Bestowed Box Giveaway!

Apr 302013

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered.

My coworker texted me this picture this morning and I just had to share it with you all…

Haha isn’t that just the best? I love this picture so much because 1. I am soooo excited for May (it’s my favorite month!) and 2. I love a little old school JT in the morning

Yep, judging by those blonde curly locks on his head, I’m thinking this photo is probably from the Justin-dating-Britney era, no?

You know, back in the days when they walked around together sporting outfits like this…

[Source]

Denim fabulous.

Also, can we take a moment to talk about Britney’s metal belt? I totally had some of those. I think they were probably from Limited Too or something equally awful, and I remember sporting them (awkwardly) in middle school. Sheesh. Middle school was a bad time in my life for fashion.

I’m sure some of you remember this gem from my birthday post last year:

The horror!! Haha! Ok so I think that picture is technically from before middle school, but close enough lol.

Anyyyyway, enough with the nineties flashbacks lol. Let’s jump into the meat of today’s post, which includes a fun giveaway!!

Bestowed Box

Last week I was contacted by the kind people over at Bestowed Box, who offered to send me a sample of one of their boxes to review. The Bestowed Box is similar to other boxes you’ve probably heard of (e.g., Birch Box, which I love!) only this one is filled with healthy snacks!

I actually reviewed a box subscription service for snacks before, but it was geared more towards gourmet foodies, and didn’t focus as much on the healthy food aspect. I love trying new healthy foods, but sometimes I get stuck in a rut with foods that I know I like. This box seemed right up my alley!

According to their website, Bestowed was created by the nationally recognized nutritionist and author Heather Bauer, who works with a team of health and diet experts to select healthy products that catch their attention. The boxes include products like nutrition bars, snacks, breakfast cereals, supplements, and whatever else they think their customers will like. I love the idea that nutritionists and diet experts are putting the boxes together, so you know whatever they pick will be good for you

When the box arrived yesterday, Fabio, Jack, and I were so excited to see what was inside (Jack was mostly just excited because we were haha)! There was a nice little instruction sheet explaining what all the products were, and then all the goodies were displayed inside the box.

As soon as I glanced at the products, I knew this box was going to be good. I saw a few name brands that I recognized instantly and was so happy to see the box wasn’t filled with a bunch of obscure products I would never buy (maybe that’s just me, but I like trying new things that aren’t too out of the norm).

I then proceeded to take everything out of the box and examine the goodies. First I saw a huge bag of KIND granola (looove) and then examined a “Happy Squeeze” packet of pomegranate, strawberry, and pear juice (I’m having this later today as my snack!). One of my coworkers drinks Happy Squeeze all the time, so I can’t wait to try it out! There was also a bag of “Hemp Hearts” which I’ve never heard of, but am excited to try (they’re supposed to be sprinkled over yogurt or cereal, FYI).

Then I saw this awesome $25 gift card for iTRAIN. I had never heard of iTRAIN either, but after checking out the website this morning I am super excited to use this gift card to purchase workout videos and playlists. Such a great idea!

The rest of the box included more goodies like pink lemonade energy packets, dark chocolate, a fig fruit bar, oatmeal, and chicken jerky.

At this point Fabio and I had just returned home from work and decided we could use a little snack, so we broke into the chicken jerky. Jack wanted some too, of course.

Sorry, Jack! It’s not for dogs!

Fabio and I really liked it!

It was very flavorful and made an excellent pre-dinner snack. I’m not usually a jerky person (it sorta freaks me out) but this one was really good.

Then I checked out the nutrition stats and liked it even more!

With only 60 calories, 0g of fat, and 10g of protein, I was definitely impressed with this jerky! This would make a great pre- or post-workout snack!! I will definitely be on the lookout for these from now on.

After dinner we snacked on some of the dark chocolate which was also delicious, and I have a few of the other items packed in my lunch box for later on today. So far, I have been loving this Bestowed Box!

