Algae anyone??

Soooo, awhile back I saw on a blog that this chick eats these little things of algae. Yeh, I know. WIIEERRDDD! Well, I read a lot & I find myself reading a lot of exercise & food blogs & articles & I keep coming across algae. There's a real name for it which escapes me at the moment & of course it sounds better than algae. There are all sorts of studies that show algae is the most nutrient dense food in the world. The name of this product is ENERGYbits.  Anyway, I'll try just about anything once. Especially, if it promises to give me energy. Y'all know I like to nap but most of the time it's because I'm tired! Not just because I want to sleep. About a month ago one of the blogs I read was hosting a giveaway for ENERGYbits. I tweeted about the giveaway so that I could get an extra entry into the contest. When I did Jonathan tweeted me back asking if I'd like a free sample to review on my blog. Well, nobody ever gives me anything free so I was definitely in! Especially, something I'd been wanting to try.

About a week later my ENERGYbits arrived in the mail. They look like little pills, about the size of an Advil - the little round ones, not caplets & they're green, you know, like algae. It says on the can that you can chew them but they "taste really green so we don't recommend it". Hey, you don't have to tell me twice. These things are 100% natural, organic & all that stuff.  They only have one ingredient & it's organically grown spirulina algae. They are 1 calorie per "tab". They are not supplements. Algae is a food. The directions say to take 30 tabs before you exercise, are hungry or just need energy.  I tried it the first time before I ran my last 5K at Logan's School/Church. Not only was it a PR but it was also the first time I ran 3 miles in less than 30 minutes. Coincidence? Possibly but I don't think so.

I wanted to try them again before I reviewed them.  Today, instead of having my morning snack I decided to try Energy Bits. I wanted to see what it did for my hunger. It definitely made me feel fuller & it held me over until lunch. Now, I won't say that I was stuffed by any means but I was just as full as if I would've eaten a granola bar or oatmeal. This way I'm saving calories & eating something 100% natural.

Now, like I said I didn't chew them but by swallowing them you can tell they may not be real tasty if you did decide to chew them. They're a tad bit chalky, well, I don't know if chalky is the right word. I don't generally have issues swallowing pills but when you have to swallow 30 it's not the easiest thing in the world. I swallowed 3 at a time for the most part & it was fine. When I tried to do more at a time is when I had a little bit of problem.  

So Jonathan said I could offer a discount code & a giveaway. If you use the code "BLOG" there's a  10% discount.

The sample comes in this little tin that's perfect to throw in your purse.

Just leave a comment & I'll enter you in the drawing. I have a busy weekend planned so I'll draw on Tuesday, June 3rd.

Getting stuff to try is all new to me but apparently I have to say that ENERGYbits sent me a free sample of the bits in return for my review but this post is my opinion based on my experience.

Toodles!

Memorial Day

I love long weekends! Especially, when they start at noon on Friday. Normally I get off work at 2:00 but since so few people were going to be in the office my bosses closed at noon. I was able to run a few errands & do a little shopping. Friday night was a low key night at Caliente. Most of our group was at Bayou Country Super Fest which is a big deal in Baton Rouge Memorial Day weekend.

Saturday morning I ran in a race.

We've become a little race group! Cael did the 1 mile fun run. Shauna Amy, Allie, me & Karen did the 5K & Allison was our cheerleader & holder of our crap because she's on Injured Reserve.

Me & Allie before the race. Pretty much all of the races in Baton Rouge are downtown. This one was went behind the Governor's Mansion by one of the lakes so that was pretty. This was a smaller race & we didn't have bibs or chip timing. There was someone at the finish that gave you your time as you crossed the finish line & then you turned it in. It worked fine. The only issue is that if you weren't in the front to start your time was a little off. I didn't start in the front but I wasn't all the way in the middle either. I may have lost a couple of seconds. No biggie.

The race started at 8:30 & I was concerned that it was going to be crazy hot & humid but it wasn't bad & it was overcast so that helped.
At this point I was happy to be finishing. I started way too fast for me. When I looked at my watch I saw that I'd ran the first mile in 8:44. I've never ran a mile that fast.

Allie finishing. I was too busy guzzling water & trying to stop sweating so I wouldn't be so red to take anyone else's picture!

We did get a group pic though. Amy, me, Allie, Karen & Shauna

The course was short. Only 2.72 miles instead of 3.05 that the website said. I'm not sure why they would only do 3.05 rather than 3.1 but it didn't matter. All the proceeds of this race go to St. Jude. My official time was 25:23 & definitely my fastest ever. That 9:21 average pace is faster than what I ran at the 5K earlier this month. I was excited!

