My New Favorite Snack

Happy Monday! This weekend was jam-packed at times and relaxed at times, but always fun! I had a late girl's night out on the town Friday. Saturday was filled with paddleboarding, macarons, and a bubble bath. Yesterday was errands and church. I had plans to go to a yoga class but didn't make it. It's a shame that weekends are only two days, but what's a gal to do? I love having balance between getting recharged and making the most of my time off work. My weekends (this past one included) fall into a typical pattern. Saturdays are usually my relaxation/catch-up day and Sundays are usually reserved for yoga and errands after church. This may be embarrassing to admit but in addition to being a creature of habit, I'm that person who always has a snack on hand when I'm running around. Whether I'm out on errands, heading to the pool, or off to work- you can typically find a small bite in my purse. I am not cute/fun/pleasant when hungry, so I try to spare those around me and keep myself on task by being prepared.

Snacks are a tricky thing for me, because it's so easy to fall off the wagon of healthy eating here. Especially when we're talking about packaged foods. It's basically effortless to grab a bag of chips or a candy bar as you're running around. They taste great. But they can be stuffed full of unnecessary sugars, preservatives, and ingredients that leave me feeling lethargic afterwards- the exact opposite of what I want out of my on-the-go snack! I've tried a host of different snacks, and wanted to share one of my recent favorites with y'all- Nakd bars from Natural Balance Foods. These gluten free snack bars are AMAZING and so good for you. They're just the perfect snack for me, and I am confident that y'all will like them too.

The first thing that jumped out to me about these bars is the fact that they are gluten, wheat, and dairy free. While I don't have any issues with gluten, I do have issues with milk so the fact that I can eat these without any discomfort is perfection for me. They are 100% natural and don't contain any preservatives or icky additives. In fact, the labels contain ingredients that are plain and simple to understand. The brand describes their approach to production as "wholefood", meaning it's minimally processed and pretty dang close to eating the ingredients as they naturally occur.

While these bars maintain a host of positive qualities, the huge deciding factor for a new snack has got to be the taste. I haven't tasted every single bar that they make, but I'm just loving my 13 bar sample pack! The texture of these bars is unique, mimicking what a homemade energy bar would feel like. They are soft but not crumbly- an important factor to consider if you snack in the car! With flavors like Pecan Pie, Strawberry Crunch, and Caffe Mocha, they have great variety to pick from. My favorite so far is Cocoa Delight- my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I definitely recommend starting out with a variety pack, and you can go back to buy boxes of the individual flavors that you like best.

You can read more about these bars, as well as purchase them, on their website, or feel free to ask any question to me in the comments or in an email! I definitely recommend these for anyone looking to try a new delicious and healthy snack option. Especially those with food allergies! Have you ever heard of or had any of these bars yourself?

Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary variety pack from Natural Balance Foods to review honestly. As always, all opinions and words are my own. I benefit in no way if you purchase this product. Thank you for supporting brands that support A Peachy Sonder!

Calzone for One

Hey readers! How's everything going? I am glad we are halfway to the weekend- I'm sure I'm not the only one! You may or may not have noticed my new look around here, but I couldn't be more excited about it! Please take a look around the new navigation and let me know what you think. I'm always open to constructive criticism, and want my site to be user-friendly, so don't be shy.

Today I wanted to share another quick recipe that is a staple at my apartment: easy peasy calzones. Best of all, this is adjusted to be a recipe for a calzone for one! I started making these in college and love how versatile they are! You just need refrigerated pizza dough, cheese, and your desired fillings to make them. I've done a simple version- just cheese and pepperoni- thanks to what I had in my refrigerator, but you can get really creative here. I've done ham, banana peppers, olives, roasted garlic, mushrooms, and more before! Basically, everything but the kitchen sink can go inside.

The great thing about this dinner, is that you can make 2 huge calzones from one can of dough! In college, that meant it was a perfect roomie-bonding activity to cook together. Nowadays, it means one to go in the refrigerator to eat later in the week. I love having easy and delicious meals ready to go in the fridge. Anybody with me?? I simply reheat the second calzone in the oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or until heated through. I serve the calzone with warm pizza sauce for dipping, and a salad to pretend I'm being healthy! To be honest, that's a ton of food but since this calzone reheats so well, I don't mind having some left over. Bon appetit!

