Nutella, Banana, and Peanut Butter Smoothie

I was a sick child. My favorite lunch to have before going to afternoon kindergarten (and while watching "The Elephant Show," of course) was potato chips dipped in peanut butter. Don't ask.

To this day, my love for peanut butter (and potato chips) hasn't waned...I just choose to eat them separately now. With that being said, though, I could pretty much eat peanut butter with anything else - although bananas and/or Nutella tend to be great peanut butter companions.

And now that summer's [finally!] here in Boston - which means, it's hot and humid here in Boston - I'm always looking for cool and satisfying snacks and meals to eat. And why not make a cool and satisfying snack that's filled with three of my favorite things?

Nutella, Banana, and Peanut Butter Smoothie

Yields: 1 serving

-1 ripe banana, peeled

-1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

-1/2 tablespoon Nutella

-1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

-2-3 ice cubes

Directions:

1.) Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Seriously...that's it.

[Print this recipe]

Cold, creamy, sweet, and nutty, this smoothie was super tasty, and satiating to boot. The protein from the peanut butter helped pack some staying power, while the nutty and sweet flavors from the Nutella and vanilla almond milk made every sip extra delicious. And the banana? Besides providing some nutrients to the mix, it also made the texture wonderfully thick and creamy.

If you're looking to keep things vegan, swap out the Nutella for cocoa powder.

For the Nutella lovers, I suggest washing down this mostly healthy smoothie with something not quite as healthy - like my Nutella Cream Cheese Chocolate Chunk Brownies or Nutella and Banana Turnovers with Sea Salt.

Do you love peanut butter [and/or Nutella] as much as I do? 

My Current Obsessions

Here's another edition of My Current Obsessions! (Other editions can be found here, here, here, here, and here). Here are all of the trivial, random, and/or delicious things I am loving lately.

1.) Whole bean coffee

Z and I got a coffee/spice grinder for our wedding, but we didn't try using the whole bean coffee until a few weeks ago. Z went on a trip with his dad to Utah, and came home with a fresh bag of beans. I immediately grinded a few handfuls and brewed them...and, let's just say, coffee never tasted so good. The beans provided a much more intense yet smooth coffee flavor, and the taste was so much more fresh than the grounds I am used to. I'm officially converted! (Note: Z got the coffee at Beans and Brews).

2.) Pretzels dipped in Nutella

Seriously...how have I never thought of this before?? Salty, crunchy pretzels dipped in sweet, creamy Nutella. It's a divine (and addictive) combination. 

3.) LevelUp

Source: www.forbes.com

Have you guys ever used this app before? Basically, you download it for free, securely enter your credit card information, and you can use it to pay at participating retailers. The best part is: Most of the time, when you first use LevelUp at that retailer, you get a discount (anywhere from $1-$5+ off). From there, after you spend a certain amount of money at that particular store, you get another discount. And, as far as I can tell, LevelUp only works with locally owned businesses - so it encourages you to support local businesses while giving yourself some money off! Win-win. Z and I use LevelUp all the time at Pemberton Farms, and I recently scored $2 off at When Pigs Fly Bakery, too.

4.) Dr. Mario

Source: http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Mario

I realize I am basically a 12-year-old boy, but this game is SO fun. I never played it as a kid, but Z recently introduced it to me on our Wii, and...well, I am a teeny bit obsessed with it. It's basically like Tetris (which I also love), but with Mario characters and pills, which are used to kill off the viruses in the Tertis-like board. I just described the game horribly, but trust me - it's fun.

5.) Dirty martinis

...especially with blue cheese-stuffed olives. I never thought I'd be a fan of a cocktail like this, but it's got a great kick to it (especially my Jalapeno Dirty Martini), it's strong, and it's the perfect beverage to end a long week and kick off a great weekend. We make these a lot at home, but I also love the dirty martinis at Toscano in Harvard Square, Beat Hotel (also in Harvard), and West Side Lounge, right outside of Porter Square. 

