Buitoni Pasta Review and dinner ala Andy

I was recently sent a few coupons to try some of Buitoni's pasta from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. I was sent the product for free and will give an honest review.



I picked the Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti. I figured it'd be light and slightly cheesy.



I topped it with some vodka sauce and a roasted zucchini/squash mix. It was incredible. A serving is about six agnolotti which isn't super filling so bulking it up with veggies and sauce helped a lot.

Overall, I'd buy this product again for nights when I crave cheesy, carby and delicious pasta. Buitoni has some whole wheat versions as well that I'm dying to try.



Before Andy's surgery he made us a delicious dinner.



Grilled chicken & pineapple sausages with green bell peppers.



Refried black beans with jalapeno.



Salad made with organic red leaf lettuce, feta cheese, organic tomatoes, cucumber and a homemade salad dressing.



For the dressing, I combined 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (infused with blackberries and pear), 1 tsbp olive oil, 1/2 tbsp honey and some chopped garlic chives (maybe 1 tsp) I just mixed it all up in the measuring cup and poured it over our salads. Otherwise Andy did most of the cooking. He is a keeper.

FYI: I decided to try Jillian Michael's "No More Trouble Zones" again. My biceps are killing me. I need to get this DVD into my regular rotation again.

Do you crave carby meals like pasta?

Eggo: Real Fruit Pizza.

Thank you for all the well wishes on Andy's surgery. The patient is healing just fine.



See what I mean? Not only did he post a blog but he watched a few movies, went with me to Trader Joe's and made coffee this morning!

Color me impressed. The whining has been minimal. I think I've been whinier.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received some free samples of Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas.



They microwave on a "grill" tray for only a minute so it was a nice quick breakfast.



Here's what it looked like frozen. I expected the crust part to be a waffle since I naturally associate Eggos with waffles but it was more pita like.



Here it is cooked. Doesn't look that different does it?

Here's the thing...yes this makes for a quick and easy breakfast but it wasn't show stopping or nearly as crispy as an Eggo Waffle. I enjoyed the smell and the taste but the nutritionals did not impress me. These pizzas are about 300-400 calories which is fairly calorie dense for what it was. I think I'd rather take a note from Em and make my own fruit pizza. Still, I can see buying these for kids every now and again if you were in a rush.

Have you tried any new products lately?

There's no place like home

After a few days of indulging and dining out in Vegas, we were ready for a nice home cooked meal. I always get that way after road trips. I have another trip planned for this Tuesday but luckily this time I'll be with family. Meaning more food from a home will be consumed!



This hummus is addicting. I went to Trader Joe's to buy another container and it was GONE! Sold out!



In a pinch, this will suffice.



Both hummus and salsa accompanied by addictive corn chips of course. Organic means they are healthy right? I have a
hard time portioning these out.



Do you have a Great Harvest in your area? We don't--really. I drove 15 miles in the morning to grab one of these strawberry and cream scones. It's delicious but huge. I shared with Andy. I love that it's made with whole wheat flour and isn't super dry like most scones. (I realize they are supposed to be this way.)



Finally after all my snacking, it was time for a home cooked meal. Foodbuzz sent me 3 varieties of buns to try out (FOR FREE as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program) and we went with the whole wheat first.



Dinner was bbq pulled pork, baked beans and watermelon. The most delicious watermelon I have EVER tasted.



Droolworthy. After this blog post, I have a date with this watermelon. So luscious.



Andy had some Full Sail Pale Ale with his. I stole a few sips. This is my favorite pale ale.



And while the baked beans are from a can, I wouldn't discount them. They are delicious and smoky. Trader Joe's can do no wrong in my eyes. I do intend on trying my hand at some homemade baked beans though.



We went out looking for running shoes after dinner and ended up with Pinkberry. Typical. I ordered a mini mango with strawberries, dark chocolate crunch balls and captain crunch.



Andy always gets original with strawberries and kiwi. Always. He is a loyal man. I'm a flirt when it comes to frozen yogurt. Always trying new things.

Kauai in 12 days! I have a ton planned before then so Kauai will feel like a vacation from my vacation. I'm going to Arizona with my mom and brother to visit family. It's over 100 degrees there too. I still intend on running and strength training and I'm slightly nervous about the heat. I think getting up before the sun will be key.

Do you workout in high temperatures? Any advice for me?

Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me their blog addresses. I am slowly building my reader back up. Blog reader update

Yakisoba at Pick Up Stix

Hey remember this post? I was lucky enough to receive a $50 gift card to Pick Up Stix via the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. After subbing today, I was totally in the mood for some noodles.

Luckily for me, the new Dragon Deals Menu has a yakisoba noodle bowl for $4.99. It comes with Chicken, Beef, Shrimp, yakisoba noodles and veggies in a light sauce.



I added on an eggroll for a dollar.



The noodles are great. They remind me of ramen noodles from the days when I would eat top ramen all of the time. Except this noodles are even better. The shrimp was excellent.



And the eggrolls are light and crunchy. I love crunchy eggrolls. There is nothing worse than soggy chinese food in my opinion.



Also isn't my fortune sweet? I hope that's true!

Baked Pasta with Bertolli

Last night I was in the mood for carby pasta and red wine. I had a couple of jars of pasta sauce from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program so I decided to try 'em out.



First I layered a baking dish with my Homemade pasta sauce because I wanted to use up the leftovers.



And added in zucchini, yellow bell peppers and orange bell peppers.





And I layered some of this sauce. Thanks Foodbuzz & Bertolli. The four cheese Rosa was delicious! A little calorie-dense so I only used half.



This is my favorite pasta. I buy it in bulk at Costco.



Wine chilling in the wine chiller. Which took forever. WTF.



Caesar salad with bell peppers, tomatoes and parmesan cheese.



And cheesy pasta! mmm. I'd use less cheese next time though. It was a little much.



Served on a salad plate so I could drink more wine, to keep my portions down.

Do you love carbs?

Pick Up Stix

First things first- The winner of the Aurorae Yoga Mat giveaway- Congrats Cynthia! #41-Cynthia said... I would like the Infinity color.

Recently The Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program sent us a giftcard to Pick up Stix (I received this giftcard for free from Foodbuzz)

We decided to go to Pick Up Stix on Tuesday right before my class. Luckily for us Tuesday is 2fer Tuesday. You get 2 vegetable eggrolls, 2 chicken dishes and 2 servings of brown or white rice. All for $10.99! Since we had the gift card, we threw in an order of Dan Dan Noodles as well.



We picked house special chicken, lemon chicken and brown rice. I had a few bites of the Dan Dan noodles as well.



The lemon chicken is fried but has such a fantastic lemon flavor. I had to order it! Everything at Pick up Stix is made in front of you as soon as you order it, rather than getting it premade out of a warming tray. Therefore, it tastes 100% better.

Plus we have leftovers for days. You could feed 4 people easily with the 2fer Tuesday deal. In my opinion, anyways.

Andy and I still have money left on our gift card. So I plan on hitting up Pick Up Stix another time. They have a Wok Smart menu that intrigues me. The Wok Smart menu is favorites with 500 calories or less. Next time!

Thanks Pick Up Stix & Foodbuzz for this opportunity. Any excuse to eat Chinese foodd works for me!