There’s A Dr. In The Kitchen

Brought to you from Alison Levitt, the Dr. In The Kitchen, who originally created these crunchy snacks for herself, I bring you Flackers!

Flackers are a product unlike any I’ve seen before.  Rather than your typical, hydrogenated, preservative-laden crackers found in the snack aisle at the grocery store, Flackers can be a HUGE attribute to your healthy diet.

There is absolutely no flour of any kind, no leavening, and no chemical preservatives.  The ingredients are simple (see below) and pack a huge nutritional punch – EFAs, fiber, and protein.

Here’s a better breakdown of what makes flax seeds so incredibly wonderful for our bodies:

“Flax seeds are naturally high in alpha linolenic acid, a heart healthy omega-3 fatty acid. They are packed with fiber, which helps to maintain normal cholesterol levels and promote optimal digestion. They are a rich source of plant lignans – a type of naturally occurring phytonutrient. Also, these powerhouse seeds are gluten free, so they are great for people with gluten sensitivities and/or celiac’s disease. In addition, they are filled with antioxidants, protein and many vitamins and minerals. These delicious flax seed crackers are gluten free, they do not contain any yeast, or rice and they are also sugar-free!”

Flackers come in three different varieties

Dill – Organic Dill + Red Chili Peppers

Savory – Organic Garlic, Onion, Chili Pepper + Basil

Rosemary - Organic Rosemary + Sage

My favorite way to eat these babies is with either a wedge of light cheese (Babybel, Laughing Cow, or Sonoma Jacks) or slathered in hummus!   They also make a great addition to salads if you crumble them up, in place of croutons.  I’ve even tried them smashed overtop of savory oats with an egg and some Light Ragu sauce!

Thanks so much to Donn for sending some my way for this review!  The company has also offered up a giveaway for you all!

For your chance to win three boxes (one of each flavor):

1.  Visit the Dr’s blog, and leave a comment there letting her know you’re from the Freckled Foodie and you saw this review.  For another entry
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me which variety sounds most appealing to you, and finally, for a third entry,
3. “Like” the Flackers facebook page!

See Ya Later, September.

Fall is tie with summer for my favorite time of year.  I love the crisp Autumn air, the abundance of pumpkin, and the excitement of football season.  Not to mention the fabulous scenery from the top of Peter’s Mountain.  What better way to celebrate than to pick a winner for the Stonehouse 27 & Lundberg Rice Killer Combo giveaway?

Congratulations, Teri!  You’ll need to email me at freckledfoodielove@gmail.com to claim your prize of Countrywild brown rice bowl + Dates &  Tamarind sauce! 

Hope you love it on your eggplant, zucchini, and lamb!  Let me know how it works out for you!

Thank you all for your input on what costumes Jarid & I should go for this Halloween!  I think we are going to try for Princess Peach & Mario due to an overwhelming bias by you all.  Of course, it was our favorite, too

As far as food is concerned, if it were up to me, I’d be buying at least one of these whole wheat, skim cheese, 1/2 veggie, 1/2 chicken (for the boy) pizzas every week from The Wild Tomato. There were lots of things on their menu that looked good, but I knew it was going to happen that I never got to try any of them because I kept going back to this pie of deliciousness.  Happens everytime.

With the start of October just around the corner, comes the pink fountain for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I can’t believe it has already been a whole year since I’ve seen this!  As if we need a REASON to dye the fountain water a gorgeous color.

Jarid and I admired it from a distance on our lunchtime stroll.  When I got back to my desk, I ate this mambo salad with Naked Nuggets chopped ontop.

Shredded romaine, orange peppers, cherry tomatoes, english cucumbers, chicken, & free zesty italian dressing

Yep…best boyfriend in the world.  He comes to see me sometimes on his lunch break, if it’s a day that we wouldn’t get to see each other otherwise…aka, I have class and or basketball.  Luckily, he stopped by campus after work yesterday, too, so I got to see him twice.  Amazing, right?  I feel so blessed to have him in my life (:

What are you most looking forward to this October? 
I’m excited about Halloween & the Making Strides for Breast Cancer 5k at City Island!

 

&& PS, check out Gliding Calm’s blog for a chance to win a Bella Bar!

XO.

Help Me Pick A Costume!

Sooo, the boy and I are going shopping this weekend for costumes.  We brainstormed a little bit but want your help!

