Kiwi Cravings

Good evening all my favorite people! The weekend is almost upon us so hang in there!

I have decided to start a new segment called "Kiwi Cravings..." to share with you all new gadgets, recipes, treats, clothes, ect that I may be crushing on! Hopefully you will find something you like or what to try and if you have something you want to share for me to try or check out be sure to add it in the comments below!

First off: Pure Protein Bars

These things are straight dangerous! Taste almost like a snickers bar but have 200 cal, 20g of protein, 16g of carbs (1 from fiber and 2 from sugar), and 6g of fat! Not saying eat these bad boys all day every day but this is definitely my favorite bar I've found so far! DROOL.

Skinny Taste Black Bean Flour-less Brownies

{photo credit: Skinny Taste}

Holy wow, don't they look delicious?! My sister pointed me in the direction of this recipe and I am definitely making these this weekend! Brownies are a point of weakness for me so I would feel less terrible about eating the whole pan (just kidding) if they were healthy! I'll let you know how they turn out!

Wonder Woman Wrist Wraps

Say that 5 times fast! Whew! Found these on Etsy and they are soooooo cute! I think I NEED these. Being fashionable in the gym is important right? I bet I'll hit a PR with those babies!

Wod Gear Crops

Look at the color of these crops!!! Be still my heart! I have a pair of their running crops and I LOVE THEM. LOVE LOVE LOVE. They are thick, comfortable and stay in place while running and during wods! And their customer service is amazing! I must say I even like these more than my Lululemons!

Working on my weaknesses

I can only speak for myself but I know when I'm not good at something I tend to avoid it so I don't get discouraged. That is changing. I am dead set on mastering my pull-ups, pistols and toes to bar... I've been spending a lot of time lately building on those without beating myself up about it. Everyone grows at their own pace, slow and steady wins the race my friends.

On a bad ass note - I am happy to announce that I have been chosen to be a Fitfluential Ambassador! FitFluential is a nationwide network of fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline through multiple social media platforms. I am honored and excited to be apart of such a fun and encouraging community!! Check out their website and sign up to become a member!

What are somethings you are loving right now? Please share!

Eat clean, train mean, & inspire others!
-Jaren

WIAW #16

Good evening! Its another WIAW post and I'm going to continue posting like I have the last few weeks. Instead of posting everything I had in one day, I'm posting all the things I ate this week that caught my eye! This girl likes variety! 

----What WIAW isn't about----

Comparison - Judgement - Restriction - Guilt

----What WIAW is about----

Celebrating one of the glorious things we all have in common: We all eat!

WIAW is about food and fun! It's about making new friends, breaking out of a food rut, noting changes in your diet/lifestyle, inspiring yourself & others, embracing fruit & vegetables, nourishing your body with the foods that work for you, finding new ways to eat your favorite foods, and so much more <3

-peas & crayons

Steak, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and salad greens!

Paleo sloppy joes over a sweet potato and kale!

Fajita salad - chicken, avocado, greens, corn, black beans... Put salsa and sriracha as the dressing, someone neglected to tell me that it was ghost pepper salsa, and I couldn't feel my face for two hours after finishing my bowl.

Skinny Taste Turkey taco chili soup!

Thursday went by Starbucks for a treat, passion tea unsweet!

Friday we had a cold front come through and the rain was INSANE! But the hubby and I still braved it for some Zoe's Kitchen - steak rollups, hummus, and a greek salad.

And since we were already out braving the weather, we sprang for some Chiller Bee Froyo!

Egg whites, ham, and mushrooms with a sliced green apple!

Panko crusted salmon, honey carrots and garlic spinach.

Spent yesterday afternoon prepping lunches! Chipotle chicken breasts!

Chipotle chicken, sweet potato fries, and a side salad with avocado. Someone is always near by waiting to get some scraps!

My go to breakfast at work: ezekiel bread with 1/2 an avocado with sriracha, boiled egg, sliced ham, and grapes!

Workouts for the week!

Sprints and jogging while watching the North and South marathon on Encore Western! Was one happy lady!

My favorite yoga DVD!