What are you currently obsessed with?

Way Better Snacks

Somehow, word's gotten out that I like chips (and pretzels). But I'm not complaining.

The photo above shows the generous amount of chips Way Better Snacks (a division of Live Better Brands, LLC) sent me a few weeks ago. The company boasts a tasty, hearty chip that's also full of ingredients that are actually good for you. Each chip contains nutrient-dense grains and seeds, and lacks processed ingredients. For example, Way Better Snacks' Simply Sunny Multi-Grain chips contain ingredients like chia seeds, golden flax, quinoa, radish seed, brown rice, and broccoli seed. 

Way Better Snacks' Simply Sweet Potato chips.

However, we all know healthy snacks can sometimes mean tasteless. Thankfully, that is not the case here. 

So far, I've sampled every flavor of Way Better Snacks' chips (with the exception of No Salt Naked Blues and Simply Unbeatable Blues), and each chip was packed with flavor. The texture was also wonderfully hearty (perfect for dipping into salsa!), and delightfully salty. I shared each flavor with Z and our friends, and everyone was a fan (and we have some picky eaters in our group). Being a spice fiend, my favorite flavor is the Simply So Sweet Chili - it's got a punch of heat, and pairs beautifully with sandwiches and dairy-based dips.

If you'd like to try your own bag of Way Better Snacks' chips, click here to find a store near you that sells them. 

Have you ever tried Way Better Snacks' chips before?

*These chips were complimentary, but, as always, the opinions expressed in this post are honest and 100 percent my own.

A New Kind of Snackin'

If your Sundays are anything like mine this time of year, then they’re centered around football, beer and snacks. And one of my favorite snacks to enjoy during the game is chips – especially tortilla chips (with salsa, obviously). 

So, when Garden of Eatin’ asked me if I’d like to try two of their new flavored tortilla chips – Sprouted Blues and Sweet Potato – I couldn’t say no.

Photo courtesy of Crier Communications.

Garden of Eatin’ first brought their chips to store shelves in 1986, their first product being blue corn tortilla chips. A division of The Hain Celestial Group, a natural and organic foods company, Garden of Eatin’ is the number one manufacturer of natural and organic tortilla chips in the United States. All of their products are made without any genetically modified ingredients, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. In addition, both new flavors that I sampled are kosher and certified gluten-free.

Here’s the breakdown of each type of chip I tried:

Sprouted Blues Tortilla Chip: This hearty chip is the first on the market made with the sprouted grains combination of brown rice, lentils, and quinoa. It's thicker texture makes it perfect for dipping, whether it be in a chunky salsa or a warm, cheesy dip.

Sweet Potato Tortilla Chip.

Sweet Potato Tortilla Chip: Made with organic yellow corn and organic sweet potato, these babies pack 2 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per serving. The sweet potato chips were also wonderfully salty - some may think they are too salty, but for a salt fiend like me, they are perfectly seasoned. And, as a result, scarily addictive. 

Both varieties of chips also have only a handful of ingredients that are mostly legible (each bag had one or two that were not), but compared to a bag of Tostitos...it's clear which one's more "natural."

Garden of Eatin's Sprouted Blues and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips can be found in natural food stores or in the natural foods aisles of select grocery stores (my local Star Market has them!). Each 7.5 oz. bag sells for a suggested retail price of $3.49.

Given both chips' taste, sturdiness (for dip!), and quality of ingredients, I would definitely buy these again. I'm also eager to try some of Garden of Eatin's other chip varieties (Black Bean Chili? Yes, please!).

Have you ever tried Garden of Eatin's chips before? If yes, what's your review?

Both bags of chips I received were complimentary, but, as always, the opinions expressed in this post are honest and 100 percent my own. 

KRAFT MILKBITE Milk & Granola Bars

Breakfast just got a whole lot easier.  

