Start Your Day With A Slingshot Shake – Complete Breakfast Protein Slingshot Shake REVIEW

Slingshot Shakes Complete Breakfast - Drinkable Yogurt With Granola Shot - REVIEW

Would you like to try a delicious and nutritious breakfast shake that is packed full of protein and nutrients? Slingshot Foods has a complete breakfast in one handy on-the-go breakfast shake and no spoon is required! What makes these Slingshot Shakes unique and stand out from the rest, is the little granola package at the top of the bottle. You simply tear it open and pour the granola mixture into your protein shake and give it a good shake to mix it up. You will find that these delicious breakfast shakes will be a lifesaver on busy mornings when you have very little or no time at all to eat. I have a feeling that after reading my Slingshot Shake review you will be stocking up on this drinkable yogurt.

Slingshot Shakes REVIEW

In today’s fast-paced world, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that drinkable yogurt is one of the fasted growing breakfast foods around. In just the past year this category of breakfast food has grown at a rate of a 20% increase. Cereal still remains the number one breakfast food (no surprise there). So just why then are these drinkable yogurts on the rise? They are an excellent source of protein and nutrients to kickstart your day.

Slingshot Shake Nutrition

Protein

This small, on-the-go bottle of Slingshot Shake packs in a great big amount of protein to start your day. In one Slingshot Shake, you will find a whopping 18 grams of protein.

Probiotics

This handy breakfast shake from Slingshot also contains a healthy dose of gut-boosting probiotics. A Slingshot Shake contains 15 billion CFUs of probiotics. Your gut is going to thank you for all of these probiotics. You may hear quite a bit of talk about probiotics nowadays. Probiotics are a hot topic and for good reason. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that help give your digestive system some balance between the good bacteria and bad bacteria in your gut.

Lactobacillus is the probiotic that you might hear about most frequently. This good bacteria is found in your yogurt and what you might call friendly bacteria. You can read more about lactobacillus HERE.

Fiber

Slingshot Shake also gives your healthy diet a serving of fiber, coming in at 3 grams of fiber. Fiber is essential to a well-balanced diet and helps keep things running smoothly if you know what I mean! There are many health benefits of fiber including relieving constipation, maintaining bowel health, lowering cholesterol levels, control blood sugar levels, helping to maintain a healthy weight, and can actually help you live a longer life!

The recommended daily intake of fiber for men and women vary. It is recommended that men get 38 grams of fiber, and women need around 28 grams of fiber.

Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shakes come in 6 flavors

All natural ingredients in Slingshot Shakes

I checked out the nutrition label on my Slingshot Shake and was pleasantly surprised to see that these drinkable yogurt protein shakes have only all natural ingredients with nothing strange or weird lurking inside. Ingredients: (Drink) Lowfat milk, milk protein concentrate, water, organic cane sugar, honey, natural flavors, vanilla beans, lemon juice concentrate, yogurt cultures; (Shot) Toasted oats, chia seeds, almond bits, honey, sunflower oil I love when I look at the label on my food and I can pronounce all of the words that are in the list of ingredients.

Flavors of Slingshot Shakes

There are six wonderful flavors of Slingshot shakes breakfast shakes available. Each comes with its own little granola pouch. These little pouches contain the following ingredients: rolled oats, chia seeds, and toasted almond bits.

Simply Plain Shake

Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake - Simply Plain — Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake – Simply Plain

Vanilla Bean Shake

Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake - Vanilla Bean — Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake – Vanilla Bean

Strawberry Shake

Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake - Strawberry — Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake – Strawberry

Blueberry Shake

Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake - Blueberry — Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake – Blueberry

Powerplant Shake

The Slingshot Power Plant shake is a unique blend of pineapple, spinach, ginger, and turmeric.

Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake - PowerPlant — Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake – PowerPlant

Peach Shake

Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake - Peach — Slingshot Complete Breakfast Shake – Peach

How can Slingshot Shakes improve?

I am going to have to say that the biggest drawback to the Slingshot Shake is the amount of added sugar that I found on the label. For example, the vanilla shake 35 grams of total sugar with 23 added grams of sugar factored into that. For a health-conscious person, those 35 grams of sugar are just going to be way too much. For men, the recommended daily amount of sugar per day is 37.5 grams of sugar and for women, the recommended daily amount of sugar is 25 grams. You can find out more info about that HERE. It is super crazy hard to only take in 25 grams of sugar these days if you are a woman like me. This shake only puts me way over the recommended amount by the American Heart Association. So while I do enjoy these shakes, they are not part of my everyday morning routine.

What is next for Slingshot Shakes

It appears to be that Slingshot Shakes will be soon releasing a line of drinkable yogurt shakes for your little ones. The Slingshot Shorties, however, do not come up with the crunchy shot of granola for the shake. Slingshot Shakes decided that it is a textural issue with young children. The shakes for your little ones will still be full of nutrients and gut boosting probiotics, but no shot.

Final Thoughts

Slingshot Shakes are a simple and easy solution for when you need a quick breakfast. Just grab and go! The crunchy granola shot was a nice welcomed addition. The granola shot gives this yogurt shake a delightful texture. My daugher, who is 9, also enjoyed drinking the Slingshot Shake. I was happy to share with her and it is a breakfast that I feel good about serving.

Question Time! What flavor of Slingshot Shake will you be giving a whirl first? Leave me a comment and let me know what flavor you will try!

Want to learn more about Slingshot Shake breakfast shakes?

Where to buy Slingshot Shakes

Use the STORE LOCATOR to find out where you can get your SlingShot drinkable yogurt.

PIN ME FOR LATER!

About Nino Salvaggio

Nino Salvaggio is the go-to place in the area if you want some perfect and flawless ingredients in your food. It’s not just fruits and veggies though! Nino Salvaggio also has a deli and meat counter. They also have a great little grocery section with some very cool, unusual ingredients. And you just have to see the gorgeous bakery at Nino Salvaggio. I get my chocolate cassata birthday cake from Nino Salvaggio every single year. And speaking of birthdays, mine is next month and I will be enjoying that cake soon! Yippee!

Nino Salvaggio has four convenient locations in Michigan to serve you. They are located in St. Clair Shores, Troy, Clinton Township, and Bloomfield Township. You can find out more about Nino Salvaggio and their mission HERE. This is a store that is highly committed to providing high quality foods.

I visited Nino Salvaggio this past weekend to pick up some exotic fruits. I knew ahead of time that I wanted to pick up a couple passion fruits (one of my all-time favorite fruits). The dilemma was that I really was not quite sure what I wanted to combine it with for my smoothie bowl. Then I saw the guava and I knew that would pair well with the passion fruit so I took home one of those.

Gorgeous produce at Nino Salvaggio's — Gorgeous produce at Nino Salvaggio’s

Exotic fruits that intrigued me at Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace

The exotic fruits section at Nino Salvaggio is the most interesting place to shop, for me anyway! This is the spot in the store where you can get brave and muster up the strength to try something new!

Passion Fruit

So this is the fruit that I was really going after with my trip to Nino Salvaggio. Passion fruit just might be one of my all-time favorite fruits to chow down on. With the passion fruit, you get the wonderful combination of sweet & sour. If you don’t like the texture of tapioca you probably won’t like this. It does, to me, have a tapioca texture. It is slimy and seedy but the taste blows my mind. Using this as the star of my smoothie bowl was a wise choice!

Passion fruit is a nutrient-dense fruit that has a great amount of Vitamin C in it and it is great for the immune system. The passion fruit also has some fiber, Vitamin A, potassium, and a bit of iron. It is a small fruit and contains around 17 calories per serving. You can learn all about the health benefits of the passion fruit HERE.

Passion Fruit at Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace

Guava

Guava is the second fruit that I ended up going with for my smoothie bowl. These guavas are oh so yummy but they are pricey! I only took home one small guava. One turned out to be just enough for the flavor that I was going after.