Daphne & Shaggy from Scooby Doo

Princess Peach & Mario from Mario Brothers

orrrrr

Fred & Wilma from the Flinstones

Leave a comment with your vote! (:

Please & Thank you!

 

 

Sweet & Salty Zone Perfect Bars

It takes a special kind of bar to make me feel like I’m not missing out on a meal.  There are certain specifications that I always look for.  Being all-natural, containing lots of protein, sustainable carbs, and healthy fats is essential when I’m scouring the shelves for nutritious bars.  Thanks to Zone Perfect, I got to try two new bars, the Sweet & Salty varieties.

They come in two varieties, Cashew Pretzel & Trail Mix.  I simply couldn’t turn down the appealing, salty & sweet combo from the company when I received the email to try them out!  Besides, I knew I was in for a treat if they were anything like the Cookie Dough bars I tried before

Before I agree to review products, I always check out the nutrition stats and ingredients list to make sure they fit my criteria.  They had a great protein to carb ratio, with a healthy balance of fats and a decent amount of sugar.  The calorie content was in range, too.

All of the ingredients were recognizable (although I’m not a huge fan of corn syrups), yet the list was a bit lengthy for my taste. Either way, I firmly believe that balance is key when choosing a healthy lifestyle, and these bars, boasting 10g of soy protein, would be much better for me (and taste just as yummy) as a candy bar. 

Another excellent attribute? Check out the vitamin & mineral count.  19 vitamins and minerals including antioxidants like Vitamins C & E, and Selenium

Taste-wise, the Cashew Pretzel was probably my favorite.  It was an awesome blend cashews and sweet yogurt bits coupled with the crispy delight of salty pretzels culminating in a satisfying crunch. The trail mix bar was good too, but I’ve had other versions similar to it.  Chewy goodness of raisins and toasted oats with the deliciousness of walnuts, roasted cashews, peanuts, almonds and the smooth sweetness of peanut butter.

Make sure you check out the Facebook page for some awesome opportunities to try out their bars!

Thanks so much, Erin & Zone Perfect for letting me try them out!

Girard’s Epicurean Expert

Some people [I won't mention any names] in my family are veggie haters (GASP).  Roasted, raw, salads, or otherwise, it takes a special kind of flavoring or cooking method to convince them that vegetables are edible.  Usually, this means when we have salad at our house, a delicious dressing is mandatory.

Being the “Epicurean Expert” of the family, I suggested they try out these gorgeously bottled, golden-rimmed, gourmet dressings by Girard’s, which I received to try out on the blog.  It was a great reminder to them, that although my tons of foodie products take up some room in the kitchen and the fridge, and we’re pretty much bff’s with the Fed Ex guy, blogging does have its perks.

Girard’s was even more generous with this package, sending along a recipe holder, some salad utensils, and a cute little apron to keep the dressings company.  Thank you, so much!

This time, I tried out White Balsamic, Light Champagne, Old Venice Italian, and Greek Feta.  All of which were fabulous.  My favorite, the Light Champagne was pretty much chugged straight from the bottle poured on salads like it was going out of style.  Each variety has less sodium than before, and the White Balsamic Vinaigrette and Greek Feta Vinaigrette varieties contain no high fructose corn syrup.

You want more deets?

Greek Feta (100 calories/2 tbsp.) – This one was probably my favorite substitute as a marinade.  If you’ve ever had Gazebo Room dressing, it is similar to that!  I loved it on grilled chicken!

White Balsamic Vinaigrette (110 calories/2 tbsp.) – YOU MUST make this recipe. 

It screams FALL.  My vote is actually to replace the apples with pears.  This is a total crowd pleaser.

 Olde Venice Italian -  Another GREAT marinade…infact, the website agreed.  They’ve got a wonderful recipe for Brick Chicken out there, which makes sense.  This dressing also makes a fantastic pasta salad!

Light Champagne (60 calories/2 tbsp.)- With 65% less fat than regular Girard’s Champagne dressing, you won’t miss out on ANY flavor choosing this instead.  I really loved it on a bed of romaine with blueberries, mandarin oranges, almonds, and sprouts!

