Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Boring...and a Surprise?

First off, big thanks to my wonderful guest posters, Ollie and Sarah, for keeping up on things for me this weekend. You are both awesome and supportive and an inspiration to me both in the kitchen and out. You are very experimentarian and i am lucky that we're family. Muah!

In other news, wait--there is no other news. Sorry guys. I am boring. My food is boring, my pics are boring, my thoughts are boring. Boring Boring Boring. Anyway, since I can't think of anything new, I thought I'd introduce you to some old favorites...

Besides the stuff that I talk about all the time and you all know I love, like cottage cheese and green tea, here are some more yummy products I can't live without:

P.S. You;ll just have to excuse my gross old lady hands in every.single. pic. Obviously I am too boring to even crop these or jazz em up a little. Lame.


Goes in everything, on everything. All the time. Yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, oatmeal, tea, salad dressing, sliced fruit--the works. Everything is better with cinnamon, and all cinnamon in recipes must be multiplied by at least 2 to get it right. And guess what? This shiz is only a dollar. A dollar! Best investment EVER.

I call this my tiger tea. It just sounds better than Bengal Spice as far as I'm concerned. If I run out of this in my house, it's a sad day for sure. I think it is perfect with dessert, especially ice cream, and the spice warms you up perfectly. meow!

Ah lover! You can check out my full review of Sun Crystals here. But suffice it to say that I think these are the bomb dot com, compared to traditional chemically laced sweeteners. This is made out of just two ingredients: stevia and cane sugar, so I don't think it gets much more natural than that, but you can still use a lot less than regular sugar and get the same sweetness bang for your buck. I put this in almost as much stuff as cinnamon. Stevia and spice, that's me.
Have you had this??? OMG. It is to die for! Sweet and salty is definitely a combo I adore and this definitely fits the bill. It comes in a pretty big bar, with large thin squares that can be easily broken up for portioned consumption. It tastes so, so indulgent. And coming from someone with a mad sweet tooth, you can take me at my word when I say that even I am satisfied with just one piece. It's that good.
Ok, seriously, has anyone NOT tried this yet? So delicious. If I had to choose between this and peanut butter, it would be one tough call. It's slightly sweeter than most pb's, but the salty contrast is much sharper and the crunch is so luscious!

Is there anything that little Quaker man can't do? This is the best cereal of all time. I don't even know how I survived 25 years without it. It makes the perfect finishing touch to any yogurt mess, cottage cheese concoction, cereal trio (or quadruple, whatever), or ice cream, too. Yeah, it's dessert. It's amazing.

Another fantastic multi-purpose product. I am still weary of cheese in general, but I just slather this little 35-calorie wedge onto anything that required a nice cheesy bite, and I've got it made. Especially handy in sandwiches. My favorite combo is turkey slices spread with laughing cow, cranberry jalapeno preserved and Dijon mustard, stuffed with tons of spinach and crammed into a whole wheat pita. Yum.

So there you have it--some of the best foods ever that I eat on a pretty regular rotation, hence the boring-ness.

Anyhoodles, just because I am boring, doesn't mean you have to be! As usual, I am turning to you guys for some inspiration, but even better, in an effort to be NOT-boring, I am hosting a GIVEAWAY!!!! Yay!

Everyone needs a little extra holiday cheer and a little more love (and presents!), so here is something to get December started off right! Winner receives all my fave products featured above, plus some super yummy homemade treats and maybe a couple surprises (so as not to be TOO boring).

So easy to enter (same old boring way)--just leave a comment down below with some of your old favorites and "boring" standbys, and link back for an extra entry if you're feeling generous. Or maybe if you're just feeling boring, too and need something to post about ;) xoxo and love you lots!

P.S. Giveaway ends Friday at midnight, so try not to be extra boring and enter before then :)

54 comments:

  1. That chocolate sounds ANYTHING but boring...definitely getting my hands on some of that when I'm home!

    My favorite yet boring eats are bananas, salmon and whole wheat bread, haha

    ReplyDelete
  2. My favorites are pretty standard and boring, whipped cottage cheese, greek yogurt, PB Puffins! and Trader Joes mini Peanut butter cups! Basically eat all those everday, oh and hummus tooo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. nice giveaway!!! dying to dry the chocolate with sea salt...i didn't think it was boring haha! some of my standard "boring" food choices- TJs almond butter, peanut butter, TJs oat n wheat bran swirls cereal, TJS corn n chile salsa, hummus, anything pumpkin related (trail mix, granola, plain, butter)...

    maren
    mstav517 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've never tried that Quaker cereal but I heard it's like crack in a box so maybe that's a good thing ;)

    Fun giveaway! My "boring" eats - veggies & salsa, carob topped oats, cottage cheese on English muffins with PUH-lenty cinnamon or hot sauce.

