So I have some things to share…
Not to be confused withΒ these things:
No, my things are less of the mischievous type and more of the delicious nature! π
But first, let’s give something someone a warm welcome home!
It took a bit of sacrifice on the sleep front, but I made it up to Carmax yesterday to finally pick Elvira up from her stent in rehab. She did end up having some transmission problems, but after a pretty intense detox*, she’s back and good as new!
*Thank God I bought the extended warranty!
Now onto those THINGS!
Like my latest obsession with cottage cheese, pumpkin, peanut flour and cinnamon…shown unstirred due to photogenic qualities
resembling cat vomit <-too much?
I’ve had this for breakfast for THREE days in a row and it has YET to get old!
Something I have NOT had for the last three days?
Sad day right?
I’ve been out of my Fitmixer Aminos since Monday and while I thought about ordering more, something I noticed a few weeks ago just hasn’t set right with me…
I love Fitmixer…the taste is great…the energy from it is amazing…but artificial flavors AND Red #40? Really?
So I took matters into my own hands…
Β After spending HOURS online the other day looking for a “clean” amino acid supplement, I was just about to throw in the towel when I spotted this:
I’ve read a TON about the benefits of matcha powder and have wanted to get my hands on some for a while now so you can imagine my excitement when I found this little guy on Netrition.
So starting tomorrow, THIS will be the new base for my
ACV morning cocktail!
And I shall call it…”Clean”Mixer! π
And speaking of clean…
Am I the only one out there who was completely naive to the deliciousness that is a Zevia soda??
Someone left a couple in the breakroom yesterday, free for the taking and after a quick taste that INSTANTLY took me back to my childhood A&W days, I scooped up the others in a quickness!
And after I was bombarded with Instagram comments apparently the general consensus is that I haven’t LIVED until I’ve had the Black Cherry flavor as well!
Now, I’ll admit, I do inspect nearly EVERY label looking for numbers that I approve of and I lean toward the cleanest of ingredients when it comes to something I use on a DAILY basis, but every once in a while, it’s nice to have a splurge…
Not the cleanest, but certainly NOT a high-fructose corn syrup laden Snack Pak…this little gem took me to a special pudding Heaven yesterday!
And I don’t even like pudding!
Β But I’ll tell what I DO like…it’s official, I’m a [fresh] fig lover!
Especially when they are stuffed with TJ’s Cookie Butter!
Mmmmmmmm!
But that was just my appetizer before THIS:
Spinach salad topped with caramelized onions, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and…
Goat cheese-stuffed, prosciutto-wrapped figs!
AND drizzled with a bit of fig balsamic!
Heather, you are a GENIUS! <- not me sillies, I’m not THAT big headed! π
And some other “things” that I’ve forgotten to mention:
My interview/guest post over on Katie’s blog, Talk Less, Say More…get the story behind my blog name!
AND
My first ever submission for Tuesday Trainer last week…check out my buff arms! π
What are some things worthy of mention from your week so far?
Are you a label reader like me ?
you know what i think? PERFECT POST! WORRY FREE and full of Heather LOVE. Now, about that pudding.. is it really tasty?
I love you…even more than I loved this pudding! YES! SOOOOO good! And I hear the vanilla is even better!
nope, I’ve never even heard of zevia! is it sold in regular grocery stores?
I checked online for store locations yesterday and then found it at Kroger…but they only had a few of the flavors π
I went to carmax this week for the first time! Those people are awesome! We walked away with a car (:
Yay!! I had SUCH a great experience when I bought Elvira (first time car buyer here) and I would recommend them to anyone! π
Wow all of this food looks delicious! And I have yet to try figs, can you believe it? But now that you stuffed them with nut butter, I’m buying them asap. I love dates with nut butter so I’m sure I’ll love figs. I try to read labels as much as possible but am trying to be more consistent with what I’m putting in my body!
Mmmm, dates and nut butter! That used to be my GO-TO preworkout snack when I worked out in the afternoons! Now that I workout first thing when I wake up, I usually just go on an empty stomach. Dried figs and nut butter is great too! Who am I kidding…ANYTHING’S good with nut butter! #amirightoramiright? π
Pumpkin + cottage cheese + cinnamon is such a good combo! I’m pretty sure I ate that for an evening snack like 2 months in a row last winter haha. π
I just tried Zevia recently too! I try to stay away from diet pop, but sometimes I just get a craving that I need to satisfy. I don’t really like Zevia as much as I like a good ol’ diet Pepsi, but I like that I can feel slightly better about drinking it since it doesn’t contain aspartame.
Some things from my week… I had the best Greek fro yo last night at a new place that opened up in town. I’m obsessed! Also I got a raw almond pate from the farmer’s market last week and it tastes like key lime pie. So good!
Working on that winter tan, huh? I’m sure I’ll be doing the same this year…just can’t get enough of this combo and then I just picked up a HUGE sweet potato at the farmer’s market today too! Hopefully I don’t end up looking like an Oompa Loompa! Lol
I don’t actually get cravings for soda anymore (I stopped drinking my 1 a day diet YEARS ago after I realized that aspartame gives me migraines) but it’s nice to switch things up every once in a while…sometimes water gets boring, ya know?
Greek fro-yo?! Oh I’m SO jealous!
hmm..the pudding intrigues me. gonna have to find it now.
I’ve seen it on Netrition and I think iHerb has it too! And I hear the vanilla is awesome! π
I try to be a label reader…but once in a while I just get so excited about something that I just throw it into the cart. Then I finally get around to reading it at home and I’m just like “Oh….oops.” Guess I need to be a bit more conscientiousness at the store!
