Product Reviews - Pocketful of Joules

Is Cookie Butter the new Gourmet Marshmallow?

I’m something of a junk food connoisseur.

I try not to indulge too often, but I can’t resist a loaded up hotdog, warm Krispy Kreme donut or Old Bay coated French fries.

I have not been shy in sharing that I have a special place in my heart for marshmallows – whether they be stale peeps, the gourmet version or just a plain oversized one that I can shove on a stick and roast in my fireplace.

Well, I decided to do some self-improvement and branch out a little bit… with cookie butter.

Apparently cookie butter is where it’s at. I’ve heard about it for months and it’s gotten to be such an “it” item that there were rumors that Trader Joe’s was only offering a small amount for sale each day. On pinterest there are a ton of recipes that use this elusive buttery beast and there are even Facebook fan pages dedicated to its awesomeness.

So as you can imagine, when I was recently cruising the aisles of Trader Joe’s and saw a big display of their Speculoos Crunchy Cookie Butter I grabbed a jar to try for myself. I wasn’t really sure HOW to eat it though, so I asked for suggestions on my Facebook page. According to my followers, the best ways to eat cookie butter are…

On your finger
On a spoon
On everything
With chocolate
On toast or pancakes
On ice cream
On graham crackers or cookies
On a marshmallow (of course!)

With your suggestions in mind, I took one for the team and tested the cookie butter. Yes, it was hard work, but I survived. The Trader Joe’s cookie butter has the texture of slightly crunchy peanut butter. It has a sweet taste which makes it work well with dessert recipes. Although I didn’t have a chance to try it, I think it would probably also be really good on top of freshly baked brownies!

My tasting range goes from 1 (just okay) to 5 (back up from my cookie butter or I’ll cut you!):

Although the cookie butter wasn’t terrible on things like marshmallows, cookies and crackers… it was just so much better on a spoon. Whether it be alone or with a dollop of Trader Joe’s Cocoa Almond Butter (like Nutella , but with almonds instead of hazelnuts).

Truth time: the container of cookie butter lasted in my house for exactly 5 days. I didn’t share with anyone and I ate that whole darn thing by myself. I also may have a second jar hiding in my pantry (so my husband can’t find it) for emergencies.

Around day 2 of testing, I thought long and hard about whether it would be inappropriate for me to hide the jar in my purse for an afternoon treat. The evening of day 3 I noticed that my jar was in the front of the pantry and not where I had left it (hiding behind the peanut butter) and threatened my husband that if he wanted to keep his wife he would not eat any of MY cookie butter.

I think I have a cookie butter problem.

Have you tried cookie butter? Do you randomly threaten your family members to stay away from MOMMY’S SPECIAL SNACK if they want to keep their dingle dangles in working condition!?

Disclaimer: Trader Joe’s did not provide me with the cookie butter or ask me to review it. However, I would not be against having them send me some cookie butter with maybe another jar of their cocoa almond butter… for testing purposes, of course.

Reviewing Citrus Lane: The April 2013 Box

Yay, its Citrus Lane box review time… bring on the party!

I was writing these reviews every single month before reducing down to a bi-monthly schedule. So, if you’re super curious to check out my previous box reviews, go ahead and give a little clickity click to this link to check them all out.

I still feel like I’m posting these pretty often though, so maybe I’ll reduce it further to once a quarter and do a death match between all the items to determine the ones that we love the most? Let me know your thoughts on that, mmmmkay?

Oh and if you’re a complainer or happen to have to listen to a bunch of complainers, check out my last review which included my rant on FunBurglars.

At this point Jack is 14 months old and we’ve been getting these boxes for over a year. I was afraid that by now we’d receive a bunch of duplicate items and be totally sick of the Citrus Lane subscription, but that has not happened at all. In fact, out of the 13 boxes we’ve received, we’ve only gotten one item twice. Since it was the Mommy’s Bliss Gripe Water and we LOVE that stuff I am definitely not complaining!

This month’s box was pretty much perfect for his age, so let’s talk about what we got:

Slide & Seek Toy from Melissa and Doug
First off, I really like Melissa and Doug toys in general and we only have a couple of their puzzles. This cute little Slide & Seek toy is the perfect size to throw in the diaper bag and Jack actually seemed to really like it.

Diaper bag essentials: snack container + baggie with a pack of apple sauce, a bib and the placemat.

Packin’SMART Stack –N-Seel 2 Tier from Innobaby
The brochure that came with this month’s box says it best, “Diaper bags have the amazing ability to swallow things whole, making it difficult to find what you need when you need it.” PREACH! I swear I’m tearing through my diaper bag once a week trying to figure out why I have 4 pairs of pants, 3 sippy cups, 2 baggies of crushed cheerios and a partridge in a pear tree all up in there. I try so hard to keep my stuff organized in baggies (one for diapering needs, one for feeding needs), but I’m ready to work this stacking thing into the mix. I’ve already filled one side with teddy grahams and one side with cheerios and it’s working fabulously at keeping my diaper bag a little less crumbly.