As far as nutrition goes with the guava fruit, you are going to find some antioxidants, Vitamin C, fiber, and beta carotene in the fruit. There are 8 wonderful health benefits of the guava fruit and you can feed your brain with knowledge over here.

Guava at Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace

Rambutan

Now here is an interesting piece of fruit! This is a rambutan and it sort of reminds me of lychee fruit. I was really tempted to get more of these but the steep price deterred me and I only purchased one! Me and my daughter, Chloe, split the rambutan in half and we each tried a small piece. It definitely does have a taste reminiscent of lychee. The flesh was soft and also reminded me of grapes. I would give this a whirl again. We really enjoyed the experience of trying this unique fruit.

Quince

Quince is a new-to-me fruit too. Never ever had one in my life had quince! These tart fruits are grown in Chile and you can eat them raw, but it is advised to cook these if you want the best flavor to come through.

Ya Ya Pear

The ya ya pear is a pear that originates from China. This white pear’s flavor can best be described as a cross between a rose and a pineapple. The ya ya pear is crisp and sweet, but not overly sweet. Just the right amount of sweetness!

Passion Fruit / Guava Smoothie Bowl RECIPE

For this Passion Fruit/ Guava smoothie bowl I used two frozen bananas, two passion fruits, one guava, coconut milk, chia seeds, and coconut flakes. This tropical smoothie bowl makes a fantastic treat for breakfast!

Passion Fruit & Guava Smoothie Bowl

Want a smoothie bowl with exotic flavor?

Give this tropical passion fruit and guava smoothie bowl a whirl!

2 Bananas (Frozen)
1/4 cup Full fat coconut milk
2 Passion Fruit
1 Guava
2 tbsp Coconut flakes
1 tbsp Chia seeds

Place two frozen bananas, 1 passion fruit, 1 guava, and 1/4 cup of coconut milk in the blender. Use your smoothie mode if your blender has one.
Once blended up pour the smoothie mixture into a large bowl. Soup bowls work well.
Top your smoothie bowl with some shredded coconut flake and chia seeds. And now you can use your other passion fruit to top the smoothie.
Eat and enjoy! Hope you love it!

Fruits that I used in my Passion Fruit & Guava Smoothie Bowl

Close-up of the passion fruit and the guava

Passion Fruit & Guava Smoothie Bowl topped with coconut and black chia seeds

A spoonful of Passion Fruit & Guava Smoothie Bowl

Final thoughts

Sounds strange (maybe??) but I sure do get excited about taking a little trip to my favorite fruit & veggie store- Nino Salvaggio! If you are looking for top-notch produce you will find whatever it is you are looking for at Nino Salvaggio. Definitely make sure you visit the exotic fruit section of the store. What you need to do next is get brave and try some of these unusual fruits and vegetables. My blog is all about trying new things and eating with an open mind. I hope this inspires you to eat with an open mind. There is an entire universe full of unusual food and it is just waiting for you to give it a whirl!

Question time! Have you ever been to Nino Salvaggio? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about this incredible place to shop!

Find out more about Nino Salvaggio

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

January 22, 2019 12

Fun & Unique Breakfast Cereal – Amazon Shopping Guide

Welcome to my Fun & Unique Breakfast Cereal shopping guide over here at Give It A Whirl Girl. Amazon is chock full of some very wild and crazy breakfast cereals that you just aren’t going to find on the shelf at your local Kroger grocery store. I did the work for you and am posting the best of the best! Some of these breakfast cereals are absolutely hilarious and would make an unforgettable Christmas gift.

I also included some other neato cereal-related items to this gift guide. We have some Funko pops, clothing, a card game, some Christmas ornaments, and more!

Poop Like A Champion – Highest Fiber Breakfast Cereal – 100% of daily fiber in 1.6 servings

Looking for a breakfast cereal and colon cleanser all-in-one? Poop Like A Champion delivers! One half-cup serving of this cereal has a whopping 16 grams of fiber! This is unheard of and totally intriguing to me! And a bonus? It is also gluten-free! One thing to note here though is that this cereal is not made to taste great. It is made with a purpose and that is to clean the gunk out of your guts and insides. Let’s face it… sometimes it needs to be done.

This breakfast cereal would also make for one tremendous gag gift!

Poop Like A Champion - High Fiber Cereal — Poop Like A Champion – High Fiber Cereal

If you are going to Poop Like A Champion you are going to need a giant 24 oz. poop emoji bowl!

KOVOT Poop Bowl - 24 Oz Ceramic Poop Emoji Bowl — KOVOT Poop Bowl – 24 Oz Ceramic Poop Emoji Bowl

Limited Edition, Kellogg’s UNICORN cereal – Two 10oz Boxes

Here is a super adorable cereal for all of the unicorn lovers out there! I know you are out there too because nowadays unicorns are all the rage. It is a trend and I never want it to die out! This cereal was created by Kelloggs and it is a limited edition. I have a feeling that you have a little girl in your life that would be over the moon thrilled to have a bowl of unicorn cereal for breakfast.

WWE Booty O’s Breakfast Cereal 11.5oz

Here is a fun breakfast cereal for Y’all! This is a sweet oat cereal with marshmallows that are in the shape of unicorn horns, trombones, & booties! Booties??? OMG! This is one box that you are going to want to keep and save. It also has a “booticorn” mask on the back.

Clark Griswold Funko’s Cereal – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Multigrain Breakfast Cereal with Pocket Pop Figure – FYE Exclusive

This Clark Griswold Christmas Vacation breakfast cereal from Funko is perfect for the holiday season. Christmas Vacation is hands down my all time favorite Christmas movie. I can watch it once a week leading up to Christmas and not get sick or tired of it. The film is a classic and it is sure to make anyone laugh and smile. This is a limited edition FYE exclusive cereal but I was able to locate in on Amazon.

Chocolatey Winter Lucky Charms 12 oz. Box – Limited Edition (1 Box)

Here is a limited edition Lucky Charms breakfast cereal that is chocolate flavor. Lucky Charms were a fave when I was growing up. I have a feeling that this chocolate flavored box of them is sure to delight any Lucky Charms fan!

Continue reading “Fun & Unique Breakfast Cereal – Amazon Shopping Guide” →

November 19, 2018 8

Bob’s Red Mill Bread Mix REVIEW – Cinnamon, Raisin, & Flax Gluten-Free French Toast With Chef Shamy

Cinnamon, Raisin, & Flax Gluten-Free French Toast With Bob's Red Mill and Chef Shamy

Let’s kick this off by saying that this recipe made my house smell so incredible! Freshly baked bread is amazeballs! I wasn’t sure what to have for dinner and then I got that brinner (breakfast for dinner) craving. I also had a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix in my pantry. I will tell you this too, I am always looking for a reason to put my apron on and get busy in the kitchen. So my Tuesday afternoon was spent working on a loaf of cinnamon, raisin, and ground flaxseed bread that I created with Bob’s Red Mill bread mix. This bread was simple to make and actually fun. I made the bread with the intention of using it for French Toast. I always enjoy making my own bread for French Toast. It is a rewarding feeling making an entire meal from scratch. I think the use of Chef Shamy’s amazing butter really helped make this bread extra special.

Easy Gluten-Free French Toast With Bob's Red Mill and Chef Shamy — Easy Gluten-Free French Toast With Bob’s Red Mill and Chef Shamy

Bobs’ Red Mill Bread Mix review

This bread mix is versatile. The first time I used the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Bread Mix to make a blackberry lemon loaf of bread. Having a KitchenAid Stand Mixer really comes in handy to make recipes like this. I was so extremely satisfied with this bread mix so I had to give it a whirl again. This time around I used Chef Shamy’s Honey Butter – Cinnamon and Brown Sugar. What a genius idea to pair the mix with the butter. That butter is my jam! I have fallen in love with every Chef Shamy flavor.

