September Foodie Pen Pal REVEAL!!!

I love doing the Foodie Pen Pal Program. I'm not as consistent as I used to be, but every month that I partake I always meet these amazing Bloggers and healthy minded people. This month was no different! I seriously love telling my fellow Bloggers about doing this because besides it being fun, you get yummy goodies from different areas. How cool is that?!

If you are interested in learning more or signing up check out all the rules and info at yet another awesome blog I love The Lean Green Bean

Now for the good stuff.....
My Foodie Pen Pal was Rachel. Check out her blog Oh Simple Thoughts (seriously, cutest blog site I visit.). She is fairly new to the Foodie Pen Pal program and I always tend to spoil my people a bit with lots of snacks. However, Rachel gave me probably one of the top 3 boxes in the 3 years I've done FPP. She either has amazing intuition, superior stalking skills or is very much like myself. Just check out these goodies!?

Such a lovely sight after a busy day.

 Justin's Nut Butters? Be still my heart, I literally go through this stuff at a ridiculous pace. I will say I was good and only ate one straight from the box with some nut thins. Ironically enough, I sent her some as well.

We all know how I love coffee and yet, I don't drink it as much as before since I'm doing more tea and water. So when I read this I thought, Blueberry cobbler? That's a little out there. I couldn't have been more pleasantly and deliciously surprised. This tastes so good and isn't overly fruity or sweet. It's rich and smooth and a wonderful combo. LOVE. it.

Check out the website: Strange Brew Coffee House and help support local shops!

 Then there were these gems. To be honest, they did not last long, especially after the Hubs tried the dark chocolate ones. Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, Also from Strange Brew Coffee House. Holy Yum.

 Finally, there was THIS. Rachel made me some of her homemade Spice Tea Mix.

IT SMELLS LIKE CHRISTMAS.

Even the Hubs, who is NOT a tea drinker, asked me to make him a cup Saturday Morning on our first cool morning of Fall and he liked it. I add a small bit of milk and a teaspoon of agave nectar and one time even added a orange slice to it. Perfection. Citrus and sweet. So good. I learned the hard way though NOT to inhale to closely to the mix because you will inhale a little and it's no longer Christmas smelling when your choking. (Only I could pull that off, but it seriously smells so wonderful!)

Thank You Rachel! You spoiled me and introduced me to some new faves.

Sadly, with this months trip and our crazy schedules, I declined participating this month. Check back for another reveal post in November or even check out the ones from the past. :)

-Britt The HLC

Foodie Penpal Reveal Day!- May

YIKES!!!

Life has been so busy that I nearly forgot to post my favorite post of every month....

FOODIE PEN PAL REVEAL DAY!!!

Not sure what foodie Pen pal is all about? It's easy...

Lindsey created it last year.

Now, don’t you wanna join in the fun?! Here are the Foodie Penpals details:


-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 this month I had Julie as my match, while Emily had me as hers. I loved getting to know these inspiring women and enjoy their blogs, be sure to check them out!!!

So as usual, when the doorbell rang and our mailman handed me my package I got super giddy, I mean who doesn't like getting packages in the mail!? I was in such a rush to rip open my box that I did a poor job of taking pictures this round. (forgive me)

So many yummy things in a little box!

Emily truly spoiled me with things I can't find here in Texas and several of the items are homemade and sold at a area farmers market in Iowa, so stinking cute.

First up was the Almond & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate bar, so good and super rich. I'm not a huge dark chocolate fan and with some recent health issue I can't really eat too much of it. Enter the hubby who fell in love with it and has searched for it only to not find anything close.

Lara Bars, I must confess here and now...I've NEVER had a Lara Bar until this box arrived. My verdict; super moist and chewy and not really for me...I guess it's the texture? I loved the flavor but it just wasn't for me. I didn't let the other one go to waste though, I sent it to my match and she loved it!!

Beer Bread Mix. I LOVED this. it was so simple to make and my house smelled wonderful, just in time for a family cook out and everyone loved this bread and thought I had become this baking genius. :) Again, super easy and oh so yummy.

I also got some cute Italian pasta which I am saving for a rainy day when I have a craving for pesto sauce.

Bacon Ranch dip mix is going to be made this weekend as we head to the lake to visit with friends, I'm excited to see how it tastes.

So many unique goodies. Thanks Emily for putting so much thought and Love into my box!!

Don't forget to check out Lindseys blog and sign up for Foodie Pen Pals. It's so much fun and a great way to connect with other bloggers!

