Oh, how I have missed you, Barney Butter! Last week, a few of my wonderful readers tipped me off to free samples over on the Barney Butter website. Of course, I immediately headed over to make sure that I got my free samples. I love this stuff so much!! I just know that I am going to breakdown and fork over an arm and leg for another couple of jars. Has anyone heard of new free shipping codes? The shipping costs are what kill ya!
Barney Butter was as delicious as I remembered! In the mix today: oats, wheatberries, vanilla hemp milk, banana, and BB. THIS is my favorite oat combination of all time! 
With iced coffee and a multivitamin…
Sunday Dinner
Last night’s dinner was inspired by Mollie Katzen’s recipe for Arugula-Pecan Pesto from her cookbook The Vegetables Dishes I Can’t Live Without. This cookbook has the most wonderful veggie recipes ever! Each one is so incredibly creative, delicious, and easy to make.
The pesto paste is made with arugula, garlic, olive oil, and lemon and is enriched by pecans and softened by the light, sweet presence of golden raisins. The combo of flavors was divine!
I tossed some penne pasta with the pesto paste, which I then topped with Parmesan cheese and more golden raisins and placed on a bed of greens. Yum!
Dinner with a small glass of Rosé…
Mal and I ate dinner in front of the TV while watching Beerfest, which is the most ridiculous movie ever! There were funny parts, but overall, it was just plain weird.
Questions of the Day
I couldn’t decide which question to use for the Question of the Day. Feel free to answer one or the other or both.
What food item/product will you go to great lengths to have in your diet?
What is your favorite cookbook?
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How did you get a free sample?
a) COFFEE! i guess it’s more of a chemical addiction, but i can’t go without and would scale mountains to obtain some if necessary.
b) fave cookbook = Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food: Great Food Fast! I’m actually cooking my way all the way through the cookbook — i started a few month ago with the ‘winter’ section and now am into spring! it’s gotten me to try all sorts of things i might not have selected otherwise, but have really enjoyed, and the recipes are practical and delicious.
hey Tina,
Love your dinner last night.
fav cookbook is chef at home by Michael Smith
I am so glad I found your blog – love it. That cookbook looks great! And I am anxiously awaiting my Barney Butter sample since I have never tried it before.
I don’t know if this is a lame answer, but fresh produce is something I will do anything to get. After growing up on a diet of strictly canned/frozen vegetables, I didn’t fully realize the beauty of fresh produce until 4 or 5 years ago. Now I can’t imagine life without a farmer’s market trip.
As far as cookbooks go, I’ve got a few, but the one I’ve been using a lot and really loving is jae steele’s “Get It Ripe!” – a vegan cookbook with a holistic nutrition undertone. It’s got a lot of amazing fresh and healthy recipes in it, which I love.
1) Berries & Bananas – even when they’re off season and expensive I’ll fork over for them!
2) All of Giada’s cookbooks – you cannot go wrong with her recipes. 2nd would be the cooking light cookbooks!
This pesto sounds yummy – it’s fun to play around with different fresh herbs and nuts to make interesting pestos. One of my favorites is parsley-walnut pesto!
I have two of Mollie Katzen’s cookbooks, (the Moosewood cookbooks) but not this one. In terms of my favorite cookbook, hmmmm. I’m currently loving both Eat, Drink and Be Vegan & Veganomicon. Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking is also wonderful.
I will pay the price for fresh organic produce and greek yogurt!
Ohhh Barney Butter! How I love thee! Those oats are very similair to my favorite combination. You just can’t go wrong with BB and banana!
Hooray for BB and a great cookbook!!
“What food item/product will you go to great lengths to have in your diet?” = Pure bars, sweet potatoes, PB Puffins…
“What is your favorite cookbook?” = Veganomicon
cant wait for my bb sample to come, never tried it can you believe that! your oats look great!
“What food item/product will you go to great lengths to have in your diet?” hmmm. oat bran, and lara bars.
and my fav cook book is veganomicon and the barefoot contessa.
Pumpkin and apples appear daily! Can’t live without them.
Wow, that dinner AND that breakfast look amazing! I definitely will go to great lentghts (i.e. spend too much $$) to have almond milk, great cereal and fresh produce. And bars! My fave cookbook right now is Veganomicon. Have a lovely Monday!
