#I said bag of raisins because I don’t have them and they’re the only healthy snack I like

[tsutsutsketchy]

The seasonal insomnia is kicking in wooooo

[vegetalass]

RDR2 Boys Grocery Shopping

Arthur 

Arthur can do a lot of things quickly, but shopping is not one of them. 

He’s totally happy to do it, but he takes his time looking at everything really carefully and thinking about what to get

Usually just ends up buying the store brand because it’s the most affordable, but if you specify a brand you like he’s willing to get it 

He’s also willing to spend more on things that are better when higher quality, though, like beer and meat

That being said, definitely prefers local stores and small businesses because they aren’t corporate and are usually less busy 

If he gets to choose the snacks, he chooses boring stuff like plain tortilla and potato chips

Always really nice to the cashiers, and has fun talking to them about whatever he’s buying. Good at conversing about simple things like that.

Despite this, will make a comment about how expensive everything is

If you go shopping with him, he’ll buy you guys a snack to share on the way home 

John 

Not awful at shopping… But not fantastic at it, either. 

If you send him in for six items, he’ll most likely come back with five or seven things

Refuses to buy anything other than store brand because “it’s just as good” 

Will absolutely not break this rule unless he’s with someone who forces him to, and even then he complains

Jack has never had Froot Loops because of this, since John always buys the Tooty Frooty O’s instead

Abigail has given up

If he’s buying for himself, his shopping list is like “Juice, jerky, snacks” 

Never remembers where anything is so it’s likely he’s going around in circles trying to find something

Bad at asking for help, but always spends a lot of time talking to the meat and seafood guys… 

Honestly, he’s just a guy being a dude at the grocery store

Charles 

Not a vegan, but likes vegan snacks and always spends a lot of time thinking about what to get and trying new things. 

He’s a pretty quick shopper though, just because he does all this thinking in advance

Arthur’s always like “How do you shop so quickly?” And Charles is like “Internet.” 

Also budgets very well and still manages to buy a lot. 

He comes home and the gang is like, “You got all of that for $50?” And Charles is like “Um, yes?” 

Probably has to buy more than he normally would just because he the gang is always eating his stuff

That being said, they don’t always like it and often complain about what he buys (and it’s literally just Hummus or something)

The girls are happy though because he’s the only one (other than Hosea) who buys vegetables 

He has snacks that you can touch and snacks that you shouldn’t 

Probably shops exclusively at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods tbh 

King of tote bags (Arthur is jealous) 

Micah 

Good luck trying to give this man a shopping list. He walks in with a vague idea of what he needs and walks out with practically none of it. 

Mostly goes shopping for the fun of it and only buys things he likes

Decides on the spot about whether or not he’s getting something and is 100% the type of person to just leave the things he doesn’t want in random places

If you try to put anything in the cart when he’s around, he thinks he gets a deciding vote on whether or not you actually buy it

Just watch him be like “WTF do we need toilet paper for?” 

If he’s buying something for himself, he buys the most expensive one. If he’s buying anything for the gang, he buys the cheapest. 

Also, even if he’s only supposed to do shopping for the gang, he always ends up buying himself a bunch of stuff that he doesn’t plan on sharing. 

It’s like… “And here’s your ground beef, Pearson! Also, I got this ribeye for me.” 

Hosea 

Literally only shops at Costco. You cannot make him shop anywhere else. He buys everything there

Gets everyone’s snacks at Costco, gets everyone’s shampoo and conditioner at Costco, and even probably gets everyone’s winter coat and boots at Costco. 

If you complain about it, he’ll tell you to do the shopping yourself

Being lent his Costco membership card is a PRIVILEGE. Only Charles, Lenny, and Arthur (as well as most of the girls) have ever received it. 

(Pearson and Ms. Grimshaw probably have their own)

You have to beg him to buy you a hot dog combo and yogurt, but he’ll do it if you persist

Puts relish on his because he’s old

Buys a bunch of random old man stuff. Always buying nuts and dried fruit and apple sauce in bulk. 

Always buys off-brand, too. Everyone is disappointed but not surprised when he brings home weird snacks that are all the wrong brand

You have to make special requests for anything else, and even then, he selectively remembers what people want

Dutch 

King of trying to make the employees “check in the back” 

King of having a bunch of random coupons for things no one likes 

King of taking forever, not because he’s shopping, but because he’s making friends with everyone at customer service and distracting people by asking for opinions on what to buy

Always forgets what he came for, even though he swears to Hosea that he’ll remember

Also impulse buys a bunch of stuff… cake mixes, random kitchen tools, avocados, you name it. He always has some weird justification as to why he thinks it will get eaten/used

Don’t let him go shopping with anyone because he’ll buy whatever they ask for

“How much could one banana cost? Seven dollars?” 

Honestly, other than Micah, one of the most likely people to complain about something stupid to staff 

Also, the only one (besides Micah *cough*) who doesn’t use reusable bags 

Still shops at BevMo! cause he’s a freak

Kieran 

He’s a good shopper. Definitely does his best to follow the list 

That being said, isn’t very good at budgeting, but will at least get you everything you need

His only flaw is that he’s also probably not very good at putting things back in the right spots (not for lack of trying, though)

The only person in the gang who buys the on-brand, quality snacks you asked for AND is willing to share

Everyone goes nuts when he brings home REAL Oreos, Cheetos, and Lucky Charms after weeks of healthy versions or knock-offs

Yes, there is probably fighting

But it’s worth it because Jack loves him forever after this

When he does buy food for himself, it’s honestly probably boring stuff like Raisin Bran and veggie chips (Hosea is pleased) 

Pays for everything in cash and is one of those weird people that always asks for $10 in quarters when he’s getting change

Make sure you specify which store he should go to, though, because if you don’t, he’s 100% going to Walmart (and doesn’t know what’s wrong with it)

Javier 

He’s happy to do the shopping, but he isn’t going to follow a list

Even if all of the food is for the gang, he’s like “nah” and just gets what he wants to eat

Example: he buys everyone snacks but it’s just a bunch of random things he thinks sound good

That being said, unlike Micah, he’s not doing it to be mean

Just like Charles buys the veggies, Javier buys the fruit. 

While he mostly shops at ethnic grocery stores, you can still catch him at Costco sometimes because the deals are just too good

And in the spring and summer, he shops at the the farmer’s market (with Charles and Arthur, of course)

Honestly, the fun of shopping for him is the drive there and back

He uses reusable bags but they’re all just old shopping bags Dutch never threw away 

One word: Kombucha

[five-rivers]

Fruits

For @greyheartwriter for the Phic Phight!  Enjoy!

.

.

.

Thanks to the Fenton Faded Folio Fixer, the waterlogged, ripped, and slightly singed journal of Jack's favorite and most notorious ancestor was now readable. Or, at least, carefully scanned photographs of the pages could be read. Jack could hardly wait to read it. He and Maddie had stayed up until the small hours of the morning inputting pages.

If only they were young again, able to pull all-nighters... Alas, it was not to be.

Still, he was very high energy when he got up that morning. As usual. He bounced down the stairs in front of his wife, letting his enthusiasm out.

"Hey, Mads, what kind of cool historical ghost fighting techniques do you think we'll find in ol' John Fenton-Nightingale's journal? My grandpa told me that he once fought a demon ghost with his bare hands, can you imagine?"

He heard a choking sound from the kitchen, and bounded in to find his son, Danny, choking on his cereal. He gave Danny a hearty slap on the back, and Danny started gasping for air.

"You okay there, Danny boy?"

"I'm, yeah, I'm fine. I just- Late for school! Gotta go!"

Danny rushed out the door without any further explanation. Jack scratched his head. "Huh. Isn't it still pretty early?"

"It's Saturday," said Maddie, concerned. "Should we go get him?"

"Nah, he'll figure it out soon enough!" said Jack. "It's good to see him so eager to go! Speaking of eager, let's go see how good ol' John ripped ghosts apart in the good old days!"

.

"Blood blossoms are extinct, right?" Danny asked Sam, watching her water her plants in her greenhouse, hands on his knees. "I mean, definitely and absolutely?"

"As far as I could find out," said Sam. "I talked to all of my gardening contacts. Only one had ever even heard of them, and she was convinced it was just a weird rose. I mean, even from where I was tied, I could tell they weren't, so... What's this about, anyway? Did your parents find out about them?"

"No, but they're about to. They got the Nightingale journal legible."

"Dang. I thought you trashed it."

"I tried! I really tried! But then Dad got it in his head that ghosts were trying to destroy it because it held secret ghost fighting secrets-"

"I mean, true, but go on."

"-and they got really enthusiastic about it. They build a whole machine just to read it!"

Sam put down her watering can and patted Danny on the back. "Well, hopefully there isn't anything in there that's worse than blood blossoms."

Danny groaned. "Why would you say something like that?"

.

"... and they're great on sandwiches!" exclaimed Jack.

"They certainly sound amazing," said Maddie as she typed on the lab computer. "They would be an amazing asset, but I can't find anything about them online, or even anything that looks like them. Show me the picture again? Maybe I can run it by some people."

"Sure thing, Mads!" Jack handed Maddie the relevant page. "Do you know a place called the Spine?"

"Not off the top of my head, why?"

"Because John says that's where he hid a bunch of seeds, just in case those dastardly ghosts tried to destroy them!"

"He hid them in the spine?" repeated Maddie, looking up from the computer. "Are you sure?"

"That's what he said!"

"Jack, what if he meant... the spine of the book?"

Both of them rushed across the lab to where the journal was stored in a ghost-proof box. Maddie picked up a pair of scissors.

"I'm really sorry if I'm wrong, Jack," she said.

"Don't be! It's what John would have wanted!"

She flipped up the lid and took out the wrecked book. "Maybe that's why the ghosts were so insistent on trying to destroy this, now. They knew about the seeds."

"I wouldn't put it past 'em!"

Maddie picked apart what was left of the binding, and, sure enough, a little cloth bag was nestled alongside the folded backs of the pages. Carefully, Jack picked it up and untied the top. He grinned widely and showed the shriveled red-brown fruits inside to Maddie.

"They're here, Maddie! Wait 'til I tell the kids! They'll be so excited! A little piece of family history, right here, in our hands."

"Wait, Jack," said Maddie, grabbing his arm. "I don't think we should tell them."

Jack's face fell. "Why not?"

"Well," said Maddie, frowning, "you know how they are about ghosts. I think we should keep these secret. So the ghosts don't find out, like they did with the journal."

"You don't think Jazz or Danny told the ghosts about the journal, do you?"

Maddie shook her head. "No, not necessarily. But they could have told their friends, and the ghosts could have overheard. This is just really important to our work and your family history, and I'd hate for it to be destroyed because of a mistake like that."

"Alright, we'll keep it secret, then. At least until they're ready to use! We can use the Fenton Stockades! The kids never go down there."

.

"You haven't heard any more about the journal?" Danny asked Jazz a week later. He leaned nervously against her doorjamb. He'd been having flashback nightmares to the seventeenth century or whatever hell year John Fenton-Nightingale had been from.

"What journal?" asked Jazz. "I read several. Psychology Today?"

"What?" asked Danny wrinkling his nose. "Isn't that a magazine? No, Dad's ancestor's journal. The one he and Mom thought was full of old ghost fighting stuff."

"No," said Jazz. "Why? Is it full of old ghost fighting stuff?"

Danny shrugged. "I didn't look at it super closely before I tried to torch it, but, yeah."

"That was you? Why?" asked Jazz, looking up from her book and swinging her legs off her bed.

"Because the guy tried to kill Sam," said Danny, scowling.

"Th- Our ancestor, who lived in the sixteen hundreds tried to kill Sam?" asked Jazz. "Jeez, I don't hear about half the things you guys get up to, do I? Why would he try to kill Sam?"

"He thought she was a witch. Thought I was a demon, too."

"So the demon Dad was saying he wrestled..."

"Probably me, to be honest."