Give It A Whirl Girl with Bob's Red Mill Wonderful Bread Mix — Give It A Whirl Girl with Bob’s Red Mill Wonderful Bread Mix

I also added some Simple Truth raisins to the bread mix, along with some McCormick Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Chia spice, and some ground flax seeds from Arrowhead Mills.

Continue reading “Bob’s Red Mill Bread Mix REVIEW – Cinnamon, Raisin, & Flax Gluten-Free French Toast With Chef Shamy” →

August 29, 2018 2

Cacao, Coconut, Granola, and Collagen Smoothie Bowl – RECIPE – Let’s Talk About Cacao!

In this post I will discuss how I made a collagen smoothie bowl with cacao, coconut, and granola. Hope you enjoy!

One of my favorite Thunderbird Bars is the Cacao + Hemp + Walnut. I am a sucker for anything chocolate and this bar wins me over big time! This bar is paleo and vegan friendly. Thunderbird Bar does not mess around with any crap ingredients. What you get in a Thunderbird Bar is REAL FOOD.

I will tell you the ingredients so you can see for yourself:

Dates
Hemp seeds
Walnuts
Coconut shreds
Cacao
Cacao nibs
Chia seeds
Mint
and Himalayan sea salt

But how on Earth can something like chocolate be good for you? Chocolate gets a bad reputation often and gets classified as junk food. If you consume chocolate in it’s purest form it is surprisingly great for you!

I am going to talk about the health benefits now:

Cacao is chock full of antioxidants. Antioxidants combat cancer invasion and can be used as a preventative measure of cancer. It can help prevent a decline in the aging process.
Cacao is an iron powerhouse. Of all the plants in the universe, cacao has the most iron. If you are anemic cacao can be used to boost iron intake.
Cacao is high in magnesium
Cacao is high in calcium (more than cow’s milk!)
Cacao is known to be a mood elevator and can help lift you out of a bad day
Cacao has fiber. The brand that I used has 2g of fiber per tablespoon.
Cacao is free of sugar!
Cacao contains vitamin C. The cacao that I had has 10% of your daily value.

Continue reading “Cacao, Coconut, Granola, and Collagen Smoothie Bowl – RECIPE – Let’s Talk About Cacao!” →

August 20, 2018 3

Paleo French Toast With Vanilla Custard & Raspberry Compote And Duck Bacon, And Some Other Things

Yesterday was a bittersweet day for me and my husband. My mom came over in the morning to pick Chloe up to go up–north (Oscoda, MI) to stay for two whole weeks. MY daughter is in love with all of her grandparents and values her time spent with all of them. Since my mom was coming over in the morning I decided to invite her over for some sweet and savory brunch. We had paleo French Toast with custard and raspberries. I believe she left with a full, happy tummy and a warm heart.

Paleo French Toast w/ Vanilla Custard, Raspberry Compote, and Maple Leaf Farms Duck Bacon

I have been playing around with a French Toast recipe that I have for quite some time. I produce this dish in a variety of ways. I have served it as Unicorn French Toast and I have also served it with a mixed berry compote. I have posted images below for you to see.

unicorn french toast — Paleo Unicorn French Toast

37573102_10156511424899420_5673229439522045952_n — Mixed Berry Compote Paleo French Toast

Having French Toast for brunch is becoming a weekly tradition in the Give It A Whirl Girl Kitchen. The process is a bit time-consuming but the outcome is worth all of the effort that I put into this dish. You want to know why it is so delicious? Because the main ingredient is LOVE!

Give It A Whirl Girl with two mini loaves of paleo, gluten-free bread freshly b baked

I start out by baking two small loaves of gluten-free bread. I use almond flour and tapioca flour to create the bread. A little bit of raw honey goes in there along with some almond milk and some ground flaxseeds and chia seeds. I prefer to pump my bread full of fiber with the chia and flax. They also have other health benefits as well.

For this version, I also created a paleo friendly vanilla custard by using full-fat coconut milk, egg yolks, and by scraping the contents out of a vanilla bean. Making custard is a lengthy process with a lot of standing at the stove and whisking the mixture. I could not get my custard silky smooth yesterday because I am thinking I stirred my eggs in too quickly into the warmed coconut milk. It tasted fantastic though and had no added sugars.

The raspberry compote was created with a pint of organic raspberries and a splash of pure maple syrup. I simmer that on the stove until it reduces down into a thick raspberry sauce.

Paleo French Toast w/ chia and flax, vanilla custard, and raspberry compote

My mom had a hankering for some bacon with her French Toast so we fried up some Maple Leaf Farms duck bacon. Yeah, you heard that right…. DUCK BACON! Maple Leaf Farms specializes in a variety of duck items, including the bacon. The bacon has less fat than traditional bacon and it is just as versatile as regular pork bacon. My whole family really enjoyed this bacon, including my daughter Chloe who is usually not a fan of any type of bacon. She was clamoring for more she loved it so much!

Maple Leaf Farms Duck Bacon cooking on the stovetop

I also wanted to share with you that I finally own a plain white plate! How unreal is that? I live in a color-obsessed world and owning a white plate seems foreign to me. I had to add it to my Fiesta dinnerware collection. I just had to! I am on a mission to own every single color of dinner plates that they offer. I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice my meal looked on a plain white plate. Not too shabby!

I really enjoyed having my mother over yesterday morning. I keep joking around with her about buying a house in the area and living around the block from me just so she can come by to enjoy the food that I whip up. Joking but not really! That really would be wonderful if my mom didn’t live so far away. I get a lot of pleasure from inviting people over so they can try out my food.

Speaking of which, I was recently just informed that this year for the holidays, Thanksgiving and Xmas, I am going to responsible for hosting the gatherings! That will most certainly be interesting, especially Thanksgiving because I have never ever in my life cooked an entire turkey. It sounds like a fun project to tackle but it honestly makes anxiety creep up on me with just the thought of such a huge commitment.

After brunch, my daughter loaded her suitcase into my mom’s truck. She will be gone for two weeks and I will miss her so much! She is my little blogger sidekick and I love the little foodie explorations that we do together. We said our goodbyes and I watched her leave.

Our time away from each other will be great for everyone involved though so I am trying to look at the matter with optimism. I will be able to devote much more time to blogging and recipe creating. Chloe will be able to make some wonderful memories on her trip and her Grandma Kathie will bond over those two weeks. Also, my husband and I will get some much-needed alone time. So definitely going to be taking major advantage to all of this alone time over here.

Joe and I spent the day together. We did a little shopping (I needed things for the blog of course). Joe is always my chauffeur. I am always appreciative of all his help and support in getting this blog up and running.

We also got some fitness in with the dogs. We are dog-watching my sister’s little old chihuahua named Bebo. He has stayed with us a little over a week and he is always a joy to have around. I am usually not a fan of that breed of dogs but Bebo is super sweet and gets along very well with Stormy. They are definitely buddies!

When we got home after our walk with the dogs we had a couple of beers and we ordered food from Pepperoni Grille through the GrubHub app. GrubHub is a fairly new food delivery service that will deliver food from various restaurants that are local. You can sign up through this LINK and save $10 off your first order that is $15+. We are pretty addicted to the convenience of GrubHub and it is so perfect for me since I do not drive (I have a severe phobia of driving).

Antipasto Salad from Pepperoni Grille in St Clair Shores, MI

I am new to the world of craft beer and I honestly do not know how to discuss beer in any sort of lengthy, descriptive way (yet). The beer first was from Right Brain Brewery and it was called Blue Magic. The beer had hints of lavender in it and I really enjoyed the taste. I also had another beer with my salad and that was Mango Surprise from Arcadia Ales. I am not a big fan of the IPA beers but that one I did actually love the taste of. Very mango-ey!

