Food Recap Collages

It's been a while since my last real post, unless you count the chocolate pie recipe post. I did a few collages of the food I've enjoyed this past week which included a couple of food splurges. I sort of played around making the collages trying to see what looks the best so please excuse me, if they aren't so great.

I've enjoyed lots of salads and sandwiches lately. We went to Casa Grande for dinner one night. I got the taco salad, which isn't really one of their vegetarian options, but I was hoping for something lighter. I always ask them to replace the meat with refried beans & rice. I also ask them to hold the guacamole, but they didn't get that part right unfortunately. I don't hate it, so I just took what I could off. For me their taco salad is hit or miss. This time it was a miss, but not so bad, just not as light as I'd hoped. It was mostly beans, cheese, & rice and very little salad.

I also did my own slightly lighter version of a taco salad at home. My salads lately have included, fresh mushrooms, iceberg, spinach, carrots, tomato, green pepper, cucumber, and onion. My taco salad was topped with a few crushed Doritos, nacho cheese sauce, light sour cream, and taco sauce.

Another salad I enjoyed with vegetable egg rolls, was a broccoli salad mix with Makoto Ginger Dressing. I could drink the dressing it is so good. It's also great on rice, but it's a little more expensive than my regular salad dressing, so it's a splurge for me.

Here are some of the sandwiches I've had, two on slices of everything bread and one on an onion roll. They all included veggie burgers and spinach. I think the one with mushroom and white cheddar was the best.

Another splurge was for a jar of JIF Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread. This is the stuff. It's really not much more expensive than a jar of regular JIF peanut butter, but these days, buying name brand anything is expensive. I do love that it comes in a glass jar. I like collecting wide mouth food jars for food storage. The peanut butter and salsa jars make great storage for trail mix, dried fruits, nuts, etc. and look great on open shelves, which I hope to have some day.

Well, this was my week in food. I hope you see something you like. Today I plan to catch up on cleaning and take advantage of our slightly cooler temperature for the day, although I'm not looking forward to the heatwave predicted to follow. Have a great week and if it's hot where you are, stay cool!!

Have A Snicker Biscuit

Snicker Biscuit? It sounds like a pet name for your sweet heart, right? Oh, my little snicker biscuit......Well it's really a snack or a dessert, however you choose look at it. It's a creation of Lucas' which I perfected a little. I tried his version and then made a slight improvement.

You start with a Peanut Butter Snickers candy bar and a leftover Grands canned biscuit. You could actually make two with one candy and 2 biscuits.

The PB Snickers bars come in squares, which I love. I almost never eat a whole candy bar. In Lucas's version, you take one square and place it in the middle of a biscuit which has been cut in half, then put it in the microwave for a few seconds to heat until the candy is melted. I found this method can make the biscuit a little chewy.

I prefer the toaster oven method. Here you cut the snickers square in half and place one on each half of the biscuit. Then you place the biscuit in the toaster oven to toast, bake, or broil it until the biscuit is slightly browned and the candy is melted.

Now squish the two halves together for a warm tasty little treat. It's so much more satisfying than one little square of chocolate.

Do you have any unusual snack creations? I hope you enjoy this one. Do you think I should add it to the recipe page?

I totally forgot shots of dinner last night, which is why I went with the Snicker Biscuit post. I was a bit overwhelmed last night. DH wanted chicken livers (yuck) for dinner. They are only my least favorite thing to cook. I should have married a vegetarian. I also don't like frying food. I baked them. Maybe that will discourage him from asking for more, lol. Have a great day!!!

Alexia Oven Reds Review

Alternate Title - Corny But In Good Humor

Alright, so I decided to just skip the last post. I spend too much time stressing over things I can't do anything about, to stress over things I can do something about....problem solved.

Today's breakfast was pretty much that same as yesterday's breakfast anyway. I had half caf with raw sugar and creamer, half an apple, and a Little Debbie Raisin Creme Pie. I suppose they call them creme pies because they are sort of like whoopie pies with raisins on top. When I have too many sweets in the house, I use some of them for breakfast, since a lot of breakfast foods are sweet, that's when I have my coffee, and sweets are better with coffee, right? Well, it sounded good in my head anyway.....

