Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day!!!!! (March)

It's already that time of the month again!!!! REVEAL DAY!!!!

Are you a Foodie Pen Pal? You SHOULD be. It's super easy to do.

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I'm going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for April, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!


Lindsay is such an awesome person who came up with this idea, check out her blog and sign up to do this.

Feb. was my first month to partake in the Foodie Penpal program and it was so much fun to put the box together and await the arrival of my own box. This month was no different. I was paired up with Amy from Ohio. A super sweet girl who is also an RN, her blog is Pretty Neat . I had fun packing her box FULL of some of my favorite snacks.

I was picked for Tara over at ChipChipHooray . Tara lives in NY and we both love to run and have a slight obsession with Downton Abbey :). I received her box super fast and was so excited to open it up and devour everything.

How can you not get excited about something like this coming to your door?!

First thing to open and share with Evan and Avery were the HOMEMADE Choc. Chip Cookies. It's like she knew my husband has a certain weakness for these things. I had two out of the eight and I'm sure if I hadn't mentioned that I needed to be able to tell everyone what they tasted like that I would have even gotten those! Needless to say this was the only picture of them I got before they were gone so let me assure you, they were delicious!!!

Everyone knows I love my tea as much as I love my coffee. Thanks to my K-cup attachment on my Kuerig I can have coffee grinds and not just k-cups which allows me to try flavors like these two. I was a little iffy on the Cinnamon Vanilla nut but wow! It is super good!!!!

GRANOLA, my latest find and quickly becoming a daily thing I eat. I haven't tried the Pecan Sticky Bun yet, probably tomorrow morning for breakfast. I've had the French Vanilla Almond Crunch once from my foodie pen pal last month, I had it with Greek yogurt, chia seeds and dried cherries with a drizzle of honey as a late night snack. This time around I just had it with milk and a sliced up banana and it was just as delicious!

HEATH TOFFEE!!! Tara had e-mailed me and asked for my likes/dislikes and must haves so I mentioned how lately, I am loving toffee. So when I found this HUGE bag of Heath English Toffee Bits, I wanted to be in NY to hug her neck!!!! I have stashed this bag in the freezer and I assure you when I have a free weekend, baking will happen with these being a main ingredient and a blog post to share it. (I may send Tara a thank you gift from them as well)

And of course, a new and AWESOME find....

Butternut Squash pasta!!! YUM YUM YUM! I had this as dinner one night with just a grilled chicken breast cut up in it with a little butter. The flavor is beyond good, seriously, you must try this out. It smelled so good too!!! I can't find it at my Target though which makes me sad...

Such an awesome box that kept me smiling and happily fed the last 2 weeks. Thank you so much Tara for your thoughtfulness in preparing my Foodie Box!!!

If you want to get involved with Foodie Pen Pals for the month of April, shoot Lindsay an email at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and let her know:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address (if you have one)
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
-Whether you are a U.S. or Canadian resident

Happy Eating,
Britt The HLC

LUNA Bar Giveaway WINNERS!!!!

Yay! So excited for the 2 winners of my very 1st Giveaway.Avery was my big helper tonight and she was having such a good time that we picked a 3rd winner to win 5 bars! So CONGRATS!!!!

I chose the old fashioned way....

1st winner is....

Who is it?!

CONGRATS Chris Ziegler!!! You won a BOX of your fave flavor Luna Bar!!

2nd Winner: MICHELLE!!!!

3rd winner (Thanks to Avery's persuasion): Jenn(ie)!!!! 

CONGRATS WINNERS!!! Email me @Healthylivingchick@hotmail.com to send me your flavor and mailing address. :)

Body Image Tuesday

I haven't done one of these posts in awhile, yikes. Quite awhile.

I love how honest I can be here, like my little domain of truth and honesty that I block off my negative thoughts and excuses from that I find myself bickering with internally everyday. You all know what I am talking about, don't deny it.

So true story......

I've gained 13lbs. Oh yeah, out of nowhere I'd say but at the same time...I've slacked off big time with my normal regime of eating better, sleeping more and not drinking soda. Add in I'm on 2 new medications and there you have it. 13lbs.

I will also say  that despite this little news shocker, I'm totally OKAY with it. I'm not crying about it, feeling guilty or down. I feel great about how I look and yes, I can tell in some of my newer clothes that I need to get back to my healthier eating and living habits but it's just a different stand point than I used to do when I gained a bit of weight or suddenly couldn't seem to lose weight.

