Saffron rice, artichoke hearts, kidney bean and corn salad (excellent) and applesauce.

Boiled banana (in spices), breakfast greens and a lonely pancake.

Back to Reality

So we are back home safe and sound after an amazing trip. The water there is sparkling and perfect. Here are some great eats we had while we were there!

Brown Hardboiled eggs, granola with all-natural yogurt and dehydrated apples.

Jamacia here we come!

My better half and I will be jetting off to Jamacia late tonight to be welcomed tomorrow by the ocean, sun and lots of play time! So for now my blog will be put on hold until I return. When I do, there will be tons of pictures of our eating (and drinking) adventures. This is another time when I say good-bye to my healthy eating and get right back on track when I return.

Not your Nacho Snack! Fiber Gourmet Munchy Review.

How cute an 80 calorie snack with a nacho cheese punch-- Take that 100-calorie snacks! These special little crackers rival any of those cheesy fat filled ones that love to drop out of vending machines. They are flavorful and crispy satisfying your crunching cravings with a generous 80 calorie (I had to say that again) portion with 12 grams of fiber to keep your tummy full. Fiber Gourmet has more tricks up their sleeves so watch for more of their products popping up soon.

Not reaching your goals?

Many people are shocked when they realize how many calories they are actually taking in! A bite here, a little extra there -- it all adds up. I maintain a food journal on the free website-- www.fitday.com. It is the best tool in reaching your goals, whatever they may be. Not only do they have thousands and thousands of items already in their database you can also enter "custom foods" according to packages or recipes you create on your own. The program is so advanced that it keeps track of your calories, protein and fat-- it even gives you a little graph. I like to keep my macros at 40/40/20 but that is a perfect day for me. Yours will be different depending on your needs but to get started you can at least keep track of what you are putting in your body. It will also monitor your weight, goal weight, overall nutrient levels and activity levels. Sign up now! Here is what it looks like:

Cyto-Sport Muscle Milk Protein Brownie

1 packet

Then add an 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder (not soda), couple packets of sweetner and enough water to make a thick paste. Place in microwave for about 45 seconds, check it and see if the mixture has turned into a brownie like texture, if not stick back in for another 15-30 seconds til done. I like mine a little on the wet side for an oozy chocolate treat. This is my favorite mid-morning snack here at work. I feel more satisfied when I eat something versus just drinking a protein shake. I might be the only person with a full set of measuring spoons, cups, baking powder, cocoa powder etc etc etc in my drawers!

Product Review: Carrington Farms Flax Paks &The Benefits of Flax

First off-- Thank you to Carrington Farms for creating these portable, ready to use "Flax Paks". Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about the use of flax and the addition of it to breads, cereals and mixes but no one really knows "why" flax is so important in your diet. Flax has so many benefits that it is often labeled a "superfood" and is very versatile in its uses. For a long time I thought it was simply a source of fiber that aids in digestion but that is just the begginning. Flax lowers cholesterol levels and, fights disease (including cancer, heart and diabetes). For dieters, flax can work wonders! Due to the (good) fat and fiber content it can keep you full for hours! It has a nutty flavor that I love!
Here is how I plan to use these convenient paks:
- Sprinkled on yogurts or salads

- As a healthy egg swap in baking

- To add volume to recipes

- To try some of those recipes floating around in the WW community for flax pancakes, one-minute muffins etc...

Naturally More Almond Butter

So I am a peanut butter fan all the way but now my heart is torn! This almond butter is creamy, rich and delicious with little chunks of almonds throughout. I will definitly be putting this in my "rotation", it was so yummy. I have so many ideas for using this almond butter but last night it was straight outta the jar! Now the thing I love most about the product is that the chefs over at Naturally More decided to take something that was already so great (almonds) and enhance it to make it protein rich and full of flax. I am always looking for ways to add protein to my diet to constantly feed my muscles! The protein added to this nut butter is the "purest protein available. Eggs contain the highest quality source of protein available but they also contain almost every essential vitamin and mineral needed by humans." PLUS this contains no cholosterol. "Flaxseed contains lignans that have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-cancer properties." I love this stuff. Visit their website ASAP!

