Review
If you’ve been reading for the past year or so, you’ve probably heard me belabor about finding snacks and easy meals that fit our relatively new eating parameters: dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free.
Most of the time it’s pretty easy now that we’ve gotten used to it, but finding snacks on the go and things to eat when I haven’t had time to plan gets a little hairy. I had a chance to try some snack bars that met our list of requirements, plus are Paleo, non-GMO, and artificial-anything-free. Meet AMRAP bars:
{You might recognize “AMRAP” from Crossfit lingo – “as many rounds as possible”. These are bars are perfect for Crossfit athletes and more.}
They have 13-21g of protein per bar too. Not too shabby.
It’s no fun if I get to try something new and you don’t, so here’s your chance to try out these new bars and their fun flavors: Cashew & Vanilla, Almond & Honey, and Fig & Cacao.
Enter for a chance to win a variety box {THREE winners!}
**Leave a comment below for each of the above things you did so I can randomly pick a winner by Sept 16.**
You can also pre-order a box starting today; the first 2,500 customers will be entered to win up to $300 in prizes.
Beverage
This Sweet Tea post is sponsored by Southern Breeze Sweet Tea. Read on for a giveaway!
I still remember the day I moved into my southern college campus. A fellow student held the door of our dorm wide open for me while I was still 100 feet away. First I thought it was odd; then sweet. It was my first introduction to southern etiquette. I knew I was on to something with this random college I picked in the middle of North Carolina.
I spent more than my first year here in the south learning southern-isms and southern sayings. Some were easy to catch on to; others might as well have been a foreign language. I learned toboggans were more than just sleds, you mash the brakes, cut the light on, and get in a wreck, not a car accident.
Then I learned about Southern food. The first rule of Southern food: you don’t mess with it. Anything green is made with ham or bacon, everything gets more butter {I’m looking at you, Paula Deen}, and you don’t mess with the family biscuit recipe.
You also don’t ask for your tea “sweetened or unsweetened”, the way I learned in my waitressing days. Tea here is just sweet. Sure, you can ask for it unsweetened, but there’s a pretty good chance the waiter will think you made a mistake and bring you a glass of the sweet stuff. And no, “sweet tea” isn’t just iced tea with sugar packets emptied into it at the table. It’s brewed hot, with just the right amount of sugar, then cooled with ice.
Sounds like a bit of work for a refreshing glass of sweet tea. You can make it easier though. Southern Breeze Sweet Tea makes a family-sized tea bag with the sweetener in the bag, so all you have to do is let it steep and toss in some ice to let it chill.
Refreshment, at your service.
Even the Southern husband gave it his seal of approval. That’s sayin’ sumthin.
Want to not take his word for it and try it for yourself? Southern Breeze is giving away a sweet tea gift basket.
Leave a comment about what you love about Sweet Tea or share a memory of being together with family or friends and drinking Sweet Tea to enter! Feel free to share the giveaway on social media too, of course.
Giveaway ends Monday June 30th. In case you don’t win, Southern Breeze Sweet Tea is available at Harris Teeter, Ingles, Wegman’s & Amazon.com, or find them on Facebook or Twitter.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Southern Breeze Sweet Tea.
Roundups
Finally! It’s here!
The cool weather. 🙂
It’s 60 degrees and sunny and the Kynado and I just got back from a long, barefoot walk around the neighborhood, steaming mug of coffee in hand.{For me, not him.}
KB just finished his first full week of school {they only go 2 hours the 1st week} and while I’ve nowhere near caught up, I can see an end to this madness in sight.
Maybe one day I’ll even get around to posting an actual recipe here again…
For now, here are some of my favorite pieces from Babble from the last 2 weeks:
– Homemade versions of 8 of your favorite after school snacks.
– 11 disgusting things you’ll find in fast food
– 7 health benefits of eating dirt. yup, dirt.
– 15 things no one told me about weaning
– Take the 30 day challenge: 30 days to a better, stronger you!
