Monday, July 16, 2012

My own backyard

One of my favorite things about a house in a small-town neighborhood is that we have REAL trees. I loved the city, but most my friends who lived in houses had only a few trees in their yard if any, and most trees were not even 10 ft tall. Our yard has huge trees and a few smaller trees. We loved this when we bought the house last summer. This summer, now that there is no insane drought, we learned how great our trees really are...all our smaller trees are flowering trees and we even have some rose bushes. I love going out to our back yard and seeing all these beautiful flowers! We truly are blessed.
Enjoy the pictures.



Crape Myrtle - light pink
Rose of Sharon Close up
Rose of Sharon tree
Crape Myrtle - darker pink
Red roses...they smell great too
Pink roses too- my hubby picked this one for me :)

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

CaminoPro COMPLETE Peanut Butter Bar

A PKU Review
One of the things I hate most is trying a new PKU product. If the product tastes bad, its not a problem. The biggest issue I have is in the loss of hope that a product will work for me...especially if it promises to help my lifestyle.  I travel often and nothing is more challenging then getting calories and formula I need. Formula is hard to drink while on-the-go. I have tried PKU protein (and amino acid) bars before, and they were disgusting. I've actually never made it through an entire bar before now. I spent a lot of money on trying new "edible formula" type products and hated them all. I very distinctly remember almost choking in front of a bunch of people at a children's hospital while trying an "amazing" chocolate protein bar like a crunch bar about 20 years ago (it was nasty  - tasted like fake chocolate mixed with formula powder and Rice Krispies....and I still can't eat a Crunch bar without thinking of them). And about 6 years ago, I tried some fruit flavored bars and could barely chew off one bite and the rest expired in my fridge untouched.

The only reason I was brave enough to try these bars was that they were FREE SAMPLES. It couldn't hurt. My main formula is BetterMilk, and its the best I've ever tasted, but it still has a bit of an aftertaste. It's really hard to claim no aftertaste and convince me...I've been told products have "no aftertaste" for years, and its all been lies...UNTIL NOW!

I was very surprised that Cambrooke's Camino Pro Complete Peanut Butter Bar actually taste like chocolate and peanut butter. They aren't amazing....they are no candy bar after all, but they are decent tasting. I was a bit worried because steering clear of peanut butter most my life, I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter flavor...but with the chocolate flavor coating, it tastes good (I would actually prefer a higher "chocolate" to "peanut butter" ratio, but I'm pretty sure the "formula" part is in the "peanut butter" stuff and is much needed.)

The inside texture was a bit dry and flaky, but I think mine melted a bit in transport.* It was very soft when it arrived, so I stuck it in the fridge for a day. It is supposed to be a meal substitute at 320 calories per bar. I took it because I was still hungry after dinner, and honestly it didn't fill me then. I skipped my night formula (since it can replace the formula) and went to bed a bit hungry (not that abnormal). I actually woke up very full....so it did do the trick, just a long delay in feeling full. 
(*EDIT - It did melt..I tried a fresh one and it was so much smoother...tastes like a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup...and yes I've cheated and tastes Reeses...guilty)

At 320 calories, I really don't want to add these to my "normal" routine, but I'd love to find a way to order a few each month for convenience when out-and-about during normal life, and I'd love to stock up on them for long trips, especially overseas - these would have been amazing to have in Romania - I found myself useless and depleted so many days during my internship there...this is exactly what I needed then.

I haven't tried the fruit flavor yet...it scares me even more  for some reason. I'm sure it taste great...I'll review later when I'm feeling brave and hungry.

Looks like a "normal" protein bar packaging 
a bit dry inside, but good overall