Author: Sadie

Five Things

Sadie2 Comments

I love to eat, but you probably don’t.

1. Cottage Cheese.  I think you either like this or you don’t.  I love it, always have, especially with some berries.  Also it’s a great source of protein, usually a serving (depending on the brand and milk fat percentage) has around 100 calories, and more than 10 grams of protein.  Can you say bang for your buck?  It’s a great alternative to the yogurts that way more sugar and not even half the protein.

2. Wheat Germ.  This is a little random I must say.  Usually it’s an ingredient in healthier baking recipes, and who knows what else.  I love to add some to my cereal, or have a bowl of berries with almond milk and some wheat germ to add a little texture.  It adds a nice nuttiness I think.  Apparently it’s high in some vitamins and minerals too.

3. Bulgar.  Say what?  This is a grain like barley that has a nice nuttiness as well.  I use it in anything that I would use rice or quinoa.  It’s good in soups and with veggies.  You just cook it with some water for a few minutes or soak it hot water for longer.  I’m not sure how I got hooked on it, but I definitely enjoy it.

4. Kombucha.  This is a new one for me.  It’s a type of fermented tea kind of drink that is supposed to have all sorts of magical qualities.  Depending on the flavor or additives there are all kinds of vitamins, and it’s supposed to help detox.  It’s the kind of drink you can only find at Whole Foods or other health food stores.  It totally crunchy granola and not for the faint of heart.  It doesn’t taste bad, but it definitely tastes “healthy.”  You have been warned.

Lucky me, I just made a Whole Foods run!

5. Protein Powder.  So as I’ve mentioned I like to work out, and I’m actually not big on eating meat for fish.  I’m not a vegetarian, but I’ll go days or a week or two without eating meat.  This means I need protein from another source.  This might be strange but apart from protein shakes and just adding water to the powder, I have a new method: cereal.  If I need a solid breakfast I will add the following to my bowl: 1 sliced banana, some cereal (something plain like Life), a half to full scoop or vanilla protein powder, almond milk, and maybe some sliced almonds for texture.  Make sure you give it a good stir to get the powder to incorporate.  It’s quite yummy, and I think adding protein to cereal is kind of genius. Yes it adds about 50-140 calories depending on how much powder you use, but it’s basically a complete and completely satisfying breakfast in one bowl, no side dishes or mid morning snack needed.

I let my freak flag fly, so what unique or unpopular food do you swear by?

PS- I’m headed my friend’s wedding today, recap to follow at a later date.  Here’s a preview of the dress and shoe color combo:

Old School Baking

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I had a culinary discovery the other day in the super market in Connecticut: Hermit cookies.  I found them in the bakery section of the store.  I’ve never seen such a cookie.  They are baked in a loaf and sliced like fat biscotti, but they are a lot softer.  Their texture is somewhere between a cookie and a muffin, and they are traditionally spicy, they taste a lot like gingerbread because they have all of that flavoring.  Long story short: Yum.

I tried to research them online since I’ve never heard of them before and I found a lot of conflicting information.  All I can figure out is that they are older, more traditional cookies from the religious groups who settled in New England.  Here I am thinking that the New England baking expertise revolved around donuts of the Dunkin variety, and I had totally overlooked these gems.  As I said, they are spicy, and reminiscent of Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert flavors.   A good cookie, a good snack, a good find.  Give them a try!

Hermit Cookie

From The Food Network

Yields 4-5 dozen cookies depending on size you slice them (about 6 loaves that you will end up slicing, it’s a big recipe)

Ingredients

  • 4 cups AP flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup)
  • 2 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, plus 1 for eggwash
  • 2/3 cup molasses
  • 3/4 cup golden raisons
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • 2 1/2 Tbs chopped crystalized ginger

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Sift together flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set Aside
  3. Cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, then molasses.  Gradually add dry mixture but to not over mix.
  4. Fold in dried fruit and nuts.

    They look appetizing, right?
  5. Line cookie sheets with parchment.  Form dough into about 6 thin logs with plenty of space to spread while baking (believe me, they will spread).  Logs should be 1-2 inches wide and about 1 inch high.  Paint logs with egg wash before placing in oven.
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 (make sure they are done, mine took a little longer but I’m blaming my oven).
  7. Allow to cool then slice into thick slices (like fat biscotti). 

Workout Songs: Part 1

Sadie4 Comments

My most essential piece of workout gear is my shuffle ipod, because I need good music to stay motivated.  If I get to the gym and I forgot my shuffle or my headphones, forget about it, I’m going home to get them.  I listen to a wide range of music while I’m working out, and I’m always looking for new stuff to keep my mix fresh.  In my mind there are a few different categories of workout music:

  • Old School fun songs
  • Top 40 upbeat/catchy tunes
  • Girl Power
  • Hardcore/Motivation songs
  • Cool Down/ relaxing music

I need different genres for different parts of my workout.  Fun, upbeat songs to get me moving at the beginning, girl power stuff to keep my confidence up, motivational songs to get me through the tough parts, and slower songs to help me focus on my breathing or take me through cool down.

Over the next couple months I’ll go through each of the genres above and give some of my favorites.  Let’s start at the top with old school fun songs!

Old School Fun Songs

  1. Hey Mickey by Toni Basil
  2. Jellyhead by Crush
  3. King of Wishful Thinking by Go West
  4. Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield
  5. Wanna Be Startin’ Something by Michael Jackson (the link is the Glee performance but MJ’s is obviously better)
  6. It’s Gonna Be Me by ‘NSYNC
  7. Bust a Move (Glee version) by Glee Cast
  8. It Takes Two by Rob Base
  9. Faded by SoulDecision
  10. ABC by The Jackson 5
  11. Gloria by Laura Branigan
  12. Mo Money Mo Problems by Biggie Smalls
  13. I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston
  14. Big Shot by Billy Joel
  15. Photograph by Def Leopard
  16. You’re the One that I Want from Grease
  17. Heartbreaker by Mariah and Jay Z
  18. Anyway You Want It/Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’ by Glee Cast
  19. Boom Boom Boom Boom by the Venga Boys
  20. PYT by Michael Jackson

What did I miss?

PS- My friend at work is expecting a visit from the stork, so guess what I’m making…