Healthy Happy and Free

The final hike of the year! December threw us for some loops and the weather has been rainy and unpredictable. Nevertheless, we managed to sneak in our final hike on December 29 - just in the nick of time! We stayed pretty close to home, traveling to the nearby Pilot Mountain state park. We have done a shorter trail there before and have always talked about trying the longer trail. The longer trail is Ledge Springs trail which begins below the summit picnic area or off of the shorter trail - the Jomeokee trail. We picked it up from the Jomeokee trail and it starts with a very brief uphill and then a lot of downhill down rock steps. There are cliffs, ledges and views. The trail is rated strenuous. We passed several groups of rock climbers which was really neat to watch! Eventually, the uphill began. Up, up, up. There are a few nice overlooks and then we ended up near the picnic area which makes the trail almost a loop. One sign stated the trail was 2.2 miles but I’m not really ...

Can you believe another year has come and gone? Time is such a weird thing. It's happening right now! Anyway, here are some of the fun new products, foods, etc that I discovered in 2018! There's a lot of innovation happening and I love it! Fre Skincare - Have I raved about this enough? This all natural, Argan oil based skincare has a great mission and great products from cleansers to detox masks! Square Organics Crispy Peanut Butter Bars - Square Organics is a long time favorite of mine and this year they dropped the new peanut butter crispy bars! They taste so good and satisfy that sweet craving! Enlightened Dairy Free - The people asked and Enlightened answered revealing a new line of dairy free ice creams. I still prefer the regular Enlightened but these make a delicious choice for those that need dairy free options!  Air Fryer - This is one purchase I don't regret! I use it almost daily for sweet potatoes, vegetables, chicken wings and more! I love the ve...

How many snowballs have you eaten this year? No, not real snowballs (hello acid rain lol), snowball cookies! This iconic shortbread cookies looks like a snowball because it takes a nice bath in powdered sugar! Mmm. But what if you're trying to reduce your sugar consumption? No worries! You can still have some tasty snowballs that will go perfectly with your steamy mug of hot chocolate.  Ingredients 1 cup all purpose flour 1 tbsp Vitafiber powder* 1/4 cup butter 1/4 - 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk  1/2 cup powdered erythritol  1 tsp vanilla  1/4 cup chopped pecans or nut of choice additional powdered erythritol for rolling  Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet/parchment paper/silicone baking mat.  Combine the flour and fiber powder in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, cream the butter and 1/2 cup powdered sweetener. Add in the almond milk and vanilla. (I would start with 1/4 cup alm...

"What's with you and gingerbread lately?" - My Dad Um, hello. 'Tis the season for all things gingerbread, eggnog and peppermint mocha  - am I right? The sweet spices of gingerbread with the natural sweetness of molasses always makes me feel warm inside. So why not take those classic flavors and turn them into cupcakes! Not to mention cupcakes that are gluten free, low in sugar, and higher in fiber!  Anytime is a good time for these guilt-free gingerbread cupcakes! Ingredients: 1 and 1/3 cup cassava flour  1/4 cup Vitafiber IMO powder 1/2 tsp baking powder  1/2 tsp baking soda pinch of salt 1 tsp cinnamon  1 tsp ginger 1 egg (at room temperature) 5.3 oz vanilla yogurt/skyr (I used 0% Siggi's Vanilla Skyr) 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk  1/2 cup molasses 1/3 cup brown sugar or brown sugar substitute  1 tsp vanilla  1/2 tsp butter flavor (optional) Directions: Preheat the oven ...

Have you heard of Brownie Brittle? Brownie Brittle is a popular sweet snack that has been around for a while. I'll admit, it never had too much appeal to me because the word "brittle" made me think it would be really hard and crunchy. My parents love it though!  Recently, I came across some new, fun snacks at my local Publix: Cookie Bites, Brownie Brittle Bites and Thindulgent Chocolate Bark. I had to try them! I then discovered that these products were part of Sheila G's line of snacks!  I first tried the cookie bites which are essentially crisp cookie bites coated in chocolate and they are sensational! They taste like candy, clock in at only 150 calories per serving but be warned: they are addicting! Having tried these, it makes me want to try the Brownie Brittle bites which are similar - they are crisp brownie brittle pieces coated in chocolate. Coat most anything in chocolate and I'm game.  Next up was the Thindulgent Chocolate bark. There...

If you're anything like me, you vastly prefer the summer. Short hours of sunlight, frigid temperatures, and dry skin - yeah, winter is just not my thing. However, since Winter is a thing and it happens every year, I figured I should try to find enjoyment in it. Attitude really does make a difference! Thus, I made a bucket list of fun activities I want to try to incorporate in this winter season! What's your favorite season? Do you have a winter bucket list?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about PRObiotics. They're a very popular supplement to purchase lately and some even taste downright delicious (enter Smarty Pants Vitamins). But what are you feeding those lovely little microorganisms in your gut? Isn't it weird to think about that? You're literally consuming living things whether through supplementation or through fermented foods, etc. So we can't starve our little friends! We have to feed them PREbiotics. So what is a prebiotic and where can you get it? It's a special form of dietary fiber that is indigestible.  It can be found in certain foods and supplements such as: chicory root raw dandelion greens raw garlic raw leeks onion raw asparagus raw wheat bran baked wheat flour raw banana/green banana flour Jerusalem artichoke VitaFiber IMO syrup and powder supplements (sometimes it is included in a probiotic supplement) Now I don't know about you, but it's n...