Lemon Water Hacks

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of EveryDrop™. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know there are a lot of people out there who have a hard time drinking enough water. I am not one of them. I’m like a camel. (In my head camels drink a ton of water and store it in their humps for later. But I drink a ton of water and store it to sweat out during my run.)

I drink so much water I’m pretty sure I am the cause of the drought in California (don’t tell anyone).

 When I am at a restaurant I order water with extra lemon. I LOVE lemon water!! It feels so fancy to sip chug lemon water and it’s extra refreshing.

Unfortunately, I am very lazy (or justifiably tired from all the bathroom breaks I am forced to take) and never make lemon water at home. But I was on a mission to change that this week and bought 5 pounds of lemons.

And they hung out on my counter until I noticed that they started to go bad.

So I had to get it together and start using them. All of them. In one day.

Okay, not in one day but I did decide to make Lemon Ice Cubes to make it super easy to add to my water. I just cut up a few lemons and put them in the ice tray, added filtered water from my EveryDrop™ PopOut Filter & Pitcher AND squeezed lemon juice into each tray.

I made a few batches of these and put them in a bowl so they’d be easy to grab whenever I filled up.

Tip: Squeezing lemon juice into the ice cube trays adds more lemony flavor. You can also add a few drops of liquid stevia if you want a tiny bit of sweetness when adding these cubes to iced tea or cocktails.

I just got this new EveryDrop™ PopOut Filter & Pitcher so I was extra motivated to make delicious tasting water. The combination of the filtered water and the lemon ice cubes really did make a difference! You know how sometimes you can just taste ‘fancy’ water? This was like that – super crisp and refreshing. And fancy on account of the ice cubes.

Yesterday afternoon I took a walk, when I came back my cubes were ready and I chugged that lemon water!

Tip: If you’re not into lemon water you can also just add frozen fruit to your water for some extra flavor. (Or you can chop up the lemons and freeze them to use in the same way.)

Frozen strawberries, blueberries, watermelon… almost any frozen fruit will work to give your water an extra boost of sweetness. For some reason doing this reminds me of a spa… I think because it’s the only other place I’ve had it?

Lemon water hack: My new favorite lemon hack idea is to add the lemon ice cubes to hot water in the morning. This is a good way to cool down super hot water and get some lemon flavor in there at the same time. (You can also add apple cider vinegar and some honey for a morning detox drink.)

All this lemon water talk and I almost skipped the best part of this new water filter….

The filter is that tear drop piece on top. It can be removed so you can filter water directly into your water bottle. It’s super easy to just pop off, filter water into another container and put back on!

Water at the Speed of Life®

The EveryDrop™ PopOut Filter & Pitcher is available in stores and online. Visit the EveryDrop™ Pitcher Store Locator to find one at a store near you.

Question: Do you like lemon water? Or what is your favorite thing to add to water?

(besides coffee grounds!)

The post Lemon Water Hacks appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

SHOCK figures reveal nearly HALF of Brits are addicted to sweet treats

DO YOU struggle to steer clear from the sweets and treats aisle at the supermarket? Well you’re not alone.

Tacos Don’t Make You Fat

Hello! How’s it going? Over here it’s going great! I ran and I ate and I own a cat so I have all that going for me… not too shab.

I was in la-la land this morning though and didn’t start my Garmin when I started running. I ran on a path that I normally only use on long run days and I took  a different route there so I didn’t really know how much I’d already run when I realized – I’m going to guess .70 of a mile.

And running that path made me think about safety again – it’s been on my mind a lot lately since I mentioned three runners were attacked last month.

I usually run here on the weekends and there are a lot of walkers, runners and cyclists around. But today, on a random weekday morning, it was pretty quiet and I went for a long time without seeing another person. That’s not smart running Monican!

Luckily I am back home safe and sound talking to you nice people, but I am going to stick to more populated paths on weekdays now that I know that.

I’m sure Vegas was super happy I made it home. He loves to help me with my cool down exercises…

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Yesterday I made shredded salsa chicken in the crockpot. This is seriously one of the easiest things to make ever. It’s so simple, takes 2 minutes of ‘work’ and it’s healthy. Boom.

(In the picture above I added carrots – I don’t usually do that but thought I’d switch it up. It worked well in that they cooked down and I smashed them with the salsa and chicken so it added a dash of vitamins but didn’t really taste different.)

I usually use four chicken breasts for this recipe. Since my pack of chicken came with six I baked the other two to eat on salads for lunch. This makes me feel like a meal prep super star.

Once the chicken in the crockpot was done I shredded it.

