Hello there! How is your day going?
My Monday began as most Mondays do around here and Ryan and I headed off to the gym after our alarm went off.
Today’s workout focused on my legs and looked like this:
- NTC Beach Legs workout
- 15 Hamstring curls + 10 squat jumps (4x)
- 15 Leg extensions + 10 squat jumps (4x)
I rounded everything out with 15 minutes on the elliptical and some yoga-inspired stretches.
Breakfast
Once we made it home, I got to work in the kitchen and prepared a bowl of oatless oatmeal to eat along with a hot mug of coffee.
I topped my oatless oatmeal with a sprinkle of cacao nibs for some chocolaty crunch.
After breakfast, it was time to work. My lunch break popped up quickly and I took advantage of some free time to redeem a birthday coupon I had at Ulta for $10 off any purchase and a free full-size CK One mascara!
I’m pretty partial to my Almay Get Up and Grow + L’Oreal Voluminous mascara, but that’s one heck of a birthday freebie, so I’ll take it! I ended up using my $10 off coupon toward Stila stay all day concealer. I used a q-tip to dap some of the tester concealer on the giant zit I have on my chin and it did a decent job of covering it up, so I’m hoping it will be a good find!
Lunch
After checking out at Ulta, I drove home to grab a quick lunch and take Sadie for a walk around the neighborhood.
Lunch today included an Asian salad which chicken, wonton strips, carrots, celery and ginger dressing. Plus a Kashi dark chocolate coconut bar!
It’s almost time for me to head back out, but first this almond butter stuffed date is calling to me…
I cannot get enough of them lately!
See ya in the morning!
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I LOVE redeeming free birthday freebies! Glad you were able to pick up some new beauty supplies to experiment with :). I usually just go with a generic concealer, but whenever I splurge on more expensive makeup, I never regret it!
OMG does Ulta send you birthday coupons!??!! Hoping mine arrives soon (May 7th over here). Did you redeem a Starbucks drink yet? Can’t wait til mine comes in the mail or e-mail, whatever it does. I forget! Lol
i love stila eyeliner – i’d be curious to know if the concealer works well! & birthday freebies are the best!
I love L’Oreal mascaras! Always my go to! Nothing beats a good concealer though! Almond Butter stuffed dates…stopping at one is virtually impossible!
I have a nightly addiction to almond butter and dates:) I find myself hoarding calories thoughout the day so I can have them:)
Happy belated birthday!
I LOVE bday freebies!! I also wanted to say that there has not been NEARLY enough Sadie pictures and stories lately 😉 I just love her little face!
Oh man I will get on that!! 🙂
Oooooh, that’s a GREAT birthday freebie! 🙂
The NTC app is so awesome. I love how you can customize it based on your time, focus area and difficulty.
And birthday freebies are the best!
Me too! NTC is amazing!
What about your Starbucks freebie?! 🙂
Still need to get that one!!
Signing up for Ulta mailing list now. I love birthday freebies!
When you’re in the mood for something a little more indulgent, drizzle your almond butter-stuffed date with a tiny bit of sea salt caramel sauce! I use the one from TJ’s and OMG is it an amazing treat!
I always take a half day on my birthday so I can walk around the city collecting all my freebies! It’s the best!! Happy belated birthday 🙂
dates and almond butter are a match made in heaven!
I just cashed in my CK mascara coupon too! I was surprised at how much I liked it. I didn’t even know CK One was still a thing. I felt very 1995 when I picked it up :). Happy Birthday!!
The Sephora gift was also really good this year – Make Up Forever lipstick and mascara! I love the Calvin Klein mascara and was happy it was included in the Ulta gift 🙂 Birthday freebies are one of my favorite things about my birthday!
Dates are the best. Not a single days goes by that I don’t have one.
I haven’t tried dates and nut butter or oatless oatmeal yet. Both of them sound excellent!
Aren’t birthday freebies the best?! Except for when I sometimes forget to take advantage of them…oops! Your salad sounds delish! I’ve been all about some cooler meals with this warmer and more humid weather we’ve been having.
My birthday is this week, and one freebie I’m really looking forward to is a cappuccino from my local cafe!
I love getting my free stuff from birthdays, especially the food items! 🙂
Two of my favorites – almond butter stuffed dates and NTC!
I never knew CK made mascara! Where have I been?’ lol
My birthday was four weeks ago and I’m still redeeming all my freebies! It’s so much fun.
Sounds like you’ve had a great start to the week!
Birthday freebies are the best! I’m filing away the Ulta tip for September. 😀
Julie ,
Just curious, how often and when do you clean your house? I am a total neat freak and I find it hard to get to the gym in the mornings without first cleaning. Weird question, I know. haha
I LOVE birthday freebies! Starbucks is one of my favorites- I always cash in on the biggest, most expensive drink that I would never buy on a normal day, haha!
Hope you had a great birthday! I love almond butter and I love dates. Definitely need to try them together!
Speaking of dates and almond butter….go on Instagram and check out the user unprocessyourfood and look at her Guilt-Free Rolo recipe 🙂 You won’t regret it!!
I didn’t even know there was such as thing as almond butter stuffed dates but now I feel the need to head to the store and pick up both. That looks delicious!!
I’ve been using that mascara ever since I got it last month for my birthday, and I am a fan! I love how you can contract the brush to make the bristles more compact.
I always forget about Ulta, need to go there more often! I love birthday freebies. My husband and I have the same birthday so we always take advantage of getting a few free dinners, it’s like we have a holiday just for us!
I have been in search of a great mascara….gonna have to give that almay kind a try!!
Love birthday freebies! Love those Kashi bars with almond butter spread on top!
Those Almond Butter stuffed dates have my mouth watering! Two of my favorite treats in one bite!
Dates and almond butter are so good!! Add some chocolate chips and it’s heaven!
Okay I need to get on Ulta’s email list so I can get an awesome birthday gift like that! And yum!! I’ve seen many people raving about dates and almond butter for a while, I need to get me some dates asap!
I thought I was the only one who has been date obsessed lately! I don’t know why, but once night time rolls around I get a weird craving for dates and it has been going on for like a month now! I recently started going crazy making homemade nut butters, so I have also been slathering my dates in those as well. Glad to see I’m not the only one!!
My husband is OBSESSED with birthday freebies, to the point where a couple years ago that’s how we spent his ENTIRE birthday. We went from place to place to place getting him his freebies, meals, coffee drinks, and so on. In between free meals and snacks, we went to bookstores and hung out. He wasn’t concerned with the quality of the freebie, either, it was the chase/adventure that mattered. Example: at once place he got one fried egg and a bowl of melon slices. But…he loved the fact that it was free. lol It was an entertaining way for someone to spend their birthday.
Happy 29th!!