Lynds in Real Life

A Lifestyle Blog

Lifestyle Nutrition SoCal

Giving Back Has Never Been So ‘Fresh and Easy’

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When I first moved to Pasadena, California, Fresh and Easy (F&E) became my all-time favorite grocery store. Healthy foods at great prices; what more could someone ask for? Now that I live in West Los Angeles, it’s a bit more of a drive, but completely worth it!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received monetary compensation in exchange for promoting Fresh and Easy’s giving back bags. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Fresh and Easy Giving Back Bag 3

 

The F&E Express in West LA

Fresh and Easy prides themselves on having healthier options (all F&E foods are free of high-fructose corn syrup, added trans fats, artificial colors or flavors) for less cost. They’re able to offer their foods at low-cost because all their stores are designed to save money! All stores use LED lighting and energy-efficient refrigerator doors. Plus their checkouts are all self-checkout, which means they save money by only hiring a few workers to help customers. It’s perfect because the shopper gets great products at great prices, plus there are just enough associates to help the customers!

My favorite thing about F&E is their prepared meals. I’ll admit cooking is not one of my hobbies. Between measuring the ingredients and the amount of time it generally takes, I am all for meals that just need heated up in the oven or microwave! F&E offers tons of options in the prepared-meal department; from Asian, to American, to Mexican, they pretty much cover it all!

Fresh and Easy Giving Back Bag 4

 

A few of the prepared meals at F&E

This holiday season, Fresh and Easy is giving back through their Giving Back Bag program. Here are the details:

  • Purchase a Giving Back Bag at any F&E for $10
  • Every bag contains 13 essential, non-perishable food items, such as cereal bars, canned tuna and canned green beans.
  • You can either leave the bag at F&E for them to donate to a local food bank, or you can take it with you and donate the bag to a charity of your choice!
  • The program runs from 11/5-12/25 (2014).

Fresh and Easy Giving Back Bag 2 Fresh and Easy Giving Back Bag 1

 

In the F&E Express

It is that simple! Giving back has never been so easy. F&E does all the work for you, and you get to help people-in-need this holiday season!

Fresh and Easy Giving Back Bag Details

In addition to my love for F&E, I love donating to people who need it. I’ve been donating my clothes to a community that’s less-fortunate for as long as I can remember. So of course I needed to head to my nearest F&E store and purchase a Giving Back Bag!

Fresh and Easy Giving Back Bag 5

I went to the F&E Express in West LA. The express store has fewer items, but it still has everything I need! They even have organic dog treats and food, which is perfect for my puppy Archie. They had a great deal on coconut water (which is my favorite drink ever), but I settled for coconut flavored water because I wanted to try something new!

Fresh and Easy Giving Back Bag Dog Food   Fresh and Easy Coconut Flavored Water

The Giving Back Bags were at the self-checkouts, and were already packed with goodies. F&E truly made it as easy as possible for people to donate. So we purchased our dinner (prepared fried chicken and garlic bread- SO good!), coconut flavored water, and a Giving Back Bag! All for under $25.

 

If you live near a F&E store, I definitely recommend getting some (if not all) of your groceries there, and purchase a Giving Back Bag (or two!) to donate to a local food bank! It truly is a fresh and easy way to give back. You can find store locations on their website here.

You can find Fresh and Easy on their website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!

Share your photos of your Giving Back Bag on social media by tagging @freshandeasy!

 

So tell me,  

  • Do you shop at Fresh and Easy? If so, what is your favorite F&E product?

  • Would you purchase a Giving Back Bag? Who would you donate it to?

Thank you for reading my blog! If you want to receive new posts by email, subscribe here:

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XO

Lyndsay

Twitter | Instagram

Nutrition Reviews

Superfoods Made Simple With Skoop Nutrition + Discount Code

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The past few months have been so crazy busy, it’s been challenging keeping up with my social media life. From being sick, to BlogFest, to being sick again, to babysitting, and now my new puppy, it’s been nonstop. Don’t get me wrong, I love being busy! It can be stressful, but it actually helps to keep me stable and happy. During this time, my nutrition was put on the backburner. I didn’t completely fall by the wayside, but it’s harder to eat healthy when I am always on-the-go.

