Frozen Strawberries and Other Fruits

When making smoothies, The Breakdown Café loves using frozen fruit because the frozen fruit helps keep the smoothie cold while preventing the smoothie from becoming watered down from melting ice cubes.

We have used and sampled a variety of brands of frozen berries and other fruits. We found the three brands (pictured to the left) to be the best performers. They are Whole Strawberries from Private Selection, Schwan's Whole Strawberries, and Simple Truth Organic Whole Strawberries.

 

When we opened the bags, the aroma of fresh picked Strawberries filled the air and the taste proved to be satisfying and delicious. The fruits from Great Value had an odd aroma and flavor.

The Simple Truth and Private Selection berries both earned an A rating because each bag of fruit only provided enough strawberries for 3 smoothies. Schwan's earned  an A+ rating because there was enough berries to make 6 smoothies.  All of these berries were priced affordably and the taste did not disappoint. 

The Great Value fruit rated an F. The aroma and taste of the fruit was less than desirable.

PJ pants

Soft, comfy, warm, and cute are just a few ways these house pants can be described. 

The Breakdown Cafe bought the pink pair and rushed back to buy the gray striped and solid grey pants. 

They were a bargain for less than $10 dollars a pair.  Yes! They were $9.98. 

Wal-Mart has a variety of colors, prints, patterns and sizes up to 4 XL. The waist band stays put. The legs are tapered and comfortable. Did we forget to mention the pockets? Ladies these cuddly pants have pockets, so you can keep your telephone handy and hands warm. 

The pants hold their shape and comfort after several washes. They haven't developed those awful fur balls.

We give these pj pants A+ rating. They are affordable, comfortable, soft, and warm. They don't lose their color or shape after they have been washed. Rush out to Wal-Mart and grab a pair or 3 before they are gone. They have tops to mix and match too. We did not purchase the tops.

Bigelow Peppermint Tea

Bigelow Peppermint Tea had me from the moment the package was opened. The wonderful fragrance of peppermint filled my nostrils. The Breakdown Cafe could not wait to try it in our peppermint mugs (Amazon.com). Bigelow Peppermint Tea is refreshing and delicious. Even though we added a Bob's  soft peppermint stick stirrer, there was plenty of peppermint flavor without it.

The Breakdown Cafe gives Bigelow Peppermint Tea an A+ rating. The price was less than $3 for 20 individually wrapped tea bags. The flavor and aroma are both pleasing. Grab your favorite mug. Fill it with hot water and a Bigelow Peppermint Tea bag. Take in a deep breath and relax. You are worth it!

Bigelow Lemon Ginger with Probiotics Tea

It was so exciting to find the Bigelow Lemon Ginger Tea with Probiotics at the grocery store on sale. It was less than $3 for a package of 18 individually wrapped tea bags.  When the tea bag was opened, the ginger aroma was welcoming. After tasting Bigelow Lemon Ginger Tea with Probiotics, it was a little disappointing to find the ginger taste was barely noticeable and the lemon flavor was undetectable. Thankfully, The Breakdown Cafè had fresh lemon and ginger on hand. We found adding a slice of  each helped to enhance the ginger and lemon flavor.

Bigelow Lemon Ginger Tea with Probiotics received a C+ rating from The Breakdown Cafè. We liked the price, appreciated the individually wrapped bags, but the flavor needed to be enhanced with our own fresh lemon and ginger.  If you do not care for the flavor of ginger, this is a good way to become acclimated. If you are like us and you love the ginger flavor, don't purchase this product. You will be disappointed.  

Dave's Bread

Dave’s Killer Bread Organic 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Bread Loaf is amazing. The seeds give this bread a nice texture and the flavor boost from the whole grains make this bread a win win. It is great with avocado toast (see the recipe featured in this blog) and sandwiches. We also enjoyed it plainly toasted with no toppings. The flavor of this bread brings so much to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is great for snacking with a little bit of your favorite nut butter. We wanted to inform you that the 20.5 oz loaf was just under $6. It is well worth it. Word of caution: This bread is chucked full of seeds and grain. To insure longer storage life, keep the bread in the refrigerator. For the quality, flavor, and 70 calories per slice, we give Dave’s Killer Bread Organic 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Bread Loaf A+ rating.

Reynolds Foil Sheets

Look what I've found at the dollar store: Reynolds Wrap Foil sheets. There are 25 sheets in the box.  I love how easy the sheets are to use. Just pull and wrap up whatever you need. The sheets are perfect for covering dishes, bowls, plates, and of course wrapping potatoes for baking. No more guessing how much to pull off the roll because Reynolds Wrap Foil sheets have done it for you.

The Breakdown Café rates Reynolds Wrap Foil Sheets A+ for its convenience, durability, ease of use, and of course you can't beat 4¢ per sheet.

