A Little Hiking and Enlightened!

Hey y'all!

Did you have a good Labor Day weekend? My parents were in town, and we had a really fun time. It's always sad to see them leave, and the weekends always fly by too quickly.

Before I talk about Labor Day weekend, I'll tell you a little about the previous weekend! 

Hiking has been my first victory of multiple goals I have in mind to accomplish since I've been really sick. I love being outdoors, and it was finally time to try out hiking again!

The weekend before last, Nathan and I ventured over to Lilly Bluff to go on a small hike.

Curious Cows

There was a little watering hole area, so we climbed down to check it out. It was extremely peaceful, so we relaxed at the watering hole for about 15 minutes before heading back up.

Pretty blue dragonfly

Red Mushroom

It was fantastic being back outside and taking pictures along the way. I had to go extremely slow, so we didn't take any long, difficult trails - we didn't even hike more than an hour around Lilly Bluff. The hike was a small step (of many) to get me back on track with my health since the rocky mountain spotted fever! Trust me, I was literally covered head to toe in my DIY essential oil bug spray! ;p

As you know, I love trying out new products!

I recently had the opportunity to try out Enlightened roasted broad beans!!! When it comes to food - I prefer salty over sweet, so I was especially excited to try out the crispy, flavored, roasted broad beans!

The flavors of crisps include: Mesquite Barbecue, Garlic & Onion, Sea Salt, Sriracha, and Wasabi!

I made sure to take a pack with me to work as a late afternoon snack!

The pre-portioned 1 oz snack bags are perfect for on-the-go! These tasty crisps are low fat, have 3 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein, and ONLY 100 calories!

I don't care for snacks that leave you with a heavy feeling or just feeling gross. These crisps are perfect for leaving you satisfied without that sickening "full" feeling.

These crisps would be terrific as a topper on a salad! I would replace these crisps (especially the sea salt flavored crips) with croutons in a heartbeat! The crisps would give that same crunch as croutons, but with less calories! Or, think about having the crisps on top of hot, creamy soup (with Fall season upon us)! 

Enlightened also has ice cream bars, and pints of ice cream! As an ice cream fanatic, I cannot wait to try out those next!!

For more information about the Enlightened broad bean crisps, and their other products, check out their website: 

Eat Enlightened

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.

QUESTIONS:

* What did you do for Labor Day weekend?

* Do you put toppings on your soup?

* Are you ready for everything pumpkin spice?

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?