Lucky for me, I was contacted by Skoop to try out their products and provide my honest feedback. Full disclosure, I received a free sample of B-Strong and B-Lovely, plus a full-size of A-Game. No monetary compensation was received. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Healthy Skoop Superfood Logo

What Is Skoop?

“Skoop is a line of powdered, whole-food sourced super nutrition. We created Skoop to be a real solution to our national nutrition problem. For everyone. Not just those who can afford a personal nutritionist or have ready access to organic farm land. We needed to make it simple to use, quick to prepare, and affordable, too. Thanks to plant-based phytonutrients, we found our solution. Skoop blends are all whole-foods derived and full of the nutrients missing from our standard diet” (website).

Skoop Nutrients Absorb

They have three amazing products! B-Strong, B-Lovely, and A-Game.

  • B-Strong, is a plant-based protein powder that promotes a three-stage process for manufacturing strong, lean muscles and all-over health. It’s designed to help your body absorb nutrients, build muscle and recover quickly. Unlike most protein powders, B-Strong also contains prebiotics that promote a happy belly, as well as amino acids such as essentials, non-essentials and BCAAs, and even Mediterranean fruits. It’s gluten, dairy and soy free, and it contains pea and brown rice protein.
    The fatty acids aid hormone function, healthy skin and cellular repair, but they also help the gut absorb macro and phytonutrients throughout your day. The BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) keep your muscles strong and happy throughout your daily activity or workout, so that you recover quickly and efficiently.
  • A-Game, a superfood formula, which is loaded with 41 organic and non-GMO ingredients, probiotics, adaptogens, and antioxidants.
  • B-Lovely, a beauty blend, that fights oxidative stress in the skin and promotes healthy cellular development.

Skoop A-Game Superfood Skoop Superfood A-Game Skoop Superfood Blender Bottle

They can be mixed with almond milk, coconut milk, water, in a smoothie, or however you want!

I really enjoyed all three products! A-Game is perfect for making sure I get my nutrition in the morning (I mix it with almond milk). I’ll admit the taste takes some getting used to, especially because I am not generally a plant-based type of person. The great feeling I have after drinking my A-Game is well worth dealing with the taste. I will say, though, that it’s much better than other superfood powders I’ve had! B-Strong was really good, and great as a post-workout. I love that it contains prebiotics and is safe for most people with food allergies/restrictions! As a woman in her late (gasp) 20s, B-Lovely is a saving grace! I definitely need to fight oxidative stress for better skin.

Each purchase also comes with a “life instruction manual”. It’s pretty awesome!

Skoop Instruction Manual Skoop Protein Superfoods Directions

Buy One, Give One

“We partnered with The Chef Ann Foundation, a non-profit that provides real, fresh fruits and veggies to public school lunch programs all over the country – programs that currently need to classify french fries, tomato sauce, and ketchup as vegetables in order to meet FDA standards. For every serving of Skoop sold, we donate one serving of free, fresh fruits and veggies to a school lunch program. You buy a serving, you give a serving” (website).

Skoop Buy One Give One

 

Discount Code:

You can use code BALANCE10 for 10% off your order at healthyskoop.com!

 

Interested in trying out Skoop for yourself? You can purchase it online here, or become a seller here!

You can find Skoop on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

  • Have you tried Skoop products?
  • Do you follow a plant-based diet?

Thank you for reading my blog! And thank you Skoop for allowing me to sample your products!

