I've been MIA lately - super busy at work with my new position and having lots of fun on the weekend :)
I thought I'd share a few great new things I've discovered lately (and 1 not so great item!)
1) Gardein Lightly Seasoned Chick'n Scallopini - This 5 pack is a great go-to when I need to throw together a quick lunch for work. Since they're not heavily seasoned, they taste good with pretty much any type of sauce + veggies. They cook up in about 5 minutes and keep me full through the afternoon. At 90 calories, these are a great addition to my Get Skinnier in 2012 plan. Check them out!
2) Citarella Puttanesca Sauce (literally, "whore's style" spaghetti sauce source, teehee) - This rich tasting pasta sauce comes from my local Citarella grocery store. I love going in there; everything is so fresh and has a homemade feel. This sauce is made of whole tomatoes, black olives, canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, anchovies, fresh garlic, sea salt, fresh basil and spices. Puttanesca sauce is so good, I don't even mind that it's a bit sluttly.
3) Yogi tea - I go through phases of drinking up to 6 cups of tea a day and phases where I drink zero. Yogi has a wide selection of interesting blends that I decided to try. I bought a cold prevention pack and a box of stress relief. Although some of them taste a little funky, I believe in the placebo effect of their claims. Even if they don't do what they say, at least I'm staying hydrated. Before buying these, I had only ever tried their "Smooth Move" herbal *ahem* digestive tea while doing a cleanse. It works pretty well (teehee again)
Now for something I wasn't so thrilled about...
4) Marinated Coconut Curry Tempeh - Maybe I didn't cook these properly? Maybe I just don't like tempeh? Or maybe, or likely, they suck. They tasted terrible. Don't buy these. Just don't.
Have you tried any of these products? What about tempeh? Did you like it?
I went to pilates today and it was just as tough as I remembered. Tomorrow I'll either do some cardio or perhaps a bit of yoga. I have been getting into the groove of making exercise a priority. Having the vacation (and daunting idea of being seen in my bikini by coworkers....:S) has really made me stick to my promises to myself. I have been cutting carbs during the week and working out extra hard as often as possible. On the weekends, I still do what I want ie) drink beer / eat pizza / stay up late, but I think I'm making moves in the right direction!
Tonight I am heading to hot yoga at Yoga To The People in midtown Manhattan. I have done the 90 minute class here, but tonight I think I will stick to 60 minutes based on my laziness level. If you live in the city, please do check it out. It is a great studio and it is very affordable. http://yogatothepeople.com/new-york/
Believe it or not, I used to be quite a yoga woman / yogi. Maybe it's time I get back into it?
Just a thought..
For lunch today, I tried something new. Smart Cutlets Classic Marinara.
pretty good!
The box came with 2 cutlets - pretty big and 150 calories each. So last night, I grilled em up.
I put one away in the fridge for a rainy day
Cooked up some veggies: mushrooms, spinach & frozen broccoli from Trader Joe's.
Sliced the up the fake chicken and added my cooked veggies. On top of this I added some extra marinara sauce I had in my fridge.
This was a perfect lunch. It was satisfying and kept me full with the help of some plain Fage Greek yogurt & 1/2 an avocado on the side.
This weekend I did some boxed baking! (It still counts as
baking, right?)
It was my friend’s 25th birthday so he got a
special surprise! We went to R Bar in the Lower East Side. A very cool bar with chandeliers and reasonably priced drinks. Check it out. http://www.rbarnyc.com/
Funfetti! Pairs well with vodka soda.
They were really good, even though this ‘cream cheese’ icing
was dairy free?! Ah well, I think I threw out any concerns about health after
reading the name “Funfetti”:)
Then last night, I decided I would continue my domestic
streak by trying out a box of this stuff.
must stock up on this !
In a word, incredible. This box was enough for 1 small and one medium sized loaf. I brought one loaf to work and kept
the smaller one for my breakfast this week. Let’s
see how long it lasts.
I think I’ll be picking up some more of this magical mix on
my next trip to Trader Joe’s.
This weekend I am taking a bus from NYC to Toronto, I leave at 7:30pm and arrive at 5:45am --> a bit worried about how I will manage with the claustrophobia. Luckily, BF will be on the bus with me. We are going to a wedding this weekend! I'm so excited, I love weddings! Last night I stopped at Trader Joe's and got some bus snacks.
Some serious pretzel action - honey, mustard, & onion AND chocolate peanut butter covered. Whoa!
Other news, I joined Pinterest, and I recommend that you do too! It is a very cool way to waste time. Follow me! Click below & check it out.
You will come across food, clothing, and travel destinations that you
didn't even know you love.
