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Sassy’s Favorite Food & Fitness Products (August 2019 Finds)

Yum

August 29, 2019 By Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD 4 Comments

Recently I was asked how I find the products and brands that I do and if I had any new ones to share. I often share what I’m loving on Instagram as I love trying new products to see if they are something I or my clients can fit into our/their lifestyle. I didn’t know so many people were interested so I decided to try out a favorites section of my blog to let you in on my favorite food & fitness products and snacks.If you love this idea, please comment and let me know so I can keep bringing you the goods.

This post is not meant to make you drop everything you are doing and buy all the products, but instead I figured it could give you some insight into what I’ve been trying out and what I actually like. I may even include some things that I haven’t been loving so you can skip on things you thought you might need.

Sound cool? I think it is, so let’s dive in.

Food & Fitness Products

First things first, people have asked how I find out about the new products, brands, and items/apps I am loving so I figured I’d give some insight. The ways that I find out about them vary month to month but a good summary is the following:

  • Word of Mouth. I have clients, friends, & family members who either ask me about a product or tell me about a product they are loving or intrigued by. Naturally I want to know more, so I try it out for myself. 
  • Instagram/Social Media. I mean, this one is probably a given but being so involved on Instagram means I also get to see what’s the latest and greatest out there is. 
  • Expos/Conferences/Events. I go to Expo East and a few other conferences & events each year where I get exposed to new products & brands, which is super fun. 
  • Grocery Stores/Shopping. As most of you know I love grocery shopping and perusing new items. I get a lot of inspiration from my trips to the grocery store. This is sometimes a bad thing because I come home with food I do not need. 
  • Brand Outreach. Brands will sometimes reach out with new items for me to try. I have a weird relationship with my mailman at this point, I think he thinks I’m a chronic online shopper, however most of the boxes that arrive are gifted. 
  • Mistake/Luck. Honestly sometimes I have no idea how i find things that I love, they just happen to fall into my life/lap/world and I’m thankful for that. 

Sassy’s Favorite Food & Fitness Products

Alright, so the point of this list is to share with you brands, products, etc. that I’ve been loving in the food, fitness, & health space. Feel free to use what you like and move on from the rest, I won’t be offended. But, if you happen to use any of the items below, feel free to let me know in the comments, on social media, or just use #sassyapproved in any post that you do. If you have a product/brand you want to share with me or are a brand that wants to collaborate, I’m always game, juste-mail me and I’m open to trying new things. 

Favorite Food Products

We’ll start with food products first since that’s my specialty afterall. I love all things food and get hyped about brands that are making a difference and who have good humans behind the brand working hard to do the right thing and get real food and real food products out to the world My favorite food products in no particular order are…

Air Fryers

Disclaimer, I’ve tried multiple air fryers (at least the basket variety) and I love them all for the most part. It certainly will depend on your budget for such an item, but a few of my favorites are:

  • Hamilton Beach
  • Power Air Fryer XL
  • Ninja Air Fryer

I love my air fryer because it’s easy to use, easy to clean AND it doesn’t make the entire kitchen hot when it’s already 100°F out. The only downside is that for it’s size the basket doesn’t hold all that much. However, I’ve found it incredibly useful for vegetables and even cookies. It’s a great option for a single person too, as you could cook your whole dinner just in the air fryer, it’s something to consider. 

Butcher Box

I had heard about Butcher Box forever but really had no idea what to expect. I have access to good sources of meat and seafood so I figured, why would I need it? Honestly, I love it more than I thought I would. 

Why?

Because it’s good quality meat, delivered to straight to your door, and freezes well. It really helps with quick meal prep & meal planning. I know that I can base my meals around healthy meat options as well as fish (they also sell salmon & scallops, yum!). Not to mention their breakfast sausage is amazing in these freezer burritos. 

Want to try it for yourself? Use my affiliate link here and you can get 2lbs of ground beef for life if you sign up soon!

