HI LETS TALK ABOUT LIPSTICK

Yo whaddup

I wish I had some great excuse as to why I haven't even looked at this blog in almost a year, but alas the only excuses I have are that I've been non inspired and I forgot my password.

Those don't seem like big whoops, but let me tell you when you go to try and write something with no inspiration and realize you don't even know how to do a blog anymore it's real easy to just throw your hands up and say oh well too hard, gonna go watch netflix instead.

Why I have I been so uninspired? I don't know. 

Food just doesn't really do it for me anymore.

But you know what does?

Lipstick.

Sorry.

Food Find Friday: Enjoy Life Crunchy Cookies

As its been made very apparent over this blog, I love me some Enjoy Life products.

If you knew me, you'd also know that I love me some cookies.

I'd take a cookie at any time. 

A breakfast cookie, a dinner cookie, a snack cookie and a little dessert.

Anytime is cookie time.

So of course an Enjoy Life cookie is gonna be the bomb dot com.

When I received this glorious box of happiness, it took great restraint to not dive in and eat them all at once. 

Pictures had to be taken, tastes had to be tested. So much work to do. 

Eating delicious cookies, make for a very hard life.

But lets get down to business shall we.

Enjoy Life's Crunchy Cookies.

Comes in four yummalicious flavors.

Chocolate Chip, Vanilla Honey Graham, Sugar Crisp, and Double Chocolate.

Unfortunately, they got a little bit rough and tumbled on the journey to me. About 72% of the cookies were broken. Which meant I had to eat all the crumbly evidence. Again, such a hard life I live.

The first up {and most crumbled} were the Crunchy Double Chocolate cookies.

Chocolate flavored cookies with chips of Enjoy Life's chocolate mixed in. Double the chocolate you see.

Yes they are crunchy cookies, but they melt like butta' in your mouth. Chocolate, and more chocolate, yet not too overwhelmingly chocolate. 

Thats how you do it folks!

I may not have eaten well with my eyes on these guys, but my taste buds were very well treated.

I really have an additionally hard time believing that they have no dairy. There must be some milk and butter hiding in their somewhere. How else do they taste so wonderful, huh?

Next up to bat, was the Vanilla Honey Graham Cookies.

These are quite possibly my favorite.

They taste like a sugar cookie and a graham cracker made a a beautiful cookie child together.

This cookie child is glorious. She's got great times ahead of her.

Just like the chocolate cookies, theses little ladies melt away in your mouth. Crumbling perfectly onto your taste buds.

Those little buds will be very happy with you. I promise.

After I purged on them cookies, I tested out the Crunchy Chocolate Chip cookies.

These cookies looked perfectly. Notta one broken cookie. Winning!

They were also he most crunchy of the crunchy cookies. The chocolate chips were distributed perfectly throughout the little sugar circle, and they were flavored just right-not too sweet, with a little edge.

You know all those many different brands up and down the aisles of grocery stores? 

These little fellas, 

better.

Just tellin' it like it is, folks.

Last, but certainly not least was the Crunchy Sugar Crisp cookies.

Happiness in a cardboard box.

Can you see those sugar crystals? 

A sugared sugar cookie!! Whoot whoot!

These cookies were not as melt in your mouth smooth as the chocolate and honey graham cookie, but not quite as crunchy as the chocolate chip either. 

Right in the middle. Just as a sugar cookie should be.

Cookies. Eat one.

Eat them all.

Don't settle for only one flavor. 

To see more of my love for Enjoy Life, 

Click here, here, and here.

{while the product reviewed today was provided for testing, no monetary compensation was provided for this article. all opinions on this site are wholly mine, without outside influence}

What did I do with all these cookie after I stuffed my face?

Made a special treat, thats what!

Food Find Friday: Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks

As I have mentioned five point three billion times, I love Enjoy Life Chocolate.

Its the only chocolate I will eat these days.

There are exactly three ingredients. Those ingredients do not include gluten, dairy, nuts, soy, corn, or about a zillion other things-'cause there are only three ingredients remember.

If you haven't noticed, every other kind of chocolate on the planet has soy added to it. 

Not them chocolate chunks. Nope, no unneccessary ingredients added.

I use both the chocolate chunks and mini chocolate chips for baking, but the chunks don't usually make it  into baked goods, as my mouth generally claims them way before a recipe can get ahold of the bag.

There really isn't much to say about it, they just taste like chocolate chips. 

They aren't necessarily a billion times better than any other chocolate chips, they really taste just like any regular {high quality} chocolate; its whats missing that makes it extraordinary. 

and it doesn't taste like wax.

Thats a bonus.

If you eat chocolate, use chocolate chips, or wish you did--get some of them choco chunks instead!

No soy!

No preservatives!

No artificial flavorings!

No allergens!

No guilt!

 Okay, maybe a little guilt.

But not much, because it has no soy! no preservatives! no artificial flavorings! no allergens!

I'm actually eating some right now, if you were wondering.

The day I discovered that Target carried said chocolate, I may have done a happy dance up and down the aisle. A whole dollar cheaper than at the natural food store I had been purchasing them from. 

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks. 

Get yours today. 

You'll Enjoy it.

Did you buy them yet? 

If you did, you can make these delicious Dream bars. 

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

!-!-!

Because I'm so wonderful, I'll share this scrumptious  recipe with you fine folks.

Stay tuned.

*while the product reviewed today provided to me for testing, no monetary compensation was given to me for this review. The opinions on this site are wholly mine, without other influence.

