Category: Reviews
EVOL Foods
| June 11, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Reviews |
**I received a sample pack from EVOL foods for free. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.
The last couple of months have been a little tricky in the food department. With the pregnancy came extreme all-day sickness and absolutely nothing sounded good. This resulted in me not cooking dinner for 6+ weeks. Which in turn meant that Chris didn’t have leftovers to take for lunch. The horror. Luckily, we picked up some ready-to-eat options for him and a sample pack from EVOL foods helped save the day.
I have written about my love for their chicken burrito before on some WIAW posts. Seriously … they are so good! So I was pretty excited to see a variety of burritos just waiting to be tasted.
We got the gluten-free shredded beef, gluten-free chicken, and chicken with guacamole. Chris promptly stole the gluten-free chicken and loved it … definitely has a little spice to it! I love that they are now including guacamole in their burrito packets. Saves me a dirty dish when I also make my own! We also got some of their bowls to try: the fire grilled steak, terriyaki chicken, chicken enchilada, and bean & cheese enchilada.
These were a huge hit with Chris. So much so that when these 4 were gone, we started buying them from Kroger. They are an easy option for his lunches and he says they are VERY tasty too!
Probably my favorite thing about EVOL though is their dedication to providing quality ingredients in their products. They use real ingredients … the same ones you can find in your own pantry. On their website they even list where their source their meat and dairy from! EVOL is love spelled backwards which goes with their motto of love the food you eat! You can find them on Facebook and Twitter too.
Saucony Virrata Review
| April 2, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitGear, Reviews, Running |
It’s not often that I give the reins to my blog over to Chris but he’s here today to share his views on the Saucony Virrata running shoe. He got them to review from my partnership with FitFluential.
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I had the opportunity to test out the new Saucony Virrata running shoe. Having never worn a zero drop running shoe before, I was eager to feel the difference between the Saucony’s and my traditional running shoes. After about a month of running, I had the following observations:
Pros
- Fit – I’ve been a Nike or Brooks shoe runner for most of my life and for both those companies, I wear a size 13. With the Virrata’s, I dropped down a 1/2 size to 12.5. I also have narrow feet and the Virrata didn’t feel like there was any excessive room in the forefoot. The mesh tongue being sewn to the rest of the inner liner ensured the tongue wouldn’t move and kept a snug fit throughout the run.
- Design – The Virrata is about as light of a shoe you can find without going the minimalist route and the mesh upper made the shoe light and breathable. I’m not the biggest fan of black shoes but the lime sole really pops and I actually got a lot of compliments on the looks of the shoe.
- Zero Drop – As I said before I’ve never worn a zero drop shoe before but I’ve run enough and seen enough video to know that I don’t always have the best running form and will strike with my heel. As soon as I began running with the Virrata’s, that changed. Maybe it was mental for me or maybe it was the lack of weight in the shoe, but either way, I could definitely feel my form change when I wore the Virratas. I could feel my foot strike being more balanced and much more toward the front of my foot, allowing me to transition to the next step faster. That felt the most evident during shorter sprints (400m and less).
Con
- Support – The only con I had for this shoe was a lack of support. I don’t think of it as false advertisement as it’s billed for a neutral striker, which I am…..on my right foot. On my left, I pronate which on longer runs or slower paces resulted in some pain in my ankle.
Overall, I really enjoyed the Saucony Virrata. It was lightweight, durable, and gave me that zero drop feel I’ve wanted to try. For those that pronate, I’d recommend it for shorter runs or sprints as you won’t get that support you need for the long distance. I plan to continue to use the Virrata as a viable sprint or 2 mile option.
**Added from Madeline: Not only did Chris like these shoes for short and fast runs, they also were great for playing some soccer with Emmalyne 
Have you run in a zero drop shoe? I am super jealous of Chris’ Saucony shoes and might have to get some for myself after reading some awesome reviews!
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Disclosure: Chris received a pair of Saucony Virrata running shoes free of charge due to my affiliation with FitFluential. No other compensation was received and opinions are 100% his (and my) own.
Worth Its Weight In Good
| March 27, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under Reviews, Sponsored |
Life is busy. It doesn’t stop and the world keeps turning. With each day being jam packed, it can be difficult to get in enough fruits and veggies each day. That’s when you have to get creative! I love getting fruit into my baked apple cinnamon oatmeal and always have fresh fruit washed/cut in the fridge for grab-and-go convenience. Roasting up veggies and keeping them on hand makes sneaking in veggies simple. One of my favorite ways though to get in fruits and veggies is by juicing.
I love me some juice. Ever since getting my juicer in January I have enjoyed making fresh juicing combinations for both Emmalyne and myself. However, there are days where pulling out the juicer (and the subsequent cleaning) isn’t time efficient. What is a girl to do when there isn’t time to juice but she still wants the benefits? Grab a Naked Juice. Duh.
