We’re Engaged! <3
A casual bike ride up the mountain on a beautiful Friday night turned into the best bike ride ever ♥
It seemed like just another ride up the mountain. I got home from work yesterday and the bikes were ready to go: bottles filled and tires pumped. I changed quickly and we were out the door. As we approached the base of the mountain JB mentioned he was going to summit up the “back road”. Thats’s the STEEP, shorter way up, so I said- go for it! I’ll meet you at the top! So I made my way to the top… eventually. We rode around for a minute enjoying the view and weather. As we stood there- he turned around and asked what the string was hanging out of his pocket. I didn’t think anything of it! I just said it’s a string, and left it at that…
So he asked me again and told me to pull it, that’s when I knew something was up. At the end of the string was a ring!
And I said Yes 
I couldn’t be any happier right now…
My boyfriend fiancé (that sounds WEIRD) and I are going to eat at JB’s mom’s tonight for Mother’s day and spread the news!… Hope you’re having an awesome weekend I’ll show you another close up of the ring soon… Right now I can’t stop staring at it 
22 Days Nutrition Review.. and Giveaway!
Time for a review and a Giveaway! I contacted 22 Days Nutrition after working out with the Jillian Michaels videos and heard about these bars. I finally checked them out online and couldn’t stop thinking about them… Weird? Not at all. 22 Days Nutrition bars are made without all the processed “JUNK” often seen in a lot of protein and “health” bars. These are great for on the go, pre and post work-out or for a quick snack when your belly is grumbling.
It’s true what they say- you are what you eat. So why not eat something good?
I’m excited to share my review of the bars with you so YOU can hopefully win a box for yourself. To maintain or start your clean eating healthy lifestyle! I’ll share a variety box containing all of these amazing flavors with you. All you have to do is keep reading and see how to win You can check out 22 Days Nutrition on the Web.
I was most excited about this one. The DAILY MOCHA MANTRA. First impression- it’s going to be awesome. Because I saw the organic coffee in the ingredients list? Yep.. and I was spot on with my predictions. It’s amazingly delicious. Wait- Chocolate and Coffee in a health protein bar? It’s because it’s unprocessed & organic that makes it A-OK. Hemp too? Hemp is a great source of protein that is easily digestible. (Remember these hemp muffins?) This bar has the perfect amount of sweetness to it without being too chocolatey which can be too overbearing in protein bars. This one is my favorite… by far.
Next up was the FRUIT NUT KARMA. First impression- sounds good however I’ve had my fair share of fruit nut bars that fall short in taste. I was weary it would be too tangy and tropical which I am not a fan of. After tasting this one I’m happy to tell you this one is a winner. It’s packed with just the right amount of fruit and creamy nut butter to give it a nice balance of flavors. I love the little pineapple pieces in there! It’s not overly powering with fruit and not super sweet, great bar.
Onto GOJI MATE FIRECRACKER. My first impression of this without looking at the ingredients was that it would have some chili pepper or be spicy and I got really excited! How awesome would that be a sweet, salty and spicy protein bar- is there such a thing?! Then I tried this bar and was PLEASANTLY surprised!!! No, it’s not spicy, but this one has Goji berries in it- they’re full of flavor and something I’ve never had before in a protein bar- really good!
Here’s the CHERRY CHOCOLATE BLISS . First impression- it’s going to be too tart with chunks of cherries in it… However- cherries are suppose to help with sleeping so this might be a good night time snack with 6 gm of protein in a pinch! This bar tasted like a chocolate covered cherry, with bursts of cherries and chunks of chocolate in it. This bar isn’t tart and has a sweet cherry flavor that actually tastes like cherries, not that fake cherry flavoring in other bars. Winner!
ENLIGHTENED PUMPKINSEED caught my eye. Was it because it had my favorite color for the packaging or because it says pumpkin on it? Either way my first impression was that it would be full seeds to keep me full. Flavor wise- pumpkin seeds are pretty mild yet full of protein and vitamins. The flavor was something I’ve never had before, to my surprise this bar had sunflower seeds which gave it a nice little crunch and punch of flavor. All of these bars are so different in flavor it would be hard to get sick of them
Saving the best for last? NUT BUTTER BUDDHA. I mean come on people- anything with nut butter I’m all over it. First impression- it’s going to be smooth and creamy with a chocolatey coating that melts in my mouth. This one was kind of a disappointment, yet still a great bar. This one had huge flavor just not for me. JB liked it, I just couldn’t stop thinking about the Daily Mocha Mantra All in all a great bar with great ingredients- just not my favorite, maybe it will be yours?
Thank you to 22 Days Nutrition for letting me review these bars and let my readers try your product too!
One lucky Winner will be chosen to win a 6 pack variety box! 1/20/2013, Sunday Night.
To Enter:
Leave a comment on my Blog and tell me which flavor you are looking forward to try and one of your healthy eating goals this year. *All I need is your name and E-mail (which won’t be public) so when you win I can contact you!
**To increase your chance to win, but not necessary** Mention or Follow 22 Days Nutrition and/or Share Foodie Cycles on Facebook. Mention or Follow @22 Days Nutrition and/or re-tweet @FoodieCycles on Twitter.