And the best part? Bestowed will be offering one lucky Chelsea Eats Treats reader a free box of their own! Simply comment on this post telling me why you would like to receive a Bestowed Box, and I will pick a winner on Thursday morning. You can also enter by liking my facebook page or tweeting something like the following:

“I entered the @bstowed #giveaway at @ChelsEatsTreats and you can too! http://wp.me/p2H4qV-1gR”

Just leave another comment telling me you liked my page or tweeted

And if you don’t win, don’t sweat it. Bestowed is also offering Chelsea Eats Treats readers $5 off their monthly or annual subscriptions when they use the code 5OFFBSTOWED01 at checkout. The boxes are typically $19 a month so this is a good deal!! I think I’m going to sign up myself!

Good luck!

Happy Birthday, Chelsea Eats Treats!

Blogging 18 Responses »

Apr 112013

On this day last year, I decided to start a blog.

I had been reading healthy living blogs religiously for a few months, and I was tired of always being behind the scenes. I was ready to jump into the conversation.

I knew I could do what the other bloggers were already doing; I was constantly experimenting with healthy recipes (I was into spaghetti squash and quinoa before most people had heard of either one) and I loved trying out new fitness routines. The next step was just to write about it all and, as a kid who grew up with a passion for reading and writing, it seemed like an obvious choice for me.

I remember the day I officially decided to do it. I read a few posts from other bloggers on getting started with blogging (mostly this one, this one, and this one, if you’re interested) and I debated on weather to use a free host (like blogger) or to shell out a few dollars and pay for my own domain name. It was at this point that I decided I wanted to commit for the long haul, and I paid for a one-year domain. There was no backing out then!

My first couple of posts were a little shaky. I didn’t know exactly what my posting schedule was going to be like, but I started off a bit like this:

Monday: Weekend recap
Tuesday: Recipe
Wednesday: What I Ate Wednesday
Thursday: Recipe
Friday: Fashion Friday (who remembers those??)

Through trial and error I learned that posting recipes takes up a lot of time (so many pictures to edit and post!) and that Fashion Fridays just aren’t that interesting (or maybe it’s my wardrobe).

Either way, I eventually I found a schedule that worked better for me, and I try to stick to it as much as I can. I now know that posting four times a week is sufficient, and that I don’t really have the time or energy to post two brand new recipes each week. Maybe if I didn’t work a full time job and have a bunch of outside commitments I could handle it, but I can’t.

And that’s ok. I’ve learned that blogging has to be enjoyable and if writing two recipes a week is too time-consuming and stresses me out, then it’s not worth posting them. You gotta do the best you can.

At the moment I’d say my little blog over here is doing pretty well. I get a fair amount of visitors from around the world, even if they don’t always comment and say hello (why don’t ya, once in a while?!). I like what I have going and I will keep chugging along for the foreseeable future.

Here’s to another successful year of Chelsea Eats Treats!

And now for a little walk down memory lane, here are some of my favorite posts from this past year…

April 2012

May 2012

June 2012

July 2012

August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

December 2012

January 2013

February 2013

March 2013

Phew, a lot can happen in a year, huh?

And now, dear readers, I’d love to hear from you. What do you like seeing on the blog? Would you like more recipes? More personal posts that discuss my feelings/opinions on healthy living? More recaps about fun things going on in my life? More pictures of what I’m eating (like a WIA-every day)? Let me know!

I’m open to switching it up around here so if there’s something you’d like to see just ask

Food Scale Giveaway!

Blogging 19 Responses »

Mar 212013

Hey guys! Thank you so much for your kind words about my crazy work schedule lately. Luckily those hours are only temporary and they are almost back to normal now that I turned in a huge report that was due to one of our clients yesterday. Phew!

As I explained in response to some of your comments yesterday, on the one hand I was totally flattered that I was chosen out of all of the great people on my team to be in charge of the report. I am one of the youngest members on our team, so it really was nice that they trusted me to take on so much responsibility.

On the other hand, it meant that I had to stay until the very last minute to make sure that everything went smoothly and that the report was completed correctly. Gotta do what you gotta do!

Luckily I really enjoy my job (and the people I work with- so important) and most days I just work a typical eight hours. It’s really not so bad!

Giveaway

Ok, so today I don’t really have too much to talk about, so I thought it would be a fun time to host a giveaway!

I was recently contacted by a representative from SlimKicker offering to host a giveaway for the blog. Heck yes, a giveaway for my awesome readers? Why not?!

