Product Review: Green Bean Delivery

I don't think I know anyone who does not appreciate fresh, organic produce.

Seriously. Even though organic product can be pricey, it is the healthiest for your body and the environment, so it's worth the extra buck. It's even easier when you don't even have to go to the store or farmer's market to buy your produce!

Green BEAN Delivery recently contacted me about reviewing their program. Green BEAN Delivery - the BEAN stands for the company's mission (biodynamic, education, agriculture, and nutrition) - delivers organic produce and natural groceries to customer's homes in the midwest. They deliever to various places in Indiana, Kentucky, and (of course) Ohio. Since I live in Cincinnati, the company asked if I would like to review the service by receiving a $35 produce box. Of course, I said yes!

To quote the email I received:

All it takes for you and your readers to become members is to go the website and create an online order, which consists of the produce bin of your choice, and delivery frequency, such as weekly or biweekly. Each produce bin is 100% customizable, and you can even add local dairy, meats, bread & other grocery products. All products are all-natural and free of additives and preservatives. Members can choose from more than 400 products available each week.

Green B.E.A.N. Delivery’s direct line to organic vegetable producers and local artisans guarantees members the freshest organic produce and groceries on the market, at a lower cost than most natural food stores.

Sounds pretty nifty, hm? I had heard of them at the thinkGreen festival I went to last year, where my pumpkin donuts won first place, and wanted to try the company ever since.

Essentially, you sign up for the produce bin and pick which size you want. The size determines how much produce and groceries you receive. Then, you can login and customize what you want to come in your produce bin. Pretty cool, right?

I loved this service. I think the whole concept is great. The produce they sent me was delicious, and most of it was eaten within a couple days. They sent me fresh tomato, bibb lettuce, cantelope, squash & zucchini, cucumbers, avocados, peaches & nectarines, cremini mushrooms, and a green bell pepper. I made a tomato & cucumber salad, and boy was it delicious! The cantelope was to die for - so juicy and delicious. The peaches were full of flavors, and I made a salad with the rest of the produce. It was all scrumptious.

If you are looking for a new way to get local and US grown organic produce, try Green BEAN Delivery. They are a great company to work with!

The Daisy Rating

5/5 daisies

Much love,

WIAW #25: Tone It Up Nutrition Plan

Aaahhh! It's been so long since I've done a WIAW! I've been WIAW deprived lately and I definitely have not enjoyed it. Now that finals are over and school is out (woohoo I'm a college senior!), I hope to be more consistent with joining the party!

I wish I had purchased the pescatarian option...

This week I have been going through the Tone It Up "7 Day Slim Down" - basically the intro into the diet plan/a way to get fit for a special event - and it's been tough. I'm currently on day 4 and have been doing pretty well, I have to admit, although I have made a few modifications. For example, on day 2 I went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory with Stuart. However, I got some really healthy thai lettuce wraps with portabella mushrooms, so I still managed to eat a light meal and not stray too far. My parents also got me a tomato caprese salad when they went to Maggianos, so I at that for lunch and saved a couple slices of the mozzarella to use sparingly on my salad throughout the week. Like I said, not exactly on the "7 Day Slim Down,"  but I think a couple modifications are acceptable. This is the healthiest I've eaten and the most I've worked out in a while so I feel pretty good about it!

For WIAW this week, I'll show you what some of the typical food looks like on the "7 Day Slim Down." Here's what I've been eating, courtesy of Instagram!

Slim Down Scramble - egg whites, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, & Mrs. Dash.

Slim Down Protein Pancake - egg whites, vanilla protein powder, ground flax, mashed banana, & blueberries - and half a grapefruit. The second pancake was a little too moist from extra fruit and turned into a yummy scramble!

Salad - with green veggies, balsamic vinegar, a tomato, basil, and a piece of mozzarella cheese (ok I cheated I bit here too)

Groceries - lots of green veggies, fruit, Chobani, beans, hummus, and salad fixings

My workouts have been consisting a lot of the new Tone It Up Beach Babe DVD and this Jillian Michael's DVD:

I also did a lot of running this week for the Flying Pig 5k! 

And guess what? I beat my old time by over 4 minutes (nearly 5)! Yay! I would just like to thank the random woman running next to me who, when I stopped running to walk the final .1 mile, urged me to run the rest of the way. Thank you for your motivation. I would not I have run my best without it! My run time was 34:59, and I was pretty proud of that! I ran almost all of the first mile, and it took me around 10 and a half minutes. I think less, actually. One of these days I'll fun the full first mile without stopping. 

So, my goal is to stick pretty closely to the Tone It Up nutrition plan and lose weight. I need to get back in shape so badly... I went crazy the last couple months of college with not caring much about how much food I ate, what it was, and when I ate. I ate a lot of crap and unhealthy food. I just ate a lot in general. I need to fix that! Also, Tone It Up has really been starving me of sugar and salt so far, both of which I love, so this is a good thing. I've seen pictures of the transformation people can make while on the plan and I hope to be one of those success stories someday in the near future. Let's go Tone It Up! 

I think that's all I have for now. I've been being a major bum this week, lying around my house and petting my puppy. Exactly what I wanted to do before I start my internship & work on the school paper the Newswire office next week :) I really need to unpack still, it is just such a daunting task because there is so much to unpack... *sigh*. 

