EAS Peak Giveaway

I have a little vegan game I like to play- it's called "show the world how easy it is to avoid animal products." I get a certain sense of pride when friends I have dined with several times don't find out I'm vegan until much later. It helps banish one of the many stereotypes tied to the way I choose to eat.

As a vegan there are only about two places I have trouble getting a good meal: bars full of fried food and little diners who have never heard the word vegan before. Every time I visit my grandparents we visit one of those diners. I usually order an unsatisfying salad and they think I eat that way all the time.

Recently I started getting creative! I ordered a wheat sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced almonds and ketchup. I also got a side of fruit. Feel free to get creative when ordering out!!

I was home visiting family to celebrate my mom's and brother's birthdays. (Happy birthday guys!!) Never one to miss out on dessert, I made sure to pick up Purely Decadent in Mocha Almond Fudge.

Who says vegans are missing out on anything?!

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Removed EAS giveaway text due to BlogHer advertising policy.. Contest closed anyway :)

Vibram Vibram

 

Yesterday began the way all the best days do… hot power yoga surrounded by friends. The 90-minute session felt wonderful after I took several days in a row off from classes over the weekend.

Post-yoga I met Ryan for lunch at our favorite go-to, Infusion Tea.

Apparently I’m a creature of habit because I ordered the my favorite- 1/2 tempeh chili, 1/2 Milton Special salad and a Passion Fruit iced tea of the day. I love the fresh flavors and textures of the salad balanced out by the hearty, warm chili. It must be good for me to order it several times each month over the last year!

Over lunch Ryan told me about how she was considering the Vibram Five Fingers. I’ve been considering Vibram’s for a while but hadn’t made the jump yet. As usual Ryan had done her research and educated me about the power of the shoes. Nest thing I know I’m in Ryan’s car headed to Travel Country to try on a pair for myself!

There were three main outdoor options for women: Classic, Sprint and KSO. The girl helping us was great and explained the benefits of each one in detail. In the end I decided to try on the Sprint; it offers a secure fit while still being pretty open on the top of the foot.

Ryan and I had our feet sized and tried on a few pairs. It was definitely different sliding each toes into it’s own compartment, but I quickly fell in love once I took my first step. It is like walking barefoot- but better.

  Surprisingly the Vibrams didn’t look as goofy as I imagined! (Or maybe I’m just used to seeing everyone else in them!?) Ryan and I both ended up going with the Sprint model, though we got different colors to match our own personalities :) There’s a lot of technology behind these shoes, but I think this from the website explains a lot:

“When you go barefoot, your movements become the movements of a child—playful and sensitive, yet purposeful and confident. You experience the unbound joy of stepping, hopping, and running across any surface on earth, simply to get from here to there.

Vibram FiveFingers® allow you to relive that sensation. Unlike conventional shoes that insulate you from your surroundings, FiveFingers footwear deepens your connection to the earth and your surroundings. FiveFingers enhance your sense of touch and feel, while improving foot strength, balance, agility, and range of motion. Because wearing Vibram FiveFingers is so close to going barefoot, you’ll enjoy the health and performance benefits of barefooting without some of the risks.

Outdoor enthusiasts have found FiveFingers to be the ideal crossover shoe for multiple sports and activities—from ChiRunning and bouldering to kayaking and windsurfing. Fitness enthusiasts use FiveFingers for core strength training, yoga and Pilates. Our customers continually discover new and creative uses for our alternative performance footwear.”

From the moment we left the store Ryan and I wanted to walk over everything. The sensation of a round rock or the cracks in the brick or the softness of grass felt so good! I definitely felt like a little kid being so aware of my surroundings.

You are instructed to ease into the Vibrams, and certainly to not start running in them right away. But my name is Ashley and I have trouble listening to directions. I ran three miles in my new Vibrams right after I got home.

I kept stubbing my big toes into the pavement which hurt terribly and actually left holes in the top of the shoes. I never hit my toes in sneakers, so I’m sure it was just that my stride wasn’t adjusted to such different support.

Other than the toe issue I loved how the Vibrams moved with me on my run. At first I felt like I had walked outside in just my socks, but it felt more normal quickly. I felt lighter and more in touch with my surroundings. My pace was 45 seconds faster without any additional effort.