I have accepted who I am and what my body looks like and no longer having the stress of those unrealistic thoughts and weight goals has been such a sweet relief and an amazing turn around for me!!

Don't get me wrong though, it's spring. My butt will be in the gym more and running more with the warmer temps, not too mention....swimsuit season? Hello!

At Cracker Barrel, my one weakness for food.

It's safe to say that for me, Healthy living has become a bit different than I once thought and scoffed about it being. 8 months of little changes have had a HUGE impact on my self image, my food knowledge and even friendships. It's not about the number on the scale, what you eat or don't eat, how often or not often you work out....it's just about making the attempt, finding what works for you and trying new things before quitting and NEVER losing focus on your goals.

What works for you?

Britt The HLC

My 1st GIVEAWAY!!!!

If your visiting from Blogger.com Hello!!!

Well, the time has come. It's time for me to get on the Giveaway band wagon and I am super excited about this too! Since I share my favorite snacks and foodie loves on my blog I figured my 1st giveaway should be for something I am truly just obsessed with that people may also love as much as I do. So what better snack and obsession than.....

LUNA BARS.

YUM.

I have been in love with Luna Bars since after I had Avery. I received a few mini bars in my hospital bag and was hooked. I'm not a fan of many protein bars due to their course texture and bitter taste or spongy consistency but Luna bars raise the bar on protein bars. (I know, whomp whomp)

Seriously with amazing flavors like Iced Oatmeal Cookie, Chcocolate Raspberry and Chocolate Dipped Coconut (my personal fave) you just can't go wrong.

2 Lucky winners will receive a BOX of their favorite flavor Luna Bar.

Be sure to check out their website too! http://www.lunabar.com/

Here's 3 easy ways to enter the giveaway!!!

1: Enter on Twitter by posting this tweet.

I want to win! @BrittTheHLC is having a LUNABAR giveaway on her blog!!

2: Like "The Healthy Living Chick" on FB

3. Write a comment for each way you entered as well as what your favorite Luna Bar flavor is and why.

Super easy, right?!

I'll announce the winner on THURSDAY so be sure to tweet it up, like on FB and share your thoughts on which one you'd like to have for yourself.

GOOD LUCK!

Britt The HLC

Hubby Moment #13776

Me: "Where's my cookie stash, today was rough."
Evan: "Whoah, hold up! You have a cookie stash?!"
Me: "Yeah, several"
Evan: *Starts destroying cabinets and drawerso on a hunt* "Where, there's no way!"
Me: *opens freezer and grabs zip lock bag of cookies, goes to bread box, grabs another bag of cookies, opens box of wheat thins and pulls out last bag of cookies*
Evan: *applauses* "Well played, madam.....well played"


** each bag has 2 home made choc. chip cookies for emergency days.

Closure and Reality

After reading the update from her amazing blog I had to take a few minutes to let my emotions out.

They finally found Sherry. She gets to go home, her family gets to restart the grieving process and they get what we all get, her family, her town and running community, friends, students.

Closure.

Although I doubt any of us truly figure out the whys of this senseless and tragic murder of a woman simply doing what so many of us do everyday by random strangers consumed by drugs. It truly saddens me to know that we are not safe anywhere. Sherry was in the comfort of her run, surrounded by the country she loved and grew up with, I doubt she had any inkling to what would happen to her a few miles from her home just minutes after getting out of bed beside her husband and  setting out as she did every morning.

I simply can not understand any of this.

I hope her family rests now with her being home finally at peace, I hope they  get justice with Sherry's murders going to trial soon and I hope they know how, even though it's not under the greatest of circumstances, far from it actually, just how much of an impact Sherry has made on SO many people across the globe.

During the virtual run I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k and saw so many others wearing their Sherry bibs in her honor and I knew then it was worth it. To pay tribute to another fellow runner when it's clear to me how much of a community it truly is.

Be safe, fellow runners. Be passionate, be free and always remember why we run and often who we run for.

-Britt The HLC

MIBA

Sorry Lovies, between work, my new job on top of work and The Huger Games books...I've been M.I.B.A

Will come back soon and with a cool announcement too! :)

Xoxo,
Britt The HLC

Getting to know you Revealed.

