Friday, December 12, 2014

W.W.E.D.? - What Would Ellen Do?

In the past couple months I've become a fan of the Ellen DeGeneres Show.  (That sounds like I'm behind the times, she's been doing the show since 2003 but I haven't had the chance to really watch it regularly till now, so call me a late bloomer I guess!)  She and her guests are usually good for a decent giggle plus her desire to empower people and share the benefits of her success is just inspiring!  It makes for some feel good TV! 

As previously admitted, I never paid a whole lot of attention to the content of her show until one day I had it on in the background and I heard her closing remark "Be kind to one another" which just struck a chord with me.  How often (especially during the holiday season) do we forget to be kind?

So with Ellen's daily encouragement in mind, I decided to take a little time out of my hectic holiday prep to spread some holiday cheer.  Granted I couldn't really go giving away thousands of dollars worth of merch and gifts BUT I'd like to think I brightened someone's day and showed my appreciation for them in a manageable way.  

I think it's safe to say our postal workers and package delivery folks are the unsung heroes of the holidays.  They work long hours in the less than pleasant weather (at least here in the Midwest) to make sure all our gifts and goodies arrive in time.  So as a thank you to our dear mail carrier I left him a little note and a Starbucks gift card (note: USPS does not allow carriers to accept cash tips but gift cards under $20 are okay) to fuel his longer shifts in the cold.


There's all kinds of other ideas and people in your life that I bet make your life pre-holidays easier so take a minute and show them you appreciate it!

I'm going to do my best to get more posts up before the holidays!

Cheers! And "Be kind to one another"!
Steph  

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

ALOHA Supplement Trial

And we're back at it!  How was everyone's Turkey Day?!  Chris and I had a fabulous long weekend with family and friends, proof that our blessings in life are truly in abundance.  Thanksgiving is pretty much my favorite holiday, an excuse to eat excessive amounts of mashed potatoes and gravy is ALWAYS my idea of a good time.  Plus my wonderful Momma got to celebrate her birthday with us at the Ohio State v. Michigan game!  We started our tailgating at 7am (noon games make tailgating schedules rough!) and had such a blast!

Rushing the field after a Buckeye WIN!!
But with such gluttony comes necessary checks and balances so I thought I'd give a new health product a try and share it with you.  It's called ALOHA which offers powered supplements as well as nutrient capsule packages that are vegan, non-GMO, gluten free, soy free, etc.

I think I found this floating around on Facebook and saw they offered a free trial, all you have to do is pay shipping, which I thought was pretty cool!  They have a couple different options to mix and match with your trial.  I decided on Daily Good Greens: whole food powders and The Foundation: 5 capsule nutrient packs.


The trial came with three flavors of Daily Good Greens: chocolate, berry and original and three capsule packs.


I tried the Daily Good Greens three different ways: in my breakfast smoothie, in a glass of coconut milk and in a glass of just water.  My breakfast smoothie typically has water, flax seed, raspberries, banana, spinach, peanut butter and lemon juice so I added the Original powder to the mix as well.  It was good, you could definitely taste a little more "green" taste but it didn't make it terrible or anything.


The capsule packs contain 5 capsules: 2 Be Brilliant capsules that promote brain cell growth, glowing skin and better sleep quality, 2 Be Young & Strong capsules that sharpens cognition, strengthens bones and defends cells and 1 Be Protected capsule that soothes everyday inflammation, relieves stress, detoxifies and boosts the immune system.  (For the full vitamin breakdown, click here.)  Each pack came with these cute little notes with inspiring quotes on one side then nutrition facts on the other which was a nice surprise! 



I mixed the Daily Good Greens: Chocolate in a glass of coconut milk.  It didn't dissolve very well which made it pretty grainy/chalky tasting, it still tasted a little earthy but nothing too bad. The worst part was the texture.


I mixed the last packet of Daily Good Greens: Berry in a glass of water, it wasn't entirely desirable tasting but it dissolved easier than it did in the milk. 


Overall it was fun to try and it helped kind of kickstart some better eating before the holidays.  I cancelled the membership before they could charge for or send me the next month's package, which you have to do if you sign up for the trial but they send reminders before your trial is up.  I really didn't care for the Daily Good Greens much but I did like The Foundation capsule packs.  I would consider getting those to help boost my immune system through these winter months, etc.  Plus the little notes in each pack were a good mood booster for each day! 

Hope you all have a great Cyber Week and nab some good deals!  Next up I have some shoes, LFMs and a new recipe to share!

Cheers!
Steph