New Grounds Coffee GIVEAWAY!

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Hi friends! I hope you all had an awesome weekend! Mine was full of relaxation (besides working yesterday) which was VERY welcome after an extremely busy week. I was able to catch up on some much-needed blog/fitness work that had been on the back burner for a week or so. Also, Rob and I were able to get in a killer class at Everybody Fights (ahem, Chris's Trainfit 360), make pancakes, organize life, and dive head first into some noodle bowls at Blue Dragon (so, SO, GOOD). What's better than a great workout, delicious food, organization, and relaxation? Not much, right?

Anywayyy, life is hectic, right? We all try to make healthy food choices but, sometimes we can't plan everything. Although I didn't used to be a fan of protein/health "bars"... sometimes they are my best bet to get some energy in the afternoon. Plus, there are many more clean options out there than ever before (Rx Bars, Kind Bars, etc). These bars have a simple ingredient list so you can rest assured that you're eating real food not some processed crap.

Well, I have another bar to add to the list today... New Grounds Food Coffee Bars! The ingredient list in these bad boys is really clean... I'm talking 100% ORGANIC real foods that you already know and love! Organic dates, gluten-free oats, organic almond butter, organic brown rice syrup, organic vegan dark chocolate chips, organic fair-trade COFFEE, organic cashews, organic chia seeds, organic agave fiber, organic cinnamon, and sea salt. 

Yes, each bar is 100% organic, vegan, gluten-free, and gluten free. Plus, the coffee in it provides the energy of one cup of coffee. OH HI my new mid-afternoon, favorite snack!

So, besides the fact that these bars are delicious, clean, and act as a cup of coffee... there's one more thing that I love about them and that's how they came of existence. Ready for this? Two Northeastern students were in their dorm one day and thought "I wish we could eat our coffee, let's make that happen and let's make the ingredient list killer, too". (I mean it might not have gone exactly that way, but, close enough!)

So, Ali & Johnny got to work and made their dream a reality. Don't you love when that happens? 

And so, here I am today telling you about these awesome bars that were made by these two amazing guys from Northeastern. It's pretty neat.
Anyway, I have some EXCITING NEWS for you today! The team from New Grounds Food want you to try these bars so badly that they are willing to give away THREE sample packs!

Entering is simple!
1. Follow @newgroundsfood & me @sherridalessandro on Instagram
2. Comment on their latest image and mention the flavor you want to try most with hashtags #FFFcontest and #funfitflavor
That's it! All entries must be in by Thursday, March 10th at 8pm EST.

Are you already sold? You can get 10% off your next purchase with coupon code FunFitFlavor10 at checkout!
CLICK HERE!

I hope you guys enjoy these as much as I do! Have an awesome week! xo

Weekend Sunshine XLVII

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Hi friends and happy Monday! I actually took some photos this weekend so I'm happy to share a new edition of "Weekend Sunshine"! For the most part, it was pretty low key which is always welcome! Plus, I'm really trying to work on healing my voice because it's been shot since last Spring. You may remember, I mentioned getting a "procedure" last August but, I never really divulged the situation because I really don't want this blog to be a "woe is me" zone. I'm totally fine, but, I have Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and I'm trying to get to the bottom of fixing it once and for all. In August, the "procedure" was an Endoscopy called for by a few of my doctors because my voice had been shot for a few months. If you attended a few of the summer NBGNO events, you may have noticed that I couldn't really project as well as I used to and I sounded pretty awful.

Anyway, I went to an ENT first who told me I was on the verge of getting "nodes". Lol, yes like in Pitch Perfect. The next step was the Endoscopy where they didn't find anything serious. That being said, I was put on a prescription for Prilosec and that was pretty much the end of it. Have you seen the recent news articles on Prilosec and other OTC and prescription antacids? It's not pretty... kidney failure, muscle weakness due to magnesium deficiency, etc. Anyway, the GERD diet is super annoying because it cuts out all things that I love... spicy food, citrus, booze, tomatoes, chocolate... the list goes on and on. It also cuts out fried food which is NBD - cutting out the healthy stuff is what really makes me annoyed but, I've got to finally hunker down and give it a shot. This means, cutting wayyyy back on all of these things. What's weird about GERD is that not everyone has the same triggers. For instance, coffee is a major trigger for many patients... it doesn't bother me much. On the other hand, onions and garlic really increase my symptoms, but, for other folks... no. Wine -- awful symptoms almost immediately. :(

Anywayyy, the reason I'm finally talking about this is because I realized that I am doing myself and other people with this common disease a disservice by not talking about it or sharing recipes that are GERD-friendly. So, that's what I'm going to start doing for a little while. You may have already noticed that I'm using more mangos, coconut, etc in my smoothies. Acidic fruit is a no-no so I need to be careful. My beloved tacos... well, I'm using a mild taco seasoning and that seems to be ok. I'm going to keep working at this and will hopefully have a normal voice again by the Summer. Oh, and one more thing... this is a genetic thing for me. My mom was the person that instilled a healthy lifestyle in me from day 1 and she's had GERD her entire life. It doesn't always happen to people with bad diets. Although common in smokers and people with higher BMIs, my mom and I were just born with this thing so it's tough to work to control it. Ok, that's enough of that! Let's move on to the fun stuff and the "sunniest" moments from the weekend!

