Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Bounce Energy Balls

Bounce USA sent us some energy balls in exchange for an honest review. We were not compensated for this post, just sent product. All opinions are our own.
 
The Bounce philosophy focuses on the belief that good physical health and nutrition are the cornerstones of a full and vibrant life. On a deeper level, we believe that our energy is also dependent on mental and spiritual nourishment and getting support wherever you need it so that you can achieve everything you want out of life.

That's the Bounce Effect.



Bounce creates 100% natural (and scrumptious!) energy food and shakes. We create 'clean nutrition' by using high quality ingredients and leaving out nasties like artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.



Our Thoughts:
DELICIOUS!!! These yummy treats were PERFECT for pre workout fuel and as a high protein snack to tide us over between meals. They were all uniquely flavored and full of nutritious ingredients! We would definitely recommend these to everyone! 

Please try them for yourself! 

Here's links to their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Paleo Cookie Company

The Paleo Cookie Company sent us cookies to review in exchange for a blog post. 
We were not compensated, just sent product. All opinions are our own. 

  

Here's some info about the Paleo Cookie Company from their website:

Gluten free-

Made with kosher, blanched almond flour

Grain free-

Okay to eat for those with grain intolerance

Dairy free-

Made with organic, unrefined coconut oil

Preservative free-

Eat them fresh or freeze them

GMO free-

“Lightly sweetened with 100% pure organic maple syrup.”

 … But we promise NOT Delicious-Free!
  • Our unsweetened shredded coconut is sulfur dioxide-free which is a preservative;
  • Our coconut oil is organic and unrefined;
  • Our almond flour base is non GMO, kosher and certified gluten-free;
  • Our eggs are organic;
  • Our maple syrup is 100% pure and organic.
  • Our chocolate is organic and soy-free
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Our Thoughts:
These cookies were AWESOME for a healthy treat after dinner and even a midday snack! We loved the ingredient list most of all. Simple, but SO delicious!

Paleo Cookie Ingredients:

Blanched almond flour,
Unsweetened shredded coconut,
Organic eggs,
Organic pure maple syrup,
Organic unrefined coconut oil,
70% cacao chocolate chip,
Pure vanilla extract,
Baking soda,
Sea salt

Jared handled all the chocolate cookies, and I took care of the pumpkin cookies. They were all SO tasty!!! 



These cookies are great for everyone, not just those who eat paleo. We absolutely LOVED these cookies! Please check out them out and try some for yourself!   

Here's some links to their Website, Facebook, and Instagram!




Thursday, March 24, 2016

Cookies That Bring Back Childhood Memories


Jared is taking over for today's review of Walkers Pure Butter Shortbread Cookies: 

When I was a kid, my great grandmother used to have shortbread cookies for us grandkids. We used to each grab one every time we came over to her house, so I was happy when we received these shortbread cookies in the mail. I loved them!  They took me back immediately to being a kid at my great grandmothers house. These were soft and buttery and tasted amazing. I highly recommend them as a snack or an after meal treat. 




Friday, March 18, 2016

Plantain Cupcakes

Plantain Cupcakes 

Purely Inspired is providing us with protein in exchange for recipes each month. We are not compensated for these posts, just sent product.

Ingredients:
1 Large Ripe Plantain
2 eggs
1 scoop Purely Inspired Vanilla Protein Powder
1/3 cup milk
cinnamon to taste
Sprinkle of stevia/sugar *optional* 



Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a food processor for about 2 minutes or until smooth. 

Divide Batter into 10 muffin tins. 

Bake at 350*F for about 20 minutes. 



Eat! 

We loved these plain, but we also added a dollop of greek yogurt on the top for some "frosting". These are perfect for a healthy dessert or before your workout! 


Have you ever baked with plantains? What did you make? 


Thursday, March 10, 2016

G2G Protein Bars

G2G Protein Bar sent us 4 flavors of their bars to review.  
We were not compensated for this post, just sent product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own. 

