Glad you all enjoyed my skin care post! If you have topics that you would like me to write about, definitely let me know and I’ll see what I can do. 
This morning I had a GREAT workout!
I headed over to the gym at 8:00 and warmed up for my spinning class with some upper body strength. I did bicep curls, shoulder raises and assisted pull-ups on the machine along with 80 crunches on the stability ball.
Spinning as good and hard, as I’ve not been in class for about a week now! I was definitely pushed to my limit numerous times and had to wipe away sweat from my brow every few minutes. Love it!
My post-exercise snack of choice today was a primal strip + fruit leather:
This primal strip, however, was major ICK! I hated the lime flavor and will never buy it again. Texas bbq all the way from now on!
I steamed and showered at the gym (forgot to mention in my skin care post that I really think regular steams have helped my skin as well!) and then went straight for the grocery store to pick up a few essentials for the week. I was pretty proud of myself for staying exactly in my budget; we really didn’t need too much!
- honeydew melon
- watermelon
- organic spinach
- organic eggs
- bars
- Hass avocado
- tomato
- newman’s own cookies to satisfy my mint oreo craving
- naners
- almond milk
- new tea!
- Naturally More pb
- light sour cream for Ryan
- Quaker Oatmeal Squares (it was buy one get one free!)
- nectarines
And then since I was out of shampoo I had to buy more that also! Christie had this shampoo in her shower and I fell absolutely in LOVE with it this weekend. I couldn’t wait to have some for my very own; it smells just like a cruise vacation and makes my hair so shiny, soft and manageable!
At this point I was pretty much gnawing my hand in hunger since my snack wasn’t too exciting and I threw away half of my primal strip anyways. I foraged in the fridge for lunch and found the remains of the homemade baked beans I made on Memorial Day! Now, I’m very picky on leftovers and its been a week since I made these but since they are vegetarian they were still a-okay. I wouldn’t eat anything that had been leftover in the fridge for OVER a week but these still tasted fine (actually they tasted even better than when I made them to start!).
I layered half of my fresh, ripe avocado with the leftover baked beans on a warm Ezekiel hotdog bun and topped it with some wheat berries for a little crunch. The result was absolutely divine!
Fresh watermelon on the side!
Delicious, but quite possibly the messiest lunch ever. How do you fit this in your mouth?!
Followed up by a cup of my new Tazo tea (love them!) and a bite of organic dark chocolate, I was good to go!
I am quite a busy girl today and am crossing things off my to-do list left and right but still have a bunch more to tackle…..including my inbox! I do try to be as hasty as possible when it comes to responding to your emails but my server was down all weekend so I am running a little behind right now. You should be hearing from me soon!
My first article on artificial sweeteners was just published this morning on True/Slant. Please check it out!
Homemade lasagna for dinner du jour. I’ll catch up with you all in a bit! 
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
I made your beans this weekend & we loved them! I had some extras (on purpose) so I could have them for dinner tonight too! Super yummy!
Steaming definitely helps my skin too. Good job staying within your shopping budget, plus I’m SUCH a sucker for coconut-scented products!! So summery and delicious.
P.S. Loving the baked beans. I could use some comfort food right now since it’s so cold here!
Can’t wait to see the lasagna.
Congrats on the article! I’ll have to check it out. I absolutely LOVE coconut shampoos/conditioners, especially in the summer!
congrats on the article — off to read it right now!
Can’t wait to see/hear about your sure-to-be-amazing lasagna tonight!
Love the leftover lunch! Looks yummy. Messy = good!
Glad you had a great workout. Enjoy the rest of your very busy day!
Your article is really good!
I agree 100% lol~ Your lunch looks so great for being left overs and that watermelon looks heavenly!!
Hey Jenna! You may have answered this in the past, but I was wondering if you’re comfortable with sharing your grocery budget. I also live with my boyfriend and am shopping for two while trying to buy as much fresh and healthy products as possible. Grocery bills can be so overwhelming!! Do you have any idea what an “average” monthly bill should look like for two people (one of which is health conscious?) Thanks!
