Up, up, and away!

I got a couple of awesome little going away surprises before I left on my trip to Portland this weekend… and I suppose they could be considered celebratory to the fact that I finished all my exams.

#1:  Tennis Shoes! I found out that my school doesn’t allow any other shoes on their tennis courts (indoor and out) other than COURT shoes… I went to play one day in my running shoes (non-marking, but still not allowed) and they said I would have to change or play sans-shoes… I opted for playing with no shoes, and it was pretty painful!  Running and turning and stopping hurts in bare feet on the hard floors of a tennis court!  ANYWAYS, I ordered these puppies up the same day!  We’ll see how long they’ll stay white! (oh, and excuse the pasty white skin!  It’s winter, ok?!)

#2: Yummy bread! Rudi’s was super kind enough to send me some of their products to taste test and review.  I would bread-test any day!  I stuck these babies in the freezer before I left to avoid molding and aging.  I think I’m most excited for the cinnamon raisin bagels!  Which would you be most excited to eat?  And, how would you eat it? Review will come!

#3: Tasty ZICO coconut water. I won the water from a giveaway.

Review: ZICO Coconut Water

My first taste test of the drink was straight out of the delivery box.  Yea, I didn’t read the side of carton where it says, “Drink Cold.”  Woops!  I wouldn’t suggest drinking this at room temperature.  I later tried it cold.  The water tasted better, but I still was NOT a fan.  Actually I didn’t like it at all cold either.  Their is supposedly all the natural sugars from the coconut, but the coconut taste that I normally love was hardly existent and it wasn’t very sweet.  The nutritionals of the water are awesome though.  More potassium than a banana, awesome electrolytes, and no fat, added-sugar, or cholesterol.  If you like the taste, it would be a great way to rehydrate after a sweaty workout or any activity you are in to.

Well, this studious college student is off to do HOMEWORK, while she’s HOME!  ICK!  Be back later to hopefully fill you in on some more excitement from my life!

GIVEAWAYS!

Happy Blogoversary Apple a Day!  If you enter, be sure to leave my blog name as a reference!  Thanks loves!

Awesome CCK Giveaway!  And help support her Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness.  Hopefully I can one day be as cool as her and have the time do these sort of things!  She’s such an inspiration!  You rock Katie! (:

Renovation

(Late) Happy Halloween!  I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.  I know I’ve posted in between the actual holiday and, well, now.  But I forgot to even mention it in my last post.  How silly of me… I want to use this blog as a journal and yet I seem to forget to write about the most common and day-to-day happenings in my life! 

I feel like my blog is kind of splattered all over the place; from serious/inspirational/educational topics, to fun product reviews, to silly giveaways and the like.  In the beginning, I wrote about recovering from an eating disorder and the thoughts and happenings that related to that subject.  I’ve now mostly drifted away from that (like a lot of bloggers seem to do), to find that I’m happier when I’m not so much focusing on my mistakes and what is dragging me down, but focusing on successes, knowledge, things that I can improve on, and inspirational messages shared by incredibly thoughtful people.

This is why I would like to renovate my blog.  Start somewhat fresh and new.  I’m not trying to throw dirt on my past, nor am I trying to deny that I am still recovering.  I will admit that I do have this recurring fear in the back of my mind.  I fear that someone I know or someone that could know me will find this blog, see what I’ve written, know all about my past, and then judge me by it.  That is probably my greatest fear in relation to the blog.  I do not wish to be judged by my past.  I would hope that anyone who reads this would look beyond the problem and extent of it in my past and see what I have managed to overcome and do to the present point in my life.  I have fought, hit walls (hard), and overcome—I continue to fight, hit walls (hard), and overcome.  I don’t give up easily.

So what will the changes be?  Well, I will continue to do product reviews.  I love doing them, I love trying new brands, new foods, and having new experiences.  I have many products to review and I cannot wait to share everything with you all.  The second thing I would like to implement within my blog is a reference guide.  Realize that these changes will take some time…  But using the reviews, research, and experiences that I personally have had, I would like to create a website where people can come and easily find a reliable review and links to reviews of different products, find references/links to different topics and advice throughout the healthy living/foodie blogworld, etc.  I would also like to find ways to do more charity and service.  Again, these changes will definitely NOT be immediate.  I have so much school work going on right now, it’s insane!  But, eventually there will be a place for all of this.

