Good afternoon ladies! Hope you are all having a lovely Memorial Day Weekend. Since this past week was chock-full of events for me, I’m making sure to squeeze in some quality R & R this weekend. That being said, I do have a trip to the beach with some friends planned for tomorrow afternoon to ring in the holiday. I lieu of Memorial Day Weekend, I wanted to share with you my top 10 Beach essentials!

Healthy Chicks Top 10 Beach Essentials

1. A bottle of natural sunscreen like Alba Botanica for both body & face

2. A big eco-friendly bottle of water (that you can re-fill while there!)

3. A super cute, extra-large beach towel

4. Some good tunes – bring a radio or load your iPod up with beachy tunes like this song!

5. Fresh pre-sliced fruit like strawberries, watermelon and pineapple! (P.S. Did you know both watermelon & pineapple are great for reducing  belly bloat?)

6. Your best friends / people who make you laugh and feel your very best self!

7. GAMES! (a frisbee, deck of cards, football, and ping pong  paddles all work nicely)

8. Raw nuts (My faves are almonds and walnuts)

9. A big bowl of homemade hummus, guacamole or another fave dip (View my Classic Guac Recipe here!)

10. Healthy chips to go with your dip of course! I like Food Should Taste Good Chips. (Hint: See below for a sweet giveaway!)

Food Should Taste Good {A Giveaway}

Speaking of the beach, the other day I was thrilled to find a surprise beach-themed package waiting for me at my doorstep from Food Should Taste Good. Inside was a large mesh beach bag stuffed with two bags of Food Should Taste Good Chips (Blue Corn & Multigrain), a frisbee, a beach ball, a koozie, and a bottle-opener. I couldn’t stop smiling as I sifted through the bag like a little kid on Christmas because it finally felt like summer was here (well, almost).

I absolutely adore the company, and have been buying their products for years now, ever since I saw a special feature on TV. While chips aren’t generally considered a “healthy” option, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a part of your healthy lifestyle especially when you go with brands you can trust. Not only do their chips and crackers taste absolutely delicious, but you know you are eating something that your body can recognize. That’s healthy snacking at its best according to me!

I love that Food Should Taste Good uses real ingredients like quinoa, flaxseed and sesame seeds, as opposed to most chemical-laden artificial products on the market these days. All of their products are Certified Gluten Free, Kosher, all natural, low in sodium, and made without artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. They’re also in the process of enrolling in the Non-GMO project, which their new labels will portray.

FSTG chips are super flavorful, and great for dipping in hummus, salsa and guacamole, mixed in with a trail mix or on their own!

Since I love you guys so much, I’m partnering with Food Should Taste Good to give one Healthy Chicks reader a chance to win a surprise variety pack with 4 bags of FSTG chips!

To enter, please do one or all of the following. The more tasks complete, the better chance you have in winning as I use Random.org. Be sure to leave a separate comment on here for each task completed:

1. Simply tweet the following: “Healthy up your beach day snacking! @FSTG_Chips & @Healthy_Chicks are giving away a variety box of chips! https://healthy-chicks.com/2013/05/26/healthy-chicks-beach-essentials-plus-a-food-should-taste-good-giveaway/”

2. Leave a comment here with your Memorial Day plans or favorite beach-day snack.

3. Like Healthy Chicks and Food Should Taste Good on Facbook

4. Sign up for my FREE “A Day in the Life of a Healthy Chick” weekly newsletter!

I will choose a random winner by Sunday 6/2 at midnight EST. The giveaway is for US-based readers only. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary package of Food Should Taste Good products to review, but as always all my opinions are my own.