Free Chocolate!! (Adora Review and Giveaway)

I would like to think that I am not alone in not being crazy about taking dietary supplements in the mornings. I feel like I am doing really well to get my multivitamin down. With that said, and I hate to admit this, I was getting somewhat lax in taking my much needed daily calcium supplement. For starters, I felt like they were the size of my head, difficult to get down after taking my vitamin, and, to a degree, I felt a little like my Nana. Luckily, over the summer while in Chicago I discovered Adora Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements.

As you are probably already aware, calcium is incredibly important (especially for women). Aside from the obvious, (strong teeth and bones) it is also an essential component of muscle contraction, and without it muscles cramp more easily. (I am thinking hard workouts and PMS misery here girls). In addition, calcium plays a huge role during pregnancy as it helps that little bun in the oven to develop strong bones. Basically, we ladies need it and simply (normally) do not get enough of it. When we don’t get enough of it our bodies “steal” it from our bones leaving them weaker and us more susceptible to issues in the future.

Adora is a fun product because it combines the calcium and vitamin D we need with the chocolate we love. Adora has these yummy little chocolate discs that, when taken correctly, provide up to 50% of the daily value of calcium plus vitamin D and magnesium for optimal absorption. Plus for those of us on eating plans/diets they are only 30 calories per disc so you can easily fit them into your day.

I am sure you are wondering (as I was): How do they taste? I can honestly say, they are yummy. I have no problems taking them daily. In fact, I like the sweet little kick after lunch. Adora comes in two flavors dark chocolate (really good) and milk chocolate (my fave). Their formula was developed by chocolatier Thompson Brands so there is no “medicinal” type after taste like a lot of vitamin products have. They are gluten free, lactose free (in the dark variety), and made from all natural premium chocolate. They aren’t at all chalky or gritty, and I personally prefer them infinitely to choking down a huge calcium pill in the mornings. Plus they are cute and easy to tuck in your purse or lunch bag.

Since this is a product I personally use and enjoy, I was excited when the great people at Adora offered to send some for review and a giveaway for one lucky Running In Pink Project reader. If you would like to try Adora Chocolate calcium and Vitamin D Supplements (with a bag of each milk and dark chocolate to be sent directly to the winner by Adora) simply enter following the instructions below. The winner will be announced Wednesday February 16^th. Good Luck!

There are several ways to enter. Please leave a comment for each since it increases your chances to win! (Winner will be chosen via random number generator).

1. “Like” Running In Pink Project on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
2. Add Running In Pink Project to your Blog Roll and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
3. Check out the Adora Website and leave a comment letting me know why you’d like to try this product
4. Re-post, retweet, etc this giveaway and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so

Good Luck!!!

*Disclaimer: I was given this product to try for free for the purpose of a review/giveaway but the opinions expressed here are my own.

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The Cure For Anything Is Salt Water- Sweat, Tears, or The Sea

I found the quote in my title today and it sort of sums up how I am feeling tonight. Tonight I am getting a little more personal with the blog. For weeks now I have struggled with a plateau, a lack of drive (in many ways), and a plummeting attitude as a result.  I have thought a lot about it and sometimes it feels like that’s all I do. I think, I plan, I talk, and nothing is really getting done.

I’ve decided to use vacation as a time to rejuvenate and re-motivate. I am not going to try to lose any weight while I am at the beach. I do however plan to continue to maintain my 35 lb loss while I am there. When I get back I will be ready to take on the weight loss full force. I am just sick of trying and I am ready to do no matter what it takes. I am ready for the sweat and the tears. I am certainly ready for the sea. Sometimes all it takes is a little change in perspective to get us on the right path. I am going to lumber along until I find my path this week.

Aside from the OpenSky store that I have been talking about this week there are still more changes coming to the blog. Some of these changes are going to help this process along and in my opinion are long overdue.  Thanks for sticking with me.

I can’t be too down on things. Today was great. It was my last workday before leaving for vacation. I officially have 10 days of pure blissful freedom in front of me and I am excited! I am kicking off my vacation tomorrow with a great workout, a mani/pedi at an organic spa, and dinner /drinks with some friends at one of my favorite local places. Then, Saturday will be all about packing and buying those last minute vacation items and finally Sunday morning we will be on our way to South Carolina.

