We tried something NEW + 10 fun, random thoughts!

We tried the new Whole30 meals that Blue Apron is offering!  I’m excited to show you these meals today along with a great deal, at the end of the post,  so you can try them too!  I’ve also got 10 random thoughts that have been floating around my brain lately to talk about too.  This post is sponsored!

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I was very excited to try the Blue Apron Whole30 approved meals recently because I had never tried a Whole30 meal  and I wanted to check it out for myself.  I knew the Whole30 meals were going to taste delicious and make us feel great—>  the Whole30 program is based around eating whole, nutrient-dense food, lots of veggies/fruits, natural healthy fats, herbs spices and seasonings.  It isn’t about calorie counting, tracking, weighting or caloric restriction but more about helping people to feel better.  It’s not a weight loss plan either but it is meant to be a reset for your cravings/digestion/immune system!    Blue Apron is offering two Whole30 Meals per week through the end of February (order cut off is 6 days beforehand each week)!  If you want to try these out make sure to either select the 2-Person (2 meals/week) to receive only Whole30 Meals or select the 2-Person (3 meals/week) to receive two Whole30 Meals plus an additional Blue Apron meal (not Whole30)… we did the second option!

We have been rocking it this year at trying new things so far… I’m proud:)

Skye is now very thrilled to be in the picture with the refrigerated box that shows up on our doorstep from Blue Apron.  Soon she will understand that this box is very important to me because it brings us farm-fresh ingredients in all of the right proportions to make some new meals.  It also means I don’t have to go to the grocery store which is a win for everyone:)

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The first Whole30 meal that we tried was the Steaks & Warm Lemon Salsa Verde with Roasted Sweet Potato & Broccoli.  Blue Apron sends you everything you need to create delicious meals and they are constantly adding new recipes and dishes to their menu each week!

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My two absolute favorite things to roast.

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Skye snoozed away in my arms while we ate this meal.  It was so delicious!  The warm salsa verde that topped the steak made the steak taste amazing!  It was the first time I have ever eaten a steak without adding any bbq sauce to it ha:)  It was way more flavorful than I expected!

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The second meal that we made was the Chicken & Orange-Kale Salad and this one was my favorite.  I want it on repeat now.

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We asked the kids to massage the kale but they weren’t too thrilled about that idea…

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So Andrew did it instead:)

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If you are wondering about prices for Blue Apron, they start as low as $8.99 per serving and you can skip or cancel your service at any time!

Look how fresh everything is!  Just by looking at the salad I knew it was going to be my favorite.

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This salad was insanely good.  I loved the spicy tahini dressing that you make for the salad.  I want to make it for all of my salads now.  The meal was filling, the potatoes were crisp (you roast them) and I LOVED the juicy orange bites.

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Thank you Blue Apron for helping us hit our goals for this year, to eat healthier meals at home!

Overall, Andrew and I were both VERY impressed with the Whole30 meals that we tried!  They were filling, very flavorful and full of nutrients!  It was just what these two sleep deprived parents needed to boost up there energy levels!  Try it out and let me know what you think.

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Time for some random thoughts/things that I’ve wanted to share with you lately!

1.  We now eat dinner even earlier than our normal early bird special.  We realized that Skye gets a bit grumpy at a certain time so now there are days that we are eating dinner when most people are eating an afternoon snack.  I don’t mind it one bit.

2.  I was congratulating myself for doing a great workout the other day because my abs were sore… nope, I then realized I hadn’t done any core workouts and it was just from having a cough last week.

3.  People say running is a cheap sport but I really don’t think it is.  Among many things that we spend our money on to do what we love doing, running makes us VERY hungry and eating food all of the time adds up.  Anyone agree with this?

4.  The other day I told Andrew that I was excited because we have almost known each other for two years now… he replied that means we have almost been married two years now too;)  Basically he was teasing me that we got married two seconds after knowing each other.  When you know, you know!

5.  The night that Skye slept for 6 hours and 50 minutes 1.5 weeks ago was the first time I had a dream (that I remembered in forever).  Andrew and I used to always tell each other what dreams we had each morning when we woke up but now, neither of us remember them because the whole night is a big blur, ha.

