NuNaturals Giveaway

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the amazing sweetener Stevia.  After that post, I received this box of goodies from NuNaturals:

I have a future post  planned to talk with you guys about PreSweet Tagatose and NuStevia Prebiotic blend, as this was the first time I had ever used these products.  To say I was blown away is a total understatement-- I can't wait to share my experiences with them!  But, for this post-- I'm going to be focusing on their Stevia Liquid.

I received a bottle of Vanilla, Peppermint, Orange and Lemon Stevia Liquid.  I was familiar with the Vanilla Stevia Liquid before my package arrived-- but the other 3 flavors were new to me and I had never tried them before.  The stevia liquid is quite the product!  You can use the liquid in beverages, smoothies, baking-- you  name it!  It's incredibly versatile and packed with flavor!

NuNaturals only uses the best ingredients to add flavor to this healthy sweetener, and it shines through in the taste of the products.  For example, the peppermint used is grown locally in Oregon (where the company is based.)  The mint flavor does not taste artificial, it is full bodied and tastes exactly like a candy cane!  We've been adding it to hot chocolate and to our coffee-- I can't wait to bake holiday cookies with it!  The Vanilla is made with *real* vanilla extract-- no artificial flavoring!  

The Lemon Stevia has been the most used product of the 4 in our house.  We use it to sweeten our Iced Matcha Tea and I love adding it to club soda.  (I am a carbonation queen, but soda is just *not* good for you)  It's incredibly refreshing!  And, it taste like LEMON.  Not like "lemon sweetner."

The Orange Stevia... wow!  Have you ever had the orange chocolate (wrapped in foil-- do you know what I'm talking about?  When you add these drops to hot chocolate-- that's what it tastes like!  It's heavenly, indulgent and without all the fat and calories!  But, my favorite has been adding it to my greek yogurt.

These products have taken my already serious devotion and consumer satisfaction to another level.  And- guess what!?  NuNaturals is going to give 4 of my readers (that's right-- FOUR!) of you the chance to win all 4 (are you seeing the magic number) of the Liquid Stevia products I talked to you guys about!

Enter the giveaway here:  

((You have 16 ways to win!))

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*NuNaturals provided me with the samples listed above, but all opinions expressed here are my own.  

November Goals

OH MAN YOU GUYS.  I did a TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE job at fulfilling my October Goals.  I'm honestly embarrassed.  I can't let that stuff happen again!    I drank alcohol more than once, slacked on Insanity, didn't make all of the recipes I planned.... oh boy.  (And we didn't go to the apple orchard this year!  Lame-sauce.)

Eva's disappointed in me!  Gah!  I won't let it happen again!

November is going to be a crazy month because I am participating in NaNoWriMo and running the first month of Fit Friends (have you signed up yet!?)  My daughter turns 5, my mother is visiting from Colorado for a week, we have to finalize our reception location for the wedding and it's Thanksgiving.  Holy moly!

"Goals help you channel your energy into action." -Les Brown

November 2012 Goals

-Write At Least 50,000 Words For NaNoWriMo 

-Make All Of Eva's Birthday Party Food Homemade

-Do Baby Yoga 3x A Week

(Mom and Baby Fitness)

-Make These 3 Recipes That I Did Not Last Month:

Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices

-Baked Apples

-Chicken, Sweet Potato and, Quinoa Stir-Fry

-Try These Two Recipes:

-Sweet Potato Enchiladas

-Cowboy Caviar

-Get Down to 130 Pounds

-Finalize Reception Venue For The Wedding

-Get To 50 Google Followers

-Try Not To Have Meat More Than 1x A Day

-Replace One Meal A Day With A Protein Shake

-Take At Least 1 detox Bath A Week

-Write At Least 4 Blogs A Week

-Drink Gotcha Matcha Every Day

-Skip 1 Faturday

-Hold A 1 Minute Plank Every Day

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There you have it!  My November goals!  Are you setting any goals this month?  I'd love to hear about them!  If you blog about them-- let me know and I'll share your link below:

 Ain't Got Nowhere To Go : November Goals

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Tomorrow I'll be posting my very first vlog!  I'm participating in the Girl Behind The Blog blog hop... Be sure to check out my awkwardness!

