Yay, it’s my Birthday Week! I still plan on celebrating more this weekend

When I came into work on Tuesday Morning, my sister gave me my birthday prezzie! I loved the beautiful bracelet and bath bomb

My sister got me this cute card- HILARIOUS!!

Awww so sweet!

And my boss got me a $35 gift certificate

And my inlaws gave me cash and some soaps and a cute monogrammed box- I forgot to get a picture!

I got these 18 Rabbits Bars in the mail- they are sooo good! I love how chunky and sweet these are

After work, Mom and Dad took me out to dinner to Tokyo Terrace

Dad had me a variety of Sake ordered before I got there- I love Sake because it’s just fermented rice so it doesn’t really classify as alcohol in my book- I did sleep good that night though!

I ordered the vegan nori rolls and shared- it was too much for me to eat by myself.

Me & the hubby- I did try some green tea but it had a fishy taste, no thanks

Then, they tricked me..Dad was pretending to wait on the check and then the whole crew came out with the drums, the fruit “cake” with candle singing Happy Birthday! I was SOO embarrassed but happy!! (Dad got pictures- I need to upload them!)

This is definitely what I call a “Melinda” Cake- I love fruit!

I get these every year for my Birthday-  I have quite the chopsticks collection now! I plan on having a sushi party one night soon!

I had the best Birthday week! Work was great- we got caught up on a lot of work and are getting things more organized. I am going to my Moms this weekend along with other family to help finish my Mom’s house and do some landscaping/cleaning. Sunday I really want to work on our house some and get some things done! I will be back later with more of an update on my week last week and everything that has been going on- I’m so happy to have my computer back!!

My birthday is tomorrow!!! I can’t believe it!!

Wednesday headed out the door to work

The lovely people at Zukay Live Foods sent me a few dressings to try!

I was more than happy to try them out I loved how light and fresh the salad dressings tasted! And they are all raw, which means tons of enzymes

I could smell the onions before I even opened the bottle- you have to be an onion lover for this one! I really liked it on my salad mixed with some cold press olive oil- really good

I really liked how light these dressings were in comparison to heavier, more oily dressings-and the low calorie content as well

Zukay Dressings are live and fermented (raw) and contain probiotics and enzymes as well-which we all know are essential for the body. They offer salsas, relish and salad dressings and their products are vegan. They can be ordered online or you can check here to see if these products are sold in a store near you.

Ruths Hemp Food also sent me some Chia to try

Finally I get to try the infamous Chia!

The latest addition to Ruth’s Foods line of Chia Goodness instant breakfast cereals- Chocolate Chia Goodness. Raw, gluten-free, dairy free and low glycemic- is made up of chia, hemp and buckwheat seeds with the new variety being flavored with raw organic cacao nibs and fair trade,organic cocoa powder.

Obviously my bowl wasn’t very pretty-but it was oh so chocolately! Next time I plan on mixing with some oatmeal and fruit.

This was my first time trying Chia seeds and I really liked the taste and it held me over a long time- I guess the seeds must expand in the tummy! Not sure, but this was perfect to eat on weekdays when I have to go to work and sometimes don’t have time to snack. I definitely give Ruths a thumbs up- I loved the chocolate flavor

So this weekend is almost over, I can’t believe it is Sunday already!! But it’t okay because I am all prepared for the workweek! Oh, and my Birthday is Tuesday!!

Weekend Accomplishments:

• Work outfits ready
• Laundry washed and put away
• Dishes done
• Pre-made organic veggie soup
• Cooked Dinner for tonight-organic broc. casserole, org. wild rice, and hf baked, breaded chicken breast
• Bought cute office supplies-ready to bring with me to work

Remaining things to do:

• Me-bath
• Bathe Roscoe
• Make Green Smoothie for work
• Dust/Mop/clean some window

I think that’s it!  Well, I’m off to finish up, hope you all are having a fabulous weekend wherever you are!!!

Mom bought me some MORE “healthy” cookies- I really don’t need these in my house- aaaaah!! But it was really sweet of her

I found these fabulous teas at Big Lots- I LOVE the Vanilla Hazelnut- I can’t even explain this combo with a splash of coffee & vanilla hempmilk, stevia and cinnamon- heaven! I plan on going back maybe next week to load up on those!

And Daves Killer Bread sent me some yummy products to review!

I love Sprouted Breads!

