Arbonne Protein Powder Review

Yet again I am on the road. On Tuesday all my coworkers and I made the 11 hour drive to Gaitlinburg, Tennessee for our annual team retreat in the mountains. We initially thought the whole week was going to be in the 20s, but the weather has turned out to be beautiful. Today we played ultimate frisbee and I was even able to squeeze in a 30 minute run on a trail. Tomorrow we'll hit the trails again for a hike which should be a good time. 

The view the morning of our drive.

My travel buddies for the road trip.

Before I left I made sure Brett had a lot of good, healthy food to eat: curry quinoa, an apple walnut lentil loaf, veggies and chicken for fajitas and veggie burgers. Turns out he's been sick the whole time I've been gone which is a bummer.

Since I'm traveling I don't have any new recipes for you today, but I do have a review on Arbonne Protein Powder. Not long after I started this blog, a friend from college messaged me saying she had recently found out about some vegan protein powder and wanted to send me some samples to try. I was so excited because I have yet to find a protein powder that I like (mainly because I haven't had time to do research and try out different flavors and brands.) 

She sent me the Arbonne Essentials Protein Shake mixes, one chocolate and one vanilla. I actually found these in the mail on Christmas right after Brett and I had gone on a trail run, so it was perfect timing to try them out.

I tried out the Chocolate flavor first and loved it! All you have to do is mix the powder with 8 ounces of cold water and you're all set. As I mixed, I was excited to find that the mixture gets really thick so that it really looks and tastes like a shake. It was delicious and filling. 

I did some research on the nutrition of one packet and was excited about what I found out.

Nutrition summary:

Calories 160

Fat 3.5g

Carbs 15g

Protein 20g

There are 160 calories in a 2 scoops serving of Arbonne Chocolate Protein Shake Mix.

Calorie breakdown: 18% fat, 35% carbs, 47% protein.

Other Ingredients: Arbonne Protein Matrix Blend (pea protein isolate, cranberry protein, rice protein), 

sugar cane, cocoa powder, natural chocolate flavor, sunflower oil, corn starch, inulin, xanthan gum, stevia leaf extract, flax seed, gum acacia, guar gum. 

Arbonne Protein Powder is high in protein for the amount of calories in each packet and I love that the protein source are plant based coming from peas, cranberries and rice. While it does have 9 grams of sugar per serving, I've found that that is necessary for protein powders that you are going to drink plain. 

My one complaint with Arbonne powders is that they are expensive. It's about $4 per serving. I'll have to keep looking to see if I can find a powder that is just as delicious, hight in protein and more affordable.

If you've tried Arbonne Protein Powder before, I'd love to hear your review!

Happy New Year! (Recap from Louisville and Nashville)

I'm about to leave for the airport to head home!! Brett and I and a bunch of our friends/coworkers have been in Louisville and Nashville this past week. We were in Louisville for work, but we were able to walk around downtown Louisville a lot and even got in some fun runs across the Ohio river and through a beautiful part of downtown Louisville. All the houses were so old and historic and it was fun to look at the architecture as we ran. 

This Florida girl doesn't do too well in the cold though. Brett and I went on a 4.5 mile run the day before we left and my hands and toes were numb by the time we finished. I even wore gloves, but they didn't help much. My hands were bright red and burned when I got back to the heated hotel as my circulation started to come back. Gotta love red, grandma hands. It was painful, but worth it. 

After our work in Louisville ended on Tuesday morning, we rented a car and drove with three of our friends to Nashville where Brett's parents live. We only stayed one night but got to take two naps, eat tons of home-cooked food and go downtown for New Years Eve in that short amount of time. I always feel like I'm on vacation when I'm at their house. 

New Years Eve in downtown Nashville was fun. We got there around 10 and walked around and enjoyed the Christmas lights and decorations and the live music playing at every corner. Around 11 or so, we joined the mass group of people standing in front of the main stage where the music note was going to drop. The concert wasn't very great right before midnight. I wish I would have been more lively. We all had a good time and enjoyed the fireworks at midnight. We booked it to the car after the note dropped in order to beat the crowd trying to drive home. All in all it was a great night with no crazy stories, which was great!

This morning we all went to the Pancake Pantry for breakfast and I got a big bowl of oatmeal. I know. How can I order oatmeal at the Pancake Pantry?? I do what I want. And I love oatmeal.