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XO

Lyndsay

Twitter | Instagram

Events Races SoCal

Want To Support The Homeless? Join The Midnight Mission’s 5k/10k Run/Walk

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Living in Los Angeles, it’s pretty apparent how many people are homeless and have lost everything. There is one man in particular who lives under the bridge right by my apartment, and every time I see him, I always wonder what his story is. I’ve given him money, and I will every time I walk by him, because you never know how he got there, why he is there, or if he’ll ever get out of it. The Midnight Mission is an organization dedicated to helping those who have lost everything. They are celebrating 100 years this year, and are hosting their second annual 5k/10k Run/Walk on Sunday, June 22 in La Canada-Flintridge, Calif. If you are in the area, I highly recommend attending!

midnight mission logo

 

This is The Midnight Mission’s Mission Statement:

“The Midnight Mission offers a path to self-sufficiency to men, women and children who have lost everything. Our emergency services, 12-step recovery program, job training, education and work programs offer a compassionate bridge to productive lives. We remove obstacles to self-sufficiency and provide the accountability and structure that people who are experiencing homelessness need to rejoin their communities. Our conviction and commitment to their success define us.”

I cannot attend this year due to schedule conflict, but I wanted to share about it because it’s such a great cause! Giving to those in need is one of the best things, in my opinion. Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” It is one of my all-time favorite quotes! The race is to raise awareness of  homelessness in Southern California and advance health and wellness programming.

Here are some details of the race:

When: Sunday, June 22, 2014

Where: Oak Grove Park: 4400 Oak Grove Drive. La Canada-Flintridge, Calif.

Cost: $35 registration for adults/$20 for kids – Register now and use code MIDNIGHT for $5 off your registration

Schedule: 6:00am – 8:00am Bib Pick-up

8:00am Race

Awards and Post Race Lunch to Follow

 

midnight mission 1 midnight mission 2

Photos courtesy of  the blinkcreativegroup.com

You can get more information about The Midnight Mission by liking them on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

If you choose to participate in the 5k or 10k, I would love to hear about it! Comment below if you are attending, and email any pictures or experiences to lyndsay@thebalancedbrunette.com, if you don’t mind! I would love to share it all with the people of The Midnight Mission.

Good luck to everyone participating! 🙂

**I did not receive any compensation in any way for this post. All opinions are 100% my own!

Fitness Races SoCal

Culver City 5K/10K + A Giveaway!

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So I am pretty excited, because I am running my first official 5K this month! It’s the Culver City 5K/10K on June 15, 2014, which is perfect because it’s literally like half a mile from my apartment. I’ve walked 5Ks before in Cleveland, but never went into them with the intention of running. Until now.

cc 5k 10k

I’ve decided recently that I want to become a runner. Yoga is my fitness of choice, but I want to do something to get myself out of my comfort zone. I want to push myself to be great. I went on a search for local 5Ks, and knew I wanted to run one that had some sort of charity or cause attached to it.

The Culver City 5K/10K is perfect because it benefits the Culver City Education Foundation (CCEF) and Train 4 Autism! In addition to a 5K and 10K, there is also a FREE kids run for kids 11 and under! I am currently fundraising for Train 4 Autism (donate here if you’d like!), and I am so excited about it! My mom has been a special education teacher for almost 15 years, and I was a certified paraprofessional and taught in a special education preschool classroom. I also took a class on autism when I was in college for speech-language pathology and audiology. So it’s definitely something that I care a lot about!

charities

They are also looking for volunteers if you don’t want to walk/run the race! All the information can be found on their website.

Schedule:

6:30 am-11 am: The Expo and Family Fun Zone open to the public in Media Park

8:00 am: 5K starts

8:30 am: 10K starts

10:00 am: Kids Fun Run starts

10:30 am: Awards Ceremony

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

The Culver City 5K/10K organizers were VERY generous, and are allowing me to give away one FREE registration for the 5K or 10K! That’s a $35 registration fee that you don’t have to pay, OR you can put it toward fundraising for CCEF or Train 4 Autism! Registration ends June 13, 2014.

Rules to Enter:

  • Comment on this blog post why you want to walk/run this specific race, and if you’d do the 5K or 10K!
  • Follow The Balanced Brunette on Instagram
  • Like The Balanced Brunette on Facebook
  • Like the Culver City Run on Facebook

This giveaway ENDS on Friday, June 6 at 9 p.m. PST!

Good luck!! 🙂

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one free registration to the Culver City 5K/10K to give away in exchange for mentioning it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

xo, Lyndsay