Blackberry Rosemary Wheat Focaccia

Blackberry Rosemary Wheat Focaccia

There is something about a rich doughy bread topped with jammy berries that screams - WINTER TREAT to me. So when Driscoll's Berries invited me to bring a recipe to an event they were hosting last week, I knew immediately what I wanted to attempt. This recipe is jammy, sweet, savory, and salty. What more could you ask for at a holiday party?

Last summer, Carolyn Jung (aka FoodGal) posted a killer recipe for a Cherry Focaccia with Rosemary which I proceeded to make for a wine party. It disappeared faster than the wine! Seriously, go make this recipe! 

I thought that with the blackberries, the dough needed a more earthy flavor. Plus I love to try to increase the health benefits of whatever I make. So I played with the recipe a bit, changed up the flours and oil amounts, and came up with a focaccia that has more fiber in it from the wheat flour. Using Carolyn's recipe as the base, this was the most I could increase the wheat flour and the lowest amount of oil I could use without losing the focaccia texture. I plan on continuing to play with it but this recipe was quite tasty :o)

Fair warning. This focaccia needs lots of time to sit and rise. Plan ahead if you want to make it. I tend to start it in the morning so I can do the later rises and baking in the evening.

One note about the awesomeness of Driscoll's Berries that I discovered in my own research about the company is that they have a program where you can find out where your berries were grown! There is a "Harvest Mark Code" located in the right corner of the bar code and you can enter that code on their MyDricolls Web site to find out where your berries were grown along with other interesting information about your berries.

Full disclosure: I was given the blackberries by Driscoll's Berries to make this dish for their event. I was not paid or asked to write about the berries or the company but I do love the company and was excited to share this with you!

Blackberry Rosemary Wheat Focaccia

Makes 20 total servings between the two 9-inch pie pans

1 pkg dry yeast (instant)
1.5 cups room temperature water
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cane sugar
8 tbsp unfiltered olive oil
2 cups Driscoll's blackberries
4 fresh rosemary stems full of needles
coarse sea salt

The first step is to make a biga. Biga is a type of pre-fermented dough that adds complexity to the bread as well as adding a unique nutty component to the flavor profile. It also helps lengthen the life of your bread, but the bread is so tasty you probably won't need to worry about it sitting out long!

 

To make the biga, mix the yeast and water together in a metal bowl. After the two have blended, add in one cup of the bread flour and cover with plastic wrap. You will want to place this in the fridge for 12 to 15 hours according to what I have read about making a good biga.

 

When you have let your biga ferment long enough, bring it back to room temperature. This will take 45 minutes to an hour. 

 

You are now ready to prepare the dough! Mix the biga with the remaining bread flour, the whole wheat flour, the 1.5 teaspoons of fine sea salt and the cane sugar. You can use a mixer with a dough hook or a good wooden spoon.

 

Spray a seperate mizing bowl with non-stick cooking spray and put dough in this bowl. You will want to stretch the dough up and over itself repeatedley, hand-kneading to get a satin consistency. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. For proper conditions, you want to place your dough in a warm place free from breezes. I like to put mine in my oven with the oven light on and the door to the oven left ajar.

 

The dough should take about two hours to double in size although it could take as little as 90 minutes. While the dough is rising, pour two tablespoons of olive oil into each of your two metal pie pans. Using your fingers, spread the oil around the inside of the pan. Divide the dough into the two pans and using your fingers, press the dough into the pan. Cover the dough for the final rising which will take about an hour.

 

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees (please don't put the dough in the oven this time for the rising!). Dimple the dough with your fingers (be careful not to push too hard and cause the dough to collapse!) and then remove the needles off of the rosemary stems and sprinkle the needles over the dough. Drizzle two tablespoons of oil over each dough loaf. Finally, sprinkle a light coating of the coarse salt over the dough.

 

Bake the dough for four minutes or so and then remove from the oven. Gently place the berries over the dough, pushing them down slightly. Pun pans bake into the oven and bake for 22-26 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack before serving.

