New Year's Goals

Goals. Resolution. Same thing right? I've been seeing a lot of blog posts bashing the New Year's Resolution, and while I can't disagree with what most are saying I think it's in poor spirit to criticize anyone who uses the new year to better themselves. I personally have never been one for making a New Year's Resolution, probably because I've seen so many people fail so easily. I love setting goals, it has been something that was instilled in me from a young age. So a new year really never made a difference to me because I already had long & short term goals I was striving for. Over the past year I have been slacking, I realized the other day I really didn't have any goals I was working towards. I was working a job without a future goal in mind and I was going through the motions of life bored.  Without goals, life is a routine and as much as I like routine I also hate it! So setting goals is extremely important. When making goals there are things to keep in mind. Goals taking planning, it's not as easy as "I want to lose weight". That type of goal already sets you up for failure!! Within a large goal like weight loss, there should be small goals like losing 5lbs by the end of January. Goals need to be attainable, otherwise they are just dreams that seem unrealistic. I could go on, but that is not the intent of this post. If you want to know how to properly set a goal let me know, because yes, there is a proper way to do it!

1. Become a fitter version of myself. Although this goal is broad like how I said not to do it, I can picture in my head exactly how I want to be. This is a long-term goal, actually a life goal. This is more than fitting into my favorite high school jeans. I want to be able to do more than 2 pull-ups, do push-ups like it's nothing, run without getting winded, be faster, stronger and leaner. I would love to get back into martial arts and compete again. Maybe even a Crossfit competition in my future?! Who is to know, but it has to start with at least 5 work-outs a week, running in the mornings and eating clean/healthy foods.
2. Run a half marathon. For those who know me, this would be a great accomplishment, I absolutely hate running. My long-term goal is to run the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge in February 2015. 
3. Watch a documentary at least once a week. This is a pretty simple goal. After watch Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead on Hulu, a whole list of different documentaries it said I might like popped-up. That's when I realized I was really missing out on knowledge I could only get from documentaries. I find them fascinating and definitely more informative than the nightly news. I welcome suggestions!
4. Volunteer. There is no reason not to. It wasn't that long ago I was at a meeting with my co-workers and we all had to go around and say something we were proud of. I hate that kind of thing, so of course my answer was really lame "I'm proud I have a job I enjoy" which is only half true, but I have no children to be proud of, which was the common answer by most of my co-workers. But a few of them really surprised me, their volunteer work. I felt so guilty. They work as much as I do and find time to volunteer. Why can't I?! Not sure where I want to volunteer my time or if I could even settle on just one place, but my goal is to find time at least once a week!
5. Find my path in life. I don't know if I will be able to accomplish this goal by the end of 2014, but I hope to get closer than I am now. I had set so many goals right out of high school about what I wanted to do with my life, that when none of them happened I lost my fire. It wasn't my fault really. I believe destiny pushed me in a different direction, but I'm still trying to figure out what direction that is. According to my high school goals I would be going back to school right now, instead I have absolutely no desire to. I feel more lost than I was in high school. What do I do with my life? That is what I hope to figure out...
6. Be more social. I love being around my friends, but I can be the biggest homebody. In 2014 I want to reach out to my friends more and make new ones. "No new friends" is the biggest joke (sorry Drake I still love you). 
7. Become a better me. Here's another broad one, but this one is important to me. In college I surrounded myself with people who were negative, judgmental and mean. Spending such time with people wears on you, and eventually I started seeing changes in the way I was acting. After distancing myself from those people I felt free, but I feel I have a long way to go to prove to myself I'm not like those people. I'm starting simple, but it really is a mind set to always be positive, kind and loving. We instantly judge people, most times without trying. So there is where I'm starting. When I see the people around me I will complement them in my head instead of tearing them down. We do this all the time, especially as women "That girl looks like a bitch, Wow she is fat." We've all done it, admit it. Instead before you can even judge someone, make a compliment in her head "She looks nice, I love her hair". Than appreciate the things around you. Be amazed by the clouds in the sky. The warmth of the sun. The sung of the birds. Life is beautiful, we have to appreciate it.Think positive and you will be positive.

Thank you for reading this post. It's been a while since I've made goals for myself and even longer since I've had people read them. I did this however to keep myself accountable and hopefully you all will motivate me to do so! Post your goals for the new year below. I would love to know how you intent to better yourself in the new year!!