We all took nap number two after breakfast and then I went for a run on a trail by their house while my mother-in-law walked. It wasn't as long as we though it was, but the weather was cool and crisp and it felt great to get outside! I really like running in cooler weather. I find I push myself more.

I'm excited to get home for a few days before heading out again for a work retreat. I'm hoping to make some delicious concoctions in the kitchen during my short time at home so I can have some recipes to share with you all. I've also been thinking about some goals for this new year so I'll be sure to share those too!

Happy New Year!

Lovin' Louisville

Brett and I are currently in Louisville, Kentucky for work and so far it has been such a blast! I didn't really know what to expect, but Louisville (pronounced luullvvlll by us) is a great city with tons to eat and do. The first night we arrived we ate at a restaurant called Ramsi's Cafe On the World and it was incredible. I wasn't sure how many vegan options they would have, but there were tons! 

I ordered the Seitan Parmesan Panini with house made seitan in roasted garlic bread crumbs, marinara and vegan mozzarella on cuban bread. And it came with a side of roasted potatoes. Except for what I gave to others to try, I ate every single bite. Italian isn't something I get to eat very often so I jumped at the opportunity. 

The whole menu was full of different types of ethnic foods from all around the world. There were fish tacos, curries, burgers, burritos and fajitas and so much more. It's the perfect restaurant for a girl who travels often and loves ethnic food...and is vegan. If you ever go to Louisville you should definitely try this place out!

In addition to the work we're doing for a conference, we've been able to find some free time to workout at our hotel's gym (I just found out about the Nike Training Club app!) and explore the city through running! There is a pedestrian bridge that used to hold four railroad tracks that Brett, our friend Garret and I ran to yesterday. It was beautiful outside and there was a long, winding ramp that took you up to the bridge that crossed the Ohio River. They even had Christmas music playing which made me so happy. We did a little over four miles and are hoping to go on one or two more runs before we leave.

Here's a good view of the bridge. There were a lot more people on it than I thought there would be!

We still have three more days here so I hope to share some more good eats and runs. Happy almost New Year!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

New Additions

I won't be sharing any new recipes today (mainly because I'm on vacation with my family!), but I did want to share some things that I'm incorporating into my week more often. These things aren't anything new or mind-blowing, but simply things I recently rediscovered: green smoothies, Teavana tea, endurance fuel, weight lifting and candles. 

First of all, let's talk about green smoothies. It still amazes me how I can drink vegetables without tasting them. In most of my green smoothies I just use half a frozen banana and unsweetened almond milk and I stuff in a bunch of spinach and kale and I still can't taste the greens. Since the smoothie tastes sweet to me, why not drink my veggies more often? If you haven't had a green smoothie before, don't let the color or the fact that your drinking veggies scare you. If you make it right, your smoothie will still be sweet. For a good basic green smoothie try out this simple Green Kale Smoothie. From there you can start experimenting more by adding in different types of greens and other yellow fruits, such as mango, pineapple, etc.

Secondly, tea. I love coffee and love the social interactions that coffee provides, but about a year ago I stopped being able to tolerate a lot of caffeine. It makes my heart race and it keeps me from falling asleep at night. Not cool. I still occasionally drink coffee, but since I can't have it everyday I've had to rediscover tea. 

I grew up drinking tea...well, milk and sugar and a little tea. I became so used to having milk and sugar in my tea it was hard when I got older to drink it black. I don't think many teas are very good plain, but Teavana tea (while more expensive than simple tea bags) is amazing. It never leaves a weird aftertaste in your mouth like some tea can and there are so many flavors to choose from. It's an awesome way to start you day, especially if you love the though of having a warm drink first thing in the morning. 

Endurance fuel is next. While I honestly wish I didn't have to start using these things (it's a pride thing), I really think they will help me perform better on my long distance runs. I remember when I did my first triathlon (an Olympic distance) my friend had given me some electrolyte powder to put into one of my water bottles. During the bike I could really feel my legs beginning to tire, but as I began refueling with the electrolyte water my energy really increased.

In the same way, on longer runs I always start to tapper around mile 9 or so. This makes sense. I'm burning a lot of energy without consuming any energy. Our bodies need fuel to perform, so whether it's these hammer gel packets (which I tried out for the first time on my 10-mile run the other day), some Gatorade, or actually eating a small snack on endurance runs, I think I'll see a lot of improvement in my energy levels and speed.