I'm also currently hosting a Giveaway on my Facebook page!  It's open for another 2 hours-- head over and enter!  I'm celebrating the 200 fan mark!  Here's what is up for grabs:

Free Daiya- Free Earth Balance- Free Bottle of Mamma Chia!

Bob's Red Mill Giveaway WINNER!!

Hey guys!  I will have a longer post up later-- but I just wanted to announce the winner of this weeks giveaway!

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And the winning comment of the Bob's Red Mill Giveaway is:

Congratulations!  Send an email to: mamasbellyblog (at) gmail (dot) com with your address and I will l get your package of goodies sent out!

I did recieve and email this week asking how I "pick" the winner.  Well, it's actually quite simple!  Each comment is assigned a number as they come in (so-- for instance-- this drawing, each comment had 1-22) and then I use an online random number generator that picks a number- and viola!  Winner chosen!  It's completley random.

Bob's Red Mill Giveaway!

One of my favorite companies is Bob's Red Mill.  They have an extensive collection of delicious, nutritional goods.  You can never go wrong when you pick up a bag of theirs.

Recently, I received this awesome package with a few of my favorite goodies:

I absolutely adore their Honey Almond Granola-- we put it on everything in our house, but especially love it over Greek yogurt, with bananas, honey and chia seed:

Their Gluten Free Brownie Mix is second to none!  We also make ours vegan by not using any dairy or egg.  They are the most moist brownies you will ever taste.  Eva doesn't like nuts- so we always make half plain for her and the other plum full with salted cashews!

Have you ever used Quinoa flour?  It is absolutely amazing.  You can use it in baked goods, or my personal favorite; breading:

I also frequently make Quinoa Biscuits:

(Not Pictured)

.:Recipe for Quinoa Biscuits:.

Ingredients:

2 cups Quinoa Flour

4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 Cup Cold, Earth Balance (or butter of your choice)

1 Cup Almond Milk (or milk of your choice)

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix well with a whisk or fork.

Cut butter into pea-sized pieces- mix them into dry ingredients. 

Use the fork to mash the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs and then pour milk in and mix together.

Knead dough with your hands.

Bake at 450 degree for 10-12 minutes.

*I drop spoonfuls of the batter into a cupcake tin and it yields 12 biscuits.*

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And guess what!?  Bob's Red Mill is going to send a lucky reader the same package!

((Who wants to try these awesome products?!))

This giveaway is open only to those who Follow Mama's Belly Blog on Google.

(See that over there on the left hand side?  Sign up!)

You have 3 chances to enter:

-If you are a Google follower (new or old!) leave a comment saying you are

-If you are a Google follower, leave a comment telling me whether or not you've had any Bob's Red Mill products

-If you are a Google follower, leave a comment telling me which of these 3 products you'd be most excited to try

Good luck to all those who enter!  The drawing is open until Thursday at Midnight (central time zone) and is open to residents of the US and Canada only.

Winner will be announced on Friday!

Stevia > Sugar + Chobani Winner Announced!

I've received a few emails inquiring as to what "Stevia" is since a few of the recipes I've posted have called for it.  I decided to dedicate today's post to that very topic, as well as discuss other alternative options to sugar.

When I say the word sugar- I'm talking about the white stuff we all grew up having dumped in our Kool-Aid.  It is empty calories and offers absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever.  Granted, humans are hardwired to crave things like sugar-- the problem is that in previous generations, sugar hasn't been as readily available as it to us.

Granulated sugar consumption is a food less food.  It makes you fat, is incredibly addicting, increases your risk of obesity and diabetes, and raises your cholesterol.

Say no to sugar!

But, want to know what is JUST as bad as sugar?  Artificial sweeteners.

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Yes, that the beloved Splenda (I see right through you and your chemical make up!)  That's right- Equal, Sweet-n_Low, NutraSweet- they are chemicals and are not real sugar.  They are made of things like aspartame and sucralose.  These chemicals that are tricking your body into thinking it's getting the sugar it is craving is also causing depression, anxiety, fuzzy vision, obesity, diabetes, cancer, the list goes on and on.

Stay away from them, okay?

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So, that brings me to Stevia.  Stevia is 100% *natural*.  It comes from the herb Stevia Rebaudiana.  There are some discrepancies in it's history of usage- some say it's been around with native tribes since the 1800's but there is also some information that dates it further back than that!  To make Stevia, they extract the water from its leaves, then there is a clarification and crystallization process to follow.

