Yesterday was an eventful day. Kurtis and I both had the day off so we decided to take Bennett on his first hike through Castlewood Canyon. Which sounded innocent enough, but we had no idea how our day would eventually end up!
We started out the morning at Starbucks, Kurtis and I got coffee, and Bennett got his signature Puppiccino (which is just a cute name for a cup full of whipped cream, Starbucks is so clever). We then started out for Castlewood Canyon for our hike!
Bennett was so excited when we got there. He was running and sniffing everything. We were taking in the scenery, and letting Bennett play in the water when the worst thing happened. I dropped Bennett’s leash.
And he bolted.
We ran screaming after him as he took off into the woods. We ran as fast as we could but couldn’t catch him (He is fast). Eventually, we lost sight of him. We could still hear his leash jingling in the distance but we couldn’t see him anymore. He had ran well off the trail and we were deep into the woods at this point. I thought the worst. I figured we would have to call the police, fire department, national guard, someone to come find him before he was eaten by a mountain lion. Or he would be eaten by a mountain lion before we could find him. Or we couldn’t find him at all. (Really though, who do you call in that situation?)
Luckily for us (kinda?) Bennett has severe separation anxiety. Normally this is a huge pain, and really sad to deal with. But, it came in handy in this situation. He hates when he can’t see us. If we’re home he has to be in the same room as us or he cries. When we leave for the day, he watches us from the window until we drive away.
So, once he had been gone for a few minutes, and realized he couldn’t see us anymore, he came running back! We were calling out his name, and he just came bounding through the trees panting and smiling. He still didn’t want to be caught, but now he knew he didn’t want to go too far either. We kept him in sight for a while, and finally caught him a few minutes later by luring him with a treat. Kurtis held the leash for the rest of the hike (he’s also strong).
Believe it or not, this was not the most stressful part of the day. We finished up our hike, which was relaxing and uneventful from then on out, and headed to the car.
Where we found the car had a flat tire.
A very, very, flat tire. We tried driving to the nearest gas station to get air, but only made it as far as the park entrance before we couldn’t drive anymore.
We went to the back to get the spare, only to find no spare.
So we called roadside assistance (luckily covered by my insurance), and they told us it would be an hour and a half for a tow truck.
No, thanks. We had already been stranded almost an hour making all these calls. Luckily, Bennett was tuckered out from his mad dash through the forest, so he was well behaved.
So we called my mom. Luckily, Castlewood Canyon is pretty close to town so she came and picked us up within 20 minutes. We went home and got Kurtis’ car, took my tire to the shop, where we had to wait an hour for it to be fixed, then we had to drive back out to Castlewood Canyon to put it back on my car, and go straight to dinner with my cousin and her husband. We made it just in time!
So, my car has a brand new tire, Bennett has a new, stronger leash, and I never want to go hiking again.
I did it! If you scroll down to two posts ago, you will see me describe a dog named Bennett, and how Kurtis and I saw him at the shelter and fell in love.
I also threatened anybody who tried to adopt him, because I would “find a way.”
And I did, and now he’s ours mine!
As many of you know, our landlords (who also happen to be my parents), wouldn’t allow us to have a dog because our condo was recently remodeled. We didn’t know this until after we had already decided to move in and I was devastated. I had my heart set on getting a puppy soon after we were married. Kurtis and I have very different work schedules and I just wanted a dog to keep me company and to take care of. We’ve decided to wait a while on the whole baby thing (so you can all stop asking), and I figure a dog to take care of and spoil is a good preparation step.
So, last Wednesday, Kurtis and I both had the day off and had gone out to lunch. Afterwards, we stopped at the Buddy Center “just to look” and to “kill some time” (It’s not the first time we have done this).
And, we saw Bennett.
(Excuse the bad quality as I took them on my phone, through the glass.)
And fell in love with him.
