Tag Archives: Justin’s nut butter

Wishes Have Been Granted

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I’m glad you all enjoyed the fun bachelorette party pictures and the Bakery on Main review! I loved reading about your memories of these crazy little shindigs that are in honor of a bride-to-be. Before I forget, I realized that in my last post I forgot to share the recipe for the red lentil burgers! So here it is: Nora’s red lentil burgers. Oops!

I’m actually going to make another batch this week!

Ever since I’ve been back in Richmond I have been trying to use up the things in my pantry. I try to do this most of the time, but now I’m making more of a conscious effort. Why? Well, I’m graduating at the end of the semester, and one of my plans is to head back to Europe. That means I don’t want to lug so many things overseas with me. Although it seems that there are many goodies over in America that they don’t have in Europe. I know that I can make do without fancy store bought nut butters and treats. Actually, I am pretty sure I can make a lot of them on my own anyway, and I already do! That’s one of the great things about making things… whether it’s cooking, building, or what have you; most of the time you can figure another way around an “obstacle”.

So onward with Project Clean Out as Holly says! Actually, that’s not set in stone…

Well, this was sent to me… so that doesn’t really count.

I typically am not a big fan of Luna bars since they taste a bit on the metallic side to me. Sure, iron is great, but I don’t want to actually taste it. However, I got a chance to try out their newest flavor through a newsletter. The new flavor? Chocolate Dipped Coconut! Did somebody say coconut? I was willing to give it a chance. It surprised me in a delicious way! Most importantly, it didn’t taste like metal. I’m pretty sure that this flavor is in stores now so if you are curious to try it, then by all means go for it! On a little side note: I thought it was interesting that they used almond butter.

Who was excited about this incredible chocolate find?!
I was!
Yes, this exists.

Ever since I saw this bar on Megan’s blog I have been on the look out! It just sounded so good, and you know what? It is! As I was checking out of Whole Foods I saw that they had mini Vosges bars at the front, and I asked the cashier if she knew if they had the gingerbread toffee kind. She wasn’t sure, but she said that all of the cashiers have these bars at the front. My step-dad went to search for it, and he came back with it in hand! Success! Now I’m hoping that the local candy shop, For the Love of Chocolate, has a full-sized version.

Here’s Vosges‘ description: The scent of classic gingerbread spices will have you dreaming of snow dusted pine trees in no time. We begin with the same melt-in-your-mouth, burnt sugar and butter toffee and add a touch of ginger, Ceylon cinnamon, Grenadian nutmeg and Jamaican allspice to put you in a holiday frame of mind. A generous coating of dark chocolate completes the affair on your palate.

Wow, did they just describe some kind of sultry vision from a James Bond movie? No, that’s just love for chocolate.

Another sweet find, but this one came from the Indian store.

 

I asked someone at the store if they had a recommendation, and they said I should try these!

He told me that when he was little he would lick the filling and put the biscuits back in the box.

 

It seems as though everyone in the world does this with creme filled cookies.

So that's what I did, except I ate the biscuits too.

 

They kind of remind me of the Hit cookies, which are one of my nostalgic childhood treats.

Have you all tried them?
Oh yes, and “Project Clean Out” has been underway.

You know… using up my pantry’s goods!

M’mm what was baking?

As soon as I saw Averie’s Cheezy Vegetable Bake I knew I had to make it. Now that I’m busier, any tasty recipe with leftovers is a blessing for me!

What I love about Averie’s recipe, aside from how good it tastes, is that it can be varied.

For the veggies I used sweet potatoes, yellow squash, broccoli, and mushrooms. I used cream of mushroom soup, and from my pantry came the extra addition of gluten-free brown rice macaronis! Oh and my roommate let me use her Bragg’s sprinkle seasoning. It’s really flavorful! Next time I’d like to make the bake with a chunky tomato bisque, and whatever vegetables I think would go well with it.

Where does this bite belong?
Ah yes, into my mouth it goes!

Like I said, leftovers are a blessing!

Last but not least, I got a very thoughtful surprise in the mail!

My dear mind-reading friend (oftentimes when I read her posts I swear she does!), Lauren, saw that I had posted about Justin’s unfortunate discontinuation of the cinnamon peanut butter. She was lucky enough to have one of these rare buggers, and kindly sent it to me along with a beautiful card. Thank you so much, dear! Ever since I’ve known Lauren I’ve felt an instant connection. When I read what she wrote to me in the card I was overjoyed with the thought of meeting her one day, and experiencing all of her kindness in person!

What was something thoughtful someone’s done for you lately? Or perhaps you’ve brightened someone’s day!

Oh Dear Sweet Tooth, Don't Steer Me Wrong

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I’ve been meaning to post a review, but I didn’t want to write it up in a post that had too much going on. But first I have some exciting news to share! This past Sunday I went to a casting call for Richmond’s Fashion Week with a dear friend of mine. Well guess what? We both made it!

Glad we did it!

I’ve got to work on my walk though so I’m going to put my heels, my legs, and books (for balance) to use. Anyway, back to the review… here goes!

Awhile ago, a wonderful little company kindly sent some samples over for me to try!
Feed my body royally. Why yes, yes I will!

Hail Merry is a company that makes raw organic snacks. Raw food chef, Susan O’Brien came up with these recipes because she wants “… to bring awareness to the powerful benefits of healthy oils, which we must obtain from our diets.” She finds that the less heat the food goes through, the more nutrients are preserved. Interesting thought, don’t you think? Although I do know that in some foods certain enzymes are actually only available if the food is cooked, i.e. the lycopene in tomatoes.

