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February 17, 2012

Fabulous Friday Announcements

What’s the first word, phrase or image you think of on Fridays? WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND sums it up best for me:

 

I live for the weekends. And my weekends are never too extravagant. They are typically simple and relaxing. But after 5 days of working, working and more working, I always crave the weekends!

Heading into this weekend is fun for me because I have 2 exciting announcements:

  1. The 1-Year Subscription to Experience Life winner has been notified! Congrats to Debbie….I know you will absolutely adore the magazine as much as I have. The good news? If you were not the winner, Experience Life Magazine has given me one more 1-Year Subscription to Experience Life to giveaway! Stay tuned….will launch this next Tuesday, February 21st. It will be both here and via Giddy Up Gluten Free.
  2. My cheesy recipes are about to get a whole lot more exciting! If you are new to this site, you might not know that I partner with The Laughing Cow®. Now you do. I love all of their cheese, so I’m stoked to share their brand new product: Smooth Sensations Cream Cheese Spread. Here are the new flavors you can expect to see on shelves: Classic Cream 1/3 Less Fat Than Cream Cheese, Strawberries & Cream, Garden Vegetable, Cinnamon Cream and Classic Cream. They all have 1/3 less fat than cream cheese, except for the regular “Classic Cream.” There is limited product availability, but the Smooth Sensations Cream Cheese Spread will be rolling out in stores over the next few months. Be sure to check the store locator to see if it’s in a store near you:) I cannot wait to try them all and to use them in future recipes. Breakfast is about to get a whole lot tastier!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and a fabulous weekend ahead.

Any exciting weekend plans?

Question: Of the new Laughing Cow flavors, which one(s) are you looking forward to trying the most?!

Filed Under: Life, The Laughing Cow Tagged With: , , , , Leave a Comment
February 14, 2012

54 Days with No Sugar

I sure hope Ryan doesn’t get me any chocolates or gluten-free cupcakes for Valentine’s Day. Don’t get me wrong, I love them. But I loved on them too much this past week while my mom was visiting.

I don’t regret it because the truth is that this is my lifestyle, not a diet. Sometimes in life we have to let loose, have fun and enjoy the treats and desserts that only come about on special occasions. Here’s a little peek into what that was for me:

Tutti Frutti Fro Yo

Tutti Frutti Fro Yo

Peanut Butter Chocolate

Peanut Butter Chocolate

But still, my digestive system is on overload. Super bloated. It needs rest.

The proof is in the pudding – my tummy pudding, that is. Food is a curse as much as it is a blessing for me. Colitis and digestive issues don’t care if it’s your birthday. I get a nice, little reminder of that from time-to-time. And just like they don’t care when it’s my birthday, they also don’t care that today is Valentine’s Day.

For me, for today, I’m going to celebrate the LOVE-FEST DAY by beginning my 54 days with no sugar. How (un)sweet is that?! I don’t care that it’s Valentine’s Day, and I will find myself without any sweets. I’m ready to feel fantastic again!

54 days because that takes me up to Easter Sunday. It’s an extended Lent.

54 days with no sugar means:

  • nothing artificial; this includes gum
    • no saccharin, sucralose, aspartame (ew)
  • no white sugar, which means no banana bread:(
  • no chocolate – 99%+ would be okay, but I’ll likely skip it altogether

54 days with no sugar does not mean:

  • no fruit – again, this is not a diet. I’m not looking to lose weight or do some crazy thing. Fruit is a good thing.
  • no stevia – I am fine with stevia because stevia is of the stevia plant and all natural.

I’m ready to give my digestive system a break. It’s going to thank me big time.

And on Easter Sunday? I think I’ll debut a new recipe with this delight I bought in Carmel at Sur La Table….

Mini Doughnut Pan

Mini Doughnut Pan

Question: Care to join me for the next 54 days? I promise to help you get through. It’s a lot easier than you might imagine. You can contact me with any questions. Yes, really!

Couldn’t care less about all this “sugar” talk since it’s Valentine’s Day?! Well then I hope you’ll enjoy a little “Red, White & Pink” from Pinterest!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Filed Under: Healthy Lifestyle, Life Tagged With: , 10 Comments
February 10, 2012

A Birthday. A Celebration.

Some people have a very hard time with birthdays. Not me. Not now. And likely not ever.

I don’t celebrate just the day of my birthday, which is today: February 10th (in 1983). I celebrate the entire week. I celebrate the entire month. And even when I turn 30 next year, I will be just as excited.

You ask, “why?”

I ask, “why not?”

Birthdays were made to celebrate because our birth, like our lives, are a celebration.

I never take for granted each day that God gives me. I thank my lucky stars that I’m able to be here yet another year….to live and to love.

I believe that each day we are given allows us to become a better version of ourselves, while giving a little more to those around us.

There are things you only get with age. I’m certain of that. And if we are constantly living in fear of age, growing older and blowing out another birthday candle, life will pass us by.

I don’t want life to pass me by.

I want to be here. And I want to be present.

Happy 29th Birthday to Me!

ps. I have an AWESOME weekend planned with my mom, who is visiting us from Minnesota, and Ryan. Nothing big and extravagant. Just simple and beautiful. I will get out my the new SOHO Professional Makeup Brushes my awesome client sent to me and put a little happy face on!

Source: creamylife.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: 7 Comments
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