Party, Pizza Party

Tell us about the favorite dish or food that you simply cannot turn down.

If there were one food that I could not turn down, it would be pizza.  I really love pizza, all kinds of pizza.  It is my ultimate comfort food.  We are luck enough to be surrounded with some amazing mom and pop pizza parlors.  For a long time, every time we got pizza, we got it from a different place in our area.  Some were just ok, and some were amazing.  I dabbled a little at making pizza at home, and it would turn out pretty good.

Funny thing is, pizza usually made me feel like garbage.  It was so good while I was eating it, but then later I would be miserable, even if I only had one piece.  After investigation, trial and error, and working with a nutritionist, it was determined that have non Celiac gluten sensitivity, otherwise known as gluten intolerance.  It is not a life threatening thing, gluten does not cause me permanent damage, but when I eat gluten it makes me pretty sick.  So, I had to cut gluten out of my diet.

Do you know what has a ton of gluten in it?  Pizza.

This makes me sad.

The good news is, more and more places are offering gluten free pizza.  A few national chains, and several really delicious local pizzerias offer gluten free pizzas, plus many grocery stores are not stocking premade crusts, or crust mixes, so I have been able to make pizza at home.

A fall harvest pizza I made at home.

So, while I cannot eat at any old pizza place anymore, or grab a slice any old time I like, I am happy I do not have to give it up completely.

The Five Foods You Meet in my Refrigerator

Name five things inside your refrigerator right now and how you feel about them.

I thought this prompt was just a little too easy.  So I challenged myself to not only find five different kinds of things to talk about, but actual examples of that thing that matched their position on the list.  Finding five of anything in my fridge was harder than I thought it would be!

1.  Fruit:  One Lonely Pomegranate


I have a complex relationship with the pomegranate.  I think I like the taste of it more than I actually do.  And there is a lot of messy work involved in being able to eat one.  You have to peel the skin open and retrieve the seeds which, if overripe, will shoot bright red pom juice everywhere.  The last time I tried to eat a pomegranate, I looked like I had blood splattered all over my face.  I think I am more attracted to how pomegranate seeds factor into the mythology of Persephone than to the actual taste of pomegranates.

Also, One Lonely Pomegranate would be an excellent name for a Long Winters cover band.

2.  Juice: Two cans of tomato juice


I actually hate tomato juice.  These cans are leftover from when I made gazpacho the last time.  Oddly enough I love gazpacho, despite the fact that it is pretty much spicy, chunky tomato juice.  Go figure.  I keep hoping Hubby will drink these, since he professes to love tomato juice.

3.  Creamer:  Three flavors of coffee creamer


For a long time, I was not drinking coffee.  During late spring, I had reduced my caffeine intake to nil in the hopes of  healing my stomach.  My doctor suspected I was in the early stages of a stomach ulcer, so I had to give up coffee, tea, and soda.  A while ago, we decided to see how things would go if I started drinking small amounts of caffeine.  So far it has been fine, so I celebrated by splurging on some different creamers.  I typically only drink one cup of coffee a day (if that), so I want to to be delicious.  The sweet cream flavor on the left pairs well with both my blueberry coffee and my mint mocha, while the cinnamon and red velvet are perfect for my breakfast blend coffee.  Now that mornings are cold, a hot cup of delicious coffee is the perfect way to start my day.

4.  Condiment:  Four types of mustard


Hubby does not like any type of condiments on anything.  He is the king of "chicken sandwich, plain".  I, on the other hand, love to play with subtle differences in tastes, and changing the way a sandwich comes together by layering different kinds of flavors.  Hence the 4 different mustards.  On the left, we have Grey Poupon (with white wine ooh la la) for when I am feeling fancy.  Next to that is a jar of my dad's homemade mustard, which is the good stuff that never gets shared, then a bottle of Heinz, because I am a Pittsburgh girl at heart (and no way will you ever catch me with anything but Heinz ketchup), and finally regular French's dijon, which is like the everyday dishware version of mustard.  (Believe it or not, we used to have a couple of additional kinds!)