Want to try them for yourself?  As I mentioned, Girard’s is a very generous brand, and offered to give away the same set that I received to one of you guys!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me which dressing you’d most like to try and what you’d make with it.
2. Check out the Girard’s website and tell me about another dressing that sparked your interest, not mentioned in this post.
3. Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway and leave an additional comment for each.

Contest will close Wednesday next week and a random winner will be selected!

Welcome Fall & The Weekend

Friday when I got home from work, there was a My Blogspark package on my doorstep.  Did you know that Yoplait added another flavor to their line of smoothie mixes?

Yep.  Chocolate & Banana, here I come.  Along with the free coupon, I got a plastic tumbler, a lavendar eye mask, & a neck pillow!   I would say that this was a positive start to my weekend   I love presents!

Friday night, the boy & I went to meet my parents & sister at the movies to see Abduction.

[source]

The theatre was packed since it was a rainy night and the movie had just come out.  We had a funny audience to watch it with…you know, the kind that claps at heroic scenes and “awhhh’s” at romance. Overall, the plot was good, the acting was not…Taylor Lautner may be nice to look at, but acting wise, he doesn’t impress me.

Saturday, I felt super productive. 

I finally got to try out the recipe for Katie’s Almond CoconutMacaroons.  They were absolutely delicious.  The recipe included all ingredients that I already had onhand…except the 1/4 C. stevia baking blend.  So, for the record, it takes approximately 30 splenda packets to make 1/4 C   THEY.WERE.AWESOME.  Notice, I said were. Boyfriend approved, too.

904 calories, avg. hr 113

Not ALL my Saturday morning productivity happened in the kitchen, as you can see.  I worked out in the basement for a little while.  It’s so easy to get caught up in a workout when you’re watching the Biggest Loser on Hulu (:

For lunch, I whipped up some of Mama Pea’s Mmm Sauce and made a glorious vegetable dish.

Steamfresh cauliflower & broccoli, 1 egg + 2 egg whites with a piece of Stonefire Flatbreads whole wheat roti

‘Twas divine. 

That night we celebrated my cousin’s birthday party at my house.  The camera battery was dead, so there were no pictures, buuuut it was a nice time.  Plus, Jarid and I got some shopping done for a wedding reception we’re attending next month.

Sunday morning was another great sweat session in my basement thanks to Insanity and Netflix, but not before I devoured this delicious little chocolate oat bran cake with peanut flour icing.

cake:

• 1/3 C. oat bran
• 1 diet Swiss Miss hot chocolate packet
• 1 Splenda packet
• 1 egg white
• baking powder
• pinch of salt
• water to thin

icing:

• 1/4 C. peanut flour
• 1 splenda packet
• salt to taste
• water to thin

Instead of heating up the oven for just a personal sized cake, I nuke mine in the microwave.  They taste just the same!  Easy peasy.

The stats from the cake fueled workout were decent as well.

615 calories, max hr 156

The series we are doing in church now was all about how to be more like Jesus.  A recently converted believer from a non-believer told us her testimony and it was baffling.  She is now part of a discipling program!  How cool is that?!

Jarid & I headed to Wegman’s to get our weekly fix for lunch.

My box of goodies was rather exciting.  I tried three different types of quinoa salads (Quinoa w/ Cranberries & Pumpkin Seeds, Blueberry Quinoa, and Butternut Squash Quinoa) and a tri-color chickpea salad, all of which were scrumptious.  I’m going to try to get the recipes from the website!  Along with the grains, I got some loose vegetables (blanched green beans, broccoli, red pepper, beets, cucumbers, and lettuce) with just a smidge of taco seasoned chicken.  Fit for a queen, I tell ya.

We dined on the way to Lancaster, so Jarid got a wrap for convenience.  He said he chose the wheat one in my honor.  Haha.

We spent the afternoon & evening hanging out and watching football together.  Jarid spent a bunch of time with my little cousin, Cole. 

My grandparents came over later and we all went to dinner together.  Later, they whipped out the “baby Sami” pictures, and we had a nice little trip down memory lane. 

I don’t get to see these guys nearly as often as I’d like, but I am pretty excited that we already have a weekend picked out in October for me to visit!  We are both just SO busy.  If we don’t pick out a time at least a month in advance, our schedules end up conflicting.