The world’s first killer sprouted wheat bread! Moist, chewy, and full of sprouted grain flavor, this one makes killer sandwiches!

• 100% Whole Grain
• 4g Fiber
• 800mg Omega-3 ALA
• 6g Protein

The hubby tried some with his boars head turkey and loved it!

 I had a slice with some Tribe hummus- so good and chewy!

INGREDIENTS: Organic sprouted whole wheat, water, organic good seed mix (organic whole ground flaxseeds, organic sunflower seeds, organic whole flaxseeds, organic unhulled sesame seeds, organic black sesame seeds), organic evaporated cane juice, organic vital wheat gluten, organic molasses, yeast, organic oat fiber, sea salt, organic cultured wheat.

The Sin Dawg (like a cinnamon roll, but healthier!) was definitely sinful - oh my gosh, I had to tell the hubby to please take it away from me- I could have just eaten this all day and nothing else!

See what I mean? Loved the cinnamon and sugar all wrapped up in healthy whole grains- I liked it so much better than the homemade, yet unhealthy, cinnamon rolls that I grew up on. It was nice knowing that this was a much healthier choice!

The healthiest cinnamon roll in the world. 100% whole grain and sinfully delicious.

• 100% Whole Grain
• 3g Fiber
• 5g Protein
• 850mg Omega-3 ALA

INGREDIENTS: Organic whole wheat flour, organic raisins, water, organic evaporated cane juice, organic canola oil, organic molasses, organic sunflower seeds, organic flaxseed meal, organic sesame seeds, organic whole grain oats, organic wheat gluten, organic cinnamon, yeast, organic pumpkin seeds, salt, organic vanilla extract, organic rice bran extract.

By the way, The “Sin Dawg” was gone pretty much in 2 days between me and the hubby Yeah, that’s dangerous stuff in our house I LOVED Dave’s products

My Plans for this weekend:

• Movie- Friday night
• Gym- Friday and Saturday (Tonight as well)
• Shopping for a few more work outfits? Set out work outfits for next week
• Complete 2 more product reviews
• Pre-make some vegetable soup for the work week, not sure what else yet..
• Tidy House/Laundry
• Bathe Roscoe
• Help hubby clean yards

I have to get as much done as I can this weekend because next Tuesday is my Birthday!! And next weekend, my family is getting together to go and help finish up things on my Mom’s new house. Family time! I’m kinda excited about hanging out with everyone

Moving on to my week so far at work (I hope you guys aren’t tired of hearing about it yet) I am learning more and more new things. I’m starting to really get excited to be working at such a great job- I feel like this is a place that I could see myself working at for a long time and I haven’t ever really been able to say that about any other job that I’ve had.  I really want to start doing quotes so I can learn but make a commission as well I also talked with my boss the other day, and he said if we meet our quota we could all go to Venice, Italy this year!!!  Seriously, I love my job!! I wanted to show you a picture of my awesome boss- so here he is! I told him that I was going to put him on my blog- which I actually showed to him my day of hire.

BEST BOSS EVA!!

Me on my way to work with organic black tea in hand

Cedars Mediterranean hooked a girl up!!! Thanks so much Molly for shipping me these fabulous products to try!

I got this package when I came home for lunch- just in time for this delicious looking salad!

The salad stood no chance It was so good- crunchy, zesty and sweet at the same time- I also had a slice of sprouted bread with the artichoke spinach hummus that Cedar’s sent. Heaven.

While I was trying my salad- I also helped the hubby make a quesadilla with the wraps that Cedar’s sent as well. They browned perfectly and were fluffy and crisp at the same time- Yum!

GIVEAWAY!!

The great news is that Cedars sent me some coupons to give away to you guys!! The winner will receive Free Coupons for:

• 3 containers of Hommus
• 1 Free Salsa
• 1 Free 12 oz. Natural Dip
• 1 Free Bag all natural Pita Chips

 That’s 6 free items! So all you have to do to enter is simple- just leave me a comment on my blog on why you want to win some Cedar’s Mediterranean coupons and also what I could do on my blog to make it even more fun and interesting! Good luck everyone I will announce the Giveaway winner on Monday! Also if you want to print off some coupons now-they have a page with .55 cents off coupons here!!