ON TO NOW–

Halloween I went to my brother and sister-in-law’s house and got to watch my nieces dress up and go trick-or-treating.  SO adorable.  I believe holidays spent with little kids are the best!  A 1.5-year old and a 3.5-year old are even cuter than normal when they are dressed up in their ballerina and Cinderella costumes!  Add in the excitement/curiosity you see in their faces to knock on strangers’ doors and say “trick or treat” or “happy Halloween” for candy and you have one fun night!  Have I told you all how much I love family?  Plus, a wonderful meal of teriyaki chicken, butternut squash soup (!), bread, and steamed veggies was also fabulously provided!  No pictures of the food, but I do have a picture of a pretty princess!

OK, so I’m off to study up for my last exam of the week that I have tomorrow (yes, it was another one of THOSE exam weeks—the ones where we get the whole 7 days off of classes, just so we can sit in the testing center 3 separate times for 3 whole hours for 3 different exams!).  So far, so OK.  I’m still breathing, eating, sleeping, and walking, right?

Then guess what?!  I’m flying home!  Thursday to Tuesday night I shall be laying low in wonderful PDX.  I cannot wait!

Giveaways:

Cereals giveaway over here!

And BARNEY BUTTER here… I have YET to try this stuff!

Renovation

(Late) Happy Halloween!  I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.  I know I’ve posted in between the actual holiday and, well, now.  But I forgot to even mention it in my last post.  How silly of me… I want to use this blog as a journal and yet I seem to forget to write about the most common and day-to-day happenings in my life! 

I feel like my blog is kind of splattered all over the place; from serious/inspirational/educational topics, to fun product reviews, to silly giveaways and the like.  In the beginning, I wrote about recovering from an eating disorder and the thoughts and happenings that related to that subject.  I’ve now mostly drifted away from that (like a lot of bloggers seem to do), to find that I’m happier when I’m not so much focusing on my mistakes and what is dragging me down, but focusing on successes, knowledge, things that I can improve on, and inspirational messages shared by incredibly thoughtful people.

This is why I would like to renovate my blog.  Start somewhat fresh and new.  I’m not trying to throw dirt on my past, nor am I trying to deny that I am still recovering.  I will admit that I do have this recurring fear in the back of my mind.  I fear that someone I know or someone that could know me will find this blog, see what I’ve written, know all about my past, and then judge me by it.  That is probably my greatest fear in relation to the blog.  I do not wish to be judged by my past.  I would hope that anyone who reads this would look beyond the problem and extent of it in my past and see what I have managed to overcome and do to the present point in my life.  I have fought, hit walls (hard), and overcome—I continue to fight, hit walls (hard), and overcome.  I don’t give up easily.

So what will the changes be?  Well, I will continue to do product reviews.  I love doing them, I love trying new brands, new foods, and having new experiences.  I have many products to review and I cannot wait to share everything with you all.  The second thing I would like to implement within my blog is a reference guide.  Realize that these changes will take some time…  But using the reviews, research, and experiences that I personally have had, I would like to create a website where people can come and easily find a reliable review and links to reviews of different products, find references/links to different topics and advice throughout the healthy living/foodie blogworld, etc.  I would also like to find ways to do more charity and service.  Again, these changes will definitely NOT be immediate.  I have so much school work going on right now, it’s insane!  But, eventually there will be a place for all of this.

ON TO NOW–

Halloween I went to my brother and sister-in-law’s house and got to watch my nieces dress up and go trick-or-treating.  SO adorable.  I believe holidays spent with little kids are the best!  A 1.5-year old and a 3.5-year old are even cuter than normal when they are dressed up in their ballerina and Cinderella costumes!  Add in the excitement/curiosity you see in their faces to knock on strangers’ doors and say “trick or treat” or “happy Halloween” for candy and you have one fun night!  Have I told you all how much I love family?  Plus, a wonderful meal of teriyaki chicken, butternut squash soup (!), bread, and steamed veggies was also fabulously provided!  No pictures of the food, but I do have a picture of a pretty princess!

