What I Ate Wednesday #37: Powerbowl A Day Challenge

I think I’m beginning to see the end in sight! Weekend wedding errands have slowed down and the little pieces are finally falling into place. It’s such a relief to know that all of this crazy is, in fact, coming together. It’s going to be an awesome wedding, if I do say so myself!

In the meantime, last week finished up another #plantPOWER challenge hosted by the wonderful Kasey of Powercakes and Heather of For the Love of Kale. I really enjoyed this challenge the first time around, and while I didn’t participate quite as much this time, I enjoyed it just as much. It really has introduced me to so many options in the world of plant-based food! And since Kasey can’t sit still ;), she’s started another challenge which I am equally in love with; Powerbowl a Day! This challenge just started on Monday, so there’s still plenty of time to join and I would highly recommend you do. [Don’t know what a powerbowl is? Check out Kasey’s tutorial!]

And it happens to go perfectly with this month’s WIAW theme.. go figure! 😉

[Breakfast]
Slimmed down sweet scramble.. gasp! But I do have a little surprise for you.. I’ve been topping my scrambles with homemade cashew butter. Look for the recipe this Foodie Friday!

[Lunch]
Powerbowl #1: spinach base with beets, green pepper, cucumber, carrots, tomato, 2 veggie patch falafel, 1/2 avocado, roasted garlic hummus, and baba ghanoush. It was awesome. And it was devoured!

[Dinner]
I was definitely feeling a big bowl of veggies for dinner so I knew a warm kale salad would be perfect! Enter powerbowl #2: kale base with sweet potato, roasted broccoli, beets, and Kasey’s creamy tahini nooch sauce. It was epic. And I had leftovers for lunch yesterday too!

[Snacks]
– Key lime pie greek yogurt [more green!!] with coconut.. I’m thinking tropical. Take me somewhere warm!
– Good N Natural Peanut Butter bar. I believe my tweet said something along the lines of “natural and SO good!” Thanks for the insight.. happens to be the name of the bar. Duh. But definitely check these out!
– Peanut butter. Yep. I mixed a little old fashioned smooth with a little white chocolate wonderful and popped it in the microwave for 10 seconds for dessert! I added a few blueberries and some dark and white chocolate chips too 🙂

Food for Thought

Are you a powerbowl eater? What are your favorite toppings?

What I Ate Wednesday #36: It’s Really Real!

First things first, HUGEEEEE congratulations to our WIAW host, Jenn! If you didn’t see already, she spilled the beans the other day and I couldn’t be happier for her.

I’m less than 3 months away from my wedding and weekends have been completely taken over by plans. We have all of the big details done and now we’re just making all of the final decisions. It’s getting really real and Nathan keeps realizing he can’t back out anymore 😉 It’s already been over a year in the making and I can’t wait to see it all come to fruition. But really, I can’t wait to wear my dress, party, and go on my honeymoon. Hey, I’m just being honest!

And speaking of the dress, Saturday was my first fitting; it fits almost perfectly and I’m in love. But that’s all you’re gonna get from me 😉 Afterwards, I headed to a baby shower to spend some time with these lovely ladies..

..and to celebrate the beautiful lady in the black flower dress. It was such a good time.. bellinis, good food, lots of chit chat, and most importantly, no games! Seriously, it was great!

Finally, I ended my day with a date night. Best part of all, other than the company, is that it was at Mr. Rain’s Funhouse; the restaurant at our wedding venue. It was a nice way to tie all of the crazy planning together to a nice, relaxing evening.

[Breakfast]
Slimmed down sweet scramble with fat free ricotta cheese instead of squash. A new spin I’ve been doing for a little extra kick of protein.

[Lunch]
Baby shower eats! Mini crustless quiches, bacon spirals, beet & pecan salad, artichoke crostinis, & a couple pear raspberry bellinis. I’m sorry I didn’t snap a few shots of the food, the hostess with the mostess did such a nice job.

[Dinner]
Started out with an incredible drink.. unfortunately I don’t remember exactly what was in it, but it involved rye, black tea, blood orange marmalade, bitters, and more. Completely out of the ordinary for me but so delicious and accented my entree perfectly.

I always appreciate freshly baked rolls to start a dinner, but even more, I love freshly baked pretzel bites! We also shared a charcuterie plate.. it’s kind of our thing. And there will be lots of charcuterie on the honeymoon!

Nathan got the burger and fries; it was cooked perfectly which is so rare to find these days. My entree choice was decided almost solely on the fact that it included kabocha squash which I’ve been dying to try but can’t find anywhere! The rest included roasted eggplant, bulgar wheat, olives, and lemon. It was so light and delicious!

