I was picked! I am an RXBar Taste Tester

Wooo hooo! I was selected to be on of 500 taste testers! I don't think I have ever been picked for anything that I have entered before. Lame I know.

I was introduced to RXBars when I was going through my first Whole30 program almost two years ago. I liked the fact that there was a snack bar that was compliant and tasted so good. I just wish I could get them in my local grocery stores.

The RXBar team is so awesome.....a hand written note and 2 bars!

My honest review that I submitted:

The bar was a little on the chewy side for me. It was actually all stuck/smooshed to the inside of the wrapper. It wasn't too sweet however I would have liked a little bit more of the all spice/pumpkin flavor. 

All in all I think it is a great seasonal holiday snack and I will be purchasing some when they come out on the market officially here soon. 

*Not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own and products were purchased by me. I just wanted to share my review*

My favorite past time

I took a break from everything this weekend to enjoy time with Dave and friends doing one of my favorite things - fishing! I only caught Gulf Coast Blue Crabs ( not even kidding ) but a bad day on the boat is better than a great day at the office! I had so much fun this weekend. 

Saturday night we went to a friend's house to celebrate her graduation from med school as a physical therapist. It was nice to meet some of Dave's friends from high school that are still around this area. And I seriously could not remember staying up past 2 AM in a while but we did!

Random side note - I saw this on Pinterest and just fell in love with it! I wish we were building our house sooner so I could have it! 

Today meant back to work getting my butt in gear. I am planning on incorporating more boot camp workouts right now because I am burning myself out on running only. So Mon-Wed-Fri will be boot camp workouts and Tues-Thurs-Sat will be my running days. I hoping this will help with my attitude towards getting out of bed at 5 AM!

Started on the elliptical then headed outside to join Garza's class. It was a good workout! I made it through two rounds of 1-6 before i had to leave to get ready for work. 

Power Balls

Thanks to an AIP/Paleo Approach Facebook group I am in I saw a guy post about these and how much he enjoyed them. I checked the nutritional content and they are great for me!
(Trying to follow a pre-diabetic diet alongside Paleo to lower my glucose levels per the DR)

I thought I would give the variety pack a try just so I could see which ones I may like best. You get 8 powerballs and the cost plus shipping was around $21. I wouldn't normally spend that much money on something like this but if it means keeping these glucose levels in check I will just have to eat them as treats!

So far I have had the strawberry ones & chocolate ones. The strawberry ones are great in the mornings for breakfast! They have this great hint of coconut that is just enough sweet for me.

The chocolate ones, for me, are a great after dinner sweet tooth kind of satisfier. I can totally see how you could seriously eat one a day and before you know it your out. I wish they had an autoship option because that would just be awesome. 

*Not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own and products were purchased by me. I just wanted to share my review*

Go go Mighty Muffin!

So glad I saw Tina from Carrots N Cake post about these things because the sauteed banana disaster I tried was just awful! I checked the carb/sugar/fiber content and the chocolate muffin is more in my OK range as long as they are not in excess. 

They came in! I got my box a few days ago and I was super excited. 

I am normally not a big chocolate fan but since I would probably be eating these as a form of desert I thought I would give those a shot over the cinnamon apple first. I am sure those would be great for a warm breakfast option which I may do when it starts to get colder here.

I put mine in the microwave for a minute even though the directions said 35 seconds. I didn't like how gooey it looked and wanted it cooked a bit more. I would think it is all up to your preference but it was great even after a minute of being cooked. 

Surprisingly it makes a lot. I was starting to wonder at one point how I was going to finish the whole thing. 

Super stoked I found these things. I am glad I troll Facebook and Instagram! 

*Not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own and products were purchased by me. I just wanted to share my review*

Recycling at its finest

I seriously cannot even with this right now!

I found this picture on Facebook and just died laughing. I guess if that is all you got you have to make it work right?

Workout today was 

20 minutes on the elliptical

5 rounds of 10:

KB swings 20#

Squats

Reverse Lunges

Push Ups

Sit Ups

Cash out:: 50 calf raises

Best part of the day - Dave comes home! Looking forward to the weekend since we are going to stay home and just spend time together doing stuff around Corpus. 

