Welcome to the Caffeinated Club!

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The holiday season, specifically all of December, is my favorite favorite favorite time of year! It can also be a really busy time of year, however.

If you're in college, the end of the semester - right before Christmas break - is usually when you're pulling all nighters and near-all nighters cramming for exams and finishing final projects and term papers. I'm not suggesting that you cram it all into death week and miss the recommended amount of time, but let's be real. It happens.

Even if you're done with school, like me, work can often really pick up right before the holidays and busier, longer workdays, paired with an increasingly busy social calendar, can really make you need a little extra energy!

But is the only option for non-coffee drinkers an unhealthy soda fix?

I recently got to try some drinks from Caffeinated Club, a brand of unsweetened club soda with the same amount of caffeine in each 12oz bottle as in a can of coca cola. But without the sugar, artificial sweeteners, or calories of sodas or diet sodas!

It is a great alternative to soda for a caffeine kick and tastes great chilled on its own. It comes in four flavors - Raspberry, Orange Grapefruit, Lemon, and Clear. My favorite is Raspberry! Clear is plain club soda (but with a caffeine kick!) but the three fruity flavors are unsweetened club soda with a hint of fruit flavor.

I'm going to emphasize this again - they are flavored with fruit, but not sweet. For a lot of people, that's a plus. If you want your drink sweet, however, they make a great mixer with juice for a more powerful pickup than the juice alone would provide. And they make your juice bubbly!

While I tend to drink a lot of tea and try to get around seven hours of sleep a night, when I can (and not get too many nights in a row of under five), I know some friends for whom this would be a lifesaver. Even for me, I'm sure it will come in handy!

^Their photo, that is clearly not my hand.

I have a jam packed day tomorrow - scheduled from 6am to 11pm straight through with work (thank goodness, I need the distraction) and then a holiday party that I'll go to straight from work (I'm packing a slinky dress and heels in my backpack, along with some red lipstick and a mascara wand - I know how to do this busy schedule thing) and that I'll probably stay at until 2am. Then Sunday it's back at it with a shoot at noon!

Believe me, I'm packing one of these to take with me tomorrow.

Another fun Caffeinated Club fact? If you order online, shipping is absolutely free anywhere in the Continental USA!

What are you up to this weekend?

Have you tried Caffeinated Club?

What's your go-to for an energy kick?

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The Second Wave of Midterms

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Spring break is over and it's time for the second wave of midterms.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I empathize 100% with whatever that poor thing. I'm feeling exactly what he/she/it is.

Do you have exams right after break?

Do you prefer exams and assignments due right before or right after break?

Where did you go/are you going for spring break?

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The Snarky Stylist Steps In: LSAT Fashion

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I'm taking the LSAT today! Is anyone else taking it, too?

Despite my peppy punctuation,  I'm not as enthusiastic as I might seem. It's a loooooong test and I prefer shorter tests.

Or no tests. No tests is best.

Still, what must be done will be done - and then it will be over! Other than preparing (I didn't really), sleeping well and eating well, dressing for the occasion is another way to make the testing process as painless as possible.

LSAT Style

LSAT by lle-schreiber featuring harem pants

Junk Food Clothing party tank
ifoundasecret.com

Harem pants
discountdance.com

H&m sandals
$20 - hm.com

Blue Nile bracelet bangle
bluenile.com

Sterling silver star necklace
macys.com

Nail rock
$11 - motelrocks.com

I personally prefer wearing pants of some sort on exam days, rather than skirts, because then I can sit however I want without any worry about my decency. Alternately, I like loose dresses with longer skirts.

What I do not like is anything tight - I don't want to feel my clothing or think about it when I'm supposed to be kicking an exam's butt! That's what I really like about these pants. Yes, the baggy crotch (aka: full diaper) pants are a bit of a daring style, but you can definitely get away with it in an exam.

I can even show up to an exam in sweat pants. First and foremost, exam fashion is about comfort. Style can wait for the post-exam celebration! I like this tank, because it reminds us that fun times are ahead. Same with the glitter nails and the fun accessories - those little things can help (or at least not hurt) with some of the testing anxiety.

If you're testing today, too, good luck!

What's the biggest test you've ever taken?

Have you ever taken the LSAT, GMAT, or MCAT?

What do you wear to exams?

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Fit Friday #3: Honey

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It's Fit Friday time!

Today is also the second-to-last Friday of the semester for me. Next Saturday (May 18) I have my last final exam of the semester in the evening. I'm so ready for my final exams to be over. I have three late next week and am so scared/stressed!

Anyway, today's Fit Friday is a quickie, focusing on a food that gets passed over quite a lot, even though it's awesome.

Honey!

