Health Food Store Haul + Other Healthy Habits

Hi!

If your familiar with #HowtobeHappyJanuary + My New's Resolutions, then you might now I am starting my healthy lifestyle again {sigh}. I did a blog post and a video about Keeping Organized, Saving Money, + Living the Dream  including how I am going after a healthy lifestyle and staying on the right track once and for all! Don't hold me to it, but prayers would be awesome (:

So, me and Alex went to the health food store in my area. 

 They were amazing. They had a great selection of things that you could buy in travel sizes so to speak.  That way, if you actually like that particular food you can go back and purchase the big size if you thought it was worth it. That's great because some stuff is really expensive! But what really made me love that place was how helpful the girls were who worked there. When it came time to check out, They gave us a bunch of free samples too!

Before I even start, I need to confess something to you guys something.  

I usually do not like "health" food. I mean, quinoa is one of my favorite foods but as far as protein powders and things that are really, really, "healthy", I have a hard time getting into. I am just a normal girl who really enjoys unhealthy food. I am trying to find my way over to the healthy side and try new things. I have been making small changes for the past 2 years now and I have come a long way.

At the bottom, you will see a video! The video is more about each thing and more or less a haul I filmed a week or so ago. Now that I tried {almost} everything, I can give you my honest, humble opinion. Here we go :

Artisana Coconut Butter

$1.99

This was something I was so exited about! I always wanna try out coconut butter but at $20, it's too much money. Esp. if I don't even know if im going to like it! I seen they had this trial size of coconut butter with cacao and jumped on it. The directions say to "knead" the package. I am assuming that is because it needs warmed a little bit because it has coconut oil in it. Coconut oil will turn into a solid at 76 degrees and since I live in Ohio, room temp is lower then that right now. When coconut oil is solid, it is almost like it flocks together and it doesn't mesh well with other ingredients, which is what it did in this package. When I warmed it up a little bit by kneading it with my hands, it blended better and I noticed it had a more of a smoother texture. Either way I tried it, it tasted just like a Mounds Bar only a little less sweet (a Mounds bar is pretty sweet!) I really liked it. I used it on top of an apple once (yum). 

I also made Almond Joy Oatmeal once with it! 
I used Almonds, Shredded Coconut, Chocolate Chips, Coconut Oil and the sample of ArtisanaRaw Cacao Bliss Raw Chocolate Coconut Butter.

Mary's Gone Crackers 

$5

aka the only cracker you should ever eat, according to Brenda from Lean Secrets. 

By the way that girl has so many great, unique diet tips. If your looking to jump into a healthy lifestyle, Lean Secrets is a must! Anyways, about the crackers: they are actually really good! If you like sesame seeds, your going to love these. In my opinion, Sesame seeds are ok. I like the crackers better. 

What I have been loving doing with these is:
adding a Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge, then adding a piece of Chicken (or some turkey) on top of that, then finishing it off with a squirt of hot sauce. 

I need to buy another box of these soon just for that little recipe. It's so good. I can see why these are the only crackers your supposed to eat. Check out the 4 ingredients.

Spiru-Tein High Protein Energy Meal 

$2 each

 I needed non whey protein to do some baking with. I wanna make this chocolate cake so I bought a Chocolate one. The chocolate chip cookie dough was just too hard to pass up! I found a recipe using protein powder and egg whites alone to make cookies so I will be using the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough one in that. I will be posting both of these here so be on the look out for them. Otherwise, I am not a fan of protein powder. I hate the gritty texture so I figure using them with baking may be a better way to go! I will let you know!

Green Superfood: 
$1.47
Ok. I lied! Maybe I haven't tried everything yet. But, it seemed like something I could drink and I would be good until the next meal. There is nothing but good stuff in this baby. However, the lady at the Health Food Store said that this does have that gritty texture almost like protein powder but I am still willing to give this a go. I took a picture of the nutrition facts so you can see everything in it. This might be the healthiest thing ever.

Free Samples:

Stella Puppy Girl Health Food!

I am not a total snob about the things that Stella eats, honest. I just like to treat her if I can afford it + she has alopechia and needs more nutrients. Wanna now how much I paid for all 3 of these things? 88 cents!

Dog Food: 

Free

Just a sample, but Stella seemed to like it. She loves the Rachel Ray food better though!

Sam's Yam's Treats:

35 cents

 They are shaped like french fries! It came with 1 Veggie "Rawhide" and 2 Bichon "Fries". She seemed to like these too. They are all natural and are supposed to keep her teeth healthy and were a great price.

Breath-Less Fizzy: 

45 cents

When I put it in her water, she examined it and sat with nose close to the bowl for like 2 minutes. Anytime she hears a fizzy drink, she gets weirded out, so to hear something fizz in her water was strange to her. After a couple of minutes, the fizz subsided and she actually really liked the water. She was drinking it constantly which leads me to believe that it may have a taste to it but I wasn't going to taste it to find out!

Stella's Healthy Regimen

Stella has been eating a dog food made by Rachel Ray called Just 6.  
It has Just 6 Ingredients: Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Ground Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat, + Natural Chicken Flavor.  
Stella loves it. The first time I gave it to her, she ate her food instead of begging off of me. Rare occurrence around here (haha!) It's around $10 for a regular sized bag. 

I also give Stella some cottage cheese along with ground flax and ground skin + coat vitamin. She has alopecia and needs the nutrient's. If you have a dog and want to treat him/her, cottage cheese and flax is perfectly healthy!

Another Healthy Tip:

I really wanted to mention this little tip I got from ABAB Coach on Youtube. I have been making these little "healthy baggies" for the week. Here, I add my days worth of vitamins in them. That way, I dont have to guess if I took my vitamins for the day. Such an easy little fun thing! 

I also like to add different things to each bag: 
green tea
a piece of chocolate
E-Boost drink 

 I like this idea because now I will know where I am at in terms of getting my days worth of health benefits + it's fun to add a little treat too! The vitamins I have in there are the ones that I really need. Do some research and see which one's you need to the most, then make your own baggies. It's fun (:
 
In my bag, I have:
Physillium Husk:
 It is just straight up fiber. Fiber is what keeps you full. You need to drink at least 8oz of water before you take this because it expands in your tummy and that is how you get full
 Milk Thistle: 
 If you drink alcohol or take any kind of pills (advil, whatever) this is good. It promotes healthy liver function
 B12:  
It gives you energy.  
 Biotin: 
Good for your skin, nails, + hair.

What's your favorite food to get at the health food store? 

What's your favorite website/blog/channel for healthy tips?

Take care

Erica