Vitamix – product review

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Vitamix Professional Series 200 – $479.00 on Vitamix.com 

A juicer or a Vitamix?  What will I use more and what will be worth the high price-tag.  For months I wavered between the equally unique luxury kitchen appliances.  My ultimate decision was based on versatility.  The Vitamix can chop, cream, blend, puree and is self-cleaning (bonus!).  I want to drink juices and smoothies along with advanced recipes like French Bread and Chilled Cucumber Soup with with Shrimp and Dill.  I even heard about an almond ice cream recipe that is a must!

Since the Vitamix became a fixture in our kitchen it has not had a day of rest. My repertoire is still limited to the easy recipes found on Vitamix’s site, but I am already so pleased. My current favorite recipes are the three below.  They are all listed on the Vitamix site.  Enjoy!

Vitamix recipe, Going Green Smoothie recipe, vitamix review

All Green Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup pineapple juice
  • 1 3/4 green grapes
  • 1/4 pear (I just throw in 1/2 to all)
  • 1/2 avocado pitted and peeled
  • 1/4 cup broccoli chopped
  • 1/2 cup spinach washed (handfull)
  • 1/4 cup ice cubes

Vitamix recipe, Going Green Smoothie recipe, vitamix review, recipe, eats

Going Green Smoothie

  • 1 cup green grapes
  • 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
  • 2 cups fresh spinach packed
  • 1/2 ripe banana, peeled
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup ice cubes

Vitamix recipe, Orange Honey Cleanse smoothie, vitamix review, eats, review

Orange Honey Cleanse

  • 1/2 cupe orange juice
  • 1/2 orange, peeled
  • 1/4 cupe sliced radishes
  • 1 teaspoon honey (or your sweetener of choice)
  • 3 large mint leaves (delicious!)
  • 1/2 cup ice cubes

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I love the Vitamix.  If you decide to take the plunge and pay-up you will soon be obsessed with the unlimited options.  Admittedly it will take some time for me to fully utilize this appliance.   I am on my way!

I was not compensated by Vitamix for this review and they did not provide the product.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom

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mother's day, mom, healthy family, run, running with kids, kids run

If you follow this blog you know that I come from a running family.  I started running with my mom at the age of 9.  We signed up for a training program for a 5 mile race.  It changed us forever.

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We ran miles together through all of life’s ups and downs and had great discussions and disagreements, explored new destinations and maintained a healthy lifestyle.  My mom has gone from working up to a 5 mile race to completing the prestigious Boston Marathon.  I can proudly say I have done the same.

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On Mother’s Day I would just like to thank you Mom.  Thanks for taking a little 9 year old girl up on her offer to train for a race.  Thanks for everything.  I Love you Mom!

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Whale Soup

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I am not a marine biologist, but the ocean and all it has to offer has always been a draw.  So during our previous visit to Maui when a restaurant server mentioned the coastline off Maui looks like whale soup between late September to mid May, we knew when to book our next trip.  Life and our daughter’s school schedule pushed our possible migration sightings to the last week of the season.  Thankfully we were not disappointed.

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Maui, whales, whale watching, family activity, humpback whales, Trilogy whale watching tour

From the moment we first saw the splash from a humpback breaching and spray from their blowholes we were mesmerized.   These elegant giants choose the warm, virtually predator free waters off Maui to mate, give birth and nurse.  The endangered humpbacks are now over 15,000 strong.  Maui will have around 10,000 humpback visitors.  Even visiting Maui on the tail end of the season our horizon was soupy and full of humpback whales.

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Maui, whales, whale watching, family activity, humpback whales, Trilogy whale watching tour

Maui, whales, whale watching, family activity, humpback whales, Trilogy whale watching

The whales seemed to travel fairly close to the shore, but for an even closer look we booked a trip out of Kaanapali with Trilogy.  The boat consists of a smooth catamaran ride run by a knowledgable and fun crew.  Trilogy did a great job keeping us hydrated with juice and water and even came around with some chips and salsa.  My kids, 5 and 6, loved their first sailing experience and felt safe.  Not to mention we had no seasickness or uncomfortable moments.

If Maui is in your future why not enhance it by timing it with the whale’s migration.  It was definitely worth the wait!