    Welcome back!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Omg that Lindt Sea Salt chocolate is ridiculously amazing. Insane. It makes me so happy!

    My old, boring standbys (which aren't boring to me) are Oikos, spinach (crazy amounts), TJ's crunchy almond butter, Almond Breeze, Amazing Grass, cottage cheese and as much dark chocolate as I can get my little hands on!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have got to try sunbutter with prunes.. best combo ever!!

    My old favorites are cottage cheese, peanut butter on bread, yogurt with cinnamon, and oats with pumpkin! Oh and you can't forget tons of broccoli with Braggs!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You know I'm a million times more boring than you, so my standbys are oats, almond milk, almond butter, plain Greek yogurt, green veggies, plain shredded wheat, cottage cheese, Ezekiel bread etc. I love em, but they are boring.

    I also have a jar of Sunbutter that I haven't tried yet, as I can't do "normal" peanut butter anymore. However, I heard it tastes like mud, so I'm a bit leary!

    Glad you're back!

    ReplyDelete
  8. girl you are NOT boring!! if you are boring..then i def am! oats EVERY morning! it never changes for me

    i LOVE garlic and herb LC..use it on everything..never had sunbutter and and icant find that dark chocolate ANYWHERE! im dying to try it! ill just live through you until i find it

    ReplyDelete
  9. welcome back! Far from boring, m' dear :) I have a bunch of staples too which is why my blog is lacking photos these days... Greek yogurt, oats mashed up with blueberries, fage and almond butter, wraps grilled with laughing cow cheese and either felafel or chicken (and cranberry sauce- YUM!), granola...lots of breakfast foods! I've never seen Sunbutter- does it come in smooth?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Boring?! No way! I find it particularly exciting since we don't have some of that stuff in Canada!

    Old standbys that you will always find in my house - bananas, pb puffins, chickpeas, unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, and a LOT of different kinds of cereal (for practically every breakfast).

    Diana

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love that sunflower seed butter.
    We can't ever run out of Nutella around here, other standbys would be fruit snacks (I don't like them, but the kids sure do!) I also always like having on hand all baking ingredients, including a nice supply of different kinds of chocolate chips, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  12. My (very unboring in my opinion) standby is popcorn for dinner! Those products are the opposite of boring though, if you dipped the chocolate in the sunbutter it would probably be life changing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, and I linked to you here - http://eatventures.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/how-did-that-get-there/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for all the suggestions! I love the garlic and herb LC cheese yum! I wish I could find that chocolate around here but so far it's a no go.

    ReplyDelete
  15. OMG you have to keep the crunchy Sunbutter AWAY from me...I could eat the whole jar! YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  16. My standbys are unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, carrots and hummus, greek yogurt, and any kind of nut butter I can get my hands on!

    ReplyDelete
  17. My standby is microwave popcorn.

    ReplyDelete
  18. My standbys are Cheerios, Trader Joe's Chocolate, and Wegmans peanut butter. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  19. quaker oatmeal crack is BOMB.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ohmygosh. You are like Oprah!! I just squealed when I discovered there's a chance I could win your "Favourite Things!" :P Okay first, I am 100% with you on the cinnamon. Goes on everything, and must be doubled (or quadrupled) in every recipe.

    My standbys include pitas, rolled oats, dates, chocolate protein powder, and fibre rye wasa crisps.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'd like some of your snacks!

    Check out my blog - new giveaway and SONGDOWNLOADS.

    http://katiechangesforkatie.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  22. I like laughing cow as well. And Lindt chocolates are all yummy. Have you tried the chili one?

    My boring standbys would be Wyman's Blueberries, Fage, pumpkin, and cashew butter!

    ReplyDelete
  23. My boring standbys are apples, Irish Breakfast tea, peanut butter, and Luna bars. But I love 'em all so I don't think they're boring!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'd like some of your snacks, especially the sunbutter (I tried it in my advanced food science class last year and loved it, but i'm in my dietetic internship right now and can't afford those "luxury items")

    My boring standbys are: oatmeal, peanut butter, spinach salads, and blueberries!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Food is never boring. Unless it's just celery and carrot sticks all day. ;-)

    Boring standbys: almond butter, oats, kimchi, nori, kabocha, eggs, 5-6 different kinds of cheeses....

