Food

When someone says to me, “you can find our products at Target”, I am immediately intrigued. After all, I’m a happy gal if I like it and I know I will be able to find it at one of my favorite stores!

When I was contacted by Purely Elizabeth, it couldn’t have been at a better time. It was about a month or two before my due date and not only was I concerned with eating well because of having gestational diabetes, but I also knew I wanted to get healthier and back in shape after the pregnancy weight. Purely Elizabeth would help with both!

I love this quote I found on their website:

While I don’t expect to ever completely change my entire diet to any one specific guideline, I do want to make better choices at each meal. And I’m going to be completely honest…I’m super lazy at breakfast. I used to just drink coffee. Then I got pregnant and needed to add something to it, so now it’s cereal and coffee. Basically, breakfast is limited to anything that takes less than 5 minutes to make.

I tried a variety of Purely Elizabeth items.

The first product I tried was the Organic Apple Cinnamon Pecan Ancient Grain Oatmeal, made with quinoa, amaranth and flax and packed with 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

Oatmeal is fantastic for breast milk production and should keep you full much longer than many other breakfast options. My bowl of oatmeal was ready in less than two minutes and after some milk to cool it down and cinnamon sugar to sweeten it up a bit (hey, baby steps!) it was ready to be enjoyed.

It was delicious and I really liked the pecans sprinkled in there for some added crunch and the flavor provided by the apples. This would also be great with other fruits added in or almond milk instead of regular milk. Oatmeal is great for variety.

 

I also tried the Ancient Grain Granola.

We have been enjoying creating various “parfaits” with yogurt lately and these granola options went so well with the plain vanilla yogurt we had on hand. It’s such a perfect breakfast, snack or dessert option due to how you can mix up the ingredients to coincide with what you are craving.

Both varieties had a slightly sweet flavor and plenty of crunch. They would even be great by themselves as a snack!

 

I also tried these little single serve bags of granola. I wouldn’t have thought of it myself, but right on the bag, they suggested to add milk straight into the bag and enjoy as a cereal. What a perfect idea for a working mom on the go!! Especially one that loves cereal!

This little bag was the perfect size (although, it is 2 servings per bag, so be mindful of any nutritional amounts that you keep track of). Even Trent had a few spoonfuls! You know it’s good if Trent will eat it!

Purely Elizabeth makes it easy to make healthy food choices and the fact that they are available at Target makes it a convenient choice too. Here are some other stores where Purely Elizabeth is sold.

Right now, they have a coupon code available for $1 off your purchase. Print that baby out and go try it!

 

To learn more about Purely Elizabeth and other products from them, visit their website here.

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Thank you to Purely Elizabeth for sending me these delicious products for review. All opinions are my own and honest. Thanks for reading!

 

Tallahassee isn’t necessarily the culinary capital of Florida and I must confess that when it comes time to pick something up or go out to eat, we tend to stick to the same few places that are oh-so-conveniently located near our house. Especially with a toddler, we don’t always venture out to new places.

Brett scored one on the husband card last night when he set up a time for me to go out to dinner with his sister and mom and not only celebrate a child-free night before I don’t get one of those for a while, but to also thank them for giving us such an amazing baby shower. He and Trent hung out at home while I went out and enjoyed a new-to-me restaurant, Prime Time.

Prime Time is located in the heart of what we call “College Town.” Florida State University is undoubtedly the epicenter of town and just has a different feel to it. Luckily, we went during the final week between semesters, so we basically had the place to ourselves. If we would have gone next week, we probably would have waited an hour to be seated and forced to hear screaming college students at one of the many tvs along the wall or the two bars located inside.

But for this night, we enjoyed a nice, mostly quiet meal in a large booth and with prompt service.

We started out with Gooey Bread as an appetizer: Fresh baked Cerignola and Kalamata olive loaf, fresh mozzarella, Muenster and Fontina cheeses with sweet basil marinara. It was a good starter, a little too “olive-y” for me, but anything is good with cheese.

I enjoyed the Buffalo Chicken Tacos….two heaping tacos filled with buffalo chicken, romain, tomatoes, buttermilk ranch and fresh cilantro. The menu said “crispy chicken” but it was more like lightly breaded grilled chicken…which was perfect. And the buffalo sauce was just right, a little bit of spice, but not enough to make me sniffle and wipe my nose the rest of the night.

The tacos come alone, so I ordered a side of sweet potato fries. They are perhaps the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had…battered and crunchy. Too bad I was really full already, but I took these babies in a to-go box.