First up was the Grawnola.

I love when there are clusters in granola.

And this one definitely had them!

Now the taste? First off, I take texture into great consideration, and the Grawnola had one that was very much to my liking. If you like to have crunch and chew, then this may be for you. The cinnamon flavor was spot on, and the natural flavors were able to shine through with just enough sweetness from the maple syrup and fruits. The packaging makes it great for an on-the-go snack as well, and since it’s so clustered you won’t make a mess. Not to mention, this is gluten-free so all of you out there with this sensitivity can still enjoy some delicious granola!

A blonde and a chocolate… MACAROON!

I just love saying that word. Anyway, I knew I’d be in for a treat because I just had an inkling that these would be fantastic. Any raw vegan macaroons I’ve tried in the past have been nothing short of insanely delicious. These did not disappoint! In fact, they kicked it up another level. I was surprised at how fresh and moist these were. I couldn’t decide which one I liked better. The chocolate macaroons were rich and had a great balance of coconut and dark chocolate. The blonde macaroons simply melted in my mouth.  These could cure any sweet tooth that’s for sure… until you find yourself wanting more!

You can check out more about Hail Merry over here, and make sure to check out their snacks!

Speaking of sweet tooths…
I baked some coffee cake muffins… that completely overflowed.

Too bad I didn’t have a muffin tin so I could have jumbo muffins like Kelsey’s. The coffee cake muffin recipe actually says that it makes 12 jumbo muffins, alas I didn’t have a jumbo muffin tin.

They still managed to look lovely though.
And rather delicious if I do say so myself.

They were moist and fluffy on the inside and crumbly on the outside. Sadly, things with granulated sugars have been giving me headaches and making me nauseous so I’ve been trying to keep these kinds of sweets to a minimum. I still recommend trying this recipe though! It’s such a perfect thing to start off your day.

You don’t say?
I rang in the new year with one of my best friends!
And some other special people!
People who like to take silly pictures.
New year, new oatmeal in town!

These oats are thicker, and actually cheaper than the usual Quaker’s old-fashioned oats I buy. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve been let down by any Bob’s Red Mill products, and they’re very fairly priced as well.

I was eager to recreate a recipe for a tasty granola I had seen at the store.

I made a nice big batch of Banana-Coconut granola–two of my favorite things in one bite!

Glorious cluster!
This is probably the best batch of granola I’ve made, definitely not burnt to a crisp!
My spilt milk bowl making another appearance, and one of my favorite ways to eat granola…

Here with Greek yogurt + chia seeds, a sliced banana, and Artisana’s Cacao Bliss.

I finally decided to use something I’ve had in the pantry for quite some time.

Over the summer I bought some of Justin’s Nut Butter squeeze packets since they’d be perfect for on-the-go. Well, I finally used them and I wasn’t on-the-go. Nope, I was very much sitting on a chair, enjoying my bagel spread with Justin’s cinnamon peanut butter, banana slices, and some banana-coconut granola to boot! And I just found out that they don’t sell this kind anymore! Darnit, because I really liked it. Oh well, I guess it wasn’t popular with most folks though.

Well these won’t be discontinued, that’s for sure!

Awhile ago I had bookmarked Averie’s Raw Vegan Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes recipe. So I finally made a batch, and rolled them in shredded coconut as she suggested. These were a tasty change to the usual raw vegan treats that have dates (although I’m not complaining)! But like Averie said “I need variety in my dessert life, I tell ya!”

My first time making waffles and I was excited!

My winter intersession course was finally over, and I finally had time to make a special breakfast. So what kind of waffles did I decide to make?

Well, I attempted to make vegan spiced pumpkin waffles.

I’m not sure what happened, but atleast it was salvageable!

Enough to turn my frown upside down.
No, definitely not a failed attempt.

I topped these waffles with vanilla Greek yogurt, Canadian maple syrup (aka the dark infinite abyss), almonds, and a pear, apple, and cranberry compote. Lastly, I dusted it with nutmeg confectioner’s sugar.

Ah yes, taking time for breakfast.
While I’m at it, I’ll share my burnt banana pancakes too!

I used Katie’s banana pancakes for one recipe. Although they came out rather burned, I still enjoyed them!

Next time I think I’ll stack them for their photo-op.
Keep the special breakfasts coming!
Here’s the compote again: made with apple juice, lemon peel and juice, whole and ground spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg) , honeycrisp apples, Asian pears, and dried cranberries.
What are these little jewels?

When I started reading blogs again I knew that I’d be bookmarking recipes galore. Well, one of those recipes happened to be Jess’s Orange Date Cookies. Unfortunately, I don’t the date syrup she used for this recipe so I had to sub in honey. It’s amazing how all of the flavors stood out and complemented each other just the same. The texture  was also very much to my liking! Chewy with enough bite, and not crumbly. Nothing was overly so, just the right balance. Not to mention, these little treats did not give me a headache!

I especially love how you can see the dried fruits!
I recently got a nice little planner to help me complete my to-do lists, and better organize my schedule.
Here are some clues as to what I made in the next post!

Having a physical planner in my hand is a lot more effective than the one on my laptop. There’s something about my to-do list written in ink staring back at me that just motivates me to just get things done. So one by one I cross off the list. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead! Classes start today for me, and I am heading into an intense semester. It’ll be my final semester: 18 credits of hands-on studio! Wish me luck.

p.s. today is the last day to enter my giveaway!