Non-Slip Placemat from Oogaa
~~I want to love this, I really do. In theory~~ it’s pretty much awesome – you take this snazzy silicone placemat and put it on the table when you’re dining out. In reality, once we’re done and I’m left with a messy mat I’m not really sure what to do with it. Do I fold the crumbs up inside it and take them home with me? Or, should I try to somehow empty the crumbs into the trash can and wipe the mat off with one of my bleach wipes? Maybe I just need to play with it a little more… About 8 hours after this blog post went live I got an email from the FOUNDER of Oogaa (her name is Sam and I’m super impressed that she reached out to me) and she explained that the easiest way to deal with the mess is by taking a damp napkin to wipe down the mat when you’re out and then you can give it a full washing at home. You can also throw the mats directly into the dishwasher, which is pretty darn awesome. So thanks to Sam for setting me straight and now we need to go out to dinner again so we can try this placemat out properly!

Shampoo & Body Wash from The Honest Company
The fact that this is a full-sized product in really cute packaging is totally right up my alley. Add to that a shampoo/body soap that is organic with essential oils and an insanely delicious smell of orangey vanilla and I’m huffing the bottle of soap like a junkie. Let’s just say, Mommy Likes. And she might not be sharing this with the boys in her life.

My typical disclaimer: I was not rewarded by Citrus Lane for reviewing their box on my blog. I review the boxes, because I feel like other mom’s would be interested in seeing what they’ll get if they sign up for the monthly service.

However, if you decide that you would like to sign up for your own subscription and use my link, I will receive credits on my account. Click here to access the Citrus Lane website with my special link and you will receive $10 off your order!

Tot Swap, Take 3

I wrote about my first visit to the Tot Swap here and my second over here. Like last time, I wasn’t really planning to write about the Tot Swap again, however I went yesterday and scribbled down some tips that I think might be beneficial to some other shoppers out there.

At this month’s event, I was really hoping to find the Little Tikes Crazy Coupe Truck. We live out in the country and my husband is a car/truck kinda guy, so I’m pretty much obsessed with this cool kiddie truck. Not only can I push Jack around in it now, when he gets a little bigger I can remove the footplate so he can ride around in it alone and play pretend with the working tailgate and gas cap. I saw on the Tot Swap’s Facebook page that a consigner was planning to have one for sale, so when I entered the building (after standing in a long, long line of excited shoppers) I briskly walked straight to the outdoor toys section. Nope. No truck – so it looks like I’ll continue stalking Craigslist and online sales.

I did have some luck finding a Little Tikes Deluxe Cozy Convertible for just $18, so I snapped that up before someone else could lay claim to it. I also got a few pairs of shorts, an adorable t-shirt and a bunch of toys that I can split between our house and my mom’s house for Jack to play with. I’d post pictures of everything, but I got home late from work last night and it’s all still living in my SUV.*

If you are planning to go to your first Tot Swap (or even your 3 or 9^th), here are 5 tips to help you survive:

#1. No Kids!
Kids ARE allowed at the Tot Swap, I just think that you should leave them at home. The Tot Swap is super busy and there is a TON of stuff for everyone to go through. When you have small children running around or sitting on/playing with toys that are for sale, it can be very frustrating. Also, parents blocking entire aisles with their huge strollers are not only annoying to other shoppers but it’s hard for them to even get down some of the aisles to shop! Most importantly, it can be dangerous because some rude shoppers shove through the aisles and may knock your child aside without even realizing it.

If you absolutely MUST bring your child, stick him in an Ergo carrier and strap him to you. Oh yeah, and DON’T use him as a weapon when trying to check out something that someone else is trying out! You wouldn’t believe how many times I was body-checked with an infant! So if you have someone who can watch your kids, use them. Maybe even do a little trade – watch your friend’s kid while she shops and then switch off so that she can watch yours. It’s not only a benefit to the other shoppers; it’s nice for YOU because you don’t have to hear “mom, mom MOM, MOM MOMMY, I WANT THIS!!” 15,000 times.

#2. Know What You Want
These consignment sales can be incredibly overwhelming; there are aisles and aisles of toys, children’s clothes, strollers, and more. Before you even enter the building, go through what you have at home and make a list of what you need. Determine the ‘hot item’ on your list and go straight there first! Even though I had some clothes and toys on my list, I KNEW that outdoor toys would be really popular since the weather is finally starting to get warm. So I went straight there and STILL hardly had anything to choose from!

#3 Price Check
All of the items at the Tot Swap are being sold by different people and many times there are multiples of each item. For example, there were probably 20 of the exact same Leap Frog toy that I liked. Check out a few of them, instead of just grabbing the first one you see. Often some will be missing pieces and others will include a complete set. There are also always differences in sale prices, since everyone is labeling their own items for sale. In the stack of Leap Frog toys, the prices ranged from $5 – 15 for the exact same toy!

#4 Shop for Gifts
There are always a ton of items that are for sale in their original, unopened packaging. It’s insane that a brand new item is being sold at a Tot Swap for more than half off its normal price. If you have little people that you’re buying for (think about any upcoming birthday’s or holidays), it is a good idea to pick up a few things while you’re sorting through the stuff.

#5 Be Nice
Look ladies (and the few men who come), this is not war. You’re trying to find inexpensive kids toys and clothes and if you miss out on something there is NO REASON to be a total asshat about it. Be nice. Chat with the other people in line with you and say “excuse me” as you squeeze past your fellow shoppers.

There you go, I don’t think I could possibly have anything else to say about the Tot Swap after my THIRD post on the subject. Maybe I’ll just call it a trilogy and pretend that was my intention the entire time?

How about you – do you go to consignment sales or yard sales? Share your tips in the comments!

*Some of the musical/talking toys don’t have an off button and I scared the crap out of myself on my ride into work this morning when a few of them would randomly go off and sing to me in a creepy-pedophile-in-my-backseat kind of way.