Bold and Smoky

Remember how I tried making Mmm Sauce (a homemade version of a sauce that local franchise Cafe Yumm uses in their rice and bean bowls)? Well, I decided it was time for a redo, with almonds. Last time I used cashews because that's what I had on hand.

Well, after adding all the ingredients and taste testing as I shook a bit more of this and that in, I decided it needed something...

And that's where Trader Joe's Kansas City BBQ Sauce came to the glorious rescue!

While the original Mmm Sauce isn't bad, I prefer the sweet, smoky flavor. I added about 4 Tbsp of barbecue sauce to the original.

Now hop to it and make yourself some Mmm Sauce! I'm using mine on salads this week for lunch. It's a great way to pack a healthy punch of protein and flava to a stir fry, salad or even sandwich.

I love this plate my mom gave me last Christmas (from Pampered Chef I think) because it's perfect for dips or appetizer meals.

Random thoughts: I love this Trader Joe's barbecue sauce because it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup in it (seriously, check your BBQ sauce label right now and tell me if it has HFCS in it). Scary how many of them do.

I just bought this Essie nail polish yesterday "nice is nice." I'm kind of addicted to lavendar polish right now. I won't show you my finger nails because well, they're nubbins as usual.

Scroll through their colors list. It's so fun to read them all. How cool would it to pick out fun names for each one? A few of the goodies: "pillow talk," "hard to get" and "prima ballerina."

The manfriend just got back from a "stage race" in which he did: a 75 mile road race, 11 mile time trial, a criterium (fast loops for 50 min) and finally a 102 mile road race w/ 7k feet of climbing. All in three days. I mean seriously?! Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Finally, I've gotta say I love when a post I write sparks some serious conversation. I appreciate everyone's thoughts on fat talk and your own body image. Thank you all for reading!