Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies & Frush (Giveaway)

Yayy for Thursday! Josh, Kay and I all have a cold and are ready for a relaxing weekend. What are you up to this weekend? We have a family BBQ and I am turning 30 on Sunday. So crazy! I thought I would feel nervous or upset at the thought of turning 30, but it really doesn’t bother me one darn bit! I have always felt that birthdays are only depressing if you haven’t accomplished what you wanted to by the time you get to that age. Thoughts?

I am meeting up with a pregnant friend this week to discuss daycare options and general questions about mommy-hood. Since she has a gluten sensitivity, I decided to make her GF chocolate chip cookies. I purchased almond meal (TJs brand of course) and then set out to make this recipe.

The outcome:

These are totally delicious! If you’re looking for a GF treat, give them a go!

I was recently contacted by Frush to try out their yogurt and fruit shakes which are made with real fruit, rich and creamy yogurt and all natural health boosters (disclaimer: I received the samples for free). (For more information visit www.gofrush.com, www.facebook.com/gofrush and www.originfoodgroup.com.)

I received four flavors to try: blueberry, strawberry banana, strawberry, and peach. I was planning to have a big Frush tasting party, but am a little party hosting out (between Kaylin’s birthday, the bachelorette party dinner and the baby shower- I’m exhausted!). In lieu of the in person party, I decide to provide the Frush to friends to try. So far all of the feedback has been pretty positive! I think peach is the favorite flavor. The only complaint I’ve received is that the sugar content is a little high.

Josh and I have tried the Frush on its own and with protein mixed in:

I think Frush is a great grab and go breakfast option. I have coupons for $1 off any two Frush. If you would like one, please shoot me an email (itzyskitchen at gmail dot com) and I will send coupons off to the first five emailers!

A Bachelorette, a Baby & a Snack

Thank goodness its Thursday! Are you having a good week so far? Good stuff on this end; family & friend time, work, teaching at the gym, and a little downtime.

This past weekend, we had my friend Kelley’s bachelorette party. The bride-to-be and other bridesmaids flew into Charleston to celebrate all weekend long. A few pictures from the weekend, walking the bridge (Kell and her sister):

Bachelorette:

with me:

All the ladies:

So much fun!

Kaylin also attended a friend’s birthday party:

and she scribbled for the first time:

Work of art!

I also got to try a new-to-me snack, CLIF Kid ZFruit Ropes (disclaimer, I received samples for free):

No processed sugars and gluten free? Fantastic! And they taste great. Perfect for any kid’s (or big kid’s) lunchbox. 

And…just for fun…Frank, fresh out of the bath:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDI!!!!!!!!!!!

Product Reviews: Charleston Naturally

I enjoy using natural products (skin care, makeup, cleaning etc.) when I can. Recently, the nice people at Charleston Naturally offered to send me products to sample (disclaimer: I received these samples for free):

I was thrilled to see a variety of skincare, makeup, and baby products:

First, I tried Dr. Hauschka’s soothing mask:

The mask felt amazing on and my skin felt totally refreshed & smooth after:

Next, I tried the sukiface line. Although I lovedddddd this eye cream:

the other sukiface products were a little too scented for me:

My favorite product (by far) was this Stonecrop whipped moisturizer. I find most lotions feel either 1) too heavy or 2) aren’t moisturizing enough/dry out. This product is both light and moisturizing. It feels just fabulous on your skin!

I also tried this Sheer Tint Illuminator:

It felt great under my makeup, but I didn’t really notice any improvement in the appearance of lines.

The designs on the erbaviva baby products are super cute! The products also work great (especially the lotion)…but I also found them to be a little heavily scented.

Charleston Naturally offers a bundle of amazing products. Check them out! You can also visit their facebook page.

Do you use natural beauty products?

Chobani Pineapple Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Mmmm…mini muffins:

As soon as I received my shipment of 16 oz containers of Chobani (thank you Chobani- disclaimer: I received the Chobani for free), I knew I wanted to make muffins with some of the yogurt. I’m sure you’ve heard…but just in case you haven’t, Chobani is now making 16 oz containers of so many awesome (blended) flavors.

Josh and I both love pineapple and chocolate covered pineapple, so I figured pineapple chocolate chip muffins would be delicious. I grabbed my 16 oz container of pineapple Chobani and got to work!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pineapple Chobani
• 1/2 cup diced pineapple
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• Desired quantity chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F.

In one bowl, mix together flours and baking powder.

In the bowl of a mixer (or can do by hand too!!), mix together sugars, Chobani, diced pineapple, canola oil, and egg.

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spray mini muffin tins with non-stick spray. Use a cookie scoop to dish out even amounts of batter.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Makes ~28 mini muffins

mmmmm!

I just wanted to give a shout out to an AWESOME Charleston area business- Belva’s. Josh ordered flowers for me for our anniversary. The flowers were incredibly gorgeous (hydrangea and 5 roses for our 5th anniversary). Unfortunately, the flowers didn’t hold up long. I sent an email into the florist just to let them know and the SAME day, they delivered a brand new gorgeous arrangement. Thank you SO much!! If you live in the Charleston area and need flowers, call Belva’s!

Kaylin’s First Birthday Party

Last week, Kaylin turned the big #1!

We had a pretty large party (about 60 people) and a lot of fun!

One of the best parts of the party was all of the yummy food! I wish I had pictures of everything! We had meatballs (regular marinara & Asian inspired), Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, baked beans, crackers & cheese, chips & salsa, fruit and fruit dip, vegetables & hummus & veggie dip, nuts & nut mixes (from Trader Joe’s), rolls, strawberry spinach salad, cookies and cupcakes. Luckily, I had family helping out with some of the food (thank you everyone!!)

I made Kaylin’s smash cake using this recipe. The recipe is healthier and has a banana base:

Topped with a lighter cream cheese frosting:

More food pictures- amazing fruit:

Nuts & cheese:

I made a ton of chocolate cupcakes:

I topped them with Joy the baker’s peanut butter frosting. I also made Mama Pea’s con cookies (Josh’s Mom also brought chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips and chocolate covered pretzels):

The theme was Mickey/Minnie. Kaylin freaked out every time she saw a Mickey or Minnie.

We also had a keg

Its hard to get a one year old to sit still:

Kaylin’s Aunt Jenny did SO much for the party (here with her boyfriend Mike who took all of the pictures):

Jenny put together a bundle of kids activities include noodle necklace making, coloring, bubbles, etc:

She also painted the beer pong table up for the party:

I had high hopes for the smash cake:

but it was much more dainty than expected:

Josh and I helped to make it a little messier! It was a fantastic day !

What is your favorite party food to make or eat?