I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of oatmeal to begin with.  I will also say that the vanilla protein powder we have on hand isn’t very new and I’ve never been a fan of it’s flavor (I need to find a new vanilla protein that I actually like…..any suggestions?).  I was very excited to try this recipe as it seemed perfect for this time of year and just sounded so good.  For the most part, it was good.  I wouldn’t say it tasted like pumpkin pie though.  The vanilla protein mixture to add to the top of the oatmeal was the part I wasn’t thrilled about.  I tasted the oatmeal before adding this to it and it tasted much better (in my opinion).  Once I added the protein powder mixture to the top of the oatmeal, it just tasted too much like vanilla protein and nothing like the pumpkin pie oatmeal that it was suppose to be.  I would definitely try making this again if I had a good tasting vanilla protein powder.

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If any of you know our cat Oscar, then you know he loves treats.  I swear this cat is a dog.  He loves treats (and will sit at command to get one).  He plays catch and comes when you call him.  He’s a great cat and definitely the size of a dog.  Being a Maine Coon, he’s a big boy!

I was giving him a treat the other day and actually took notice of the package, only to read that it says that each treat has 2 calories.  I had to laugh.  They are advertising that each treat has two calories and what a healthy choice for your cat.  Give me a break!  Like I’m watching how many calories my cat is taking in each day.  I have enough trouble watching how many calories I take in each day.  I guess Oscar can have a treat and I can have a Tic Tac and we’ve both eaten the same amount of calories.

This side dish tasted amazing!  We love Thai dishes and love when peanut sauce is added to meat or veggies.  This was so simple to make and took broccoli to a whole other level.  We eat broccoli a lot, so it was fun to find a new variety to make.  Definitely a winner!

Great chicken dish also!  I’m very picky about chicken and rarely make chicken meals.  This one was definitely a keeper.  The pilaf didn’t have a lot of flavor, but just enough to add to the dish.  The chicken was full of flavor and the two (chicken and pilaf) mixed very well together.  This dish was also easy to make.

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I have to admit, these are really good!  My husband is not a fan of cottage cheese and even asked me what the “white stuff” was on this “mock” pizza.  After I convinced him to at least try it, he requested it again for dinner.  He loved this recipe!  It was so simple to throw together and makes for a very quick meal to assemble (just allow 20 minutes to bake in the oven).  We will definitely eat these….and often.

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These burritos were a nice surprise! We both thought they were great and would make them again. They were very easy to make and had a lot of flavor. The recipe says that the salsa is optional, but we think it’s required (or the burritos would be a little dry). Worth trying.

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This is definitely not your typical carrot cake, but certainly edible.  I found this recipe on the Eat Clean Diet message boards.  The cake came out very moist and tasted just like a carrot cake, although since I used wheat flour, I could tell it was made with a “healthier” flour.  Not a bad thing, just noticeable to me.  The icing is what was the most different.  Since maple syrup and molasses are used in it, the icing will definitely not be white as the usual icing is for carrot cake.  The icing looks more like a caramel icing, but tastes like it goes well with the carrot cake.  If I could substitute the real icing for this “mock” one, I think the cake would be perfect.  The “mock” icing on the cake does taste very good (don’t get me wrong).  This is definitely worth making again.  I’m just not sure I would make it to take somewhere, because of the appearance of the icing (not being white).  Most people would be turned off by it because it doesn’t look like a traditional carrot cake.

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Today was the first time I’ve ever tried Almond Butter.  I’ve had it in my pantry for almost two years and was too scared to try it.  It just didn’t sound good to me, but I purchased it because I read about it everywhere and how much healthier it is for you.

I was reading my Oxygen magazine (January 2009 issue….why in the world am I getting an issue for January when it’s only November is beyond me).  As I’m reading, I’m hungry, but yet, it’s not time for lunch and I don’t want to eat anything too big and eating chips or chocolate seemed to be a not-so-great option to eat while I’m reading an Oxygen magazine issue.

One quick tip for snacking was to have a piece of toast with almond butter on it.  I figured this was as good a time as any to give that almond butter a try.  I pull it out of the pantry to find that it expired in July of 2008 (so I’m only 4 months late and it’s never been opened, so I figure it’s still fine for at least one try).  I did try it and love it!  I think I even like it more than peanut butter (and I’m a huge fan of peanut butter).  It has such a great flavor!  I now have it on my grocery list of things to get the next time I’m grocery shopping (getting one that’s not expired and hopefully using it this time).

I’m not a big tuna fan (but it is the only fish I will eat), but this Wrap is very good!  It was so easy to put together and has amazing flavor!  This is an eat clean meal (as are all of the recipes I list on my blog, unless otherwise noted).  I found this recipe in an issue of Oxygen magazine.  It was listed as being one of Jessica Biel’s favorite “clean” meals.  The article was about A-List Hollywood Dieters.  It was a pretty good article, but the recipe is what caught my eye.

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We had mixed feelings about this dish.  To start out, it’s different, but as you continue to eat it, it tastes very good.  I would make this again.  My husband liked it enough to eat leftovers of it, but not enough to request that I make it again.  The yams add a surprising sweet taste to this spiced up Mexican dish.  I do like the flavors together and would recommend making it.  It was a very fast and easy dish to make.

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The Penne was definitely edible, but both of us agreed that it wasn’t something we would make again. It may have something to do with the fact that we didn’t use any of the mushrooms to make this. Neither of us are mushroom fans. I figured the recipe would taste fine without them. It was good, but I’m sure the added flavor of mushrooms make a difference. If you like mushrooms, this recipe would definitely be worth a try.

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