It's the end of the month, which means it's time to share another FitSnack recap. The snacks have been pretty impressive lately, and honestly, I've been eating snacks for lunch lately (complete with a can of Diet Coke, but it's all about balance, right?). And to be totally honest,  I'm still thinking about those Superseedz from last month's box, which I found at Publix and have already bought a few times over.

I would certainly love to try more flavors of some of these items. I really enjoyed the Mylk Labs oatmeal, the Huppybar (like the chocolate java), and the Paleo Puffs and would definitely really like to try some additional flavors of those products!






Oh yeah. Have I ever mentioned each box comes complete with a monthly workout? It keeps things from getting boring (though I can't attest to that, because I haven't truly used them consistently - I'm so bad about working out all the time).










What was in my July box?


Mylk Labs roasted almond & himalayan sea salt oatmeal

Apple cinnamon raisin Huppybar

Freedom Bar in apple cinnamon

Non-flavored Lynq Empowered daily fruit and vegetable powder (so many cool options!)

Lesser Evil grain-free Paleo Puffs in himalayan pink sea salt

Buck What! Noshes buckwheat super snacks in crunchy peanut

Peanut-Free Natural WowButter
















Interested in joining? Get 30% off your first box by clicking below.

Brief synopsis: Joe Goldberg is back, with a new girlfriend, who just so happens to be using him just to get to his collectible books to sell for money to make it to (and in) Hollywood. So of course Joe, being the stalker that he is, follows her to to California to do some unthinkable things. But Hollywood has quite the effect on him. 



If you read my review of Kepnes' prior novel You, you'll know how much I absolutely freaking loved it. And while I still enjoyed Hidden Bodies, I felt like it was definitely hit by the sophomore slump. I didn't love it as a follow-up, but I think I would have enjoyed it more as it's own novel.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the novel that brought Joe to life is that books were such a major focus - though most of them (all of them?) I haven't read. I appreciated Joe's creepy sociopathic tendencies and his particular obsession with one person. There was a major focus for You, and I didn't feel that same kind of focus in Hidden Bodies.

I felt Joe's focus shifted completely - from books to movies and celebrities; from one obsession to many. It just overall felt a bit scattered to me, especially in relation to its predecessor. I was overwhelmed by the celebrity name-dropping and honestly thought it was kind of weird. Not to mention, in many ways I felt that Joe's character was a bit inconsistent with his character traits in the previous novel, which was disappointing. He was certainly still sociopathic, but something definitely felt skewed.

I honestly think this one could be read as a pretty terrific standalone, but compared to it's predecessor, I was ultimately a bit disappointed. All in all, it almost read like a Joe Goldberg fan-fiction.

Brief synopsis: Nolan and his team of documentarians delve deep into the Grand Canyon in search of a secret cave that may have existed over 100 years ago. Finding the cave could be a big win for them - it could take The Anomaly Files from obscure YouTube series to cable. They find the cave, a big enough win for them because the team isn't typically one to find the things they search, but things in the secret cave certainly are not what they appear to be. And they could be in big trouble.



I chose The Anomaly as my Book of the Month club pick for June because it was compared to The X-Files  (my favorite thing), Indiana Jones, and Tomb Raider. Seriously, what's not to love? Let me tell you, this book was definitely all it was cut out to be, and more. It far exceeded my expectations. The characters, while not necessarily likable, were easy to attach to, though I would've loved to see a little further development for some of them. The only other thing I didn't love about this book are the pictures 'from the files of Nolan Moore." They were a bit hard to make out because they were black-and-gray and not the highest quality, which I get if they're types of artifactual files, but they were a bit aggravating to me.

I would argue that this book is an allegory for man being power hungry, but there's more to it and I truly can't explain it without ruining the story. But we're going to go with it.

While the novel definitely speeds up once you get about halfway through, I wouldn't necessarily say the start was slow. I was intrigued from the get-go and was constantly thinking about reading this book when I wasn't. It kind of reminded me of Cabin in the Woods, but in a way I can't totally explain without revealing any parts of the story.

The Anomaly is the perfect read for fans of conspiracy theories, anti-government beliefs, and hoaxes. Also, if you're actually Spooky Mulder, this one is right up your alley.

Ugh, this book is so great. Seriously. Pick it up.

Brief synopsis: Shelley has it all - a husband she loves, two adorable children, an amazing house, and an executive position at Conch, a tech company that produces the latest gadget that's nearly artificial intelligence. And she owes it all to a life-changing event that happened mere days before her twentieth birthday. When abroad with her family, her little girl goes missing - but due to the kindness of a stranger is safely rescued. But the rescuer is really interested in Shelley's company and wants in on the venture. Up next is a young girl who looks remarkably like a young Shelley, and just happens to have the same scar. Is something fishy going on, and how does all this relate back to Conch?