Thankfully tonight is our last night of operation “eat random items in the house”. You can’t hate too much on frozen pizza though I will be glad to get back to actual fresh food while we are on vacation.

I  did a pain free three miles for my training run. I think I was just too excited about vacation to care about the heat or the tiny lizards running around on the trail. Also, it was so crowded this afternoon. Sometimes that annoys me but tonight it felt like a kinship of sorts- a group of grumpy sweaty runners and cyclists brave enough to face the heat and humidity. 😉 Even though I am painfully slow I like being included in that group. People have been surprisingly supportive of me. There are a few jerks (always are right?) but for the most part I have felt welcomed in this community. I think it is more natural for someone to want to share his or her passion so in a way it makes sense. I was just finishing up as the sky opened up and it poured the rain. I smiled because I knew that somewhere out on the trails my hubs was getting drenched too!

I was also sure to get in my huge serving of water today. I have been feeling a little bit gross (yes that is the technical name for it) lately and I think it’s because I haven’t been drinking enough water. I think this ginormous pink container took care of that!

I finally finished up my list for the beach today. Are you a list maker? We always forget something when I don’t make a list. It’s one of life’s little necessary evils for me.

Tonight I am staying up late, watching cheesy movies and snuggling up the hubs and the pups. I cant think a of a sweeter way to start my vacation.

Have a Happy and Healthy Thursday!

PS:  Click HERE to enter my Delicate Soles giveaway for some fabulous rollable flats

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I Heart Shoes- Delicate Soles Give-Away

Did you happen to read my review of Delicate Soles this week? If not you can click HERE to read it. (Go ahead, I’ll wait). If you did catch my review then you know I am in love with these adorable rollable flats. They are stylish, functional, and fun!

The fabulous people at Delicate Soles are giving away a pair of Delicate Soles Rollable Shoes to one lucky Running in Pink Project reader. Your choice of size and color. Fun right?

Here is how to enter: (there are several possible ways to enter so please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Go check out the Delicate Soles Website and let me know what color you would pick
2. Subscribe to this Blog (its on a tab to your right) and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done this
3. Become a Fan of Delicate Soles on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done this
4. Become a Fan of Running in Pink Project on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done this
5. Add Running In Pink Project to your blogroll and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done this
6. Re-post (on your blog or facebook page) or retweet this giveaway and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done this.

Whew! Ok so there are tons of different ways to enter for both bloggers and nonbloggers alike. I will use a random number generator to pick a winner on Monday Aug 9th. (That is my first day back from the beach) which gives you a little over a week to enter. Delicate Soles will ship directly to the winner. 🙂

Good Luck!!

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I heart sushi and giveaways (winner announced!)

There is something to be said for simplicity. I had a basic no frills kind of day today and that was just fine with me. Sometimes we just need a break. While, I can’t take a break from work or responsibilities I certainly can take a little mental break from the menu and workout planning. Doing all of this research on clean eating for my upcoming challenge really made me crave basic, easy to digest, simple foods. So, that is exactly what I had. My day started out with a low fat whole grain English muffin, 1 egg, 1 slice of Turkey sausage and a V8 fusion. I really need to get back to having green monsters a couple of times a week. I miss those guys!

I tried to spread some smaller snacks throughout the day to see if it helped any with my hunger. Yesterday I just felt famished all day. It was strange. I am normally content with the amount of food my points allow. Yesterday I found my self really struggling to keep it together. So today I broke a bigger lunch down into the following mini-meals

Dried Apricots

A low fat whole grain organic peanut butter sandwich with a banana

A Lara Bar

I am looking forward to getting back to the gym tomorrow. I’ve been feeling so lazy. It might be because I miss running (4 days and counting until we meet again!!) but I need to get back into my workout groove. Speaking of workout grooves. What is your favorite push through the pain workout song?

