Homemade Fullbar (bags)

I'm trying to get back on the diet kick. Awhile back I bought a Fullbar to try it out. You've probably seen the commercial. It's developed by a doctor that performs bypass surgeries. It's suppose to act the same way, byeating a bar and a glass of water 30 mins before a meal, it's suppose to fill you up so you don't eat as much. Well I'm a sceptic especially after I read the ingredients. Basically it's Puffed Wheat, Sugar and Soy Protein. I had the chocolate one so it had Dark Chocolate in it too. Sounded simple enough so I decided to make some of my own.

I'm the type of cook that just throws stuff together so I'll try to guess on just how much I used. When ever I see the commercial I want to call it a Fu Bar, and since I put them in bags I made up a new name. I think it has a ring to it.

FuBar Bags

1/4 butter

3/4 cups Dark Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup Almond butter (or peanut butter)

1/3 cup ground Flax seed

2-3 scoops Chocolate Protein Powder

Half bag of mini Marshmallows

Bag of unsweetened, unsalted Puffed Wheat. (I got mine at Sunflower market for about 1.50)

Like Rice Crispy Treats, heat everything in a large sauce pan. When melted add Puffed Wheat, stir and empty out onto a buttered pan or wax paper lined sheet pan.

It didn't mix as well as I would have liked which is why I bagged it instead of making it into bars. I think it would take a lot more marshmallows or adding corn syrup to it to make it stick which I didn't want to do. They actually taste really good, according to me. Having just eaten a chocolate Fullbar yesterday and making these today, I think it's a pretty good match actually. Plus mine has almonds and flaxseed.

I haven't decided whether they really do what they claim. I feel like I still eat about the same amount of food. But if I'm going to experiment with a gimmick I'd rather spend less than $5.00 than the estimated over $100 for a months supply. My recipe made about 14 snack size bags.

I'm a Winners!

This is Ike's 'Rock On' pose

Our Prize arrived today! I followed the Knuckleheads Blog and won their giveaway. I've never won anything from a blog before so I was pretty excited. Especially since I think Knuckleheads clothes are about the cutest thing out there for boys. If I had the means I would dress my boys in nothing but Knuckleheads clothes. They sent me 2 matching t-shirts for my boys. Guess I'm going to have to do a cute photo shoot now with them matching and looking all cute. I saw a guy with his two boys at the store the other day all wearing black skater clothes looking super cute and thought I need to get more black clothes for my boys. Now I just need to get some cute long shorts and they will be stylin'.
Thanks Knuckleheads!

4 years

4 years ago today I married my sweetheart and the subsequent 4 years have been the best of my life. Ryan has made me the happiest women in the world. I can't wait to see what the next 50 years will bring.

I know I've posted this video before but this song makes me think of Ryan every time I hear it.

Utah Food Co-op

I went to the Utah Food Co-op today in Murray. They only have one location now, the one on Redwood Rd. is closed. At first I wasn't that impressed. It's pretty small with not a lot of selection. Until I went in the cooler in the back. They had a bunch of different gourmet cheeses and spreads and fun stuff all for a dollar each. After further inspection of the outside area I found a few different marinades and dressing that are Organic (some Annie's) which retail for around $3 at the health food store were all just $1. Also they had canned goods for a $1 each which I wasn't impressed until I read the sign that said 10 for $7. which is not bad. So I got all of this plus 10 cans of tuna and soup (+1 Cars chicken noodle soup Ike wouldn't let go of that the lady gave me) for under $30. Then gave them a donation also, which they didn't ask for.
The address again is 4892 S. Commerce (300 W.) They have odd hours so check the schedule.

Food Co-ops

I've been researching Food Co-ops recently and thought I would share my findings. I haven't used any of these yet but am interested in checking them out.
Utah Food C0-0p this is a store with a location in Murray. There new location in Murray 4892 S. Commerce (300 W.) and the other location at 1899 S. Redwood Rd is closed now. They are only open Thurs, Fri and Sat. and they only take cash. I'm planning on checking out the one in Murray today. My Father-in-Law volunteered there last month to get a free pass to Disneyland and was impressed by the food they had and the prices.
Crossroad Urban Center from what I can tell this is a once a month plan. They have several different pick up areas, I think mine would be in Lehi. They ask you to volunteer at least 2 hours (with any charity or church organization) per month. They had a pretty good food offering including a $15 meat share that included a lot of meat. I think it's mostly local but not all organic.
Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op This is a once a week program. I think it's all produce and bread (tortillas and crackers). There are a lot of different pick up points. A friend on Facebook said it's gotten so popular it's hard to get an order in. I'm thinking of trying this out although from what I could tell the pick up time was like 6:45 am which doesn't work for me but we'll see.
Alpine Food Storage This is one my Mother-in-law mentioned to me. It seems to be based mostly on food storage items but they do sell items in smaller quantities also. They are based in Highland and may have a store you can just go to. I'll have to check it out.
This is just the beginning of my research so I'll try to keep interested parties informed. My interest is that I want to start buying more local products and I'd much rather support a local non profit than my local Walmart. Also I'm trying to eat healthy and want to include more produce and whole grains into my diet. If you are interested in trying any of these let me know and maybe we can figure them out together.