The food took a back burner to the company and conversation at dinner.  I had much more fun holding this little guy than I did chowing down on the salad bar & my sweet potato + scallops…although they were pretty awesome

I had a little cup of french onion soup, too, which was mouthwatering, before I ate my dessert plate. I love that Hoss’s is jumping on the “healthy” bandwagon and offering sugar free pudding & ice cream!

Another weekend success.  Tell me about your weekends!  And don’t forget to enter the Stonehouse 27 & Lundberg Heat & Eat Rice Bowl Killer Combo Giveaway! 

ALSO, Kayla, the winner of the Brat Hans prize package, please email me at freckledfoodielove@gmail.com with your shipping info. I tried to reply to the email you used to comment, but it said the message was undeliverable to that address.

XOXO.

Stonehouse 27 & Lundberg Rice Killer Combo

While packing lunches and eating on the run most days, nutritious meals can become monotonous.  You know, the same old chopped salad only looks appealing for so many days in a row before I get bored and unappetized. 

Sometimes, it’s hard to get creative for new and delicious meals that are also nutritious and made with wholesome ingredients, which is why I was thrilled at the chance to create my own “killer combo” courtesy of Lundberg Family Farms & Stonehouse 27 companies. 

Here’s a little background info on each:

Lundberg Family Farms® is a family-owned and operated rice company that is committed to producing the finest quality rice and rice products for your family. The Heat & Eat Brown Rice Bowls are quick, convenient, healthy brown rice that cooks perfect every time. Just Heat & Eat! It’s ready in seconds making it easy to get your daily servings of whole grains. It can be served as a side dish or used as a base in your favorite rice recipes. Lundberg’s Heat & Eat Bowls are available in 3 popular rice varieties: Short Grain Brown, Long Grain Brown and Countrywild®.

 

Stonehouse 27 was born in 2008 from Sharon Fernandez’s desire to bring delicious, all-natural sauces from her homeland to kitchens around the world. Stonehouse 27 sauces are rich with exotic spices, delicious aromas and magical flavors. They’re always made with fresh herbs and produce and do not contain anything artificial. These all natural sauces bring authentic flavors to the table, have many diverse uses, and are vegan, gluten free and contain less than 25mg of sodium per serving. They feature healthful, flavorful, premium ingredients such as pure agave nectar, expeller pressed canola oil and California dates. Stonehouse 27 has six delicious sauces: Tamarind & Garlic, Tomato & Chilies, Cilantro & Coconut, Dates & Tamarind, Cashews & Cream, and Spicy Cashews & Cream

For the challenge, we had to come up with a combo of our choice of one of the heat & eat rice bowls, along with one of Stonehouse 27′s delicious looking sauces.  I had a hard time choosing between several of them but ended up with:

Tomato & Chilies 

sautéed onions, garlic, spices and agave nectar

+

Organic Short Grain Brown Rice

I’m pretty sure there’s nothing that you couldn’t add to this dish and it would be outstanding…I mean, the sauce in itself is enough to flavor anything wonderfully.  Here’s my recipe:

1. Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
2. Tomato & Chilies Stonehouse 27 Sauce
3. 1 Eggland’s Best Egg
4. 1 Bag of steamable broccoli slaw

I just tossed all the ingredients together (after microwaving the egg, of course), and devoured.  AMAZING how just four ingredients can come together for an awesome recipe.  You can find these sauces & ricebowls at local retailers almost anywhere!  Check out their websites to find the closest to you!

So, here’s the fun part.  I get to choose 5 winners to receive their choice of 1 sauce + 1 rice bowl so they can create their very own killer combo! 

Here’s how to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me which sauce + rice bowl you would choose and what 5 or less ingredient killer combo you would make with them.
2. Like Stonehouse 27 & Lundberg Farms on Facebook & leave a comment here telling me you have.

Friday Winner

What better way to start the weekend than with the winner of the Brat Han’s Giveaway from last week!?

Congratulations to Kayla who said…

Please email me your shipping information so I can get your prize to you!

Happy Weekend, loves.

Sutures, Foramen, & Processes, Oh My!

These diagrams have been frying my brain since I started studying last week for my skeletal A&P exam.

 Thank GOD it is over.  My score wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but I’m satisfied, being that it was a ton of information to study and I was really freaking out about it.  In celebration, the boyfriend brought me two surprises.

+

He knows what I like The way to my heart is food, flowers, and fitness…which is why he also joined me at open gym last night.  Absolute best boyfriend in the world.

