Monthly Archives: August 2011

Yesterday

by

Hello, there.  I wrote this last night and intended to post but Webster was being a psycho and it got too late.  It’s a good thing he looked like this for several hours this afternoon or I might have smothered him.

Since I didn’t eat very much on Monday, I woke up yesterday starving.  I turned to the tuna noodle casserole Adam made while I was away.

Good job, husband! 

This was tasty and it filled me right up so I could work on my Sabra/Foodbuzz contest post.

Many nibbles were taken during the creation of those recipes.

But I still had time for lunch when all was said and done.

A toasted Bagel Thin with spinach and artichoke hummus dip,

plus a bowl of watermelon chunks.

For dessert I made myself 2 s’mores in the broiler.
It’s a lot easier to ignore the fact that your puppy is puking up the carpet he devoured when you’re eating a toasted marshmallow.

I also ate a serving of Raisin Bran Plus later in the afternoon.

This was supposed to be fuel for a free yoga class but since it was canceled at the last minute this ended up just replenishing my saddle bags.

For dinner Adam and I split these nachos.

I specifically said “whole black beans please, no refried beans” but for some reason these were loaded with both.

I still ate my full share though so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

Moving to the present… I just got home from an orthodontist appointment and most definitely ate these cookies on my drive home.

They did impressions and I just can’t stand having that gross chemical flavor in my mouth!

Now I’m off to find some real food.  I’m also headed to school to run a session with some incoming freshmen.  Have a great Hump Day!

Sabra Substitutions Cocktail Party Recipes

by

This post is my entry for a chance to win a free trip to the Foodbuzz Festival.  All of the Sabra products used in this post were provided by the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.

For a chance to win a free trip to the upcoming festival, Foodbuzz tasked us with creating a cocktail party-worthy recipe using Sabra hummus.  But the zesty flavor of hummus would fit with so many dishes that I didn’t know which one to choose.  Indecisive to a fault, I just couldn’t limit hummus to one recipe; it has too much potential.  So instead I made a trio.

(Recipes to follow)

Chicks in a Curry, hummus deviled eggs.

Replacing mayonnaise with hummus in my deviled eggs base left me with a smooth but sturdy filling.  The sweet curry powder helps to brighten up the flavor.  These deviled eggs are the wiser, more exotic cousin from the East of the traditional American picnic fare.

Spinach, Chokes, and Chicks; spinach artichoke hummus dip.

It’s hard to improve on the traditional spinach and artichoke dip but this hummus-filled adaptation is just begging for a crudities.  The creamy texture and cheesy flavor are both elevated by the velvety garlic hummus.

Savory Surprise Hummus Cookie.

The love child of a cookie and a biscuit, these would be perfect for appetizers or dessert.  The texture is more cake-like than crumbly and the flavor is just a bit sweet.

All in all, I was more than pleased with hummus’ ability to adapt to these traditional dishes.  I’ve been sneaking into the kitchen for bites all day and I can’t wait to try the finished products out on my friends.

Chicks in a Curry, hummus deviled eggs

Yield: 12 servings; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

  • 1 dozen large eggs
  • 8 Tbsp Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus
  • 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp sweet curry powder
  • (optional) paprika and roasted chick peas
  1. Place eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan and cover completely with water.  Place over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
  2. Remove pan from heat and cover tightly with a lid as soon as the water reaches a boil.  Set covered pan aside for 15 minutes.
  3. Immediately after 15 minutes have passed, use tongs to carefully move the boiled eggs to a bowl of ice water.  Allow to cool completely, at least 5 minutes.
  4. Dry and peel eggs, removing shells completely.
  5. Slice each egg in half lengthwise.  Scoop yolks into a medium bowl.
  6. Add remaining ingredients to the yolks and mash with a fork until well combined.
  7. Use a spatula to move filling into a piping bag or a small plastic bag with the corner cut off.  Pipe filling into whites.  These eggs have more filling than a typical recipe but that is part of what makes them so fun.
  8. Top with paprika and/or roasted chick peas if desired.