5.  Cheese: Five Kinds of Cheese


If we were to make a song about the 12 days of Foodmas in our house, I guarantee this would be the lyric for the 5th day: FIVE KINDS OF CHEESE!!!!  We are major cheese fans in our house.  We may dis other types of dairy (cow milk bad, coconut milk good), but there is no such thing as bad cheese.  The examples you see here are deli provolone for Hubby's lunch, swiss for my lunch or breakfast, bleu cheese crumbles that I bought for a pizza I made, extra sharp cheddar for cheese and crackers (which we call chackers), and parmesan and garlic blend for pasta.

As for "how I feel" about these foods, well, they are food, so I really have no strong feelings one way or the other.  Except for those cans of tomato juice, they are big jerks and I hate them.

Explorations: Cake Concepts

One of the things I miss most about living and working in the city was having access to all kinds of neat specialty shops.  Whether the stores sold clothing, food items, or tchotchkes, there were always interesting things to see.  Which is why I am so excited that Kittanning is getting some new shops.

One of the new shops that I have been wanting to check out is a new cake bakery, called Cake Concepts.  Since going gluten free, however, I have not had much reason to buy cake or cupcakes.  But this week, my niece is visiting.  When I asked her if she likes cupcakes, her response was, "Uh YEAH, duh" so I knew I finally had a reason to visit.

Yesterday we walked into the store, and I swear it was like visiting the childhood dream of the perfect tea party.  Everything was pink, and elegant, and beautiful.  I absolutely love the way the store looks.  I could have spent hours in there, even though I cannot eat anything there.  That is how lovely it is.  After taking in the cuteness of the shop, I spied the cupcakes.  Oh, they all looked so delicious!  The specialty cupcakes were Key Lime and Chunky Monkey.  Um, yummmy!  There were also plain iced cupcakes, and filled cupcakes.  DARN YOU GLUTEN INTOLERANCE.  I bought half a dozen for my niece and for Hubby.

I was talking to one of the owners, and explaining my gluten intolerance.  She said they are currently working on recipes for gluten free and sugar free cupcakes to add to their offerings.  She said they are taking their time to find really delicious recipes, which I totally respect.  No one wants a subpar product just because it is the only GF thing available.  So, I look forward to the day that they release GF cupcakes for sale.  

When we got back into the car, my niece wanted to eat a cupcake immediately.  It was all I could do to get her to wait for me to drive the few blocks home, because she said they just looked that good.  And once we got home, she sampled them and assured me they really WERE that good.  I snuck a swipe of the icing, and it was delicious.

The atmosphere is wonderful, the owners are friendly and helpful, the product is delicious, and the price is really reasonable.  So, what are you waiting for?  Go get a cupcake from Cake Concepts, and you can thank me later!

Note: This post was not sponsored in any way, nor was I approached to do a review of this business.  I simply wanted to share this great shop with my readers and encourage people to support local small town businesses! 

35 Day Project: Oakmont Bakery

I love the Oakmont Bakery.  I was a little late to the party, for sure, having just visited it for the first time last year, but none the less, I fell in love.  I like just going in there and looking at all the goodies, it is so fun.  Sadly, I can no longer partake of their delicious treats, due to gluten intolerance, but I can still show them plenty of love.

Which is exactly what I did on Friday, by voting for them as America's Best Bakery. I would love to see this local bakery win this contest, they certainly deserve it!

35 Day Project: Dunkin Donuts

On Tuesday, I was finally feeling a lot better, and decided to do one of the acts I had been planning for a very long time.  Some time ago, I had gotten coupons from the local Dunkin Donuts for free treats, including a donut, a coffee, and a latte.  Since I am eating a gluten free diet now and have reduced my caffeine, I cannot use these coupons, but I know other people would love them.

So, I took a coupon, attached it to an index card, and wrote a little note telling the person to enjoy a treat on me.  I did this for all three coupons.  Then, I went to a busy shopping plaza, found three cars, and left a card on each car.  I hope this really "sweetened" someone's day!

