Simple Potato Hash

Good morning!  I've recently been blessed with a gift of lots of garden fresh potatoes, and I've been trying to think of various ways to use them.  So far I've microwaved them, made mashed potatoes, and baked potato fries.  Last night I decided to switch it up again, so I made my own version of potato hash.  The recipe is below:

Simple Potato Hash

3 small red potatoes
1 large onion
2 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Place oil, onion, and potatoes into a covered skillet and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Then add eggs and spices and continue stirring.  Cook until everything is heated thoroughly. 

It's that easy!  I think I'll experiment with adding different spices, but this still turned out well.  Below is the finished product:

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Hello all!  Today I'm going to share some pictures with you that I took on a recent trip to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.  It is a beautiful place to hike, swim, and sightsee.  You can really get a workout hiking up the hills and walking through the sand!  I absolutely loved it and was lucky enough to be there as a storm came through, which meant I got some awesome pictures.  Oh, and I also got soaked... but I survived :-).

The last picture is of the Chicago skyline!  I was so happy to be able to see it, since it's not always visible.

Thanks for reading!  I have a busy couple of weeks coming up now since classes resume for me on August 22.  This summer went by way too fast, but that's probably because I was having so much fun :-).  Now I've got to focus more on school and work.

~

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't do much baking since I don't like to have a lot of sweets in my apartment, but I recently attended a cookout and decided to bring some cookies along.  I have a nice, large bottle of olive oil, so I decided to find a cookie recipe that used it instead of butter.  Olive oil is healthier too :-).

I found a few recipes, took bits and pieces from each and concocted my own since I can never seem to find a recipe I want to follow exactly.  My version wasn't too sweet, and the cookies tasted like shortbread with chocolate chips.  I liked them, and so did my friends, though some mentioned that they would have liked them to be sweeter.   Below is a picture and the recipe.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. chocolate chips

Directions
Mix together sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg. Then add baking powder. Next stir in salt and flour until well absorbed. Add the chocolate chips last.  Scoop spoonfuls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 min at 350 degrees until edges are slightly brown.

Enjoy!!

~

So Delicious Coconut Milk with a GlassDharma Straw

I've been busy enjoying the summer, but am back here today with a couple of great reviews :-).  I reviewed Organic So Delicious Frozen Dessert in my last post, and I used my second product coupon to try So Delicious Coconut Milk.  I chose to try the Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk, which is pictured below.

10 of 10!  This coconut milk is so rich and flavorful for only 90 calories!  I thought it tasted like soy milk, but richer and sweeter with a hint of coconut.  It was great to drink plain, with oatmeal, or in a smoothie as pictured above.  Also, the coconuts used are organic and non-GMO verified.

As you can see, there is glass straw in the smoothie above too.  I was sent a GlassDharma glass drinking straw to review recently, and so far I'm loving it!  GlassDharma straws are "sustainable, reusable, durable, easy to clean, suitable for hot and cold drinks, and dishwasher safe." A better picture of it is below: 

The straw is simple, durable, and elegant.  I love that it comes with a little brush to clean it with too.  The straw even comes with a lifetime guarantee, so you really have nothing to lose if you want to get one.

I'll be sharing more pictures with you all in my next post!  I also made homemade pretzels recently, but forgot to take pictures.  I'll be sure to take pictures next time though so that I can share them with you.

~

So Delicious Frozen Dessert Review

Are we really half way through July already?!  Why must summer always pass by so quickly?  At least I've been enjoying it :-).  And what treat can be more perfect for summer than ice cream?  How about some Organic So Delicious Frozen Dessert!  So Delicious kindly sent me a couple product coupons so I could try and review their products.  The first product I chose to review was Organic So Delicious Dulce De Leche Frozen Dessert (made with soy milk).

First, here's a little background on So Delicious:

So Delicious® Dairy Free products were created by Turtle Mountain LLC, a privately held natural foods company.  They "create the finest dairy free products on the market using the best all natural ingredients obtainable, while monitoring the quality of our processes through every step until the product reaches the hands of our customers."