OK, so I’m off to study up for my last exam of the week that I have tomorrow (yes, it was another one of THOSE exam weeks—the ones where we get the whole 7 days off of classes, just so we can sit in the testing center 3 separate times for 3 whole hours for 3 different exams!).  So far, so OK.  I’m still breathing, eating, sleeping, and walking, right?

Then guess what?!  I’m flying home!  Thursday to Tuesday night I shall be laying low in wonderful PDX.  I cannot wait!

Giveaways:

Cereals giveaway over here!

And BARNEY BUTTER here… I have YET to try this stuff!

Nutridel!

Product Review:

Nutridel Cookies-

Flaxseed and Almond

Of course I was so excited to get the package in the mail, but boy was I in for a real surprise when I thought I was biting into a dense cracker, I was actually biting into a nice, crisp, sweet, and delightful cookie!  Upon reading their website, I found that their cookies live true to the name: NUTRIDEL= NUTRItious+DELicious.  The first cookie I broke into was the flaxseed.  Spiced, sweet, and crunchy (not chewy at all… definitely thin and cracker-like) these cookies were awesome!  I ate both right away, and I’m not ashamed, the nutritionals are awesome!  Healthy fats, lots of filling fiber, AND for all you vegetarians they are dairy/egg free!  While the flaxseed cookies were on the seedy side, the almond cookies were even more nutty.  I swear that I was eating a very crisp peanut butter cookie, except a lot healthier!  Both these cookies made for awesome snacks and would be incredible on yogurt, as a crunchy oatmeal topping, or just as I at them… au naturale with a bit of vanilla soymilk to wash it all down!

Have you tried them yet?!  Si no, GO NOW!

P.S. Zesty has got one awesome giveaway going on! I think I could use one of these!

Have you checked into Project Feed Me?  Time’s a-wastin’!

The Bar End

The end of Larabar reviews that is… until they get new flavors, or I get informed of any flavors I haven’t tried, OR I get sent some Jocalats &/or Jamfrakas to try!

By the way, I’m SO sorry that it’s been forever since I last posted!  I think we can all commiserate and know that when life gets busy, some things get pushed to the back burner… but I’ve been reading and keeping up with all of you, I promise!  Just no time to write!  But here’s a dense post, and the winners of the Dr Kracker giveaway will be announced at the end! (:

REVIEWS:

Larabar- Pistachio

It’s GREEN!  My favorite color!  I know, I know… pistachios ARE green, thus, why wouldn’t the bar be green!  But I don’t think of these things until I see them!  Pistachios are one of my favorite nuts, so this bar was a delightful treat.  Fairly plain in taste if you’re not that into pistachios… but I enjoyed it!

Larabar- Pecan Pie

Yea, this was good.  Very good to be exact.  Not quite as sugar coated and over-the-top sweet and awesome as my mom’s REAL pecan pie, but this was definitely a healthy twist!  I don’t believe there were any spices used, but whatever the case I enjoyed it.  It probably could have done with some cinnamon and other flavors that would spunk the “pie” up a little, but it was good without too!

Larabar- Tropical Fruit Tart

This bar was awesome!  If you like tropical flavors (i.e. coconut and pineapple) this would be a bar for you!  Ummm, I basically loved it from first taste!  It was definitely tart, but in a very good way!  Sweet pineapple, tasty coconut, and chewy nuts & dates with some awesome orange hints made this bar a hit!

Larabar- Peanut Butter and Jelly

I finally got to try the infamous PB&J Larabar!  It was great!  A little weird having the jelly be cherries… I’ve never had a cherry jelly and peanut butter sandwich, have you?  But it was still very good.  The taste was definitely similar to the actual sandwich, but I don’t think you will ever be able to match the real deal to the T, especially sans my favorite carb: BREAD.  It worked though and made for a great and filling snack!

Larabar- Ginger Snap

Delightfully flavorful!  I love ginger, and this bar served its gingery purpose!  Chalk full of delicious spices and the ever so spicy ginger, this bar will give you a little zing as you eat it!  Who knew so many different flavors could go so well with nuts and dates??  Obviously, Lara figured it out!

