Yumvelope Natural Snacks Review and Offer

I

love

snacks.

I really do. I’d rather snack all day than eat meals. You can call me Snacktina if you’d like. When Sam Gold, the founder of Yumvelope, offered to send me a month of snacks, I quickly said, “Yes, please!” Last week I received my first package.

Check out what was in the mix for May:

Glee Triple Berry, all natural gum

Earnest Eats Cran-Lemon Zest bar

Rise Crunchy Cashew Almond Breakfast bar – made of 7 simple ingredients

Stash Chamomile Herbal Tea – organic, Fair Trade, and caffeine free

Snackle Mouth Almond Pecan Maple granola clusters

Surf Sweets Gummy Bears

I had never heard of or seen any of these products. I love that! Along with the snacks, I received a notecard from Sam Gold, the founder of Yumvelope, with a description of each of the products. The best part (besides the snacks of course) is that you get discount codes for the product’s sites. For example, I can get 10% off Earnest Eats bars, free shipping on Rise Bars, and 25% off at abesmarket.com.

Interested in purchasing a subscription? Here’s some more info:

There are three payment options:

But guess what? I have a coupon code for you! To receive 10% off of your  first month, use code hungrymeetshealthy156. The coupon expires August 10th, so hurry! Get your snack on!

Thank you, Sam, for allowing me to sample the snacks!

What’s YOUR favorite snack?

Links of Interest 7/29

I present to you my favorite articles I stumbled upon this past week!

Thought Catalog

• The Hottest Male Animated Characters Part 1 – Eric from The Little Mermaid? Yes, please.
• The Hottest Male Animated Characters Part 2 -  None of these guys were babes, IMO, but it’s still funny.

The Tangential

• 11 Stupid Things I Collected as a Child – I definitely collected Pogs, Trolls, and Digital Pets. Oh, the memories.
• Things That Will Never Change

I Love Charts

Bits of Truth

xo

Cheers To The Weekend!

Nichole requested A post dedicated to GIFs. I was happy to oblige. Here are my favorite weekend and party-related GIFs. Enjoy!

WHEN MY FRIEND CALLS WITH FUN PLANS

WHEN SOMEONE MENTIONS DRINK SPECIALS

WHEN I SAY I’M NOT DRINKING TONIGHT BUT THEN SOMEONE ORDERS ME A SHOT OF TEQUILA

WHEN SOMEONE ASKS WHAT I’M INTERESTED IN

WHEN IT’S TIME FOR MY FRIENDS AND ME TO LEAVE THE BAR  (THIS HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WITH BODING AND ME)

THE NEXT DAY…

WHEN MY BEST FRIEND AND I WAKE UP AND REALIZE WE DIDN’T DRUNK EAT THE NIGHT BEFORE

GETTING THE DAY STARTED

 

Have a SAFE and happy weekend! xo

The Friday Five 7.27.12

1. What I’m Reading: Ever wonder which spices and herbs go with your favorite foods? What about which cheese pairs best with your favorite fruit? The Flavor Bible tells all. This book lists thousands of ingredients and is an excellent resource for anyone interested in cooking.

2. What I’m Eating: New favorite hummus! If you like olives, you’ll love this.

3. What I’m Listening to:  Remember when everyone was obsessed with Santigold’s song “L.E.S. Artistes”? Her newest album, Master of My Make-Believe, features this awesome song:

She’s as wacky as Nicki Minaj but can sing really well!

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Cape Cod Muffins. (Blueberry Cranberry Muffins)Danielle, we need these!

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

EVERY TIME I COOK

WHEN SOMEONE HAS COOKIES

I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed weekend! 

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I miss my CSA with Gruber Farm so much! I’m going through withdrawals. I’m seriously having a countdown until the Fall season begins on August 28th. On Tuesday, Boding and I stopped by the Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market so I could restock my refrigerator. One of the greatest health tips I can give you is that having fresh fruit and vegetables on hand will discourage you from eating processed foods. You also save a ton of money by not eating out. It’s not rocket science, I promise!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend (or just plain quinoa)
• 2 medium ears of fresh corn, kernels removed
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• juice of 1 lime
• fresh cilantro, for topping

Preparation:

1. Prepare grain blend or quinoa as directed on package. Let cool and place in a large bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently until evenly combined. Top with fresh cilantro or sliced avocado.

This is one of those recipes that is satisfying on so many levels.  It’s delicious, healthy, and full of flavor. It packs a bunch of fiber and protein to boot. Share with your friends – they’ll love you for it! Here’s the nutritional information that I calculated on Livestrong.

Meals like this are the reason I’m okay with frequent visits to frozen yogurt shops because it’s all about the balance. But, as of 1 week ago, I haven’t had any desserts/candy AT ALL. At work the other day, Dane (pushups partner) and I decided we should try giving up sweets for 2 weeks. I’m happy to say that I didn’t go into cardiac arrest OR a deep depression. One week to go!

Ironically, I got 3 cavities filled yesterday. Another reason to abstain from sugar! Wells Fargo was not happy when I swiped my card for that dentist bill.

And then I bought this Sonicare toothbrush. : )

Favorite vegetable combo? I can’t get enough of fresh corn & avocado!

Do you regularly eat sweets or are they a random treat for you?

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. Last night, Boding and I went to Crave for happy hour/dinner. We both had the veggie wrap that I’m obsessed with. I always ask for fresh veggies on the side so Chef Landen made a really mix of roasted corn, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and avocado. Must make this colorful dish at home!

