Nature Box Review

I wish I would have been one of the lucky people to think of Birchbox, Barkbox,
Stitchfix, Ipsy, KiwiCrate,  Bluum box (one I would really like to try) and the list goes on.  What a genius idea!  People love surprises and getting mail besides bills.  

I finally joined the bandwagon this last month and decided to give Nature Box a chance.  I thought this one would be great because it totally goes along with my desire to eat healthier and find more "healthy snacks".

If you haven't heard of Nature Box yet, here is a little info from their website explaining part of their mission.

NatureBox Discovery Snack Boxes

Each month, your box will include 15 to 20 servings across 5 different NatureBox snacks. We take pride in picking the healthiest and most delicious snacks for you to enjoy. You can trust that our products will be made from the most wholesome ingredients and will be minimally processed, if at all. Everything you eat from us will abide by our strict quality standards.

The items I got in this month's box were:
1) Lemon meringue Waffles
2) Banana Bread Granola
3) Taj Mahal Snack Mix
4) Italian Bistro Pretzels
5) Whole Wheat Raspberry Figgy Bars

I was impressed with the quality and the variety of the items I received.  I was thinking the items would just be healthier versions of snacks I already knew but was surprised that the items weren't traditional snacks.  

My favorites from this box were the Italian Bistro Pretzels which are delicious, the Lemon Waffles ( they are mini waffles kind of like pieces of waffle cone), and the Granola  because well I just have a small obsession with it.  

If you are interested in learning more or signing up with Nature Box you can use this link to get a discount on your first box!  

Happy Snacking!

Delicious, Healthy Snack!

Awhile back I went to a friend of mine's for a book study (aka, excuse to get together and chat with some wonderful ladies without kiddos) and she had a little parfait bar set out for us. 

The layout consisted of greek yogurt, a few kinds of granola, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi and some honey and agave nectar.   

I know greek yogurt has become kind of "trendy" and I have tried it in several recipes and haven't liked it.  I don't like plain yogurt or flavored ones either,  I just don't like any of it.  So when I saw this I was a little nervous but wanted to eat some since she had it set up for us. 

I'm soooo glad I tried it. 

 I discovered something wonderful, when you combine vanilla greek yogurt, strawberries and Nature's Path Organic Coconut Chia Granola (even if you don't like coconut, still try it because I generally don't either) it is such a great snack or sometimes in my case, lunch .  I have tried it with some other granola I had and it's not as good.  This particular granola makes it for me.  Another plus, it's actually good for you!  

Do you ever make parfaits?  If so what's your favorite combination?

What's my deal?

Each morning I have good intentions.  I start the day off right!
Exercise, Get ready, Take my Genesis Pure.

Eat a decent breakfast.  Some days eggs, somedays my new favorite granola with Almond milk,  or oatmeal.  Always depends on what I feel like and what our schedule is like.  I only work Tuesdays and Thursdays but the days I work I usually try to  throw a snack in my purse for the mid morning.  I don't know why that place makes me hungry, maybe because I'm a stress eater.  Even if I don't feel stressed there I still want to eat, it's weird.

However the days I'm at home I'm usually so busy, I don't think about food until lunch.  I usually eat a later lunch after I have got the boys all fed and kitchen cleaned up.  I can make good choices at home for lunch.  It's usually pretty easy.
Again same thing, the days I work I want to go out to eat, nothing at home sounds good I want fat and candy!    Give me the choice and I usually pick the junky one I guess.  (I really need to retire, apparently my health depends on it, haha)

Anyways let's pretend every day I'm home.  I would do awesome for breakfast and lunch most of the time and snacking isn't usually a huge issue, unless it's the week before my period or something then who knows what will happen.

Then something happens around 5:00.  I'm starving.  I want anything and everything.  We eat dinner and I still just want to snack all night.  I don't know if its boredom.  I don't know if it's because I finally relax for the day or what.  I have tried eating more earlier in the day and it didn't seem to make a difference either.  I'm in a bad rut and just can't get out.  I did so well for awhile but am stuck in the ditch of junky eating all of a sudden.

So this problem has brought me to thinking about better planning and who else to ask then the blog world and my facebook friends.  I think a cleanse would be a good quick start to try and get me back on track, help break my crazy addition to sugar right now and also get back into a better routine of eating.  Right now I generally just plan out our dinners and leave the rest to what I feel like.

This next week I'm going to try and do a quick cleanse and then plan out a more precise eating schedule including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I've also been thinking  about trying some juicing but haven't tried any yet.   I have got to get this under control before all of our Spring trips.  If I have no self control here I know it will get even worse on vacations!

What do you healthy eaters do?  Do you plan out all day's meals and snacks?  If so does it help you?

Clean Eating Link Up

Clean eating isn't always easy.  It takes some dedication, planning and sometimes a lot more prep time.
I was so excited  to see that Mama Laughlin and Skinny Meg were hosting a link up!  I could use new recipes to my clean eating mix!
And to show that clean eating doesn't always have to be difficult, I have a few recipes we use that are delicious and simple.

Here are a few I love

- The no-brainer TACOS.  You guys all know the drill, lean ground beef, whole wheat tortillas (someday I will make my own, on my list of things to try) and your favorite veggies.  I use the following recipe for my taco seasoning. The recipe is for 1lb of meat but I just make a bunch at a time and keep it in a big shaker.

1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

- Quesadilla Casserole 

-Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Okay I know not everyone believe you should eat potatoes, but if you are a potato eater, these are delicious!
Crash Hot Potatoes

Stuffed Pepper Soup
I don't even like Stuffed Peppers but made this for the hubs and tried some and actually really liked it.  I left out  the sugar and used brown rice and it was still delicious!

Slow Cooker Southwestern 2 bean Chicken

Slow Cooker Chicken and Broccoli (no cream of whatever soup)

Chicken Stir Fry 
Here is my favorite clean eating website as well if you haven't ever heard of it.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com

There are so many recipes and even one for clean Chocolate bars!  I didn't know those two things could ever belong in the same sentence.  I haven't tried them yet but hoping to get a chance to make them in the near future!

Good luck to all of you on the cleanse!

Need a Snack??

After my boys go to bed, I start to have that mental fight with myself over a snack.

I think I need a snack..
No you don't, just think about something else or go to bed
Not working,  I still need something
Fine, but have something healthy

For the record, I usually cave.  Sometimes I listen and have a healthy snack like the one I'm about to share, other nights I grab a massive handful of chocolate chips and keep going back for more.

Last week one night I was strong and remembered a  healthy recipe I had pinned on Pinterest.

I adapted it a little but here is the Pinterest picture the goodness came from so you can see why I thought it was a good idea to try these.

http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com

Here is how you can have a healthy snack in less than 5 minutes.

Start with an apple, any kind will do (I used Granny Smith)

 Peel the apple and cut into slices.

Put the slices into a microwavable bowl and add the following ingredients

You can use a spoonful of sugar, sweetener, or I chose to use honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Mix items together.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Microwave for 2 minutes

Enjoy your healthy, warm and delicious bedtime snack!