Posts Tagged ‘review’

I have two product reviews and a mission to report on…

 

Product Review #1: Progressive International Lettuce Keeper

I purchased this guy awhile ago at Market District as a way to store the bulk spinach I buy from Costco.  It seemed like a good system to keep the spinach fresh as opposed to the bag that it comes in.  I will admit, I didn’t expect much from it except a bunch of soggy spinach in a week.  Wrong!  Probably a little gross, but my spinach has been kept crisp and fresh for over three weeks.  Okay, gross, sure, but something about the vents on the bottom and the “section” of ventilation has kept my spinach fresh much longer than it would have normally.  Well worth the $16 I paid for it at Market District.  It comes with a middle divider should you choose to put carrots, celery, peppers, etc. in it. 

 

Product Review #2: Progressive Tower Chopper

Little did I know that over the weekend while on my trip to Costco, that the Tower Slicer was another Progressive International product.  I had been eyeing this guy up at Costco for some time but never wanted to fork over the money on (what I perceived) to be a crappy chopping gadget that I would never use.  This weekend, however, I thought to myself, why not?  If I hated it, at least I could return it or donate it. 

I won’t lie, my first attempt aggravated me.  I put a whole tomato in and attempted the “slice” blade hoping for nice slices of tomato.  It didn’t work well…  In fact, it just smooshed the tomato and I had tomato juice squirt into my eye.  I buried it in the dishwasher and tried to forget about it.   However, the next day, I wanted to try it again.  I was beginning my “chop crazy” hour (below) and had a few peppers and onions I wanted to try to dice…

 

It worked!  It diced my pepper and onion nicely, as well, I tried the blade that divided my tomato into pieces.  Maybe it was just the first blade I tried, but I have fallen in love with this little gadget…  It made my onions perfectly diced (which I have never been able to do).  It was also fun to use, which is kind of dorky but true…

 

I got a bunch of carrots chopped yesterday, loads of miscellaneous veggies, and a big pineapple all stored up and ready for easy access.  I actually really enjoy taking an hour and cutting and prepping all my fruits and veggies.  I think part of it (now) is having these little kitchen gadgets and the other part is having them organized and accessible.  OCD?  Perhaps.

 

Note: All of the products I reviewed I purchased myself, with my own money, and I have not been incentivized to review them.  I may, however, share the review with the company for product feedback.

First off, I was caught slightly off guard yesterday by the news showing up at work…

 

I just have to say, no day is the same at work which is nice.

 

Last night, I made Shrimp Arrabbiata.  I have had this on my “to make” list for some time, and I had all of the ingredients on hand.  I have also been trying to clear up some space in my pantry so this felt like a good opportunity to use a few cans of tomatoes, sauce, etc. 

 

I used up the last of a Costco-sized bag of shrimp.  One thing done with.

I should also say that I love my spice drawer.  It is perfect as it is next to the stove and I can just open and get my spices.  Before, they were haphazardly thrown into the cabinet.  I also had a problem buying repeated spices such as ginger and cinnamon and garlic flakes.  Now I just have to look here to see if I have them.  Perfect!

 

  

I used up two open boxes of angel hair pasta. Two additional items taking up valuable space in the cupboard.

 

The dish was fantastic.  It was definitely spicy.  I made it more sauc-y with the addition of more canned tomatoes, but I kind of wanted it that way.

 

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I received quite a few samples to try-out yesterday from Healthy To Go.  I will be trying them out over the next few days and posting them on here. 

Imagine my excitement when I received this box after work on Thursday evening…

The kind & generous folks at Oh! Nuts sent me three bags of nuts to review on the blog.  Whoo hoo!

In the box, I received Salted Israeli Pistachios, Raw Oregon Hazelnuts, and Dry Roasted Salted Edamame.  I also received a tiny pack of their roasted almonds.

Let’s start with the Pistachios.

On the Oh! Nuts website, the product is described:

These Israeli Pistachios are similar to Iranian Pistachios. They are roasted and salted are a round pistachio unlike the Californian pistachios which are oblong. These are the perfect party food – healthy, tasty and thanks to an open shell – easy to eat. Israeli pistachios are grown without application of any hormones material and genetic manipulation.

This really drew my attention.  I’m used to the traditional creamy taste of pistachios.  Theses were so unique and so good.  They were still creamy, but had more of a bite to them.

These had the perfect amount of saltiness, too!  I can see myself grabbing a handful to add to trail mix, eating straight out of the bag (sorry, had to be honest!), or baking with.  I love the resalable bag these come in!  Jared agreed, in face, he kept eating and eating.