Eddie's to the rescue!

Last night I had the great pleasure of enjoying another bar by Eddie's. The bar is Fresh, Natural and provides Energy with a kick of protein and fiber. This bar was similar in texture to the other Eddie's bar I reviewed, which just so happened to be my FAVORITE chocolate bar EVER. No joke! This one was "organic peanut butter with chocolate chips", their most popular.

This bar was again thick, cake like, filled with good wholesome ingredients like peanut butter, oats and of course-- chocolate chips! Huge for the nutrtionals too which wins my heart every time.

The whole thing contains only 234 calories and has 8 grams of protein, now thats a great snack or mini-meal paired with a piece of fruit or yogurt. Get on their website and read their ingredient lists if you aren't sold yet. Their bars are so simple, clean and REAL FOOD! Since Eddie's is not filled with artificial ingredients or preservatives (which I love) my other bars are now tucked safely in the freezer just waiting for me.

Reader Question!

I am going to answer any questions that I get. Here we go...
Megan A. asked me if I "eat perfect all the time?"

Megan, Thanks for asking. The word perfect and my name should not even be in the same sentence! In my humble opinion, the word perfect should not be used to describe anything to do with the human race! It should be reserved for animals and nature... But back to your question-- no way! I do have rules of thumb though that might help you-- When I am looking to maintain my weight I eat "clean" 80% of the time, 20% of the time anything is game including alcohol. When I am trying to lose weight I eat "clean" 90% of the time and try to only have alcohol sparingly. So if you eat 8-10 meals per day like me then you have 56-70 meals per week-- in maintenance mode this would be 45-56 "clean" and the rest up to you.

Take this weekend for example-- I shared a few bottles of wine, ate tons of snacks and blew all nutrition facts out the window! Did I have fun doing it? YOU BET!

Meet Dexter!

Take a look at my boy! I am so proud of him. Apparently, he is tired of his mom always having her head in the cabinets so he stuck himself in there to get some extra attention. He IS cute enough to eat. My other boy, Spencie, is a bit camera shy this week but I am sure he will come around soon!

Element Bar: Dr Clyde Berry Bar

Another shoutout to my friends at Element Bars! The Dr. Clyde Berry Bar Rocks! Check it out for yourself:

Look at the nuttiness of this bar! And the dried berries... MMMMMMMMMMM! I love that the Element products are all-natural and you can feel great about putting them in your body. Visit their website to grab this bar or even customize one of your own!

Toufayan Crispy Breadsticks

Light, crispy, baked breadsticks coated in nutty flavored sesame seeds!

It doesn't get much better than this. These breadsticks are a great alternative to chips, crackers etc... They would go great on the side of soups, salads or if you are like me-- on their own!

Product Review: Vitalicious

The folks over at Vitalicious do not disappoint! I have been lucky enough to find the Cran-Bran muffin tops at my local store occasionally but now I am able to try so many more flavors and BEG my retailers to carry more of a variety. I was lucky enough to munch on the Vita Brownie (complete with walnuts on the top) and the Double Chocolate Dream. They were both equally dreamy!

WOW! The Double Chocolate flavor was fantastic! Rich and fudgy complete with white chocolate chips. I warmed it in the microwave for about 20 seconds and it was like a warm piece of cake. I felt like I was cheating and all for 100 calories. I just couldn’t stop there so I went for the Vita Brownie and oh boy—it was absolutely my favorite. SO moist and delicious. I am amazed how chocolate-ty this one is. And let me tell you—I LOVE CHOCOLATE. I can see myself eating these at breakfast, between breakfast and lunch with some fruit, after lunch, pre-workout, or as dessert! That is how good these are.
Hop over to their website: VITALICIOUS and order NOW! Keep your eyes peeled for more Vita-Reviews coming soon!

