eye pitied her. No one had compassion on her, but she was thrown in the open field, and she was loathed and abhorred on the day she was born. BUT I…The King of kings… I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, and I said to your blood, “LIVE! Yes, I said to you in your blood, LIVE!” I speak to you today and all I say is LIVE!

I want to heal you from all your pain. Forgive all those who have hurt you; let them go. For it is only then you can be healed. Let me show you how you are to be treated. Let Me show you your worth. Your true worth and value is found only in Me. You are a Queen. You are royalty. That is how I treat you, and you deserve nothing less. You may seek for approval of another man. You may seek to find yourselves in another man—who is not perfect. Please, let me alone tell you who you are.

You are my daughter, my Queen (Rev. 1:6), the apple of my eye, you are favor (Prov. 18:22), you are royalty, you are my righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), your worth is FAR ABOVE rubies (Prov. 31:10), you are wisdom, virtuous (Prov. 31:10), strength and honor are your clothing (Prov. 31:25), and I made you to open your mouth with wisdom, and on your tongue having the law of kindness (Prov 31:26), you are my daughter (1 John 3:2), you are redeemed (Col 1:13-14), bought by the blood of My Son (1 Cor 6:19-20), you are My chosen (Eph 1:4), you are justified (Rom. 3:24), you are one with Me (2 Cor. 5:18), you are free from all guilt and condemndation (Rom. 8:1-2), you are My temple (1 Cor. 3:16), YOU ARE UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL!

I have given you a purpose in this life. There is a problem in this world that only you have the answer to. YOU ARE AN ANSWER AND NOT A PROBLEM! I need you and the world needs you! YOU ARE AN ANSWER! I love you more than you will ever know. My very essence is Love and I can do nothing else but love you perfectly. Let me satisfy you. Trust Me. I know it is scary. But I have given you a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind—not of fear (2 Tim. 1:7). You are more powerful than you think. I love you. Trust Me.

Love,
Your Father

Wordless Wednesday Weekend ReWind.

XOXO.

Today I learned…

Verse of the Day:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

- Hebrews 12:1

…that it’s okay to have muffins for breakfast.  Especially when they’re the kind made with Nutrition First Blueberry muffin mix.

1 scoop Vanilla Chai Amazing Grass (NEW! review to come), 1 C. unsweetened Almond Breeze, frozen banana slices, and spinach.

…that Vanilla Chai Amazing Grass will forever hold a special place in my heart.

…that at 60 calories per muffin with 3.5g each of protein and fiber, you can afford to eat TWO for brekkie.

…that it’s probably smart to pack ample amounts of snacks when you’re going to be on the go most of the day…

6 Blueberry Nutrition First muffins with sugar free black raspberry jam

…that taking advantage of your ENTIRE lunch break to savor each packed piece of yumminess from your lunch is always a good thing.

1 Morningstar Farms California Turk’y Burger atope cukes, tomato, avocado, with some cauliflower, carrots, and corn on the side (blueberry muffin for lunch dessert)

…that fueling up between work and class is a good thing, especially when you’ve got a tough workout planned.

…it’s also okay for that fuel to be made with chocolate.

…it’s fun to show up all the guys in the gym with your fabulous workout.

• 30 minutes Cross Ramp various resistance/slopes
• 3 sets of 1 minute planks
• 10 minute intervals on the dreadmill
• 3 sets of 12 hanging obliques
• 10 more minutes on the dreadmill
• 3 sets of 25 “inandouts”
• 5 minute dreadmill cool down

…that the showers at the gym are not nearly as sanitary as I once thought.

…that it’s not as much fun eating edamame, green beans, and light string cheese when you’re forced to do it quickly in your car between showering and class.

…that after class all I want is my bed and I really should invest in a Tempur Pedic.

…that two green monsters in one day makes for a pretty great day.

1 scoop Vanilla Chai Amazing Grass, some frozen banana, spinach, and unsweet almond breeze

…that the folks at Starbucks and Barney Butter are Godsends.

…that the best way to end one’s night is slurping up almond butter straight from the packet while watching a bunch of toolbags on the “Men Tell All” episode of the Bachelorette.

…that I couldn’t possibly be any more blessed than I already am.

What did YOU learn today?

XOXO.

Pretzel Crisps!