    ReplyDelete
  26. favies are totally naturally more pb (which i just inhaled the last bit in my jar)

    laughing cow cheese fo shoo

    and salsaaaaaaa :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. i have been hearing great things about sea salt chocolate! must try!

    as for my "essentials", this time of year it's gotta be apples and sweet potatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi - I'm pretty boring, since I basically rely on pb and j, apples, and yogurt as my "go-to" snacks. Yours look a bit more exciting!

    Emily

    ReplyDelete
  29. i linked!!
    http://www.juliegolean.com/2009/12/im-glowing-are-you.html

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great giveaway! My go-to foods are any kind of cereal, apples and PB. YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Greek yogurt is definitely in my regular rotation. So are grilled eggplant slices...a little less conventional!

    ReplyDelete
  32. My favorite usual foods are oats, apples, and yogurt!

    ReplyDelete
  33. i second you on the cinnamon front. cinnamon GOES on everything! oncei spilled some on my omelet and I STILL ATE IT BECUASE a) i hate wasting food. b) i love cinnamon and c) it seemed like a good idea at the time.

    cinnamon whores we are!

    ReplyDelete
  34. My boring but faithful standbys are wheaties, pb and j sandwiches, soymilk, oatmeal, and bananas :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. THIS IS AMAZING! and these products are amazing. and you are amazing for hosting such a fab giveaway - i will surely link back :)

    LOVE YOU

    p.s. thanks for your comment on my last post - it made me smile :)

    ReplyDelete
  36. My old favourite is Tuna salad on a Ritz cracker. For some reason, I am then 8 years old again, sitting in the backyard with my Nanie watching the seagulls fly by.
    I can make the crackers whole wheat now, add mustard instead of mayo to the tuna... and I've got a lo-cal, healthier snack!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I would like to try these-especially the sunbutter!
    My standbys are spinach, yogurt, fruit, an hummus!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Turkey sandwiches with pepperoncinis & spinach, yogurt, and hummus with carrots are some fall-back options for me. Thanks so much for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  39. My fav standbys are Honey Bunch of Oats, and weird byt true, turkey deli slices! I could eat those suckers all day!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I think this is so cute, so I linked back too!

    My favorite thing is truly cashew nut butter mixed with pumpkin butter and a little cereal!

    ReplyDelete
  41. i am beeehind on my reader. glad when your post was next up! agreed about the cinnamon! and mmm sun butter, i shit you not i am eating it RIGHT NOW on my toast! it is soooo good. basically you know wassup because i love the oatmeal squares and LCL so much as well. my favorite things? oikos 0%, extra sharp white cheddar, shredded spoonfuls and naturally more PB! xoxo love you!!

    ReplyDelete
  42. everything looks great! some of my favorite things are peanut butter, graham crackers, and raisins.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Dry figs with raw almonds or walnuts!

    ReplyDelete
  44. omg, that's my fave chocolate ever. Anything that says the words "salted," "dark" and "chocolate" -- I'm in!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Thanks so much for the opportunity! The boring foods that I love to eat are baked potatoes, cottage cheese, and whole wheat toast! I also love sucking on the standard white and red peppermints

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'm a cinnamon junkie too!-totally my boring standby!-monica:)
    rideit4@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  47. all your favorite things are my favorite things!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Wow! My "boring" foods are: Yogurt, mini rice-cakes, apples, and salsa!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Emily! I would love to get even one of your fav. products living overseas. And boring, means, repetitive use? Old standbys faithful lovers who satisfy? If that's boring, sign me up!
    My are
    pumpkin pie spice
    steel oats
    bran flakes jazzed up with granola
    peanut butter
    I am selfishly thinking of another share yourself go around! to pass along your favorite product of 2009... Interested?

    ReplyDelete
  50. a homemade giveaway!! I WANT TO WIN!!!

    a boring old standby that I have is cottage cheese and peanut butter with some berries mixed in, have it almsot everyday for a dessert and LOVE it, haven't gotten sick of it yet!

    ReplyDelete
  51. I never find your posts boring! If I did I wouldn't come back. :) I know I don't comment very often but I am bad about keeping up with my own blog let alone reading everyone else's. I still try and do my best though! I'm with you in cinnamon...it tastes good and I love the fact that it helps stabilize blood sugar.

    ReplyDelete