He’s an Australian Cattle Dog/German Pointer mix. But we really think he’s gotta have some Pitbull in him. That’s what everyone thinks when they first meet him, and you can see it in his face!
He was the perfect size. Not too small, not too big. Adorable, with cute coloring, and perky ears. We spent half an hour cooing over him through the glass before Kurtis finally dragged me out of there.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I had a dream about him that night even, and whined to Kurtis about it all day the next day. And finally, I decided to just ask my dad. The worst that could happen is that he would say no. Besides, Bennett wasn’t a puppy, he’s 1 ½ years old, so he won’t be chewing on the furniture, and he’s already housebroken!
So I texted him and explained everything I said above.
And he said yes. (With the condition of a slight increase in rent to cover any dog-related damages)
I couldn’t believe it. I quickly called Kurtis and told him what my dad had said and he couldn’t believe it either. We were so excited!
I called the shelter to see if Bennett was still there, and he was! They also told me that they were actually having a special that weekend, and all dog adoptions were only $10. It was meant to be.
So we went and picked him up!
We are having so much fun! We’ve been going on walks, going to the dog park, Petsmart, etc. Today we took him to the vet and he had to get shots 🙁 So we bought him a pawbender and went to the dog park!
He’s successfully destroyed all the toys we bought him, so we’ve bit the bullet and bought the more expensive ones he can’t chew through. So far, so good.
Whenever Kurtis leaves he consistently checks the window every hour or so waiting for him to come back. It’s the cutest.
Tomorrow we have to leave him alone all day for the first time and I’m really nervous. Any tips?
Right now he’s snuggled up next to me while dinner is bubbling in the crock pot and we’re waiting for Kurtis to come home.
People are often shocked when I tell them I’m married. Like, shocked.
Although, with the initial question, I can definitely see where they’re coming from. I could easily pass for 17.
It’s so lame.
The one person who really seems to get it is my boss, oddly enough. Although he was at first taken aback by my young age and diamond-clad ring finger, he said “Well, I wish I knew who I had wanted to spend my life with when I was that young. I wish I had met my wife sooner.”
Exactly people. That sums it up. Come on guys, I’m only 21 and I don’t have to waste my time hanging out at bars attempting to get someone to like me! That sounds awful and exhausting! Instead, I get to spend my time at home, cuddling in my yoga pants (or no pants because, come on, this is marriage) with someone who truly loves me, cares about me, and provides for me. I am loved, I am safe, and I am appreciated.
Be happy for me, it’s the greatest thing in the world!
Plus, given that we are high school sweethearts, we actually waited a while. I had been out of high school 3 years and Kurtis had been out 4 by the time we got married.
The other day I had the typical encounter with someone finding out I was married and freaking out about it.
“What? Hold old are you?”
“I’m 21, almost 22”
“Well, 22 isn’t much better!”
Okay, yeah, point taken. That was a dumb thing to say. 22 is only 12 months older than 21, but when exactly will I be the set age for people to stop being shocked? 24? 27? 30?
I literally deal with this a couple of times a week.
I feel like people look down on me sometimes because of it and I refuse to let them make me feel that way. This is the greatest thing in the world. The greatest blessing is to love and be loved in return. I’m not sorry that I settled down in my 20’s, I’m not sorry we still live in our hometown, and I’m not sorry that I share my life with the person I love most in the world.
People want to know if I feel like I missed out on anything. Because obviously since I’m married I couldn’t possibly travel, or go to concerts, or have fun. Not only could I do all that, but I get to do it with Kurtis by my side. Even if we hadn’t gotten married and were still dating, I wouldn’t want to travel Europe, or go to an awesome concert without him.
Pretty much all you need to know:
I don’t want to experience anything if Kurtis isn’t there to experience it with me.
And I suck at keeping up with this, even thought I love it oh, so much.
I’m currently sitting on my couch surrounded by laundry, trash, and dishes.
I’ll get to it later I promise.