 
First, here's some info about the bars:

The G2G bars are all completely natural, 99.9% lactose-free, and use many organic ingredients. The bars do not contain any refined sugar; instead they are sweetened with honey, brown rice syrup, and coconut crystals. They contain flaxseed and coconut oil, and are flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. The bars are high in protein, which comes from whey isolate, peanut & almond butters, (freshly ground) and oats. In addition to fantastic taste and satisfaction, the ingredients in the G2G bars possess countless health benefits.


Whey Protein: rapid-digesting protein that feeds muscle tissue and helps in muscle recovery
Whole Oats: lowers cholesterol, reduces risk of heart disease, stabilizes blood sugar
Flaxseed: promotes bone health, protects against heart disease, cancer and diabetes
Coconut Oil: supports tissue healing, protects against osteoporosis, reduces inflammation
Honey: anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal
Cinnamon: anti-microbial, helps control blood sugar, improves colon health

The bars do not have any preservatives, so they must be kept in the fridge or freezer for maximum taste and freshness!

**To read more about the nutritional benefits of these and other ingredients of the G2G Bars, please visit: whfoods.com & coconutresearchcenter.org.

 *********************************************************
Our Thoughts:
THESE BARS WERE A TASTE OF HEAVEN IN EACH BITE! They are packed with either peanut butter or almond butter. We enjoyed these bars sooooooo much, not only for their amazing taste, but the fact that they actually kept us full for OVER 2 hours. (Most protein bars only hold us over for 2ish hours)  

The Flavors: Almond Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Almond Fruit & Nut, and Peanut Butter Fruit & Nut
 
We split one before our workout and it was just the perfect amount to fuel us for a rockin' workout without being too heavy on our stomachs. 
 
As usual, Jared took his to the golf course and he was shocked how full one kept him during his round. They taste REALLY good when they are a little warm because they just melt in your mouth!
I took one on a walk with a friend before church one night. I was so glad I did, because Joyce Meyer came to speak and EVERYONE in Jax came to hear her (slight exaggeration haha) so it took me 40 minutes to leave the parking lot afterwards. Normally, my stomach would have been screaming at me for some food, but it was actually a lot tamer and held off growling until I was almost home! 

The best part about these bars is that they are full of wholesome ingredients that are good for your body and really nourish it (as you read in the info at the beginning of the post). We absolutely love these bars and hope you will give them a try! 

Check out their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

How We Get Through Our Crazy Golf Life


We won't sugar coat it, being at the beginning stage of a professional golf career is TOUGH. We are apart MORE than we are together, but we make it work with God's help. If it wasn't for  God, we wouldn't be able to do what we are doing right now. He has blessed us above and beyond what we could ever imagine. We thank Him as often as we can. We can't stress how much easier and stress free life is when we put our COMPLETE hope, trust, and faith in HIM. He has been with us every step of the way and we are extremely grateful for His guidance, love, and GRACE. We are both sinners and are the farthest thing from perfect, but because of God's GRACE, we are forgiven and cleansed of our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's GIFT- not from works, so that no one can boast."  We can't do anything good enough to earn God's love and forgiveness, He CHOSE to give it to us freely! 

We wanted to share with you today how God has helped us get through our crazy golf life. 

First of all, He has given us some close Christian friends that PRAY for us, check up on us, and spend time with us when we are able to be together. Community with others has been such a wonderful gift that we are so grateful for each and every day. When Jared is at a tournament, he has a few guys that he usually travels and stays in hotels with, but they also pray for one another and encourage each other. Golf is such a hard sport because you don't have any teammates to help you, you're on your own. These guys are constantly playing against each other, but they also cheer each other on!
 We met Zack and Katie on the Web.com tour two years ago and we have kept in touch and meet up every once in a while. They are incredible people and we are grateful to have them in our lives. Katie and I text each other often and so do the guys, just asking how things are going and if they need any specific prayers.

