The Oscars and a Freestyle Mexican Dip

February 22, 2015February 22, 20153 Comments

Photo 2015-02-22, 7 39 19 PM

Last year I went all out for the Oscars. We ordered pizza. I ate 2 slices and washed it down with some Barq’s Root Beer. Then I proceeded to push out a 9 lb baby in our bathroom 5 hours later 😉 Glad I won’t be doing that again! 3 boys and done!

This year I decided to keep it simple. Some freestyle Mexican inspired dip: refried black beans, minced beef, and some delicious guacamole.

There will be no more Oscars and pizza nights in our house since I’ve finally made the leap into being 100% gluten free. I’ve been wanting to do it for years but I never tried hard enough because I was scared to let go of some much loved favourites: pain au chocolat, really good bread, and wood oven pizza (specifically Cremini Mushroom Pizza at Pizzeria Libretto if you’re a Torontonian. Yum!). But as I continue on this health journey I couldn’t deny my body what it needed, and that’s a very clean diet.

Thankfully it’s not a very big leap from our current diet since our kitchen has been 100% gluten free for years. We saved the gluten for the occasional pizza, wings, or restaurants. I’m super excited to see the me I can be without gluten!

Alright, here’s what was on tonight’s menu:

Refried Black Beans

I’m not entirely sure this is the Mexican way, but it’s my way, and it’s delicious!

2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
3 tbsp butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Place onion, garlic, and butter in a large pan and cook over medium/low heat until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the black beans and mash with a potato masher. Add the cumin, sea salt, and chicken stock, and mash once again. Once they’re as mashed as they’re going to get – you’re done!

Mexican Minced Beef

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 cup diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chipotle pepper (more if you like spice)
sea salt and pepper to taste

Brown the beef and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium heat 5-10 minutes to boil off some of the tomato water.

Guacamole (this amazing version not pictured because I was also watching an overtired and crying baby while preparing dinner)

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small tomato, chopped
1/4 small red onion, minced
juice of 1 lime
3 avocados, mashed with a fork
1/2 tsp sea salt
optional: 1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

Mash avocados with a fork and then add the rest of the ingredients. If it doesn’t taste amazing, then there are 2 things you have to play with: the amount of sea salt and the amount of lime juice. Play with these until this is the best guacamole you’ve ever tasted.

Other potential players:

tortilla chips (non-GMO)
diced tomatoes
organic old cheddar cheese
olives
hot sauce
jalapenos
whatever else you want to eat with your delicious freestyle Mexican dinner!

A shout out to Yuri for taking the beautiful photo while I wrestled the food to the table for our 3 little boys!

I put the dishes in individual serving bowls and let the kids assemble their dinner as they wished, which meant that Oscar ate a bowlful of guacamole and Luca ate 2 tortilla chips after filling his plate with them, declaring “I done!” and running away to play with a truck puzzle. While they ate, I put Arlo out of his misery by giving him a bottle and then put him to bed. And then I finally got to eat! Dinner as usual in our house!

Love First, Then Act

February 19, 2015Leave a comment

I’m not entirely sure how it came about, but I have within me a compassion for all beings that I have never felt before. I believe it’s been building in me ever since I made the conscious decision to take responsibility for my own happiness. These days my experience is more like a movie in some ways, especially when I see others suffering as I once did, caught in the reactive cycle of life and taking things way too seriously. Life can quite literally be all work and no play when you are engulfed in negativity. Even playing with my kids turned into me yelling constantly when I was acting from fear, disconnection, and unhappiness.

Of course, having been overweight during part of my life, I feel the pain of those who have a lot of literal weight to bare, and know that deep down they are struggling, even though they may show outward joy. On the inside, their spirits are starving to make a loving connection with their human selves, but they don’t know it.

When we withhold love from ourselves, we are completely disconnected from our inner being. Our inner beings have nothing but love for us, so when we act from a place of self destruction, self loathing, or self hatred, we are acting out in complete opposite of how our inner being sees us. This is why it feels so incredibly bad. We are out of alignment with Source energy and our true being, which has nothing but love for us.

Give love to yourself.

No matter where you are in your journey, love yourself first. Get centered by aligning with your inner being, and then, and only then, act. Center yourself through meditation, deep breathing, exercise, or doing something that makes you really happy. Stop reacting to the world around you and travel within. Check in with yourself often, and see what you feel about how your life is going. What feels good? What is draining your energy? What does your spirit crave that you’ve been denying?

Unconditional love.