Weight lifting is maybe the thing I'm most excited about out of these five topics. I tend to gravitate towards cardio workouts, but recently I've started to realized just how important aerobic exercise is as well. Improved bone density, better balance and higher metabolism are just a few of the benefits of weight lifting. I'm hoping that by lifting more weights my muscles will become stronger and that will help me speed up my running pace and have more strength to endure long runs. 

The last thing is a bit random, especially for a blog focused on healthy living, but candles have started to become a regular occurrence in my life. Just like food can be warming and comforting, so can a fragrant, flickering candle. Seriously though, candles really relax me and help me to sit and rest longer than I usually would. It's as if when I lite a candle I am committing to sitting and resting for a while instead of running around the house being productive. Rest is needed and candles help make that possible for me.

That's all folks! Merry Christmas!

Curry Quinoa

Welp. It's currently 3:30 in the morning and I'm awake. I thought for sure I'd sleep like a baby after a long day at work, my four-mile run and a hearty Curry Quinoa Wrap for dinner. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and waking up in the middle of the night isn't unusual. Ever since getting married I've had a hard time sleeping. I used to be able to conk out as soon as my head hit the pillow and sleep straight through the night. If I sleep through the night now, I seriously squeal "I did it!" when I wake up. I like to believe it will get better, and it has, but I still get these random "wide-awake-at-2-AM-and-I'm-hungry-and-need-a-snack" nights. And since one of my least favorite things is trying to sleep, I've decided to just get up when I feel wide awake and not fight it. Usually after an hour or so, and some food, I'm able to fall back asleep.

I hope it gets better soon, because being awake in the middle of the night can really throw off my schedule. Not to mention I'm exhausted at 9 PM and fighting to stay awake. Good news is I don't have to go into work today and I'm also planning on going to my first ever Yoga class at the gym. I'm excited for some good stretching. Maybe the "Zen" atmosphere will help me sleep through the night tonight.

Enough about my unfortunate sleeping cycle. Let's talk about this easy curried quinoa.

Brett and I are heading out of town for Christmas on Friday, so as is the usual, we're trying to finish off the random food in our fridge. I'm also trying to be better at using all the pantry items I buy, instead of just letting things pile up. This quinoa was perfect for both those goals. Whole wheat wraps, hummus and tahini are a few of the things still left in our fridge so I looked up wrap ideas and came across this curried quinoa wrap recipe from Healthy. Happy. Life. I didn't have all of the ingredients (and obviously didn't want to buy more stuff right before we leave) so I tweaked a few things and simplified it and it turned out great. It's made me excited to experiment more with quinoa and spices.

Curry Quinoa

(Makes 8 Servings)

 Ingredients:

· 3 cups water

· 1/2 cup vegetable broth

· 2 1/3 cup quinoa, unrinsed

· 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

· 2 teaspoons sea salt

· 1 1/2 cup frozen peas

· 1/2 cup golden raisins

Directions:

1. Place the water, broth, quinoa, curry powder and salt in a large sauce pan. Stir and bring to a boil.

2. Once boiling, cover the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer.

3. Let the quinoa simmer for 11 minutes.

4. After 11 minutes, turn the heat off and let the quinoa sit for another 10-12 minutes. Don’t take off the lid!

5. Once it’s ready, fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir  in the peas and golden raisins.

I highly recommend putting this quinoa in a large, wheat tortilla with hummus, green onions and a drizzle of tahini. Wrap it up and enjoy a filling, flavorful meal!

 Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Rungry

Since my half-marathon on Saturday (Yay, first one! Recap here), I've been "rungry." I figured I would be really hungry the day after the race, but I didn't think the constant hunger would last so long. Now that I'm planning to keep training and run a marathon, I can only imagine how much more hungry I'll become! Any advice for a first-time marathoner? Since I have a history of injury when I increase my mileage, I'm going to take it slow and try to cross-train a couple times a week. Oh, and try out some yoga and pilates.

I was able to stay home yesterday so I'm going to share yesterday's eats and some food prep for the week. One of the reasons I started this blog was to document my experiences as a new vegan cook. It's been so cool to see how far I've come in my cooking skills and how many new ingredients I've tried for the first time. And yesterday marked a big event...vegan cheese! I always hoped I'd become good enough at the vegan cooking basics so I could start branching out to things like dairy-free cheese and faux meat and yesterday it happened! Even if you aren't vegan, this cheese recipe from Vedged Out is amazing. I'm excited to see what Brett thinks when he get's home from his work trip and tries it out.