Jamey and Laura are here in Jax with us, so we can physically meet up whenever we need to talk about golf related things, or when Laura and I are lonely because the guys are gone to a tournament. We are SO grateful to have a couple here locally to grow in friendship with! They are great encouragement to us and also attend the same church! The guys are in the same Bible study when they're in town.   

We are also extremely grateful for our church and Sub30 (the young adult group). Being a small group leader and being involved in Sub30 gave me a newfound strength and I actually wrote a post about it HERE.  
These girls are the highlight of my week every Tuesday night. They make me laugh, sometimes cry, and just enjoy fellowship so much! They are prayer warriors and lift me up when I need it. Jared is very grateful for the guys group he attends as well. 


 
Another way we get through this crazy golf life is by supporting each other! I grew up playing softball and basketball.  I played a few summers of Junior golf, but definitely wasn't interested in it. When I met Jared, I began to fall in love with golf because it was something HE loved! I remember when we were first dating, I would tell him about the stories I read in GOLF magazine at the gym and he was impressed. Of course, I only wanted to learn more so I could understand it even better. Now, don't get me wrong, there are so many different variables in golf, and I am still learning things every day, but I will say that I have gotten quite a bit of the lingo down pat! I've come a long way since I used to confuse the word, ALBATROSS (double eagle), with the word Alcatraz! Oops! 

I have my OWN set of clubs now and am itching to play another round or scramble with Jared, we just haven't had the chance to play together with Jared prepping for tournaments and there haven't been any scrambles that we can afford. 

I've caddied a few of the smaller tournaments to help save money and I've gotten a lot better about knowing where to stand so I am not in anyone's way and also keeping up the pace! (those golfers sure do walk fast, especially since they don't have a heavy bag to lug around all day)



Jared ALSO supports me in SO many ways. When he's home, he helps me work date nights for our friends, the Wheatcrofts! He won't change any diapers until they are for our own kids, but he plays with Chase and helps me clean the dishes and toys while I'm feeding Chase or putting him to sleep. It's so fun to watch Jared enjoy time with Chase now that he's older and can really play. Chase likes to copy Jared being silly and it melts my heart!


He also comes over to Christopher's house once in a while.  Christopher absolutely ADORES Jared. He plays Mario Kart with him, makes silly jokes, and is just a good BIG KID for Christopher to play with. He asks me all the time to call Jared and tell him to come over.

 
Another way Jared supports me is by taking a GAZILLION photos with food that I am reviewing for this blog. He has come a long way since we first met, even doing silly pics and sending me pics of his food when he's by himself at a tournament! I've even gotten a few texts naming companies and asking if we can reach out to them about a review. :) 




Jared also knows that my love language is Quality Time, and that because we are apart so much, pictures, videos, texts, phone calls, and FaceTime are the only ways we can "be together". He has done so much better about making me feel included and sharing things about his day that I wish I could be apart of but can't at that time. (It's second nature for girls to share every single little detail, so when I get a random pic or text of something simple, it MAKES MY DAY! It shows that he truly cares about me.) 
I absolutely positively long for that FaceTime date that we try our best to do at least once a week when he is on the road. It means so much to me and he agrees that he looks forward to it to! It has really helped our communication and strengthened our marriage since he is so intentional about giving me the Quality Time I need and I can tell he's genuine and sincere that he loves it too!

   
Last, but certainly not least, we get through this crazy golf life by soaking in as much quality time as we possibly can when he is home. We are so grateful for the gift cards that we receive at Christmas and our birthdays because it gives us a chance to do something different. It's fun to get dressed up, (and for me actually wear makeup,) and just try somewhere new to us. We don't go out too often, and yet we still enjoy cooking together and watching Netflix. Just being together is what helps us feel closer and makes our relationship stronger. 



God is so good and we are so thankful for His unconditional love and sacrifice that He made for OUR sins. Our goal in life is to shine God's light wherever we go and lead people to Him. It's not about us, it's all about HIM.




















Nextrino Activated Charcoal Tea Tree Soap

I was sent some brand new soap from Nextrino to try and review! It is an activated charcoal tea tree soap that is all natural, vegan, and ...