Friday favorites – 5 things I’m loving lately

Hi there!

Happy, happy, happy Friday!!!

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And Friday means it’s time for me to share some of my favorite!

I’ve got 5 things I’ve been loving lately – some new, some not new.

One.

Can we please talk about this yogurt?

Holy. Cow.

My Harris Teeter stopped carrying my Stonyfield Organic nonfat plain greek yogurt (I literally threw a tantrum in the store when I realized it wasn’t just out of stock) so I’d been eating Chobani nonfat plain.

And then, I tried this. I’ve tried the Fage 0% before but still preferred my Stonyfield Organic. This Total 2% though.

BY FAR the best tasting yogurt I’ve ever eaten.

Smooth, creamy, FULL of flavor. SOLD. It’s my new fave. 🙂

Two.

You know how much I love sweet taters and I’m all about the sweet tater chips but a RUFFLED sweet tater chip?!

*SWOON*

They have the perfect crunch, will stand up to a dip if you so chose, and are just plain delicious.

Nothing fancy – just sweet taters, a little bit of oil, and sea salt. The only danger is I want to EAT ALL THE CHIPS.

Three.

I’m like a kid at the fair with this stuff! Except, this stuff is so much better than what you get in those oversized, strangely shaped bags.

I can be guilty of mindless snacking so I’ve been measuring out a serving – 3 cups. It seems silly but it’s actually the perfect amount. At least that way, I won’t UN-consciously eat the entire bag in one sitting. 🙂

Four.

These little cups of yumminess. I love them so.

They come in packs of 6 and I go through at least a pack a week.

I prefer the spicy but they do come in mild. Perfect for snacking with tortilla chips or veggies, perfect for topping leftover chili, perfect for putting on an omelet in the morning, perfect for EVERYTHING!

Five.

First time I’ve tried these Applegate Naturals sausages and I must say, I’m impressed.

They have terrific flavor, don’t take any longer to cook than the Al Fresco sausages I was eating, and I can feel better about them because they are made from humanely raised chickens that aren’t fed any strange hormones or antibiotics.

I mean, I’m a red head – I don’t need any more strange hormones coursing through my body. 😉

Plus, I like that they’re frozen – the Al Fresco were refrigerated – so they last longer. I can feel better about buying more when they’re on sale. 🙂

Talk to me: What things have you been loving lately?

– jennifer

Tasty Tuesday – Crockpot Pork Tacos

Hello!

First things first.

Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served, those who are currently serving, and those who are preparing to serve. Thank you for all your sacrifices and selflessness.

And, all you military family members – spouses, children, parents, etc – deserve thanks and appreciation, too. I know how difficult it is to watch your loved one(s) go, often many, many miles away, and you’re left to keep things in order at home. That’s a whole different level of service. 🙂

My favorite sailors! 3 generations of service. 🙂

Now, it’s time for Tasty Tuesday!

Make sure you head over to Lena’s page and check out all the other Tasty Tuesday yumminess. Like Italian Wedding Soup. Yum! 🙂

This week, I bring you some comfort food that only requires a minimum amount of work.

Pork tacos!

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that roasting pork until it falls apart and tastes UH-mazing can take hours and hours and hours.

That’s why, if you haven’t already, you should most definitely invest in a crockpot!

It does all the work for you!

Pssst……Christmas is coming…..ask Santa to bring you one. 😉

You put this in the crockpot before you go to work, set the temp to low, and when you come home, you’ll have this!

Pork that’s so tender, it practically falls apart and into the tortillas on its own.

Top with whatever floats your boat.

Tomatoes or salsa, shredded cheddar, avocado or guac, lettuce, sour cream, etc, etc, etc.

Heat up some corn tortillas and dinner is served.

Crockpot Pork Tacos
serves about 8-10, depending on how many tacos each person eats

2-4 pound pork shoulder
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 whole jalapeño
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 (12oz) beer
Corn tortillas

1. Pierce pork roast in several spots and shove garlic clove pieces in roast. Sprinkle with oregano, thyme, and crushed red pepper and place in crockpot. Add jalapeño and beer; cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours until pork is tender.

2. Remove roast from crockpot, shred, and make tacos! OM NOM NOM!!

Talk to me: How many tacos can you eat?

