I have a confession to make …

I’ve never really understood the blogger obsession with eating peanut butter by the spoonful.  Oh sure, I enjoy nut butters and they often find their way into recipes of mine, but I haven’t ever planned a meal/snack around a nut butter and I’ve never emptied out a jar just to use the (almost) empty container for oats in a jar.

However, I kept reading raving reviews about this mysterious PB Crave and I knew I had to get my hands on some. 

Brandon at PB Crave graciously provided me with a 4 jar variety pack of their line: 

Choco Choco, Razzle Dazzle, Cookie Nookie, and Coco Bananas. 

Holey Moly I am in LOVE!!! 

I’ve managed to eat it every day for the past week and I am seriously contemplating empting out a jar to make some oats!  Although, at the rate, I’m going, one will be empty soon anyway!

And it gets even better!  PB Crave also helps to raise money for Project Peanut Butter – a cause I support and an extremely worthwhile endeavor!

The Choco Choco is like jazz:  smooth and creamy with a dark chocolate flavor – not too sweet or overpowering.  So good topping my morning oats & egg whites!!

The Razzle Dazzle is like a Broadway show tune:  the flavor pops and the bits of white chocolate make me want to do “jazz” hands.  So good poured on top of some chopped apples!

Cookie Nookie is like your favorite childhood song:  it brings back memories of fresh cookies straight from the oven and makes me want to curl up under a blanket with a Stephen King novel … wait, not all 3rd graders read Stephen King?  So good on top of a kettle corn popcorn!

Coco Bananas is like a pop song:  it makes you want to tap your feet and bob your head.  It’s catchy and addicting and you find yourself craving it when you least expect it!  So good as a sandwich layer cake (J was extremely happy with this).

And guess what?  You all have a chance to bring some music into your own lives!

One reader will win the Choco Choco Variety Pack (Choco Choco, Razzle Dazzle, and Cookie Nookie)

– a $20.97 value plus it will be delivered to your doorstep!!!

Comment below to enter the giveaway:

1.  What’s your favorite oats in a jar combination?

For extra entries and leave a separate comment for each:

• Facebook like PB Crave
• Twitter follow PB Crave
• Pinterest follow PB Crave 

The giveaway is available to US residents and will run until Monday, June 4. 

Good Luck!!!

I went to Target and spotted caramel bits …

and one thing led to another …

and then another …

That’s what I get for wandering around Target with inspiration … perhaps I should have walked down the hand lotion aisle …

I came home fully prepared for some Healthy Bite action … (by the way, you NEED to order this e-book – it’s awesome!)

and then one thing led to another and I ended up with Caramel Apple Pecan Pie Bites

Hey friends, I thought I’d join Jenn’s party today and drop in with a little WIAW, low-carb style.

I’ve been cycling low, medium, and high carb days with about 50, 90, and 150 grams of rotating carbs.  I’m actually loving it!  I’ve been eating tons of fear foods – seeking out coconut oil, peanut butter, egg yolks on the low-carb days and eating …gasp … bread on the high-carb days!

This diet is actually less restrictive than I was eating before AND I’m noticing body composition changes!!!

So here’s a peek into a low-carb day (not all the eats, but all the eats I remembered to photo).

1/2 cup of egg whites and 2 whole eggs topped with spinach & salsa

Ground turkey with ‘shrooms and salsa

Canned salmon salad

Dipping my toe into the paleo world with these AWESOME cinnamon sliders I first saw on Christina’s blog and got the recipe from Paleomg.  So Good!

Served with sautéed mushrooms and bell peppers.

I was meat’d out after consuming approximately 1/2 a pork tenderloin while prepping food for the week. (note to self, eating the food you cook does NOT equal food prep) so I only ate 2-3 sliders.  J ate ALL of the rest – I think that means he liked them!

I also made a meatza from Paleomg after spying it on Juliet’s blog – yup, that was awesome, too!

Topped off with a little yogurt for dessert.  Un-dipping my toe from the paleo world.

Ever tried meatza?  Have you jumped onto the Paleo bandwagon?