People often go for artificial sweetener alternatives or stevia to sweeten their foods, because they automatically assume that 0 sugar and 0 calories is healthier than something that's nutritive.

False!

There are a ton of reasons to avoid aspartame, sucralose, etc., including increased risks of cancer, obesity, etc. And even stevia might have some negative health implications, including cancer, fertility issues, and other reproductive complications.

Wouldn't you rather have him/her make your food than a chemist?

Choosing a natural, time-tested sweetener (honey!) is a better option. It's what our bodies are meant to be fueled by!

Honey has a lot of positive health effects, including its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, as well as its immune-boosting abilities (tea with honey when you're sick is no joke).

Further, honey may help prevent cancer and health disease, help reduce symptoms and incidence of gastrointestinal disease and ulcers, may increase athletic performance, and may even help combat hangovers and insomnia!

All the more reason to eat up - or reach for honey as a sweetener next time, instead of an artificial sweetener or stevia!



One of my favorite ways to eat honey is on peanut butter and honey (or soynut butter and honey!) sandwiches.



In case you want some other ideas of ways to enjoy honey, here are some other blogger's favorites!

Diana's Coconut Quinoa Granola

Kris's Baked Honey Oatmeal with Raspberries and Pistachios

Nigella Lawson's Honey Semifreddo

Christie's Honey Roasted Acorn Squash

Like I really need another excuse to eat winter squash? #addicted 

I have the oompa loompa palms to prove my love. 

Megan's Honey Oatmeal Bread

I think all of these recipes sound absolutely delicious! I can't wait for summer, when I can try them all out (and make up some more). I love getting better at things and baking is so satisfying!

What sweetener do you usually use?

What's your favorite way to eat honey? 

If you'd like to guest post for me this next week, during finals, I would love to hear from you! livinglearningeating AT gmail DOT com

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Live Soda - A Refreshingly Natural Alternative

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Remember Boundless Nutrition of the delightful protein cookies and sweet Oatmega bars?



They're putting out a new line of super sodas called Live Soda - it's the intersection of soda pop and kombucha.

For those of you who haven't heard of kombucha yet, it's a health fad drink based on fermented tea. Its fans cite it as having health benefits ranging from clarifying your skin to improving digestion to mediating sugar cravings.

But traditional kombuchas have a big ball of wispy bacteria at the bottom. Not for the faint of heart...

On the other hand, Live Soda is bubbly, sweet, tastes like your favorite childhood sodas, and comes without any glutinous floating bits.



Sweetened with a mix of organic cane sugar and stevia, it's lower sugar than usual sodas. And (potentially) with some health benefits!



There are currently four flavors - a 7-up type variety, a Dr. Pepper taste-alike, a type of cola, and a rootbeer good enough to make a float out of.



My favorite of all of them is actually the rootbeer. With or without a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, it's perfect straight out of the fridge on one of the lovely warmer days that we've been having lately.



Or even as a refreshing beverage while studying for (yet another) chemistry midterm.



Now, I know it's the science department and not the math department, but come on folks. Mid = halfway, yes? 1/2 + 1/2 = 1. 1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2 DOES NOT equal 1 whole. Midterm, by definition, means there should only be one. Okay, Harvard?

Please and thank you.

In the meantime, I'll console myself with one of those delicious Mint Chocolate Oatmega bars from Boundless Nutrition.

A sweet, sticky base (mint flavor throughout) studded with dark chocolate chips - and oats for extra chew factor!

Have you tried Kombucha?

What's your favorite kind of soda?

How many exams do you have per semester?

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WIAW #68

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During stressful times, like exams period, it's more important than ever to make a little time to relax. A great way to de-stress is to enjoy a nice, fragrant candle for a few moments and put aside thoughts of whatever is stressing you out.

I like JenSan Home and Body candles - they're homemade and organic, made by two wonderful women in Plainfield, New Jersey!

Jennifer and Sandra Mapp are a pair of crafty sisters, originally from the island of Barbados, who believe in making small-batch products fresh, with an emphasis on high quality ingredients.

They make a bunch of different scents of candles (as well as soaps, body scrubs, and more) but I tried the Christmas Wreath scented soy candle.

It smells really nice! I would expect a fir-type scent from a Christmas Wreath candle, but while this definitely had some piney notes, there's also something else in there - spices? Berries? Poinsetta? Whatever it is, it does smell very holiday-ish!

In addition to taking time to relax, remember to eat!

I have no photos of full meals for you today (do I ever?) but instead, there's a whole lot of (study) snackage.

Like Rox Chox, a Luna Bar, roasted kabocha (I just tried it with coconut oil and nutmeg - oh. whoa) and some un-pictured peanut butter. This one's a real regular with me.