SlimKicker is an online calorie tracker that takes your health/fitness goals and turns them into a level-up game. To participate, you upload an image of something you’ll reward yourself with (such as a new handbag), and when you reach a certain number of points, SlimKicker will remind you to reward yourself with that. I could definitely use a reminder now and then for when I deserve a new handbag, couldn’t you?

SlimKicker also has over 100+ recipe ideas to help keep you on track with your goal.

It’s a really great idea and it could be really helpful for keeping you accountable on your health and fitness goals!

The prize they are giving away is pretty awesome too; it’s actually something I’ve been wanting for a while myself! Think I can enter my own giveaway? Haha probably not. And I love you all so much that I just want one of you to enjoy the prize

So, what are they giving away?

[Image Source]

This Ozeri Touch Professional Digital Kitchen Scale. Yep, if you win this giveaway you can weigh all of your food so you never have to worry about how many ounces of potato chips you are eating (seriously, how are you supposed to know that?) or how big your pieces of chicken actually are. #Firstworldproblems

To enter the giveaway leave a comment below with a fitness/health challenge idea that SlimKicker could feature on their website. An example would be to “do 20 pushups a day for 1 week” or “squat during commercial breaks.”

SlimKicker will pick the best one after 1 week, and use it on their site. Then I’ll announce the winner and you’ll get the food scale in the mail! Woohoo!

Unfortunately this will be limited to USA residents (for shipping costs purposes…sorry Anna!)

Good luck!

Colombian Style Plantains

Blogging, Recipes 3 Responses »

Mar 142013

Hey guys! Have you all heard the news about Google Reader closing down in July? I know this doesn’t affect too may people, especially since RSS is kind of dying and a lot of people don’t know how to use it anyway, but I love my Google Reader and I’m pretty sad that it’s disappearing.

In case you are unfamiliar with Google Reader, it’s a free tool provided by Google that allows you to follow as many blogs as you want. The reader keeps tracks of all your subscriptions and shows you when your favorite blogs have new posts.

Now that it’s going away, I’ve been on the lookout for an alternative solution for my blog-reading ~~habit~~ addiction. If you are looking for a solution as well, here are a couple of helpful articles, including a petition to keep Google Reader running:

I originally tried to set up an account with NewsBlur, per a suggestion from the first article, but methinks they might be experiencing more traffic than usual today because the site crashed when I tried to sign up. Womp womp.

Instead I’m going with BlogLovin’, which so far seems to be just okay. It’s not as great as my beloved Google Reader, but I’m not sure anything will be able to compare completely. For now, if you want to follow me on BlogLovin’ you can click on the button over there on the right —>

See you there!

Anyway, let’s get to the meat (err- veggie?) of today’s post, shall we? That’s right I have a recipe for you today!

I know, I know, it’s been ages since I’ve posted a recipe. And, this one is so simple you can hardly even call it a recipe. Seriously. But it’s delicious and easy so let’s get to it!

A few weeks ago on a What I Ate Wednesday post, I showed you guys some fried plantains that I had for dinner. A few of you were curious about how I made them, so here’s a little how-to for ya.

I should start by saying that plantains are not really my creation. Sort of like Fabio’s gooey mozzarella sticks, this is recipe dreamed up by Fabio, who doesn’t cook much of anything besides chicken parmesan, steaks, mozzarella sticks, and, now, plantains.

I tried to capture a few pictures of him in action, but to be honest he didn’t care much about the whole picture-taking process and it was a little hard for me to photograph the whole thing. Just use your imagination.

Ok so, to start off, there are two different types of plantains they eat in Colombia: the salty kind and the sweet kind. I am personally a fan of both but had no idea how to make either of them, so Fabio asked his family members for tips. Apparently the sweet plantains are just more ripe. Seriously? That’s it?

[Source]

Fabio’s aunts assured him that sweet plantains come from brown/practically black plantains while the still-yellow ones give you salty plantains. Otherwise they are cooked the same. I’m still skeptical, but whatever. Ours are always yellow and turn out salty, so maybe it’s true. Who knows.

Ok, moving on to how we Fabio makes them.

First, Fabio peels the plantains and chops them into one-inch sections, just like when you cut up a banana. Then he uses the bottom of a flat glass to press down on the plantain pieces to flatten them a bit.

