Hello, friends! Boy do I have some good news for you this afternoon. FFF has reached 1000 posts! Pretty crazy to think about, huh? I think I need to give a warm thanks to you for reading and making this space a home. How about a special giveaway for multiple readers?!

And if you’re just now finding your way to this blog thanks to this giveaway, please take a look around - I recommend my About and Favorites pages. Then, chill for awhile as I love making new blog friends.

So, about that giveaway…

You may have noticed that a certain ingredient has popped up in quite a few recipes I have done lately. That’s because I have been taste testing my way through a wide variety of NuNaturals stevia products! Say hello to my little friends…

I received an assortment of their quality products for review, including all of the following:

• Vanilla Stevia Liquid Drops
• Cocoa Bean Extract Stevia Liquid Drops
• Alcohol Free Stevia Liquid Drops
• Clear Stevia Liquid Drops

• NuStevia Quick Dissolve Tabs
• NuStevia Pure Stevia Extract
• More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend

And I have tested them out in a large number of ways.

I have used the More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend in a few recipes you may recognize.

Fresh Peach Muffins

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

I really loved this blend because it not only cuts down on the use of sugar, but it also adds fiber…without any effects to the recipe’s taste or texture. I could hardly believe how well the stuff worked in these recipes.

NuNaturals Alcohol Free Liquid Stevia also made an appearance in the dressing for my Three Bean and Feta Salad.

And, yet again, no one would be the wiser that this didn’t use your standard sugar to add that touch of sweetness with the vinegar’s bite.

Beyond using NuNaturals in a few recipes, I have also used it daily in both my oatmeal and my coffee. Before, I would always use a splash of sugar-free maple syrup to give my oats a little extra flavor and sweetness. Now? The vanilla and cocoa liquid stevia drops work wonders in my favorite breakfast. A few drops go a long way. I have literally used one or the other every day for almost a month and there is barely a dent in them.

The Clear Stevia drops or NuStevia Quick Dissolve Tabs have been my go-to way of sweetening up my morning iced coffee as well. I like the clear stevia drops best, but the tablets do a good job too.

The only complaint I had from any of these products was that the Pure White Stevia Extract had a slightly stronger aftertaste compared to the liquid stevia. All in all, I thoroughly enjoy using NuNaturals and cannot wait to give you the chance to try some for yourself!

Good thing Ron from NuNaturals has so very kindly allowed me to host a giveaway to show my love and appreciation of you all!

FOUR WINNERS will each receive one box of the NuStevia Packets (50 ct. Box) AND one bottle of the NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Liquid (2 oz. bottle).

You have three ways to enter. Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry:

• Comment telling me how you would use your Nunaturals products.
• Twitter lovers: Tweet the following – “ I’m trying to win @NuNaturals goodies from @TinaFFF ! Enter for your chance to win - http://bit.ly/mPBTd7 “
• Facebook lovers: Support FFF on Facebook. Let me know if you did or already do.

This contest is open to US residents only. No P.O. Box addresses, please. Giveaway will end at 12 pm EST Thursday September 15 and I will announce the winners on Friday.

And good news! If you don’t want to wait for a giveaway (or have luck like I do), you can go ahead and get your hands on some NuNaturals the following ways:

1) Continental U.S. readers can receive FREE SAMPLES of the NuStevia Packets by sending a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED, # 10 envelope to the following location :

NuNaturals, INC
2220 West 2nd Ave. # 1
Eugene, OR  97402

2) Receive SPECIAL DISCOUNTS on all future orders available through www.nunaturals.com. Enter the code BLG930 to receive 15% off your total order. You will also receive free shipping in the Continental US with orders over $35. Offer expires SEPTEMBER 30, 2011.

Time to get cracking on those entries. You want to win the Vanilla Stevia Liquid. It’s like liquid gold, people! Cross your fingers you win!

Disclaimer: I received these NuNaturals products free for review. All opinions expressed are my own, honest thoughts.

Thank you to LUNA Protein for providing me a LUNA Protein sample pack to review. The opinions I've expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint.

News Flash – I’m a busy mom. A super busy mom. I won’t go through another full rundown of my daily routine in this post, but let me give you a glimpse into all that I carry on my plate right now:

• supporting my husband and enriching our relationship
• loving and caring for my children
• maintaining relationships with friends and family
• blogging and living out my dream/passion
• training for a half marathon
• facilitating two separate adult study groups in my church
• volunteering in M’s preschool
• studying to become a personal trainer
• having some fun along the way

I think busy mom just may be the understatement of the century. I juggle all of these things because I have four areas of my life in which I refuse to settle: my growth in my faith, my relationships with loved ones, my passion for blogging, and my personal health and well-being. Just because I have a million and one things to do in a day doesn’t mean I need to forget about caring for myself. And for someone who has battled binge eating in the past, part of caring for myself is making sure I fuel my body properly.

I try to ensure I sit down and take time for balanced meals at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But snacks? Those can pose a challenge. Those often require grab and go options as I head out the door to whatever madness awaits me next.

My preferred snacks will always be green smoothies (Chocolate Covered Strawberry por favor), yogurt bowls, handfuls of Love Grown granola, veggies and hummus, or fruit and peanut butter. When I need something fast, though, I resort to bars.

Recently I had the offer to try out the LUNA Protein bar line. I have loved the regular LUNA bars for a long time now and usually have a stash of them for emergency grab and go snacks. I know from experience that protein does help me feel fuller longer, so I welcomed the chance to try these out for my on-the-go hunger.

The bars come in five different flavors – Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Cherry Almond. Each bar contains a dense, chewy center (that reminds me of cookie dough) surrounded in a light chocolate coating.

The bars contain 200 calories or less, 12 grams of soy and whey protein, and 3 grams of fiber. Other highlights I find in these bars:

• no artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup or trans-fats
• no ingredients from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
• gluten-free (recently updated to gluten free bars earlier this year)

Now for the verdict?

I really enjoyed the flavors and texture of the bars. The Chocolate Cherry Almond and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough were my favorites! The bars were pretty small, but I found they held me over as a snack just fine for a couple of hours between main meals. I will always strive to choose natural, whole foods over processed snacks – but I can definitely see me buying these again for when I need something fast on the go. Let’s face it…it’s a must to have such options as a mom of two young kids!

Would you like to try some of these bars for yourself? LUNA is offering to giveaway a pack containing each of the five bars plus an extra small prize to FIVE winners! More chances to win equals more fun in my book. So let’s get started!

To enter this giveaway please leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry option.

• Leave a comment telling me what is your favorite grab and go snack OR which flavor you want to try of the LUNA Protein bars.
• For the Twitter lovers - Tweet the following: [ I’m trying to win this #cleverLUNA giveaway from @TinaFFF - http://bit.ly/pKHWt9 ]
• For the Facebook lovers – Like Faith Fitness Fun on Facebook or let me know if you already do!

US Residents only. One week to enter – ends Friday, September 3rd at 5 pm EST.

Please click here to learn more about LUNA Protein. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #cleverLUNA