 

Calzone For One

1 canned pizza crust, cold
1/3 cup cheese (more or less for your tastes!)
pepperonis (or desired toppings; drained of juices)
1 tbsp olive oil
pizza sauce for dipping

1. Preheat oven according to crust packaging and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut pizza dough in half. The dough becomes less manageable as it warms up, so if you need to prep your ingredients, do so before taking dough out!
3. Fill calzone square with toppings, leaving about an inch of exposed dough to seal edges. Fold dough over to create a triangle calzone and pinch edges to prevent the toppings from oozing out while baking.
4. Brush olive oil lightly on the dough and cut 2-4 small slits in the top layer of the dough to vent.
5. Bake according to crust packaging. Mine tends to take the upper limit of the cook time, but watch to ensure that your crust doesn't burn!
6. Serve with warmed pizza sauce and enjoy immediately.
7. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers!

What are your go-to easy dinners? Have you made calzones at home before?

Recent Purchases

Hey, y'all! Happy Monday! Are you having a nice start to your week? To be honest I'm a little homesick. I'm soo ready to see my family over Labor Day weekend! I'm counting down the days.. literally. I've been bitten by the shopping bug more than usual lately, does that ever happen to you? I'm pretty disciplined when it comes to my budget and rarely go crazy with my spending. Maybe something's in the water but these sales/items have been too good to pass up lately! I wanted to share a couple of my favorite recent purchases with y'all.

Recipe Box. If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't, you should!), you've probably already seen my post about this cutie! I have been looking for a recipe box for some time now but couldn't decide exactly what I wanted. I'm headed to my Grandma's house for Labor Day weekend and we will be spending plenty of time cooking during my trip. This box comes with adorable recipe cards included! I can't wait to fill them up with delicious family recipes! I purchased mine here.

Shift Dress. Unless you're not a Lilly lover, you knew that the After Party Sale happened on Monday and Tuesday of last week. I was lucky enough to snag this cute Janice Knit Shift in these adorable stripes! It shipped extremely quickly and was at my house on Wednesday after the sale! Now THAT'S service. I've already worn it to work once, as well as the photo on my new "About Me" page, and know that I will get so much use out of it.

Clutch. After this post, I was on the serious hunt for a clutch! I was pretty decided before I stumbled upon Mark and Graham's website. I immediately fell in love with this clutch and knew it was the one for me. I got the gold monogram added on- it's adorable in person! The material feels amazing and holds a surprising amount.

Bath Soak. I've been having some serious trouble sleeping lately. I've used some sleep aids before, but that isn't something I aim to make a habit of. So I've been working to create a relaxing evening routine, and nothing works better than a luxurious bath. I've been a huge fan of The Body Shop's facial products, but have been amazed by this soak. It has a soothing scent and I feel so relaxed after a dip with this!

Elsa Top. I've shared my love of Lilly's Elsa tops before, but I'll reiterate- these babies are GOLD!!!! They are perfect for work and play. I love the bright colors and the cut is great for work. It's flowy without looking overly casual. I've been eyeing this print for a while and was thrilled to grab it from last week's sale! I can't wait to wear it!

What purchases are you loving lately?

What I've learned from living with AWFUL roommates

Hi guys! I can't believe we are so close to the end of August. It's blowing my mind. I'm headed out to Memphis for Labor Day weekend to spend some time with my family and it cannot come fast enough! I don't get to see my extended family very often- we are all scattered from California to New York and everywhere in between. Unfortunately, we won't get to have everyone there but I will take time with anyone I can. Family is super important to me.

As I've shared previously, I'm currently living alone. For me, it was an easy choice that I'm thankful to be able to pull off financially. I've never lived on my own before my current situation. I went straight from my parent's house to dorm life, to sorority house living, and then apartment living- always with a roommate/several roommates. I've roomed with complete strangers and I've roomed with close friends. It's been good, bad, and messy (but never ugly because I've been blessed to live with people with awesome taste!). To be completely transparent with y'all, I'm a Type A person. I like lists, and organization, and cleanliness. I picture myself as flexible and forgiving with others but there are definitely things that get under my skin when it comes to shared spaces. With it being back to school time and also when many people are making career transitions, I wanted to share some lessons to help you avoid similar struggles that I've experienced with your roommates!