Monday Miles & end of hitch week

 I had every intention of running Sunday morning but I have never been so sore in my life from running as I was when I woke up. My lower back and my calves were not having it. So I decided to try my hand at banana pancakes for breakfast. And I will say that I will never make pancakes from Bisquick again. Lord knows the crap they put in it and this was super easy!

I used 1 banana, 1 egg, splash of vanilla, two dashes of cinnamon, and I added a 1/4 C of almond flour. It made 4 pancakes! When we finally have kids this will be such a healthier alternative to the store bought mixes. 

Sunday afternoon was spent doing laundry and lounging around with the pups. Dinner was at the inlaws so it was nice to not have to cook and mess up my kitchen. 

This morning was a 5K on the treadmill to get back into. It felt good to work my legs out and have a good sweat session. 

The best part was breakfast so far! If you haven't tried the Paleo Angel Power Balls, you need to! 

And in 48 hours I get to see this sweet face after two weeks on hitch. 

I am looking forward to being able to spend the weekend together at home!

Dash for Cash 15K Trail Race Recap

Let me just say if it wasn't for Rebecca pushing me I am pretty sure I would have downgraded to the 5K. My nutrition was off this week from adjusting to my glucose levels and my running has been non existent because of my lack of energy.

Becky, me, Felisha, and Mari headed to the start of the run

Here goes nothing! This was the longest race I have ever completed and my first ever trail run

Halfway through. I really wanted to quit but Becky pushed me to finish

Running and taking pictures

We finished! I ran, walked, and stumbled sometimes but I didn't give up!

Very proud of this picture!

Way to go girls! I couldn't have completed it without yall!

And since the race was in Corpus, Chipotle just seemed so right

Who needs KT Tape sunburn lines when you can get dirt lines! 

I didn't win any money nor did I find any of the $5 bills in the trees but I completed and that is what matters most to me!

Out of the funk

After three days of feeling like crap from allergies, I finally got to the gym for cardio boot camp this morning! I don't ever get to finish the whole workout because I have to get ready for work but got in 2 miles and 2/3 of the workout. 

_____________________________________________________________

So as promised, my meals so far......I am really trying to do everything I can to get my glucose levels down on my own without the help of meds. 

This was Monday's dinner that I picked up while grocery shopping. Dave and I had these last week before he left. This is how they are packaged and all you do is put it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. For $7 you seriously cannot beat it! I didn't finish all the potatoes since lots of carbs are a no-no. 

Snack prepped for the week since I didn't get to it on Sunday. I love these containers. I bought them off Amazon and they just make prepping so much easier. Snack packs included colby jack cheese, grapes, strawberries, whole raw pecans, carrot, and a turkey roll up. 

Dinner last night was a variation of Everyday Paleo's Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers. I had never done stuffed peppers with sausage so it was a little different. I don't think I would do it again though. 

And tonight's dinner is just going to be amazing! I brined a whole chicken (first time for everything) over night and then used Salt Lick Garlic Dry Rub before I threw it in the crock-pot. There are large chunks of onion and potato in the pot too. 

3 MORE DAYS until the 15K trail race and I get more nervous every day. I am hoping I have the strength to pull it out with my girlfriends. I am feeling so much better today so fingers crossed this crud is gone for good!

My New Normal

A bit of a random post but here it goes....

The hubs & I are trying to start a family so I went to the dr to talk to her about fertility and making sure I am trying to do whatever it is I need to do to put as in the best possibly situation to start a family. The dr decided to do blood work and out of everything that came back, my glucose levels are high and a cause for concern. My grandparents on my dad's side both died of diabetes but no one else in my family has issues. Therefore my new normal of eating has just become 100% Paleo/Diabetic to make sure I can control this without meds.

If you have any favorite recipes that you want to share please do! I am going off my Everyday Paleo cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo, and I am waiting for MG Paleo to become available.

So now for the weekend recap!

Lunch on Friday before I hit the road to head north to Georgetown to visit my parents.
A smidge charred salmon burger atop field greens and half a cup of mixed veggies.

Dinner at my parent's place....YUM!
Salmon filet (yes I love salmon) topped with poblano pesto with four sauteed shrimp and a salad.

Berry Springs Park...About 10 minutes away from my parent's place. Ran the trails/paths until I ran out of them to follow. 

Saturday night was spent celebrating one of my friend's wedding in Frisco. Such a great couple and a beautiful bride!

Lunch today - Chef salad with compliant dressing that I found at Monument Market in Georgetown over the weekend. 