Larabar- Peanut Butter Cookie

Not quite as cookie-like as I was expecting, but delicious nonetheless!  I love peanut butter, that’s no secret, and these bars were great with the yummy goodness that is peanuts.  Sorry if the bar looks a little smooshed… it may or may not have been accidentally flattened by someone or something…  If you like peanut butter, try this or the PB&J Larabars!

It’s almost depressing that the reviews are all over for Larabar, but I hope they know that I’m all for doing more reviews of new flavors or of any of their other bars (Jamfrakas,  Jocalats, etc.)!

 

And the four winners of the Dr Kracker giveaway are…

1. Kelsey- commented on October 19th, 2009 at 8:10 PM

2. The Skinny Plate- commented on October 19th, 2009 at 3:07 PM

3. Annabel from Feed Me I’m Cranky- commented on October 21st, 2009 at 1:09 PM

4. AND Laura from Learning to Love- commented on October 24th, 2009 at 9:14 PM

Congratulations everyone!  Email me ASAP with your full names and addresses and we will get those prizes to you in a jiffy!

Other Giveaways:

Check out this awesome Penny’s giveaway!  I LOVED their cookies and I highly recommend them!!

FYI

Don’t forget about the Dr Kracker Giveaway!  It ends Monday night!

FYI:  A new love has entered my life…

Detailed review to come soon…  be warned, comparisons and contrasts to the popular Vita-Mix will be made…

Big thanks to Blendtec for allowing me to try and review their product, as well as get a tour of their offices/manufacturing facility!

Any suggestions for recipes to test this bad boy out?

Sweet Tater Fries for the Collegiate Soul

FIRST, thank you for the sweet comments on my last post.  It was pretty awesome writing it, and I know it’s going to be important for me to keep looking at that and reminding myself of those things.  It was also fun to hear what your favorite body parts were… there’s nothing strange about loving your calves (Errign)!! 

Don’t forget about the Dr Krackers!  He’s just dyin’ to be won by YOU!

Since I haven’t showed any of my “fun” meals as of late, I thought I’d do a little post about them… so let’s begin the picture journey:

I tell you… sweet potatoes baked into fries… that is that spuds purpose in life!  Pair it with some breaded chicken tenders and oven roasted squash, zucchini and tomatoes and you have one divine meal!   OH and you can’t forget your ketchup or ranch dressing for dippage!  (Almond butter may also have made an appearance!)

My first go at savory oatmeal… was it a success???  YUP!  I mixed in a laughing cow cheese, sundried tomatoes, spices galore, onion, and whatever I felt like… plopped it on top of a big ol’ bed of spinach and sprinkled on some nutritional yeast, and VOILA!  WARM MEAL in a bowl!

REVIEW:

POM Wonderful- Pomegranate Kiwi and Pomegranate Nectarine

OH wonderful little POM Wonderful sent me some more goodies!  The amazing flavor variations: Pomegranate Kiwi and Pomegranate Nectarine.  As you can see below I enjoyed it with some green oats, but they were also super delicious on their own, in a spritzer, and blended into smoothies!  YUM!

What is that little spoon spooning so happily… ready to be spread on that delicious Vita or dipped in with those frozen peaches???   WHAT IS THAT?!?

OH YEA, it was this gorgeous jar of deliciousness!

REVIEW:

Trader Joe’s Creamy Unsalted Almond Butter

The flavor is SO much different than the raw variety… hard to explain, but I think I like the roasted better.  It has a bit more UMPH to it.  This sweet nut butter was delightfully creamy and worked perfectly as a drizzler for oatmeal or a dip for fruit or a topping for ice cream! 

Giveaways:

Mozy on over to Jenny’s if you love yourself some fiber-full muffins!

Check out Julie GoLean’s Giveaway for Nature’s Path!

and again, don’t forget about mine!  There are going to be several winners, so get ALL your entries in and spread the word!!!

Hope you enjoyed some of my fun eats that have been goin’ into my tummy lately!

Dearest Body

How often have I overlooked you?  How often have I taken you for granted?  Yet, through all my silly griping about this little issue or that, you have always been here for me.  Every piece of you has contributed something to my life.  For those things I am so grateful.

Legs, you have walked me places all over the world.  You have run far and wide, strong and hard.  You have run bases, up and down basketball courts, chased tennis balls, walked dirt trails, explored cobblestone streets, kicked horses into gear, and more.  You amaze me.

