A to Z Food Challenge: K + GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!

Today was FAR better than yesterday. I don't even have anything to complain about, as it was very relaxing and enjoyable. My son's birthday is on Monday, so a close personal friend of mine came by to spend the entire day with my son and I. We ate some delicious food, went to buy my son a present, ate more delicious food, and played with my son. In the midst of it all, I - of course - made my weekly trip to Trader Joe's for tonight's challenge. The letter for today being "K".

I was struggling with this one for a little bit, as I really didn't want to do kale. I don't like the taste of it, I can't stand it in my salads, and I despise it in my smoothies. I scoured all of Trader Joe's looking for something to replace this fiendish foe of mine, but alas I caved...slightly. I decided to go with a Kale, Sweet Potato, and Butternut Squash Pizza from Trader Joe's ($3.99). I also picked up some chips I had been dying to try - the Trader Joe's Sriracha Kettle Cooked Potato Chips ($2.29). Seeing as how they are KETTLE cooked, I included them in this review. I have tried the "authentic" Sriracha brand chips - which are beyond amazing - but wanted to try these. I love majority of Trader Joe's items, so why not take a chance. While I wasn't necessarily looking forward to trying the kale pizza, I gave it my all. Here's what happened.

After placing the pizza in the oven for about 12 minutes, out came this pizza that was covered in my longtime green enemy. I gave it one look and almost called it quits. This pizza almost became the end of me. My friend was more than willing to try a slice and actually had good things to say about it. Some bites were pure kale, but when you got a good mixture of butternut squash and sweet potato, it wasn't pretty good. I didn't want to, but I love you guys. So I did it. I ate the pizza. 

First off, I will say that I was slightly proven wrong. This pizza was far from horrendous, like my prior run-ins with kale. I didn't exactly like the thick layer of kale, but it wasn't absolutely terrible. The butternut squash and sweet potato made the pizza a bit sweet - which I kind of expected upon purchasing. This was in itself a bit of a let down. I knew from the get-go that this would be a very different experience for me, as I was not only eating one of my favorite foods - pizza - with my least favorite thing besides liver - kale - and adding sweet vegetables. I ended up putting Tapatio all over it and was able to scarf down half the pizza. It's true what they say, hot sauce makes everything better. 

I definitely wouldn't buy this pizza again, but I don't feel I'm a very accurate representative of this particular one, as I simply don't enjoy this style. However, if you are a kale eater and semi-sweet veggies aren't a let down to you, this may actually be amazing. The crust was absolutely perfect, the toppings as a whole did in fact work well with each other, the flavor is an excellent combination, and the proportions were satisfying. I don't hate it and I would certainly partake in another slice if offered, so long as I had Sriracha or Tapatio close by. Overall, it's a satisfactory pizza for myself, but delicious for those who are kale fans. 

The chips were my favorite. They were crunchy and savory. The Sriracha flavor is that of the Trader Joe's brand - not the authentic Sriracha - but that isn't to say it lacked any flavor. Now, I have a bit of a high tolerance for spicy food. My friend thought these chips to be a quite a bit hot, but I on the other hand found them to be completely spice-free. I even added additional Sriracha on them - which made them even more amazing - and I also tried them with Mexican salsa. Again, amazing. 

I would choose the authentic Sriracha brand chips, merely because they are indeed spicier than these, but I do think I will repurchase these again. You see, these chips not only had that mild Sriracha flavor, but they had this bit of sweetness in them, that made them different. If it were up to me, I'd have these and the Sriracha chips, AND the Sriracha popcorn at my house at all times. They are all delicious and well worth it. So if you're looking for a toned down Sriracha chip with a mild sweetness to it, go for Trader Joe's. If you're looking for something to leave you needing ice-cream or milk and has that original Sriracha taste, the authentic brand is the way to go. Either way, you can't loose. Well, you can if you can't handle spice. If you are really sensitive, the Trader Joe's ones may still be spicy for you, but the authentic ones will burn your esophagus. 

I think today went better than expected. I may not be purchasing kale pizza anytime soon, but I do think I found a good snack for this weekends festivities! 

TIME FOR THE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT! 

It's official everyone! The giveaway is now closed and a random winner has been chosen! And the winner is......... mamamadecrochet on Instagram! She has 24 hours to claim her absolutely gorgeous prize! Congratulations and thank you to everyone that entered! Stick around for up and coming giveaways! You never know, another one could be coming very soon!!!!!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone and stay safe! This momma will be busy preparing and celebrating her little one's 5th birthday! I can't believe he's 5 already. Sheesh, time really does fly! Love you all and see you on Monday!!!