The good news and bad….

Howdy Hoooo friends!!!

I have good news…you guys seem to have missed me just as much as I missed you (and if not shush and let me think it :))…

and bad news…I forgot to take pictures of my eats today!!! Its so hard to get back in the swing of things, but I promise to do better tomorrow 🙂

Next order of business…I have been OBSESSED with the new show X-factor!!!

Is it just me or is Simon secretly really attractive…what?…so its just me…ok then…pretend I never said anything (thanks…I appreciate it :))

I also wanted to share this awesomeness with you all…Groupon!!! Ok so if you all don’t know what groupon is…you need to get acquainted..asap!!!

Basically its a place to get the best deals ever. I made my first purchase yesterday and am soooo excited.

Bloggy boos…meet my purchase…

I bought a 6 week boot camp for 84% off!!! Woop woop!!! Can’t wait!

Well off to watch x factor and then jersey shore…until tomorrow babes 🙂

naturally yours,

Beth

Return of the unemployed cat lady…

I’m baaaaaack!!!! It feels so good to say those words my bloggity boos I have missed you all and this blog so much. I am sooo very sorry about the disappearing act, but unfortunately the department store (which will remain nameless) didn’t understand that a full time grad student should not be working 40 hours a week. So…I quit. It was awkward and I felt bad, but I’m so happy I did in the end. Now I have more time for friends and family…and you all!!!

Since the last time we talked I have been slipping on the workouts and my eating has been inconsistent at best, but working and grad work (both full time) will do that to ya. Now though…I’m starting fresh and hopefully you guys will start fresh with me too!! I’m pretty much back to square one with fitness/weight/blah blah blah (as in where I was pre p90x in like January) but it’s a new day and I’m feeling good (ok I may have borrowed that from Jenifer Hudson’s weight watchers commercial but I wont tell if you wont).  It’s also been so long that the precious (and I’m convinced mentally stunted) little fur ball known as Lulu has done the unforgiveable and actually grown into a cat. I forgive her…even though she was the cutest kitten on earth if only because she keeps me entertained, but I definitely have never accidentally shut her in the refrigerator for a few minutes or anything…but more on that another time.

So, any who, what does this mean for you all…well for starters I’m back to annoy you with my mindless ramblings everyday But if you can put up with all my nonsense hopefully you will get some yummy food ideas and workout inspiration along the way.

As I’m sitting here in class (yeah I’m blogging instead of learning to calculate the attributable risk of smoking while pregnant….yeah you would be blogging too) I was wondering what I should make my first post back about. And then I realized the perfect Tuesday topic….search phrases that somehow lead people to my blog (and of course my unnecessary commentary about each)…So for your reading entertainment on the best day of your life (because I’m back in it of course)…I present to you…

Search Phrases that Somehow Lead People to My Blog

1. “short big boobs”—> neither applies to me…nuff said

2. “barbie big boobs”—>see above…and super creepy…

3. “tan girl with oatmeal”—> a) why would someone search for this!?! and b) again the oatmeal applies but I assure you I am whiter than casper right now

4. “hot guy for beth”—> already got one thanks

5. “emotionally drained by constant talking”—> I think I should be offended…although I clearly don’t become drained by talking to much…I can see how I could have this effect on those nearest and dearest to me …wait a sec….dad did you write this one…

6. “what should I eat for lunch today”—> if only it were that easy…while we’re at it can the folks at google make this a possibility…and may I also suggest a what should I wear today option…

7. “what does a genius eat”—> clearly this is the least far fetched search term of the bunch

8. “I’m addicted to almond butter”—> what was your first clue?

9. “running with a wedgie”—> sounds like a personal problem…

10. “smile…you’re beautiful”—> do it

see ya tomorrow….wow…it feels so good to say that

naturally yours,

beth

Things that end in “U” and make me smile

Hello hello mah bloggity bees!!! Again…it has been tooooo long since I have blogged. It has been super busy what with getting last minute things ready for classes next week, working non stop, zooing it with THE Boy, and keeping busy with the first thing that ends in U and makes me smile…

Meet…

Lulu!!

The CUTEST kitten ever…and…the new Naturally Yours Kitty. That’s right…I adopted her to keep me company in my grown up apartment  

I like to call her Lady Lulu…cuz clearly she is queen of the castle.