Olive Garden Signature Italian Dressing

 

Delicious

Are you like me and hate to waste money on trying new salad dressings? Do you grab the same salad dressing every time you go to the store? I have some exciting news. This Signature Italian Dressing from Olive Garden is now available in your local grocery store. Let me warn you, it is just like the restaurant's dressing, addictive. With it's creamy consistency and vibrant taste, Olive Garden Signature Italian Dressing is a wonderful addition to your salad. The best part: it doesn't take a lot to dress the salad because it is so full of flavor. You can even see the bits of herbs and onions at the bottom of the bottle.

We gave the Signature Italian dressing from Olive Garden an A +. The price for 16 ounces under $4.  It's a little higher priced in some stores than others. It comes in 2 different sizes: 16 ounces and 24 ounces.  FYI: If you aren't a fan of Italian dressing,  Olive Garden offers a variety of flavors that we have not taste tested.

Bigelow Lavender Chamomile with Probiotics

Sometimes all you need to relax at the end of a long day is a good tasting tea in a pretty cup. I really enjoy Bigleow's Lavender Chamomile with Probiotics. As you feel the warmth of the teacup in your hand, breathe in the lovely aroma of lavender and chamomile. The chamomile soothes your tummy while the lavender relaxes and calms. Read a book, listen to some music or just kick your feet up and enjoy the wonderful taste of this amazing tea. Each tea bag is individually  and beautifully wrapped (one side is yellow and the other side is lavender). You get a box of 18 bags, and the price is under $3. For the comfort, value, and

taste, we give the Bigelow Lavender Chamomile with Probiotics an A+.

So grab your favorite teacup or mug and enjoy!

Kitchen Gadgets

I'm doing something new for the Breakdown Café. Over the years I've been impressed with the quality of items that can be purchased for $1.00. Sometimes items exceed expectations and sometimes you get what you pay for. If you like the series please let me know in the comments, because your support is really motivating. For this first post about $1.00 finds let me share some items that I found recently. These great kitchen gadgets were being sold in a local grocery store for $1.00.

 

I tested the apple corer on a "crooked" apple to see how well it would perform. It worked very well; it got the whole core with one try.  It was easy and safe to use. The corer made it effortless to core the apple. The opening made it easy to remove the core to discard. It's BPA free and

dishwasher safe on the top rack. The apple corer comes in 3 colors red, yellow, green.

This helpful tool gets an A + rating.

The vegetable peeler earned an A+ rating for it's ease of use and comfortable handle. The blade is sharp enough to peel fruits, chocolate, and veggies. It's BPA free and dishwasher safe on the top rack. The peeler comes in 3 colors red, yellow, green.

*Ratings are based on a letter grade scale.

A excellent - good, highly recommended

B good, but has a design flaw, recommend

C recommend conditionally

D would not recommend (Cheap construction, difficult to use, and impractical)

F would not recommend (not good to use under any circumstance regardless of price)

SALLY HANSEN MIRACLE GEL COLOR

Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel Color boast to stay on for "up to 14 days."
The Breakdown Café panel purchased a dual package of color (#480 Wine Stock) and clear top coat for about $15 and tested them. 

Application:The color is rich and beautiful. It was easy to apply. We applied two coats of the nail color per package instructions. It took a total of 30 minutes to dry completely. 

TRADER JOE'S WHITE ZINFANDEL

Recently, The Breakdown Café was given a bottle of Trader Joe's White Zinfandel Charles Shaw Blend to review. TJ's White Zinfandel  had a pleasant aroma, nothing complex. This  was a refreshing wine that would easily pair well with a mild cheese, fruit, and crusty bread.  The Breakdown Café feel this wine is a great way to introduce people to wine tasting. Enjoy! 

INTERNATIONAL DELIGHT:WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CREAMER

A nice way to start the day.

If you like adding creamer to your coffee and you may want to try something a little different, The Breakdown Café has a great suggestion. Try International Delight White Chocolate Raspberry Creamer. Here's the breakdown. 

ARLA DOFINA CREAMY HAVARTI

Recently, The Breakdown Café was treated and by treated I mean received a free coupon to try Arla Dofino Creamy Havarti Cheese.

Here's the breakdown. Arla Dofino Creamy Havarti cheese

GLUTEN FREE SPICY SNACKS NOW AT KROGER!

If you are eating gluten free and you would like to spice up your snack life, Kroger has the snack for you. Spicy Chili & Lime Tortilla Rolls will give your taste buds a peppery kick. They have a tangy zip that comes from the lime flavor. With all this flavor going on, you still taste the corn in the tortilla. This snack has a light crispy crunch. The best feature yet. It's gluten free. Love that!

