November Foodie Penpal Reveal + End of Crunchmaster Crisps Giveaway

If Friday were a tangible thing, I'd give it the biggest hug just about every week.  I say "just about" because, well, I'm sure we all have those Friday's where everything seems to go awry.  Let's hope this is not one of them!

It is the last day to enter for your chance to win Crunchmaster Cheesy and Grammy Kid's Crisps, so enter now for your shot.  I'll announce the winner hopefully Monday next week.

We're already giving November the boot (or is it giving us the boot? Hmmm) and heading into December with Christmas fast approaching.  As a kid, I remember everything taking "forever", but now it won't slow down! Seriously, didn't we just finish handing out candy to little monsters kids in costumes?

And now I'm sure most of us are rushing around looking for the best gifts for friends and family.  Not to mention all of the holiday outings at work and outside of work.  The holidays should be more relaxed, but it seems more rush-rush and hard to keep calm.  Am I alone here or does anyone else agree?

I'm a person who thrives on knowing my schedule ahead of time and rarely like changing my daily routine.  I recognize this is a problem and I'm currently learning to get over (some of) it. What would I really like to be doing?  Just relaxing with my wife, Kelley, and sitting around watching full seasons of our favorite shows or going to partake in various outdoor activities.

In reality, I go crazy if I don't get a scheduled work out in and spend at least 2 hours in the kitchen. If anyone knows where that switch to turn off this obsessiveness is, please, let me know ASAP!

Enough rambling, it's Foodie PenPal Reveal Day!! A big thanks to Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean for hosting this giant connection of people across the world.



Both the person sending to me, Christina, and the person I sent to do not have a blog. This is okay, but I just tend to enjoy it more when I can read the other person's blog talking about what I sent them.  Oh well, still fun nonetheless.

Christina seemed to be busy with holiday events since I just got the package yesterday, so I only have pictures to show.  Maybe I'll mention these goods in a future post once I get to try them.

Sea Snax, ginger peach green tea, another autum-spiced tea, The Chia Co. chia shots, Go Raw Real Live Bar, another local item, Bearded Brothers Ginger Peach Energy Bar, Crunchy Cranberry and Cherry Almond Snacks, and a funky tube of hummus ready to eat.

Being from Austin, TX, she sent me some good looking local salsa from El Chile I can't wait to try.  I love Austin, and since I'm just in Fort Worth, TX, it's really not that far away.

I've been wanting to try the Sea Snax, so I'm excited to get these.

The Chia Shots are something new to me. I buy chia seeds in bulk, but never see them like this, so it will be fun to bring the to work for a quick pick-me-up.  The Go Raw Live Bar will be another fabulous work snack.

Again, the Bearded Brothers bar will be a work companion and I'm excited to try!

And tea is always a welcome item to me.  I haven't tried the hummus, but am intrigued; I'll update once it's finished.

So, thank you, Christina, you did great sending me some goods.  I will enjoy all but the Cranberry and Cherry Crunchy Snacks; more sugar and other things I can have, but my family will definitely love it!

Are you familiar with the Foodie Pen Pal Program? It's definitely worth looking into and always fun to see who you get paired with.  You meet two new people and maybe learn a little something. Check out Lindsay's dedicated Foodie PenPal Page to learn more and sign up for the next event.

For December, Lindsay will not be hosting a regular event. Instead, she's asking for us to donate what we would've spent on our pen pal to victims of Hurricane Sandy.  She'll have more on her Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day post, so head on over there to learn more!

Thanks to all who stopped by! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and gets any necessary shopping done....like I need to do!

WIAW + Easy Egg White Garlic and Veggie Frittata

Hello and welcome to my (at least lately) once a week post!  I used to be better about posting at least 3 times a week, but it's apparently busy season at work with life in general.  I've noticed a few other bloggers have decreased their postings too, so I don't feel so bad, but I do prefer writing to all of you about food over working.

Anyway, how's it going?  Are you taking advantage of the Cyber Monday week?  Seriously, retailers find any excuse to extend their "deals" to keep on advertising and get people shopping.  It works for me....when online....I despise going out in the crowds to shop.

Amazon has some pretty awesome deals all this week and although I should be looking for others, I always end up looking at the food deals....for myself! I can't help it, I have an addiction to seeking out good food!  Anyone else with me here?

Speaking of online shopping, time is limited and I want to get everything for friends and family now, so I'm cutting the post short.  Plus, I just tried to upload pictures and apparently I've met my 1GB of storage allowed.  So I have some clean-up on aisle Picasa Web Album before I can post more pics.

When you're in a crunch for time but still want a delicious and healthy meal, this loaded veggie frittata is a must! I like to microwave steam my frozen veggies while I let the pan pre-heat on the stove.  You could just toss them right on without steaming, but it will take longer to cook them...obviously.

Easy Egg White Garlic and Veggie Frittata

Ingredients

1.5 cups of frozen or fresh veggies of choice

3 egg whites; or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites

2 cloves garlic, chopped

A dash each of cumin, black pepper, dried basil, chili powder, and cayenne

1/2 tbsp Coconut Oil

Optional topping of choice - I like salsa or brown mustard

Directions (Follow them, or not, I'm sure it'll turn out great!)