I was not compensated by Trilogy for this review and we purchased our tickets.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Vacation. Unplugged.

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What happens when your phone is turned off?  I now know the answer.  The phone does not ring,  there are no text messages, no checking emails a few times each hour, no facebook, no instagram, no twitter, just good ole’ fashion face to face conversations.  Not to mention a little more free time.

Maui, kids playing, beautiful beach, sunset pictureThe thought of turning off my phone for 10 days honestly gave me jitters.  Before our off-line trip I felt compelled to throughly scour my email accounts and tell everyone about our plan.  Family, friends and people watching our home were all given land line numbers.  And it scared them!  Yep, they did not want to call to disturb our family time.  Very sweet of them, but it was not our intention to completely cut ourselves off.  We just wanted the constant pull of our super smart and interesting phones to be eliminated while we focused on what is most important, family.

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I admit it took me a couple of days to stop automatically reaching for my phone when I had a slight pause in my day.  First thing in the morning, sadly, I usually check my phone for emails and anything new on Facebook.  This habit was easy to shake.  When I really noticed not having my phone was when I wanted to take a quick vacation picture.  I had hundreds of fabulous Instagram and Facebook moments that came and went.  So sad, not!  After ordering at restaurants and sitting poolside the down moments became time to read a book or play with our kids.

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Only two noticeable changes, other than the obvious, to no phones or internet while traveling.  The first was that I needed to carry my large SLR camera everywhere.  It is not overly heavy, and I know for quality pictures I should even utilize it more at home, but I had to get use to wearing it like a clothing accessory.  Also, I had no idea of the time.  At home I rely on my phone for time and my daily schedule.  We just moved according to the rhythm of the day and not the clock.  Talk about liberating!

I was fully compensated for this off-line vacation by my family.  As always all opinions, memories and sweet undisturbed moments are my own. 

MyChelle Giveaway

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MyChelle skin care, MyChelle giveaway, giveaway, natural skin care

This all natural and non-toxic skin care line is definitely worth trying.  If you are not familiar with MyChelle check out my rave review or their website.  For well over a year these fabulous products have taken care of my skin.  Enter this giveaway and you will have a chance to win the Pumpkin Renewal Cream, Apple Brightening Mist and Tropical Skin Smoother.  I am so excited for one of my subscribers to try MyChelle!

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It is simple to enter this giveaway, just subscribe to RunStylish.  The subscription button is located on the left at the top of the sidebar.  Just enter your email address, press ‘click here’ and confirm the email.

All entrants must live in the United States.  The winner will be announced the week after the contest.  The contest will run from April 29st – May 5th.

Good Luck!

MyChelle Dermaceuticals

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MyChelle Dermaceuticals, non-toxic skin care, natural skin care, mychelle review

Let me introduce you to my skin care line called MyChelle.  When it comes to skin care women are loyal to what works.  I am no different.  This natural and non-toxic line works, is accessible (sold in Whole Foods, Pharmacia, and even Walgreens just to name a few) and is a company I am happy to stand behind.  They are cruelty-free, vegan friendly, gluten-free and use recycled paper for their packaging.  What’s not to love and you have not even tried the products!

My MyChelle skin care routine before this post included Perfect C Serum $42 (with 17% Vitamin C!), Fabulous Eye Cream $28, Supreme Polypeptide Cream $53 and the Fruit Fiesta Peel $28.

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MyChelle Dermaceuticals, non-toxic skin care, natural skin care, mychelle review, mychelle tropical skin smoother

Tropical Skin Smoother – $32

Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!  Freshen up your skin with this gentle exfoliating scrub.  To use this product apply after washing, massage on for a minute, leave on for a couple minutes and rinse off with cool water.  Do not let the small container fool you, it will last.   Other exfoliating products I tried dried out my skin or were so strong I peeled.  The Tropical Skin Smoother tingles so I know it is working, but my skin remains happy.

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Apple Brightening Mist – $17

This product was the biggest surprise out of all three.  Normally I would not give a mist a second look, but now I am hooked!  This mist smells amazing, completely refreshes my skin and makes my skin dewy.  I love the Apple Brightening Mist!