That pesto dish looks great. I have way too many cookbooks, but the few that get the most use are Veganomicon, and some of the Moosewood cookbooks.
Your dinner looks delicious!! I never have made pesto and will add it to my list of things to try soon
I have been a longtime lurker on your blog.I live in Lexington, MA and so am about 20 minutes from downtown boston. I started reading your blog when I started college at Carnegie Mellon in PIttsburgh but am taking a semester off my junior year, and so right now am so close to beantown, i can taste it
Oh i love Mollie Katzen! My favorite cookbook though, is by far How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, and the How to Cook Everything Vegetarian companion.
As for what I HAVE to have in my diet, no matter what? Sushi, of some sort. Even in small amounts, i NEED it
I just got those samples too! I think I’ll end up buying some when they’re gone.
Food I will go to great lengths to have? CEREAL!
I can’t live without blueberries and greek yogurt! I drive an extra 20 minutes to go to the only grocery store that sells greek yogurt in my area! My favorite cookbook is Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. I have made almost everything in the book and it has even turned my husband on to eating more veggie meals!
ha – i just got my free sample, too! I have NEVER tried BB, so I’m excited
I can’t live without oats and milk – I have to have them in the house or I start freaking out a little
Greek Yogurt, for sure. Before Trader Joe’s opened up by my work, I would drive 40 minutes just to stock up. Couple that with the $2.0 each price tag and I had one $$$ habit on my hands. Thankfully, now, I just buy it from Trader Joe’s.
I go to great lengths to get Baumann’s Pumpkin Butter into my diet. I buy huge jars all at once so they last. Once I ordered 12 from their site but they had a different taste, so now I stock up big time at the health food store!
So glad you got your Barney Butter!
Right now my favorite cookbook is Apples for Jam, but I also really love this old Betty Crocket one my mom has with pictures from the 50s!
Tina, Amazon.com is having a sale on Barney Butter 3-packs. They are also slightly discounted – $7.69 per jar instead of $7.99 – but if you purchase the 3 pack you are automatically qualified for free shipping with an order of $25 or more. All I did was buy a used book along w/the BB and I got free shipping on both!
Products I would squander my mortgage money for are: greek yogurt, larabars and pink lady apples.
I got my samples Saturday as well and did a happy dance! If you hear of any free shipping codes PLEASE let me know – I’m such a BB junkie!
Favorite cookbook: I like websites…allrecipes or myrecipes are both really good choices
Product: Greek yogurt – I could care less how expensive it is!
I signed up for the free sample of Barney Butter, too, I’ve never tried it. Just now I was looking up their retail locations and I didn’t know I could get it around here because it’s sold at a store that I don’t go to – but after I try my free sample I might just have to go get a jar!
Food I’ll go any lengths to get into my diet? Peanut butter, chocolate chips, oatmeal, sweet potatoes.
Fav cookbook: I love Nava Atlas’ various vegetarian cookbooks, and Debbie Madison’s big ol’ ultimate vegetarian cookbook, it’s huge!
oatmeal, pumpkin, greek yogurt! I can’t live without them!
I looooove that cookbook! It is definitely one of my favorites. Everything is so simple and comforting.
I can’t wait to try the Barney Butter. After hearing so much about it on the blogs, I hope it lives up!
Let’s see..something I’d do anything to have in my diet.. APPLES! I eat at least one apple a day and I crave them as soon as I wake up!
I love Cooks Illustrated Magazine – the product reviews and recipes from the test kitchen are always unbelievable. Not exactly healthy – but it gives you a chance to get creative.
bananas. i have to have one everyday. they are just so delicious filling and healthy.
Your dinner is so lovely and green!
I go crazy to get pumpkin and nut butter in my diet!
Dinner looks fantastic. I love the pop of all those greens.
I must have PB in my life, and it must be natural.
My fav cookbook is The Vegan Planet.
MMM that pesto sounds phenomenal
I go to great lengths to get me some almond milk! I loooooooooooove it so much more than regular milk and will hunt ever store down for the plain, unsweetened one!
