Seasonal Flavors Fill the Air

Hi there!

First cocoa of the season--complete with puffy marshmallows

I don't know about you but I still get super excited for the holidays. As in, I listen to Christmas music in October and anxiously await Halloween since the next day holiday gear kicks in full-blast. That being said, be prepared for seasonal overload below!

Seasonal Flavors

Seasonal flavors such as pumpkin, gingerbread, and peppermint sneak their way into my daily eats. Lately, peppermint has come in the form of this new limited-edition flavored bar from Clif! Awhile back I saw on Twitter that Clif was sending out free samples of their new bar if you followed them. Being a loyal Clif fan, I jumped at the chance.

The bar actually came while we were on our honeymoon, but you'd better believe I was pretty excited to see it in my mailbox when we arrived home.

I taste-tested it this past weekend in between designing at Starbucks with Krystine and hitting up the gym for a sweaty elliptical ride while watching Wheel of Fortune (have I mentioned that I'm obsessed with that show? Andy and I may or may not watch it most evenings after work...)

At first I was surprised to see the bright red bits of peppermint flavor woven into the bar. I was not expecting this at all! These are definitely different than the Luna Chocolate Peppermint Stick bars that I love, but it was a good different! These bars seem to be more minty and more spot-on candy cane flavor. I love anything mint, so this was definitely right up my alley.

I was actually really impressed and would definitely purchase these to enjoy throughout the holiday season. Now if only I could find the pumpkin and gingerbread varieties of these bars! I'm itching to try them before they're all snatched up for the holidays.

Holiday Baking
On Sunday afternoon, I headed down to my mom's house for the day since my dad was out of town and we wanted to get some seasonal baking under our belts. On the agenda: our annual granola and pumpkin white chocolate chip muffins!

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My mom actually came across the recipe for pumpkin white chocolate chip muffins over on Pinterest! I was so impressed!

We immediately started making them after reading through the recipe--the batter smelled so good! Pumpkin and cinnamon filled the air! I wasn't sure if I would like the addition of the white chocolate chips since I'm not a huge white chocolate fan, but in the end it turned out to be a great flavor complement to the pumpkin.

After mixing all of the ingredients, off to the oven they went! About twenty minutes later, we had a dozen delicious muffins--and you'd better believe we sampled one right away! 

After having another one this morning for breakfast, I've come to the conclusion that I like them better when they aren't warm from the oven, but either way--they're so good! 

Next up on our baking agenda: homemade granola! My mom and I make this granola together every year as a tradition. We also make homemade Chex mix but we didn't get to that this weekend--we decided to save it for a day when Andrea could make it with us, since she enjoys it just as much! 

Each year we switch up the ingredients just a little bit, but overall, we stick to the same tried and true recipe. This year's new addition was a swirl of real maple syrup for some extra sweetness. Also into the mixing bowl went oats, honey, cinnamon, brown sugar, oil, coconut, and sliced almonds. 

We stirred it all up before pouring it onto a cookie sheet to bake in the oven--stirring at regular intervals until it was golden and crunchy! After it cools, we always add mini dark chocolate chips to finish it off! It's great in yogurt or eaten as cereal, but I prefer it plain as a snack--it's got the perfect amount of crunch, texture, and sweetness! 

I was also super excited when I found out that my mom had Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea in her cupboard! You know I stocked up upon leaving her house. For those that were asking about it, I usually get it at my local grocery store, but my mom said she found it at a Wal-Mart Superstore.

I'll have to find a box of my own sometime soon to add to my snack drawer in my desk at work. This drawer of snacks has saved my butt more than a few times when I've forgotten my lunch bag on my kitchen counter in the morning. 

I almost always have the following in my snack drawer:

• Candy
• Peanut Butter
• Granola (to add to my yogurt)
• Varieties of tea (our office is so cold all year round!)
• Clif-Z bars
• Luna bars
• Dry cereal
• Drink mixes (Pure by Crystal Light, etc.)
• Microwave popcorn
• Instant oatmeal
• Snack crackers like Kashi or Goldfish
• Can of soup

It's great for if I find myself needing something in the afternoon or if I'm in a pinch and don't bring a lunch for the day!

