Hi Friends!

Happy New Year’s Eve! Can you believe it’s almost 2013?! I’m just popping in today with a fun little giveaway for you guys!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Jess over at  The Sunglasses Shop with an offer to send me a brand new pair of sunglasses. And not just any sunglasses…my very first pair of Oakleys!

Let’s talk about me and sunglasses for a second. I’m the type of person that buys $10 cheapo sunglasses because I always seem to be losing them/breaking them/etc. In fact, that explains why my current pair is looking oh-so-attractive with half the color peeled off the front of them. It also explains why I’ve been known to wear a pair of sunglasses with one side missing. Yep…it’s true. Very fashionable. So to say I was excited about some high quality sunglasses would be an understatement!

Anyways, if you haven’t checked out The Sunglasses Shop….you’re missing out. They sell all sorts of  designer sunglasses at reasonable prices. I was so thrilled to get to try out a pair of Oakley Sunglasses! Jess even let me pick the pair I wanted. After MUCH deliberation…I settled on these Oakley Women Sweet Spot Sunglasses:

Aren’t they beautiful?! I can’t say enough good things about them. They’re super lightweight and they fit my face perfectly. I picked this pair specifically because I loved the shape..and I love they don’t have a separate nose piece like some glasses have- those always get stuck in my hair when i push them up on my head. My order from The Sunglasses Shop came VERY quickly and the sunglasses came in a protective case, which is perfect for me because it keeps me from just throwing them unprotected into my purse like I usually do:

Plus, I feel a little bit like a movie star when I wear them…
and that’s never a bad thing:

I’m in love with them!

And now for the good news! The Sunglasses Shop is letting me give away a pair of these Oakleys to one lucky reader! The winner will receive a pair of Oakley Women Sweet Spot Sunglasses in this fun Rose Metal color:

How’s that for kicking off the new year in style?! Enter below via Rafflecopter for your chance to win! Mandatory entries including following Sunglasses Shop on Twitter and tweeting about the giveaway…plus there are a few optional entries!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!
–Lindsay–

PS…In case you missed it over the weekend, check out the amazing December Sponsors for The Lean Green Bean….and be sure to let me know if you want to sponsor The Bean for January! There are still spots available and it’s great exposure for your blog or Etsy store!

Disclaimer: I received these sunglasses for free and was compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hi Friends!

It’s time to meet my December Sponsors!

Emily from Fit and Free with Emily.

Some things you should know about Emily:

• She’s an amazing writer…check out this post she wrote after the Newtown shootings.
• She speaks the truth about her weight loss journey.
• She’s honest with herself and knows the importance of getting back to the basics of being healthy: eating well, sleeping enough and exercising.
• She has a great fashion sense and her smile lights up my computer screen whenever I visit her blog.
• And she eats quinoa for breakfast just like I do!

I love Emily and her blog….definitely go check it out if you want to be inspired!!!

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Melissa from Bare Book Reviews

She’s a mom of three, holistic health coach and a yoga and fitness instructor, yet somehow she manages to find time to read several books per week! She started her blog to share her reviews with the world!

On Time Travel Tuesdays she shares a review of a book she read before starting her blog.
On Fantastic 4 Fridays, she reviews a book from one of the four F categories: Food, Fitness, Flirty or Film!
On What’s in My Bookshelf Wednesday, she pulls a book off her bookshelf to review!

If you’re a book lover like me, check out Melissa’s blog for some great reviews and suggestions for some new books to read!

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Kaylie from Happy Kaylie Place

Kaylie wanted to introduce her Workout Buddies program that runs monthly. When you sign up, you get an electronic penpal that you stay in contact with all month long to give each other support and encouragement to workout regularly!

Sound like something you’re interested in? I think it’s a great idea and would definitely help me stay motivated! Especially going into the new year! Check out Kaylie’s blog to signup!

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Huge thanks to all my December Sponsors!!!

Are you interested in being a sponsor of The Lean Green Bean in January?! Check out all the details and then send me an email and we’ll get you all set up! I’d love to have you as a sponsor and introduce my readers to your blog or etsy store!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Several weeks ago, I made these Lentil Banana Muffins and I never got around to sharing them with you. I photographed them and everything! Then I lost the recipe. That’s what happens when you write recipes on little scraps of paper. Good news is I found the recipe and I’m ready to share it with you today!

You may be thinking that these sound pretty gross, but I promise you don’t taste the lentils. If i’ve learned one thing about bananas it’s that they do a great job covering the taste of other things. So this is an easy way to boost the fiber and protein content of your muffins.