That isn't a finishers medal. That's a 2nd place in my age group medal. I was super excited!

Cael got in on the action too. He came in 2nd place overall for the 1 mile fun run!

Once I got home I did a short weight workout & stretched. I've been really good about stretching & foam rolling & I can definitely tell a difference in my recovery.

Saturday night Dean fried fish & shrimp & we ate on the patio.

I opened a bottle of my favorite wine, La Crema & had some gouda to go with it. Delicious!

Sunday morning was a work outside day. Before we got started I cooked one of my favorite breakfasts.

Southwestern style egg beaters & I added artichokes, chopped veggies, feta, spinach & avocado. So so good! We worked for a long time. We pressure washed, washed the siding on the patio, pulled weeds & washed all the patio furniture. The rest of my afternoon was spent floating in the pool.

After 2 trips to Walmart - I hate those stupid things they have the bags on - I ended up leaving a bag & didn't realize it until I got home. UGH!!! All because I wanted to make garlic bread. Anyway, we ended up having another nice dinner on the patio with friends.

Monday morning I had a date with the bike. Cindy & I rode on the levee again. I currently have a flat tire because of a minor incident with some gravel. I haven't gotten turning at high speeds down yet. Especially, when other bikers are headed my way. I'm happy to say I DID NOT fall! I just ended up in a little gravel area instead of on the road.
All that & we still rode 12.5 mi. at 4:15/mi. pace. Not bad. I think we picked up a little speed when we rode right by the snake that was alive in the street! Several hours after the ride I discovered the flat. I should be learning how to fix that sometime this evening.

When I got home this happened.

Floating with a mimosa. Doesn't get much better!

This morning I got up bright & early, as much as I didn't want to because I didn't sleep good at all, & I ran.

Only 3 miles, 3 very slow miles. I had some very tired, heavy legs. The good news is it was harder so my heart rate was up so I burned more calories. I'll take it! The 87% humidity didn't help either. This may be my only run this week because it's supposed to rain the rest of the week. We'll see. 

How was y'all's weekend?

Toodles!

T-Ball

Tuesday night Dean & I went to Logan's t-ball game. It was one of his last.

I'm so glad we got to go. He hit a HR & got the game ball. He was VERY excited!

I was shocked that he was being still while waiting for his turn to bat.

I hate the fence but there weren't any spots for me to take pictures without it. I think he looks so professional & focused in this picture!

He made an out too! They're just too cute!

After the game we had dinner with my parents at Caliente - the Central location! Yes we're addicted, we know! Speaking of Caliente. I got a text last night with this picture


Do y'all know who that is??? It's Jason Aldean & Toby Keith! They're in town for Bayou Country Superfest. All sorts of country stars are playing in Baton Rouge this weekend. Reba & George Strait are tonight. Then I got this pic

Another friends daughter. When Ally saw Devin's pic she hightailed it to Caliente in hopes of getting there before they left. They ate on the patio. So even though we weren't there we can say that Jason & Toby ate on the same patio that we eat on all the time! The hood was represented!!!

Yesterday, I got a very exciting email at work. The office was closing at noon today. WHOOOPEEEE!!! It's the little things right?? I spent the afternoon running a couple of errands & shopping.

Do y'all have big plans this weekend? Aside from Caliente tonight & a race tomorrow we'll be relaxing at home in the pool. Have a great weekend!

Toodles!

Sunday Funday!

We had a busy Sunday! First was this little man's birthday party.

In my opinion Chuck E. Cheese is hell on earth but Logan loved it & that's all that matters!

I didn't remember the rock 'n roll theme from previous parties but there was singing & dancing at this one. There were even inflatable guitar's to match the crowns. These are all iPhone pics because our internet was down all weekend & AT&T didn't show up Saturday to fix it. Yes, I'm still mad but I digress. Logan loves the Ninja Turtles.
I thought his cake was adorable! It tasted good too.

As silly as Logan can be he's also very serious about things too! Birthday cake & candles are serious!

Such a cute picture if it wasn't blurry.

Figures the one that's not blurry he's not looking at me!

Once that party was over we had a graduation party to go to. Dean's Godchild/cousin graduated from high school.

Clearly, I had picture taking issues Sunday. It was delicious! White cake with pecan praline filling. Logan's was good but he wanted chocolate cake & as much as I love chocolate, with cake I prefer white.

 Because I was such a poor picture taker Sunday I had to "borrow" these pics from Lexie's Instagram & that mean cropping out her friends.

It's hard for me to believe that Lexie has graduated & is headed to LSU in the fall. She'd just turned 2 when Dean & I started dating. It's kinda funny to think about how she doesn't remember a time when I wasn't part of their family.