Speaking of work, it's time to head out for the day. I'm excited because I'm meeting up with Kaaren after work! We're headed to one of my favorite places--and no, it's not Starbucks this time! 

I promise honeymoon recaps will be coming soon...I'm still in the process of sorting through hundreds of images from that week.

Have you been able to find the seasonal flavors of Clif bars?

Do you like white chocolate?

What's in your snack drawer?

Let's Talk in Tangents, Okay?

Good morning, friends!

Fall is here! 

So far The Shack is pretty good!

Hope you are doing well on this mid-week marker! I'm super excited for this week to fly by because this Saturday is my bachelorette party with my friends! Since the whole "let's bar hop and be super obnoxious" isn't really my thing, Andrea is throwing a "girl's night" themed party at my place instead. It'll be great to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen for awhile--some since college.

So, I just got all excited because I thought I heard thunder, and when I looked out my window, I realized it was my neighbor rolling his trash bin down to the curb...killjoy.

Is it sad that I get more excited about the food photography and design/layout of Target mailers than I do about the coupons that are inside? Either way, I always save these mailers in my inspiration file. Speaking of which, I'll have to do a post on that sometime in the future--I keep a filing system of design ideas that I've come across over the years. It's a great resource when you're stuck on a project and need a fresh idea!

A thank-you card I drew for my mother-in-law after she showered me with a ton of gifts a few weeks ago. I'm so excited to be using my new kitchen gadgets! Now if only she'll share her recipe for pumpkin bread...that stuff is so delicious!

My mom and I always grab a free Starbucks coffee after trading in the empty bags whenever we run errands! This past weekend we added a pump of Pumpkin Spice syrup into them and it sure was delicious for a chilly fall morning!

We were on a mission to figure out the wedding table centerpieces and the wedding cake! We left rather inspired and hope to go flower shopping within the next week or so to get that item checked off of the wedding to-do list.

Car snacks en route to my bridal shower. A string cheese was also consumed along the way.

Reading blogs on my mom's phone during the ride--it made the time fly by! Now I just need to get my hands on a smart phone!

Pumpkin bread and some pretty flowers that are adorning my kitchen counter this week! 

Finally took 5 minutes to clean out my purse--makes for a less stressful day since I don't have to dig around for everything. It's funny how my phone always seems to sneak to the bottom of my purse--it makes it hard to find when it rings! To see what I keep in my purse, you may read about it here.

Mid-afternoon snack before getting my tires rotated and hitting up the grocery store!

What in the world?!

Last night's dinner: Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper + Tomato soup and a side of multigrain bread. I just love soups on cold nights...this was my first time trying this soup and I loved it--I'll definitely be picking this up again soon.

I also picked this up at TJ's...I wasn't sure what to expect from it...it's dairy-free and I didn't realize that until after I got home. I guess that's what sorbet means...? 

However, it was actually really good! It tasted like a fudge bar (remember those from when you were a kid?!) and is just slightly less creamy than regular ice cream. It also has a very strong dark chocolate flavor--mmm, it definitely hit the spot! 

Dippin' Ketchup

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While riding the elliptical the other day at the gym, I saw this new product being introduced on the evening news and I was intrigued. Heinz just launched new ketchup packets that you can either dip your food into or you can tear the opposite end and squeeze it onto your food or plate. How nifty! Have you seen these at fast food places yet?

Ever had dairy-free "ice cream"?
Have you seen or tried the new ketchup packets?
Favorite thing to put ketchup on? Sweet potato fries for me!

The Great Minnesota Get Together

Hi guys!

Thanks for all of the support with moving and everything! It feels good to finally take a break and sit down! Oofta it was a busy weekend!

I'd have to say, the one thing I will miss the most about my old place is the view! Well, and Sanity Island...

My favorite month is almost here!

However, our new house features a brighter kitchen (yeah blogging benefits!) and I can't wait to be able to shoot things inside rather than have everything be out on the deck. Especially now that cooler weather is on its way!

