Strange But Good: My Favorite Things

October 4, 2013 By Laura

3 years is a long time.

This blog is my longest commitment. Kidding… sort of.

In 3 years, I have learned a LOT! I didn’t have a clear vision outside of “food” when I began. I was playing roller derby, drinking a lot of beer with the occasional side of Waffle House, and trying to be a runner. 3 years later, I no longer play derby, I don’t run half as much as I did, and I’ve competed in 2 figure competitions (with 2 more just a month away – eep!). I also drink less beer, and am about 15 pounds lighter. Waffle House still happens after every figure competition though. 😉

#strangebutgood #yolkporn

In the beginning, no one read my blog except my mom. Now more people read ~~and my mom doesn’t~~. I remember my first comment from a stranger. It was from Tina – I was so excited!!! 3 years late, I’m honored today to call her a friend. I’m honored to call a LOT of my favorite bloggers friends. This is an inspiring, motivated community full of diversity, humor, and FUN.

End mush. Begin giveaway.

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On the last day of my Blogiversay Favorite Things week of giveaways, I wanted to share ALL the things! Rather than giving you a #strangebutgood recipe, I’m giving you things to make your own strangeness!

I am sooooo excited about this. Trying new things is a sport to me, so hopefully I’ll be able to share something new with one of you!

Some things aren’t so much strange as they are staples, or representative of things I love. Other items are in the pile because people are always asking where I get ingredients (I’ll be your dealer!).

House of Payne tank top – This is from my gym! The shirt is this style (it’s a small, but I can check if you need M or L). I love Steve Payne and his crew. Check them out here.
Peanut Flour – You all know I am having an intense love affair with this stuff. I like it better than PB2 (and others) because it’s less processed. The only ingredient is peanuts (no preservatives, sodium, sugar, etc). If you don’t win it, you can order your own from iHerb. Use discount code USO924 for $5-10 off your order!
Flavors – There are SO many ways you can flavor your food without salt, sugar, and other unhealthy things! These are a few of my favorites:

Olive oil from local farmers Sweetwater Growers. They have a variety of flavors, but rosemary gets me every time.
Butter extract – I find it at Whole Foods, but I know several of you haven’t been able to locate it. I’ve used it in Cookie Dough Oatmeal, Cauliflower Protein Pancakes, Oatmeal Cookie Protein Shakes, a healthy Everything Schmer for your bagel… it’s also awesome with the peanut flour.
Asian Seasoning – I’m not really sure what it is, but it’s good and it involves chili pepper. It’s one of the many random things I’ve located at Atlanta’s giant farmer’s markets.

Treats – These aren’t exactly the picture of healthy, but when I’m feeling snacky they sure hit the spot! And they aren’t the worst things in the world. Everyone knows and loves Quest bars. The Brownie is my favorite (cut in squares and baked for 10 min on 350). Vega’s Savi Seeds are a crunchy-salty satisfier. Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cup… I don’t think I need to explain this deliciousness. Lastly, my favorite gum. I cannot workout without it! Extra seems to be the longest lasting.
Burdock Root Crisps – I have no idea what this is. I got them to represent my love of the international farmer’s market and trying new things. Let me know how they are! 😉
Cherry-Flavored Dried Cranberries – I cannot stand dried fruit. Except for these funky-flavored things. Specifically, I love them in my…

Granola Cookies! Old picture because I haven’t made them yet… I will ship you a fresh batch. They can be made vegan and/or gluten-free upon request.

Thanks for helping me celebrate this week! Don’t forget the giveaway for my favorite protein powder, Growing Naturals, is still open through the weekend too
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

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I'll take a break from giveaways and get back to recipes next week. In the mean time, check out the Strange But Good link ups!

What would you try first out of this bag of my favorite schwag? Hee hee. I rhymed.

If you were going to send a box to someone that represents you, what would you include?

You’re Off to Great Places + Growing Naturals Giveaway

October 3, 2013 By Laura

I’m addicted to the powder.

Not that powder. Where are your minds?! Shame!

Protein powder, bro. I have high standards:

NOT grainy or chalky
Not full of sugar or loaded with a billion carbs
Must actually taste like the flavor on the label
Ingredient lists need to be recognizable and short
Must contain at least 20g of protein

I have tried them all. Today, I am SO excited that my #1 favorite protein powder of all time, Growing Naturals, has agreed to join in the Blogiversary week celebration. They meet my high standards and then some… they are even soy-free and vegan!

The chocolate rice powder really does impart a chocolate taste. It’s perfect in my Mocha Beet Frapp. The vanilla was just the right amount of flavor to make my Plantain Ginger Bread taste like a warm treat.