My Mother-in-law enjoyed a “Burnout Burger” with jalapeño bacon, Fontina cheese, smoked jalapeños and crispy cayenne onions and jalapeño coffee BBQ sauce. Doesn’t that sound beyond spicy? Well, she said it wasn’t too spicy and it was delicious. She enjoyed it with eggplant fries. Sorry no photo here…the picture came out a little too blurry.

My sister-in-law enjoyed a Buffalo Chicken flatbread. No photo there either…I don’t know what I’m gonna do about those two taking their own photos lol.

We all split two desserts: a Nutella Lava Cake…

…and a Peanut Butter Pie.

Both were delicious and consumed entirely. If you twist my arm and make me pick a favorite, I would probably say the Nutella Lava cake because it was warm and had a center of creamy Nutella and would have gone pefect with some vanilla ice cream.

I enjoyed venturing to a new place and spending time out child-free and with two fun ladies. After dinner, even though we wanted to pass out from being full, we ventured to Target where they put together a nice little hospital bag for me.

Aren’t they the best?

 

Ever since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I have been paying so much attention to the foods I eat. I look at ingredients in everything and have really been shocked with some of the things I was eating on a regular basis. And while I sometimes can’t resist some of my cravings (hey, I AM pregnant, after all!) it really has opened my eyes, not only to the things I consume, but also what Trent eats…especially when it comes to his snacks, since that’s all he seems to eat is snacks!

Did you know:

• On average, Americans who snack do it twice a day.
• 42 percent of Americans feel they could commit to having one healthy snack every day.
• 42 percent of snackers are most likely to have an unhealthy snack between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
• 41 percent of snackers are most likely to have an unhealthy snack on Saturdays.
• 43 percent of Americans have treated themselves to an unhealthy snack as a reward for an accomplishment.
• 23 percent have hidden their snacks from others so they wouldn’t have to share.

During the Summer, pool parties and gatherings with friends are a regular occurrence. The days are long & hot, but full of fun and energy. To fuel up for our fun-filled day outside, we started the day will a deliciously healthy breakfast tasting party, with Taste of Nature bars as the star of the show!

A little more about Taste of Nature:

Taste of Nature believes Real Tastes Good, and creates delicious, certified organic, gluten-free certified, non-gmo project verified snack bars with real, nuts, fruits and grains that you can see (and under 200 calories, too). Nothing artificial, no fillers and no chemicals – what you see is what you get with these bars. For more information, visit tasteofnature.ca.

Benefits of Taste of Nature bars:

• Certified Organic
• Non-GMO
• Certified Vegan
• Certified Kosher
• Gluten Free
• Low glycemic index
• No additives
• No artificial flavours
• No artificial sweeteners
• No animal products
• No dairy
• No preservatives
• No simple sugars
• No Sulphur Dioxide
• No cholesterol
• No wheat
• Low sodium

How amazing is that list of benefits?!

We had 5 flavors to try:

Canadian Maple Forest: pecans, apricots, brazil nuts, raisins, maple syrup

California Almond Valley: almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds

Brazilian Nut Fiesta: raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds

Himalayan Goji Summit: peanuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, goji berries, raspberries

Québec Cranberry Carnival: peanuts, raisins, sesame seeds, almonds, cranberries, pumpkin seeds

Persian Pomegranate Garden: cashews, walnuts, figs, cranberries, apples, pomegranate, raspberries

Just look at those bars! You can see what they are made of…the fruits, nuts and seeds are all prominent in every bar so you know exactly what you’re eating. Yum.

This was also my first time tasting Taste of Nature bars and not only did I think they were delicious, but so did everyone else! Everyone liked being able to try different varieties to see what they liked best. Guests were able to take an entire bar to enjoy, but I also set up a yogurt parfait bar!

I chopped up the Taste of Nature bars into little bite-sized pieces as a yummy topping for the yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, bananas and chocolate chips.

Even our picky little Trent found a favorite…we didn’t expect him to devour a Taste of Nature bar the way he did and as you can see he looked very hesitant at first…

…but then he ran off and ate the entire thing! You know it’s tasty when Trent approves!

For those that needed a little extra for their breakfast, a bagel bar!

I was especially happy to invite a friend over that maintains a gluten-free diet. It felt good to have her be able to enjoy something and taste new options without worrying about gluten. She proclaimed the ones she tried were chewy, tasty and filling!

At just $1.99 a bar, they are an affordable, healthy & tasty snacking option!

I’m a slow-mover these days, so it was nice to sit and relax with friends to enjoy some tasty and healthy treats before playing outside all day!

 

Where to buy Taste of Nature: http://www.tasteofnature.ca/where-to-buy/

For those of you in Tallahassee, you can get Taste of Nature Bars at New Leaf Market Co-op!

