Chobani Champions!

I don’t take the “L” word around lightly.  LOVE is not a word that I use often, with exception to my family members, but as you may know, I’ve professed my love for Chobani in the past.  This time, they’ve reached a whole new level with the first ever 100% natural kids’ greek yogurt.

I can tell you from experience, those Mom’s out there who buy it for their kids are going to have a tough time keeping their paws off of it   ESPECIALLY the Honey-Nana flavor.  Dessert in a yogurt cup.  It’s got the same great, thick consistency as the regular Chobani’s.  The container is a tad bit smaller (170g vs. 100g.) but there are only 100 delcious calories in each one, too.

8g protein, 1.5g of fat (1 saturated), and 20% of the daily Vitamin D!  It’s also really important that kids are getting the most out of their dairy products because so many of them are lacking Calcium, causing weak brittle bones with age. 

The other flavor, Verry Berry, is equally yummy.  Creamy, mixed berry flavors and vanilla together reminded me of a cream saver!  Anyone else used to be obsessed with those?! 

In the world of the ORIGINAL Chobani’s, there are THREE new kids on the block, too!;) Please, allow me to introduce you to…

LEMON 0%!  This one is probably my faveeee of the newbies.  Lemon meringue pie, I’m telling you.  It was light and you could taste the little hints of lemon zest!  I’m a huge fan of pulp, and this variety reminded me of that.  <3

BLACK CHERRY 0%!  MMMmmm. Sweet, dark cherries in a rich, creamy greek yogurt tang was a genius idea by Chobani.  Cherries jubilee, anyone?

&& MANGO 2%! Just like the other 2%’s by Chobs, this one was exceptionally creamy.  That little bit of extra fat really goes a long way.  This one was like summer in a cup!  I’d imagine this would make a kick-butt smoothie!  (Pineapple still has my heart, though )

 Thanks for sharing the Chobani wealth with me, yet again, Emily & Michelle, along with the rest of the Chobani family!  You all are the sweetest for sending me such an amazing package of yogurty goodness <33

 

Dippy.

I found myself belting out this song on my way to work today   Whether it was because I got a full 9 hours of sleep last night (after being deprived for the past three nights), or the fact that I was juiced up on a bangin’ breakfast, I don’t know, but here it is…

“You are strength in my weakness and you are the refuge I seek,
You are everything in my time of need, You are everything,
You are everything I need”

-Kutless

Yesterday, however was a different story.  There was no belting…I had NO energy.  As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, I really enjoy two part breakfasts.  Getting the best of both worlds is always a WIN in my book.

(1/3 C. oats, 1 mashed banana, 1/4 C. peanut flour, sugar-free vanilla Torani)

That’s not all!  I went to bed last night without much in my belly, mainly because I was too tired to put any effort into a well rounded meal.  Since I had already burned a good 800 calories (probably more, but that’s I have on record from my HR monitor), I couldn’t stay full for long.  There were many mini meals eaten throughout the day to keep my metabolism pumpin’.

Breakfast part II was a handful of Quaker caramel corn cakes dipped in Honey-nana Kids’ Chobani! 

Mmm.

 Being a walking zombie is no fun…let alone trying to get through a 2 hour basketball practice feeling like one.

(2 slices Arnold 10grain bread with 1 egg+1white and Forty Spice Hummus)

 It helped a little bit that I was properly fueled, though, for sure.  If I learned anything today, it’s the fact that the “dippy” part of the egg is highly UNDERRATED.  I know a lot of people get grossed out because it’s gooey and slimy, but the yolk taste MADE this sammie…it’s also got a lot of nutrients!

(Romaine shreds, broccoli, cucumbers, orange pepper, shroomies and Mardona cherry balsamic glaze)

And you know I had to have some greens on the side.

I don’t even remember what else I accomplished at work.  Honestly, everything is so hazy from exhaustion…and to think at this point, my day wasn’t even close to over yet.

Before practice, I had some Chocolate & Banana Nut Cheerios mixed (1/2 C. of each).  Sure there’s a bit of sugar in the ingredients, but I love dry cereal…I figure if that’s the worst thing I eat during the day, I’m doing alright

I also munched on some frozen grapes…because everyone knows the cure to tiredness is sugar, right!?

Turns out I had enough left in me to put out 738 calories at practice!  I did a little bit of ab work with my friend, Steph in the gym beforehand, too.  *Mental note: trying to take a snapshot of your heart rate monitor while you’re in your car leaving the parking lot will get you a few funny glances.

