Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Red Polka Dot Bowl

How many of you sang the Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Song just now? Yea, that's what I thought.

I hope everyone had a lovely three day weekend (if you had one) and I would like to send a big THANKS to all who have served for this country. It is greatly appreciated.

I found a new cracker at the grocery store the other day and ohhh buddy! They are called Sensible Portions Pita Bites. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleased with what I discovered. The flavor is reminiscent of good ole' Saltines, but the texture is hardy with a nice crunch to it. It was a cross between a cracker and a pita chip (duh! I know...). You should just pick up a box and see for yourself if you ever run into them in the sea that is the grocery store shelves! :) I love little dishes and lately my sweet treats have been nestled within this little red polka dot bowl.

Annies Honey Bunnies in a cloud of whipped cream. Only one fatality on my watch.

Cookies 'n Cream...an oldie, but goodie!


A most amazing brownie cake that my roomie and I made one night when we needed a dessert for her family get together the next day. OH BOY! If you need a QUICK, SIMPLE and DELICIOUS dessert...click here.

Back to work tomorrow! I'm going to go grab an ice cold drink and try to figure out the story behind this Law and Order puzzle before the clock strikes 10:00.

Toasty Treats

R.I.P. Mr. Toaster Oven. It was a good run. I now must use your big brother to enjoy my toasty treats. Speaking of toaster treats...

Before the little guy sparked blue and hit the bricks, I topped a corn flour tortilla with a thick layer of refried black beans and a sprinkling of cheese and baked it to a toasty perfection.

You may call it a Tostada? A Penny's Low Fat Desserts Chocolate Chip Cookie is also a tasty culprit to endure a quick spin through the toaster oven.

Topped with a layer of peanut butter and served with fresh fruit...couldn't ask for a better snack.

Fluffy, soft and full of sweet all natural goodness!

7g of fiber and 2g of protein to boot! :)

Happy Three-Day Weekend! What are your plans?

Bananas...like never before.

Okay, folks. Pull up a chair. Better yet, get out the bananas and food processor. Ready? It's called Banana "Ice Cream" and you need to have some.



Mash up four ripe bananas and place in a ZipLoc baggie. Freeze for at least one day (makes TWO servings! :D...share the love!) ... Let the nanners sit out on the counter for about 20 minutes. Break the banana block into a few big hunks and toss in the food processor. Turn it on full speed ahead and let it roll. Don't mess with it...the food processor has plenty of power to handle this. Don't doubt its abilities. ;)Raid your roomie's fridge for an appropriate topping...

That'll do!

ENJOY!

Oh. My. Gosh.

To say that this is like soft serve ice cream is an under statement...

Penny's are worth it!

Usually when people hear about pennies, they turn up their noses. Who needs pennies? Well, if you are talking about nickles and dimes, I must say that I sort of understand...If you are talking about Penny's, I disagree completely.

I reviewed Penny's Low Fat Desserts a little while back and since then, she has been busy expanding her No Sugar Added product line. She recently turned to me as a taste tester, offering to send me a few samples to review. Healthy cookies? I will taste test those any day. :)

First up to bat: PLD Toffee Cinnamon Cookie

Ahh...The sweetness tastes so natural and embodies the idea of toffee just perfectly. I am not really sure which food scientist came up with this combination of ingredients to create such a uniquely delicious product, but they hit the nail on the head. The buttery, cinnamon, caramel-like flavor is unlike anything I have ever had before in a healthy baked good.

The irresistible texture is comparable to that of deliciously dense, soft, moist, homemade banana bread and paired perfectly with vanilla yogurt and fresh fruit.

Next in the line up: PLD NSA Banana Bran Muffin

This muffin is dense, moist and flavor-packed. It has a bit of texture from the bran and the sweetness very naturally accompanies the prominent banana flavor (which evolves from all natural banana puree). It tastes remarkably similar to homemade banana bread. The edges were a tad bit firmer, while the center was extremely dense, moist and soft. I think this may just be one of my favorite Penny’s treats.