Alright, Alright, I've slacked off wayyy too long on getting these pictures out to the masses. I urge you to do this on your own blog. It's just a simple, and fun way of sharing more of yourself to your readers.

Picture #1 "What's ON your fridge"-

Yeah, it's a creative toddlers oasis. Although, I just cleaned the fridge out last week and took down a lot of older artwork. ;)

Picture #2 "What do the bottom of your running shoes look like?"

You know, they don't look that bad for having over 200miles on them. They will be replaced soon though and I am soooo excited!

Picture #3 "What's your closet look like?"

A hot mess is what it looks like.

Picture #4 "What's your bedroom look like?"

I'm not brave enough to show the entire room since we have several boxes still left to sort through, you know, even thought we've lived here a year now...*sigh* Paris actually does claim the bottom of the bed 20hours a day

Picture #5 "What does your backseat look like"

Yeah, surprised?

Picture #6 "Where do you go to relax?"

My backyard patio is pretty awesome. I love grilling on the patio with family or just sitting out with a book and watching Avery play.

I forgot to grab a picture of my fave movie and didn't want to steal a pic off the inter webs. However, my favorite movie(s) are: Pride & Prejudice, Ever After, Sweet land, Spirited Away, All the HP movies and The Princess Bride. :)

Happy St. Patricks Day Tomorrow!

Keep Calm and Run on!

I promise I will do my picture post tomorrow, I had a few other ideas requested of me and I think I'll also tag a few fellow blogger to try this picture post game out. :)

I must say I feel a little spoiled with the weather lately, yes, it just rained 4 days in a row but it was never severe and it came and went and just made the weekend super mellow. Today it was sunny and 81*, oh yeah...loving the spring like weather.

Tomorrow after we drop off the cuppycake at MDO, Evan and I will be driving to McKinney to pick up our race packets for Saturdays race in Dallas. I'm excited to go to the RunOn! store since I'm kinda following them and their race events and PLAN on buying new running shoes from them in the next 2 weeks. Do you guys have RunOn! stores near you? I'm telling you, you MUST check out their website and see how much they can offer you as a runner. Clicky Clicky! I'm also taking donations from people who love me to help me get this shirt.

My next few 5ks will be run from this awesome site. Skipping the July one since well..it's Texas. July in Texas? NO THANK YOU! I'd keel over by the time I hit the finish line. What ways do you find your races from?

I must admit, well, okay let's back that train up....I must CONFESS that I have not been running hardly at all. I hate to make excuses but seriously, every time I start to run or warm up my foot starts to kill me. Even with the ice pack/heat pack and night brace treatment, my Plantar Fasciitis flares up more now than it did before the Hot Chocolate 5k. My x-rays showed no heel spur and the tendon has healed but it just seems that once I start to run, the same stabbing and shooting pain hits me and I'm limping again.

I know my shoes are to blame, I've had them for 2 years and have trained close to 200 miles in them. I also do not want to make the same mistake in buying my next pair, which is why for my birthday, Evan is letting me get fitted and matched up for the right pair of running shoes. An investment well worth it in my opinion. However, that will not be happening before this Saturdays race which is already paid for so I can't flake out now. :(

I'll be crying I know but at least I won't come in last. *rolls eyes* so mature, right?!

Anyone else have a similar injury? Treatment? advice? I'm all ears on this subject, my doctor swears it's what it is and I don't doubt him, but with little to help cure it or make it stay gone other than NOT running...I feel totally in the dark.

I miss Running. I find it funny for me to say that now. Anyone who knows me can attest that before 2010, I was NOT a runner. Nope, not me, no thank you! I never thought of myself being one, never liked the idea of it in Volleyball or PE growing up and thought people were crazy to pay money to torture themselves on a perfectly nice day to sit on the couch and be lazy!!!

Oh, OH, how misguided I was. There is just something about that first 10min mile, your first completed 5k, the people you meet, the sense of belonging you get, the pure joy of breaking a sweat, the honks from strangers telling you "yeah, you look good.", how good you feel after a run, how motivated you get, how relaxing it can be, how distracting it is yet it also allows you to clear your mind and just escape the world. Not to mention your first race t-shirt (like a badge of honor), your first pair of REAL running shoes, the re-caps, swag and goodies you get just from doing what you LOVE to do. I mean, how many other hobbies out there reward you as much as running can/does?

