We have a winner...

Thank you to everyone who entered the BarkBox competition, the lucky winner is:

I will be sending you an email shortly with the details for claiming your prize.

Those of you not lucky enough to be a winner can still get $5 off your BarkBox using the following link  https://barkbox.com/r/6YgR2CIKcw/

Thanks again to BarkBox for supplying the prize for the giveaway.

January BarkBox Review and giveaway

Those of you who follow my blog will know I am a big fan of BarkBox, and in fact I found out today I was one of their first ever customers when they launched 13 months ago.

Each month you receive a box with 4 - 6 items in it. They include a variety of items, all of them a surprise until the box arrives. Check back through my previous blog posts to see previous box contents.

My dogs know they get a box each month, and I let them rip open the box. This months box must have smelled extra good as it didn't take Bluey long to open the box and pull out the first treat.

The first treat was a 100% beef bully stick from Barkworthies - these have been included in the box before and are a huge hit with my two. Luckily I was able to break it into two so they could have half each.

The next item was a 'wee-nut' from Ruff Dawg, it's a rubber toy made in the USA and you can stuff it with treats.

The yumzies are all natural, grain free treats from Nootie, my two have had these in the past and again are huge huge fans of them. Hopefully they will enjoy the peanut butter flavored one.

How cute is this toy, apparently he is called Elton the Octopus and he is from Jax and Bones, not only do they make cute toys, they donate a portion of each sale to  The Rescue Train - an organization that is dedicated to saving animal lives.

When you sign up for your BarkBox you select the size of your dog, small (0-20lbs) - this is the size I get each month, medium (20-50lbs) or large (50lbs+). You then have three subscription options. You can pay monthly which is $29 a month, or you can pay up front for 3 months which is $23 a month, or you can go for the 6 month subscription which works out at $18.20 a month, this is the option I go for. BarkBox also donate 10% of all proceeds to local shelters and rescues, I'm not sure which ones, as I couldn't see anything on their site, but they do send an update email each month (which I must confess I don't read!) so it maybe featured in there.

They have also launched a new service where members can get 25% off popular products for a limited time.

Anyone who wants to sign up can use the following link and they will receive $5 off their first box
 https://barkbox.com/r/6YgR2CIKcw/

Now on to the main event, BarkBox have kindly offered to give one of my readers a free box (or $29 off a 3 or 6 month subscription).

The giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only. All entries must be submitted using rafflecopter (below)





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:  BarkBox was not provided to me free of charge, I am a paid subscriber. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to provide a positive review in return for the prize for the above giveaway.

Gourmet Dried Meat Snacks review and giveaway

I recently tried Simply Snackin gourmet dried meat snacks and am hosting a giveaway on my other blog, so head over there to check it out.

http://losingweightandhavingfun.blogspot.com/2013/01/simply-snackin-review-and-giveaway.html

We have a winner..

Congratulations to the latest winner on my blog giveaway.

The prize of a jar of coconut oil goes to:

Heather, there is an email on it's way to you.

Thank you to everyone who entered and to Tropical Traditions for supplying the awesome prize.

Another 5k done

Another 5k day and another medal on my board :)

I recently started following PumpkintoPrincess on twitter, and I must confess I'm a little jealous of her, as she does Disney races, and the medals are awesome. If I lived closer I would so be taking part on a regular basis. Maybe one day I'll get to participate in one.

Anyway...  Amy is currently raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (great job Amy) and is training to run the Nike Half Marathon in DC next April. As part of her fundraising she is hosting a virtual Turkey Trot - you get to choose the distance you want to run and for a small donation ($20) you get a medal. I've just checked and she still has some medals left so it's not too late to sign up and help a great cause, you can sign up here http://www.pumpkintoprincess.com/2012/11/virtual-turkey-trot-to-benefit-leukemia.html

I decided to make my a virtual 5k, so I got up early this morning and decided to do three laps of my neighborhood. What I was expecting was it to be so cold today - it was 8/46 degrees out, at first I thought this was good and would make me walk (yes im still not jogging) faster, how wrong I was. My body was too shocked by the cold and my lungs weren't too impressed. You would think being an asthmatic I was prepared, but alas no I left my inhaler at home. So the first lap of the neighborhood I was wheezing away and felt like I was dying, I thought about quitting and going home but instead I changed my route and stuck to the flat streets instead of the planned hills, it took me about 30 minutes to get my breathing back to normal, but I did it and I completed the 5k, and by the time I was home I didn't even need my inhaler.

It took me a whole hour to complete the 5k with a 19.21minute mile, so no records broken today, but I did also burn off 523 calories. Not sure what the scales will be showing tomorrow as I ate lots of food on the go again the last few days!

