Hi Friends!

Time for another Foodie Penpals Reveal Day.

This month I was lucky enough to receive my package from Kerry at The Adventures of Z & K. She is the absolute sweetest and hooked me up with some delicious treats!

Here’s what she sent me:

World’s cutest package. It was so colorful and she tied everything up with cute little ribbons and attached hand-written notes. I loved it!

Here are all the goodies!

• Cookies from her local farmer’s market- SO GOOD!
• Homemade spelt bread- LOVED IT!
• Candied ginger- I added it to my trailmix like she suggested. New fav!
• Gone Nuts- I love trying new products. Saving this to top my yogurt sometime soon!
• Old Bay- One of my fav seasonings 🙂

Thank you SO MUCH Kerry!

————

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!

*If you’re from Europe, please CLICK HERE to signup.

——————

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Today we’re talking simple healthy habits with the lovely Alysia from Slim Sanity. It’s hard to remember exactly but I think Alysia and I met through Foodie Penpals. She’s been a wonderful supporter of my blog over the past couple of years and she has an amazing blog of her own that you should definitely go check out. 

Take it away Alysia!

———–

What comes to mind when you think of habits? I often think of bad habits like nail biting, being late or playing with your hair. The definition of a habit is ‘a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.’
Why does it seem as if the habits that are hard to give up are bad? I know changing any habit is hard, whether it be ridding a bad habit or adding a good habit. There are plenty of good habits we can all start putting into practice. If we try hard enough, maybe they’ll stick! Here are seven healthy habits that I try to keep up with.

1. Turn off your phone. This is a hard one for me as a blogger. I’m constantly reading other blogs, connecting with people, and checking e-mail. Time spent with family, having personal time, or just down time in general is a lot more relaxing when we aren’t staring into the blinding light of social media. I try to turn mine off at night, or leave it at home when we go for a walk. It’s also good to keep your device from malfunctioning!

2. Walk on your lunch break. I was really great at this one for a long time, and I found myself getting busy (or lazy, perhaps) and they slipped from my normal routine. I’m getting better at them again now. I’ll go for a 20-30 minute walk over my lunch break. It’s pretty easy to do since I pack my own lunch. I don’t drive anywhere for food and I get a little more free time. Depending on the weather, I’ll walk outside or around the halls of my buildings at school!

3. Floss daily. I get this one checked off the list about 3 times a week. That’s also due to laziness (maybe we have a theme going on here?).

4. Make more smoothies. Making a protein shake or smoothie is an easy way to add more fruits and veggies into your diet! I promise you, you can’t really taste the spinach in a green smoothie when you add some fruit to it!

5. Foam roll. I still haven’t purchased one of my own, but I’ll use a foam roller when I go to the gym. It’s a great way to loosen up your muscles. It’s really quite relaxing once you’re done. For those with IT band issues, it’s a great tool!

6. Be social. It’s easy to get caught up with work and routines and be too tired during the week to catch up with friends. Choose a night to routinely get together. Just because you are trying to eat healthy doesn’t mean you need to avoid parties and happy hours. If that is the case for you, set limits for yourself and stick to them. Go on date nights with your significant other. Quality time is so important! We have a few select places where we can go to catch a cheap bite to eat and a drink during the week. Having fun and enjoying time with friends and loved ones is necessary for your mental health, which is just as important as your physical health.

————

I love her tips because they cover all aspects of healthy living, not just food! Huge thanks to Alysia for filling in for me today!

Let’s chat:
What’s one healthy habit you will start working on this week?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends-

Hubby and I have been out of town for the past couple of days, spending time with family and celebrating the life of my grandfather.

We flew out to Portland, Maine on Monday afternooon and got home late last night. My grandparents lived in Massachusetts while I was growing up, and my aunt lives in Portland, so every summer my mom, sister and I would pack our bags and spend a couple of weeks with them on the east coast. When my grandpa got older, we moved him into an assisted living facility in Portland, so that’s where we had the funeral. I hadn’t actually been to Maine in about 11 years…since right before my senior year of high school, so it was nice to be able to get out there and spend some time with family and revisit some of the places I used to go growing up.

We dropped these two off at the vet. The place we usually board them was all booked up due to 4th of July. Luckily this was only for a few days. It’s always so hard to leave them.

We survived hubby’s first time traveling with his sling, and stayed in a cute little bed and breakfast up the road from where my parents and sister were staying at a family friend’s house.

The service was Tuesday morning. It was very small, mostly just family since he outlived almost all of his friends at age 93…but it was very well done.

We headed back to have lunch with the family and Jake!

Then came my favorite part of the trip. My grandpa was a bit of a packrat and he saved a TON of stuff over the years. We spent several hours going through a couple of boxes of amazing old things. He was in the navy and he and my mimi wrote each other every day during the war. They saved ALL of the letters so there was just folders and folders of amazing love letters to read. Plus things like old chemistry tests, report cards and other stuff from his childhood and his time in the navy. We also found out he was at the game in the 1956 World Series when Larsen pitched the only perfect game in series history!

Plus there were tons of amazing photos of my grandparents when they were younger. They were SO adorable and so in love. It was fun to look at all the pictures with my mom and aunt and hear more stories about their family.