 

Nutritional Information:

Per slice (if divided into 20 servings): 115 calories, 5.8g fat, 14.7g carbs, 1.9g fiber, 2.6g protein

Total Recipe: 2295 calories, 116g fat, 294g carbs, 38.6g fiber, 52.4g protein

Travel-Friendly Energy Bites

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Wilder at Eating Rules)

By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I will have been on the road almost every weekend for two months. The life of a debate coach is a crazy one. Toss in the food blogging shenanigans at the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC), and I feel like I am gone more than I am home. 

However, with time changes and quick layovers and late nights, sometimes I find myself without a healthy option for a quick bite. So I have been playing with a base recipe for granola bars that a friend gave me on a handwritten notecard. I modified it a bit to play with different flavors and hopefully amped up the nutritional profile just a bit.

Play around with what you choose to mix in and what nut butter you want to play with. This recipe makes about 36 1" by 1" squares but you can size it up however you want. The nutritional information below are for the specific name brands I used. Feel free to request the names if you want them or calculate your own nutritional stats.

Energy Bites

Yields: 36 bites

1/2 cup almond butter

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

2 tbsp cane sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup reduced-fat unsweetened coconut shreds

1/2 cup dried goji berries

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats

1 scoop Garden of Life protein powder

Combine brown rice syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and cane sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat. You want to make sure the nut butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Combine coconut shreds, goji berries, flax meal, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, oats, and protein powder. Pour in liquid mix and stir until combined. I tend to knead the mixture by hand towards the end to make sure everything is combined.

Grease a 9X9 baking pan or use wax paper (I do both). Put "dough" into the pan and press it flat. Let harden (I toss it in the fridge to speed up the process). Remove from pan, cut into squares, and wrap in wax paper.

Per serving: 90.6 calories, 3.7 grams of fat, 11.8 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of fiber, 2.5 grams of protein

Full recipe: 3263 calories, 134 grams of fat, 425 grams of carbs, 57 grams of fiber, 89 grams of protein

Shaking up the Summer with Nutiva Hemp Shakes

As the weather heats up, there is nothing that I want more in the afternoon than a nice cold smoothie. I recently began considering my options when it comes to filling this need. First, I want my smoothie to be nutritionally sound. A number of places make smoothies, but they usually involve artificially sweetened or high fructose sweetened juices. They also lack the protein and fiber to make this a filling snack. Finally, many of them are chock full of useless calories! Let’s face it; America likes to drink its calories. But if we are going to drink them, we should make sure that beverage is filling and full of nutrients.

After trying a number of premixed smoothies and smoothie mixes, and avoiding many because of their ingredients and nutritional content, I finally found a product that I feel is worth sharing with you. Nutiva Organic Hemp Shakes! The two flavors I have tried and loved are the Berry Pomegranate and the Chocolate.

Let’s break each of these smoothie powders down by nutritional content and then let’s talk flavor (what most of us really care about!). First, both of the shake mixes are gluten and lactose-free which I know is important to some of my readers. Second, they contain Hemp proteins, which not only provide protein and fiber, but are also a good source of Omega-3 and Omega-6. Finally, the Nutiva Hemp Shakes use Fair Trade Certified products, which “guarantees consumers that strict economic, social and environmental criteria were met in the production and trade of an agricultural product.”

Berry Pomegranate contains organic hemp protein, superberry blend (organic mesquite pods, organic strawberries. organic blueberries, organic raspberries, organic cherries, organic pomegranates, organic Sambazon acai, organic goji berries, organic guar gum, inulin from chicory root), organic Fair Trade Certified evaporated cane juice, organic berry flavor. It does contain tree nuts for those with allergies! It is also 57% raw and contains Omega-3 fatty acids. 4 level tablespoons is only 90 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein.

You can blend Hemp Shakes with any milk (they recommend organic rice milk), so I chose to blend the Berry Pomegranate with Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk. For those who don’t like the unsweetened Almond Breeze because of the taste, you should try it with the Hemp Shake. The smoothie powder is just sweet enough to satisfy my cravings without being over the top sweet (only 11 grams of sugar) and blending it with milk (and a little ice to up the cool factor) makes it rich and creamy. My smoothie ended up being 130 calories, with lots of protein and fiber and no artificial sweeteners or other chemical fillers. It had a natural fruit flavor while being cool, refreshing and filling!