Who knew snack foods could be so delicious and healthy all at the same time?  I don’t know about you, but I love me some crunchy goodies to munch on whether I’m between meals at the office, on a road trip, or fueling up for a trip to the gym.  Munching is more fun with a little bit of crunch, but who can afford to waste empty calories on sub-par, potato chips loaded with transfats and fried in oil?  Not this girl, that’s for sure!

No, I would MUCH rather delight in some of these lip-smacking Pretzel Crisps!  They come in TEN different varieties!  Four of which I got to try:  Supreme, Cinnamon Toast, Classic, and Tuscan Three Cheese.

Why do I love these so much?  Check it.

• Baked, NOT fried!
• 0g Cholesterol!
• 0g Trans Fats!
• 0g Saturated fats!
• All-natural!
• Baked thin!
• Whole wheat!

Knowing my addiction to sweets, I’ll bet you can guess which ones were my favorite!   These Cinnamon Toast preztels are lightly dusted with cinnamon and sugar, bringing to some of my favorites as a kid:  Auntie Anne’s cinnamon sugar soft pretzels, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, and homemade french toast.  This snack brought made allll those childhood memories come flooding back.  For just 110 calories and 1.5g fat in each serving, I’d say I made out!  Thank God the nutritionals were pretty good, because I could not keep my hand out of the bag! 

My next favorite, Supreme, tasted EXACTLY like an “everything” bagel!  HOLY yum.  I contemplated naming this my number one for awhile, but my sweet tooth took over my brain.  With a crafted blend containing onion, garlic, poppy, caraway, and sesame seeds, I’m not sure how you COULDN’T love this crisp.  I enjoyed them by the handful, crushed and sprinkled on my salads/soup (in place of croutons), and with fat free cream cheese or Laughing Cow!

You cheese lovers out there will LOVE the Tuscan Three Cheese.  I know, Tina would adore these.  They’ve got the best three cheeses in the book in my opinion:  Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan!  Forget cheese & crackers!  Cheese on pretzels is the way to go!  I was worried that these would be overly salty for my taste, but they weren’t!  The mild cheeses were completely savory & sumptuous. 

And then, there’s the Classic.  The crisp that started it all   These really allow you to get creative.  Great for dipping in hummus, crumbling into your favorite yogurt, or enjoying with a little bit of sugar free jam & peanut butter spread ontop.  Totally versatile and conventional.  I thought that some of the pairings on the website were pretty great ideas, too! 

Thanks so much to Perry for sending me these Pretzel Crisps for the review!  You can buy them online, here!

Giveaway Announcement!

Head on over to Danica’s Daily, where she’s giving away a $60 giftcard to CSN Stores!

The Hands That Hold The World Are Holding Your Heart…

“Have you heard of the One who calms the raging seas?  Gives sight to the blind, pulls the lame up to their feet?  With a love so strong, He’ll never let you go…No you’re not alone…You will be safe in His arms, You will be safe in His arms, ‘Cause the hands that hold the World are holding your heart.  This is the promise He made, He will be with you always…When everything is falling apart, you will be safe in His arms.”

The Verse of the Day today is from a song by Phil Wickham instead of the Bible.  I just heard it on my way to work, and I felt like God was letting me know that SOMEONE needed to see that this morning.  Don’t you love when that happens?  It’s like God is speaking right into your ear   Andddd it is pretty amazing to think about the fact that the GOD of the UNIVERSE cares about your every fear, worry, and pain.

How about them apples cantaloupes? [lame]

Breakfast: Oats in a loupe.

1/2 cantaloupe stuffed with 1 strawberry Chobani mixed & set overnight with 1 tsp. chia seeds and 1/3 cup old fashioned oats.

This was a delicious, fresh, summery start to my day.  The strawberry Chobani was a bit muted by the taste of the cantaloupe, which I did NOT like, but other than that, no complaints

Lunch was a packed mish mosh of veggies & beans, salsa & cheese.

Roasted carrots, onions, peppers, green beans, and mushrooms with black beans, salsa, and a scant dollop of fat free sour cream.  Frozen grapes and a light string cheese on the side.

I ate at my desk, saving the frozen grapes for a snack between work & my pit stop at Target.  I had a sand volleyball game to get to at 7:15PM on City Island, but was meeting up with Poppa FF & some family friends at one of my fave sandwich shops, Simply Turkey at 5:45PM!