35 Day Project: Sweet for my sweet

Today's act seems pretty small, in the grand scheme of things, but it had been a hectic day.  We got up early to travel to Ohio to have Easter Brunch with my family.  As always, we brought the dogs, which means bringing their food, crates, blankets, and leashes.  It is never a simple affair.  We also were bringing our contributions to the meal.

We had brunch, then spent time watching movies and visiting with the entire family.  Before we knew it, it was time to drive back home, as Hubby has to work tomorrow.  We stopped at a Sheetz near home, to fill Hubby's car with gas.  While he was doing that, I went inside, to use a coupon I had for a free donut.  I picked out a donut I knew Hubby would like, and promptly presented him with it in the car.  He was pretty excited, and immediately ate his treat.

He said it was delicious.  It makes me happy that I was able to do some nice little extra thing for him.

In The Big City: The Oven Pizza Co. in Wexford

Having not lived in the immediate Pittsburgh area (read Allegheny County) for more than three years now {has it been that long?}, I am slightly out of touch with where the new, cool places to drink, dine, and socialize are.  Thank goodness I am a part of the Pittsburgh TweetUp group.

You might be wondering, what is a TweetUp?  Well,  it is an event where people who are active on Twitter can get together to meet, socialize, network, and generally have a nerdy and fantastic time.  Often times, these events also involve charitable work or organizations.  We have attended quite a few TweetUps over the past 2 years, and recently, we have been interacting with this group a lot more.  There are a lot of great people in the group, and through them I have gotten to know a lot more about Pittsburgh businesses and organizations.

Last night, we attended a TweetUp event at a business in Wexford called The Oven Pizza Co.  This is a restaurant serving brick oven pizzas as well as so many other delicious foods, and an assortment of drinks.  We had never been to this place, so I was excited that the TweetUp was giving us a reason to go.  First off, the ownership, management, and staff at The Oven were so accommodating and welcoming to our group.  They had prepared a list of specials for us, including some half price menu selections and drinks.  They had a designated area for us, and helped distribute the food to our table.  They even came out after we had eaten and gave us samples of gelato, which was beyond delicious.  Furthermore, the staff came out and interacted with us, being social.  It is people and events like this that really put the "social" in social media.

I just cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff, service, and food at The Oven.  Last night, I tried the gluten free Winter Walnut Fig Pizza.  Holy moly, this pizza was so delicious.  I paired it with a Sweet Potato Bisque, also amazing.  We had a wide array of food at our table, and the consensus among all of us was that the food was incredible.  The atmosphere is warm and inviting, suitable for a family pizza night or hanging out with a group of friends.  Already, hubby is suggesting the place to his coworkers.  All the highest praise.

Now, I know what some of you locals are thinking "Wexford, that is not really in the big city" to which I would say,  technically, you are correct.  But the "In the Big City" series on my blog refers to Pittsburgh specifically, and, to me, Pittsburgh is bigger than city lines.  Pittsburgh is a state of mind, a specific type of person, an incredible combination of great food and great friends.  So, regardless of the fact that The Oven Pizza Co. is located in Wexford, they are Pittsburgh through and through.  Also, it's my blog and I can do what I want :).  But in all seriousness, check out The Oven, both online (their website, Twitter, and Facebook) and in person.  You will not be disappointed.

Also, check out the Pittsburgh TweetUp page too, and hopefully I will see you at a TweetUp soon!

Review: Torani Syrups

I am a big coffee person, particularly when it comes to flavored coffee.  Two years ago, I switched from a regular coffee maker to a Keurig, which was a smart decision in my opinion.  The only downside is sometimes the flavors I crave are not available in K-cups, particularly in decaf coffee.  I have been trying to cut my caffeine intake, so good decaf is a must for me.  The best solution to this need is flavored syrups.

I was given an opportunity to try two of the holiday flavors from Torani Syrups recently, so of course I jumped at the chance.  The flavors I got to try were Pumpkin Pie and Vanilla Bean.  While both were delicious, the Pumpkin Pie was my personal favorite.

