High Five for Friday - Link up, Vol. 5

It's Friday everyone...and you know what that means:

My favorites from this week...

 
ONE. 1st Farmer's Market trip of the season

 Peaches, strawberries, blueberries, grass-fed beef, baby spinach, avocados, tomato, jalapenos, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and green beans

TWO. Eating healthy meals

 Baked sweet potato w/ cinnamon, squash/zucchini mix and farmers market strawberries

THREE. Refreshing cucumber H2O

 Everything's better in a mason jar...right?!

FOUR. I voted!

Did my civic duty and voted in NC this week.

FIVE. Lovely statement necklace

Isn't she a beauty?! :) Both the shirt and necklace are from Blue Door Boutique - love that place!

Alright, there you have it - my favorite things from this week. Happy Friday everyone - and have a great weekend!Thanks for hosting H54F Lauren!!

Another Easy Peasy Dinner

Well, I'm back with another SUPER easy dinner that I threw together the other night. Again, it's nothing fancy and I'm sure nothing new & inventive in the cooking world. But it was quick, pretty healthy and tasted SO good!!!

Shrimp & Broccoli with Rice:

Sauteed about 20 small shrimp (I love shrimp) in EVOO, minced garlic and some crushed red pepper
Boiled broccoli (like the bag said), but then baked it in the oven (10 min) with some s/p/Parmesan cheese
Microwaved some white rice
Tossed all together with s/p

You could make this dinner with steak, chicken, tofu or just some other vegetables. I've been buying those little cups of rice (white & brown) that you can just pop in the microwave for about a minute. They are the perfect serving size and super easy. Plus, there's a coupon in each package! :) Also, I tossed the leftover EVOO mixture together with the shrimp/broccoli/rice...and it gave it so much flavor! You could also substitute the white rice for brown rice - I was out of brown rice, unfortunately, but I try to mix it up from meal-to-meal. All in all, quick & delicious!!

So I don't know if can you tell, but I'm on a health(ier) kick lately:

 

Mango-flavored coconut water; taco salad; my "easy peasy pasta"; salad with chicken, cheese & Italian dressing

Apple; edamame; baked potato with cheese

 Panera's Thai chopped chicken salad, apple & iced green tea; Panera's grilled chicken Caesar salad, chicken noodle soup, apple & iced green tea

You know I'm serious when I'm even eating healthier at Panera...it's one of my go-to places on a weekly or biweekly basis, but I'm usually ordering their broccoli-cheese soup, a panini, bread bowl, bagel...not as healthy, but SO yummy! I will say, if you haven't tried their iced green tea, go for it! It's AWESOME!

Hopefully I can stay on this kick, because I'm finding that it's easier to make healthier choices when I plan out meals, use things I already have in my pantry, and look at restaurant menus ahead of time.

I found this on Pinterest, and I'm trying really hard to listen to it, because I think it says a lot:

Pinned here (Fitness Board)

I don't know about you, but that just makes me really STOP and THINK about what I'm putting in my body!! I'm not perfect though...and I'm still learning - I have cheat days, I may not be eating something that is as healthy as I think it is...but I'm trying. It's a work-in-progress!

I'd love to hear about any quick & easy dinners you've been throwing together...or things you're eating that are on the healthier side - leave them in the comments!! :)

Stop & Smell the Roses Vlog: Week 9, Vol.3

It's time for another weekly link-up with Mandy over at House of Rose for:

So there you have it...isn't it great to have motivational support when you're working hard towards your goals, whether it's a fitness goal or any other type of goal. That motivational support really makes you feel like you can do anything you put your mind to!

The group I referenced in the video is called FitFace, currently at 271 members. Join their group on Facebook, leave me a message letting me know you want to join and I'll invite you! Curt & Traci (my BIL & SIL) put a lot of work into this group - connecting with people, training together, and even creating challenges and events that you can participate in from anywhere. The current challenge is a Plank Hold Challenge - doesn't that sound like fun?! :)

Check them out!!

*Representing FitFace and the slogan: "Make It Happen" (MIH)

Thanks for stopping by to find out what I'm smiling about this week! And thanks for hosting Mandy. Am excited to see what everyone else, linking up, is thankful for!

Until next time...

Jumping on the Kombucha Train

If you haven't heard of Kombucha, it's a Chinese fermented tea that has recently (or not so recently...maybe just recent to me) become quite popular among the health food zone. Basically, you drink in live cultures that restore, rejuvenate and overall, cleanse your body! Rising in popularity is GT Dave's Kombucha & Synergy:

The raw Kombucha is 100% pure Kombucha, whereas the Synergy line (pictured above) has 95% pure Kombucha and 5% real fruit juice. I have only tried the Synergy Kombucha and my favorites so far are the Passionberry Bliss & Strawberry Serenity.

Now, it is definitely an acquired taste...it tastes a bit vinegar-y at first (which takes some getting used to), but the taste grows on you!

It contains:

• Beneficial probiotics (healthy digestive & immune systems)
  
• Live active enzymes (put "life" back in our bodies)
  
• Antioxidants
  
• Organic acids (help promote tissue and blood alkalinity)
  
• Polyphenols (fight off the free-radicals that stress the body and compromise its youth & health)
  

Customers have experienced the following:

• Increased energy levels
• Decreased appetite
• Improved digestion
• Healthier skin and hair
• Stronger immune system
• and many more...

Each bottle is about 30-35 calories and contains 2 servings. Most people drink it in the morning, but other suggestions are 1 hour before you work out, sipping on it all throughout the day, one in the morning instead of coffee and one in the afternoon. You decide what works for you!

A report on NBC's Dateline stated that over 3 million people regularly drink Kombucha!

I'm hooked and definitely feel more energized after I drink a Kombucha! It is located at all Whole Foods...for my folks in Carbondale, you can find it at the Neighborhood Co-op! For my friends near St. Louis...I think the closest place to find it is Green Earth Grocery in Edwardsville or at various places in St. Louis. And there are many locations around the Bloomington/Normal/Peoria area!

To find out more, click HERE