One Lucky Sample

Hi friends! Happy WEEKEND!   How’s yours going so far?

Mine’s been lovely! I got my booty over to the mall immediately after work yesterday for some power-shopping… and tried on lots and lots of dresses. But unfortunately, the only thing I walked out with was this bowl from Anthropologie:

Isn’t it just TOO cute?! I love kitchen stuff– if I had more storage space, it will all be FILLED with eclectic, cute dishes!! I’m thinking I may need a coffee mug to match.

I’m not too worried about my dress-hunt, either. I mostly wanted to check out Nordstrom before their Big Annual Sale ended, and since I didn’t find a dress I LOVED on sale… I’ve got a whole MONTH to find something I like better! I also didn’t really want to jump the gun on finding a dress, since I’ve been losing a bit of weight as well. You guys know I don’t like to talk about weight loss too often here, because I don’t think weight loss should be drastic or THAT different from how you’d like to live your life on a regular basis (lifestyle changes, people!). But, like I mentioned before, I’ve got a TIGHT, FITTED bridesmaid dress to fit into in exactly 4 weeks! *gulp*

So, I’ve been upping my weight-loss efforts just a bit-- though, I have to say, I feel like I could live like this forever!! I really enjoy eating a high-raw diet (NOT all-raw, because that would drive me crazy!), and most of my extra effort is really in my workouts. But I’ve made a deal with myself– I only have to do workouts that I truly enjoy doing! I love my workout DVD’s at home, running outside, and taking group exercise classes. I’d rather shoot myself in the foot than pound away for hours on a treadmill, though! Life’s too short to do things you don’t like. And, if you do something too drastic diet- OR exercise-wise, you’re definitely NOT going to be able to keep it up long-term! (and you’ll probably wind up face-first in a pint of ice cream!) So please know that I am being intelligent in my weight-loss efforts, and I’m not doing anything drastic to my body. You guys all know I’ve still been indulging in dessert EVERY day! (and lately, TWICE a day– I love my raw desserts!)

The good news is– I got my bridesmaid dress to ZIP UP yesterday! It still doesn’t look GOOD by any means… but I’m seeing progress! Four weeks to go!

Here’s a quick recap of yesterday’s eats post-shopping trip:

Watermelon, eaten straight from the container.

Green smoothie: 2 cups Spinach, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, juice of 1/2 lemon, a few dashes of cinnamon = THE PERFECT SMOOTHIE. Hands down.

I made a trip to Whole Foods and was HAPPY to find that my store is still carrying raw goat’s cheese!! Woo-hoo!! My mom said that her Whole Foods in Kansas is still carrying this Alta-Dena brand raw goat cheese as well, so perhaps they don’t plan on pulling this raw milk product after all? Either way, I didn’t want to risk missing out on my favorite cheese– so I bought 7 blocks of it!

Ahhhh, I’m in goat cheese heaven. My mom said that she had read somewhere that this particular type of hard, raw goat cheese is “safer” than other types because it’s been aged over 60 days… so maybe that’s why they’re not pulling it off the shelves yet? Either way, I’m a happy girl to still have it in my life!

I was an even HAPPIER girl when I got home and checked the mail– I had a package waiting for me from the LOVELY people at One Lucky Duck! I was so excited to hear about their NEW blonde macaroon recipe (it’s NUT-FREE!), and after chatting with them on Twitter, they offered to send me a free sample! Um, yes please!

They sent me three samples of their NEW macaroon recipe:

Check out the short and simple ingredient list!

Most raw macaroon recipes call for some sort of nut, but the fact that these are NUT-FREE make them properly combined and easier on the digestive system! (not to mention, those suffering from nut-allergies can FINALLY enjoy raw macaroons, too!)

So, how did they taste? (you KNOW I immediately dove into eating one!!)

Holy yum! It immediately reminded me of a toasted marshmallow. The texture is wonderful– slightly chewy, almost like a Rice Krispie treat! I was so sad when I finished it!

(but happy that I had two more to enjoy later!)

I have to hand it to you, One Lucky Duck, you make a mean macaroon! I don’t miss the nuts AT ALL!  Great job on the new recipe!!

Once I had some raw-macaroon-fuel in me, I felt like getting in an upper body workout with Jackie Warner! It still amazes me how much that lady can make my arms BURN in a mere 20-minutes. She worked my arms until they were JELLO!

Once I had recovered, I prepared some more Raw Cheesecake (recipe to come later tonight!), then spent the evening relaxing on the couch with my pup, since the husband had to work late last night. I’ve really been enjoying my book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, so far! It was a little overwhelming to start, since it’s practically the size of a college text book, but it’s a really easy read so far! It makes SO MUCH SENSE to learn about your body this way! I can’t believe it’s not more common practice!

Dinner was simple, but delicious:

A giant salad topped with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and zucchini (left over from making my raw cheesecake–> yes, there’s raw zucchini in my cheesecake! And it’s GOOD!).

Followed by, of course, some raw cheesecake (deconstructed).

I had some extra crust leftover, so I made it into a little heart-shaped cookie.   Sooooooo gooooooood…….

Okay, I’ve got some errands to run this afternoon, but I’ll be back later with my Raw Cheesecake recipe for you guys!

Hope you’re all having a GREAT weekend!!

*Disclaimer: I did receive a free sample of macaroons from the people at One Lucky Duck, but I was under NO obligation to give a positive review in return, or even blog about it at all! I hope you guys all know by now that I ONLY mention products on this blog that I would truly purchase myself!

Related posts:

1. Lucky Day
2. Peanut Butter Snob
3. Cheesecake-Covered Weekend
4. Sweat it out!
5. Friday Macaroons!