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We have a #TASTEOFF!!!!

yogurt

Consumers across America participated in a national yogurt taste test and results showed that 4 out of 5 people thought that Yoplait Greek 100 Strawberry tastes better than Chobani Simply 100 Strawberry.

I decided to host my own taste-off & see what my family preferred.

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On the first day of the taste-off, I had my mom & nephew join me. I set out 2 different bowls labeled A & B so they wouldn’t know which brand they were trying. [ A ] was Chobani & [ B ] was Yoplait. As you can see from the picture above – when the Chobani was mixed with the fruit, the color stayed the same. When I mixed the Yoplait Greek 100 Strawberry, it became a beautiful pink color.

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Hmm… looks like someone didn’t enjoy the first taste.

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I then had my fiancé try them.

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AND THE WINNER OF THE TASTE-OFF IS…..

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Yoplait Greek 100 Strawberry Yogurt!

yogurt

All 3 of them felt like the Chobani Simply 100 Strawberry was pretty bland and bitter.

The Yoplait Greek 100 calorie yogurts have just that – 100 calories for the whole cup and are available in 12 delicious flavors! Strawberry, Blueberry, Black Cherry, Strawberry Banana, Vanilla, Peach, Key Lime, Lemon, Mixed Fruit, Tropical, Apple Pie, & Strawberry Cheesecake.

To find Yoplait Greek 100 nearest you – click HERE.

I’ve taken the Yoplait Taste-Off, now it’s your turn! Let me know who won your taste off!

I want to thank Yoplait for sponsoring today’s #Tasteoff, and giving me the opportunity to openly express my honest opinion.

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When I first heard of Spaghetti Squash – I just didn’t get it! I didn’t even know if I liked Squash but the thought of using a vegetable (some would argue that it’s technically a fruit) as a pasta substitute baffled me. Could anything be as delicious as regular, carb filled pasta??

I decided to give it a try & this is how it turned out:

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Not only does it look amazing but it taste DELICIOUS! I was really surprised by the texture and I plan to start incorporating Spaghetti Squash into my weekly dinners more often. Anytime I work with recipes I find online, I always substitute ingredients & put my own spin on it so here is the recipe I used to make my Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp.

What You Need:

sharp knife

cutting board

baking sheet or roasting pan

1 fork & spoon

small bowl

pastry brush (optional)

Ingredients:

Spaghetti Squash – I used a 2lb squash, but adjust size to the amount of servings you want.

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Butter

Garlic

Herb of your choice (rosemary, basil, thyme etc.) – I used a little ground Italian seasoning

Shrimp

Instructions:

1. Cut your squash in half lengthwise. Be very careful and go slow as it is not easy to slice.

2. Scoop out & discard the seeds. (If you would like to keep the seeds to roast them click HERE)

3. Preheat your oven to 375 °F. Take your olive oil, sea salt, black pepper & herbs and mix them together in a bowl. Using a pastry brush or spoon, brush both sides (top & bottom) of your squash generously and place them on your baking sheet with the opening facing down.

4. Bake for 40 minutes – if you have a larger squash, you might want to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. When I removed the squash, my top was browned.

5. Remove squash from the oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Take your fork & go around your squash separating the skin, you will instantly start to see your string noodles. Then just scrape the center the same way and place in a small bowl. Use your fork or your fingers to separate any pieces that do not appear “stringy.”

*Taste the noodles. Feel free to skip the remaining steps if you are satisfied with the taste & do not want to add extra calories with the butter or add shrimp. The taste of the spaghetti with the mixture of the olive oil with salt, pepper & herbs is delicious as is.

6. Heat a pan with garlic and butter – use as much or as little as you would like. Toss in the spaghetti squash and mix for about 2 minutes so it soaks up the butter and garlic then plate.

7. These particular shrimp were already cooked so I just let them sit in room temp water and after I removed the spaghetti squash from the pan, I threw the shrimp in to catch some of the butter & garlic flavor and topped them on to the spaghetti.

Here are the steps with pictures I took while cooking:

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I was surprised at what an easy meal this turned out to be. Next week I will be trying it with a meat sauce but there are endless amounts of possibilities when cooking with Spaghetti Squash. Here are a few other recipes that caught my eye.

Spicy Roasted Tomato Marinara with Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs

Spaghetti Squash Tostados

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dole

I’ve been seeing the Dole Fruit Smoothie Shakers in the grocery store lately and have been so interested in trying them so I picked up a few last week.

1 word — AMAZING.

I love the whole no blender concept!

There are currently 4 flavors: Mixed Berry, Peach Mango, Strawberry & Strawberry Banana. Each serving prepared with 7 oz of juice is under 200 calories and they have a ton of other benefits. They are made with all natural fruit, low in fat, rich in dietary fiber, and are a great source of calcium and Vitamin C.

Dole Shakers

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peach

Remove your Dole shaker from the freezer, when you open the lid you will see colorful frozen fruit and yogurt pieces. It’s important to remember to let it sit out for a little so the frozen pieces can defrost. If not – you will get clumps of frozen fruit and yogurt in your smoothie (yuck!) Once defrosted, pour your juice of choice up to the Fill Zone. Close the lid and shake, shake, shake for about 45 seconds. That’s it – super easy and quick and you  have a delicious smoothie at hand. This is perfect for mornings when you are on the go or just need an afternoon pick me up. I love that with the 4 flavors you really have so many varieties of smoothies just by different juices. They can be purchased at your local grocery market and retail for about $2.99 each but they always have a sale on them so I usually get them for about $1.50 each.

Have you tried the Smoothie Shakers ? If so – what do you think about them?

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I stopped receiving my monthly Beauty Boxes about 4 months ago. I figured to take a break from them since I had just purchased a home and for all my fellow Beauty Box lovers, you know these things can get expensive. I’ve seen some of the products that have come in recent boxes while browsing through other blogs and I wasn’t that impressed so I didn’t feel like I was missing out… until I checked out the Pop Sugar blog! I am so in love with last month’s Must Have Box and I’m so sad I missed out on those goodies. I was just about to exit the website when I saw that the Special Edition Fall Style Box was being offered.

R Zoe

This sneak peek was all I needed to place my order! Featured in this special edition box is the Rachel Zoe Fall 2013 Collection Knot Ring which retails at $75. I love Rachel Zoe anything and this ring is no exception. This box will be shipping in September and I cannot wait to receive it so I can do a full review on it.

 Click HERE to treat yourself and order your Fall Style Box today for $100. This special edition box is said to have Sugar Pops editors picks for Fall worth over $300!

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Are you into the Pinterest craze?

I am! I think you can find some great ideas and tips from beauty, to party planning to DIY around the house. The ideas are endless and really open people up to being a little more creative.

While browsing Pinterest I came across a pin for DIY Teeth Whitening and I am so excited to try it out. Getting your teeth professionally whitened can cost hundreds of dollars and picking up the strips from a pharmacy can go for about $50 but are known to leave your teeth sensitive so this is a great alternative.

teeth

Put a tiny bit of toothpaste into a small cup, mix in one teaspoon baking soda plus one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide, and half a teaspoon water. Thoroughly mix then brush your teeth for two minutes. Remember to do it once a week until you have reached the results you want. Once your teeth are good and white, limit yourself to using the whitening treatment once every month or two.