The Friday Report

Finally Friday! I don’t know why, but I really felt like this week took forever.

Besides today being Friday, there are few exciting things I have to report:

The Hershey Park Half Marathon is officially on my race calendar! I finally registered yesterday after opening the page several times in the last few weeks only to be distracted and never complete the registration.

Who is coming with me? I am sure I can entice you with the massive amounts of chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate, my friend called me yesterday to inform me that she bought the UNREAL version of the Snickers bar. She said that it was out of this world and ten times better than an actual Snickers.

UNREAL, yes? We all must try one.

While shopping at Trader Joes yesterday I picked up the new Fearless Flyer. I really didn’t see very much worth reporting except for one new thing that caught my eye.

Pizza Veggie Burgers. Can’t be bad. We have yet to try them but as soon as we do, I will let you know if they are worth stocking your freezer with.

You may notice the Reduced-Guilt Mac and Cheese in the above picture as well. I figured one should have a box in the freezer should the need for a quick mac and cheese arise.

BIG LIFETIME FITNESS NEWS:

Besides being informed of the new spin bike delivery that occurred yesterday, my friend called me to report a delivery of new cardio equipment.

In addition to new elliptical machines (I forget the exact name for them) that allow you to go in multiple directions as well as do the motions while in a squat position,, new treadmills were delivered.

TREADMILLS THAT DECLINE. At first I did not understand.

THEY DECLINE.

As in, you can INCLINE as if you are going uphill and then, DECLINE as if you are running downhill.

I cannot wait to try this out!

I do not know if I will make it there this morning though. Not to mention, I ran Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week in addition to Spinning on Tuesday so I am thinking that today should be an off day/easy day/maybe just 30 minutes on the elliptical day.

OK, confession: The main reason I cannot make it over to Lifetime this morning is because I intend to get a manicure and pedicure.

Have a great weekend!

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I need to know:

Have you ever experienced the treadmills that offer a declining hill?

Any chance you will consider the Hershey Park Half Marathon?

What color is on your toes right now?

Three Tip Tuesday- Sweet Tooth

Oh boy. It is Tuesday. Spin Tuesday. I must enjoy a little bit of torture in my life to be heading back again after the grueling class last week.

Hopefully today’s class seems easier. Or at least bearable.

Yesterday I ran five miles in the morning before it got too hot.

Since I don’t need to think about my feet these days while running, I had time to think a little bit more about the thoughtful gifts I have received over the years.

Without question, there are two gifts that stand out in my mind and were both given to me for my 22nd birthday.

I had a MAJOR sweet tooth back then (shocker, I know) and the important people in my life knew this. And respected it.

My friend Robyn and I still discuss the gift she got me often. I don’t have a picture of the present but I do have a picture of us from her wedding if that counts for anything.

So anyway, the gift she got for me was a basket containing 20 little Hello Kitty baggies each filled with a different kind of candy.

The bags might have looked like this.

I recall sour patch kids, swedish fish, m&m’s, skittles…you name it, it was there.

All hand-picked candies that she knew I would love. It was so pretty and so sweet that I recall not wanting to eat it.

That same year I received a gorgeous diamond bracelet. What girl doesn’t love jewelry?

As much as I loved the bracelet, and I am sure it cost a pretty penny, the best part of that gift involved an unexpected delivery of several pounds of my favorite m&m’s.

I was on a serious m&m kick back then. And I mean serious.

I still recall the surprise delivery of the m&m’s because someone took the time to realize what I loved and bring them to me when I least expected it.

I don’t eat m&ms like I used to, in fact, my obsession with those little round candy coated chocolates slowly disappeared over the years.

The only thing I like these days about m&ms are the two m’s on the candy shell.

Anyway, candy gets a bad rap in general and now with all the hoopla surrounding artificial colors and ingredients, it is even worse.

But what fun would the world be without candy?

There are ways to still satisfy your sweet tooth and not feel guilty about what is in your treat of choice.

THREE TIPS FOR INDULGING YOUR SWEET TOOTH IN A HEALTHIER WAY:

1 – GET UNREAL

If you aren’t familiar with the company, UNREAL,  you must check them out. They are a candy company devoted to “unjunking” our favorite candies.

From their website:

Own up to your candy. Here’s the UNREAL^® thing. We’re on a tear to unjunk the world, starting with your favorite candies. If you like Snickers^®, Reese’s^®, M&M’s^®, Peanut M&M’s^®, or Milky Way^®, discover theunjunking-believable taste of candy made from all real stuff. Real chocolate, real caramel, real nougat, real peanut butter, real cane sugar. No artificials, no hydrogenateds, no corn syrup, no chemicals, no GMOs, no sugar overload.

I received a bag of the UNREAL version of m&m’s in my swag bag from last month’s Meet and Tweet.

They were amazing! The little boy even thought they were better than the real thing. Click here for a link to the UNREAL website to learn more and to locate a retailer near you.

2- TRADER JOE’S

Once again, Trader Joe to the rescue.

Trader Joe’s carries an extremely wide variety of chocolates and candies that are made without artificial ingredients and preservatives.

While I am not saying these treats are in any way low-calorie, they are at least made better than the conventional brands.

3- CHOCOLATE COVERED KATIE:

I know I often mention Katie, but if you aren’t familiar with her, she is an amazing blogger who creates healthy, often low-calorie, delicious desserts.

You must check out her blog for recipes that include cupcakes, chocolates, cakes, muffins, brownies, cookies, pies, ice cream, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal….click here for the link to her site.

OK now I am totally craving chocolate. Have a great Tuesday!

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I need to know:

What is your favorite candy?

Do you prefer sugary candy or chocolate?

Have you ever made any of Katie’s recipes? I have and they are all delicious!