Arms, you have encircled many a loved one when in need of comfort.  You have also been a comfort and guide to others.  Always willing to reach out and give back.

Stomach, why have we quarreled so much in this life?  You have done so much, beyond growing out or shrinking in.  Beyond being flabby or rock hard.  You hold my insides together and support all other parts of the body.  You offer me a solid core.

Back, though you have felt pain, you have never given out.  You have helped me stand tall in good times and bad, showing the world that Keri and her body are proud of who we are.

Face, you have seen so much in this life.  Your freckles have never left like you may have wished as a child, but they aren’t so bad—they’re marks left by angels’ kisses.  Throughout life you have laughed, wept, smiled, frowned, and so much more… one piece of advice: NEVER stop smiling.  The world doesn’t need any more downers, but rather someone who motivates and lifts others up.

Dearest body, I hope we can continue to develop our positive and constructive relationship.  I am trying my hardest to give you what you need, and I hope that by doing so you will continue to give me what you offer and more.  We have so much to look forward to in this life my wonderful, amazing, and beautiful body!

Stay strong and love you always,

Keri

Happy Love Your Body Day!  What do you love most about your body?

Don’t forget about the Dr Kracker Giveaway!  Even if you don’t want to enter, you can still spread the word to your friends!

Check out Tri to Cook’s giveaway!

Los Tres Finales and another Giveaway!

And the winner of the Chobani giveaway is…

Errign from 365 Days!  Congrats girl!  I’m glad you entered cause I got to meet you!  We sound very similar… outdoors-ey, love to cook, take pictures, in college… etc. etc.  Make sure to keep in touch (everyone else too!)!

Now to finalize my Doctor Kracker review… how terribly sad I am that they are all gone!

REVIEWS-

Doctor Kracker Fire Roasted Crisps

Much less spicy than I was expecting.  There was mostly just a smoky taste from chili peppers.  Other than that it was one of the most interesting crackers I’ve every tried.  Sweet potato and sundried tomatoes?  Yup!  AND cheddar cheese and black sesame seeds!  These crisps lived up to every other Kracker I’ve tried and were nice and thick and crunchy!

Doctor Kracker Hummus Maximus

I really enjoyed this flavor and think they paired EXCELLENTLY with hummus! The taste didn’t really remind me of hummus, but it was still very flavorful!  Made with chickpea and spelt flour along with lemon peel, garlic, sesame seeds, and CORIANDER (do you see the seeds on the cracker?)… the crackers were obviously packed with the fresh taste of herbs nuttiness!  This box did NOT last very long!

Doctor Kracker Apple Crisps

These were FAR better than the cherry semolina crisps that I tried a while back.  You want a sweet cracker?  Here it is!  Holy yum!  Coated with a little sugard dusting and obvious dried apple chunks and delicious nutty seeds, these crackers were a carb addicts worse nightmare!  Sweet, a little salty, apple-ey, yummy… words hardly give it justice… I only wished I would have saved a few to try some in a sweet dip, like… melted chocolate?  Oh, or caramel!  Caramel apples anyone?

Dying to try the Kracker?????  YOU SHOULD BE!  Well here’s your chance to taste them for yourself!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

To enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me you favorite dip and recipe or a fabulous dip/recipe you are thinking about trying.  What cracker from Doctor Kracker’s website do you think would go best with your dip?
2. Link back on your blog! (leave a comment with a link or be sure to ping back with your post!) and add me to your blogroll!
3. Send me an email with some blog-bettering advice or a question you have for me!

That’s it!  Each entry adds to your chances to win!  Four winners will be randomly selected on Monday, October 26!  Good luck!

Others:

meals & moves is 6 months old and is hosting a giveaway! check outcookware.com for your favorite brands like cuisineart, emile henry,rachael ray cookware and more! giveaway ends 10/23

Chompin’ on some Chobs + a…

I’m not finishing that sentence YET!

REVIEW of CHOBANI!

Chobani Plain 2% Greek Yogurt

Low fat yogurt is definitely some of the best yogurt out there!  So creamy… add the Greek to it and you’ve got one creamy and thick and delicious yogurt!  I enjoyed my tangy/tart plain Chobs with some frozen berries, blueberry flax, and cereal.  Let’s just say it was an awesome mess!