 

12 Days of Christmas

If your an Apple user like myself then you have to download this app NOW!! Each day starting today December 26th, Apple releases a free gift lasting for 24 hours. So what are you waiting for download it now!!

Gifts from this year 2013 - 2014
December 26, 2013 (day 1): Justin Timberlake's iTunes Festival EP (4 songs)
December 27, 2013 (day 2): Tiny Thief and Once Upon A Time TV series (1 game, 1 TV serie)
December 28, 2013 (day 3): Lonely Planet's Best in 2014 and The Ice Princess (2 iBooks)
December 29, 2013 (day 4): Toca House (1 game)
December 30, 2013 (day 5): Hugo and Home Alone (2 Movies)
December 31, 2013 (day 6): New Year's Eve from Avicii (2 songs)
January 1, 2014 (day 7): Rayman Jungle Run (1 game)
January 2, 2014 (day 8): Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1 iBook)
January 3, 2014 (day 9): Kings of Leon's iTunes Festival EP and more Albums (4 songs)
January 4, 2014 (day 10): Sesame Street and Despicable Me (1 TV serie, 3 mini-movies)
January 5, 2014 (day 11): Mr. Crab by Illusion Labs (1 game)
January 6, 2014 (day 12): The Rolling Stones (3 songs)

I will try to update you everyday with the new gift of the day! Enjoy!!

I was born on the cusp

Does anyone else remember when zodiac signs were extremely popular?! I think I was in middle school when all the stores in the mall were filled with zodiac "fashion". It was in trend to display your sign on a cute little shirt or on a necklace. Being a middle schooler, fitting in was extremely important and I jumped on the old bandwagon. Unfortunately for me I had no idea what my sign was. Thank God as a middle schooler there weren't too many boys using corny pick-up lines about my sign. Anyhow, thanks to Wet Seal they ever so nicely labeled the dates for each sign. However, I came to find my birthday of December 21st could either be a Sagittarius or Capricorn depending on the source. For the most part it's considered Sagittarius, plus I liked the sound of Sagittarius more so I decided that is what I was. As trends come and go, it wasn't until high school that I thought about my zodiac sign again. My teacher had divided the class into their zodiac sign without us knowing and asked for us to try to figure out why we were grouped that way and what we had in common. My group consisted of one other girl, whom I had pretty much nothing in common with expect for the fact we were both females. The teacher finally told us the common thread between the groups and handed each student a sheet of paper explaining the characteristics of our sign. When she came to my group, she hand me and the other girl in my "group" two sheets. She stated our birthdays were on the border and to read and see which one we were more like. As I read both I realized I was more of a Capricorn than a Sagittarius. I had a moment of panic at this thought. Clearly the $10 necklace I purchased as a pre-teen stating I was a Sagittarius meant I was a Sagittarius, right?!

The one and only original Sagittarius necklace

Well it took another 5 years for me to revisit my zodiac sign characteristics again. When I read the description of a Sagittarius, it fit me very well. I'm bored easily, I'm large-hearted, I love to travel and seek adventure, I'm positive & my mouth gets me into trouble all the time. One thing though, Sagittarius is the luckiest sign and let me tell you, my family will tell you too, I'm the most unlucky person there is. My mom always says "if something bad could happen, it will happen to you". I didn't want to, but I looked again at the traits of a Capricorn. I realized this description fit me well too, I'm shy, detached at times, I can be stubborn and moody, loyal to a point of flaw & overly responsible. I felt if I combined both traits it fit me to a T. So of course I googled this, only to find this was indeed true, because I was born on the cusp. I was a Sagicorn and this was the reason for my afflictions. I hate routine and I get bored easily, but I hate change. I'm humorous, but I can take things too far. I like being social, but have no problem being alone and prefer it most of the time. I'm ambitious, but I like things done my way on my terms. I'm positive, friendly and caring, but don't catch me when I'm grumpy because I can be a bitch. I love athletics, but I'd rather do an independent sport like martial arts. I love to travel && I have a need to find the meaning of life. Some may think that astrology and zodiac signs are a bunch of crap. Honestly, I will admit I like reading my horoscope, but rarely believe what it tells me. I do believe I'm a Sagicorn. It has led me to better understand myself and my flaws.

Sagittarius Constellation Necklace I got for my birthday this year!

Do you find your zodiac sign interesting? Could you have been born on a cusp too!? Since it was just my birthday the other day I thought I would share. Hope we all can have some self-realization and improvement of our selves.