Here's my question for you this week: How do you keep yourself eating healthy? How do you avoid eating junk food? What do you do for motivation? I guess that is a few questions haha but feel free to pick and choose what you answer! 

Have a great day! 

Much love, 

WIAW #25 {it's a good week}

Hello dear WIAW friends! I've missed you all!

A lot has been going on this week. First of all, it has definitely been another week of unhealthy eats. I've done way too much overeating and snack on too much desserts and sweet treats (although the pictures I took don't show that)...I'm getting frustrated with myself. I also still haven't been able to run, thanks to homework, again. That is also frustrating... my 5k is approaching and I'm worried I won't be ready!

On the bright side: I was chosen as Xavier University's next Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper! I'm so excited! Honestly, I never thought I would be picked. You know what they told me part of the reason was that they hired me?

I had lots of experience with online blogging. Thanks to my blog, I got the job! How awesome is that?

I also got an A- on a paper (unexpected), a white iPhone (my new form of constant distraction), and tomorrow is the official start of my Easter break. What could be better?

I can't wait to try Jenn's challenge this month - eat an extra serving of veggies every day! I definitely need to do that, as well as cut back on my portion sizes. I'm a much better snacker than regular meal eater, I've discovered.

Some eats this week: {peach soy yogurt, veggie lasagna, brown rice with gardein buffalo wings, bread with lentil dip, and tangerine creamsicle thinkthin bar}

And not to mention...

{Frozen yogurt!}

These were all delicious - I loved every bite of them. And I've been on an intense lasagna kick recently. I crave it all the time! It's terrible! I had it twice this week - two different variations - and I still want more. So, so good. 

This week, I'm looking for some tips on how to restrain yourself from overeating/snacking/etc. What do you do? Does it work? 

Thanks, loves! See you seen and keep the WIAW party going strong! 

Much love,

WIAW #20: The WIAW Before Lent!

Happy WIAW! 

This week, I was hit with the realization that Lent starts today! Even though I'm not Catholic, I enjoy a good challenge, so I decided to give up all sugar (except a little honey and 1 Chobani yogurt a day so I can complete a product review for them!) and all fatty foods. What exactly consists of fatty foods, you ask? Large amounts of cheese (minimal is okay) and butter and dairy, deep fried anything, milkshakes, mac&cheese, potato chips... you know. You guys know what constitutes fatty foods, I don't have to explain it. 

Both sugar and fatty foods is going to be difficult, but I'm so ready. It will definitely make me a healthier person, since I snack on so many sweets and sugar laden things every day! The past two days I've been eating my sugar stash so that it is not there to tempt me, and what I wasn't able to eat, I stored away in the bottom of my drawer until after Easter. 

On another note, I signed up for - count 'em - three 5ks! My first ones! Gotta stay motivated to finish my Couch to 5K program, right? The first is on April 15 and is called the Dirty Days Trail Series at a local park. Apparently it's a 3.6 mile run through trails and streams and such...which I didn't know...ha. Of course, I picked the most intense run I possibly could for my first. Go me. I'm nervous about it. My second is on April 28, and is a walk/run 5k at another local park. The third is the Flying Pig 5k in downtown Cincinnati on May 5. Any advice for how to prepare, especially for the trial run? 

Only 2 weeks until I leave for my spring break trip... I'll be working for animal rights on an emu farm in Virginia! Isn't that awesome? I could not be more excited. 

On to my eats this week! I didn't take many pictures, but what is lacking in pictures I will describe to you below. Sorry Jen, not a lot of veggies! :(

{yogurt with chia seeds} and lots of it. They were on sale, I had to get some! {Rawxies} for an upcoming product review. Stay tuned! {fruit} lots and lots of fruit! Grapes, melon, pineapple, apples, bananas.... {pasta} with sauce, peas, and corn! yummy! 

{not pictured} veggie omelet, cookies, chocolate, ice cream, Luna protein bars, bagels, baby carrots, and more. Basically, lots of crap food. Bad me. That's why I'm super excited for Lent to start and I can start getting healthy again! 

Happy WIAW, everyone!

Much love, 

Herb Gardens.

Helloooo everyone! How are you all doing today?

Recently, I have become obsessed with the idea of gardening. 

Why? Because it is much healthier to grow your own pesticide-free foods…plus, you’ll have enough fresh produce to last you all summer!!!

A few days ago I went to Pipkins, a local farmer’s market type place that sells a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other food items… as well as flowers and plants! I went there with the intention of buying only a few herbs to plan in my little planter boxers… of course, I came home with ten plants. TEN. That is a lot of herbs.

Getting ready to plant my herbs...

Ta-da!! Herbs planted, and two pots of 

gerbera daisies (my fav. flower!)

I plan to also use part of my parents’ garden to grow my own vegetables- tomatoes, kale, leeks, peppers, and I don’t even know what else! I’m excited about it. I’m ready for lots of veggies!

Lavender, chives, and lime mint...

Thyme, Oregano, and Tarragon!

I also planted pineapple sage and purple basil.

My all time favorite kind of flower....

Gerbera Daisies!!! 

Do you have a garden? What do you grow? Do you have any tips?

Much love,