Zero Grain Vox Box cat food testing

Emma is a cat. Emma is a picky cat. So she's like any other cat. I recently changed her food to another reputable brand with great success. The Rachel Ray #nutrish vox from Influenster enabled her to try a great brand. Emma loves chicken, so I crossed my fingers that she would like the chicken and potato. The moment I had it put of the box, she was all over it.  Eager to see her response, I gave her a tiny bit. She devoured it and cried for more! She's been eating it for three weeks now, and her bowl is empty by the end of the day.

I love that it doesn't have fillers and she really enjoyed it. The only downfall I noticed was that she did have a furball, and the food she normally ate was furball control. Although I can't be certain it was from the food and has only occurred once. In all, I think it's great. Emma approved!

Thanks @voxbox @nutrish #zerograin is great.

*I received this product through Influenster, from Nutrish, in exchange for my honest review.

Caution: Soapbox rant on obesity

I've been sensitive about this for awhile and now I'm turning to Sam Smash. I won't out the direct source that my rage stemmed from this morning, but I was on social media and came across a post.

I've been overweight for my entire life. I went to nutritionists, had tests, tried multiple weight loss, exercise and weight management programs. What it comes down to is that everyone is different. From underlying medical conditions, to body makeup, traumatic events there are reasons why people are "obese."

I'm not perfect by any means, but i try my damndest to be in better shape and lose weight. But the weight comes off, but doesn't stay off.
Do I walk daily - yes!
Do I run - yes!
Do I eat healthy - yes!
Do I limit sugar and "bad foods"- yes!

I drink breakfast smoothies with flax and chia. I eat oatmeal. I eat Greek yogurt. I substitute egg whites, yogurt and applesauce when baking. I planted a garden. I plan meals ahead. I limit processed foods. I've cut down carbs. I've even learned to drink my coffee black - but yes I do indulge in a nonfat or hell a 2% pumpkin spice latte or caramel macchiatto. I don't deprive my body of food. I love food - if you didn't already know from my food inspired blog.

I love how "people" say eating healthy cost just as much as not. Funny last time I looked at menus the burger and fries were cheaper than the chicken salad I would consider. Produce is not all that reasonable depending on where you are. I do grow my own and support local farms but the costs still add up. Yes, I'll take the $2 cookies over the $4 strawberries.

I love running 5ks and being recognized - but they are so damn expensive. I don't have the money for the gym so I walk and run. I do some weights, I do yoga, I stay active!

So moral of my rant - shame on the media for pointing out just how obese America is. We know!! You don't know everyone's story so stop the body shaming and support us! Love you for you no matter what! 

*mic drop*

Pittsburgh Pierogi Fest

So I may be one of those people that makes fun of all the "Yinzers" that go to to random events around the city. Today I was one of those yinzers. We skipped out last year, so I figured why not. Iny honest opinion I expected more - I'm not sure of exactly what. There was a wide variety of pierogis and of course haluski, stuffed cabbage and pierogi merchandise.  We didn't mind the $7 for parking - cheap compared to normal event rates. The 12.50 admission was a little much for free Turners tea half pints, but the pierogis made up for it.

We started off with a jumbo potato and cheese pierogi - half the size of the plate, probably the best traditional one. Alan and Jody split a pierogi hoagie w/out sauerkraut which they were disappointed in. I had an amazing Smoky Rogi from Pittsburgh Smokehouse with brisket on it. Alan had a sweet cream filled pierogi sundae with apples and caramel that was different. I had a deep fried pierogi with an aoili of some type that wasn't too bad. It was a true Pittsburgh yinzer experience - Alan loved the polka. Next year we're convincing mom to open a stand - look for Mama J's pierogis!

Air frying fun

We've had our air fryer since December and I absolutely love it! It's simple, relatively easy to clean and food comes out awesome and you don't have to deal with nasty oil. Which for me is a good thing seeing as though my husband is banned from frying with oil.