-Set a wide, medium depth saute pan on the stove over medium-high heat

-Steam your favorite mix of vegetables. I used mushrooms, broccoli, red bell peppers, celery, and onions

-Add oil and garlic to pan and saute until fragrant; about 45 seconds

-Add the rest of your veggies and spices and stir to combine everything together. Let cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

-Add egg whites to pan and twirl to evenly distribute.

-Cover pan to let top of eggs cook from the steam for about 1 minute.

-Check to make sure top of eggs is set and remove from heat.  Slide onto plate, add toppings if desired and enjoy!

I love the fact that you can use a slice of the frittata as a delicious sandwich filler.  If you haven't tried....do it, sandwiches are awesome.

Okay, off to do some shopping for loved ones....and maybe some for myself.  Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I do have a nice salad topped with roasted veggies and eggs that made a great dinner.  Thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wendesday!!

And of course I had a cup of both types of my chocolate and vanilla winter squash protein dip for dessert.

If you haven't entered yet, click here to enter for your chance to win a box each of Crunchmaster Kid's Cheesy and Grammy Crisps. The contest will end this Friday, November 30th.

WIAW + Crunchmaster Gluten Free Kids’ Crisps Review and Giveaway

If you ignore products labeled “gluten free” simply because you can have gluten, now’s the time to change! Although they’re called “Kids’ Crisps”, these Crunchmaster goodies will bring a smile to the kid in all of us. Look, it’s even right on the box!

Crunchmaster was kind enough to send me samples of their new Cheesy Crisps and Grammy Crisps to try and review. I already knew how healthy and delicious other Crunchmaster snacks like their Multi-Seed Crackers were, so I expected the same with the Kids' Crisps. With a clean list of gluten free, whole grain ingredients, how can you go wrong?

Right upon receiving the samples, I obviously went for the Grammy Crisps first and was glad I did. Even before I had to avoid gluten, I had the hardest time finding anything like a graham cracker that met my healthy ingredient standards. Thanks to Crunchmaster Grammy Crisps with their whole grain, low fat and sugar goodness, I can enjoy once more!

These aren’t the typical long rectangle graham crackers though; they are bite sized squares (easier for little kid’s hands) that are perfect for snacking. The delicious cinnamon and sugar coating is not overly sweet and with only 5g of sugar per serving (this is usually way higher in other sugary snacks), I am just fine with that. More room for marshmallows and melted dark chocolate!

I think the box does a pretty good job at describing the goodness inside.

I brought the Cheesy Crisps to work for an easy snack to grab when “crunched” for time. See what I did there? As a former Cheese-Its consumer (before I read ingredients), these are not the same cheese cracker I was used to. But that’s not a bad thing; their wholesome ingredients and extremely liberal serving size of 60 triangular crackers for only 120 calories put them in a different class from other, lesser crackers.

The Cheesy Crisps taste pretty good alone, but make for a perfect topping on a salad or tomato soup. I actually like using the Grammy Crsips as a topping crushed over yogurt or even better, a healthy dessert dip! I didn’t like how the coating “coated” my fingers when eating, so it’s easier to just throw in soup or yogurt and eat with a spoon. So beware, with great taste comes great clean up! A little spin on the great power/great responsibility saying you hear in comics so often.

The verdict? Buy them, share them, eat them, and best of all, enjoy them as a much healthier option than what’s out there. I will gladly take a little cinnamon and sugar or cheese on my fingers in trade for a healthy, wholesome snack. Being gluten free just makes these more available to more people. So, I’m saying this in my own words since Crunchmaster is not compensating me in any way….choose these snacks for you and any kiddos you know; you’ll both be thankful.

Before you go scavenging the nearest store, why not enter to win a box of each? Then go scavenge. Crunchmaster, the generous company they are, agreed to give one lucky reader a box of each of the Cheesy Crisps and Grammy Crisps. How cool is that? First, lets move on to a few things I did not eat Wednesday and in no particular order. As always, thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting every week!

Low-fat Peanut Butter Banana Bread cooked in a pie tin

Bean and Veggie puree with Beanitos for dipping...a lot!

Crazy mix of scrambled egg whites, beans, spaghetti squash, broccoli, brussels, and mushrooms with nutritional yeast and plent of seasoning....yes, cayenne included!

Roasted these delicatas and pureed in my food processor with skin to make delicious protein powder infused dips!

 

A couple of my microwave bread creations using this recipe as a base. One is chocolate and the other is butter rum using a LorAnn Butter Rum flavoring oil.

Okay, back to that giveaway. There are 6 easy ways to enter, just leave a separate comment for each item below. A winner will be picked at random after the contest is over and announced soon after. Please make sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you. The contest will end on Friday, November 30, 2012.

1. Check out Crunchmaster’s website and tell me what cracker you want to try or like most.
2. Follow Crunchmaster on Twitter
3. Like Crunchmaster on Facebook
4. Follow Just Add Cayenne on Twitter and Tweet the following – "I entered to win Cheesy and Grammy Crisps from @luvcrunchmaster with @I_Love_Cayenne and so should you! "
5. “LIKE” Just Add Cayenne on Facebook. If you already “Like” Just Add Cayenne, leave a comment letting me know.
6. Support Just Add Cayenne and subscribe to my blog. Just leave a comment if you are already subscribed.