Best Gluten Free Pizza

I like pizza. Like a lot.
I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. and for a snack.
Whether its adorned with pesto, pepperoni, veggies or just cheese--or if its on a thick and chewy or thin and crunchy crust; pizza is always gonna hit the spot.

When I first went gf, the thought of never eating another slice of cheesy Costco pizza, or Upper Crusts crisp pesto pie devastated me, I could never again pick up the phone and get a box delivered to my door. So the Costco magnet was tossed away, I avoided driving on the road Upper Crust sat on, and made sure to fast-forward over all pizza commercials.
When I finally came to terms with it, and had mastered my own variety's of the pizzas I once loved--I then had to cut out dairy too. Pizza, without cheese?! I couldn't bear it. Not even a little bit. I tried to replace the cheese with other fakers, but they were disgusting and definitely did not the same taste or texture.
Pizza was breaking my heart, and I needed to cut it out of my life foreva. A ooey gooey cheese pie with its array of crisp toppings would never find its way into my life again.
Months and seasons passed by with no pizza making its way to my kitchen, my desire being shoved deep inside. But than this round concoction started to creep its way back into my life, slowly at first--nothing more than a crust topped with pesto or bruschetta. More like a large piece of toast rather than a pizza. Things started to develop at a fast pace after that, I needed more. Once again, pizza was ruling my life and filling my every hungery thought.
Is it the same without cheese?
No.
It never will be, but it can still be delicious and it can still cure the craving.

So here are a few of my favorite pizza things:

 Bold Organics Deluxe Pizza: This Pizza is AMAZING! The only dairy free pizza I will eat. I just recently discovered it, doubtful that it would taste too good--but it blew me away. The gf crust is crisp and chewy and full of flavor, and the sauce-Oh the sauce!-absolutely seasoned to perfection. I got the meat lovers (also comes in veggie) and the pepperoni and sausage were also full of a perfect seasoning blend. I didn't even mind the cheese-which was Daiya-which I don't like even a little bit-because they added just the right amount. Downside- pretty pricey, and a very small pie. (it was almost $10 and would only probably feed one person)

Udis Pizza Crust: My favorite pre-made crust. Cover it in pesto sauce and tomatoes, with bbq sauce and chicken, or pepperoni and cheese.Back in the day, my favorite way to make it was with a little evoo or pesto, and topped with mozzarella and tomatoes. Delicious!
FYI-they now sell prepared pizzas. They are gross. Unless you like to top your pizza with pure tomato paste and a small single round of mozzarella and pepperoni-than you would like it. If you like things with flavor-don't buy it.


Applegate Farms Pepperoni: If you couldn't tell by this post so far, I like pepperoni pizza. Its delicious, so you can't really blame me. This is my favorite pepperoni. Gluten/dairy/corn/soy/nitrate free. There is only like four ingredients. three of which are herbs. If you were to buy another brand, say Hormel pepp.-there is like five hundred eighty three ingredients. zero of which are herbs. Just sayin...

Contes Gluten Free Pizza: In margherita or mushroom. For those of you who can eat dairy-Eat this. Its good. Loaded with cheese and flavor.











* Stay tuned in-my story is almost over!

Best Gluten Free Brands

- Bisquick/Gluten Free-Tastes just like regular Bisquick! Makes delicious waffles, pancakes, dumplings you name it!
-Gluten Free Pantry Bread Mix-I've tried a few of their mixes, and they all are pretty great. This bread mix, is the best gluten free bread I've had. I've made it as regular loafs in the oven, in the bread machine, as rolls, as a base for christmas bread, and as breadsticks.
-Feel Good Foods Dumplings-These dumplings are the bomb! I've had both the chicken and veggie, and they are both so good. I generally prefer the vegetable pot sticker since it tastes about the same as the chicken for less fat and sodium.(P.S. it comes with GF soy sauce) I have yet to try the other products, but will soon!
- BearCreek Darn Good Chili Mix-I have never been a big fan of chili, but in addition to my moms homemade version, I love this mix. I like to add some ground beef or turkey, and an extra can of black beans to make it go a little farther-and it makes a huge pot full.
-King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour- Its no secret this is my favorite flour blend. It is fine and powdery just like wheat flour is, and doesn't leave you with a gritty texture in your baking. They have awesome recipes online that I often make, and a few mixes as well, but I have yet to try those out. (although I'm sure they are delicious).
-Enjoy Life- I love anything Enjoy Life! I only eat their chocolate chips/chunks, both crunchy and soft cookies are delicious, they have an amazing granola in several flavors, and a crunchy chocolate bar that is better than an actual Crunch bar. The most amazing thing about this brand-everything is gluten, dairy, nut, soy and corn free!
-So Delicious- If you are dairy and soy free like me, coconut is the way to go! There has been a lot of hype surround coconut lately, I can't verify if they are really that beneficial or not, but I can verify that these products are scrumptious. I love the yogurt (vanilla is my fave-I like to pair it with some Enjoy Life granola) the ice cream is creamy and refreshing, and the milk makes for a great baking ingredient.
-Applegate Farms- Meat-tasty, pure and simple. Love the herb turkey breast, their roastbeef is the only kind I'll eat, and the pepperoni is ginormous and free of any preservatives and junk.
-Earth Balance Butter Spread- I get the soy free version-but they have many different versions of this dairy free butter. They also have it in butter sticks now that work great in baking.

So there you have it-a few of my favorite things. Continue to check in for more things all about me...