Healthy Happy and Free

My spirit animal is food. Or a dragon. According to Good Zebra's spirit animal quiz. What is Good Zebra, you ask? Hungry like the Wolf! Good Zebra has created the world's first "spirit animal crackers". These animal crackers are sweetened with organic honey and organic coconut sugar. They use a combination of whey and organic pea protein to pack in 12g protein per serving. They come in three flavors: Vanilla, Chai, and Lemon! Vanilla! Macros: 1 bag (57g) 230 calories 8f/30c/12p These taste straight up like the classic animal crackers I remember when I was a kid and the texture is on point too! Lemon! Macros: 1 bag (57g) 230 calories 8f/29c/12p This flavor has a light, refreshing lemon zing. It's not overwhelming or overly tart - I would say it's just right! Lemon Greek Yogurt with Lemon Spirit Animal Crackers Chai! Macros: 1 bag (57g) 230 calories 7f/30c/12p These have a nice light spiciness with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves. I...

So you decide it's time to get fit. Maybe you first go grocery shopping and try to buy all the trendy foods that the fitstagrammers of Instagram use. #ad #sponsoredpost #theyrenotpayingforit Then, you try to choose a gym. Wow, why is working out so expensive? Then, you need some cute clothes to get you motivated and looking cute in your fancy new fitness club. Then you need to get massages weekly because you're so sore. Then you need a bag to carry your food, face wipes, towel, etc, etc. Now, you're getting evicted but at least you're fit. HA! I may have exaggerated the scenario a bit, but I think you know what I mean! The "fit" lifestyle can seem to be a big expense which can overwhelm and discourage people! I've compiled some of the tips that I apply to stay within a budget! Food and Grocery Shop sales at the grocery store - I cannot believe the number of people I talk to that over look this! Grocery stores put out a weekly circular with...

Who here likes to snack? I'm raising my hand and I hope you are too. Sweet, salty, munchy, creamy - give me all the snacks! Typically my snacks include things like non-GMO popcorn, fruits and vegetables (baby carrots are my jam), protein bars, yogurt, etc. Once upon a time, I roasted some chickpeas with cinnamon and stevia and it was delicious. However, the time involved in rinsing, drying, and roasting proved to be a bit arduous to become a common occurrence. Hashtag lazy. BienaSnacks.com In comes Biena Snacks to save the day! Biena Snacks makes a line of chickpea snacks in a vast array of flavors. Whether you're craving sweet or savory, they have a chickpea for you! If you're thinking: "What the heck is a chickpea?", you may have heard them called garbanzo beans. They're the same thing and they are a legume with many health benefits (high fiber, gluten free protein/carb, iron, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, vitamin K, vitamin B6,...

The pumpkin craze of fall 2017 is going strong and I'm no resister. I'm embracing all things pumpkin, salted caramel and apple. Creative Snacks Co. makes delicious snacks and treats while staying away from high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, artificial flavors and other potentially harmful ingredients. Their product line ranges from coconut snacks, trail mixes, granola, coated pretzels, sweets and confections, veggie snacks and more! What I want to talk about is the seasonal items! I got my hands on the Pumpkin Spice coated pretzels, the Apple Cider coated pretzels, and the pumpkin granola. Oh my yum! I already love yogurt coated pretzels so I was especially excited about those! These pretzels were not a disappointment. The pumpkin spice ones had a great spicy flavor without being overbearing. I haven't tried the Apple Cider flavor yet but I look forward to it! The Pumpkin Pecan granola is a granola lover's dream. It has good clusters and a sweet and ...

Know better about what? Know about Know Foods, of course! Keep up, people. Know Better Foods is taking the world by storm. Their products are geared toward a ketogenic lifestyle but anyone can enjoy them. They make so many different foods ranging from waffles, croutons, muffins, wraps and much more. So far, I've only had the pleasure of trying the cookies and waffles but let's just say, I'm glad to be in the know. Their products have NO GMOS, gluten, grains, wheat, soy, dairy, peanuts, yeast, preservatives, added sugar, or trans fat! Whew. So basically, whatever diet or lifestyle you choose, Know Foods can probably fit your restrictions or preferences. Oh, and the cookies are near zero on the glycemic index too. The more you know... Though I personally don't follow a ketogenic diet or have any known intolerances, I do love finding and trying new foods made with quality ingredients sans the unnecessary added sugar. Their foods are sweetened using the natural swee...