What I like best about these syrups is they are so versatile; they can be used in so much more than making flavored coffees and lattes (though they are delicious in those).  I am not much of a drinker, but I imagine these syrups could be used to make some delicious mixed drinks.  Mix the Pumpkin Pie syrup with some Whipped Cream Vodka, and I bet it would be delicious!  For chocolate lovers, mix it with your hot cocoa for a little extra kick.  To cure a super sweet tooth, mix it with some ice cream, milk, and crushed graham crackers for an amazing Pumpkin Pie milkshake (and maybe even spike it with some of that Whipped Cream Vodka I mentioned!)

I tried to get really creative, and I actually used they syrup, along with some pumpkin butter,  to flavor some Pumpkin Pie scones, which we all snacked on Thanksgiving morning.  They were a big hit!  The Pumpkin Pie flavor, though delicious, is strong, and not one I would want all year round.  But that is what makes holiday flavors so special.  Each year, come October, I want to make pretty much everything pumpkin flavored, so this is perfect.  The Vanilla Bean is a flavor I could see myself using all year round, even to make iced coffees in the summer.

In short, I was really impressed with the quality of these syrups.  Torani syrups are the ones used by my all time favorite coffee shop in Pittsburgh, so it comes as no surprise to me that I love them for use in my own home as well.

This post was sponsored by SheSpeaks and Torani.  They provided me with the product in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are honest and original.

Making the Holiday Season Full

Last month, I talked about my family's Polish Christmas customs, and what a huge part of my identity this is. I cannot imagine a Christmas without these traditions.  But for so many, Christmas is yet another day full of hunger.  So many Americans have difficulty having any type of holiday meal, let alone one that honors their cultural history.

Over the last couple of years, I have gotten to know some amazing folks, thanks to social media, who run a project called The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project.  The goal is to collect reusable bags to help individuals visiting food pantries to safely, efficiently transport food.  We all know how flimsy plastic and paper bags can be (not to mention the scourge plastic bags are on the environment); imagine trying to carry those flimsy bags across several city blocks, or taking them on public transportation.  Tote bags are collected and distributed to food banks.

In addition, The Pittsburgh Tote Bag project helps raise awareness about various needs of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food bank, about hunger, and about recycling.  In short, this group does a whole lot of good.  As part of their 2012 Holiday Project, they decided to specifically raise awareness about the culturally diverse impact of hunger.  Imagine not having your favorite food, a long standing family tradition, as part of your holiday meal.  The 2012 Holiday Project suggested that people donate ethnic food items, along with a reusable tote bag.

I talked a lot about this last month, and encouraged my readers to donate.  Now, I put my money where my mouth is.  Tonight, I am attending an event where folks from the Pittsburgh social media set will gather together to celebrate the holidays.  We are using the opportunity to also donate tote bags and food items.  The food items I chose to donate are Hispanic food items, including rice, several types of beans, chicken stock, corn meal, coconut milk, tomato sauce, and peppers.  As I shopped, I could not help but think about the people who would receive these items.  I can only hope that this donation will help to honor and bless them as much as being a part of this project has blessed me.

Please consider donating to your local foodbank this holiday season, and take some time to check out The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project. They are just good people.

Thankful for... holiday traditions

Photo Courtesy of ccho

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and like most families, we have our own traditional foods.  Thanksgiving traditions seem to be a regional thing, around here they include green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and of course, turkey.  But every family has their own traditional dishes or desserts that make the meal complete.

For my family, our more ethnically tradition centered holiday meals are Christmas and Easter.  You see, we are Polish.  Unless you live in certain parts of Pittsburgh or Chicago, you may not be aware that there are some pretty serious Polish traditions for the holidays, and for my family, they are what make the holidays complete.  At Christmas, we do the traditional Christmas eve Wigilia dinner, which includes several kinds of fish (no meat), and other Polish dishes, including my personal favorite, pierogi.  On Easter, we make Polish beet borscht, and have several other Polish traditions within our menu.  I cannot imagine celebrating these holidays without my favorite traditional foods.

Yet many people go without their favorite traditional foods during the holidays.  Many people go without any food at all.

