Starbucks has rolled out their new instant coffee (well, they have a bit more of a sophisticated name, it’s called “Starbucks VIA Ready Brew”!).  The VIA instant coffee comes in two flavors, “Columbia” (medium roast) and “Italian Roast” (extra bold).  They are sold in a 3-pack or a 12-pack.  The 12-pack is a much better value, but the 3-pack is so cute and would make a great stocking stuffer.

These instant coffees come in a tiny packet (very easy to tote around).  All you do is add 8 ounces of hot water to the instant coffee, stir, and wahlah….you have coffee.  Jason and I tried the Columbia coffee this morning and both thought it was good.  Starbucks is known for strong flavored coffee and these instant coffees live up to the Starbucks taste.  While these instant coffees are cheaper than getting a Tall regular coffee at Starbucks, Jason and I both agree that we still like our many flavors of Keurig Coffee with our home single cup brewer (and costing much less).  These are certainly fun to try and are a great small something to add to any gift.

On a side note, Starbucks is hosting a Taste Challenge October 2-5, 2009 and you can stop by any store to do a taste test. When you do so, you’ll receive a coupon for a free brewed tall coffee on your next visit.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll remember my post back in February about my very first taste of Gelato (and how I like it far better than even ice cream).  Well, this past weekend, I happened to notice that the grocery store sold Gelato.  Out of curiosity, I had to buy some (to see how it tasted compared to the Gelato I had that was freshly made back in February).  I have to say that I was quite impressed!

I purchased a pint size of the Double Dark Chocolate Talenti Gelato.  It’s so soft and creamy with some mini dark chocolate chips in it.  It’s rich, so a little will go a long way (making the pint last for way more than one sitting).  I will definitely buy this again.  What a great treat and it’s all natural ingredients (even better)!  I would get this same flavor again, but may venture out to try another.

Have you seen this before?  I just came across Wordle and think it’s pretty cool.  You can paste in a bunch of text and it will use the text to create a “Wordle” or you can put in your URL (which is what I did) and it creates a “Wordle” quickly (not sure why mine says CHICKEN as big as day), and the last option is to enter your del.icio.us user name and it will create a “Wordle” off of your bookmarks.  Once it’s created, you can click on the “Randomize” button and it will change colors, fonts, and look.  It’s SO cool!

The first pic is taken from just entering in my URL for this blog.  The second pic is using my del.icio.us user name.  I still have yet to put my own words in to create a “Wordle”, but it’s on my list of things to do (then I may print it out and frame it for inspiration).

Check it out and have some fun.

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 was reading a magazine (All You) the other day and they had a great idea of using a wine holder as a magazine holder.  Well, we don’t drink wine, so I didn’t have a wine holder on hand, so I went to the first place I usually go to (eBay or Craigslist) and started searching to see what was out there.  I was thrilled to have found a dark brown leather one (which goes well with my office).  Even better, I got it for $3 ($7 shipped).  I couldn’t find something that nice locally for that price if I tried.

I always have magazines laying on my Project Table and taking up space.  I get a few magazines and then my neighbor and I always swap magazines, so I have a pile when I get some from her too.  I was sick of seeing the pile on my Project Table, so loved this storage idea (somewhat of a conversation piece).  My husband thought it was cool, but didn’t like the idea of the magazines being folded.  Well, I always fold my magazines back while I read them anyway, so they get distorted to begin with, so this doesn’t bother me one bit.  I guess it’s a personal thing.

Anyway, this is my latest and greatest addition to my office.  I’m thrilled to have a more organized way of storing my magazines (since the books I’m reading are currently taking up the space in my actual magazine holders).

One of my favorite magazines arrived today in the mail.  It currently is only published four times a year, but good news…they are increasing it to six times a year.  I’m so excited!  The Clean Eating magazine is finishing up its first year of publication.  It’s chock full of very valuable information.  Great health information, exercise, recipes, and so much more.  I love getting this magazine in the mail and always read it from cover to cover.  If you’re ever at a Borders or Barnes and Noble store, pick up a copy of this magazine and take a peak at it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Since there are only two of us, we have left overs all the time in our house.  To store left overs, I often use the Ziploc Brand Twist ‘n Loc Containers.  They have a leak-resistant seal and stack nicely.  They come in two sizes.  They’re great for food storage (especially when refrigerator space is tight, since you can stack them).  They’re also great for packing lunches (although somewhat bulky depending on the size of your lunch box).  They are microwave and dishwasher safe.  They stack inside each other for storage when not in use (and the lids stack too).  They are a staple in my kitchen.

I love the Magic Bullet.  Now, I’m not one to buy the “as seen on TV” things, but this is a must-have!  I use this little guy for everything!  I make smoothies often and it’s so easy to use (just put your ingredients in the cup, blend, and drink out of the cup you blended your smoothie in….it’s that simple, and just put your cup in the dishwasher to clean, now that’s easy).  The photo above is from this morning (blending my chocolate pancake).

I’m a HUGE fan of the Keurig (single cup) Coffee Maker .  I love coffee, but 1 cup at a time is perfect for me (which is why having a regular coffee maker is pointless for me….there would be too much waste).  We purchased the Keurig Coffee Maker almost two years ago.  We enjoy at least 1 cup a day (and sometimes up to three during various points of the day).  Keurig offers so many choices of flavored, regular, and decaf coffees, not to mention teas, hot chocolate, and apple cider.  This has been a great investment for us (Starbucks type quality right here at home for a fraction of the cost).  So, here’s to caffeine and a great morning!

Drinking water is easy for me, because I love it, but with being busy all day, I sometimes forget to drink.  I recently purchased several Tupperware Insulated Tumblers and fill one up each morning with ice and water, put the lid on, insert my straw and I’m ready to start my morning (after coffee, of course).  It sits next to me on my desk (so it’s in plain view) and reminds me to drink.  When it gets low or I’m heading toward the kitchen, I take it with me to fill up and continue on with my day.  Since the tumbler is insulated, it helps keep my water cold and by the end of the day, I easily have my 8 cups of water drank.