As for cook books, I surprisingly don’t use many. I prefer food blogs such as Everybody Likes Sandiwches, Orangette, Bread and Honey, etc…
one of my favorite cookbooks is probably more for sentimental reasons than the recipes (although those are good too!). it’s the Chicago Diner Cookbook because when i went to Chicago last year I *loved* it so much we went three times in one week! it such a great vegan restaurant.
the last day we were there, my ex bought the cookbook and snuck it in his vest when i was in the bathroom. we went back to the apartment and i didn’t notice a thing! later, he gave it to me for christmas and told me the story.
p.s. tina – i just posted a recipe for my Banana Hemp Chocolate Chip muffins – i think you would really like them!!
yuM! I’ve been wanting to try barney butter so bad but just have not brought myself to buy any! It looks so creamy with your oats!
I need to have fruit! Typically I am changing all of the time in regard to my staples, but I need fruit like no other!!
I love the How it All Vegan cookbook. I need to have fruit every day!
I would say that the product I go to any lengths to have in my diet is cheese. It’s not that it’s hard to find, but I will scrimp on the calories in other areas to fit it in.
I’m not sure I have a favorite cookbook because I am constantly checking them out from the library so I am cooking from so many. As far as the ones I own, Canyon Ranch Cooks is probably my favorite. It’s all spa cooking so the food is very healthful but also amazingly favorful.
Food I *have* to find room for (budget wise and diet wise!
):
Peanut butter
Steel Cut Oats
Bananas
Yogurt (any type…greek or not)
Carrots
AVOCADOS!!
That dinner looks absolutely delicious. I cannot live without SoyNut Butter. Trader Joes used to have it and I found out it got discontinued….now I have to get it at a regular grocery store, a little pricier, but sooo worth it. p.s. Made the Zuchinni chocolate chip cookies, added oats to it, replaced butter w/ applesuace, and flax for the egg (didn’t have one on hand), and added toasted coconut, raisins, and cranberries, pretty darn tastey. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, if you’re willing to spend $15 for A JAR OF NUT BUTTER (including shipping), then ya’ll must have plenty of dough in the bank.
Right now I’m on a mission to try every kind of nut butter out there and I would definitely say I’ve gone to great lengths to do this! So far I’ve gotten sunflower seed, cashew, almond, and multiple flavors of pb&co. I got my eye set on finding a walnut butter next!
Favorite cookbook? Betty Crocker Whole Grains. Think I’ve made almost every recipe in there since getting it in October ish. I love grains!
Your dinner looks awesome!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the cookbook – must check it out.
Oh my goodness.. I need to buy that cookbook right away and make that delicious recipe!! It looks so amazing Tina! YUM
I love Giada De Laurentis’ cookbooks! I love her Italian recipes!
i got those samples too but forgot about them. thanks for reminding me! i havent tried BB yet, but im hoping for good things.
That cookbook looks amazing, I have a big cooking light cookbook I love so much!
I love specialty peanut butters in my diet…they’re a must-have for me!
blueberries- I love going to the blueberry farms in West Michigan every summer and picking them fresh. I love being able to grab a handful in the fridge when they’re in season! I freeze a ton of them so I can enjoy them all year long in smoothies, muffins, on top of cereal or yogurt and baked in a pie when I’m ambitious. My favorite cookbook is Nigella’s “Feast” for special occasions, she has the best holiday desserts.
I just got my sample of BB on Saturday! I’ve never tried it let alone heard of it until I started reading your blog a few weeks ago. I am very surprised since I live about 30 miles outside of Fresno where it’s produced! Can’t wait to give it a try!
I just got my sample on Saturday also! I’m excited to try it as I’ve heard great things. I also just bought PB&Co. Dark Choc. Dreams PB, Oh my gosh, have you tried this? It’s so good!
Foods I cannot live without: Egg whites, oatmeal, pumpkin, cottage cheese, carrots, APPLES, bananas, spinach and greek yogurt, I would bend over backwards to make sure I always have them.
Love your dinner! I can’t live without yogurt and turkey! I eat them every day!! Chocolate too!!
@Jennifer: Yes, and I work very hard for my Barney Butter. It is worth every cent!
I was going to mention the Amazon deal too. Let me know if you want in on the package… maybe we can arrange a BB exchange meetup
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