So, I’m supposed to write 6 outrageous lies about myself and one outrageous truth- so here goes:

Six Outrageous Lies:

1. I’m not a girly-girl.
2. Paris is my dream place to visit.
3. I haven’t been to Hawaii.
4. I hate reading books.
5. I am a terrible listener.
6. I don’t like to travel.
7. I hate sports & things like riding 4-wheelers & motorcycles.

Can you guess which one is the truth??

Okay, now for the 7 blogs that I nominated!

1. Chelsea - Love reading her blog- she is so sweet yet hysterical at the same time!
2. Shelley- such a brave and strong girl and a total sweetie!
3. Kacy- So honest and real
4. Jess- Total sweetie and leaves the loveliest comments
5. Ashley- cool girl who is down to earth and just gorgeous!
6. Kristin- Creative girl who has the best recipes and best givewaways!
7. Stephanie- This girl makes the best recipes- always cooking up something fabulous!

Okay, so now that you have been nominated, here is what you have to do:

Thank the person who gave this to you.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.
5. Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Okay, girls have fun with it!!!

Sooo good

So backing up to Friday, my boss mentioned going golfing, but he was worried about leaving me alone at the office since I was new. I reassured him that I would be fine and could handle it on my own- he apparentally trusted me, because around 1:20 he left to go golfing. But before he left he gave me my paycheck and a $25 bonus just for doing a good job- he told me that he really appreciated how hard that I worked this week He was going to buy me a restaurant gift certificate but he knew I wasn’t big on eating out- I may have my nails done instead. Anyway, I handled the office just fine on my own- I had a few payments over the phone and walk-ins. Once 4:00 rolled around, my Mom in law came to pick me up to go shopping!!

At TJ’s Mom bought me this Raw bar- it was pretty good!

I found lots of work outfits!! Thanks to my praying beforehand- I pray about everything!

We made a quick stop at Publix to pick up a few necessities.

We also stopped by Tuesday Morning and I found some gardening gloves- perfect timing since I am planting my garden this weekend! I also found lots of baby items for the shower, but I can’t post them on here since my sister reads my blog.

Okay, so I wanted to model the work outfits that I bought- I want your opinion, so here goes:

Here is the first outfit- I added leggings because the dress was too short.

Outfit #2

Oufit #3 (sorry for my dirty floors- I am cleaning them this weekend )

Outfit #4- this would be for Fridays.

 Oufit #5

 Outfit #6.

Okay, so I want to know what you guys think about my new work outfits- cute or no?

We also stopped by Redbox to pick up a couple of movies, since we had a free code- we rented Inglorious B. and Julie & Julia (for me). I have to tell you Inglorious B. was not my kind of movie, it was gory, too much blood and violence- it was definitely a guy movie and for most of the movie I had my face and even ears covered. Julie & Julia- I LOVED!!!! What a fabulous movie- it was definitely my type of movie

So now onto Saturday…

I planted all of my garden seeds!! Plus some parsley, basil and cilantro.

I made myself some jicama fries for lunch- sooo good

I decided to marinate some mushrooms since we were going to grill out- Saturday was so beautiful and sunny! I marinated them with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and  some Georgia Muscadine wine from when we went to a festival and stomped the grapes- so fun

Of course, hubby wanted some more of the hot wings as well

I did have several organic mushrooms then I had a grapefruit yogurt mess for dessert.

Accomplisments this weekend:

• Laundry
• Organized hubby’s closet- have lots of pants & shirts to pass on to my nephew.
• Dishes
• Planted Garden Seeds
• Shopped for Work outfits & set out oufits for work next week.
• Cleaned bathroom
• Cleaned Microwave
• Cleaned Fridge
• Listened to 2 encouraging sermons!
• Paid several bills

On the Agenda for today:

• Bathe Roscoe
• Myself- bath
• Big Lots- to use 20% off coupon- pick up more baby shower items
• Watch Survivor online- missed last episode.

 I also noticed alot of blogs having an “Ask me Anything” Session- so I want to let you guys know that you can ask me anything as well! No questions are off limits- so please ask away! :D I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!!

*Giveaway Here!

Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost Friday already- woohoo!! This week has been crazy good- I’ve been enjoying work, getting things organized. I even sat down with the Boss today and we had fun chatting about life/our childhood/morals/values- things like that I’m so ready for the weekend- I have a few  things planned that I need to work on- packing up things that I don’t need, shopping for some work outfits and finally planting my garden seeds!! If I get those three things done, it will have been a successful weekend!