Spinach, Chokes, and Chicks; spinach artichoke hummus dip

Yield: 12 servings; Prep Time: 8 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes

  • 5 oz frozen chopped spinach; thawed completely
  • 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1 cup Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp reserved
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
  2. Wring out the spinach to remove as much moisture as possible.  It may be helpful to microwave it for 20 seconds or to squeeze between two paper towels.
  3. Place spinach and artichoke hearts together in a medium bowl.  Use a fork to mash for 1 – 2 minutes; this will help to de-clump the spinach and break up any large pieces of artichoke.
  4. Stir hummus and Parmesan (minus 2 Tbsp) into the vegetables.
  5. Pour the dip into a pie pan and use a spatula to spread evenly.  Top with remaining 2 Tbsp of cheese.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes.  Serve warm with chips and/or fresh veggies.

Savory Surprise Hummus Cookie

Yield: 2 dozen; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

  • 4 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. 
  3. Add hummus and mix until incorporated.  Add egg and continue to mix until smooth.
  4. In a side bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Fold dry ingredients into wet, mixing just until combined.
  6. Spoon Tbsp-sized balls of dough into even rows on the prepared baking sheets.
  7. Bake 13 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Sweetness

by

It is important to note – 2 hours changing a tire + 2 long drives in pouring rain + 2 late nights staying up talking in your hotel + 3 anxiety inducing days of talking to new people = a very tired Emily.  I like to call other people out when they’re being bat shit crazy, so I’m going to cop to the fact that I had a total meltdown this evening.  Lots of sulking and several tears later, I think I’ll try to keep this post quick.

I knew my monster recap was going to take a little time so I got up bright and early (7:40) with Adam to get working.  I had brunch plans with friends at 11 and I didn’t want to eat breakfast so I made myself a mug of Starbucks hot chocolate (stolen from HLS breakfast).

I finished my post just in time for a final meet up with friends before we head back to school.

Sweetness_7 Cafe is only .9 miles from our apartment so I decided to walk and bring the little dude with me.

This was the first time Kim or Anna have seen Webster and of course he totally stole their hearts.  Sweetness_7 was very sweet about letting me have the puppy on their porch and I was so glad I brought him.  Though it was a little hard to eat with him squirming in my lap.

For lunch I ordered the # 6 without mayo.

A turkey, mozzarella, tomato and caramelized onion panini,

with a simple greens side salad.

I usually forget to add it at home but there was salt on my salad and that definitely elevated it.  My sandwich was good too, nice and melty.  My stomach was feeling funny though (I think from being so tired!) so I ate exactly half and brought the rest home to Adam.

It’s so cool out it is actually cold, so I got to order a hot drink.

I asked for black tea with steamed skim milk and when the barista said “like a London fog?” I just nodded.  Upon close sipping it seemed as if the drink had been sweetened (though steamed milk does taste sweet?!) so now I need to Google London Fog.

Apropos of nothing, I’m going to show you my outfit because I think my new dress is so cute.

This was a J.Crew sale birthday score and the bubble hem makes my heart happy.

I spent my afternoon running errands and getting more and more exhausted.  I tried to hit the ground running from my trip and took care of the bank, post office, tailor, and grocery.  I was starving from my small lunch so I picked up hot bar around 5:30.

Ratatouille plus a few random veggies,

and broccoli macaroni and cheese that was totally swoon worthy.

The broccoli was cooked into the sauce and there was cheese nestled in its nooks and crannies!

Just as the meltdown began I also ate all of the toppings off of this mini sundae.

And end scene on my self-control.  We did manage to take Webster on another long walk, but dinner never happened because I just couldn’t deal with it.  I’m not sure if Adam was hungry or not but I think he’d rather just not deal with me.  And on that note, I’d be silly not to hop into bed!

Do you know what a “London Fog” is?

Healthy Living Summit 2011 Mega Recap

by

This post is going to be huge, so there are a few facts I want to establish before I begin –

* The Healthy Living Summit (HLS) was fabulous and I had a wonderfully fun time.  However, since I didn’t have internet all weekend this is going to be a monster post and I’m not going to include as many details as I’d like.