"Just so you know," said Jazz, "I am intensely disturbed."

"That's two of us. Just, keep your ears out for them talking about blood blossoms or anything like that, okay?"

"Sure thing, little bro. And blood blossoms are?"

"Incredibly painful to ghosts. Or to half-ghosts who happen to be in ghost form." Danny made a face, remembering. "I was in so much pain I couldn't even think about turning back."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No," said Danny. "Not really."

"Well, if you change your mind..."

"Thanks," said Danny.

.

"Heh- achoo!"

"Sounds like you've got some allergies there, Danno!" said Jack. "I used to get them when I was your age, too!"

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Danny. When his allergies had failed to show up the year after he became half-ghost, he had thought he had seen the last of them, but apparently they had just been lying in wait, because now they were worse than ever. He resisted the urge to rub his eyes.

If he ever found out what plant was doing this to him, he was going to destroy it with extreme prejudice.

"We'll pick up some allergy medication next time we're at the store. Which kind did you like, again? Allegra? Claratin?"

"I don't care," said Danny. "Whichever."

"Well," said Maddie, putting a pot on the table, "maybe this will help you clear up your sinuses, at least for a little bit. I put lots of spices in it." She ladled rosy pink soup into first Danny's then Jazz's bowls.

"It's an old family recipe!" said Jack, proudly.

Danny was immediately suspicious. Sure, he was probably just being paranoid, but he couldn't help but remember that John Fenton-Nightingale had eaten blood blossoms. Danny doubted consuming something like that would be good for him, no matter what form he was in.

He made a show of sneezing very hard and knocked his soup off the table.

"Aw, man," he said, staring at the mess.

"Don't worry, Danny-boy! You can have some of mine!"

"No, no," said Danny. "I'm actually not feeling all that hungry... I think I'll just go to bed." He fled the dining room without waiting for a response

.

"Jack," said Maddie, "do you think Danny was acting strangely at dinner today?" She still wasn't used to how her voice echoed in the Fenton Stockades, even after all these years.

"Yeah. Man, he's got some brutal allergies, huh?"

Maddie pruned a branch off of one of the larger blood blossom bushes. "Did you see the way he was looking at the blood blossom soup?" she asked.

"Not really! I was too busy looking at mine, and, man, was it delicious or what?"

"Thanks, Jack," said Maddie, smiling briefly. Her thoughts turned back to Danny, and the smile fell. "The book said that the fruits were good against overshadowing, right?"

"Right-o, Mads!"

"How long until these start bearing, do you think?"

.

The answer to the question was two weeks. For two weeks, Maddie lived not knowing whether or not her son was a ghost. For two weeks, Danny lived in a state of steadily increasing anxiety and paranoia.

He could feel Maddie watching him. He could feel her doubt. Literally. It made him sick. Or was that just the allergies? Either way it was brutal and Danny found himself taking every excuse he could to get out of the house. He rarely ate at home. He couldn't trust the food.

Jazz didn't think it was healthy. Neither did Danny, but it wasn't his fault.

"Do you have any proof?" asked Jazz, exasperated.

"Proof of what?"

"That Mom's acting weird, or that she's trying to poison you."

"No," admitted Danny. "But that doesn't mean she isn't."

"You've lost ten pounds, Danny, and you were already a stick. People will think you're anorexic." She paused. "You're not actually anorexic, are you?"

"No!" said Danny. "That's stupid. I'd eat if I could trust anything. Which I can't."

"Please, Danny. At least eat a cookie. I watched Mom make them. She didn't put in anything weird. Except for raisins, I guess."

Danny glanced down at the plate on the table, mouth watering. They smelled so good, and he was so hungry.

"Okay," he said, "but you have to watch in case I die or something."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said.

Danny picked up a cookie and bit into it. "Are you sure these are raisins?" he asked, picking the bite back out of his mouth.

"They were in the raisin box," said Jazz.

"They taste kind of funny," said Danny. His pulse had picked up. Crud, was he having a panic attack? Over a cookie?

"I guess they were kind of old," admitted Jazz. She took a cookie herself. "They're not bad. Danny? Are you okay?"

Danny, leaning on the counter, shook his head. "Can't breathe," he wheezed.

"Oh my gosh, you're swelling up," said Jazz.

Danny's vision tunneled and went dark.

.

"... anything new in his daily life? His diet?"

The voice was unfamiliar to Danny.

"We got some new plants last month... We've been trying them in cooking."

"In the cookies?"

"The fruits, yes, they're an heirloom variety."

"Could you bring some in? I'd like to run a few tests, but my initial diagnosis is that Danny has a severe allergy to something he ate."

There was an annoying beeping sound.

"Of course." Oh, that was his Mom. She sounded worried. "When do you think he'll wake up?"

"Any time now. But there are some other things I'd like to talk to you about that we found. Would you mind stepping out with me for a moment? Alright, so..."

"You can stop pretending to be asleep," said Jazz.

Danny groaned. "I told you so."

"You did," agreed Jazz.

"What have they noticed?" asked Danny, opening his eyes to see a hospital room.

"Not much, don't worry. I think they just want to ask about your portal scar."

"Mhm," said Danny, rubbing his chest. "So..."

"Severe allergic reaction. They hit you with an epi-pen."

"Cool. That worked?"

"Apparently."

.

"Are you sure you got rid of all of it?" asked Danny, standing well clear of the front door.

"We're positive, honey," said Maddie.

"Yeah, Danno," said Jack. "We got it up with the Fenton Pollen-o-Matic! Just, let us make this up to you, okay, sport? We didn't mean for it to turn out like this."

"I know," said Danny. He squared his shoulders and walked inside.

.

Danny sat on his bed, cross-legged. He had to check this now, rather than later, even if the thought of what was probably going to happen made him cringe.

No, he had to think positively. After all, what were the odds that the universe hated him that much?

Pretty high.

Okay. Positive thoughts not working. Time to bite the bullet.

He pulled on his core, summoning his transformation rings. They appeared, bright and white around his waist. They started to separate, and-

He was hit with a wall of blinding pain. His rings snapped back together.

Typical, really.

He reached for his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Tucker. How long did it take for those blood blossoms to go through your system?"

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

7+ Delicious Ways to Eat More Veggies with Every Meal

New blog post!

This post is generously sponsored by Spinato's. 

When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, more changes happened to my diet than just going gluten free. Slowly but surely, my new dietary restrictions inspired me to experiment with more naturally gluten-free foods...which includes plenty of delicious vegetables. Before I knew it, I'd gone from a meat-and-potatoes kinda girl to a veggie addict! As a result, I can now honestly say that I enjoy eating vegetables and crave several servings of them every day. But I don't just eat raw broccoli and carrots! Instead, in the six years since my celiac diagnosis, I've found creative and yummy ways to incorporate more vegetables into my meals...and with help from Spinato's (home to some seriously ammmmazing certified gluten free broccoli crust pizza!), I'm sharing my top veggie hacks today! Because while I truly believe that everyone thrives on different foods and that "healthy eating" looks different for each person, I don't think most people can go wrong with adding a few more vegetables to their daily eats.

So whether you're looking for sneaky ways to up your kid's veggie intake this coming school season or you just want more creative ideas for delicious gluten free meals, keep reading to learn about 7+ easy and delicious ways you can eat more vegetables with every meal of the day!

Breakfast: 

When I was in high school, some of my typical breakfasts were cinnamon raisin bagels slathered in peanut butter or a protein bar eaten in the car on the ride to school. And while those certainly aren't bad options, my breakfasts nowadays are a lot more veggie-heavy. But you might not even realize that upon first glance! Because here's the thing: I'm not a savory breakfast kinda gal. When I wake up, I want something sweet...but that doesn't have to keep me from getting in some veggies and greens. And if you follow me on Instagram, you can probably guess one of my favorite ways to eat more vegetables with breakfast: smoothie bowls!

Veggie Hack #1: Get Sneaky with Smoothie Bowls

In fact, one of the best things about smoothies is that, depending on the ingredients and ratios you use, you can pack them full with vegetables and just taste the sweetness of banana or whatever fruits you included as well. Some of my favorite vegetables to include in smoothie bowls are:

Zucchini and squash, steamed and frozen ahead of time to help with digestion. These are my go-to veggies to use if you want a tummy-friendly smoothie that is super thick and creamy but lower in sugar thanks to these additions. And I promise - you don't taste the zucchini or yellow squash at all, especially when paired with flavorful ingredients like berries or cacao powder. 

Cauliflower, steamed and frozen. If your stomach can handle cauliflower in larger quantities, this is one Instagram trend you'll fall in love with.

Leafy greens, like spinach (which has a very mild flavor) or iceberg, kale, etc. if you don't mind tasting those greens more obviously.

Veggie Hack #2: Add Zucchini to Oats or Porridge

If you wake up craving a warm breakfast but still want something sweet and secretly full of veggies, zoats (also known as "zucchini oats") are another delicious option! I have made my zoats with zucchini and yellow squash, just grated and squeezed to remove the extra moisture. As I've shared in recipes like this one, you can also use alternative porridge grains like quinoa flakes, buckwheat flakes, or chia seeds if you can't tolerate gluten free oats. You can enjoy your zoats cold (and soaked overnight instead of being cooked) or warm, but if you're trying to hide the texture of zucchini, cooked is the better option. I often prep and soak my zoats the night before and then just warm them up in the microwave until everything is soft and gooey that morning!

Snacks

My snacks have also changed since I've started to enjoy eating more vegetables. While I still love my protein bars, I often end up having something homemade or fresh instead...and many of my favorite snacks - as you can guess from the topic of this post! - involve some raw or cooked vegetables. 

Veggie Hack #5: Top Rice Cakes with Guac and Veggies

This tip is as simple as the name suggests. I know a lot of people enjoy rice cakes with peanut butter and jelly or other sweet toppings, but I'm also a big fan of putting on a layer of guac, avocado, hummus or pesto and adding some spinach, carrots, cucumbers or whatever other veggies I have on hand. If you love a crunchy snack, there's nothing better than this!

Veggie Hack #3: Dress Up Veggies with Homemade Dip

Now, I know I said that I didn't just eat raw broccoli and carrots (and these days, I rarely do at all!). However, when I do have a hankering for raw vegetables - especially during hot days when I don't want to turn on the oven to cook something - whipping up a quick homemade pesto or dip can make veggies a lot more of an interesting snack! Feel free to use whatever pesto recipe you enjoy, but my go-to lately has involved a mix of several handfuls of spinach, a few tablespoons of hemp seeds, a squeeze of lemon, heavy sprinkles of oregano and thyme, and enough chicken or vegetable stock (for extra flavor!) to get the pesto to mix in my mini blender.

If raw veggies aren't your thang, you can also roast some and keep them in the fridge for snacking and lunch and dinners (which we'll get to shortly!). One of my favorite pairings with pesto is roasted sweet potato rounds. Just cut a sweet potato up into small coins, place them on a lined baking tray (no oil required) and cook at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until caramelized and soft.

Veggie Hack #4: Replace Oil and Sugar with Veggies in Homemade Granola

If you've checked out my gluten free granola recipes before, you already know that I rarely ever bake mine with oil or refined sugars. Instead, I get all the clumps and sweetness from pureed fruits and grated zucchini and squash. I know it might sound a bit crazy at first, but you don't taste the vegetables at all and they help make the granola extra clustery and chewy. Plus, if you make granola with turmeric, yellow squash and banana, it'll be hard for anyone to notice the squash in the mix!

Lunch and Dinner

Now, the grand finale - how to add more vegetables into your lunches and dinners! 

Veggie Hack #6: Cook and Freeze Certain Vegetables and Homemade Fries Ahead of Time

As I already mentioned in the snacks section, roasting vegetables ahead of time so that they're ready when you want to eat is a serious game-changer. I'd also encourage you to experiment with different spices (I'm partial to thyme and oregano) and methods of cooking (for example, baking at a super high temperature for a bit of burnt edges on your broccoli or covering your tray of veggies with tin foil so that they actually steam in the oven) to see what ways taste best to you.