Where does all the time go????

Toodles!

Ride

I'm not talking about the 90's Sir Mix a Lot song. Saturday morning I went for my longest bike ride ever. I was riding with Allie & Cindy. Cindy started out doing Rocketchix several years ago & now she does a lot of "real" triathlons. She's a been a huge help. The plan was to ride 12 miles. We fell a little short because of some time constraints.

Cindy wanted us to stay under 4:00 min. miles but it didn't happen. I was happy to stay under 5:00. This was only my 4th bike ride. Our subdivision is a mile from the levee & there's a very nice bike & walking/running path on top so that's where we rode. It's so nice. I can't believe I never ran there when I was training for my half. That's about to change.

I learned some things during this ride:

1. I wasn't sitting on the seat properly. Who knew there was a right way but clearly there is because my lady parts weren't nearly as sore.

2. Close your mouth when biking. Bugs will fly in there. Luckily, this did not happen to me but there was a close call when a bug stuck to my sunscreened lips.

3. I don't like hills. Whether I'm running or biking up them, they're HARD!

Once we completed the ride I decided to join Cindy for a run. She HATES to run & hasn't been doing much of it. She recently started C25K again & was on week 3 so I just did that with her to see what's like to run after biking. The first run was 3:00 mins. I expected my legs to feel like jello but they didn't. My problem was my legs & feet felt sooooo heavy. We did the run/walk thing for 2 miles. It was the first time I ran after biking & I'm happy to say that overall it wasn't as bad as I was expecting but I have more work to do. I also really enjoy having people to work out with. Next up - I have to swim!

Speaking of

After our work out I got in the pool. It was really cold but I figured it was basically like taking an ice bath & would help my legs. I think it did because I wasn't sore at all on Sunday. Well, with the exception of my achilles but that's been sore since I started biking. Not sure what's up with that.

Thankfully, the weather is supposed to be good this week & the temps will be in the high 80's so hopefully by the weekend the pool will be warm enough to actually get in & enjoy!

Toodles!

It's FRIIIIDAAAYYY!!!!

Whoop Whoop!! Imagine the hump day commercial. To say I'm a little bit excited for Friday is an understatement. Yes, I only had to work a couple of days this week but I was ready for the weekend when I got to work Wednesday. We don't have any plans for tomorrow except a visit from AT&T. When we got home from the beach our internet wasn't working. We had 7 inches of rain while we were gone so we thought maybe the modem was struck by lightening. Dean bought a new one & after  installing it & spending an hour on the phone with the internet gurus, it was determined that the problem is with the line. Oh joy.

When I leave work today I have lots of errands to run. There are birthday & graduation gifts to buy & a Sam's run too. Logan's birthday party is Sunday at the hell hole that is Chuck E. Cheese. I know he's going to love it & we'll endure it for him but geeze. I'm pretty sure I'll need a drink or 3 when that's over. Sunday night is Dean's Godchild/cousin's high school graduation party.

I have managed to get up early since we've been back from the beach to get my runs & workouts in. Wednesday morning I ran. I was feeling a little sick to my stomach when I got up but I ran anyway. It was super humid & my stomach got worse & I just felt nauseous the entire run.

I managed to get my 4 miles in but it was tough. It was a little preview of what the summer runs will be like when it warms up. Notice I said "when it" warms up. I'm beginning to think it's not going to. Some sort of crazy cool front came through & the last 2 nights it's been like 49 degrees. It's May & it's South Louisiana. We should be in the pool by now. It was almost warm enough for me & then BOOM, cold front..

Thursday morning I did a weight workout & after work Allie & I went for a bike ride.

8 miles with mile 8 at 4:11. I'd love to ride the entire race at that pace or faster. I'm not concerned about the 12 miles for the race anymore. I know I can do it now that I've been on the bike a few times but I also want to do well.

Anyone have good plans for the weekend?

Toodles!

The Beach!

I've been MIA since last week. Things were a little hectic & we left Friday morning for the beach. My brother, sis in law & Logan went with us. It was a  lot of fun but I'm tired. Logan doesn't stop!

We went to Orange Beach & stayed at The Caribe Resort. It's really, really nice. The only "issue" is it isn't on the beach. It's on the bay. They have a trolley that will bring you to the beach but it is still on the bay. 

There are about a million pools & due to my lack of a sense of direction I have no idea exactly how many or where they are. There are water slides too.

 Logan loved it!

 The pools were really, really pretty!

They had a very nice gym that I planned to use but that didn't happen. I didn't run either. I've been  wanting to see if I could do a pull up so I tried that. Yeh, I can't do one. Like, at all. Apparently, this was a surprise to nobody but me.