I’m addicted. My feet felt alive and strong. My whole body felt more in touch from my feet up. I have a lot of adjusting to do with the Vibrams, so I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Do you own a pair of Vibram Five Fingers? What are your thoughts on barefoot running?

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Olympic Granola Giveaway Winners:

Active Eggplant

Congratultaions! Please email your mailing address to healthyashley@gmail.com.

Be sure to check out Where to Buy to find where Olympic Granola bars are near you!

Olympic Granola Giveaway

Sunday morning I came across a guy with a truck, tent and tons of produce just down the street from my house. I was heading to the farmer’s market but couldn’t help but stop by to check out the goods.

The farmer was out selling his own produce and was so passionate about his crops. He was overjoyed when I asked to take photos of his beautiful table.

The best part by far was when he’d grab a fruit, cut out a chunk and pass the chunk to me on his knife to sample. The watermelon, cantaloupe and peach I tasted won me over.

I got a good selection from the produce stand and stopped at a grocery store for bananas and hummus. I can’t wait to visit my new favorite stand again. Everything I’ve eaten from that day is incredible!

And check out the size of the cucumber!!

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I’m so excited to tell you guys about Olympic Granola. I first tried Olympic Granola at the Grandma’s Marathon expo in Duluth, MN. The bars were so incredible that I bought some to enjoy on my trip- and talked to them about doing something with the blog. I wanted you all to know about this amazing company!

These dense granola bars are full of good-for-you ingredients and will fill you up. They’re dairy-free but contain honey- which is fine for honey-eating vegans like myself. Check out the ingredient lists. I enjoy the texture of the bars because there’s so much going on- they use rolled oats, nuts and nutty rice to give a really interesting texture. Plus, there’s tons of flavor. Just take the Coffee House Bar with chunks of chocolate :)

Olympic Granola is a family company that started out in 2003 selling bars at farmer’s markets and co-ops. Now they’re expanding across the nation. So neat.

Bill from Olympic Granola has offered to give away one sample box of his amazing bars!

To win a sample box of Olympic Granola Bars:

1. Comment on this post telling me which flavor you’re most excited to try.

2. Tweet about this giveaway: “I entered the Olympic Granola Bar giveaway on @healthyashley http://tinyurl.com/2d8pya7”

3. Blog about it!

Giveaway closes Sunday, July 18th.

Bondi Band Giveaway Winners

Wow!! It looks like a lot of you want to get your hands on some Bondi Bands :-)

Here are the winners:

Andrea

Skinny Sushi

Ashley

Winners, please email the three bands you’d like and your mailing address to healthyashley@gmail.com and I’ll get them right out to you!

Don’t get too upset if you didn’t win… I have coupon codes for the Bondi Band website to share!

Buy 3 get 1 free, coupon code: ONE

Buy 5 for $25, coupon code: FIVE

Have fun!

Bondi Band Headband Giveaway!

I’m so excited to announce a Bondi Band giveaway! I’m sure you’ve been hearing about Bondi Bands around the blog world lately. Now’s your chance to try your own!

Check out Meghann and Caitlin in theirs!

I use Bondi Bands for:

- running marthons

- yoga

- when I don’t feel like doing my hair

- under my bike helmet or hat

- any time I don’t want hair or sweat in my face

Bondi Bands are made out of a dri fit material so they wick sweat and dry faster. There’s a special gripping layer underneath that keeps them on place on your head. They are also gentle enough to not give you a headband headache! (There are also Lycra fashion headbands that are cute but don’t have the extra gripping layers. I like to layer the fashion headbands over the gripping/wicking!)

I am giving away three Bondi Band headbands to three winners.

You have until April 4th to enter… I’ll post the winners April 5th!

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me which color or saying you’d most want.

2. Follow @bondiband on Twitter.

3. Post about this giveaway on your blog.

4. Tweet "I entered the @bondiband giveaway on @healthyashley http://tinyurl.com/yggldgk”.

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I got some terrible news about my grandfather early this morning (right as I was getting dressed for work actually). He had to go into surgery today. The surgery wasn’t too serious; it was all the factors around the surgery that made it so scary. He is now recovering in the hospital and seems to be doing okay. Thanks to everyone on Twitter who reached out with their prayers and support.

