Peanut Party

I think almonds are my favorite nut, but I have always loved peanuts, too. Particularly peanut butter.

When we were little, my dad would make us something called a Fluffernutter. If you live on the East coast, you probably know what that I'm talking about. If you live on the west coast, you probably think it's something dirty (get your minds out of the gutter!). But whatever you think it is, it was delicious. It's a marshmallow fluff and peanut butter sandwich. Die!

I have not had a marshmallow and pb sammie since I was probably about 10, but I continued the pb trend through out college, where I think I had a peanut butter and apricot jam sand which for breakfast every, single. day. until I got married.

During my relapse, peanut butter was definitely on the no-no list, and it was one of the best re-introductions I looked forward to (hello, lovah!). Now that it's back in the game, and I regard all nuts as a healthy source of fat and important component of satiety, I am always on the lookout for new nut butters and peanut products in general. So I've got two new ones for ya:
Item number one--Think Fruit Peanut Goji Glow. This is from the same brand that makes the Think Thin bars, which I hate--namely because of the branding, but also because they contain mucho soy products--yuck! But this bar was new when I went to the store the other day, and surprisingly soy-free, so I wanted to try it.

This SMELLED really peanutty when I opened it, which I love! The look was really similar to a lara bar, and this flavor reminded me a lot of the PB cookie lara. The texture was slightly drier, though and the bar was a little more sweet. I think this is because, in addition to the dates, this is also sweetened with agave. Plus the gojis could add a touch of sweet flavor as well. Stats on this are super similar to the lara bar as well, containing 210 cals, 11 g fat, 5 g fiber and 5 g protein. Ingredients: dates, peanuts, agave, flaxseed, pectin, natural flavors, goji berries

Second peanutty find for today. If y'all read Janetha's blog ( and really, who doesn't??), you'll know that I alerted her to my latest Whole Foods discovery when they started carrying more flavors of PB and Co. last week. I wasn't a fan of the last flavor I tried, but after seeing Miss J try out the Mighty Maple, I succumbed to temptation and picked up the Bee's Knees (also seen calling my name from Miss April's blog).

Um, well, still not a big fan! How disappointing! Don't' get me wrong, it was good, as only peanut butter can be, but I cannot for the life of me pick of the subtleties of flavor in these things. Ugh! Did it taste like honey? No. But it did taste like peanut butter, and I loved the ultra-creamy texture, so I will probably continue to use this jar in lieu of my beloved Naturally More until it's gone. (Because I am cheap, and our cupboards are full--I try to exhibit some self-control in the nut butter shopping every once in a while ;) )

Speaking of nuts, today is definitely a grumpy Monday for me, and I 'm not looking forward to the work week at all. Yuck. But I hope your day is wonderful and you all enjoyed your weekends. Love and peanut butter kisses. xoxo

Bounty

Ahh, I feel so lucky! Yesterday was truly a bounteous day for me. First of all, most of my husband’s family came over to help us with our new home—move in is only one week away! My mother in law is very handy and crafty and loves to do projects, so she was the perfect helper for us. Dustin’s sweet little brother has been up to help us almost every weekend , and was back at it yesterday, mowing the lawn and helping D place trim in the hallway. While the boys worked on that, my mother and sister-in-law were hard at work texturizing, priming and painting away. I sat in the backyard under our apple tree with a glass of lemonade and read some magazines. Just kidding. I would have gotten run over by the lawnmower. Instead, I played project manager, and helped paint, too. I am slow. My MIL is FAST! She should start her own company redecorating stuff, cuz we busted out four rooms! Now I have a beautiful blank room where there was once the bright blue/black hole of a teenager dismal abyss, a soothing blue bedroom, and earthy boy’s bath and a striking RED wall in my living room (which my mom is going to HATE—kind of nervous about that one!)

Everyone worked so hard and I’m so grateful for their help! My family has done a lot of work, too, and coming down next weekend to do more. Our home would not be quite so move in ready without everyone pitching in.