 












My medal rack is looking good now with 4 medals, and I look forward to adding my Awesome 80's one to it next weekend. Although not looking forward to the early morning start, I will definitely be wrapping up warm and taking my inhaler. Maybe I should have made my first ever 10k in the warmer months! I guess it's all training for my trip back home to England at the end of the month.

For those of you who haven't yet entered you still have 1 day left to enter my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway.

Post Vacation Weigh In

Did you miss me?

I've had a very busy two weeks with my sister in law and two nieces. We did something everyday, and had so much fun. Especially at Disney - despite the fact my iphone managed to wipe most of my photos :( 

I was pleasantly surprised on Monday morning to only see a gain of 2.2lbs. I was expecting more. We did do lots of walking whilst they were here, but food choices weren't great. We ate out a lot and on the go, my body was certainly craving fruit and veg! I would say in the last two weeks I probably didn't even eat 10% clean. My eczema has also flared up really bad as a result of the bad food choices (far too much dairy). But I had lots of fun and made lots of fantastic memories so that's what matters the most.

I am now back on track and all the candy and unclean food has left my house. Salmon and roasted veg planned for tonight. This morning was protein pancakes with banana.

I signed up for another race the other day, its a virtual Turkey Trot race and you can chose the distance, I'm going to make it a 5k, and plan to do it this Sunday, will probably do it alone and see if I can make it a new PR, as the dogs slow me down too much. The virtual race is being hosted by Pumpkin to Princess and you can sign up here http://www.pumpkintoprincess.com/2012/11/virtual-turkey-trot-to-benefit-leukemia.html?spref=tw  There is even funky medals to go with it. I then have my Awesome 80's 10k (fingers crossed the weather is nice) the following Sunday - I think hubby has forgotten about it, so don't remind him!!

Only 23 more days until I fly to England which I am super excited about, which means only 3 more weigh ins. Monday I was back up to 271.8lbs, I would like to try and reach my 40lbs loss and be at 265lbs before I fly - so watch this space.

Oh yeah - nearly forgot. Yesterday I reached 100 days of being soda free - Go Me :) Bring on the next 100 days. I'm still thinking of what else I can give up, but haven't decided on anything yet.

Also you have 5 days left to enter my Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil giveaway.

Have a great week
Sarah xxx

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway

I was recently lucky enough to receive a free jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. I have heard lots of friends talking about coconut oil and how they have used it  for a range of cooking needs. So I was excited to try it.

The first thing I did was made my eggs using it and they were so good and I was amazed how much nicer they were then when I normally make them. I then tried it when I roasted my veg, I roasted butternut squash, peppers, and zucchini. Again they tasted so good (sorry no photo as I forgot to take it before eating them!). I will definitely be making this my first choice when cooking from now on.

Tropical Traditions were also kind enough to sponsor a giveaway, and one of my lucky blog readers will win a 32oz jar of Virgin Coconut Oil.

The giveaway is open to US residents only, all entries must be submitted using the rafflecopter app below.

 


Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

We have a winner

We have a winner for the EatPastry cookie dough giveaway.

Congratulations to.....

You have an email coming your way.

A big thank you to everyone who took part and to EatPastry for providing the prize and for making awesome cookie dough :)

I have one more giveaway lined up which I hope to do in the next week, so keep checking back.

EatPastry Cookie dough review and giveaway

It's giveaway time again :)

I recently decided to completely cut dairy out of my diet as my allergies were gradually getting worse. I was in Whole Foods looking for something exciting to buy that was dairy free when I found EatPastry cookie dough :) We are now best friends for life!!

About the cookies:

We use high quality, all natural ingredients from the finest suppliers out there. It has been our priority to make sure all ingredients are 100% Vegan, not having come in contact with any animal ingredients. Our cookie dough contains Organic and Fair Trade Sugar (Evaporated Cane Juice), Select Organic Ingredients *see in ingredient lists below (on website), and Peanut Butter made right here in EatPastry's kitchen. No eggs, no dairy, no preservatives, no processing, no fillers, NO GMOs, no funny business. All flavors created with various moods in mind.

They also do gluten free cookie dough. They have a total of seven flavors:

Chocolate Chip

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip

Chocoholic Chip

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip

Gluten Free Snickerdoodle

Gluten Free Sugar Momma

I have purchased their cookie dough three times now, each time buying the chocolate chip flavor, as you can see from the photos I was very good and even properly measured out the correct amount of cookie dough (for the photos anyway!).