The one thing I have not tried yet is frying things with batter on them like homemade corn dogs. I'm thinking I may have to flash freeze first - that'll be a project for another time. For now I'll share with you some of our favorites.

Obviously, you can toss in any frozen item such as fries, cheese sticks, frozen chicken wings, battered or plain frozen seafood and meats. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. Chicken, fish and pork chops are my favorites to do. There is minimal mess and everything comes out tender, juicy and flavorful.

Strawberry upside down cake

This is another simple dessert I made. Okay I admit, the hardest part was flipping it into another pan! All you need is a box of yellow cake mix - prepared following directions on the box, two containers mashed strawberries, three cups or half a bag mini marshmallows and a package of dry jello mix. I was skeptical how this would turn out, but it got rave reviews!

The best part was using the potato masher to smash the strawberries after you slice them. Obviously you could use a blender or food processor but I wanted some varying size pieces and plus that's not as fun!

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 pan and place the smashed strawberries at the bottom. Next, sprinkle strawberries with dry strawberry jello. Scatter the marshmallows on top of that. Lastly, add the prepared cake batter. Some of the marshmallows may go to the top which is fine.

I honestly don't know why you use the marshmallows, the cake turned out super moist though and it may help create the strawberry sauce.

Bake for approximately 40-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Mine took about 50 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes. If you are smart you will have a big platter or bigger pan to flip the cake on to. I used a nylon cutter to loosen edges, I had a pan bigger but rounded that it took some finesse to flip it into but I did it! Alan said it tasted like a strawberry shortcake and he added whipped cream too.

Summer sweets

Hope everyone had a great kickoff to summer and remembering those that made the ultimate sacrifice for us. We were busy around the house and working outside but that didn't stop us from eating.

I took dessert to the first cookout we went to. Of course I couldn't just take one, so I made two! The first was a really easy icebox cookie trifle. It is super simple and so good. All you need is a family package of Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies and two containers of whipped topping thawed. You can do it in just about any size pan or bowl. I use a glass bowl I got from IKEA. Starting with the whipped topping on the bottom then a layer of cookies alternating until you run out. I always set aside a few cookies to crush up to sprinkle over the top. Some may also dunk the cookies in milk before layering, but I think it makes it too soggy. Once layered, cover and put in refrigerator at least two hours.

Sunday Supper

We try to have a good meal on Sunday, because well why not. We started it awhile ago and it's stuck ever since.  Alan loves pizza, pasta, meat and potatoes. I was in the mood for roast, but not with potatoes and carrots. After browsing my Pinterest boards I found the perfect thing - Nana's Pot Roast.  Me being me, I tweaked the recipe a bit. So I'll give you my version. 

Pulled a roughly 3-4 pound chuck roast out of freezer and defrosted in refrigerator over night. This morning I let it sit at room temperature for about an hour and a half. Got my crockpot (slow cooker) out and put in half a cup of water and a teaspoon of beef base. After the meet reached room temperature, I salted both sides generously with kosher salt, stuck it in the crock pot on low for 8 hours. 

The last half hour I began the sauce. I had leftover rigatoni noodles I used, but you could make any larger pasta I'm sure a ziti or penne would work too. Prepare your pasta according to box.  I only used half a box of pasta. In a large pot, I heated a tablespoon of canola oil on low heat and added minced garlic, cooking until fragrant. Next, I added a large can of petite diced tomatoes, drained, and let simmer for five minutes. 

I took the meat out to rest for 10-15 minutes. While the tomatoes continued to simmer, I added basil, parsley, onion powder, and salt to taste. At this point, I took about two cups of the juice from the crock pot. I added a cup to the sauce. To the remaining cup, I added a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the sauce slightly. I kept the heat on low at this point, stirring occasionally.

After the meat rested, I shredded it- it was tender it fell right apart. I added it to the sauce and let simmer for two minutes before adding the pasta. It was so good with bit of an Italian twist and nice to change up the standard pot roast.