So without further ado...

Breakfast:

Overnight buckwheat groats, oats and chia seed parfait with strawberries

I soaked 1/4 cup buckwheat groats in water overnight

In a separate mason jar I soaked 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, 1/4 cup oats, 2/3 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 1/2 smashed banana

In the morning I rinsed the groats in a strainer and mixed them in with the chia/oat mixture and layered it with strawberries.

Morning snack:

1/2 of a homemade lara bar

Lunch:

A whole wheat tortilla with a small sweet potato, black beans, sauteed bok choy and tomato

Afternoon Snacks and Meal Prep:

I made this Cheesy Vegan Spaghetti Squash and Broccoli Casserole and ate some for a snack

It was my first time using spaghetti squash and I'm hooked!

Vegan Cheese!

I made this recipe from Vedgedout and I will definitely be making it again

I had some of it with some pretzels

Dinner:

I ate some baby carrots before heading out to my work Christmas party.

I didn't take any pictures there, but I had salad and a vegan dish of puff pastry dough filled with rice and veggies. It was delicious!

And that's it! Check out some other eats and get new recipe ideas over at Jenn's website: PeasandCrayons. Have a great rest of your week!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Half Marathon Recap!!

Check and check. I've officially run a half-marathon! After two failed attempts due to injury, this past Saturday I was feeling healthy and strong and completed the 13.1 mile run at the OUC Half Marathon in Orlando, Florida. It felt so good to accomplish a goal I've been trying to accomplish since my junior year of college.

The morning of the race, Brett and I both woke up at 3:30 AM feeling pretty rested. I had originally set my alarm for 5, but I woke up excited and after lying in bed until 4 decided to just get up. I ate a breakfast of overnight oats with chia seeds, oatmeal, cocoa powder, banana and almond milk. While eating I started stretching out my sleepy legs and didn't stop stretching until I needed to get dressed and pack a few things before heading out the door. 

It was still pitch black outside when we left the house at 6. We played some pump up music and were at Lake Eola before we knew it. We found parking pretty easily and had about 40 minutes of free time before the race started. We headed straight to the port-o-potties because the lines were extremely long.  Brett brought my road bike so he could get around the coarse easier and cheer me on as much as he could during the race. I wanted to wait as long as possible to use the bathroom before the race, so I watch the bike while Brett got in line. After about 20 minutes I started getting worried that Brett would take too long and that I wouldn't be able to go before the start of the race. I decided to get in line with the bike and I'm so glad I did. Brett took the bike from me soon after and I continued to stretch while waiting in line. About ten minutes later I still hadn't made it to the front of the line and the national anthem began to play. I was getting really antsy by this time.

I finally became my turn and I went as fast as I could and rushed to join the crowd of racers. There were so many people that I only weaved my way up to the 10-minute mile pace marker before the starting canon went off. Even though I wasn't able to start at the 9-minute mile pace marker like I had planned, I'm happy in a way that I didn't have any time to wait around and get nervous. The craziness of waiting in the bathroom line and rushing to the start crowd of runners kept me from getting nervous about the race. In the end I even think it helped me meet my goal of a 8:30 minute-mile pace because I was motivated to catch up to the 9-minute mile pace runner.



The first mile went so quickly as I had to weave in and out of tons of people and try not to step on anyone's toes. By the second mile there was more space to run as each runner began to spread out and find their own pace. The weather was great and for the first five miles or we ran in shade because the sun was still waking up.

Brett was such an encouragement throughout the whole race. Because he had a bike, he was able to see me and cheer me on at so many different point during the race--almost every mile or two! He even recruited other people near by him to cheer for me. Hearing them yell always gave me an added boost of energy.



Around mile five I had the slighted feeling of nausea, but nothing too intense that it affected my pace. At mile eight, however, it got a little more intense. I have this odd problem with light when I'm running. If sun light is flickering because of trees or buildings and I'm constantly running in and out of sunlight, I get nauseous. Thankfully, I was still able to maintain a good pace. I just wasn't able to pick up my pace like I had hoped. It's so hard to know what causes nausea during races. Was it something I ate? Was it the strobe light affect from the sun? Was it just excitement? I so wish I could know so that I could prepare better for whatever race I run next.

I never once looked at my iPod during the race to check my pace. I had done the math before the race to figure out rough estimates of what my time should be at certain mile markers if I wanted to finish with a 8:30 minute mile pace. I was still close to my goal by mile 11 and just tried to maintain my pace despite the nausea. 