P.s. Oatmeal is not the only thing that pairs well with peanut butter and banana! YUM!

My next post will involve 1 ingredient, 1 machine and 1 amazing "recipe". I can't wait...

LC is a frozen foo'

Sometimes, no matter how much you love to cook, you just feel like plopping down onto the couch and having food in a matter of seconds. No effort required. That, my friends, is why fast food has become the mecca of American eats.

Well, I have never been one to go with the flow, so while others are ordering their take-out, I am whipping up a frozen dinner. Wait...since when is eating frozen dinners a unique idea? Okay, okay...I'm just a sterotypical lazy American some days. It happens.

However, I don't just reach for any ole' meal in a box. This grub has to be comforting and something that I wouldn't whip up just any day...

The following two dishes are so delicious, they require a real bowl and the box must be hidden from all eyes...because I would be more than happy to take credit for these flippin' fantastic eats!

Lean Cuisine Linguine Carbonara Lots of little bacon crumbles add a distinct smokey background throughout the creamy and cheesy sauce. Peas and red peppers add a bit of color and a heaping pile of al dente pasta makes your mouth water... :)
Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli

Photo Credit

This is truly a winner. Really. There are a CORNUCOPIA of vibrant, crunchy veggies within an ultra creamy sauce with nutty smooth walnuts and packed pillows that will send you into butternut squash dreams. Ahhh...never lets me down.

One more lucious look...

Lean Cuisine is obviously a stud.

Naan is more than just good bread

It's also good PIZZA. I'm sorry, but are there really people in the world who do not like this combo of carbs, cheese and veggies? One of my favorite food groups. Wait, it's not a food group?

News Flash! I picked up a Tandoor Chef Cilantro Pesto Naan Pizza on sale for $2.99 the other day and saw that it had two servings. SCORE. I can bring the other half for lunch at work the next day. What a bargain girl! Well, much to my UNdelight, I peeked into the box (more like ripped into it like a hungry savage) and saw a serving size that I might have considered legit for my dolls when I turned our toy room into doll world many moons ago. This time around, my dolls are safely packed in boxes and no longer in need of food. I'm in need of food. And I could own those dolls in an eating contest.

Where were we...
The nutrition profile is not too shabby; although, the fat content is a bit out of control when you consider this is for half of the petite pizza.

Pull this puppy out of the oven, take a bite and you will notice a myriad of things:

Cheese: A thick, chewy, perfectly melted layer of the good stuff. I wouldn't change one thing about this aspect of the pizza.

Tomato Slices: They are ultra juicy and add some color, but they will come off in one bite. If you catch the edge of one, it's carrying all of the cheese and sauce in its vicinity with it...whether it be into your mouth or onto your lap.

Naan Crust: This is just as marvelous as you would expect. Thick and doughy with a crispy, crunchy edge covered with a sprinkling of crispy cheese. Helloooo!

Pesto: I'm sorry, you will not notice pesto...you will notice CILANTRO. Period. Take one bite and all of the sudden the other components of the pizza escape to the back of your mind and the heat and distinct flavor of cilantro overcome your mouth and send you into a tizzy. Why in the world does there need to be this much cilantro in this pesto? I thought I liked pesto. What is this?

The ingredient list is spectacular...whole wheat flour, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, milk...the basics!

I will not be purchasing this particular flavor of the Tandoor Chef Naan Pizza again and I would only suggest it to those who LOVE (and I mean it's one of your top three favorite things to eat on the earth) Cilantro. For everyone else...well, I will have to check out another variety of this pizza and get back to you!

Until then...

Sonic. Stuffing. Sneak.