Here you can see the smushed plantain versus the not smushed one. Smushed is a technical term, clearly

Sometimes the plantains are pretty firm (as opposed to a squishy banana) so you really have to press down hard. Gotta use those muscles!

Once the plantains are all relatively the same size/thickness, Fabio drops about 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a pan and sets it to medium-high heat. Here comes the unhealthy part. Look away!

Then Fabio fries the plantains in the hot oil for a few seconds until they start to brown. It will probably take around 10 seconds, depending on how hot the oil is. Then flip and repeat!

Once both sides are brown and crispy, Fabio removes the plantains to a paper-towel lined plate and sprinkles them immediately with salt.

And that’s it! You’re done! Easy peasy.

These are delicious and are a great change of pace from the usual dinners we have. Usually when we have plantains I will have a piece of tilapia topped with either salsa or guacamole and some type of roasted vegetable.

Yumm. Delicious dinner!

So that’s it! I’m not even going to add in a little recipe box here because it’s so simple. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions though!

Question of the day: What does your significant other cook for you? If you don’t have a significant other, do your roommates ever cook for you?

Guest Post from Cat @ Confessions of a Recovering Sugar Addict

Blogging 1 Response »

Aug 312012

Hey there, friends! Since I am away in Italy and am currently increasing my knowledge in ancient Roman things (aka stuffing my face with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and pasta 24/7) I want to leave you with this wonderful guest post from Cat from Confessions of a Recovering Sugar Addict. Cat is a real sweetheart and wanted to talk about something I think we all face from time to time: staying motivated when you feel like all your hard work isn’t turning out any results. I know I often struggle with this, so you probably do to! So, without further ado, here’s Cat!
Hi everyone! My name is Cat, and I blog over at Confessions of a Recovering Sugar Addict.

My past with food is pretty grim. I struggled with an eating disorder for most of high school and college, and that negative inner monologue never quite goes away. I will always consider myself in recovery from disordered eating, even now that I have gained weight, and am pretty healthy. Lately, I have been trying to tone up and loose a few lbs, a dangerous undertaking for anyone with an ED past.

I started really working on my body about two months ago. I can tell that things are really firming up and inches are starting coming off, but I just don’t really see the difference. I guess the trick is to try not to get frustrated the lack of observable change. Here are some things that I try to remember, and you can too if you ever feel like all your hard work is for nothing.

Just because the scale doesn’t change, doesn’t mean your body isn’t changing. I have noticed that although the scale doesn’t seem to want to budge more than a pound in either direction, my muscles are more noticeable, my body feels tighter over all and I know I am getting stronger. Look for those types of changes in yourself, and celebrate them!

[source]

Focus on the things your body can do. Instead of dwelling in the negative, ie. I can’t run two miles straight without stopping, or I haven’t lost any weight in 3 weeks, focus on what has improved. Maybe you can hold a plank for a minute, and you used to struggle with 30 seconds. Maybe you can do 20 Burpees in a row without stopping. Maybe you are getting better at that new Zumba rountine you thought you’d never get the hang of. Don’t loose sight of those amazing improvements because you are dwelling on only the negative.

Imagine yourself as you want to be. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Your mind is your biggest motivator. If you spend your day thinking about all of the things you are not, how do you think you will feel at the end of the day? Tired, rundown, depressed, unmotivated? Now, if you imagined your life and your goals exactly how you want them to be, would you be more motivated to do the work required to get there? Duh! So, hang that picture of the Olympic marathoner off your treadmill, picture yourself holding that college diploma. Whatever your goals may be, they are attainable, as long as you believe they are. The only thing holding you back is yourself.

[source]

Empower yourself. Ask for what you need. If you need support from friends and loved ones, ask for it. If my goal was to loose 50 lbs, and my family was only buying processed food, I would either buy my own food, or ask them to support me, by buying healthier food. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for what you need. In fact, I see it as a sign of strength. No one can do everything themselves. Ask for what you need, you might be surprised at how accommodating and supportive people can be.