Happy Friday,
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

More Tea Please. -NOM NOM Wed.

Okay, seriously...I'm becoming a bit obsessed with tea lately.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Texan so sweet tea is practically in my veins but I've been trying new varieties of Hot tea and Cold with my Kuerig and I'm seeing such a difference in my energy and nerves by the end of a busy day.

A few of my faves:
TAZO- Awake, Calm & Zen
YOGI- Green tea Goji Berry, Green tea Blueberry Slim life
LIPTON- Spiced Chai & Blackberry
CELESTIAL- Sleepy time, Wild Berry Zinger and Blueberry


My Ultimate Cup of Tea though is Lavender tea. So good and it's just what I crave at the end of the day once the house is quiet and I'm not busy doing super mom/ wife duties.

Seriously, find this stuff and be amazed!

I still like my morning cup of coffee and I no longer miss Starbucks or the money I was throwing away on their overpriced crack fixes since I got my Kuerig. But the more I looked into Tea...the better the facts set me into slowly switching my daily amount of Coffee and Caffeine in general. According to the American Dietetic Association, a cup of tea contains an average of 40 mg of caffeine, compared to 85 mg as found in a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Not too mention the studies that have shown that just a few cups of tea a day can reduce your risk of certain cancers.  Unfortunately, iced tea doesn't necessary provide the same health benefits as brewed tea. Which again as a Texan makes it weird to drink hot tea in the middle of the day but I love the aroma from my hot tea and add how good it taste, how quickly it relaxes me and the health perks...I'm adjusting easily. :)

Question time: What's something you've switched in order to be healthier?

Nom Nom Nom

If you are anything like me, you kinda have this obsession with food. Not so much food in general because hey, we all need it and love it obviously, but I mean certain foods that just make your world go round or lift you up when your sad, sick or tired.

For me it's snacking. Oh yes, I can eat my 3 squares just fine but when it comes to the time in between those meal times...I'm snacking. Before I started running and actually taking care of myself it was all the bad things...candy, chips, soda, etc. We're all guilty of this, we're human. I can remember standing in front of the fridge at 2am plenty of times thinking to myself "Why are we here doing this? you're not hungry, go to bed!" and still reaching for the ice cream or some other thing I didn't need. Don't get me wrong, every once in awhile I find it necessary to just eat something not on your typical food list anymore. Splurge on that candy, drink that soda....but there has to be a balance.

You have to find your balance.

For me, my balance came when I was pregnant with Avery. I suddenly couldn't stand the sugary treats, or soda. I no longer craved the chips and fast food. Oddly, my biggest cravings were for salads, green tea and sour skittles. After Avery arrived and I was breast feeding I had to limit certain foods for both our benefits and that opened my eyes to a whole new kind of healthy eating, I never thought I'd fall in love with things like yogurt, dried fruits, granola, omegas, protein shakes and smoothies. Let alone stick with them after I stopped breast feeding. My current must haves are Greek yogurt, almonds and granola bars.

How about you? I want to know what your favorite snacks are and what you do for that balance we all need, so share away.

Here are a few of my current must haves....

dried cherries are so hard to find so when I do I get a little giddy. I dare you to add these to a baked good recipe and NOT fall in love.

As you can tell from the bag, I love me some pistachios....

My two fave flavors from my two fave bars.

These are amazing and have replaced my Klondike bars.

So good and easy to carry in your purse or gym bag.

Veggies, veggies, veggies.

Now, I'm hungry. :)

-Britt The HLC

NOM NOM WEDNESDAY

I'm so excited to actually have an entry for "Nom Nom Wednesdays" I have been trying out so many new and healthy recipes but I have failed at documenting them and showing the end results.



I found it on pinterest. This one is super easy and quick for a great snack.....bonus points for A liking it as she is by far the PICKIEST eater in all of toddler history. Anything she'll eat and like, I'm a fan of.




Apple Sandwiches:
2- 4 Apples (any variety, I like Gala, honey crisp or Fiji)
1/3 cup of choc. chips
1/2 cup granola
1/2 cup peanut butter




Wash apples, core and slice tops and bottom off before slicing horizontal in half.
Add peanut butter, granola and sprinkle with choc. chips before topping with other half.


Enjoy!
Easy, quick, yummy.

I love how Internet pictures make things look so amazing. haha, this is my reference picture but they are a bit messier than this picture.

Stay Healthy,

HLC