The studio I have been working for is about to open and things have been absolutely crazy. When I woke up this morning I had 60 missed calls.
No, I’m not exaggerating.
All I want in life is a puppy. Kurtis and I went to the Buddy Center yesterday “just to kill time” and there was an Australian Cattle Dog there that I simply must have. I haven’t stopped thinking about him since, and my heart is extremely heavy. His name is Bennet. DO NOT ADOPT HIM BECAUSE I WILL FIND A WAY.
Seriously, someone help me.
Alas, our landlords (my parents) won’t let us have a dog since the condo was just completely remodeled. I quite literally cry about it all the time. We tried moving to Parker for this reason (and to be closer to work) but everything is too expensive.
Kurtis and I work completely different hours so that puts me alone in the condo a lot and I just want a dog to keep me company.
I have a lot of unfinished posts saved in my drafts that I’ll probably upload today. You know, to avoid finishing the laundry and getting caught up on work. Over the course of typing this up my phone has rang 10 times. Luckily one of my coworkers has been on top of things and is picking up the calls. (Since we don’t have a studio phone, because the studio isn’t done, when someone calls the studio number it rings all of our cellphones. So if I don’t answer, usually someone else does.)
One of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success while living a healthy lifestyle is to pack your lunch! Not only will you make healthier choices throughout the day but you will save so much money! I actually love packing my lunch because it makes me feel organized and prepared. I’m so much less likely to run to a fast-food drive thru if I’m stocked up on healthy snacks.
My rule is anytime I leave the house for more than 2 hours, I make sure to bring food. Depending on how long I’m going to be gone I might pack a full meal, or just a few snacks. I eat every 2-3 hours so if I’m going to be gone for a while I need to make sure I have fuel that will keep me away from fast food! One of the ways I make sure to stay healthy and full is to stash granola and protein bars everywhere. They’re in all of my bags, and the glove box of my car, just in case!
Here are some tips to start packing your lunch.
1) Invest in a cute lunch box and water bottle.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m so motivated by cute, new stuff. If I buy a cute new lunch bag, I’ll be so excited to use it I’ll be packing my lunch for weeks!
I have the Vera Bradely Stay Cooler in Olivia Pink. It has so much room and is really durable! I also have a Vera Bradley Lunch Bunch in Watercolor. I’ve had it forever, it’s much roomier than it looks and is great for days when I don’t need to take as much.
I have a big pink 32oz Nalgene, and a super cute pink detox water bottle from blogliates. You can out fruit in the middle to infuse your water! So cute and fun.
2) Invest in lots of different sized contaniers, boxes, jars, bottles, ziplock baggies, and thermoses.
If you’re able to pack anything, you’ll be more likely to pack!
I love this salad container. It has a fork that snaps onto the lid!
Tip: Put your salad dressing in a ziplock baggy so your salad doesn’t get soggy during the day!
3) Leftovers are a must!
Every time you make dinner, purposefully make a little extra to use for your lunch for the next few days. So much easier than cooking a separate meal!
4) Pack a couple of snacks in addition to your meal.
Your day will be much more successful if you stay energized throughout it. And energy comes from fueling your body!
5) Buy pre-packaged foods made for lunches
Single serving containers of hummus, string cheese, 100 calorie packets of almonds, etc. The less you have to prepare, the easier packing will be.
6) Have a prep day
Kurtis and I try to have one day a week where we prep all our lunch food for easy access. We’ll bake chicken and fish to use for salads, hard boil some eggs, bag up veggies and fruits, etc.
7) Shake things up!
Don’t bring a sandwich and potato chips every day. Utilize your leftovers and try making new creative things so you don’t get bored and you look forward to your lunch every day!
For lunch ideas check out my Operation: Pack a lunch pinterest board! Found here:
I’m so not a morning person. I’m not gonna wake up 10 minutes earlier to throw my lunch together, I’m gonna sleep until the last possible second. Having it packed up and in the fridge the night before makes for one less thing I have to do when I’m scrambling around in the mornings!
