Grilling up Asparagus

Growing up in the Central Valley, I learned to love asparagus. This stalky plant grows as individual steams off a crown of roots underground and each crown can yielf stalks for 20 years! Pickled, fried, and steamed are all treatments that I enjoy. However in the hot summer months, there is nothing I love more as a side dish than asparagus prepared on the grill.

I prepare my asparagus in foil packets where I put the spears and the seasoning. My friends love it when I just drizzle a delicious balsamic over the spears:

However when I have a french fry craving, I sprinkle a little sea salt and chili powder over them:

Fold up the packets and grill. Depending on the heat of the grill and how firm you like your asparagus, you are looking at three to twenty minutes on the barbie.

Easy? Yup. Delicious? Yup. So delicious I ate them all before remembering to take a final product picture :o)

Refreshing Mocktail Moneysaver

As I stroll through the aisles of Whole Foods, one of the trends that has become increasingly popular are the herb flavored waters. And I will admit to having tried them and enjoying them on occasion. But for $2 to $4 a pop (and over $5 at JFK!), I realized I could very easily make my own.

This baby is easy peasy to make and cheap to boot! It also has a number of health benefits! According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, ginger is used to treat stomach issues and inflammation as well as a number of other medical needs. Whole Foods explains that lemons have numerous health benefits including containing anti-carcinogens and act as a natural diuretic.

Remove the tough outer skin from a piece of ginger and use a fine grater or micro-plane to shred the ginger into a pitcher. Using the same grater, grated the zest off of a lemon into the same pitcher. You want to avoid grating the white portion and only grate the yellow zest. You can then juice the lemon or just add slices right into the pitcher. Add cold water, stir and let rest. The amount of ginger and lemon you choose to the ratio of water will depend on your taste entirely. I used one medium ginger bulb and one lemon for my pitcher. If the water is too strong, you can dilute it in your glass by only filling it part of the way with the lemon-ginger water and the rest with plain cold water.

What are some ways you spice up your water during the summer?

Fave Five and a Progresso Soup Giveaway

About a month ago I received an opportunity to try 15 different Progresso soups courtesy of Progresso and MyBlogSpark. Much like any other product I have investigated, I needed to ensure that this baby lived up to my standards by trying all of the different soups out. A couple of versions have been travel staples of mine for years (who doesn't love a giant pop-top can of soup for under 150 calories after a long day of work?), but there were new flavors to explore as well!

Before I give you my five favorites, I wanted to let you know that Progresso is currently giving away a makeover trip for two to New York. Just click here and you can enter to win until March 15. There are also printable coupons that you should definitely check out (I know I have).

While every soup I tried was pretty tasty for canned soups, I will confess to doctoring a couple by adding extra veggies. Bulking up canned soups is an easy way to up the fullness factor and sneak in some extra goodness. Whether it's adding a can of no-salt-added green beans, pouring in some frozen mixed veggies, or tossing in some fresh spinach... I love to sneak in the vegetables.

My five favorites, in no particular order: Traditional Chicken Barley, Light Zesty Southwestern-Style Vegetable, Light Chicken Noodle, Light Italian-Style Vegetable, and Light Chicken and Dumplings. I am a sucker for the light soups... and who can blame me? If you are counting Weight Watcher points, you are looking at a zero point snack for a cup of warm goodness. A whole can is less than 200 calories!

All of the soups were full of flavor, unlike some other light soups I have tried. Depending on the soup, many are MSG free. Some don't have soy and some are vegetarian. I'll give the calories/fat/fiber/protein for my five favorites, but I would encourage readers to check out labels before purchasing soups to consume.

The two vegetable soups both made great sides to grilled cheese sandwiches. The Italian-Style has pasta while the Southwestern-Style has beans. Both had lots of vegetables and flavorful broths. The Chicken Noodle and Chicken Barley were filling with big chunks of chicken and chunky vegetables. I enjoyed the mini dumplings in the Chicken and Dumpling soup, it took me back to my grandmother's Hungarian dumplings. I only with they were bigger and there were more of them. However, I guess that would defeat the purpose of it being a light soup?

MyBlogSpark and Progresso were kind enough to offer one Uncovering Food reader an opportunity to try out a couple of soups for free! One reader will receive a gift box containing two Progresso soups, a super sweet Progresso mug (that holds the whole can of soup... love it!), and a jump rope that measures the number of jumps you do (can't wait for the knee to heal to try this bad boy out). In other words, see that picture above this post? That's the promo picture I was sent of the giveaway!

So how can you be the lucky winner?

1. Post a comment saying one SOUPer thing about yourself. I think it is important that we take pride in ourselves so I want to know why you think you are amazing.