Reward yourself. Rewarding yourself for all of your effort and hard work can be as simple as just saying thank you, and taking a second to soak in a compliment, instead of just brushing it off. Giving yourself a manicure or treating yourself to a new pair of running shoes is a great reward for a job well done. Everyone deserves a reward, and not just when you reach a goal. Reward yourself for the steps you are taking towards that goal too. You just might motivate yourself to push a little harder.

I am, by no means, an expert on health and fitness. I am learning more about my health and body everyday and it makes me sad when I see and hear about people focused on the scale, or putting themselves down for not reaching a goal. I used to be one of those people. I used to be a slave to my scale, getting on it everyday, and letting that number determine my self-worth. I, and for that matter you too, are not defined by the number on the scale, or your perceived failures. You are defined by the effort you put into each day, and the experiences you get out of it.

Three-cheese Cauliflower Pizza

Blogging, Recipes 18 Responses »

Jul 242012

Hey there! I hope you’re having a great Wednesday! I wanted to chat with you all first and foremost about something that I recently read about on Healthy Living Blogs. On their announcements yesterday, they posted a couple of recaps from last year’s Healthy Living Summit which I thought were really interesting.

I had heard about the summit before, and briefly considered attending since there would be so many great opportunities for networking and improving my blog, but because of timing and my (very low) bank account, I knew it just wouldn’t work out this year. However, after reading the reviews posted on HLB I started thinking a lot more about the summit.

The reviews (especially the second one) basically explain that sometimes the conference was cliquey and everyone was expected to act the same way. This makes complete sense and now I’m wondering how the HLB community plans to combat this issue. How will the newbie bloggers (like me) interact with all the veteran bloggers who have been blogging for years? What will the dynamic be?

I can’t imagine that there would be any hostility and yet…I can sort of see how all of the established bloggers might stick together and make it kind of hard for someone new to break into the scene. Anyway, this is just something I was thinking about so I wanted to share it with you all. What do you think??

Bootcamp Update

So it’s Day 2 of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp and I have to say so far it has been great! After my spam issues yesterday, I was really happy to finally complete the rest of my workout after I got home yesterday. And you know what? I bit the bullet and joined the gym. While I love running outside, using my home equipment, and following my workout DVDs, this boot camp is just easier to do in a gym. Period. But it’s not too much money and I think I’ll really enjoy having the option to work out at home, instead of having no other choice. So yay!!

The workouts themselves have been pretty great. Yesterday’s main superset consisted of some upper-body workouts and my arms are definitely feeling it today. However, I thought today’s leg workout was a little too easy so I’m going to increase my weights/intensity for next time. Now I know!

Recipe

After messing around and making impromptu English muffin pizzas this weekend (an English muffin topped with tomatoes, basil, Italian spices, and mozz. cheese) I suddenly found myself craving delicious pizza last night. Instead of giving into temptation and ordering Ledo’s (hello, amazing) I looked through my trusty recipe list that I keep on my phone for inspiration. I happened to stumble upon “cauliflower crust pizza,” which I saw on Pinterest ages ago. I didn’t have the actual recipe anymore, but a quick Google search turned up this recipe from Spark Recipes.

The pizza itself, while it certainly didn’t taste exactly like regular pizza, was really delicious. The spices that go into the “crust” make it taste very authentic and because I used three types of cheese in this pizza, I didn’t miss the doughy, bready crust one bit. It was great and I even had leftovers for lunch Win! Here’s how it came together…

First I preheated the oven to 450 degrees. Then I briefly steamed 1/2 head of cauliflower. Whole. In the microwave. In a plastic bag with a little water.

I know, I know, this causes cancer and is really bad for me. But I was lazy and it worked, so I’m not complaining. I just have to warn you that this is not the best option. Ok? ok.

Anyway, steam your cauliflower.

Once it was steamed a little, I used my Slap Chop to cut it into tiny pieces.

A food processor would have probably worked better, especially since after I was done “slapping,” my downstairs neighbors decided to “slap” right back by banging on their ceiling/my floor. I guess I was being really annoying and making too much noise. Ugh. They hate me. Can I make it up to them with a cauliflower pizza? No? Darn.

Next, I ~~got over the fact that my neighbors hate me and~~ added the cauliflower to a large bowl. Then I added 1 egg, cheddar cheese, fennel, and Italian seasoning.

