Summer Lovin'

Somehow we are on the edge of August and while the summer is flying by, I feel as though I've done so much and enjoyed so many things already. Here are a few things that I'm totally digging this summer!

Cards Against Humanity: A fun and wildly inappropriate party game that is impossible not to laugh at, even for the game-haters.

Wilfred: It's the final season. We were late to join watching this show, but we really love when new episodes fill our DVR in an otherwise unfulfilling summer TV schedule. Man sees his neighbor's dog as a human dressed in a dog costume. They become fast friends and hilarity ensues. It really pushes the envelope and has us in hysterics, yet it does include some dark undertones around death, mental illness and family relationships.

Sophie No Sugar Added Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt: Upside: A favorite and staple of late on the Dukan diet! It has no added sugar and no fat, so it's a great and delicious snack while doing the Dukan. Downside: it's expensive and hard to find, though Fresh Direct is now carrying it.

Tunnel Vision New York/New Jersey Mug: LOVE this mug that I got at a local shop in Jersey City. Perfect for us Jerseyans who still hold a special place our hearts for New York! One side is Jerz, the other is NY.

Birkenstocks: I really adore having these this summer! So easy and comfy to wear and I think they look great with just about every outfit I've worn them with...from shorts to cropped work pants. The white upper gives them a little edge and femininity and I'm so happy I took the plunge with these.

Warby Parker Ainsworth Eyewear in Elderberry: I got new glasses! These and these. I'm obsessed. They are so cute and make me actually want to wear glasses! I love the purple and green because they are a little funky without being too over the top. I feel very fashionable in them ;)

This is Where I Leave You: Just blew right through this book. So dark and depressing yet dotted with hilarity, it's really a perfect mix for me. With a movie coming out in September, I just can't get Timothy Olyphant (also of Justified-obsession) or Jason Bateman out of my head.

What are you loving lately?

What Are Your Favorite Apps? Here are 5 Apps I'm Loving Lately

Sometimes I feel really old.

Some of my favorite co-worker friends are young people, just a couple of years out of college. We have summer interns who are just barely 21. I am 32, which doesn't seem so old to me but when they start talking about darties and Bonnaroo and all of the technology that I had never even heard of...well I feel old.

But!

While I may feel out of the loop, I'm happy to have daily access to such people who can clue me in on FoMO (though, as a long-time sufferer, I actually already knew about that one), why I should be using Dropbox for my entire life and what the newest and coolest apps are these days.

I adore my iPhone but I don't really use many apps. The standard social media and music apps, and basic camera function are about it. But lately I've been trying to up my game with some other things.

DD Perks
As you know I get my Dunkin Donuts coffee fix daily and the app is fun because it makes payment simpler as you accrue coupons and rewards points. Oh and a free beverage just for registering didn't hurt either.

Venmo
This is almost like a simplified PayPal situation. You can connect your bank account and transfer money to friends, receive money from friends, and cash out directly into your bank account. We've found this to be especially helpful in the office when ordering lunch and everyone is scrambling to get cash or to have exact change. Just Venmo it on over!

Spotify

I'm sure you already use this one, and to use on your mobile, it's $9.99/month. Not a drop in the bucket, in my opinion and I'm not sure that I even use it enough to warrant keeping it. It's great for the car, but when I find that I haven't driven in quite some time, then I'm not sure it's really worth it. 

Dropbox

At the behest of my friend and colleague, Jen, I began using Dropbox and never looked back. I usually plug my phone into my computer and it automatically updates any new photos, etc., from there, however, you can also use the app to upload your stuff right from your phone, or - even better - access photos and/or data that is no longer stored on your phone. I have severe phone storage problems and have anxiety deleting anything, so this is super comforting to know that I can still access any photo via my Dropbox app.

What's App

Ok so I haven't actually used this yet, but I have it downloaded and set up. This app allows you to text from anywhere to other What's App users, even internationally...for FREE! I don't have a pulse check on this yet, but I loved having it in Aruba just in case there was a work emergency (hey I'm not saving lives or anything at my job, but you never know...).

So those are the apps I'm digging as of late, and I'm on the hunt for some new ones!

What are your favorite apps? Anything new and cool, or just plain convenient, that I should be using?

Dukan Do It: Weeks 5 & 6…and a Dukantastic Giveaway!

My Dukan pledge has really been put to the test over the last couple of weeks. Between 4 days in Las Vegas and a weekend of camping, I found it really, really tough to stay on plan. I went into both situations planning to do the best I could, but to also not let my diet dictate either trip.