Another great thing about this method of cooking chicken is it shreds super easy AND makes a ton of food. You can use this shredded chicken in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, on top of salads, in a bowl with rice and beans…

Last night I made tacos with it and I’ll probably make enchiladas tonight.

Does anyone else just put everything on a plate and make the tacos as they eat them? Unless we’re making burritos my family serves up the food and then has tortillas on the side. This way you can tear off a piece of tortilla and grab up some meat with it or make tacos.

Anyway. Regarding the title of this lil post – tacos don’t make you fat….

I have seen a lot of jokes on Instagram about Taco Tuesday or a love of tacos being a problem.

The reality is street tacos are fairly low in calories and healthy. An authentic Mexican street taco is on a small corn tortilla and has meat, onions and cilantro. They’re served up with salsa on the side so you can pick how spicy you want it. But they don’t usually have sour cream or cheese or guacamole.

One street taco is between 150 and 200 calories (approx). They’re often served on two tortillas but you can skip one of them if you have mad taco eating skills.

But what can pack on the calories to this lil Mexican meal is what you’re drinking… that is probably where the real diet damage is done.

Pair tacos with a light beer,  skinny margarita or Paloma cocktail (or this random skinny cocktail I’ve made before) and you’re all set.

Question: What Kind of Tacos Do You Like – chicken, carne asada, carnitas or vegetarian?

I usually go with chicken.

The post Tacos Don’t Make You Fat appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

A Major Victory!

[PSA: "like" my blog's Facebook page to get tips and updates on my blog posts in your news feed.] Yes! This is for real. I've had a few false-starts this past year at getting my mojo going but there is nothing false about this start. I'm in week three of exercising and eating better and I am seeing SO MANY results. I can't even believe how much better I feel. I should make a list. Things

Healthy Trail Mix Swaps

Tomorrow is National Trail Mix Day! I have a healthy trail mix recipe below, but first let’s talk running…

This morning I did a short speedy run. I went to my favorite 5 mile loop, warmed up for 1 mile,  did the three in the middle as fast as I could and then cooled down for the last mile. I rested in between the miles to get water and/or switch the song that was playing.

It was a pretty good run. I’ve realized that I don’t hate speed work as much as I am just lazy and don’t like to think or count.

Ha! That sounds so tragic. I swear I’m not dumb, I’m just lazy. Is that better or worse?

Probably worse.

But the point is when I do speed work this way I don’t have to count or keep track of sets and can just RUN. Just like I like it.

When I drive out to run somewhere (as opposed to just walking out my front door) I bring a snack in my bag.  I’m usually hungry and don’t want to have to stop somewhere to get something to eat. This is healthier and cheaper and faster because I already have it with me.

Today I brought along some trail mix in a baggie. Trail mix is one of my favorite things! Actually any kind of little snack foods in a baggie are my jam. I like snacks.

But if you think about it – trail mix was meant to be eaten on a trail, to give you a lot of calories in a small amount of food.

Most ready made trail mixes  you buy at the store are very calorie dense and the serving size is only a quarter cup.  I’m a volume eater and I’m a master of putting together a snack mix that gives me more food and fiber to keep me full.

Tomorrow is National Trail Mix Day and I’m working  with fiber.org to share some tips on how to make a healthier trail mix.

Instead of peanuts – > use almonds. They have more fiber and still provide healthy fats to keep you satiated longer.

Instead of dried fruit –> use freeze dried or fresh fruit. Freeze dried fruit takes up more room in your mix but provides the same vitamins and fiber as dried fruit. I just discovered freeze dried blueberries – they are amazing!

If you’re going to eat the mix soon you can use berries or a freshly sliced pear or apple.

Instead of candy –> use apple chips or another sweet and crunchy fruit.

If you can’t skip the candy –> use mini-dark chocolate chips instead of M&Ms type. And watch portion size, try to limit it to 1 Tb. per serving.

Pro tip: Use popcorn or whole grain cereal to bulk up the mix! These choices are relatively low in calories but pack a big serving size.

The best part of a snack mix like this is – you get to pick what you like and make healthy swaps that work with your taste buds. Use your favorite whole grain cereal, fruit, nuts… and portion control it in baggies or small tupperware.

For more information on Fiber – why you need it, what foods have it and more check out the Fiber.org website.

Question: What are you snacking on today?

This post is in partnership is Fiber.org. All opinions are my own.

