Love it or Leave it: April edition

Love it: A good deal. I had a bit of birthday money left so Miles and I did a little pre-work shopping at Marshall's. I was hoping to get a pair of capris for Body Pump but instead I got the cutest pair of Nike Tempo shorts ... for $14.99.

Aren't they cute?

I've been wanting another pair but couldn't decide among the 50 million I liked at Dick's this weekend. These fit the bill - and the budget. Now for a top to match ...

Leave it: nuun. I picked up a tube of strawberry lemonade nuun for the trip to Dearborn with much excitement. With so much buzz on Twitter and in the blogosphere, it just had to be good. Right? Right ... or not. Maybe it was the flavor I picked or maybe it's me but I just did not like it. I tried it once the night before the Martian and again this week before Wednesday's semi-long run. Both times, I had to choke it down - and that's only because I didn't want to waste it.

Source

Love it: Try Chips. I discovered these at the Martian Invasion expo and, at first, I was a bit skeptical. It was being touted as a recovery alternative for endurance athletes but it seemed like nothing more than dried fruit - and I can get dried fruit anywhere. I also tend to be a bit hesitant when something is labeled as super charged or all natural energy, especially in terms of recovery. After all, I am a chocolate milk gal. Jackie, the Try Chips rep at the expo, said the snack is also good for pre- and mid-race fueling. It's like a triple threat.

With one bite of the Aspire, though, I was surprisingly delighted. The fruit is freeze-dried and it almost has an airy, fluffy quality. It was naturally sweet, had a great mix of flavors with the banana, apricot, sweet potato and matcha green tea and there's just 100 calories per package. I immediately bought a bag and ended up gobbling it up on the car ride home. I can't say that it helped me recover but it did help with the long run hunger!

I don't think they meant for me to wash it down with a Diet Coke but who do you think I am?

The best part, though? The note on the back of the bag. I don't remember what it said but it was pretty bad ass. Like they got people who think it's fun to run for hours.

Leave it: Green smoothies. I tried. I really tried but I just couldn't do it.

I made a mix of strawberries, pineapple, almond milk and spinach. At first, it was OK but after a few sips, I was done. Thankfully, someone else wasn't. Miles, who always wants what I have, loved it. I started feeding him with a spoon and as soon as he swallowed, he had his little mouth open like a baby bird. So cute.

I ended up freezing the rest of it in an ice cube tray, and I've been mixing it in Miles' morning cereal.

Love it: After "Surprise! It's summer!", we've been greeted with typical spring temps. I am a fan of anything in the 50s but the mornings are still chilly, and I have to spend 15 minutes bundling up Miles. This morning, it was near 60 and all I had to do was throw him in the stroller with a blanket (he had on a sleeper). I look forward to many more spring runs like this!

Leave it: People who don't claim prizes from giveaways. Folks, we have a new winner (in addition to ye11owbrickrd) in the True Citrus giveaway.

Joy, email me at hlthystrides at gmail dot com with your address and other contact info, and I'll get you hooked up.

What are you loving?