Hoplark Hop Tea

If you follow me on the gram you know my current obsession. I was introduced by Joy of Girls Gone WOD Podcast & Jess from The Real Food RDs because they are both Colorado natives AND love the brand.

This is a non-alcoholic & non-sweetened (therefore non-caloric) canned tea. It tastes almost like a beer without the hangover 😉 It is incredibly refreshing and my new favorite drink to snag when I drop in at Whole Foods. They have many different flavors but the green tea is my favorite. Find more out about them here. 

Kind Nut Butter Filled Snack Bars

These Kind Nut Butter Bars are one of my new favorite snacks to grab before or after coaching. It is NOT your average Kind Bar, but instead almost seems like a dessert chocolate bar filled with nut butter, no joke. They are so tasty I can’t stop, won’t stop. If you know me, I’m not a bar-eater. I’d rather eat a full meal than eat a bar. HOWEVER, these have been a game changer when I need something fast and am starving. 

I found these bars at Target but you can also snag them online. 

Organic Valley Ultra-filtered Milk

There used to be a product out there that will go unnamed that was a great higher source of protein that I used with my athletes. Sometimes you just need to find new ways to get more protein & less sugar to help fuel activity. Post workout meals/snacks should run in this category. The problem was the quality of said milk was not my favorite.

Enter: Organic Valley

Organic Valley recently released a product they have been working on for quite some time known as Ultra-filtered milk which is high in protein, low in sugar, AND lactose-free for my lactose intolerant folk.  Per serving you can get 13 grams of protein, WOOHOO!. The best news though is that they have a high quality brand, so you get a win-win-win here with good quality, good source of protein, and good for those with lactose intolerance. Not to mention it tastes good too. 

Quinn’s Snacks Pretzels

I have a new love affair with Quinn pretzels. I don’t know what it is about them but they are so delicious and one of my favorite hummus carriers.  I’ve packed them for I think every trip I’ve been on this summer. I want to start trying their other products as all I’ve had are their sea salt pretzel sticks, but man are they DELICIOUS. 

Siete Foods Hard Shell Tacos

I’ve never been a hard shell taco girl, until now. I was meeting with some fellow lady entrepreneur friends and I was making them food. Two of us are gluten-free so I figured i’d try out something new, the Siete Grain-Free Hard Shell Tacos. Not only was I a fan but so were the ladies. They are actually melt in your mouth delicious and ingredients you can feel good about. They are currently sold online but I just saw our local Whole Foods selling them. Snag them quick, otherwise I will. 

Favorite Fitness Products

I live and breathe fitness, and as my friends have known me to say “i’m like really into fitness.” So I figured since I’m in this space and get asked quite often about what I’m loving I figured I’d share some of my favorite fitness products for you. These products allowed me to stay fit this summer and will continue to help me feel comfortable all year long. Feel free to skim through, but I think you might like what I have to share.  

Adidas Shoes

I recently purchased these Cloudfoam Pure Shoes (currently 30% off)  because I was having  ankle/foot pain from constantly coaching and walking my dog in shoes that are probably 10 years old, yeah I’m not a big clothes/shoe shopper, so I end up long overdue for things like this. I found a good deal on these shoes and heard others who loved Adidas shoes, so I had to try for myself.

The verdict: I love them. 

They are super easy to slip on when I need to rush to the gym or take the dog out quickly. Also, I’m not sure if it’s coincidental but my ankles/feet feel better. Who knew?! Ha! They are very lightweight and, they are (in my non-fashion-expert opinion) aesthetically pleasing. 

Crop Top Workout Tops

Okay, I have to say, I was not a crop top fan until maybe last year. Part of it is that I thought crop tops were super revealing and that I didn’t know if I could pull them off. Let me tell you short ladies this, if you are my height (5’4″ ish) or under, crop tops are basically just normal length (in most brands) tank tops without the weird bunching at the bottom. AND you can pull off anything you want to, you just have to wear it, own it, and find comfort in it if thats what you want to wear.