Chocolate Hemp Shake contains organic hemp protein, superfood chocolate blend (organic Fair Trade Certified chocolate, organic ramon nuts, organic guar gum, inulin from chicory root, organic mesquite pods), organic Fair Trade Certified evaporated cane juice, and organic chocolate flavor. It also contains tree nuts for those with allergies! Four level tablespoons contains only 80 calories, 2 grams of fat, 12 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein.

I chose to blend the Chocolate Hemp Shake with unsweetened chocolate almond milk. Unfortunately, it was really not sweet at all. However, adding half a cup of frozen cherries and I was back on the Chocolate Hemp Shake train! I am sure using rice milk would add the necessary sweetness without the fruit needed, however who can turn down a Chocolate Cherry Shake? And for only 180 calories!

Overall, I appreciate the principles of community and quality that Nutiva abides by when it comes to their business and products. High quality products that are tasty and beneficial to my body and my planet are worth the cost. You can buy a canister of Hemp Shake online for $17. That is only $1.13 per smoothie if you use the full 4 tablespoons of mix! You can also buy individual samples of the three smoothies (there is also an Amazon Acai flavor) if you want to decide which one you like. With the cost of a smoothie at shop being at least twice the cost without the same community and nutrition standards, you can’t go wrong with Nutiva Hemp Shakes.

Delectable Dressings: You "Gotta Luv It"

I have never been a salad girl. The thought of limp pre-washed lettuce with clumps of ranch dressing and couple of paltry vegetables tossed on top is not appetizing to me. Unfortunately this is often what salads look like when you purchase them in shops or airports. In restaurants, the dressing and fried toppings pile on the calories so high you might as well just get the burger. And the dressings you buy for use at home are usually loaded with preservatives and words I can't begin to pronounce. Since attempting to swear off the overly processed dressings, even my salads at home have lost their appeal. There are only so many days a girl can enjoy oil and vinegar.

However, my views of salads are beginning to change with the discovery of Gotta Luv It dressing and marinades. These locally made condiments are the brainchild of Jade Powell in Petaluma, California. These dressings pack a punch, and while the serving size on the label is two tablespoons, you don't need that much to enjoy a flavorful salad! Powell makes three dressings: Chipotle-Lime Fusion, Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Sweet & Tangy Italian. At under $5 a bottle, the fact that you only need a drizzle of dressing for a large salad makes Gotta Luv It a value investment as well.

While I usually enjoy creating my own recipes, I had to try a suggestion from the creator of Gotta Luv It:

Chipotle Lime Fusion Cole Slaw

1/2 medium Napa Cabbage, shredded
1/4 small Purple Cabbage, shredded fine
1/4 small Savoy Cabbage, shredded fine
4 stalks Green Onions, diced
1 small Carrot, grated
2-3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (toast in saucepan or broil briefly in oven)
Gotta Luv It Chipotle Lime Fusion dressing & marinase

Toss all ingredients together and enjoy!

Now I cheated, per the note on the instructions, and used bagged shredded cabbage. I also added some precooked chicken. This was an AMAZING salad. However, it was even better in a whole wheat wrap for lunch the next day. The flavors of the dressing popped when enjoyed with the crunchy cabbage and nutty seeds. While the chipotle lends a kick to the dish, it isn't overwhelming in the weaving of flavors and textures.

One of my favorite things about Gotta Luv It is how versatile the dressings are. From dressing fresh mangos with a light drizzle of the Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette, to marinading chicken and tofu in the Sweet & Tangy Italian before tossing them on the grill this weekend, the thickness of the dressing and the fullness of flavor make these a winning staple in my kitchen.

For those who have been following Uncovering Food for awhile, you know that I enjoy sharing products that are rocking in local markets but should have national exposure. Gotta Luv It dressings are currently sold online and in more than 70 stores in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. However, I would urge you to ask your local stores to stock this family made, all natural dressing & marinade. It will save you the shipping costs and ensure you will have quick access to a versitile and healthy product. Have I ever steered you wrong?

Chipotle-Lime Fusion: This silver medal winning dressing is light with a mild kick. The tang of the citrus and the spice of the chipotle balance each other out for a dressing that only needs a drizzle to flavor the whole bowl of veggies. Great for a salad or tossed with some leftover chicken for a lunchtime wrap, this dressing adds zing to any meal.