No matter what we have done or haven’t done, our higher selves love us unconditionally. This is true for all beings, even those that society labels as outcasts and criminals. If we were all connected to our inner being, there would be no crime to speak of. Individuals creating crimes are not acting from a place of interconnectedness or alignment. They are caught up in fear, and acting from a place of disconnection and misalignment. If only they knew how loved and supported they are!

I had a daydream today about what would happen if all of humankind came into their power at the same moment in time. I am thankful that I know I am the creator of my reality and it is because of this knowledge that I act out of love for others and love for myself. I am planting the seeds that create more love in my existence. It is my wish that everyone know this deeply one day.

See only love.

If you are ready to take responsibility for your happiness then I encourage you to try to find a piece of yourself in everyone you cross paths with each and every day. Withhold judgment and know that everyone is doing the best they can with the knowledge that they have. Be the light in the room instead of adding to the darkness. Show compassion. Smile. Say please and thank you. Hold a door longer that you would like, and find the similarities between you and another. We are quick to make judgments of people without even talking to them. Get to know someone, if even for a few minutes. You never know what a little love and attention can do for someone.

If judgments and criticism arise from your ego, just be aware of the thoughts and let them pass by. Choose a better feeling thought and move on with your day. If you feel the need to vocalize your judgment to a friend who may be nearby, notice this too. Stay silent, and notice your ego’s response. When you practice this enough, the ego will soften and you will no longer feel the need to vocalize judgment because the judgments will no longer arise in you in the first place! Eventually you will have only love for others. And you will have compassion for their trials and tribulations.

Love yourself first. Spread the love, and you will change lives.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

February 1, 2015Leave a comment

Photo 2015-02-01, 12 58 27 PM

These babies have been a long time in the making. I’ve been working on the recipe on and off forever, making them now and then but never really getting excited about them – until now!

I’m really glad I didn’t post them earlier because I’m on a low carbohydrate mission in all of my recipes these days. There is so much unnecessary sugar in modern day food – it drives me crazy. I had a muffin last week in a moment of weakness and I went into a sugar coma immediately after. No wonder I was a walking zombie every day in high school, having delicious sugar-rich cookies every. single. day. I literally lived off of sugar! I do not want my kids suffering the same fate, but I also don’t want to deprive them of treats.

I made so many cupcakes testing this recipe that we had them for breakfast the next day along with 2 pints of blueberries. No sugar crash. No mommy guilt. And very happy kids.

Photo 2015-02-01, 12 56 12 PM

German Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups almond flour
¼ cup cocoa
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup almond milk
16 drops stevia (I use Now’s French Vanilla)
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
½ tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 silicone cups individually greased with coconut oil.

Mash up the banana very well, then add the eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and stevia.

Combine almond flour, cocoa, sea salt, and baking soda, and add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir well.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups.

Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (dry).

Let cool in the pan at least 20 minutes. Hollow out the middle with a tsp. Ice liberally with the chocolate ganache (careful not to fill the hole) and fill with the coconut filling!

Filling:

1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 ½ cups shredded coconut
3 egg yolks
½ cup coconut cream (solid mass in a can of full fat coconut milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp maple syrup
16 drops liquid stevia

Place egg yolks and 1 tbsp water in a large bowl. Place the bowl over an inch of barely simmering water, and whisk until the eggs thicken, about 5 minutes. Add coconut cream and stir until melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and mix in pecans, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and stevia. Set aside.

Ganache:

8 oz good quality 70% cacao chocolate
2 tbsp coconut cream
1 tbsp maple syrup

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat source and add the coconut cream. Stir to melt the cream. The coconut cream brings down the heat of the chocolate. The mixture will thicken and you can immediately ice the cupcakes (after they have cooled a little).

Photo 2015-02-01, 12 57 28 PM

Guilt Free Hot Chocolate

January 26, 2015Leave a comment

When I started this journey into healthy eating it became apparent straight away that I was addicted to sugar. While my eating habits have changed completely over the past 10 years, the sugar monster remains at some level. My sugar of choice has always been chocolate, and although I eat the healthiest form of it, I am still guilty of eating too much of it sometimes.

Taming the monster.

The best defense is a good offense, so traditional candy doesn’t make it into the house. But I do have a healthy stock of organic, fair trade, 70% or more cocoa chocolate bars, chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks. Under normal conditions, I don’t reach for them. But as soon as you add the stress of parenting 3 young boys, I can eat an entire 100g chocolate bar in just a few minutes!

Wanting to dive into the chocolate this morning in a fit of stress, I decided that I would only have a little piece. And this time, I knew that’s all I would have. Usually a little bit turns into a lot of little bits, but this time was different because I had a plan.