Blogging While Moving
Right now I'm blogging at 9:30pm from the couch of my old condo. Empty boxes are everywhere. My fridge is completely empty except for 5 eggs, one slice of cheese, sour cream, and half and half.

As for our new place, everything is still in the boxes--sitting all over the dining room, living room, staircase, kitchen counters, and bedrooms. Awesome.

I hope I can find my toothbrush in the morning.

And so...back to where I left off. It's now 9:32pm and I'm making sweet potato fries in the oven while I just realized all of my potholders are at the new house. This is going to be interesting.

MN State Fair
This past weekend, we went to the Minnesota State Fair with Andy's brother and his wife, along with two of their friends. The day was perfect weather and it was really fun to spend time with Tory and Casey, plus two new friends--Becky and Matt!

However, let me tell you one little secret.

I don't like the fair.

I bring my own food to the fair just in case

In fact, I never went to the fair until my freshman year of college, and it poured the whole time I was there. I don't do well with crowds, humidity, and spending boatloads of cash on unhealthy food. And that, my friends, basically sums up the fair. Andy, on the other hand, loves the fair.

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And, I love Andy a million times more than I dislike the fair, so every year I go with him because let's face it...he does a LOT for me. Like helping me move, staying up late to help me finish things, and doing things that he probably doesn't want to do, such as watching movies like "The Last Song" with Miley Cyrus.

I don't know why, but the phrase "unlimited milk" makes me gag. I feel like drinking unlimited milk would just make me feel so sick...

However, the Minnesota State Fair is the thing to do here. Everyone talks about it all summer long. Every radio station broadcasts at the fair for the entire 12 days. The end of August revolves around Sweet Martha's cookies and all the milk you can drink.

Browsing through the new IKEA catalog for decorating ideas.

So, to get my day off to a good start, I hit up the gym before the fair festivities. It felt great to get an intense strength-training session in before heading to the fairgrounds.

My gym just put in a brand new water fountain that has a spot to fill your waterbottle rather than trying to aim the stream of water into your bottle. 

The little yellow screen in the upper right hand corner shows how much water is saved or something. Pretty high tech!

As soon as we got to the fair, I actually had a lot of fun and was glad I went. There are always tons of new things to see and lots of foods to try!

Right when we walked through the gate, we came across a booth for Ocean Spray. I sampled a fizzy cranberry juice and a cranberry + lime juice--both were really good! 

The "bog" from the commercials. Naturally, I picked out a cranberry to see what they really looked like.

First food item for our group--mini donuts! 

I'm not a fan of mini donuts, so I passed on these--saving room for other things!

However, I was totally amused by the little conveyor belt that these little guys were cooked on. They all scooted up the belt and into the bags! 

Funky new fireplaces on display

Then, we stumbled across Mr. Bubble's 50th birthday party! 

They had this huge bubble blaster that shot out tons of foamy bubbles for kids to play in.

I bet the parents loved walking around the fair with their sticky, sudsy children after this romp through the bubbles...

Next up...some sweet new cars! We signed up to win a new one...cross your fingers!

Ohhh yeah!

Aren't these the cutest things ever? I want the little lollipop girl to come home with me

Awww

They had an area that was covered in bits of tire pieces that you could walk on. I tried jumping on it but it wasn't very bouncy. Killjoy. Andy somehow lost a leg in the process...

The trolley! Whenever I see these, I always think of Mr. Rogers!

CUTEST exhibit ever. Last year I made Andy go in it with me; however, since we were with friends this year, I just took pictures from the outside instead.

Pick me!

And now onto some fair day eats:

Andy's favorite--cheese curds!

Frozen grapes--these were so good!

Smurf flavored gelato! We didn't get this but I found it pretty funny.

My veggie sub for lunch

Fresh, juicy pineapple

Andy's pina colada! It was so good! My pineapple in the photo above actually came from the guts of his drink!

It's always fun to try new things at the fair since many of the items can only be found there once a year. 

Alright, off to work, then unpacking and hopefully moving some furniture tonight! 

Do you like fairs?

Ever tried frozen grapes? If not, what's your favorite frozen fruit?

What would be your dream car?