In light of this, I am proud to be partnering with the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project as a sponsor during their holiday project this year (see the button in my sidebar to the right).  This year they are focusing on collecting ethnic holiday foods, to help support the culturally diverse people of the Pittsburgh area.  They have made it so easy to help support this project.  They list different ideas for how you can get involved, include shopping lists of ethnic food items that are in need,  discuss different ways you can become a sponsor, and even list donation drop off locations.

Imagine your absolutely favorite holiday dish.  Now imagine you had to go without it.  That is a pretty terrible feeling.  Imagine how incredible it would feel to know that you, YOU, made someone's holiday special by providing their favorite dish.  During your celebrations tomorrow, and throughout the month of December, please consider getting involved with this truly phenomenal organization and help fight hunger.

I am truly thankful, on this Thanksgiving eve, for the holiday traditions celebrated in my family.  I am equally thankful for the chance to help a family in need get to enjoy holiday traditions of their own.

 

Review: Frosted Mini Wheat Little Bites, Cinnamon Roll flavor

Lately, I have been trying to eat lean protein for breakfast.  That means egg whites and greek yogurt.  While both delicious, these can get a little boring for breakfast.  Once in a while, I just want a bowl of cereal that tastes like it is bad for me, but in reality is not.  Enter Frosted Mini Wheats.

This is a cereal brand that I have enjoyed for a long time.  They make several different flavors, and frosted wheat is not that bad, considering it is a great source of fiber.  Food purists might not like the amount of sugar in the frosted wheats, but all in all, not an awful choice for a once in a while breakfast treat.  So, when I learned there were Cinnamon Roll flavored Mini Wheats, I knew I had to try them.  Cinnamon Roll flavored stuff has been a recent obsession, so that I get the flavor of a comforting treat without the fat.

I did not realize the difference between Mini Wheats and Mini Wheat Little Bites until I saw them.  These are much tinier than regular Mini Wheats, hence the slight name difference.  Were the Minis not mini enough? Otherwise, these are your standard Mini Wheats.  They look a little like straw, but I truly think they are tasty.

Nutritionally, they are not awful, but higher in calories and carbs than I would like.  However, a great source of fiber and very low fat.  So, for a once in a while thing, once again, not awful.  My biggest complaint is the serving size, which is 47 biscuits.  Really?  You could not have just made it half a cup?  For people who are a little OCD about precise serving sizes, it is a major pain to sit there and count out 47 biscuits each time I want to make sure I am getting a correct serving size.  It is a major flaw as far as I am concerned.

Taste wise, these were good, not fantastic, but good.  But between the annoying serving size and the amount of calories and carbs, I am not sure this would be a staple in my pantry.  I think there are better, healthier, easier options out there. And if I were going to splurge with carbs for mini wheats, I would probably do it on the blueberry ones.

I reviewed this product as part of the Amazon Vine program.


 

Review: Kashi Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

 I recently had the opportunity to review the Kashi Banana Chocolate Chip Soft n Chewy Bars.  I am a longtime fan of the Kashi brand, it is a brand I trust to provide healthy, delicious foods.  I had a feeling that this bar would live up to my high standards, otherwise Kashi would not be making it.  That feeling proved to be completely accurate.

The first thing I took notice of was the nutritional info.  Each bar contains 4 grams of fiber, 7 whole grains, 1/2 serving of fruit, 1/2 serving of vegetables, only 3 grams of fat, 3 grams of protein, and only 140 calories.  In terms of a snack, this is pretty good.  While still a processed snack, this is a lot healthier than some on the market.

As I opened the package, I was struck by how the bar itself really looked exactly like the picture on the box.  That is so rarely the case.  Same dark brown color, same oats on top.  It looked pretty delicious.

As I tore a bite off of the bar, I noticed it was not as moist as I would have liked.  It is still a soft, chewy, texture, just a bit dry.  The flavor was actually really good.  It was not overly sweet, in any artificial way, and I thought the banana flavor was just right.  It did not have an artificial banana flavor, the flavor was subtle, mellow, but still detectable.  The same can be said for the chocolate, there are not too many chips, just enough to give the bar the perfect blend of tastes.