The salad that I received from Pepperoni Grille was pretty decent. I did get brave and ordered anchovies on the side because I have never tried out. I was just always grossed out at the thought of them. Turns out I was right~ they are way too salty. I liked the first one that I ate with my salad and then I got hit with the fishy salty aftertaste. Not cool! Joe had a pepperoni pizza for dinner and he enjoyed his pizza and said he could have probably eaten a whole large one by himself. I believe him too because he can pack in a pizza!

Today is Sunday and I have to decide what I am making for dinner tonight. I love to make Sunday dinners special for my family. I have a bunch of Primal Kitchen dressings/marinades I can play around with so it might be something along those lines for dinner tonight.

Do you have anything special planned for the day today? Leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from my readers. Comments here do brighten up my day!

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS. ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

August 12, 2018 0

Wally’s Frozen Custard REVIEW, Sugar Booger Donuts, & Coffee Cardamom Steak – Foodie Weekend Adventure

Wally’s Frozen Custard, Sugar Booger Donuts, & Coffee Cardamom Steak – Foodie Weekend Adventure

I always try to make my Sundays all about awesome food. I always make a big deal about Sunday supper. It has to be something special. It needs to be mindblowing. I also like to prepare some sort of brunch for us. Yesterday was a success and I achieved pretty much everything that I wanted to. We had homemade baked donuts in the morning, tender & juicy t-bone steaks for dinner and an ice-cream sundae at Wally’s Frozen Custard large enough to feed an elephant! Keep reading to find out more about this ice-cream shop in my Wally’s Frozen Custard review!

Sugar Booger Homemade Donuts

The morning kicked off with what I am calling, “Sugar Booger Donuts”. Natural food coloring is weird. Green often achieves its color with spirulina, which is a superfood blue-green algae substance. Did you know that Fruity Pebbles are gluten-free? They sure are so these donuts were gluten-free for the win! Here is the part that killed them for me though, for this recipe I tried out Stevia to sweeten them. Usually, in my baking, I stick with raw money or pure maple syrup, or if I have to I will use coconut sugar. The Stevia was a big turn-off to me with the final product. While edible, they just were not as delicious as the other natural sweeteners that I use.

For fun, I made a glaze for the donuts and topped them with Fruity Pebbles, which is a cereal that I avoid having in my pantry. I bought a little individual serving size tub for a dollar at Kroger just for the sake of using them as donut topping. My daughter was in shock to see Fruity Pebbles in the house. Sugary, processed cereals are a big no over here. I had mixed feelings about using them as a topping too. They are like eating pure sugar. Way too sweet for me. I still do want to try a Lucky Charms topped donut someday. I might enjoy that more since that was my favorite cereal while I was a little girl.

Sounds like I am hating on my donuts here. I kinda sorta am. I am definitely going to whip up some coconut flour vanilla donuts again but totally steer clear of the Stevia. I can usually tolerate Stevia in my Zevia soda but it just didn’t agree with me in baking.

Green donuts before going in the oven - GIVE IT A WHIRL GIRL — Green donuts before going in the oven

Green Donuts with Fruity Pebbles - AKA Sugar Booger — Green Donuts with Fruity Pebbles – AKA Sugar Booger

Weirdly colored Green donuts with Fruity Pebbles - AKA Sugar Booger — Weirdly colored Green donuts with Fruity Pebbles – AKA Sugar Booger

Coffee Cardamon Steaks For Dinner

Nothing special happened for lunch over here. We just snacked on some fruits. By the time 4 o’clock rolled around my tummy was growling and hangry! It might have been growling so loudly because it knew that I had t-bone steaks in the fridge. I took the steaks out and prepared a rub for them. I really wanted to try out something new with my steaks. For the spice rub I used a recipe from Do You Even Paleo. This paleo rub was superb and I would not change a single thing about it! It uses ground coffee, cardamom, coconut sugar, paprika, garlic powder, ground ginger, and salt & pepper.

I picked up a bag of baby rainbow carrots at Nino Salvaggio’s a couple days ago and I prepared them with a cardamom ghee (clarified butter). I love roasted carrots with a raw honey drizzle on them but I also wanted to try something new with the carrots. Really wanted to go for some brand new flavors last night.

T-bone steak with coffee cardamom rub

T-bone steak with coffee cardamom rub and mini rainbow carrots with cardamom ghee

After I had the rub on the steaks for awhile I heated up some ghee on my cast iron grill pan. I threw them on and heard that lovely sizzle! I cooked them medium rare, which in my humble opinion, is the only way to eat a steak. Steak needs to have that pink center. I took the steaks off the pan after I grilled each side for a few minutes and then let them rest for a few minutes.

I will tell you this… these steaks came out absolutely perfect! Everything about this steak was spot on. They were so tender and juicy and the flavor from the rub was extraordinary. I loved these steaks so much I am pretty sure we will be eating them the same way again tomorrow. Kroger had value packs of t-bone steaks on sale so we ended up getting four biggies for a great price.

Coffee and cardamom t-bone steak with cardamom carrots and zucchini

Chloe and I were supposed to bake a layer cake yesterday but it never happened. I have Amazon Prime and unfortunately, an extract that I had ordered did not arrive when promised. So our cake is put on hold until that extract shows up.

Wally’s Frozen Custard Review

Me and Joe took a trip to Wally’s Frozen Custard one weekend while Chloe was away at her grandparent’s home. We ordered the gargantuan 911 sundae. No way we could finish it all but I wanted to visit this place with my daughter so she could witness this huge sundae.

Wally’s Frozen Custard is located in St Clair Shores, MI and it is one of the most happening spots to grab a frozen treat! It has a very unique look and it appears to be like a fire station. They have plenty of tables outdoors so you can enjoy your frozen custard and enjoy the beautiful weather. They have a fantastic menu to choose from and offer something for everyone. And get this~ you can even order BREAKFAST at Wally’s Frozen Custard. For breakfast, a few things you can choose from are oatmeal, bagels, and muffins.

The 911 sundae is a steal at $9.11 at Wally’s Frozen Custard and is the most perfect sweet treat for sharing. There is definitely enough to go around for a family. It includes 9 dollops of frozen custard, 9 different toppings (the hard shell is hands down my favorite topping), whipped cream & maraschino cherry.

Wally’s Frozen Custard 911 Sundae

If you would love to give Wally’s Frozen Custard a whirl you can find some money-saving coupons on their website. Just click HERE.

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend full of good eats and tasty treats. Weekends for me are a time to splurge and indulge in whatever my heart desires. I eat healthy all week long and the weekend is a time for me to cut loose a bit.

Question Time! Did you eat anything marvelous over the weekend? I am so curious so please leave me a comment and tell me about it!

Find out more about Wally’s Frozen Custard in St. Clair Shores!

Homemade Pizza Night & A Couple Of Smoothies To Wash It Down

Yesterday was an enjoyable day spent with family. We went to the beach, had from-scratch pizzas, and had a couple of smoothies for dessert. It was another full day in the kitchen making things for my family to gobble up.

The day kicked off with my paleo and vegan version of Unicorn French Toast for my family. I promise I will do a recipe post on this in the future. I just need to tweak my recipe a bit. I had an unfortunate situation happen with my loaf of bread when I got it out of the pan. My bread broke into pieces. I was determined not to let it go to waste so I just ended up dipping the chunks of bread into the batter and cooked it up that way. This was my first time ever using candy sprinkles from Mr. Sprinkles. I sure do love the fun bottle that they are contained in. I am, and have always been, down with clowns!

I had quite an amazing lunch too. I really had a hankering for apples. I don’t know about you but I am ready for fall! I want hoodie weather, apple picking, and Halloween to hurry up and get here soon! For lunch, I tried out a new salad dressing. I used Hilary’s Apple Fennel Dressing. For my salad, I used baby spring mix as a base and topped it with grilled chicken, thin Honeycrisp apple slices, and walnuts. This salad was exactly what I needed yesterday. I think I will be loading up on some apples with my next shopping trip.