– jennifer

Friday favorites!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

It’s Friday!!

Seriously, this week has been something else. I’m so looking forwarding to relaxing this weekend and enjoying a nice glass of wine. Or two. Don’t judge me.

So, today I want to share with you a few things I’ve been totally loving lately.

IN Refresh

Remember last week when I shared that I received some IN Refresh from Ignite Naturals to try?

I am totally loving this stuff!

I hit the Y yesterday for a treadmill workout and tried the Tangerine Passion Fruit flavor.

Ready to run!

So yummy!!

I feel refreshed and my thirst is quenched with this stuff. And, it doesn’t dry my mouth out like Gatorade and Powerade has a tendency to do. I’m pretty sweaty when I work out (okay, fine, I’m a mess but hey, it is what it is) and while water is fabulous, it doesn’t replace the electrolytes I lose – which, based on how much I sweat, is A LOT.

Oh, TMI? Sorry. Okay, fine, no I’m not. It’s a fact of my life. I can’t help it.

Anyway, IN Refresh helps replenish my electrolytes without making me want to drink a gallon of water after one sip. Which is how Gatorade makes me feel. When I run marathons, I’ll usually take the Gatorade AND a water starting around the mile 15 water stops. I sip a few sips of Gatorade but pound all of the water just so my mouth doesn’t feel dry. Of course, that doesn’t help me NOT want to stop and use the porta-potty but hey, at least my mouth doesn’t feel like the desert.

 Bare Minerals

my Bare Minerals starter set – just in case I couldn’t commit

Okay, so, I don’t wear a whole lot of make up. Mostly because I don’t like the way it feels on my face. My pores kinda like to breathe and covering them with a whole bunch of make up tends to prevent that. Plus, I have sensitive skin – as in, will break out and will also itch – so I can’t use a variety of products. I use Aveeno lotion because it doesn’t have any extra fragrances, etc. I’m also a HUGE proponent of sunscreen so I’m all about the SPF in a foundation or powder or whatever.

Anyway, I got a Sephora gift card for Christmas and finally went and checked it out.  The consultant was SUPER helpful and really listened to what I was telling her. Out of her suggestions, I decided to give the Bare Minerals a try. She said it was light and I liked that it wasn’t a liquid foundation – those can be difficult to blend if you’re a novice – and it had SPF! She matched my skin tone and put some on my face and I could immediately see a difference. I wasn’t “covered” but I looked “finished.” Does that even make sense? Anyway, I liked it a lot so I bought the starter kit. I really really like it!

Probably not the best lighting but hey, it was early and the sun was still sleeping. 🙂

Pecan Butter

Oh. Em. Gee.

This stuff is just amazing! I found some at the Wegman’s up near my folks’ house and bought a couple to try. It’s delicious! It’s smooth and creamy and so flippin’ good. And, of course, I can’t find any down here and we don’t have a Wegman’s so helloooo, Amazon! I also really love the individual serving sized packets – perfect for lunch boxes or purses or your pocket when you’re out hiking or walking or whatever. YUM!

Wholly Guacamole

I love guacamole. Like LOVE. It ranks right up there with nut butters in my book. And Wholly Guacamole makes some seriously awesome guacamole. Like it’s all real stuff – not like guacamole “dip” which doesn’t even have avocado in it. What the efff? When I eat guac, I want it to be real guac. Like I could have made it myself. And individual serving sized packets? Yes, please!!

I love both the original and the spicy but I tend to gravitate towards the spicy. Yes, I realize that I took a picture of the original. What of it? 😉 I put it on sandwiches, hot dogs, chilis, all sorts of stuff! I love the little cups for dipping veggies or tortilla chips into. And, if you like spicy stuff, you’ll probably enjoy their spicy guac…..makes me sweat a little. 🙂

Almond Pops

 

These things are so good. Lightly sweet and salty and 100% addictive! For some reason, the only place I can find them is TJ Maxx. ‘Splain that one to me – I got nothin’. But, I’m not sad about having to go to TJ Maxx to get more. Lots of fun stuff in that store! 😉

Talk to me: What are you loving lately? Any fun new finds?

– jennifer