I already love her soooooo much!!! She is so playful and sweet and makes me smile every time I walk through the door and she crawls in my lap and starts purring. She’s the BEST

Now, even though I could talk about Lulu (and brag that she used her litter box like a big girl for the first time this morning) all day…I won’t. Instead here is the second thing that ends in U and makes me smile…

TOFU!!! A little less exciting, but extremely delish. You guys might remember the first time I tried tofu. It was so yummy, but a pain in the butt to press and drain.

Enter…the greatest invention on earth!!!

TofuXpress!!! It is a little plastic container designed to press the water out of a block of tofu. It is so easy and works amazingly!!!

Seriously…this thing is the reason I have bought 4 blocks of tofu in the last week!! (Side note: tofu is super economical for a broke student’s budget).

EPIC salad with baked tofu!!

Could this press get anymore handy? Why yes it can!! (I may sound like a cheesy info-mercial, but don’t be fooled this is one of the best purchases a clean eater can make)…

It doubles as a marinating container!! Any device that works this well and cuts back on the dishes I have to wash is basically the BEST THING EVER!!!

Seriously guys I would get myself one if I was you…you can do that here

And now I’m off to enjoy some Jersey Shore with these 2…

I hope you guys have a lot to smile about too

Question of the Day: What made you smile today?

naturally yours,

Beth

Purple DBIAJ and Making Out Like A Bandit

Hello hello my bloggity lovelies!!! I have missed you so much this past week. I got back from the beach and then immediately started my new job the very next day. I have been busy working ever since and then I made a trip back home to Northern VA to see the daddio. Even though I missed blogging…I really enjoyed the break. It gave me a chance to get into a new routine with work and working out and such. And now I’m feeling refreshed and like a million bucks (well maybe not a million…I am only making minimum wage )

Anywho…I am def ready to get back to blogging after my week off

Like I said, I went home this weekend to spend some time with the daddio. My mom is out of town for about a month (yeah I know…the life of a teacher’s aid…she gets the best breaks) so I think he was feeling super lonely. But so was I  so it worked out just fine. Besides getting to see the pops…I also got to see a really great old friend who I haven’t seen in months…

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That’s right daddio took me to Costco for a seriously amazing grocery shopping spree!!! Yippppeeeee. I MADE OUT LIKE A BANDIT!! I have the best dad in the world. Honestly who else would put up with me puttering around Costco getting super excited about a ginormous package of dates and a econopacks of greek yog…and then on top of all that…pay for it. Only the greatest dad in the world  Shout out to Dad—>you da you da best ❤

So I forgot to take a pic of all the groceries I got there and really don’t feel like takin them all out of the freezer, fridge, etc so I’ll just give ya the rundown. Greek yog, broccoli, apples, dates, salsa, hummus, almond butter, tilapia, chicken, frozen berries, and turkey were all tossed into the cart Oooo and daddy also bought me a salad spinner (which I’m super excited to try!) but I forgot it there…womp womp.

Now that we have established that I am a Costco-a-holic and that I have the best padre EVER…let’s move onto today shall we..

Pre run fuel= best combo known to man

dates+ almond butter

 

 

Breakfast was a purple dough boy in a jar (hence the title of this post).

In the blender went:

1/3 C oats

1/2 C skim milk

ground flax

frozen berries

then I topped it with strawbs and poured it into a not so almost empty jar of almond butter. YUM!!! Can’t wait for my next almond butter jar to be not so empty

Lunch was…not photographed cuz I was at work and didn’t want to freak out my new co workers in the break room with my food photography.

But use your imagination…picture a huge green salad with black beans, hummus, and roasted red pepper vinagairette. Oops and I also had an apple

Snack was in between cleaning out fitting rooms and ringing up customers so it was just a larabar.

Dinner was an accidental 3 course meal:

1st course…

veggie burger, onion, green pepper, mushroom, and egg white scramble tossed with soy sauce

2nd course…

greek yog+frozen berries

3rd course…

an apple + almond butter

random dinner but delish!

 

So that was my day in a nutshell! Happy Monday

Question of the Day: What is your favorite thing to have for dinner?

naturally yours,

Beth

Beach Bound and a Giveaway Winner

Hey loves!! Just poppin in to announce the winner of my raw crunch bar giveaway!!! Thanks to everyone for your entries and your suggestions for da blog

Congrats to…

Yay Lizzie!!! Just shoot me an email at naturallyyoursbeth@gmail.com and I’ll get your box of raw crunch bars to you ASAP

For now I’m enjoying a nice and relaxing snack/blog break from my uber productive morning.

So far today I have done my P90x core workout, ran at the gym, cleaned the apartment, and packed for the beach…and its only 10:46!!