Another trick I've learned over my six years of veggie-loving: certain vegetables can handle being frozen and reheated later on for an extra easy serving of vegetables. For example, I often cook an entire spaghetti squash and freeze one half so that I can take out the frozen spaghetti squash the night before, stick in the oven to reheat for a few minutes, and dive in extra quickly later on. And if you love fries but haven't ever made your own, now is the time! There are tons of easy recipes out there, and I've had success cooking big batches of fries, letting them cool, and then freezing them in sealed bags. When I want fries later, I just throw a handful of frozen fries in the oven on high for a few minutes, and wala! Quicker than fast food!

Veggie Hack #7: Take Advantage of Delicious, Secretly Veggie-Packed Alternatives to Your Favorite Foods

And now for one of my favorite vegetables hack lately. I already mentioned that this post is in partnership with Spinato's...and if you're trying to eat more vegetables this year, Spinato's certified gluten-free broccoli crust pizza is about to become your new BFF!

I knew I was in for a treat as soon as I got my first boxes of Spinato's; even without opening the box or cooking the pizzas, the scent of tomato sauce and spices got my mouth watering. Spinato's 10-inch broccoli crust pizza comes in four different flavors: Margherita; Aged Asiago, Romano & Mozzarella; Mediterranean Supreme; and Primavera. Besides being certified gluten free (something I LOVE seeing in foods I eat regularly!), Spinato's pizzas are free of MSG and trans fat, and packed with high-quality ingredients like hormone-free chicken sausage and vine-ripened tomatoes from local farms. One of the coolest parts? The Spinato family has been experimenting with pizza recipes and unique topping combos since 1974, so these pizzas are part of a delicious family legacy. As for my personal experience with these pizzas...first off, I loved how quickly you can cook them! Depending on what appliance you use, you can have your frozen pizza hot and ready in just 8 minutes. My pizza only took around 14 minutes in my oven, which makes Spinato's the perfect secret weapon to keep in my freezer for crazy busy school days this coming semester. And I definitely want to try grilling these pizzas one day, as the box suggests!

And now we get to the most important part: the taste. For the particular dinner in these photographs, I went with Spinato's Primavera pizza, which features zucchini, red onion, mushroom and red pepper. I added a lil' bit of greens and avocado (since those are my go-to pizza toppings!), and enjoyed evvery bite. I loved that the sauce, cheese and toppings were evenly dispersed throughout the whole pizza, and that the soft crust was balanced out by crunchy and chewy vegetables. I also enjoyed that the crust looked "normal" despite its broccoli base. If you served this to me without the box, I wouldn't have guessed the crust is packed with vegetables! My cooked pizza crust did come out of the oven feeling pretty soft and some of the pizza slices were messy to hold - especially since Spinato's pizza crust is pretty thin (just how I, personally, like it). However, once the pizza cooled some, the crust got a lot sturdier and had deliciously crunchy edges with a soft, chewy middle. And at the end of the day, I don't mind a bit of a messy dinner as long as it tastes finger-lickin' good...and Spinato's pizza definitely does.

If you want to try out Spinato's for yourself, Spinato's frozen broccoli crust pizzas are now available in over 1,500 stores all over the US. For help finding Spinato's broccoli crust pizza in your area, check out Spinato's handy dandy product locator here! Before I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I would've never imagined waking up and looking forward to eating zucchini and green beans and all sorts of other delicious veggies. But the more I've experimented with new, delicious ways to enjoy vegetables, the more I've craved them...and I hope the same can be said of anyone who tries any of the vegetable hacks I've shared in this blog post! And if you need a tasty and easy place to start eating more vegetables ASAP...as I mentioned earlier, Spinato's certified gluten free broccoli crust pizza can be ready in 15 minutes or less. ;) *I received free samples and monetary compensation in exchange for spreading the word about Spinato's broccoli crust pizza. However, I only partner with brands and products that I personally belive in, and all photographs, opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting what supports Casey the College Celiac!* Which flavor of Spinato's pizza would you want to try first? Margherita; Aged Asiago, Romano & Mozzarella; Mediterranean Supreme; or Primavera? Tell me in the comments!

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[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Tokyo Treat August 18

Before I begin, I wanted to mention that this month we had a code for so much off of a 3, 6, or 12 month subscription. There was also an item we were supposed to get but due to a last-second issue, it was swapped out for something else. I don’t remember the exact reason but it’s not important anymore.

Also, I forgot to take a picture of the Lucky Treat and Contest prizes. Lucky Treat included a lot of gudetama and Pokemon items, and some cute yellow things like pudding flavored cookies and candy. The Contest was to design your own kit-kat flavor and package, and the winner would receive 2 Cinnamoroll items, while 5 runner-ups got a Pompompurrin item.

The Japan articles in the booklet focuses on Japanese fruits and how popular they are in Japan- asking someone of their favorite fruit is a popular conversation starter, isn’t that cute~?

I’ll play along. My most favorite fruit is a strawberry (ironically I just got some big, yummy looking ones today~), but I also like grapes, apples, pears, pineapple, mango, raspberries, plums... pretty much anything except for bananas, and tomato if you count that as a fruit. 

There’s also a question asking “which fruit would you assign/associate to each month?“ so I came up with:

Summer - Watermelon, Pineapple.

Fall - Apples

Winter - Melon (It’s light color and taste reminds me of winter)

Spring - Pears, cherry, strawberry, anything refreshing and light.

I had fun answering those, I kind of wish they included them more often. But for now, let’s get on with the actual review!

Coca-Cola Clear & Melon Jelly Drink DIY

As usual, the DIY will be covered in a separate post. Our main feature for this pic is the big, clear empty-looking coke next to it. As of this box, Coca-Cola Clear is Japan’s newest Coke variation, which features a zero calorie spin with lemon flavoring to create a light, refreshing taste~

I know I’m a broken record, but for anybody new around here; I ♥ Coca-Cola! So I always get excited when it shows up in the boxes, or even getting cola-flavored candy. I love it love it love it~

Rating: ♥ ♥ 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind...

When I smell it, I get a coke x sprite sort of mix. But when I taste it, I don’t really get the lemon at all. Or maybe I do- but to me it actually tastes like apple pie. More specifically, the taste of the syrup you get from combining apple and cinnamon when preparing to bake them.

It’s not a bad taste in any means, but I had higher expectations. I’m not a big fan of sprite or anything, but I kinda thought it might have been like lemon pepsi; a drink I was obsessed with years ago when it came out (its since been discontinued sadly). You don’t even really taste coke honestly.

Melon Bread Cookies Party Park

A fun, large pack of melon pan inspired cookies. There is an equal amount of crunchy orange-flavored cookies, and soft, sweet melon cookies with cream inside. This product is by Kabaya, The orange cookies are 41.1 calories, and melon is 43.1 calories.

Rating: ♥ ♥ 

They’re alright. The orange one actually doesn’t have any sort of orange flavoring to me at all, it’s not even sweet. The crunch is light, and honestly I think it’d be better with a sweet drink, or maybe some cream. The melon one is soft and chewy, and it’s much sweeter than the other one; it actually tastes like melon. The cream inside keeps it from being too dry in taste.

Chip Star Lemon Chips &

Next up are two Lemon themed items, the first are chips by popular snack brand Chip Star. The entire container is 263 calories, which kind of bothers me a little considering how small the count is; but it’s okay if you don’t eat them all at once, or share some of them.

This product uses real Setuchi lemons to create a tangy, savory flavor.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

They’re so yummy~♥ It’s basically a lemon salt flavored chip, but the lemon flavor is very light and the tanginess is gentle. On scent, you get a really strong sour vinegar smell, but they don’t taste like that.

Our next item is this box of Choco-Lemon dipped mini-pocky! This was the item we got instead of the Kinoko no Yama Chocolate Banana; which because I dislike artificial banana flavors is fine by me.

Each package or the entire box is 103 calories. I can’t tell which it is from what’s written on the back... but I’m kinda hoping it’s the entire box.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

These are very delicious, but usually this type of pocky is~ It reminds me of a non-sour version of lemon meringue ♥ I can’t see eating them too often though. The sweetness starts to get a little one-note.

Chocolate Mint Caramel Corn & Shimi Corn Share Pack

Following the crunchy trend, here we have two more sweet snacks! First up I’ll cover the Shimi Corn because we get it a lot in these boxes and I’ve reviewed it a handful of times. If I remembered where, I’d just link that but because I don’t....

Shimi Choco Corn is an adorable, star-shaped airy puff snack entirely infused in a rich, chocolate flavor. Each pack is 73 calories, and you get like 6-8 per mini-pack.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

They taste really good, and there is a very faint bitterness to them, but not enough to trigger those anti-bitter gag reflexes. As I said, they are very soft-crispy, in a sort of creamy melt-in-your mouth way. As often as they show up, I don’t get tired of them ;3

Our next item is another famous brand that’s been showing up in boxes, Caramel Corn. Caramel Corn is another light puffed snack usually featuring a sweet, rich caramel glaze. But it comes in many varieties- some even include nuts in them! This specific flavor is chocolate-mint, a recent addition to this brand. Apparently during summer, Japan loves to produce mint-flavors because of the cooling burst they can give.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I ♥ chocolate mint so I always have very high hopes they’ll be good, and after last time- I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was very happy realizing these taste like what I expected the July choco-mint item to taste like. They have a strong chocolate, minor mint scent and taste, but you get a good combination of both.  I like that it also resembles choco-mint ♥

My only tiny complaint is that the entire bag is 422.6 calories. But chances are, you’ll either share this or eat it in several sittings, not just one.

Banana Man Marshmallow & Black Thunder Fruit Granola & Tsum Tsum Chocolate Bar

Our first item is a small little treat popular in japan for bringing together the chocolate banana flavor in a small marshmallow. I couldn’t find a calorie listing for this one. 

Rating: ♥ 

I love marshmallows, but I don’t like banana (especially artificial) and this just didn’t appeal to me. I didn’t even taste the chocolate, they barely give you any. The concept is cute though.

The next item is the popular Black Thunder, a product by Calbee. It’s been in the box a few times, but never in granola form! I was very intrigued by this because I didn’t know this was a thing. It’s 99 calories and features granola with dried berries and covered in chocolate.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s alright. It was pretty hard, and I mainly tasted chocolate and raisins. It’s not bad, but is anybody else bothered by the fact it’s smaller than normal granola bars and it’s still 99 calories? You can get bigger for about the same amount, give or take, and I didn’t find it as filling.

The final item in this set is another item we’ve been seeing recently, a chocolate wafer bar by Furuta. It’s usually-always the same thing, but it’s been not only covered by Tsum Tsum, but Sanrio characters too! Last time, the one I had was covered in white chocolate and had Gudetama on it.

Each bar is 115 calories.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 

The flavor is unique for chocolate snacks. The texture reminds me of a kit-kat, but it isn’t sweet. It’s not bad, but it’s not my favorite either.

Cinnamon Apple Pie Umaibo & Cheese Rice Puffs

Here are our last two crunchy items, each pretty contrasting in taste. First I’ll cover the Cheese Rice Puffs (or “arare” as it says on the bag).

I love rice, especially rice snacks like this- but with all the other cheese flavors I’ve tried, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this or not. Especially since it’s recommended date to eat it was back in October... They weren’t open prior to when I took these pictures, but they definitely tasted a bit stale >3<

Rating: ♥ ♥ 

Even though they are a little old, they don’t taste too bad. There isn’t much flavor to them but I still get something, and the crispy bite is still present. They remind me a lot of Bugles (those pointy corn chips people like to put on their finger tips because they look like witch nails).