2. For the past month or so, Dane and I have been doing pushups every hour at work. It’s a great way to keep moving throughout the day, burn some calories, and build muscle. I started doing 15 in a row every hour, but now I’m up to 30+. It really does get easier!

Rachel started doing crunches with us too! We’ve got to balance out the snack cabinet somehow…

By the end of the day we’re pooped.

3. Though I generally avoid fruit juices/sugary beverages, I found a Gatorade G2 flavor I can’t resist. Have you tried the Raspberry Melon?

4. Amanda and I went on a 5.5 mile bridge walk last week. Can anyone in Charleston honestly say they don’t love this sight?

5. My hair is finally long enough that I can wear a hat without looking like a boy. So, I bought one during Vineyard Vines’ Whale of a Sale.

6. I made a new playlist on Spotify. It’s called Hipstina. Ha! I’m really proud of it though. If you use Spotify, check it out here!

Hipster Cuisine Part I

When you think of the word “hipster”, what do you think?

Lens-less glasses?

Boys in skinny jeans? (Ew.)

Music your friends “probably haven’t heard of yet”? (Thanks, Logan.)

Girls who think wearing mustaches is cute? (AWFUL.)

Jef from The Bachelorette? (Swoon.)

You don’t think of food, do you? Well apparently New York magazine does. More specifically, they think of Asian cuisine. As I flipped through this week’s issue of New York, I came across an article titled “Asian Hipster Cuisine.” Until then, I’d never even seen the word “Asian” next to the word “hipster.” But, hey, NYC is way ahead of SC – let’s be honest.

The article basically claims that Asian cuisine is trending. That 2012 “has been the year of ramen and buns, Sichuan and Shaanxi.” They interview several chefs (not all of whom are Asian) who describe this “hipster” cuisine:

“A noodle bar in a dive bar.” “Asian-American.” “Street food.” “Weird Chinese food.”

I thought back to this year’s restaurant openings in Charleston and it hit me. Holy pho, a bunch of them were Asian!

• Co – Vietnamese
• Izakaya Hiro – Sushi/Modern Japanese
• Xiao Bao Biscuit – opening Fall 2012

Why do you think Asian food is suddenly a trend? I always thought it was cool, so I’m pretty pumped that there’s a rise in Asian restaurant openings. Bring on the steamed pork buns, noodles, and kimchee. I love it all.

Have you noticed more Asian restaurants/food trucks/pop-up dinners in your area?

What other trend do you consider hipster? Any foods? Let’s not forget men in scarves, coffee shops, rolled-up jeans, PBR, suspenders, and Skrillex’s hair.

Fashion Feature: Amy O. Jewelry

Earlier this Summer, my friend Heera contacted me about her friend Gina’s new  line of jewelry. Amy O.,  an acronym for “Accessories Make Your Outfit”, is a premier online line of quality jewelry for women. They have four distinct collections to cater to your individual style:

• Boho Chic – hippie chic pieces with flair
• All About The Glitz – Statement pieces with a whole lot of bling
• Preshe Delicates – Handcrafted semi-precious and precious stones
• Deco Glam – trendy and edgy art pieces

You can easily view Amy O.’s gorgeous pieces by selecting one of the above collections, or by searching for the type of jewelry you’re looking for, be it rings, bracelets, necklaces, or earrings.

After I connected with Gina, she graciously offered to send me three pieces of my choice! Rachel and I had a ball deciding which items we would be sharing ;). There are so many beautiful pieces to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down!

I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly buying bracelets. That said, I knew I should focus on the necklaces first. Because statement necklaces are all the rage right now, I decided I should add two to my collection. My first choice was the “Deco” Tricolor necklace. How fun is this? 

Second, I chose the “Deco” Epoxy Bib necklace in another very fun color. I love the addition of glitz in this one. Every girl needs sparkles in her life!

Then I browsed the earrings. I typically lean towards simple, classic jewelry so when I saw the “Preshe” Filigree Drop earrings, I knew I had to have them. They’re delicate, simple, and won’t ever go out of style. Aren’t they so sweet? I will wear these often!

Check out some more of her amazing jewelry:

Amy O. jewelry and gift cards can be purchased on the site. You can also sign up to receive updates and promotions. Stay connected via:

• facebook
• twitter

Gina was generous to offer YOU ALL a discount code for her site.  When checking out, enter the code "hungrymeetshealthy" (all lower caps), to receive 20% off your entire purchase. Offer expires August 31, 2012. Free shipping on orders of $75 or more!

What’s your favorite item/collection on the site?

What are you going to buy!?

The Friday Five 7.20.12

1. What I’m Reading: Though I’m still reading Gone Girl for book club, I picked up a heavy stack of books that I had put on reserve at the library.

The one I’m most excited to peruse is The Naked Foods Cookbook.

2. What I’m Eating: We’re pretty fortunate to have a cafeteria at Blackbaud, even if it means that Rachel and I spend a silly amount of money there, just out of convenience. This week, I had a delicious lunch: sundried tomato wrap with turkey, feta, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, banana peppers, and hummus. Why does a wrap/sandwich always taste better when someone else makes it?

3. What I’m Listening to: Another good song by The Airborne Toxic Event.

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Carrot, Almond, and Raisin Energy Bites.

5. GIFs I’m Loving: 

WHEN I’M TOO LAZY TO PUT ON MASACARA

So true!

WHEN I FIND THE MOTIVATION TO GO TO THE GYM

BEFORE:

DURING:

Happy weekend, friends!