2.8 miles of springs, jogging and hills! Been battling compartment syndrome so my time on the treadmill is limited before my legs cramp up but with lots of stretching and foam rolling I am determined to stick with it!

Question: What PR did you reach this week?
What new recipe did you try?

Eat clean, train mean, && inspire others!
-Jaren

MIMM #10

Happy Monday Friends! As much as I dislike Mondays, I’m glad to be back to routine after several days of holiday festivities.

So let’s talk all about my marvelous long weekend!

Thursday I got up early and ran sprints in the home gym. I had to share the TV with my niece who basically went crazy when she saw Lightning McQueen flash across the screen… I’m a sucker for Cars!

Afterwards involved lots of cleaning, cooking, and partying! We had all our immediate family and friends over for ribs, Mom’s homemade cole slaw, and grilled veggies! My friend Sarah brought Skinny Taste’s Red White and Blue Fruit Skewers with Cheesecake Yogurt Dip – which was amazing! Mom made this beauty.

Friday involved this deliciousness for lunch!!

And an evening of fun with friends and my niece and nephew.

Saturday I got up early and ran to town to make goodies for a friends party.

Nothing like a summertime cruise in the Camaro.

Then the hubby and I made the long trek down south, it was a blasty blast! Even though we didn’t get home till after two am. YIKES.

Sunday, we saw Candace and her family off back to Oklahoma… Sad business.

Then the hubby and I went to see the Heat!

It was pretty funny, I could just do without the F-word every other minute.

We did a little shopping as well at Target and Academy, my two favorite stores!

Picked up a new lunch kit so people would stop asking me if I was bringing a 12pack to work everyday. Plus it is pretty and stylish. Grabbed some more coaches tape for Crossfit wounds and new ice packs for my lunch kit since they get yucky after a while.

Can never have enough Yoga DVDs and I LOVE Jillian Michaels.

At Target I grabbed some Yes To shampoo and face wash. My little sister swears by it and introduced me to it, plus I’m always looking for ways to cut chemicals out my life. Also needed some more Stash’s green tea, and a new scrubby for my Crossfit induced callouses…

As for today, I managed to yank myself out of bed at 4am to get my butt kicked.

It has been a rainy day here in South Texas which is rare for the summer so this girl is going home and taking a rain and tin roof nap. Win.

Question:
What neat things did you pick up this weekend?
How did you spend your fourth of July?

Eat clean, train mean, and inspire others!
-Jaren

Weekend Wrap Up and a Recipe!

NOOOO! It can’t be Monday already, I’m not ready! I guess I can’t complain too much since it’s only a four day work week, which is pretty much a win.

Anyways, on this hot sunny Monday I thought I would just give you guys a little recap of my weekend!

I pretty much had the house to myself most of the weekend since the hubby had to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Boo.

Friday night the hubby made homemade Cajun Crawfish and Veggie pizza and we lounged on the couch and watched OZ. It was good but not one I’ll probably rewatch over and over. But I did really like the monkey!

Saturday morning I wanted to sleep in but that didn’t happen thanks to this little lady.

Such a hard life...

So I cooked myself breakfast and opted for some more yoga. Yoga is really growing on me lately. Weird.

Painted my nails!

When the hubby got home we gave the pretty lady a bath, I may or may not have stood under the water hose like a 5 year old since it was over a hundred degrees outside.

Then we headed off to the Bayou City Muscle Car meet. Dinner, froyo, and a whole lot of horse power.

Then one of my friends brought up my handstand photos so of course I had to demonstrate my mad skills.

Sunday I was a perfect mix of productive and lazy, if that’s even possible. Went to lunch with my sister, went grocery shopping for the week, and then cleaned the house only to turn around and nap the afternoon away!

But since I couldn’t let the hubby think I was laying around all day (even if I kind of was) I got up and ran sprints!

Proverbs 31:25

And cooked him dinner. I love Iowa Girl Eats Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet and have been craving it but I wanted to make it without pasta and more veggies! And voila!