Our other item is the ever-so-popular and one of my most favorite brands Umaibo. This time, we get a sweet Umaibo, which isn’t very common. It only has 44 calories in total.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s not my favorite Umaibo, but it’s really good. It tastes a lot like cinnamon toast crunch or applejacks, or like that coca-cola drink, an apple covered in cinnamon sugar.

Fruit Donut Gummy & Honey Apple Hard Candy

These are our last 2 items of the box this month. We’ve gotten the fruit donut gummy a few times in prior boxes, and they come in a variety of mixed flavors- which always makes it a lot of fun to see what you get next~

This time, I got a lemon and lime mixed one. The bottom is always a creamy marshmallow flavor, and the entire thing is covered in sugar. The calories are 39 or this one ring.

Ratings: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

These are always really good, and this one was no exception x3 it’s delicious. It’s a simple thing, but it’s so sweet and cute. The inside of the bag still smells yummy~

Our final item is the Apple Honey Hard Candy, the healthy Kinosei snack of the month. Not only is it delicious, but it can help a sore throat you may get in the summers heat (which is possible, if I get really warm my throat ends up hurting... and no it’s not my tonsils. I don’t have those anymore).

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It was instant love for me~ ♥ Usually I’m not a huge fan of hard candy unless it’s a flavor I really like- and these are amazing! They don’t really taste like honey to me, more like... cooling apple. It reminds me a lot of a cough drop I really liked when I was younger, but once again, I don’t think they make them anymore. They were clear and had tiny colored beads in them, and they tasted like apple pie~

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 3 out of 5. I felt like it was all essentially good, but there was one or two items I didn’t really care for. I felt like there wasn’t too much of a variety either, we had a lot of items featuring crunch/crispiness and chocolate, but at the same time, we had variety in terms of the theme itself.

Theme - 5 out of 5. I can’t lie and say it wasn’t there, cause it entirely was!

Total Rank: 7 out of 10 Cuties! It was pretty decent, and I liked how we had a broad theme such as fruits. It was fun to see where it could go, even if I did miss having savory snacks~ I hope we get more boxes with a specific food theme again soon!

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

1. Honey Apple Hard Candy - the nostalgia of this brought so much back to me~ They’re also kind of cute to look at, they remind me of rectangular diamonds~

2. Caramel Corn Chocolate Mint - I LOVE chocolate-mint, this was everything I wanted~!

3. Fruit Donut Gummy - I love that combination of lemon-lime, it’s so light and refreshing~ I wish we got more gummies this month.

4. Chip Star Lemon Chips - I was very surprised by these, but I really liked them! I’m glad they weren’t fruity like I initially worried they’d be.

5. Cinnamon Apple Pie Umaibo - if you like that apple pie or cinnamon sweetness, you’ll love this.

6. Shimi Choco Corn - As common as it is, the packaging is always fun to look at and these always taste yummy!

7. Lemon Pocky - They are very sweet and creamy~

8. Coca-Cola Clear - I had higher hopes for it. It’s not bad, but for once a cola item did not meet my expectations >x<

9. Tsum Tsum Chocolate Bar - the summer themed package was adorable, but I could take or leave the bar itself.

10. Cheese Rice Puffs - I didn’t have too much of an opinion on these honestly.

11. Melon Pan Cookies - I was a bit disappointed with this one, the orange one had little flavor. The Melon-flavor was way better, but not enough to save it in my opinion.

12. Granola Black Thunder -  Meh, it’s okay. The concept amazed me, and the package is fun to look at, but it wasn’t anything special to me.

13. Banana Man Marshmallow - It’s a cute idea, but the taste was not good to me.

Here we are guys, we’ve come to another reviews end~ I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for the DIY review, followed by the August Doki Doki crate review!

Until next time, stay cute~

[alexandralyman]

death by chocolate (frozen jewel)

A little bit of Liam/Elsa Frozen Jewel for a Friday night (cough* @lenfaz *cough). No CS in this, it’s a pre-Season One cursed!AU, where Liam and Elsa have both been swept to Storybrooke in the Dark Curse and have no memory of their respective siblings. Elsa owns Any Given Sundae instead of Ingrid and Liam has a little bar down by the docks. 

Rated: T

A brown paper bag was plopped down on top of the bar in front of him and he gave a mock scowl.

“No outside food allowed.”

Elsa leaned forward on her elbows, the end of her long braid falling over her shoulder, “Ice cream’s not food, Liam Jones!”

“Oh,” he asked with a raised brow, still hiding his smile, “Then what is it then?”

Her big blue eyes peered up at him mischievously as she gave a theatrical sigh with one hand pressed to her heart, “Heaven.”

Liam dropped the stern act and grinned back at her, “Oh is it now?” he said, while he pulled out a bottle of lager and opened it, turning to grab a pint glass from the rack and filling it up with ice. He’d long since given up on trying to get Elsa to drink her beer at the proper temperature, for some unfathomable reason she had to have it chilled beyond recognition. It was a bloody crime against nature, but….

“Thanks.”

Her hand brushed his when he handed her the glass, a smile on her face and the little snowflake pendant that she always wore catching the light from where it lay nestled in her modest cleavage.

Who cared about the bloody ice, anyway?

The little bell above the front door rang and he glanced up, feeling his stomach drop at the sight of the two people who had just entered his bar. Elsa turned on her stool to follow his gaze and swiveled back almost at once, shoulders hunching forward and smile disappearing in a flash. Graham Humbert took the tailored wool coat that Regina Mills shrugged off, hanging it up and escorting her to a booth with a hand on the small of her back. Humbert wasn’t wearing his badge clipped to his belt so this wasn’t an official visit, while she had a slash of red lipstick and a tight black dress that looked like it belonged in a chic little bistro in New York City, instead of a nautical-themed dockside pub in Storybrooke, Maine. Liam grabbed the paper bag Elsa had brought off the bar and dropped it in the freezer drawer underneath with the ice cubes before reaching for the flavoured liqueurs with a grimace. He quickly mixed up an appletini and pulled a pint of Guinness (Humbert had good taste when it came to beer, at least), bringing them both on a tray over to the new arrivals. Graham thanked him easily but Regina barely acknowledged him, lifting the martini glass he placed in front of her and taking a prim sip through her red lips without even looking up. Liam liked the easygoing sheriff well enough, but the mayor was a bit of a stuck-up snob and had a tendency to act like everyone in town except her son and Graham were beneath her notice. Plus she was bad for business, out of the corner of his eye he could see Leroy and a few others immediately pack up from their seats and drop some bills on the tables before hightailing it out the door, leaving half-finished beers and uneaten nachos behind. They were probably headed to the Rabbit Hole or Granny’s, it was way too early for them to be done for the night. He sighed inwardly, heading back to the bar and meeting Elsa's sympathetic look. At least she showed no sign of deserting The Crow’s Nest along with the rats. Her tiny smile lifted his spirits, among other parts of his anatomy that were thankfully hidden behind the smooth granite and polished wood that separated them.

Liam knew that most of the townspeople thought Elsa was as cold as the ice cream she sold in her little parlour, Any Given Sundae. She was incredibly beautiful, but she’d never had a boyfriend that he was aware of and that asshole Keith was permanently banned from his bar for loudly and drunkenly calling her “frigid” one night after she’d turned him down for a date. She kept to herself mostly, like he did, eschewing the school fundraisers and the town hall meetings and all the other minutiae of small town life, much to Mayor Mills’s chagrin. But she always had a smile for the children who flocked to her shop in the summer months, addicted to her homemade French Vanilla and Rocky Road. She was just shy, and reserved, kind of an outsider, like him. The Lucases fought like stray dogs practically every day but they were still family, Marco and Archie were best friends, Leroy and his motley crew had worked together for years (decades? sometimes he couldn’t remember just how long he’d lived in Storybrooke) but he had no one to share the load at work and no one to share his small bachelor flat by the water. Elsa also lived alone, her parents, she’d told him once, had both died when she was a child.

And like him, she also had no siblings.

They didn’t talk, at least, not with words, but when Regina Mills snapped her fingers in the air like a disgruntled queen and ordered another appletini Elsa met his gaze and stuck out her tongue with her back safely turned to the imperious Madame Mayor. Liam hid his smile and mixed up the drink, delivering it with a bow before retreating back behind the bar and pouring out a finger (or two) of whiskey for himself. Normally he didn’t drink while he was working, it was bad form, but he’d make an exception tonight. Elsa held up her empty glass and he got another for her as well, pushing back the money she tried to hand to him with a wink and a, “It’s on the house tonight, lass.”

If she was going to ride out Storm Regina with him, the least he could do was buy her a drink.

He lost track of time, something that happened often in Storybrooke, when entire weeks seemed to pass almost without notice and before he knew it another summer had come and gone and he’d made no progress on the old fishing boat he’d been restoring for what felt like forever. The mayor and the sheriff drank, her hand disappearing under the table after the third appletini and Liam poured himself another finger of whiskey in an attempt to ignore just what they were getting up to in his booth. Eventually they left, Humbert was red-faced and wouldn’t meet Liam’s eye as he paid their tab (leaving a healthy tip, at least) while Mills wobbled unsteadily on her skyscraper heels and muttered something about “lowly peasants” under her breath. He was just glad to see the back of them both, bolting the door behind them and flipping the sign from “open” to “closed.”

“Oh, well, if you’re closing early-”

Elsa was halfway off the stool by the time he turned around and his belly lurched at the thought of her leaving too.

“No no, I’m just almost out of apple liqueur and I wouldn’t want to risk the mayor coming back and pulling my liquor license out of spite if she decides she wants another nightcap.”

“Hmm...I don’t think that’s going to happen. They looked pretty, um, eager, to get going.”

Her cheeks tinged as pink as the inside of a seashell while her fingers played with the ends of her braid and he shouldn’t have drunk all that rum because the thoughts that swirled through his head were beginning to drift into dangerous waters.

Steady as she goes, Jones.

“I don’t know who they think they’re fooling,” he said, flipping the towel he’d used to wipe down the table over his shoulder and heading back towards Elsa (the bar, he was heading towards the bar) trying not to notice the way those big blue eyes followed him as he went.

“Yes, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? But I guess they feel like they need to be a bit discreet, it’s a small town, after all, and people talk.”

If people knew that he and Elsa were currently alone in his bar with the door locked and the lights dimmed, the rumours would make it all the way to the town line before noon tomorrow. But Elsa was his friend, probably his only real friend in Storybrooke, and he didn’t want her to be the subject of knowing looks and sly innuendo when she headed down Main Street to open her shop in the morning. Even though he couldn’t stop staring at her mouth, lips pink and slightly parted, and wonder what it would be like to kiss the woman the rest of the town considered the resident ice queen. She picked at the cuff of her light blue cardigan with her slim fingers while he put away the dirty glasses and empty bottles, busying himself with making everything behind the bar shipshape to keep his hands occupied. Liam tossed away a lemon rind and spotted the little scoop he used for ice sitting on the edge of the bar sink. He rinsed it off and went to put it back in the freezer drawer, pulling it open and spying the brown paper bag.

“I almost forgot,” he said, lifting it out, “Your ice cream.”

He couldn’t remember when or how it started, but whenever Elsa was trying out a new flavour she always brought little samples for him to taste before she officially put it on the menu. She made all the ice cream herself, and he was her guinea pig whenever she came across a different recipe for cotton candy (too cloyingly sweet and way too pink) or butter pecan (good) or rum raisin (oddly familiar, in a way he couldn’t quite place) and wanted a second opinion.