With no added sugar and no added preservatives, Naked Juice uses only natural ingredients. I picked up the Berry Blast and Mighty Mango … I also had the Strawberry Banana but it got consumed before photos were taken … OOPS. #SorryImNotSorry. Naked Juice is conveniently located at your local grocery stores and in many gas stations for a healthy treat on the go. I mean, just check out what’s in the Mighty Mango:
In the Mighty Mango there are: 1 1/4 mangoes, 1/2 orange, 1 1/4 apples, 1/2 banana, and a hint of lemon. Holy nutrients Batman! That’s a lot of fruit. My other favorite Naked Juice is the Green Machine which is full of delicious greens, spirulina, fruit, and more! A great and healthy snack when in a rush.
Beyond the nutritional benefit, Naked Juice is dedicated to sustainability and preserving our natural environment. For one, they are Rainforest Alliance Certified and source their bananas from this nonprofit. The Rainforest Alliance is dedicated to conserving biodiversity and ensuring a stable job for farmers and their families. Additionally, they use a reNEWabottle … or a bottle made from other bottles. They are currently the only nationally distributed beverage company to use rPET (recyclable polyethylene terephthalate ) so make sure to recycle your Naked bottles so more can be made! The bottles are square in shape to maximize the amount of bottles that can be packed into a shipping container to minimize fuel use!
SO by drinking Naked Juice, you are not only doing something good for your body, you are supporting a company that fights to protect our environment as well. If you’re a busy mom on the go, or working long hours. a Naked Juice is an excellent way to cram in some major nutrients with a single serving.
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Naked Juice is worth its weight in good! There’s a pound of fruit in every bottle.
Naked Juice has partnered with charity Wholesome Wave to improve access to fresh produce in communities across the country. You can help by visiting www.nakedjuice.com/gooddeeds. For every coupon downloaded, 1 LB of fresh produce will go to an underserved community, up to 100,000 pounds.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Naked Juice via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Naked Juice
Nonni’s THINaddictives Almond Thins {Giveaway}
| March 26, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under GIveaway, Reviews, Sponsored |
I am always on the hunt for grab-and-go snacks. Since Em and I are on the go a lot, having easily accessible and tasty options is essential. When Nonni’s Biscotti contacted me to try their THINaddictives almond thins I was on it.
There are three flavors of Nonni’s THINaddictives Almond Thins: Pistachio, Cranberry, and Cinnamon Raisin. I got the pistachio and cranberry. Since I am allergic to nuts I had to rely on the ultimate taste testers … my family. Yon (my mother-in-law) fell in love with the pistachio and snuck a box home with her to Vegas vowing to find them in the stores as soon as she got home. Emmalyne and Chris both dove into the cranberry. Emmalyne will devour a package like nobody’s business. If an A+ from a toddler isn’t a stamp of approval, I don’t know what is
The THINaddictives are conveniently pre-poritioned into perfect 100-calorie packages to ensure maximum freshness and taste. I recognized and knew every ingredient on the ingredient list because they are made with real foods. You can check out THINaddictives on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest too!
The lovely people at Nonni’s are wanting to share the wealth with a giveaway. One lucky reader of Food, Fitness, and Family will win 5 boxes of Nonni’s THINaddictives Almond Thins. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below 
Giveaway Rules: Giveaway will run from midnight on March 26 to midnight on March 31. Open to US residents only.
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
**This is a sponsored post on behalf of Nonni’s THINaddicatives Almond Thins. All opinions are entirely my own.
Cathe XTRAIN Workout Series
| March 12, 2013 | Posted by Madeline @ Food, Fitness, and Family under FitFluential, Fitness, Reviews, Sponsored |
As a busy mom sometimes fitting in a trip to the gym can be challenging. Sometimes Emmalyne just isn’t feeling it and we stay home. Although I could use that as an excuse to skip a workout I try my best not to. Part of the reason I am successful is we have built a small library of workout DVDs. I have to admit though, doing the same DVD over and over gets boring and old really fast. But guys, I find a DVD set that hasn’t gotten old yet.
As you all know, I am a FitFluential Ambassador and my partnership with them has given me the opportunity to do fun things (Dirty Girl mud run anyone?) and try out some awesome products. I recently got sent the XTRAIN Workout Series by Cathe Friedrichto try out and I am hooked. From the Cathe website:
“XTrain is the ultimate total body fitness conditioning program that has been designed to crush calories, incinerate fat and work and tone your muscles like never before”. (source)
Incinerate fat and torch calories? Sounds pretty awesome to me. So I was pretty stoked when the series arrived at my house.
The workout series comes with four different programs ranging from 30-90 days. On top of that, Cathe has designed each DVD to have optional premixes so no matter how hectic your schedule is, there is a workout to fit it. The set I got has 9 DVDs:
- Disc 1: Chest, Back, and Shoulders
- Disc 2: Bi’s and Tri’s
- Disc 3: Burn Sets
- Disc 4: Super Cuts
- Disc 5: Legs
- Disc 6: Cardio Leg Blast
- Disc 7: All Out Low Impact HIIT
- Disc 8: Hard Strikes
- Disc 9: Tabatacise
The first DVD I tried was Disc 2: Bi’s and Tri’s (Rounds 1-5 + Core #1). The equipment needed was dumbbells, a stability ball, and medium resistance tubing. I had the dumbbells and stability ball but was missing the resistance bands so I improvised. I started off with 10 pound dumbbells but realized that I was going to meed 5 pound ones as well.
