New Fiber One Cookies & Struesels. #spons #PlatefulCoOp #FiberOneSnacks

So I sadly still struggle to get enough fiber into my diet. I pack on the veggies, flax seed and everything, but sometimes it's just not enough or I don't have it on hand. I have a high maintenance stomach. Because of this, I have to make sure most things I eat have fiber in them. Even desert. Luckily Fiber One's new cookies and streusels are really tasty and pack a good amount of fiber in every serving. 

Thanks to Fiber One and Plateful Co Op for sponsoring this discussion.

Now I know that nothing beats the taste of home made cookies and struesels, but I have to say that these hit the right spot for snacks and a quick indulgent desert. They are not high in calories and some actually taste close to the real thing. Especially the Chocolate Chunk and Oatmeal raisin cookies. they are so soft and chewy, with plenty of raisins and chocolate chips. Those were my absolute favorite and my main go to for a snack when I really craved sugar.

The best way to eat these is by heating them up in the microwave and dipping them in a nice cold cup of almond milk. SO good. I think the price for these is just right, but I will definitely be keeping an eye for sales and coupons so I can stock up for those times I just don't feel like baking or when I have guests over.  Fiber One is a great way to satiate a craving fast and get a good kick of fiber at the same time.

Save 50¢ on one box now with this coupon on http://www.readyplansave.com/! 

Immaculate Baking Double chocolate brownies with flaxseed & almonds

4 sample boxes were provided to me for evaluation by Immaculate Baking through Platefull Co-Op.

Ok, so I try not to rely on boxed baking or any processed storage foods for that matter, but sometimes you are in a hurry or the last thing you want to do is bake from scratch. Meanwhile, you have a family begging for desert and you're missing key ingredients. That is when you spring for something as close as you can get to baking from scratch. Immaculate dry Baking mixes are the perfect go to. 

Why get excited? 

• They contain no artificial flavor or preservatives
• They are GMO Free 
• You have Gluten free & Organic choices 
• There is no bleached flour 
• There are 8 different delectable confections to choose from 
• No High fructose corn syrup
• 0 grams trans fat 

I made Immaculate baking Brownies scratch mix and added a few of my own ingredients, just to spice it up and give it a fiber kick. 

• Two tablespoons of flax seed were added. 
• As well as a handful of sliced almonds. I was out of walnuts, but the almonds were not a bad sub! 

I am not going to sugar coat this, well ok I am this time, Zing!  These brownies were insanely like the real thing. They tasted freshly baked and absotively nothing like your average boxed mix. These were amazing just out of the oven with some almond milk. So moist and chewy inside contrasted with a nice crunch on top. So fresh tasting and the chocolate didn't taste at all artificial.  I can tell why these are a bit more expensive and I personally think it's worth the extra mula when you have it. 

I bet if you served these, anyone would assume they were homemade. Well, technically they are, you just didn't go out and buy all the needed ingredients. The ingredients in the box are so minimal and there is nothing in the list you can't pronounce. 

Take a look at the ingredients list. 

• Sugar
•  Wheat Flour
• Semisweet Chocolate Chips (un-sweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla extract)
• Cocoa powder 
• Corn Starch
• Salt
• Natural Vanilla Flavor

Impressive eh? I'm excite! 

Immaculate baking provided me with 4 baking from scratch boxes I am hard pressed not try out every single one very soon. I plan to make banana muffins next with their yellow cake mix.

As an aside, I am happy to point out that Immaculate baking gives a personal touch to their products by featuring their children's art on the boxes. Evidenced by the little elephant drawing on the brownie box. How cute is that? Also, They use 100% recycled cardboard to make their boxes and you have to give them props for that as well! Highly recommend you check these guys out.

You can also catch some coupons!  Immaculate is a bit pricey so grab them while you can! Look for new Immaculate Baking Dry Baking Mixes in the baking aisle! Now available at Target!

Find Immaculate Baking during a series of savings events:

Save 75 cents on Immaculate Baking !

• Immaculate Baking is in the Gluten Free coupon book event handed out 7/27 and 8/17. Coupon is for $.75 off one Immaculate Baking Item.

• Immaculate Baking is in the Back to School coupon book event handed out on 8/17, 8/24 and 8/25. Coupon is for $.75 off one Immaculate Baking Item.