[Snacks]
We skipped dessert after dinner because we shared a huge Levain Bakery style chocolate chip walnut cookie earlier in the day provided by the host of the baby shower. She really outdid herself with the food and it did not go unnoticed! And you should definitely make that cookie!

Tempting, right? 😉

Food for Thought

What is your favorite cookie? Is it a homemade recipe or from your favorite bakery?

Feeding My Obsession: Chocolate

First things first, HOLY RAVENS!! Did you see that?! I’m loving my Baltimore teams this year!

Yea. That happened.

Onto the chocolate!

Last week I mentioned a black bean powerbake from one of my faves, Kasey at Powercakes. Sunday seemed like the perfect night to prep a dessert to last me through the week.

The smell of this baking was absolutely intoxicating and I could hardly wait to dig in! I made only 2 minor tweeks based on what I had in my pantry:

1. Swapped the VEGA protein powder for Perfect Fit protein powder.
2. Swapped the pumpkin seeds for hemp seeds.

I’m happy to say that this will definitely be curbing my chocolate cravings [as long as Nathan doesn’t eat it before me] and the raisins are like sweet little morsels. And if that doesn’t make it perfect enough, it’s also definitely Tone It Up-approved!

Want to make this for yourself? You can find the recipe [and more!] on Kasey’s blog! And if you don’t already follow her on twitter, get on it! She’s pretty fantastic 😉

Food for Thought

What’s your latest recipe success?

Hail Merry Love

If you’ve never heard of Hail Merry, you’ve been missing out.

Hail Merry is a snack food company born out of the yoga culture that celebrates raw plant-based oils.  Our truly great tasting recipes are consciously prepared to protect the integrity of the pure ingredients we source, offering an unparalleled taste experience.*

They make incredibly flavorful raw, gluten-free snacks and desserts that you need to get your hands on! And today is the perfect day to do that. As you may or may not know, Good Morning America features daily deals and today they’re offering 50% off of Hail Merry’s New Love Macaroon Tin. But the deal is only good today so get on it!

Hail Merry New Love Macaroon Tin

I can vouch for these macaroons; they’re worth it! With all natural ingredients, you can indulge without the guilt. And you can be sure they’re #plantPOWER approved!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a fun treat featuring these macaroons as well as an even more fun surprise for my readers! 😉

*Courtesy of HailMerry.com

Coconut Roasting and a Tropical Treat

As the temperature drops outside, I’ve noticed that I’ve been drawn to using my oven much more. In particular, I’ve found myself warming that baby up on almost a nightly basis to roast vegetables for dinner.

Coconut oil is one of my new favorite finds, and on top of that, Tropical Traditions is my jam! I’ve tried other coconut oils and have found that while they’re great for roasting, they don’t impart any additional flavor. Tropical Traditions coconut oil has a touch of coconut flavor that really kicks my veggies up a notch. Brussel sprouts are my go-to favorite right now, but you can really roast any vegetable using the same method, and just adjust the amount of time.

Ingredients
1 lb brussel sprouts
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1-2 tsp garlic powder

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Chop the stem end of the brussel sprouts off and slice in half. Spread on a baking sheet and coat in coconut oil and spices. Bake about 20 minutes until tender, flipping 1 or 2 times. Enjoy!

Giveaway!

Tropical Traditions sent me a quart of coconut oil and offered to do a giveaway for one lucky reader! And as I am currently in the middle of the #plantPOWER challenge from Kasey of PowerCakes and Heather of For The Love of Kale, there’s no better time than now. The giveaway will end Thursday, October 25th at 11:59 PM EST and a winner will be chosen using random.org and announced on Friday, October 26th.

If you’d like to win a quart of Tropical Traditions coconut oil (and trust me, you do!), enter below. Don’t forget to leave a separate comment per item! Remember, each comment is a separate entry!

1. Subscribe to Tropical Traditions Email Newsletter. [Mandatory]
2. Follow @troptraditions and @BarrAndTable on twitter.
3. Tweet “I entered to win a jar of @troptraditions coconut oil from @BarrAndTable and you can too! http://wp.me/p2mo7x-av”
3. Like Tropical Traditions and Barr & Table on facebook.
4. Comment below and tell me your favorite use for coconut oil. Or if you’ve never used it before, tell me how you’re most looking forward to trying it!

And if you just can’t wait and have to get your coconut oil right away, click here and buy yourself a jar!*

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

*If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.