In other news, there’s just a few days left to enter the giveaway for the programmable special edition K65 Keurig single cup brewer. I’m obsessed. {Hence the steaming mug of coffee in hand earlier.}
Happy weekend. 🙂
Review
**UPDATE: The winner is Kortney, comment #15. Send me an email!**
If you haven’t caught on by now, I pretty much live in workout clothes. I shouldn’t admit this, but it’s not only when I don’t have time to change after the gym. Sometimes I put them on first thing in the morning {or half way through the day} with no intention of any kind of workout. I’m at the point, and have been for an embarrassingly long time, that putting on jeans is officially “dressing up”.
This tells you two things. Ok more than two, but two that matter in this post:
a) I love getting new workout clothes
b) I’m a pretty experienced critic
Factor number one was taken care of when Albion Fit sent me some new workout clothing to try out. Point number two was up to me, and judge them I did, both from a workout standpoint and a just-wearing-around-today view.
Here’s what I tried out and what I thought:
1. Go Long Crew with Thumbholes.
Don’t tell me you don’t love thumbholes. You know you do. As do I. This shirt is super soft and light. It’s the perfect wear-to-the-gym-but-take-off-before-you-start-to-sweat-shirt. It’s also “normal” enough looking that it’s not a dead giveaway that I’m wearing workout clothes. Much like the racks at Target, my closet is currently full of bright, obnoxious colors, so I’m really loving this more subdued, subtle tone.
2. Optimum Capris
I’m addicted to workout leggings, especially capri form. They’re good whether it’s warm or cold, and they don’t make your ankles look weird with big sneakers the way long leggings do. My drawers are stuffed with dark bottoms, so this light gray shade is a nice change. I love the white waistband and the little hidden feminine pattern at the bottom. My biggest pet peeve with form-fitting pants is seams digging into all the wrong places, which these pants don’t do.
{Excuse my I-haven’t-showered-brushed-my-hair-or-glanced-in-a-mirror bedraggled look- it’s kind of my go-to look these days.}
3. Gown Suit
Surprise! Albion Fit makes women’s fitness AND swimwear. I love that it’s not skimpy and revealing. Kind of a throw back to the 40s. Pools don’t open here for another 2 weeks, so I’ve yet to give this the tried-and-true test run, but it’s nice to have an option besides a string bikini in my arsenal. {Although this momma is not ‘fraid of the 2 piece.}
I’m actually really loving this new arrival, perhaps because I’m a sucker for black & white stripes.
And does this hoodie not look insanely cozy?
Now that I’ve yammered on about clothing I have and you don’t, don’t you want to know what’s in it for you? Of course you do… it’s your very own go long crew shirt with thumbholes, any color.
Here’s the dealio:
1. “Like” AlbionFit on Facebook.
2. Pin something you like from their collection on Pinterest.
3. Leave a comment letting me know you did, included the link to your pin.
4. Have a party.
Open to US/CA residents only. Giveaway ends 10/13 at midnight-ish.
Not one to chance your luck with a giveaway? Use coupon code sideofsneakers15 to get $15 of a $50 purchase.
Happy virtual shopping. 
Products
Guess what?! The folks at Cheribundi want to give YOU the chance to try out their juice! If you missed it, you can read about the benefits of tart cherry juice for muscle recovery and my review of Cheribundi.
Here’s a peek at the brand new line up of bottles:
To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite way to recover from a hard workout.
Bonus entries:
Tweet the following: “I want to try @Cheribundi from @sideofsneakers! http://ow.ly/hUJ2s” {You can put this on Facebook if you don’t have Twitter.}
You can also “like” or “follow” any of our social media pages:
Cheribundi on Twitter
Cheribundi on Facebook
with a Side of Sneakers on Twitter
with a Side of Sneakers on Facebook
with a Side of Sneakers on Pinterest
with a Side of Sneakers on Instagram
Leave a separate comment for every action you take. Giveaway closes Sunday at midnight EST. Open to those in the continental US. Good luck!
