Foodbuzz Tastemaker: Sargento

Disclaimer:  As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a gift card to buy some Sargento cheese.  The opinions below are my own.

I like cheese- I like cheese a lot.  We buy cheese and since our kitchen is under construction and currently looks like this, the gift card we received was a lifesaver and made up our dinner.

Despite being a (sometimes) food blogger, I am not a huge cheese fan.  I like goat cheese and the stinky kinds, but any sight of mold and I'm out.  I'm talking about you- blue cheese. Bleh!  When I went to select some sargento cheese for my tasting, I chose pepperjack and cheddar.  They sounded like easy choices and cheese that I normally buy.  For the competitor, I chose a store brand swiss cheese because it's really hard to mess up swiss cheese.

I also bought some grapes, pears, cucumbers, stuffed olives, cherry peppers, and added the mixed nuts I had in my pantry.

Here is the Sargento platter:

Here is the competitor:

The verdict: I really liked the pepperjack.  It had a nice zing to it and had a good texture.  I noticed that the sargento cheese was not shiny like the other and just seemed a little more natural.  The cheddar was just a regular cheddar- nothing to write home about.

I did have two other assistants- the hubby and the puppy.  They were torn on which they liked better but the husband noted that he couldn't tell a huge difference in quality and liked the swiss cheese more.

And puppy? The cheddar won him over.

This is What I Ate

Since I started blogging at some point almost two years ago, I think I have been trying to emulate some of the great, classic food bloggers.  I took pictures of my meals, snacks, coffee cups, and empty nut butter jars to my heart's desire.  I talked about the cookies I inhaled and I also talked about how I loved Mondays simply because it was a fresh start.  While it was a great structure and format to follow, it's just not me. 

I am chaotic, busy, hyper, forgetful and goofy.  Plus, I hate being told what to do (just ask my parents or husband).  Put the word 'diet' in front of me, and I do an ADD-induced mind backflip. 

So why am I telling you this when I randomly took pictures of two of my meals today?  It was not to show you my sub-par photography skillz.  I did it because it was kinda fun.  I always marvel at what people eat on a normal basis because it gives me great ideas and inspires me to eat healthier. 

Garden fresh tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, Arnold®/Oroweat® Sandwich Thins®, part skim mozzarella cheese (I received the Sandwich Thins as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program)
 
I also love preparing myself quick and easy meals, even when it's just for myself.  I enjoy simple, quick meals and I love supplementing them with snacks along the way to keep myself awake, alert, and energized.

Trader Joe's seafood blend, cucumbers, tomatoes, mango salsa, guacamole on a bed of spring mix

There are many, many definitions of what is healthy.  For me, it's being relaxed about food while getting in all my vitamins.  Real food is delicious and tastes great.  It keeps me energized and gives me the energy to live life- which is really all we remember in the end.  Health is about living life, enjoying the sunshine, and capturing memories outside of a smoothie, although that sounds really good right about now!

What does health mean to you?