Rachel's Giveaways

Back from Vacation – Sharks, eels, and stingrays, oh my!

2012-09-06T15:20:24Z

This is me holding a cute pufferfish on one of our dives

Sigh. Back to reality. We just spent another wonderful week in Negril, Jamaica at our favorite all-inclusive resort. We dodged Hurricane Isaac and spent most of the time scuba diving and completed our PADI Advanced Open Water certification, so now we can dive to around 100 ft. depths. This allows us to see more interesting dive sites – on this trip, we saw a small plane and tugboat wrecks on the ocean floor.

We also were lucky enough to see one of these on our night dive:

Can you spot the fins?

Yes, we got to see a nurse shark in its natural habitat, the highlight of our dive experiences so far! It was hiding out under this coral ledge, and was a decent size at around 6 ft.

We also saw sea turtles, lobster, crabs, eels, and of course lots of fish and coral, and one day a pair of dolphins frolicked around the dive boat before we returned to shore.

If I was an efficient blogger, I would have scheduled posts in advance to entertain you while I was away, but I just wasn’t that organized Now I am back and the blog will start on its regular schedule again.

Friday Finds Giveaway Linky

2012-08-16T23:34:05Z

Link up your blog giveaways on a new linky every Friday, or find some fun sweepstakes here to win! I will create a new linky every week – you may want to subscribe by RSS feed or email so you will get a reminder every week when the new linky is published.

If you find this giveaway linky helpful, I’d appreciate it if you tweet about it and/or Share on Facebook to spread the word every week – the more people who visit, the more people will see your giveaways!

TO ADD YOUR GIVEAWAY TO THE LINKY - just click the blue “Add your link” button below and these fields will appear:

URL: enter direct link for the giveaway page (not your homepage)
Name: Describe your giveaway prize and end date (you may want to use the format Blog name – Prize Description – End Date)
email: self-explanatory. The form makes you provide it, but I don’t use it.

Looking for more places to post your giveaways, or do you host a weekly giveaway linky of your own? Visit my directory of giveaway linkys by day. Don't forget to check enter the giveaways that I'm hosting, which are always featured on the top right side of my blog!

Friday Fitness Goals: Using a Foam Roller for Stretching Leg Muscles

2012-08-17T00:46:00Z

This has been another good training week for me. I often struggle to stay on track with my training plan when I work overtime, but I managed to squeeze in everything I was supposed to so far. I have noticed lately that my hamstrings have felt a bit tight, especially my right side. I told my chiropractor about it, and she asked if I had a foam roller. I said yes, and luckily she was smart enough to ask if I actually use it My husband bought it for his calves, but until now I’ve never really had issues after running.

So she showed me some moves, and then I went home and did a search for foam roller hamstring exercises youtube videos. I did some and I think it kind of helped, maybe? I also met my insurance deductible for the year, which means I only have to pay around $30 for an hour long massage now. My doctor wrote me a ‘prescription’ for weekly massage, so you bet I’m taking advantage of that!

Half Marathon Training Program Week 4:

Monday: 3.5 mile run
Tuesday: 2 mile run
Wednesday: 35 minutes yoga
Thursday: 3.5 mile run; 35 minutes yoga; 2 miles stationary bike
Friday: strength training planned
Saturday: 5 mile long run planned, then kayaking/snorkeling in the refreshing 72 degree springs to cool off

Do you use a foam roller or anything else for tight/sore muscles?

Friday Finds Giveaway Linky – List Your Blog Giveaways for Free

2012-08-16T23:31:30Z

TO ADD YOUR GIVEAWAY TO THE LINKY - just click the blue “Add your link” button below and these fields will appear:

Giveaway & Review: Salada Functional Wellness Green Tea

2012-08-16T14:37:09Z

Part of my clean eating plan includes consuming less caffeine, but working 12 hour night shifts, sometimes I need a boost to keep me alert. Instead of drinking coffee with lots of extra calories from sugar and creamer, I turn to green tea. While it has does have caffeine, at least I’m getting antioxidants and consuming fewer calories.

Salada has rolled out 3 new flavored green teas to help us get through the summer months and wanted me to review them. I have mostly only bought bottled green tea before, so brewing my own green tea was new. Not only is it a lot more economical to brew your own from tea bags, did you know that it can give you more benefits?

You can get up to 90 percent more of the healthy antioxidants found in green tea when you brew your own using tea bags. Bottled teas are also commonly filled with unwanted sugars and artificial flavors, and, since bottled teas do not carry a deposit, they often end up in landfills.

I liked that I was able to brew enough for a pitcher, and then I could pour myself a glass of refreshing iced tea whenever I’m at home, or put it in a reusable bottle for work. Salada’s new flavors reflect the ripe flavors of summer fruit: raspberry, peach nectarine, and tropical fruit. Some natural green teas can be bitter, but I found Salada’s teas to be milder. The fruit flavor is subtle, but if you need more sweetness, you can always add honey or agave nectar.

Salada also has a new line of Functional Wellness Green Teas. These teas support specific health areas for Bone Support, Immunity and Serenity. I know we could always use a little more serenity in my household Being a woman, bone support is also important. I passed along a box of the bone support tea to my mom so she can benefit too.