You Know Your Birthday is in December When...

... you get more Christmas cards than Birthday cards.
... people like to combine your Christmas & Birthday present, gee thanks.
... your family acts like it cost $100 to send a Birthday card, so they just hand it to you on Christmas.
... you can't go out for your Birthday because no one wants to go out in a blizzard. babies!
... you either have to get really drunk to stay warm in your slutty little b-day outfit, or you end up wearing clunky winter boots and a huge winter coat.
... you hint everyday that your Birthday is coming up so people don't make Holiday plans on your big day.
... you treat yourself to your own Birthday gifts because everything is on sale.
... no one is able to celebrate your birthday with you because everyone is out of town.
... you drown your sorrows with spiked egg nog (It's my party I can cry if I want to!)
... you'd rather wear an ugly sweater than a cute little dress.
... someone along the line has forgotten your Birthday because of the Holiday madness.
... you wake up to a beautiful winter wonderland on you Birthday & then have to defrost your car.
... you choose a warm cocktail over a margarita. brrr!
... you look like a ghost in all your Birthday pictures (girl go get you some fake tanner now!)
... your family asks how your Birthday was, because it's the only conversation starter they have.
... people tend to get more excited about some guy name Jesus' birthday more than yours (totally joking keep Christ in Christmas folks).
... somehow your birthday dinner consists of left-over turkey, potatoes, and Christmas cookies.
... you actually got excited if your birthday fell on a school day, instead of over winter break. Hello birthday cupcakes!
... the bars are usually died, or filled with weird, drunk loners.
... people sing Christmas carols instead of Happy Birthday.
... you have to spend more time with your extended family than your friends.
... you've received at least one present that you are sure was a re-gift. how precious.
... birthday parties involved ice skating and sledding instead of a pool party.
... you've been called a Grinch or Scroogie because the Holiday cheer and lack of Birthday celebration was just too much.
... your wishlist is always huge, but you always miss out on the goodies that come out in the Spring/Summer.
... your presents are wrapped in paper with snowmen and Santa hats on it, instead of balloons and cupcakes.
... you can't reschedule your birthday plans because whoopty freakin doo it's New Years!
... there are people everywhere toasting and partying, but it's got nothing to do with you.

Not ok people!!
(taken from google.com)

This Holiday season please don't forget those who were born in the month of December. They need love too, if not more. Also, if you even consider gift combining just remember one of these day us December babies will come after you. It will not be pretty! You have been warned!!

2013 Gag Gift Guide

This year Christmas per usual, has been filled with the oh so lovely family drama. What's Christmas without some family members feuding, right? Fortunate or unfortunately, however you want to take it, I've learned over the years my family is far from dysfunctional as other families, although, my family is also far from sitting around hugging and singing kumbaya. We all have our own family problems, so I won't go into great detail on my own, but my small family consisting of my parents, brother, grandma and uncle is what is going to make up my Christmas Eve since my uncle & aunt and their children and grandchildren decided they much rather spend Christmas Eve at a Hotel/Water Park (so we are told). Anyhow, this crushed my grandma who cried saying Christmas is ruined. That is when I decided we had to make Christmas Eve fun!! I decided this year we would do the White Elephant gift exchange game. Specifically, we would all buy gag gifts. I thought this would be a great way to get everyone laughing. I had no idea how many crazy gag gifts there are out there, so I had a hard time choosing my own present. That's when I decided I would share some of the ideas that made me LOL. Please note some may be inappropriate, but I have the humor of a 12 year old boy, what can I say.

1. No need for plastic surgery this year. Just get this boob scarf, it will keep you warm too.
2. Perfect for all the men in my family who receive socks from my grandma every year. Check this website out it has tons of hilarious Christmas Tees.
3. For the golfer in the family. One can never have a big enough sack for your balls, golf balls I mean.
4. Is this mean? Yes, yes it is. But can anyone else picture how hilarious this would be to see some unsuspecting person drinking from this mug?!
5. We all know religion & politics are usually not a good conversation starter. So why no bring it up on the holidays, with some presidential toilet paper?
6. If you don't feel like you have a muffin top after the holidays already, here is the present for you.
7. Sorry I'm from Wisconsin, we like our beer and cowboy hats. No further comment needed.
8. Who doesn't like bacon? In case your wondering there is pretty much bacon everything even bacon flavored popcorn!
9. Forget the gift! Fool everyone by boxing up a pair of socks or T-shirt in these hilarious gift boxes!!