Chicken Salad with apples and Hilary’s Apple Fennel dressing

After lunch, we packed up the beach bag and got Stormy ready to head out to Metro Beach for a day of fun and relaxation. Chloe and Joe went to the pool and Stormy and I made our way along the lake and got our steps in yesterday. My focus was on fitness because I have been somewhat slacking on meeting my step goal lately.

It was a very hot day yesterday and thank goodness for the little bit of breeze coming off of the water. Stormy and I had a great time together and I know that Chloe definitely had a blast in the big pool and slide with her daddy.

I must be getting old because yesterday I wore an inspirational shirt and I think that maybe old people do that?? LOL! I am 37 years old and I whine about aging quite a bit. Anyway, I sure do love the shirt. I got it from Nordstrom and it is gray with pink lettering on it. The shirt is by the brand Desert Dreamer.

I feel that the shirt really speaks volumes to me at the moment. It says, find what you love and do that”. I started this blog up on June 6th so my 2 month anniversary is approaching and let me tell you this~ I absolutely LOVE blogging! I really wish I would have gotten into this years ago when I first set out on my cooking and baking expedition. As many of you know, cooking and baking are hands down my #1 passion in life. I am always in the kitchen and I am always researching ways to better my food and technique.

Me and Joe at Metro Beach

Me and Stormy at Metro Beach

Chloe and Joe at Metro Beach

Stormy at Metro Beach

After our little day-trip to the beach, it was time for me to crank out dinner for the fam. I will let you in on a little something, my pizza is in high-demand! Joe and Chloe absolutely love my homemade pizzas. They are a lot of work but totally worth the time and effort when I hear ooo’s and ahh’s at the dinner table.

I created two pizzas last night. One was made for myself and the other for Joe and Chloe. They prefer a more traditional pizza with pepperoni on it. I have never been a fan of pepperoni but I sure do love to have mushrooms in every single bite of my pizza.

I had a little carton of shiitake mushrooms to work with. I figured I would be better off with some sort of white sauce rather than a tomato sauce. I searched a bit online for a good recipe and came across one from Primal Palate. It was a dairy free sauce that used full-fat coconut milk as the base. Honestly, you would never know the sauce was made with coconut milk! There is not one hint of coconut flavor in that awesome sauce recipe. The recipe also called for some nutritional yeast, which I did add because it lends a taste of cheese to the sauce.

For my pizza I used some grilled chicken pieces and the entire carton of shiitake mushrooms. I sauteed the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil with some Italian seasonings. I have never had a pizza with this type of mushrooms and I am pleased to say that the taste of this pizza was glorious! Every single morsel of that pizza was thoroughly enjoyed by me!

For both pizzas I used the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Crust Mix once again. I used it last week and it produced a phenomenal crust! I am trying to eliminate as much gluten as I can from my diet but Joe and Chloe really don’t want to be on-board with a gluten-free diet. It is like hitting the jackpot when you come up with a gluten-free dinner that can win over anyone.

Shiitake mushroom and grilled chicken pizza

Gluten free pepperoni pizza

For dessert I really had a craving for some froyo, it’s been awhile and I’m dying for a heaping cup of it. But we have a bevy of beautiful fruits over here in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen so instead of froyo I ended up making a couple of smoothies for me and Chloe to share.

The first smoothie I made had a golden dragonfruit in it, a banana, and a splash of full fat coconut milk. The second smoothie that I made had strawberries, raspberries, a baby banana, splash of coconut milk, and I also used a scoop of acai powder. Hard to say which smoothie won the battle of being best. It was like comparing apples to oranges, they were two completely different drinks.

The weekend isn’t over. Joe’s two days off from work are over though and he had to go in today. Me and the Pearl Girl have an exciting day ahead of us in the kitchen so stayed tuned because you can bet your booty I will be blogging about my day today!

Did you do anything exciting this weekend? What’s cooking in your kitchen that you are proud of? Leave me a comment and let me know because I love reading comments from my beloved readers!

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS. ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN. ANY COMMISSION I RECEIVE IS USED TO BETTER YOUR BLOG EXPERIENCE HERE.

August 5, 2018 2

Family Of 3 Weekend Foodie Adventure – Part One

My husband has a new work schedule which clears his Fridays and Saturdays for family togetherness time. The last two days were full of fun and there were so many cooking/baking frenzies happening over her in the Give It A Whirl Girl kitchen! My family gets so much pleasure a food-filled weekend. This will be an ongoing series of our weekend adventures. More to come soon! Our two days together kicked off on Friday morning with some Unicorn French Toast. I have a major weakness for paleo-friendly French toast. I am always brainstorming some new ways to prepare it. It actually might just be “paleo-ish” and “healthy-ish” because I just had to add a sprinkling of candy sprinkles on there… another major weakness of mine. This was a total blast to make for breakfast and even more fun to sit down, eat, and enjoy it! I think this was next-level French toast because for this batch I made a vanilla custard batter to dip & soak the bread slices in.

Chloe and I at the Dotty Wotty House — Chillin on the steps

Unicorn French Toast for breakfast! YUMMY

38032743_10156532315844420_981141139392299008_n — Unicorn French Toast

37952726_10156532315769420_38906343502905344_n — Unicorn French Toast

Miles Cake & Candy Supply

Later on that day (Friday) I had my husband chauffeur me to the baking supply shop in Clinton Township~ Miles Cake & Candy Supply. I used to visit this store often when I made resin jewelry. I would shop there for sprinkles to preserve in the resin. Now that phase of life is done and over with and I am buying these things for actual baking! I went there with the intention of purchasing a donut pan and I did score a nice pan from Wilton. It is a six cavity mold so you end up with a half-dozen of baked donuts.

Miles Cake And Candy Supply — rainbow sprinkles galore!

Milestone Grill Restaurant

Friday evening we were looking for a new place to dine at. We found a coupon for a restaurant in Eastpointe, MI I and it was the Milestone Grill. Our meals there were quite disappointing if I am going to be blunt about it. I ordered some baked whitefish with a cup of lobster bisque. When I see lobster bisque as an option I do get quite giddy and excited about it. Oh man… my soup came out and I then discovered (and I am certain of this) that it was FAUX LOBSTER! You know, like the fake crab stick meat. Yeah. Ugh. I recently ordered lobster biqsue at Nino Salvaggio’s and that soup was chockful of big lobster meat pieces. That bowl of soup there was just divine. The soup at Milestone Grill was a major letdown.

My baked whitefish was just ok to me. Pretty bland if you ask me and also my steamed vegetables looked quite dull. Joe had some chicken fajitas. When you order fajitas you expect Spanish rice. They served the fajitas with a RICE PILAF with peas and carrots in it. What???

Rochester Mills Milkshake Stout

I do have one nice remark about that place… my beer was great! I ordered a Rochester Mills Milkshake Stout. Boy, was it ever good! I have tried their other beers in the past and they never disappoint. Any kind of stout with a dessert-like flavor is right up my alley of the tasty department… wink wink!

38029610_10156532315579420_8980032156369682432_n — Rochester Mills Beer Co. Milkshake Stout

Homemade chocolate donuts with the Wilton Donut Pan

Saturday started off with me whipping out my new Wilton donut pan. I could not wait to use it. I found a recipe at Elana’s Pantry and used that for inspo. So shoutout to Elana’s Pantry for the amazing recipe.

The recipe called for four eggs. I only had two eggs to work with so I ended up making my own “egg”. Did you know that you can use chia seeds in place of eggs in a recipe? You need 1 tablespoon of chia seeds for each egg. You add three tablespoons of water to that and let it soak for a bit.