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Pumpkin Renewal Cream – $26

The first thing I noticed about the Pumpkin Renewal Cream is that it feels luxurious.  It is very hydrating, buttery soft and my skin continues to feel hydrated throughout the day.

Since trying the Pumpkin Renewal Cream I could not decide if the Polypeptide Cream or Pumpkin Renewal Cream was best for my skin. When in doubt ask the professionals at MyChelle, right!  They recommended using the Pumpkin Renewal Cream if I felt dry and needed extra moisture and/or use one cream at night and the other during the day followed by sunscreen.

www.mychelle.com

I was not compensated by MyChelle Dermaceuticals for this review although they did provide the products.  As always, all opinions are my own.

My Maui Wowie Salad

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I give full credit to Nick’s Fishmarket at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea for this salad.  I would also like to thank them.  It is delicious!

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picture of my Maui Wowie salad at Nick’s

Nick’s restaurant gave me the basic ingredients, but I needed a little more info to accurately recreate this recipe.  I located a version of this recipe at food.com and made a few changes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head romaine lettuce cut into small strips
  • 1 container of sugar plum grape tomatoes sliced lengthwise
  • 1 small Maui onion diced (or any sweet onion)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 lb cooked small shrimp
  • 2 stalks green onion chopped
  • one avocado diced
  • 4-6 oz feta cheese crumbled (to taste)

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 hard-boiled egg white diced
  • 1-2 ounce(s) roasted red pepper diced
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon capers diced

Directions

  • combine and toss lettuce, tomatoes, Maui onion, green onions and shrimp
  • whisk together dressing ingredients
  • combine and toss dressing, lettuce mixture and feta
  • add avocado and gently toss

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My Maui Wowie salad

Bon Appetite!

Barracuda Goggles

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Barracuda goggles, Barracuda Medalist review, goggle review, swim

I went through a ton of goggles before finding the Barracuda Medalist.  I started with Speedo goggles.  They were fairly comfortable although I would occasionally get a headache.  Not to mention the circles around my eyes were terrible.  No matter what I would do the circles would last for hours.

Next I tried the hard and soft versions of the tiny Swedish goggles.  I also purchased a stretchy band to replace the strap that comes with the goggles at a fellow swimmer’s recommendation.  The circles around my eyes were definitely smaller.  In addition to circles now I also had a line across my nose.  Not to mention the goggles always filled with water.  The Swedish goggles were obviously not made for my face!

swim, goggles, goggle review

In my constant pursuit to find goggles that do not leave me with raccoon eyes I decided to try the Barracuda Medalist.  They are different looking.  Rather than forming a suction to your eye they mold to the contour of your face.  These goggles are a little larger than the others I tried, are extremely comfortable and do not leak.  Best of all they do not leave circles!  Hooray!

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If you swim, and don’t like to look like you did, try the Barracuda Medalist.

I was not compensated by Barracuda for this review and I purchased the goggles.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Track Shoes – My first pair

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I’m not going to run, but fly.  That is what my hubby said when I tried on my new track shoes.  Rumor had it my new Saucony A5 track shoes have the potential to cut of a few seconds off of my track intervals.  Apparently my heavy, high mileage shoes are not helping me sprint.

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The promise of picking up the pace sounded amazing.  It also made me laugh.  The increase in speed will be a step in the right direction, do not get me wrong, but I will not be breaking the 6 minute mile.  At least not for a while.

My track shoes made their first appearance over the weekend.  After a two mile off track warm-up, I slid into my new minimalist shoe.  Our first interval was a 400 and the fastest of the day.   I was very surprised by our 5:40 pace for this interval.   Easily a new record for my running partner and me.   Could my speed increase that much by changing my shoes?

The track workout continued to surprise us with the highlight being the mile.  We ran a 6:30!  Our previous best was a 6:41.  The new shoes shaved off more than a couple seconds.

After our track workout we switched back into our heavy trainers and set out on a two mile cool down.  Our usual shoes felt heavy and sluggish.  What a contrast from our speedy ultra light track shoes!  We discussed our workout, laughed at the difference our new shoes made and set a long term goal of breaking the 6 minute mile.