This is a sponsored post. While YBC was compensated for the post, all thoughts are our own. We are committed to working with brands we love and only featuring products we would use ourselves.
Today, let's talk food. I have a funny story, if you have the time:
When I was in my senior year of college, I did a study abroad program in Spain. Somehow, we were invited to an International Dinner Party (with people we didn't even know). Everyone was meant to bring a dish from their home country.
The problem was that my friend and I had no idea what to bring. We were poor college girls who barely knew how to scramble an egg, never mind whip up an apple pie. I mean what were we to do? Bring hamburgers?
We actually considered it for a hot second, until we determined that hamburgers were way out of our budget. So we decided on the next best all-American alternative: peanut butter and jelly.
We knew it was a pretty poor choice but we couldn't show up empty handed, right?
So jelly and bread was easy enough to find but peanut butter? We went to all the major grocery stores in the city and came up empty handed! We didn't understand. Were we not looking in the right spot? Did we just not know how to properly translate peanut? (Cacahuete, if you must know). We asked at each store and were told no, they didn't sell peanut butter.
We couldn't believe what a glorious food everyone was missing out on! Finally, after searching for what seemed like forever, we found a small jar of peanut butter at this little hole in the wall shop that sold only American food (Spam, Kraft, you know - all the really high quality stuff, haha).
Anyway, we were running late (shocker), so we smeared the peanut butter and jelly, cut off the crusts (to make our "dish" a little more sophisticated), cut them in fours, seran wrapped them and hightailed it to the party.
We arrive, to find that everyone is decked out (we're wearing jeans). The Swedes have brought Swedish meatballs. The Spanish have brought a pan of Paella as big as my body. There were stuffed grape leaves, and sushi and complicated dishes I couldn't figure out....and then there was our plate of peanut butter and jelly. So we were pretty embarrassed, you know? But then, something happened.
A British girl picked up one of our sandwiches. (The bread had already started to harden.)
"Mmmm," she declared, as she turned to her friends. "You must try this! It tastes like a cake!"
To our surprise, they all reached for a sandwich. And then another. "Why, these are excellent!" they exclaimed.
My friend and I caught eyes, and had to look away before we burst into laughter. It was just too funny that our food was such a hit despite it being what we considered to be a cop out of a dish. Luckily, my culinary talents have since expanded!
In the Cart is a new monthly series in which we'll highlight some delicious foods and useful kitchen items found in the grocery store. The best part? One of you will win them all (and two others will win something as well - see details at the bottom of this post)!
1. Fruit infusion water bottle. I think I drink a good amount of water, but I know I'd be more likely to drink more if it had a little flavor. This bottle would be so useful! Pop a little lemon in there and boom! Hydration, ON. This one's from Infusion H20, previously $36, now on sale for $24.97.
.2. TigerNut raw snack. Um, what? What exactly is a tiger nut? Wait wait, that didn't come out right! Ok so a tiger nut isn't actually a nut. It's a root vegetable that comprised up to 80% of our Paleo ancestors' diets, so this should be on my Paleo people's radars! This is from Organic Gemini, $6.
3. Baking mat. This is a handy little kitchen aid if you're into baking. It eliminates the need for cooking sprays and oils, and nothing sticks to it. Easy to use and easy to clean. This is from SmarterBaking, $20
4. Loose leaf tea. I'm a big tea drinker, and loose leaf tea blends make me so happy. This garcinia loose leaf package is a gentle detox tea that blends green tea, coconut tea, goji berries and more to make a delicious cuppa. This is from Perfect Body Tea, $20.
5. Chocolate bar. My biggest gripe with chocolate these days is that it's nearly impossible to find a bar made without an emulsifier like soy lecithin. Emulsifiers are really hard on the digestive system and can trigger inflammation. At my last Costa Rica retreat (we're heading back in April!), my Swiss student (a self-proclaimed chocolate connoisseur) told me that people use emulsifiers because it's cheaper than going through the actual process of slowly making the chocolate. So whenever I find a brand that makes their chocolate without an emulsifier, I feel like I need to tell all my health conscious friends. This is from Well Food Company, box of 6 for $25.14.
6. Nut milk bag. If you're into making your own almond milk (and you should be, because look at those nut milk labels - they often have emulsifiers), then a nut milk bag is going to be essential. They're easy to use and this one in particular is great because it's highly durable and can take a good scrubbing (meaning you can use it to strain things like bone broth or if you're into making your own beer). This one is from Rawsome Creations, is 5 for $40.
7. Hemp hearts. These are the best little add-ons for salads, smoothies, and in baking! They taste sort of nutty, an earthy flavor I just love. These are from Manitoba Harvest, $14
8. Ghee, with a twist. I learned about ghee about a year and a half ago when I started on the GAPS diet. It's a lactose-free butter that's easily digested and delicious in cooking. This one is made if 100% grass-fed butter, and has the added bonus of a little Himalayan salt (my fave). This is from Tava Life, $13.99.
9. Pancakes. When you're someone like me who travels often and gets to see how things are done in other parts of the world, my mind is often blown. Sometimes, it can seem like we Americans are really backwards. But! I'll tell you what we do have down pat: breakfast. I mean, sorry for tooting our horns but we are really good at breakfasts. I live for a good breakfast and that's why I'm psyched about these pancakes. There are only seven ingredients in the mix, and all are gluten-free. These are from On the Go Paleo, $18.
The Giveaway terms
To enter:
Let's keep the food theme going and talk about our best, worst, or funniest food memories.
- Share your story in the comments below, then...
- Click "I commented!" using the rafflecopter widget above the comment box.
Important: you must do both in order for your entry to be valid.
Notes:
- All entries will be verified (i.e. make sure you leave a comment as well as enter using rafflecopter).
- This giveaway is open to those in the USA. I feel badly about this, but each country has different rules for giveaways. (In Canada, for example, apparently a winner cannot be chosen by random, but rather, some element of skill must be involved?) So to open it up to everyone would mean adding additional rules to ensure it complies with each country's laws. I apologize.
We'll pick three winners. One will win everything, and two will win the pancake mix, the ghee and the tiger nuts. Winners will be chosen by random on March 5, and notified by email.
If you have a separate email for promotional use, feel free to enter using that email address because by entering the giveaway, you consent to being added to the YBC weekly newsletter list and receiving occasional promotional emails from the participating brands.