2. Follow Uncovering Food and let me know you are on the list *wink*

3. Share the giveaway with your friends! Link back or cc me in an email if you don't have a blog. You can also tweet about the giveaway for extra chances (no more than once a day!) and make sure you include @UncoveringFood in the tweet!

The contest will end on March 7th at 11:59pm PST. I should be all done with the massive debate tournament I am hosting and life should begin to normalize again. Luckily, I used the Progresso coupon to stock up on some soups so I will not starve this week :o)

Nutritional Stats for my Fave Five (all stats are for the full can... because let's not kids ourselves, one serving is not enough! if you want the stats for a one cup serving, just divide these in half):

Traditional Chicken Barley: 160 calories/2g fat/4g fiber/14g protein

Light Zesty Southwestern-Style Vegetable: 120 calories/1g fat/8g fiber/6g protein

Light Chicken Noodle: 140 calories/3g fat/4g fiber/10g protein

Light Chicken & Dumpling: 160 calories/3g fat/4g fiber/12g protein

Light Italian-Style Vegetable: 120 calories/0g fat/8g fiber/4g protein

Duck Duck GOOSEBERRY

While walking through the grocery store the other day, a new fruit caught my eye. It looked like a grape, but it wasn't a grape. I checked out the label on the package and saw it was a gooseberry? I had to buy them as I had never had a fresh gooseberry. And try them I did!

Apparently gooseberries grow abundantly in the San Francisco Bay Area and yet I had never tried them before? According to the California Rare Fruit Growers, "Gooseberries grow best in summer humid, cool regions with great winter chilling. In California they are fairly productive in the coolest parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, the outer Coast Ranges and coastal northern California. They are probably not worth trying in southern California. except at high elevations. With proper attention gooseberries can be grown in containers. "

Seeing it is winter, my gooseberries came from our neighbor to the South. I normally buy local produce but I didn't realize these were even grown locally! I am planning on looking for some locally grown gooseberries during the proper season.

So am I saying I liked them? They were surprisingly tart which caught me off guard. However, I boiled some water, added some sugar and dissolved it. Then I added the gooseberries to make a delightful sauce that was fabulous mixed in with my yogurt and ice cream. It was delightful!

One cup of gooseberries has 66 calories and 6 grams of fiber.

Simple Fennel Salad

Fennel was a vegetable I was alway afraid of. I mean, look at it! It has this big white bulb on the bottom and these light and fluffy tufts of green on top. How would one prepare such a unique vegetable?

As someone who loves black licorice, I was excited to try this vegetable because I heard it was also known as "Sweet Anise." But as I learned from Howard Yoon at NPR, "Anise is a pungent pint-sized herb, while 'sweet anise' — or fennel — is a hearty vegetable with a thick, bulbous base and celery-like stems that grow upward to 5 feet tall. It has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than anise."

However, if you love that thick Anise flavor, save the fronds/ferns that grow at the top of the plant. Yoon explains, "Though all parts of the Florence fennel are edible, the stalks tend to be fibrous, like celery, while the fronds can have an anise intensity that might turn off some people. The thick white leaves of the base offer the most versatile use. When cooked, the leaves become supple, the same way onions lose their firmness, and retain only a faint hint of anise."

I began first with roasting as this is how I try a number of vegetables for the first time because of the ease of preparation and the carmelization of the sugars in the vegetable. However, I had another teacher share with me her love of raw fennel and I had to try it. Now every chance I have to score some fennel, I make this salad.


Simple Fennel Salad.

1 Fennel bulb with ferns still attached
Unfiltered olive oil (or your favorite olive oil)
Fresh ground black pepper

Wash the bulb thouroughly and remove the stalks with the ferns. Set aside for use later. Slice the bulb into rings and place on your plate. Drizzle oil and sprinkle black pepper to taste. Add fern tufts for color and added flavor profile. This last part is optional depending on how much you love Anise. Yum!

One cup of sliced fennel has only 27 calories, 2.7 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein.

Soup for the Win

What? Soup? But summer isn't over yet!

I have been crafting simple soups all summer of both the hot and cold varieties. These fabulous bowls of liquid and veggies help fill you up as a perfect low calorie option before meals. Studies have found that we take in less calories while still feeling satisfied when we start our meals with a broth based soup.

While simmering soups for long periods help the flavors meld together, making a simple soup at home is quick and full of fabulous nutrients!

I recently had the opportunity to try Emeril's vegetable stock though the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. I decided to make a quick and simple veggie soup by sauteing some pre-diced onions and garlic. I then added a vegetable mix that came fresh from my grocer's refrigerated produce section as well as some fresh chilies. Then topped off the veggies with the broth. Simmers for about twenty minutes before enjoying the first bowl. Yum! You can even toss half the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the soup and you have a chunky, almost creamy soup.