Ingredients: Canola Oil, Lime Juice, Rice Vinegar (5% acidity), Organic Sugar, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Dry Minced Harlic, Dry Cilantro, Spices, Salt, Xanthan Gum
Nutritional Information for 2 tablespoons (although you won't need that much!): 110 calories, 11 grams of fat

Sweet & Tangy Italian: This dressing won the Double Gold Medal at the Sonoma County Fair. It is creamier and sweeter than many Italian dressings on store shelves. Full of flavor, this dressing dances on your tounge and creates a party in your mouth. I used it to marinade some tofu and chicken for a weekend BBQ. The flavors were complex enough to add flavor to the proteins without overpowering the entree. It was also great tossed with some romaine and fresh parmasen when we had spaghetti.

Ingredients: Canola Oil, Red Wine Vinegar (5% acidity), Organic Sugar, No-Salt Seasoning (Onions, Spices, Lemon Peel, Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Paprika, Red & Green Bell Peppers, Mustard & Parsley), Mustard Flour, Xanthan Gum
Nutritional Information for 2 tablespoons: 140 calories, 15 grams of fat

Raspberry Balsamic Vingairette: Another silver medalist, this dressing stood out for it's ability to work in sweet and savory dishes. Thicker than it's counterparts, the berries and balsamic flavors are strong and stand out in any dish. Like the other Gotta Luv It dressings, the recommended serving size is two tablespoons. I would recommend starting with a teaspoon and working your way up. While the calories and fat are higher than the more processed dressings on the shelves, the fullness in flavor means you don't need near the same amount. I recently enjoyed the Raspberry Balsamic in a fruit salad side dish with dark chocolate shaved over the top. The garlic and other spices in the dressing provided a savory contrast to the sweetness of the raspberries and balsamic i the dressing as well as the bittersweetness of the chocolate and the ripeness of the mangos and strawberries in the salad. It was an unusual and delicious combination.

Ingredients: Canola Oil, Balsamin Vinegar (6% acidity), Raspberry Puree, Organic Sugar, Water, No-Salt Seasoning (Dried Onions, Spices, Lemon Peel, Dried Garlic, Citric Acid, Dried Bell Peppers, Mustard), Mustard Flour, Natural Raspberry Flavor
Nutritional Information for 2 tablespoons: 150 calories, 14 grams of fat

Get Mixed Up on this Trail: You Trail Mix

The fabulous folks at You Bar began production today on a new line of customizable trail mix. If you have been following Uncovering Food, you will remember my fascination with this company that creates bars and smoothie mixes to fit your personal palate. You Trail Mix, the newest member of the You family, began taking orders today with a fabulous array of options to include.

I recently had the opportunity to test out the three Popular Mixes before they are shipped out to the general public. The Best Trail Mix (pictured above), Mix Up Your Day, and Chocolate Trails are all sold in 13-bag cases and are perfect to toss in your purse or your kid's lunch box for an afternoon snack.

As a nut lover, the Best Trail Mix satisfied my cravings with a combination of Almonds, Organic Cashews, Walnuts, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Dried Sweetened Blueberries, Sweetened Cranberries, and Sun Drops Original Chocolate Candies. If I were to personalize this however, I would probably change up the dried fruits with pineapple and apricots -- two of the options in the Mix-A-Trail menu. A 45g bag is 234 calories/16 grams of fat/4 grams of fiber/5 grams of protein. Considering the high nut content, this is a perfect portion of healthy oils and filling foods.


The Mix Up Your Day was my favorite of the three popular flavors. This mix included huge chunks of coconut that was full of flavor and contrasted nicely with the goji berries, pineapple and cashews. Oat Bran Sesame Sticks and Almonds round out this mix for a salty, smooth and sweet combination. At 229 calories/15 grams of fat/3 grams of fiber/5 grams of protein, this is another combination that will keep you full for a while. And for those of you with peanut free campuses, this combo is sans peanuts.