9) Make sure it is balanced
Have fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole grains. For me my diet is dairy-free and very low carb. So I make sure I have a lot of protein and veggies and one serving of whole grains.
Here are some of the lunches I take to work!
I’ve been doing the MateFit 14 day tea detox for the past week, so you’ll see my tea in a lot of the pictures. I’ll do a full review of it once I’m done, but it’s going really well so far! I’ve also been off carbs for the past few weeks, so there are a lot of grain free meals. And, as always, dairy free.
Fuit, veggies and hummus, a salad, a larabar, snap pea crisps, and a suja juice.
Veggies and hummus, a coconut water, a larabar, snap pea crisps, and fruit.
carrot sticks, pita chips and hummus, orange slices, low-carb turkey wraps, dark-chocolate covered blueberries, and my metabolic boost MateFit tea.
Those low carb wraps are my go-to lunch right now since I’ve been off grains. So yummy and filling!
Turkey breast, low-fat mayo, vegan cheese, and avocado.
Leftover kale salad with poppyseed dressing (last night’s dinner!), low-carb turkey wraps, carrot sticks and hummus, orange slices, dark chocolate covered blueberries, and metabolic boost MateFit tea.
Share your pictures of your healthy lunches using the hashtag #operationpackalunch!
I’m a huge Disnerd. It’s a thing. My favorite place in the world is the parks and when I’m sad or bored they’re always my go-to movies. I could win any Disney trivia game, ramble off facts about the parks, and quote the movies until my face turns blue.
I love the nostalgia, I love the fun, I love the magical feeling related with anything Disney. And let’s not forget we got engaged at Disneyland! So, of course I wanted to incorporate Disney into my wedding! However, I am also an adult (kind of), so I wanted it to still come off as mature and subtle.
Invitations
I decided early on in my wedding planning that the inspiration for most of the wedding was going to be Beauty and the Beast. I loved the colors and the roses. So starting at the top, our invitations of course had to say Be Our Guest!
As did our Guest Book of course
I had our programs for the ceremony say Tale As Old As Time an excerpt from the movie’s title song, which is also what my family was seated to
Our favors were little soap roses! Courtesy of my mother-in-law
I had hidden Mickey’s on the bottom of my shoes
Kurtis and I collect Disney Vinylmation so we chose bride and groom vinyls for our cake topper!
And, the most staple Beauty and the Beast inspiration at the wedding, was of course the centerpieces.
And we had to use our Mickey-ear bride and groom hats as photobooth props!
I’ve been obsessed with looking at posts like these on Pinterest.
I’m one of those people who is always prepared for literally anything. My husband and my friends give me a hard time for how much stuff I always carry with me at all times.
But you know what? Whenever Kurtis is hungry, I have a granola bar. And whenever one of my friends has a headache, I have ibuprofen. And if it’s raining, I always have an umbrella. And I like to remind people of this whenever they give me a hard time!
For my gym bag I use the Vera Bradley Sport Duffle (duh). As soon as it came out I wanted it. But for a while I was strictly working out at home so it wasn’t necessary and I wouldn’t let myself buy it. Now my workout routine is completely different!
I do lots of different things for my fitness routine. Now that I work for Orangetheory I have a free unlimited membership there, which is amazing. (To learn more about Orangetheory you can go here http://orangetheoryfitness.com/About-the-Workout/Our-Philosophy)
Orangetheory is hour long classes that are reservation based, and an Orangethoery class just doesn’t fit in my schedule some days, so I also have a punch card to my local Rec Center. I usually do Orangetheory 2-3 times a week and go to the Rec Center 2-3 times a week as well. I also do yoga here and there at Yoga on the Rocks and Ashva Yoga in downtown Castle Rock. And for those days when I don’t get home till 10pm, there’s still the treadmill in my basement and my trusty Tone It Up youtube videos!