Headed to work

Living Harvest sent me a couple of coupons and I bought this vanilla hempmilk the other week. I have been putting it in my green monsters, but I tried it in my coffee today and it was sooo good! It gave it this awesome vanilla creamy taste- I think I will save this for my black teas/coffee I’m not sharing this with the hubby I kid, I kid- I will totally share if he wants some

This Hempmilk is dairy and soy free, vegan, tree nut free, gluten free, cholesterol free, non-gmo, kosher and low sodium- what more could you ask for? Seriously, what more?

Ingredients

Hemp Nut Base (Filtered Water, Hemp Nut [Shelled Hemp Seed]), Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Vanilla With Other Natural Flavors, Tricalcium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Sea Salt, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12.

I had cooked this organic spaghetti squash the other day and needed to use it up- so I had spaghetti for lunch- omigosh how did I forget how good this stuff is!!

Topped with organic raw cheese that I was sent to review

I was beyond excited when Steve (thanks Steve!!) from Next Organic Generation Dairy sent me some cheese products to review!!! Yes!! The cheese above is what I used to grate on my spaghetti squash and boy was it goood! Roscoe was begging me for my cheese and I let him try a bite. Big mistake, he kept wanting more and I finally had to put it away!

I really loved the cheese sticks that they sent me as well- these were perfect when I was snacky- I also brought these with me to work to snack on.  Each stick or 1 ounce of cheese is equal to 7-six ounce cups of yogurt in terms of actual viable bacteria. Are you kidding me?? Bring on the cheese It also is great for boosting the immune system as well as supporting digestive health.

Next Generation only heats their milk to 102 degrees, the same temperature that it was when it was produced and milked from the cow. This light heating is necessary for coagulation to take place in the cheese making process.

All of our cheeses are tested for pathogens after they are produced and then again before they are released for sale. The only requirement by the FDA is that raw milk cheeses age a minimum of 60 days to bring down the pH of the cheese which kills pathogens if they exist naturally.

What this process does is create a true “raw” milk cheese, full of life and naturally occurring digestive enzymes. That is why true raw milk cheeses are not constipating and have a live robust flavor.

Our company is truly committed to the “Next Generation.” Whether it be the soil, plants, animals or our innocent children. We believe that Mother Nature still knows best and our dairy producers strive hard to adhere to the strict Organic standards, which include grazing.
Don’t let a processor destroy one of God’s greatest gifts, “real food.” Buy a product you can feel good about feeding your family and know that by choosing to do so, you are making a difference in the lives of our family farmers and your own. Taste the difference of real live food.

This is really important to me when buying organic dairy:

Cows need fresh pasture. Large dairies (including some organic dairies) confine their cows and feed grain but do not allow for sun, grass and natural exercise. You may be surprised that this management style may still earn the dairy a 100% Certified Organic status. Take the time to get to know your food source. Insist on seeing pictures of the farms, cows and farmers. Grazing is an essential ingredient in the quality of the dairy products we produce and science cannot decode, clone or replace the ingredients found in sun, grass, gentle care and fresh air.

Our cows are raised on healthy, grass fed diets located in West Central Wisconsin. Our management methods and land stewardship practices help to sustain the ecological integrity of our watersheds and groundwater. We also believe that grass fed milk from cows that are well treated and less stressed means the creamiest, most flavorful milk available.

I am definitely sold on this product, not just the delicious cheeses but also how they treat their cows- I like knowing that the dairy that I eat comes from an unstressful environment for animals. You can go here to check out their different cheese and purchase online-unfortunately, I don’t see a location near me since I live in the boonies, so I’ll be ordering mine online in the near future. I love that they have pretty low prices as well!

I started on this post last night and right now I’m headed to get ready for work- it’s Thursday- yeah!! I did finally make it to the gym last night for 1 hour- I am just going to have to work out a schedule to fit everything in. Anyway, hope you guys have a fabulous Thursday!!

On the way to work

Pre-cut organic veggies the night before.

And remember this sprouted bread from Alvarado Street Bakery that I picked up last week? I was so stoked to try it out! Thanks for the coupons Julie!

 Ingredients:
Sprouted Organic Whole Wheat Berries, Filtered Water, Wheat Gluten, Honey, Molasses, Organic Millet, Organic Cracked Wheat, Organic Corn Meal, Fresh Yeast, Sea Salt, Organic Oats, Organic Rye, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Flax Seeds, Soy Based Lecithin, Cultured Wheat.