For the chocolate loving readers, You Trail Mix did not forget about you! Chocolate Trails is a mix created just for the healthy chocolate lover. Pecans, Dried Cherries, Peanuts, Milk Chocolate Raisins, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Mini Pretzels are all served up together in this sweet nutty blend. Since I am not a fan of milk chocolate, this wasn't my favorite. If I were to mix up my own blend, I would opt for the dark chocolate covered espresso beans and dark chocolate covered raisins. The options are endless! I also probably wouldn't include the pretzels because the residual moisture from the dried fruit decreased the crispness of the pretzels. This mix tallies up at 220 calories/13 grams of fat/4 grams of fiber/4 grams of protein.


While the premixed bags ring in at $1.49 a bag, you can personalize three different sizes from $1.89 to $2.19 a bag depending on the size. There is no specific charge for ingredients, so even opting for more expensive ingredients won't affect the overall cost!

Why pay so much for small bags of trail mix when you could just make your own at home? If you are like me, portion control is awesome, and these bags keep the individual portions fresh. You are also paying for the convenience of not having to buy large bags of everything and mix the exact portions yourself and calculating the nutritional information. Finally, how cool is it for you (or your kid) to have snacks with your own name on it?!?

All in all, I believe the You Bar folks have found another niche in the customizable foods market, which they are filling with 10 different nuts, 11 different fruits, 5 different seeds, 4 different crunchy grains, and 12 other tasty additions. Try mixing up your own trail mix and let us know what you come up with!

Pumpkin and Brie Panini: Bauman Family Fruit Butters

If you have been following my food journals at Uncovering Me, then you may already know that I bought a Breville Ikon Panini Press and I am in love! It has non stick plates which means I don't have to use any added oils when I make sandwiches. And make sandwiches I have!

As a featured publisher at Foodbuzz, I was given the opportunity to try Ile de France Le Brie. I plan on sharing more about the cheese specifically in an upcoming blog, but I knew I had to try some of it in a panini. I also had just received a sampler of Bauman Family Fruit Butters. As I look to utilize more naturally sweetened products, I ran across this company who sweeten most of their fruit products with fruit juice or honey. Many of the products they just let the fruit sweeten itself! This results in an all natural and low calorie alternative to overly processed spreads you find on store shelves. You can find these fruit butters in stores or order them online! One of the butters was a pumpkin butter that is sweetened with fruit juice and is only 25 calories for a tablespoon!

Pumpkin and Brie Panini

2 slices Oroweat Light Whole Wheat Bread (or your favorite whole wheat bread, adjust calories accordingly)
1 tbsp Bauman Family No Sugar Added Pumpkin Butter
1.5 oz Ile de France Le Brie

Warm panini press while assembling sandwich. On one piece of bread, spread pumpkin butter. Place cheese on top of butter and top off with second slice of bread. Grill on low for 3 minutes. Enjoy!

This sandwich is sweet, spicy and creamy. With April being National Grilled Cheese month, consider this my contribution to the celebration. It is so delicious I had one for dinner last night and another for breakfast this morning.

Nutritional Information using the above named ingredients: 255 calories/14 grams of fat/7 grams of fiber/11.5 grams of protein.


There are many uses for fruit butters besides paninis. I have used all of these to sweeten my steel cuts oats in the morning. They are also great on waffles and toast as well as mixed into yogurt. I even used the butters in savory main courses! All of the Bauman Fruit Butters I tried ranged in calories from 25 to 35 calories per tablespoon and were bursting with sweet fruit flavors. I love that the company has been around for over 100 years and is still family owned and operated.

For those of you who enjoy fruit butters, am I missing another use? Please share ideas and links to your favorite fruit butter recipes here!

An Amazing Value: One Organic Food Bars

Very rarely do I find a bar that I have to buy more of immeadiately after sampling. One that I email and Twitter about after the third bite. One that I want to savor bite by bite, every chew, until I am sad that it is gone but so fully satisfied that I am happy at the same time.

More specifically, when I do find such a bar, very rarely is the bar sold at an affordable cost. Made with organic ingredients. Free of trans fats, refined sugars, high fructose corn syrupand preservatives. And prepared fresh daily through cold processing!