Then I sprayed a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and transferred the cauliflower mixture onto the sheet. Using my hands, I pressed the cauliflower into a circle.

Holy cheese fest.

Then I placed the cauliflower in the oven and allowed to cook for 10-12 minutes or until the top started to turn light brown.

Meanwhile, I started working on the topping. For my pizza, I decided to mix some spinach and cheese together and then top the whole thing with sliced tomatoes. For the cheese mixture I first added a bit of low-fat mozzarella to a bowl, and then added in a wedge of garlic & herb Laughing Cow cheese.

Then I added in a handful of spinach…

And then I used my hands to mix the cheese with the spinach until it was all well-incorporated. This took a few minutes and was a little messy, but was so worth it for the decadent and gooey cheese taste that I got for my finished pizza. Laughing Cow + Mozzarella + Spinach = SO GOOD.

Then I pulled the cauliflower crust out of the oven…

And then I topped it with the mozzarella cheese mixture and a few sliced tomatoes. Then it was back into the oven for about 5 more minutes until the cheese was bubbling.

It was so good! Mine made four slices, two of which I ate for dinner along side of some Brussels sprouts…

…and the other two were gobbled up for lunch today. SO GOOD!

Three-cheese Cauliflower Pizza

Recipe type: Entree

Author: Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 2

This cauliflower pizza has all the flavor of a traditional Italian pizza without all the carbs!

Ingredients

Half head of cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese
1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge (I used garlic & herb)
1 handful spinach
1 medium tomato, sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.
Steam cauliflower for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Use a food processor (or Slap Chop) to finely chop cauliflower.
Add cauliflower to a large bowl and mix in egg, cheddar cheese, and spices.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix mozzarella with Laughing Cow cheese and spinach until well-combined.
Remove cauliflower crust from oven when the top turns light brown, and evenly distribute the cheese mixture on top.
Add sliced tomatoes.
Place pizza back in the oven for about five minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
Slice pizza into quarters and serve.

WordPress Recipe Plugin and Microformatting by EasyRecipe

So, what are your favorite lightened up recipes? I love that cauliflower is so versatile and you can transform it in so many ways. This pizza is pretty darn tasty!

Slow Cooker Giveaway!

Blogging 10 Responses »

Jun 072012

Good morning everyone! I have a treat in store for you all today; SlimKicker has kindly reached out to me and wants to offer one lucky Chelsea Eats Treats reader this awesome slow cooker:

When SlimKicker contacted me earlier this week, I knew I had read about the company somewhere, but couldn’t recall exactly what they did. After checking out the website for a couple of minutes, I saw that it’s a free website that motivates users to stay healthy by turning their diet and fitness goals into a game with points, rewards, and challenges. Like a regular game, the challenges start out easy, and gradually become harder, earning you more points. SlimKicker’s mission is to help you turn your diet and exercise goals into lifestyle changes, which I think is awesome! If you tend to get bored with your healthy lifestyle and you love competitive games, you should really try it out!

In addition to the games, SlimKicker also has lots of recipe ideas for various diets such as P90X, Medifast and LeanGains. If you’re following a diet with specific requirements you should look at their recipes for inspiration.

So, now back to what you really care about: the slow cooker. SlimKicker is looking for ideas for new challenges they can use for their website. An example of a previous challenge is that users have to give up soda for a week. You guys are a pretty creative bunch, so I’m sure you can think of some great challenges. Just leave me a sentence or two explaining what the challenge is, and SlimKicker will select a winner. Remember, the winner of this challenge will not be chosen randomly; SlimKicker will pick the entry that will work best for their audience and website (so do some researching if you need to).

Unfortunately entries are limited to U.S. residents only. The giveaway will be open for one week and will close on Thursday, June 14. Get those challenges in and good luck!

I love eggs because…

Blogging 6 Responses »

May 092012

Because they are full of protein? Nah. Because they taste delicious on breakfast sandwiches? Hmm, not really. Because they get dyed for Easter? Ew, no. Hard boiled eggs are not my thang.

