Cookies 'n Cream Parfait

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.

Prepare yourself for what I'm about to share with you. There's a new ice cream that's high in protein, low in calories, and easy on your wallet. Sounds like a dream come true, right?!

New Simple Truth Low Cow Lite Ice Cream is available ONLY at Kroger and my Kroger had it for $3.99 per pint. Like I mentioned it's low in calories (80% less fat and 60% fewer calories than regular ice cream) and high in protein (24 g per pint to be exact). Even if you do eat the whole pint at one time it contains only 240-280 calories! Don't worry though, it's not icy or chalky and definitely doesn't taste like "low calorie" ice cream. The hardest part is letting it thaw a few minutes but once you do that it's rich, creamy, and perfect. Mine was the perfect consistency as soon as I got it home from the store to taste test. ;-)

The best part for us is that Low Cow is non-GMO, gluten free, and made with absolutely no artificial ingredients or preservatives. And I know you are wondering so I'll just go ahead and share the flavors with you:

• Chocolate
• Vanilla Bean
• Sea Salt Caramel
• Lemon Cake
• Mint Chocolate Chip
• Birthday Cake

I picked up all six flavors at my local Kroger as soon as they hit the shelves. When I got home (and after I taste tested all six flavors!), I made a Cookies ‘n Cream parfait for myself and one for Scott.

Cookies ‘n Cream Parfait

I made the cookies similar to our "The Most Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever" recipe but you could also use our Chocolate Oatmeal Almond Butter Cookies as the base.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of Simple Truth Low Cow Lite Ice Cream (your flavor of choice)

For the cookies:

• 1/2 can (150 g) organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/4 cup gluten free quick cooking oats
• 1 whole organic egg
• 2 squares dark chocolate (70% or higher - crushed)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (avoid HFCS)
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• ¼ cup Stevia in the raw
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Add all ingredients, excluding chocolate, into a food processor
3. Pulse food processor until ingredients form a smooth texture
4. Once ingredients are combined into a smooth texture, fold chocolate into batter
5. Bake cookies for 10 minutes

Let your cookies cool while you slightly thaw your Simple Truth Low Cow Lite Ice Cream. Once the ice cream is easy to scoop, add a few scoops to the bottom of your dish, next add a layer of crushed cookies, and then another layer of ice cream. Top with more crushed cookies. We used a combination of chocolate and vanilla bean ice cream but you really can't go wrong with any of the flavors!

Let me know what your favorite flavor is and what recipes you come up with!

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Life is Short Make it Count. #19

Hiking Andrews Bald in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Last Thursday I went tubing with Scott's sister, her daughter, and son. It was an inexpensive way to have a little fun before they went back to school! During the day Saturday, we took it easy so that I could get some work done and also finish up some things around the house. Saturday night we went to the pool to hang out with some of our neighbors. We had plans to go to bed early but ended up staying at our neighbors much later than expected. We almost didn't even get up to go hiking Sunday but I am so glad we did!

Sunday was a big day. We woke up around 6 AM and drove three hours to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The plan was to do Charlies Bunion and The Jumpoff. Then we were going to stop at Mellow Mushroom on the way home. The weather was so nice we decided to stay and hike more! We did Charlies Bunion and The Jumpoff, went to eat pizza (and a salad!) in Gatlinburg, and then wrapped up the day with Andrews Bald. It felt more like October than July and we definitely made the right decision to stay late! We ended up hiking over 12.5 miles with an elevation gain of over 3,000 feet.

Hiking Charlies Bunion in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We always start off with a Greek salad (no olives!) at Mellow Mushroom. The dressing is amazing and we even dip our pizza in it!

On the way out of the park, after hiking Andrews Bald, we both ate our last piece of pizza, with a view! And, yes, the box does say something about "for your health's sake"... :-)

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Workouts:

Last week I continued with the She Sweats 12-Week Run Builder program. This week I actually joined a boot camp with one of my neighbors. They are having a six-week special which puts me right up until our trip so I figured I would give that a try! It's been good so far because we do things that I normally wouldn't do on my own. I don't think that this is something that I would do on a regular basis but it's good for a short period of time and will hopefully help with my speed and agility (for our hiking trip!). We are also walking/running the neighborhood almost every day. I'm trying to keep the same training schedule as the Run Builder but just substituting boot camp for some of the workouts.