Tonight’s dinner was sushi I picked up on the way home.I normally love sushi but I think I have some psychological barrier to supermarket sushi because this completely grossed me out. This is the second time supermarket sushi (even the super fresh kind) has been an incredible FAIL! Apparently my palate is picker about sushi than I am. 😉

I am also really excited to announce the winner of my Armpocket
give-away. Random.Org selected the following comment:

julia

“I looked around on the ArmPocket site and I love the fact that it 1) looks so comfortable 2) looks like a mini-backpack and 3) I could put my ipod on my arm instead of tucked in the waist of my shorts! ha ha! Please pick me!!! I really need something like this!”

Please email your shipping information to
runninginpinkproject@gmail.com and let me know what color you would
like! Congrats!

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who entered, re-tweeted the giveaway, subscribed, or just came by to take a look. My little blog is growing and I am so thrilled to share my journey to health and fitness (with some fab fashion sprinkled in)with all of you. Also, thank you to Armpocket for sponsoring this giveaway and to Leslie from And Her Little Dog Too for giving me some great advice last week! More giveaways and goodies coming soon! 🙂

Tonight’s agenda is cleaning overhaul night 2, TIVOed episodes of Pretty Little Liars (don’t judge) 😉 and plan making for an upcoming trip to the lake! Happy and Healthy Tuesday friends!

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Clean Eating and Monday Stuff

Clean Eating. That is a term I see thrown around a lot but I found
myself wondering exactly what it meant and exactly how to do it.
Apparently there is an entire magazine dedicated to it (which I am now
dying to try out) and when you google the term something like a
zillion blogs come up. So after reading some sites and blogs I feel
that nuritionsuite101.com sums Clean Eating up very well:

Clean Eating Principles
·       Eating a mini-meal every two to three hours (5 to 6 small meals per
day total) to keep blood sugar level and prevent hunger
·       Combining lean proteins and complex carbs at every meal
·       Avoiding all over-processed and refined foods (especially sugar,
white rice, and white flour)
·       Avoiding saturated and trans fat, instead consuming healthy fats
·       Avoiding soda and other sugary juices and drinks
·       Avoiding high-calorie, zero nutrient foods (i.e., junk food)
·       Eating proper portion sizes
·       Drinking at least 8 cups of water every day

Doesn’t that sound great? I think it does. My body did a little
internal jump for joy just reading that. I have a mini challenge
coming up soon and (yup you guessed it) it will involve clean eating.
I would love love love for some of you to join me! (More details to
come soon). I think the beauty of this principal is that you can
modify it to whatever weight loss plan you are doing. I think it would
work fabulously in conjunction with the Weight Watchers I am doing
right now. I am definitely intrigued by the concept and I want to
learn more about it (possibly find a meal plan to follow) before
starting my mini challenge so stay tuned for that.

My eating today was on target in terms of calories and the Weight
Watchers good health guide lines. I started with a whole grain English
muffin, 1 egg, and cheese. I paired it with a V8 fusion. I have been
asked a lot of questions about the V8 fusion lately so I am going to
link to their site here. This is not a V8 product that contains HFC
and I had been using it as a way to fudge in a couple of extra
fruit/veggie servings into my day.

Lunch was left over whole grain rice with tomatoes, onions, green bell
peppers, and organic chicken. I think it is such a good diet/healthy
eating tip to make extra food at dinner and then portion out the left
overs to have during the week. It is an instant healthy meal that has
protein, complex carbs, veggies etc and it makes getting to the office
much easier in the morning.

I snacked on a banana& peanuts (not pictured) and grapes while I was at the
office. I like to freeze grapes and eat them but today I just had
“normal” grapes. Still great.

When I got in from the office I knew I had an active evening ahead and
I had yet to get in all of my dairy for the day. So, I opted for a
Lara Bar (be on the lookout for my Lara Bar Review later this week)
and a cup of skim milk. It was a perfect “after school” snack. 😉

Tonight was  cleaning overhaul night 1 at the Running In Pink Project
household. I did manage to squeeze in some playtime with the pups and
some stretching. I also found some “lost” disposable cameras that we took
with us on our honeymoon to Mexico. I am super excited to get those
developed and see our honeymoon pictures (I thought they were lost
forever!!)

Tonight more “Clean Eating Research”, registering for a 5K, and
stalking overstock.com for furniture deals. Have a Happy and Healthy
Monday.

