Happy 21st birthday, Katie!

Today is my sister’s 21st birthday! I can’t believe my little sister is the big 2-1! (I think I also can’t believe I celebrated my own 21st birthday over two years ago…I feel old.)

She came home from Pittsburgh this past weekend to celebrate with our family, so after enjoying a fun date night with Andy on Friday, I packed up and headed back home to PA.

We started off early Saturday morning with a (hilly!) run, then got dressed and ready to head out to brunch at White Rose Bar & Grill in York. I’ve been there a few times for lunch/dinner, but never for brunch and it was amazing! My photo is blurry, but I ended up enjoying half a veggie omelet/half crab omelet (Katie & I split ours in half), homefries, and a slice of the wheat toast. It was excellent, and I was full for hours! If you’re in the York area, I definitely recommend checking it out for brunch on the weekends.

 

We had the opportunity to spend brunch with our favorite family — the Bowker girls! (Remember them from my Pittsburgh marathon adventures?)

 

 

We also showered Kate with gifts, and I had the opportunity to give her something I’ve been working for all of last week! I had this idea in my head to give her 21 wishes for her 21st birthday, but I’ll be the first to admit that the ideas in my head don’t always turn out as well in real life. Thankfully, this one was a winner!

 

I filled a small box with 21 candles. I wrapped a piece of paper with a wish onto each candle, taped it, and tied it with a ribbon…she ended up loving it!

 

We spent the rest of the day shopping with my mom and just had a lot of fun together. I feel so blessed I was able to get home for a few hours and spend time with her!

Happy 21st birthday, Kate!!! You’re smart, beautiful, and filled with so much love — you enjoy the best day (and year ahead) ever!

NuGo Protein Bars Review

I am all for technology and the internet, but I’m the first to admit I don’t want the postal service to go anywhere anytime soon. Nothing beats getting a handwritten note or package in the mail, which is why I was super excited when I found these in my mailbox last week!

I had the privilege of testing out NuGo’s newest line of protein bars — NuGo slim in crunchy peanut butter & espresso.

According to NuGo, their mission is to help people make better snack choices that contain “real dark chocolate” and are still “real delicious.” The best part is their ingredients are natural — you won’t find any hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup hidden in these things! Their new line of slim bars are non-dairy, gluten-free, vegan, and have only 3g of sugar per bar!

First up, I tried the crunchy peanut butter by crumbling it up and putting it over a bowl of plain greek yogurt. The result? It was awesome! I always add something crunchy (like oats or puffed wheat) on top of my greek yogurt, so this was a great choice. It was crunchy and added a sweetness to my bowl (without the added sugar).

I was most excited for the Espresso bar because I am quite addicted to anything coffee-flavored (dark chocolate covered espresso beans from Trader Joe’s are my jam!). I tried it yesterday alongside my dark chocolate coffee Chobani Bite (told you I’m obsessed).

Like the peanut butter, it had a good crunch, but did taste a little “chalky” which some protein bars have a tendency to do. However, I enjoyed the espresso flavor — it wasn’t overpowering, but provided just enough flavor to make the bar enjoyable. Next time, I’d probably crumble this bar over some greek yogurt or cottage cheese (!) to enjoy it more.

NuGo has a TON of different bars to choose from. Whether you’re looking for something vegan, gluten-free, low sugar, high protein, soy-free or organic, NuGo has tons of options for you! Check out their online store for more options. Not sure which bar is right for you? They have an online guide to help you find what’s best depending on your diet. If you just want to test taste and try a few out, try their NuGO Slim Sample Pack — only $7 and free shipping!

Disclaimer: NuGo Nutrition sent me these bars free of charge. I was not compensated any other way for this post. All opinions are my own.