How was your Super Bowl Sunday? Did you watch the game? I’ve never been a Super Bowl fanatic and typically pay more attention to the commercials than the game, but we had a few friends drop by our place yesterday and it was one of my favorite Super Bowls. The game didn’t really excite me, but the company and snacks (including Liz’s Creamy Hummus and Stephanie’s pimento cheese dip) were amazing!

popchips made an appearance! I love these because they’re baked and not greasy, but still crunchy and flavorful like regular chips. Bbq is my favorite flavor, then the salt & vinegar.

I also tried out the Eat Clean Vegetarian Chili. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great It will definitely be my new go-to veggie chili recipe.

We “watched” the Super Bowl, snacked, took shots of Jesse’s homemade kombucha and then had a hot sauce tasting. Totally normal Super Bowl activities.

Moving on, have you seen the new Chobani flavors?

2% Passion Fruit, 0% Blood Orange and 0% Apple Cinnamon. <– All are delicious!

I’ve always loved Chobani but now that they’ve come out with an Apple Cinnamon flavor I love them even more – it’s like appie pie yogurt and it’s definitely my new favorite! As for the other new flavors, the blood orange is next on my list, then the passion fruit. The passion fruit it the most interesting because it has the little seeds in it for a fun crunch.

I’ve been eating the yogurt on it’s own, topped with granola or in recipes like Janetha’s Apple Pie A La Mode Smoothie.

I’ve also been making fruity overnight oats.

This little combo of Apple Pie Overnight Oats is a winner:

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 container of Chobani’s Apple Cinnamon yogurt
• 1 T chia seeds
• sprinkle of cinnamon

I mixed everything together in a bowl and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning I topped the oats with a little Love Grown Foods Apple Walnut Delight for a delicious breakfast. Chobani + Love Grown Foods granola = match made in heaven.

I was sent a case of the new flavors to review from Chobani, but per the usual the review is my honest opinion. And, despite being sent the case I’ve already gone to Kroger twice to buy more of the Apple Cinnamon. It’s that good.

The best part is that Chobani has also offered to giveaway a case of the new flavors to one EBF reader. Just leave a comment with which flavor you’re most excited to try to win. I’ll announce the winner this Friday.

Ugh. I spent about two hours last night writing a HUGE post with a ton of details about the weekend with updates on my scoliosis and wedding planning and when I got up this morning to publish it, it was gone! I’ve had ecto eat posts before but I always forget to save my content to a word document – so disappointing!

Perhaps this little face will help cheer me up.

I can’t rewrite everything this morning because I have to go to work but here’s a very short version of what was supposed to post today…

Friday afternoon – I had an appointment with a chiropractic doctor in Charlottesville that specializes in scoliosis, Dr. Dolly Garnecki.I have a new treatment plan involving over 20 exercises (when crazy equipment) to do at home everyday. It’s quite overwhelming at the moment, but I’m excited to have something to do for my scoliosis other than worrying about whether or not I will need the surgery. Positive yards are being made!

Saturday = more venue touring and a celebration for Stephanie’s b-day at Havana 59!

We still haven’t found the perfect venue for our ceremony and reception (we’re planning to do both at the same place). We realized the venue we loved last weekend, The Manor at Kings Charter, probably isn’t going to work out because of the size of our guest list. It’s a shame beacuse both Isaac and I loved the ceremony site, the house and the women that worked there were amazing. There isn’t enough space inside the house to seat 150 guests and if we have it outside under a tent our music would have to be turned off at 8PM. We wanted the party to last longer than that so we’re still on the hunt.

Here are our requirements – a reasonably priced venue that can hold 150 people for an outdoor ceremony and an indoor or tented reception where all of our guests can have seats.

So far we’ve toured Virginia Cliffe Inn, The Boathouse at Sunday Park, Amber Grove, Lewis Ginter and Main St. Station. Some are too pricey for us, others just didn’t “feel like the one.”

We currently have a few more to tour including The Science Museum, The Mill at Fine Creek, Tuckahoe Plantation and Willow Oaks Country Club. I’ll be really excited once we’ve found the venue because then we’ll know the date and we can start asking our wedding party if they’ll be part of our celebration!

The girl’s dinner for Steph’s b-day was a blast and the food at Havana 59 was quite tasty!

We ordered two “Spanish pizzas” with roasted veggies for the table and every one ordered a salad for their entree – typical ladies. I’d highly recommend the Chopped 59′ salad sans the chorizo as it was awesome.

The server brought over the chocolate torte with coconut almond crust and raspberry sauce for Stephanie. I had a bite and it was rich, creamy and delicious – perfect for a b-day celebration.

Last but not least, I attended a bridal shower for a friend on Sunday. The only sad part is that I forgot my camera and didn’t get photos of the beautifully decorated house, fun drinks and food. Lucky for me (and Isaac) the host sent me home with two cupcakes from the party.

How pretty are these edible flowers? I love them!