Over all my stomach was the only real problem I ran into. My hips started to get a little sore and my index toe on my left foot felt bruise, but they didn't hold me back.

The last mile was probably the hardest. My nausea was getting worse. I just kept telling myself that I was so close and I would be able to stop soon. With about a few tenths of a mile left, the most encouraging girl running behind me starting cheering me on and encouraging me to keep going. She may have been the reason I was able to keep up my pace.

I continued to run, trying to keep up with a girl in front of me. As soon as I rounded the last corner and saw the finish line I finally mustered up the will to increase my speed. I wanted to stop so bad and kept feeling like I might lose it, but soon enough I heard my name announced as I crossed the finish line. When I stopped I had a moment of dizziness, but felt pretty good. I got my medal and grabbed some water and orange slices. I looked for Brett as I walk off the nausea and was soon feeling pretty good.

After I found Brett was met up with another friend who had run the race and talked about our different experiences as we stretched. I kept saying, "I can't believe it's over." It amazes me how much time I spent training for this race and then, just like that, it's over! Of course, as soon as my nausea was gone I was talking about my next goal: a marathon!

The Results:
Place: 555
Age: 24
Div Place: 22
Gender Place: 147 out of 1763
Net Time: 1:51:14
Pace: 8:29.4

I just barely made my pace goal of 8:30! And I also got this souvenir:

I hope a marathon actually happens. As of right now I'm going to continue upping my mileage in hopes to run the Miami Marathon at the end of January. I'll also add in more cross training to decrease my chances of injury. The thought of running a half-marathon and more each weekend to continue training for a marathon is daunting, but I know I would be ecstatic to accomplish another goal so soon. I'll keep you posted!

Of course, Brett and his sweet self planned a restaurant for us to go to for brunch after the race. He found a vegan restaurant called Ethos Vegan Kitchen located in one of my favorite parts of Orlando: Winter Park. After getting our fill of vegan cinnamon french toast, sausage tofu burritos and chocolate soy milk, we walked over to the farmers market and picked up a bunch of fresh produce for the week. It was a great day to check another thing off my bucket list!

Any tips or advice for a first time marathon runner?

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes

I was in Virginia this past week and, while it was cold, I was able to enjoy Fall! Crisp air, colorful leaves, and winter coats. Brett and I stayed with my brother and sister-in-law and we're busy all week with work-related stuff. On Saturday we had the day off. Brett went on a long hike while I stayed home to get in my 11-mile run. 

It was only 30 degrees when I woke up, so I ate breakfast and waited a couple of hours for the sun to come up before hitting the road. It was beautiful out and I felt great at first, but after only 4 miles or so I started getting pretty tired. For the remainder of the run my energy never seemed to pick up either. Other than a few short sections, my body seemed to be running on fumes and about half way through my joints started to hurt too. I felt like I was running an 11-minute mile. 

While it sounds like a horrible run, I still enjoyed it and felt accomplished at the end. Apparently I didn't run an 11-minute mile either but averaged about a 9-minute mile. I'm hoping to do more stretching and cross training this week to give my body a break.

I scarfed down this bowl of oats, cinnamon, banana and peanut butter as soon as I got back. Yum.

Now onto another delicious breakfast. Brett and I got back to Florida late last night and this morning I realized we didn't have much for breakfast. I found a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes on-line, made some changes and "veganized" them and they turned out great! Brett left for work full and happy.

 Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes

(Makes 2 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 1/2 whole wheat flour

· 1/4 cup oat flour

· 1/4 old-fashioned rolled oats

· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

· 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

· 1 flax egg*

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 3/4 cup almond milk

· 1 teaspoon lemon juice

· 2 tablespoons earth balance, melted

· 3 tablespoons semi-sweet ghirardelli chocolate chips

*To make a flax egg, whisk 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water and let sit for about five minutes

Directions:

1. Start by making your flax egg and set it aside.

2. Next make the “buttermilk” by putting 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in a cup measure and then adding 3/4 cup almond milk. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes.

3. In a bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients from the whole wheat flour to the nutmeg.

4. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flax egg, vanilla, “buttermilk” and melted butter.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well combined.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips.

7. Do your pancake-making thing and cook these pancakes on a greased skillet heated to medium heat.

8. This batter should make four hearty pancakes serving two!

Notes: Adapted from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts.

Eat Consciously,

     Faith