But in other lucky news that totally made my weekend, my old boss is out of town fro the week and invited us over to collect her peach harvest while she’s away. I almost cried, these peaches are so gorgeous. It was a beautiful feeling to pick them straight from the tree, all soft and sunny. The tree is not that big, but we came home with an ENTIRE huge 5 gallon Home Depot bucket full of fruit. Needless to say, I will be eating a lot of peaches in the coming week. Hello overnight oats! (And peach cereal messes, peaches and ice cream, peach cobbler, peach salsa, yum!) But….the most exciting news of all is yet to come! I had a hot minute to browse Whole Foods yesterday while we grabbed lunch and much to my surprise….. Look what I found!!!!! Yes, the NEW LARA BAR FLAVORS! I walked down that aisle to check out of habit, and just gave kind of a cursory glance because I have been looking for these babies for months to no avail. I almost missed them because they were on the end, kind of separated and next to another brand, but I spotted them just in time!

I immediately snagged two of each, although I had to resist the urge to grab every bar left in the box and run! And then I had to go send an emergency email to my girl to let her know what’s up. Gotta spread the word! But let’s keep it between you and me, ok? We don’t want every chick in the valley swiping our “secret” supply ☺

Kind of disappointed to see that the tropical flavor has coconut in it. I love the flavor of coconut, but oddly, I can’t STAND the texture of the shreds. Yucky. Oh well. Maybe they will blend in well enough with the other goodness that’s in there and I won’t even notice.

As soon as I had the chance I broke into my coveted PB&J. I ate half right away and mixed the other half into some Greek yogurt a little later. I have to say I love these! The PB cookie is still my all time fave, but this was so delicious. It really did taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I did kind of agree with this assessment, that the pb and fruit flavors competed against each other a little bit, but overall I think I really like the blend. I had never tried laras and yogurt mixed together, and I was equally impressed with that concoction as well. Freaking yum, dude.

What a gorgeous weekend. Too bad I have to ruin it by going to work tomorrow. Guess I'll just have to make some peachy oats to console myself ;) xoxo

Lara Bar Jocolat Hazlenut Flavor

These are amazing and you should absolutely try this flavor if you have not already. I love Lara bars, and they are one of my favorite bar options both because of their yummy flavors and super-duper good (and soy-free) stats.

I have been DYING to try the new PB and J flavor, but until I can get it, I consoled myself with the Jocolat Hazelnut. This was the perfect after-lunch treat, and tasted much more indulgent than it actually was. I must say that this is BY FAR the best of the Jocolat bars that I have tried. Most of them don't taste all that chocolatey and I feel like the other ingredients in the mix tend to overpower any subtle hint of cocoa that's in there. This one didn't taste exactly like I'd anticipated either, but not neccisarly in a bad way! I was expecting it to taste sort of like Nutella, but the hazelnut flavor was surprisingly indistinct. Instead it tasted like the gooiest, healthiest brownie ever, and VERY much like chocolate.

Each bar contains 190 cals, 10 g fat, 5 g fiber and 4 g protein. Like all Lara Bars, this little yum-fest keeps the ingredients to a minimum and the processing to zero. Ingredients (all organic): dates, hazelnuts, almonds, cocoa powder.

Raw Crunch with Organic Dark Chocolate

These have to be close to my favorite bars ever. I've tried the Goji flavor before, and I really enjoyed that one. I finally got my hands on another one this weekend and have been waiting for days to try it out!
This one was a great balance between sweet and salty. The ingredients are so pure that it's kind of like just grabbing a handful of trail mix. This bar is sweetened with a touch of honey and yummy cocoa pieces. My favorite part is probably the tons and tons of pumpkin and flax seeds. And of course the dark chocolate chunks. Duh. Ingredients (all organic): sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, raw honey, cashews, dark chocolate (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, vanilla beans, soy lecithin), pecans, flax seeds, macadamia nuts, celtic sea salt. These bars are pretty big for only 150 calories which is another thing I love about them. They contain 10 g fat, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein and also 15% DV of vitamin E.

In case you were wondering, while I avoid soy as much as possible, soy lecithin doesn't bother my stomach as much as processed or whole soy...I think. I think it also depends on the day!

I've been slacking in the bar department lately because I've been having trouble finding new flavors or brands that meet my requirements (200 calories or less, good balance of protein, fat, fiber, and most importantly, SOY FREE for my little tummy). So if anyone has some suggestions, I would love for you to pass them along!