In Las Vegas, I started each day with an egg white omelet with just a little cheese, ham and spinach. This kept me full for most of the day. On the trade show floor, it's so busy and there's really no decent food options anyway, so I stuck with a big breakfast and a couple of Dukan snacks throughout the day. I did have a free full fat latte one day and a KIND bar. In the evenings, it was a little easier. I did have my fair share of wine, but found it pretty easy to eat steak or shellfish anywhere we went. On Tuesday, we were celebrating earning the top award at the show, and so our entire company and client went out for a celebratory dinner at Jaleo. So good.

 

The menu is tapas and since there was 16 of us, they just devised a tasting menu for us. Even with this, it was mostly meat and veggies...nothing carb-heavy or extra fatty. So delicious and it was such a great evening, so I didn't stress over it. I ate what I wanted (skipping dessert) and felt fine about it.

Camping was a bit harder. Lots of grilling which made things easier, but I did partake in too much dessert and a pancake for breakfast one morning. Oh well. Onward and upward!

I had a tough time getting back on the horse come Monday morning. I had gained 2 pounds, which I wasn't thrilled about but was ok with. This week I've been trying to do mostly protein days to get back on track!

Meanwhile, the nice people at Dukan found my story over here on TAA and reached out to me to review their new book, The Dukan Diet Made Easy (which they will also be generously giving away to one lucky reader!). I had the original book and cookbook and wondered how different Made Easy would really be.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this new version. I consider myself a smart person who loves to read and write so it's not as though the original book was too hard to get through, however, Made Easy is really just that. It's broken down into smaller snippets and chapters with tips on the insets and motivational testimonials woven throughout. While I could have sat down and read this cover to cover (and did for a few evenings), it's really designed to flip through, picking up tidbits and nuggets of information along the way.

I also think this book does a great job of breaking down the core principles of each phase. When I first started the Dukan diet, I felt a little confused as to what I could eat when and how much. Made Easy makes it more digestible from the get go. And one of my favorite features? The meal plans and new recipes! By week 6, I'm in a bit of a rut to be creative, so I'm excited to use this tool going forward. I think this is a great book for those of you thinking about starting this lifestyle change, or for those of you who are already doing it and need some extra motivation. I find that the more often I read and research about Dukan, the more engrained it is into my mind and the more likely I am to stick with it. This book will be a great tool to peruse each day for just the motivation I need.

I also got the chance to try some of the Dukan food products. I was skeptical about trying these, but when I knew I'd be on-the-go for over a week, I thought this was a brilliant idea to keep me on track.

These were a huge help while traveling. I made the chocolate oat bran muffins and packed them in a storage container in my carry on. Once at the hotel, I refrigerated them (which I highly recommend in order to preserve them...I stayed at the Vdara which has a kitchen in each room, but for other hotels, I recommend calling ahead and reserving a mini fridge). I found that I needed to add a little sweetener to these (about 1 Tbsp Splenda baking mix did the trick), but they were great to have for the week. I would also try making a batch and freezing them individually at home, so they can be grabbed and taken along for a day at the beach or in my lunchbox.

They also sent me some of the granola, which I'll admit, I was really unsure about. It looked a little unappealing and I was worried it would be a bit cardboardy...but this was my absolute favorite of the bunch. Apple and cinnamon flavored, this is great by the handful or mixed into yogurt. Super tasty! I found that I had to measure it out to keep myself from overeating it :\

The granola is especially great for those occasions when you can't make your pancake or if you (like Shaun) aren't really a huge fan of the pancake since one granola serving accounts for your daily oat bran intake. I, on the other hand, relish my pancake every single evening as dessert, so I see the granola being more of an on-the-go or travel snack...or for those days when I simply cannot get it up to make the pancake (which really does happen to me). All in all, I was really pleased with the Dukan snack foods and will be buying them again.

And now for the fun part....the giveaway!

A big thanks to the Dukan team for partnering with me on this. I really do believe in these products and so I'm really excited to share them with one lucky reader!

What: 1 lucky reader will receive a copy of The Dukan Diet Made Easy + 1 bag of Apple Cinnamon Dukan Oat Bran Granola (because I loved it so much!)

How: Just leave a comment telling me what foods you eat while traveling...do you bring with you? Indulge? How do you stay on track?

When: It starts...right now! And will end on Monday, June 30 @ 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time

Who: Everyone can join, but it's limited to those in the United States for shipping purposes. If you are already doing the Dukan diet, then please enter to win a free snack and a great book! And if you aren't doing it and are considering it, then this is a great chance to win some free research. And if you don't know what Dukan is and don't diet...well then I still hope you'll enter because you might just enjoy this book and you will also get free snacks ;)

And!: If you want to try out some snacks or other products, the Dukan team has also generously offered TAA readers an exclusive coupon code (TAPP15) to receive 15% off at Shopdukandiet.com! (not applicable on shipping nor taxes; valid until 7/31).

Good luck!