 

Now I do have a confession to make! Out of all three tubs I have purchased I have probably eaten more raw cookie dough than I have baked cookies! They only take 12-15 mins to bake and are super yummy when done (especially when they are still warm), but the temptation to have a spoonful (or 3) when you open the fridge is just too hard to resist.

I have only purchased their cookie dough in Whole Foods so far but if you check out their site it is available in a few other stores nationwide too. http://www.eatpastry.com/html/where_to_buy

So now it is your chance to try this amazing cookie dough. Using the rafflecopter button below you can enter to win a free tub of cookie dough (this will consist of one $5 Whole Foods gift card and some $1 off coupons).

 All entries must be submitted using rafflecopter, and this giveaway is open to US resident only. Winner will be announced on November 2 2012.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday weigh in

First of all I wanted to say thanks to everyone who messaged/commented and texted me after my last post, it's great to know I have you all supporting me on my journey.

So as I mentioned before, this past week I have not done any tracking and just focused on eating clean and smaller portions, and also not weighing daily. I did plan to workout this week, but never actually did :( So was very pleased when I got on the scales to see a small loss of 0.4lbs, it's not much but it's a loss and that's what counts. I'm going to adopt the same strategy this week and hope for a loss next Monday. I have my two 5ks this weekend so that is two definite workouts planned :)

I also have a giveaway planned for you all, which I will be posting about later on today, so watch out for another blog post from me.

Have a great week everyone xxx

Peanut Butter & Co. Winners

Thank you to everyone who entered my first ever giveaway. I wasn't sure how many people would enter, but was very pleased with the total entries of 134.

So you all came here to find out who the two lucky winners are:

They are:
Jordan V and Brittany B

Congratulations to both of you and you should have an email on its way to you now. I hope you enjoy the peanut butter as much as I did.

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and keep checking out my blog as I have another giveaway (involving cookies) planned for the next few days.

Thanks also to Peanut Butter & Co. for supplying the prizes and for making such awesome peanut butter.

Peanut Butter & Co Review and Giveway

I'm excited to be hosting my first ever giveaway, and one of my favorite products - peanut butter.

I've recently noticed a lot of people on Twitter talking about peanut butter from Peanut Butter & Co. and when I found out they did a white chocolate version I HAD to try it.

For those of you concerned about the recent peanut butter recalls, Peanut Butter & Co. products are not affected by the recall :)

All of their products are kosher, gluten free and vegan (except The Bees Knees which is vegetarian), they do a range of peanut butter related products. Their peanut butter comes in 10 varieties:
Smooth Operator (which as the name suggests is a smooth version), Crunch Time (contains big pieces of peanuts), Cinnamon Raisin Swirl (contains cinnamon and raisins), The Heat is On (spicy PB), White Chocolate Wonderful (contains white chocolate), Dark Chocolate Dreams (contains dark chocolate), The Bees Knees (contains honey), Mighty Maple (contains maple syrup), and Old Fashioned Smooth and Old Fashioned Crunchy. So something for everyone's tastes, and who doesn't like peanut butter?!

When I went to my store they had Dark Chocolate Dreams and White Chocolate Wonderful, so I was super happy to try the White Chocolate one.

We all know the best part about having peanut butter is when you are the first person to open the jar, the seal just waiting to be broken into, and of course the untouched peanut butter. It's like seeing freshly fallen snow and wanting to go run in it!!

I'm sure there is a law somewhere and if not there should be that says you MUST eat the first spoonful straight from the jar. It just tastes so good, and I was not disappointed with White Chocolate Wonderful. I was worried it might be too sweet with the white chocolate, but it was just right, in fact so good I ate three spoonfuls straight from the jar!! Another plus side about this flavor is although it contains white chocolate it is actually dairy free (so ideal for people like me with a dairy allergy). It also contains no cholesterol, no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, and no high-fructose corn syrup.

I then had to try it my second favorite way - which was on warm toast - and again it didn't disappoint. I think I could quite happily live on peanut butter and toast for the rest of my life :)

OK, now on to the fun part that you all came here for. Peanut Butter & Co. have supplied my with coupons so two of my lucky readers get to try a jar of their peanut butter free of charge. The lucky winners will be announced on Thursday October 18th.
This competition is only open to US residents, all entries must be submitted via Rafflecopter  (app below)

Good Luck

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eggs, eggs, eggs

Do you love eggs? If so, one of my favorite tweeters and bloggers  Danica's Daily is holding  Eggland's Best Brunch Giveaway.

Check out her blog for chances to enter, but it closes on March 1st so enter soon

http://danicasdaily.com/an-eggsellant-giveaway