We had Tacky Jack's for dinner Friday. The shrimp & grits were really good! NO andouille or tasso. Of course the waitress acted like I was speaking a foreign language when I asked. Is andouille & tasso only a Louisiana thing??

We enjoyed a lot of Mimosa's!

Saturday morning there was a little rain & a lot of clouds so Lydia & I went shopping while Dean & Scott took Logan to ride go carts & bumper boats. He said "it was AWESOME!". I didn't buy a ton of stuff but I did find some deals.

 I got this dress at Banana Republic. It was $110 & it was on sale for $23.99. It's navy blue & it's really cute on. I don't have a specific occasion to wear it but no way was I passing up that deal!

 We stopped at Lulu's for lunch. The blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich was AMAZING!!!

 There was sun when we got back so we played at the pools.

Logan sitting still didn't happen often! The water was cold so we headed to one of the indoor pools.

 Logan was showing us his back stroke. He did awesome swimming but he also likes his life jacket because he can go all over the pool.

The lazy river was very relaxing!

I'm getting my days confused but one of those nights we had dinner at Cosmo's. Y'all, that place is soooo good! I had the sea bass, Logan had fried fish (his 3rd time of the trip) & everyone else had steaks that they raved about.

We had to wait a little bit for a table. Logan photo bombed us.

 The beach was fine, the water isn't the prettiest on the bay side but we had a good time. Logan got to play & we got to lay out.

We didn't go very far out because there was a rip current warning. We stayed awhile & then went to the condo for lunch & headed to the indoor pool.

The slides were really cute!

Monday night we had dinner at Franco's which is also delicious! The baked shrimp Parmesan was really really good!!!!

We stopped at The Shed on the way home yesterday for lunch. You may have seen it on the Food Network or Regis & Kelly. It's a hole in the wall for sure but the BBQ is really really good & it's won all sorts of awards!

I'm going to miss seeing that little face everyday.  He gives out lots of hugs & kisses. I think we've decided that our early May trip may be a thing of the past. The water is just a bit cold. Hopefully, we can go when it's a little warmer.

Now back to the real world. UGH.

Toodles!

Third

We had a busy weekend but it was fun! Friday night we were at Caliente for "80's cover band, Werewolf". They're really good. We had a big group & it was a beautiful night so we were able to sit on the patio.

Saturday morning I was running a 5K. The Church/School that my nephew Logan goes to was having their annual fair. Logan the 1 mile fun run with all his little peeps. They were so cute!

Logan's daddy came in 2nd place overall & 1st in his age group. Logan was very excited with the medal.

Now here's something crazy

I came in 3rd in my age group! Granted it was a small race & there weren't a lot of people in my age group but I beat some of them & I'm happy! Maybe I do have a little of my brother's competitive spirit. Although, I mainly just want to beat my best time. I only got a ribbon but that's ok. It's something that proves I came in 3rd! Right before the race started there was an issue with the police & the route had to be changed so it ended up being 3 miles instead of 3.1. I ran 3 miles in 28:45 which is a PR. If it would've been 3.1 mi. I would've made it under 30:00 which has been my goal. Logan was excited about my ribbon too!

After the race I went to my parents to shower & change & then we went back to watch Logan's class perform.

 Logan's on the back row next to the chick with the bow, who by the way, was adorable! Logan sang at the beginning but by the end he was bored & over it. He was ready to ride rides.

This picture cracked me up because Logan wanted his daddy to ride with him & he's just a little tall. I stayed a little while & watched the riding. It was a beautiful day & warm & I forgot to wear sunscreen. I ran a couple of errands & then went home & took a short nap. Then it was time for the crawfish boil.

Dean boils delicious crawfish! I loooovvvve the asparagus & mushrooms. So so good. In case you don't know, this is what they look like when they're alive.

I don't know why kids like to play with them so much but this happens at every crawfish boil.

Me Hillary. Hillary is graduating from LSU next week. I can't believe all the girls are so old now.

More of the girls with Dean. The pics from the iPhone at night, outside, are just not great.

Sunday I went shopping with Allie. We had equipment to buy so our triathlon training can start. I bought the dreaded helmet, some cycling shorts, sunglasses, socks & a couple of tops. The only think I have left to buy is the actual "tri suit" to race in. We had lunch too. So much fun! Once we got home we did our first ride. 5 miles & it wasn't bad at all. I was shocked when Cindy said we'd gone 5 already.

Now I'm counting down until Friday. We leave for the beach Friday morning. CANNOT WAIT!!!

Toodles!