6.  Our middle names—>  Mine is Nicole, Andrew’s is Truman, Knox’s is Truman, Brooke’s is Lin and Skye’s is Jo!

7.  If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life it would be lasagna, Andrew’s would be pizza, Brooke chose sprinkles, Knox answered chocolate and Skye chose milk.

8.  One of my absolute favorite parts of the day is washing my face at night.  Maybe it is because I know I am just seconds away from being in my bed or because it just feels so good to wash the face off.  Every night at 8:41 just smile knowing that I am happily washing my face.

9.  Andrew informed me that people don’t like their feet scratched… both of us love having our feet scratched.  Are we weirdos?  I love the feeling of my feet being tickled.

10.  Andrew found a solution to one of our problems… whenever we are leaving the house I always say that I am ready to go and then suddenly find 15 things I need to do before I actually leave.  So now, when I say I am ready to go he turns the alarm on and walks out to the car which means I have 60 seconds to be out of the house in order to not set the alarm off.  We are on time a lot more often to things now.

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Want to see how delicious and easy Whole30 recipes can be??  The first 50 people to sign up for Blue Apron will get $40 off your first two weeks!

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Have a middle name?  If yes, what is it?  

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Do you like your feet scratched?

Have you ever tried Whole30 or Whole30 meals?  

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45 comments

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My middle name, well my entire name!, is boring! Jennifer Lynn! I’m Jen, and it suits me though, so I guess it all works out. lol I like the way you spelled “Lin” for B’s middle name. My oldest daughter’s middle name is “Elisabeth”–a fairly common middle name, but we used an “S” instead of a “Z” in there because I think it looks soft and pretty :)

Only one food—no doubt—birthday cake with lots of buttercream frosting and buttercream flowers on it. I can’t imagine ever getting sick of it. ha ha

Hope you have a happy Tuesday!!!!!! :)

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My middle name is Erin! Jessica Erin which I’ve never really liked but guess I didn’t have a say :)

My boyfriend turns our alarm on to get me out the door too! hahaha

Happy Tuesday!! xo

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Hahaha! I love Andrew’s alarm tactic! :)

If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be a combo: Wheat Thins and cake batter froyo topped with Nature Valley Granola Crunch—Maple Brown Sugar. THE BEST.

I don’t necessarily like having my feet scratched, but I definitely don’t mind having them massaged! On days when I feel really stressed, I go to a nail salon and get either a foot massage or a shoulder/neck massage and always leave feeling SO much better (I went yesterday after work because it was much needed). I swear those ladies have magic hands!

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My middle name is Kay, so is my Mom’s and my Grandma’s. I love having the same middle name as them!

I hate having my feet tickled or even touched, unless I’m getting a massage!

I honestly don’t know if I could pick one food…I love everything! Maybe nachos or wings…not super healthy!

I did an entire round of Whole30 a few years ago. I got super sick in the middle, so I’ve aways tide that to the Whole30, which is totally unfair. I eat pretty Paleo most of the time, so I think I’d enjoy Whole30 more now than I did a few years back. I eat more carbs (bread/grains/rice/etc) than Paleo calls for, but that’s just what I need as an endurance athlete. You have to find what works best for you! Your Whole30 meal looks delicious!

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Anyone who thinks running is cheap has never bought a nice pair of running shoes! (and doesn’t understand how quickly runners need new ones).

I also really like my feet tickled. Not weird at all!

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Big no to feet scratching but I love a good reflexology massage. It’s different, right?
Middle name is Caroline.
If I could eat one food day it would be spaghetti!!! YUMM.
Also, yes, I have tried the whole30 diet. I had horrible hives but didn’t have the money for an allergy panel so my doctor suggested whole30 since it’s an elimination diet. Turns out I’m allergic to gluten. I use whole 30 a lot to reset my eating habits since sometimes it’s really hard to resist bread

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My middle name is Lee, my husbands is J, my daughters are Anne and jo, my sons is Jacob. We are all named after somebody important to us.

I love having my feet tickled!

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My husband goes by his middle name Clint because his grandfather, father, one cousin and himself all share the same first name. Mine is Amanda, my son’s is Tyler and my daughter’s is Valentine. Her middle name is the same as her great-grandfather. He hated his middle name until we used it as hers.
My husband loves having his feet scratched or soft touched as my daughter would say. I can’t stand it.