If you ever had a devil’s food Entenmann’s donut these sure did resemble that as far as the taste goes. The great thing about these donuts for me is that they are gluten-free. I used coconut flour to make them. I am pretty fond of coconut flour being used in recipes. I think it injects a great flavor into the final product. I used a generous scoop of LivFit Cacao Powder in the donuts. Cacao powder is an incredible superfood with some wonderful health benefits so I am excited to use it in my recipes.

37937566_10156532315504420_9039881778315132928_n — Paleo (minus the sprinkles) Chocolate Donuts

37971855_10156532315429420_7606705888048447488_n — Paleo (minus the sprinkles) Chocolate Donuts

Taking my Thunderbird Bars to Eastern Market in Detroit

The remainder of our Saturday was all planned out to head down to the city (Detroit) to go check out Eastern Market. I packed up my camera bag and brought along some of my Thunderbird Bars for the journey. I also had some of the ThunderKids Bars so I brought that along for my daughter, Chloe. It was our first time trying them and they were simply delicious. They offer a great line of bars with healthy and nutritious ingredients… real food! Their flavor combinations are quite unique. They are also filling. They are perfect for fueling your next adventure. I look forward to trying out the rest of my sampler pack.

37939409_10156532296694420_1262694366112120832_n — Thunderbird Bar – Pineapple Mango Papaya

38020279_10156532296269420_8921266674364055552_n — Thunderbird Bar for kids – Chocolate chip cookie

MooTown Creamery

We always love to visit MooTown Creamery during a visit to Eastern Market. I ordered a Maple Bourbon scoop, which I believe was paleo! How often do you find options like that at an ice-cream shop? I was so excited to see that and I was very pleased with the taste! Two thumbs up!

MooTown Creamery

Vegan and Gluten-free ice-cream options

Maple Bourbon ice-cream

Eastern Market veggie haul!

After our ice-cream pitstop, we went to the sheds to look for some gorgeous fruits and veggies. Eastern Market is the place to be if you want great deals on great foods! You can check out my awesome haul in the photo below. I am most excited about those purple carrots. I was hoping to find them there and I scored a batch. I am going to serve them as a side dish with an herbed ghee sirloin steak.

38057359_10156532315214420_2028764541415849984_n — Eastern Market produce haul

37944774_10156532296364420_1708401234295128064_n — Could not pass up this mushroom blend… YUM

38059395_10156532296094420_8695880749313687552_n (1) — Joe and Chloe

One of my favorite places to go! Heidelberg Project in Detroit

We always make it a priority to stop at the Heidelberg Project during our Detroit day-trips. Tyree Guyton is constantly adding to this outdoor art installation. It truly is something that everyone should witness at least once in their lifetime.

Homemade from-scratch PIZZA!

It was a long day that made me feel a bit tired when I arrived home but I was bound and determined to make my family a couple made-from-scratch gluten-free pizzas. I had a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix and it was simple and easy to use.

I also love to make my own sauce. I use Muir Glen tomato sauce and Muir Glen Tomato Paste to make a nice, zesty sauce. I used my pizza seasoning packet that I picked up at Eastern Market. Spice Miser made the seasoning and it was a great blend! I would have never thought to add anise and rosemary to my pizza sauce but it gave it a great flavor and it was the best pizza sauce I have made to date.

My family of 3 ate both 12 inch pizzas with one last slice leftover. We were too stuffed to eat that lone piece. Making a from-scratch pizza is a long process that requires dedication and time. It sure is rewarding though to sit down and enjoy your kitchen creation. To me, a homemade pizza is edible art!

My daughter, Chloe, also helped me make this pizza. It was her first time helping out with a pizza. I am spending more and more time with her in the kitchen. I see her passion for cooking and baking and it warms my heart and soul. She is my little foodie sidekick. For an 8-year-old child she has experienced a vast array of foods. She eats with an open mind and I am so proud of her! She currently wants to become a pastry chef. We owe that all to the Netflix show, Sugar Rush. We love watching that show together. She also loves Nailed It but we watched every episode of that already. She loves the show so much that she told me it is her birthday wish for me to make it onto the show. That would totally be a dream come true!

38046111_10156532297179420_2573938454127706112_n — Homemade gluten-free pizza

37930266_10156532297074420_1277250925106298880_n — Homemade gluten-free pizza

Carrot Cake Donuts

It is currently Sunday morning and I started the day off with a bang in the kitchen. I made some carrot cake donuts but my glaze was too thin. I can assure you that they were tasty because I ate two of them. I used one of my purple carrots to top the donuts and it really does look like chopped bacon! This recipe was inspired by Paleo Hacks. They are a great resource for paleo recipes.

Maranatha Almond Butter Fruit-Loaded Toast

Last but not least, Chloe had a piece of toast with some chocolate Maranatha almond butter on it. I also added some strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries to it. She is a big fan of toast like this. I know avocado toast is all the rage these days but for her it is berries, berries, and more berries!

I always love to crank out a great Sunday dinner but I have not made up my mind yet. It is either going to be an orange duck or sirloin steaks.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wow! What a long post! If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading. I truly appreciate and love all of my readers. I am hoping to make this blog into something so fantastic someday. It is baby steps all of the way there. Thanks to all who are holding my hand to get to that destination with this blog. XOXO

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

July 29, 2018 3

Cactus Pear Smoothie RECIPE With Raspberries- Tried It Out Tuesday

Cactus Pear Smoothie RECIPE by Give It A Whirl Girl

I went shopping at Nino Salvaggio’s International Marketplace this past weekend and that is my go-to place for unusual fruits and vegetables. They carry the mainstream and also the more obscure. If you are looking for beautiful produce, Nino’s is the place to be. You can tell that they are super picky about what kind of produce is allowed to hit the shelves because it all looks beautiful and perfect! This past weekend we went to the exotic fruit section and decided on bringing home a couple cactus pears, also known as a prickly pear cactus. Imagine my surprise when I sliced into it and discovered that it is a vibrant hot-pink, magenta color. I had no idea this cactus pear had such a gorgeous interior! I was thinking hmmm maybe cactus pear smoothie? Keep reading to find out how you can make this delightful pink drink with my cactus pear smoothie recipe!

37697111_10156518991034420_6636608170431086592_n — Nino Salvaggio’s

This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a commission from items purchased through these links with no extra cost to you.

I did a bit of research before eating the cactus pear. I sliced the skin off and I noticed that it had quite a few hard seeds inside. They are not something you can bite into but they are safe to swallow. When I blended this up in a smoothie the seeds got ground up in the blender.

So the taste? Super sweet like candy, a cross between juicy watermelon and bubble gum!

Here is a recipe for a cactus pear smoothie that you can have all to yourself or share with a loved one! I shared mine with my adventurous eater, Chloe Pearl, who is 8 years old and loves trying new things with me.

37772613_10156519053229420_295658517795176448_o — Cactus Pear Smoothie

Cactus Pear Smoothie Recipe

cactus pear

cactus pear diced

fresh raspberries

banana

unsweetened almond milk

Cactus Pear Smoothie Recipe With Raspberries

This delightful hot pink smoothie drink not only looks incredible but it tastes great too and it is a healthy choice to make!

2 Cactus pears (Peeled)
1 Frozen banana
1 handful Raspberries
1/3 cup Unsweetened almond milk

Place all of the ingredients in your blender.
Blend until smooth.
Serve, eat, and enjoy!