So then why I am so excited to tell you about my love for eggs? Well, Jenny F. over at Picky Palate joined up with Teflon brand for a twitter party tonight to celebrate Mother’s Day and National Egg Month. Jenny was offering these awesome prizes to four lucky winners who participated in the party. Since I was sitting around not doing anything at 8 pm anyway, I joined in the party, along with hundreds of other people I might add, and answered four questions about Mother’s Day. Toward the end of the Twitter party I figured I probably had zero chance of winning a prize, so I walked away from the computer for a few minutes. Imagine my surprise when I came back and saw this on my screen:

Excuse me?? Is that me? Out of all those people? Did I just win THE GRAND PRIZE?? Woohoooooo!! I was practically doing cartwheels around my apartment. Jack thought I was crazy. Clearly I was euphoric. In case you didn’t check out the details of the contest that I linked to above, the prize packages get progressively bigger so the fourth prize (which I won!) is the biggest! Isn’t that unreal?? What are the odds? Here’s what I got Smile

Prize Package #4

Set of 2 piece QVC Technique Cast Iron Pans
Flip It Pan
12 inch skillet
Apron coated with Teflon Fabric Protector
$50 Amex Gift Card
“No Whine With Dinner” Cookbook. 150 healthy kid tested recipes

Awesome!!! You have no idea how badly I need a new skillet. Right now I switch between using a hand-me-down skillet from my grandparents and a random pan Fabio found when moving out of his frat house last year. Ew. I was seriously lacking in the pan department but won’t be anymore!! I’m also really excited for the cookbook! I always love new recipe inspiration Smile Thank you so much to Jenny F. and Teflon for this amazing prize!

In other, much less exciting news…

Workout

My workout this morning was great, as usual. I am really loving this waking up early to workout thing! I have so much more energy and feel great all day. Plus I love that when I get home I can work out, but I don’t have to!

This morning I did another Insanity DVD after my jog with Jack. I chose another one of the tough month 2 DVDs, but today I only made it half way through the circuits. The one annoying thing about the month 2 DVDs is that they last an entire hour, as opposed to lasting just over 30 minutes like the month 1 workouts. Either way, half of a month 2 DVD after a mile run was enough for me!

When I got home from work today it was pretty rainy and gross out so there was no afternoon jog to the dog park today. I was secretly happy to lounge around and do some strength workouts, but someone was really missing his jog.

Sorry Jack! Gotta wait til tomorrow!

Dinner

Tonight Fabio went to dinner with some friends so I was up to my own devices. Whenever Fabio is out I usually gravitate toward my best salad ever, since I know salads aren’t his favorite. Tonight’s salad included the usual grilled chicken, chopped apple, craisins, walnuts, fat free feta cheese, baby spinach, and romaine lettuce. I used my favorite Kraft Greek Vinaigrette dressing and mixed everything up. It was scrumptious, as usual!

After dinner Fabio returned with some frozen yogurt which we split while watching Modern Family and reveling in my extraordinary luck for now having won two blog contests in one month. Knock on wood that this luck sticks around for a while! Yay!! Open-mouthed smile

My First Post!

Blogging 1 Response »

Apr 142012

Hello, and welcome! This is the first of what I hope will be many successful blog posts here at Chelsea Eats Treats. About six months ago, I discovered the plethora of healthy lifestyle and food blogs available online (thank you Pinterest) and after following some blogs religiously for a few months, I decided it was time for one of my own! Also, I think my boyfriend was getting really tired of having me bore him to death with all my talk of healthy recipes, so I decided to take my passion to the blog world where I know other healthy foodies just like me are hungry (get it?) for food talk.

Anyway, I will try to post here five days a week and will take you along on my journey of working out, eating healthy, and taming my unrelenting sweet tooth. I also believe the best blogs are the ones that show a lot about the author, so you can expect lots of updates of other things that are going on in my life. If you are looking for a blog that only posts recipes, then Chelsea Eats Treats is not the place for you. If you are looking to follow along with a 20-something girl with a 9-5 job, who has a cute pup and boyfriend, a busy social life, an always-improving fitness regiment, and a love for healthy food and desserts, then this is the place for you! I will update you about everything going on in my life that I think you’ll be able to relate to.

So come along with me; stay a while. Let’s go through this journey of staying healthy and eating what we want together! I hope you enjoy your time here at Chelsea Eats Treats!