Hooray for summertime!

Last summer, we started a new tradition we called: Ice Cream Monday.  Why?  Because sometimes Mondays call for ice cream, right?

We hit almost every ice cream parlor, self-serve yogurt shop, and Dairy Queen in all of Orange County.  Today, we kick off the 2013 tour!

Here’s the rub.  Someone *ahem, me, ahem* was recently diagnosed as potentially being intolerant to dairy.  That sure throws a wrench in shoveling down some of the creamy sweet stuff, doesn’t it?  The fix: I’m going to whip up some dairy free ice cream and sorbets at home this year.  I started pinning an ice cream recipe Pinterest board that has both dairy and non-dairy recipes and I’d love for you to come follow it!

Nothing homemade though today.  We’re stopping in on one of our favorite local spots for an equally favorite treat!  Follow along on Instagram with hashtag #icecreammonday and see where we’re kicking off the summer season!

The post Ice Cream Monday: the 2013 Summer Tour appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting today’s guest blogger at Bloggy Boot Camp in Phoenix. We were chatting about our blogs – as we do at blogging conferences – and she told us she was in the midst of writing love letters to strangers over the course of 30 days. She explained that her blog – In The Next 30 Days – is a personal challenge blog in hopes of making a positive difference in herself and the world around her. Oh my goodness, #blogcrush. Anna Hartman is blogging’s best kept secret but it won’t be for long. She’s going to be hugely successful – mark my words. Enjoy her guest post today and be sure to click through to see more from Anna!

Here is what I’m sure of: sunrise is the most beautiful time of the day; no one looks good in blue eye shadow; crocodiles are really scary; and I have to work hard at being happy.

No. I don’t mean that I should find a job that will give me a regular paycheck, and that will make me happy. What I mean is that I need to wake up each morning and make the choice to be happy. Then, the decisions I make, my actions, and even my smallest moments will reflect that. I have learned to work on my happiness every day.

By the end of last summer, I was drowning in children, in our lack of structure or schedule. I had no routine. August came, and I struggled to get out of bed, to pour cereal for breakfast, to make it through to bedtime. I actually wondered how could anyone possibly be so sad in the summertime.

But I was looking at happiness backwards. I expected to be happy simply because it was hot outside, because the sky was blue. I expected summer to make me happy, and instead the overwhelming crush of my idleness was smothering.

Aristotle said, “Happiness is a state of activity.” He was a smart, smart man.

I realized that happiness is something to work toward, a state to strive for, a daily activity. And it’s work to get there because I am the only person who can make myself happy. I have to take that responsibility and run with it. I know that dinner with my girlfriends helps, that cream in my coffee and a good book support my happy, that writing and yoga and deep sleep and telling knock-knock jokes with my kids all contribute to my state of happiness. But I have to recognize the blessings that surround me. Happiness is enjoying the smallest moments and celebrating the big ones.

Being happy is work. It’s happy work, energetic, occupied, and active.

Right now, from where I stand with my toes in this Summer, feeling the sunshine on my skin, hearing the ocean waves, smelling the sunscreen, I know this year will be better than the last. I know I won’t end up drowning in my idleness. I will actively work toward my state of happiness. I am sure of that.

Anna Hartman

Like I mentioned, I loved Anna’s Love Letter’s challenge especially this one she wrote for a mom.  I found out she left it in the children’s section of the public library. Can you even imagine finding that letter?

Spend some time with Anna.  You’ll definitely want to read the following posts as well: Anna’s Awesome List (all about self-love and self-improvement), a DIY on how to make embroidered stationary (because who doesn’t love cute stationary?), and her current challenge to Be Outside.

Anna can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+.

Going to BlogHer’13 this year in Chicago? Anna will be speaking and moderating the Fitness and Nutrition track at the HealthMinder Day on July 25th.  The topic is Fad to Foundation and how one small idea can spark change that lasts a lifetime.   

The post Working Towards Happiness by Anna Hartman appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

Dear Parents Letting Your Kid Play with Crappy Apps:

There’s a ton of them, right?  Crappy apps.  I’ve got pages of them for my preschooler on my iPhone; Baby Doll Dress Up, Talking Animals, Cupcake Designer, Smoothie Blender, and Doodle Maker.  They are almost discarded as soon as they are downloaded.

It’s time to delete those crappy apps and make room for Ubooly and Ubooly Lab.