Stevia helps to regulate your digestive track and has no glycemic index (aka- doesn't affect your blood sugar levels).  It is also 10x sweeter than sugar, so you hardly need to use any while cooking.  I use NuNaturals powdered Stevia, but it is available in raw forms and a liquid form that is very popular.

Some other alternatives to sugar are:

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Pooh *always* buys local honey!

Honey!  We always have honey on hand and make sure we buy local.  Food Safety news found that 75% of the honey sold in U.S Grocery stores isn't even "honey."  Buy your honey from a local, trusted manufacturer at a farmers market, food co-op, and yes- even Trader Joe's!  But- store brand honey (think Walgreens, CVS, etc) is bad news bears.  I use honey when making granola bars, drizzled over fruit and added to warm or iced tea.  Honey (the good stuff) is full of vitamins and has a low glycemic index.

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Another staple in our household is one of my favorites to drizzle on oats or baked goods and add to smoothies- Agave nectar!  (Uh-gah-vay).  Agave is super popular amongst vegans, and like honey- has a low glycemic index and contains vitamins that are gooooood for you!  (Make sure you buy organic Agave!)

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Alright guys- it's also time to announce the winner of the Chobani Giveaway!

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have won a *free* case of Chobani yogurt!

To claim your prize-- send an email to mamasbellyblog (at) gmail (dot) com

containing your name and address!

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I hope you guys have a *great* weekend!  We are headed to our friends wedding tomorrow-- thank goodness our Insanity workout is pretty hardcore tomorrow-- I won't feel so guilty indulging on adult beverages!

(That's right- Garrett and I are sans kids for our *very* first evening since Abram's birth!)

I'll see you guys Monday-- I'll be talking about Insanity and posting some pics of our progress thus far!

FPP Reveal Day + Chobani Giveaway!

I had previously participated in Foodie Pen Pals on my personal blog that I run-- and it was a blast!
I thought it would be really fun to participate in it on Mama's!
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I received my package from Laura @Sprint To The Table:

She sent me a ton of treats!  (Sorry about the poor quality of the photos-- I was ravenous at the time the package came- and ripped into a bite of everything almost instantly-- not realizing the picture had a fierce glare!)

The package included: Dark chocolate covered pistachios (my favorite!), dark chocolate covered bananas (Garrett's favorite!), white chocolate and curie covered cashews, delicious chocolates from Chile (see the package with the kitties?!  YUM), homemade oatmeal bites (LOVED them!), fruit leather from Trader Joes (that I reluctantly shared with my daughter) and some almonds, shakes and energy drinks!  (And vitamin packets I had never seen- that I know adore!)

Thank you Laura!  If you guys want to check out other people's packages AND sign up to be an October Foodie Pen-Pal : Head over to the Lean Green Bean!

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I also received another *awesome* package on Friday from Chobani!

Yay for yogurt!

And guess what?  *You* can win the same case of yogurt-- delivered to your house!

You have 7 chances to enter your name into the drawing!

(Please leave seperate comments for each entry!)

-Tell me what your favorite flavor of Chobani is

-Be a Google follower and leave a comment saying you are one

-Follow Mama's on Facebook and leave a comment saying you do

-Follow Mama's on Twitter and leave a comment saying you do

-Follow Chobani on Twitter and leave a comment saying you do

-Tweet about this giveaway: 

Enter to win a case of @Chobani from @MamasBellyBlog http://mamasgottabigbelly.blogspot.com

(Copy/Paste your tweet into a comment) 

-Put this as your Facebook status:

Mama's Got a Big Belly! is giving away a free case of Chobani Yogurt!  Check it out! http://mamasgottabigbelly.blogspot.com

(copy/paste your status into your comment)

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Good luck!  The winner will be announced Friday Morning!   You have until Thursday night @Midnight central time to enter!

Daiya Winner + October Goals

Let's jump right into it- who's the lucky winner to win *Free Daiya Cheese*!?

Congratulations Jordan!  

Send an email to: mamasbellyblog (at) gmail (dot) com - include your name and address and I will get your Free Daiya sent to you!

I love announcing winners + hosting giveaways is super fun!  (Check back Monday -- I'll be hosting a giveaway from Chobani Yogurt!)

Now- it's almost the end of the month- which means it's time to set up my monthly goals!  Like I said in my last post, setting goals is an important step in the process of getting in shape.

