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Shopaholic and Babies

Our life raising five kids...

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My Favorite Things Pt. 1

Anyone who knows me understands that without good food, there is no joy in my life. My day is planned almost entirely around my kids’ extracurriculars my next meal – when I will get it, where it will come from, and what it will consist of. So naturally, the first of my “favorites” comes from the food category.

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Kicking sugar out of the candy aisles at @Target, @Krogerco, and @VitaminShoppe šŸ™ŒšŸ¼šŸ­ Give us a heart if you’ve seen #KickSugar candy at one of those stores! šŸ˜#SmartSweets

A post shared by SmartSweetsā„¢ (@smartsweets) on Oct 18, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

Smart Sweets

I was introduced to Smart Sweets about a year ago after seeing…wait for it…an Instagram ad. Intrigued by the idea that candy could be low calorie and high in fiber, I took a chance and ordered a box of their Seriously Sour Gummy Bears from Amazon. After one pouch I was fully addicted and promptly ordered the Sour Blast Buddies, my current favorite, and Sweet Fish. I can not wait to try their new Peach Rings!

I’m not going to say that this is nutritionally better for you than having fruit for dessert, but I’m not a “fruit for dessert” person. I am a “Blue Bell ice-cream on top of 4 brownies with whipped cream for dessert” person. If you are like me and *need* candy for your movie theatre experience – try these. A pouch of the sour gummy bears has only 90 calories and 3 grams of sugar, all while boasting 28 grams of fiber. The only downsides are availability and price (about $2.99 per individual pouch), although in the last few days the company announced they are now in Target stores nationwide!

Roro’s Cinn-a-rolls

Next on the list are the world’s greatest cinnamon rolls (sorry Pioneer Woman – you know I love you – your rolls are an amazingly close second!) The best part? You don’t have to slave away for hours over a flour covered kitchen island countertop in order to enjoy them. Roro’s Cinn-a-rolls AND Dinn-a-rolls are widely available in Texas area Walmart stores, but here in Georgia we are still waiting for our local Walmart stores to get with the program. Until then, you can find them online through Roro’s Baking Company -or- Goldbely.

Jake and I went to undergrad at Belmont University with Amy and Lauren Collins, owners of Roro’s, and we couldn’t be more proud of them for building this business from the ground up. We can not wait to see what is in store for their family!

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Life should be fun and our food plays such a big part. An enjoyable, good for you, good for the community diet should be the goal. But too often diet culture pushes us to cut out the enjoyable part of the equation. And if you lose balance, how can you keep making progress!? . . We believe in eating mostly real, natural foods that we made or were grown and made locally. . . And we [try to] have very little [not zero, but very little] sweet candies or desserts. Let’s face it, highly refined carbs are awful for us. Even the better sweeteners have their drawbacks. But sweets bring so much joy. And joy should have its place in your diet šŸ™‚ So eat a sweet once in a while. And really savor it. . . Better for you shouldn’t mean bad tasting. And enjoying a tasty bite shouldn’t be a stressful decision. . . Keep smiling, y’all! #guiltfreedessert #guiltfreetreats #lowcarbyum #ketodiet #ketosnacks #sugarfree #glutenfreesnack #tomandjennys

A post shared by Tom & Jenny's Candy (@tomandjennys) on Oct 10, 2019 at 12:43pm PDT

Tom & Jenny’s Caramels

What if I told you that these sugar free caramels are great for your teeth and not only taste as good but better than regular caramels? Yeah. I didn’t believe it either. This was another Amazon Prime purchase that panned out quite nicely.

Founded by a dentist and her husband, Tom & Jenny’s creates utterly delicious, old-fashioned tasting caramels that are sugar free and gluten free. Perhaps the best part: the caramels are made with Xylitol, a known cavity fighting ingredient. One serving of 5 pieces is 100 calories and under 12 grams of net carbs. Just do it. These are awesome.

Dole Chopped Greek Salad Kit

Is it strange that I go from candy to cinnamon rolls then back to candy, but end with salad…? Man can not live on candy and baked goods alone…but I can say I have tried and was very nearly successful.

Life is about balance, and when you have been consuming only junk for days on end, sometimes you need a salad break before re-entering that world of fast food, cake, and ice-cream. Enter Dole’s Chopped Greek Salad Kit. I know there are poeple who will judge me on this one – salad in a BAG, Amanda? Can’t you be bothered to chop up a head of lettuce and throw in your own fresh additions? The answer is no. No, I can not.

I have tried. Oh, how I have tried. But aside from a perfected Olive Garden copycat salad, I have been wholly unsuccessful in recreating those amazing salads you see in restaurants. But not once have I managed to screw up a Dole Chopped Greek Salad. Shredded romaine is loaded with fresh feta, crispy pita strips, and a delicious greek vinaigrette dressing plus a special greek seasoning. We probably have it twice a week with dinner, especially when I can find it on sale at about $2 a bag from Kroger.

Honorable Mention

Our honorable mention here (which only quasi fits the category as it is not technically edible) are these incredible silicone drinking straws. I ordered this variety pack from Amazon a few months back and have now officially switched from our stainless steel straws. I’m ashamed to admit it *might* have had something to do with my irrational fear of accidentally lobotomizing myself with the stainless straw in a freak accident…

Stay tuned for part two of my favorite things!

(And yes – that giveaway is coming…)

Click below to read parts 2 and 3 of My Favorite Things!

My Favorite Things Pt. 2
My Favorite Things Pt. 3

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October 24, 2019 8:55 AM Amanda Leave a Comment Filed Under: Products

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Hey, guys.

I'm Amanda...a former music business professional turned HR representative who left it all to become a mom to five crazy kids. Although my primary job duties include cooking, baking, and chauffeuring, I'm a homebody at heart and *love* hanging out and watching hours upon hours of trash television. I'm glad you stopped by and hope you'll stay awhile! Read More…

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Hey, guys.

I'm Amanda...a former music business professional turned HR representative who left it all to become a mom to five crazy kids. Although my primary job duties include cooking, baking, and chauffeuring, I'm a homebody at heart and *love* hanging out and watching hours upon hours of trash television. I'm glad you stopped by and hope you'll stay awhile! Read More…

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