 

Get social with Taste of Nature!

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

 

Sure, I’m a working mom. My day starts at 6:30am as I try to quietly get out of bed and not wake anyone up while I get ready for the day. The further along in this pregnancy I get, the longer it takes me to get up and ready…leaving less time for things like breakfast.

Don’t get me wrong…I still have a breakfast, but I know it could be better…much better. Right now, I enjoy my coffee in the car then munch on a granola bar or some muffins at work first thing. By the time I am eating breakfast, I’ve been awake for almost 2 hours!

I am lucky in the fact that I have a husband that works from home and watches Trent. This means I don’t have the added time pressure of preparing another human being for the day. I can barely get myself ready in the morning!

So when I was invited to try the new Tyson® Day Starts™ sandwiches (the first line of breakfast items introduced by Tyson Foods) in order to get a better breakfast experience, I was definitely on board.

Tyson® Day Starts™ sandwiches are available in seven varieties, including biscuit sandwiches, breakfast flatbreads and wrapped omelets, all available in your grocer’s freezer section. Tyson® Day Starts™ sandwiches offer a protein-rich way to start the day with high quality ingredients like real cheeses, zesty vegetables, fresh eggs, and quality Tyson® sausage, ham and chicken. The sandwiches are ready to eat in less than two minutes - ideal for busy families who want a wholesome breakfast, but are pressed for time in the mornings.

I chose to try the Chicken Biscuit and the Wrapped Omelet. Variety!!

I was most looking forward to the chicken biscuit and it did not disappoint. I was happy to see thick, real, white-meat chicken inside two fluffy biscuits.

After a quick trip in the microwave, I enjoyed a delicious chicken biscuit WITH my coffee. It was actually relaxing to take a few minutes to enjoy a better breakfast instead of rushing out the door and then sitting in a random drive-through with half the town that’s on their way to work.

Given the deliciousness of the chicken biscuit, I was excited to try an omelet the next morning.

The tortilla was crispy and the Colby and Monterey Jack cheese and egg melted perfectly together.

There are three sandwiches in a box and 2 omelets in a box. They each come prepackaged, so it’s up to you where you want to enjoy them. Each item has different cooking instructions, so be sure to read them before you enjoy! The chicken biscuit is best microwaved from refrigeration, so I suggest taking one out of the freezer the night before. The omelet comes in a metallic wrapping that shrinks around the omelet while cooking to give it it’s crispiness. Cool!

It’s nice to have the option of getting a good breakfast at home or at work. With Tyson® Day Starts™ Products, I can enjoy them at home or grab one to enjoy at work. Whether enjoying breakfast at home or on-the-go, Tyson® Day Starts™ products provide a convenient way to start the day with warm and savory breakfast sandwiches the whole family can enjoy. Much better than pre-packaged sugary treats!

 

Here’s a special offer just for you!

Please visit Tyson.com to download a $1 off coupon and check the product locator tool to find out where Tyson® Day Starts™ products are sold at a store near you!

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

 

I’ve definitely said if before, but Trent sure does prefer snacking over full meals (what toddler doesn’t?). We try to offer him healthy options, but that doesn’t always happen when he opens the pantry himself and makes selections when we forget to lock it.

We like coming across new foods to create some different snacks option for him. SKIPPY® now has these really convenient single serve snacking containers of peanut butter! Yum!

SKIPPY® Singles are perfectly portioned single-serve cups of peanut butter, available in two varieties – Creamy Peanut Butter and Natural Creamy Peanut Butter – so you can have the great taste of SKIPPY® wherever you go.

SKIPPY® Singles can be enjoyed as a tasty spread on crackers, as a delightful dip with fruits and veggies, or straight out of the cup. They’re a great way to provide much-needed convenience for your busy lifestyle – easy to toss in a lunch bag while trying to get the kids on the bus, and a perfect solution for a protein-rich, on-the-go snack while en route to the soccer field. Each package includes six single-serve cups in an innovative re-sealable canister, which is ideal for convenient storage, and features a clear front panel so consumers can easily see when to add SKIPPY® Singles to the grocery list.

Here are some ideas to pair along with a single serve peanut butter for some quick snacks on the go.

-Banana

-Crackers

-Apple slices

-Celery

-Pretzels

You could even bring these along with some bread and jelly packets to make pb&j sandwiches without having to bring the large containers!

How would YOU eat peanut butter on-the-go?

 

This post was written by me as part of my membership in the Hormel Extended Family Blogger. All opions are my own and honest…I do not joke when it comes to peanut butter - yum! Thanks for reading!