Other items of interest:

• Check out my guest post over at Diets In Review – Saying “I Do” Can Cause Weight Gain. The article is about how to prevent the weight gain a lot of women tend to have after they get married or move in with a significant other. I may not be married yet but I’ve lived with Isaac for 3 years so I definitely know a thing or do about the extra pounds that can creep on.
• This Tone It Up Ab circuit is killer! My abs were sore all weekend thanks to this thing.
• The Sparkly Soul headband giveaway is still going on. Enter before tomorrow, January 31st for a chance to win.

That’s all I have time for right now, but expect an update soon about the Eat Clean Stripped Challenge, which ended this weekend. Be warned though – I’m not super proud of my performance or the results. :/

Last night I attended the January Cooking Demo at my local Whole Foods. It was lovely… lots of delicious food (per the usual) and fun company including Liz, Stephanie, Sharon (Steph’s mom) and my friend Heidi.

This month was about having a Healthy New Year so all the dishes were nutritious! While everything Chef Jesse prepared was tasty, I’m pretty sure I went to sleep and woke up thinking about the goo balls he made.

Their name = Heady Goo Balls.

Sounds like something you would get a Phish concert but rest assured these dense little nuggets of goodness are filled with nothing but superfoods including bee pollen, raw honey, almond butter, oats, chia seeds and more. Oh and Amazing Grass. They taste delicious and would be great for a pre or post workout snack. I plan to make them as soon as I stop by the store and grab all the ingredients, which will hopefully happen tonight.

Full details about the demo and the recipe for Jesse’s Heady Goo Balls coming soon. Have a great Tuesday!

Oh and don’t forget to check out the Sparkly Soul non-slip headband giveaway I have going on.

This weekend has gone by way too fast! The sad part is that Isaac is off tomorrow for MLK Day and I have to work. Boo hiss!

So what did I do all weekend? I think the explanation calls for a little list and a few instagram picts <– Has anyone else started using their phone to take photos for blogging more often than their digital cam? I still use my DSLR but I’ve been using the iphone more and more lately. It’s just so easy.

Weekend highlights to follow:

1. Made these gingerbread “cliff” bars.

The good news: They’re a tasty little snack – filling and dense, yet still have a soft and chewy texture.

The bad news: They’re almost gone!

2. A trip to Whole Foods for lunch on Saturday with my fiancé<– still so fun saying typing that!

Isaac and I both got value meals from the prepared foods section. Each meal comes with one of three entrees and two sides. I got the Health Starts Here stuffed portobellos with balsamic marinated veggies and brussels sprouts on the side. Isaac got the chicken stuffed with figs and goat cheese for him. $6 for mine and $10 for his and it was a ton of food! Score.

3. Spent a vast amount of time checking out Jamie Eason’s LiveFit program.

I’ve been interested in the LiveFit program since hearing about it from Janetha, who always inspires me in the workout department. You see, I’ve been in somewhat of a exercise rut lately and the 12 week LiveFit program seems to offer great results. I’m still not sure if I’m going to follow the training program 100% but the eating plan is very similar to how I’m eating now with the Stripped Challenge so that works out perfectly. Isaac and I did Phase 1, Day 1 (Chest and Triceps) on Saturday morning together and we were both super sore this morning. Isaac skipped out the gym today but I completed Day 2 (Back and Biceps) as well. So far I really like having a set workout to do each day and the variety of moves. It feels good to switch up my routine and add more strength training back in my life. I’m planning to do Day 3 tomorrow morning and I’ll keep you all posted.

4. Tried one of Chobani’s new flavors – the apple cinnamon!

I’m typically a plain greek yogurt gal but I love all things apple cinnamon and had to try this new flavor. I’m glad I did because it definitely rivals the pineapple flavor, which is one of my favorites. Chobani + Love Grown Foods granola = best combo ever!

5. Sipped on some new-to-me tea, Runa guayusa.

The tea was given to me from a friend to try. I haven’t ever heard of the brand or the variety but after looking it up, I’ve found that Guayusa (gwhy-you-sa) is a native Amazonian tree leaf that has been brewed like tea with more caffeine and double the antioxidants of any tea, including yerba mate. Plus it has additional health benefits. I’ve tried both the traditional and the spice variety. Both are delicious, but I especially love the flavor of the spice as it reminds me of chai tea.

6. Last but not least, wedding research has officially taken over my computer time. We’re pretty sure we want to have the wedding next spring (2013) so we’ve started looking at venues. We toured two last weekend and toured another this Saturday. I also spent way too many hours online researching venues than I care to admit. There are a ton of options so we still haven’t decided anything yet. <– I’m not sure how much I plan to blog about the the wedding. If you all want to hear about it, I’d love to share but if not I’ll just stick to my normal health eating + workout stuff and keep the wedding details to a minimum.

Sooo I guess that’s where my weekend went! Now it’s time for bed.