I WANNA KNOW: What do you get out of running? What got you started?

-Britt The HLC

Getting to know you!

Alright, Life has been beyond crazy and my emotions are everywhere. I haven't felt like blogging much about it and if I do, it will more than likely be on the family blog. Just giving a heads up since I know I have been slacking on the family blog and devoting more time with the HLC.

So I have this fun idea for a post, however, it requires YOUR input. Yep, it's a group effort for this to play out and I think it'll help me get creative and inform you of who I am and what it's like to be me all at once. I've done this a few times on my old Xanga (Is it still around?!) I also did it on the family blog a few years ago.

Picture Post Game!

Comment below with what you'd like me to photo and post on my next entry. Be creative, be simple, but most importantly, don't be afraid to ask!!
A few samples:
"What's inside your fridge?"
"Where do you like to relax?"
"Whats for dinner?"

etc. etc. You get it, just think of something you'd like for me to share via picture. It's super fun so give it a try!

What are you waiting for?
-Britt The HLC

March Running Mix

Since it's my Birthday month I made my playlist in no order...no new finds, no theme, just my favorite songs of late.


MARCH RUNNING MIX:

We Are Young - (Glee Cast Version)
Paradise - Coldplay
Kites-Geographer
Princess of China - Coldplay
Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz
Like An Avalanche - Hillsong United
Cough Syrup (Glee Cast Version) -Glee Cast
Cold - Aqualung & Lucy Schwartz 
Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix) [feat. Belle Humble] -Dubstep
Free -  Ben Kweller
Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic
We Go Tonight (Say It Again) - Sleeperstar
Run - Snow Patrol
Call It What You Want - Foster The People
Can't Stop Now- Keane
Bones - Hillsong United
How It Ends -DeVotchKa

March Madness!!

No, this is NOT a post about basketball. Your safe, I promise.

It's only 5 days into March and I have been split in so many places I feel like I'm literally spinning. With that said, I shouldn't be sitting here updating you with mundane news on the blog when I have 2 places I should be other than sitting on my rear typing.

Thursday was my Birthday, Yep March 1st is a cool day to be born I must say...with it also being a leap year I got an extra day to stay 26, something that when I was younger, I hated! Now, I'm very much okay being younger a little longer.

So the big 27 I am.

Evan let me sleep in a little while he took Avery to MDO, from there I enjoyed some quiet time before we got ready and drove to Frisco to enjoy The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Right as we were about the leave the house came a delivery, a very delicious delivery!!!

Yep, I got an edible arrangement from Evans parents. My in-loves are amazing!

We stood in the kitchen munching on fruit before Evan reminded me there was Cheesecake waiting for me. So off we went.

I know they have good food but I am a huge sucker for their little flat bread pizza, preferably the Mhargarita

So light, so good, and low calorie!

After we ate our lunch we went to the task of choosing our Cheesecake. My birthday tradition is I always get a pineapple upside down cake. My grandfather always made me one and after he passed away Evan took over the tradition. Another one is I get cheesecake instead of cake for my birthday so when I found out that they offered a Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake.....well.....I was stoked!

Sooooooooooooooo Good. Like, bigger than good. Amazing. The perfect balance of both my Birthday traditions and in one slice! Score.

From there we headed back to Denton to pick up Avery from MDO and then I had to go to work. Evan had suprised me with taking the day off to be with me so he got to tag along and see what I do every afternoon. It was 81* and perfect outside so we changed into play clothes with the girls and headed to the park to enjoy some sunshine.

Cuppycake & I.

My friend Megan kept Avery when she got home and Evan and I headed to his parents house where we waited for his dad to get home and then headed to Mr. Chopsticks for my birthday dinner. Chicken pad thai, avacado rolls and edamame = BLISS. Once we were done there we headed to the Square where we walked off our dinner before getting some ice cream from Beth Marie's. I love that place so much but when I saw they had my summer favorite as a permanent flavor I squealed with delight. (Literally) Bee's Nees ice cream which is lavender and honey. Wish I had taken a picture to share but I didn't pause once it was in my hand to share it with anyone. :)

Very much a nice Birthday this year, laid back and full of food. I still have half a basket of fruit in the fridge!

QUESTION: What Traditions do you have?