As are yogurt-granola-fruit-dried fruit-nut-nut butter bowls of awesomeness.

Or a late night randomness study snack edition.

Hey, tastebuds ask for weird things at 2am. Don't judge.

What did I say about that Luna Bar, Nut Butter, Roasted Kabocha Squash, some sort of chocolate combo? Highly addictive. As for that walnut butter? This is like my third jar this month. I think I may have a problem...

Cauliflower had fallen out of my life for a while, but it's back with a vengeance. And charred.

Lentils have always been in my life, on the other hand.

And cereal bowls. Like the below, where you can't see any of the yogurt or cereal for all the toppings.

 Freeze dried strawberries, Go Raw sprouted pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, Market Basket's knock-off version of Fiber One cereal, and Chobani has been a real favorite combo this week.

I can't even count how many times I've eaten it.

Or how spookily similar the bowls always look.

But microwave chocolate cakes are always a win, too! Especially with frozen blackberries on top and a handful (or more, depending on the number of papers I have due) of chocolate chips tossed into the batter!

So easy, so yummy, so much love.

And for more cauliflower love (I swear I'm not going to turn into a cauliflower - I just happened to take a picture of it every time that I had it this week, so it looks like a lot!)

And I always eat it sweet. Who says side dishes have to be savory?

Whoever did is obviously wrong. Everything is better sweet!

Good luck with your exams!

What's your favorite holiday scent?

Do you use candles often?

Have you ever been to a tropical island?

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Adding the Zing-Factor!

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As I'm working on the final papers of the semester, zingers are on my mind.

I need a witty opening, so I catch my reader's (aka, my grader's) attention. I need a strong finish, so my awesomeness is fresh in their mind when it comes time to put the grade on the paper. And I need loads and loads of brilliant witticisms and insights throughout the paper, so that they don't fall asleep!

Essentially, I want my papers to be the level of awesome that inspires this in readers:

So you see, zingers are a thing.

Zingers at snack or meal time are pretty valuable, too!

Natural Zing is an online health-food store with all sorts of vegetarian, vegan, and organic raw foods. And if you're either stocking up (bulk buying can be a real money saver when you're online shopping) or sharing an order with friends, there's daily free shipping for all domestic orders over $99.

How much trail mix is that? Hmmm, Christmas present to myself? Tempted. Oh so tempted.

I got to try some of their raw organic Goji Berries, Cacao Nibs, and Incan Berries. They add the zing factor to yogurt granola parfaits, cereal bowls, ice cream sundaes, baked goods, bread, sandwiches, and bowls of cottage cheese and peanut butter, yogurt messes...

Incan Berries, Goji Berries, Cacao Nibs, and FIber 1 Original on Wildwood Soyogurt

Yup, they're just all-around general zingers that can add the zing factor to all sorts of yummies! And the awesomest part is that they're not only tasty superfoods, but they're each just the one organic ingredient that they advertise themselves as.



No preservatives. No additivies. No sweeteners. Just good, natural goji berries, incan berries, and cacao nibs.

And they have those great clear windows for checking how much you have. I'm a big fan of those, because it's a great way of checking how much you have left and when you need to stock up again.

The cacao nibs are flavorful, nutty, fragrant, and amazing on vanilla ice cream with melted peanut butter.

Or on just about anything else, for that matter.

I love the Incan berries! Sweet and tart at the same time, they have the same delightful contrast combo that makes me obsessed with dried cranberries.

But they're a drier (not as sticky) texture and a more exotic flavor. Plus, unlike my beloved dried cranberries, they're just fruit and no syrup, sugar, and/or oil. Just fruit!

I also really love Goji Berries on yogurt-granola-nut butter parfaits. They're chewy, sweet, unique, and delightful! You have to be careful with Goji berries, though, because you can easily end up with dry, not very flavorful Goji Berries if you're not careful - and for what Goji Berries cost, it's a real bummer when the taste isn't up-to-par!



But these, in their stay-fresh pack, are the right amount of chewy, still just plump enough to deliver the true sweet flavor of Goji Berries.

YUM.

I really enjoyed all three Natural Zing products and they're all consistently high quality, so I'd definitely recommend checking them out. They also have all sorts of nut butters, raw snacks and treats, sprouted seeds and nuts, other dried fruits, and more. If those are half as good as the three yummies that I tried, they're pretty great!

Do you know what else is pretty great? A new giveaway!

Today's giveaway in the 25 Days of Giveaways is of the new Dancing Deer Christmas Bakery Gift Assortment!