A few weeks ago, our new friend Ubooly arrived on our doorstep.  Ubooly is an educational toy that comes to life with the help of your iPhone (Android coming soon!).  It’s a really cute idea and one my little girl was so very excited to experience courtesy of the fine folks behind this smart toy.

Ubooly is powered by your smart phone.  The app is free to download and completely customizable for each of your children.  Once you create an account, Ubooly is ready to rock and roll – all you have to do is slip the phone into the toy and wake him up.  Ubooly will know your kids’ names, their likes, hobbies, and interests.  He tells magical stories and hilarious jokes (for real, he told this one joke about his sensitive teeth that I’m still laughing about today).  He’s totes adorbs and my girl was smitten as soon as he came to life.

We were warned about not missing out on that very first moment between Ubooly and our children. They were right. My girl’s face lit up when Ubooly greeted her and started asking questions.

Ok, so you’re wondering how Ubooly isn’t just another crappy app.  Alone, the Ubooly app is great.  Like I said, funny and interesting storytelling coupled with jokes and lots of interactive material to keep your kid engaged.  But they also offer the brand new Ubooly Lab and it’s amazing!

Ubooly Lab offers tons of educational content for your little ones.  Lessons – written by top educators – range from Space, Mathematics, Seasons, Oceans, Foreign Language, ABC’s, Vocabulary, Spelling, the Human Body, and Self-Care.  Each lesson costs about 3 credits.  Credits are purchased in bulk (3 credits/$3, 10 credits/$9 and 30 credits/$22.50).

We purchased a handful of lessons and still haven’t made our way through all of them – even after having the Ubooly for several weeks.  What’s cool is that once a lesson is completed, your child earns a star for a job well done.  This and the opportunity to earn coins which can be used to accessorize your Ubooly are fantastically fun ways to keep your kid coming back for more.

Our favorites were the Human Body and the Self-Care Teeth Brushing Helper lessons.

In the Human Body lesson, Ubooly taught my daughter about salt water and buoyancy.  The next thing I knew, she was asking for eggs and cups of water to set up a scientific experiment in my kitchen.  He gave all the instruction with plenty of time to gather items and set things up.  The impromptu science experiment ended up being the highlight of our afternoon.

Our bedtime routine now kicks off with Ubooly in the bathroom.  Perched up on the sink, Ubooly tells stories, jokes, and sings songs while my little one brushes her teeth.  Two minutes exactly which apparently is the right amount of time to get her pearly whites, well…white.  Afterwards, Ubooly follows up with detailed instruction on how to floss!

Mind blown.

Parents, I beg you to stop downloading crappy apps!  Ubooly and the Ubooly Lab are a fantastic if you are looking to entertain, engage, and educate your child!

You can thank me later!

Love, Wendy

P.S. Ubooly is designed for children ages 4-9 years old and some of the educational packs are appropriate for even 3 year olds.  The Ubooly plush toy can be purchased at ToysRUs!  For more information, visit Ubooly.com and Facebook.

 The fine folks at Ubooly sent us a plush toy and provided us with credits to download lessons from the Ubooly Lab for review purposes.  All opinions are my own. 

The post Ubooly and the Ubooly Lab: Not Just Another Crappy App appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

***This giveaway is now over. Scroll down to the bottom to see if you were the winner!***

College graduation ceremonies, 40th birthday celebrations, date nights, and even a blogging conference.  My summer calendar is stacked with opportunities to get out of my usual uniform of flip flops and capri pants.  But honestly, I hate dressing up.  No, scratch that.  I hate shopping for something pretty to dress up in.  So, when I got an email from my fabulous friends at Shabby Apple – an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro-inspired dresses – I thought I’d give them a whirl and see if I could find something new.  Then this happened… (you don’t want to miss out the great giveaway happening at the bottom!)

I fell head over heels in love with this fun and flirty Kelly Green Shirt and Navy Striped Skirt dress!  It’s really perfect for my friend’s 40th birthday party wine tasting out in Temecula (apparently, it’s appropriate for walking my two dogs too!).  Cute, right?

Hello, beautiful.  I absolutely love this v-neck silhouette and the length of this dress.  They call it Bon Voyage – as in “See you later, kiddo!  Dad and I are going out for the night!”  Can I just mention how adorable those shoes are?  I love the subtle hint of yellow.