My sister has a softball tournament in Ocean City, MD this weekend, so my Dad & I are leaving Friday to head down.  We’re hoping to get some beach time in!  I picked up some easy-to-pack goodies for snacks

• Chocolate Muscle Milk Light
  
  
• 0 Calorie Peach Tea Mix

• Light Select Harvest Soup

• No Sugar Added Fruit Cups (peaches, pears, & oranges)
  

  

   

  while we’re down there (healthy ball park foods are few and far between!) and also found some cute clothes and sports bras. 
  

  
  I think I’m a shopaholic.

  After Target, it was time to meet up with the gang for dinner.

  
  I ordered the “Boss Salad” (you pick anything you want to go on it!) I chose all baby spinach, chickpeas, broccoli, carrots, green & red peppers, tomato, turkey breast, and mandarin oranges

  

  with fat free tomato basil dressing on the side.  Also accompanied by a slice of multi-grain bread.  T’was delicious. 

  My match at the island was next on the agenda!  Our team played well and we had fun, but we only won 1 out of 3 games in our match.  It was a nice night though, and afterward, we left for our friend, Todd’s slow pitch softball game!  I was just REALLY thankful to spend the night with such awesome people.  It’s not very often that Poppa FF and I get to hang out!  We hit Home Depot on the way, so Pops could get some supplies to fix our mailbox & it rained at Toddy’s game!  It was all worth it though because he hit a TRIPLE!

  

  Afterward, we stopped for ICE CREAM at 3B’s on the way home!  I ordered a small no sugar added, non-fat vanilla bean in a dish, but when I saw the size (a good 1 1/2 cups worth!), I asked to downgrade to a kiddie size, which was more than enough :)

  When we got home, FINALLY, a shower never felt better.  I was so beat, but still had a lot of packing and prep to do for the next day: CLASS which means packed lunch, snacks, workout clothes, shower stuff and dinner part 1!  I snacked on a handful of Cinnamon Toast pretzel crisps which taste JUST like french toast, and got to bed around 1AM.

  Annnd…it was ALL worth it

  Three Question Thursday:

  1.  Do you find that you’d rather sacrifice prep work for sleep and just deal with the consequences?  Or would you rather stick it out and sleep better knowing you’re all ready to go?  I sleep much better knowing I’m prepared. 

  2.  What’s your favorite jam these days?  I’m diggin’ Phil Wickham!

  3. Is it hard for you to go into a store and not buy clothing?  Where’s your favorite place to shop?  YES!  I love to shop.  Especially at JcPenney, Kohl’s, and JCrew.

  XO.

  

Finlandia- The Cheese That’s Sure To Please!

Nothing says it better than the slogan   Finlandia cheese is rich, robust, and absolutely wonderful in every aspect.  As for the credentials, they’ve been the BIG CHEESE for over 150 years!

For all your nutritional gurus out there, you already know that low-fat dairy is proven as an important factor in every healthy diet.  Not only do they keep you full with high quality protein, but they strengthen your bones with tons of calcium and work to keep you slim! 

They’ve got quite the lineup of all-natural all-stars if I do say so, myself.  Of the group, the Light Swiss was my go-to choice! 

Who can argue with those kind of nutritionals???? I mean 7g of protein and 22% DV calcium in just one slice!!  I’ve been LOVING these clean, wholesome holey slices on SOOO many things; Egg whites, turkey burgers, and lunch meat being the top contenders.  These slices make a perfect afternoon snack!

Incase you’re feeling uncreative, here are some pairing ideas!

That’s right, Finlandia makes allllll of these fabulous, flavorful cheeses!

• Imported from Finland
• All Natural
• No hormones added
• Naturally lactose free

After checking out the website, I figured I had better lighten up on the SNACK face and save some of this delicious, nutty goodness for a recipe like this one:

This is just ONE of the enticing recipes found on the site.  Go there.  Buy some cheese, and make these amazing recipes.  I demand you   Many thanks to Nicole who gave me the opportunity to try Finlandia!  She did provide samples, but I can assure you these opinions are ALL my own.  Pshht…and I used to think I was more of a “sweets” kinda girl….