Kathy’s Krackers

First off, let me thank Kathy’s Krackers for making a “kracker’ that I don’t have to feel guilty about eating. Kathy’s makes a few kinds and this weekend, I chewed the Salsa style krackers. Instead of being loaded with artificial flavors, ingredients and fillers they have made a crisp, crunchy and healthy snack. The salsa variety is very spicy so those that love a kick will love these! Another thing I loved about these snacks is they required no sauce or dip to make them incredibly tasty!

Visit Kathy’s Krackers website!

Eddie's Website and Some More Bar Pics

I could not resist posting the pictures of the other bars that I have of Eddie's plus I wanted to make sure you had a link to the website!

Eddie's Energy Bars

Saturday mid-morning I decided I wanted a treat and boy did I ever get one. I had the Eddie's Double Chocolate Energy Bar. Let me tell you about it. It was THICK, BIG, HEALTHY and amazingly delicious. It was like eating a giant brownie packed with chocolate chips. I can not say enough about this bar, it was hands down the BEST CHOCOLATE protein/ fiber bar I have ever had in my life. I will be enjoying a few more bars by Eddie's in the near future and expect more mouth-gasms. Here is a picture of the chocolate one. I had to shoot it from the side too just so you could see how thick and big this bar actually is. Please head over to this website and show Eddie's some love, they love back!

More Toufayan creations!

Check out my lunch! A take on the classic PB&J with milk. An EAS Carb Control Vanilla protein drink rounds out this lunch. Is it noon yet?!

This lovely creation is made using Toufayan wheat pitas.

Good stuff! Check out the nutritionals as well:

Element Bar Review: D Bernsen

Wow! This was a great bar-- just take a look at the texture. The picture can not even do this one justice! Filled with nuts, oats, berries!

Creamy Bean-Asparagus-Wild Mushroom Soup

I have always loved creamy soups but not the nutritionals that came along with it.

Puree 1 can of rinsed Great Nothern White Beans with enough milk to make a soupy consistency
Choose veggies and spices to add to the soup base. I like making a creamy asparagus:

Steam asapargus ahead of time then cut into bite size pieces. Simmer in soup base with some pepper and nu-salt or any
low sodium salt replacer.

You can also sautee a variety of mushrooms and make wild mushroom soup.

I am sure there are so many other ideas you can come up with.

Try this soup and don't forget to pair with Kathy's Savory Krackers on the side!

Popye's Favorite Smoothie

Believe it or not-- you don't really taste the spinach. Make sure your spinach is fresh, not frozen.

3 cups spinach leaves, not pressed down
1 banana
1/2 cup carb countdown milk, soy milk or almond milk
a few ice cubes
this is where you can get creative -- add another combination:

1-2 tablespoons peanut butter + another 1/2 cup of liquid
1 tablespoon Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder + another 1/2 cup of liquid (it looks NASTY but tastes great)
2 tablespoons SF/FF Banana Pudding Mix + another 1/2 cup of liquid
Dash of extract (banana, pinapple or coconut) + 1/2 cup coconut milk
any other fruit with about 1/4 cup of liquid-- try oranges, apple slices, pears

18 Rabbits—No rabbits were harmed in this taste test!

Get ready to drool over the unbelievable treat I just had from 18 Rabbits! These people really know how to make an awesome bar. After reading the ingredient list to ensure it contained no rabbits I ripped open the mod wrapper of the “Cheeky Cherry Chocolate” to find this bar brimming with chunks of chocolate, chewy cherries, nuts, seeds and hearty oats. Where has this bar been all my life? I was also delighted to see that this was an organic bar and I have a sneaking suspicious it is so good because the base of it is their own “Gracious Granola”.

Click Here!

Toufayan Pitettes!

The Experts over at Toufayan knocked my socks off AGAIN with their Pitettes! You can have two-- YES TWO-- pita breads for the following nutritionals:
2 LOAVES
140 calories
6 grams of protein

No added salt and wheat based. But what about the taste you say? Fantastic.

Now I am ready to share my insanely awesome snack with you!

2 loaves, 1 sliced banana and a big tablespoon of peanut butter.