Holy moly. I definitely felt the burn. I struggled getting through all the reps on some of the exercises. The bonus core workout set my abs on fire as well. I have also done Disc 1 (chest, back, and shoulders) and Disc 5 (Legs) and all of them provided a good level of intensity and a killer burn in my muscles.
So, what are my thoughts?
PROS
- With 140+ different premixes it is really hard to get bored.
- Each premix is a different length of time so you can fit your workout to your schedule.
- None of the workouts were easy and all of them left me feeling sore so I know I got a good workout in.
- Cathe is a energetic and fun instructor. It’s easy to go along with her.
- The user’s guide provides a weekly schedule of workouts for each plan. It also details how much weight Cathe uses in each exercise and the reps making following along easier.
CONS
- I didn’t have all the required equipment. Some of the equipment it called for was: a firewalker loop, resistance tubing, a step with 5 risers, boxing gloves, dixie cupes, and Slide N Glide Discs. I could substitute paper plates for the glide disks but 5 risers is a lot and it’s hard to sub for the firewalker loop.
Cathe is really a pioneer in the the fitness exercise DVD business and has been doing it for over twenty years. Even though she has been around for a long time, the XTRAIN Workout Series was fresh and modern in my opinion. Overall I am really excited that the series is part of my home gym collection. When I pop in any of the discs I know that I am going to get a quality workout that I can tailor to my needs and busy schedule.
Do you like working out at home? Do you use workout DVDs?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Disclosure: As a FitFluential Ambassador I received the Cathe XTRAIN Workout Series at no charge. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions are honest and 100% mine.
As a busy mom sometimes fitting in a trip to the gym can be challenging. Sometimes Emmalyne just isn’t feeling it and we stay home. Although I could use that as an excuse to skip a workout I try my best not to. Part of the reason I am successful is we have built a small library of workout DVDs. I have to admit though, doing the same DVD over and over gets boring and old really fast. But guys, I find a DVD set that hasn’t gotten old yet.
As you all know, I am a FitFluential Ambassador and my partnership with them has given me the opportunity to do fun things (Dirty Girl mud run anyone?) and try out some awesome products. I recently got sent the XTRAIN Workout Series by Cathe Friedrichto try out and I am hooked. From the Cathe website:
“XTrain is the ultimate total body fitness conditioning program that has been designed to crush calories, incinerate fat and work and tone your muscles like never before”. (source)
Incinerate fat and torch calories? Sounds pretty awesome to me. So I was pretty stoked when the series arrived at my house.
The workout series comes with four different programs ranging from 30-90 days. On top of that, Cathe has designed each DVD to have optional premixes so no matter how hectic your schedule is, there is a workout to fit it. The set I got has 9 DVDs:
- Disc 1: Chest, Back, and Shoulders
- Disc 2: Bi’s and Tri’s
- Disc 3: Burn Sets
- Disc 4: Super Cuts
- Disc 5: Legs
- Disc 6: Cardio Leg Blast
- Disc 7: All Out Low Impact HIIT
- Disc 8: Hard Strikes
- Disc 9: Tabatacise
The first DVD I tried was Disc 2: Bi’s and Tri’s (Rounds 1-5 + Core #1). The equipment needed was dumbbells, a stability ball, and medium resistance tubing. I had the dumbbells and stability ball but was missing the resistance bands so I improvised. I started off with 10 pound dumbbells but realized that I was going to meed 5 pound ones as well.
Holy moly. I definitely felt the burn. I struggled getting through all the reps on some of the exercises. The bonus core workout set my abs on fire as well. I have also done Disc 1 (chest, back, and shoulders) and Disc 5 (Legs) and all of them provided a good level of intensity and a killer burn in my muscles.
So, what are my thoughts?
PROS
- With 140+ different premixes it is really hard to get bored.
- Each premix is a different length of time so you can fit your workout to your schedule.
- None of the workouts were easy and all of them left me feeling sore so I know I got a good workout in.
- Cathe is a energetic and fun instructor. It’s easy to go along with her.
- The user’s guide provides a weekly schedule of workouts for each plan. It also details how much weight Cathe uses in each exercise and the reps making following along easier.
CONS
- I didn’t have all the required equipment. Some of the equipment it called for was: a firewalker loop, resistance tubing, a step with 5 risers, boxing gloves, dixie cupes, and Slide N Glide Discs. I could substitute paper plates for the glide disks but 5 risers is a lot and it’s hard to sub for the firewalker loop.
Cathe is really a pioneer in the the fitness exercise DVD business and has been doing it for over twenty years. Even though she has been around for a long time, the XTRAIN Workout Series was fresh and modern in my opinion. Overall I am really excited that the series is part of my home gym collection. When I pop in any of the discs I know that I am going to get a quality workout that I can tailor to my needs and busy schedule.
Do you like working out at home? Do you use workout DVDs?
Like what you see? Make sure to subscribe to my feed! I would love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter! Need a daily dose of Emmalyne? Find us on Instagram!
Disclosure: As a FitFluential Ambassador I received the Cathe XTRAIN Workout Series at no charge. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions are honest and 100% mine.
