Red Robin

I'm always excited to try a new burger place, especially one I've heard about but that was unavailable locally.  When I went to California a lifetime ago, my friends and I made a point of trying all the local fast food hamburger joints: Carl's Jr. (Captain Crunch milkshake, what???), Jack in the Box, and of course, my true love, In-N-Out Burger.  There we ate like, 3 times.  When Shake Shack opened up in South Beach I was eager to try them - and I was not disappointed.  So, when I heard that Red Robin had opened up by the Falls, I couldn't wait to see what the fuss was about.  A $10 giftcard for $5 offered by one of the coupon sites and I was set.

Part of the problem was my expectations.  I was expecting a burger place, like Shake Shack or Steak n' Shake (which I also heart greatly) but Red Robin is a sit down restaurant.  Right there you know you are going to be spending more than you anticipated.  The server was really great, and the place was crowded.  Unfortunately, the food left a LOT to be desired.  It was cold, all of it.  The flavor was only ok.  I've had better burgers just about anywhere, except perhaps the fastest of the fast foods - and at least when I go to BK or McDonald's I know what to expect.  I wasn't happy about spending over $30 for a family meal that left me disgruntled.  I didn't finish my meal or even my beer, and that's saying a lot.  Wasted beer is like a sin.  It might be that the restaurant was so busy that the kitchen was just uneven, but I really don't see that the food is worth it at all.  At least I know now I needn't venture into the depths of Kendall to eat there again.  I'll leave it to the locals.

Earth Balance

If you're an avid recipe reader like me (I find it completely normal to spend a night hanging out, reading a cookbook, and I have a binder full of recipes to try...not to mention my overly pinned Pinterest boards!) and are trying to eat healthy, you've probably noticed something.  By FAR, hands down, the most popular "buttery spread" out there among vegans and vegetarians is Earth Balance.  I go through tubs of it making this awesome Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe alone (I highly recommend the recipe and the whole blog, Oh She Glows).  I don't know what magic they use for it, but it is deliciously like real butter - much more than those "other" spreads - and without scary ingredients.  I use the regular spread for cooking and adore the whipped spread for toast.  I think it's completely OK to have, as I did this morning, a buttery spread sandwich.  Just bread and spread, that's it.  YUM!

Liberte Yogurt

Eating is such a chore.  I honestly wish I didn't have to do it at all.  Of course, that pesky, intrusive sensation of hunger besides the life-sustaining properties of nourishment don't leave me any choice - eat I must.  I try to eat healthy with varying levels of success.  Because we're SUPPOSED to, blah blah blah.  Menu planning, shopping, food preparation, cooking - all this takes a lot of time and honestly...I'm not the greatest cook.  I'm also ambitious.  I start clipping recipes for making my own cheese and fermenting my own kombucha and such, when I should be planning something simple and nutritious for that night's dinner.  It's just that regular food isn't FUN.

Anyway, in my quest to eat healthy and to save some time I have tried pretty much all the yogurts out there, from the generic store brands, to the mainstream brands, to the "healthy" brands.  Liberte yogurt is far, far better than any other brand I've tried.  I love this yogurt so much I should buy stock - I'm constantly recommending it to people.  I've gone to their Facebook page to say how much I love it.  I should be embarrassed to admit that, but I'm not.  I just happen to be a great cheerleader :)  They have a great variety of flavors and styles: Greek, Mediterranee (this word is chock full of accent marks but darned if I know how to do those), and plain.  I honestly don't look at that as much as I just pick out every single flavor the market carries, 10 for $10 if I'm lucky.

This yogurt is my dessert.  It's my treat to look forward to after a plate of vegetables for lunch.  I throw some almonds in there and I'm happy.  Well, I feel like a Hollywood starlet, dishing out diet tips to some weekly tabloid mag.  Oh!  And the yogurt separates a bit to form this creamy film on the lid of the container which is so good I scrape it off and eat it as my dessert's dessert.  Yeah, I need to get out more.  So.  Try this yogurt and you'll see what I mean.