Sonic is offering a special deal: buy one milkshake, get one FREE ...ALL DAY...for a limited time. Better yet, if you have no friends (in the car...not in general! haha I hope...) then they will give you a coupon for a free milkshake that expires sometime in July. This is a limited time offer and my roommate and I hopped on it last night. A $1.19 shake?! Don't mind if I do! :)
I also made spaghetti squash with lentils and spaghetti squash...but the best part was the brown side that you are currently puzzled about (I'm a mind reader...didn't ya know?).

I got some stuffing from work because that's how we roll and I wasn't sure what to do with it. It was a bit thinner than stuffing that I am used to....hmm....

Well, I cranked up the oven to 375ish and decided to spread the stuffing onto a nonstick baking pan in a very very THIN layer. I then proceeded to bake it for about 50 minutes.

Hello Stuffing Chips!! I will be making you again tonight!

Here's a sneak peak of a very tasty review to come...

Time for work! Have a fabulous day (yea, I know it's Wednesday, but don't let that get you down!).

Shreddin' and Spiralizin'

Hey guys! I have some great tips in this post and a killer (I mean KILLLLER!) granola bar recipe! I also have to finish getting ready and get to work, so let's jump right on in...

I like to add fruit to my oats, but I was out of my tried and true fave (nanners!), so I reached for an apple and dug out my grater to shred the heck out of my Jazz-y apple. Into a bowl went the juice and all...along with one oatmeal packet, a tablespoon of flax and a splash of milk.

Creamy with a delightful apple crunch! :)

GRANOLA BARS! Ellie sure knows what's going on. These are killer. They are one tough cookie to spread into the pan, but it's worth the mini-workout! :)

The recipe can be seen here. The changes (not many) that I made are:

• Use whatever spices you want and feel free to add some extracts.
• I used 2T flax and 6T of water (let these two ingredients sit and meld together for a few minutes) in place of the two eggs. It's so cool how this mixture resembles an egg!
• In place of figs, I use a variety of dried fruits.
• Of course, use any nuts that you want!
  

If you are interested in making these bars, read below for helpful tips!

I use this tool to spread the granola mass and let me tell you that it is a fantastic investment. My roommate had it in her drawer and while it's supposed to be used to clean your oven, I've found a better use. To master the art of spreading this delightfulness, I would put the whole granola mixture onto one side of the non-stick sprayed pan and spray the handy dandy tool (if you don't have this tool, then buy one or improvise). Smash the granola, going from one end and spreading to the other. This takes some strength and some time, but it makes for dense and even granola bars. Just keep pressing and pushing until your mixture is spread across the whole pan. If you dump it straight in the middle and try to go at it like you would a pan of brownies or something, you will get lots of cracks and whatnot! No fun. Also, I mix the recipe in a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and cut it into 12 rectangles because 16 is too small! Have fun! These bars are ROCKIN!

I got a spiralizer and LURVE it!

Phone pic! Not too shabby...The flavor was phenom. Chili and zuc. Simply delish!

The making of a Grrreat wrap! No...Frosted Flakes were not involved! ;)

I fell in love with spaghetti squash all over again!

I ate my kiwi with a spoon! Great trick!

What have you been up to?

p.s. Check out this giveaway for all of the sweet little ones in your life.

Up Close and Personal

Hey hey! So I just got an idea for a little game we can play. You in? Take a break and see what your foodie mind can do. I call it...

Up Close and Personal
A number and a short clue are above each picture...all of which have been posted on my blog at one time or another in the recent past. Let me know what is being pictured...if you can.

1. Bada Bada Bada Bing
2. I hate sprouts, but I love these... 3. Green Grains

4. A unique twist on dinner...meatless...and micro-ed.

5. A hoppin' new treat

6. Oven-less sweets

7. Free for All >>>

8. A tried and true favorite

9. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, KKKKK 10. Same lady...different snack!

I hope you had some fun and dug to the depths of your foodie knowledge to uncover what some of these pictures are. Do an Up Close and Personal game of your own and spread the fun! Let me know if you do. Hey, this would be a good way to start a giveaway...hmmm...