Barney Butter

I have learned that Barney Butter is as versatile (and delicious!) as it gets. It is tasty on waffles, oatmeal, bagels, toast, crackers, sandwiches, cereal...mmm mmm. And toppings? Applesauce, fresh fruit, jelly/jam/preserves - this stuff goes well with everything!


Not only is the flavor great, but the color is nice too. A perfectly pretty tan :] The only bad thing is that too much of it can stick in the stomach, or on the roof of the mouth. But some hardcore nut butter lovers may adore that. Also, it can get kind of messy. I usually go light on the PB & such, but I couldn't resist piling on the Barney Butter. It spreads very easily, at room temperature or out of the fridge. (Trust me, I tried both ways.)


Thanks, Barney Butter, for the great samples! I will definitely be buying a big jar of this almond butter sometime in the future.

Spring

spring / printemps / primavera

Whatever the heck you call it, it is my absolute favorite season. The trees are starting to get their leaves back, flowers are starting to bloom, the weather is beautiful again....Ahh. It makes the winter worth it. (Winter is my least fav - haha, can you tell?)

I am so excited for this time of year... even though Spring Break is over. (I go back to school tomorrow.) There's a hearty eight weeks before summer...but Easter is right around the corner! I have a lot of recipes in my head that I am excited to share with you guys as soon as I get the chance. I just adore springtime!!! What is your favorite season?

Crazy for Coconut!

Is this a dream? I asked myself after arriving home to find two ENORMOUS boxes on the front porch. I was even more amazed when I opened them up. Thank you so much, Turtle Mountain, for the delicious treats that you sent me. They supplied me with the majority of their So Delicious Made with Coconut Milk (vegan!) line, and wow, was I impressed.

Purely Decadent Frozen Desserts

• Chocolate: This flavor was really tasty & rich - the best nondairy chocolate "ice cream" I've ever had.
• Coconut: HANDS DOWN my favorite! The Coconut flavor is creamy and delightfully sweet; it's filled with coconut flakes that only add to its wonderfullness.
• Cookie Dough: I didn't think that I was a big fan of cookie dough ice cream...until I tried this. It was one of the best!
• Vanilla Bean: There is just a hint of coconut in this flavor, but it is definitely vanilla. It goes great with fruity desserts like pie and cobbler.

So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage

• Original: The first thing I noticed was the great texture - smooth and creamy. The flavor is very subtly, good with sweet cereals. Not a "WOW!" but it was still OK.
• Vanilla: I preferred this flavor to the other because it was more flavorful. Plus, it only had 10 calories more per serving than the original. I will definitely be buying this from now on.

So Delicious Minis

• Banana Split Sandwiches: The banana/strawberry flavor wasn't as prominent as I'd expected, but they were delish none the less.
• Coconut Sandwiches: These were very different that the Banana Split kind...the coconut flavor is strong and goes well with the chocolate "cookie" part of the sandwich.
• Coconut Almond Bars: Oh my! What to say about these except for AMAZING! And only 170 cals per bar? These are a dream come true.
• Vanilla Bars: Almost as stunning as the Coconut Almond Bars. Almost.

So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk

• Blueberry: One of my favs! I actually stirred in some frozen blueberries, and it was superb.
• Passionate Mango: So tropical! It reminded me of warm weather. The summery orange color makes it a treat for the eyes, too.
• Plain: There is nothing plain or boring about this flavor! It is perfect for pairing with strong fruit, like pineapple or pomegranate.
• Raspberry: This flavor is just dreamy. Its pretty color matches its scrumptious taste.
• Strawberry Banana: I like this flavor a lot because I can top it with fresh strawberries and/or bananas...kiwi goes great with it, too!
• Vanilla: I poured this over a warm slice of blackberry upside down cake. It's very similar to melted ice cream - so, so wonderful. I imagine that it would be great on fruit pancakes, too.

My Room

When I first moved to KS, I had a pink & purple fairy room. Then I got the furniture that I have now, and the walls were paintstakingly stripped of the wallpaper and painted light blue. At that point, I had a geometric blue-green-purple bedspread. I recently redid my room for the last time (before I go off to college, that is) and I think that it reflects me pretty well. Mostly, it reflects my love of color and desire to travel. What do you all think?

And now for some contests!

1. Foods that Fit is giving away a variety goodies.
2. CCV has a whole box of Jocolat bars to share.
3. Heather's giving away a Turtle Mountain coupon.
4. Missy is sharing some Erin Baker's products.

It's Vegan! Part 2

This breakfast is an old favorite of mine that I haven't had in a while - puffed rice & pineapple. Usually, I eat this combo sans yogurt, with lots of pineapple juice and walnuts on top. Today I switched it up: I got my healthy fats this morning from the plain coconut milk yogurt (complete Turtle Mountain review coming soon!) that I used. YUM!

Lunch was a simple salad of romaine + strawberries, with some Mareblu Naturals nuts (again, review coming soon!) as well as a clementine.

I had a special treat with dinner: a soda! I rarely drink pop, but I was craving it. I had a Fitz's Cream soda mixed with the juice of 2 meyer lemons & 1/2 of a lime. It really gave this drink an extra POW! Fitz's is semi-local (St. Louis, MO) and made without high fructose corn syrup or aspartame. My dad & sister are addicted :) Dinner was rice & beans with salsa, lettuce & carrots, and a corn muffin. Rice & beans is somewhat of a staple at my house - always filling, and always good.
I feel like I am constantly apologizing for my lack of blogging! I will get some automatic posts up soon. Softball tryouts were all this week, so I'll let you all know if I made the team as soon as the results are posted. Have a great night!