 Before hand, I drank some healthy energy and ate a Blueberry Chobani yogurt for some simple sugars. 

We haven’t gotten to play basketball together in TOO long because of the rain, causing us to cancel our outdoor games with the guys. 

As you can see, it was a great workout…Maintaining an average heart rate of 150 is quite intense over a span of an hour & twenty minutes. 

Afterward, I went home to shower…

 …and he went to pick up our order from The Wild Tomato, a new-to-me takeout place that has whole wheat pizza, whole wheat rolls for subs, and even a lot of gluten-free options! 

I am officially smitten with this place.  You can personalize every single thing about your pizza from the crust (traditional, whole wheat, or gluten-free), to the cheese (feta, fresh mozzarella, part-skim), to the toppings (green peppers, mushrooms, roasted chicken, olives, anchovies, pepperoni, bacon, tomatoes, spinach, onions, sweet peppers, etc).

They even use FRESH, locally-grown produce!  The options I chose come are “bolded” in the above paragraph

Holy yum.  I had this slice times 2.5.  Is it just me, or does healthy pizza taste SO much better when someone else makes it for you? Uh-Ma-Zing.

The boy was pleased with his selection, too.

He picked a traditional, white crust with regular cheese and pepperoni + bacon.  I wanted to get a personal sized one, like he did, but they said that they didn’t sell whole wheat in that size…I just figured, I wouldn’t have to pack lunch the rest of the week! (:

Afterward, we each enjoyed a popsicle for dessert while watching the new episode of Modern Family.  Sugar-free orange for her, regular cherry for him.   Food babies and cuddle time ensued

It’s almost Friday already!  Where did the week go?  I love it when that happens…

Stay tuned tomorrow for the announcement of the BRAT HANS & WEBER GRILL WINNER!  You only have one day to enter!

XO.

Your Thoughts Have Wheels

My devotion this morning just had to be shared…it is from Proverb 31 Ministries, and I really just felt like God knew that someone out there needed to hear it (: 

“The day started off just fine, but ended with confusion and tears. As a timid middle-schooler, I climbed the steps of my school bus eager to get home after a long afternoon.

Sitting quietly in my seat, all of a sudden I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Although my surroundings appeared to be the same, something was not right.

The bus was the normal sunshine yellow. The seats were standard black vinyl, displaying rips and tears from years of students. The floor was littered with the usual misplaced pencils, erasers and wadded-up papers. Yet, I felt out of place.

That’s when I realized I did not know any of the kids sitting around me. And I had never seen the bus driver before. Frantically, I searched for anything familiar. My cheeks grew hot and my heart raced with panic as I realized I was on the wrong bus.

Although I WAS headed somewhere, it was NOT where I wanted to go.

I’d been distracted by conversations with friends, thoughts of sleepovers, and how much homework I had. My thoughts were not focused on where I was going. The actions that followed caused me to end up somewhere I did not want to be.

Thinking back on that day, I’ve considered how our thoughts determine a lot about the direction of our lives. Like my school bus, our thoughts will always take us somewhere, but it may not be somewhere we want to end up.

If we spend time thinking about how our boss does not appreciate us, our thoughts will take us straight to a bad attitude at work and possibly poor performance.

If we focus on how much we do for others and how little we feel appreciated, our thoughts will take us to a place of resentment, with lack of patience and love.

If we spend an entire day fuming over something our husband or kids did, and mentally practice the harsh words we plan to say to them, those thoughts will lead us into a place of arguments, hurt feelings and damaged relationships.

If we dwell on why God has allowed certain problems in our lives, we will transport ourselves into a state of insecurity and unhappiness as we stop trusting God.

If we focus our thoughts on money, career, success and pleasure, we will find ourselves in the land of the lost—feeling frustrated and discontent.

Our thoughts are powerful and require great self control. If we allow them to run rampant, focusing on things that lead us away from God, then we will wind up at a destination we would never deliberately choose.

In today’s key verse, God shows us why we should choose carefully what we think about, because our thoughts determine who we are and how we live.

My childhood memory reminds me to consistently ask God to help me keep my mind on Him and on the thoughts He has for me. That way I can live according to His plans and with His perspective, seeking to be acutely aware of where my thoughts may lead me.

Our thoughts really do have wheels.”

Praying for you all!