Liz,
I TRY to spend no more than $70 a week. Its quite hard sometimes!! Of course it would/could be less, but I’m pretty adamant on buying organic vegetables since I basically drink them straight in the form of smoothies or juice and hate the idea of drinking chemicals! Some things just aren’t worth bargaining for and your health is one of them, I believe!
What a great sandwich combo! Great way to use up some leftovers. I’m always trying to find different ways to serve up leftovers, otherwise I’m almost never interested in eating them. But I hate the idea of wasting food!
Great article on artificial sweeteners! I don’t abuse them on a regular basis, but I definitely use Splenda over regular sugar every time! I will use this as motivation to get rid of my consumption of Splenda and try regular sugar! (maybe even agave nectar, though it’s quite expensive) Thanks.
I have two questions/requests for you. One is, where did you find that shampoo? I love anything coconuty (?) so I’d love to try it some time in the future. Also, do you think you’d be able to do a quick bare minerals tutorial sometime? I have it but I always feel like I put it on wrong because I don’t feel like I get much coverage when I do it. More of it ends up on my clothes than on my face!
Leftovers are the best! I have the Pomegranate Green Tea shampoo and conditioner and LOVE IT! I don’t know if it is still on sale, but at Target there was a hang tag on it for a 100% rebate! As a money conscious blogging buddy, I highly recommend checking it out!
Also, I can’t wait to read your article on artificial sweeteners. I am nannying a little girl who reacts HORRIFICALLY to high fructose corn syrup (ADHD craziness!). It will be interesting to hear your take on it.
Sending happy thoughts your way!
Loved the article about artificial sweeteners! I finally shunned them for good a few months back and I’m so glad that I did. Glad you had a great workout, enjoy the rest of your day
just finished reading your article and i was left a little confused. you begin by saying you were using artificial sweeteners even though at the time you were very thin. at the end of the article, you said when you switched to natural sweeteners, you lost 12 pounds. why would you have lost 12 pounds when you were already ‘very thin’?
Bee,
When I was in college I was pretty much locked into a very disordered mindset. I had always been thin but then in college I gained 15 pounds just by partying and drinking. When I nixed all that and switched to a more all natural diet, i lost the weight instantly.
Great posts! I loved the new “lifestyle” side of your blog in you skin post. I would also love to hear more “lifestyle” input about your time in France. Any cultural differences? Funny stories? Experiences?
Your lunch looks great! It’s always the messy ones that are the best.
I read your post on sweeteners and totally agree. My husband and I have the occasional soda with aspartame in it (can’t get away from it in Canada), but it’s not an everyday thing. He made the move to yogurt withOUT aspartame a few months ago and still eats it, whereas I’ve switched to yogurt without any sweetener, since I’m trying to kick the Splenda habit (which is in his current yogurt). I used to get lots of headaches and I’m realizing that I don’t get them anymore. Coincidence?
Thanks for the great article! I have natural sugar on my list!
K
Oh, I love that shampoo! Glad you like it.
I think we have the same stove! I’ve seen that shampoo, but haven’t tried it. I love coconut anything.
That conditioner smells just like cake batter to me! I just want to eat my hair when I use that!
Also, read your article on natural sugars. It is something I am trying to change about my diet as well. It is so hard to change eating habits!
Where do you buy your primal strips? I’m interested in trying them (though not the lime).
I bet that shampoo does smell amazing! I made those beans this weekend and they are so good!
I think that baked beans always taste better the next day (or in your case the next week)!
I just started using that shampoo and conditioner a few weeks ago and LOVE how they smell! The conditioner doesn’t seem to detangle my hair well enough, though.
I saw that shampoo/conditioner the other day at the store and loooooved the smell!! Actually every scent from the line is very very good!
Loved the article by the way!
Loved your topic on skin care…
I just wrote a plea here!
http://simplyfabulousnow.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/breakouts/
There are those baked beans again!!
I loved them when I made them last week
I use that same shampoo/conditioner (I bought it a few weeks ago when I noticed it was buy one/get one free and thought what the heck) and it is incredible! I love anything coconut, especially during the summer because it reminds me of the beach!
What is the difference between a Hass avocado and a regular one?
I use that shampoo and conditioner and I absolutely love it!