Kraft Foods has made the genius move to combine real milk and granola in one simple bar - making breakfast on-the-go that much easier. In flavors like Chocolate, Strawberry, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin and Mixed Berry, KRAFT MILKBITE Milk & Granola Bars contain as much calcium as an 8 oz. glass of milk.

The folks at Laforce + Stevens were kind enough to send me their Chocolate and Strawberry bars to sample, free of charge. I have to admit, though, that while I was intrigued, I was also a little skeptical. How can these refrigerated, milk-filled bars not have an ingredient list three miles long that's 90% illegible?

After receiving the package and studying the ingredients, however, I was pleasantly surprised. While the ingredient list was a little long, the bars are made up of 99 percent legible and recognizable components (with the exception of "natural flavor" and "calcium phosphate"). To give you an example, here are the first five ingredients in each of the two flavors: Rolled oats, cream (from milk), sugar, skim milk, and inulin (chicory root fiber). The bars also claim to not include any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Not too shabby!

Both the Strawberry and Chocolate MILKBITE bars were also really tasty - not to mention satisfying. With 5 grams of protein each, they are a delicious snack that also has some staying power. While I couldn't eat one for breakfast by itself, the bars do make a nice mid-morning snack with my long-lasting morning iced coffee.

KRAFT MILKBITE Milk & Granola Bars can be found in the refrigerated dairy aisle for a suggested retail price of $3.49.

Have you tried KRAFT MILKBITE Bars yet? If not, will you?


Disclaimer: Although I received these MILKBITE Bars free of charge, the opinions expressed in this post are honest and 100 percent my own.

Super Bowl Beer Cheese Spread

Ah, the Super Bowl. Such an overrated, another-excuse-to-drink-and-eat sports game. But hey, I can't complain - I had some good eats this past Sunday thanks to the football festivities!

A bunch of us headed to Z's to watch the game on the his big screen television. Most people brought their own drinks, but the menu consisted of spicy con queso dip with tortilla chips; homemade guacamole, courtesy of my friend Christine; and, the star of the evening, the homemade Beer Cheese Spread that Z and I made. Talk about delicious.

Z found this recipe for the Beer Cheese Spread (scroll down the page to see recipe), and we only altered it slightly. He didn't have any paprika on hand, so we replaced that with chili powder. We also used Dale's Pale Ale hot sauce, which Z had bought previously at the Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont. And although we almost skipped the celery seed - I highly recommend you do not. The flavor makes a big difference.

We spread this creamy, tangy, decadent beer cheese on small slices of baguette. The dish made a more elegant and filling snack to munch on while watching the big game.

What food did you make for the Super Bowl? 

Best deal I found this week

I'm FINALLY going to start organizing my blog entries - thanks for bearing with me thus far, folks - and starting next week, I am going to post the "Best Deal I Found This Week" every Monday, in hopes that gives you plenty of time to take advantage of the deal during the busy work week. However, I could not wait until this Monday to tell you about this steal - especially because I found it a week ago.

$1.99 for a box of six granola bars at Trader Joe's. It may not sound like much of a deal at first, but I'm used to spending over $3 a box on Kashi granola bars, so saving a buck or more for just-as-delicious bars is well worth it to me. My bottom desk drawer at work is always full of granola bars, and since I usually eat one as a pick-me-up at the end of the day, I don't want to buy the sugar-infused varieties that tend to be cheaper than Kashi. Trader Joe's bars are made with organic ingredients, and keep my stomach full until dinner (usually).

Trader Joe's had quite a few choices for these $1.99 snacks, but I opted for the Peanut Butter and the savory/sweet Trail Mix. Both bars are perfectly chewy, and full of natural ingredients, which shows in the flavor. Quick side note: Trader Joe's tends to be inexpensive in general, which surprised me.

Do you shop at Trader Joe's on a regular basis? If so, do you find that you save money, versus going somewhere else?