This giveaway has ended. Thanks for viewing and please check back for future posts and giveaways!
Thanks for visiting and good luck! Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week!

Crunchmaster Crackers - What do you look for in a cracker?

Are you in need of a crunchy snack that's both healthy and tasty?
If you haven't see their products before, Crunchmaster has several options that are sure to satisfy anyone's desire for a healthy crunch.  These crackers are great for dipping as they will hold up to the thickest dips without breaking in your hand....that's the worst!  In addition, these crackers are gluten free and can be enjoyed by anyone with an intolerance or not (so no excuses).

Having tried their crackers before, I jumped at the chance for Crunchmaster samples when I was asked if I would like to try and review what they send.  Crunchmaster offers several flavors for their Multi-Seed and Multi-Grain Crackers; each having their own unique application depending on how you want to enjoy them.

The multi-seed crackers are flat, thin, sturdy and crispy.  I really enjoy breaking these to pieces and putting on top of a cool salad with goat cheese and mixed veggies.  The multi-grain crackers are also flat, but have a more puffed body making them great for spreads or eating right out of the box.  But don't get me wrong, all of Crunchmaster's crackers are perfect right out of the box!

My personal favorite are the Multi-Seed Original crackers.  These are outstanding when paired with creamy, tangy goat cheese either spread on top, or crumbled and mixed into a crisp salad of mixed greens, roasted beets, and bell peppers.  I suggest trying the recipe below for an easy, yet tasty, recipe that's sure to wow friends and family at your next gathering.  Any flavors are also great to use as part of your own trail mix recipe.  Simply break in half (or thirds or quarters), and mix in pretzels, raisins, pistachios, almonds, or whatever you prefer for a sweet, salty, and healthy snack on the road or at home.

Crunchmaster Mini Goat Cheese Balls

Ingredients

1 heaping cup Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers Sea Salt

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature , (I used low fat cottage cheese since it goes in a blender anyway)
8 ounces soft goat cheese, (About 2 cups)
2 heaping tablespoons mango, strawberry or other chutney; or honey
¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder

Place crackers in food processor and pulse several times until ground into coarse crumbs.  Pour the crumbs into a plate and wipe out the food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients to food processor and process until fully combined.  Roll tablespoonfuls of the cheese mixture into balls (a mini ice cream scoop works well) and then roll the balls into the cracker crumbs gently pressing the crumbs into the cheese.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Makes about 2 dozen, depending on size.

Most people know I try to keep away from most packaged products unless they meet my standards of real ingredients that does not have a long list of unpronounceable words, and Crunchmaster fits the bill!  I find all of their products use real ingredients you would find in a standard kitchen and they are indeed crunchy, as their name suggests. 

Here are 2 more tried and true recipes to help motivate you to grab these crackers on your next shopping trip.  Or order them by the case at Amazon.com!

Crab Cakes with Creamy Cocktail Sauce

Ingredients

16 ounces crab meat, picked over and flaked

1 ½ cups finely crushed Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers Sea Salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

¼ cup minced green onions, white and green parts

½ cup low-fat cottage cheese or plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon

Several dashes of hot sauce, use divided

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Cooking Spray

¼ cup cocktail sauce

Lemon wedges for serving

Directions

Combine crabmeat with ¼ cup cracker crumbs, eggs, green onions, ¼ cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, lemon juice, 4 or 5 dashes of hot sauce, salt and pepper, mix well.  Pour remaining cracker crumbs into a dinner plate or shallow bowl.

Shape crab mixture into 12 cakes using ¼ cup mixture for each cake.  Coat the crab cakes with cracker crumbs, lightly pressing the crumbs into the cakes.  Place crab cakes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Cook the crab cakes in batches (do not overcrowd the pan) for 3 – 4 minutes per side or until golden brown on the bottom. 

Sauce

Whisk together the remaining ¼ cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt with the cocktail sauce and 3 or 4 dashes of hot sauce.  Serve the crab cakes with the creamy cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

*Try canned tuna or salmon for another tasty way to use these crackers

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients: Casserole

• 2.5 lbs sweet potatoes
• 1 egg and two egg whites
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• Pinch of nutmeg

Ingredients: Topping

• ½ cup finely ground Crunchmaster® Multigrain Crackers
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. In a large stock pot boil potatoes until tender, drain. Return potatoes to stock pot. Mash until smooth. Add eggs, 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix well.

Spray a 2 quart oval baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add potato mixture to dish and spread evenly. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine Crunchmaster® Multigrain Cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/3 cup dark brown sugar. Mix well.

Top potato casserole with cracker mixture. Spread mixture evenly covering the entire top of the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil carefully and bake for 10 more minutes.

Serves 6.

You can find Crunchmaster at most major grocery stores; check out their site to find the location(s) nearest you and head out today!

Once you've tried them, leave a comment and let me know how you liked them and if you used them in a recipe.  I might be inclined to try the recipe myself!