I hope everyone is having a good Holiday season. Please try to get along with your families for at least one day!! I'm curious if anyone else has done a White Elephant gift exchange or done gag gifts. Let me know what your funniest gag gift has been! I ended up buying the Obama toilet paper and then buying these cookie cutters to make ginger bread men with them. Hope everyone finds it funny!

The Blogmopolitan Quiz

I've been seeing this float around for awhile now and thought it was so cute. Since my blog is so new I thought it would be a great way to let you all know a little bit more about me, plus who doesn't love a good Cosmo inspired blog quiz. Thanks to Erin I can pretend like I'm a celebrity for a day. 

If you would like to do the quiz too, head over to Erin's blog and download the quiz! It was lots of fun!!

It's Winter Weekend Update

This weekend felt like Christmas/Winter time && I loved every moment of it. When your from Wisconsin you have to put your big girl winter boots on and deal with the bitter cold and make the best of it. I swear some day I'm moving somewhere much warmer, but I also can not image a winter without snow. I'm just never pleased. I started Friday finishing up some last minute Christmas shopping. Eek! I love Christmas shopping, but I hate not being able to tell my mom my crazy shopping adventures because it would totally give a way what I was getting her. Anyone else like this?! I finished my Friday making Christmas cookies. As much as I want to resist all the Christmas food temptations, what is Christmas without Christmas cookies!! I made peanut blossoms, chocolate crackle cookies and of course no Christmas is complete without decorated sugar cookies. I have to say I was getting a little tired at the end so no judging the decorating skills!!

Saturday I splurged and went out shopping for myself. Oops, I'm a girl what do you expect!! I bought a new Wisconsin Badger sweatshirt and headband for the Hockey game I went to that night. I also did very last minute shopping for my Christmas outfit. I found a super cute peplum top at Forever 21. I don't know if it's just me since I was late in my holiday outfit shopping, but I could not find anything that looked holiday to me. I lucked out with the last one, unfortunately (although maybe not...) the strap around the belt was ripped off. I asked for a discount and got 10% off. All it took was a few stitches and good as new! Always look for discount girls. That night I went to my first hockey game of the season. Nothing says winter like a good hockey game! 

Sunday was the annual Dinner Theater Christmas Program with my mom, grandma and great aunt. It's always a great way to put me in the holiday spirit. In the picture below I'm wearing my new peplum top. Please note how great it is for the holidays as it will completely covers the holiday bloated stomach *wink wink* not that anyone tends to overeat during the holidays. It was a beautiful Sunday. 

How was your weekend? What helps put you in the holiday spirit!?!

Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake

I had some pumpkin puree left over from some previous pumpkin baking I had done, so I thought I'd use it up by making a yummy pumpkin spice protein shake. No need to continue saying it but I love anything pumpkin. I seriously have to get in my fix before the season has changed. Eat as much pumpkin until fall comes again next year, anyone else like this? I must say this was delicious, it was a real treat and I could see myself making one again for a nightly snack rather than just for a post-work refuel.

Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I love my Sunwarrior protein powder)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Direction:
Blend!! and enjoy!

Give this a try! I know you will love it!

Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my fall staples is pumpkin, pumpkin everything! I've been pretty naughty this fall as the pumpkin obsession has spread to the majority of restaurants and fast food places. Some of my guilty pleasures are Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, Culver's salted caramel concrete mixer & Einstein Bagels pumpkin bagel with pumpkin cream cheese, oh and don't forget their pumpkin bagel clusters and frozen pumpkin pie drink. No judgments please. My pumpkin obsession may have lead me to some very bad food choices, but sometimes the devil on my shoulder wins the battle and I indulge myself. So when I found this yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe I was immediately drawn it. To my surprise it was paleo and a much better alternative to some of my past pumpkin choices. 

I found the recipe at Purely Twins, which is an amazing blog by two (twin obviously) sisters. They post the most delicious recipes + workouts. Definitely a great blog to check out!! I didn't change the recipe at all, except for my own mistake. Please note above the vanilla extract I did not use. At times I can be the most frantic baker, so as I'm cleaning up while they are in the oven I notice "oh hey, I forgot to put in the vanilla extra - dang-it!" They still tasted great, but if your following their recipe they don't mention it again in the directions, so if your like me it could be easily missed. I made mine pretty big and if (ok, not if but when) I make these again I will flatten them out more. They were delicious!! But be careful though, it's hard to just eat a few ;)

Let me know what your favorite pumpkin recipes are! I'm dying to try more before fall is over!!

