A Tribute To The Butttttah.....

Coconut Butter, that is.

Everyone should know by now that Artisana's Coconut Butter is just one of the awesome things up for grabs in my 100th post giveaway. Before discovering coconut butter I didn't even like coconut! I loved the smell and could handle the flavor but the actual coconut itself made me want to gag, blahhh! If I took a bite of something that contained coconut it straight from my mouth into the garbage (or my hand if no trash was near). Now, I am in the love with the stuff! Especially coconut butter. I honestly wish I could give everyone a jar just to try it out.

For me, I have enjoyed this sacred buttaahh best in my oats. Check out the combos...
Above is my Dark Chocolate Cocoa Oats topped with a melty icing of coconut butter. Is it breakfast or dessert you ask? Mmmmm, I say both!!
Above is my Carrot Cake Oats. It has shredded carrots cooked in as well as some on top and then slathered in the buttah. Add raisins, nuts, or whatever pleases your palate.
The above ended up being my dinner last night. It is Key Lime Oats again topped with the buttah. The bowl of oats was inspired by my brave friend Heather. It just simply contains fresh squeezed lime juice before the cooking process and then some after.
Coconut butter also marries well with any other butter that you can imagine. The above pic contains the buttah along with some almond butter. You should be salivating by now!
I have also enjoyed it in everyones favorite bowl!!

Does it end there? Nope. I have also enjoyed it in my Lactose Free Cottage Cheese....
It hardens when it hits something cold. It was like eating little coconut chips. *making slurping sound*

You can also use it in place of any other nut butter. Above is a coconut butter and TJs low sugar strawberry jelly sandwich. To sum it up in one word...AMAZING!!!

I am sure if you use your imagination you can find endless ways to use this sacred buttah. If you just cant wait any longer and need some buttah in your life now check out the Artisana website for links to sites where you can place an order. My advice is to search around because prices vary.

Don't forget the contest ends Friday at midnight. I have family coming into town for the holiday weekend so I might not be able to announce the winner until Sunday so just keep checking back. Thanks everyone who has entered so far. I am loving reading all of your confessions and favorite breakfasts!!

If I don't make it back tomorrow, have a wonderful, safe and responsible 4th of July weekend!!!

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: Have you ever had someone want to be exactly like you? Well I have!! The little one. God bless her. She wants to, eat like me, dress like me, talk like me, walk like me, and follow on my heals 24/7. She wont even go to bed unless we are wearing extremely similar pajamas! I love it and its so sweet at times but at other times I am just like, gesh!! Lay off a little!! Sometimes mama needs some space!

Not Your Typical Baby Shower & 100th Post Giveaway!!!

This is it guys your chance to win some of my favorite things!!! But first....

I have had a crazy busy weekend preparing for my friends White Trash Baby Bash aka baby shower. The man was outta town so the little one and I had fun filled girls only weekend. We stayed up late all weekend long and hung out at my friends house down the road (the preggers one). There was lots chocolate and a little bit of wine involved pretty much all weekend long. I didn't take many pics but for the 3rd post in row I got to eat outta everybody's favorite bowl...

This bowl contained chia seeds and berries.

I have now polished off Kroger Creamy PB, Kroger Crunchy PB, and TJs Crunchy AB. MMmmm

So on to the White Trash Baby Bash. You would have to know my BFF to understand the theme behind this baby shower. There is honestly no one in this world like her. She is a very unconventional girl with a very unconventional since of humor (its almost sick). haha

I will just show some pics. Don't try to understand....
Here's some of the spread. Gotta have that Nascar!!!

My poo poo vegan cupcakes which by the way I think I found a perfect recipe!!

My dirty diaper chocolate cake.
Not pictured was a beautifully yellowed pee pee punch.

The guests all had to where tags with dirty names. I think someone slipped her an extra one...
We played 2 games. One was a dirty diaper game where guests had to sniff melted candy bar filled diapers and try and decided which brown melty chocolate was gracing the diaper they were holding. Here's some pics of the guests sniffing the dirty diapers...
We also played a game where the mommy to be picked 3 guests to race eating chocolate rocky road ice cream out of a diaper...Some of our guests (some in their finest white trash attire)...
There was also some crazy guy in a diaper...
The mommy to be had a great time. Here she is opening some gifts...
She was really feeling it after the party...
Enough of that craziness. Onto my giveaway!!! Wanna know whats up for grabs? Here ya go...
1 box of Kroger oat bran (my fav.), 1 jar of Kroger Natural Smooth Peanut Butter, 1 jar of Kroger Natural Crunchy and 1 jar of my new obsession, Artisana Coconut Butter!!!!! Don't worry you wont be getting my half eatin jar. I will have a brand new 8oz jar sent to the winners house!!!

How to enter you ask? If you have a bloggie link back to this post and then let me know in a comment below. If you don't have a blog (Kim and Liz) just leave me a comment telling me what your favorite breakfast is.

*For all you with a blog earn an extra entry by leaving a Confession Of The Day after one of your posts and let me know by email.

Contest will close Friday at midnight.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I used to be such a stickler about going to a restaurant. As a result many of friends do not ask me out to eat anymore because they think I refuse to go. This may have been true at one point but I like to think I am no longer that person. Even if I don't eat I would never pass up good convo. with friends!!!

A Rhyming Recipe

I have been busy getting my home ready for my besties baby shower and also putting together a lot of last minute plans (this ain't your typical baby bash). In the mean time I have had some yummy concoctions and taken a few pics along way but there is not really any order to them. I had this lovely yummy mess as a snack a few days ago....

1. Lactose free cottage cheese
2. blueberries
3. raspberries
4. peanut butter
5. cinnamon
6. YUM!!!

Everyone also seems to ask "where were you when so and so died? , or when blah blah happened" so I decided to take a pic. Here's me the afternoon that MJ and Farrah passed away...

