Ohhh Heyyyy Spring!

Posted on April 4, 2014 by kaprise

With the start of spring (please don’t snow again!!) I’ve been sorting through my things and organizing. With my running and work out stuff, I’ve been going through and wearing everyone once more to test if it is worth keeping or not.

For those of you who are into fitness, you are well aware of the struggle. Something might be absolutely amazing when you try it on in the store, and then you wear it to work out and it is a failure. I can’t tell you how many things I’ve purchased with great hopes, only to be horribly disappointed. There were those spandex that slid down my bum as I ran… or the shirt with the weird stitching that made me bleed… and of course the countless sports bras that seemed fine, only to be uncomfortable and awful.

However, on a whim I purchased a sports bra from Under Armour and it has surpassed my expectations in all sorts of ways. The straps are not as elastic and they cross slightly higher than I’m used to – however this has proven to be far more comfortable. The bras come with removable pads, which I like because I can still maintain shape and modesty in tighter tops. Most of all? I like that the bras come in actual bra sizes so you can actually buy a bra that is made for your size.

Check them out here: http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en/armour-bra

Crunchy Snack Time! (Reviews)

Posted on June 22, 2013 by kaprise

I’m a huge snack person. Until recently, I was really into chewy and sweet snacks – the kind that put your dentist’s kids through school. All through undergrad I ate jelly beans while I studied, and then through law school I ate gummy bears in the library. However, as I continue to slog through studying, I’ve been more and more attracted to crunchy and savory snacks. So. In light of that change, I’ve been sampling many different kinds of snacks. I really like potato chips. Like… REALLY like them, but since eating mounds of chips is really not too good for your waistline, I’ve been trying to find other delicious and more healthful things to snack on as a study.

Yesterday, I hit on two that I am completely infatuated with!

Turbana Plantain Chips, Lightly Salted – These plantain chips are super, duper thin and crunchy. They are GMO and gluten free. There are a variety of flavors, but this “lightly” salted package is really hitting the spot. Unlike other brands, these are in fact just lightly salted so you don’t walk away with puckered lips from the salt. I found these at a local health food store, but you can also order them online here: http://platanicious.elsstore.com/
Bakery On Main, Extreme Fruit and Nut Gluten Free Granola – I send a packet of this granola in a care package a week or so ago… and I couldn’t get it out of my head so I went back and purchased a bag for myself. I am SO SO thrilled that I did. It is delicious! My mother and I demolished the entire bag in one sitting… all 11 servings of it. It is crunchy and just lightly sweetened. There are a couple things to note: the granola smells mildly of faux maple syrup, contains canola oil, and contains “natural flavors, caramel color.” These aren’t a huge deterrent for me and I will continue to purchase this granola, but they may be of concern for others. The granola, while it does contain corn, is certified GMO free and Gluten and Wheat free. Since I’m not quite over my “sweet and chewy” phase, I added a handful of dried cherries to the mix and it was just perfect! This can be purchased online on Amazon.com and the official website is here: http://www.bakeryonmain.com/

I would definitely recommend both of these snacks for people who are trying to get away from potato chips and other unhealthy snacks. I am really enjoying both of these, so I hope you get a chance to try them also! What are the snacks you are into these days? What else should I try?

The Cold Brew Cacophony

Posted on May 31, 2013 by kaprise

For the past few years I’ve seen an increasingly large number of food posts harking the benefits of cold brewed coffee. The smoothness, the ease, the deliciousness… and you what to know what?

I DISAGREE.

I don’t drink coffee much. In fact, I made it through 3 years of boring, coma-inducing law lectures and I didn’t drink more than half a dozen cups. However, I can tell you what delicious coffee tastes like and it is NOT cold brewed.

Still, as a child of science (so many, many scientists in my family) I went about a quest for cold brew coffee this week. My kitchen counter was scattered with pitchers to soak ground coffee, coffee grounds, bags of good coffee, and filters. I made 3 batches of cold brew. Each, less satisfying than the last. I even froze coffee ice cubes to stir in so that no extra water would dilute my brew… and still. Nothing that knocked my socks off. The rich notes of caramel, dark chocolate, and that distinctly coffee flavor were just not present in my cold brews. I ended up with weak representations of coffee and nearly an entire bag of coffee gone for a few tepid sips of light caramel coffee. And… before you tell me I need to use more beans, I will tell you I did my research and I went about my cold brew in a methodical manner, and I am just not impressed.

So. This is my little discordant shout about cold brewed coffee… It’s just not all it’s cracked out to be.

I will tell you that my favorite method for good, strong, and delicious cold coffee is to French Press your favorite darkly roasted beans. Put it in a glass pitcher and chill it overnight. In the morning, pour out the amount you desire and shake it with cream (or milk, or condensed milk!) and enjoy. It’s the best way to get the darkly caramel-y coffee that is chilled and delicious. Throw some ice cubes in there on truly hot days.

