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Sibling (Coffee) Rivalry
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I think my brother finds my taste in coffee offensive. He works for Whole Foods, meticulously learning about and selling Allegro coffee and yet, his big sister carelessly buys the cheapest possible thing that will most taste like a confection in her morning cup. And then when I reviewed the Starbucks Natural Fusions (which I maintain are good, especially the Vanilla, sorry Billy), I think he almost disowned me. He once told me that he did not know how I could care so much about the food I eat, but be so disrespectful toward coffee by buying it artificially flavored. Yes, he takes coffee very seriously. I understand the passion. I am very serious about things like flour, sugar and vanilla, and that is why I opened his coffee present to me with open arms.
He is trying to convert me and make me love something he loves. I respect that.
If he had it his way he would give me beans and I would grind them myself then prepare my coffee in a French Press, but obviously that’s not happening. Baby steps.
Today, with trepidation, I tried the Allegro Organic Nicaragua Canta Gallo. I was convinced it would be a bitter mess, but I was (thankfully) wrong!
It was delicious, so good that I made more and had a second cup. Now I have the coffee shakes, but that’s a different story.
State Street Grill – Bloomfield, N.J.
Mark and I just got back from a great lunch at the State Street Grill.
It’s a gorgeously perfect summer day outside, so we took the opportunity to eat on the roof.
The view of downstairs.
State Street is like a diner with a menu that is as long as a novel. They have pretty much everything you would expect, plus more … think Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches and Spring Rolls.
They don’t have a ton of healthy vegetarian options, but I’ve had the Veggie Burger before and that’s pretty good. Today, however, I wasn’t in the mood for a burger so I got the Spinach Salad without the bacon and with Balsamaic Vinagerette on the side.
Tons of spinach and fresh veggies. I hate when I get a salad out at a diner type restaurant and they serve you brown, wilted iceberg! Very delicious once I removed those pesky mushrooms. Yuck!
Mark got a Chicken Gyro with Zucchini Sticks.
He shared the sticks with me and I shared my mushrooms with him – I think I won out in this deal, no? The Zucchini sticks were battered and fried, but oh my , worth it.
I need to go back again with an emptier belly to try some of that gelato. Perhaps in the fall I can get some Pumpkin!
We are off to attempt our first official hike! WIsh us luck & have a great Saturday!
State Street Grill
973.748.3003
Bloomfield, N.J. 07003
| 9 State Street |
EVOL Lunch + Walking Around
I had the best lunch today! After a quick mid-morning trip to the gym I came home ready to eat … and fast! I nuked this EVOL Vegetable Fajita for 2 minutes and then popped it in the oven while I took a shower. By the time I got out, got dry and got dressed, it was ready for consumption.
I paired it with some mixed veggies and about 2/3 of a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar. I usually keep them in the fridge, but this one was out on the counter of my hot kitchen so it was melty and even just like a warn cookie.
The fajita was pretty good too. They were on sale at Whole Foods, so I decided to finally pick a few up after eying them in the freezer section and then seeing them on Bridget’s blog.
Three cheers for a whole wheat tortilla and tons of beans, corn and pepper. The seasoning was really mild and kind of lacked that fajita kick, but I’d rather have mild and add my own accoutrements, than something nasty and over-processed. I would definitely get these again if they are $2 like this one was.
Notes on Walking
I think walking is really an underrated form of enjoyable exercise. After dinner Mark and I went for a walk. We walk pretty frequently, but usually we each have so much going on that by the time we get out for a walk we only have 30 minutes to spare. Well not tonight! Tonight we walked and talked for over 2 hours! It was an awesome way to get in some extra exercise, get fresh air and catch up. I really think walking is awesome!
Don’t forget to ask Dr. Malina a question - it doesn’t have to be about cereal, anything nutrition related will do.
Good Night … True Blood beckons!
The New Larabar Flavors
I’ve had three new Larabar flavors in my possession for oh, three days now. You know what that means … review time! No prior experience with Larabars necessary in order to benefit from my review.