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Oh my gosh those meals look delicious!! I have seriously been considering trying Blue Apron. I think we might have to give it a try very soon.

I love the picture where Skye’s sock is almost off and you can see her tiny foot <3

My middle name is Lynn and my daughters is Alexis!

I like having my feet rubbed but not so much tickled/scratched.

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I don’t have a middle name (to match that my mom also doesn’t have a middle name) but when was a little she would always call me Alyssa (pronounced like Alisa) Beth. So I claim that as my unofficial middle name.
I think I would choose Cubbys tri tip salad with their sweet potato fries. Yummmm!
I’ve been thinking of trying Whole30 as a healthiness reset. Maybe this is a sign I need to take the plunge ?

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Love that Andrew and Knox have the same middle name!
My middle name is Marie!
I’m loving the Blue Apron Whole30 meals – we got a gift card for Christmas so we will be receiving BA for the next two weeks and I’m crazy excited!

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My middle name is Joyce (my mom’s first name). My daughters middle names “match” with it, one syllable, ending in ‘ce’: Bryce and Grace
I’m not sure I could pick just one food, but I guess grilled chicken is one of my most frequent.
I hate tickling, but I love to have my feet rubbed or massaged!
I’ve never been able to wrap my head around 30 entire days of eating a certain way, though a lot of my friends love doing Whole 30 every once in a while.

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My oldest daughter and I have the same middle name—Marie. And my husband and our son also share theirs (Jackson). And poor third baby Emily Jane doesn’t share hers with anyone.

Hate having my feet scratched. Also hate having the palms of my hands scratched.

One food forever—-probably a Cafe Rio salad with all the fixins.

Never tried Whole 30. I’ve actually never tried any diet in my life, they all seem too restricting. I’m all about moderation and eating whatever you want.

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My middle name is Kristine after my aunt. I love middle names that mean something which is why my baby’s middle name is Anderson after my grandpa and to have some of my family in his name (it’s my mom’s maiden name; unfortunately my maiden name would be an awful middle name).
I don’t think I’ve ever had my feet scratched. They’re not ticklish though so I’d probably like it.

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My middle name is Michelle.

Pizza. I could eat pizza all day every day.

Do not touch my feet! I really cannot sit still through a pedicure very well.

I have never tried Whole 30.

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I did Whole 30 in January and used Blue Apron. I thought the meals were too potato heavy. By the end I just cooked the meat and roasted some broccoli with it. This was my second Whole 30 and potatoes really need to be eaten sparingly. At least for me. So I didn’t like Blue Apron. Too much work and money. I’d rather eat simply.

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My middle name is Mae :) I’m a big comfort food person, and I think I could eat chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes every day for the rest of my life!

Also, my sister’s baby is only two weeks younger than Skye, so I love reading your updates and talking to my sister about them..she didn’t know anything about the “fourth trimester” so it was nice to be able to have something to share with her to let her know what she was feeling was normal!

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My middle name is Leanne. It’s not a family name, just one that my mom liked.

I’m pretty sure that I could eat spaghetti and meatballs. It’s hard to go wrong with them.

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My middle name is Lynn…as is my mother-in-laws and father-in-laws?! Guess I married into the right family ;)
Pizza 100%. Any time of the day…and now I would like some now.’
I’m not big on the foot scratching, but my husband and daughter LOVE it!!

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My mom didn’t give us middle names but when I got married the city clerk let me use my maiden name as my middle name. (apparently they aren’t really supposed to do that but the woman I had was lenient). My middle name is now Fiore and the Italian pronunciation of it is much prettier than the American version. :)

Are you doing Whole30 or just trying out the dinners?

I found Blue Apron to be pretty labor intensive but I really liked some of the meals I made. (and others I used the ingredients to make my own things).

I think Knox is on point with chocolate. I would choose chicken because I could cook it a variety of ways and not get sick of it.

I like my feet deep massaged but not scratched.

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My middle name is Margaret and I hated it as a kid… It seemed everyone else was Lauren or Katelin (I was a 90s child)… But now I just deal with it.
Probably peanut butter or salads because, in theory, salads can mean nearly anything so it would be less limited?
I don’t mind a foot massage but having them scratched or tickled feels so weird and I dislike it.
I haven’t tried Whoel30 but from reading some comments above, I think we might be doing that accidentally. My husband likes really plain food :( so I tend to make potatoes or rice, chicken or fish, and lots of veggies.

