Foodie Friday: Feline Edition ~ TGIF Brunch

TGIF! April Showers with a Chance of … Scrambled Eggs ✌

From ☼sunny☼ to stormy, I’m honestly relieved to sleep in on this rainy day because we all need downtime (something that I took for granted and recently realized is a necessity in order to thrive and survive).

Before I made myself this brunch:

Grilled Cheese Garlic French / Texas Toast: French Toast with egg wash (Almond Breeze Coconut Milk blend with cage free egg scrambled) * grilled cheese (Kraft Colby Jack marbled Big Slice) * garlic garnish (McCormick Perfect Pinch Garlic & Herb) for Texas Toast

♪Gotta have coffee♫ … I dig those days when I’m can drink from my mug at home instead of taking my tumbler on-the-go!

I also fixed my family theirs:

Chill cats waiting patiently with anticipation of good grub …

Breakfast of Champions: Meow Mix Soufflés “with REAL Chicken, Egg and Garden Vegetables”

Sharing is a skill!

Simple and Savory is the Flavor of this Friday!

Final note: good thing that we chowed down our hearty meals before the heavy hail hit! I saw our neighbor cat sprint across the front yard to safe shelter!

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

Chocolate + Nuts = Buttered Bliss!

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

Nutella: The Original Hazelnut Spread ®

Jif Mocha Cappuccino Flavored Hazelnut Spread

Jif Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread

Barefoot & Chocolate ♡ Almond Coconut

Barefoot & Chocolate™ Almond Coconut Chocolate Spread

Honorable Mentions

Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter

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

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

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!

🙂

Grub Glory! Eat Happy!

Happy Hump Day the Healthy Pretty Fit Way!

Today, I’ll feature food, as a perk to my freelance writing.

When I visited AM Donuts, I was pleased to photograph around the storefront and bakery, as well as to try the main menu items that I intended:

AM Donuts‘ Bubble Tea & Maple Bacon Bar

The added bonus was that the owner packed his personal favorites for me to take home!

AM Donuts & Croissants Care Package, including *exclusive* Cherry Chocolate Fritter & Red Velvet Cake Donut

Then, when I covered the Claudie C. Royals Banquet on Claudie C. Royals Day, I chowed down even more!

Claudie C. Royals Banquet Main Course & Sides + Beverage: Lasagna, Fried Chicken, Corn, Salad, Sweet Tea

Claudie C. Royals Banquet Desserts: Special Strawberry Shortcake Banana Nut Pudding, Lemon & Chocolate Nut Cupcakes, Chocolate Sugar-Dusted Brownies

Today, I wrote about how I ate healthy a week ago then rewarded myself the next day in What I Ate Wednesday and Thursday. 

Pretty Fit Elaine‘s Chunky Monkey Sweet & Spicy Soft Serve Ice Cream

Moral of this story:

A good day can lead into another one!

And because I love y’all so much, here’s  how I packed my sweets for the sweet from the sweet on VDay ♥

Valentine’s Day 2014 ♥ Banana LOVE Berry Much Abunch

Now that I’ve gone bananas with good grub and am armed with study food, I’ll get back to working on my dissertation…

3:33 ~ make a wish!!!