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January 9, 2015

Engine 2 Challenge Orientation

Good morning y’all and happy Friday!! Who is ready for the weekend? <raises hand!>

This weekend is the MS Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS, so Nick will be coming to town because his brother is flying in to do the half-marathon as well as a team leg in the Marathon.  So I’ll be up bright & early tomorrow morning heading out to the race!  I don’t have many plans the rest of the weekend other than to spend time with Nick and my sisters, who will also be coming into town on Saturday.  Before I dive in to what I’ve been up to this week, let’s talk about breakfast!  Last August when I did the Health Starts Here Challenge with Whole Foods, I discovered the most delicious & healthy breakfast on the planet, well it made a slight disappearance from my life the past few months, but I’m excited to say it’s returned with a bang!  I cannot get enough of this Cinnamon Raisin Ezekial bread toast with 365 Peanut Butter, Bananas, Honey, and Cinnamon!  Pair that with my favorite cup of coffee & I’m in heaven!

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Try it, it will change your world!

The past few days have good, yet somewhat unproductive.  I always start a week off really good with staying on top of things, then Netflix takes over… but I’d like to believe that the first full week of 2015 has been really great for the blog!  So even though I didn’t get some of the posts out that I wanted too, I still had a great week!

The other night, I was delighted by some peanut butter & apple slices… they just literally hit the spot!  If you follow me on Instagram then you saw!

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Then yesterday at work, we had a nice surprise because one of the Rep’s came in with coffee for all the staff ladies on our side.  It was a thoughtful gesture and one we were not expecting at all!  I believe I was pretty productive after this.

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I’ve mentioned it a few times, but I’ve been having trouble during my marathon training the past few weeks due to some sporadic knee pain when I run.  I decided to see a Chiropractor and I’m so glad I did!  Hopefully this treatment will get me back up and running within the next week, but I had a mile long list of issues with my back, neck, and hip.  When you’re able to pop your lower back by just tightening your legs…. clearly something isn’t right.  Now he’s asking me to NOT pop my back if at all possible while he’s working to get me re-adjusted.  I admit, it’s been like Chinese Water Torture, where you’re so frustrated that you think it might literally drive you insane.  I never realized HOW OFTEN I try to pop my back.  I’m on the healing route though, hopefully and will be back to it by mid next week.  My training plan will not go as far as I’d like, but with this and the Engine 2 Challenge I’m about to start, I think I’ll be fairly healthy & ready to race come Feb. 22nd.

What is the Engine 2 Challenge?

Last night, me and 2 of my co-workers attended the Engine 2 Challenge Orientation at Whole Foods.  It’s very similar to the Health Starts Here Challenge I did last August.  I’m excited about cleaning my eating back up and pushing out dairy & processed foods for a healthier and happier body!  The Challenge begins Monday and it’s a nation wide challenge so we will have people from all around US participating at their local Whole Foods as well – if you’re near a Whole Foods, CHECK IT OUT!  Mary Lindsey was kind enough to meet with me separately about some additional requirements on the diet with my marathon training, but it’s encouraging to hear from another healthy eating specialist out in South Carolina who has trained for major races while on the E2C with great success!  My co-workers are really excited about it too and up for the challenge.  I’ll start out going all in, while they will more than likely choose the path that phases you to the full challenge.  I’ll do some more indepth posts on the challenge over the coming weeks.

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I’m excited to get started on meal planning for next week and I already have one item ready for my Favorite Things #2 post in the next few weeks because by golly, I tried the most amazing salad dressing at the orientation and immediately went down stairs to buy some afterwards!

Well I better get off to work, hope y’all have a great weekend and I’ll check back in sometime between now and Monday!

  • What’s your favorite healthy breakfast?
  • Have you done the Engine 2 Challenge or plan to do it with the rest of us this time around?  I’d love to know who you are so I can keep in touch!

Filed Under: 2015 Resolutions, Food, Vegan, Whole Foods Tagged With: Engine 2 Challenge, food, health starts here, vegan, whole foods Leave a Comment

January 7, 2015

Favorite Things #1

Happy Wednesday!  We’re almost done with this week and looking forward to another weekend!  I started out being super productive this week, but just like most weeks, Netflix wins somewhere in the middle and I end up wasting time on things I shouldn’t be watching.  At least I’ve been diligent with blogging this week and hopefully it’ll stay that way!  I’ve been loving this consistency and I hope you have too!  Today I’m bringing you my first Favorite Things post of 2015.  I mentioned in my blogging Resolutions that I wanted to do 2 Favorite Things post a month.  I love sharing what I’ve discovered or what moments have brought me joy.  I couldn’t think of a much clever name than “Favorite Things”.  I love Julie’s Things I’m Loving Friday posts, but I didn’t want to just steal the name, it’s not a name I’ve seen around frequently, but these 2 posts a month will basically be just that – Things I’m currently loving.  I co-hosted the Bliss link-up not too long ago which was another Favorite Things/Things I’m loving type post, but our participation dwindled down and we discontinued the link-up.  I still had a desire to share what I was loving, but to do it more frequently than every now and than when the mood struck.  So I’m being completely unoriginal and calling this my Favorite Things #1 post – I’m completely at a loss for a unique name and I’m just not going to worry about it too much.

So here are a few of my favorite things so far in 2015!