#JuneFreshSavings at #Publix this week! #PlatefullCoOp #spon

 How do you eat your Greek yogurt? I love to experiment and I saved a nice chunk of money using this weeks Yoplait deals, when I bought my produce. During the Publix Fresh Savings Event going on now,  I bought 5 Yoplait Greek yogurts and got $1 off . Then I saved $1 on my fresh mango and pineapple. All coupons can be found at ReadyPlanSave.com. This fresh fruit combo tastes superb with the new Yoplait Greek Coconut Yogurt. To make it even more delectable, sprinkle some Natures Valley protein granola on top and pair with some cheese bites as a side. Nom Nom. Try slicing up some fresh bananas and strawberries too. So good! There are endless ways to eat Greek yogurt and it's so satisfying straight out of the fridge on a hot day. 

Don't miss out on all the amazing savings going on at your local Publix this week! There are so many potential yummy meals and deals waiting for you!

Be on the lookout for exclusive savings at Publix on these select products starting June 5!

Discover Meal Pairings and Save over $16! Find these savings in the weekly grocery store flyer, available at Publix from 6/4/14 – 6/11/14

• 2 for $6 Propel® items (6pk 500ml)
• 2 for $3 Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ Cooking Sauce
• 10 for $10 Yoplait® Greek Yogurt (5.3oz)
• Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Pepsi® Mini Cans (8pk 7.5oz)
• Save $2 on Fresh Produce with the purchase of any two (2) Tostitos® Tortilla Chips (9oz or larger)
• Save $2 on Ground Beef with the purchase of any one (1) Hellmann’s® Mayonnaise (22oz or larger)
• Save $2 on a Publix® Bakery item with the purchase of any one (1) Breyers® Gelato Indulgences™
• Save $3 on Publix® Rotisserie Chicken with the purchase of any one (1) Lipton® K-Cup® Pack
• Save $1 on Meat with the purchase of any three (3) Old El Paso® items (excluding Dinner Kits and Frozen Entrees)

Look for coupons in the “Grilling Season/Memorial” Publix® flyer, offers available 5/24/14 - 6/13/14.

• Save $1 on Bananas with the purchase of any one (1) box of Cheerios™ (10.9oz or larger)
• Save $2 on Orange Juice with the purchase of any one (1) Nature Valley™ Breakfast Biscuits (5ct)
• Save $1 on Fresh Fruit with the purchase of any five (5) Yoplait® Greek Yogurt (5.3oz)
• Save $1on Publix® Bread with the purchase of any one (1) Country Crock® or Country Crock® Simply Delicious™ Spread

On-Shelf Coupons. Available while supplies last.

• Save $1on Meat with the purchase of any three (3) Old El Paso® items (excluding Dinner Kits and Frozen Entrees). Look for coupon near meat section.
• Save $1on Meat with the purchase of any two (2) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ Cooking Sauce. Look for couponn near meat section.
• Save $2 on a Publix® Deli purchase with the purchase of any three (3) Pepsi® 7.5oz 8-packs. Look for coupon near the Deli.
• Save $2 on Publix® Fresh Cut Fruit (3oz or larger) with the purchase of any two (2) Propel® items (6pk 500ml). Look for coupon near the produce.

Printable Coupons

• Visit www.ReadyPlanSave.com for additional printable coupons.

*In-store dates may vary in certain markets.   You can also keep up with promotions on Facebook!

Disclosure: The information and prize pack have been provided by General Mills through Platefull Co-Op.

Liberte yogurt review #PlatefullCoOp #ad #TEAMLIBERTE

This post was inspired by Platefull Co Op and I was provided with samples to review. All opinions are always 100% my own.

Have you tried Liberte yogurt yet? I remember I would always pass it down the aisle, but I wasn't a big yogurt person, until one day I decided to try their coconut version and omg was it delectable for a yogurt. It was just as fulfilling as a desert.

I was offered the opportunity to try their new flavors and jumped at the chance.  Their new flavors Orange-Mango and Lime are no exception. All the flavors I have tried have been really good. The consistency is so creamy, as it's made with whole milk and as much as I don't like to drink whole glasses of milk, I will definitely indulge in deserts and dairy products once in a while that contain it. I rate Liberte's taste high on my list of yogurts and I have few favorites.

No cats were fed during the making of this review, thus no cats were happy. Boy did she sniff and eye that yogurt down though. 

This was delicious as a desert after dinner, but would work well as a quick breakfast. Just thrown on some granola or flax seeds and you've got a good portion of your vitamins,  protein and fiber taken care of.

So far I have tried the Orange Mango, Lime, Lemon and Coconut and I really enjoyed all of them. The flavoring is not too thick like some yogurts are. I don't care for those whopping servings of fruit in my yogurt. I say give it a try! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how great of a substitute it would be to much higher calorie choices.

  Find out more about the health benefits by visiting Liberte's website and social media:

LiberteUsa Facebook

Grab some coupons!

