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Posts Tagged ‘coconut’

Foodie Friday: Battle of the Butters ~ What Does Your Favorite Spread Say About You?

In ♥ & Soul, Foodie Friday, Health, Home Sweet Home, Public Interest, Relationships, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Yours Truly on 04/11/2014 at 02:20

Chocolate + Nuts = Buttered Bliss!

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Don’t Mess with these Butters!

I’ve been a Nutella nut for several years (including since Kobe Bryant endorsed it before his infamous scandal that led Ferrero ~ yes, the same brand of the famous hazelnut truffle candy ~ to drop him), but do the other cocoa-based spreads out there also live up to the hype? I’ve taste-tested some of them to compare…

Stars of the Show

Ferrero Nutella Hazelnut Spread® with Skim Milk & Cocoa

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Nutella: The Original Hazelnut Spread ®

Jif Mocha Cappuccino Flavored Hazelnut Spread

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Jif Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread

Barefoot & Chocolate ♡ Almond Coconut

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Barefoot & Chocolate™ Almond Coconut Chocolate Spread

Honorable Mentions

Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter

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As my trainer has said about food, “It’s like Christmas!”

Organic Almond Butter *featured on my Pretty Fit WIMK segment*

Almond Butter

Uh-oh, the Original Hazelnut Spread® strikes again!

Any of these spreadable edibles work to top off toast, and the sky’s the limit on how to add them to main courses, desserts or snacks, such as Crepes, brownies and croissants.

Superlatives
Nutella: thickest consistency
Jif Mocha Cappuccino: sweetest flavor
B&C Almond Coconut: thinnest consistency

Other Butters
Cookie Butter: gritty nut alternative
Almond Butter: bland, crunchy

What do these super spreads say about your personality?

If your pick is…
Nutella: You’re conservative and conventional. You tend to stick with traditions and resist change.

Jif MC: You’re over-the-top and prefer to go all out, from the way you dress to how you plan.

B&C AC: You’re chill and mellow, meaning you go with the flow and play if by ear.

Cookie Butter: You’re unique and one-of-a-kind, as Jamie Foxx has sung “Unpredictable.”

Almond Butter: You’re nutty and quirky, but that’s all in the beauty and charm!

Food for thought, for your information:

Nutrition Facts

Spread (2tbs) Total Calories Total Fat (g) Total Carbs (g) Total Protein (g) Pros or Cons
Nutella 200 12 21 2 Con: 15mg Sodium; Pros: 4% Calcium, Iron
Jif MC HS 230 14 21 2 Cons: <5g Cholesterol, 40g Sodium; Pro: 6% Calcium, Iron
B&C AC HS 200 13 16 3 Con: 10mg Sodium; Pros: 6% Calcium, 15% Iron
TJ’s Spec CB 180 12 16 <1 The recommended serving size is 1tbs, so I doubled the units, and they’re still less than the rest!
Almond Butter 180 16 7 5 Pros: 8% Calcium, 6% Iron, 4% Folate

I’ve concluded that I can’t compare apples to oranges. While each of these have similarities since they’re all spreads, tastes and textures vary.

Enjoy your weekend, and please comment with links to your photos or recipes of chocolicious or cookielicious or nutritious concoctions!

Happy Eating … But what’s better is adding more company to the mix!

Happy Eating + Meeting & Greeting!

🙂

Foodie Friday: Cuckoo for Cookies!

In Foodie Friday, Health, Home Sweet Home, Public Interest, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot on 04/04/2014 at 22:30

These cookies are coo-worthy for being both healthy and tasty! Let these nutritious and delicious photos speak to you, just as the cookies that appear in them called my name…

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Macaroons in Caramel Sea Salt by Hail Merry
* Gluten-Free, vegan
{I tried the Chocolate-flavored in my Welcome to My Kitchen on Pretty Fit}

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Grace’s Best Petite Sunflower Seed Cookies
* Bite-sized, light and crispy

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Flourless Chocolate Cookie from La Boulange of Starbucks
* Melt-in-your-mouth meringue

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What’s better than these cookies flying solo?

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Savoring a little bit together!

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Added Bonus: Top them on the Tiramisu Gelato that I featured last Foodie Friday!