She darted a glance towards the door, closed and shuttered against cold sea breezes and gossipy townsfolk. It was late, and he should be a gentleman and offer to escort her home without going past the front door of her little whitewashed cottage, Elsa was his friend and nothing more, he was too old for her anyway and he didn’t plan on staying in Storybrooke forever, once he finally finished restoring his boat then he was going to sell the bar and use the money to move down south, get away from Maine winters and do fishing charters and tours full time. He frequently dreamed of white sails snapping against a blue sky, endless waves of ocean as far as the eye could see. Every time he’d wake up full of resolve not to let another summer go by without making any progress on repairing his little vessel, and yet somehow the days always slipped away like sand through his fingers and the boat never made it into the water. Elsa had plans too, she wanted to go to Italy and learn how to make proper gelato, she wanted to go to Lapland and see the Northern Lights, she wanted to go north and he wanted to go south, they were stuck on opposite ends of the compass and the whiskey had gone straight to his head. So he didn’t say a damn word when she came behind the bar and rummaged around for spoons, her arm brushing his when she stood on her toes and took down two wide-mouthed tumblers from the rack. The ice cream was divided into the makeshift bowls, rich and creamy while a sweet, familiar scent filled the air.

“Chocolate?” he asked, accepting the proffered treat.

“Death by chocolate,” she corrected with mock sterness, “There’s four different kinds mixed in, tell me if you think it’s too much.”

The flavour exploded in his mouth and he made a small sound, dragging the spoon over his tongue and licking every last drop. It was sweet but not too sweet, rich but not overwhelming, it was cold and delicious and he wanted to eat an entire pint.

“Elsa, this is….wow.”

Her face lit up, and despite the chill of the ice cream slipping down his throat he was feeling decidedly warm.

He blamed the whiskey.

He blamed it again when Elsa reached up to clean off a drop of ice cream from the corner of his mouth after he’d tried and failed to wipe it away three times under her directions, “Other side. Lower, lower..no, higher, no, how do you keep missing it? Just here, let me,” and he sucked her thumb into his mouth. The big blue eyes went wide but she didn’t pull back, if anything she swayed even closer while he turned his head and kissed the inside of her palm, nuzzling against it. Her hand was cold from the glass but he didn’t care, and he didn’t care that he was too old for her or that Leroy would have a field day if he ever found out and would probably shout it from the belltower for the whole damn town to hear, he didn’t care that he still owed a favour to Mr. Gold from when he’d first purchased the boat from the pawnbroker and had fallen behind on the payments during a slow period at the bar, and he didn’t care that the best chocolate ice cream he’d ever tasted was currently melting into an uneaten puddle. None of it mattered when Elsa was in his arms, her lips pressed firmly to his. There was a crash of something getting knocked off the counter and falling to the floor but neither of them paid it any mind, he never left the bar anything less than spotless before leaving for his empty flat to sleep alone in his empty bed but now he stepped neatly over the mess with Elsa’s legs hooked around his waist and turned off the light switch on the wall with his elbow.

“Are you sure? Bloody hell, Elsa, are you sure about this?”

Liam pulled back even though he thought it might kill him, he wanted nothing more than to bring her back to his flat and make love to her in his bed with the moonlight dancing over her pale skin until the sun rose over the water, but they’d both been drinking and he couldn’t bear it if she woke up in the morning with any regrets. Taking advantage of her when she was in her cups was the last thing he wanted and he sighed, dropping his head to her shoulder. He wasn’t that sort of man.

“I should take you home. I’m sorry, love.”

He felt a tug in his curls, he usually kept them cropped fairly short but he hadn’t made it to the barber in a while and his hair was longer than he could remember it being for what felt like years. Elsa was still wrapped around him like a barnacle, but her weight was negligible, he was used to hauling around heavy cases of liquor and kegs of beer every night at work. One tiny blonde in his arms was nothing.

It was everything.

There was a faint frown on her lips when he lifted his head and looked up at her, but her eyes were as clear as a winter’s day when the air was crisp and the sun turned the ice into diamonds. There was no drunken fog clouding the blue depths that searched his own face with a crease between her brows until it smoothed out and she gave him a dazzling smile.

“Yes, Liam. You should take me home. I’ve always wanted to see your place, anyway.”

He blinked stupidly at her, unsure if she’d really said what he just thought he’d heard, but then she was kissing him again with the taste of four different kinds of chocolate in her mouth.

Death by chocolate.

Liam Jones had never felt more alive.

(part 2, maybe?)

[vintagemichelle91]

A Little Lesson in Hearts’ Desire: Part Two

Author’s Note: As promised by @rauliskafan, here is part two! Hope you guys are enjoying are Mike and Maggie!! What will happen next??? Here is part one.

           Whispers filled the studio as she walked in clutching her dance bag. Taking a few internal steady breaths, Maggie decided that she would not let the pettiness get the best of her. What did it matter what they thought? The instructor ran the show and if he liked her, what did the rest of it matter?

           Setting her things down, Maggie checked her messages. One was from Natalia confirming the time to come by and pick up Violetta. Ever since the accident, Maggie had taken it upon herself to try and help her get back on her feet. Sure, it was taking time away from her sweet sergeant. But her sister needed her. After all, how many times was Natalia there to rescue her?

           Too many to count and now she was returning the favor.

           The other message was from said sergeant, sending her words of encouragement. He seemed to sense how hard a time the other girls were giving her. Sometimes she would meet him on the verge of tears, and he promised to come down to the studio and take names. But Maggie placed her hand on his chest and a kiss on his lips to assure him that it wasn’t the best idea. That she was a big girl and she could handle the cattiness on her own.  

           “Does she really think she can just waltz in here and make like the Swan Queen?” one of the girls asked.

           “I heard she slept with Stansbury to get the part in Giselle,” another replied with a sneer.

           “It seems they will let any whore in these days.”

           Maggie was ready to turn on her heel when another voice rang through the room.

           “I do not tolerate gossip and if you dare speak one more word about Mademoiselle Ivers, you will need to go elsewhere!”

Gustav, the self-styled Lord of the Dance, fired off his words quickly as Maggie swallowed hard and tried to cut in.

           “Monsieur Gustav, you don’t have to---”

She was silenced by a snap of his fingers. Nice to know that he had her back. Next to awful to be viewed as a snitch when she tried so hard to keep her pain to herself.

           “Now are we here to work or not?”

           Everyone in the room remained stunned and frozen in place. Maggie’s lip quivered and she tried her best to bite back her tears.

           Get a grip Maggie… you are stronger than this!

           “Please assume your positions at the barre. Your pliés have been atrocious as of late.” With a loud tap of his staff on the hardwood floor, everyone took their place without so much as another breath. The entire rehearsal was bound to be brutal.

           And Maggie feared that she would have a price to pay.

           By the time the grueling session came to an end, everyone was ready to collapse. Maggie sighed as she gathered her things, ignoring the harsh looks from the other girls, thinking of Violetta and wanting to put the day behind her.

           “Hope Monsieur Gustav is a good fuck,” a slim redhead hissed as Maggie moved past her. She tightened the grip on her bag, trying to stop herself from slapping her smug face.

           But in, the end she could not resist.

           “You little bitch!”

           “I would show him a better time than you ever could. He said you were atroce,” Maggie sneered as she left without so much as glance over her shoulder. She kept her tears in check until the spring air hit her face and wondered how she would manage another step…

           “Maggie?” Mike’s voice gently called out as he walked towards her.

            “I’m so glad to see you!” she cried. Before he could utter another word, Maggie brought him down to her lips and kissed him deeply, her breath leaving her lungs until they finally broke apart.

            “Wow… I’m happy to see you too,” he said.

           “You have no idea,” Maggie said as the rest of the dancers started filtering out of the building.

           “Is anything wrong?” he asked.

           “Please let’s just go.”

           Mike nodded as the other dancers smirked and he protectively wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

           “Did they do something?”

           Maggie shook her head and sniffed. “It’s not important.”

           “Maggie don’t lie to me,” He said.

           “I’m not!” Her tone was harsher than she intended.

           “If they’re giving you a tough time, I swear I---”

           “Mike, stop! You don’t always have to be the hero.” Maggie adjusted her bag on her shoulder and began to walk away. As she rounded the corner, Mike caught up and whirled her around to face him.

           “But I want to… I love you and I want to make all of your dreams come true,” he said with his forehead pressed to hers, gripping her hands. “Don’t you get that?”

           “I do.”

           “Then tell me, Maggie… please.”

           Looking into his eyes with a sigh, a single tear rushed down her cheek, her heart breaking as the other girls drew closer.

           “Another audition, Maggie?” the redhead scoffed

           And he flashed his badge.

           “Harassment is a crime,” he said.

           “Like you’re really going to---”

           “Try me. “

           One by one the ballerinas wilted and Maggie giggled into her hand as he held her again.

           “See?” he promised. “No one messes with my girl when I’m around.”

           “Would you really arrest them if I asked you?” she teased as he dried her tears.

           “Anything for you, tiny dancer.”

      That was weeks ago. Where was he now?

     “No, Maggie not that color!” Violetta exclaimed as she pulled a crayon from Maggie’s hand.

           “But I want the peacock’s feather’s to be pink,” Maggie pouted as Violetta shoved the purple one towards her.

           “Peacocks have no pink; they have purple,” Violetta explained with a sigh. “First Papi and now you.” With each passing day, she seemed more and more like her father. Maggie made a mental note; Rafael should cool it with the eye rolls.

           “This is a magical peacock,” Maggie said as she watched as Violetta’s big green eyes grow wider.

           “Oh really?” Violetta asked, suddenly seeming skeptical. “How you figure that out?”

           The little lawyer in training was not going to cut her break simply because she liked pink best.

           “Yes! Just like that unicorn from the story we read last night,” Maggie reached for the pink crayon and started to color the feathers.

           “Then I can make my tiger purple?”

           “Any color you like, sweetheart. Remember, these are magical animals.” Maggie pushed the rest of the crayon box to Violetta, who still seemed reluctant about coloring the tiger another shade.

           “Okay, Maggie… guess I trust you.” Violetta said as she gave in and picked up the purple crayon with glee. Maggie smiled and looked down at her watch. Where was Natalia? Not that she didn’t love her niece. But she was supposed to see Mike, hoped that she might find him more like himself…

           Before Maggie could give her worries another thought, her phone vibrated amongst the mess of crayons, markers, and coloring books on the coffee table.

           “Natty! I was just thinking about you,” Maggie answered with a smile.

           Violetta continued to color happily as she hummed along to one of the songs Rafael had taught her a few days ago

           “Sister telepathy,” Natalia said with a chuckle.

           “That must be it! Are you almost home?” Maggie couldn’t help but ask.

           Natalia sighed. “I’m running a little late. They took a little longer running Mommy’s tests. I’m not sure when I’ll be home.”

           “Oh,” Maggie said, trying to mask the disappointment in her voice.

           “Is it okay?” Natalia asked.

           “No, it’s fine. Mike hasn’t called yet,” Maggie said. No confirmation of their date; no word since she saw him last. Maybe it was nothing. And the last thing she wanted was to add to Natalia’s stress. Her sister already had enough on her plate.

           “Thank you,” Natalia said in relief. “I���ll do my best to make it quick.”

           “See you soon, Natty.” With that Maggie ended the call and decided to distract herself by coloring more pages with Violetta.

           But then there was another message.

           Still waiting. Sorry, Sis.

           And she had to see Mike. Maggie started scrolling through her contacts for Lucia’s number. Maybe if she could watch Violetta...

           There was no answer on Lucia’s end. Only her voicemail.

           “Maggie?”

           “Yes, Violetta?”

           “Can I have a snack please?” Violetta’s tummy growled as she giggled. Maggie took Violetta’s tiny hand in hers and led her into the kitchen.

           “Do you want a cookie?” Maggie asked setting her phone on the counter.

           Violetta shook her head. “A healthy snack. I being good this week.”

           “Since when?” Maggie challenged.

           “You say it like it a bad thing.”

           Maggie tried to tempt the intelligent little girl with an oatmeal raisin treat. Violetta wasn’t budging and Maggie was in no mood to argue with a three-year-old, her head pounding with anxiety. “Okay. What about some fruit?”

           “That better,” Violetta agreed and happily accepted the banana Maggie presented to her already peeled.

           Once she was done feeding Violetta her snack, she looked to her watch again. Mike seemed so distant; and he was not picking up his phone either.