Kroger has also introduced Hot Buffalo Style Pretzel Pieces (not gluten free). They taste just like buffalo style chicken wings. Why not try dipping them in ranch dressing? We did! It was delicious.

NABISCO RITZ BACON & BLACK PEPPER FLAVORED CRACKERS

Nabisco has introduced a new bacon flavored snack. Ritz bacon flavored cracker has plenty of zip thanks to the black pepper flakes they added to the crackers. This cracker has the famous light as air crispy texture we all expect from Nabisco Ritz brand. The bacon flavored peppery crackers are delicious with cheese squares from Land O Lakes for a mid morning snack. Instead of eating another boring chicken or tuna salad sandwich on boring soggy bread for lunch, why not turn your lunchtime into a party by leaving the bread at home and opting for the rich smoky peppery flavor of Nabisco Ritz Bacon and Black pepper crackers. These bacon flavored black pepper crackers are delicious enough to enjoy by themselves. The Breakdown Café taste testers are addicted to this snack. Great job Nabisco!

CHICK-FIL-A NEW GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH

NEW GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH FROM CHICK-FIL-A

A picture speaks a thousand words. You guys have got to try the New Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-Fil-A. One bite and The Breakdown Café taste testers  fell in love. The grilled chicken breast has great grilled flavor. The chicken is well seasoned, juicy, and delicious. Chick-Fil-A allowed the grilled chicken to be the star by dressing the sandwich simply with a soft bun, crispy green leaf lettuce, and a juicy red ripened tomato. ENOUGH SAID. Chick-Fil-A hit this one out of the park. Congratulations Chick-Fil-A. You have a great new product.

DR SCHOLL'S DREAMWALK INSOLE RESULTS ARE IN!

From time to time, The Breakdown Café and our followers get to sample free products. We were chosen to test the new DreamWalk High Heel Insoles from Dr Scholl’s. Right away we noticed the insoles from Dr Scholl's were easy to place inside the shoe and delivered on comfort for about 36 hours.  The light pink color of the insoles became unattractive due to stains from normal wear and  made our shoes look dirty, old, and worn. For comparison, we purchased the SofComfort insoles brand.There were 3 pairs of different color insoles in the package. We were surprised that their comfort lasted 36 hours just like the Dr Scholl's DreamWalk High Heel Insoles. The SofComfort insoles were easy to place inside the shoe and didn't stain like the Dr Scholl's DreamWalk High Heel Insoles. We were disappointed that neither brand offered arch support in their insole. 

COLGATE SLIM SOFT TOOTHBRUSH

The new Colgate Slim Soft toothbrush offers a lot of features such as slimmer bristles and a flexible handle. While it delivered on some features such as the slim design, soft bristles, and flexible handle, it failed to deliver on what a toothbrush is supposed to do. Clean teeth.  It was very gentle on the gum. The slim bristles failed to reach the hard to get areas as advertised and seemed to simply slide over my teeth with out cleaning them. I expected more from  a 3 dollar toothbrush. A toothbrush that merely cost 50 cents did a better job at cleaning my teeth, although it didn't have the fancy features of the Colgate Slim Soft toothbrush. I just wanted to note the same toothpaste was used between the cheaper toothbrush and Colgate Slim Soft. 

On the whole, I wouldn't recommend this product simply because it fails to do what a toothbrush is supposed to do.  If you have extremely sensitive gums, this might be worth the money. Back to the drawing board Colgate. #GOTITFREE

RED QUINOA

QUINOA is an inexpensive whole grain, whole protein.  It's quick easy and affordable. It's heart and waste friendly. Use quinoa as a substitute for brown rice, pasta or potatoes. Make sure to purchase the quinoa that has been pre-washed. It saves you some time. Just follow the package directions. May substitute vegetable, chicken, or beef broth instead of water, or add a bouillon to your water. The Breakdown Café is testing recipes. We will post the best tasting recipes in the weeks to come.

Turkey Meatloaf

 

Turkey Meatloaf

1lb ground Turkey Breast

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper 

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 bread slices toasted,buttered, cubed

*****(Make gluten free use 1/2 cup quinoa)****

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon season salt

1 large egg slightly beaten

 Meatloaf Sauce (recipe in this blog)

Sauté onion & bell pepper in small skillet.  Let cool before adding to the meat mixture. 

In large bowl, add all the ingredients & only 1/2 of the meatloaf sauce. Place mixture into baking dish and shape into 9 x 5 oval loaf. Top with 1/4 of the meatloaf sauce mixture. Refrigerate for @ least 30 minutes.

Bake in 350 F oven for 90 minutes until internal temperature is 160°F. Baste with the remaining sauce after 40 minutes of baking. TIP: The Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker helps keep this recipe moist, tender, and juicy.