Needless to say you will now be seeing more food porn as my meals will have to be more creative than what I am used to. And if you are so inclined.....keep Dave & I in your prayers for a Baby H soon!

My brain on overload and Georgetown + Plano this weekend

 Wednesday on my lunch time I spent it scarfing my Italian Chopped salad bistro bowl and looking at the park map for Berry Springs in Georgetown for my run tomorrow morning. The plan is to do the Muy Grande loop three times for a total of 4.5 miles. I have never been to this park/preserve but from what I scoped out on the internet it is beautiful! I am headed up to Georgetown tonight and then leaving with my parents to Plano/Frisco tomorrow morning for a good friend's wedding. I am super excited about it even though its over 6 hours away!

Random but I was cruising through Pinterest (like always) and saw this amazing retro stove/oven. Dave and I are eventually going to build a house and this would just be so cool in our farmhouse kitchen. We both love to cook so we know whatever stove we get is going to have to be epic! What do yall think?

Thursday morning's run was hills and supposed to be all on the treadmill but I had a lot on my mind so staying put on the treadmill for almost an hour was just not going to cut it. I did 20 minutes of hills on the treadmill and 15 minutes of hills on the elliptical and then finished off with abs. Wasn't really the plan but sometimes things change. I needed to keep my brain thinking about my workout instead of wondering to what the rest of the day would bring. 

And then there was this!!

The Hydro-Pocket Sports Bra

A girl posted a product review in the national Run JunkEes facebook group and I just had to have it for my upcoming trail run! They are actually having a sale right now so I was able to pick mine up with shipping for $13! I seriously think this might be my new go to race bra!

I found it!

In an effort to be accountable for my meals - here were yesterdays lunch and dinner. 

Lunch --> a chicken ceasar bistro salad bowl that I added two hard boiled eggs to. 

Dinner <--- we found ready made oven dinners at HEB that had garlic pesto salmon, fingerling potatoes, and brocoli. All you had to do was heat the oven and bake. It was amazing and only $7!  

Wednesday is off day from running but my weight is up so I am going to boot camp again. It is tough because it starts at 6 AM and I have to be at work by 8 but I will make it work. I love our boot camp instructor and I started going to his boot camps when I moved to Alice almost two years ago when he had them at the park. Luckily for me, now they are at the gym I am a member of. Winning! I have been running almost all of my runs inside of the treadmill int he morning since it is still dark out but boot camp allows me to run with a large group. It was nice to hit the pavement but the humidity was brutal. The 15K trail run is in a week and a half so I have to get my stuff together and adapt ASAP!

And the best thing I found yesterday was this! A girl put her review of the bra in the national Run JunkEes Facebook group and it popped up on my feed. I would just shove my bottle between my back and bra but this is great! I was just researching belts for the trail run to keep water handy since it will be my longest run yet and it will be in some pretty hot and humid conditions. 

PS this is their Instagram account if you want to follow them!

If you use a belt, which belt do you use? I was only going off of reviews from Amazon. 

Baby Oinkers

Dave was off this past weekend so our friends invited us up to their family ranch to relax and float the Frio River. Of course we didn't say no and Dave just HAD to drive the Jeep! Their ranch is in Leakey which is about 3'ish hours away from us and their property is just beautiful. You cannot beat the Texas Hill Country!

Saturday morning after breakfast the guys and I went down to the hog trap to see what we had. It was a beautiful thing when 5 little piglets were stuck. Now for those who don't know, Dave and I process our own meat that we hunt during season. We make sausage (all kinds) and save the rest for chili meat and ground meat for burgers. IF we have enough pork he will save me the shoulders to cook in the slow cooker which are some of the best eating ever! 

We thanked the Lord for the food, loaded them up and headed back to the cleaning shack. When it came time to leave, Dave and I were lucky enough to leave with three of them!

Now not sure if it was the tubing on Sunday or sitting in the Jeep for 3.5 hours but my lower back was killing me Sunday night and on into Monday morning so yesterday's run was a no go. But this morning's run was good. I am getting up a little earlier so I can start hitting my 5 mile mark and maybe have a little bit more time for stretching. 

Just over 4 miles this morning (plus ab series).....my legs were doing great, it was breathing to keep up that was though. It is progress not perfection so I will just keep going to try to hit my goals one run at time!