In light of today’s high emotions I didn’t photograph my food. Needless to say, other things were on my mind. I also had no desire to cook so I picked up a gorgeous selection from the Whole Foods hot bar. Mmmmm :)

Their granola is always a special treat I like to include :)

Good luck in the giveaway!

Smoothie King Winners!

We have three winners from 42 total entries for the Smoothie King Giveaway!

Daily Goods said "smoothies in the summertime always make me happy :) thanks for the great giveaway!"

Cooking with Kate said "reading on the beach always makes me happy!"

Taylor said "Being able to actually ENJOY a smoothie after sticking it out in treatment!
SK coffee smoothies are my not-so-guilty pleasure :]"

Congratulations, ladies! Please email your mailing address to healthyashley at gmail dot com!

Smoothie King GIVEAWAY!

All Smoothie King stores are now open at 7am for breakfast. Fun change for Smoothie King = fun giveaway for us!

Smoothies are great for breakfast: healthy, quick and portable. As you've read before, I LOVE Smoothie King.

Along with smoothies, muffins and breakfast cookies there are some fun options like Yerba Mate, pomegranate, Mangosteen, Acai… and wheat grass shots!! (Sorry, totally sounding like an infomercial now!)

The Giveaway:

Who: Three Winners

What: $10 gift card for each winner

How: 1 entry for leaving a comment on this post telling me something that makes you happy; 1 entry for blogging about it; 1 entry for tweeting it (@healthyashley)

When: Giveaway ends Sunday, May 10, at 11pm EST.

Drink Smoothie King because this Smoothie King beach lady says so!

Click here for Smoothie King locations!

Do you do smoothies? How would you use a Smoothie King gift card? Any smoothie combos you would recommend?

Country Bob's- WINNERS!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered in the Country Bob's Sauce giveaway.

The giveaway ended last night and thanks to random.org we have four winners for three free bottles of Country Bob's each:

Mica

MizFit

Anne

Natalie

Congratulations! Winners please email your mailing address to healthyashley at gmail dot com!

I really love this sauce. If you didn't win, you can still get a free bottle here!

Sorry for the suprise lack of posts- I'll be back tonight with a real post!

Country Bob's GIVEAWAY

Sometimes I wish I had a food blog. If I had a food blog you would see some of the amazing products (and flops) I've found and incorporated into my cooking... like Country Bob's Sauces.

When I first reviewed Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce I hadn't fully grasped the awesomeness. Since then it has become a delicious staple. I use it on my sweet potato fries, tofu, eggs, marinades, beans, rice... pretty much everything.

So I want you to try it too! Country Bob's was nice enough to send several coupons for free bottles my way so we could have a little giveaway on healthy ashley. Yay!

I picked up my bottle at the regular grocery store. I believe Country Bob's sauces are sold across the United States. I am checking to hear back if they are available in Canada...!

Winners: Four different winners (selected at random)

Prize: 3 coupons each for 3 bottles of Country Bob's Regular or Spicy Hot Sauce and a little something extra (from me, not Country Bobs!)

How to Win:

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Blog about it on your blog (and let me know).

3. Tweet about it (and let me know).

That's three possible entries... Good luck!

Contest ends Tuesday, April 21st, 9:00 p.m. EST.

You're all WINNERS in my eyes!

I'm happy to announce the Smoothie King Giveaway Winners!!!!:

Lauren

Erin

CarolineBee

Email your mailing addresses to healthyashley at gmail dot com and I'll get your free smoothie cards out to you asap! HURRY!

Smoothie King Giveaway TWO!

Here's another Smoothie King Giveaway! This is more like a shotgun giveaway since it ends Thursday evening. The free Smoothie King smoothie cards expire at the end of the year.

To enter for 1 of 3 sets of 2 gift cards, simply leave a comment on this post. I will randomly select the winners Thursday evening.

(Make sure to check back Friday morning to see if you're the winner! Good luck!)

Giveaway Reminder!

(Just a fun picture from tonight!)

Some of the Smoothie King Giveaway winners still haven't contacted me! If I listed your name, make sure to send your mailing address to healthyashley at gmail dot com for your prize!