           “Let’s go for a walk,” Maggie said as she pocketed her phone and buttoned Violetta’s thin sweater.

           “That healthy, too!” Violetta exclaimed as they made their way to the precinct.

           But Maggie grew even more desperate when none of the detectives were at their desks and there was no sign of Liv or Mike anywhere. Violetta held onto Maggie’s hand without a word. Her little eyes glanced around the busy precinct and she followed Maggie to the front desk.

           “Is Sergeant Dodds in?” Maggie asked as she glanced over the squad room one more time, hoping that he might magically appear. Something was on his mind. And she needed to know.

           “No, ma’am. I think he’ s on a stakeout,” the young cop replied as he continued to scribble away at his paperwork.

           Maggie’s face fell. “Oh, I didn’t know. He didn’t tell me.” How could he when she was basically on radio silence?

           “It was a last-minute call,” the cop assured her.

           “Thank you,” Maggie muttered in response. Why hadn’t he messaged her? Didn’t he know how much she longed to hear his voice?

          “Come on, Violetta.”

           “Not too fast, Maggie!” Violetta did her best to keep up with Maggie’s pace as they reached the elevator doors.

           “Sorry, little one,” Maggie sighed as Violetta tugged on her skirt.

           “Why you sad, Maggie?” she asked as Maggie sniffled and wiped her eyes.

           “I’m okay, baby.”

           “You a bad liar,” Violetta said as she glanced up at Maggie and tilted her head to the side. “I know! Let’s go to the park!”

           “Violetta, we---

           “It cheer you up!”

           Despite the ache in her chest, Maggie agreed to Violetta’s request. There was no sign of anyone else for the time being, so why not go do something fun? At least someone loved her… wanted to be with her.

           “Look, Maggie!” Violetta was excited as they approached the Loeb Boathouse. Maggie had shown her pictures on her phone and had promised to take Violetta to see all the pretty lights.

           “It is lovely,” Maggie said. The late spring air surrounded them with a serene calmness. But Maggie was still fighting the urge to cry. And there wasn’t another catty ballerina in sight.

           Or a sergeant.

           “Let’s go inside!” Violetta said determinedly.

           Once they reached the doors, Maggie was puzzled at how empty it was. Not a soul in sight save for the workers and Maggie held onto Violetta’s hand tighter as one of the staff members approached.

           “I’m sorry, Miss. But the boathouse is closed for a private event,” the hostess informed them as she looked between Maggie and Violetta.

           The evening could not get any worse, Maggie was just about ready to scream. However, she had Violetta and displaying that kind of attitude in front of her would not do. Wanting to head home for some comfort food, definitely something more fattening than a banana, Maggie just nodded.

           “Maggie?”

           “I’m sorry, Violetta.”

           “No! No sorry Tia,” Violetta chirped.

           Maggie stopped dead in her tracks and broke down as Violetta patted her leg.

           “It okay. Don’t cry. I let you use more pink crayon.” At that, the young woman cried even more as Violetta rummaged through her pocket and handed Maggie a piece of paper.

         “I thought it too much.”

         “What do you mean?”

          “Here. This for you.”

           Maggie knelt to Violetta’s eye level and took the piece of paper from Violetta’s tiny hands. Carefully, she flipped it over, started to read its contents…

          And she recognized Mike’s handwriting.

When I met you, I met my destiny. My one true love, You'll always be.

          “Violetta, what---?”

       “This way!” Violetta said as she led her around the back of the restaurant to the river.

      Upon reaching it, Maggie was stunned to see Carisi and Rollins with another piece of paper in hand. They smiled warmly and held out the note.

      “Little V, come here.” Carisi called out.

      “Okay! You do the rest, Maggie!”  Violetta immediately rushed into his arms.

      “What are you guys---?” Maggie began to question.

     “Just keep following the path,” Rollins assured her as she pointed towards the trail of crimson colored rose petals at Maggie’s feet.

     “Don’t forget to read the paper!” Fin said he popped out with a single red rose and handed it over. Maggie laughed through her tears and gladly accepted the flower, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she turned over the second sheet of paper.

If you feel the same, And I truly hope you do, There's something very important, That I want to ask of you.

    With those hopeful words in her mind and her heart, Maggie continued down the pathway, more determined than ever to reach her destination. Endless rows of rose petals and candles led the way. In the distance, she swore she heard the faint sound of a grand piano playing.

     “You’re almost there, Maggie.”

    The sound of Natalia’s voice stopped her. Was everyone in on this? It seemed as much when Rafael appeared at Natalia’s side, producing an envelope from his pocket. 

     “Just a few more steps,” Rafael encouraged with a gentle smirk.

      “Counselor? Natty?”

       “Read, Miss Ivers,” Rafael said.

     With trembling hands, Maggie tore open the envelope to read the last part of the poem.

Instead of "you" and "I," Let's become "we." I'm asking you to share my life, Will you marry me?

    And there he was, her Prince Charming come to life wearing a sleek black tux and down on one knee with a black velvet box in hand. The emerald cut diamond ring sparkled amongst the lights surrounding the boathouse. Maggie felt her breath catch as the others appeared, the piano music coming to a halt as the Chief joined the scene and Liv held pages of sheet music in her hand.

   “Well, tiny dancer?” Mike asked as Maggie stood before him in tears.

     “I… I thought you were mad at me,” she managed.

     “Never. Just had to figure it all out. Should I ask you again?”

     “No.”

    “No?” he echoed.

   “I mean yes! Yes, yes Mike Dodds I will marry you!” Maggie replied, leaping into his arms as Mike held her close and kissed her as if the world was ending.

   “For you,” he said as he slipped the ring on her finger.

    “Oh, that it’s so beautiful,” Natalia commented.

    “I help!”  Violetta said. “I know what a lady like!”

     “Like father, like daughter,” Rafael said proudly. Everyone groaned, but nodded in agreement with that statement as Carisi set her down so she could hug the happy couple’s legs as Mike smiled into Maggie’s eyes.

    “Violetta said it was too much,” she whispered against his cheek.

     “Was it?”

     “No. It was perfect.”

      He kissed her again. But the world was not ending.

       A dream come true was just beginning.

[kacydeneen]

Paunchy Pet? Trade the High-Calorie Treats

It’s no secret the American palate loves rich, calorically dense treats. Unfortunately, our pets love them as well. October is Pet Obesity Awareness Month, and while it’s often an uncomfortable topic, fact remains that over half of America’s pet dogs and cats are overweight or obese. What’s more, nearly all of their owners incorrectly identify their pet’s body condition as “normal.” 

Whenever I suggest a diet change, one of the first questions I tend to hear is, “But what about her treats?” When it comes to training and behavior modification, I’m a big fan of food rewards. We use them in our clinic to teach anxious pets to associate us with more than just procedures. When used mindfully, and in tiny portions, food rewards are a godsend. It’s the size, frequency, and pointlessness of treats that contribute to America’s pet obesity problem.

Celebrating Service Dogs by Understanding Their Roles

Many pet owners fall into the habit of doling out commercial pet treats just because. Worse yet, we give them because our pets demand them. And those little tidbits and leftovers from the table? They’re okay, right? After all, it’s the same food we eat. But bear this in mind: a human requires roughly 2,300 calories per day. Naturally, this number fluctuates wildly when you factor in age, gender, muscle mass, activity levels, etc., but bear with me. My little dachshund, Grendel, requires less than 200 calories per day. So a single, 17-calorie commercial dog treat provides her with 11.7% of her body’s caloric needs. And the 45-calorie treats she really likes account for nearly one quarter of her body’s needs! Many of my patients are about her size, and most of them get these same sized treats. What’s more, some of them get several of said treats per day.

Dr. Ernie Ward is the founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention,  and author of the book “Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter - A Vet’s Plan To Save Their Lives.”  In his book, Dr. Ward reveals the calorie content of some of the most popular commercial dog treats, and details what a human would need to eat in order to achieve the caloric equivalent. I’m not going to drop names or single out brands, because frankly, I don’t want to get sued. If you want to know if Fluffy’s favorite treat is on what I’ve dubbed “the OMG list”, you’ll have to buy the book. Kidding aside, it’s the best book I’ve read on the subject and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Here are just a few of Dr. Ward’s findings:

How to Keep Your Pet Cool This Summer

For a 10-pound dog:

A single, popular bone bone-shaped treat is the caloric equivalent of a human eating TWO chocolate iced glazed doughnuts.

Pets and Pool Safety With Dr. Kupkee

One chewy, bacon-style treat equals a human eating a popular fast food cheeseburger.

For a 20-pound dog:

One popular dental health chew treat is equivalent to us drinking THREE 16-ounce, fast food, chocolate milk shakes.

Another “light” variety of dental health treat equals us eating a fast food hot fudge sundae.

For a 40-pound dog:

One peanut butter and apple flavored treat is the equivalent of a large order of fast food french fries for you.

For a 60-pound dog:

One large “wholesome” treat is like us eating FOUR fast food fried chicken breasts.

Yikes!

Perhaps by now you’re thinking the solution to treating sensibly is to substitute “people food” for commercial pet treats. HIll’s Pet Nutrition collected some interesting data as well. Let’s see what they discovered about sharing our food with our cats:

For a 10-pound cat:

A single potato chip is the caloric equivalent of half of a hamburger for us. And seriously, who eats just one potato chip?

My generation was taught that a saucer of milk (8 ounces) was the ultimate way to show Kitty how much she was loved. This is the caloric equivalent of a human eating FIVE king-sized milk chocolate bars!

Ready for a few more fun facts from Dr. Ward?

For a 40-pound dog:

Just half of a beef hot dog is equal to us eating an 8-ounce T-bone steak.

For an 80-pound dog:

A scrambled, Grade A large egg is the caloric equivalent of a slice of French toast with butter for us.

Let’s face it - most of the foods we eat are far more calorically dense than we realize. When we factor in our pet’s vastly different nutritional needs, and combine it with their natural instinct to preserve energy, it’s easy to see how those empty calories add up. That being said, I am routinely reminded that to pet parents, treating is important. So let’s talk about how to give treats mindfully.

My Dogs Get Treats.

There are many situations in which treats can be your friend. Small food rewards are great motivational tools for teaching new behaviors. Such behaviors can alleviate one of the most common causes of begging and overeating - boredom. If the behaviors you teach also burn calories, even better. We use treats to teach Zohan how to perform tricks, and Grendel how to track scents. Each treat, however, is about half the size of a pencil eraser. Crunchy treats are placed in sealed bags and mercilessly crushed into tiny pieces. The emphasis is not on the treat itself, but rather on the treat event. Accompany each food reward with lots of praise. By doing so, you can cut back on the number of rewards given, until your praise is the only reward they seek.

While treats are allowed at Casa Kupkee, they come with strings attached. Our dogs must earn them. This might mean running through their repertoire of learned behaviors, or it might be holding still for a nail trim or an ear cleaning. They never get treats by demanding them, and if you are a new pet owner, I strongly advise you to nip this behavior in the bud. It gets annoying quickly, and it is simply too tempting to toss your pet a high-calorie treat just to shut her up. This rewards her behavior, and a rewarded behavior is a repeated behavior. Don’t give it a chance to take root. It nearly always leads to frazzled owners and overweight pets.

If “people food” is is your treat of choice, there are plenty of healthy options there as well. With some exceptions, small pieces of fruit can be safely enjoyed by our pets. Never give grapes or raisins, or anything containing pits or seeds. That said, the flesh from these fruits is fine. Apples, bananas, blueberries and pineapple chunks seem to be popular with pets. Again, remember to keep the portions small. Unseasoned vegetables, either cooked or raw, can be given as well. Never give veggies that have been flavored with butter, and avoid anything in the allium family. This includes, but is not limited to, garlic, onions, chives, scallions, and leeks. Remember, some of Miami’s most popular go-to seasonings, sofrito and mojo, are loaded with onions and garlic, so do not give your pet anything flavored with these local favorites. If only a “cookie” will do, try substituting plain rice cakes. Let me emphasize PLAIN! Nothing sweetened, salted, or flavored. An entire rice cake consists of about 10 calories, and only a tiny morsel is needed. They are always in season and cheaper than dirt. A client recently quipped that this is because dirt is exactly what they taste like! Fair enough, but guess what? Our pets don’t care! Why? Commit it to memory:

It’s not the treat, it’s the treat event.