Are you constantly on the go? Are you trying to thrive and grow? Are you a poet and didn't know it? I digress. Give me a boost! EBOOST is a supplement company that states they are for people who are on the go, creating products that help power you through a workday, workout or whatever task you have at hand. I'm a firm believer that supplements are completely optional, however, sometimes, the convenience is a great help for me. What I really love about EBOOST is that they use quality ingredients, non GMO, no artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors and are soy free. I had the opportunity to try their Prime Protein Powder in Chocolate. Fast Facts: 25 grams grass fed whey protein 5g prebiotic fiber tart cherry powder (anti-inflammatory) 1 billion CFU probiotics + digestive enzymes 5.5 grams BCAA 4 grams of glutamine and glutamic acid Macros per serving (46.5g): 170 calories 1.5f/18c/25p  Quite impressive, am I right? But the taste test is the ultimate test....

Do you even lift, bro? Seems like it's been a minute since I talked about anything fitness related! Here's what's been going on! Running My running continues as normal - I like to keep myself conditioned for 5k races throughout the year so my regular running routine is 3-4 miles, 3 times a week. I've considered trying out a half marathon with my mom, but we haven't committed to the idea of training for one lol! Let me know if you think we should do it! Lifting I actually took the plunge and purchased a lifting program from Mind Pump Media. I purchased their Anabolic program which is designed to increase overall strength. I completed Phase 1, one time through. This was vastly different from my former routine. This Phase implemented low reps and long rest periods. I felt like I wasn't doing anything but apparently I was because I got sore (not an good indicator of a good workout, by the way). I'm now in Phase 2 which is more muscle hypertrophy. I thi...

Heyyo! Here's some recent finds/obsessions: Food Items: Cacao Nibs - Can you believe I've just recently tried these? They are little nibs of cacao. That's it. Cacao is less bitter than cocoa so they're like nature's chocolate chips. I bought the Navita's Organics brand from LuckyVitamin.com Coconut Butter - This. Stuff. Is. Addictive. If you like coconut, you will love coconut butter. It's creamy and delicious. At first, I didn't know what to do with it but that's really not a problem. I used it on sweet potatoes, oatmeal, ice cream, or just by the spoonful! I bought Nutiva "Coconut Manna" from LuckyVitamin.com for under $7.00! The only ingredient is organic whole coconut puree. Bliss.  You can get a discount at LuckyVitamin.com here:  http://refer.luckyvitamin.com/s/eflrw   Podcasts:  Nut Butter Radio - This is a podcast where two Instagram influencers (Holly and Hannah aka @eating_peanut_better and @wholesomelyhannah ) h...

I didn't plan this blog post, but seeing so many people hurting over the recent events, I thought I would share what helps me. August 25, 2017 Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Texas, USA as a Category 4 storm, devastation occurs, thousands are still in shelters over a month later August to September 2017: Hurricane Irma (Category 5) wreaked havoc in Barbuda, US Virgin Islands, Cuba, Florida, etc. September 12, 2017: 8.1 magnitude  earthquake in Mexico September 19, 2017: 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico, deaths in the hundreds, combined damages estimated at 2 billion dollars. September 20, 2017: Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico October 1, 2017: Las Vegas Shooting, hundreds injured So much bad news. People are truly becoming disheartened. While this is not meant to be a religious blog, the Bible is truly where I find my hope. The Bible is not just a book of stories; it has a real message of hope for a better future. I have faith that God will intervene when His t...

Hashtag Pizza is Life. Hashtag National Pizza Month! I own more pizza paraphernalia than should be allowed. Seriously. I have pizza socks, a pizza necklace, a pizza pool float (I do not have a pool), and copious pizza t-shirts. That being said, I actually don't eat pizza all too often but when The Protein Pizza sent me some to try, I was excited to try the cheesy goodness. This pizza is made with real, Non-GMO ingredients like real cheese, olive oil, and a crust made with whey protein isolate. The entire pizza (about 8 in) has 40 grams of protein! The pizza is pretty hefty so I probably won't be eating the entire pizza at once but it is still a decent dose of protein in half of the cheese pizza. Macros for 1/2 pizza: 370 calories 13f/42/20p I popped in the oven and gave it a try! I also added some Italian seasoning because I like to get fancy! Before the Oven! I baked the pizza for about 9 minutes (the instructions directed to bake it for 8-10 minutes). Then I...