Quick Review: Earth Balance Buttery Spread

In my never ending quest to reduce my intake of unintentional antibiotics, I went ahead and bought the organic version. I used to use Smart Balance, which is made by the same company. The reason for my change in spreads is due to an intensive study of my previous spread's label. While Earth Balance is higher in sodium and fat than it's cousin, it doesn't contain the preservative TBHQ. 

Most of the time I just use butter, but it's hard to apply stick butter on toast in the morning, especially when you are in a hurry. I have to admit, Earth Balance isn't quite as tasty as Smart Balance, but I feel better about putting it in my body.

Quick Review: Panera Bread BBQ Chicken Salad

A good sized salad with antibiotic free chicken strips, corn, tortilla strips, BBQ ranch dressing, romaine lettuce. BBQ sauce drizzled on top. Yum! Served with fresh bread. Costs about eight and a half dollars, but much better value for your dollar than Subway, considering the quality of the ingredients. And Panera's bread isn't laced with chemicals and high fructose corn syrup like Subway's bread. 

Quick Review: Creamy Dill Dip Mix

Bought at Whole Foods(I paid about $1.60). Package says you need two cups of sour cream, but I add to taste and use it as I go. One package can last weeks this way. This stuff is even better after it sets in the fridge for an hour or so. I use it mainly as a dip for potato chips(A great alternative to onion dip and ranch dressing), but it has recipes on the back for baked dill potato and a sandwich spread(yum!).

Quick Five Faves from Trader Joe's

1) TJ's Jelly Beans- Like Jelly Belly, only with natural ingredients.
2) Scallops Wrapped in Uncured Bacon with Brown Sugar Glaze- Yum, yum, yum! Eat with fries for a totally unhealthy but delish meal. Seasonal, tho. Boo.
3) Tarte D'Alsace- Flat bread, ham, Yummy Cheese and Carmelized oniony goodness!
4) Tuscan Italian Dressing- Love the creaminess. Wish they sold it in a bigger size.
5) Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad- Good flavor combo and Sliced Almonds for crunch. Great on multi-grain crackers.

Honorable mention: Best tagline from their newsletter...

"Kernel Of Wisdom: Whole wheat flour uses the whole kernel versus white flour, which only uses the endosperm. Any attempt at a joke would be crude."