All in all, I was really pleased with the bar, as was my husband.  We are big fans of the chocolate banana combination, and this bar is a healthy way to satisfy a sweet tooth.  My only complaint is that it is indeed a little dry, so it would be best paired with a glass of water, or even a cup of coffee.  All in all, I think I can safely say I plan on buying more of these in the future.

Review: Gold Kili All Natural Instant Ginger and Lemon Drink

Since I decided to drastically reduce my caffeine intake as well as my sodium intake, I have gotten a little bored with what I can drink.  There is too much sodium, not to mention other nasty stuff, in diet soda to keep drinking it as much as I was, and coffee has too much caffeine, so it has been a lot of water and decaffeinated teas.  Coffee and diet soda have been occasional at best.  So, when I got the chance to try Gold Kili All Natural Instant Ginger and Lemon Drink, I was intrigued.

The drink comes in premeasured packets, but you can add as little or as much as you like.  The drink mix is made up of little granules.  The first thing I noticed was a very overpowering smell of lemon.  While the drink says it is all natural, the lemon smell was very fake smelling (think furniture polish) and it was hard for me to get past.

I added the mix to hot water.  I added about half, and it seemed weak, so I added the rest.  Again, the lemon smell was overpowering.  I had a hard time getting past it enough to taste the drink.  I expected the lemon taste would be as powerful, but I was wrong.  It was the ginger taste that was very strong.  VERY strong.  Not awful, but definitely powerful, and it made the drink taste very spicy.  My tongue tingled after the first taste.

All in all, this drink was not bad.  The ginger taste was strong and spicy, so you will need to like ginger (a lot) to really enjoy this drink.  This is way different from the ginger ale taste that most people think of when they think ginger drink.  It is similar to a ginger beer we recently tried.  I think if I was sick, this would be a great drink.

The thing that most bothered me was, as a reviewer, I only received a single packet of the mix.  I was given absolutely no information regarding nutrition values (calories) and ingredients.  Without this information, I am very hesitant to recommend the product.

 I received this product for review as part of the Amazon Vine program.

 

Review: Kellogg's Krave Cereal

I am not someone who likes most "breakfast" foods, like eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. So cereals, hot or cold, make up a lot of my breakfast choices. I am always looking for something new, so I was super excited to try Kellogg's Krave.

The first thing I noticed was the nutritional information. A 3/4 cup serving is only 120 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 2 grams protein. Not awful nutritionally, certainly better than a lot of cereals out there.

When I opened the box, it was initially just to look at the cereal, but Hubby and I tried a piece dry. It has a nice crunch, and tasty flavor. It was not overly chocolatey, just a mere hint of chocolate in the middle, which I actually really liked. I tried some with soy milk as a late night snack. With my milk, it was only 155 calories. And I enjoyed every single one. It stayed crunchy in the milk, and it had a nice flavor. I especially liked that the cereal was not overly sweet, just sweet enough with a hint of chocolate.

I really liked the cereal, and it is a nice way to break of the routine of oatmeal and traditional healthy cereals. In terms of where it falls on the health-taste balance, Krave falls somewhere between Kashi and Cocopuffs. I would, and in fact already have, recommend this to someone looking for a good cereal to break up the breakfast routine.

I received the product for review as part of the Amazon Vine program.

Review: Popchips Sweet Potato Chips

I am always looking for healthy, low calorie snacks, so when I heard about Popchips, I was intrigued.  They are crunchy chips that are not fried, and not baked, but created using heat and pressure to make them pop into being.  Since I love sweet potato chips in general, I thought I would give these a try.

The first thing I noticed was the color.  They looked a bit lighter in color to other sweet potato chips I have tried, and I think this is due to them not being fried.  They really looked the same color as fresh, cooked sweet potatoes.  I did not notice any particular smell, other than good old sweet potatoes.  So far so good.


In terms of taste, I thought they tasted great.  The chips were nice and crispy, with only a hint of salt, so you really got to enjoy the naturally sweet flavor.  I can really see that these will help satisfy cravings for something crunchy, something salty, something sweet, and especially something that is all three.