This hot chocolate is the best defense I’ve had in awhile. I didn’t add any sweetener at all – just whatever is in the 70% chocolate itself, but you may add a little stevia, erythritol, or honey if you wish. Though, I challenge you to drink it as written – without any added sweetener. I liked it immediately and didn’t need any sugar, but of course, I am motivated to limit my sugar intake in the name of health. This just may be the sword that slays my inner sugar monster for good.

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Guilt Free Hot Chocolate

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
0.5 oz 70% cocoa chocolate (amount pictured above)
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat and whisk until both combined and desired temperature is reached.

“Cheesy” Turmeric Broccoli

January 12, 2015January 12, 2015Leave a comment

I think I’ve teased you all long enough with the pictures of this delicious sauce! It reminds me a lot of the cheese and flour sauce that my mom used to make to get us to eat cauliflower. But now, the sauce is made of cauliflower!

The nutritional yeast gives the sauce its cheesiness so make sure you have it on hand. Don’t worry, it’s an inactive yeast so it won’t add to any candida issues. Plus, it’s full of B vitamins to give you an energy and nutrient boost!

cheesy turmeric broccoli

Cheesy Turmeric Broccoli

2 heads of broccoli – about 8 cups of florets

Cheese Sauce:

1 head cauliflower, cut into medium sized pieces
6 garlic cloves
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 cup chicken stock
¼ tsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp pepper

In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in coconut oil over medium heat. After 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the cauliflower and chicken stock to the pot and cover. Cook over medium high heat until the cauliflower is tender.

Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a high speed blender and add the nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Blend well.

Lastly, place the broccoli in a large pot with an inch of water in the bottom. Steam the broccoli for 3-5 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached. Drain broccoli and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the broccoli well, transfer to a bowl and top with cheese sauce.

Appreciation and the Law of Attraction

January 2, 2015January 2, 2015Leave a comment

I’ve been a bit of hermit lately, listening to audiobooks like mad whenever the opportunity arises – while doing dishes, bathing the kids, making dinner, and while playing Lego for the thousandth time on the floor. It’s the norm for my kids to be listening to the audible app for hours as mommy quenches her thirst for anything and everything she can use break herself wide open.

Lately I’ve been devouring everything I can by Esther Hicks and the collective consciousness known as Abraham. Esther is the vessel through which the law of attraction has become mainstream. She is a phenomenal woman who has the amazing ability to push her own consciousness aside as she lets “Abraham” enter in her place and provide the physical world with a wealth of knowledge from the spiritual realms.

As the New Year has fallen upon us once again, I’ve been looking back to where I was exactly one year ago today. I was spiritual even then, but my mind was predominantly riddled with negativity, fear, and lack. I was open to spirituality and growth, but I was so bogged down by self imposed limitations and daily strife that I couldn’t see myself surmounting them any time soon.

One year ago today I was one week away from my life completely ending as I had known it. One week away from the end of my relationship. It was by far the worst moment of my life. I felt extreme powerlessness – but – it was for the last time. I just knew I was worthy of greatness. In the depths of my despair I chose to focus on gratitude, appreciation, and connecting to Source because I finally realized that nothing in life was more important than that I feel good. I became driven to create my life as I had always desired to to be, yet free of attachment to the outcome because the Universe has bigger plans for us than we can even imagine. I knew I was at the point of no return, and that life was about to get really, really good! My vibration rose considerably just by focusing on making myself happy, and the dominoes of delicious goodness have been dropping ever since. I had followed the law of attraction without even known that’s what I was doing. For once, I was following my bliss and it gave me the incredible power of manifestation. I now have the most amazing partnership that I could ever imagine, and it’s getting better and better every day. The best part is that there is much more to come, and I look forward to the journey!

Looking back can give you gratitude for where you currently are. It lets you admire your mountains and the growth they have spurred in you. And while I certainly have gratitude for where I currently am, looking back doesn’t feel good to me. Having gratitude isn’t the same as completely appreciating where you are. Practicing gratitude is a start, but it means that you have to remember your hardships in order to appreciate your current situation.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t necessarily feel like reliving my past. I don’t want to tell myself that story any more. I would rather focus on the now and cultivate the feelings that I want to feel in the present moment. This is where flat out appreciation trumps gratitude. When you are in a state of appreciation, it means that you are tuned in to Source energy. You’re a live wire, completely turned on and passionate about all of the good in your life. And when you appreciate everything that you have and all that you are, you are opening the floodgates to Universal abundance. You are saying “I like to feel good,” and so the Universe will match the vibration you are offering by offering you more good things.

