Category: Healthy Things

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:

South, But Not Too South

Sadie2 Comments

When I was stopping at Cracker Barrel for lunch on my way out of Virginia (a tradition for me) I saw a shirt that said something to the effect of: Virginia: South but not too South.  An interesting concept.  Virginia is indeed below the Mason-Dixon line, but it would be inaccurate to lump it in with many of the states below it.  It is pretty diverse as a state with some serious and important urban areas near DC, then some western wilderness if you will, and my neck of the woods which is pleasant and residential and beachy out towards Virginia Beach.

There is, however, one difference I noticed when I moved there that has to be a Southern thing.  The salads.  I grew up with the concept of a salad being mostly composed of greens, plus a few accessories.  I have learned that greens (lettuce, that is), is not even a required ingredient in southern salads.  There are salads of many varieties that don’t involve lettuce at all: cucumber, chicken, potato, pasta, bean, tuna…  I’ve heard of and experienced some of these variations in the past, but have not experienced the pervasive nature of these dishes until moving to the south.  They are everywhere you look!

I’m torn because though there are some nutritious aspects to these dishes, I’m pretty sure that they remove a lot of the healthy benefits of the green salad.   I’m not so thrilled with the abundance of dressing and starch if I’m looking for a light option.

But as the saying goes: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!  Below is pretty healthy version of a bean salad that was actually passed along to me by a nutritionist I’ve seen in the past.  Don’t quote me on the nutritional facts, but with the lighter dressing and several healthy components, it’s hard to go wrong!  It’s a great side dish for a backyard barbecue!

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 Tbs lemon juice
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 15 oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 cup corn (frozen niblets is easiest)
  • 1 chopped bell pepper
  • 10 chopped cherry tomatoes
  • parsley to garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste

    Most of the characters in this story

Method

  1. Wisk together vinegar, oil, garlic, lemon juice, and sugar.
  2. Combine beans, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper.  Toss with dressing.  Garnish with parsley, and add salt and pepper to taste.

PS- My favorite summer commercial.  I can’t get enough of it!

Workout Wish List

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Shopping for workout clothes is one of my favorite pastimes.  Here are a few things that are on my wish list right now:

For obvious reasons.

Under Armour has put a lot of hype around this new bra, I want to give it a go!

These look fun too!

I’ve heard good things about this bra from Champion.

Whenever I need to motivate myself to get my rear in gear, I think about some of these things to get going.  Sometimes the right words can be just the spark I need!  Have a happy workout!

PS- full disclosure, some new athletic socks would also be a step in the right direction.