It’s the very last night to enter my first ever give away! Good luck!

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Win an Armpocket in the color of your choice.

Just a reminder….

Don’t forget to enter my fabulous

Armpocket give-away !!

You know you need one!

(source)

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A Sunday Night Recipe

I love cooking on a Sunday. I have time to do prep work and bake and make things from scratch.Its also a great time to plan meals for the rest of the week. Tonight I want to share with you my Italian turkey sausage and spinach stuffed shells in a vodka cream sauce.

To start you will take 1 pound of Italian Turkey Sausage and brown it in a skillet with olive oil and chopped fresh garlic. You will then add in 1 box of thawed chopped spinach, mushrooms (to taste) and a large chopped onion.

While this is cooking up prepare a box of pasta shells as directed. You will also need to combine 1 1/2 cups of 2% mozzarella, 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, 1 egg (beaten), and some red pepper flakes and set aside.

Combine the cheese mixture with the meat and veggie mixture (drained of fat) and set to the side.

Next you will prepare your vodka sauce, cream sauce, tomato sauce, or simply diced and spiced tomatoes. Feel free to use any tomato based sauce you like. Take the sauce and lightly coat the bottom of your casserole dish.

Next you will spoon the filling into the shells and place them into the casserole dish. This made nearly two casserole dishes full of shells so there are tons left over for lunches later in the week and still enough to freeze.

Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese and cover (lightly) with the remaining sauce. You don’t want the sauce to overpower the taste of the shells so go light. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Serve with a salad or some fabulous fruit. Perfect Sunday dinner.

Tonight I am planning a week’s worth of menus and workouts and counting down the days until I am able to run again (6 and counting!).  Only 1 day left to enter my Armpocket giveaway so check it out if you havent already! Have a Happy and Healthy night.

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Hands Free Running (Armpocket Give-Away)

Ever since The Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon I have not gone on a run without my fabulous pink Armpocket.

A few weeks ago I did a review of this product and introduced you to all of the ways an Armpocket can be a fabulous running/cycling accessory.  My husband and I both use ours faithfully and armpocket has become a workout staple for us. It works for little arms, big muscle arms (my fave!) 😉 and arms with some (or quite a bit) of extra fluff! It’s a great way to carry your essential “stuff” while working out.

If running/cycling/hiking or working out in general just isn’t your thing there are still tons of things you can do with the armpocket. I am thinking about mom’s needing two free hands at the store, teens wanting two free hands at amusement parks, etc etc. 🙂

The fabulous people at Armpocket would like to give one lucky Running In Pink Project reader a Sport 20 Armpocket (identical to the pink one owned by yours truly and featured in the review) in either Pink, Fluorescent Yellow, Black, Navy Blue, Orange or Khaki-the winner’s choice. I know we aren’t all partial to pink so we’ve got you covered!

The give-away is open to everyone both bloggers and non-bloggers and the details are below.. Good Luck Readers! 🙂

Give-Away Details:

1. The Give-Away begins now and will run through 10:00 pm EST Monday June 14th.
2. The winner will be announced on Running In Pink Project on Tuesday June 15th.
3. The winner should be prepared to email me their shipping information and color choice at runninginpinkproject@gmail.com
4. Armpocket will ship directly to the winner.
5. A winner will be selected through a random number generator and will have 40 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond an alternate winner will be announced on Running In Pink Project. 🙂

Here Is How To Enter….

• Visit the Armpocket website, look around, and then leave a comment on this blog letting me know your favorite style or favorite feature of the armpocket.
  

OR

• Add Running In Pink Project to your blogroll and leave a comment on this blog post letting me know you have done so.

OR

• Subscribe to Running In Pink Project (on the home page) and leave a comment on this blog post letting me know you have done so.

OR

• Become a Facebook follower of Running In Pink Project by clicking here then clicking “like” and leave a comment on this blog letting me know you have done so.

OR FINALLY

• Re-post or Re-Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment on this blog letting me know you have done so.

There are lots of ways to enter and win so good luck!!!! 🙂 Have a Healthy and Happy Wednesday.

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