These are a few of my favorite things...

I love when friends share insights with me. Recipes, deals they’ve found, a book recommendation, mothering advice. Whatever! And when I find something that I love or can’t live without, I love to tell others about it too. So, every once in a while, I’m going to use this blog to share my stuff…they might be old favorites, or new discoveries. Here we go…

Wholly Guacamole. This is the BEST store-bought brand of guac I’ve ever tasted. This coming from a girl who loves to make my own. I never by the nasty stuff in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. BUT…My mom found this brand first, and then, to my delight, I found 100 calorie packs of it. Also, you can freeze the packages for use a little while after the package expiration date. It is SUPER YUM. I think I found it at Target. And, to go with it, try Baked Tostitos Scoops. I had sworn off baked chips after the whole Olean-additive thing a few years ago, but these baked chips taste like the real deal, and the Brown household has switched to them entirely. Try it!

I have quickly become a HUGE fan of Cooking Light magazine. I try new recipes a couple of times every week, usually for dinners. This morning I made their Cinnamon Rolls, from the October 2009 issue (currently on newsstands), and they were awesome! They took most of the morning to make, what with waiting for things to rise and such, then punching the dough down and waiting again, but they were well worth it and only a little over 6 grams of fat per roll! Take that, Cinnabon! (And my hips thank me!)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE listening to podcasts. I am a long-time listener of Manic Mommies. They are two hilarious moms from Boston. I found them when Wyatt was just a few months old and I would listen to them while taking walks around our neighborhood in Martinsville. Now I listen to them in the car (WITH my headphones on!) while Wyatt listens to Elmo repeatedly on the car speakers. So, they are my oldie that I would highly recommend. But my new one is the Meal Makeover Moms. (OK, I’m quickly realizing that many of my favorite things revolve around food. Oh well! ) Again, two moms that talk about making recipes that their kids will eat but are also nutritious. I made their Berry Good French Toast Friday morning for breakfast. It’s basically just French toast with a jam-like topping. I let the topping simmer while I was having my morning coffee, then whipped up the toast, and it was done. Wyatt and I loved it! Good stuff. I’ve also made, from these same Moms, Grab & Go Breakfast bars. They’re basically homemade granola bars. Another goodie! (On a side note, the two ladies talking on the podcast remind me of the SNL skit with Molly Shannon & Ana Gasteyer doing radio show “Delicious Dish.” Once I realized this, I thought some of their dry comments were hilarious!)

My new favorite time-waster website: www.etsy.com. It’s basically a community of websites on which people sell handmade items, supplies and/or vintage items…those are the three criteria for selling on the site. Kelby and I will have our own etsy site up SOON to sell our stuff, but in the meantime, I find myself just searching for things…fabric, notions, clothes I long to buy, ideas for my own projects, etc. Check it out!

New favorite late-night snack: popcorn with a dusting of shaved chocolate on top. I don’t really just crave regular old microwave popcorn, but Adam eats it often. I need a salty-sweet combo and so I shaved just one small square of chocolate over my still-hot popcorn one night and it was FABULOUS! And it seriously didn’t take much chocolate at all. A little bit of salt, and my new fave snack was made. Have a 100-calorie pack of popcorn, and it still fits within a healthy diet!

And finally, I have discovered a boxed wine that is yummy! Don’t turn your nose up at the box! It stays fresh and lasts longer! It’s the White Sangria Wine Cube (also from Target! Another one of my faves!) and it comes in 4-bottle size cubes and 2-bottle size cubes. The 2-bottle size is cute and small, and I’ve started giving it as birthday or hostess gifts, and they are always enjoyed by all! There are other flavors, but I haven’t tried any of the others yet. The White Sangria is delish!

Let me know if you try any of these things and what you think!