Happy Friday friends! Today marks the one week anniversary of our engagement and to celebrate I have convinced Isaac to write a guest post with our engagement story. I thought it would be a awesome to have Isaac share his perspective and I’m really glad I did because reading his post makes me have a permanent grin on my face. The words below are totally his, except the few comments I added, which are italicized.

Hello…

My name is Isaac and I am one third of the Eating Bird Food Family. You may remember me from famous posts like Pizza Every Night, Taking Up Cooking Space with Brew Kettles and Missing in Action the Summer of 2009. <–He’s a jokester.

I am here today to retell the story of Brittany and her engagement to me. As most of you know our relationship began many moons ago during our college years at George Mason University. We got to know each other through some mutual friends and cemented our friendship when we both worked at Dominos Pizza. It was not long before sparks were flying and we began our relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. However, it would be a long…LONG…time before I finally asked Brittany to marry me.

This past summer I was hanging out with a dear friend of mine who sat me down and said, “Seriously, when are you going to go ahead and do what we all know you are going to do and get married?” I made some silly joke, attempting to play it off like I had for many years retelling the quote my dad had ingrained in my brother and I – “You can either get married twice before your thirty or once after.” Now, in my mind I knew that was not the case with Brittany but it was kind of funny the first 150 times and it bought me a little bit of time. He shook his head and said, “You’re ridiculous.” I assured him I had a plan and was going to be getting everything together by November or December.

True to my word, I went to the jewelry store less than half a block away from our house. The store is called Studio K and is owned by the Kamborian family. It just so happens that an earlier generation of the Kamborian family made my parents wedding rings as well. On November 15, 2011 with a stone in hand and an idea in my mind I went and spoke to one of their master jewelers and together we designed a ring around the diamond that I thought was both elegant and slightly antique.

The next 6 weeks were quite hard. I had numerous ideas of how I wanted to propose, but I am notorious for giving people their birthday or holiday gifts before it is time. My original idea was to wait for the first snow and take Brittany and Olive on a walk to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts where they have a beautiful water fountain accented by lights and cascading water falls that follow down a set of stairs to a wonderful sculpture garden. Sounds nice, right? Unfortunately, over those six weeks we had an average temperature of 60° and there was no chance of snow in sight.

Skip forward to Friday December 30, 2011… I had decided in the wake of the spring-like December we were experiencing in Virginia I better move on to Plan B.

When Brittany and I were first visited Richmond together during the honeymoon of our relationship, we visited Maymont Park (a private estate that was donated to the City of Richmond and turned into a park in the 1920s) and spent a number of hours curled up together in one over-sized tree getting to know each other better. Friday morning I asked Brittany if we could go to the park since it was going to be one of the last nice days of the year. She liked the idea and around 4 o’clock we traveled with the sun setting to enjoy a little stroll around the park.

When we arrived I suggested we find the tree that we sat in that day 7 years ago and perhaps take some pictures. We walked past the petting zoo, rounded the bend by the grey fox and traveled up the hill to the tree of young love (kidding…kind of).

We took a few pictures. (Of course, I was wearing workout gear for the special moment.)

There we climbed the branch and hung out for a while chatting about what we needed to get done before our New Year’s eve party. All the while, I am nervously fumbling the ring around in my pocket wondering when the right moment would arrive for me to “pop the question.” I will admit, I was a bit nervous despite the fact I already knew the answer. Looking up into the tree I honestly can’t remember what was even being said because I was simultaneously going through what I was going to say to her when that “moment” arrived. The sun was setting (which means closing time at the park) and I knew I needed to get it out or I would be kicking myself the rest of the night. I ask Brittany about some branch way up in the tree so she wont see me reach into the interior pocket of my jacket and pull out the ring. “Phew” I say to myself, “It’s out…okay…you really have to do it now” Then, of course, I procrastinate. I spend the next five minutes talking to Brittany who is sitting on a raised branch with me standing on the ground looking up at her. I have the ring balled up in my hand behind her back. We kiss…I pause…look her in the eye…and ask…”Will you do me a little tiny favor, maybe, by chance before the new year? ” I’m thinking in my head that it didn’t come out quite as eloquently as I anticipated but I had the ball rolling. She looks me in the eye suspectingly and says “hmm, sure. What do you need?” Heart pumping, feeling a bit like a 13 year old boy I respond. “Will you marry me?”

I think everyone knows how the rest of the story goes but I wanted to share the story from my perspective. It’s really unbelievable how nervous a guy can get, even around his best friend in the world when he is asking the her to marry him. I mean, I knew she was going to say yes and there has never been a doubt in my mind that we were a perfect fit. But, there I was reduced to the nerves of a 13 year old boy at the middle school dance asking the girl on the other side of the dance floor to a slow dance.

The past few days have been awesome, thanks for all the congratulations and support!! Knowing that I am going to spend the rest of my life with my best friend has truly made me the happiest person in the world. Brittany is pretty excited as well…