So…what’s in my gym bag? Well, a lot. But I’m very prepared!
1. Blender Bottle and Blender Bottle Go-Stak!
These things are a life saver. I’ve been using Blender Botttles ever since I started getting into fitness 2 years ago and I love them. Just pour in your protein powder, add water and shake it up! Boom. Protein shake.
The Go-Stak is newer. Kurtis and I got them last month and we’re obsessed with them. They’re little jars that twist on top of each other to carry all your supplements with you. The coolest part is that it actually fits inside the Blender Bottle!
In my biggest jar I have one scoop of V-Core orange creamsicle protein power. In the next jar up I have electrolyte powder. The next jar up has Muscle Pharm Raspberry Lemonade pre-workout. And the smallest jar has Gatorade energy chews as well as amino acid supplements.
2. A towel and a small hairbrush
3. Cleansing facial wipes and extra socks
The cleansing wipes are a must for after a workout! I usually try to workout with little make-up on, but I wear a little bit of powder or foundation so as not to scare people. Sweat and make-up in your pores is a huge no-no so it’s great to wipe my face down and save myself the breakouts.
I keep an extra pair of socks permanently in my bag just in case I forget. So far I’ve never had to use them!
4. A headband, my Fitbit, and a snack.
Kurits and I bought Fitbits with our tax return money and we love them. A must for workouts. You can learn more about them here http://www.fitbit.com/flex
5. An armband for my phone and headphones.
It’s so annoying that women’s workout clothes don’t have pockets, so an armband is a must for listening to music.
Eos lip balm, a lock, ballet flats, and dry shampoo
The ballet flats are for when I teach dance classes or the studio at the gym is empty and I can play around a bit.
Dry shampoo is a MUST. Not even for the gym but for life in general. It’s great for when I’m heading straight to work or a meeting after my workout and don’t have time to shower.
Eos lip balm for obvious reasons, and a lock for a locker.
6. My Nalgene
Nalgene is the best water bottle I’ve ever had. It’s leak-resistant, and has literally never leaked on anything. It also holds 32 oz so once you drink 2 of them you know you’ve had enough water for the day!
7. A cosmetic bag
Inside the cosmetic bag I keep deodorant, perfume, an extra hair tie, bobby pins, extra make-up, shampoo and conditioner.
The shampoo and conditioner is for when I need to shower after. Same with the extra make-up! I pack all this up in the cosmetic bag, and it stays permanently in my gym bag (I have a second set of everything so that I’m constantly packing and unpacking my gym bag).
The Sport Duffle is so roomy! It has 3 mesh pockets that I stick my armband, headphones, extra socks, etc. in. Everything else fits nicely inside and zips easily!
Pretty much everything stays inside my gym bag except for my Blender Bottle, Go-Stak, water bottle, and towel, which I take out to wash. This way I’m not constantly unpacking and repacking. I just throw in my wallet and keys, and go!
There’s also a small pocket in the front where I can easily slide my chapstick and my phone.
My blog kind of started a little over a year ago. I had just made the HUGE decision to move back home after a year of living in a dorm in downtown Denver. And everyone was just so curious as to why (we all know how people on social media can be, they want to know your business even if they haven’t talked to you in 3 years. I’m guilty of it too).
“Did you get fired from your job?”
“Are you dropping out of school?”
“Why are you leaving?”
All valid concerns. I was tired of answering everyone’s questions about it so I thought ’if they really want to know so bad, I’ll just tell them.’ And so I logged on to my tumblr (which I had had for forever, but only used it for pictures), and wrote a post titled “Details on my year away and why I decided to move back.” I linked it to my facebook and the response was huge.
I got lots of likes and comments on the post so I decided to keep moving forward with it. I was right in the middle of my weight loss journey (that dorm food will really get ya), and people responded well to that.