Easy and #cheap recipe for Spiced nuts! #McCormickBaking

Sponsored by McCormick. All opinions are my own. 

There are the decadent and detailed time consuming recipes for the Holidays, and then there are the cheap and easy ones that are still really tasty. Of these are the classic spiced nuts or candied nuts as some call them, which are among my favorite holiday treats! You'll find many recipe variations for these, but I am a fan of the tried and true version made with All Spice as the main ingredient. 

This spiced nuts mix gets the spiciness from cinnamon and allspice. I Omitted the seasoned salt in this, as I wanted it to be more sweeter than herbier. It was replaced it with some sea salt. I did purchase the Lawrys Seasoned salt for the first time and used it on veggies. It was really good! Another new go to seasoning for me!

We all love to binge on the super fattening but oh so gloriously yummy Holiday foods, but there is another choice. This recipe is tasty and it has health benefits to boot from all the nutrients of the nuts. A great way to keep it significantly healthy during the holidays and still get that satisfaction of a desert.

Ingredients

Makes 3 1/3 cups or 18 (3-tablespoon) servings.

• 1/3 cup sugar2 teaspoons McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground

• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Allspice, Ground

• 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's® Seasoned Salt

• 1 egg white

• 3 cups nuts, such as almonds, cashews, peanuts and pecans. I used walnuts, almonds and pecans. 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 250°F. 

• Mix sugar, cinnamon, allspice and seasoned salt in small bowl. 

• Beat egg white in large bowl until foamy. 

• Add nuts; toss to coat well. 

• Add spice mixture; toss to coat nuts evenly.

• Spread nuts in single layer on lightly greased baking sheet.

• Bake 1 hour, stirring once. Cool slightly and break apart. 

• Cool completely. Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Nutritional information

(amount per servings)


Total Calories: 169


Sodium: 137mg


Fat: 13g


Carbohydrates: 9g


Cholesterol: 0mg


Protein: 4g


Fiber: 2g

These work great as a snack at parties and when displayed in a pretty bowl, they make a nice centerpiece! 

Enjoy! 

#Halloween #DIY #WhiteChocolate #brainmold filled with #redvelvetcake and #cherries #Bloodybrain #braincandy #zombies

I made this two years ago before I created my Food blog and I honestly have no idea where I adapted the recipe from or I would link it. I altered it a lot and fused two different ideas into one. 

The idea was to create a cool centerpiece for a Halloween party and it really turned out flawless. All be it a little bit disturbing, as they almost look real! I titled it brain candy because well your brain is candy to zombies ( Note the zombie hand with green nail. Yeah, it was a last min extra detail)

Initially, I was looking to create just a brain cake of some sort, but when I saw these candy molds on amazon I thought that what would be even cooler and yummier was to make them individual candy brains. Candy brains that you would cut open to find cake or brain guts and gore inside. Although not anatomically completely accurate looking, it comes close enough and my god if it wasn't tastier than anything I have tried in a long time. 

This was a complicated process, considering I didn't really plan everything until I actually started doing it. In the middle of it all, I decided to add the cherry sauce and things later.

You really need some patience with this one. It'll take a few hours, as there are steps to freeze one half then freeze another. It is really worth it though! 

So let me see If I can explain this accurately in a way that it will be easy to replicate! 

Ingredients & tools needed: 

• Brain Candy molds  (I got mine from amazon for dirt cheap)

• Pam cooking spray

• 1 can of Cherry pie filling

• Red food coloring (About 1-1.5 tsp per brain) 

• 4 White chocolate bars (The biggest ones they have. I used Ghiradelli)

• 1 Red velvet cake (I used boxed)

• A sharp knife to cut frozen brains (warmed up under hot water to cut easily. I learned this after the fact ;) ) 

• Lots of patience. It's not hard, more time consuming than anything. I'd say you need about 4 hours and 30 minutes free in all. 99% of that is the freezing and baking time. 

Steps:

Step 1:  Spray Pam in the candy molds to be filled. DON'T forget the Pam spray before pouring the chocolate into the mold. You will never get it out in one piece! 

Step 2: Heat up 2 White chocolate bars on low to med heat.  Then slowly pour it into the brain candy molds. (2 molds, 2 bars per mold) Fill them thick enough that they cover the whole mold that will be the top half of the brain. 

Step3: Freeze those molds for about 2 hours.

Step 4: While this is freezing, this is when you want to get out your red velvet cake mix and back per directions. You'll have plenty left over, if you want to make something else gutty looking ;) 

Step 5:  Get our your cherry pie filling (You'll also have plenty of this leftover)

Step 6:  Let the cake cool off in the fridge and then stuff the frozen brain candy mold with it and the cherry pie filling.  (You can also omit the cherry filling and stuff later when you cut the brains. This is what I did)   Do not over stuff. 