There is no truer, more fair law than the law of attraction. You attract more of the same. If you are focused on fear and lack, you will bring more fear and lack into your life. Have you ever caught yourself thinking about something in the past, replaying the hurt over and over again, just for more feelings of hurt and pain to piggyback onto the previous thoughts? It’s a slippery slope with one negative thought attracting the next. You build up momentum and before you’re even aware of what’s happening you’re having what we call “a bad day.”

The quickest way out of one of these self dug pits of despair is to focus on something you appreciate in the now. It can be anything at all. It can even be the fact that you don’t have to remember to breathe since your body does it for you automatically! Turn to any good feeling thought and start the momentum in the opposite direction. When you start appreciating what you have, you immediately tune yourself to a higher vibration. And it is from this higher vibration that you will begin to transform your life.

When you view the world through eyes of appreciation, you are viewing the world through the eyes of Source energy. You are tuned in to love and who you really are. When you are appreciative, there is no perception of lack; there is no fear – only joy for the moment and all that it encompasses. True appreciation is true love. When you are aligned with who you really are, you stop resisting. You stop limiting yourself and open up the door for the Universe to deliver all that it has been trying to deliver unto you. All you have to do is align with love, align your vibration with Source energy and align yourself with happiness, and focus on where you want to go.

In a nutshell: Think, do and be all that makes you happy! Offer love and kindness and you will see more love and kindness being offered to you in return. Pay attention to how you feel. If you’re feeling despair, revenge, hatred, anger, or frustration, it’s time to turn inward and start telling yourself a new story. These feelings are red flags that you are disconnected from Source energy and that you need to start filling your journal with a list of all that you appreciate. When you tap into this energy and turn yourself on, you will have more to offer to those around you, and the joy dominoes will start to fall all around.

Coconut Macaroon Cookies

December 18, 2014December 19, 20143 Comments

I’ve been meaning to make something like these for a long time and finally got around to it yesterday! As always, I made sure to get the sugar down to a minimum, and these certainly don’t disappoint. Everyone who has tried them has said, “These are healthy?” Well, they’re as healthy as I could get them! I mean, they’re not a spinach salad. They’re still cookies!

But unlike a lot of the Christmas goodies you’ll cross paths with, they’re extremely low in sugar, which means you can eat them and not turn into the grinch 30 minutes later. Each cookie has only 1/2 tsp of maple syrup.

Coconut Macaroon Cookies

3 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
¼ cup maple syrup
15 drops stevia (I use Now’s French Vanilla flavour)
½ cup coconut milk, canned, full fat
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp sea salt

For the chocolate topping:

1/3 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
1 tsp coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 325F and place a silpat sheet over a cookie tray.

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut, almond flour, and sea salt.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, and then add the stevia, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir well.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.

Drop dough in tablespoon amounts onto the silpat sheet. Roll them into balls and then flatten them with your fingers.

Cook at 325F for 22-25 minutes.

As the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate. Place an inch of water in a medium sized pot and bring it to a simmer. Place a bowl over the simmering water and add the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Stir frequently until all the chocolate has melted. If you need to thin the chocolate, you can add more coconut oil. Remove the chocolate from the heat and drizzle over the cooled cookies. Refrigerate.

Keep the cookies in the fridge until ready to serve!

Quinoa Chili

December 12, 2014December 13, 2014Leave a comment

Every parent dreams of having a dinner scene that isn’t complete chaos. Imagine your kids sitting at the table and actually EATING what you put in front of them for once. This is that recipe. Not only that, but this is the meal they won’t complain about if they have to eat it tomorrow night as well.

Ok, ok it’s not all rainbows and glitter, I had to bribe them the second night and let them eat on the couch, but still. And people I have sent this recipe to loved it. Their families loved it. And you’re going to put it in your dinner rotation. I pinky swear.

quinoachili

Quinoa Chili

2 1/2 lbs minced sirloin
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 orange or yellow pepper, chopped
1 19 oz can kidney beans
1 15 oz can black beans
2 28 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups beef broth
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp sea salt
roasted jalapenos, hot sauce, and/or avocado to garnish – they’re all delicious!

In a large pot, cook the beef until no longer pink. Add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the garlic and sweet peppers. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the kidney beans, black beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, quinoa, beef broth, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and sea salt, and simmer partially covered for 3 hours to let the magic happen, stirring occasionally.

You can eat it after 1 hour but the longer you leave it the tastier it gets!

Love Yourself First

December 10, 20142 Comments

Eleven months ago I was snapped out of the deep fog that I was in and awoke to this great need to be more, well, me. I realized that part of me was slowly dying and I needed help ASAP. I turned to the Divine, opened up communication with my angels, and never looked back.

The time had come to stop making excuses.