I went to Lindsay's to keep the girls today. I think they go better at their house. They are calmer, more settled, and don't get into as much. I guess I just have all the neat stuff that looks like it shouldn't be touched.

Mary and Lexi had sandwiches. Mary took a nap and I had Veggie Cuisine's Enchilada Rojo with Mexican Rice. I also had half an ear of corn.

It didn't look like much, which is why I also had the corn, but I was really stuffed after having eaten it all.

The girls had cheese & cracker snacks later with chocolate milk. I waited until I came home for my snack. Now you know why I was in such "Good Humor".

Lucas wanted to try these. I've had them before. I really like them. The flavor reminds me of strawberry jello or koolaid, but with creamy vanilla ice cream and soft cookie crumbs.

 It's awful to say and not much better to drink, but I reheat leftover coffee after my ice cream. I could hardly keep my eyes open and had a chill from eating the ice cream. I just added a little raw sugar and just drank about 2/3 of it.

I had chosen Alexia Oven Reds with Olive Oil, Parmesan, and Roasted Garlic. They take about 25 minutes (longer in my oven) to bake. They are very good. They get 5 stars. I also had leftover broccoli casserole, another half ear of corn, and some fresh broccoli with garlic Caesar dressing.

Now, thanks to the icky reheated coffee, I was able to complete this post, of course lack of sleep is the reason for the content. Sorry. I'm outa here. Have a great night/day!!!

Almost Apple Pie A La Mode

Oh, was I tired this morning. I woke up around 3:45am and after laying in bed for an hour, I decided to get up and do a few of the things I'd planned to do when I got up, so that I could sleep just a little longer. I stayed awake another hour or so and then went back to bed. Luckily I was able to get back to sleep, that is until someone knocked at the door around 7:30am. It was some looking for DH who wasn't at home, so I didn't answer. Sorry, but I wasn't in a cheerful mood. 

An hour later I got up. I skipped coffee yesterday, but not today. I almost made regular coffee, but I wasn't sure I should go that far, since I normally do less than half caf. I did do all half caf though. I had half an everything bagel with cream cheese as well. I been looking forward to an everything bagel for a while. I was in a little better mood after my coffee kicked in. It's like magic.

I went to Lindsay's to help with the girls. You can understand why I definitely needed coffee. They were quite a handful today. They were feeling pretty good. Mary won the award for top trouble maker today. She's been quite rotten lately. We had lunch and Mary helped eat some of the spinach from my salad. I had spinach, iceberg, carrot, cucumber, Italian blend cheese, and garlic Caesar dressing. Lindsay got me a few poppers from Bucko's.

I had the salad and poppers while my last slice of Alfredo Pesto Pizza was heating.

I was thoroughly worn out when I got home. I made a somewhat healthier version of Apple Pie A La Mode before taking a short nap. I used half an apple cut into chunks, about 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt, 1 whole graham cracker, cinnamon and a few pieces of walnut.

I layered everything using lots of cinnamon on each later of yogurt. This was really good and a nice trade for Apple Pie A La Mode.

My nap was short, because #1 it was late for a nap and #2 the neighbors dog chose that precise time to bark incessantly. Oddly the only place in the house that I could hear the dog was my bedroom. Am I lucky or what?

I had the last of Sunday's leftovers for dinner, 2 little crab stuffed mushrooms, potato casserole, corn, & green beans.

That was my day. I was hoping to get more sleep tonight, but I didn't get quite as early a start on the blog as I did yesterday. It still may be possible though, if I can just sleep through the night. Have a great night/day and wish me luck!!!

Savoritz Roasted Vegetable Crackers Review

This morning I really wanted pancakes or rather, that's what I'd planned to have, but by the time I went though my morning routine, I was totally out of the mood, so I just had half an apple and a few Quaker Oat Squares with my half caf coffee; 2 cups actually. I also spread a little peanut butter on my apple for protein.