Shortly after that I experienced great success with my weight loss, shortly after that I got engaged, and shortly after that I got married! Mix that with a couple of amazing trips to Disney Parks, becoming a wife at only 21, decorating my house, and finding my love of cooking, makes for the pretty interesting and diverse storyline that is All Things Lovely.
So here you’ll find a little bit of everything. It’s so great for me to document my life here. When I’m old and gray I hope I’m able to look back on this and smile. As a Pastor’s Kid I’m the target of a lot of social media stalking (and I’m not trying to sound conceited, that’s a real thing. Ask any PK ever), and I figured if people are really that interested in what’s going on with me, they can just come here and read all about it. I have nothing to hide here! I love having a blog, even if nobody ever read it, I would probably keep writing to have all these memories for myself later in life. I would highly suggest everyone do this 🙂
I have wanted to blog about my wedding for a while. I kinda talked myself out of it because I feel like my wedding has been all over my Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pretty much since the day I got engaged. I didn’t want people to get sick of me! But then I thought to myself, you know, this was the most important day of my life. It only happens once and I put SO much work into it, I should at least get my first year of marriage to brag about it as much as possible.
Unfortunately, on the day of our wedding, there was a huge snowstorm. And although it made for GORGEOUS pictures (snow pics are seriously the greatest), it meant that a lot of people who had already RSVP’d “Yes” were unable to come at the last minute. So these blog posts are for them.
When I think back on wedding planning…I’m so glad it’s over. But when I see some of my newly engaged friends starting to plan their weddings I start to miss it! It’s so weird. Wedding planning was hands-down one of the most stressful and emotional things I’ve ever done. But the result was so amazing. Once we picked the final venues. I started to imagine what exactly I wanted everything to look like. What was so great about my reception venue was that it was literally a big empty room. A blank canvas that I could do absolutely anything with. My mom, mother-in-law, bridesmaids, and I put our heads together and thought up something truly beautiful that I loved. 2 days before the wedding, we were setting everything up, and I started to worry that the final product might not look exactly like what I had envisioned in my head. I started to tell myself that I had too many expectations and that they might not be realistic. After all we had done everything ourselves. I hardly hired anyone for my wedding! It was all my friends and family hanging things from the ceiling, setting up tables, and arranging the flowers. These people weren’t wedding planners or professional event coordinators! How could we all possibly pull off my vision without any professional help?
But then, about halfway through the set up day, I remember walking into the reception room with Kurtis and having tears spring to my eyes. It looked just like how I wanted it to. How I had been dreaming it would look. Kurtis and I and all our friends and family had been working so hard all day (and for months before that) to turn this regular old church sanctuary into an absolute fairytale setting for us. The reception set-up is an aspect of our wedding that I am extremely proud of. It was all done by hand, and it was all done by us and our friends and family. I couldn’t have been more grateful to everyone who helped make my fairytale a reality.
The lights and lanterns strung from the ceiling mixed with the dimmed lights really gave the room that “romantic night out” effect I was looking for. The tall floral centerpieces on the banquet tables added to this effect even more. I was in love with the globe lights
The lace curtains in the doorways made the room feel elegant and enclosed.
I made the photobooth myself with the help of two of my bridesmaids. I painted the wood boards a champange gold and a friend of mine brought in the pink balloons. This was located in the foyer outside our receptions space. In the foyer we also had an italian soda bar, pictures of Kurtis and I throughout the years on gold string hung up with pink clips, and “wedding fun facts” posted on the walls. (Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of these)
This is the best shot I have of the cake setup. It was the venue coordinator’s idea! Our cake (cupcakes) was sitting under an antique black metal arch with the same fabric from the doorways hanging above it and down the sides. It really helped draw your eyes straight to the cake when you first walked into the room.
For the room set up we had two long banquet tables on either side of the main doors with smaller, round tables behind them. The dance floor was smack in the middle of the two banquet tables. Up until the day it was delivered we weren’t sure it was going to fit, but it ended up being perfect!