Dr. Kupkee is the lead practitioner at Sabal Chase Animal Clinic. 

Click here to check out deals and discounts exclusively for NBC 6 viewers!

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images Paunchy Pet? Trade the High-Calorie Treats published first on Miami News

[bullmiddle5-blog]

Healthy Carrot Muffins (Gluten-Free and Nut-Free)

These Healthy Carrot Muffins are made with oat flour and coconut flour, packed with vitamin C rich carrots and raisins and use just one bowl to put together! These gluten free carrot muffins would be a great on-the-go breakfast or snack, will be a hit with picky kids and are 100% nut-free!

Healthy Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

After perfecting this site’s first gluten-free and nut-free muffin a few weeks ago, we knew we wanted to get right to making another option for our readers with nut allergies. This new healthy carrot muffin is made using oat flour, coconut flour and are nut-free, gluten-free and refined sugar free! They’re made all in one bowl and ready in under 30 minutes! We know despite the pieces of carrots in these muffins, they are picky toddler approved! And they are safe to send to school, since they are nut-free. This carrot oat muffin is a great substantial snack that truly everyone will love!

How healthy is oat flour?

Oat flour is made from rolled oats. If you tolerate this grain, rolled oats are a good source of fiber. We’ve been working a lot with oat flour over the last year, and are impressed with this gluten-free flours ability to replace our typical go-to combination of either almond flour and tapioca flour or coconut flour. This is a good alternative gluten-free flour if there is a nut-allergy, or you are looking to add more fiber to your diet.

What kind of oat flour should I use for these gluten-free carrot muffins?

As we’ve said in previous oat flour recipes, we recommend you buy premade oat flour. It isn’t expensive and easy to purchase in stores these days. We tested this with homemade oat flour and feel the final result is effected by it. However, if you want to make your own oat flour, you certainly can. We just recommend you try to get it as fine as possible.

How do you measure oat flour

If you have an electronic kitchen scale at home, it’s best to use it here to measure oat flour. Oat flour can be tricky to measure as it can be easily compacted, even straight from the bag. The same goes for coconut flour because such a small difference in measuring can impact a recipe because it’s such an absorbent flour. So we’ve included the weight in grams here. Any electronic kitchen scale can switch between grams and ounces, and grams are more precise so we’re offering that. If you don’t have a scale: lightly packing the oat flour into the cup measurement gets you as close to the correct measurement as possible. For coconut flour scoop it in the tablespoon and then level it off.

How to store Healthy Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

We’ve tested storing these at room temperature covered (but not air tight), in an air tight container and in the freezer. They all work! But we prefer to keep these at room temperature covered (in a non-air tight way) for two days at most. The muffins get more moist as the days go on, especially in an airtight container, which can make them feel dense.

So if you want to keep them the freshest you can store in the freezer. If you are packing these for lunches for kids, or a snack for yourself, you can take them from the freezer the morning of and place in a container. In an hour or two the muffins are defrosted and ready to eat.

If you like this muffin recipe, check out these others:

Ingredients

2 eggs

1/2 cup apple sauce

2 tablespoons milk of choice 

½ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

¾ cup coconut sugar

1-1/2 cups (180g) oat flour

2 tablespoon (15g) coconut flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ cup raisins

1-1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 2 medium to large carrots)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 12 cup muffin tin with silicone or parchment paper liners.

In a large bowl add eggs, apple sauce, milk, (slightly cooled) melted butter and coconut sugar and whisk until full combined.

Add oat flour, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix with a spatula until smooth.

Fold in raisins and carrots.

Fill each muffin cup ¾ full.

Bake in the middle rack for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when touched.

Recipe Notes

We’ve found store bought oat flour to be different than homemade. We prefer the texture to store bought and suggest that is what you use.

If you have an electronic scale at home please use it to measure the flour, as these flours are notorious for being difficult to measure with cup measurements.

If you oat flour or coconut flour is very clumpy sift them after measuring.

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Source: https://lexiscleankitchen.com/healthy-carrot-muffins/

[tebbyclinic11]

Trader Joe’s Newest Products in 2018, Reviewed

New Post has been published on http://kitchengadgetsreviews.com/trader-joes-newest-products-in-2018-reviewed/

Trader Joe’s Newest Products in 2018, Reviewed

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Trader Joe’s has it all figured out. The new products, they just keep coming. We’re on a hare-brained mission to try every new product at TJ’s in 2018. Trying. A noble pursuit, a “good use of time,” “what is this, an ad?”, call it what you will. New this week—Valentines gummies, coconut clusters of fun, pretty good chicken sausage, and more.

Organic Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, $4.99These floppy shingles of roasted turkey are a lunch meat staple, though I’ve never tried to bind two pieces of paper with them. Instead, I roll them with sliced Swiss cheese and dip them in mustard like the grown adult person with an expired license I am. A subtle, roasted flavor elevates the turkey from its natural state of taste (soggy meat Kleenex) to a whisper of Thanksgiving leftovers. Good product. Reliable sandwich material. Real meat. Gluten-free. Protein. Precisely circular. Not salami.

Gummy Xs & Os, $2.99In time for Valentine’s Day, we have a big bag of gummies. The ”natural flavors” flavor reminds me of rosé–supposedly grapefruit, strawberry, and mixed berry—but they all blend together to me in the way you’re pretty sure gummy bears are different flavors for different colors but are they, really?? All I know is that the Xs taste better than Os. The big downside–sorry, gummy enthusiasts—is that the texture is too soft. Like that moment you’re making out with your Valentine and finally come to terms with the fact that he’s a body pillow named Ted. Gummies need a little bit of chew, some struggle, a reminder that it’s not gonna be easy all the time. A nice metaphor for love if you ask me.

Electric Buzz Coffee Cups, $5.49I drink coffee the old-fashioned way—by pouring off-boiling water into a filter directly in my mouth—so I enlisted a guest reviewer for these TJ branded K-cups that are supposedly EXTRA CAFFEINATED! “It’s no special cup of mud,” texted my friend Keith, a man who puts plastic cups in a machine expecting roasted bean juice to come out. BA’s Alex Delany described these coffee pods like he does beer, ridiculously: “It tastes like someone walked across your tongue with brand new dad sneakers on. Rubber soles.” Did he really need to offend all of dadkind like that? Probably yes.

Organic Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, $5.99Like many chicken sausages, it tastes like chicken sausage. Throw in some garlic powder and basil particles and poof, Italian. Out of the package, they have a slimy smooth, bouncy hot dog texture because the casing has been removed. I don’t get how this works, but I‘ll try anything once. A sweet, kind cashier with a striking resemblance to my Uncle Manny (RIP) said he loves to make sausage and peppers with them, so that’s what I did. I mean, we’re practically family. The sausages are smaller side, more the size of Ball Park Franks, and crisp up in the pan as intended. Two people in my household ate the entire package of five links, dipping each bite in mustard and trying to find something more meaningful to say about something as mundane as chicken sausage. Notes of peppercorn tingle the tastebuds. Solidly Not Bad.

Coconut Sesame Seed Clusters, $1.99These are little shards that aren’t quite granola and yet aren’t anything else. Purgatory snacks! They’re crunchy pieces of toasted coconut covered in sesame seeds, sealed together with coconut sugar and tapioca syrup. Okay so they’re candy. Serving suggestions include: casually eating out of a hollowed coconut shell, on ice cream, but more likely, by the handful until you read the nutrition facts and realize the bag is empty but hey, at least they’re gluten-free? If this isn’t impulse purchase material, I don’t know what is.

Previously

The Week of January 22

Churro Bites, $2.49The only thing these churro bites share in common with hot-off-the-oil churros is a coating of cinnamon sugar. Other than that, these crunchy nuggets are their own category of cookie-chip. They have a near-velvet outer texture, the combination of shiny hardened butter and sandy sugar, like when you dropped a doughnut hole at the beach but ate it anyway, because seagulls. (Because you’re a monster). Sort of like giant Corn Pops, rolled cinnamon sugar. I won’t even begin to describe what they visually resemble (😺 💩). The cashier at TJ’s looked at the nutritional details and then slowly raised her eyes to mine. Me: “These are not good for you.” Her: “Then why are you buying two?”

Gluten Free Oat Cranberry Flaxseed Cookies, $2.99As a general life principle, you should never trust a cookie with more than three names. These gluten-free-oat-cranberry-flaxseed-cookies seem to think that they can trick us into believing they’re some kind of health food but we know, ohhhh we KNOW. These are cookies. With plenty of butter and sugar. Because of that, I have some great news: They taste like cookies! Like a very good grocery store oatmeal raisin cookie, with a surprisingly soft and chewy texture (I see you, molasses and rice flour.) They crumble a little, but then again who doesn’t in this current political climate? Still not sure what a flaxseed is, but I’m already starting to see definition in my abs.

Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce, $1.99This so-called simmer sauce is the pale minty green of my grandmother’s bathroom walls, with much more flavor (and a lot less lead!). Even though a simple green curry is easy to make, at this price, it costs the same as just the can of coconut milk, and there’s Kaffir lime peel in here. It’s fragrant with lemongrass and ginger, and super creamy, a little sweet—overall, delicious. You cook some protein or veg, add the sauce, serve over noodles/rice. What does this sauce have in common with a certain presidential marriage? There’s absolutely no heat. BYO-chile if you need to spice it up.

Tahini, Pepita & Apricot Slaw Kit, $3.99Inside one plastic bag you get four more little plastic bags! It’s like a Russian nesting salad of environmental doom. Or something. The slaw is a combination of veggies from the aisle-land of misfit produce. Spiky broccoli stems. Faded carrots the color of construction cones abandoned by the highway. The curly split ends from a kale haircut. Cabbage. Unfortunately the dressing, a sweet honey tahini (try this one!), which is pretty good, can’t mask the musty taste of the veg. The pepita and apricot sprinkles are a nice idea, but like hoping the 14 throw pillows on your couch hide all of the cat hair, they can only do so much.

Previously

The Week of January 8

Photo by Chelsie Craig

Frosted Sugar Cookies, $2.99Trader Joe’s imitation of Lofthouse’s iconic packaged cookies is the best thing they’ve brought to the new year. The freakishly smooth, delightfully underbaked sugar cookie is topped with frosting and randomly distributed purple-pink sprinkles. Whoever was in charge of sprinkles appears to have sneezed them out, some gather along the edges, holding on for dear frosting life.

But they really did it. It’s mythic, and it dissolves into dust the second it touches your saliva. The minute you bite into it, you forget it was ever there. And it’s everything you’ve missed since the last time you had one, stoned at 10 p.m. in Kroger with your middle school friends who’ve all had babies on Facebook by now. It’s a cookie that will send you back in time, in memory, in a sugar-induced nostalgia nap.

Photo by Chelsie Craig

Cocoa Almond Cashew Beverage, $2.29Who doesn’t love a beverage? AKA the FDA-approved term for milks that aren’t milk. Remember milk? Pause to pour out some beverage in the memory of milk. Those days are over.

This incredibly silky not-milk is chocolaty and sweet, with a vaguely nutty aftertaste, like a burp after too many bar peanuts. The creamy texture, thanks to the beautiful food science that is locust bean gum and other emulsifiers, ends on a near slimy note, reminiscent of the inside of the cardboard chocolate milk carton. It would be nice in a banana smoothie, heated as faux cocoa, mixed into iced coffee, or given as a bribe to children who have never known the cult of cow.