Spinning Salad and Other Spinning

Posted on March 27, 2013 by kaprise

Recently, I’ve had a lot of “spinning” going on in my life. I recently fixed up a bike my sister gave me, and started biking. Unfortunately, every single time I try to get more of a work out in with the bike, I seem to run into problems. Flat tires, broken tire valves, broken air pumps, and getting the handle bars jammed inside my tiny car… my bike and I have been on the outs, but I’m hoping to solve this problem soon.

However, the one spinning thing that hasn’t been giving me any trouble is my salad spinner. I bought the OXO Good Grips Little Spinner. I found mine at HomeGoods, but you can buy these are Bed, Bath, and Beyond or other stores that have OXO products.

This spinner is much smaller than the conventional “salad” size and it fits exactly the amount I need to spin greens dry for lunch and dinner. I’ll be honest, I’ve been using my spinner to dry small fruit, any greens that I’ve washed, and plain salad greens. I love pushing on the little knob and watching everything whirl around.

I contemplated getting this salad spinner for several months, but I am so glad that I got it. It gives me great satisfaction to wash my greens and other vegetables and fruits… and this translates into a lot of vegetables and fruits in my diet. Good stuff.

I wanted to share that tidbit since my cooking has been pretty low key… Lots of leftovers recently!

Have a good Wednesday all!

xoxo – H

Chocolate Study Break

Posted on January 26, 2013 by kaprise

I was rolling around in bed thinking about studying, but then decided to take a drive to get gas and get some chocolate. I had originally only intended to purchase my NEW favorite Salazon Chocolate Co. bar – the dark chocolate with natural sea salt… but then I saw that the store had two other kinds of Salazon bars, so I bought those too! And two other new kinds of chocolate that I haven’t tried yet either. Anyway – I thought I’d run through the chocolates and what I thought of them for you guys! (long study break!)

First bar!

The Nirvana Organic Belgian Chocolate Bar. I chose the dark chocolate with sea salt and caramel bar. It’s pretty, isn’t it? Unfortunately, I wasn’t in love with the flavor. I expected the bar to be flecked with caramel and have a delicious saltiness… but when I bit into it the chocolate was simply a smooth chocolate bar. No flecks of caramel, no melty flakes of salt, nothing. So, I flipped the bar over, and AH HAH! There is no ingredient for caramel… but caramel “flavor.” What does that mean? While I am not in love with the flavor, I am positive it will be delicious baked into some almond scones. This was 3.5 ounces for $4.99. ($1.43/oz)

Next bar…. Chuao Chocolatier! I picked the honeycomb bar out of the bunch. The packaging is really pretty. It’s a thick plastic bag with the chocolate bar in it, unlike all the others that are paper and foil wrappings. Anyway, there is a whimsical drawing of honey comb and a little bee… totally sold me. The chocolate itself is filled with plenty of crispy pieces of honey flavored “candy.” This bar? Hit it out of the park. The chocolate is dark and has great depth. The flavor is spot on. It tastes perfectly of honey, and the crisp little bits taste just like what I imagine crystalized honeycomb should taste like. Added plus? The cheesy little blurb on the back of the bar from the founder of the company. Definitely on the “buy again” list… and I’ll be interested to check out the other kinds. I will note, this was the most expensive out of the bunch. Weighing in at 2.8 ounces, it cost $5.49. ($1.96/oz). (I did get $1 off, so on sale? Totally a good deal for something this delicious).

Next: Salazon. As I’ve said before, the original dark chocolate with sea salt is my favorite… Salazon makes 4 bars. The sea salt, sea salt and coffee, sea salt and turbinado sugar, and the black pepper. The store didn’t have the black pepper once, but I’m dying to know what it tastes like!! I will make a note that Salazon uses 54% dark chocolate, which is quite a bit less dark than I normally like, but the quality of the chocolate and the mouth-feel is amazing. These bars cost $3.99 for 3 ounces. ($1.33/ounce).

So. The Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Crushed Organic Coffee. It’s made with Fair Trade Certified Coffee, which I think is a good thing to know. The coffee is earthy and quite good… but the bar is actually pretty light on coffee. You can see the crushed coffee sprinkled over the bar, and it’s quite well crushed so not too crunchy or chunky. Overall, I think it’s great because the coffee doesn’t overwhelm the chocolate and the salt is just perfect as well. It’s a mild chocolate bar. Definitely a re-buy.

Finally, the Salazon Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Organic Turbinado Cane Sugar. I read online that this bar was created for people who wanted something a little sweeter than the original (that I love best). I’ll be honest, I bought two of these, and I’m regretting buying the second. It’s a good bar, but I found the turbinado sugar just a bit too crunchy and the bar over all just a bit too sweet. It’s still good, but I will stick to the original.

What about you guys? What are the chocolates you have tried? What are your favorites?

Kaprise!

Category Archives: Reviews