Easy. Delicious. And good for you!

Emeril's stock has only 15 calories for one cup. Not fat, fiber or protein.

Ingredients: filtered water, cooked vegetables* (carrot, onion, celery, tomato), cane juice*, yeast extract*, sea salt, molasses*, carrot powder*, onion powder*, potato flour*, flavoring*, flavoring and canola oil

* = organic ingredients

Cleaning out the fridge: Slow Cooker Slop!

There will be no pictures, the creation was in no way photogenic. But trust me when I say it is delicious. And if you are like me and have produce left at the end of the week, you should try this out.

I love fresh produce. I love it so much that in addition to my CSA, I get additional produce during the week.

I also sometimes veer off course of my planned menu. Which means I sometimes have produce that would go to waste if I didn't create something else.

My favorite use for produce near the end of it's life is to toss it all in the slow cooker (aka crock pot) with some broth and seasonings, and let it simmer on low all day.

You can blend up the resulting soup to get a creamier soup, or just enjoy it chunky.

It's easy to make and filling to eat!

My latest Slow Cooker Slop included onions, carrots, broccoli, garlic, and cauliflower. I used low sodium organic chicken broth and Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning. For those of you counting points, a cup of this would be zero. A giant bowl might be one.

Debaters Dish: Skip the morning coffee and munch on granola?

At debate tournaments, I drink a fair amount of coffee and tea. Waking up before the sunrises and going to bed after midnight can do that to a person. Additionally, my food choices often lack the healthy balance of nutrients that I normally get at home. Luckily, MixMyGranola has found a way to incorporate nutritional enhancers into their custom granola mixes! I will be honest, the first thought upon reading this announcement was that there would be a nasty powder covering the delicious granola I reviewed earlier this year. However, after tasting granola enhanced with caffeine and lucuma, I was proven wrong! While some of the enhancers add flavor to the granola, it was a pleasant addition that was cooked into the product rather than sprinkled over.

With the highest caloric additions being only 13 calories (ginkgo and acai), I am excited to play around with the various enhancements! As someone who packs a snack bag of granola for plane rides, this latest addition to the MixMyGranola customization will allow me to up my nutrients in a delicious and convienint package. Here is the complete list of enhancements from the MixMyGranola Web site:

Caffeine Powder: Skip your Starbucks and have your caffeinated granola instead. A great way to get your morning started!

Organic Pomegranate: Skip the pomegranate juice and get a shot in your granola. A good source of vitamin B5 and antioxidant polyphenols.

Organic Acai Powder: Acai berries are loaded with antioxidants and have a number of other healthy benefits. Oprah would agree!

Organic VitaCherry: This powder contains Anthocyanins, which help protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals and aging.

Green Tea Powder: Green tea contains polyphenols which are thought to improve health. It also has been shown to reduce cholesterol.

Chlorella Powder: Chlorella contains more chlorophyll per gram than any other plant and is excellent for cleansing the body.

Organic Blueberry: For all those blueberry lovers, add some extra wild blueberry flavor to your mix!

Ginkgo Leaf Powder: Ginkgo has been shown to support mental sharpness and increases blood flow to the brain.

Organic Maca Powder: Maca has been shown to boost energy, endurance and performance. Get a shot and get your day started right!

Gotu Kola Powder: Gotu Kola has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and be a circulatory stimulant.

Mangosteen Powder: This superfruit has antioxidant strength and potential impact for lowering risk against human diseases.

Organic Cacao Powder: Want to take your granola mix up another chocolate notch? Add a shot of our Cacao Powder!

Organic Lucuma: Lucuma is an excellent source of fiber and beta carotene. Peruvians also use it to flavor ice cream. Healthy and great flavor!

Spirulina Powder: Spirulina is a blue-green microalgae that is a natural source of essential phytonutrients, protein and amino acids.

Bee Pollen Powder: The supplement known as "the fountain of youth." Studies have shown it increases zest, energy and physical endurance.

Organic Quinoa: This superfood is high in complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids.

Opo!

One of my favorite food related activities is wandering through the Farmer's Market and looking for something new to try. This weekend yielded one such discovery. The Opo squash!

In order to learn about this green oblong vegetable, I spoke with the farmer about the squash and purchased one to take home and experiment with. I was told that in the Chinese culture, the Opo is also called Gwa.

The flesh of the Opo is white and firm with seeds that are attached (and remind me of a cross between a cucumber and a zucchini). It is in fact a member of the cucumber family! The skin is a pale green and the exterior is smooth and firm.