Photo by Chelsie Craig

Italian Marinara Sauce with Barolo Wine, $3.49Have you ever spooned straight marinara sauce into your mouth? It’s acidic and sweet, smooth save for the little toenails of tomato skin here and there. The saltiness left my chapped lips burning and tingling, like I’d exfoliated them with French fries. The addition of Barolo seems to say, “I know wines other than red,” while the black-and-gold Deco packaging suggests a Gatsby-themed party at the Olive Garden. It tasted like pretty good pizza sauce. Sign me up.

Organic Fruit and Seed Granola, $3.69These little clusters of organic seeds, held together by plasticky tasting tapioca syrup, are nuggets of health. I think. No pesky oats here, just seed bombs that I imagine are only slightly larger than what well-fed pigeons expel. The sharp and crunchy texture is appealing to parents who bring healthy snacks to the movies. They’re also the perfect snack for mindful eaters, as you will mindfully spend every bite doing tongue yoga to get chia seeds out of your molar fillings from the 90s. There are surprise bites of sweetened dried cranberries that will make you exclaim, “SUGAR, for MEEEE?” Somehow you will eat the whole bag.

Stay tuned for more, next week.

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[nonmillenniallive]

19 Industries Millennials Are Changing on Us

Millennials and Stores Without Merchandise The sad thing about this title is it’s true. In my news scrape this morning, I saw an article (see below) that said Nordstrom’s is testing stores without merchandise.  They will have samples of some clothes to try on, but the rest of the store will focus on personal shoppers, café and services such as mani/pedis. Look I shop online, but sometimes you need shoes or a dress fast and you cannot wait the 24 to 48 hours for Amazon Prime to deliver it. Is this really where we are going?  I expected that online purchasing is changing how we shop and that there are financial implications because of it, but clothing stores without clothes.  I need some time to understand that. So then I Googled and found that Millennials shopping behaviors ‘are killing’ 19 industries.  Holy .. 19! Why not 20?  Just a side note.  Sorry. Some of these will make you cringe.  Here’s a quick list of the 19 industries changing: Beer – Millennials like wine. I do too.  So maybe that one isn’t so bad. Casual dining – Millennials like quick take out and not cooking at home. I hope that doesn’t mean the only restaurants in my town will be pizza and subs.  I’ll be the size of a house. Napkins—Millennials prefer paper towels. I can honestly say I have never given this any thought and surprised anyone has. Napkins were big in my house. Breasteraunts – I didn’t make that up. It’s in the article. So Hooters is going to suffer. The article actually said Millennials are not interested in breasts.  I can name 10 men off the top of my head that will work to keep Hooters alive. Cereal – Millennials think it’s an inconvenient breakfast. When Chip is away, I don’t cook.  I just eat Raisin Bran.  Just sayin’. Golf – Millennials aren’t interested in it. They are creating their own exercises … SoulCycle for example. Motorcycles – If my friends from Milwaukee accepted the beer change, they will draw the line at giving up their Harleys. Homeownership – The good news is it’s not because they don’t want to mow the lawn. It’s because they are marrying later and don’t meet credit standards. Yogurt (including low fat yogurt) – Apparently it doesn’t have enough protein, but they still like the sugar. So they are finding alternative sugar sources. Bar soap – Millennials think bar soaps are covered with germs and prefer the pump bottles.  I do too.  So that’s a good one.                                                                                                                                                           Wait till you see the next 9 Diamonds – Come on. Fewer Millennials are marrying.  The ones that do marry are choosing non-traditional rings that reflect their personalities. Fabric Softeners – According to Proctor and Gambles, Millennials don’t even know what it is. Really?! Banks – They want money electronically and see no need for branches. Unless they have a problem. Department Stores – Millennials don’t want merchandise. They're spending more on experiences like traveling.  Ask Chip, I’d rather travel then have gift.  Maybe I’m a Millennial! Designer handbags – This one hurts me to report. Since Millennials want to “find and discover” they don’t want the big, expensive purses.  I’m actually grateful, because my Kate Spade bags are reducing in price.  Thank you Millennials. Gyms – “they're ditching gyms in favor of boutique, class-centric centers.” What in the world is a class-centric center?  I mean I get the drift, but I have yet to see an advertisement for a class-centric center. Home Improvement Stores – Hey I guess if you don’t have a house you don’t need a hammer, ladder or cool kitchen faucet or fridge. Football – I can already hear the thud from Chip when he reads that. There are several theories, but one is that they are streaming content they prefer and getting info on their phones. So who has the time to spend watching a game. Oil – This is more related to the jobs this industry produces. If it was because they wanted the world to be green, I’d respect that.  But it’s kinda snotty to look down on the industry because they think it’s dirty work. Is This All Really Driven by Millennials? Being the most populated generation (80 million strong), Millenials can drive the marketplace.  They favor originality and they are demanding the marketplace redefine to accommodate them. They expect digital channels to meet their needs for information, comparisons and merchandise/services.  A lot of recommendations and “the real deal” about products come from their social media.  Millennials like reward programs ... especially ones they can interact with.  They are more than willing to give up information, such as their location, for a discount. Millennials want retailers to…wait for it … Make them smile.  They also do a lot of impulse purchasing.  And, they don’t let a little thing like a recession and loss of job slow their spending.  One reason is they look at the world and products more globally. How does this affect us Our coffee is safe.  Our local fast food restaurants are safe.  Being healthy is safe. We can drive cars without any unplanned changes to the car industry.  (I do want a hover car as soon as they are affordable).  Our vacations are safe. I feel most of us have adapted to technology that makes it easy for us to follow trends without a big change in our daily habits.  If I am completely honest, 11 of the 19 industries in jeopardy are ones that my lifestyle has always eliminated. So my question is ... is this the result of technology on all of us?  Are Millennials really the driving force here?  I think not! I mean who hasn't gone into a store, thought an item was too pricey, went to the parking lot and Googled to see places to get a better price? I do support the use of napkins though.  That’s just good manners. What about you?   Links to reference stories Nordstrom Testing Stores w/o Merchandise 19 Industries Being Killed by Millennials Millennials Shopping Preferences Click to Post

[themomsandthecity]

This Cookbook Author Will Inspire You and Your Kids to Eat More Plants

I'll admit that since having kids, my eating style has often prioritized convenience over health, and I've been the worst off for that fact. I know I'm not alone in this. Hell, one of my friends actually forgot a doctor had suggested she had a gluten allergy when her daughter was a toddler; she stopped eating gluten when that same little girl turned 7 and suddenly started feeling great. Raising kids so often takes priority over nourishing ourselves in the way we did before we became moms. But wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to worry about shopping for and preparing loads of gorgeous veggies for ourselves and totally different foods for our picky kids because we were all eating the same wonderful-for-us diet? That's what I love about podcast host and plant-devotee Jessica Murnane, whose brand-new first cookbook One Part Plant (A Guide to Eating Real, One Meal at a Time) will teach you that it can be easy eating green without the judgment that usually comes as a side dish with diets that include words like gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. Jessica (who, side note, is also an awesome designer who created my wedding invitations before switching careers) grew up in the Midwest eating meatloaf and bagged potato chips, like so many of us, and continued those eating habits into adulthood. But then, at 33, she was facing a full hysterectomy to treat her Stage 4 endometriosis and was counseled to try to change her diet, which ended up changing her life. Not only did eating a plant-based diet prevent Jessica from needing that surgery, but it led her to a new career helping others live happier, healthier lifestyles through their diets - including Lena Dunham, who wrote the cookbook's foreword. Pretty awesome, right? In the middle of this big mental/diet/career switch in 2014, Jessica also became a mom, adopting her now 2-and-a-half-year-old son, Sid, with her husband and moving her young family from Chicago to Charleston less than a year later. Instead of allowing new motherhood to derail her plant-based life, Jessica has incorporated her son into it. "It took me 33 years to like green juice," she says. "Sid liked it on his first sip." I know what you're thinking: no way will my kid suddenly become a tiny plant eater. But keep reading and Jessica might just change your mind, or at least change your dinner menu. One Part Plant ($28) hits bookstores Feb. 21. POPSUGAR: What inspired you to write the One Part Plant cookbook? Jessica Murnane:There were a lot of plant-based cookbooks out there that take an all-or-nothing approach. I wanted to create something that felt approachable for people. Like what if I don't have to be strict Paleo, vegan, gluten-free, whatever? What if I just tried one plant-based meal a day? When I changed my diet, it felt like the hardest thing, but had someone said to me, "It doesn't have to be all or nothing," it would have felt more manageable. Start with one meal, and maybe one leads to two, and two leads to three, and suddenly you're eating like this every day. PS: Speaking from experience, motherhood doesn't always inspire the best eating habits. Was adding a child into your life a challenge? JM: It really wasn't. Because I was already eating a plant-based diet, it didn't occur me to feed him any differently. I started feeding Sid vegetables as his first foods. I do think that starting kids off with vegetables first and not fruit is a good idea, because if you start with fruit, you teach them to want sweet stuff all the time. But at the same time, I don't want to tell anyone want to do. And every kid is different. PS: So Sid is a happy little vegan? JM: I can't put down a bowl of steamed broccoli, and he'll eat it. He's not that cool. But yeah, he doesn't eat any meat or dairy at all. I definitely will say that all the grandparents were at first concerned about his diet and now are 100 percent on board because Sid is strong, smart, and thriving. I think they see now that his diet is working for him. He's not lacking. And I do make sure that he's getting everything that he needs, not just a bowl of rice. He eats all the good stuff for his body to grow. PS: Is he ever picky about his eating? JM: He's picky for healthy things. His favorite foods are hummus and plantains. Sometimes new things can be a challenge or a surprise. I gave him a turmeric-ginger juice thinking there was no way in hell he'd drink it, and he liked it. But then I made some brown rice noodles, and he thought those were disgusting. We watched a Sesame Street episode once where they were trying new foods, so a lot of time, I will say "Remember Big Bird tried a new food?" and then he'll be on board. If I made any mistake in the beginning, it was that if I found something he liked, I would continually feed him that. It was veggie burgers for every meal. PS: So what's Sid's daily diet look like? JM: For breakfast, he loves bananas and whatever kind of nut butter he can get, and I also make what we call "green cakes." I blend spinach into almond milk and use that milk in pancake batter. He loves them. For lunch, he likes a hummus sandwich and yes, we do use sprouted bread, but you don't have to. I also make him these little energy balls, which is his version of a cookie. For dinner, he likes a veggie burger and some fruit, and he loves dipping things, so maybe some bean dip. PS: Any easy prepared foods you recommend plant-y moms have around the house? JM: We always have a couple tubs of hummus and Trader Joe's plantain chips or Inner Peas for dipping. I also love Justin's Almond Butter sleeves, Hilary's veggie burgers (they're the best), sunflower seeds, raisins, and cashews. PS: What would be your go-to intro meals for a mom who wants to start eating plant-y? JM: Start with foods that feel comforting. Try coconut veggie curries (super fast to make), lasagna made with cashew cream, and vegetable chowders. It doesn't have be a boring bowl of steamed broccoli and brown rice. Eat something you enjoy! PS: Smoothies are always a crowd favorite in my house. Do you have a favorite? JM: I love two huge handfuls of spinach, a cup of almond milk, a frozen banana, a scoop of almond or peanut butter, and a dash of cinnamon. The key to a great smoothie to blend your liquid and greens together until they're nice and smooth. Then add the rest of your ingredients. Depending on the quality of your blender, it might take minute to get super smooth. Be patient; it's worth it! Also, there is no shame in having a bunch of smoothies ready to go in your freezer for desperate times or crazy mornings. I love Daily Harvest for that. Related: If Your Kid Is the Pickiest Eater in the World, These 5 Tips Are For You The 1 Thing Every Family - Food Allergies or Not - Should Do Before Making Dinner Mom Confession: My Kid Only Eats Encased Meats and Carbs http://bit.ly/2l9oNkr