While I enjoyed reading The Glitch, I also really struggled with it. While I admired Shelley's drive and ambition, I absolutely could not relate to her character and her need to place work literally before anything else in her life. I hate to say I disliked her, because kudos to the women who can have it all and really excel in their career, but I would dislike a male character just the same. Shelley's character took it to the extreme and it was really just too much for me to process.

This book was also a bit confusing in the way of - is something science-fictiony going on or is it not? Maybe it's just when I think of glitch, my mind automatically goes to "there's a glitch in the matrix." I know that's silly, but maybe that's throwing me off just a bit, too. Haha.

I did feel the end of the story wrapped up very quickly, and maybe that's just the way of high-end executives, but really? I felt like there was a lot going on with little to no consequences. I guess there was too much being thrown into this story and wrapped up in odd ways, or maybe not wrapped up at all. I just wasn't on board with most of this book.

I will say, though, the cover is mighty pretty.

Brief synopsis: Boston, early 1900s. Four young immigrant women join together each Saturday night to catch up and together plan for their futures. Each of the four women try their best to adjust to what it means to be an American woman in the 20th century and figure out how to live their best lives with their best friends by their sides.



If I'm being totally honest, this book - The Saturday Evening Girls Club - did absolutely nothing for me. It was a nice, gentle historical fiction novel with the slightest bit of girl power, but overall the story line fell pretty flat. While there was a teeny bit of drama, the novel was mostly anti-climatic. Honestly, I never would have picked this novel up if it wasn't for the way it was received.

Though it was gifted to me for my birthday last year, I just now got around to reading it, because I'm telling you, this isn't my preferred genre.

Anyways, I received the book as a gift from one of my best friends in the form of a Once Upon a Book Club box, which is really a neat concept. Though I read the book a year too late, if I'd read it when I received it, I could have participated in an online book club along with others who received the box. What's even cooler, is every once in a while, the book would have a note to open a certain gift that was included in the box and labeled with the corresponding page number. Each gift specifically related to something within the story. It was a super interesting concept and I was very much into this idea - though I would have loved this even more if it was a mystery novel (which it looks like they may have this month).




















So while the book club box is a really awesome concept, I overall didn't enjoy the novel - but I did get through the book fairly quick because I wanted to open up all the gifts.

There are some Broadway plays that are more or less household names - Book of Mormon is one that I've always kind of heard of and known about, but never really knew what it was about. Honestly, I thought it was some kind of religious show that didn't pertain to me. But then I found out it was written by the creators of South Park (Matt Stone and Trey Parker), alongside Avenue Q co-creator (Robert Lopez), with choreography by Casey Nicholaw of Monty Python fame. The show is directed by both Nicholaw and Parker. The show has won 9 Tony Awards. So yeah, I was kind of sold in going to see it. And I absolutely knew I was in for quiet the delight.


Let me start off by saying - this show is absolutely not for everyone. It's hilariously vulgar, incredibly offensive, and quite sacrilegious. I would not recommend it for the faint of heart. 


That being said, Book of Mormon was so super laugh-out-loud funny. It's certainly on par with an episode of South Park when looking at content. Again - vulgar, offensive, but so, so funny. There's also very explicit language, which I'm pretty sure is the first time I'm ever seen a play with curse words in it.

What's more is when it comes to the performances, the set, and the overall production value of this show - it was hands down the best performance I've ever seen at The Fox Theatre, which is saying a lot, because I'm seen a good bit of shows at The Fox, many of which have also been Broadway Atlanta productions. Book of Mormon will have a limited run in Atlanta at The Fox Theatre from now through July 22.

Left: Kevin Clay - The Book of Mormon (c) Julieta Cervantes 2017; Right: Conner Peirson - The Book of Mormon (c) Julieta Cervantes 2017

The singing - of all the cast members, I swear there wasn't a single note missed. Yes, this show is satirical comedy, but these were performances of a lifetime. Every single note was perfection.

The dancing - while ridiculously hilarious at times, the choreography was topnotch. The group dances were amazing and mesmerizing. I kid you not, it was amazing.

The set - I don't understand how this set even worked. I was in drama club in high school, but we had no productions quite like this one. Pieces magically rolled off and on to the stage - I honestly don't know how. There were some pieces rolled by cast members, but most of them literally rolled on to the stage by some kind of mechanics I don't quiet understand. Plus, the dimensions within the set were more than outstanding (hello, Spooky Mormon Hell Dream, which was my favorite performance, by the way).