It’s been super hot lately and I’ve been a smoothie/slushy making machine!  For the slushies, I put drink mix and ice in my food processor.  Sometimes (when I plan ahead of time) I’ll freeze the prepared drink as ice cubes and process the ice cubes.

For the smoothies, I put protein powder, ice, guar gum, xantham gum, and frozen spinach or frozen pumpkin puree (depending if I’m on a high-carb or low-carb day) and throw it all in my vita-mix.

Any other smoothie/slushy makers out there?  Any suggestions for making these extra awesome?

Hey friends, just a quick pop-in to share the things that are rocking my world right now.

1.  Kettlebells

I’ve been using Bob Harper’s contour kettlebells with his Cardio Rev DVD.  I’m not a wuss when it comes to working out and so it means a lot when I say that this man kicks my butt!  He’s really motivating, the moves are killer, and I feel like it’s a solid hour of cardio/strength training.

2.  Coconut oil

I bake with coconut oil all the time but, yeah, I never eat the food I bake.  Frankly, I’m afraid of oil.  But I’ve been carb cycling for the past week and the low-carb day includes a lot more fat in my diet than I’m usually comfortable with.  However, because it’s a controlled diet, I feel a lot more able to eat those fear foods.  I’ve been cooking with coconut oil and topping my egg whites with it.  Result:  holy moly I love this stuff!  Plus, I’m a lot more satiated at the end of the meal with a higher fat proportion in my diet!

3.  Pink Oranges

Frankly, I don’t care if pure radiation makes these oranges pink.  They’re pretty and delicious and make me happy.

4.  J

Not a new obsession but a constant favorite and I had to do a little shout-out for his birthday!  Happy Birthday, J!  Love you!

I’ve been a little stumped for blog posts lately.  I’ve been stressed with work, brain-dead from school, dealing with tons of body issues, and eating the same damn food over and over.  I could fill the blog world with negativity, salads and plain chicken, or silence.  I’ve been choosing silence – with occasional outbursts of comments. 

However, I do love these chain posts that spread like gonorrhea wildfire.  I like getting to know you fellow bloggers through them and finding out fun similarities we all have in common (besides the love of oats).   

Thanks have to go to Sarah for alerting me to this template and to Janetha for creating it! 

A is for age:  28 … soon to be 29 and sitting in classrooms filled with 18 year olds.  I hold my head in my hand while listening to them talk and realize I’m too old to understand the need to shorten EVERY FREAKING WORD:  obv, totes, etc.

B is for breakfast today:  Breakfast is eaten at work after the gym.  I utilize prep cooking on the weekends with big batches of cooked oats/egg whites and plain nonfat Greek yogurt.

C is for currently craving:

Meat.  Meat.  Meat.  Usually I hate meat and only eat it because my body feels better when I get animal protein.  Lately, however, I can’t get enough meaty goodness.  I made a rocking pork tenderloin earlier this week, carved up some seared steak … still bloody to top a salad, and last night J and I demolished a roasted chicken.

D is for dinner tonight:

hmm… usually my dinners consist of roasted veggies, iceberg lettuce (I LOVE iceberg), and some form of protein.

E is for favorite type of exercise:

Definitely running.  I feel better the longer I go and am proud to have completed my first 1/2 marathon!

F is for an irrational fear:

Bread.  It’s definitely a fear food that I have yet to conquer.  I’ve eaten bites here and there but I really, really, really want a big doughy bagel.  My irrational fear is that I won’t be able to stop at just one and I’ll balloon up to the size of a house.

G is for gross food:

I actually hate avocado, cheese, mayo, fried foods, egg yolks.  That’s not just the ED talking.  I’ve never liked these foods – I have memories of being a little kid while my mom forced me to eat the yolks out of my hardboiled eggs or trying (unsuccessfully) to convince her I was allergic to string cheese.

J, on the other hand, loves all these things so I oblige and make them for him.  The things we do for love!

H is for hometown:

Indio, CA but shhh… don’t tell anyone…

I was MISS INDIO.  Yup, wore a crown, waved in a parade, and competed in the Miss CA pageant.