Chobani Pineapple 2% Greek Yogurt

Another incredible, yet very, VERY edible mess? This was made with a creamy, delicious, sweet and tropical pineapple low fat Chobs!  My favorite flavor out of the entire mix (I underline flavor because I really like the plain and then creating adding my own real fruits/mix-ins).  Why is this so good?  Probably has something to do with the fat and then I suppose pineapple just pairs well with yogurt!

This mess was eaten with Agave Plus Granola and Whole Os + some frozen fruit (mostly pineapple)… yumm!

Chobani Honey 0% Greek Yogurt

Not gonna lie, the 0% yogurt I had all seemed to be a bit more liquidy.  Though still delicious and quite thick compared to regular yogurt.  I normally really enjoy honey, but all the honey flavors I’ve tried in yogurt have been very disappointing.  Unfortunately, Chobani was not able to prove any better…

Chobani Pomegranate 0% Greek Yogurt

Out of all the nonfat flavored yogurts, this one was probably the least “fake” tasting to me. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the pomegranate arils/seeds being bothersome.  But they were alright for me.  I suppose they didn’t add much to the flavor or fruitiness… they were just, there.  This was my second favorite fruit flavor after the low fat pineapple.

Chobani Strawberry 0% Greek Yogurt

As mentioned before, I think I’ve taken to plain yogurt… so now trying the fruit flavors, I’m a little thrown off.  The strawberry was good, but not fantastic taste-wise.  Texture was great, although in all the fruit flavors, yogurt and fruit had to be mixed together or else you had a very separated goo.

Chobani Vanilla 0% Greek Yogurt

Vanilla yogurt is one of my favorite flavors… It’s hard to fake a vanilla flavor!  I actually wasn’t terribly impressed with Chobani’s vanilla, but it may have had something to do with my combination of foods I threw in with it.  I mixed in some bananas (which would have been great with the yogurt on its own) and also added some of TJs Sunflower Seed Butter… for some reason the butter clashed with the vanilla flavor, but tasted great with the bananas.  So I tried to eat the butter with the bananas and then the rest of the banana with the yogurt… well, not so successfully (once it’s a mess, it’s really a MESS!).

Chobani Blueberry 0% Greek Yogurt

My blueberry Chobs was awesome in a parfait with frozen berries, some Kashi Oat Flakes and Blueberry Heart to Heart, and a crumbled Bluebran Vitatop.

Chobani Peach 0% Greek Yogurt

Peaches and almond butter have been a big hit in the blog world.  I’ve tried frozen peaches and almond butter… but thought I’d take a stab at peach yogurt and almond butter!  It was awesome!  I included some additional thawed peach action at the bottom of that bowl.

Chobani Plain 0% Greek Yogurt

Fall wouldn’t be fall without pumpkin pie… although I used the nonfat Chobs to make more of a pumpkin pie cream.  Whatever the case, it was increible!  Topped off with a little Gorilla Munch for some crunch, and I was in snackin’ heaven!  (Mix 1 Plain Chobs with 1/2C+ Pumpkin and some stevia.  Add spices galore: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves to your liking and voila!  EAT!).

GIVEAWAY!  This is the finish to my post title.

Chobani has agreed to give one lucky person a try of their awesome Greek yogurt!  Wanna win?

To Enter:

1. Take a gander at the Chobani website and then comment here with a “dream flavor” you think they should create as well as a description of one thing (or several) that you would put in your Dream Book!
2. Link back on your blog (must come back here and post the link or make sure to ping back!).
3. If you don’t have a blog, shoot me an email with a question you have about me or any blog-bettering advice.  (you can do this too if you have a blog and linked but want some bonus points!)
4. Tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment letting me know you did!

US residents only!  Sorry everyone else!

EL FIN!  Winner randomly selected on Sunday, October 18th!

OTHER GIVEAWAYS:

Nature’s Path Giveaway over here!

Nasoya giveaway at OneFitFoodie!

Another Chobani giveaway over here!

A plethora of goodies over at Food Cents!

Coconut Water here!

Vitatops here!

And a yoga mat giveaway!  I need one still!!!!