Valentine's Day Recap

Happy Wednesday! I hope y'all have been having a good week so far! Who all is ready for the weekend?

So, as you know, this past Sunday was Valentine's Day! Nathan and I had the day off together, but since I haven't been feeling too well here lately, we took it easy and went for a cruise up toward Big South Fork/Pickett State Park! We both love going exploring, even if it is just driving around. Tennessee truly is such an incredible, beautiful state!

First, we stopped and grabbed some Starbucks!
They had some cute cut-outs to take pictures with! We couldn't resist!

For a late morning snack, I had an almond coconut cashew chai KIND bar. I will definitely buy this again, it was SO GOOD!!

On our way to Pickett State Park, we spotted a random train caboose in the middle of nowhere! We drove up to it, and it had a sign stating that coming soon there will be a unique way to stay overnight - how cool would it be to sleep in a renovated train caboose?
I know there is a train hotel in Chattanooga, called the "Chattanooga Choo Choo," where you can sleep in train cars as well! That would be so much fun!

Pickett State Park was actually the first area in the southeast to be listed as a certified dark sky area. Naturally, we wanted to check it out because Nathan is big into astronomy/astrophotography. He will be going back to the park later on this year for a star party!


When we finally arrived at Pickett State Park, there were a couple of pull offs that lured us in, especially since they were close by and easy walks.
We stopped to take a look at one of the two natural bridges in the park, then we explored the Hazard Cave!

I slipped and fell shortly after that last picture....ouch! I was actually pretty sore not too long after falling down, so we ended up cancelling our reservations for dinner.  :(
Luckily, I have been using my Panaway essential oil to rub on my back, etc. to help keep the pain and soreness away! Again, I love these oils!!

However, we still had a nice, intimate, relaxing Valentine's Day! I just love when we are able to spend quality time together!

You can't have Valentine's Day without chocolate!  <3


Since we were basically stuck at home the rest of the day, the decision to make guacamole was made!

Who doesn't love guacamole?! I buy it all the time, but have never tried making my own before.

Ingredients:

3 avocados

2 cloves garlic

1 tomato

1 lime

1/4 red onion

salt

First, I split open the avocados in half and spooned them into a bowl. The next step was spritzing the avocados with lime juice and mashing them up. Separately, the tomatoes, garlic, and red onion were cut into small pieces. Lastly those ingredients were added to the mashed avocado and all mixed together!

My advice would be to mix up the avocado into a food processor or blender. Mashing them by hand left the guacamole a little too chunky. Next time, I would add some Cilantro essential oil to the guacamole for a little bit of extra flavor.

It still tasted awesome! Nathan and I devoured it quickly! 

The past couple of mornings have literally been icy! Yikes! The bad weather makes it even more perfect to be inside and have a cup of hot coffee from my lovely friends at Real Good Coffee Co.! 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!    :)

Question Time!

* What did you do for Valentine's Day?

* Do you like to go exploring and/or hiking?

* Do you like guacamole? Which ingredients do you prefer in your guacamole?

Calling All Coffee Lovers!

COFFEE. COFFEE. COFFEE. 

<3

Coffee is the one beverage I could never, ever live without.  There is no better feeling than sipping on a cup of hot, smooth coffee first thing in the morning. There is something extremely soothing about a quiet morning and the aroma of hot coffee in the air. 

The coffee professionals at Real Good Coffee Co., based in Seattle WA, obviously know their coffee. Trust me, the company's name does not lie! 

A good cup of coffee can sometimes be too expensive, but not the coffee from Real Good Coffee Co.! I love how affordable their prices are, and how delicious their coffee is. How amazing is it that you can subscribe to have their coffee delivered monthly AND with FREE shipping?! Now that's the kind of subscription box I truly want!

Real Good Coffee Co. has three flavors of k-cups to choose from:

* Breakfast Blend - Light Roast

* Donut Shop - Medium Roast - Extra Bold

* French Roast - Dark Roast - Extra Bold

It is a huge relief that the coffee blends don't have fancy names that make it difficult to distinguish which type of coffee flavor each of them are. These k-cups are straight to the point, so if you want light, medium, or dark, you know which one to choose! I hate going to a coffee shop and seeing a ton of different extravagant names for their coffees and taking forever trying to figure out which flavor each of them are!

Plus, sometimes you can order a drink at a coffee shop and it turns out awful because the barista made it differently. At least with these k-cups, you know exactly how it is going to taste and you won't be disappointed. Plus, you can tweak it anyway you like in the comfort of your own home!

The first k-cup I tried out was the Donut Shop - medium roast. It was so good that I actually drank it without adding anything extra - which I haven't been able to do in a while. Sometimes, even the medium blended coffees can hurt my stomach, but not this brand. It is such a smooth flavor, I am so glad I can drink it black so I can really savor the coffee flavor, rather than mask it with cream or milk!

Next, I tried the Breakfast Blend - light roast k-cup. It is another fabulous flavor that I truly enjoy! Again, this is a coffee blend that does not need any cream, milk, or sugar added to it. Even though this flavor is titled the "breakfast blend," it is the perfect coffee to brew up and drink anytime of the day! I can see myself bringing this blend with me to work and drinking in the afternoon as a treat!

Last, but not least, I tried the French Roast - dark roast. Wow! Now if you have a hard time waking up in the morning, this is the cup of coffee you want to have first thing to help you wake up. This blend is the best for a pick me up! The dark roast would be amazing to use for making iced coffee drinks at home! As much as I love the flavor of the dark roast, sometimes it can hurt my stomach, so I add some milk or cream to it. I know adding some ice and almond milk to the french roast will make the best iced coffee latte! Yum!

Even when traveling, these k-cups come in handy because I can pack them up and take them with me! Most of the time nowadays, hotels have a Keurig or Keurig like coffee maker, so all I need with me is my favorite k-cup!   :)

The k-cups are also made from 100% recyclable materials! Real Good Coffee Co. makes a point in telling you how to recycle their k-cups. I like when a company actually cares about our planet, environment, and explains how you can recycle their products!

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

I love these coffee k-cups so much that I want to share them with you with my first giveaway!! The winner gets one of each of the three coffee k-cups by Real Good Coffee Co.! 

To enter the contest, all you have to do is:

* Post a comment stating that you want to try these delicious k-cups!

The contest will end February 20th, and I will announce and contact the winner!  :)

Good luck!

Question Time!

* Do you drink any specific brand of k-cup coffees?

* Which blend of coffee is your favorite? Light, medium, or dark roasts?

Go check out Real Good Coffee Co., and their amazing coffee:

http://realgoodcoffeeco.com/

I received this product for free/discounted however this in no way influenced my review. I only write honest reviews regardless of whether I purchased a product at full price, at a discount, or received it free.