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-Do not miss one day of INSANITY!

-Do Baby Yoga 3x a week

(Mom and Baby Fitness)

-Get down to 135 pounds

-Visit an apple orchard

(Preferably Emma Krumbees)

-Hold a plank for 1 minute straight

-Drink Gotcha Matcha everyday

-Eat 2 Vegan meals a week

-Only drink alcohol 1x 

(At a friends wedding on October 6th)

-Do 25 real push-ups in one sitting

-Try these 5 recipes:

-Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices

-Baked Apples

-Chicken, Sweet Potato and, Quinoa Stir-Fry

-Matcha Muffins

-Vegan Black Bean and Potato Cheese Enchiladas

-Carve Pumpkins

-Make homemade pumpkin seeds

-Take at least 1 detox bath a week

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Goal setting is super important- it gives you something to work towards.

Are you setting goals for October?

(I have the weekend to finish up a few goals I have yet to complete for September!)

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"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." -Fitzhugh Dodson

Eggplant Marinara + DAIYA Giveaway!

It's Friday!  Woohoo!  Did you guys check out the guest post from Katie @ From Icecream to Marathon?  She shared some great tips for those looking to start running.  She's running a half-marathon tomorrow and I just want to take this time to say- GOOD LUCK, KATIE!  Can't wait to hear all about it!

One of my monthly goals is to eat 1 vegan meal a week.  What is a vegan?  A vegan is a person who consumes absolutely no animal products.  (No, not even dairy!)  I used to be a vegetarian and, do plan on going back to the lifestyle at the start of the new year- but I am a cheese fanatic.  Giving up cheese (dairy- not so much, we don't drink cows milk in our house- the thought of milking an animal for their breast milk just grosses me out!) seemed impossible.

Until I discovered Daiya.  What is Daiya?  I'll whip out my favorite vegan cookbook- Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook and let it tell you:

"Daiya is a plant-based, soy-free cheese that could hardly be considered an "alternative."  It comes in block or shredded cheddar and Italian blends that melt like chocolate in 110-degree heat.  Besides being loaded with vitamins B and B12, Daiya has gained the vegan blessing with no artificial ingredients, preservatives, or cholesterol.  Did I mention it's low in fat?"

 It's as amazing as it sounds!  Trust me!  Here is a recipe I *love* using Daiya's Mozzarella style shreds.

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Spaghetti Squash and Eggplant Marinara

:Ingredients:

1 Medium to large spaghetti squash

1 large eggplant

3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

1 bag of Daiya Mozzarella style shreds

:Directions:

Split the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seed.  Bake it on a cookie sheet (cut side down) in the oven at 350-degrees until tender.  (About 25 minutes.)  Let cool.

Get a skillet very hot and add about 4 Tablespoons of olive oil.

Wash your eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Place slices into skillet and let fry until browned on both sides and drain on paper towels.

*The eggplant really soaks up the oil, so you may need to add a bit more each time you flip them.*

Scoop out the stringy squash flesh into a casserole dish.  Salt and pepper the squash and add about a cup of marinara sauce and 1/4 of the bag of Daiya.

Place the fried eggplant slices on top of the squash-- overlapping as necessary.  

Salt and pepper, cover with the remaining marinara  sauce and Daiya.

Bake in a 350-degree oven until hot and bubbly.

(About 30 minutes)

YUM!  Enjoy!  It is such a yummy meal!

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Guess what?!  The makers of Daiya have provided me with the opportunity to offer a lucky reader the chance to win some free products!

(How neat is that!?)

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**You have 5 chances to win!**

-Leave a comment telling me whether or not you have tried Daiya.

-Follow me on Google and leave a comment saying you did so.

-Follow Mama's Got A Big Belly on Facebook- leave a message saying that you did so.

-Follow Mama's Got A Big Belly on Twitter - leave a message saying that you did so.

-Tweet about this giveaway by copy/pasting this:

Enter to win FREE @daiyacheese on @MamasBellyBlog http://mamasgottabigbelly.blogspot.com #Daiya #Giveaway #Free #BellyBlog

and leaving a comment saying that you did so.

**For more than one entry you  must leave a comment for EACH entry.  Each comment will count as 1 entry.  Winner will be announced next Friday morning!**

I'm so excited for the winner to try this AWESOME product!

Weekend Weigh-In + SPARK WINNER!