The texture is definitely not that of a typical potato chip.  They are lighter, crisper, and airy, not as dense as a rice cake, but not as greasy as a typical chip.  All in all, I was really pleased with them.  Someone looking for a healthy replacement, or enjoys other veggie chip type snacks would really like these, I think.  For a die hard chip lover, these would might not satisfy you upon first taste, but give them a couple of chances; personally I loved them.

With the snack size bag being 100 calories, I am pretty sold on these as a healthy snack alternative.  This would be a great addition to a sandwich for lunch, or an in-between meal snack.  I am happy to add Popchips to my snack rotation.

Cartoons by Hubby: Occupy Lunch

The Backstory: As many people in my part of the world do, we had pork and saurkraut for New Years.  We had leftovers, and I did not want them, so hubby has happily been eating them.  I suggested that he take the rest as his lunch today.

He informed me that the pork to saurkraut ratio was not optimal, and there was hardly any pork left.  He then went on about the elitist pork and informed me that the saurkraut was the 99%.  So here you have it, the 99% kraut protesting.  Occupy Lunch.

In the Big City: Go Pretzel

A few weekends ago, Hubby and I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh.  We had several stops planned along Liberty Avenue, so we took the opportunity to stop at a place I has heard about a few weeks ago:  Go Pretzel.

Now, this gal loves some salty doughy soft pretzels.  Many a night the Hubby has made a late night Sheetz run to fulfill my soft pretzel craving, so the idea of a new shop opening in Pittsburgh made me super happy!

When we got there, I was kind of surprised how small the place was.  This is really just a counter, there is no seating.  When the weather is nice, that is no problem, but it was a chilly November afternoon, so I was sad that we could not sit inside and enjoy our delicious pretzel treats.  It would simply have to wait until we walked to the car.

The next thing I noticed was how yummy all the different pretzels looked.  We had a hard time choosing!!  I went with toasted almond pretzel with dutch cocoa dip.  I actually liked the pretzel better without the dip, so I must remember that in the future.  Hubby got the jalapeno, of course.  I tried it, and it was ok, but the peppers were too pickled for my liking.  Hubby really wanted to try the pretzel dog, but decided it would wait until our next trip.

All in all, the place is a winner.  While the storefront and the website are the epitome of minimalism, I hope to see this grow into a franchise, much like some other beloved downtown snack providers have over the past few years.  If you have not tried Go Pretzel, I really encourage you to do so.  I know we will certainly be back, more than once.

So, my final ruling?  Go Pretzel, or Go home.

Chicken Pot Pie Cups

One of the hardest things about trying to eat a healthy, low fat diet, after years of, well, not, is that I find myself craving comfort foods.  Particularly in the fall.  So when I found myself craving chicken pot pie, I knew I was in trouble.  Every healthy modified version I found was either still to fat laden for my liking, or just sounded disgusting.  So, I came up with these....

I started off with won ton wrappers.  Using olive oil cooking spray, I lightly sprayed a muffin tin (I found metal works better than silicone in this instance), then I put two won ton wrappers in the bottom of each muffin cup, so that they overlapped and filled the cup.

Next, I created a mixture of the following: 8 ounces of boiled chicken breast tenders which I had shredded, 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, 3/4 cup fat free cheddar cheese, and one can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup. I mixed this, along with parsley and poultry seasoning, until blended.  Then, I spooned the filling into each wonton lined cup in the muffin tin.  I popped them into a 350 degree oven until the won tons were crispy and slightly brown.

After removing from the oven, I carefully removed the cups and placed on wax paper to cool, while I repeated the process.  The first dozen was for freezing, the second was for dinner.

I served with oven roasted red potatoes with herbs and reduced fat Parmesan cheese, and more peas and carrots.

Nutrition information (just for the pot pie cups)
Serving size: 2 cups
Calories: 184
Carbs: 25 g
Fat: 2 g
Protein: 15 g
Fiber: 1g
WW Points Plus: 5

Thankful for.... a messy kitchen

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These days, it seems my kitchen is always a mess.  Dirty dishes piled up in the sink, trash that needs to be taken out, groceries to be put away.  And truth be told, it makes me incredibly happy.