* I met and hung out with some amazing people.  So many, in fact, that I think it makes the most sense for me not to link back to anyone.

* I snapped a photo of every piece of food that went into my mouth but I wasn’t so good on people or places; I was too busy enjoying those things to photograph them.

Okey doke, let’s start from the beginning…

So, this happened exactly halfway between Buffalo and Philly –

Usually a picture of a flat tire would be followed by many four letter words but the only one I could think of was l-u-c-k.  My trip to Philly was greasy, two hours longer than planned and completely exhausting, but I actually started crying because I felt so grateful.  The things I am thankful for –

  • It rained 70% of my trip but not a drop fell during the two hours I was standing on the side of the road changing my tire.
  • My tire blew on a small side road and not when I was going 70 mph on the highway.
  • I was able to take off the nuts and jack up the car all by myself, and if the tire hadn’t been completely rusted to the axle I probably could have done the entire thing myself like a total badass.
  • The nicest man on earth not only stopped to help me out, but drove back to his house for the sledgehammer it took to get my tire off.
  • The nice man gave me directions to his nice friends’ body shop, where they replaced my tire and fixed me up for only $20.

Isn’t the world amazing?  Before the whole debacle I drank a guava Rockstar for breakfast,

and afterwards I shakily ate the half turkey sandwich with cheese and cranberry mayo that I packed from the Co-op. 

And I made it (with aching forearms) to Philly with time to shower and change before the HLS cocktail party.

The drinks, provided by Drink Chia, were super tasty.

This cocktail was a mix (I believe) of Drink Chia, strawberries, and vodka.  It tasted sort of like a bubble tea with mini bobba!

The food was pretty good as well.

I had a corn and crab fritter, a piece of pretzel crusted chicken, a few small bites, plus another piece of the chicken.

Everything was tasty but there wasn’t quite enough sustenance for dinner so a few of us ended up in the hotel restaurant for a late night snack.

I went with the s’mores mousse shooter.

Plus I scarfed up one of the Lindt truffles they brought with the bill.

It was a sweet end to the first day.

The next morning (Saturday) we were up bright and early for breakfast.  Cereal with skim milk,

an Oikos drinkable yogurt with a juicy plum – sidenote, I feel like I had food dripping down my face this whole weekend! –

and a much-needed coffee.

Around this point I realized I probably should be snapping more pictures like a good blogger.

Though I did snag a shot of me with two of my roomies.

I didn’t love the Quaker Smashbar provided on the snack break so I only ate half of it.

But I did love the RD Quaker provided as the key-note speaker.  She wrote a book on being a flexatarian and I loved her points about embracing plants more than avoiding meats.  In fact, all of the sessions were pretty darn informative and inspirational.

Before I knew it, it was time for lunch.

Side salad for greens,

quinoa salad, which had some sort of acid component that took it over the top,

and half a tofu sandwich on Great Harvest bread, squeal!

For dessert I grabbed a milk chocolate crunch Attune probiotic bar.

I had no idea these would be so delicious!  I was very excited to see some coupons in my swag bag.

After the sessions we went to do some city exploring.

Here are all my roomates,

and here is the Liberty Bell.

I’m glad we sight-saw in the way that we did, because our travels took us to Farmacia for dinner.

Yum, seriously just yum x 1000.  The wait staff was so sweet and accommodating of our 12-person party, the space was adorable, and the food was delicious.

I was ravenous and I think my heart actually skipped a beat when this bread and herbed butter were brought to the table.

I ate this slice times two.

Since it was a vacation I went with a John Daly to drink.

Sweet tea vodka and fresh squeezed lemonade, yes please!  A few people sipped my drink and we all agreed it was the best Arnold Palmer ever.

And then came the food.  Which was basically ridiculous.

I ordered the sweet corn and risotto croquettes.  Which came with garden veggie ratatouille,

and sautéed spinach that blew my mind.  It must have been the butter sauce that was floating on my plate.