So glad you guys were OK after that accident. Catching up on blogs and even though I don’t have kids this is something I think about almost every time I get in the car.

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My middle name is Marie, after one of my Mom’s best friends.

I would eat what I made for dinner last night – marinara and meatballs over fresh pasta (all made completely from scratch!) I’ll be posting the recipe this week.

I love a good foot massage but my feet are too ticklish for scratching.

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I LOVE washing my face at the end of the day and I don’t have the excuse of a newborn to eat early and go to bed early, but I sure do it ;)

My middle name is Marie and I kind of wish I would have passed it down to my daughter because I was named after my favorite aunt, but we went with Madison Grace, which I love.

If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be sweet potatoes!

I’ve done paleo before, but not whole30. My tummy definitely likes more whole foods.

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I love Brooke’s middle name! We named our daughter “Brooklyn” so saying your Brooke’s name I was like oh hey! I always loved the name Brooke and then somehow wanted a piece of me in there (our son is a junior and gets my husband’s full name so why not?!) and so Brooklyn is like Brooke plus the Lin of my name ? It’s funny I think we spent more time coming up with middle names than first names!

Your face washing random fact made me realize I should really wash my face before bed more!!!

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My middle name is Lim. One food for the rest of my life = grapes. I like foot massages but not crazy about having my feet scratched.

Haven’t tried blue apron yet. we enjoy going to the grocery store…and don’t usually have groceries delivered.

Have a great day!

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My middle name is Danielle and I totally agree about washing my face every night before bed! I swear I sleep better with a clean face.
Just some helpful feedback as a longtime reader – I find the Blue Apron posts to be my least favorite. I know you’ve had a sponsorship with them for a long time, but the content of the posts always feel repetitive. =)

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Yes, my middle name is Janette

Pizzas for the rest of my life.

No! Don’t scratch my feet! But my hubby and son LOVE it.

No, but when we love e back to the USA in 90 days I will try all the meal delivery options you have reviewed! Or maybe when I start back to work there after Baxton starts Kindergarten I will try it…

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My middle name is Leah, which is also my nieces first name. And the food I would eat is cereal for the rest of my life! Cereal of all kinds!

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I don’t know if this is a Chinese thing or not, but generally our first thing becomes our middle name when we switch it to unofficial English name.

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I wince and guard my feet just thinking about having them tickled! When I get a massage I concentrate on NOT struggling. I do like how my physiotherapist does a foot rub and sort of scratch on my feet though-it’s not light, it’s with intention so it doesn’t tickle. I do love love love having my feet rubbed and squeezed though-especially when I when I worked in the hospital and was on my feet for long hours.

It looks like Knox flew the Blue Apron box personally to your house. That aviator outfit is so cute! You are all so hilarious, I love it!

My aunt, cousin, and I all have the same middle name Suzanne which is my mom’s name.

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My middle name is Chloedonn (pronounced Clo Don). It’s my grandmother’s name and she doesn’t have a middle name. I just tell people it’s Chloe to save time and confusion. I have never met anyone else with this name haha
My favorite meal is steak salad. I could eat it almost every day. I like treats (cookies, ice cream), but thinking about eating them everyday and nothing else makes me feel kind of sick. Crab cakes are a close second.
I love foot scratches, massages, tickles ALL OF IT. Too bad H is not good at it. I get regular pedicures so I get a nice massage quite often :)
I’d like to try Whole30 sometime. I’m eat a lot of dairy so I wonder how I’d feel without it. I would really miss cheese and chocolate milk

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My middle name is Nicole too :) Several of my cousins have it too. My grandfather’s name was Nicolas, so it means a lot to me. My dad doesn’t have a middle name, so I often use that as my secret security question!

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My middle name is Sue. I absolutely hate it! My husbands is Evan, which I LOVE, but he hates it. Oh well.

I would 100% eat sushi every day for the rest of my life. (I can’t eat the good stuff right now due to pregnancy, which is totally ok) I requested my first meal after the baby is born to be the sushi sashimi platter from my favorite sushi place by my house.