Gotta Try It Tuesday: Kiwano

Ever go to the grocery store and see a new fruit or vegetable and say "What is that?" "I wonder how that tastes?" "What do I do with it?". I do all the time. I love trying new foods and when I see something I have never tried before I'm completely drawn to buying it. That's why I want to bring to you Gotta Try It Tuesday. I'll give you my honest first impressions and simple recipes.

That brings us to my first Gotta Try the Kiwano or Horned Melon. Honestly, I've seen this beautiful fruit a few times now and could not resist the urge to give it a try. The first one I bought I had no idea what to do with it, but that bright orange color and small little spikes were too irresistible. So there I was at home with no idea how to cut it, eat it or even what earthly taste this little spiked melon may have. So let's start off with how to choose one. From my little research and multiple taste testing, the darker orange the riper it is. It will be soft in nature, this is normal. You will see why once you cut it open. Speaking of, how in the world should you cut it? The best way I found was to cut it longitudinally. The inside will be quite the little shocker. It's dark green!! The meat inside is basically the encasing of the seeds, which are quite edible. I would then scoop out the edges much like a grapefruit. Once you get started you will see the various pockets the seeds are held in. After working around the edges the middle pocket is the hardest. I just squeezed out the rest of the meat like I'd squeeze a lemon. It fairly easy and once you get going, you get the feel for it. Now the big question, TASTE! I read that it has a cucumber, banana taste. I guess I can see that, but I would describe it more of a sweeter kiwi fruit taste. I would only compare it to a not yet ripe banana if I were to compare it to a banana at all. I really enjoyed the taste, but had no idea what to do with it, so I basically just added it to my green smoothie for the day. After much thought I came up with two possible uses for the Kiwano melon. To read about the many health benefits of the Kiwano plant click here.  

Ingredients:

- 1 Kiwano melon

- 1 Lime

- 6 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

- 3 tsp. Honey

- Salt & pepper 

Directions:

- Remove meat from kiwano melon. 

- Add ACV, honey and juice from lemon. If honey is raw, it will need to be in liquid form.

- Place in food processor or individual blender. 

- Add salt & pepper for taste!

Served over greens, mango, tomato, red onion & avocado + hemp seeds on top

Ingredients:

- 1 Kiwano melon

- 1 Orange bell pepper

- 1 small Tomato

- 1 small Onion

- 1/2 Mango

- 1 Lime

- 1/4 tsp. Chili powder

- 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

- 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

Direction

- Cut Kiwano horizontally and scoop out center. Save outsides for later use.

- Place all ingredients in a food processor until desired texture is reached.

- For decoration serve salsa in left over, hollowed-out melon shells. 

Serve with raw corn chips*

I believe the kiwano melon is something "You Gotta Try" at least once. Let me know if you have ever tried it and how you eat it!

*recipe for raw corn chips coming soon!

My Current Workout Schedule

Ready for my first Friday Fitness post?! I was on my way to the gym this morning and decided I should really share what I do here. I currently work out at Planet Fitness, which has easily become my favorite gym. I say this like I'm some gym guru or reviewer, by the way I'm totally NOT!

Really I've only ever worked out at a few places. When I was in high school my mom dragged me with her to Curve's. I was excited to see this "female only gym". However, I was completely disappointed as it was the most boring, light-weight circuit I have ever done with a bunch of women who were probably my grandma's age, while listening to songs like "Let's get physical" and "Girls just wanna have fun". I'm not trying to bash anyone if this is where you go, but this particular Curves was just not my style. I believe any activity is better than nothing, but when my mom complained she was not seeing any progress, I could only wonder why. After that I convinced my mom to change gyms. For over 5 years she worked out a nearby Anytime Fitness and during my summer breaks I would get a summer membership and workout with her. I have always loved working out and felt I've had at least basic knowledge, but when I look back at my workout routine then... Oh Lawdy! My workout routine then consisted of a half hour warm up, doing some machines, and half hour cool-down and stretching. I spent Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays doing arm workouts and Tuesdays and Thursdays doing legs, since I thought my half hour warm-up on the bike/elliptical/treadmill also worked my legs. Now, when I say I did an arm or leg workout, this really consisted of me awkwardly walking around finding all the machines that worked arm muscles or leg muscles and used them. The end. Again any activity is better than no activity, but my method was a little off. So when I graduated from college that was it, time to buy my own gym membership. Honestly, I didn't really like our Anytime Fitness. They are great facilities, but the one I worked out at was tiny. I mean no girl wants to be doing the leg abduction machine while facing some guy as he's grunting to finish his last reps on the machine across from you. Hello awkward-ness. 