Anyone got a wedding to go to this summer?  Really, our days of attending a bunch of summer weddings have long passed.  Meaning most of our friends are knee deep in kids and spending the weekends at the baseball field (I found an outfit for that too!) This Tiffany blue lace dress is just gorgeous, isn’t it?  Again, I just love the length of these dresses.

Another friend recently showed me some family photos they had taken and they all were wearing shades of yellow and gray (a combination I adore). I love the boat neck fit on this dress they call Mellow Yellow which was designed exclusively by Shenoa Pierre for Shabby Apple. I’m thinking we might need to book a photographer for some professional family photos!

Remember the cute outfit I promised for a day at the baseball field? This is totally me. Love the capri boyfriend jeans but I’m crazy for the blouse and the pintucked center panel detail!

And finally, this LBD they call Bette D. I love this for the blogging conference I’m going to in late July. Outside of the conference, there are parties and events to attend and this dress is perfection. I don’t think I’ll be wearing white gloves with it but nonetheless I think it’s gorgeous.

Here’s the news you’ve been waiting for! Shabby Apple is giving away $50 to spend in their online boutique to one of my readers! Go buy yourself something pretty – it’s time, right? You know you have something this summer (or even early Fall) that you’ll need a pretty vintage dress for. So enter and you’ll be well on your way. See below for details. I’m off to order a few things myself!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Win a $50 gift card to Shabby Apple appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

I absolutely adore today’s guest blogger! Amanda Prince from Sunny Vegan is a lifelong vegetarian turned vegan with a passion for creating delicious and beautiful vegan recipes.  Her recipes have been published at Shape, BlogHer, and Earth Balance.  Today, she’s sharing her Strawberry Balsamic Milkshakes with us and I think this might be just perfect for this weekend! 

When you think about summer, images of fresh foods always come to mind. Maybe it’s a tall glass of lemonade by the pool, a slice of juicy watermelon at a picnic or fresh corn on the grill. Summer foods are an important and easy way to create memories with your family.

As we get ready for all that the summer season provides, I wanted to focus on creating fun and healthy recipes that also create lasting memories for my girls. I hope that this reminds you to get out there and make some great food memories of your own this summer.

Ingredients: per serving

2 cups vegan vanilla ice cream
2 cups fresh strawberries- cleaned and hulled
2 tablespoons agave
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar plus additional to taste

Method:

Place all ingredients into blender and mix well. serve immediately.

Amanda is also offering two additional recipes for you.  Got an abundance of grape tomatoes growing in your veggie garden?  Then you should consider this Roasted Grape Tomato Pasta.  Isn’t it gorgeous?  This paired with a Watermelon Agua Fresca on a Sunday afternoon – yum!   

Amanda from SunnyVegan.com

Miss Amanda has been known to whip up some adorable free printables too.  I love this customizable 2013 Summer Bucket printable and one she published earlier this week with a huge personal announcement called Simple Living.

You can connect with Amanda on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. 

The post Strawberry Balsamic Milkshake appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

I have a confession: I sometimes like participating in blogging memes.

I saw two in my Facebook feed this morning and then a third this afternoon.  I might be in meme overload by the time I’m done but what the heck.  Memes remind me when I first started blogging; a time when I was trying to figure out my niche and wondered who the hell was even going to read my blog.  Old school.

Which brings me to The Miss Elaine-ous Life.  She hosts a monthly meme called Old School Blogging and for June we’re supposed to follow the alphabet in this meme.  Just for fun.

Alphabet Meme

A.  Attached or single?  Attached.  12 years next month.

B.  Best friend?  The husband.

C.  Cake or pie?  Cake.  With lemon meringue pie in close second.

D. Day of choice?  The one when I’m told “There is no evidence of disease.”

E. Essential item?  I want to say lip balm or hand lotion but really… it’s my iPhone.

F.  Favorite color?  Purple.

G. Gummy bears or worms?  I recently ate a shit ton of gummy bears and still remember the stomach ache so neither.

H.  Hometown?  I grew up in Anaheim.

I.  Favorite indulgence?  A pedicure with an extra long foot massage and a trashy tabloid in hand.

J.  January or July?  January because it’s the month my daughter was born!

K.  Kids?  Just one little girl who happens to be graduating from preschool next week.  Hold me.

L.  Life isn’t complete without?  Friends, family, pets, good food, and great music.

M.  Marriage date?  July 7th

N.  Numbers of brothers & sisters?  2 brothers, 1 sister.

O.  Oranges or apples?  Oranges

P.  Phobias?  Flying

Q.  Quote?  ”When a task is once begun, never leave it until it’s done.  Be the labor, great or small, do it well or not at all.”