Top 10 Reason to own a Dog
Are you looking for something different? Perhaps a companion or a new member for the family? I saw this great article- and couldn’t agree more with it. Here’s 10 reasons why Dog’s are great additions to the family:
#1. They are always glad to see you. No matter what! If you leave for 2 hours or 2 minutes, they will greet you like you’ve been gone for days.. It’s the best thing in the world.
#2. Dogs are great listeners. They won’t talk back, or argue with you- they’ll just lend their floppy ears, snuggle and listen to whatever you have to say.
#3. They teach you great responsibility. As the owner you learn to listen to your dogs body language and understand what they need and want. When they need to go out, when to eat and when to play! You really can’t own a dog without being responsible.
#4. Dogs prepare you for children… somewhat. O.K- you can’t leave your kid home alone for 10 hours with a bowl of food and water for the day but training and caring for a puppy is a lot of work. Dogs need to be fed, cleaned, exercised, disciplined and most impotantly loved.
#5. Dogs are great teachers. For kids- Dogs teach kids how to be gentle and that animals have feelings too. It shows them how to care for dogs and one day your kids will be able to get a dog of their own.
#6. They’re always up for an adventure. As long as they are with you- they are up for anything! Even if it’s shoveling snow or cleaning up the yard, especially if they can get muddy!
#7. They’re great garbage disposals. As much as I like to give Sly scraps and leftovers, I try and avoid it because human food can be dangerous for dogs. Dogs will always hover around the table to look for scraps, so if something falls it’s easy because you don’t have to pick it up Just make sure it’s safe for them to eat!
#8. They love you no matter what. Have you ever yelled at your dog and 2 minutes later they act like nothing ever happend? That’s because they have the biggest hearts. Dogs will forgive you and love you if you give them a chance.
#9. Dogs help you get exercise! Taking your dog for a walk not only is fun for you pup but also great for you too. Dogs live to run and play, so why not join them?
#10. Dogs make you feel safe. Even if you know their bark is bigger than their bite. (Ahem- like someone I know). Dogs hear and see things before you do- hopefully making the stranger think twice about coming in after hearing your barking dog… (even if he looks like this when he’s barking it you)
What makes your dog part of your family?
If you’re thinking about getting a dog, did I convince you yet?
Day 2- For the Dog Lover
Day 2 of the *12 days of Christmas* continues and today is For the Dog Lover.
Woof. Our animals are part of the family too. Here’s a fun way to show the person who loves their pets so much that you care this holiday season:
You can get an actual stuffed animal made from a picture you send in.. check it out.
Or get a canvas picture done.. check it out.
Or- you can always get a cute mug, fill it with some dog treats and call it a day If you’re from the Worcester area- check out the Tasty Treat Tent and Maggie’s Food for pet’s they have some great stuff!
It’s Sunday and you know what that means… time to bake! Not sure what I want to make yet. Any ideas? I’m heading out to pick up our CSA shortly, then time to do the usual Sunday grind.. laundry.. ride the trainer.. planning for the week.. fun, fun! Hope you have a fun & productive day
Wedding in ATL
So I’m back.. and the wedding was beautiful. Steph did and AMAZING job. I couldn’t even imagine planning something like that… AWESOME JOB STEPH!
So Friday my Mom and I arrived in ATL, where we went out to lunch with some of the family. Steph and I @ Vortex..
That’s my cousin Dan- Birthday Boy- devouring his lunch.. not just any old lunch.
Ever seen the show Man Vs. Food?…
Danny took on the DOUBLE BYPASS BURGER.. JUST SHOWN IN THE VIDEO!
So that’s just how the weekend started, you can imagine how the rest went. Friday the girls went back to Stephs house to work on wedding stuff:
Saturday we picked up the dress.. got our nails done.. finished up some last minute plans, and went out to meet everyone. I don’t have too many pictures, but I’ll be getting more as time comes, so stay tuned.
The big day.. We arrived @ the Beauty Bar to get our hair and makeup done.. We brought mimosa’s, cheese & crackers and fruit. It was just perfect
They did an amazing job..
and off for pictures!!!
These two sisters are just amazing- Love you guys (Hey KB YO KB HEY KB YO HEY KB YO.. KB.. KB!)
I’ll try and get more pictures from everyone as time goes on.. Hope you had a great week! Time to catch up on things around here..
Oooo… Someone is turning the big 3-0 this weekend Guess who?
♥ THIS GUY!!!
Monkey Muffins
Sly met a lady friend. Her name is Abby..
They are so stinkin’ cute! I think love is in the air.
Mr. Sweet Tooth himself has been itching to have some cookies- so I made a batch today while he was out MTN biking.. Oatmeal chocolate chip Yep- just because.
And for this week and next weekend (as I will be working) I made some Monkey Muffins! (Paleo friendly) I was in a baking mood today.. can’t you tell?
Here’s how I made these: preheat @350
Mix together:
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 c. honey
- 1/3 c. coconut oil
- 1 t. vanilla
add in:
- 1/2 c. coconut flour
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 t. baking soda
fold in:
- 1 Lg. very ripe, mashed banana
- 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/4 c. walnuts or any nut you like
Bake for 25 minutes- makes 12 muffins
I finally got my new wheels in last week and gave them a whirl yesterday- they are AWESOME. I didn’t think that just switching out your wheelset would make a difference. 1LB lighter, I sure can tell! Looking forward to my Monday night ride with the Barney’s Gang tomorrow:)
Time to get me cold weather riding gear out…