I made my avocado & egg (organic) salad sandwiches- I loved the chewiness of the bread. And I have to admit I liked it so much, when the hubby wanted a slice b/c he was out of his honey wheat, I was hesitant to share :oops:. But I did finally and he really liked it as well! I have eaten half of that loaf already-sheesh!

Besides being so tasty, another thing that I LOVE about this bread is that it is pretty low in cost in comparison to other sprouted breads, like Ezekiel- I’ve seen it priced over $5 per loaf. The same loaf that I bought, is available online for $2.29.  Although, they do recommend to buy it locally since it costs less- you can go here to find places that carry Alvarado Street Bakery products near you. Besides lots of breads, they also carry tortilla, granola, rolls & buns, pizza bread and bagels (Next time I plan on picking up some sprouted bagels for breakfast ) 

Additional Info about Alvarado Street Bakery Products:

• The sprouted wheat breads are “flour-less”- organic wheat berries are soaked until they sprout. The berries are then ground into the dough.
• No GMO ingredients
• No refined sugars, No added oil, No dairy and No preservatives.
• All bread and bagels are vegetarian, several are vegan.
• We support organic family farms. Our products are certified organic by QAI.

What goes perfectly with an egg salad sandwich? V-8 Juice! I had gotten this organic V8 juice on sale a couple of weeks ago for 1.60 per bottle and have been working on drinking some this week.

These organic oatmeal raisin cookies were great as a mid-day pick me up at the office!

I also wanted to tell you guys about a product I recently tried out.

Vermont Soaps sent me some organic soaps to try- I am always buying lots of soaps, especially hand soaps- I guess we are germiphobes and go through lots! My hubby is always asking, “Did you wash your hands?” What am I five years old? lol He is definitely an extreme gerbiphobe, I am the obsessive compulsive “everything needs to be in perfect order” one. It’s not hard to drive me crazy with things out of order, okay okay I digress. So onto my review of the soaps

I really loved the Lemon grass Zen Foaming hand soap- I loved the smell- amazing clean and fresh! It only takes a tiny amount to wash your hands and they felt so clean afterwards.

The bar soaps- I loved the Oatmeal Lavendar- it was my fave because of the actual oats in the bar, it felt great on my skin. And the smell was divine!

I also loved the shower gel- I love the fact that it is a pump soap. Definitely way easier when you are in a hurry trying to get ready! (like I usually am)

Liquid Sunshine- I have mixed feelings on this one. I did Love the smell of the soap- it kind of reminded me of murphy’s oil/lemony smell BUT it did not suds up on the dishes which made me feel like it really wasn’t cleaning the dishes. It’s also used for laundry, which I plan on using it for since I didn’t like it for dishwashing. (I do have a dishwasher, but I kind of prefer washing dishes unless I have over a ton of company) I would definitely purchase any of these products in the future, especially the hand soaps- like i said, we go through a bajillion of these!

Vermont Soap Organics produces USDA Approved, Certified Organic alternatives to the often irritating, chemical and detergent based personal care products now in general use. We manufacture handmade cold process bar soaps for sensitive skin, liquid soaps for skin and cleaning, the first truly organic shower gels, numerous organic nontoxic cleaners and much more. Our Master Soapmakers blend organic food grade ingredients into soap products the old fashioned way. Our special bar soap process removes excess alkali from the soap, creating a super mild bar for the most sensitive skin.

Here is a close-up view on the Oatmeal Lavendar soap- I told you it had big oat pieces in the bar! I love that this is soap for sensitive skin- I only use organic products because I have had skin allergies since I was a baby- my Mom had to switch laundry detergets because Tide would break me out.

I was able to clean off our patio & kitchen (all of my hubby’s house remodeling tools) and organize the garage Sunday- so that was a big thing that I was able to mark off my list! I also helped the hubby work underneath the house clearing out some dirt- I guess my body needed some rest today.

Not sure what else I have planned for tonight- even though it’s late (10:21), I just slept for 3 hours, so I’m not tired. I am thinking I will watch my tivo’d Real Housewives of NJ, give myself a facial scrub & mask and pre-make my green smoothie for tomorrow. I am definitely feeling better after getting some rest and I’ll be ready for my day tomorrow! Hope you all have a fabulous day tomorrow!!