(Handful frozen spinach, 3/4 C. Almond Breeze, 1/8C. peanut flour, sugar-free Vanilla Torani)

When I got home, I just wanted to crash…but I knew I’d hate myself in the morning if I didn’t eat anything for dinner, and soon my appetite caught up to me, giving me all the motivation I needed to throw some things together.

I roasted parsnips, yellow pepper, butternut squash, and baby bellas at 420° for 17 minutes (all except the bnut was sprinkled with Nutrasalt & pepper.  Bnut was splenda & cinnamon) with reduced sugar ketchup for dipping.

Dessert was after cleanup (meaning my shower & dishes).

(1/4 C. peanut flour, 1/3 C. oats, 1/4 C. Udi’s cranberry granola, sugar free vanilla Torani to taste, cinnamon, 1/4 C. fat free cottage cheese)

It seriously tasted like peanut butter cheesecake!  <3  NOM.

Lots of you are asking me about what I will do with the TJ’s peanut flour being discontinued…Truth be told, I live no where near a Trader Joe’s, unfortunately, and have been ordering mine online from Southern Grace Farms!  Check it out!  I’ve found these to be the best prices with shipping taken into account. 

What do YOU do with your peanut flour?  I like to use mine for peanut flour pancakes and peanut paste!  I have yet to try baking with it, but I can’t wait to experiment!

Any exciting plans this weekend?  I will be spending most of my time with D, hopefully!  Class and practice on Saturday and church & Superbowl on Sunday! Who are you cheering for?! My Daddy is a STEELERS fanatic, so I will be in black & gold!

XO.

Chobani Champion!

Incase you’re unaware of the fact that I am completely in love with Chobani Greek Yogurt…I am.  Could it be the rich, thick, creamy texture that keeps me coming back for more (TWSS)? Or maybe the 0% fat, 15g of satiating, good-for-me protein that I crave on a daily basis?  Whatever it is, I seem to eat almost one-a-day (if not more)…literally.

You see, while the nutrition stats prove Chobani to be an all-around “health food“, when I see a container of 2% pineapple sitting in front of me, all I can think is “pineapple frosting”.

Or maybe in my head, I’ve conjured up a dynamic duo of pumpkin with 0% Plain yogurt to top off my whole grain waffles in the morning.  I’m telling you folks, the Chobani possibilities are endless.  I’m only telling you this for your own good, because quite frankly, if you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out.

Even though, they’ve got some amazing looking recipes on the site, I’ve found it difficult to get past the simple deliciousness of the yogurt on its own.  There’s something special about bathing your butternut squash in some Vanilla Chobani *icing*.  It warms my heart ♥ Haha.

Versatility is one of the many great qualities of this wonderful brand.  Another one?  Generosity.  For Christmas, Emily sent me TWO cases of my favorites…I know you’re probably green with envy right now, but don’t be!  She’s so sweet, she even offered up a case for one of you readers to enjoy!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite way to enjoy Chobani is.
2. Link back to this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
3. Follow Chobani on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you have done so.

Each will get you one entry!  Contest ends next Friday, January 13, 2011! 

More Recapping From The Weekend!

This message hit me in the head like a ton of bricks.  It’s so funny how sometimes God talks to us in a whisper, and sometimes he uses a megaphone.  This was a megaphone moment for sure! There has been a lot of wondering lately why God can’t just make things easy.  Tell me where He wants me, give me the kind of relationships I need, and when I need it.  How selfish does that sound?!  I mean, my reliance on Him would probably unintentionally fly out the window if He gave me everything I needed now. For some reason, I had been reluctant to run outside for awhile now.  I’m not sure why, but the fact that my sciatic nerve being damaged really left a bitter taste in my mouth, and subconsciously, I’m pretty sure I blamed it on outdoor running.

This weekend, we reunited and it felt so good   I wore a neon orange headband so that no hunters would mistake me for a deer. Ha. 

But rewind a second, because I forgot to show you my breakfast!

Baked Banana Bread Oats With Peanut Butter Vanilla Icing

• 1/3 C. oats
• 1 banana (1/2 mashed in, 1/2 sliced ontop)
• 1/3 C. fat free milk (I ran out of unsweet almond breeze)
• cinnamon
• sugar free vanilla Torani
• 1 eggwhite

I simply mixed together all of the ingredients and microwaved them on low for about 5 minutes.  You could bake it in the oven, but I didn’t want to use all that electricity just for one little ramekin.  Energy efficiency, people.

For the icing, I mixed together:

1/2 scoop vanilla Optimum Nutrition protein powder

1 tbsp. Justin’s maple almond butter

and thinned it with water before pouring over the oats.