We have 3 young boys: presently 3, 2, and 9 months, and they were my evergreen excuse for everything and anything. “I’m tired. I’ll live my life when they grow up” sums it up. What I didn’t realize was that putting my life on hold was pretty much killing me. I had fallen out of love and I was suffering.

You simply cannot give love to others if you don’t love yourself first. That was the lesson I was learning. I send so much love and respect to stay at home moms. It is the hardest job anyone will ever have. For years I tried to love it but it just wasn’t me. I was so unhappy sacrificing my spirit that I had nothing left to give. I had it so backward. I needed to show myself some honest love. I needed to admit that I didn’t enjoy being a stay at home mother.

I thought that I had to give all of my love and all of my time to my kids – that’s why I had kids in the first place, right? I thought that I was a failure if I wanted anything other than to spend all of my time with them. But if you are not doing something that you absolutely love, if you are not giving love to yourself first, then you are withholding the only thing that is real from your spirit. I wasn’t doing anything to feed my spirit and I was suffocating. Between drowning in the fear of failure as a stay at home mother and the lack of oxygen my spirit was receiving, I was barely functioning. Throw my negative mindset into the heap and you have one very unhappy individual.

Once I let go of the belief that I had to be a servant to my children 24/7 and started to ask myself what I really wanted out of life, things started happening. Once you start to follow your bliss and start feeding your spirit, life gets magical. If there are excuses that you’re used to making, it’s time to call yourself out on it. Notice the patterns, the choices, the addictions, and start questioning the status quo. Are you growing, or are you wilting?

loveyourself

Most of the time, we hold ourselves back. We hold limiting beliefs that keep us right where we are. We build the boxes that we’re stuck in, and we build them ourselves. It’s not because we’re scared of not making it, but that we’re scared of what will happen in our lives if we DO make it.

There are choices that we have to make in life that we simply cannot come back from. Once our eyes are open, we can never close them. When we’ve tasted Divine love and grace, we want to share it with the world. Negativity will feel like a magnet pushing you away. Your ability to tolerate negativity will be high, and anyone and everyone who exhibits a lower frequency will fall away. When you start to focus on love, fear falls away as well. New opportunities and people will notice your high vibration and they will be attracted to it.

When I opened my eyes to Divine love, the world ceased to exist as I knew it. I came to know so many truths that I hadn’t even thought about before. I came to know that we are all Divine beings; we are one. Only love is real. Fear is an illusion that we create in our minds. Most things that we are fearful of, we have made up! If you are warm, dry, fed, and not in the path of an oncoming car, your fears are probably in your head.

The fear that you’re not good enough and that you don’t have what it takes to be successful? It’s in your head. And that fear that you’re not worthy of great love? It’s also in your head. Tell the Universe, your angels, and God what you want from life. Expect great things. Have the courage to rise out of fear and act out of love. Love yourself first, and you will see magical things happen in all of your relationships. Do the inner work and your outer world will start to reflect your inner world of great love.

What are you scared of? What is holding you back? Are you making excuses? Are you being truthful with yourself? Are you being truthful with others? Is there something that you want to do in life that you’re not doing? Why? Do you love yourself?

For example, finding productive time is really hard with 3 young kids. Lately I’ve been getting up at 5am so that I can have time to myself. I write, I work, I meditate, or I go to the gym. It’s my time to follow my inspiration and I love it. I get more done in those 2 hours than I do in an entire day looking after an infant! It’s magic time when you are fresh off a night of sleep. Your mind is calm and rested and laser focus is the norm.

Know that you are worth great love. Take the time to meditate each day and ask yourself some questions, even if can find only 5 minutes a day. Meditation time is one of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves. It’s time that we use to connect with our Higher Selves. Ask for guidance and see what comes up for you. The results really could change your life.

Book recommendation: I highly recommend The Courage to Love Yourself by Janice Parviainen. It amazes me that Janice lives in my small town! I have met her and her energy is amazing. Her book is amazing. It’s definitely at the top of my must read list for personal growth and empowerment!

Low Carb Chocolate Shake

December 7, 2014December 10, 2014Leave a comment

I joined Yuri’s beta testing group for the new book that he’s writing, and it all kicked off yesterday. Since then I’ve been trying to come up with new recipes for old favourites, bringing the carbohydrate levels way down for those low carb days. Since the diet doesn’t include my daily stress management tool – chocolate – I’ve been looking for alternatives.

So today being a low carb day, I changed up my favourite chocolate shake to stifle a craving. Not only is it low in carbs but it is very high in protein due to the peanut butter, spinach, and protein powder. My taste testers agreed that it was a fantastic alternative, both returning for seconds.

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