Haha! Been there…done that! #talesofatruefoodie π
Looks more like a spam container than a pudding pack..lol
SPAM is rectangular thank you very much! And this pudding was FAR tastier than any “mystery meat”! π
so many things!
1. congrats of elvira’s health!
2. i’m copying your snack asap.
3. you have to let me know what you think of the new cocktail… i’ve been trying to look the other way with fitmixer.
4. that stuff is the shizz. especially mixed with vodka. but you didn’t hear that from me.
5. don’t tempt me with the pudding! i’ve been avoiding try it for ever. argh.
6. figs ROCK! can’t wait for heather’s fig-themed round up on monday.
bonus: TGIF!!!
Hahaha! I always love your comments so much! And don’t worry…you little alchy…your secret’s safe with me! π
Just FYI: Zandra (Tales of a Freckled Lifter) said the vanilla is to DIE for…actually she said it was her “jam” which I had a good laugh over for a couple of minutes!
Omg, I just HOPE and pray that I can pull something out of my you know what for Monday…I tried THREE times to make something tonight and only got CLOSE on the final attempt! I’ll be back in the kitchen for experiments tomorrow! Wish me luck!
Oh, I am DEFINITELY a label reader–though I usually read the ingredient list more than the nutritional facts, since the nutritional facts can look fine (“No sugar?? Awesome!!”) while the ingredient list can be far more frightening (“Artificial sweeteners and food dyes?? Not so great…”). I have never tried Zevia before, and I have heard mixed reviews about it. I will probably try it some day, but for now I am content to stick with good ol’ H2O:D And I don’t think I have ever tried fresh figs before, though your cookie butter-stuffed fig looks delicious!
Oh I know what you mean! And I HATE it when a package boasts “sugar free, sugar free!” and then it’s LOADED with GI aggravating sugar alcohols! π
Fresh figs on their own are really mellow in taste…I’ve learned you have to pair them with something that has a good sweet or tart bite to it!
Good to know about fitmixer. That’s disappointing to say the least! Anyway, please tell me more abou your morning ACv cocktails. Why do you drink the animos and the matcha, what do they do? Is it for pre-workout or after? I work out on empty stomach in the mornings and then eat breakfast in the morning. Good choice for me or no? Do I have to wait 30 min after drinking before I go workout?
Well, here were my thoughts…I started drinking the Fitmixer before workouts because it gave me a bit of energy…plus since I had to dilute it out (using 24oz of water instead of 16oz like the label suggests) it helped keep my hunger in check so I could still workout on an empty stomach (which is what I prefer). I could also START drinking it as I left the house and most of the time finish it before my warmup was done. The amino acids are supposed to help support muscle growth and from what I’ve read it’s good to take them either before or after a workout, or both for maximum benefits.
I tried my little matcha combo yesterday and well…I gotta get the ratios right with the flavoring since I’m only using stevia now instead of the flavored Fitmixer, but I think I did feel a bit of energy from the natural caffeine. I’ll keep you posted if by some chance I happen to mix something in it that makes me swoon…so far, it’s umm…bearable? Lol
Great post, had me laughing out loud. I’m a total label whore although I’ve been known to follow the ignorance is bliss mantra on occasion. I know you don’t like pudding, but I’ve been making one out of avocado, cocoa powder and agave. Tastes like the real deal especially when you mix in some fresh fruit….or dare I say it…dates.
Haha, I’ve definitely chosen the ignorance is bliss route…usually when it applies to baked goods! π
I’ve actually tried the avocado pudding before with stevia and it IS pretty darn tasty. And now, you’ve got me thinking…I’m gonna try adding PROTEIN POWDER!!! Ahhhh!
Your food makes me want to crawl through my screen!!! I haven’t been able to use the fitmixer either b/c of the soy! π Such a bummer b/c it tastes so good!!! I need to try that matcha tea!
Total bummer! I swear they sneak soy lecithin into EVERYTHING! Boo!
I tried the matcha for the first time yesterday…it’s not bad! π
1 – I’ve never had Zevia before either. Though I’m not big on fizzy drinks as they usually make me not feel well. π
2 – Boo to Red #40! Can I pretend I never saw that?
3 – Yay for the story behind your blog and my challenging interview questions! π
1. I totally get what you mean…I didn’t have a problem with this, but I also sipped on it slowly…savoring every root beer flavored minute π
2. No judging here, I noticed it when I was halfway through the container, but I was like, “hey it was free AND it tastes DAMN good!” lol
3. I LOVED your questions…way to make a girl THINK! Thank you so much for having me over in your neck of the blog-woods! π
I love that you share my obsession for cottage cheese and peanut flour. I NEED to mix it with pumpkin! So many people just don’t get cottage cheese… Jesse can’t wrap his head around eating it because “it looks like something that’s been left in the fridge for too long”. I can’t get enough!
I have to be a label reader, unfortunately… otherwise I end up as sick as anything. With so many food intolerances and celiac disease, I’ve got to be uber careful because they often manage to slip into the most unimaginable foods.
Haha! I swear…I used to be so anti-cottage cheese, but it was ALL in my head! Once I gave it another try, I quickly became addicted. And now I could NEVER go without!
It’s sad you basically have to be a foodie detective before you can enjoy anything, but I understand the situation…celiac is no joke! :-/
Gosh, thanks for the figgy shout out. I am SO happy you enjoyed that! Now I want some myself π
You’re welcome! Thank YOU for the idea! I love finding new combos to try and this is definitely one that made the list of favorites! π