Smile, it's about Food!

I was crabby yesterday.  Downright irritable even. 

So I started writing this blog post—mostly in my head—about three really simple things that have made me really simply happy lately.  And wouldn't you know?  They were all about food. 

So here you have it. Three food things to make you smile.  Big. 

Siggi's Yogurt 

I love good food and I really love it when it's also good for you.  I eat yogurt at least once a day.  But when I started really thinking about the brand I'd been eating (a store one) and the artificial sweeteners in it, I was getting a bit creeped out.  Look, I'm not a stickler for all things natural, all the time.  However, if I can do better in a certain area, I do.  It's like with my coffee.  I put real cream in it.  Does it have more fat than that non-fat, sugar-free stuff you can buy?  Absolutely.  But do you know what the ingredients are in cream?  Cream.  You know what the ingredients are in that other stuff? Gross.  

Anyway, Siggi's only has a few ingredients and I can pronounce them all.  It has a thicker consistency, more like a Greek yogurt but without that tart taste.  I'm not really a fan of Greek yogurt.  It's fine for mixing into things, but alone, not so much.  

Siggi's main downfall would be the price.  As with most things good for you, it costs too much.  So I get it when it goes on sale.  And then I wait anxiously for my mid-afternoon snack.  

Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats

Picture by creme de la crumb blog

I eat pretty much the same thing every day for breakfast.  Hey, if it ain't broke, right?  Well, sometimes I need to switch it up a bit.  But finding something I can make that is fast, easy and not terrible for me, can be a challenge.  

I've been eyeing these overnight oatmeal recipes for a while on Pinterest.  This past weekend I finally gave one a shot.  Let me just say, that name says it all.  This stuff really does taste like a blueberry muffin!  

I thought I might be a bit weirded out by eating cold oatmeal, but it was so stinking good.  Check out the original blog post on it at the blog creme de la crumb.  Cute name, right?  

Here's the skinny:

Combine:

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not quick oats)

6 oz blueberry Greek yogurt (one personal container is a little less than this--just use that, it's enough)

A few drops of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sugar-free dry vanilla pudding mix

Put it in a container with a lid in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.  Eat up!  

The original recipe calls for cinnamon that I did not use, additional blueberries that I did not use and Cornflake-like cereal that I did not use.  You, however, are welcome to do whatever you want.  Enjoy!  

Nancy Jo's Homemade

Clayton, NC

This last one is my favorite.  I've got a bit of a sweet tooth.  Whatever, I just like food.  And Nancy Jo's is a small, hometown bakery in downtown Clayton, NC that offers up all things sweet and yummy to make you smile.  

The goodies they sell are not good for you.  They do not help you lose weight.  They are made with things like butter and sugar and all things fattening and sweet.  

And you know what?  There ain't nothing wrong with that.  Because sometimes a girl just needs a brownie.  Or piece of cake.  Or homemade fudge or toffee. And Nancy Jo's has you covered.

The rum cake is almost too good and the maple fudge is amazing.  And I don't even like fudge!  At all!  The red velvet cake did not disappoint and the 12-layer chocolate cake (pictured on their flyer) is a Cerame Family favorite.  My boys love it!    

I am, however, getting a bit disturbed by the fact that I've taste tested just about everything in the bakery.   Except the chocolate covered cherries.  I'm not a fan of those no matter who makes them so you'll have to take Steven's word for it that those are good.  

There are five locations for you to choose from in North Carolina--Clayton, Clinton, Greensboro, Oak Island and Raleigh.  Go see them at your closest one and get some sweets and treats for your upcoming Christmas party or gifts bags!  

Steven and I have been blessed to meet and become friends with the owners of Nancy Jo's and let me tell you, the desserts are wonderful, but they don't hold a candle to the people that make them. And I'm not just saying that because they've given me free fudge.  It's just true.  

And there really isn't anything sweeter than good friends, now is there?  Well, except maybe that maple fudge.  

--Jessica