Image taken from google

So when a Planet Fitness opened up near my house I was all on board. I know they have a bad rep from some hardcore fitness people, but I find I'm able to get what I want from there. My first few months working out were the same; warm up, random machines, cool-down/stretch, go home. After doing P90X I found I liked his routine and took inspiration from there. Below is posted my normal workout schedule.

My workout now is more tailored and I'm seeing better results. I do a 15 minute warm-up, usually on the elliptical and weights/machines for about 30 minutes and a 15 minute cool-down and stretch. You don't have to spend forever at the gym to see results you just have to work hard for the time you're there! I also start my workouts using dumbbells, then the cable machine, and finally the other machines. Total reverse of how I use to do it. Let me know what your workout schedule is like!

Saturday Afternoon Adventure

"I'm king of the world"

Spending the day with my best friend, yes he may be a little hairy but no judgments please, is my favorite. My little mutt, he's a mix of border collie and golden retriever, has more personality than Honey Boo-Boo after eating all her Halloween candy. After he had stolen the third pair of socks from my room I decided that was it, we need to get out of this house! Our normal walks usually consist of walking around the neighborhood or a small field close to home, so I thought this little rascal needed a changed. I packed him in the car and drove to a dog park just out of town. This was his first time at a new park and he was in a craze. I was excited to do some hiking and see all the changing leaves, he was excited to be at a no-lease dog park where he could meet a ton of new friends. We had a blast, we even went around the path twice because he was still a maniac at the end. 

I wasn't completely convinced I had worn him out, but after I started getting weird looks from people as I passed them a few times, usually the last time they were on their way home and we were going around again, I decided he had to be tired. We were then off to run a few errands. I made a quick stop at TJMaxx and bought a few new workout pants. I'm so picky, but I'm starting to get to the point were half of my wardrobe is workout clothes. Is this normal? Fit girl problems right?! My next stop was Whole Foods. I love that store, but it's on the other side of town so I only get there every so often. I really didn't need much, but I still walked out the door spending more than I had planned. Story of my life! 

The items I picked up were ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, which is my favorite coconut water. I use this everyday for my green smoothies. I wanted more, but this was the last one! Brad's Raw Chips were sitting on an end cap and I just couldn't resist. I had never tried them before so I thought why not? I bought the kale flavor and tried some once I got home. Let's just say YUM! Plus they are organic, raw, gluten free, non GMO, and vegan so I call that a score for me! I got two supplements; Chlorella and Spirulina powder as I was just about running out of the ones I had at home. I use these in my smoothies for extra vitamins and protein. After reading Easy, Sexy, Raw by Carol Alt, I have been curious on the taste of Kefir. Although, I eat mainly a Paleo diet I was willing to break my dairy is "no-no" to give this a shot. I bought the brand from Redwood Hill Farm, as they use goat milk. Goat milk is suppose to be easier on the digestive system than cow's so I thought this was a better alternative. Since eliminating dairy, when I do have a cheat meal I feel it way more than I did before, so I tend to avoid dairy anyhow now. I must say this is an acquired taste. I had it with my Saturday supper. It has the consistency of drinkable yogurt, which could be a turn off I suppose. It has a creamy taste and I enjoyed the after taste almost better. I had no tummy troubles after drinking it either. It may be a new staple in my diet, we will see. I impulsively bought some sushi because I almost never get to have it since no one in my family enjoys it, but I could eat it all the time!! The last thing I bought was some Aura Cacia Jojoba Oil, which was actually the main reason I had went to Whole Foods for. I have been changing up my facial routine and decided to add in jojoba oil. I'm not sure if this a great brand, but there weren't many choices. Anyone else use jojoba oil? What brand do you use? I also bought a salad for supper which isn't shown. I wish I would have taken a picture of it now, because it was absolutely delicious. Everyone go to your local Whole Foods and get the seasonal salad with dried cranberries, onions, walnuts and butternut squash, because it is like heaven in your mouth. I finished the night cuddling with my baby dog and catching up on my favorite shows on Demand. Hope everyone had a great weekend!! Let me know what your favorite items from Whole Foods are!!