Sunday, March 7, 2010

Crofter's Tasting Breakfast

Saturday

The hubby and I woke up at 6 a.m. to get ready for his Splash and Sprint race (750 m swim, and then a 5k run). I downed a quick smoothie (1 cup unsweetened almond breeze, 1 banana, 2 packs amazing grass, 1 scoop Cacao, Maca, Hemp Navitas Naturals powder) and we were out the door by 6:50. We got to the pool only to be informed that the race was in the P.M. ... not the A.M.

Lovely.

We made the most of it, picked up a few groceries and came home to start getting ready for the brunch we had planned. Our friends Jeff and Alaina were coming over at 10:30 for a Crofter's Superfruit Spread tasting breakfast.

Crofter's Organics sent me some of their Superfruit spread to try and review. I decided to do a tasting with some friends so I could get a few opinions on the product.











Each of the Superfruit Spreads is certified organic and sweetened with fair trade sugar. There are 4 different combinations sourced from different areas of the world: South America, North America, Asia and Europe. The base of each spread is Morello Cherries and Red Grapes.

South America (Maqui and Passion Fruit):

- This spread was quite mild with a pleasant cherry flavour that was more evident than the maqui or passion fruit. Although this was no one's favourite, no one disliked it, and we agreed it would be great in a light summer vinaigrette. I also think this spread would be great for kids, as the flavour is quite mellow and simple.

North America (Wild Blueberries and Cranberries):

- You can REALLY taste the blueberries in this slightly tart spread! This was Alaina's favourite of the four. This was my first time trying a blueberry spread, and I thought it was pretty good.

Asia (Raspberries and Yumberries):

- Yummmmm is right! This was the most popular, as it was one of Jeff's favourite and also my favourite. This is what Jeff called a "souped up" raspberry jam. You can definitely taste the raspberries, and this spread has the most flavour of any of the four. I liked the stronger taste. I couldn't pick out the yumberries specifically, but then again, I have no idea what yumberries taste like :-)

Europe (Black Currents and Pomegranates):

- This spread was Jeff's other favourite. It was the most unique tasting, in my opinion. It also had a stronger flavour compared to the South and North American spreads. You could really taste the black currents.

We tried the spreads on toast, English muffins and croissants.

We also had Hearty Breakfast Bowls.

Hearty Breakfast Bowls

- 4 small mild Italian sausages
- 3 T olive oil
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 diced red pepper
- 1/2 diced onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 cups diced baby potatoes
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Directions: Cook sausages. Cute them up and set them aside. Saute the veggies/ aromatics in 1 T of the oil for about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes. Mix the sausage, veggies, and potato together and saute a few minutes.

Put into oven safe dishes, and make a hole in the middle for an egg. Crack 1 egg into each dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes or until desired yolk consistency is reached.







I had one Breakfast Bowl, 1 English muffin with spreads on it, about 4 slices of bacon, some coffee, and some freshly juiced OJ.



I also had a mini coffee cake.



In the afternoon I snacked on some chips and guacamole:



And some mocha yogurt!! It was SO good!!



I also had one of the Peppermint Patties that I made on Friday! Check out the recipe on Jessica's Blog.





Dinner last night was spinach pizza and a salad:





After dinner I went and watched the hubby compete in his Slash and Sprint race. He is a FISH in the water!!



He tied with someone as the fastest swimmer. Then he got out of the water and ran 5k. His official time hasn't been posted yet, but it should be at least in the top 10.

Our little nephew slept over last night and we watched Kung Fu Panda :-)

Sunday

We woke up and played with our Giovanni this morning. All morning he wore the swim goggles that uncle Chris gave him. He says he is going to be a swimmer too.



We then met the rest of my family for a late breakfast. I was clearly very hungry, as I devoured most of my meal before remembering to take a photo.


(I had soft poached eggs, sausage, bacon, toast and hash browns. I ate about half).

This afternoon the hubby and I ran some errands, and shopped a bit. We shared a glo-bar.

Dinner was at the hubby's parent's house. We had steak, potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms and garlic bread. This was my plate:



Dessert was one of my peppermint patties.

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How was your weekend? What do you have planned for the week?

What is your favourite weekend breakfast?

14 comments:

sophia said...

Girl, you are such a social butterfly! You are always doing such awesome events....I would love to be in your social circle, I'll never be bored!

Healthy. Happy. Well. said...

I love Crofters! Such a great alternative to other sugary spreads!

Anonymous said...

dang it, i want to try crofter's so badly!! wow that is an awesome swimming pic, congrats to your hubs!

Amber from Girl with the Red Hair said...

Oooh that tasting sounds so fun!

My fav weekend breakfast is DEFINITELY waffles, pancakes or french toast :) Yummy!

Anonymous said...

OMG the race was at night?! that is terrible! At least you got some errands done! BTW I saw that spread at the grocery store today! Lovely brunch and of course as usual, amazing home cooked meal at the in laws!

Simply Life said...

What a fun breakfast idea!!!!

Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday said...

I'm bookmarking this page for your breakfast bowl recipe. That looks so awesome!

Also, that Crofter's jam looks goo! I've seen it at Zehrs. I'm going to have to try some.

Pam said...

I love Kung Fu Panda...so cute and with such meaning! Congrats to your hubby....glad it worked out after getting up so early!

Fun tasting.....love the layout!

All your food looks so divine!

xoxo and enjoy!

Anonymous said...

The breakfast bowl looks awesome! My favorite breakfast involves eggs and homefries!

Kat said...

Congrats to your hubby! That is so great!

Jessica @ The Process of Healing said...

Sounds like you had a fabulous weekend!
I LOOOOVE Crofter's! My favorite is the North America..yum!

Kacy said...

What a cute idea for a get together! I love those crofter's spreads!

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

Wow - what an awesome weekend you have had! I love the table setting - so gorgeous! And congrats to your hubby for what sounds like a great race result!
My favourite weekend breakfast would have to be poached eggs :)

Kelly said...

My favorite weekend breakfast is either pancakes or baked oatmeal :)

That looks like such a great brunch. I love the idea of hosting a tasting of those different spreads, they all look yummy to me.

Sorry about the race time mix up. Normally races are definitely in the morning!