Grocery Shopping/Food Prep

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Since we were at the park so late we didn't have time to prep much food but I did cook some bison meat and quinoa as soon as we got home Sunday night (around 9 PM). It took me about 10 minutes and at least gave us something for lunch on Monday! On Wednesday night Scott grilled some more food when he got home from work. We did the regular lean mean bison burgers and orange chicken.

Until next week, have a good one! Let us know if you ever have any questions or comments! I've loved hearing from you about the updates! Click here to read all of our updates.

5 Reasons to Visit the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa

DISCLAIMER: Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa graciously paid for Scott and I to stay at the resort. Thank you for supporting He and She Eat Clean!

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As I shared in my weekly update, we visited the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL a few weeks ago. We went for Scott's family reunion. This was our second reunion here, we loved it so much last year we returned again this year! It was action packed weekend but also relaxing at the same time. We were only there from late Thursday night to late Sunday night, next time we will definitely stay longer! We drove down Thursday after Scott got off work and arrived at the resort around 11:30 PM.

Below is a quick recap of our stay:

Friday (Day 1): We toured the facility with Jenna, relaxed at the Cabana Beach Club, and had Dinner at Alice & Pete's Pub (delicious!). We were supposed to do the Hobie Cat but the weather didn't cooperate! We'll make sure to try that next time!

Saturday (Day 2): We woke up and went to spin class (one of the best we've taken!), had breakfast at Vernon's, toured the apiary with Chef Matt, tried out the SurfStream® and then relaxed at the Cabana Beach Club. That evening we ate dinner at a BBQ restaurant and hung out by one of the fire pits.

Sunday (Day 3): We started the day at the pool but it didn't stay open long because of bad weather! The boys were playing at The Stadium Course and were delayed about two hours because of the weather. Since we were running late and had a six-hour drive in front of us we got our dinner to-go from Alice & Pete's Pub (yes, again!) and drove six hours straight home (arriving at 4 AM)!

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As I mentioned, this was our second time at the resort. We have a big spread of ages (from babies to retirees) come to the reunion and this resort has a little bit for everyone! There is always something to do not matter what. Below are just a few of the reasons we visited the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa.

5 Reasons to Visit the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa (these are in no particular order!)

1. The Cabana Beach Club

Just a short shuttle ride away from the resort is a private beach club. There are pools, the beach (obviously), and restaurants! You can rent chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, and paddleboards!

2. The Pools

Have people in your party that do not like the beach? No problem! There are pools galore! You can choose between the pools at the resort or the pools at the beach! The SurfStream® is also at the resort near the pools. I was terrified of the SurfStream® at first but it was a blast!

3. The Golf Course

The guys in the family played at The Stadium Course and loved it. It was a great bonding experience for Scott, his uncle, and cousins. Scott was impressed with the clubhouse and loved the 17th hole!

4. The Bees

We loved our apiary tour with Chef Matt! Ever since we lived with my cousin (who had bees) for five weeks in between houses, we've been very interested in bees. You can just sense the passion in Chef Matt when he talks about the bees. He was even kind enough to give us some honey to take home and we have already used it multiple times. We can't wait to come back one year and the apiary tour is a major attraction!

5. The Restaurants

We ate dinner at Vernon's twice last year, we ate at Vernon's for breakfast twice this year, and we ate at Alice & Pete's Pub twice this year for dinner! There are five restaurants to choose from and you will be satisfied whether you are at the resort, pools, or the beach. Food is always convenient, which is important for us! Not only is it convenient but it's also delicious. I normally don't like hotel restaurants but Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa had very good food!

We haven't been to the spa but I'm sure it would be our 6th reason to visit. We did take a spin class in the spa that was amazing! Maybe we'll do the spa experience along with the Hobie Cat next year.

If you are looking for a relaxing but adventurous (if you want it to be!) vacation in Florida, consider the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida!

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