I LOVE getting my feet tickled, but my husband hates it! He hates being tickled anywhere. He will kick and throw punches. I can sit for hours and let him just tickle my back or my feet. He won’t do it for hours of course so he bought me a robot. It has 4 wheels and long bendy “tentacles”. It runs all across my back as long as I want it to.

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My husband does the same exact thing to me with the alarm! Ha!

My middle name is Jo too :) I hated it growing up, but now I love it.

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As a newlywed about 20 years ago myself, my husband and my sister drove across country to visit my folks. Along the way I made a cross stitch with my sister’s first and middle name, which is Leeann. I gave it to her and she said her middle name was spelled Leann. I said no but went ahead and took out all the stitching. We had a friendly disagreement the rest of the very long trip. Once we got to my mom’s we asked and sure enough it was L-e-e-a-n-n. My sister had been spelling her middle name wrong her whole life!!!! We laughed for a long time over this. A different sister of mine has the middle name Ruth and I thought when she was born my mom named her after the candy bar Baby Ruth.

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Technically my name is Laura Elizabeth but I have a second middle name (Loribeth) that I go by. I could eat pizza because there are so many varieties and toppings! And I am ticklish so no to feet scratching…. plus feet….esp runner feet….are gross! Ha!

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Middle name is Lynee’!! LOVE having my feet massaged but my hubs loves my nails so we swap! He massages my feet and I scratch his!
Whole 30 was a life changer for both my husband and I. Although I have always eaten healthy it just gave my system a re-boot. We have both enjoyed it so much that we tend to keep our lifestyle that way!! Don’t worry we splurge ever now and then but jump right back to healthy eating! Love that Blue apron has come out with Whole 30 meals!

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I tried those same two Blue Apron Whole 30 meals! I liked them both but I think the steak one turned out better for us :)

Middle name: Rose (I like it because people always as me my middle name and I have them try to guess by the first letter, but they never can)

Food for the rest of time: oatmeal with apple/banana and peanut butter (I could literally eat this 3 times a day if that was acceptable ;))

Love feet scratches and rubs too! So I don’t think you guys are weird for that haha

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I actually go by my middle name. I don’t like my first name ( my dad promised his mother that he would name me after her) and my mother never liked my first name either. Haha. She gave me my middle name so she picked one that she liked. My nickname as a kid was “katiedid”. Probably because I was super independent and always did whatever I wanted.

Spaghetti and homemade meatballs.

I have never tried Whole 30. Like someone else said, my love of dairy would probably be my downfall.

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My birth middle name is Rose, though I made my maiden name a second middle name. The name came from my grandmother and my mom’s grade school best friend.

Pick only one food?? Hmmm… that would be too tough for me. I love just about anything with cheese or peanut butter, so something along those lines!

I love a good foot massage but not necessarily a foot scratch haha. I do love my back scratched though!

I’ve never tried Whole30. I’m not sure I would unless I start to have a lot of gut issues. I would have issues with not having dairy – love my cheese! :)

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I cringe just thinking about foot scratches. I may be a little dramatic, but I’m insanely ticklish and that sounds like a nightmare! Pedicures are a love/hate thing for me. I do love a foot massage (with lots of firm pressure) though.

Those Blue Apron meals look delish, glad to see they have a whole 30 option.

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My middle name is Louise. My great grandma, grandma, mom, and I all have the same middle name. I hope to someday have a daughter that I can pass it on to as well.
My dad used to ask my brothers and I to “tickle” his feet all the time when we were younger. He could usually talk us into it by giving us a dollar for 5-10 minutes or something. The bad part is, he was a pretty serious runner and we all know how runners feet can be ? So many callouses!

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Middle name = LeeAnn. The same as my mother’s! Also, those whole 30 meals look just as delicious as the usual Blue Apron fare!

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My middle name is Catherine, which is my mom’s first name. My brother’s middle name is also my dad’s first name, so I think it’s kind of cool. I ordered Blue Apron last week and got the same Whole 30 Meal you tried. I thought it was delicious as well and really didn’t expect it to be so flavorful given the small amount of ingredients. I certainly felt good about what I was eating. If you get a chance to try the Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas or the Pesto & Goat Cheese Fusilli, DO IT! SO GOOD!!

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i cannot handle anyone scratching my feet! i’m way too ticklish. even if i get a pedicure, certain parts tickle too much and i get fidgety, ha.

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