I love the way spinning makes you drip with sweat! It’s been awhile since I have been to a class and I really should go because it is such a different kind of challenge.
I love the photo of groceries- love to see what people buy.
The beans look great!
I hope you are making it through your busy day!
ah girl i just did a mini review of that shampoo and conditioner in my last video post.. i love that stuff
Jenna- where did you find that Naturally More Peanut Butter? I cannot find it anywhere! Thank you!
Meredith
Your lunch looks awesome!! Those Newman’s cookies are WAY good, almost too good! Splenda is what caused my migraines too. Since I’ve booted them, I haven’t had one!
Oh my gosh I have been DYING to try that coconut S+C!!! I have to get some asap!
Coconut is a wonder food! lol
Awesome grocery load! I just LOVE hearing about grocery shopping trips and seeing all the goods you buy… I definitely give my vote for these posts!
2 quick questions…
1) What type of almond milk do you buy? What should I look for in almond milk? I’ve been wanting to try some, but there are so many varieties (vanilla, sweetened, unsweetened, etc) that I have no idea what to look for!
2) What is you favorite organic PB? I use smucker’s organic pb or eastwind organic pb, but I haven’t been too impressed with either one. I’d love your imput!
Thanks Jenna!
Heather,
I buy Pacific Brand Organic Almond Milk and looove it. I have been using this brand for about a year and a half and really enjoy it. In my opinion, it totally blows away Almond Breeze.
As for the pb, I like Naturally Nutty pb because it has more protein than the average brand. I love raw almond butter more though!
I have to say a huge THANKS for informing me about Primal Strips when I first read your blog a month or so ago. They are seriously the best snack ever, I’m glad I searched them out. Texas BBQ is amaaazing
I love leftovers! That shampoo looks/sounds great, I find organic stuff is almost always better for my hair!
I just bought that tazo flavor not too long ago and I am loving it! I’m also currently using the organix coconut shampoo (it was on sale at target!). It smells amazing!
Yummy looking lunch! I wish we would have had a self-portrait post-first bite!
Messy…
Hi Jenna,
I’ve been using Skippy Natural and compared it today to the Marnatha (sp?) brand and couldn’t really see any difference in terms of nutrition. Am I missing something? If I like the taste of my Skippy All Natural, should I stick with that?
And while I’m on the PB topic, I’m sorry to be so lame, but is it just the taste of the almond butter that you prefer to PB? Again, did some label comparing after seeing that you love the almond butter so much. Is it a taste thing or am I, once again, missing something entirely?
TY!
I love the artificial sweetener article…I was so the “Splenda addict” as well. I’ve noticed since I’ve stopped using it, I’m not as bloated/gassy. The shampoo and conditioner looks awesome, I’ll have to look for it.
Love your lunch! Off to check out your article!
I love that shampoo, I love anything coconut. I just wanted to let you know that I had my first green smoothie! At wholefoods I ordered a spinich, insert weird look from amber, the smoothie girl, banana, protien powder and almound milk, and wow, yum.
have fun, brit
Jenna, you should know better than to expect fake meats to be any good! And as Michael Pollan says, don’t buy anything that makes health claims. They’re all over that package! “Super protein, low fat, healthy” usually means “not real food”
Anything with coconut is amazing!! My favorite scent/cupcake flavor!
Spinning is the best group class..you get so into it and such a good workout!!
I tried one primal strip flavor that was absolutely repulsive. I couldn’t get the smell off my fingers or the taste out of my mouth all day. I still cringe when I think of it. I can’t remember what flavor it was, but I am afraid to try them again because of that memory.
Totes agree on that flavor of Primal Strips. I’ve had good luck with most of the varieties, but that one is NOT a favorite.
i have been using organix hair products for about a year now, and i LOVE them. the coconut milk is my very favorite, but i’ve tried many of the other scents. i have thick, wavy/curly, very unruly hair, and this makes it so soft and luxurious. and it smells AMAZING.
New reader.
The Teryaki flavored Primal Strips are AMAZING. The first one I ever tried was the lime one, it was soooo gross. I didn’t touch them for months afterwards. Texas BBQ is my other favorite now.