So Delicious Dulce De Leche: 10 of 10!  Yum!  I loved the caramel ribbon and the sweet caramel hint to the cream.  It was very rich and smooth, and I honestly could not tell that it wasn't dairy.  The nutrition facts are pretty good too, especially for such a rich, tasty treat!

I definitely recommend this product, especially if you are looking for a dairy free frozen dessert.  You can see all of the dairy free products they offer here!

Enjoy your weekend and stay cool!

~

No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

I tried out a new oatmeal bar recipe today!  I love making oatmeal bars.  They're so versatile and on a hot summer day, no-bake versions are even better :-).

Without further ado:

Ashley's No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups oats
1oz dark chocolate
1/3 c. natural peanut butter
1/3 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. splenda
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. water (plus more as needed)

Directions
Heat chocolate, peanut butter, honey and vanilla in microwave and then mix with other ingredients in a bowl. Place mixture in a greased pan and store in refrigerator.

I hope you are all having a great summer weekend!

~

Fiber One Giveaway Winner!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my Fiber One Giveaway.  And a hearty welcome to my new followers!

The lucky winner (via random.org) is #17 or Kim of Mo'Betta!  Congratulations!  I'll be emailing you shortly.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend.  I'm looking forward to the fireworks :-).


~

Pretty Pictures

First, I'd like to remind you all that I have a great Fiber One Giveaway going on right now.  It closes on June 30, so don't forget to enter if you haven't yet! 

I've also been having some fun with my camera lately.  Summer is definitely one of my favorite seasons for taking pictures.  The abundance and variety of flowers is especially amazing.  Below are a few of my recent pictures.  I hope you like them!

I hope everyone had a good weekend!  I sure did :-).  I went on a 70 mile bike ride in the countryside with a friend.  My farthest previous ride was 65 miles.

~

Fiber One Giveaway

I am happy to announce another giveaway for everyone to take part in!  But first, to set the stage....

I was recently chosen to receive a Fiber One Dietary Guidelines gift pack from General Mills through My Blog Spark, and it contained some delicious varieties of Fiber One cereal.  As many of you likely know, fiber is an important part of our diet.  The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans say people should consume 25-38 grams of fiber daily, and that the average American consumes only 15 grams.  Incorporating fiber into your diet doesn't have to be hard.  Alongside fruits and veggies, you can enjoy Fiber One cereals that offer at least 30 percent of the Daily Value per serving. (Some Fiber One cereals offer more than 50 percent!)

As for my favorite Fiber One cereal, I'm going to have to go with the Raisin Bran Clusters®.  Yum!  Below are the other varieties:

Now one of you has the chance to receive a Fiber One Dietary Guidelines gift pack just like me!  This giveaway will be open to U.S. residents and will end on June 30, 2011. The winner will be picked via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to the winning e-mail to claim their prize or another winner will be drawn. Make sure you leave a valid email address in your posts!


Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment stating whether you think you get enough fiber in your diet, and how you might try to incorporate more if you think you're lacking.  Leave your email address too please!

Extra Entries: Become a new follower of my blog. (1 entry)

Link to this giveaway in one of your blog posts and comment below with a link to that blog post. (1 entry)


Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: General Mills provided me with the free product, information, and gift pack through MyBlogSpark.

~

Baked Oatmeal Bars

Today I've got a recipe to share!  Granola bars are a favorite of mine, and I was looking through some bloggers' recipes and found a promising one from Kath Eats Real Food for Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars.  I tweaked the recipe a bit to give it my own spin and came up with Ashley's Baked Oatmeal Bars:

Ingredients
1 3/4 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/8 c. honey
1/2 c. raisins
1 1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg

Directions
Mix dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine. Pour mixture into parchment lined baking pan and cook for 30 min. at 350 degrees.  Cut into bars and store in refrigerator or freezer.

The bars were quite tasty, but not very sweet.  Next time I make them I'll add some applesauce and more honey.  Here's the final product:

Do any of you have a favorite granola bar recipe? 

~