The assortment includes soft and chewy Molasses Clove Cookies, rich and decadent Chocolate Chunk Brownies, crisp and buttery Holiday Stars (in vanilla, chocolate, and snickerdoodle flavors), and 3 hand-decorated Christmas Tree sugar cookies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

It's a $32.99 value, but if you want to buy one you can use the coupon code GOODIE to get 20% off of your Dancing Deer online purchase. That goes for anything in their store, in case you want to get something else!

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Enjoy the Moment

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I hope you've all had wonderful Thanksgivings with your families and friends, full of good food, laughter, love, and maybe a little loony shopping on Friday ;)

My Thanksgiving break, though I was unable to go home and spend the time with my family, was still a lovely, restful time. I enjoyed good food (lots of ice cream, nut butter, cookies, chocolate, and bread...unsurprising Thanksgiving foods for LLE, no?), lots of Christmas movies (and the craziness begins), and having the peace and quiet of an apartment all to myself and no hurry to get up in the morning.

How nice :)

There's about a month now between when school starts again tomorrow (and it'll be a wham-bam start, with us all on the brink of finals!) and when I write my last final exam and get to go home for another lovely break, this time with my family.

Yes, the experience of ITSALMOSTDECEMBER(happy!!!) meets ITSALMOSTFINALS(panicky!) is very real.

I'll need all the (safe, legal, natural) help that I can get for final season, so I decided to give EnergyBits a go. EnergyBits are these little algae tabs, kind of like non-minty mints, that NHL, MLB (?), and NFL athletes use, as well as some Olympians, to keep their energy levels high through training. The secret is allegedly in the nutritional powerhouse that's algae. It has 3x the protein of steak (per weight) and is vegan, loaded with beta-carotene, and packed with Omega 3 fatty acids. The company claims that if you eat 30 tabs (one serving) per day, all other vitamins and supplements become redundant.

Quite a lofty claim! Anyway, they're easy enough to eat - they come in a portable little tin, like mints, and don't require refrigeration (though the company recommends it for longer term storage).

They recommend swallowing the tabs, instead of chewing them, since they can look like little green mints as much as they like but they do not taste like mints. They taste, well, distinctly green. And not in a particularly great way - I chewed one just to taste it and it wasn't great. It also made my teeth GREEN. Like The Grinch green! I should have had these on Halloween :) But a few swallows of water later, my teeth were back to normal. So no worries! But you'll still want to swallow them - and swallowing 30 tabs? Not really something I'm into doing.

Anywho, I know what you're all wondering - are they the make energy boost that'll make sleep redundant? For me, no. I didn't really notice a huge energy difference, though I did feel a little more energetic after eating them and ended up not getting as tired later in the day. But was it a crazy huge difference, like some of the testimonials claim? No.

I did only have about one serving's worth of energy bits to try, so I'm not saying that they don't work - maybe they just don't work in one go, or maybe they don't work if you already eat veggies now and then, or maybe they did work but the results aren't extreme enough to be hugely noticeable in the first go.

I'm sorry I can't give a more positive review, but there's no point in having a review blog if you're not going to give a 100% honest review. My policy is always to write exactly what I think in my reviews!

I certainly imagine that they wouldn't be bad for you, but at $115 for 1000 tablets (or 33.3 servings), they're too pricey for me to buy without proof of miraculous results. And since I don't have that, I'll save the $3.45 per serving and buy some tasty SunCakes or Energy Bars instead. Plus, get a little sleep now and then ;)

But enough with the exam talk, it's exactly a month until Christmas!

So instead of giving in to the final exam stress that will inevitably begin tomorrow, I'm going to enjoy this last day of my break just as fully as I enjoyed the first. Tomorrow will come soon enough!

And a month isn't really that long. Especially when there's happy things to keep you going.

Like planning presents. Like making wish lists. Like doing Christmas crafting (when you're supposed to be studying, whoopsies). Like entering (and winning) the 25 Days of Giveaways!

Today I'm giving away a loaf of Radical Culinary's famous Banana Bread with Nuts and Streusel!



Yep, famous. It's been on TV and everything.

Plus it's made by a former Navy Culinary Specialist turned baker. Cool, huh?

You know what else is cool? Sam and Carey bake their banana bread the all-natural, preservative-free way, with only quality ingredients. That's great news for your body!

It's not so great for international readers - sorry folks, this giveaway is for readers in the continental US only. But don't despair, I have more international giveaways coming up!

And for you lucky US readers, you have until December 9 to enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

I definitely encourage sharing this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, your blogs, or even the old fashioned way - with friends and family. After all, Christmas is all about sharing love!

And who doesn't love getting a loaf of yummy in the mail?

How do you stay stress-free during finals?

What's been the best part of your Thanksgiving break?

Have you tried algae?

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