I asked Rob to give me a new back workout the other day. Let's just say, I was humbled. I need to make heavier lifting more of a focus. The weekly set of deadlifts, goblet squats, and strength classes are not cutting it. I'm excited, though!

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Tuna melts and sweet potato fries for Friday din... simple and delish!

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On Saturday morning, Athena and I joined the battle at Equinox's 10th annual Cycle for Survival event! Cycle for Survival is the national movement to beat rare cancers. The funds raised support life-saving research at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital.

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Cycle for Survival was founded by Dave (above) and his wife Jen - a Memorial Sloan Kettering patient.  Following Jen's cancer diagnosis, they decided to do something to fight back and that's what sparked this incredible movement that has now grown to multiple cities and has raised over $22.2 million dollars! Truly inspirational.

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My Christmas cactus is back in bloom and it's SO pretty!

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Michelle and Bri came into town on Saturday night so we headed to Loco for coconut margaritas and Mexican. (not exactly GERD friendly)

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A pre-run green smoothie made with green juice from Trader Joe's, cup of frozen mango, 1 scoop of sfh coconut whey protein powder, and water to blend.

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And finally, Sunday meal prep that included this egg hash bake from Carrots n' Cake, zoodles, and salads.

Andddd that's about all for now... sorry this post kind of went all over the place. Apparently, I had a lot to talk about! I hope you all have an awesome week and HAPPY LEAP DAY! xo

QUESTIONS:
- Do you have any info worth sharing on GERD?
- Are you interested in a few new recipes that stay away from acidic foods?
- Did you have a fun weekend?

Bits & Bites #12

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Hi friends and happiest of happy Thursdays to you! Who's already excited for the weekend? (raises hand) I have a dinner date with a few of my best girlfriends tonight at Blue Dragon so I'm pretty excited about that.

Moving on... I'm back with the 12th edition of "Bits & Bites". I know I always say this when I put these posts together but, it's fun to look back at the old "bits and bites" to see what I was into during past seasons. Also, it serves as a great idea bank for different meals. I hope this iPhone dump of food photos provides the same type of inspiration and reminders to you all. Please leave a message in the comment section if you'd like any of these recipes or food products. I'm happy to share any and all of it!

My go-to breakfast (outside of smoothies): Cinnamon Raisin Ezekial English Muffin with almond butter and ceylon cinnamon.

Not-so-healthy Trader Joe's buffalo chicken wings that we made for the SuperBowl.

A Friday night takeout dinner: Arugula salad with steak from Paramount.

Simple lunch salad with two hard boiled eggs, evoo, and balsamic vinegar.

Snack at work: plain Siggi's yogurt with goji berries and slivered almonds.

Breakfast: Dark chocolate and cherry protein shake.

I sure do eat a lot of tacos... Chicken breast sautéed and seasoned with taco seasoning served on tortillas with veggies.

Lunch at work: Leftover ground taco seasoned turkey over spinach salad and 1 tortilla.

The most delicious breakfast smoothie TO DATE!: SFH coconut protein powder, 1 cup of frozen mangoes, 1 tsp almond butter and topped with all the goodness you want. (I call it the pina colada smoothie)

Green juice and superfood bites from Thirst after a tough workout. (yum)

Friday night dinner: Cornmeal and herb coated haddock with asparagus.

Snow day chicken noodle soup for lunch!

Cape cod pizza (THE BEST).

Lunch at work: Make-ahead, easy crustless quiche over spinach.

Leftovers for lunch: (looks gross but, SO good) Roasted butternut squash with ground turkey that was made asian-style the night before. Yumm.

That amazing pina colada smoothie again.

Friday night meal: Baked haddock made with a chickpea flour, lemon, caper "cream" sauce with cauliflower rice and roasted veggies.

My go-to healthy taco casserole. I made this one on Athena's snapchat during our Tuesday Takeover this week. Let me know if you want a full post on this one.

That's about all for this round-up! What are your go-to favorite meals? 

Have an awesome day! xo