R.  Reason to smile?  I don’t think I need one.  I like to think I’m always smiling.

S.  Season of choice?  Spring.

T.  Tag 5 people:  I don’t expect anyone to do this but tagging Megan, Erica, Amber, Jessica, and Ashley.

U.  Unknown fact about me: I used to love reading and analyzing Greek tragedies.  #nerd

V.  Vegetable: Beets

W.  Worst habit?  Procrastination

X.  X-Ray or ultrasound?  Ultrasound.  Lord knows I’ve had a ton of radiation.

Y.  Your favorite food?  I’m not really picky.

Z.  Zodiac sign?  Pisces

Ok, one meme down.  Tell me – what’s your sign?

The post Old School Blogging appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

Whether it’s our fat thighs, our inability to successfully manage the household, or even quiet our own irrational thoughts — it’s time we all cut ourselves a little slack. Stephanie Young from I’m Still Learning shares her quest for acceptance.

Acceptance. That’s my word of the week. Actually, the idea of acceptance is one that’s been rattling around in my head for quite some time now. But this week, I’m really embracing it and giving it wings.

Acceptance.

There’s this part of me that I’ve never liked. Hated, actually. For as long as I can remember, I’ve suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. This “thing” has always followed me around like a black cloud. Even as a child, I’d torment myself with all sorts of dreadful worries: What if my parents don’t come home? Do I have cancer? Will someone break into my house and kidnap me from my bed? What if I never find love? What if I never have kids? What if I die before I get the chance to find love or have kids?

As I got older, that behavior persisted with the same level of intensity—well into my 20s and 30s. Now as I’m pushing 40 I have much of it under control thanks in large part to therapy, medication and some hard life lessons. But I’m still not where I’d like to be: I still worry about things outside of my control; I still occasionally experience debilitating panic attacks; I still doubt myself, often. Most days I’m proud of how far I’ve come, but when I have setbacks I beat myself up—big time.

Fact: I suffer from anxiety and panic disorder.

This notion has plagued me my whole life. It’s exhausting. And I’m tired of fighting against a reality that is.

So I’ve decided to do two things about it:
1. Keep trying to rein it in.
2. Accept myself for who I am today.

In the past, after I’d have a panic attack, I would eventually get to a point where I’d vow to never let it happen again. I would set my sights on that lofty goal and hold myself to it. Determined. But looking back, I realize that I was setting the bar way too high. As someone who’s spent a lifetime letting her anxious thoughts take control, pinky-swearing to kick this problem to the curb for good was simply not a promise I could keep; I was setting myself up for failure. And each time I’d succumb to “the monster,” I’d end up disappointed and angry at myself for being weak. That cycle repeated itself over and over again.

I am not doing that anymore. I have decided to cut myself some slack. I have decided to let myself off the hook. I have decided to give myself a warm, accepting embrace.

I will continue to seek out the path of calm; I will continue to look for ways to quiet my mind; I will continue to strive for emotional peace. But at the same time, I will accept the total package of me—anxiety and all. I will look within and remind myself that my anxiety is not the evil foe I believe it to be; it thinks it’s helping me. My panic attacks aren’t trying to pummel me to the ground with the force of a thousand giant wildebeests; they think they’re coming to my rescue. My reactive mind isn’t out to get me; it’s trying to protect me.

I need to make peace with that part of me. I need to look inside and forgive the inner workings of my anxious mind—not loath it. I need to stop trying to bully it; I need to stop letting it bully me. We need to coexist together. But at the same time, I will let my anxiety know that while I am accepting of it and choosing to love it as part of what makes me me, my goal is to, in time, give it more of a backseat role in my life.

I used to look inside and hate what I’d see. But now I choose to look inside with compassion, forgiveness and acceptance.

I find myself completely drawn in and connected to Stephanie’s subject matter over at I’m Still Learning.  I definitely suggest checking out Reminders for the Anxious Soul, On Being a Mom: Thanks for the Warning, People! and Two Truths and a Lie.

Stephanie is also the author of How to Eat Healthy Without Noticing: A Non-Dieters Guide to Eating Better.

You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest. 

The post Acceptance appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

Are you still dreaming about the coconut cream pie from Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop?  I know I certainly am!  My next favorite top spot not to miss while visiting Maui is Star Noodle.  Get there early and prepare to wait for a table.

