{Review} Coco-Roons

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Before becoming pregnant I never really had a sweet tooth. I mean I loved dark chocolate and the occasional cupcake or bowl of coconut ice cream but it was never something I really craved. Then I became pregnant and all I wanted was fruit and coconut milk ice cream, seriously addicted. It seems that this craving has carried over past pregnancy and I have now developed a sweet tooth.

I make a good effort to limit my sweets and stick to goodies made with natural sugars rather than processed ones as well as items that are low in sugar. I recently was sent a bunch of coconut macaroons aka Coco-Roons from Wonderfully Raw and my sweet tooth has been on cloud 9.

I love that these are low in sugar and made with maple syrup. They are all super tasty but Neil and I both agree that the brownie and the lemon pie ones are our favorites.

What is your favorite sweet treat? Have you tried raw vegan macaroons? If yes, what is your favorite flavor?

Disclaimer: Wonderfully Raw provided me with their product at no cost. I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a giveaway. All opinions are my own.

RIP Boo (1999ish-2012)

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Tonight after coming home to a sick cat and rushing him to the emergency vet, we faced a decision no fur baby parent wants to make. Unfortunately, Boo is no longer with us. After running blood tests and x-rays, the vet found that he had a cancerous mass on his right lung and that it was quickly filling with fluid.  After discussing things with the vet it was determined that the outlook for recovery was grim so THE DECISION was made in his best interest.

Neil and I are both pretty torn up about this and as I write this I have to wipe away the tears.  We knew that when we adopted him that health issues were bound to come sooner than later (when we adopted him he was about 11.5/12 years old) but I hoped we had a few more years.

So now we say our good-byes to our furry friend who was nothing but kind, loving and a wonderful friend to everyone he met.

Five Things: Food Lovin’

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This week is all about foods that I am loving this week.

Hot Teas | Although I am a coffee lover I have been cutting back to no more than one cup per day.  Now that it is fall I crave nice warm beverages to warm me up so I after my cup of coffee I have been turning to teas to warm me up and enjoy throughout the day.

Kale Chips | I am in love with kale chips, but I mean these days who isn’t? I think my craving is in over drive because I have enjoyed so many tasty ones lately and my desire for snacks is over the top right now. I must pick up some kale next week to make my own tasty batch of kale chips. What’s your favorite flavor?

Raw Macaroons | Not only am I craving some nice savory kale chips I am also loving these new tasty macaroons.

Harvest Beers | Okay not really a food but I am loving them right now.  Last weekend we had a harvest beer tasting and in a few weeks we are hosting a pumpkin beer tasting.  If only I wasn’t breastfeeding I could enjoy more than a few sips. What is your favorite harvest or pumpkin beer?

Soups, Stews & Chilis | As son as the leaves start to change my weekly menu has at least one soup, stew or chili on it.  Last week I made a delicious squash-bulgar chili (recipe to come) and this week we had split pea soup. What is your favorite soup, stew or chili recipe?

{Recipe} Chocolate Protein Milk Shake

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Being a stay-at-home-mom is more time consuming than you might imagine and finding time to eat can sometimes be a challenge. Lately I have been turning to quick and easy meals that take a matter of minutes to put together and a huge bonus if I can eat and nurse at the same time. Lately my go to meal for both breakfast and lunch has been a chocolate Vega Energizing Smoothie.

You can just take the smoothie powder and shake and go but I love to blend mine with a few other ingredients to bulk it up and make a real meal.

Chocolate-Almond Butter-Banana Vega Shake

Serves 1

  • 10 oz unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 medium banana
  • 1 scoop Vega Energizing Smoothie– chocolate flavored (you could use any flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon natural unsweetened almond butter

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

I love to add the ice to the smoothie because it make is more like a chocolate milkshake which makes it super indulgent.  This is the basic recipe the I use but I often add some frozen fruit instead of the ice when I have it on hand such as blueberries or raspberries and if you have frozen banana you could use that as well.

What is your go to shake or smoothie?

What is your favorite meals when you only have a few minutes to put something together?

Project Get Off The Couch

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This past weekend it really hit me that I am sitting now more than I ever have and I hate it. Don’t get me wrong I love being home with Edie but it seems 95% of my day is spent on the couch or in bed nursing or trying to work or sleep. I am trying to fit workouts and walks in when I can but it is a challenge with a baby who wants to nurse so frequently (I am talking every 1.5-2 hours; sometimes less) and lately she has been napping but will only nap on me. I am not sure what’s worse the no nap phase or the only nap on me phase.

I am not getting the workouts I would like in, I haven’t made it to postnatal yoga and I am feeling unhappy with my postpartum progress. I am also sitting way more than I want to so now I am starting Project Get Off The Couch.

That being said I am making more of a conscious effort to stand up, walk around and do something active when the baby isn’t nursing or sleeping in me. I am also working on making a concentrated effort to focus and finish freelance and blog projects rather than getting distracted with other things (Pinterest, twitter, Private Practice, Hulu, ect.) so that I have more time to move. Lastly I am going to bed earlier in hopes that more sleep will help my body and my brain.

If you’re a new mom or heck someone who is working an office job or computer job that involves you sitting for long periods how do you make time to stand more and workout? I know many people have switched to standing desks and I really wish that it was easier to stand while nursing but I haven’t found a boppy pillow that works for that (yet).

Kombucha Part 1

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Neil is the baker and the beer brewer of the family and he has been wanted to become the kombucha beer.  This past weekend he started his journey to become an official kombucha brewer. He started the process of  brewing our first batch of kombucha from Oregon Kombucha.

We are making the Blueberry Black Tea Kombucha and it smells so good.

After steeping the tea bag and letting it cool Neil added the Kombucha culture and covered it with a cloth.  Now we have to wait 30 days and then we will have kombucha!

{Review} Alive & Radiant Kale Chips

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This week I have been snacking like crazy, probably because we haven’t done any real grocery shopping in a few days and our CSA is starting to die down. My favorite snack of the week has been these Alive & Radiant Kale Krunch (Chips).

Neil and I finished off all three bags within 48 hours of them being in our home and probably would have eaten more if we had them.

I am a lover of kale chips and I love to make my own but I am guilty for buying them every so often when I’m at the market especially now that there is a baby at home and not as much time to cook. Alive & Radiant Kale Krunch (Chips)have to be the best kale chips I have ever tried and I have tried a number of different brands. The packing kept the chips nice and crispy, the stems were all removed (problem I’ve faced with other brands) and they were nicely coated with delicious seasonings.

Alive & Radiant Kale Krunch (Chips) sent me their Kale Krunch Quite Cheezy, Kale Krunch Southwest Ranch, and Kale Krunch Cheezy Chipotle.  They also have a Tarragon Dijon,  Chokalet Chip, and Spirulina Orange Creamsicle which I am dying to try but I can’t find around here.

I really can’t choose a favorite of the flavors that I tried because they were all so delicious.  I know I sound like I am just talking them up because I was sent a free sample but honestly I love these and actually purchased all three flavors from our local market back in August so I have tried them before and would be raving like a lunatic even if they hadn’t sent me them to try. Get out to your local health food store and pick yourself up a bag right now; I promise you won’t be disappointed

What are your favorite kale chips? Have you tried these Kale Krunch chips? If yes what is your favorite flavor and who wants to send me some tarragon dijon? I’ll swap you something else!!