Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tart | Review

It's that time of year again when everything is becoming pumpkin flavored!!
When me and Mom went shopping the other day I couldn't get over how much stuff is 'fall themed' between Pepperidge Farms Pumpkin Milanos, Belvita Pumpkin Spice Bisctuis, Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts, all the candy, cereals are even going fall themed.
I want to try everything, but I don't think I'd enjoy the waistline that would go along with it all. I'm carefully using some serious self control on how much of it all I buy. It wouldn't be so tempting if all the packaging wasn't so colorful and bright. Those darn marketers know how to catch people with their fancy packaging.

With trying to limit myself to 1 fall themed thing a week I chose the Pumpkin Pie PopTarts. They come in the big 8 pack box.

Upon opening the silver package you get the instant smell of pumpkin pie. It tastes exactly like pumpkin pie, too! Pumpkin pie is my absolute favorite part of fall (preferably without the cinnamon). Just the smell of it makes me hungry.











The filling looks like they stuck pumpkin pie into the center of the pastry. And the icing adds that perfect amount of sweetness and bit of crunch from the sugar sprinkles. The Pop-Tart crust acts like a crust for the pie, tasting almost exactly similar. The pumpkin filling has that nice fall-spice taste to it that makes you want to curl up in a blanket with a nice warm cup of tea on a rainy day.
These are delicious!

  Obviously these aren't the healthiest things on the block, but they are good in a pinch for a treat if you can't wait for the real thing!



Cost: $3.58
























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Favorites on Friday | 9.11.15

Hola mi gusta!

It's Friday! Don't you love Fridays? Believe it or not, Tuesday's are my favorite. Strange? Probably.

In spirit of it being Friday I thought I'd do a Favorites post because it's been such a long time since the last one.




1.  The Vampire Diaries


OH MY GOSH it's one of the best TV shows in existence. My friend Nicole recommended for me to watch it and I've finally got around to doing so. I kept putting it off afraid that it would be really good, and guess what? It is! This past week I've been watching it on Netflix and I'm on Season 5, episode 16 as of the moment and I'm seriously dreading the end of it. It's not allowed to stop.

2. Breakfast.

This turned into being one of those unexpected favorites. Lately I've been having breakfast outside on the porch early in the morning and it's just been so peaceful, and blissful.
My favorite combos have been:

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Muesli w/ 1 banana sliced, and 1/2c of Light Vanilla Silk Almond Milk

   1c Corn Flakes w/ 1 banana sliced, and 1/2c Light Vanilla Almond Milk.












The last one, that I don't currently have a picture readily available is Strawberry Low-Fat yogurt, with either cereal/granola, chia seeds, milled flax seeds, and some sort of frozen fruit - particularly frozen dark cherries or pineapple. Delicious! I don't know what I'm gonna do during the winter. Cold breakfast will be the last thing on the list.



3. Baking

My brother put me in charge of baking his wedding cake and cupcakes for his and his fiance's wedding, and  I'm absolutely loving the excuse to be baking things like crazy again! Plus I'm getting to make things I haven't really done before, like two-tone icing, a dark chocolate cake-ah! I'm so excited. Things are coming along great!
The baking isles have been the most exciting thing lately. It's dangerous in that isle considering my wallet doesn't come with free refills...

4. Lastly, working out.

It feels like it's been a long time since I've had a decent workout, and it's pleasing to say that this week has been a success! It wasn't the best, but it was great. It's nice when you don't feel like you're treading through water the entire time.

I hope you're having a good week! Do you have any favorites?

Eating Fruit Loops For The First Time!

Before you think I was some deprived child growing up, that's not true. I actually had Fruit Loops a lot, it was one of my favorite cereals.
Obviously if you've noticed the theme of gluten free foods on my blog, you'd know of course, that I eat gluten free. I've ate gluten free for a little over two years.

The reason I went gluten free is because I was (and still am) having stomach issues where it seemed like everything I ate was giving me a stomach ache. I got to the point where I was only eating bagels and english muffins (which by the way, is not good for the waistline, don't make that mistake). My mom suggested after hearing on of her college friends going gluten free for the same reason, and it working for her, that I should give it a go. So I did.
Two years later, I'M STILL HURTING.

I can't tell if the pain is worse, or less, or more often, or less. The time between now and then are too far apart to compare it. All I know is that it still hurts.