Jam Frakas Strawberry Flavor

I actually wasn't too impressed with this bar. It tasted kind of plasticine for some reason. The ingredient list seemed wholesome enough: (All organic)strawberries (Strawberries, Evaporated cane juice), cashews, dates, rice crisps, raisin juice concentrate, sea salt, honey and safflower oil.
3.5 g fat, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein. A little less substance than I usually like in my bars, but it felt like a decent snack size. And while the other stats weren't stellar, the bar does contain a surprising 15% dv of your vitamin C--who knew?

The bar was nice and chewy and had chunks of strawberries scattered throughout. I have a couple other flavors of this brand to try, so hopefully those will be a little more delicious. I love Lara bars and these are made under that brand, so I had high hopes. Oh well. Maybe second (or third) time will be the charm!

Raw Crunch with Organic Goji Berries

This bar smelled really good despite being smashed to smithereens. Slightly salty and crunchy. The bigger chunks were delightfully chewy, and I loved how you could see every single ingredient. And whole goji berries, finally fulfilling my goal to try whole ones. They taste kind of like a bitter raisin.

I loved the label, " No Artificial Nothin!" Touted as soy-free (yay!), gluten free, dairy free and peanut free. It contained (all organic): sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, raw honey, cashews, goji berries, flaxseeds, macadamia nuts and celtic sea salt. One bar has only 150 calories, 10 g (healthy) fat, 3 g fiber and 5 g protein.

There were a few other flavors at the store where I snagged this one, so I can’t wait to go back and grab them. I think they had a chocolate one, and I’m all for that—especially if it’s even half as good as this one! Yum!

Coco Mole Lara Bar

I love lara bars for a lot of reasons. They are so dense, with very minimal processing and ingredients! This one has 6: dates, almonds, walnuts, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon and chili. I actually found a whole almond in this one! This bar is definitely an interesting combo with the chocolate and chili, but I love the spiciness.

Lara bars typically have a lot of fat in them, but it’s all “healthy” from the nuts, so it’s a great source of those omega 3’s! I usually have just a half of one at a time because they are so nutritionally compact, but each full bar contains 9 g fat, 5 g fiber and 4 g protein.

Gnu Glavor and Fiber Bar-Cinnamon Raisin Flavor

Gnu (say it like "new") bars are actually some of my favorite bars and I eat them pretty frequently. They have several flavors, but the Cinnamon Raisin one is by far the best tasting. Super chewy with kind of a nutty taste and really cinnamon-y. Whole raisins, whole oats (which is nice if you like to be sure what your eating) and crunchy little millet pieces. Whopping 12 grams of fiber, but not much protein or anything else, really. They sure are yummy, though, and will definitley help you meet your 25 g/day quota--oh yeah, and banish post-workout hunger pangs until lunch time!

ReBar

My main criteria in a bar is that it is healthy (of course) and provides a good balance of fiber and protein for satiety since that's the main point of a snack--to keep you full. There are millions of bars out there, but my additional complicating factor is that the bars I eat must be soy free. I am pretty sensitive to soy products, and unfortunately, soy proteins are found in the majority of bars.

Surprisingly tart with mainly dried fruit-ish flavors--not the 17 or so vegetables listed on the back. Soft, with a good bite quality. This bar is 100%ORGANIC, gluten-free, dairy free, GMO free, and most importantly, soy free! I usually try to select bars with a little fat in them since I don't get it from many other sources, and helps to hold me over for a little longer, so we'll see how this one does in terms of longevity between my snack now (11:20) and lunch (who knows??*) This bar has 6 g fiber, but only 2 g protein. I also liked that this bar tastes pretty sweet, but has no added sugar, not even the "healthy" ones they try to sneak in there all the time like brown rice syrup or cane juice. The only drawback was a slightly bitter aftertaste, but that went away as soon as I brushed my teeth. Overall, I liked this bar quite a bit and would probably purchase it again.

*I ended up eating lunch a little before 3:00, and I was starving by then, but I didn't get a hunger rumble til about 2, so not that bad there!