So after my most recent post, the one about summer snacks, I received a huge spike in page views, a record high! While the amount of page views may seem small in comparison to many people's blogs, I am so thankful that so many of you, from all around the World, are interested in what I have to say. I will be coming out with more posts soon, including some recipes, so please keep on coming back. I really appreciate all the support I'm receiving from you so keep it up!
Also, you can quite easily subscribe to this blog and become a fabulous foodie! The button is on the right hand side, below the page views and writer profile. If you could join the ranks of foodies, I would appreciate it. Expect another post on Sunday, so please stay tuned.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Hale Summer
While the summer solstice isn't until the 21st of June, May is the precursor month, and in my opinion one of the best times of the year for food. The weather is cold enough to still serve hot soups and winter roots, but it gets warm enough to serve fresh, crisp salads and iced beverages. Meals can be served inside by the hearth on a rainy evening, or out in the park on a sunny day. The weather is realatively consistent and mild, making it the perfect time for, well, just about anything! Go nuts!
One of my favorite early summer drinks is the Japanese bottled green tea, Ito En Oi Ocha. Though iced tea is considered more of a mid-late summer drink, this delicious, unsweetened tea is the perfect blend of delicacy and unique flavor for this season. I have to ration myself while drinking this tea, I would literally drink it non stop if I didn't have to eat. Another great drink is perrier, or any other mineral water for that matter. Add some grapefruit or cranberry juice to the sparkling water, and you have a homemade soda that is much healthier a store-bought brand, and is just as delicious.
Now for snacks. So on the unhealthy side, I adore salt and vinegar potato chips, especially if they are vinegar heavy. Then there are also the Limón Lays, which are so deliciously lemony, and the only type of Lays I like. Though these are incredibly fattening, and will clog up your arteries if you eat them too much, they are perfectly fine if eaten in moderation. On the healthy side, I love to eat chia seeds and almonds all year round. Living in the 21st century modern world, you have access to all sorts food year round, wether or not they are in season, so I typically visit the regional Whole Foods or Trader Joe's to grab a bag of snacks. Trader Joe's has amazing pita chips as well, which are in between healthy and unhealthy, and I eat an ungodly amount of them.
I plan on making some posts about individual meals later, so thats why I didn't include them. But these drinks and snacks are great additions to your spring/summer picnics!
One of my favorite early summer drinks is the Japanese bottled green tea, Ito En Oi Ocha. Though iced tea is considered more of a mid-late summer drink, this delicious, unsweetened tea is the perfect blend of delicacy and unique flavor for this season. I have to ration myself while drinking this tea, I would literally drink it non stop if I didn't have to eat. Another great drink is perrier, or any other mineral water for that matter. Add some grapefruit or cranberry juice to the sparkling water, and you have a homemade soda that is much healthier a store-bought brand, and is just as delicious.
Now for snacks. So on the unhealthy side, I adore salt and vinegar potato chips, especially if they are vinegar heavy. Then there are also the Limón Lays, which are so deliciously lemony, and the only type of Lays I like. Though these are incredibly fattening, and will clog up your arteries if you eat them too much, they are perfectly fine if eaten in moderation. On the healthy side, I love to eat chia seeds and almonds all year round. Living in the 21st century modern world, you have access to all sorts food year round, wether or not they are in season, so I typically visit the regional Whole Foods or Trader Joe's to grab a bag of snacks. Trader Joe's has amazing pita chips as well, which are in between healthy and unhealthy, and I eat an ungodly amount of them.
I plan on making some posts about individual meals later, so thats why I didn't include them. But these drinks and snacks are great additions to your spring/summer picnics!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Granola: Healthy or Not?
While granola professes that it is a health food, recent studies have shows then a cup of granola is equivalent to a MacDonald's breakfast sandwich. "Wait, what?". Ya, me too. I couldn't believe that this delicious and supposedly nutritious cereal was actually bad for me. With all the sugar that comes in your delicious, crunchy, morning boost, just one cup of granola can easily exceed 600 calories, while a MacDonald's cheeseburger is only 300. No, I'm not saying skip granola and fatten up on fake meat and oily fries, the point I'm trying to get across is to get you to do your research. I'm still going strong on the granola train, but I'm learning how to be healthy about it.
When eating granola, check how many calories per serving, and check the serving size. Also, make sure it isn't filled with sugar, which is the secret poison to creating belly fat. If the granola tastes to bland, add cinnamon or cloves or even basil, and maybe have it with rice milk. These ingredients enhance the flavor, without heaping on the guilt. Don't get me wrong, I love sweets, but sometimes its better to eat healthy so that you can have some delicious dessert later. I have just finished a bag of granola that I got at Gelson's and you should get it by the way cause it was amazing. It was relatively bland, but I added some cinnamon and then it was perfect. It has almonds, sunflower seeds, and lots of other delicious and amazing ingredients that help you have a great start to your day.