Another weekend done and gone-- how was every one's?  Mine was *excellent*  Tons of family fun, physical activity, and cooking!

Saturday we had our friend Tara's little 5 year old over at the house for the day.  Him and Eva had a ton of fun throwing water balloons and enjoying the sunshine.  We will be taking him quite a few Saturdays while his Mama works and I couldn't be more excited about it!  He is a great kid and it's nice for Eva to have someone to play with that is near her age!  

I am proud to tell you guys that I have exceeded my goal in regards to getting in 4 runs with Garrett during the month of September.  Our jogging stroller fits *both* kids (seriously- SCORE!) so-- we can make a family adventure out of it!  We did 3 miles yesterday and I was pooped. 

sweaty- but so worth it!

I did manage to motivate myself into doing a Baby Yoga session after recovering.  It was awesome because Eva grabbed a doll and joined in with me, as well as Garrett!  We moved all of the furniture in our living room so we could all fit comfortably.  It was a great morning!  We also made time for a dance party!  My favorite song right now is Calvin Harris- Feel So Close.. 

What's yours?!

Garrett has been such a huge supporter of me on this journey.  I wouldn't be able to do this without him.  Getting healthy has been bringing us closer.  We both get so excited to share with one another something new that we've learned or something that we think would be fun to try.  It's pretty neat!

Do you work out with your significant other?

Okay with clothes on... Without- Scary MOMster!

As of Sunday night- I had hit my goal weight of 140 pounds!  Woo!  That makes my total weight loss since Abram was born 35 pounds!  

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I'm a happy lady- that is *for sure*...

I also know someone else who is about to be a happy lady:

YOU WON 14 POUCHES OF ADVOCARE SPARK!

Lacey-- to claim your prize, send an email containing your address and your choice of flavor (Grape, Pink Lemonade, Cherry, Mandarin Orange, Citrus, Mango Strawberry or Fruit Punch) to:

azia dot archer at gmail dot com

Congratulations Lacy!  

Be one the look out for more giveaways in the very near future from Earth Balance, Daiya, Mamma Chia, Chobani, Bob's Red Mill, Dr. Lucy's and MORE!

Happy Monday everyone!

Weekend Weigh In & Spark Giveaway!

Hey guys!

How was your weekend?  Mine was awesome-- lots of family time-- parks, fresh air, football, movies.  I don't have a single complaint from the weekend.  I even accomplished a couple of my monthly goals! Woo!

Last night before bed, I weighed myself, I was teetering between 142 pounds and 143 pounds.  It's been over a week since I've been at 145 so, though it's mostly water weight-- I feel I'm accomplishing something!  I feel like Emilio right now:

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OOOOOH YEAH.

Moving on... Today's post is about the amazing product Spark.  Anyone that knows me has probably noticed I'm constantly raving about this product.  It's made a huge difference in my life.

Having a 2 month old and a 4 (almost 5!) year old can be exhausting.  Especially when Abe was first born and not yet sleeping through the night.  To say I was tired is an understatement.  I felt like a blind, brainless, Robot-Zombie going through the motions of the daily grind.

Garrett kept telling me to drink Spark-- that it would make me feel great without the crash of an energy drink (or all the nasty crap that are in those things!)  I wish I could go back in time and kick myself-- I was such a skeptic and should have started drinking this much sooner!

It comes in a variety of flavors (I've tried Grape :my favorite:, Cherry, Fruit Punch, Mandarin Orange and Pink Lemonade) and they have all been *awesome.*  I fill up a shaker cup with 1 scoop of Spark, 10 ounces of water and ice twice a day-- and it's all I need to stay going throughout the day.  I can play with  my kids, clean, write, cook, exercise-- it's crazy!

And I want YOU to try it!

I'm going to be giving 1 lucky reader samples of this life-changing (for me!)wonder drink!  The Lucky winner will win a 14 pouches of the Spark flavor of their choice!

To have your name entered into the drawing:

-Comment on this post and let me know whether you've tried Spark before

-Follow me on Blogger (Hit that "Follow" Button over on the left side of your screen!) and leave a comment that you are a follower 

-Follow Mama's Got A Big Belly on Facebook and comment that you've done so

That's right!  You can have your name entered up to 3 times!  This giveaway will be open until Sunday night and I'll announce the winner next Monday!

Good luck!