Are you a priority

I had the following conversation standing in front of the yogurt case this afternoon in one of my local grocery stores (I of course was grabbing some Chobani as a starter to make yogurt tomorrow).

"It is so expensive!" 30 something mom type, to me looking at the plethora of yogurts.

"It is, that is why I make my own yogurt. I just need to get some plain for a starter..." I poke my heads towards the back of the cooler and grab the very last plain Chobani yogurt.

"You know, if you have a slow cooker at home it is so easy to make your own yogurt..." I am ready to launch into directions and websites and more when she says

"I am just so busy! I am lucky if one night a week to do things." She grabs a case of neon colored / flavored "kids" yogurt and heads down the aisle. As I watched her walk away I thought - who needs time for making yogurt? I mean it is ridiculous how easy it actually is to do. I shook my head and finished up my shopping.

As I was driving home my thoughts drifted back to that woman. I think I could qualify as super busy by just about any standards. Wife, mom to two toddlers, full time college student - What "extra" time I do have is spent on homework, reading, playing with my kidlets, and of course twitter. :) It is almost sad how addicted I have become. So time is a premium. And I am not always good at prioritizing so that my "me" time is observed.

That thought struck me again when I talked to my father this afternoon. He asked if I was keeping up with my workouts or if I had to stop again because of school. I told him, no I had been able to still fit my runs in.

And I have. I did a 30 min. run in the rain this evening before dinner. It was great. Me and the dogs, and a cold rain. I loved it. And I loved myself for the fact that I made me a priority. I made my run a priority. I made it important to get out and do what I had planned to do. I didn't let rain or lateness or lack of desire stop me. And I am glad I got out there. - Plus (little side note) I realized that nearly all of the bloggers I read that have taken off or significant amounts of weight, have regained their shape after babies, and have reclaimed their lives and their eating all run. Practically all of them. Coincidence?

What about you? Do you take the time to make you a priority?
Do you run? Why or why not?

And the winner is...

Julia! Julia, email me your details, and I will set you up with Chobani so you can order your case of super awesome yogurty goodness.

Last Chance!

Today is your last chance to enter to win a free case of Chobani Greek yogurt! Enter here and read my review of this truly amazing yogurt. I will be picking a winner tonight based on all the entries (through random.org). Don't miss your chance!

Travel update and my first review/giveaway!

First -
So I am in Las Vegas for a few days to visit/care for my mom after she had surgery to replace her knee. Unfortunately she has not been allowed to come home from the hospital since I got here. On top of not actually being able to see my mother, the moose and I have been brought low by the heat since getting to Vegas. Stomach troubles, general heat exhaustion - we haven't even made it to the pool!

However today is a new day. We are getting out, going to the dog park, going swimming, and I will be working out (finally) tonight in the awesome fitness center at my mom's apartment complex.

And now...
If you have read this blog for a while you know that I usually make my own yogurt. I love the ease of making my yogurt and knowing that only what I put in (milk, yogurt, extra dry milk powder) is in my yogurt. However, making yogurt doesn't always work for me. Due to the drafty and often cold nature of my old farmhouse kitchen, sometimes my yogurt fails. It can't maintain the right temp long enough, or my starter was too old, or whatever. When this happens I am always disappointed and need to get myself to the store to buy some more yogurt - some for starter, and some to eat right away (because by this point I need yogurt and granola and fruit). When I buy yogurt, there is really only one type I buy.

Chobani

If you have not had Greek style yogurt before, you are truly missing out. I was never really a yogurt fan until I tried Greek yogurt. Thick and creamy, tangy and filling - it really can be used as a healthy sour cream substitute - high in protein and healthy probiotics. There is almost nothing better than Greek yogurt for a snack  or breakfast or dessert...

So, Chobani yogurt. There are multiple reasons to love this company.

1. Their slogan, "Nothing But Good". Quality wholesome ingredient, nothing artificial and harmful or just plain yucky.
2. Their location - Chobani's plant is located in the central New York farming/dairy region. Near my mother's hometown, near my grandmother and aunts and cousins. In an area that has been hit hard not only by the latest recession but by general economic downturn for many years. Any company that is not only doing business, but is good to their employees and customers in this part of my beloved state needs to be supported. 
3. It is just plain good! This is the creamiest, yummiest, best tasting yogurt I have ever tried in my entire life! 

