After a long day at work this past Tuesday, I came home to a big box sitting on my doorstep. Normally I just order a ton of stuff on amazon for myself, so I was super excited to see something that I didn’t order! Arctic Zero was nice enough to send me a box full of ice cream to try out – low calorie, full of chocolate, GMO free, gluten free… um, YES please! The box came wrapped up in a beautiful bow with a note – I felt like such a princess! Surprise gifts, ice cream, bows, chocolate… men, take note 😉
After opening the package, I found instruction on how to eat the ice cream (wait, there are instructions? don’t you just eat the entire pint as soon as you take it out of the freezer??), as well as 5 different flavors to try: Salted Caramel, Butter Pecan, Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Chip, and Mint Chip.
Normally I would dig in right away, but in order to eat with the best consistency, you need to wait and let it thaw. Ok, that wasn’t happening… Option 2: microwave for 30 seconds. Ok, I can do that.
I decided to try the flavors in the order that I thought would taste the best:
Salted Caramel
Chocolate Chip
Mint Chip
Key Lime Pie
Butter Pecan
After thawing my first pint, I dug right in – and burnt my tongue. On ice cream. Is that even possible?? I must have left the pint in the microwave a bit too long, and the ice cream got a little TOO warm. After it happened, I spent the next 2 minutes laughing at myself, because seriously – only this would happen to me. I guess this is what happens when you live by yourself, are impatient, and love ice cream… it’s like being a child. Even though you are an adult. BTW – who even let me have the title of “Adult?” ANYWAYS. On to the ice cream review, because I know that’s why you are reading this post!
Salted Caramel: creamy, delicious, and exactly what I expected. Not too sweet, and would have been perfect topped with chocolate. Since this is low in calories, I think a little extra chocolate wouldn’t hurt 🙂
Chocolate Chip: Unfortunately, I thought this flavor was a bit bland. The chocolate chips were a nice addition, but the ice cream iteself didn’t have much of a flavor. I only took 2 bites from this.
Cool Mint Chip: Growing up, my grandma would always have mint chocolate chip ice cream in her freezer. So of course, I had high expectations. This flavor was not as sweet, but minty, creamy, and had the perfect amount of chocolate chips in it.
Key Lime Pie: Ok. So, this is not a flavor I would EVER voluntarily choose. Not that I don’t like key lime pie, I just prefer to eat chocolate and peanut butter ice creams. With that being said, this was actually my favorite flavor. The chunks of graham cracker crust, not too sweet, and a hint of tartness from the lime = perfection.
Buttery Pecan: This was my third favorite flavor! Tasted exactly like butter pecan ice cream – and the amount of chopped pecans was perfect!
With delicious treats food, my general rule is always eat first, ask questions later. Ok, probably not the best rule to have if you are trying to eat healthy… but with Arctic Zero, you don’t have to worry. The ice cream is made out of hormone-free whey protein (& lactose free!) + monk fruit, is gluten free, high in protein, low fat, GMO free and low glycemic. Basically, just eat as much as you can after a workout without making yourself sick. The entire pint is only 150-300 calories, so why not? Ice cream for dinner! Again, I don’t know who told me I could adult – I am a child running wild with a credit card, too much freedom and a huge sweet tooth 🙂
After reading all of this, who is hungry for ice cream? Lucky for you, Arctic Zero has VIP Vouchers for 1 free pint OR box of chocolate dipped bars for 5 lucky winners! The VIP vouchers are valid at any retail store that carries Arctic Zero products. There are a few ways to enter (the more you do, the more entries you get!):
5 winners will be randomly chosen one week from today! If you simply cannot wait and need to go out and buy some right now, you can enter in your zipcode here to find a store near you that carries Arctic Zero (I normally buy mine from Kroger or Whole Foods).
Thanks for reading, and good luck in the giveaway!
11/24 – The contest has ended – congrats to the 5 winners below! Arctic Zero will send an email requesting an address to send you your free ice cream voucher!
**The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation.
Sooooo where to begin? Things have been absolutely crazy the last month, and I have barely been able to keep up! A few things:
New job – yep, after 2 (LONG) years of working in ecommerce, I quit my job. New job = a new chapter in my life, advance in my career, and less stress. Besides the longer commute to work, I couldn’t have asked for anything better! Well, unless I was traveling for my job, but that might be in the not-too-far-away future 😉
Running – I decided to run a 5k on Thanksgiving – so lately, I’ve been making time to run 2-4 miles a few times a week, as well as signing up for a 5k this past weekend as a preparatory race. The race was called “The Donut 5k” – you get to eat donut holes every mile, then are handed a half a dozen donuts once you cross the finish line. Of course it was a no brainer to sign up! Unfortunately, I didn’t feel so good from going out Thursday and Friday night… but, fortunately, my body magically decided it was fast – and I ended up running the race in under 24 minutes! First place in my age group, 7:41 pace. Considering I had major knee surgery last year, I am incredibly grateful for the progress I have made in running – the body is capable of amazing things!
Travel – I took an impromtu trip to the beach in FL on Monday this week – yep, for 1 day. I needed some time to relax before starting my job, and even though I only had 1 day to do it, I did it right! After teaching my Sunday yoga class, I booked a flight 6 hours before take-off – went to a yoga workshop for 2 hours – then hurried to the airport to catch my flight. I arrived in Florida around 1 am, slept, then went to the beach from 11 am to 5:30 pm at night. I read, napped, and swam in the ocean. At night, I hung out with family. It was the most perfect day trip I could have asked for! Tuesday I flew back to Columbus at 4 pm, managing to somehow run errands, go shopping, and meet friends for dinner. Travel is awesome, but sometimes it lacks in the sleep department. But – that’s what the weekends are for, right??