The first one I tried was Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. The ingredients are simply cashew, dates, chocolate chips (watch out dairy-free readers) and salt. Totally 100% delicious! I had 1/2 after dinner for dessert … and then about 10 minutes later I had the other half for second dessert. Luckily this bar did not have an overwhelming date flavor that I find in many Larabars. I was really pleasantly surprised that it tasted quite similar to real cookie dough, especially when eaten cold straight from the fridge.
Verdict: Definitely a winner for a sweet treat! Would buy again if I wanted candy.
Next up was Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.
It’s hard to go wrong when you combine peanut butter and chocolate, so of course it was tasty. I would say, however, that I found it a little dry. If you’ve had the Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar you might know what I’m talking about – there’s a dryness there that the Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor doesn’t have.
Oh and sometimes size matters and this was really small! Check it out next to a mini Tootsie Pop.
Verdict: Good, but I think I prefer Peanut Butter & Jelly simply because of the dryness here.
Finally, I tried the Carrot Cake.
First impression – total winner! It’s hard to get a carroty flavor in a bar without it tasting nasty, but it works here. It also had the spice of real carrot cake. And you have to appreciate seeing carrots in your bar!
Second and third bites … I started tasting citrus and coconut and I wasn’t pleased. You see, there are two ways to make carrot cake, with pineapple or without. I always choose without pineapple. I just don’t like the flavor mixed with carrot, and prefer my carrot cake more spicy than fruit. In some bites I got this flavor and in other bites I didn’t.
Overall, if you like coconutty, pineapple carrot cake, then you will like this one. If you like the Tropical Fruit Larabar, you will most likely love this one.
Verdict: I liked the bites without the pineapple.
Have you tried the new Larabars? What did you think? If you haven’t tried them yet, which do you think sounds the best?
Pizza Party + Life Without an iPhone
I made my return to running yesterday after almost three months and a stress fracture in my foot. I listened to Eminem’s I’m Not Afraid 5 times in a row and ran 2.1 miles. That song is awesome. The words are wonderful.
While running I thought about my iPhone. I’ve been without it for a month or so now after it died a premature death. My replacement is the first cell phone ever made. Let me tell you about its features: it rings. That’s all. You can’t even leave a voice mail.
Mark just got the new iPhone, which leaves his old one available for me, but I’m not sure I want it. At first I really missed my iPhone. I had no GPS to get me places, no emails or twitter to occupy me in line at the market, no internet to read at stop lights. It was sad. But now, I think I kind of love it.
Life without an iPhone is simpler and it makes me pay more attention to the things around me more. I really recommend it.
I also really recommend pizza parties! When Mark and I got back from vacation we had coupons for free Boboli Pizza Crust and Sargento Reduced Sodium Cheese waiting for us. Obviously, this calls for a pizza party!
If you, like me, have five kids in your family then you know ordering what you wanted on pizza for the house was not an option. That’s why those mini Boboli shells were the best things ever. I was able to design a whole pizza for myself, by myself and none of my siblings could eat it or complain. Loved it! But it’s been years since I tried Boboli because I usually make my own dough or at least my own pizza from a dough ball.
We picked up the Whole Wheat Thin Crust and were both pleasantly surprised by the taste.
We also picked up the Sargento Reduced Sodium Mild Cheddar. I don’t eat a lot of shredded cheese, but I thought it tasted the same as other brands with full sodium. Mark thought the taste was good, but the texture was a little different.
Mark worked hard to prepare his half of the pizza.
He used some of the cheese to make us a little appetizer.
So here is our creation.
Mark’s Half: Taco Pizza
- Quick Sauce
- Turkey Meat
- Paprika
- Chilli Powder
- Garlic Powdere
- Salsa
- Sargento Reduced Sodium Mild Cheddar Cheese
Heather’s Half: Zucchini Pizza
- Quick Sauce
- 1% Fat Cottage Cheese
- Zucchini
Everything was delicious! The cheese was a big hit on Mark’s half! Like I said, we were pleasantly surprised by the taste of the Boboli crust – it wasn’t overpowering and didn’t have a fake or overpowering flavor, and of course the convenience can’t be beat. Thanks Boboli and Sargento!