This was by far the best thing we found. A letter from my grandpa’s friends to my grandma encouraging her to marry him 🙂

We also found some pictures of little Bean!

Tuesday night we went out to dinner and met up with one of my oldest friends, who recently moved back to Portland, for a beer. Wednesday we spent the day with my parents and sister wandering around, doing a little shopping and fulfilling my desire for a lobster roll! Then we headed home.

I’m grateful we were able to make it out there and spend a few days celebrating the life of my grandpa, a wonderful man who meant so much to a lot of people!

Hope everyone is having a safe & happy 4th of July and that you’re able to enjoy some time with family and friends.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Time for another Foodie Penpals Reveal Day!

This month I was super lucky to receive my package from my girl Melissa. We bond over Crossfit all the time on Twitter and I just love her. Plus she totally hooked me up with an amazing FPP box. Check out what I got:

Kale Chips
Pineapple Chips- so good!
Sunflower seed butter- a fun change from my typical pb
Fat Cat Purry-Purry Sauce- pretty much the best name ever, right? I’m so excited to try this! Love that it’s super low in sodium.
HOMEMADE COOKIES- enough said.

I got my box a couple days after hubby had his surgery. I was exhausted and grumpy and finding those cookies in my package was just about the best thing ever! Delicious.

Thank you so much for the amazing package Melissa!!!!!

——————-

And now it’s time for some details about Foodie Penpals.  In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!

*If you’re from Europe, please CLICK HERE to signup.

——————

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Today I wanted to share an article with you guys that I wrote for Food and Nutrition Magazine, the magazine of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics! I shared the link yesterday so some of you may have read it, but I wanted to share a jazzed up version of it (with pictures) here as well because it covers all of my most common recommendations and tips that I give to anyone trying to live a healthier lifestyle!

Although I don’t think that there’s a one-size-fits-all diet, I do think there are some general principles that everyone should practice when it comes to healthy living.

Here they are:

1) Eat Enough Calories
Everyone’s calorie needs are different, and it’s important to not go overboard, but not eating enough sends your body into starvation mode and also makes it harder to lose weight. Figure out how many calories YOUR body needs and strive to eat that amount daily by creating balanced meals and choosing healthy snacks.

2) Practice Moderation
Allow yourself to eat the things you really want every once and a while. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy things like ice cream, cookies or a latte with whipped cream. Just don’t make it an every day occurrence. I may be an RD, but I love a big bowl of froyo topped with oreos and m&ms every once and a while!

3) Eat Breakfast
Skipping breakfast does nothing but lead to low blood sugar, moodiness and overeating later. Just remember that you aren’t limited to “traditional” breakfast foods. If you like leftover chicken and rice for breakfast, go for it! If you’re an oatmeal fan, more power to you! Focus on putting together a breakfast with complex carbs, lean protein and healthy fats. It will increase your metabolism, energy and focus.

4) Limit Processed Foods
Processed foods are almost always packed with sodium, sugar, artificial ingredients and other things your body doesn’t need. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats like avocado and nut butter. Experiment in the kitchen and learn to make your own versions of your favorite processed foods like granola bars, crackers, etc.

5) Drink Water
Remember that the calories in your drinks count towards your total calories for the day! Choose water most of the time and remember that if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Take a water bottle with you everywhere to remind you to drink more often. And use additions like berries, mint or lemon to flavor your water if you don’t like it plain.

6) Eat More Vegetables
Make an effort to increase your vegetable intake every day, especially the non-starchy kind. Also try to eat a variety of different vegetables and colors so that you get all the different nutrients they offer.

7) Cook More at Home
When you do the cooking, you control the ingredients. Cook extra for dinner and pack the leftovers for lunch. If you do eat out, be smart about it. Watch your portion sizes, save half for later, order extra veggies instead of starches, and ask for things like dressings and sauces on the side.

8) Buy Local and Choose Organic (When Possible and Practical)
Shop your local farmer’s market. You’ll often find fruits and vegetables that were picked that very day and haven’t lost their nutrients while traveling or sitting on a shelf. Know the “dirty dozen” (foods that have the most pesticide residue) and focus on buying organic versions of those fruits and vegetables as well as possibly dairy and meat products.

9) Be Aware of What You’re Eating
Learn proper portion sizes and take the time to learn about the quality of the foods you’re eating and where they come from. Pay attention to how often you’re eating and make sure you’re not doing so out of boredom.

10) Be Physically Active
Physical activity can help control your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as your weight. It can also help improve your brain function, concentration and sleep quality. Whether it’s running, crossfit, basketball or walking the dog…get yourself up and moving every day!

11) Sleep Enough
Aim for eight hours every night. To help meet this goal, power down and disconnect from your electronics at least one hour before bedtime and focus on more calming activities like meditation, reading or journaling. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to eat poorly — so make an effort to get enough sleep each night.

If you’re looking to improve your health, these 11 simple ideas are a great place to start! Don’t overwhelm yourself  by trying to tackle them all at once. Instead, choose a few to work on immediately and slowly add more as they turn into healthy habits.

Let’s chat:
What are some other healthy living tips you would add to this list?!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–