I’m getting wordy. It’s Kat’s turn to blog today. Just click here for more on why they rock. Or, for proof, know that ~~beg~~ seek them out to sponsor me at Blend and do giveaways… I want everyone to try it! 😉

Sooooo… here’s the schwag one of you will WIN (giveaway entry at the bottom – US only, along with winners for Monday and Tuesday’s giveaways!):

Speaking of protein… my girl Kat is going to need plenty to fuel the race she’s running this weekend. Check her out and wish her luck below!!!

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You’re off to great places!

(by: Kat)

I’m leaving for my 100 mile race in Pennsylvania today. Yes, 100 miles, 32 hour time limit. I’m trying not to try to figure out how fast I have to run each mile to finish in under 30 hours, under 28 hours, etc. I really just want to finish. (Editor’s note: You are officially my hero.)

I’m scared, and I even emailed the race director to see if I could defer my entry ‘til next year. He said no, so I’m going. Eeeeeeek!

This has brought up serious insecurity. Why do my friends believe I can do this more than I believe in myself? My new mantra on my runs has inspired some confidence in me. I’ve been telling myself, “I am strong, I am injury-free, and I can do this!”

It really does help me re-frame and know my body is capable and my mind is yearning for the … what? (Editor’s note: This is so true. I do it in lifting. It’s amazing what positive self-talk can do to your physical abilities… and you know I’m not the touch-y feel-y type.) Maybe a break-through, maybe a break-down. Sometimes we need a little of both.

I plan on taking good care of myself, and Wednesday night was all about packing carefully, and preparing my food/necessities. With 100 miles on foot, you have to think: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and more calories. (Editor’s note: Meal time is my favorite!)

I also have to think about injury prevention, which means lights, batteries, keeping myself warm. I have to honor the body that allows me to even attempt this kind of challenge. I am so grateful to have a healthy body that allows me to push myself physically to achieve something mentally.

I also need to mention that waiting for my bar results has been a terrible waiting period, and I keep getting asked about the date for results which makes me a little batty. It’s October 28^th. Results October 28^th. (Editor’s note: We are going to celebrate hard core! I know you OWNED it!)

Right now, I’m wound up tight, and so are my finances. I’m so grateful for everything I have right now, including my Cold Life Organics deliveries, which save me money and allow me to experiment.

A few experiments lately include this parsnip-cauliflower puree and stuffed red bell peppers. They are both so easy I didn’t initially think of them as a blog post. But they are unique, delicious recipes that helped me to think outside the box.

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Parsnip-Cauliflower Puree

3 large parsnips, cut roughly into ¼ inch pieces
½ head cauliflower, cut roughly into ¼ inch pieces
½ Vidalia onion, diced
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt, to taste
1-2 T coconut oil
3 T butter
¼ C coconut milk

Saute onion, garlic, cauliflower, and parsnips in the coconut oil until it is generally soft-ish. You should easily be able to pierce the parsnips with a fork.

Add saute to a food processor and puree. Add coconut milk, butter, and salt to taste.

The parsnips give the cauliflower puree a floral taste that isn’t overwhelming. It’s a fun substitute for mashed potatoes that will leave your guests wondering. It’s gluten free, and can be made vegan by substituting the butter for your favorite butter substitute. It’s also lower carb and lower calorie, if you’re going for that! I served it with a little salad and chicken.

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

1/4 lb ground anti-biotic free chicken
1/4 C rice, uncooked.
2 red bell peppers
1 C marinara sauce
1/4 yellow onion
1 T coconut oil
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 green bell pepper
1/8 C nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the tops off of bell peppers, and clean out seeds. Boil water and cook the bell peppers in the water for about 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Saute green pepper, onion, and garlic in the coconut oil, add the chicken and continue to saute until just cooked, but not dried out.

Stir in marinara and nutritional yeast.

Stuff peppers with the mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes.

I put cheese on top of one, and not on top of the other. Both were delicious. They’re gluten free and can easily been made vegan by eliminating/substituting the chicken for TVP. These were so easy and tasty, and they brought back childhood memories for my dinner partner. We love nostalgic food. We both also added additional nutritional yeast as a condiment while we ate.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check back at the NuNaturals and Muesli Fusion giveaways for the winners!

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Good luck KAT!!!! P.S. You guys come back tomorrow. It’s a giveaway I put together myself of my favorite most-used items. 🙂

What easy recipes/meals do you forget to share because they are just so easy?

What challenges are scary to you lately, and how do you keep yourself going?