Mmmm.  I order you to try it.    You’ll thank me, I promise.

Afterward, I downed a Chobani, which the kind folks over at the company sent me as a Christmas gift!  I’m pretty sure pineapple and strawberry are deemed my faves.  I do love the plain though, as well!  Thank you CHOBANI!  You rock

After the run, I did a little core work on my Ab Circle and got a shower to start getting ready for church.

We’re starting a new series for 2011 at CLA!  I’m really excited about it.  It’s all based around HEALTHY LIVING…It’s even been named “Live Well“.

After church, I went home and made a delicious lunch.

Forty Spices Tribe hummus wrap with avocado mash, alfalfa sprouts, and sliced tomato on a wheat Tumaro’s Soy Full tortilla

And on the side, an entire can of cut green beans

The afternoon consisted of my sisters and I assembling a gingerbread house.

Alright, I’m lying.  It was already assembled, but we did a mighty fine job decorating it! 

I think we will go with the already assembled from now on…if you remember last year, we had a rough time keeping the one with all the pieces together! 

This year, it was already but together and the icing was already mixed, too!  It was super easy and much less stressful.  After all, isn’t decorating the most fun part of the experience anyway?

No? 

You mean it’s more fun to let your Momma hold your little sister down while you smear icing on and decorate her face instead?

  Love you, Morgs.  Thanks for being such a good sport.

Even after the icing war, I was pretty pleased with the way our little ginger house turned out. 

We made a gumdrop roof, icing icicles, a candy wreath, and a little Christmas tree our front for all the neighbors to enjoy

 After all the excitement, Momma and I went to visit Bran, Jare, and Baby Bowman at their apartment.  I went grocery shopping when I got home, and then made dinner as well.

 Roasted butternut squash fries, sliced zukes, shroomies, broccoli, and yellow pepper with light Ragu for more dippage.

Don’t ask me why, but lately, nothing tastes better to me than roasted veggies with a little salt & pepper.  Some people commented asking how I make them.  I just spray the whole sheet with Pam, slice up the goods, spray them with Pam, sprinkle with salt & peppa, and roast in the oven at about 375-400º until crispy. 

 

The rest of the night I enjoyed some relaxing vocals from Michael Buble.  Another Christmas gift  

I also ordered basketball sneakers, since I have been playing in running shoes (probably not the best for my ankles or my sneaks!)

Pretty basic, but that’s what I like.  They’re And1 incase you can’t tell.

I obviously ate more than was pictured, because let’s face it.  That wasn’t a lot of food for as much as I ran this morning.  I also had two apples, some NewTree chocolate, a protein shake (more on that tomorrow!), and some slices of bread with hummus/fat free strawberry cream cheese!

XO.

 

Shop Til You Drop.

1/2 C. oats cooked in 3/4 C. unsweet vanilla almond breeze, cinnamon, sugar free vanilla syrup, 1 C. water and refrigerated overnight. 

In the morning, I topped her off with 1/4 c. fat free cottage cheese mixed with 1 tbsp. melted Justin’s chocolate almond butter and a drizzle of calorie free Walden Farms chocolate syrup.

This was a pretty decadent breakfast if I do say so myself.  Truly hit the spot.  I’m starting to find myself paranoid on my walk to work.  I feel like the world is in a truly sad state right now.  It’s ashame that the holidays bring out the desperation in the less fortunate and cause things like muggings and robberies.

Speaking of sad, please say a prayer for a family in my town who lost their father last night to and unfortunate suicide.  My heart goes out to the daughter, son, and wife.  I couldn’t imagine losing either of my parents at such a young age, let alone in those traumatizing circumstances.

1 bag steamed broccoli slaw, 6 baby meatless Veggie Patch meatballs, a garlic lovers hummus dressing mixed with water, and a squirt of reduced sugar ketchup.

Makes me feel all that much more blessed to have such a wonderful, loving family.  Like last night, I know we’ll still have our fights and silly mishaps that cause frustration and stress, but with God on our side, who could be against us?  In times like these, it is evident that the families that pray together STAY together.  Even then, it’s hard sometimes.

Tumaro’s soy wheat wrap with 1 tbsp. sugar free blueberry & apricot jam

Yesterday after work was yet another basketball practice.  I know, right?  Who would’ve guessed?  My schedule is a tad predictable, no?

Today my pre-workout fuel consisted of goodies from OhNuts!

1/4 C. dry roasted salted edamame, 2 oz. dried fruit (california blend: plums, apples, pears, and apricots) + a few sugar free jelly bellys!