I had a quick bowl of leftover baked ravioli for lunch, before going to the grocery store.

It was a long trip, because we were going to Aldi first, then to the bread store and Walmart. I picked up a box of Savoritz Roasted Vegetable crackers at Aldi.

Their sort of a knock off of Ritz crackers. I had a few with cream cheese before dinner. They have a mild vegetable taste, but I wasn't all that impressed. I've had better vegetable cracker and I'm not sure they're exactly like Ritz either. There is a difference, but I'm not sure what it is. I will say that they weren't a oily as some Ritz type crackers I've eaten. While there was nothing spectacular about these crackers, they aren't bad, but I do prefer the larger vegetable crackers we've gotten at Walmart. I'm just giving these 3 stars.

I also bought some fresh spinach today. Everything else I had for dinner, I already had. I had a Veggie Patch Chick'n Cutlet from the freezer, sweet potato fries and a simple salad of spinach and onion with a dressing made from light mayo and barbecue sauce. I'd bought pizza dough from Walmart, which Lucas had told me about, to make pizza, but didn't realize it came frozen. I got it anyway, but will have to wait another day or so to make it.

It was a pretty good dinner, even though I sort of got more BBQ sauce in the dressing than I'd intended. It made a great dressing and since I'd made more than I'd meant to, I used some on the cutlet as well.

I had a cup of Ghirardelli Peppermint Cocoa after dinner. I always make mine with more milk/less cocoa than the directions call for. It is still plenty sweet and very good.

I also had some raisins and a few BBQ chips while I was working on this post. Now that I've got everything covered, I'm going to get ready for bed and maybe do a little reading. I'd decided to go ahead and finish this post tonight, so that I could sleep in tomorrow, besides if I didn't, I might forget to finish it, lol. Have a great night/day!!! 

Kernel Season's Butter Flavored Popcorn Seasoning Review

This morning I was feeling pretty good. I was in the mood to get some things done. I started the day off with a big cup of coffee (half caf) and a big cinnamon roll with a cup of applesauce. I actually had 2 cups of coffee. 

By the time I'd finished my coffee, I was ready to get some things done. I started with the kennel dining room. It was such a nice day I put the dogs outside and did a thorough cleaning of their space. I washed all their bedding, vacuumed & mopped the floors the floors. It's nice to be able to clean with the pups out of the way. 

Later I took a break from cleaning and fixed lunch. I made another veggie dog using my favorite Veggie Patch brand and the same toppings as yesterday, a slice of colby pepper jack cheese and salsa. I had some of the yellow rice with my veggie dog.

After lunch I went out and worked in the yard. I mowed some with my reel mower. I took a break and had a bowl of peanut butter cheerios. I cleaned up some in the kitchen before going back outside.

 

 I got most of the backyard done. I didn't realize how late it was when I came back in. I made a little popcorn in the microwave. using the paper bag method. I put a quarter cup of popcorn in the bag, folded the bag to prevent the popcorn from coming out and put it in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes.

I then added some Kernel Season's Butter Flavored Popcorn Seasoning. This is not the greatest seasoning. It doesn't stick to the popcorn very well. I sprayed the popcorn with butter flavored cooking spray to help the seasoning stick. I'm not crazy about doing that either, but it helped a little. It still wasn't very buttery and there was still quite a bit of the seasoning left in the bottom of the bowl. I will be looking for an alternative. This stuff gets just 2 stars.

It wasn't long until dinner time. I decided to just make some egg noodles with mixed veggies.

Just a little butter, salt and lots of black pepper. I love veggies with egg noodles.

I also had a couple of handfuls of raisins after dinner.

After a very productive day, I am ready for bed. I'm not the least bit sleepy, but I have an early morning. Have a great night/day!!!

 If you have any popcorn seasoning suggestions. I'd love to hear them.

Snacking All Day

Today felt like a day long snacking session. I didn't really take time for a real meal. I just ate a few bites here and there. First I had one of the cinnamon rolls I got at the store yesterday. Lucas had half of one before dinner last night. I decided to wait until morning.