Play With Your Food + WIAW

October 2, 2013 By Laura

At what age did playing with your food become wrong?

Maybe when people started staring…

Stares don’t bother me. When I look at my plate of delicious in the middle of a long work day, I want to smile! For the 3rd day of giveaways, I reached out to the party animals at Hefty Zoo Pals to ask if they would share the fun with you all.

Never mind the fact that their website clearly states these plates “were specifically developed for kids.”

Now everyone can have a Zoo Pal! Ok, not everyone…

Hefty agreed to send 10 of you vouchers for a FREE pack of Zoo Pals plates! Pleasssssse tag me if you Instagram them. I’m so exited or the Zoo Pal takeover! (Giveaway at bottom of post.)

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Rather than a true WIAW (I’m literally eating out of baggies on an airplane), I wanted to share a fun day of eats off of my favorite plates!

Read on for my animal plate eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog to check out what everyone else is enjoying this week.

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Play with your food!

1. The fun doesn’t stop with the plates. I also eat Dora edamame with my Turbot (it’s a fish) wrap

2. Baked Turbot with injera and my Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

3. Sea Bass with a raw zucchini and asparagus salad marinated in salsa and nutritional yeast

4. Swordfish with cucumbers and hummus

1. Zucchini, watermelon radish, and Dijon Baked Chicken with lentil hummus

2. Sea Bass with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato (topped with the cinnamon I store in my desk).

3. Eat more veggies says Reggie! Celery, snow peas, and more Dijon Baked Chicken (I keep it in the freezer for emergencies)

4. Bison off of a lion plate seems appropriate, no?

1. Tortilla ~~overstuffed~~ topped with lean ground beef, yellow tomatoes, spinach, and avocado

2. Turkey burger sandwich on Ezekial bread with Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

3. Salmon sashimi with lavar, Ezekial bread, and my Creamy Asian Kale Salad

4. Swordfish with more kale salad and a Tomato Brownie

Are you ready to play with your food?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you reallllly want to know that craziness I’m eating on the road, check out my Instagram feed.

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Don’t forget to enter the Muesli giveaway for $50 to use in their store!

Do you play with your food? I know a lot of you guys are Instagram food stylists!

What is the best part about meal time for you?

Hard Core + Muesli Fusion Giveaway

October 1, 2013 By Laura

I’m sure my washboard abs are in there somewhere.

Too bad I can’t just go to the fridge for that 6-pack…

I’m in the homestretch for my next figure competition. My abs have 5 weeks to make their appearance. They are always, always fashionably late. Today’s Work It Out is a quick overview of my new ab strategy (it’s working!!!).

Let me bring by giving you my top ab secret: abs are made in the kitchen. There is no way around this. You’re diet must be on point unless you are one of those naturally blessed people ~~who I want to kill~~. I was not blessed. I have a short torso. When I gain, it’s always in my stomach first. Why can’t it go to my ~~boobs~~ quads?!

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We’ll come back to the kitchen in a bit. First, let’s talk exercise.

I lack the patience to do a ton of dedicated core work back-to-back. I also lack the patience to rest between sets (except on leg day when I’m begging to rest). My solution is to combine them!

Every other day I work core moves into my upper body workouts. Rather than stand around between each set, I drop to the ground and do 25 ab reps. My arms rest while I do core, and my core rests while I do arms! Yes, you do use each as a secondary muscle, but it’s not so much that you’re sacrificing quality.

If I do 6 exercises, 4 sets each, I’ve done 600 core exercises by the end!

While I plan you workout, I select 4 core moves to perform. After weight set 1, I do core exercise 1. After weight set 2, I do core exercise 2, and so on. Here’s a “how to” for the group of 4 that I’ve been loving lately:

Body Rocks (thanks to Heather for this idea)

In and Outs

Stability Ball Sit-Ups

Figure Eights

Note: Don’t do this every day. Your abs need time to rest and recover just like any other body part!

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Back to the kitchen. There are several foods that are particularly guilty of being junk food in healthy clothing. Flavored yogurts (sugar bombs), deli meat (infested with preservatives and sodium), and granola (again with the sugar) are big ones.

For today’s “Favorite Things Anniversary Week Giveaway,” I want to share my favorite granola with you. I was first introduced to Muesli Fusion at Blend last spring. Always the skeptic, the first thing I did was read the label. Lo and behold, it’s not a junk food in disguise! Bonus: they have gluten-fee option!

I love using it to top my post-workout protein smoothie bowls. It gives my the carbs I need to refuel and adds some texture to my smoothie.