Last Friday I came to the decision to stop eating gluten free strictly, which is actually pretty scary to think of. The reasons being because of my stomach still hurting, and I'm just not happy eating it strictly. [Avegers cereal? HELLO!!] This doesn't mean I'm gonna stop eating gluten free foods because that's just silly when I like some of them. I'm gonna try hard to keep healthy though, which is gonna be hard cause I'm excited to eat cereal, crackers, Poptarts, and Chex Mix.


I just wanted to point something out. Especially to those who can't choose if they eat gluten free or not. I haven't ate sugary cereal in 4+ years, not even Fruity Pebbles (okay, I may have got two boxes in the time frame, but mind you I threw one out [after it was half eaten] after realizing how sickly sweet it is, and looking at the ingredients. Did you know Yellow Dye is one of the worst/toxic things you can eat? It's made out of tar!). I figured one of the best ways to transition back was to start with cereal because I could control the amount, eating small bits of gluten and building it up so I wouldn't freak my system out. And Mom got me those single serve boxes of Kellogg's cereal. Fruit Loops being one of my former favorites, I figured I'd start there.
I opened the box, pouring a few pieces into my bowl, grabbed a piece, chewed, and was so confused. It tastes nothing like I remember. I was kind of disappointed. It was so sugary, and it left a funny after taste. It was just so unexpected.

I just wanted to point out that as frustrating as it can be not to be able to eat it, you really aren't really missing anything!

Once my system is used to gluten I'm gonna try and stay away from white flour and that (after I get the idea out of my mind that I'm gonna try one of every cereal, Chex Mix, and Pop Tart I can get my hands on [that doesn't have peanut butter or cinnamon, of course]).


On top of all this though. I am really striving to be healthy, getting in fruits and vegetables before a piece of chocolate or some ice cream. The 'natural' cereals over the not-so-natural probably with a a ton of GMO's. But hey, life is too short not to treat yourself.

Healthy Vanilla Go-Gurt Smoothie Recipe

1 Banana

1/2c Frozen Strawberry & Banana Pieces

1/2 packet Vanilla Carnation Breakfast Essentials

1tbsp Chia Seeds

3/4c (roughly) Vanilla Almond Milk

2 Strawberry/Berry Smoothie Go-Gurts

Blend everything together and enjoy!

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey Book Review

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"After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up." -- Goodreads

I was pretty skeptical about reading this book. I've heard about, but I didn't hear enough to really know what it was about. All I knew is that the cover intrigued me.
After finally getting over my Sarah Dessen Hangover, I dove into this one, The 5th Wave.
It was hard to get through the first lump-sum of chapters, I thought it was a little slow, almost like it ran-on too much? Or rambled? AND THEN IT WAS AMAZING.
Oh my goodness. This book will be going on my shelf soon. There's action, a bit of romance, Cassie is a smart-butt some times making plenty of room for humor. Everything you could want in a book is here.
The idea of the aliens and the battling, and the tracking, is just so smart. I can't get over it.


Five stars!

Easy Gluten Free Multi-Grain Veggie Salad

1 bag of Minute Multi-Grain GF Medley

1c Spring Mix & Baby Spinach mix

1 6.5oz can of sliced mushrooms 

1 14.5 oz can of French style green beans (you could use a smaller can, this is all that was on hand and it was a little much for me.)

1tsp lemon pepper

1/2tbsp ketchup

Make rice according to directions, add vegetables, eat up!

3 servings - 1 serving facts - Without salad/ketchup. As far as I know Lemon Pepper doesn't have any calories.

A Healthy Breakfast | Strawberry Pineapple Probiotic Smoothie Bowl

This was my first attempt at a smoothie bowl and OH MY GOSH my life has changed.
The best part is that it's sooo healthy!

Smoothie:
1/2c Frozen Strawberry & Bananas (I used Dole)
1/2c Frozen Pineapple (Dole)
2 heaping spoonfulls of Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
1/4c Strawberry Kefir
2/3c Silk Coconut Milk
3/4tsp Chia Seeds

Toppings:
1tbsp Bob's Red Mill Milled Flax Seed
2tbsp Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Muesli
2tbsp Nature's Path Organic Honey Almond Granola

Blend everything together, pour into a bowl, add toppings. Enjoy outside on a nice lovely morning.