Anywho, my friend has been selling these amazing crop tops and the style is my favorite. I’m thinking we need to collaborate and get some Sassy Shirts made, who’s in?!

Fleo Shorts

Ok, the next two products make me sound like I drank the CrossFit kool-aid and maybe I did, but we are where we are. The Fleo shorts are so incredibly comfortable and I get complimented on them often, so I think if you are looking for a gym short that is form fitting, doesn’t move and is comfortable as all get out, Fleo is your go-to. My favorite ones are these but I have yet to be sad about anything that I’ve ordered from them. 

NoBull High Tops

Last one for this edition. I was so hesitant to buy No Bull because of the price, HOWEVER they are well made and look amazing on. I was celebrating a big project being done (more on that later) so I decided to treat myself with these high tops and I have to say, NO REGERTS. They are comfortable just be warned to get them on you have to aggressively loosen the laces so you can slide your foot in. Once you get your foot in you probably won’t want to ever take them off, just know you’ve been warned.

Okay, that is a wrap. If you like learning about new food products and new fitness products let me know and I’ll keep sharing what I find for you guys. 

xoxo,

Sassy

…

In Summary Favorite Food & Fitness Products:
(for those who prefer to skim)

Food Products

  • Air Fryers
  • Butcher Box
  • Hoplark Hop Tea
  • Kind Bar Nut Butter Filled Snacks
  • Organic Valley’s Ultra-Filtered Milk
  • Quinn’s Pretzels & Snacks
  • Siete Grain-Free Hard Shell Tacos

Fitness Products

  • Adidas Cloudfoam Pure Shoes
  • Crop Tops
  • Fleo Shorts
  • NoBull High Tops

…

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food & fitness favorites

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Comments

  1. Tracy says

    September 2, 2019 at 3:28 pm

    Love this summary. Make it a regular, please.

    Reply
    • Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD says

      September 3, 2019 at 10:52 am

      Glad to hear it! More to come 🙂

      Reply
  2. Alice Mecklenburg says

    September 11, 2019 at 8:01 am

    Brilliant! I also love to see your finds/recommendations whenever possible — it makes a nice change from the regular guesswork.

    Reply
    • Laura Ligos, MBA, RD, CSSD says

      September 15, 2019 at 4:54 pm

      Glad to hear it, I’ll make sure to do more of these 🙂

      Reply

@thesassydietitian

We’ve made it over a week together and it feels We’ve made it over a week together and it feels like it’s always been this way.

Motherhood is a wild ride & it’s only getting started. I have never been so tired & simultaneously so fulfilled in my life. That’s not to say it’s not filled with tears, worries and doubts but what fun would it be if it were all sunshine and roses anyway?

Going into this all I have felt so supported by friends going through this with me BUT I felt so unsupported by the general public. It seems like we want to fear and shame moms because misery loves company, right?!

The focus quickly shifts from mom to baby (still shocked that I only have an appointment at 6 weeks even though my body went through the biggest event of its life) and there also seems to be this shift from joy to shame & guilt.

Here’s some of what I heard from people:

😕Sleep when baby sleeps. You’ll never sleep again.
😕Don’t let baby sleep in a car seat, or a bouncer, or anywhere but their crib EVER. 
😕You’ll never have time to shower again, enjoy it now. 
😕Cry it out is cruel and harmful to the baby. 
😕Get baby on a schedule/never put baby on a schedule.

These are all things I heard and that truly led me to believe I was going to lose all sense of who I was and my life as I knew it.

What I wish people had said instead were:

🥰Your heart will grow bigger than you could imagine.
🥰You’ll cry the happiest tears you’ve ever cried.
🥰You’ll feel like a giant hole was filled that you didn’t even know was there.
🥰You won’t feel guilty about cleaning your house, it just won’t matter anymore.
🥰Babies pooping will make you laugh so hard you will feel like a kid again.
🥰You will have time to eat and shower and you don’t have to neglect yourself.

