I had PB&J and Coconut Cream Pie Lärabars this past weekend, and they were so delicious that I acquired three more flavors to try in the days following. Go big or go home, right?

P.S. Have you guys been following Walmart’s burgeoning relationship with Monsanto? It’s interesting and scary and gross.

P.S.S. Would you believe me if I said those weren’t my Cheetos in the first picture? They really weren’t.

Enjoy the holiday weekend, and wear something green if you dislike being pinched.

Does anyone like being pinched?

Somehow I’ve been successful at avoiding Luna Bars lately, but a girl still needs a midday snack every once in a while…right?

That’s where Larabars come in.  I’ve only ever tried one or two varieties, but I seem to remember not hating them. Also, they’d probably be right at home in my snack bar shaped pocket inside my schoolbag.

How do you feel about Larabars? If you’re a fan, then do you have a favorite flavor?

The blueberry muffin one is kind of calling my name.

You guys have the dreamiest weekend, you hear? I’m going to a baby shower for one of my very best friends, and I just know it will be a good time.

Did you know that the benefits of cranberries are significantly weakened when the fruit is mixed with sugar? Talk about a letdown. After reading the sad news, I was determined to make a sugar-free cranberry snack. I will not be deprived of the phytonutrients I deserve!

Initially I tried just eating the berries raw, but they were seriously too tart to be enjoyable. So last night, with the help of my sweet mom, I made a batch of homemade cranberry stevia lemonade using a recipe for cranberry juice I found. We left out the cinnamon, replaced the sugar with stevia, and added the juice of one lemon. The finished product was thick, tart, and absolutely delicious. My mom wasn’t a fan, but she also doesn’t like dark chocolate so she might be a crazy person.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend. Here we come, 2012!

You guys might not know this about me, but until last night I had never tried brussels sprouts. I’m not an especially picky eater; I might even call myself an adventurous eater…so I’m not sure what took me so long. I knew I had to take the plunge when I saw a recipe on Pink Basil for roasted brussels sprout salad, and I knew I must do so immediately when I realized we had all the necessary ingredients aside from brussels sprouts. The day after picking a pound of those bad boys up, Kirby and I proceeded to prepare one of the tastiest salads I’ve ever eaten (as well as some pretty delicious pasta and bread).

Also, I love that brussels sprouts are baby-sized wild cabbage. Is there anything cuter that isn’t a tiny animal? I doubt it.

And now, a mostly unrelated question- Have you ladies ever stopped to consider the eating habits of the guys in your life? I’m hard pressed to come up with a single male I know who has (what I’d consider to be) a healthy diet. Kirby and I took two separate trips to the grocery store a couple of days ago. He came home with potato chips and zap’ems (those are off brand pizza rolls; you probably didn’t know that if you have any class). I came home with brussels sprouts, a Bolthouse Farms fruit smoothie, and a baguette (hfcs free, y’all). Now I know bread wasn’t the wisest choice I could’ve made, but I think my other two purchases were pretty solid ones. I can’t say the same for any of his, and most of the males I know eat with this same blatant disregard for sensible restraint. The women I know are, for the most part, more devoted to eating smart. Maybe this is why we tend to live longer.

P.S. Hopefully you guys will find the following article as interesting as I did. I’m looking forward to eating eggs at night for the rest of forever (just kidding, kind of):

8 Healthy Eating Myths Debunked

WEEKEND! I’m off to find the fanciest Christmas sweater in Lake Charles.

Kirby, Danielle, and I recently rediscovered the most delicious Greek restaurant in Lake Charles called Toga Grill, and I could probably eat it every day for the next ten years.  Falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, tabouli, and moussaka have all found a very special place in my heart. Move over, Mexican. You have some serious competition.

WEEKEND.

While on vacation in June, I found the above dog biscuits at T.J. Maxx for only 4 dollars. The ingredients and price were too good to pass up, so I bought them and brought them home as a present for Clementine and Winston (Actually, I think my mom paid for them on the condition that I would tell the dogs they were a gift from their grandmother. She also bought them some natural dry shampoo I’ll be reviewing in the near future. She’s sweet like that). Anyway, when I opened the box of treats to let the dogs try one or two, I was initially disappointed by how small they were. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I definitely thought they’d be bigger than dime-sized. The size actually worked out for the best, though. I can give Clem and Winston three or four of these little guys in a row without spoiling their dinner, and I think they kind of love getting more than one treat at a time. And since the treats are free of artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, it’s not even like I’m giving them junk food! Quite the contrary, actually. Oats and flax, two ingredients found in these treats, are actually good for dogs!