Toufayan LOW CARB LOW FAT wraps

Where have these wraps been all my life?! These wraps have 140 calories, 15 grams of carbs and GET THIS--- 13 GRAMS OF PROTEIN!!! After these stunning nutritionals I did not expect what I got from the taste! These wraps are delicious. They held my whole creation and did not rip or tear. Try this recipe:

1/2 cup black beans pureed
1/4 cup salsa of choice
1/4 cup spanish rice
spinach leaves
avacado
1 Toufayan Wrap

I warmed the wrap for about 10 seconds in the microwave and dumped all my goodies into it, rolled it up and devoured. Let me tell you this wrap didn't have a chance! Tomorrow morning I will be stuffing it with eggs and veggies for a great start to the morning! I can see myself using this for any meal. I have so many ideas -- veggie chili burrito, as a pizza flat in the oven, filled with vegtables, quesadillas, baked to a crisp and dipped in hummus!!!! Expect many more recipes with this product.

ELEMENT BARS: WARNING- DO NOT EAT WHILE IN MOTION

Seriously these Element Bars stopped me dead in my tracks. Post workout today I had the Chewy Almond-- Just unwrapping this from the chic wrapper I was DROOLING. The texture was amazing and the hearty ingredients were popping out of the bar! The Chewy Almond bar has well-- almonds of course but sweet cranberries, oats, flax seed meal, soy protein with nom-tastic hint of peanut butter and vanilla. I can not say enough about this bar. Check back as I will be reviewing more of the Element Bars including: Crispy Cranberry, D Bernsen, Dr. Clyde Cherry Chocolate, Chocolate Nut Pie (this one has my name all over it) and Dr. Clyde Berry Bar. In the meantime, head over to the Element Bar website--- not only can you order one of their popular bars but you can CUSTOMIZE your own bars! Thinking ahead to the holidays I think these would make a great gift! Get there now!

Element Bars

Vegetarian Loaf

Okay, the name probably doesn't draw you in but you have to try it!

1 cup beans of choice
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup UN-cooked oatmeal
1/2 cup brown rice or other grain (tried 7-grain pilaf and wild rice for this both wonderful)
this ingredient is optional but gives it so much flavor: pick a chopped raw nut and gently toast on the stovetop (1/4 to 1/2 cup) then stir into mix
then add an egg, or equivelent of whites/ beaters
water as needed to stir
then some garlic powder, salt-free seasoning blend etc of choice

MIX MIX MIX then pour into loaf pan. Set oven at 350 and let it bake until knife comes out clean on middle rack. Depending on my ingredients its usually 30-50 minutes. Transfer to top rack to get a nice crust on the top. Serve with mashed cauliflower. This recipe is so versatile and you can use up items you have leftover or sitting in your pantry and it always turns out so good!

Crepes with Pumpkin Filling

For your crepe:
1/4 cup egg whites
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
packet of sweetner

Cook like you would a pancake. After you flip and the one side is done take the prepared filling below and spread onto one half of the crepe, cover so filling warms. When it is totally cooked fold in half and serve!

For your pumpkin filling:
1/4 cup pure canned pumpkin
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
puree these ingredients in blender-- add a very tiny amount of vanilla extract and 2 packets sweetner of choice if desired

Does not even need syrup!

November Already?!

TONS of winter inspired recipes coming soon! Keep checking back. I am taking advantage of the "fall" foods that are in season. Sweet potatoes, apples, squash are blowing my mind right now! What recipes would you like to see? Challenge me to create a healthy dish for you!

Peanut -Thai Inspired Noodles!

Yum! Anything with a hint of peanut butter is good! For this dish you will only need a few products then add away with just about any veggies. First off, prepare your noodles. I generally use Shiraki noodles but some people use a high fiber noodle, wheat noodle or miracle noodles. Just about anything will work for this dish! Then make your peanuty sauce:

4 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Low-Sodium soy sauce of choice
1 tablespoon melted peanut butter or PB2 reconsituted in a dab of water
1 packet sweetner of choice

MIX! I added some broccoli and scallions but whatever you want to add would work great. If I had some spouts I would have tossed those in. Next time I will be adding tofu to my peanuty goodness.