We need to do a better job of building each other up, supporting one another and our decisions while refraining from offering unsolicited advice and opinions. 

So for all you future mamas and new mamas out there, I see you, I’m proud of you and I cannot wait to share our stories with one another and the world.

Let’s stop fear mongering (just like the diet world) and start building one another up.

Xoxo,
Sassy & lil sassy man
🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s b 🌈Some things truly are worth the wait. It’s been a long year of loss, unknowns and worry but it’s all been worth it to get to meet my lil man🥰
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Now time to introduce this sassy human who is already so well loved to the world...
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Introducing 

💙 Connor James Ligos 💙
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After an almost 24 hour labor, Connor joined us over a week past his due date on 2/12/21 at a whopping 9lb2oz & 22.5 inches long with a full head of hair and lungs to scream hello to us with.
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We are so in love already and cannot wait to share him with the world. Thank you for all the love and support from friends and family and to all those that helped us in the hospital. Holy cow labor & delivery teams are truly magical and I cannot imagine doing it without all of their support.
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Now back to snuggling this human of mine and trying not to cry at every last thing he does 🥰 
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Mom, Dad & Bode are all doing well!
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#babyboy #pregnancyafterloss #rainbowbaby #birthdayboy #birthannouncement
I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk t I get it, we all eat so we all then want to talk to others about what worked for us. That's great!
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What's not great is when we push our nutrition and eating behaviors onto others ESPECIALLY when we are not qualified to do so.
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So often when people meet me for the first time they are worried to eat around me and/or buy groceries around me. My friends can attest I am not judgemental around food and will gladly eat that cake, queso dip or sip on that glass of wine right alongside of you. I am not the food police and do not offer unsolicited nutrition advice unless it's a client who is paying for my help OR on Instagram and other social media platforms where my goal is to educate.
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Why do I share this? 
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Because I see far too many people diving down diet rabbit holes, finding success & then claiming to be nutrition experts purely because something worked for them. 
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I've also seen this alot being pregnant, everyone wants to tell you what worked for them. IF you use that stipulation of "this worked for me" then fine, share away but if you start doleing out advice please pause, take a breath and think about NOT doing it.
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People are OVERWHELMED by diet culture and some so badly want to change but YOUR way is not the only way and it most likely is not what will work for your friend/coworker/cousin/neighbor so please, stop trying to be an expert in something you aren't.
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Got it!?! 
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Ok, carry on.
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xoxo,
Sassy
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#nutrition #nutritiontips #nutritionist #dietitianapproved #rdapproved #rdchat #dietitiansofinstagram #dietitian #dietitiansofig #albanyny #albanynutrition #albanynutrition
Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. Your nutrition does NOT need to be all or nothing. I'm not saying you have to find perfect balance (does that even exist?) but I am saying that we shouldn't feel like either we have to eat perfectly or that we might as well give up.
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Instead we should look to the grey area in between for our nutrition guidance. 
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What do I mean?
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I mean that we need to realize that we can still eat cookies but we probably should throw some veggies in there. 
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We can have a glass or 2 of wine but we should probably also drink some water. 
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We can take rest days but we should also find ways to move our bodies regularly.
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And the list goes on.
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It's not about all or nothing it's about doing something daily to help your health and nutrition without it feeling like a set of rules or a free for all.
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How do we find that grey area in between?
👉🏻 stop hopping on and off fad diets
👉🏻listen and trust your self, not your coworkers and cousins 
👉🏻focus on the simple things (ie drinking water instead of worrying about supplements)
👉🏻work to remove guilt and shame around food & body
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Where do you currently fall Right now?!
🤪 all
👍🏻in between 
🙅🏻‍♀️ nothing 
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Xoxo,
Sassy
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#dietitian #dietitiansofig #dietitiansofinstagram #nutrition #nutritionist #nutritiontips #thesassydietitian #rdchat #realtalk

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