Foodie Penpals!! You know the drill. Or do you? The lovely Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean matches up healthy eaters with one another, we get to know eachother over the interwebs and send a box of goodies via the old fashioned postal service and make sure we don’t only get boring bills in the mail. If you want to participate, go here.
I have had incredible luck with my matches and this month was no differnt. Johanne at Diary of a Hungry Québécoise put together a lovely assortment of treats from Charlottesville, VA. I have spent a little time in her town and can attest to its loveliness! She included some amazing maple cookies, vegetable pasta, peach cider, and goat cheese caramel sauce. Everything is amazing and she included the loveliest little card.
If you are thinking about joining us next month, don’t delay! Happy Tuesday!
I took a little break from FPP because, well, we had Hurricane Sandy, and in hindsight it was a miracle that I even scheduled the post (since the Hurricane came a day before posting day), but I did and am glad because my penpal that month was awesome. This month? I had an amazing penpal too! I had sweet Sarah from Creating a Great Today and an Even Better Tomorrow and not only did she give me great things to try, they were all completely new to me!
I had heard about Love Grown Oats but never tried for myself, so I was pretty happy to try it. Delish. I love granola but not that loaded with HFCS garbage that they try to pass off as “healthy.” Don’t get me started. Anyway, Love Grown is a horse of a different color: tons of flavor and crunchy bits, perfect for snacking, and NOT loaded with sugar. I am a huge fan. She also included some Shakeology mixes to use in smoothies. They were loaded with tons of nutrients and protein, had no sugar and I definitely felt a boost in energy after drinking it in my green smoothie! Another win! PB2 was something I had never heard of: it is powdered peanutbutter, so it has a ton of the protein with none of the fat. This has been awesome in smoothies as well! An additional goodie was the Bragg’s Vinaigrette, which I love their products and this is no different. I usually make vinaigrettes but it is really nice to have something that is quick to grab. Finally, Sarah included some herbal teas, which are great in the afternoon when I am trying to avoid coffee. All in all, awesome stuff! Thanks Sarah!
If you are interested in joining us, please check out more information and sign up at Lindsay’s blog, the Lean Green Bean. It’s a great way to meet new people, learn about new foods and get yummy mail! Happy Thursday!
I had an Oscar’s themed post planned for today but life happens and I can’t get off that ride. Perhaps tomorrow I will post the Oscar themed post (not get off the ride of life). For today, just 5 random things I’m loving.
Ya’ll. NYC got a country station. Yes. Now I may never leave. I never understood why there wasn’t one, since this is such a large market, there are bound to be a few listeners. I usually listen to country when I am so stressed that I can make no other decision about much of anything. You can read more about why it will be successful, here.
Have you seen this mash up of the Yelling Goats and Oprah? Life changing.
Do youuuuu add extra letters to your words, in texts or g-chats? I am guilty of it. Oooooops. There might be a reason and I’m not talking about the R rated reason either! Okkkkk.
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a strange holiday, with the forced love and all. Because I have a work history in food service, you will never find me in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Bless those people who deal with the masses. We prefer to spend it at home in the lap of luxury, haha! If you do the same, you may not already have a meal planned for the evening. If I may suggest something, profiteroles are where it’s at. You can make them ahead of time, serve them with store-bought ice cream (or whipped cream!!) and chocolate sauce, and who’s the hero now?
These particular profiteroles from Anne Burrell from the Food Network are taken over the top with a bit of cinnamon. It seemed so easy that I thought I was doing something wrong. The chocolate sauce is worth whipping together as well. It comes together easily, while the pastries are in the oven and you won’t be able to resist taking a taste (or three) while you wait. Use a high quality chocolate and you will be above and beyond what you can find in a restaurant. Plus, you will be in your pajamas! What could be better? Happy Valentine’s!
I have read that a blogger is not supposed to talk about how they took a hiatus from blogging. But that feels strange. The truth is, I was uninspired to post anything. So I took a break. Let’s get into it.
We are hunkering down in this crazy blizzard and I have some school work and cooking planned for the weekend. I am getting weary with the cold weather but snow still makes this southerner a little excited!
Five random things that have me jazzed (yeah, I just said jazzed) this week:
1.Green Smoothies. This is pretty tired and maybe even late with all the new year’s resolutioners, but with the Super Bowl (I mean Beyonce show bookended by football) on Sunday, I needed some green smoothies in my life. My “recipe” (throw things into the blender) varies with what I have on hand but my current favorite combination is chia powder, spinach, unsweetened coconut milk, frozen bananas (crucial for creaminess), blueberries, pasturized egg whites and blueberries.
2. Stitch Fix. Stitch Fix is a program where you fill out tons of information about your style and your body type and a stylist puts together a box of clothes and accessories in line with what you might like. I love to shop but sometimes it’s nice to have someone pick things for you. You get a few days to try things on with your stuff and decide if you like it. The $20 that goes to your fix is applied to anything you want to keep!* I signed up and received my first fix last week. I kept the blouse and scarf (pictured below) and sent back the other items. Next time I will have them send something a bit more fun, but I would wear this to work (not with jeans) and it’s not too trendy so I can wear it more than one season, so I am happy. (Please excuse the awkward pose below, fashion blogger I am not!).
3. Remember Life Touch school pictures? This week we had school pictures for our yearbook. That is a nightmare. No one in law school wants to remember the experience that way. The lighting is terrifying and the poses are as awkward as you remember (see picture above for awkward camera poses). Twist your head this way, contort your body that way. Anyway, I hope to not experience that again in my life.
4. Breaking Bad. Sparky and I have been watching this show since the beginning of January and we cannot stop. I want to throw Walter through a window and find Jesse Pinkman a purpose in life. We are in season 4 now. I think you know what we are doing this weekend in the blizzard. And this little gem brings together my 2 favorite shows:
5. We have been following this program from Apartment Therapy for cleaning our apartment and I have noticed that it is much easier to keep up when we do a little bit each day.
Have a great weekend!
*Stitch Fix has no idea who I am and did not pay me to make any statements.