Just waiting for THE Boy and THE Boy’s brother to get here so we can head to the beach and enjoying this delishness:

         Strawbs and greek yog with a caramel vanilla iced coffee

Ta ta for now!! Happy Hump Day!!

Question of the Day: What’s your fave thing about the beach?- I’m not much for the ocean, but I love reading on the beach!! I also LOVE people watching on the boardwalk and all the fresh seafood

Beach or Bust

Hola chickies!!! If you haven’t already…check out my guest post on Moves n Munchies. Thanks to Carrie again for letting me invade her blog for the day

So I have some pretty exciting news…

1) I finally found a job!! It’s just a job working at a department store, but I’ll take anything I can get!!

2) I’m going to the beach for a few days with The Boy and his fam

 

On the job front, my first REAL day of work is this Sunday, but I have training tonight. Yikes…I’m a little nervous…it’s been awhile since I started a new job. Wish me luck

As for the beach…YAY YAY YAY!! I thought I wouldn’t be able to go because I just got hired and didn’t want to have to ask for time off already, but it ended up working out perfectly on it’s own. We leave tomorrow for the beach and come back Saturday. So its perf that training is today and I don’t start work until Sunday! Virginia Beach or Bust

So you guys may remember that part of my getting back on track plan is to start back up P90x. Well getting back on track has proven to be a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. Slowly but surely I’m establishing a routine for myself. So…I’m officially starting P90x over… startin TODAY. I think I’m gonna start posting my workouts everyday on here to hold me accountable and give me that little extra push to get them done.

Also, if you all are interested, perhaps I will post progress pictures and such because I know some people might be interested in if p90 really gives results. Just let me know what you guys think about that.

MMMMkkaaaayyy…lets get to the fun stuff shall we?

Eats

Breakfast this morning was an egg white omelet with mushrooms and onion and smothered in salsa. I also had some strawbs on the side because a) they are yummy and b) I’m trying to eat them up before I leave for the beach tomorrow.

After breakfast I was still a little hungry about 45 minutes later so there was only one rational thing to do…breakfast round 2 of course! So I had 1/2 a banana sliced over some greek yog.

Lunch was the usual (yes I lead a very boring food life sometimes, but I love it!) an EPIC salad with turkey, a veggie burger, lettuce, mushrooms, salsa, hummus, and cottage cheese.

With a Larabar for dessert

Since I had training until 9:00 tonight I made sure to make dinner before I left so that when I got home I could just reheat. Yeah sometimes I do a good job of that whole thinking ahead thing (don’t get to used to it though…procrastination is still my middle name ) Anywhoooo…dinner was tilapia, broccoli, and a brown rice medley.

And since that’s the saddest most tiniest pile of rice I have ever seen…I proceeded to have two rice cakes with PB and jelly after dinner  

Workouts

• 7 mile run in 63 minutes (good gosh am I slow these days…but I’m workin on it)
• P90x Cardio

Have a great hump day tomorrow!! I’ll see ya at the beach (seeing as there is free internet at the hotel and all )

naturally yours,

Beth

Blog Lovin

Hey party people!! Keep those giveaway entries comin I’m loving all of your suggestions and once all of those comments are in I’m  gonna use them to make some changes to da blog!

Today I want to do something a little different.

This morning while I was sifting through my GOOGLE reader I realized I hadn’t updated my Blog Roll in a loooong while. So…consider the blog roll link… up to date.

Even though I updated the Roll, I know that it doesn’t get as much love as it should. There are some really great bloggers there and I would hate for you guys to miss out on their awesome posts.

Sooooo…in the spirit of spreading some blog love…I’m gonna highlight some of my current faves

So in no particular order, here are the nut butter lovin, gym goin, long distance runnin,  healthy livin lovely ladies that I am currently obsessed with and stalking reading

Sweet Tooth Runner

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I think you would seriously have a hard time finding a blogger out there as sweet as Emma! Her positive attitude and quirky personality make her posts suuuppper entertaining and really fun to read Bonus- she is a nut butter fiend just like yours truly! Oh and she is a beast runner Told you…she’s all around awesome!!

Moves n Munchies

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I LOVE Carrie’s blog for 2 main reasons (among tons of others duh). The first- she is never afraid to be herself and the second- she posts so many pictures and vlogs that you really feel like you know her. Bonus- where do you think I got my fave snack of banana and nut butter?