37746566_10156518976374420_8763659834370293760_n — Cactus Pear Raspberry Smoothie

37700487_10156518991104420_7947507913738682368_n — Chloe enjoying her cactus pear smoothie

Tidbits of info on the cactus pear:

Cactus pears grow on the Nepales Cacti and these plants can be found in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Egypt, and Morrocco
Cactus pears contain potassium, calcium, vitamin C, iron, and beta carotene.
Cactus pears can be used to make smoothies, candy, syrups, jams/jellies, wine, juice, pies, and more! Get creative!
They have anti-inflammatory benefits and also have anti-viral perks
High in fiber and rich in antioxidants
Can be used to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetics
They can help strengthen hair and nails
The average cactus pear has 60 calories, 14 g of carbohydrates, and 5 grams of fiber.
The fiber in the cactus pear can help with weight loss since the fiber makes you feel full longer.
Do not consume large amounts at first. They have been known to have side effects so please research before consuming large amounts. This does not affect everyone but some may get side effects.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Please do research on how this may benefit or impact you.

I hope that this cactus pear smoothie recipe will inspire you to give it a whirl! This hot pink concoction is simple and easy to do with your blender and home and it is a fantastic smoothie recipe that you will want to incorporate into your morning smoothie regimen.

So have you ever tried a cactus pear? How did you eat yours? If you have not tried it yet does this look like something you would try? Leave me a comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts.

You might also enjoy these posts:

July 24, 2018 2

Epic Exotic Fruits Smoothie Bowl & How I Created It With Knowrish Well Blue Dream

Epic Exotic Fruit Smoothie Bowl & How I Created It

If you read my last post you would see that I stocked up on some interesting fruits at Meijer through the Instacart grocery delivery service. I ended up getting some nice produce delivered: bananas, dragon fruit, kiwi, starfruit, passion fruit, papaya, and a kiwano horned melon. I had the ultimate exotic fruit smoothie bowl already planned out in my mind. What I came up with did not disappoint!

How I created the Epic Exotic Fruit Smoothie Bowl

To make a great smoothie bowl you need to have some frozen bananas. I will usually use two bananas in my bowl. I love to work with Knowrish Well freeze-dried fruit powders to infuse my smoothie bowls with an extraordinary flavor and a color that is pleasing to the eyes! I was going to use the Knowrish Well pitaya (dragon fruit) powder but then realized that I was out. So I ended up using the Blue Dream powder which is another great flavor enhancer. Not only does this powder give your smoothie an incredible flavor but it is also loaded with nutrients. It is made of butterfly pea flower and contains the following superfoods: maca, inulin, lucuma.

The other ingredients in this epic smoothie bowl were 1/2 a dragon fruit (inside of the smoothie) and I topped it with some sliced star fruit, kiwi fruit, a blob of passion fruit, and used more dragon fruit.

Having these fruits is a really a special treat for me. The cost of a dragon fruit is pretty ridiculous. I wish they were as cheap as something like apples and oranges! I also have a big passion for passion fruit. The taste can be described as a bit sweet and a bit tart. It is more sour than sweet so I have no clue how they came up with the name of this fruit. It also has a strange appearance and texture. I love it though! The star fruits are just fun to eat purely because of their incredible shape. I didn’t get a chance to try one until I was an adult, and I remember begging my mom to buy me one when I was a little girl.

The overall taste of this bowl was mindblowing delicious. Also, I believe this big fruit smoothie bowl would be chock full of nutritional benefits. Aside from the natural sugar content, I was feeling pretty good about this being a healthy bowl of yumminess. I don’t eat smoothies like this all of the time (anymore) so I am not too concerned about the naturally occurring sugars in the fruit. I often say YOLO (you only live once) so if you want the fruit~ eat the fruit!

The greatest part about this smoothie bowl was seeing how much my 8-year-old daughter, Chloe, loved it! She has always been my #1 fan of my smoothie bowls. I used to make one almost daily last summer. She proclaimed that this one was my best yet and I wholeheartedly agree with her. Hearing that definitely put a smile on my face.

Have you ever had an exotic fruit smoothie bowl? How do you enjoy your smoothie bowls? What are some of your favorite toppings? Leave me a comment below.

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS (no extra cost to you). ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

July 18, 2018

Two Hiccups In The Kitchen In One Day

You know what? We eat our mistakes here. Sometimes you end up with a happy accident. Well, that happened today! There were two obstacles that I had to overcome in the kitchen today. It was one of those days where everything seems to go wrong but in the end, it turns out alright.
The first hiccup in the kitchen occurred during lunch. I used Enjoy Life Foods gluten free pancake/waffle mix and put some LivFit cacao powder in the mix to make chocolate waffles. I have been craving breakfast foods like crazy and I had a craving for some waffles.
I forgot to spray the waffle maker to make it nonstick sooooo…
Here are my chocolate [messy] waffles topped with Enlightened Red Velvet ice-cream. I was so lucky that I was able to salvage these waffles because they tasted incredible. It was my first time trying out this gluten-free waffle mix. Enjoy Life is free of many common allergens: wheat, dairy, soy, sulfites, peanuts, tree nuts, casein, egg, and more! That makes this mix vegan and paleo friendly!

36895073_10156483341224420_2261293714339004416_n — Chocolate Enjoy Life Waffles with Enlightened Red Velvet

36910223_10156483341339420_3575802978226929664_n — Enjoy Life Gluten Free Pancake/Waffle Mix and Enlightened Red Velvet

My daughter and I grabbed two forks and fought over every bite… it was that good! The presentation was not there but the flavor combo of the waffles with the ice-cream was on-point! And we also had to add a bit of maple syrup because a waffle is always deserving of that.

If you are looking for a healthy option for ice-cream look no further than to Enlightened! The entire pint of this particular flavor is only 280 calories and only 5g of net carbs. I will be doing a post in more detail soon about this product. The Red Velvet paired perfectly with the chocolate waffle. This flavor has a cream cheese frosting and chocolate flavor.

The second obstacle that happened was during the dinner hour. I was whipping up more breakfast food. Whenever I have breakfast for dinner I like to call it “brinner”. This time I was making some paleo-friendly French Toast with chia and flax seeds. I am trying to boost my fiber intake and adding those seeds really assists in some smooth moves. I also really enjoy paleo baking. I have this thing for making fresh, gluten-free breads. It brings me a lot of joy.

This particular recipe for the bread used coconut flour. I used a square baking dish and that gave me 4 nice, thick slices of bread to work with. The batter was egg-free and I used a mashed banana mixed with some unsweetened almond milk and cinnamon. I also made some caramelized bananas, using coconut sugar, to top the French Toast.

I had my bread baked and cooling on the countertop. My batter was prepped and prepared. The bananas were caramelized. All I needed to do was cook the slices that were dipped in batter. Then all of the sudden out of nowhere we experienced a power outage! It was totally unexpected because there was no inclement weather. I was a little bit freaked out at this point. How was I going to cook the rest of my dinner without any power? Thank goodness my hubby came home from work. We brainstormed and came to the conclusion that our best bet was to bust out the cast iron pan and finish “brinner” off on the grill outside. Genius plan! It totally worked too.

36998523_10156485192559420_5355657676460130304_n

36903181_10156485192634420_7275079677734027264_n

36905814_10156485192769420_1273205233417191424_n

36943762_10156483925024420_1991211988784513024_o

I am so happy to report that my little family of 3 enjoyed this meal. Each one of us joined the Clean Plate Club and were left wanting more. It was so delicious! Next time I make this dish I will be sure to have more bananas because those were like eating candy!

37000430_10156485192889420_8491919443985694720_n — Candied Banana Paleo French Toast

Cooking sure does require a lot of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Knowing what to do when things are not going your way is critical. My two problems in the kitchen turned out awesome in the end. So when you are cooking do not be discouraged if things are not going the way you intended them to.

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I do receive a small commission if items are purchased through these links. All opinions stated here are my own.

July 11, 2018 4

Almond Butter and Triple Berry (Raspberry, Blueberry, Blackberry) Chia Jam Overnight Oats: (RECIPE)

This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes. I love the taste of peanut butter and jelly. It is a taste that takes me back to my childhood. PB&J is such a nostalgic flavor. This recipe will create 2 servings (or one very large serving) of overnight oats topped with naturally sweetened chia jam and almond butter. You will not have to use all of the jam and almond butter in your overnight oats. You can store those items and save them for future use.