The Book of Mormon Company - The Book of Mormon (c) Julieta Cervantes 2017

The Book of Mormon Company - The Book of Mormon (c) Julieta Cervantes 2017

Monica L. Patton, Kevin Clay, Conner Peirson - The Book of Mormon (c) Julieta Cervantes 2017

Kim Exum, Conner Peirson - The Book of Mormon (c) Julieta Cervantes 2017

Elder Cunningham (Conner Peirson) was definitely one of the funniest characters. His jokes were so funny, he was just really goofy overall, and he definitely reminded me of Patton Oswalt. Plus, his vocal range was fantastic. Nabulungi (Kayla Pecchioni) was also absolutely amazing, especially when it came to vocals. But all in all, each cast member killed it when it came to vocals and choreography.


I will say if you're not easily offended, Book of Mormon is a must-see. It's absolutely hilarious, and I would without-a-doubt see it again.

If I'm being honest, every single Sunday becomes a dreadful disarray. I love my job. I really, truly do. But there's something about the weekend that envelopes me in happiness and rejuvenates my soul. So, it's important to me that I throw some of that soul rejuvenation into those five weekdays that suck my energy away.






I'm introverted. In fact, my MBTI type is INFJ - which consist of overly kind people who also need to crawl into a hole away from everyone as a basic skill of survival. I can enjoy people, and I work in an office that's full of wonderfully kind, but also exuberant individuals. Not to mention my daily tasks include one-on-one meetings back-to-back-to-back (10-13 on average each day during peak times). So, when I'm finished at work, I come home mostly exhausted. I tend to curl up and read or watch tv, then spend some time with hubby before crashing fairly late because I felt I had too much to accomplish in the 4ish hours I've got at home in the evening.



So, how do I allow weekend rituals to seep into my weekdays? 

How does that motivate me to accomplish my goals? 

How can it help you, too? 

Keep reading. I'm getting there.



1. Immediately slip into something comfy. 
Seriously, 5:30 on a Tuesday rolls around and you may see me rolling the trashcan to the street in my pjs, or some leggings in the least. My favorites are these high-waisted ones from Girlfriend Collective. I'm also a fan of lounging in oversized teeshirts, or bras that feel like they're barely there (wireless are forever my favorites).


2. Find something I love and do it for at least an hour each evening. Make it a priority. 
For me, it's reading. I've got to get that book time in every single day - somehow, someway. It's one of the way I tend to meet my reading goals.


3. Get in physical activity the lazy way. 
I enjoy going to the gym after the fact, but getting there is rough. Not to mention I hate to wake up early, don't want to return from lunch sweaty, and want to get home to spend time with the hubby after work. So, where do I get physical activity in without losing the time for the other things I want to do? I'm warning you - it's certainly the lazy way. I turn on the tv (whatever show I want to watch at the times - The Handmaid's Tale, Sharp Objects, whatever - and I walk, walk, walk in place. Using my Apple Watch, I make sure to fill all three rings, and hit at least 10,000 steps, and most days I'm successful. I don't use a treadmill or elliptical or anything, but I still get my heart rate up and get a little sweaty. Since we have basic Hulu, we've got commercials, so during those I typically pick up the pace to a light run or jog.


4. Utilize your lunch hour.
Actually take a break during your lunch hour to do whatever feels good for you. Like I mentioned previously, I work in a very energetic office, so I usually take my lunch time for just myself. Yes, sometimes I'll grab lunch with a friend, but typically, I dim the lights in my office and read and enjoy my lunch. It may be something different for you. But for me - it makes me feel so much more myself to finish out the day energized.


5. Know what gives you energy and find a way to give that to yourself during the day.
More or less, see above. But I know I need alone time throughout the day, so whether it's lunch, the drive home, or quiet time at the house - I make sure to get in quiet time when I can.


6. Sometimes plan events on weeknights. You're an adult, it's okay to make those decisions.
Every few months, I may go to a play on a weeknight with my sister. I've got MoviePass now, so it's totally cool to go see a movie on a Wednesday. Or maybe it's grabbing dinner with the hubby or some friends, but going to events during the weekday are a surefire way to make the week feel like the weekend (even if you're a little tired at work the next day).


7. Don't forget to utilize vacation or paid time-off your job offers. 
Paid time-off is 100% there for a reason. Seriously, studies show it makes employees more productive, so take off a day or two in the middle of the week! I'm certainly not judging you for it.