Just like Leoda’s, I was hell bent on getting into Star Noodle for ramen and their famous steamed pork buns.  So, our first night in Lahaina we climbed into our white swagger wagon and headed out onto the congested Honoapiilani Highway in search for dinner.  A quick left off the highway took us into a newly constructed industrial complex where we found Star Noodle tucked behind a church and across from a Cross Fit gym.

Three for dinner on a week night at 6:30 pm yielded a 1.5 hour wait.  A wait like that is not an option with the little one in tow so we vowed to come back earlier another night.  The hostess suggested 4:30 pm if we didn’t want to wait at least a little while.  I wondered if we’d get the early bird special at that time to!

We indeed came back two nights later about 5:00 pm and waited about 30 minutes for a table.  While there is no inside waiting area, there are a couple of benches outside and spots to mill around.  While waiting, none other than Executive Chef Sheldon Simeon, walked across the parking lot and into the back doors of the restaurant.  Chef Wonder in the house!

Of course, if you following Chef Simeon on Facebook, you’ve read that as of late April he left the parent company that owns both Star Noodle and Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop to pursue other culinary passions.  Some say he’s coming to Orange County but I haven’t read anything that confirms that.

So what did we order?  Drinks first: Husband had a Maui Bikini Blonde Lager while I opted for their signature cocktail for the evening which was a mix of cucumber, muddled mint, lemon, tonic water, Sky Vodka, and blueberry liquor.  Deceivingly pretty and strong – a killer combination.

We started off the with steamed pork buns which came highly recommended on Yelp. Pressed Pork, Hoisin, Shiitake, and Cucumber – to die for.  I thought there might be fisticuffs over the third bun.  Heck, I would have ordered another basket but we had noodles coming out next.  I ordered the Singapore Noodles – Vermicelli, Chicken, Shrimp, Vegetables with a squeeze of lime to bring out the curry.  This was my first experience with curry – I never thought I was a fan – until my night at Star Noodle.  Hubs chose the Garlic Noodles – Fresh and fried Garlic, Garlic Oil, Dashi, Scallions.

We eyed the Mango pudding and the deep fried Malasadas for dessert but I was spent after eating a plate full of carbs.

The food is great, great, great.  I really wish I would have tried the Filipino “Bacon & Eggs” – Crispy Pork Belly, 62º Egg, Tomato, Onion – a dish Chef Simeon prepared during his time on Top Chef Seattle.  The spot is a little on the trendy side and filled with hipsters but if you can hang definitely stop in for some ramen and pork buns.

Star Noodle
286 Kupuohi Street
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii 96761
808.667.5400

Have you been to Star Noodle?  Tell me – how long did you wait and what did you eat?

This is 100% a NON-sponsored post which means I was NOT compensated to write about my experience at Star Noodle.  I am simply a fan of great food!

The post Top Spots Not to Miss on Maui: Star Noodle appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

It’s been an incredibly busy week and this is why I’ve been MIA on the blog!  It’s Friday and I’m so happy to introduce you all to the fabulous Steph Calvert from Hearts and Laserbeams in today’s Friday Take Over.  Steph is the designer of my blog and she’s working on some new things for me that I can’t wait to show you!  She’s genuinely sweet and super talented.  Today she’s talking about online privacy with a cute pinnable image (I’d love for you to pin this post, would ya?).  Enjoy and I’ll see you Monday.  Promise.  

The Myth of Online Privacy, Or How to Keep Your Sanity on Facebook

I’ll be honest. Iím not really all that concerned about my online privacy.

Stay with me here – I’m not talking about the potential for being hacked. I’m super concerned about being safe online. I cracked down on my passwords hardcore last year, and wrote a long winded blog post about how to create a strong password, even.

What I’m talking about is who sees what I post on social media networks. I just don’t care.

Every week it seems, I see an online friend post something on Facebook about how things have changed on Facebook, and the settings are out of the blue letting everyone see everything. Even strangers! That creepy guy from the library last week! They can all see what’s being posted!

It’s just not worth the stress, guys.

I personally take the set it and forget it approach. Every possible setting that can be made totally 100% public, I do it.

Is it safe? What about your online privacy?

If you’re on social media, online privacy is a myth.