When I first communicated with Organic Food Bar, I was interested in learning more about the Active Greens and Omega-3 Flax bars. The names just seemed so.... healthy? But Eric over at Organic Food Bar was convinced my readers and I would fall in love with the One line, a low cost and all organic line of bars. Eric was right about one thing... a girl has to watch her wallet these days. These bars are only 86 cents when you buy a box of twelve (and only $1.19 if you buy them individually) online. When he told me they were gluten free, soy free, dairy free and peanut free... I KNEW I had to try them. I have friends with a number of allergies and if these were as amazing as they sounded, I would have to tell the world!

Lucky for me, the happy taste tester, and all of my amazing readers, the One Organic Food Bars are worthy of gracing the screen of Uncovering Food. Although don't create too big a demand, because this girl still wants to be able to get her hands on some of them!

Raspberry Muffin Crunch

Okay so while the first picture on the blog is one I took, I loved how the graphics on the company web site included the ingredients that go into the bar! The Raspberry Muffin Crunch was my favorite all around bar. It was sweet without being too sweet. The raspberry pieces just popped in my mouth and combined with the organic non-glutton cereals and granola, it was the perfect texture. The bar consistency was firm but soft, creating a satisfying mini meal and a perfect pre-workout snack. Did I mention it has 500mg of Omega Threes and is Vegan? When reviewing my notes, the first thing written in caps across the top of the page was: YUM!!!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Raspberry Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Raspberries, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Crispy Brown Rice) Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Flax, Organic Acacia Fiber and Organic Freeze Dried Raspberry Juice.

Nutritional Information: 180 calories/4.5 grams fat/3 grams fiber/5 grams protein

Chocolate Macaroon Crunch

Coconut lovers beware! The Chocolate Macaroon Crunch Bar is full of this fabulous ingredient! Complete with more probiotics than a serving of yogurt, this bar was my second favorite of the line. Every mouthful was chocolate and coconut. I felt like I was being so bad! It was definitely more cookie like, which was good when I was looking for something to enjoy with a good cup of Teavana Earl Grey Creme tea for afternoon tea time. It is also very filling for a bar. After enjoying it with my tea, I wasn't hungry for hours!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Coconut, Organic Coconut Almond Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Barley Flakes, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Almonds, Organic Coconut, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Sunflower Seeds) Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Chocolate Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter), Organic Acacia Fiber and Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086.

Nutritional Information: 210 calories/10 grams fat/6 grams fiber/2 grams protein

Blueberry Muffin Crunch

Another quality bar in the line, the Blueberry Muffin Crunch Bar also boasts heart healthy Omega 3s. This was my least favorite in the line, as it was definitely sweeter than the raspberry bar with less pop from the fruit. The bar does have a nuttier texture though which I enjoyed and savored. When I say it was least favorite, let me be clear that I would still buy and eat these Vegan babies. The texture is a bit chewier (although I did get a couple larger chunks of almonds - yum!) and the bar was a bit darker in color from the blueberries. However it also left me satiated and with a fresh burst of energy!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Ingredients: Organic Blueberry Almond Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Organic Raisins, Organic Apples, Organic Almonds, Organic Oat Bran, Organic Blueberries, Organic Sunflower Seeds) Organic Rice Syrup, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Millet, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Bio Sprouts^TM - Flax, Organic Acacia Fiber and Organic Freeze Dried Blueberry Juice.

Nutritional Information: 180 calories/4.5 grams fat/6 grams fiber/3 grams protein

Morning Delight! Honeyville Steel Cut Oats and Freeze Dried Berries

I am a breakfast girl. I need food in my stomach within an hour of getting up or I am out of whack for the day.

I am also not a morning person. I like to sleep as LATE as possible. In fact this morning, I found out I was a "sleep snoozer". I have been told this is what someone who hits the snooze button in their sleep is called. Which I did so many times this morning, I missed my run!

Luckily, I had made breakfast last night! And it was still delicious this morning.

Oatmeal has been all the rage for blogging foodies. But most people like the convenience of quick cooking rolled oatmeal. Which is understandable if you have a need for speed. But let me take a couple minutes to try and convert you to something that takes a little more preparation but is well worth the wait (and can be prepped ahead of time!):

Steel Cut Oatmeal!!!