I had one with coffee for breakfast. I used even more decaf in this pot than I've been using. I'm hoping I will sleep good without any help from Melatonin, etc.

I got a shower and Lucas and I went to Walmart. I was just window shopping. I had a quick bowl of yellow rice before we left.

When we got back I made a Veggie Patch veggie dog on a bun with Colby pepper jack cheese and salsa. It was the most satisfying part of the day.

A little later I had a bowl of peanut butter cheerios with milk.

I watched a movie while the guys went to the shooting match. I watched Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon. It wasn't nearly as interesting as the trailer made it out to be. I was rather bored with it actually. I was mildly interest in how it would turn out, but I'd become so bored in the process that the end didn't hold much meaning to me. I usually don't get distracted during a movie if it's interesting, but I managed to get distracted several times during this one. I gave it 2 stars.

During the movie I munched on raisins.

I also had a bit of popcorn.

Since the movie ended and while I've been blogging, I've been listening to internet radio on the Wii through the Opera browser. There is a site called Wiimusic.net with internet radio stations listed by genre. It's not a large selection, but I did find stations to listen to. I'd intend to listen to Pandora, but for some reason the browser isn't up to date enough for their site to load or that is the message it displayed. Well, I think since I've managed to finish up a little earlier, I'll go and do a bit of reading before bed. I've started reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I've heard it's very good. Have a great night/day!!!

Benner Lemon And Ginseng Green Tea Review

I didn't have to start the day early, but I did have to keep the girls today, so I didn't get to sleep as late as I would have liked. After getting up I needed to do some major baby proofing since things have gotten a little neglected due to back problems. I'm still having them of course, but that is beside the point. My back pain comes and goes fortunately. 

I got a few things done before I'd even made breakfast. I made another blueberry banana smoothie, still adding a tsp. of vanilla instant pudding mix which thickens it up quite nicely. Yummy!

I bought a new green tea at Aldi to try. It is Benner Lemon & Ginseng Green Tea.

I used 2 tea bags for my cup of tea, sometimes, I just use one. I really like this tea. It has a nice lemon flavor which doesn't cover up the flavor of the tea. I actually had 2 cups of tea today. I had one after breakfast, just as the girls were getting here and one later in the afternoon. I'm giving the tea 4 stars. I had a few vanilla wafers with the first cup. I offered them to the girls, but both declined. I had to check the cookies to make sure they were alright. It must have been the girls, because the cookies were fine and pretty good with the tea.

Lexi had a few gummy bears and a few little candy hearts with writing on them. She said she'd already had a sandwich at home.  Later they had cheese pizza and I had a Lean Cuisine  broccoli cheddar dip with pita bread. I added an extra half pita dividing the dip between the two. The pita cooled after heating them in the microwave and they got a bit tough. Next time I may try to remember to stick them in the toaster oven instead.

The girls were pretty good today, still a bit much for my back. Lexi tried to help with Mary which mostly only succeeded in pissing Mary off, which wasn't much help after all. Luckily I was able to sit a little here and there. Deep breathing exercises got me through the day.

After the girls left, I fixed myself a tofurky sandwich with the last of the Italian tomato basil deli slices. I also found a piece of the garlic herb focaccia for my sandwich, which I had assumed had already been eaten. I melted some of the marinated mozzarella balls in the bread and placed the warmed deli slices on a bed of spinach and sliced mushrooms and topped it all with warm spaghetti sauce for another awesome sandwich.

No need to add black pepper. Between the deli slices and the peppercorns on top of the focaccia, you get a nice peppery flavor as well.

I had the last Pina Colada jello cup after I ate my sandwich. I normally like to eat the pina colada jello with angel food cake, pineapple, pecans, and cool whip, but I like it by itself as well.

My dinner was early, since I'd had a small lunch, so I needed another snack before I put and end to eating for day. I had a little of the Men's Omega3 Energy mix I'd gotten a The Fresh Market. They also have a women's  mix, but it doesn't have as many goodies.

Well I guess that's it. I'm heading to bed while I still have a few moments for reading. Yes, it is late, but not as late as normal. Have a great night/day!!!