I will post separate posts for the other products, but I have something special in mind for the filberts.  In fact, I am pretty excited to show you guys.  It will have to wait until Sunday though!

Well, I’ve decided to keep the gym membership.  This is why & the promise I made to myself.  I will keep running outside, through the winter and use the gym as a supplement for mornings I don’t wake up, and a cheap way to get some cross training.  Let’s hope for the best. 

 

That said, I started off the day with a 45 minute spin class at the gym.  I opted to try this out as my Aunt raved about the teacher and I thought it would be a good opportunity to go. 

I filled my water bottle (free!) with some O.N.E. Coconut Water as I know spin classes are intense.  It was half coconut water, half regular water.  The verdict?  Not bad.  It wasn’t as light as I would have hoped.  You have to like coconut to enjoy this water.  I think it’s a great alternative to Gatorade.  Enjoy it ICE COLD for the best experience.  I picked this up at Whole Foods yesterday as I am sure no grocers in the South Hills has this product.

After a good sweat session at spin, I ran to the grocery store & Jared and I got ready for our fall day-date to Soergel Orchard.  Wow, talk about packed to the gills with little kids, pumpkins, and other fun stuff.  Well, kids are fun, but there were a lot of kids. 

The drive north, repeated from yesterday, was scenic and beautiful.  I love the pockets of color that the trees provide as the leaves change.

  

We were surprised that this Orchard/Farm was so close to the highway.  But I was pleased to find their little organic market.  It was cute, but way overpriced.  It was nice to see, though!

 

I mainly chose this place over Trax because somewhere (between the mess of people, kettle corn, and tractor) they had you-pick-flowers.  I never found the flowers, except between the pumpkins.  

Jared started to get cranky in the crowd, so we paused for a moment and had a snack. 

I had a piece of roasted corn.  It was delish.  Yes, the paper plate got penetrated by butter.  Seriously, it was amazing.

So we walked amongst the pumpkin barrels and looked at all the fall bounty.

 

And, like lames, we picked our pumpkins out of the barrel, mainly because we didn’t have cash on us and I needed to go to an ATM.  I know, I know.

 

After we left, Jared’s crankiness left and we ran to Costco for some staples that I refuse to buy anywhere else: dog food, toilet paper, and crackers.

 

I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon hanging out.  I made a quick dinner adapted from this recipe.  It wasn’t totally white.  I added 2 jalapenos instead of green chilies, and just shredded the cheese on top instead of mixing in one cup. 

Spicy, warm, and a great way to end my fall weekend.  I love that mug.  Expect to see it a lot during the warm months when I nuke soup for my go-to dinners.  I can’t wait!

   

 

How are you enjoying fall?

I purchased the Nathan 2 Hydra Belt earlier this week.  I went to the Pittsburgh Fleet Feet store to look for a Camelbak to purchase to carry more water on my long runs.  They actually don’t stock Camelbak’s, which is fine and the sales woman directed me to the Nathan Hydra Belt.  I was a little apprehensive at first, because I wanted something to carry on my back, and to be quite honest, wasn’t sure how comfortable, in general, I would be with a belt. 

 

 

I purchased the hydra-belt in uber feminine pink (the most feminine part of my running attire at this point).  For $40, I got 2 10oz water bottles, a holding pouch (with two compartments) and an awesome running investment.  She told me to wear the belt around my hips, as opposed to my waist, so it doesn’t slide up.  Excellent tip.  While 20 oz of water isn’t as much as the Camelbak, I think I could also strap my Amphipod to the belt should I need more water.  I am finding though that on my long runs, I am usually only drinking 20 oz of water.  My blatter cannot handle more without nature calling.

 

First impression:  I thought it felt a little strange having something strapped onto me.  The water bottles are quick draw, which helps during the run.  I am happy that my hands are free, which I didn’t get with the amphipod.  I took it out a few times this week, for a test run, on my normal running route (when I don’t carry water).  I didn’t feel like I was running with the device strapped onto me.

I was happy there is a key tab, similar to the Amphipod.  If I put cold water into the bottles, its not a big deal, my hands won’t be cold & my hands won’t bring the water temperature down

 

With the Amphipod, you are still holding a bottle, which means if you are like me, you may tend to grip the bottle even if you don’t mean to.  You are hands free with this guy.  The two bottles even you out, which won’t happen with the camelbak.