These were the centerpieces for the round tables. Taken from my Beauty and the Beast inspiration! The bell jars were impossible to find but over the course of about 5 months we were able to collect just enough. The centerpieces for the banquet tables were the tall flower arrangements (see above).
Despite everything, the stressful planning, the snowstorm, the family members who’s flights got cancelled at the last minute, ALL of the setbacks, it was the best day of my life. And I wouldn’t change a thing.
I am a snacker. Guilty as charged. I LOVE to snack and I love snack foods. A lot of people argue that in order to lose weight or be healthier you need to snack less and I disagree. My day consists of 5 small meals rather than 3 big meals. 2 of those “meals” are snacks!
Having 2 snack type meals throughout the day keeps your from crashing and gives you more energy! That’s what food is for, right? I tend to have 1 small snack in between breakfast and lunch and another in between lunch and dinner. That second one is so crucial to my day. When I get home from work around 5pm I’m starving and need to recharge! Some of my healthy and clean go to snacks are:
Almond milk yogurt (Greek yogurt is a fine alternative to this, I just can’t have milk!)
Apples, peaches, watermelon, honeydew, or cantaloupe
Granola/protein bars
Veggies and hummus
Juices or smoothies
etc.
But there are always those days when I want something salty and carby. Maybe my day at work was extra long and so I’m extra hungry or maybe it’s that time of the month and my body is craving salt. I found that this was when I “cheated” the most. I was too hungry to wait to make a smoothie and I knew an apple or a yogurt wouldn’t fill me up as much as I needed so I would grab whatever salty food we had and binge. It was becoming a problem and was really throwing me off on my goals so I went on a mission to find healthy alternatives to my favorite junk foods.
I found SO many great products that I love! With these I like to live 60/40. I like to eat the snacks on the above list of foods 60% of the time and my “healthy alternatives” foods 40% of the time when I’m really craving that salty snack or I’m especially hungry. Don’t get me wrong, these foods are still much healthier than any junk food alternative and can be very beneficial to a healthy lifestyle. However they do tend to have a higher amount of sodium and carbs than say, and apple of course. Just something to keep in mind!
My go-to snacks!
Snapea Crisps are amazing. Kurtis and I both love them! They’re essentially just dried Sugar Snap Peas with different seasonings on them. The calorie count goes up depending on the flavor so it’s best to just stick with the lightly salted flavor. Kurtis loves the wasabi ranch and ceasar flavors! These can be found almost anywhere but I’ve found the most variety of flavors at Sprouts.
I am absolutely in love with Boom Chicka Pop. Like I said in a previous post, air popped popcorn is a great healthy snack, and one of my favorites! They are made with all natural ingredients, and taste amazing! There are 5 different Boom Chicka Pop flavors, Sea Salt, Lightly Sweet, Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn, White Cheddar, and Caramel and Cheddar. Again, the calorie count goes up depending on the flavor so I find it best to stick with the Sea Salt. My personal favorites of the flavors are Sea Salt, Lightly Sweet, and Kettle Corn (not pictured) you can find these at Sprouts.
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 35 (sea salt), 37 (lightly sweet)
Total Fat: 7g (sea salt), 4g (lightly sweet)
Sodium: 90mg (sea salt), 110mg (lightly sweet)
Total Carbohydrate: 19g (sea salt), 21g (lightly sweet)
I could eat my weight in Pita Chips and Hummus. I usually eat hummus with baby carrots or sugar snap peas, but I love to grab a handful of Stacy’s Pita Chips as well. You can buy Stacy’s almost anywhere but you can get this big bag at Costco. We get our hummus from Sprouts because they have so many great flavors. Right now we have Red Pepper, Chipotle, Black Bean (my personal favorite), and Avocado.