Creamy Chicken Sausage and Veggie Skillet

2 tsp of olive oil
4 oz of half and half (I used organic)
1c of chicken broth
1 can of rotel drained
1/2c of onion
2-4 garlic cloves (or more)
3-4c of broccoli
2-3c of spinach
2c of chopped mushrooms
1pkg of chicken sausage
garlic pepper
1/2pkg Italian dressing seasoning

Add olive oil, onions and garlic and cook until the onions are clear.

Add chicken broth, rotel and sausage and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add half and half, broccoli, mushrooms, seasonings and cook until the broccoli is done.

Add spinach and cook until done.

Makes about 4-6 servings.

You can put a little parmesan or goat cheese shavings on top, YUM!

Today my sister Candace from Salt Water Quilts is coming to stay the week! HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY! And bringing my favorite kiddos in tow for the holidays. Who knows what kind of shenanigans we will get into this week!

Question: What did you do this weekend?
How do you plan to spend your 4th of July?

Eat clean, train mean, and inspire others!

-Jaren

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MIMM #9 June beginnings...

Good afternoon my lovelies! Its Monday – BOO, and the sun is shining – YAY! So I guess I can’t complain too much! Sorry for the hiatus (Granny I’ll try to post faster I swear), but I got sick then the hubby got sick so you know how that goes. Fun stuff.

Since it's Monday, I thought we would talk about all the marvelous things that I've been up to this past weekend!

First, I got a sweet package in the mail from my friend who teaches an indoor/outdoor cross training program that was created with women in mind called the Brawlin’ Betties Frit Camp! Can’t wait to wear my shirt and to represent! If you are in the Killeen, Texas area check them out or check them out on Facebook!

My family came into town (missed them BUNCHES) so I made some more of The Lean Green Beans Peanut Butter Avocado Cookies. In fact I made a double batch, and they lasted a day. ONE DAY. Obviously they were a hit.

Saturday was a blast! I love when you have an all-over MARVELOUSLY AWESOME day. Woke up and went to CrossFit PRx for a fundraiser. Houston recently lost 4 fire fighters in a terrible fire on May 31st; it was a very sad day. So Saturday the husband, my family and I loaded up and went to show our support for the HFD Fundraiser. It was 100 degrees outside so I didn’t participate (I don’t tolerate heat very well, or at all in fact and I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day with a migraine puking all over the place). They had a team wod (5-Alarm Fire: 5 Rounds – 41 DU’s, 35 Box jumps, 29 KBS, and 24 Wall balls), as well as a team firefighter wod. One of the firefighters did 5 minutes of burpees in full gear, such mad props to him! No way I could do that. I did however get the chance to help with the Kids Wod and that was a blast! Some of those kids meant serious business and didn’t care about coming in last place so long as they completed. Over all we were able to raise over four thousand dollars to donate to the 100 Club which supports local law enforcement and firefighters. And that’s what I love about the CrossFit community, dozens of people coming together to get their butt kicked in the miserable heat for a good cause. (More pics here.)

Later in the afternoon, hubby and I went out on a date! First stop Jerry’s Built Burgers for dinner! I got a fruit cup, my burger bunless, and the sweet potato crinkle fries! (No way I can resist them, they are like heaven in my mouth) And we rounded off the day with Man of Steel in the mega theatre. Probably my favorite movie so far this year! I’ve always been a huge Superman fan, and I was no disappointed with this one. It had a lot of Christianity references which some people are having problems with according to news media, but I found it awesome! Isn’t the hubby just cute as can be?

Tried a new recipe this weekend as well! What Runs Lori’s Paleasagna. It was delicious! I felt like I could have done a better job seasoning it, and I added spinach to the recipe but it was awesome and I plan on making this again and again! When Dad and Hubby are happy you know its good.

Since I have been asked this a few times this weekend, no I do not follow strict Paleo. I do cook a lot of their recipes, but I believe in (almost) all things in moderation (meat, fruit, dairy, nuts, grains, fats, ect.) I don’t eat a lot of grains except for Ezekiel bread, brown rice, and quinoa which is technically a seed. I don’t eat anything “white” except for cauliflower. I’m just an eat clean (little to no processed foods) kind of girl.

Questions: What is your favorite benchmark or hero wod?
What’s your favorite Paleo recipe or blog?

Eat clean, train mean, and inspire others!

-Jaren