(It didn't feel right to smile)

Yes, sitting at the computer. Where else would I be? I had to know the latest.

Although the day had been sad, shocking but sad, I cheered us up with a new, easy, yummy dinner....

Black Bean Fajita Meatball Pitas
Serves 6

• 2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 egg white (I used egg substitute)
• 2 tsp lime juice, divided
• olive oil cooking spray
• 2 medium green bell peppers, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 6 ww pitas
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 tomato diced

1. Preheat oven to 425. Mash beans until smooth but chunky. In a large bowl, mix mashed beans, spices, garlic, egg white, lime juice with clean hands until blended well. Roll mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 1/2 in. diameter. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet listed with cooking spray. Bake in oven for 15 min. Before cooking...

2. While the meatballs are cooking, spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray and set over medium high heat until hot. Add peppers and onion and saute for 5 to 10 min., until crisp, tossing frequently.

If you wanna make the Yogurt Lime Cilantro Dipping Sauce you need...

• 1 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

1. In a small bowl combine all ingredients and set aside.

To assemble pitas, place 2 meatballs in a pocket, top with 1/4 cup peppers/onions, 1 1/4 tbsp yogurt sauce, 1 tbsp avocado and 1 tbsp tomato

Nutrition Stats the above assembled pita: 340 calories, 10 grams of fat, 40 carbs, 11 grams fiber, 27 grams protein.

Here's the mans before adding the toppings...
Mine....
All mashed up over my bed of spinach and salsa...
Yum!! Super great dinner and very versatile. The little one loves plain avocado...
(I'm proud)

Yesterday morning the man left for outta town extremely early so there was no gym for this lady :(. Breakfast filled the empty gap...
Cocoa oat bran with bananas and Macadamia Nut Butter.

Lunch was left overs...
and lots of veg with some ketchup (I was having some strange cravings). Lunch dessert was an absurd amount of organic chocolate chips with about 4 different nut butters gracing my spoon. Opps!!

Skip to this morning. I woke up to everyones favorite bowl...
Peanut butter on the bottom and coconut butter on the top. The goodness never ends in this bowl!!! I also had a glass of lemon lime carbonated water with some berries...
Now its off for some last minute shopping and food prep for tomorrow. I also think there may be a slumber party in my future (my parents are also outta town, so its just me and my girls).

Hope all you lovely people are having a great weekend!! Don't forget my next post will be the 100th!! I will reveal the prizes up for grabs and also the rules for entry.

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: Its almost impossible for me to get a good nights rest without the man lying next to me. Its even hard for me to go to bed. I always hit the hay early with him here but without him I never want to lye down.

Can't Stop The Hunger!!!

I totally planned on blogging last night but I had 2 unexpected guests show up. One was my sweet niece and the other was one of my good friends who I am helping throw a baby shower for this Sunday.

After an intense workout at the Y I came home to a yummy breakfast of Oatgurt topped with Artisanas Goji Bliss, blueberries, raspberries, and cinnamon.
I was freaking starving yesterday and I made my mid morning snack a bit earlier than normal. Man it was good....
I made this shake with

• 1 cup UCAM (unsweetened chocolate almond milk)
• 1 tiny frozen banana
• a few small frozen strawberries
• dark choc. cocoa powder
• dark choc. stevia
• handful of spinach

Still hungry but I waited as long as I could for lunch which also ended up coming early (11:15) and I made a wonderful discovery....
Hummus in your sweet potato = Heaven. That's a salad I made for dinner the other night, recipe coming soon.

I ended up still being hungry after lunch and found my head in the fridge and hand in the peanut butter jar. Opps!

I had no afternoon snack and a late dinner which is not pictured.

Today was a much needed day off from the gym. My bowl of oats this morning...
Just plain old oat bran, chia seed, mashed banana, and Artisana Coconut Butter and Amazon Bliss. Mmmmm

Tonight is a planned girls night with 2 of my friends at a restaurant downtown called Mad Donna's. Hopefully there will be some picture taking and a recap for all my favorite people :) (bloggie love).

Leaving all my friends with a recipe thanks to Clean Eating Magazine.

Zucchini & Shrimp Stir-Fry With Tofu & Snow Peas Over Barley
(I left out the tofu, barley, scallions and oil)

• 1/2 cup barley, rinsed
  
• 1 cup low sodium veg. broth
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1 large onion
• 3 scallions, white and green chopped
• 1 lb. fresh or frozen shrimp, deveined and peeled with tails one
• 2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
• 1 large zucchini squash, cut into matchsticks
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 8 oz. extra firm tofu, drained and cut to 1in cubes
• 2 cups fresh sugar snap peas (I used frozen)

1. Bring 1 cup water to boil in saucepan. Add barley. Stir in veg. broth. Reduce heat to simmer and cook about 20 min. or until tender. Drain. Set aside and cool.
2. Meanwhile, heat a wok or large pan over medium heat. Add oil, swish around pan then add onion, scallions, shrimp, and soy sauce. Stir gently then add the rest of the veg. and tofu. Stir until tender.
3. Carefully plate shrimp-veg. stir fry over barley. Serve hot.

1 cup barley and veg. with 5 shrimp
420 cals, 13 g fat, 37 carbs, 35 g protein.
(the way I made it probably had around 250 cals a serving)

97 posts down 3 to go until my giveaway

CONFESSION OF THE DAY: I am getting my cat (yes, my actual cat, you know like the animal) shaved tomorrow into a lions cut. I cant stand all the shedding and I don't want hair all over my house during the baby shower I am throwing for my friend this Sunday.