Recently I have tried a some new products and wanted to share my thoughts on them with you!
1) Soy Joy bars - Coconut Mango & Apple Walnut
Note, these were free at a bar that I was at on Wednesday night. (There were some post marathon folks who did not want them.) In a nutshell, these suck. I would never buy these because they have such high sugar, relatively low protein and they are just plain gross. Their hyper-sweet, fruit cake texture was not for me & at 140 calories per bar I am not impressed with the "keeping Caitlin full" factor that I look for in a snack. Maybe I'm crazy? Have you had them? If so, what did you think?
2) Trader Joes Tuna in Green Curry Sauce
I loved this stuff - it is hands down one of the best meal-ish products I have ever gotten at Trader Joes! The package contains yellowfin tuna in a spicy, creamy, extremely flavorful sauce. I opened the package into a bowl & microwaved it for a minute or so. This would be great with brown rice too. The portion was perfect to bring for lunch and is was very affordable (I
think it was only $1.69 per package). The instructions specify warming the bag in boiling water but microwaving was just fine. TJ's also had a red curry on the sauce which I will definitely try next time. Have you tried this? You should!!
I hope you all have an excellent weekend filled with Columbus Day / Canadian Thanksgiving fun! I am going to Ditch Plains for a lunch with some co-workers.
The girl who sits next to me at my office is doing a cleanse
right now, which got me thinking about living on juice and other liquids for days at a
time. I did a bit of research to see what kind of cleanses are out there, and here
is a bit on the most intriguing / oddest ones I found.
1)Organic Avenue – This New York City based
company produces “the highest quality plant-based nutrition on the planet!”. My
office neighbor who is cleansing right now chose to try this as a solution to her poor eating habits as of
late. She said that the juices taste pretty good, but she is having a hard time
smelling other people’s food at the office. She said she isn’t particularly
full, but not hungry either. I think that the bottles look lovely (pretty glass
bottles) and the juice she had for lunch today smelled great. Apparently it had
avocado, mint and some other yummy green ingredients. This particular cleanse
is not for someone looking to save money, for 5 days it costs $410.00
(including program cost & refundable bottle deposit) To spend over $400 to
starve yourself seems a little silly to me.
“We educate and support you to transition and maintain a healthy
lifestyle that is pleasurable and sustainable to you, society, animals and the
planet. Our 5 distinct programs meet your health and cleansing goals and nourish
your body and spirit. Each gives you a remarkable glow and provides an
unmatched healing experience. We also offer a customized food menu and a staff
of experts to help you achieve your vibrant health goals.” Visit their site
here http://www.organicavenue.com
2)2 Day Apple Diet – This cleanse seems a little
wacky to me. Basically, for 2 days you eat only apples in place of your regular
meals and snacks. The diet suggests that you add variety to this diet by
chopping up the apples, grating them, blending them or eating them whole. An
apple has about 5 grams of fiber, you need about 28 grams of fiber per day.
Suppose you eat 8 apples each day during the cleanse to keep yourself from
fainting, that’s 40 grams of fiber – you can imagine why you might lose weight ;) This is definitely
not one I’ll be trying.
“Apples have always
been associated with health. There is that old saying that an apple a day
will keep the doctor away. But recent research shows that an apple a day may
keep breast cancer away. The anti-oxidant effects of the flavonoids in the apples
were credited with the slowing the growth of adenocarcinoma tumors in rats.” –Riiight.
I’m not falling for this one. Learn more about this silly cleanse here http://thedetoxspecialist.com/blog/detox/2-day-apple-detox-diet
3)The BluePrintCleanse – This is another NYC based
cleansing company that has gotten pretty popular over the years. People at my
company even do this cleanse with clients. The BPC is a bit more customizable
compared to other cleanses that I came across – you can choose to cleanse with
just juice or juice + food. From people I have talked to who have actually
worked up the courage to try this pricey cleanse ($65/ day for their basic
cleanse). This cleanse claims to boost your immune system, alleviate allergies,
improve thyroid function, reverse signs of aging and promote normalized weight.
Sounds alright to me – but I’m not sure about the price or my ability to stick
to the program. Out of everything I came across, this seemed like the best
option if you’re looking to invest a fair amount of money, stay trendy and lose
some weight.