The fine folks at Honeyville allowed me to opportunity to sample their Steel Cut Oatmeal as well as their Freeze Dried Strawberries and Freeze Dried Blueberries. I was excited to try out something new from a family owned company with a longstanding reputation for working with restaurants around the country. What does that mean for an individual consumer? Their online store is fantastically inexpensive! And if you have a larger family or big event, the bulk ordering is also a great deal! Not to mention the inexpensive shipping cost.

But enough about how awesome the company is and how great the prices are. Let's talk about taste!

I started by preparing two cups of steel cut oatmeal (8 servings) in twelve cups of boiling water. The process took approximately 45 minutes, but aside from stirring, was really easy. It cooks up to somewhere around a cup a serving cooked. The reason for prepping a larger batch was so I could portion it out for later.
The oatmeal itself is extra creamy and smooth with bites of whole oatmeal. I feel healthier eating it but also more satisfied. It not only filled me up this morning but kept me full for the couple hours before I got my caffine fix. It is high in fiber and protein which helps make it so filling. I wanted more for lunch but alas I didn't bring any to school!

When I preportioned the cooked oatmeal, I took a couple of servings and mixed in 1/4 cup of strawberries or 1/4 cup of blueberries. The strawberries are slices that are also great for munching (guess what is going in my carry-on for next week's championships!) and the blueberries are large and whole. Both are crispy and full of flavor. Did I mention how low in calories they are?
Back to the oatmeal. Adding the fruit in was the idea of Chris over at Honeyville. His suggestion was fabulous! The creaminess of the oats and the natural sweetness of the strawberries made the perfect morning treat. As a child, I loved Strawberries and Cream instant oatmeal. This reminded of that... only ten times better because it wasn't overly sweet or full of chemicals.

I look forward to sleeping in and just popping my oatmeal in the micro each morning. Honeyville made a believer out of me that taking the extra time is worth it for flavor, nutrition and satiation.

Ingredients in Honeyville Steel Cut Oats: Whole Grain Oats

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup uncooked Honeyville Steel Cut Oats: 160 calories/3 grams of fat/5 grams of fiber/6 grams of protein

Ingredients in Honeyville Freeze Dried Strawberries: Strawberries

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup Honeyville Freeze Dried Strawberries: 15 calories/0 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/0 grams of protein

Ingredients in Honeyville Freeze Dried Blueberries: Blueberries

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup Honeyville Freeze Dried Blueberries: 30 calories/0 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/0 grams of protein

It's my birthday and I'll eat good chocolate if I want to! Chocolove review.

I turned 28 today, and what better way to celebrate then some fabulous sweets! I am going to review two Chocolove bars that I enjoyed this week. I will share some more Chocolove reviews over the next couple weeks as I savor each flavor! Today we will examine both a milk and a dark chocolate bar.

One of the awesome features of the Chocolove bars is that inside each wrapper is a love poem. What better gift to slip into that special someone's pocket than a high quality chocolate bar that expresses how you feel for them!

The Toffee & Almonds in Milk Chocolate was smooth and sweet, with a slight crispness from the toffee folded into the chocolate. As a dark chocolate fanatic, this was almost too sweet for my taste, however the high quality ingredients left me satisfied after only 1/2 of the small bar. I enjoyed the texture of the bar, the ingredients were blended together into one quality product. Although I don't normally buy milk chocolate, I would make an exception for this bar!

Ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, milk, cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), toffee (grade aa butter, sugar, almonds, soy lecithin, salt)

Nutritional Information per 1.3oz bar: 210 calories, 15 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein (5 points, but I was satisfied with half over a period of one day!)


Raspberries in Dark Chocolate is a 55% cocoa content bar with freeze dried raspberries in the bottom of the bar. The quality of the chocolate is smooth and rich, less sweet than the milk chocolate but still very satisfying for a sweet tooth. The raspberries provide a crunch to the bar without upping the sweetness factor. Instead, the berries add a tart bite to the bar that elevates the flavor to another level. You get to enjoy the sweet and tart tangents at the same time without either sensation overwhelming the other.

Ingredients: dark chocolate (cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), freeze dried raspberries

Nutritional Information per 1.2oz bar: 181 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein (4 points)