Author: Sadie

Testing a Super Food

Sadie3 Comments

I don’t know about you but I’ve been hearing about chia seeds a lot over the past couple years.  They’re always on super food lists in magazines or in healthy food bloggers’ smoothies or oatmeal concoctions.  They are supposed to have numerous health benefits like all the other seeds and crazy whole grains that are popular among the Whole Foods crowd.

I’m always game to try a new health food as long as it’s not too crazy, and while my initial reaction to idea of chia seeds reverts to a particularly catchy commercial jingle, I figured that all of this hype had to be for a reason.  I have heard that they don’t really add much flavor beyond maybe a slight nuttiness when added food, so how bad could they be?

In my travels on the internet I found a no-bake granola bar recipe that seemed like the perfect venue to add some chia seeds.  I took the basic recipe made a few tweaks to make it a little more exciting.  Not only did the granola bars turn out great, since they were no-bake, it was also minimal effort!  Besides the miniscule black dots in the bars you don’t even notice the chia seeds.  They’re working for me so far, maybe I’ll throw the leftover seeds in my next protein shake…

No-Bake Granola Bars

Yields about 20 squares depending on size, Adapted quite a bit from Lauren’s Latest

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2/3-3/4 cup honey (depending on if you need more binding liquid)
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups instant oats (not old fashioned rolled)
  • 2 cups puffed rice cereal (Rice Krispies)
  • 1/3 cup black chia seeds
  • 3/4 dried cranberries
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 10 oz bag white chocolate chips

Method

  1. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment for easy removal.
  2. Melt butter, honey, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat (I started with 2/3 cup of honey and added a dash more later when I needed more liquid).  Let it bubble for about 2 minutes before removing it from the heat and adding the vanilla.
  3. Add rice cereal, oats, and chia seeds to the wet mixture.  Mix well to combine.
  4. Add dried cranberries, almonds, and half of the white chocolate.  The chocolate will melt so you want to save some to put on top of the bars in the pan.
  5. Once the mixture is uniform, press it into the lined pan and sprinkle on more white chocolate chips (I didn’t end up using the whole bag, but pretty close).
  6. Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!

Workout Songs: Part 5

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When I go to a group fitness class, the instructor always says that the cool down is the most important part of the workout.  Usually at that point I’m antsy to get out of the room and on with my day, so it takes all of my power to find patience and stretch with the group.  One thing that helps is good music.  There is a lot more freedom for cool down music because it does not have to have a certain cadence.  It adds a nice level of variety to the workout mix.  On principle I try to stick with positive, uplifting cool down songs, but every once in a while there’s an irresitable darker ballad that makes it on the list.  Here’s what I’ve been listening to lately.

Cool Down/Relaxing Music

  1. How Will I Know (Glee Version) by Glee Cast
  2. The Longest Time by Billy Joel
  3. Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
  4. Hero by Mariah Carey
  5. Heartless by Kris Allen
  6. Ave Maria by Beyonce
  7. Stickwitu by Pussycat Dolls
  8. Everything by Michael Buble
  9. Vultures by John Mayer
  10. The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
  11. Never Ever by Ciara
  12. Back at Your Door by Maroon 5
  13. Cry (Glee Version) by Lea Michele
  14. Fire and Rain by James Taylor
  15. Missing You by John Waite
  16. Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
  17. How Deep is Your Love by The Bird & the Bee
  18. It’s Growing by James Taylor
  19. Energy by Keri Hilson
  20. Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammar

In case you forgot, I already offered my recommendations for workout songs in the following categories: Old School, Top 40, Girl Power, and Hardcore/Motivational.  Check those posts out for more ideas.

What cool down songs do you like to listen to?

Look Ma…

Sadie4 Comments

One of my proudest accomplishments this summer is the fact that I read four books (and counting…).  This is actually a big step for me because I rarely read for pleasure.  I mean, why read when you can watch TV (kidding, sort of).  Since I did not have a TV in my summer apartment, I went old school and actually found some good books.

When I do read for pleasure I actually tend to stick to a lot of memoirs and biographies.  For whatever reason, I find solace in knowing that the stories being told are true.  This summer I read three non-fiction books, and I strayed for the last selection and read a novel.

First up was Bossypants by Tina Fey which was pretty funny.  It’s about her life growing up and the trials and tribulations of an aspiring comedy writer.  While it was really funny, I was slightly put off by the overwhelmingly self-deprecating tone. I was looking to this book for a little girl power inspiration and I just wanted to yell at her:  “You’re a super successful woman, get some confidence!”

Next up was a recommendation from my mother: Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl who is a famous food writer/reviewer/chef  type person.  This was pretty good, and I enjoyed reading about her crazy life and career path, but there was a little bit of a disconnect for me.  While I connected to her interest in food, she grew up in the seventies which made for a much looser atmosphere.  She tells stories about traveling abroad on whim and living with her husband in a house in California with five other people who come and go as they please.  These are situations that would either not fly today, or I’m too Type A and they freak me out.  I get the nostalgia aspect, but I can’t really relate to that time period.I picked up Jeneration X in Target one night, sort of out of desperation for a new book.  I was pleasantly surprised with this one.  I’m unfamiliar with the author Jen Lancaster, but apparently she has written several books.  This book is a collection of short vignettes about her life, and little funny lessons she has learned as she is becoming an adult.  I could definitely relate to a lot of the stories, because I’m experiencing many similar lessons myself.  I think as an adult you have various experiences where you have to make real personal decisions and it’s great to find the confidence to make the right decision for yourself, regardless of the trends.  It’s nice and light hearted, I’m thinking about tracking down some of her other books.

Girls in Trucks is the wild card because it’s fiction!  I really stumbled upon this one by chance.  I was looking at Miss Bibliophile‘s weekly Friday post with a bunch of fun links.  She had a link to a website that recommended this book.  I promptly ordered it from BN and picked it up at the store.  I thought is was pretty good.  I liked it because it was similar to a memoir even though the point of view changes a few times.  It’s basically about a Southern girl growing up, moving to NYC, and deciding both consciously and unconsciously what Southern traditions to honor or ignore.

Hopefully I’ll get in one more book before it’s back the B-school literature…

What good books have you read this summer?