The post Healthy Trail Mix Swaps appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

What is the Mediterranean diet? The miracle feast YOU should enjoy for a longer life

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Adult Lunchable with Veggies, Salami, and Cream Cheese

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Chocolate Overnight Oats & CocoaVia GIVEAWAY

I love chocolate. And I like to tell myself it’s a healthy vice. But  here’s the thing: you can’t get an adequate amount of cocoa flavanols from chocolate, not even dark chocolate. Which is why CocoaVia® daily cocoa extract supplement is awesome —it delivers the highest concentration of cocoa flavanols available in a cocoa extract supplement today. Boom.

I’m pretty excited about that because I love chocolate anything and everything. I added CocoaVia® to my iced coffee last week, and yesterday I put it in oatmeal for a delicious cocoa oats recipe.

I made Chocolate Overnight Oats with a CocoaVia® powdered stick packet last night. Oatmeal is already great for you, but adding the cocoa makes it more delicious and adds those powerful cocoa flavanols.

Chocolate Overnight Oats Recipe

• 1/2 cup quick cook oats
• 1 container vanilla yogurt
• 1 packet Unsweetened Dark Chocolate CocoaVia®  supplement
• splash milk
• toppings: nuts, peanut butter, banana, chocolate chips…

Directions: Mix ingredients. Add milk as needed to thin it out (it will thicken overnight). Let set in the fridge overnight. In the morning stir and top with your favorite oatmeal toppings. Enjoy!

I used an Unsweetened Dark Chocolate stick pack, but if you use plain yogurt the Sweetened Dark Chocolate stick pack might work better. (My yogurt was sweetened.)

CocoaVia® daily cocoa extract supplement delivers the highest concentration of cocoa flavanols in a cocoa extract supplement today.

You know who else likes chocolate?

Well, everyone.

But you know who likes CocoaVia® ?

Ryan Sutter! Sutter the Bachelorette hottie, firefighter, dad, athlete… shares why he likes it in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-Y6XGzBaiY

When consumed daily, numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that the cocoa flavanols in CocoaVia® supplement promote healthy blood flow from head to toe†, which is critical to your overall health. Visit www.CocoaVia.com for more information.

CocoaVia® Giveaway

The nice people at CocoaVia® are sharing the love with you. They are giving one RER reader a CocoaVia®  prize pack!

Leave a message on this post to be entered to WIN.

I will be sending the prize directly to the winner so it is open to anyone on Earth and potentially anyone on Mars within running distance to the Mars rover (where I assume you get your mail).

CocoaVia®  giveaway closes Sept 2nd at 8am PST. Open to all residents of Earth that are able to receive mail from California.

Giveaway Question: What is your favorite meal / snack time to eat chocolate?

Me: ALL of them!!!

Disclosure: I was asked to participate in the CocoaVia® “Live Your Life with Heart” campaign. I was compensated for my time.

The post Chocolate Overnight Oats & CocoaVia GIVEAWAY appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

I Never Want To Pass Anyone But I Really Never Want People To Look At Me Run

Hi! How are you? I am tired. That’s what happens when you wake up before Santa Claus though. (That’s not a saying, I don’t know why I said that – probably because of the tired.) Since I was up bright and early I hit the road for 10 miles. I was taking it easy and mainly wanted to get some miles on tired legs. It was pretty slow until the last few miles… while I was stopped at a water fountain a guy passed me. No big.

Except he kept looking back at me to see how far back I was. Again, no big.

But he kept looking back and I was like, “C’mon guy, running isn’t my best angle stop looking at me…”

So, I decided to just pass him. And by some running miracle I was able to despite the fact that my legs were tired.

And that’s why I ran so fast. The end.

After my run I decided to skip ‘real’ structured yoga and decided to do some deep stretching and a few yoga moves.

I did the #1 yoga move for runners… pigeon. It’s a great hip stretch – an area that is notoriously tight for runners. This is my favorite yoga pose because it stretches my IT band – being too tight there causes knee pain!

But I took pigeon pose  up a notch by flapping my wings. I was really channeling the pigeon here and it was like I was flying.. except instead of flying I was super heavy and tight and I just wanted to sit on the couch to watch Bravo reruns.

I flapped and flapped until my wings compelled me to get in the shower.  Then, I headed to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.

 

We had SO MANY DOGS there!!! My  brother brought his pup and it was practically a Dalmatian Plantation!!

The Mikster and I played grocery store and discussed the virtues of buying organic and the dirty dozen. Next time we’ll talk about GMOs.

Most of the day was pretty indulgent on the food front, but I did have this super delicious and healthy snack mid-afternoon.

It was a very fun, delicious day!!

And the cherry on top…

I have PB in my purse. Never leave home without it!! (It’s not organic PB though, don’t tell my niece.)

Question: Do you have PB in your purse of gym bag?

The post I Never Want To Pass Anyone But I Really Never Want People To Look At Me Run appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.