 My FAVORITE sugar free jelly belly is easily buttered popcorn.  HOLY yum.  Now the Easter bunny will have some candy ideas for my basket this year   I know, I know…one holiday at a time! Ha.

Practice was fun.  We’ve been mainly sticking with a few drills in the beginning and then simply playing full court the rest of the time.  Lots of times we have just enough girls to play, and last night we did some recruiting to find a few takers to fill in for those who couldn’t make it.

I’ll give you one guess where I ate dinner last night by using the above photo as a clue.  I LOVE the little shop that can be used as a time taker upper while you’re waiting to be seated! 

If you’re thinking Cracker Barrel, you would be correct.  This picture is of little seester FF trying to melt her butter for the biscuit she was ready to eat.  She’s a clever one

I ordered the grilled chicken tenderloin sandwich on wheat with tomato and got a salad on the side.

Dressed in vinegar + splenda

Yeah, not too exciting, but it was a nice meal out with the family.

So I’ll bet you’re wondering where the title of this post is coming from?  I mean, we didn’t get done with dinner until after 8PM.  Yeah…I procrastinated.  I got a ton done on Black Friday, but between then and now, I didn’t have time to finish up.  Momma FF and I headed for Walmart straight from the restaurant and Daddy FF took the girls home.  We were out until about 11PM shopping, but I’m finally finished.  What I got is what I’ve got. 

I made myself some chocolate pumpkin milk (unsweet almond breeze, canned pumpkin, and cal free choc syrup), grabbed a Raspberry Chobani from the fridge, and called it a night.  My legs were screaming at me about now to give them rest. 

BAM.  I was out.  Merry Christmas EVE EVE

 

XOXO.

 

Another Day, Another Dollar.

Isn’t it one of the coolest feelings in the world when God puts something on your heart that you know could’ve only come from Him?  Like an idea to bless someone in your life, or someone he’s put you in contact with that you feel like He’s leading you to be an example to? I don’t know about you, but I feel like God slaps me in the face with it sometimes.  Okay, so it’s more like a love tap

Breakfast was supposed to be a microwaved oatmeal cookie (1/4 C. oats, 1 egg white, 1/4 C. canned pumpkin, sf syrup & cinnamon), but I don’t think I cooked it long enough.  Either way, it was delicious topped with some pineapple Chobani.

I have only been out of coconut butter for about a week now, but already I’m missing it immensely.  As Kat said, I think I’m going to try making my own.  Think of how amazing this would’ve been with melted coconut butter icing?!

Work was super slow.  I mean, it felt like 4 PM before lunchtime even rolled around.

Light Italian-Style Vegetable.  It was the perfect day for soup at my desk, considering the blustery chill of the winter air outside.

Of course, I beefed it up a little, so to speak, since a whole can was just 120 calories.  I knew I’d need more sustenance that that.

I added some black beans, peas, zucchini, and tomatoes and also packed a Tumaro’s healthy flour wrap spread with Sonoma Jack’s pepperjack cheese.  It was an excellent DIPPER in my soup.  Comfort food, amen?

After a chilly walk to my car, I fueled up for a crazy amount of cardio with this snack in my car on the way to the gym.

Classic.  Doesn’t get any better than a banana & Justin’s MAPLE almond butter. 

Healthy carbs & fat was just what the doctor ordered to power me through 10 minutes on the Cross Ramp, 15 minutes of ab work, and a 1 & 1/2 hour basketball practice.  Total, I burned off about 1100 calories, according to my HR monitor.  Yeah, it burned so good.  My phone battery was dead, thus, no HR monitor photo, but you know what it looks like, right?

Poppa FF had a taco feast all ready to go when I got home!  Thanks Tumaro’s for sponsoring our family dinner tonight.  Everyone loved your soft wraps as burritos! 

Healthy flour honey wheat tortilla with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, black beans and fat free refried beans with a healthy dose of light sour cream and salsa.  YUMMM.

I think we all know, I couldn’t stop with just one. DUH.  Refueling is one of my favorite parts of exercise, after all

For dessert, I had a raspberry Chobani and two cuties…you know, those baby oranges?  They are pretty cute OH yeah, and maybe a spoonful of chocolate almond butter.  MMMmm.

Speaking of sweets, one of my beautiful blog friends, Lauren sent me this adorable package for Christmas!

I am so incredibly grateful for our friendship.  She has been a true blessing in my life…not to mention, her awesome recipes and healthy lifestyle are such a great example for the healthy living community.