Athlete’s Fuel is my favorite – it has 7 grams of protein and only 3 grams of sugar per serving!

Want to try it for yourself? Muesli Fusion is offering a $50 gift code to one of you.* With that much money, you can try a few flavors!

*Again, this is not a sponsored giveaway. I reached out to my favorite brands and ~~begged~~ asked nicely for a giveaway opportunity so you can try them out too.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Don’t forget – there’s still time to enter the NuNaturals giveaway! And, speaking of birthdays, happy birthday to Lisa!!!

What is your favorite granola flavor?

Do you have the patience to do dedicated core work? Which moves are your favorite?

Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt + NuNaturals Giveaway

September 30, 2013 By Laura

Happy Birthday to meeeeeee!

Shameless ~~over~~ celebration of birthdays is a family tradition.

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Sprint 2 the Table. Rather than wax poetic, I figured I’d just give you guys presents. Everyone ok with that?

This week there will be a giveaway EVERY DAY! These are NOT sponsored – I reached out to my favorite brands to ask if they’d be willing to share some love with you in honor of the big #3. I’m excited to start it out with my go-to sweetener.

I try to avoid added sugars (within reason – don’t come between me and my chocolate cake), but I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. One of my strategies for taming a sweet tooth is to use Stevia, which come from the Stevia leaf.

NuNaturals has offered to take place in the blogiversary celebration by offering to FOUR of you (1) one bottle of each of the Lemon, Peppermint , Vanilla, and the NEW Cherry Vanilla Stevia Liquids. Even better? This is open to anyone WORLDWIDE.

They sent me a little present too – I got to try the new Cherry Vanilla flavor! I went straight to me favorite meal of the day to test it out. Dessert!

Nearly every night I have a midnight snack in the form of a Greek yogurt or no-salt cottage cheese creation (yes, I eat after 7pm *gasp*). I don’t care for casein powder, so this is the perfect alternative for me. To sweeten these creations, I prefer to use liquid Stevia because I find it blends better.

This bowl of Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt is the perfect blend of rich cherry-vanilla from the Stevia and creamy, sweet sweet ‘tater. The texture is silky-smooth, and I love adding cherries, raw oats, and cacao nibs to the top for a little texture contrast. And chocolate. Always chocolate… mmmm…

Oh, right… the giveaway!!!! Enter here and keep reading for the recipe! ↓
a Rafflecopter giveaway

In case you don’t win, NuNaturals is also offering s discount on all orders placed online (www.nunaturals.com). Just enter discount code BLG1213 to receive 15% off of your order through December 31, 2013. There’s also free shipping on in the US on all orders over $35.

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Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt

1/2 baked sweet potato, peeled and mashed
1/2 C Greek yogurt
1 T coconut flour (optional… but not really ;))
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of cloves
5-6 drops NuNaturals Pure Liquid Cherry-Vanilla Stevia
1 T unsweetened almond milk (or other liquid)
Optional toppings: cocoa powder sauce (cocoa powder + liquid + stevia), cherries, cacao nibs, oats

Combine everything in a small bowl and mix until smooth. You may need to add more liquid to achieve desired consistency.

Top with your favorites and enjoy!

Note: You can make this ahead and/or even freeze it to make a fro-yo! This also makes for a bangin’ protein shake combo.

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I have to say again how EXCITED I am for this week. Tomorrow’s is awesome… and it comes with a workout. Overall this week is pretty marvelous. 😉

Have you tried Stevia yet? What’s your favorite way to use it?

Which do you prefer – sweet potato or pumpkin puree? Others?

Flipping Out + Designer Whey Winner

September 26, 2013 By Laura

Flipping out isn’t always a bad thing.

Let’s be real though – usually it isn’t pretty.

When I saw strongWOMAN Tara post about tire flipping, I immediately texted my trainer and asked if we could incorporate that into our session that night. I have no idea why I do these things to myself.

I didn’t realize how heavy tires were! I did the first two lengths of the gym with a 225 lb tire. Just when I was patting myself on the back, he decided we needed to up the weight. The next 2 lengths were done with a 265 lb tire. That’s when the real ~~hell~~ fun began.

This is the last bit:

For some reason he refused to bring me a beer after that… then made me do more legs! How rude!

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Just in case you didn’t come here to watch my huff and puff, I’ll go ahead and do as promised. Remember this giveaway?

The winner for the Designer Whey 1 year supply of protein is…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations!!! For those of you who’d still like a sweet protein deal, check out Jody’s site for a discount code on you next order of Designer Whey!

You better believe I had a healthy serving of Designer Whey after tire day!