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Nothing beats Cookies & Milk! Try this Almond Breeze Blend of Almond & Coconut Milk for a new nutty twist!

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CHEERS!!! Let’s clink our frosty mug of milk or fist cookie bump!

Beauty Tuesday Review: Hair Care Tips from Root to Tip

In ♥ & Soul, Beauty Tuesday, Community, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Sports, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 03/25/2014 at 17:30

I go BANANAS for apples and coconut… for my hair!

Let’s feed our body,  from the inside out.

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Here’s where I got apple happy on Pretty Fit Way

As I’ve told you in my debut Beauty Tuesday Review, I prefer products that stimulate the senses, including scent!

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What’s in my shower today? Stake off the flakes with this Head & Shoulders 2-in-1 Shampoo + Conditioner in Green Apple

Therefore, ridding of itch and irritation doesn’t have to smell like chemicals!

Before I lather up, I apply this to my hair…

Coco Oil

Coconut Oil can “condition my color-treated hair and moisturize my skin” ~ Welcome to My Kitchen

While I say the Pretty Fit Way must practiced from the inside out, coconut oil

makes a great alternative in lieu of more fattening oils ~ WIMK

More Mane Management Tips from root to tip:

  • Massage your head ~ to stimulate scalp for hair growth, as well as to soothe the brain for headache prevention (I swear by these, in particular from my student, a licensed massage therapist)
  • Treat wet hair gently ~ no harsh brushing that would lead it to damage (I showed my shower combs in last week’s Beauty Tuesday segment)
  • DON’T wash hair every single day ~ frequent washing can strip your hair from its natural oils
  • DO wash hair after extended exposure outdoors ~ for allergy prevention (from mold and other muck in the air)
  • Use Dry or Waterless Shampoo when water’s not available ~ to keep hair fresh (like my recommendation in my Beauty Tuesday debut)

More B-U-T-ful Asia Fantasia from her Birthday Festivities

  • Outfits of the Day

#OOTD ~ Ring in #Spring into a fling of bling the time of year to #cheer w/ pops of #bright #pastels + #mix &#match #prints & #patterns#LBD + #houndstooth & complimentary hues … #KardashianKollection#LittleBlackDress #SweaterDress w/ subtle #PolkaDot#LaceOverlay & #blazer + #Express #abstract#SilkScarf + #Coach #PopC #suede#SignatureHandbag + #Toms #wedges #KK#BlackAndWhite + #YellowGreenBlue 👗👜👡 

#OOTD #HelloKitty for ASIA’s #Birthday + #Bows &#Denim ~ #Sanrio #Britannica #CutOutShoulderTop •#GAP #vintage #ALineSkirt • #Coach #handbag • #red#wedges | #gold #crystal #jewelry • #YellowGold#WhiteGold #RoseGold #sparkler #rings • #bow#TwoToned #earrings • #necklace #cat #pendant#GoldChain 🐈🐈🎀👠👜💍

  • Faces of the Day
 
#PutYourBestFaceForward #SelfieSunday ~ Put my#GameFace on as I’m about to #proclaim #GOD‘s#word @ #Church & #speak from the #heart w/ #UpDo#PinnedUp #braids #HighlightedBangs + ring in #Springinto a fling of bling the time of year to #cheer w/ pops of#bright #pastels + #prints & #patterns#LBD & complimentary hues … #KardashianKollection#LittleBlackDress #SweaterDress w/ subtle #PolkaDot#LaceOverlay & #blazer + #Express #abstract#SilkScarf #YellowGreenBlue 👗🎤📖💒
#PutYourBestFaceForward #HelloKitty for ASIA’s#Birthday ~ #Sanrio #Britannica #CutOutShoulder |#red #lips from #ArdencyInn #Modster#LongPlaySuperchargedLipColor #lipstick in #LoveCat • M•A•C #CremeStickPearlLiner #CranApple #lipliner •#MAC #Serenely #BeautyPowderBlush • #PlushLash#PlushBlack #mascara #creme #pearl #liner #Beauty#Powder #Blush #cat #necklace 🐈🐈🎀👛💄

Stay beaYOUtiful in your life’s work.
I’ll do the same as I keep calm and study on with my dissertation plus keep calm and snap on with my photography gig!