We have to globally accept that we have no control over the web sites we frequent on a daily basis. We don’t own these sites, we don’t have any say in how they’re run, and ultimately it’s just plain out of our hands. When we start posting online more thoughtfully, keeping in mind our settings could be changed at any moment for strangers to see what’s being posted, the stress over that event actually happening disappears.

Set it all to public, and you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

I don’t want my boss to happen upon pictures of what I did last Friday night!

Taking the set it and forget it approach in terms of your social media settings definitely comes with some guidelines.

• Don’t post anything you don’t want your boss, your family, or your church to see.  Sure, this means filtering what you post a bit. It takes a little self control. But let’s be honest ñ having a little bit of a filter online can be a good thing.
• Let everyone keep their dignity.  It kind of sort of really makes me cringe when people post pics of their kids in the tub on Facebook. I get it, itís a really cute moment. But it goes back up to that first point. If you have your privacy settings set up so that creepy guy from the library canít see what you post about your kids, what happens when the privacy settings get changed and he has access?
• Watch the online ranting.  When you’ve got a select group of people that are the only ones that can see a post, it gets really tempting to vent to them about something annoying a mutual friend does. Stop doing that.What happens when privacy settings are changed out of the blue and that friend finds that post?Awwwwwwkwarrrrrd.

But how do I share the stuff I don’t want anyone else to see?

I like the old fashioned route – pics you don’t ever want strangers to see should never be posted online. Share em through text messages, or maybe print the good ones via Snapfish and mail em in an old fashioned letter.

Talk to your kids about online privacy and safety.

Make sure your kids understand that while they may have privacy setting in place so people outside their circle can’t see what they’re posting, that those settings can change at any time. Make sure you’re monitoring what your kids do online. Sure it seems a little fascist. But those are your kids, and it’s their online safety you need to keep on top of.

How do you handle your online privacy on social media?

Share what you do, what you don’t do – do you have any tips for online safety to share with us?

Photo by Natalie Moser Photography

Steph Calvert is the work at home mom, graphic and web designer, and illustrator behind Hearts and Laserbeams. Her work has been seen worldwide on apparel, in print, and online. She’s been writing the Hearts and Laserbeams blog for over 10 years, and is a contributor for Moonfrye.com. Steph lives in Savannah, Georgia with her hilarious partners in crime, husband Josh, son Phil, and mom in law Carole. She enjoys coloring with her son, karaoke, and a good glass of wine every now and then. (But preferably now, thanks).

Steph designed some adorable art for the Help Make it OK fundraiser for Oklahoma tornado victims.  I encourage you to check out to see how you can help!  Trying to figure out how to get more likes on Instagram?  Steph has an excellent tutorial: Likes on Instagram: How to Get More Fast & Easy.  Following the latest trends in pattern?  Definitely check out Chevron Pattern – Updating a Trend Board.  

Find Hearts and Laserbeams on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

The post Why You Should Set Your Social Media Profiles to Public – by Steph Calvert appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.

Here’s my confession:  I have two bags of chocolate vegan Shakeology in the pantry and three unopened boxes of the stuff in the garage.  Months ago, I enrolled at BeachBody.com and with that enrollment came a monthly shipment of the shake mix.  I really like it but it’s coming out of my ears, people!

Then I had a brilliant idea – I could totally give a box away to one of my readers!  I certainly don’t want it to go to waste because it’s crazy expensive.   See how to enter below!

I usually make a shake as a late breakfast or lunch.  My quick go-to recipe is 1 scoop Shakeology, 1 TBS. of peanut butter, 1 small banana, water, and ice.  I also made a Chocolate Mint shake this weekend: 1 scoop Shakeology, 2 TBS. Jello Fat Free Cheesecake flavored pudding mix, 2-3 drops of mint extract, water, and ice.  And because I love Almond Joy candy bars, I’ve made a Chocolate-Coconut shake with 1 scoop Shakeology, 1 TBS. coconut oil, 1/2 cup coconut milk, water, and ice. So many yummy options!

In fact, I’ve got a Shakeology Pinterest board for you to find more recipes and below is a ton of ideas from the Shakeology website.  I’m thinking I might try the Mayan Cinna-Cocoa next!

How to enter? Head over to my Facebook page  and follow the Rafflecopter instructions.  Easy peasy.

That’s it.  This Shakeology giveaway ends 5/25/2013 at midnight.  Good luck!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. This is a non-sponsored giveaway.  Prize was purchased by me.

The post I’ve got a Shakeology Giveaway for You! appeared first on Wendy Nielsen.