The spinach was the best thing I ate all weekend, but the croquettes were perfect too; crunchy and creamy all at the same time.  I ate 1.5 croquettes and all of my veggies and was basically in heaven.

You know I have to get self-serve froyo if I’m in a new city.

I got peanut butter, cream cheese (!!), and tart, topped with all the berries, caramel sauce, and sprinkles.

Fueled by sugar, a group of us stayed up until practically 3am!  Normally a 3 am bedtime and 8 am Sunday workout would feel brutal, but I think I was too excited to be tired.  I don’t have any pictures, but I did participate in the HLS 5k.  A huge group walked/ran around the city including the Rocky steps.

When we got back it was time for oatmeal.

Topped with flax, cinnamon, and walnuts.

I also had about a billion mugs of Tazo Earl Grey tea with skim milk.

I am completely obsessed (I stole a few packets from breakfast!) and need to buy this asap.

After the festivities wrapped, a group of us did some more exploring around Philly.

This is what happens when you give bloggers a group photo-op –

For lunch we sought out Philly cheese steaks.  I found success at the Basic 4 Vegetarian Snack Bar.

This monster was vegan, but there is basically no way that the traditional meat sandwich could be better.

I left a lot of the bread, but gobbled up the “meat” which was crunchy in the most pleasing way.  Such a great way to end the weekend!

Around 2 I made my final goodbyes and headed out.  Though I did stop at Whole Foods for an Argo Tea Mojitea for the road.

It was very tasty, but my next two drinks were much more telling.  A grande white mocha coconut frappuccino with 2 extra shots of espresso.

And a huge diet pop with a splash of cherry coke.

Can you say exhausted?!  But I made it home in one piece and had a wonderful weekend to boot!

Did you attend HLS?  What’d you think?

Birds Eye Take Two

by

Tonight for dinner we tried the second half of the Birds Eye Chef’s Favorites sample I was sent as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  To read my thoughts on the line as a whole (convenience, nutrition, etc) please read this post.

On the left is Lightly Sauced Primavera Vegetable Risotto.

Sadly, this was the one variety I didn’t love.  The white rice/carrot/pea combo reminded me too much of fried rice and it was a bit gummy.  I should note, however, that the husband thought it was pretty good, better than the other risotto in fact.  I only ate half of my serving and he happily finished it off.  Each serving contains 180 calories, 4 grams of protein and 14% of your daily sodium.

On the right is Lightly Sauced Roasted Red Potatoes and Green Beans with a Parmesan Olive Oil Sauce.

I was a bigger fan of this one.  The potatoes were neither mushy nor too firm and the sauce was good without being heaving.  120 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 12% of your daily sodium per serving.

To enlarge our meal Adam and I also split a thing of spicy lump crab roll.

The sushi from Wegmans is shockingly good.

My facial appointment went well this afternoon; definitely not something I would pay a full price for but fun to use a Groupon on.  I’m pretty sure the lotion she used with end up making me break out but the shoulder massage was greatly appreciated.

I had to stop by the co-op this afternoon and I was so hungry I ended up buying a small box of hot bar and inhaling it on the walk home.

Adam confirmed my suspicions that walking whilst eating does make you a fatty but it was totally worth it.  I got waldorf chicken salad and a few tortellini.

I’m going to wrap this post up now because (surprise, surprise) I still haven’t packed.  I’ve got to go figure out what I’m going to wear this weekend!

Are you going to the Healthy Living Summit?  If you see me there pretty please say hello; I’m terrible with faces and I’m afraid I’m just going to be stuck in a corner by myself!

Gotta Get Packing

by

This day has been pretty random thus far.  When I woke up at 7 feeling more like the evil witch than Sleeping Beauty, I knew I’d need to sneak in some more sleep before my 7 hour drive to Philly tomorrow.  So I stayed in bed until 10:30 and multitasked walking the dog with my trip to campus to drop off the study materials.

When I got back home there were slim pickings for lunch, but I made do.  The second serving of creamed spinach from last night.

Adam wouldn’t eat it because he’s crazy but I thought it was very tasty, even leftover.

Plus a yogurt bowl.