Step 7:  Heat up another 2 white chocolate bars and repeat Step 2. Only you will be covering the cake inside the first 2 molds with frozen white chocolate now. Get it all over the cake so that is thick and none of the cake is peering through. This takes time and scrutinizing, but it's not that bad! Again, worth it! 

Step 8: Freeze again for about 2 hours. 

Step 9:   FINALLY. When you are ready to serve the brains. About 10 min prior to serving, or else they'll melt too much. Take out the frozen brains by very CAREFULLY coaxing them out . The Pam should make it fairly simple. Then carefully place them on a plate. 

Step 10:  Get your food coloring (or blood) and pour it all over the brains. About 1-1.5 tsp for each brain should do. Now get your very sharp knife and it's time to bludgeon the brain!  Run the knife under HOT water then let it get warm and slice it through to cut it in half. If for some reason it doesn't cut too great, It's fine. It will still look awesome, just more like a cracked brain. 

Then paint nails green or go all out with bloody torn zombie nails! 

You're done! See? I told you it was worth it! Now, just set it in the middle of the table with some candles and other zombie treats and you are ready to feed your zombie family! Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: Yeah, I know it's gorier than a kitchen massacre in this pic, but I assure I didn't cut my finger.  no human being or animals were harmed in the making. It is all that cherry filling and food coloring. Go easy on the coloring. I specified that much coloring on purpose lol

You saw this first, on I'll Take a Bite.

Banana nut Ice-dream

Today I was joking with my friend about his states heat index, 110. I think it's blasphemous that Florida is cooler than North Carolina right now. How did that happen? He said he's convinced that he must be somehow in closer proximity to hell. I told him that hells brim fires were surfacing and to repent post haste...but let's have ice cream before we do that, shall we? Or something close to ice cream, as I don't have my own ice cream maker.

Enter what I like to call "The banana nut ice-dream". A ridiculously easy, yet yummy recipe I stumbled upon in my search for anti-candida recipes. #Candida is an on going battle for me, as I always give into something sweetly decadent eventually. Regardless, this is actually a wonderfully healthy and tasty replacement.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp nut butter of your choice. I used my favorite organic Almond butter. (I actually used 2 tbsp of nut butter, because when I taste tested it, the banana was overwhelming for me. I would blend and mix to your taste)

1 banana (I used a pre-frozen banana to give it more thickness)

2 Sprinkles of cinnamon, nut meg or both.

That's it!

Recipe:

1. Put the banana and almond butter into the blender and blend on low, until it reaches a smooth consistency.
Then, sprinkle cinnamon, nut meg, or both and blend for a few more seconds.

2. Scoop the mixture out with a spoon into a small freezer friendly container.
I used a stone ramekin as it's all i had at the moment and i thought maybe i could trick myself into thinking it was some kind of fancy frozen creme brulee.

3. Put in the freezer for a few hours or until it reaches your desired consistency.

I bet this recipe would taste not as healthy, but really yummy with some chocolate added. There is another pudding recipe i want to try out that is just as simple, with one added ingredient. I'll post that when i make it. I love bananas, they're so versatile and sweet on their own that there's just no need for added sugar in a lot of recipes. The next time you feel a craving for ice cream and it's really hot outside, i implore you to try this.

Reference: You can find this and many other low-sugar, candida recipes  at  Holistic Help

Cherry cornbread, with cinnamon drizzle.

I've been on quite the budget pinch lately, so i picked up a few of those 49 cent boxed cornbread mixes, thinking they'd come in handy for a good sweet fix. Well, that time came tonight, but i didn't want just any bland corn bread. So I fished around in my fridge and found some cherries that i re-hydrated to put in my morning yogurt, and thought that would taste really good. So i spooned out a handful and threw them in the mix. Then i thought that some kind of cinnamon topping might taste good to top it off. So, while that cornbread was baking, i looked in my cupboard to see if i had the ingredients to pull something off. Indeed I did. Cinnamon is always at my fingertips, as i add it to almost everything. You'll probably see this in the near future. I had some brown sugar, and half and half and mixed it all together to form a medium thick syrup consistency. Then drizzled it onto the finished bread. It turned out simply yummy, for never experimenting with cornbread before. Emphasis on simple!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup re-hydrated cherries
1 box of cornbread mix

Topping:
1.2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp half and half

Directions: Bake corn bread as usual, but stir in the rehydrated cherries 

For the topping, mix all ingredients together and lightly drizzle on bread when it has cooled off in the fridge for about 45 min's or so.