Hey girl hey – happy Tuesday! How is your week so far??? I sometimes think Tuesdays can be worse than Mondays – yannno the feeling? Mondays have a bad rap, sure. But Tuesdays? People EXPECT Monday’s to be really Monday-ish. Then Tuesday sneaks up like BAM. The week isn’t even close to being over, the weekend is far in the rearview – you’re not even over the hump yet. You’re just doin’ it. And that realization tends to hit me harder than a case of the Mondays sometimes, because we’re just in the thick of it. It’s typically the day I most need a little pickmeup – a little (or big) burst of energy to keep going strong.

And It’s hella important for me to be energized Bunny-style, because my schedule doesn’t really allow for much slow-down. Sure, I try to intentionally add in moments of R&R, but for the most part, working as a full-time blogger and living as a full-time wife/friend/daughter/etc is just a jam-packed week!

Since I work from home, it can be far too easy for me to fall into food traps.

And what the heck is a food trap?

Food trap: When you wander aimlessly + mindlessly to the fridge, scan options, resort to whatever is processed + easy in the snack cabinet, cos ain’t nobody got time to cook something midday.

I could have the *best* intentions to eat healthy on any given day, but if it’s not right there ready-to-go, chances are, it won’t happen. So I’m all about pre-planning + pre-making easy bites that are yummy AND healthy, so that it’s a no-brainer choice when I’m digging around the fridge. (I’m proud to say my meal-planning skills are en POINTE lately, yo). And it’s not even about just snacking on workdays – it’s about snacking PERIOD. Whether I’m running errands and need something in my car to-go, hanging out by the pool all day, or heading downtown for a fun event, if I’m not sure what any given menu will be (Sketchy-looking hot dogs? Candy that’s been out in the sun for days?), I make sure to throw my own snack in my bag that I know will be *energizing* and not just heavy or hard in the summer heat.

So while CUR ain’t no food blog, you guys know I DO still lovelovelove sharing some super easy + doable snacks/drinks/treats/recipes with y’all that are 100% attainable + achievable in your own kitchen and in your own life, no matter WHO you are. Zero culinary expertise required. 😉 Only criteria: Must be delish. SO.

These no bake trail mix energy bites are THE YUMMIEST, yo. They’re full of good stuff, absurdly easy to whip up, and can just hang out in your Pyrex until you need to grab one or two (or three or four, no judgment 😉 ).

And lately, my go-to drink pairing with ’em has been Steaz! Specifically, Steaz’s Prickly Pear Water. If you follow along on Instastories, you might’ve caught me mention Steaz in the past – their iced green tea has been a longtime favorite of mine (and it always happens to be right on grocery store endcaps, which gets me every time #sucker). I had been curious about Prickly Pear Water for a *long* time because it supposedly has a tone of health benefits – even helping folks with diabetes. It’s apparently LOADED with goodness, so I wanted to try for myself.

Holy moly, I think 9 cans disappeared in 2 days in our household.

Steaz’ Prickly Pear Water in particular is a light blend of prickly pear AND certified organic green tea, which I lovelovelove since I’m a big green tea girl! (FYI, prickly pear is the fruit of a cactus!) And it comes in 3 options: Prickly Pear Water with Green Tea (the pink can), with Cucumber & Green Tea (green can), or with Starfruit & Green Tea (the orange can!). Actually, ALL Steaz drinks are green-tea based, certified organic, made with fair trade ingredients, AND certified vegan. They’re just all about helping people live healthier lives without sacrificing the best-tasting good stuff!

SO GET THIS.

Prickly Pear Water’s benefits include:

• High in electrolytes – It’s got potassium, calcium, magnesium, + sodium. Prickly pear has just as many (or more) electrolytes than many leading sports drinks, but with *significantly* less calories + sugar. How cool is that?!
• High in antioxidants – Prickly pear is a bombdotcom source of Vitamin C, which helps boost your immune system of course, but also combat oxidative stress. AND it helps build collagen, which helps strengthen your skin tone + reduce the appearance of wrinkles!
• Reducing inflammation – It can help speed up muscle recovery + reduce any inflammation post-workout, AND can help slow down your body/mind’s aging process, which is insane!!! Can also reduce muscle slash joint pain, can prevent + treat osteoporosis, can speed up healing, AND can help with illness prevention. I mean…
• Natural hydration – Prickly pear is low in sugar + calories, especially compared to many other sorta “functional” waters. One can of Steaz Prickly Pear Water + Green Tea has 9 grams of sugar and 50 calories in the whole dang can. How many times do we pick up a can of something in the convenience store and it’s got 30+ grams of sugar and well over 100 calories listed, and the can is supposed to be at least two servings?! Steaz is also, again, 100% fair trade, certified organic, and all the good stuff.

  

 

P.S. If you wanna pick up Steaz to add to your summer drink lineup, it’s available nationwise – pop in Whole Foods, CVS, Kroger, etc. Also available on Amazon, so HOLLAH!

P.P.S. for my Philly peeps! Steaz is an official drink sposor of BB&T Pavilion, and Steaz Iced Tea beverages will be available at concert venue concession areas! #bless. They’ll also be hosting special sampling activations at the Pavilion, so be sure to pop by if/when you’re around to officially taste test. 😉 If you’ve got Chris Stapleton on your calendar for 6/29 or Imagine Dragons down for 6/30, Steaz will be there! And if you’re NOT a Philly local, no problemo – follow @Steaz on social media to find out about giveaways they’ll be hosting all summer long + similar experiences near you.

What’s your own fave snack-drink pairing for ENERGY? Have you ever tried a Steaz drink?

I swear these no bake energy bites will have a permanent place in our fridge if J gets a say in the matter – so easy, so yum. 🙂 And Steaz…you know my thoughts. 😉 If you’ve got your own go-to snack that fuels ya up on the busiest of days, wouldja kindly let me know in a comment down below?? I’m always on the hunt for something good to make to start the week strong + last a few days, so I wanna hear your personal favorites!

 

*Thanks to Steaz for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions + thoughts presented are entirely my own. Thank YOU for supporting the brands that support Coming Up Roses!