Ready for your directions? Here’s what you do:

Quick and easy, these make a perfect grab-and-go breakfast. Confession- I even forgot to add the sugar in mine and they were still delicious. However…I tend to like things not super sweet so I’d probably recommend trying them with the sugar first and then you can try cutting back on the amount of sugar when you make your next batch!

This recipe only makes about 8 lentil banana muffins. I wasn’t totally sure how these would turn out so I didn’t want to make a huge batch. You could double the recipe if you want more muffins.

Let’s chat: Have you ever baked with lentils?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

I took a little break from the blog world to enjoy the holidays with my family. Here’s a glimpse into what I’ve been up to:

Some pre-holiday eats:
1. eggs, clementines, yogurt & graham crackers & carrots
2. Lentil Veggie Soup w/ quinoa in the Crockpot
3. Soup with a side of apples
4. Blackberry oatmeal bar with ice cream
5. Cranberry Peanut Butter Quinoa Bars- recipe coming soon!
6. More soup
7. Pb & J toast with hummus & carrots
8. Fish salad-
Tip: order cheese & dressing on the side…
That way YOU control the amount
9. Protein-packed Baked Ziti

For the Soup:

I chopped up veggies (sweet potato, red pepper, onion, etc) and threw them in the crockpot with some veggies broth for about 6 hours with lots of curry powder and red pepper. About an hour before we ate, I added some cooked quinoa and lentils and let everything heat through. SO easy.

For the casserole:

I pureed some cottage cheese and white beans in the food processor and then added some pesto and oregano. Then i sauteed some veggies, added a can of no-salt added tomato sauce and stirred in the bean and cheese mixture. I added some cooked noodles and a handful of mozzerella cheese and then put everything in a casserole dish and baked it for about 20 minutes to heat through. Such an easy way to add more protein with the cottage cheese and beans, and you couldn’t even taste a difference!

Randomness:
1 & 2. My friends at Blue Diamond Almonds sent me a HUGE gift basket filled with flavored almonds, chocolate and yogurt covered almonds, nut thins and chips! They’re such a great company.
3. Yeah we buy the 10 pound bag of carrots at Costco..
Yes there are just two of us in the house.
Favorite snack.
4. Tried this new pasta from Kamut Wheat.
They’re one of our Elf4health sponsors.
It’s awesome. Way better than most 100% whole wheat pasta.
5. Another of my fav companies, Chobani, sent me lots of yogurt!
Can’t wait to start whipping up some recipes!
6. I restocked my freezer with beans and lentils.

Around the house:
1. We turned our office into a new guest room.
It was a surprise for my parent’s visit.
They loved it and so do we.
2. Couch time with the pets.
3. Poco waiting on my sister’s bed for her to come!
4. Tucky and I with the tree.
5. We got our first snow a few days before Christmas.
6. Paying it forward by sending some Starbucks giftcards-
sent them to some of my blog’s biggest supporters!

Christmas with my fam:
My parents and sister came into town the weekend before Christmas.
1-3. We went to the OSU vs. Kansas bball game.
4. I got an Eye-Fi.
It wirelessly transfers pics from camera to computer/ipad.
SO PUMPED!
5. Love him.
6. Trying to get the Eye-Fi all set up.
7. Breakfast with the fam.
8. Hubby captured all 4 animals on the bed for the first time ever.
9. Christmas dinner #1
We had salad, scallops, salmon, lentil veggie mac & cheese
and curried sweet potato soup

1. My hubby is the best at wrapping presents.
2. For my FIL’s side of the family, we stole his old 8mm film and had it converted to a DVD. On Christmas Eve we watched it with them and gave them some prints we had made of photos as well. It was a big hit!
3. The holidays are magical
4. Hubby’s grandma’s dog, Oliver. So cute.
5. Hubby got me a Le Creuset.
I’ve been wanting one FOREVER!!!
6. Marcus got catnip in a sock. Crazy cat.
7. Santa came!
8. Tucker got a new ball.
The only kind he likes are those orange ones.
He’s obsessed.
9. Hubby got a fancy man bracelet.
He’s so stylish

The day after Christmas we had a huge snow storm.
Hubby and I had a great time running around the backyard!
The dogs were there too

You’re never too old to play!!!!

Let’s chat: Did you celebrate Christmas? How was it?!
If not, what have you been up to??

PS..Please remember to sign up for Foodie Penpals if you would like to participate in January. You must fill out the form if you haven’t already or you won’t be on the list for January!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Is it snowing where you are?!

Go out and PLAY!!!

Happy Wednesday.

Back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–