Stacy’s Pita Chips
Serving size: 1 oz (about 10 chips)
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 5g
Sodium: 270mg
Total carbohydrates: 19g
Special K chips are a life saver. Whenever I get them I like to count out the serving sizes and bag them up to grab for my lunch or to keep in my purse if hunger strikes. They have a ton of great flavors and products and the best part about them is that the serving sizes are actually decent so you’ll feel full afterwards. I hate when serving sizes are only like, 8 chips. The cracker chips come in, Sea Salt, Cheddar, Sour Cream and Onion, Honey Barbecue, Southwest Ranch, and Chipotle Lime. The normal crackers only come in the Multigrain for now. They also have Popcorn Chips which aren’t my favorite but are still pretty good. Those come in, Butter, Kettle Corn, Sea Salt, and Cheddar.
Coconut water is so great for you! If you’re one of those people who lives on juice and soda and can’t seem to drink a lot of water (even though you know you should!), coconut water is for you!
I was super bummed when I tried coconut water for the first time and didn’t like it. I had read so much about how great it is for you and all the benefits it has, and wanted so badly to start drinking it! But I just didn’t like the taste. But then I found Amazon coconut water. It’s coconut water mixed with tea and it’s delicious! I’m extremely happy I found a coconut water I like. It comes in green tea, white tea, and black tea. Kurtis likes traditional Zico coconut water so I buy that for him. It also comes in chocolate but neither of us are really crazy about that flavor.
Quest Bars are great for those sugar cravings. They’ve been getting a lot of attention lately so I really wanted to try them and see what all the fuss was about. They are very good! The best protein bar I’ve ever had! They still have that slight “protein-bar taste” but they did a good job at masking it. And it’s so great to be able to eat something that’s cookie dough flavored and not feel bad about it!
I have Quest bars and other protein/granola bars hidden everywhere. I have one in all of my purses and bags, and in the glove compartment of my car, just in case I get hungry. I’m supposed to stay away from dairy because of my migraines but I can handle it in moderation. So I’ve had a Quest bar a couple of times in the last week since I bought them and no reaction so far! Quest bars make a few berry flavors that are dairy free but they’re definitely not as yummy as the cookies and cream. chocolate chip cookie dough, and double fudge type flavors.
I bought my Quest Bars at GNC. They’re not as cheap as other protein bars, about $2.50 a piece, but it’s worth it when they taste so much better. I bought a handful of Quest Bars just for this post but ate all but one before I took the pictures…oops.
For Kurtis
I know when you saw these in the group picture above you were probably confused. The Slim Jims are definitely not the healthiest things! But these are Kurtis’ healthier snacks. Before we got married Kurtis was the type of guy who ate whatever he wanted and was still skinny as a rail. He ate lots of fast food and drank lots of soda, and never seemed to gain a pound. It’s totally not fair. However, we all know that just because someone isn’t overweight, doesn’t mean they’re healthy. And I love him and want him to live a long time! So since we’ve been married he’s committed to eating healthier for me, and he’s doing a great job! I could go into more detail about how he eats vs. how I eat and how I got him to make the change but that’s for a whole other post! (Which I will write soon!)
Kurtis typically works 8 hour shifts with a lunch break around the 4 hour mark. I don’t know about you guys but I’m hungry way before then! So we always pack him a little bag of healthy snacks that he can have before and after his lunch break when he’s hungry. His bags usually have:
Some type of granola or protein bar (I usually get KIND bars, which are super good for you, but Nature Valley was on sale!)
100 calorie packets of almonds
Mini Slim Jims
Wasabi Peas/Edamame (I get these at Sprouts for about $4/pound. He loves anything Wasabi flavored and it gets him to eat more veggies!)
A banana
The bags turn out like this:
So, there you have it! If you’re a snacker like me, I’m sure you’ll love as these products! You can snack and still be healthy, I promise! If you know of any other healthy snack products you think I would like, please let me know, I would love to try them!
Bennett.