I have been buying Chobani as my yogurt starter and I-need-yogurt-now yogurt for a while, but I only ever tried the 0% plain. I did not know what I was missing. The fruit yogurts are not like the fruit on the bottom (basically just jelly/jam) in some other yogurts. The essence of the fruit is blended into a creamy thick absolutely decadent OMG how can this be good and healthy yogurt. And then there are fruit pieces on the bottom. Actual pieces of the fruit, lightly sweetened with evaporated cane juice instead of high fructose corn syrup. Chobani has 14 amazing flavors - plain 0 & 2%, vanilla, black cherry, mango, lemon, blueberry, strawberry, strawberry-banana, pineapple, raspberry, honey, peach, and pomegranate. 

I did not actually get to try all the flavors - a certain moose and monkey ate some and wouldn't let mommy try a bite. They did seem to love the strawberry, the strawberry-banana, and the peach. The pineapple, the lemon, the blueberry were all excellent and far beyond anything else I have tried. I am hoping the honey will still be there when I get home next week so I can try that.  But the raspberry and the pomegranate; heaven, absolute heaven!

The pomegranate and raspberry flavors were everything you could hope for in a yogurt and more. They can calm any sweet tooth, they taste like dessert, they are filling and decadent. I really can't say enough good things about them - and I am very sad that Chobani's distribution hasn't reached Vegas yet because I have been dreaming of yogurt every day. I will continue to make yogurt - and use Chobani as my starter, but I will also be finding room in my grocery budget for a decent supply of the raspberry and pomegranate flavors just for me :)

Now for the giveaway details! Chobani has offered to send a case of yogurt to one very lucky reader - the winner can choose what flavors they want in their special case - a variety, all one flavor, whatever they want!

To enter to win you need to:

1. Become a follower of this blog and leave a comment telling me you are a follower (mandatory)
2. follow me on Twitter - leave a separate comment
3. follow Chobani on twitter - leave a separate comment
4. Like Chobani on Facebook - leave a separate comment
5. send this blog out to whatever social media sites you use - leave a separate comment

1 entry for each comment :) Winner will be chosen by Random.org. The contest will on Saturday July 30th and the winner will be announced by August 1st. Don't miss out on your chance to get some great yogurt!

Even babies and dogs like Chobani :)

*Disclaimer - I contacted Chobani about doing a review, they sent me the yogurt with no conditions and offered the giveaway. I was under no obligation to print any kind of review, the opinions here are completely my own*


**ETA - Unfortunately this giveaway is limited to US residents, Chobani is unable to ship to Canada at this time. **

Best Food

So you may have been seeing or hearing in the news lately about which are the best and worst foods for you - I know I see it everywhere! One of the best foods out there (and the thing that is really keeping me from going vegan) is yogurt! Especially plain Greek style yogurt. It has filling protein, healthy probiotics, good for you calcium, and makes a truly fantastic substitute for sour cream in many dishes.

Coming soon to a blog near you - a review of Chobani Greek yogurt and a giveaway! Details will be coming in the next few days, so be on the lookout!

Sometimes it's the mistakes...

So I have been making yogurt in the Crockpot for about 6 months now. I have about a 90% success rate with it, but due to old drafty farmhouse kitchen, sometimes no matter how well I insulate the crock, it just gets too cold for the reaction to keep going. Happened again Thursday, but instead of dumping 1/2 a gallon of milk I saved it and decided to try again with a little more yogurt and a warmer room. Still didn't actually work the second time, but I did end up making (sort of) homemade ricotta! It's pretty tasty with a sweet tangy flavor and a crumbly soft/fresh cheese consistency. Would make an excellent clean no preservative substitute for cottage cheese and I am going to try it tomorrow in a smoothie.

My walking has not been going - I have again fallen into the end of the semester I have no work done and 50 pages worth of papers to write. I am going to stop procrastinating now and go back to writing!

Couch to 5K - W1D1

250.8
C25K

Inspired by Lorie from the token fat girl I have restarted my Couch to 5K program. I like the feeling of accomplishment finishing a run gives me, and just the few weeks I was doing it last spring/summer I was rapidly able to improve my speed and distance and I look forward to completing the program (and the "runner's high" everyone talks about). I have the same respect for runners that I do dancers - something I have not been able to get my body to do in the past, but I am trying to get better.

And it looks like I will need to find a better way to store my Crockpot yogurt overnight for the winter - the last 2 batches of my yogurt (made from the Crockpot Ladies' Blog) have not set enough because the kitchen got so cold overnight. I am going to invest in some heavy bath towels and store the crock in the oven overnight from now on.