Hello!  Can I get a TGIF!?  What are your plans for the weekend?  I’m meeting up with my cousin and her two little ones and I can’t wait! 

I’ve got a lot to say today so let’s get down to business!  Welcome to Friday’s Food & Fitness.

This portion of the post is sponsored byAlmond Breeze Almondmilk.  As always, opinions are 100% my own!

I am kind of obsessed with almond milk.  I find this a little ironic because when I first heard about almond milk, I wouldn’t go near it with a ten foot pole.  My mom actually got hooked on it before me.  I finally wised up and came around.  Good thing, because it is the best thing since sliced bread!  My favorite brand is Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond Milk.  Here are four ways I use almond milk.

1.  Coffee.  I cannot drink black coffee at all.  I like to combine almond milk with some half and half for a creamy treat.  The mixture is simply delicious!

2.  Smoothies.  This might seem fairly obvious but I love adding almond milk to my favorite smoothies.  It makes them creamy and adds quite a bit of calcium to the mix!

3.  Overnight Oats.  Hands down my favorite way to make overnight oats is with almond milk.  It mixes very well with the oats and with a bit of almond butter, it tastes delicious!

4.  Curries.  Don’t get me wrong, I love coconut milk as much as the next person but it isn’t the healthiest item from the store so I like to switch it up and use almond milk in my curries instead of coconut milk.  I also find this works very well with Indian dishes.  I made chicken tikka masala with almond milk and it came out great!  I also use it in my Thai curries and soups.  It thickens everything nicely without a ton of added calories.

So many exciting things to share today!  Last week my mom and I headed to Hingham to check out the Bar Method.  Their studio was so gorgeous!  I loved the black and white photos of the instructors on the wall.  It was also decorated so nicely with sleek furnishings.  Plus it was impeccably clean.

They had childcare there for only $5 so I dropped Coops off and headed into class.  My mom and I really enjoyed the class.  The only bummer was that we weren’t able to stand next to each other at the barre.  The instructors are really keen on making sure you know what is going on during your first class.  I’ve actually done barre for years and even the Bar Method in NYC so I kind of just wanted to hang with her but I think it would be helpful for a new person to be surrounded by regular students.

The class burned in all the right places and we left feeling great!  If you are in the Hingham area, check it out!

Ok the most exciting fitness event this week was my Zumbathon on Thursday night!  It was a luau theme and we had such an awesome turn out!  I co-taught with several other teachers outside.  It was such a nice night and everyone had an amazing time.  I was feeding off the energy!

I honestly wish I could teach Zumba more because it is always so fun.  I feel like I’m at a party instead of working out.  Of course, the whole heart beating out of my chest thing kind of reminds me that I’m actually working out! 😉

The music literally does move you though.  Mr. Worldwide, Daddy Yankee and some traditional merengue all made appearances and I could just see by the faces of the participants that they were loving it!

Plus, my number one fan, my mom, was there in support.  And she looked amazing!

Readers, what was the best part of your fitness week?  Are you a fan of almond milk?  Who is your number one fan?