Do not get me wrong, I hate the mess, and I hate extra clean up.  I am blessed the Hubby is always willing to help clean up in the kitchen.  It is the reason behind the mess for which I am so thankful.

I have always loved to cook.  I grew up in a family where both parents cooked and we went or ordered out to eat.  Going out to eat was a special occasion thing, but there was nothing as comforting and bonding as the family sitting down at our own table for a home cooked meal.  I started cooking when I was in high school.  Just easy things at first, following simple recipes.  As I got older, I began being more adventurous with cooking, plus I paid more attention to how my parents cooked.  So, by the time I moved out on my own, I was well equipped to cook up a storm.

The only thing lacking.... someone to eat it.  I quickly realized I hated cooking for just one person, and began a lot of poor eating habits that plague me to this day.  Every once in a while, I would plan an elaborate dinner party for friends, but for the most part, my life was a table for one.

Then, I met Hubby.  And he was pretty excited that he had a girl who could cook.  When we were dating, he would come to see me, and I would cook up full meals, including dessert.  I was thrilled to be able to cook for him, and he was thrilled to have home cooked meals.  When we were engaged and house hunting, it was the kitchen that sold me on our home.  It was short on storage space, but had wonderful appliances with which I could create culinary masterpieces.

Lately, I have been extra motivated to cook.  It helps keep my diet healthy, and saves us money in the long run.  I am sure you can tell I am in cooking mode, given the number of recipes I have posted lately.  You can imagine the mess all this cooking has done.  Actually, if you look closely in some of the pictures, you can probably see it ;)

I love my messy kitchen (though I also love it clean) because to me, it signifies that I am happy, motivated, and providing healthy meals full of love for my family.

Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

(I swear to you, I do actually do things besides cook.  It is just, lately, I have been in a cooking mood, so I go with it.  And when things turn out delicious, I want to share them with all of you!).

This morning, I woke up craving pancakes.  I had a few options.  I could order take out from a place in town that has awesome pancakes, then lament the calorie and fat content later in the day.  I could get pancake stuff from the store, and make a huge mess in our kitchen.  Or, I could try the easy, healthy alternative recipe I saw on this blog.  I went with option 3.

So, I assembled the ingredients and embarked on yet another cooking adventure.

First, I mashed a banana in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Once the banana was all mashed, I added 2 packs of instant oatmeal.  Any kind will do, but I went with Lavish Dark Chocolate Oatmeal.  It was already smelling great.

Next I added 3 tbsp of egg white, the equivalent to one large egg.

Finally, 1 tsp each of baking powder and vanilla extract.

I mixed everything up to a nice, well blended chocolaty concoction.

I used olive oil cooking spray in a skillet over medium heat. Once this was nice and hot, I used the 1 tbsp measuring spoon to drop spoonfuls into the skillet. These were going to be small but hearty pancakes, each about the size of a large no bake cookie. It was a little tricky knowing when to flip them, since they did not bubble like traditional pancakes, but with a little testing of the edges you are able to tell when the underside is done, and flip accordingly.

The batch made 2 servings of 4 small pancakes, which was perfect. As I said, they were small, but really hearty. I added 2 tbsp low calorie syrup to mine, and they were sheer perfection.

This one was a little tricky to calculate nutrition and WW points. I am going based on the nutrition information on the label for each individual item, plus the generic info for the banana, and plugging that into a WW Points Plus calculator.  The nutrition breakdown, with syrup us:

Calories: 279
Carbs: 61g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 7g
Fiber: 9g

Now if you plug all that into a WW Points Plus calculator, the result you get is 7. Yet the only individual ingredient that has any points is the Oatmeal, with is 4.5 points per packet. So, I guess go with 7 point to err on the side of caution.

Without syrup, it is:

Calories: 229
Carbs: 48g
Fat: 3g
Protein: 7g
Fiber: 9g

Again, plug that into a calculator and you get 6 WW Points Plus.  Yet if you only ate the oatmeal, it would be 4.5, and then if you later ate a banana, it would be 0.  Again, I guess go with 6 to err on the side of caution.

The possibilities are endless with this really easy recipe.  I am thinking, next time, strawberry banana oatmeal pancakes!