Seriously? …Seriously? (and pssst...a Giveaway!)

“What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets.  I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?” -Erma Bombeck

I’m talking to my mom on my way to work this morning, requesting my favorite coffee creamer while she was grocery shopping. Mom just happens to mention, “Well, the store was out of pecan pies, so I got pecan pie cups. Good portion control, right?” Where do I begin with the wrongness of this all.

1. Pecan pie should be homemade.
2. Pecan pie cups? Give me a break. No pumpkin PIE is the equivalent of Christmas without a Christmas tree littering gifts beneath it.

I feel so shafted already. Pecan pie is a once-a-year-can’t-live-without-it STAPLE. 
Holds. Me. Together. All. Year. Treat.

As un-healthy as that little tantrum is, I could’ve verbally berated husband last night after he decided he NEEDED (yes, NEEDED) Buffalo Wild Wings. Let’s not be confused here, I love anything involving wing sauce -- it’s a guilty pleasure. Just look to the right there and you can see that SEVERAL of my “must-try” recipes contain wing sauce. However, BW3’s is 30 minutes away from home and I had a headache and a wonderful, healthy pad Thai dinner planned. But no, husband NEEDED wings. So, off we go at 8:30pm (had to wait til the game was on!), only to arrive and find that both the restaurant and inhaler-requiring bar were filled to capacity and there was a 40-minute wait. On a Tuesday. One would think they were GIVING AWAY $0.40 wings, my goodness! After flashing him a stink face and a blatant, annoyed eye roll, we left BW3’s for a silent 30-minute commute back home.

I am a man. I do NOT want to watch games (football, basketball, or otherwise) that I care about in a bar watching a TV without volume and obnoxious patrons taking away from my viewing experience. Which leads me to the acceptance of a sad truth: I am old. On a Tuesday evening after an 11-hour work day, I want to be a homebody. I want to be in my warm house, in my cuddly clothes, enjoying healthy, homemade food, watching and listening to my sporting pleasure! Last night being Fighting Illini men’s basketball.

Is anyone else a huge homebody, especially once the fall and winter seasons encroach?

My crankiness subsided this morning when I opened my office door to a package from Newman's Owns Organics (not to be confused with Newman's Own). I've heard a lot about Newman's Owns Organics (NOO's) and I was interested in sampling some of their products. Well, let's just say I received an early Christmas gift this year! Check out the loot...

Thank you, Newman's Own Organics!! <3

Food models, mess, lunch (upper right), Zevia (upper left)...and the loot, scattered! My office is atrocious!

 An array of cookies...chocolate, Arrowroot, and chocolate chip!

 Choooooooocolate! Need I say more? Note: that dark chocolate bar

on the left is opened...I wonder who did that!!

 

 Fat-free AND low-fat Fig Newmans...love the play on words : )

 

 Dried fruit...prunes, apricots, apples, and berry blend. The apples are delicious! They are completely all-natural in taste, not all pumped up with sugar!!

 

For my afternoon snack, I had 2 original Hermits. Um, DELICIOUS! They are so moist and rich in flavor...love them!! Favorite taste from Newman's Own Organics thus far!!

 

Mint rolls -- Peppermint, Wintergreen, Ginger, and Hot (not pictured, oops!)

 Newman's O's -- Chocolate and Mint!!

 

 There was a 3rd bag, but one of my patient's ate them. Thumbs up! Especially excited about the protein pretzels!

 

 Soy crisps! Can't wait to try!

 

 Hot, Wintergreen, Ginger (yum!), and peppermint mints. The ginger ones are delicious!!!

 

And Newman's Own Organics even sent something for the puppy -- dog treats! Lily gives the salmon and sweet potato treats a high-five (and my dog gives high-5's, no joke!)

And since 'tis the season to be giving...a GIVEAWAY for you all! And because that box weighs about 25 pounds!!! THANK YOU, NEWMAN'S OWN ORGANICS!!!

NEWMAN'S OWNS ORGANICS GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

There will be 2 winners as there's plenty of goodies to go around...

Giveaway 1: The Cookie Monster

Newman's Own Organics Champion Chip Cookies (Chocolate)

Newman's Own Organics Ginger Hermits

Newman's Own Organics 54% cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar

Giveaway 2: The Smorgasbord

 Newman's Own Organics White Cheddar Soy Crisps

Newman's Own Organics California Prunes

Newman's Own Organics 54% cocoa Espresso Dark Chocolate Bar

How to enter? Lots of ways! 

Enter up to 4 times by doing one, two, three...or all of the following:

1. Post a comment with your giveaway selection preference below (1 or 2, see above)

2. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link back to your tweet, 
or follow me @PreventionRD

3. If you're a blogger, post about this Newman's Own Organics Giveaway with a link back to this post on your blog. Leave a comment below containing your blog/post link!

4. Email me a favorite, healthy recipe at Mrs.RD44@gmail.com

Entries will be taken through Sunday, November 29th at 12pm (Central Time) and the winners will be announced on my Sunday blog post!


Sampled thus far: 70% cocoa organic chocolate bar (super yum!) and organic dried apples. Mmm!


A patient this morning had to fast for a late lab appointment and by the time he made it over to my office for his nutrition appointment, he was so hungry he had a headache. I handed my country bumpkin of a patient Newman's Own Organics salted pretzels, and that country bumpkin chowed down. And believe you me, I'd have heard about it if he didn't love'em! Thumbs up, Newman's Own Organics!!

Looking forward to Pad Thai tonight and an early departure to Chicago tomorrow morning! If our flight is delayed, we’ll be missing Thanksgiving dinner. Wish us luck, O’Hare doesn’t have the best of records when it comes to flight delays.

Have a wonderful, safe, healthful, and relaxing Thanksgiving!