Yoga Teacher training – only 2 more 10-hour Saturday classes before I am DONE! This 200 hour training has taken quite a toll on me mentally – but in a good way! I have been learning so much, and there just are not enough hours in the day to study. Also – I will be putting on my first ever workshop next Friday! Update to come on how this goes/possible future handstand workshops in Columbus!
One More Thing…
My friends over at body building warehouse were kind enough to send me some samples of their products – whey protein from happy European, grass-fed cows. I finally was able to give their protein shakes a try – the hot chocolate (YES, a hot chocolate drink that’s good for you!!) and Banana Peanut Butter. I consider myself pretty smart, so I decided to mix the 2 together – banana + chocolate + peanut butter = Gods gift to humankind.. so basically, this was an amazing shake. I recommend mixing with ice/a frozen banana + milk (I used almond). You can find a huge range of products at their site – check them out here, it’s hard to find good quality protein mixes these days! There are also non-dairy flavors too, so there is something for everyone!
That’s it… for now! I’ll be posting a recap in the coming weeks of finishing up my yoga teacher training, more races, and moving! Also – where will I be traveling next?? More to come on this 🙂 Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!
To prep for my upcoming trip to Europe, I’ve been stashing up on snacks and protein bars to bring with me. For the days that I will be walking around a lot, working out, unable to find food right away, I need snacks on hand to tide me over. Insert: Exo Protein Bars! For those of you who are a little more adventurous, these bars are made out of cricket protein powder. Yep, you read that right. Crickets.
Now before you stop reading and swear on your dead body that you would NEVER eat a bug, let me drop a little knowledge on you about the greatness of these bars:
So are you sold on trying them yet? If not, below is my own personal review – and let me tell you, I was a bit freaked out at first to eat bugs 😉
Exo sent me 4 bars to try:
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Blueberry
Apple cinnamon
Cocao nut
I originally thought blueberry would be my favorite – however, the Peanut Butter & Jelly and the Cocoa nut ended up being my favorite! The blueberry & Apple cinnamon bars tasted a little earthy – I liked that the other 2 bars had a more prominent flavor. When I first tried these bars, I was definitely thinking a few things: OMG. I am eating crickets. Are these going to be crunchy? OMG this is gross.
After taking a few bites, I realized that it wasn’t so bad. The crickets are washed, dried to remove the moisture, then milled into fine flour. The result is slightly nutty-tasting flour that is high in protein and micronutrients (source). I think the only issue with these bars is the mental hurdle – the fact that you are eating bugs. If someone handed me this bar without telling me it was made with crickets, I would have thought it was just a tasty protein bar. And – if you need any more convincing – a few of my girlfriends tried these bars with me, and they gave a thumbs up!
So – after reading my reviews, I know you all are just itching to try these bars… especially you adventurous, paleo, backpacking, planet-saving people of the earth! Exo has 1 box of PB&J bars to give away to one lucky winner. All you have to do is 1) 1) Follow my blog and 2) tell me why you want to try these bars! Enter at the link below, and leave your response in the comments below. Rafflecop will randomly choose a winner by the end of Monday, 9/7 @ 11:59 pm ET. I can’t wait to read everyone’s response!
**This contest is now closed… The winner is Linda R! Congrats!
Click here to be entered into the EXO Protein Bar Giveaway!
**The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation.
Soooo this weekend, I cooked. and cooked. There were a lot of recipes I’ve been pinning on pinterest that needed to be made… so Sunday, I made my food for the week! Roasted green beans in the over, bacon-wrapped honey mustard chicken fingers, bacon & brussel sprout hash, and the best recipe of all… Sweet potato egg nests! These are perfect to make for 2 people – and all you really need are eggs and 1 sweet potato! Recipe is below!
Paleo Skillet Sweet Potato Egg Nests
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Peel sweet potato with a vegetable peeler (or julienne peeler) and place all peelings into a cast iron skillet. Top with 1/4 cup coconut oil (or oil of choice) and mix in with sweet potatoes, turning the heat to medium on the stove. Add in your spices. Cook the sweet potatoes until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Make 4 little “baskets,” and crack open an egg in each one. Cook for about 1 minute, until the white are cooked on the bottom. Take the skillet and place in the oven to Broil on high for 1-3 minutes, or until eggs have cooked to your liking. Remove from oven, and let cool for a few minutes. Use a spatula to scoop out – and Enjoy!
Hi all!
I apologize for the delay… Catching up from being out of the country last week!
The winner of the RX Bar giveaway is… Jordan D! You are the winner of an RX bar sample 10 pack of all 5 flavors! Congrats! RX bar will be contacting you via email to gather your information. Enjoy your bars!
To everyone else who entered the giveaway – THANK YOU!! I love hearing from my readers and connecting with others who share a love of eating yummy food! Also – its pretty cool that it’s not just my mom that reads my blog 😉 (love you mom!)
Thanks again for participating in my first every giveaway… more to come in the next few months!
For more information on starting out as a new yoga teacher, learning cues for poses, how to put together classes, and tips for teaching classes, check out A Simple Guide For New Yoga Teachers!
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