  • Hillary’s Eat Well: The “World’s Best” Veggie Burger

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My friend Mary Lindsey from Whole Foods introduced me to this veggie burger when she gave me a “Shopping on a Budget Tour” recently.  She said they literally were her favorite veggie burger.  I bought some that day to try and they did not disappoint.  They have this quinoa crusting that creates a perfect crispiness to the burger on the outside, while remaining soft on the inside.  I don’t eat veggie burgers in the form of an actual burger usually, so I heat this up on a skillet and dip it in some A-1 sauce.  It’s now my new favorite Veggie Burger brand and I buy a few when I stop by Whole Foods now so I’m stocked up for an easy dinner when I need one.  Another thing I love about this burger is that it’s vegan and sometimes it’s difficult to find a vegan veggie burger, a lot of them actually contain some milk or egg.

  • Aveeno Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser

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My skin care routine lately has gotten pretty basic.  I’ll have to do a whole post about it, but this Aveeno cleanser has been my go-to cleanser lately.  I’ll be honest, I haven’t done much research on the product yet, I bought it because I needed a new cleanser and wanted something more earthy and inexpensive.  Either Aveeno really is a good brand with earth friendly qualities or they have a really good Marketing team with great packaging.  This cleanser is very light and it doesn’t get extremely sudsy, I feel like it does enough to wash away the dirt on my face without using harsh chemicals to do that – again, I haven’t actually done my research on this.  I’m loving this simple cleanser though and I feel like it’s worked well with my skin!

  • Our Fire Place

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My dad purchased a lot of fire wood last weekend and since then, we’ve been having wonderful fires every single night.  It’s actually gotten pretty chilly in Mississippi this week and we’re suppose to get down in the teens, which is rare, but does occasionally happen.  Nick helped teach us how to actually build a fire that will last (props to my Eagle Scout!) and now we are loving our fires each night!  They have been a relaxing part of our evenings.

  • 365 Vegan Lasagna

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I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this at some point, but this Vegan Lasagna is rocking my world!  I always pick up one or two when I go to Whole Foods because they are a simple lunch when I don’t have time to pack something in the morning, they’re full of protein which is everyone’s concern when you tell them you don’t eat meat (20 g! Holla!), it’s also a great source of Fiber, the Sodium is less than a 1:1 ratio which is amazing for a Frozen Entrée, and it’s the Whole Foods generic brand so it’s not as pricey as other Vegan Frozen Entrée options and they will have sales pretty frequently for a $1 off!  I don’t stock up on them too much though because I certainly don’t want to be dependent on a Frozen Entrée for my lunch every day and I would probably resort to that if I could!  One last thing to mention – it really does taste delicious!

  • The Prius & Gas Prices

It’s not surprise that Nick and I love traveling, which is why when I started looking for a car, we knew that I wanted to get something with good gas mileage to help cut our costs on gas.  Top that with our drastically low gas prices and we’re up for any adventure!  We have a big trip planned for MLK weekend that I look forward to sharing with y’all and we have made numerous trips down to Florida to visit Nick’s brother & sister-in-law.  The Prius has been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.  I absolutely LOVE this car!  And let’s talk about gas prices for a minute… when I bought this car back in August, gas was around 3.50 or more!  My first fill-up seemed remarkable at right around $30!  Now, our gas in Mississippi has fallen to $1.99 and I just filled up last weekend for $15.50!  You can bet that gas is not stopping us from doing what we want to do!  Let’s hope it stays this way for a while Smile or at least until we get through our MLK day trip because it’s going to be another long one like Florida is!

  • What are some of your current favorite things?
  • I’m extremely curious, what are gas prices like in your area?
  • What is your favorite face wash?

Filed Under: 2015 Resolutions, Favorite Things, Food, Mississippi, Travel, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: food, Toyota Prius, vegan, vegetarian, whole foods 4 Comments

January 6, 2015

Black Bean & Corn Dip

Good Morning!  How are y’all doing today?!  I have a deliciously simple & healthy recipe for you!

Nick and I love to make this Black Bean & Corn Dip recipe when we go to parties – it’s a perfect tailgating food, and although football season is over, you can enjoy this as a healthy snack, entertaining with friends, or at your upcoming Super Bowl Party!

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What you need:

  • 1 can of Reduced Sodium Black Beans, drained
  • 1 can of White Shoe Peg Corn, drained
  • 1 can of Original Rotel Tomatoes, drained
  • Chopped Green Onions, as much as you want depending on your desired taste
  • 1/4 bottle of Italian Dressing

All you do is mix the ingredients together and pick your favorite chip to dip!  I love Fritos and it’s what I had on hand, although they are not the healthiest choice.  Another favorite are blue corn chips!

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I love this recipe for so many reasons!!!  Like I mentioned, it’s so easy, literally the best last minute party dip because you just empty the cans and mix together!  You can easily double the recipe for a larger group of people – anytime Nick and I make this for a party, we double it.  It’s so colorful with lots of great nutrients, the unhealthiest part about this dip is the Italian dressing and whatever chip you decide to serve it with.  You could honestly go without the Italian Dressing if you wanted to save some calories.  You could also use it as an addition to your tacos.  There are so many ways to make this the perfect dip for YOU!  To top it all off, I can assure you that we get compliments on this dip every single time we share it with someone, so you will not be disappointed!

  • What is your go-to party pleaser?
  • What would you change about my recipe to make this the perfect dip for YOU?!

Filed Under: 2015 Resolutions, Food, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: black beans, food, healthy, tailgating, vegan, vegetarian 2 Comments

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The views and statements expressed on No Bologna are my own. You are reading No Bologna at your own risk and I am not providing any type of professional advice. Unless otherwise noted, all material on No Bologna may not be used, reprinted, or published without my consent. I do occasionally have affiliated links on my blog - this does not raise the price of the product, I simply get a very small commission from the regular retail price if something is purchased using an affiliated link on my site. I appreciate any support by you in regards to affiliated links.

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