I is for something important:

Me.  Sorry, but it’s something that I have to keep reminding myself of.  I need to love myself and treat myself kindly, treat myself importantly.

J is for current favorite jam:

Carry On” by FUN. 

May your past be the sound

of your feet upon the ground

Carry on

K is for kids:

No, thank you.

L is for current location:

San Luis Obispo, CA

M is for the most recent way you spent money:

Bulk bin wheat bran at the local natural foods store.  I love that stuff!

N is for something you need:

… I’ve left this one blank and have thought and thought about it.  Nothing comes to mind and I’ve decided to accept this.  My life is full of everything I need and everything I have serves its purpose.

O is for occupation:

Full time student, Program Coordinator of an organization that does community outreach in health and wellness.

P is for pet peeve:

Chewing with your mouth open.  I can’t stand mouth noises, in general.

Q is for a quote:

“A woman is like a Tea Bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

R is for random fact about you:

According to J:  I like all the parts of vegetables that people throw away. 

This is true, I prefer sweet potato skins to the actual potato, broccoli stalks are delicious, and I’ve been known to eat the orange rind (nope, not candied, just plain orange peel).

S is for favorite healthy snack:

Beef jerky!!!  I hate red meat but LOVE dried meat.  Don’t know why, but salty, chewy, slightly sweet meat gets me every time!

T is for favorite treat:

Watermelon.  I’ve eaten a whole (regular-sized) watermelon by myself in one day.  I do not recommend this.

U is for something that makes you unique:

I’m 1/2 Japanese, 1/4 Mexican, 1/4 Irish

V is for favorite vegetable:

Kabocha, Kabocha, Kabocha.  But I haven’t had any in more than a month!  Previous to this, I’d had it almost every day for about 3 years.  Hence the day-glo orange palms and the need for the current detox.

W is for today’s workout:

Elliptical

X is for X-rays you’ve had:

The diagnosis of my scoliosis.  It only took 28 years for a doctor to finally notice this, thanks US medical system!

Y is for yesterday’s highlight:

Greeting J at the door when he got home from work.  Sometimes always, it’s the little things that count.  Although, in J’s case, the man’s 6’4, so he counts as a big thing.

Z is for your time zone:

Pacific, California love!

There you go, now it’s your turn!

Hmm … what to do, what to do … when you have extra Peanut Butter Oreos?

And why did I have Peanut Butter Oreos?  Because I have a sexy man who loves peanut butter and chocolate and I have a problem with impulse buying.

First, I made Averie’s Oreo stuffed brownies.  Result = SEXY brownies

But I still had some Oreos left.  What to do, what to do?  Well, what would this lady do?  She would definitely make a nut butter!

I made some cashew butter and added ground up Oreos.

Result = SEXY NUT BUTTER

6:30 am leave the house

Pin the race bib, #466

2 double knots

1 big blue pillar blocking me in the picture

13.1 miles

1 hour 40 minutes

5th in my age group

16th overall female

49th out of 436 runners

2 blood blisters

1 very happy runner

Please forgive a boastful post.  This race was about more than running.  It was about survival from the battles within.  I am proud of my victories.  I am carrying on. 

This weekend I took a break:  from work, from exercise, from my inner-battles.  I tried my best to quiet my mind, to relax into the car seat as the hills rolled by on one side and the waves crashed silently on the other.  This weekend I took a break, and it was glorious!

I don’t know if I can every truly thank you all enough or express to you how much your support after my last post meant to me.  I didn’t get into blogging for the food or the workouts.  I got into blogging for the community and that is why I still love it.  It truly amazes me how totally accepting you are and how honest and raw I am comfortable being in front of you. 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.  From the bottom of my heart.

I am doing my best to focus on what my body can do and not on what it looks like.  This flesh is a gift, not a fault and I will celebrate the strength it gives me.  I’m running a 1/2 marathon next weekend and so today I did 13.1 miles on a treadmill at about race pace – now I am mentally prepared as well as physically.

I will slay this dragon, not with a sword, but with every mile my flesh powers me through.  I will slay this dragon with each foot strike, with each finish line crossed.  I will slay this dragon because it has not choice but to perish in front of me.