It came complete with this adorable tin stuffed full with gluten-free snowflake cookies and an AWESOME looking chocolate bar that I can’t wait to dig into.  Thanks so much, Lauren, for the package and your friendship.  I can’t wait to meet!  It WILL work out one of these times, I promise!

So, what’s number one on all your wish lists?!  I’m LOVING the etsy.com website.   I could pick out SO many things from there for Christmas!

Xo.

 

Back To The Gym!

VOD:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

It feels so good to be back amongst others while working out.  Yeah, I can probably get a decent work out in on my stationary bike with the help of some P90X in the comfort of my own basement, but I realized last night that I really enjoy the time out of the house!  Not to mention, I missed the hip flexor machine and the elliptical!  I’ve been going to the gym after work for the past two days after going on Saturday morning and loving it. 

Before I left last night, I ate one of these Sunny Hemp granola bars that the company sent me:

Granola, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins!

I also made myself a mini green monster with some frozen fruit blend (peaches, cantaloupe, honeydew, & grapes), spinach, and diet v8.I was in such a hurry to make it to they gym that I totally forgot to snap a photo. 

I got out of the gym around 6:45PM after doing this workout:

• an hour on the elliptical at levels 7&9
• 3 sets of 25 to each side sit-ups holding 10lbs. on this incline bench:
  
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• 3 sets of 20 with 85lb. on the hip abductor machine:
  

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• 3 sets of 20 with 100lbs. on the hip aductor machine:
  

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• A few sets of 1 min. planks
• 3 sets of 15 lat pull downs with 45lbs.
  

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When I got home from the gym, I packed my lunch & made some dinner.  I like to do it all at once to prevent multiple clean up sessions.

lunch spread:

like our new placemats?

We’ve got a Light Flat Out with Sonoma Jack’s Cheese wedge for splenda combo, a big old tub of veggies, and some Easter eggs!  Dye included and all!   I made some homemade honey mustard sauce for the eggs and veggie dipping at lunch.  All it takes is some French’s mustard + SF Log Cabin syrup! 

In the veggie tub we’ve got cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, cauliflower, and yellow & orange peppers slices!

innards!

Then I got to work on dinner!

I threw together a hugh j@$$ salad to eat with a baked microwaved sweet potato & a blueberry Chobani.  After making lunch, I didn’t feel like “cooking” anything.  I was just ready to eat!

shredded lettuce, carrots, tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, grapes, and snap peas!

Chobs.

I got my shower and then set out my breakfast for the morning to maximize sleeping time

Can’t get enough of this Muscle Milk Light!

Thank you, Easter bunny!

Then I watched Biggest Loser and worked on my OpenSky shop, where the the Handful Bra is now available!

Also, Mr. Wonderful called last night so I got to talk to him before bed   We may end up going to a worship & coffee event in Ship this weekend together, which I’m kind of excited about.

Hope you all have an excellent Hump Day!

Strawberry-Banana & Raspberry Chobani!

Thanks to Shari, my pal from Chobani, I got to try out the two brand new flavors of their protein packed yogurt!  As if they couldn’t get any better, Chobani greek yogurt has created a NonFat Raspberry flavor and a LowFat Strawberry Banana flavor to add to the Chobani family!

Joyous!

 When I saw that they had arrived I had a hard time not ripping them open and devouring them on the spot.  I carefully set them in my refrigerator for a time when mindless eating wasn’t in the picture.  It was seriously like Christmas

I really wanted to wait until I could try Evan’s idea and get my hands on some Q. Bel to create a dark chocolate raspberry treat, but I wasn’t that patient:

Evan=foodie genius.

I did, however stash the Raspberry in the freezer, which made an AWESOME ice cream! 

It’s got the same great stats as the original NonFat Chobanis.

This flavor was my favorite of the two.  It reminded me of summer with the fresh taste of ripe, sweet raspberries combined with the thick, creamy yogurt.  It’s officially in my top two Chobani flavors.  I’m still up in the air whether it beats out Pineapple or not

Don’t get me wrong, the Strawberry Banana flavor was excellent too!  (I have yet to come across a Chobani flavor I didn’t like), but I was hoping for a stronger banana taste in this one.

The creaminess factor was still there, and the flavor was good!  I’m just a banana nut, so a bolder taste of the banana than strawberry would’ve been preferred.  They are a dynamic duo, that strawberry & banana!

Here are the stats:

Maybe Chobani should create a Banana flavor in itself!  I think it’d be a total winner!;)

 

Thanks again, Shari for hooking me up!