We all know food can tend to be a hit or miss. This is especially true when it comes to trying new products or just trying a different brand of the same product.
And we all know there’s nothing worse than excitedly digging into something new only to be let down. Okay – maybe it’s worse that we then have a whole jar/bottle of whatever that is nasty.

Breakfast: HIT!! Base: 1/2 mashed banana, ~1/2 c. quick oats, 1/2 c. almond milk, chia seeds, cinnamon (and lots of it.) Vanilla chobani mixed in in the morning.
It’s hard to ever know for sure what you’re getting into with new stuff, too – just because one person loves it doesn’t mean you will, and just because they hate it doesn’t mean you will.

Topped this morning with peanut butter sauce, raisins, walnuts, wheat germ, and maple syrup. And some mo' banana.
I think a good case in point is that Banana peanut butter I picked up the other week. I was so excited about it at first, but now I find myself using more and more of it just because I want it gone already so I can move on to the good stuff. Luckily – I can’t really taste it’s plasticy taste when it’s made into a peanut butter sauce or birdseed bars.
Ironically, “the good stuff” is just $3.69 Price Chopper brand organic crunchy peanut butter. Who’s a thought?! I’m also loving locally made jams as well as random dented can store finds like this Holiday jam.
Another recent disappointment? This Once Again Sunflower Seed butter. I had high hopes – I mean, give me a spoon and a jar of sunflower butter and I’m a happy girl. I love it even more than peanut butter, even though (and I just realized this) you rarely see it on this blog. Usually I buy the Full Circle brand, though Sunbutter is just as good. The only brand the co-op had was Once Again – but it’s oddly gritty and salty? Not a fan. I can’t wait for it to be over so I can buy some of the good stuff! It does get brownie points for having a really cute mascot, though.

Lunch: HIT!! And I thought the wraps I've been having are the best wraps ever...add tempeh to the mix, and you'll be in heaven!!
I grilled the tempeh on the panini press before wrapping it in a homemade pesto wrap with tomato “sauce” (leftover from last night), garlic hummus, feta, and mozzarella, and panini’d away. So. dang. good.
I’ll probably get tomatoes thrown at me for this, but this Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla was a gigantic miss for me. I might as well have been pouring water over my cereal, except this might have been worse.
This was the first almond milk I’d ever had, back when healthy eating was hardly much of a passion. It was gross to me then and made me think all almond milk was gross, and it still is. I think it made my tongue even go a little tingly.
This (sweetened) original Silk Pure Almond, however? ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! Even though I’m not a fan of really sweet things, the Almond Breeze was just not doin’ it for me. I don’t find this milk to be too sweet, and I can use it in sweet or savory baking and/or cooking.
I’ll take the bit of added sugar if it means enjoyment! I should note – I do enjoy the original sweetened Almond Breeze. The deciding factor of whether I get Silk or Almond Breeze is dependent on which store I’m in and which is cheaper. Usually, Almond Breeze is cheaper only by a quarter or two, but is only in one store I sometimes go to.
I dusted the date brownies from yesterday with some confectioner’s sugar to sweeten them up a bit for work. They were enjoyed! Although one boss said they needed more chocolate…crazy, if you ask me.
The Organic Whey and Tera’s Whey are both great powders, but I’m thinkin’ The Organic Whey takes the ultimate cake. It’s unsweetened, unflavored, organic, and rBGH free…you can do whatever your little heart desires with it! Tera’s is great – but it’s already flavored and sweetened. Good for when you’re mixing it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk or when you want your bars to be very vanilla-y, but not if you’re aiming for a certain flavor. Other than bourbon vanilla, that is.
And, if you click here and enter your e-mail, you can get on the list for all sorts of big specials and savings!! I’m always getting emails for 3 pouches for $99, free shipping, and so on and so on. And neat tips!
Reasons to be careful and research your protein powders before purchase:
Reason #1 Whey protein comes from milk. If the milk contains growth hormones, antibiotics or pesticides then the resulting whey also contains these harmful ingredients. 99% of whey protein available today comes from milk that contains all three harmful elements. Reason #2 Whey loses most of its natural goodness when it is processed using acids or high temperatures. Most major protein brands sell whey which is acid-processed because that is the most cost-effective method for industrial production. The companion nutrients in whey-things like lactoglobulin- are very tender and are destroyed in this processing. Reason #3 Protein companies then add artificial/natural flavors and sweeteners to mask the strong taste of chemicals present in whey after it is subjected to industrial processing. Reason #4 In the whey business, all companies buy whey from blenders who source it from the cheapest source in the world at that moment. Whey protein companies don’t know where their whey is coming from and therefore, can’t tell consumers where it is coming from or how was it processed.

I’ve raved about this Organic Valley pourable yogurt before – but I’ll reiterate. I love it!
As well as Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt. I enjoy the plain, too - but since having Vanilla, I've been having a hard time switching back ;)And, last but not least... Uhhhh, yeah...I may or may not have been thinking of this waiting for me at home all afternoon ;) What are your recent hits and misses? (These opinions are my own and I am not being paid or reimbursed in any way. In fact, all of these weren't even sent to me except for The Organic Whey - but you all knew that already.)