They’re my favorites.

Who doesn't love fruit strips?

Peach Frozen Yogurt and Kiwi might not be an ideal combination, but that didn't stop me from devouring it.

Making this tasty sangria was super easy! I just mixed a large bottle of dry Malbec, a cup of unbleached sugar, a sliced apple, a sliced orange, and a splash of lime juice.

Barbecue Soy Crisps & Pink Grapefruit Sparkling water are two of my new favorites.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this new (to me) flavor.

Don’t worry; I haven’t been surviving on frozen yogurt and sparkling water alone. I also had this salad:

Sprouts make any salad twice as awesome.

I brought my own snacks to the Harry Potter premiere last night, and I think it was a smart move.

By swapping

a large Coke

for

this Super Fruit Tea

I’ve managed to cut out the high fructose corn syrup completely and reduce my calorie intake by at least 150. As an added bonus, this super fruit tea provides 100% DV of both B12 and Vitamin C.

By trading

a medium buttered movie popcorn

for

these sea salt & black sesame wildrice crisps

I’ve successfully cut the fat in half  and added 12g of whole grain per serving!

By substituting

a box of Raisinets

with

this Iced Oatmeal Raisin Luna Bar

I’ve picked a snack with half the sugar and significant amounts of Vitamins A, B,C, E, and K. Did I mention there are also plenty of minerals and protein in this 70% organic bar?

The best part? These snacks cost a total of $6. Assuming the coke costs $4, the popcorn costs $5, and the raisinets cost $3 (and those are all very low estimates), I’ve totally halved the money I would’ve spent!

You guys have a great weekend. I’ll be at the beach next week with Kirby’s family, so I have another week of beach themed posts lined up!

Image Sources: Coke, Popcorn, Raisinets.

Beetroot Pesto Pasta + Salad w/ Homemade Balsamic*

Carrot, Spinach, Spring Mix, Onion, Garlic, Cranberry & Goat Cheese Vegetable Wrap

Curried Carrot Soup, Salad, and Blue Juice

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins**

Roly Poly's Tart Frozen Yogurt (Roly Yo) Covered in Granola & Blueberries

* Homemade Balsamic Recipe

**Zucchini Bread Recipe

Before I go, here are a few interesting food related articles.

• Just Because It’s Organic Doesn’t Mean It’s Healthy- I am occasionally guilty of buying a box of cookies made with organic flour/sugar and thinking all is well with the world. And there’s BPA in Amy’s canned foods?! I’m not big into canned anything, but that’s downright disappointing.
• Know Which Food is Genetically Modified- It’s possible that I’ve posted a link to a similar article before, but I still find this very interesting. It makes avoiding genetically modified food much easier.
• How to Stop Buying Palm Oil and Help Save the Orangutans- After I realized that my favorite peanut butter contained palm oil, I found a better alternative with fewer ingredients.

I was feeling a little snacky yesterday, so I did the reasonable thing and made a snack.  My ladybugs on a log are slightly more fancy than regular ol’ ants on a log because the celery is organic, the peanut butter is mixed with a little honey, and I used dried cranberries instead of raisins. Also, I just discovered Sweets & Beets Chips (made with, as you’d expect, sweet potato and beet chips), and they are so delicious. They’re the perfect balance between sweet and savory, and with vitamin A, fiber, and a full serving of vegetables per ounce…they are slightly less junk foodish than potato chips tend to be.

Speaking of food, here are a few food-related articles worth reading:

• 3 Easy Ways to Eat and Feel Healthier- I love any article that encourages eating nuts and avocados.
• 7 Mood-Improving Foods- I had no idea that casein can cause brain inflammation or that brain inflammation causes hostility!
• 3 New and Unusual Cancer-Fighters- By providing recipes that include horseradish, mustard, and wasabi, this article makes eating these cancer-fighting foods seem easy and tasty.

Have a great Mother’s Day weekend! I’m jealous of anyone who’s fortunate enough to be spending time with their family this weekend.