Buy It: Available online at Salada.com

Win It: Enter using the Rafflecopter entry form below to win a green tea prize package from Salada (ARV $26.50). Includes their 3 new Wellness Support/Function teas, 3 new family size iced tea flavors, a 40-count box of original green tea, and an aluminum water bottle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Menu Plan Monday – Multiple Meal Ideas from Roast Chicken

2012-08-13T21:54:18Z

I worked some overtime this weekend, so my goal for this weeks’ menu was quick and simple. I was also aiming for thrifty, since I’m trying to eat from the pantry and clean out the fridge before we go on vacation soon. Starting off with a whole chicken and re-purposing the leftovers into other meals seemed like the perfect solution. So far, the only groceries I’ve needed to purchase this week was the organic whole chicken and fresh produce.

I started off by making crockpot whole chicken. I didn’t want to heat up the whole house, so I tried this new method. You don’t get the crispy skin like you do when roasting, but it was so easy and I don’t usually eat the skin anyway so I didn’t miss it.

Monday – chicken breast with leftover Cuban black beans and rice; broccoli

Tuesday – diced some chicken and used it in a spinach salad for both lunch and dinner

Wednesday – using the leftover carcass to make chicken stock, which will serve as the base for chicken tortilla soup

Thursday – leftover soup

Friday – dinner out! We need to use up a Groupon for a steakhouse.

Yes, it’s a lot of chicken but since the flavors are altered for each dish it doesn’t seem as repetitive.

What’s on your dinner menu this week?

Friday Fitness Goals: My Half Marathon Training Plan

2012-08-10T23:52:09Z

I’m pretty proud that I mostly stuck to my exercise plan this week and abstained from the sweets for the most part. Could I have exercised more, or ate better? Sure, but life is all about balance

Half Marathon Training Program Week 3:

Monday: 30 minutes yoga
Tuesday: 3.5 mile run
Wednesday: 2 mile tempo run
Thursday: 3.5 mile run/walk with 1-12% inclines on treadmill
Friday: 40 minutes yoga
Saturday: plan to do 5 mile long run

I missed a strength workout, so maybe I can make that up on Sunday. My training plan calls for running a 5k and 10k race in place of a long run on certain weeks, so I’m in the process of finding some good races. Looks like I’ll have to travel to find a 10k, but we have plenty of 5k runs to choose from locally.

How did your week go? Have you started picking fall races?

Don’t forget to enter my Nuun Hydration Giveaway – today is the last day to enter!

Friday Finds Giveaway Linky – List Your Giveaways & Win

2012-08-10T13:24:58Z

TO ADD YOUR GIVEAWAY TO THE LINKY - just click the blue “Add your link” button below and these fields will appear:

Looking for more places to post your giveaways, or do you host a weekly giveaway linky of your own? Visit my directory of giveaway linkys by day.

Giveaway & Review: Easy Lunch Boxes Waste-Free Lunch Bag

2012-08-09T21:53:58Z

Wow, where has the summer gone? Is it time for back to school shopping already? I have an eco-friendly giveaway just in time to help you cross off an item on your back to school shopping list! The Easy Lunch Boxes system is a convenient way for you or your kids to enjoy a waste-free lunch.

Even though my school days are long gone, I still tote my lunch to work most days and I try to use reusable containers to reduce waste as much as possible. The Easy Lunch Boxes system makes it easy because the included containers fit perfectly in the lunch bag. Each plastic container has divided compartments so you can pack the lunch bento style if you’re the creative type One size is large and could perfectly fit a sandwich, and the other 2 divisions work well for storing a dipping sauce or veggies (do be aware that the containers aren’t leak-proof, so these wouldn’t work for things like soups). You can fit 3 included containers in the cooler.

While I would prefer glass containers, these are BPA-free and lightweight, so they are kid-friendly. I also tested them out in the dishwasher multiple times and they held up fine. The lunch bag in the set is a soft-sided rectangular cooler. I found it a bit small for my needs (I work 12 hour shifts so I bring a lot of food for multiple meals), but this would be adequate for a child’s lunchbox. I do wish the material of the bag and the insulation were a bit sturdier, but it’s a decent basic lunch bag.

If you are still packing school lunches using disposable bags, Saran wrap, etc., I highly recommend switching over to a reusable system such as Easy Lunch Boxes! The containers are microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safe, and you can even put the cooler in the dishwasher to clean.

Buy It: Available online at Amazon with free shipping! ($21.90 for cooler and 4 containers)

Win It: Enter using the Rafflecopter entry form below to win your own lunch bag and set of 4 containers – winner chooses color of bag! Note: Please do not enter this giveaway if you have won or received free product from EasyLunchboxes within the past 3 months.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Menu Plan Monday – Healthy Dinner Ideas

2012-08-06T20:06:42Z

You may notice some repeats this week – I’m trying to eat lean and use up food we already have before we go on vacation in a few weeks.

Monday – Cajun style baked mahi mahi

Tuesday – large Greek salad

Wednesday – Cuban black beans and rice

Thursday – Red Curry Glazed Salmon with brown rice

Friday – Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce

My husband and I made a pact that he won’t eat any more pizza until our vacation, and I won’t have any major sweets like ice cream or cakes. I had my first test last night when a coworker brought in two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts, but I pictured myself in my swimsuit and held strong.

You can post your own menu plan on the Menu Plan Monday meme at Organizing Junkie.