So, my question is … how connected are you? I’ve been enjoying my iPhone-less life. What about you?
Siggi’s Review + More!
Good morning everyone! Happy Friday.
Mark sent a picture of what he’s been eating at E3, an electronics expo in California. They have an unlimited supply of Clif Bars!
Siggi’s Time
I returned home yesterday with another Siggi’s yogurt to try. Elina just met Mr. Siggi (whose first name is actually Siggi). Last time I tried Vanilla and this time I tried Pomegranate Passion Fruit. I am ready to formualte a review. This is a product you might have seen in the blog world and thought, “I really need this in my life,” so I hope you find my review helpful!
Pros
- Overall pleasant experience eating it. It has excellent packaging causing me to feel fancy and mature when eating it.
- Great nutritionals – 120 calories, 11 g of sugar (sweetened with agave), 16 g of protein.
- Very thick!
- Tangy flavor that does not taste fake at all.
Cons
- Way too expensive ($2.79 at my local Whole Foods).
- Not as creamy (liquidy) as Greek Yogurt.
- The taste does not always represent the flavor. In other words, there were undertones of the flavor each time I tried the yogurt, but it’s not really powerful or very apparent. I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing, but I do think it’s something to be aware of.
Overall, I would buy it if the price is right, but it was not so amazing that I would drop $2.79 on one container!
Survey Time
The lovely Jessica sent me two jars of PB2! Upon closer inspection of these jars she realized the “Best if Used By Date” was earlier this June. I’ve emailed PB2, but didn’t get a response yet and I’m dying over here … does anyone have any thoughts on whether I can use this? Like I said, it’s not an expiration date and the ingredients are peanuts + salt. What do you think?
As you could probably tell from my week of posts I’ve been a little lazy in the cooking department this week. I love to cook, but with Mark away for the week it was kind of the perfect excuse to be a cooking minimalist. Don’t worry though, I have some serious baking in my future tonight!
BSC Mania
It’s been a week since I had a BSC book ready for pickup at the library! Luckily I got an email last night that said that Stacy v. the BSC was there! Beth suggested I take a poll … so here it goes. What was your favorite BSC book? I am reading them out of order, and am always looking for a new one to read!
I think my favorite was Super Special #2 Baby-sitter’s Summer Vacation. I was obsessed with the idea of sleep away camp and this book fed right into my obsession!
No More Sunday Night Blues!
Remember last week when I said something was off about my Dr. Praeger burger? Well, it wasn’t just my taste buds being off! They are still $2.50 a box, so I gave them a second chance today. When I got home I realized my last box was gluten free.
I also tested out some Siggi’s yogurt, which is strained Skyr Icelandic style yogurt.
I remembered that Amie sent me two coupons for $1 off, so I picked up the vanilla flavor. Vanilla might seem dull, but it’s a flavor I’m familiar with so I felt it would give me a good basis for comparison.
Overall, I wasn’t all that impressed … at least not impressed enough to spend over $2 for one container. I think Greek yogurt is just as yummy and a whole lot cheaper (isn’t it funny how Greek yogurt is considered cheap!). It was super tart and the vanilla flavor was really subtle, which I enjoyed. It was also really thick – thicker than any Greek yogurt I’ve tried – but less creamy. I still have one more coupon left so I’m going to try one of the fun flavors next.
Back in my lawyer heyday I always had a serious case of the Sunday Night Blues, it was actually Every Night of the Week Blues, but that’s another story. Anyway, now I never have that. 
And in fact this Sunday I am feeling particularly chipper.
Lots to look forward to on the horizon …
- Trip home this weekend for Father’s Day, Heather’s Bestie visit and a chance to see how big Shiloh is!
One more because I love her.
- My birthday – in just 11 days I will turn the big 3-0! Can you take it?
- Last day of school on June 25th (bittersweet because I am officially unemployed after that).
- Road trip to Charlotte on June 26th. It’s for fun and a chance to check out the real estate market.
- Mark’s birthday on July 7th
- The Healthy Living Summit in August.
It’s all just so exciting! What’s bright on your horizon?