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I knew my butt would be sore, but my forearms are also STIFF after that flippin’ tire.

Have you ever flipped a tire? Would you willingly do so?

Do you yell or grunt when you’re lifting something especially heavy? I can’t help it!

Protein Jackpot: Designer Whey Giveaway

September 23, 2013 By Laura

It’s no secret that I’m a protein monger.

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Designer Whey.

Given my addiction, I was thrilled when Designer Whey asked me to help them celebrate their 20th anniversary. Birthdays are a BIG deal in my family, and Designer Whey is doing it up right. They are giving away a FULL YEAR supply of products!!!

There are a few ways to enter to win at the end of this post. 😉

While whole proteins (eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, legumes, etc.) should be you main sources of protein, but I believe that having protein powder in my diet is beneficial for several reasons.

Protein Powder “Pluses”

Protein “Filler”: It can be added to meals that are normally lower in protein (smoothies, oatmeal, etc) to help keep you full longer
Convenience: When I travel (which is frequently), I always have a stash of powders. You never know when you’re going to be caught without a meal option! It’s also the perfect hotel breakfast. I use chocolate protein powder and coffee to make a gourmet hotel breakfast – Mocha Oatmeal!
Flavor Variety: For me, variety is key to staying on track. I can’t stand to eat the same thing all the time, so I love using different flavored powders as a boredom-beater. They can also act as a good base of customized flavors, like this Oatmeal Cookie Dough Shake
Muscle Fuel: After lifting, having an easily absorbed protein aids in building lean muscle and in recovery. Muscle burns fat. It will actually help lean you out. It’s the food you eat that bulks you. Feed muscles, not fat cells *steps off soap box*

There are two types of protein I like to use: plant-based and whey.

For the whey protein, my go to is Designer Whey and has been ever since I was introduced to them via FitFluential. Since then, I’ve been creating like crazy with it!

Balsamic Strawberries and White Chocolate Cream

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

(Mr. Olympia-approved!)

Microwave Carrot Cake

Microwave Zucchini Bread

Apparently I decided to thoroughly test it’s ability to be baked… I can assure you, it bakes very well. 😉

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So now for the really good part. How do YOU win the Protein Jackpot?*

*Protein Jackpot: noun; the chief prize in a game or contest; protein jackpot consists of twelve (12) 12oz Designer Whey French Vanilla protein powders; twelve (12) Designer Whey protein bar 12-ct boxes (4 12ct Peanut Butter Crunch boxes, 4 12ct Triple Chocolate Crunch boxes, and 4 12ct Caramel Chocolate Crunch boxes); twelve (12) Designer Whey Protein 2GO 5-ct boxes (4 5ct Lemonade boxes, 4 5ct Tropical Orange boxes, and 4 5ct Mixed Berry boxes); six (6) Designer Whey High-Protein Ready-to-Drink Shakes 4-packs (3 4-packs French Vanilla and 3 4-packs Gourmet Chocolate). Approximate Retail Value of Grand Prize: $500

1. Click HERE and order your free tattoo. Snap a photo of you and your tattoo, then send it in for a chance to win.

2. Enter my giveaway below for 1 year supply, worth $500! (The giveaway is open to US residents only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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After a crazy weekend full of plumbing problems and staying on track with food prep, I cannot thank you enough for your encouraging words on last Wednesday’s post. They sparked me and helped me smile through it all. You guys ROCK! And you’re marvelous.

Have you ever tried Designer Whey? If so, what’s your favorite way to use it?

What is your favorite protein powder recipe? Share it in the comments!

Happy 4th of July!!!

July 4, 2013 By Laura

Happy 4th of July!

In honor of the 4th, I’m taking a llittle break, but I did promise to let you know who won the Designer Whey giveaway!

These 6 ladies are going to have an especially happy 4th…

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My 10K is done!!! Time to celebrate with a few treats… See you all tomorrow for a #strangebutgood Friday!

Does anyone else have to work tomorrow?

How are you celebrating the 4th?

Strange But Good: My Favorite Things

You’re Off to Great Places + Growing Naturals Giveaway

You’re off to great places!

Parsnip-Cauliflower Puree

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Play With Your Food + WIAW

Play with your food!

Are you ready to play with your food?

Hard Core + Muesli Fusion Giveaway

Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt + NuNaturals Giveaway

Cherry-Sweet Potato Greek Yogurt

Flipping Out + Designer Whey Winner

The winner for the Designer Whey 1 year supply of protein is…

Protein Jackpot: Designer Whey Giveaway

Protein Powder “Pluses”

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July!

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