“Depending on the
length of the Cleanse, it accomplishes different things. A three-day Cleanse
helps the body rid itself of old built up matter and cleanses the blood. A
five-day Cleanse starts the process of rebuilding and healing the immune
system. A ten-day Cleanse will take care of problems before they arise and
fight off degenerative diseases.” Find out more about this cleanse here http://blueprintcleanse.com
4)The Master Cleanse (Also known as the Lemonade
Diet) – You have probably heard of the Master Cleanse before, celebs like
Beyonce have admitted to trying it and it has been around for years. The “lemonade”
is made up of 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1/10
tablespoons of cayenne pepper and 10oz of filtered water. For 10 days, all you
consume is this concoction(seriously?!). This cleanse
must be incredibly challenging to complete. Anyone who can survive the whole 10
days of this diet has more will power than I do. I even came across a YouTube
video of a girl who did the Master Cleanse for 40 days. Yes, she looked great afterwards
but I do not think that this is a healthy regime at all. A few sites I came
across also suggested that you drink a laxative tea and herbal tea during the
day (some specify mint or green tea only). This is a pretty affordable option,
the only cost to you would be the ingredients in your delicious lemonade. I have a feeling drinking this stuff would make
me gag on the 2nd day.
“Remove all toxins in
your body and lose up to 20lbs! Unlike other diets, Master Cleanse has been
passed down for decades and has been used widely by people from all around the
world to achieve a healthy body.” 20 pounds in 10 days? Not healthy. More
info àhttp://www.lemonademastercleanse.org/
There you have it, my opinionated review of a few popular
cleanses that I will likely never try. Personally, I have very little willpower
when it comes to abstaining from food for more than one meal and being told
that I am only allowed to eat certain things. I have tried the cabbage soup
diet and I sucked at it (and you were allowed to eat as much soup as you
wanted!!)
Have you ever tried a
cleanse?If not, do you know someone
who has?
Have you every been to http://www.gilttaste.com ? It is incredible. Basically, it's an online shop featuring ridiculous, crazy, often expensive yet, exciting food.
Here are a few things I saw today that I want to try when I'm rich :) (Just kidding, a lot of stuff on the site is affordable especially their pantry section.
Lobster Mac and Cheese - $62.95 for 4
Eleni's New York
Daisy Cookies - $94.95 for 52
Artisanal Premium Cheese
Château Collection- $278.00
Food Connect, Inc.
Mae Ploy Sweet Chili
Sauce - $10.95
Amazing, eh
Here is what I had for dinner last night & lunch today.
For some protein, I cooked up this stuff. Half for dinner by itself and the rest for lunch w/ rice.
Outdoor Grill Approved! Too bad i live in a small bbq-less apartment in NYC.
I tried to burn it a bit to get the bbq taste!! It worked - this was sooo good. I mixed it with marinara sauce & topped with a bit of fat free Caesar & chili flakes. Yum!
I'm always looking to try new fake meat products - that being said, I've had a lot of bad experience with those fake smoke flavored, terrible textured, barely edible products. When I saw this guy at Trader Joe's , I thought why the hell not!
Stats:
salty!
I'll be honest, I had no idea what Chorizo was. So I turned to my good pal Google.
According to About.com ..." Chorizo is made by chopping or grinding pork and “marinating” it in spices. Spanish paprika (sweet or spicey) is the spice which is gives chorizo its characteristic flavor and distinguishes it from other sausages. The casing of the chorizo is usually made from pork, if made at home" Gross, right?
Then I ran into the issue of having no idea how to cook this stuff. Trader Joe's products usually include a hint of a recipe but this packaging did not.
Attempt # 1 - Being nonethewiser, I just threw it in a frying pan and paired with a few rando sauces I had kicking in my fridge.
not even ketchup could save this mess
Result - Not good. Not good at all. The actual fake meat came in a plastic casing and kind of smushed out like Eloise's wet cat food. Barf. The texture alone was enough to give up. I was expecting a slicing-friendly sausage that I could dip like a veggie hot dog. This was SO BAD that I actually ended up tossing this & had some trustworthy tofu with veggies instead.
much better
Attempt #2 - Never one to give up on my dear friend Trader Joe, I thought I would give this stuff another shot. The huuuge package comes with so much fake chorizo I felt like I had to. This time I used Google again and searched "Chorizo recipe". I found that most people mixed the real meat version with eggs or used it in stews / chillis. Since I had some eggs & veggies, this seemed like the easiest option: a skillet like creation.
2 eggs, frozen carrots & broccoli, low fat cheddar and lots o ketchup
Result - I was really good! I only used a bit of the chorizo and it added a spicy, meat-like (but not too meaty) taste to the dish. This was like nothing I've ever made before. I highly recommend putting this easy dish together if you're feeling ravenous. I was full for hours and hours, even after spinning class.
What did I learn from this? Do some research before diving into any unknown fake meat otherwise you might be disgusted. Also, never give up on Trader Joe's :)
