LARABAR Treat

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

I love coming home to packages on the doorstep.  Last week after I returned from vacation, I was pleased to see a box from the people at LARABAR.  I opened the box and saw a few treats, but put them aside as I busied myself with unpacking and preparing for work.

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Sunday morning, after my morning run, I rushed to shower and get ready for church.  As I was heading out the door I grabbed a bottle of water and (surprise!) a LARABAR.  The ALT bars are high in protein (10g each) so it was the perfect post-run snack.

On this particular day, I chose the Pumpkin Spice.  It had a great pumpkin taste, but what I really liked was the hint of spice with each bite.  Like all LARABARS, I could really taste the ingredients.  I didn’t feel like I was eating an over-processed snack bar.

The bars are gluten and dairy free, as well as kosher and vegan.  The variety I received included Peanut Butter Cookie, Lemon Pound Cake and Cinammon Apple Crisp.

I can’t wait to try them all.

Thanks, LARABAR, for the high protein snacks!  These are really going to be great as I continue to get in shape.

 

 

Necessary Legalities: I was provided the product, however all opinions expressed above are my own.

Posted in Food, Reviewed by Babs | 3 Comments

Hot to Tot

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

Yesterday over at the Dadconteur I read a post about some delicious zucchini tots that he and his wife made.  It only took one little picture of the tasty morsels before I was obsessively thinking about them.  Next thing I knew I was jotting down a grocery list and tiptoeing out a few minutes early so I could stop at the market on my way home.

The recipe is pretty simple- zucchini, shredded cheese, breadcrumbs, onion and egg.  I substituted parmesan cheese for the cheddar as I am being cost conscious and wanted to buy something I knew I would use again.  Plus, you know, I love parmesan cheese.

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I was happy to break out kitchen tools that I rarely use, like my cheese grater and mini muffin pan.

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Making the tots was pretty easy.  The only step I didn’t do that well was getting the moisture out of the zucchini.  I got some out, but not enough.

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The tots didn’t turn out as brown as I had hoped, but they were still really tasty.  Also, the zuchinni were really small, so I only yielded about 10, which is fine for my little family of two.

 

IMG_6141I served them with bunless burgers I made on grill.  Regan really enjoyed the first one, but then she got all weird and wouldn’t eat anymore.  Hey, more for me, I say!  I even enjoyed a few at lunch today.

I loved them and would definitely make them again.  Next time I might even add shredded carrot in addition to the zucchini.

Posted in Food | 1 Comment

32 Pound Obstacles

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

After going to bed popping my collar on Sunday night, I woke up on Monday feeling somewhat blue.  I don’t know what happened between 11pm and 6am, but I just couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling of sadness.

I got out of the bed and got dressed for the gym.  My clothes and gym bag were already in the car from the night before.  I was totally looking forward to breaking a sweat and shaking off the sads.

I attempted to wake Regan up but she was not having it.  Child was in the deepest of sleeps.  I had lights and tv on.  I rubbed her.  I called her name.  I pulled the blanket back hoping the chilly air would awaken her.  Nothing worked.  I grabbed a spray bottle and sprayed her face with water.  Isn’t that inhumane?  I felt so guilty.

The water did the trick and she slowly started to stir.  After I swear what was ten minutes, she finally was awake and sitting up.  She gave me a little smile and told me she had to tinkle. I hustled her to my bathroom, still thinking I could make it to the gym.  She sat down and tinkled and then had (what she calls) a long poop.  She took forever.

She bobbled to her bathroom and took her time removing her nightgown.  I rushed through washing her up and brushing her teeth.  She continued to move slow. 

I hustled her to her bedroom and got her dressed with a quickness.  I found myself being snappy with her trying to rush her.  I felt bad.

I went to my room to turn the tv off and saw the clock.  There was no way I could get her to school, drive to work, work out, shower and get dressed and make my dentist appointment at 915.  I was defeated.  And then I cried.

I cried because I was sad for no reason.  I cried because I really wanted to work out and I didn’t get my way.   I cried because I hod gone through the trouble of preparing myself for the gym for naught.  And I cried because I had woken my baby up when she clearly needed the sleep.

I sent her downstairs and set her up with some fresh melon and chocolate milk while she watched tv.  Then I went upstairs and hopped in the shower to prepare for the day.

Determined to try again the next day.

Posted in Motherhood | 6 Comments

Crockpot Goodness

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

Saturday I stopped in to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up some tea for the Keurig (coupons, yo) and somehow I was drawn to the slow cookers.  Now, I have a crockpot and it works fine.  But it’s bigger than what I need and it doesn’t have a timer on it, so I really, really needed to get a newer, smaller, self timing crockpot.

See what I did there?  I talked myself right on into getting a shiny new slow cooker.  I put the tea back and used my coupon on a small appliance instead.

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I brought it home and started looking for a new recipe to try out.  I realized I had the ingredients for Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs and Sunday dinner was made.

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It was pretty easy to throw together.  I used boneless thighs and mixed the wet ingredients (ketchup, soy sauce and honey) in a bowl.  I poured the mixture over the chicken and garlic and set the timer on low for 4.5 hours.

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I headed out to a movie…and then I came home and discovered the power was out. :(

I wasn’t sure what time the power went out, but the cooker was cool to touch.  I tested the chicken and it seemed done.  Nevertheless, I cooked it on low for another hour once the power was restored.

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The results were pretty tasty.  Not too saucy, but very flavorful.  Regan liked it a lot and actually finished her plate.

I would make this again.  I might even do it with chicken wings next time.  The sauce was finger lickin good!

 

Posted in Food | 1 Comment