I whisked together 1/4 cup Plain 0% Stonyfield, 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk.  Topped with 2 sliced plums and a dusting of cinnamon sugar.

Delicious.  I think adding the milk was key, fat-free ricotta is pretty dry.

For dessert I used the broiler to make s’mores.

Gah.  They were no S’mores Brownies, but still delectable.

On the agenda for the rest of the day –

  • prepping food for Adam this weekend
  • cashing in a Groupon for a facial(!!)
  • packing for HLS!

Birds Eye Blue

by

Tonight, we dined in the future!  Well sort of, we tried the new Chef’s Favorites line from Birds Eye that won’t hit stores until September.  I was sent an exclusive free trial to sample as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.

Initial thought – I think this line is a wonderful idea.  Each bag contains two servings and cooks in the microwave in approximately 5 minutes.  The veggies are flash frozen and the ingredients are mostly natural, 99% just like a home-cooked meal.  The meals cook right in the bag, so you don’t have to dirty any dishes or really do anything.  Two bags come together to make a nice meal (with a protein ideally) in approximately 10 minutes, and those 10 minutes are basically hands-off.  All of which is to say, if you have a few of these in your freezer there’s no way to say “I’m too tired for dinner, let’s get take-out.”

On the left is the Lightly Sauced Mushroom and Green Bean Risotto.

It contained a few iffy ingredients (xanthan gum, modified food starch, maltodextrin) but overall was like what I’d make at home.  The taste was pretty similar to what I’d make on my own (after way more work!) too.  Not the best risotto of all time, but very creamy and with a good ratio of rice to veggies.  Each serving had 170 calories, 5 grams of protein, and only 18% of your allotted sodium.

On the right is Lightly Sauced Creamed Spinach.

This was nice and creamy though the spinach did have a little bitterness.  Each serving contained 90 calories, 3 grams of protein, and only 14% of your allotted sodium.

Together, this made a tasty meal.

Wins all around, I say.

The calories in dinner were pretty light though (~270), so I supplemented with beer.

Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager is in my top five for favorite beers.

We also had j-e-l-l-o for dessert.

This afternoon I made up a box of pina colada jello with half water and half club soda for some fizz.

‘Twas good.

Two final notes:  1 – We are currently half way through “Blue Valentine” and I’m loving it.  All this point I can’t decide if it’s really hopeful or really sad, maybe both.  2 – Webster’s godmother asked for a picture that shows how big he is –

I Lied

by

I lied.

I know I said I wasn’t going to blog until Friday, but the minute I told myself I didn’t have to, then I wanted to.  It’s like I just needed the freedom not to.  Does that make sense to anyone else?

Anyway, I’m glad I decided to blog because I’m having a good day.  This morning was full of excitement; I went with some friends to buy our lab coats for clinical.

Like a boss RD.  Though I imagine I’ll look less silly when I’m not rocking jeans underneath.  I’m just glad to have that trip out of the way before the school year starts.

My friend Hillary drove, so I walked to campus in the morning to meet up.  Afterward I got dropped off at home to grab Webster for a walk and we ended up accompanying my friend Janessa back to campus.  All total I made the trip three times, which is good practice since I plan on walking to class again this semester.

The non-canine walkers got Starbucks during the walk.  I drank a tall white mocha frappuccino but I don’t have a photo because I still thought I wasn’t blogging.  Here’s what you want to see a picture of anyway –

Have I mentioned I’m in love?  We call him Webs, Dog, or Little Dude.

I’m glad that coffee fills me up because I had lots of little things to do on my computer, and I took Webster on another walk, and before I knew it 3 o’clock came without me eating any solid food.  I was heading to the grocery anyway and luckily I found a magazine in our mailbox on the way so I grabbed hot bar for lunch.

Panang tofu, channa masala, and veggies from the cashew chicken.

plus fruit for dessert.

I had to replenish our stores so I could cook Adam casserole for while I’m gone.  Speaking of which, I probably should start thinking about packing for HLS, huh?

Bloggers – how often would you say you just don’t feel like blogging?  What helps you push through your rut?