 Clean your dishes. I had a roommate right out of college who I met the day we signed our lease. We both relocated for our job (same company) but had never met. She is a sweet girl and very similar to me, but was not particularly clean. I enjoy cleaning and am able to deal with most messes without being bothered with a few exceptions- one being dishes. In my home growing up, we weren't allowed to leave the dishes in the sink unless the dishwasher was running. Even then- the plate needed to be rinsed and potentially soaped-up depending on the meal so the food didn't get caked on. I blame this for my lack of tolerance, but please don't make someone else clean up your dirty food dishes! Even I have times where I don't load my dishwasher right away, but if you share a kitchen do remember to come back and do it. You're not living with your mom anymore and unless you have a conversation to assign this task to a specific person, YOU are responsible for YOUR mess!

Chore share. Regardless of my schedule, I always make time to clean. It's important to me to have a clean space to live in! I'm also one of those people who will procrastinate by cleaning, so that distraction goes away if my place is already tidy. Because of my tastes and tendencies, this is something I do without thinking. Although I may wish- I am not super woman and cannot do everything I set out to accomplish, so I've found that my living situation it much easier if we divide chores between roommates. It's hard for one person to clean up for several people- that's a full time job! Plus, tasks are more easily accomplished when broken down into more manageable activities. A clean house is not unattainable with teamwork!

Respect personal space. Learn your roommate(s) or simply ask- how they feel about sharing items in your common spaces. Do they mind if you use their Keurig? Or favorite coffee mug from Europe? Their KitchenAid mixer? The candle in the living room? Will you be sharing shoes? Or clothes? Make sure you are both clear on these boundaries so that you won't accidentally cross one and cause problems later. Living together can be tough and silly problems don't help! 

Understand needs for alone time. Every person is comprised of a unique mix of introversion/extroversion. Therefore, we each have different needs when it comes to alone time. Depending on your job/class schedule/extracurricular, you might need time to decompress when you get home. Or, you might need to be welcomed by friendly faces when you walk through the door. Make sure you express these needs so you can be supported/be supportive of your roomies! This will help keep you on the same page and help to minimize animosity.

Be thoughtful with guests. When I was in college, I had a year in an apartment with 3 other girls. We each had our own rooms, were paired off for the bathrooms, and all shared a kitchen as well as a living room. At the time, we all had boyfriends and were having them over at different times depending on our schedules. I liked all of my roommates' significant others, but I think it was hard to be respectful in our small apartments. If someone was having a fight in the living room at 1 AM or having a pre-gaming party to go out, we all heard. Make sure you are mindful with friends or significant others. Yes, it is your home and your oasis- but the same goes for your roommates!

While these lessons won't prepare you for every single roommate situation you're bound to run into, they will help you steer clear from some of the sticky spots I've gotten stuck. I hope you find them useful!

What are your tips for roommate living? How do you make sure things go smoothly?

Loco for Leather

Y'all. I don't know what's come over me lately, but I'm all about leather jackets right now! I never thought in a million years that I would want one, but I do. Really, really badly. I always associated leather jackets with bikers, Uncle Jessie from 'Full House', and strangely my father (he didn't have a motorcycle but he did have a brown leather jacket that's older than me.. and that he still has...).

I tend to identify my style as classic, feminine, and conservative. Even more confusing why I'm coveting a rugged, edgy, masculine piece like a leather jacket. What can I say? The heart wants what it wants. Leather is an investment to me, whether it be in the form of shoes, purses, or jackets. So naturally it will take me forever to pick one out. Thankfully, it's still hanging around 90 degrees up here so I won't be needing one just yet! This is perfect for fall and I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with one once it gets colder, but for now I will get my fix by drooling over them in stores and online. Here are a few of my current favorites!

I think that they're extremely versatile! You can add a little edge to a feminine floral dress, or jazz up a white t-shirt and jeans. I love the idea of getting a blush pink jacket like the one I've linked above. Not only does that add a feminine touch, but I think it will fit nicely into my current wardrobe- which is a HUGE plus for me! I have a harder time, especially with more expensive pieces, buying something that doesn't fit well with my current closet. Anyone else like me out there? I can't be the only one. Anyways, cheers to colder weather!

What fall fashion are you drooling over right now? Do you have anything totally outside your taste that you are coveting? Which jacket is your favorite?