Living Lindsay

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I have mentioned Lindsay’s blog a couple of times since I started posting, but I seriously love her! She always has the yummiest eats and she is such a sweet lady! Not to mention she is uber inspiring! Oh and did I mention she has the cutest little son on earth

Peanut Butter Fingers

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First of all any girl who has a habit of sneaking a finger of PB every once in awhile is clearly a soul sister of mine. Aside from our shared love of PB (are you all seeing a theme in my fave blogs ) I love reading Julie’s posts about food, fashion, and fun. Although I am a bit jealous over the fact that she gets to call the BEAUTIFUL and SUNNY Florida home, I try not to hold that against her!

 

I hope you guys enjoy these blogs as much as I do. Do yourself a favor and definitely check them out

 Good night

naturally yours,

Beth

My Crunchy OBSESSION (Giveaway)

Ok so a couple of days ago I teased you all with another giveaway. I know I know…I have had so many things to giveaway since I have been back from Europe, but are you complaining…didn’t think so   

Side note: Even though I do get these products for free, I ALWAYS tell you guys exactly what I think about the product. If I didn’t like something, I would definitely tell you guys the truth

Now, back to today’s giveaway!!

Introducing…Raw Crunch Bars!!!

When I won Lindsay’s giveaway a couple month’s ago, she sent me one of these little diddies to try. OMG…it was love at first crunchy bite.

 The problem? I could not find these things anywhere near me.

The solution…the super nice people over at Raw Crunch sent me a whole box of deliciousness!

I couldn’t even wait to try one of these bars so I tore into the box as soon as I received it!

They sent me 4 different kinds of bars to try: blueberry, goji berry, cranberry, and chocolate.

WOW! All of them are sooooo crunchy and delish. Basically they consist of nuts and seeds held together with sweet honey. So what does this mean? These bars have one of my fave flavor combinations in the world…salty AND sweet!!!

Get excited bloggity bees because 1 lucky winner will get to win a whole BOX of these guys too!!!

And since I have been doing shameless plug giveaways lately and I know they can get really annoying to enter (trust me as a giveaway fiend myself, I know the feeling of getting annoyed by all of the entry options ).

So lets keep it simple this time, shall we?

Giveaway Rules:

1 entry per person: In the comments section of this post, tell me one thing you would like me to start including in my blog or any suggestions/complaints for da blog

Good luck and I’ll keep this giveaway open until midnight on Tuesday July 26th and I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday.

Oh and sorry, but US residents only please…I’m too broke to send a package overseas

Happy Sunday!!!

naturally yours,

beth

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Hey guys!! Hope everyone’s morning got off to a good start 🙂 I woke up intending to start my day off with a run, but breakfast was calling my name first 🙂

I just wanted to pop in and announce the winner of my Erin Baker’s giveaway 🙂

Congrats to…

Kelsey!!! Congrats girl 🙂 Just shoot me an email at naturallyyoursbeth@gmail.com with your mailing address and I’ll let Erin Baker’s know ASAP 🙂

Oh and don’t be too disappointed everyone else…I have yet ANOTHER giveaway for you all this weekend and its one of my fave things of all times!!!! Stay tuned 🙂

Well the treadmill is calling my name (way to freaking hot for an outside run) and then I got a date with this guy:

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I’m going to see Harry Potter tonight!!! So excited and I can’t wait!! Catch you all later.

naturally yours,

beth

New to the party!

Hey guys…happy hump day!!! Today I’m puttin on my dancin shoes and joining the party (well technically its more like eating almond butter by the spoonfuls and joining a blogging phenomenon…but you get the picture :))

What I Ate Wednesday has been taking the blogging world by storm so I thought I would participate today in the official WIAW! This thing that’s taken the blogosphere by storm is all thanks to Peas and Crayons. Thanks for organizing this thing girl and so excited to post my WIAW 🙂

So here goes 🙂

First up my pre run snackie:

Strawberry banana smoothie in a bowl + some broccoli in the mix 🙂

Lunch = an EPIC salad + apple

But wait…cleaerly this was a mini lunch and I was still hungry…so….

Lunch round 2 was a banana+ almond butter+ rice cakes+ almond butter and jelly!! Yum 🙂

Snack time was greek yog and salsa

Dinner was sooo random but delish! Mixed veggies with a veggie burger and fried egg white on an english muffin + hummus on the burger 🙂

Snack time…banana+almond butter again 🙂 What can I say…I LOVE this snack

 Have a happy thursday and tomorrow I’ll post the giveaway winner 🙂

Question of the Day: What’s the one snack you could eat a billion times in one day?– clearly you all can see my fave 🙂

naturally yours,

beth