Sorry I broke my promise and I haven't been posting, I could give so many excuses but I really just need to focus my time and energy better. Hopefully I will post something more interesting soon!
When eating granola, check how many calories per serving, and check the serving size. Also, make sure it isn't filled with sugar, which is the secret poison to creating belly fat. If the granola tastes to bland, add cinnamon or cloves or even basil, and maybe have it with rice milk. These ingredients enhance the flavor, without heaping on the guilt. Don't get me wrong, I love sweets, but sometimes its better to eat healthy so that you can have some delicious dessert later. I have just finished a bag of granola that I got at Gelson's and you should get it by the way cause it was amazing. It was relatively bland, but I added some cinnamon and then it was perfect. It has almonds, sunflower seeds, and lots of other delicious and amazing ingredients that help you have a great start to your day.
Sorry I broke my promise and I haven't been posting, I could give so many excuses but I really just need to focus my time and energy better. Hopefully I will post something more interesting soon!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
St. Valentine's Day
Its that time of the year again, the season of love. Yup, start up your cars, drive to See's Candy (or Trader Joe's, they have great dark chocolate bars) and buy some of those classic, red-heart boxes. Unfortunantely, I will be out of town over Valentine's Day, so I won't get to munch up some truffles with my other single friends. Nope I will be up to my neck in politics; but that is for another time.
So! Some background on the...3rd most delicious (and least nutritious) holiday of the year!
- Named after St. Valentine, who was a christian martyr who lived, and died, in Rome
- About 58 MILLION lbs. of chocolate are consumed PER YEAR on Valentine's day
- $345.00 million dollars are spent a year on Valentine's day chocolates
So with this in mind, why not save some cash and make your own treats? I once went to this chocolate class, we made bars, hearts, sculptures, etc. There were molds and such, but I went for the classic, flat bar. Not with the little squares, like Hershey's, but smooth and flat (but feel free to use whatever mold you want). You melt some baker's chocolate, add in a teensy it of milk, some flavors, nuts, dried fruit, and mix it all up. Or, if you're super fancy, marble dark and white chocolate together. And if you want to REALLY impress your valentine, or your single alter ego, go to any respectable food store and buy some edible shimmer power. It looks stunning.
I'm an ameture here talking, but if you are seriously into this "do it yourself" thing, check out this guy's (David Lebowitz) blog, he is a fab foodie for sure:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/01/how-to-make-chocolate-bars-recipe
So! Some background on the...3rd most delicious (and least nutritious) holiday of the year!
- Named after St. Valentine, who was a christian martyr who lived, and died, in Rome
- About 58 MILLION lbs. of chocolate are consumed PER YEAR on Valentine's day
- $345.00 million dollars are spent a year on Valentine's day chocolates
So with this in mind, why not save some cash and make your own treats? I once went to this chocolate class, we made bars, hearts, sculptures, etc. There were molds and such, but I went for the classic, flat bar. Not with the little squares, like Hershey's, but smooth and flat (but feel free to use whatever mold you want). You melt some baker's chocolate, add in a teensy it of milk, some flavors, nuts, dried fruit, and mix it all up. Or, if you're super fancy, marble dark and white chocolate together. And if you want to REALLY impress your valentine, or your single alter ego, go to any respectable food store and buy some edible shimmer power. It looks stunning.
I'm an ameture here talking, but if you are seriously into this "do it yourself" thing, check out this guy's (David Lebowitz) blog, he is a fab foodie for sure:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/01/how-to-make-chocolate-bars-recipe
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Happy (Belated) New Year!
Wow. My most sincere appologies for not having posted since... last year. I've been so busy with work, and life, and being incredibly sick over Christmas, and then omygoodness just Life. Well, I'm back and I hope to be more of a regular blogger. Anywho, my life's been good. Thus far, no complaints about 2013, except that I haven't been able to cook much. Don't get me wrong, I haven't reverted to frozen food tv dinners, but the creativity of my food has...slipped. I have been trying to eat healthier, eating lentils, fresh produce, and my favorite: quinoa.
Quinoa is a tricky thing, as you can read in this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa.
Though it is undisputedly healthy, it has serious affects on the economic status of peoples and on the environment. Though I don't want to give up this delicious grain, I think this is just a good time to pause and think about how our food intake affects the lives of people globally. No, don't just think of the starving children in Africa, think about native people who have to give up their multi purpose fields for one food source they will never eat. Think of sugar plantations, think of exploitation. Just reflect on how your life choices affect everyone, near and far.
Goodnight!
Quinoa is a tricky thing, as you can read in this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa.
Though it is undisputedly healthy, it has serious affects on the economic status of peoples and on the environment. Though I don't want to give up this delicious grain, I think this is just a good time to pause and think about how our food intake affects the lives of people globally. No, don't just think of the starving children in Africa, think about native people who have to give up their multi purpose fields for one food source they will never eat. Think of sugar plantations, think of exploitation. Just reflect on how your life choices affect everyone, near and far.
Goodnight!
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