This recipe requires a few different components. You will be creating your own sugar-free jam. This is simple and easy to make. It gets the sweetness right from the fruit and the raw honey.

36849458_10156482659899420_7914922722713403392_n

36961320_10156482659959420_7989818375305953280_n

Triple Berry Chia Jam

You will also be creating an almond butter. Let’s face it… nut butters can carry a hefty price tag. It is quite simple to make your own if you have the patience to get it properly blended up. The easiness of this step will rely heavily on the quality of your food processor. For me, it took a few minutes to get mine smooth and I also had to take a moment from processing to scrape the sides of the bowl and mix it up.

Your homemade almond butter can keep in the fridge for several weeks in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for up to four months. Once the almond butter is refrigerated you may need to warm it up a bit to get it to soften.

36815022_10156482659859420_5995640960711655424_n

36885955_10156482659819420_6849908680280768512_n

Almond Butter

The overnight oats step in the recipe is the most simple. You will want to do this recipe the night before you plan on enjoying it. The oats need time to absorb the milk & maple syrup. They also need to soften up.

Ingredients for the oats:

1 cup of gluten-free oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Oats)
1 cup of dairy-free milk (I used Pacific Organics Unsweetened Vanilla Hemp Milk)
1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup

Ingredients for the jam:

1 1/2 cups fresh berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries)
2 tablespoons of chia seeds
1 tablespoon of raw honey
splash of fresh lemon juice

Ingredients for the almond butter:

1 1/2 cup raw almonds
Tablespoon of coconut oil
Tablespoon of raw honey
A teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

Let’s start off with the oats. This step is simple in easy. I use 1 cup of oats and place them in a Mason jar. Pour in the milk and the maple syrup. Give it a good stir. Allow this to chill in the fridge for a few hours so it can soften.
Next step is to wash your fruit and place in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon of raw honey and a splash of lemon juice. Use a medium heat setting.
Warm the fruit up for a few minutes until it starts to break down easily and you can mash it up with a wooden spoon.
Add in 2 tablespoons of chia seeds and stir until well incorporated.
Continue cooking until this reduces down into a jam-like consistency.
Allow the jam to cool in the fridge for an hour
Now onto the almond butter! To make the nut butter you roast 1 1/2 cups of raw almonds in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Allow the nuts to cool after they come out of the oven and then place them in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of raw honey, and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Use the high setting on your food processor and be patient during this step. It may take awhile to get the nuts creamy and smooth. If you need to add more coconut oil to the mixture do so with just a tiny bit.
Your nut butter will start to ball up when it is ready. Give it a good stir to make sure it is well incorporated.
After the oats have chilled and soften, top it with your homemade jam and almond butter. Enjoy!

If you are in a hurry and do not have time to make your own almond butter at home I would highly suggest opting for something that is low in sugars. Justin’s Classic Almond Butter has only 1 gram of sugar per serving. Maranatha is also a great go-to brand. Their almond butter has 3 grams of sugar per serving.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think in the comments below if you decide to give it a try.

Have you ever made overnight oats? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I do receive a small commission if items are purchased through these links. All opinions stated here are my own.

July 10, 2018 0

Almond Joy (Coconut, Chocolate, and Almonds) Smoothie Bowl – RECIPE

I love to start my day with a nutritious and filling breakfast. This one is naturally sweetened and has no added sugar. If you love the Almond Joy chocolate bar you gotta give this smoothie bowl a whirl! This a great, healthier alternative.

Ingredients:

2 sliced and frozen bananas
1 cup Trader Joe’s Just Coconut Chunks
3/4 cup Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil (I use Nature’s Way coconut oil)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I use Simple Truth organic from Kroger)
1/4 cup sliced almonds (I use Simple Truth organic)
Small handful of Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips or make it a large handful if you love lots of chocolate!

Recipe:

Place the 2 frozen bananas, coconut chunks , and coconut milk into the blender. Blend on smoothie mode until ingredients are well blended. Add more coconut milk if necessary.
In a saute pan melt down the coconut oil. Place the coconut flakes in the pan once the coconut is melted. Use a medium heat setting for this. Continue to warm up the flakes until they are nicely toasted and have a golden color.
Remove the banana and coconut mixture from the blender cup and place in a bowl.
Top your smoothie bowl with the toasted coconut flakes, slivered almonds, and the chocolate chips.
Enjoy your Almond Joy smoothie bowl without too much guilt! Makes 1-2 servings so you can enjoy it all by your sweet self or share with a loved one.

What kind of breakfast do you like to enjoy in the morning? Sweet or savory?

Let me know in the comments.

Disclaimer:

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I do receive a small commission if products are purchased through those links.

June 27, 2018 2

Slingshot Shakes REVIEW

Slingshot Shake Nutrition

Protein

Probiotics

Fiber

All natural ingredients in Slingshot Shakes

Flavors of Slingshot Shakes

Simply Plain Shake

Vanilla Bean Shake

Strawberry Shake

Blueberry Shake

Powerplant Shake

Peach Shake

How can Slingshot Shakes improve?

What is next for Slingshot Shakes

Final Thoughts

Question Time! What flavor of Slingshot Shake will you be giving a whirl first? Leave me a comment and let me know what flavor you will try!

Want to learn more about Slingshot Shake breakfast shakes?

Where to buy Slingshot Shakes

OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY

Share this:

Like this:

About Nino Salvaggio

Exotic fruits that intrigued me at Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace

Passion Fruit

Guava

Rambutan

Quince

Ya Ya Pear

Passion Fruit / Guava Smoothie Bowl RECIPE

Passion Fruit & Guava Smoothie Bowl

Final thoughts

Question time! Have you ever been to Nino Salvaggio? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about this incredible place to shop!

Find out more about Nino Salvaggio

Related posts:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Bobs’ Red Mill Bread Mix review

Share this:

Like this:

I will tell you the ingredients so you can see for yourself:

I am going to talk about the health benefits now:

Share this:

Like this:

Do you have anything special planned for the day today? Leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from my readers. Comments here do brighten up my day!

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS. ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN.

Share this:

Like this:

Sugar Booger Homemade Donuts

Coffee Cardamon Steaks For Dinner

Wally’s Frozen Custard Review

Question Time! Did you eat anything marvelous over the weekend? I am so curious so please leave me a comment and tell me about it!

Find out more about Wally’s Frozen Custard in St. Clair Shores!

Other posts you might enjoy

Share this:

Like this:

Did you do anything exciting this weekend? What’s cooking in your kitchen that you are proud of? Leave me a comment and let me know because I love reading comments from my beloved readers!

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. I DO RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF ITEMS ARE PURCHASED THROUGH THESE LINKS. ALL OPINIONS STATED HERE ARE MY OWN. ANY COMMISSION I RECEIVE IS USED TO BETTER YOUR BLOG EXPERIENCE HERE.

Share this:

Like this:

Unicorn French Toast for breakfast! YUMMY

Miles Cake & Candy Supply

Milestone Grill Restaurant

Rochester Mills Milkshake Stout

Homemade chocolate donuts with the Wilton Donut Pan

Taking my Thunderbird Bars to Eastern Market in Detroit

MooTown Creamery

Eastern Market veggie haul!

One of my favorite places to go! Heidelberg Project in Detroit

Homemade from-scratch PIZZA!

Carrot Cake Donuts

Maranatha Almond Butter Fruit-Loaded Toast

FINAL THOUGHTS

Share this:

Like this:

Cactus Pear Smoothie Recipe

Cactus Pear Smoothie Recipe With Raspberries

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Please do research on how this may benefit or impact you.