The flavor of the squash is similar to a zucchini although the texture is a bit softer. I took the larger base of the Opo and cut it horizontally to make 4 "burgers" with it. After a tiny sprinkle of salt and pepper, I threw them into my panini press to grill them. I used one of the discs and made a provolone, avocado, and baby red kale Opo burger!

While I found the Opo squash at my local Farmer's Market, you can find it in many climates where the weather is warmer. Because it needs warmth to grow, this particular squash is characterized as a summer squash but depending on where you live, you can find it throughout the year.

Another application was to slice the Opo into sticks, sprinkle lightly with seasoning salt, and bake. Voila! Low calorie "fries" made in a similar method as my Squash Chips.

The Opo is often used in stir-fries and stews, however you can also enjoy it raw. This vegetable is high in vitamins and fiber while staying low in calories. A perfect companion to any meal or enjoyed alone, I guarantee I will be scouting for more Opo squash on my new Farmer's Market expedition!

Garlic Gold Popcorn: A Snacking Sensation!

It is my first weekend off from debate travel after a long month and that meant hanging out at home and watching the playoffs. One of my favorite snacks when kicking back if air-popped popcorn with a drizzle of olive oil. It is a great way to get in some healthy fats and some filling fiber in a tasty treat!

Tonight I figured I would mix it up a little and add another dimension to the popcorn bowl. I replaced my standard unfiltered olive oil on my popcorn with Garlic Gold Oil. I then opened my bottle of Garlic Gold Sea Salt Nuggets and sprinkled a healthy amount over the popcorn. As I learned last week, these pre-roasted crunchy garlic nuggets can be used in cooking, but they are also fabulously crunchy and delicious poured over your prepared dish. The seasoning added the salt I would normally sprinkle over my popcorn but also a crunchy garlic goodness that satisfied my craving for something savory but healthy.

Sunday night is the close of the Garlic Gold giveaway. I normally don't devote more than one post, especially with such a busy week I have had, on one product. However, these portable, healthful products have served me well in work and play. If you haven't had an opportunity to try out Garlic Gold for yourself, enter the contest now!

Debaters Dish: The Rush for Garlic Gold and your chance to strike it RICH!!!!

*** WARNING: Reading this post may make you drool. But don't run off and get a towel! Stick with it through the end for a fabulous contest that you won't want to miss!!! Oh but don't drool over the keyboard, okay? ***

When we travel for debate, we sometimes stay at hotels with kitchens. It is during those lucky weekends that the team gets to bond during meal time, preparing great eats and making fabulous memories.

This weekend I brought along a couple of delicious seasonings from Garlic Gold. This all organic company has some of the best employment practices a company can have which is something I respect in a business these days. It also amazed me to learn that this company got started with an 8th grade economics project! But in addition to being such a wonderful company, the folks at Seven Oaks Ranch also produce delicious garlic goodness. From garlic oil to dressing to delicious garlic nuggets, Garlic Gold has captured the hearts of garlic lovers, including this debate coach and Emeril Lagasse whose blog called Garlic Gold the "gold standard!"

With all of the concerns over various germs that are making their way across the globe, traveling across the country means I am focusing on ways to keep my debaters healthy. This means cooking delicious foods loaded with antioxidants. The Connecticut Center for Health reports that garlic has been found to be useful against a number of ailments. Which meant that garlic would be a key component of our meal tonight through the application of Garlic Gold's new seasoning Nuggets.

We decided on grilled chicken with Italian Herb Garlic Nuggets, roasted potatoes with Parmesan Garlic Nuggets, and a salad of baby romaine. However, after a long night of travel, it wouldn't be fair to have just one person do all of the cooking which meant that all of the debaters helped make dinner. So here are the instructions for a delicious, teen friendly meal utilizing a community and health friendly product.

What you will need to duplicate the Debaters Dish dinner:

20 oz raw boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
1 lb baby yellow potatoes
Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets
Garlic Gold Italian Herb Nuggets
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 lb baby romaine lettuce
dressing of your choice

Start by preheating the oven to 475 degrees. Wash the potatoes and halve them. This was Kelsey's job. She was very cautious with the knife and is one of our team captains, so we trusted her with this responsibility.


The next step is to toss the potatoes in olive oil and Garlic Gold Parmesan Nugget seasoning. Justine had to do this in several steps because we were limited on kitchen equipment. She found using a sandwich bag made it easier to coat the potatoes. You will need two teaspoons of oil to coat the potatoes. The amount of seasoning is up to you!


Justine layered the potatoes out on a roasting pan and decided there just wasn't enough of the Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets, so she sprinkled a bit more on before placing the potatoes in the oven. The potatoes will need 20 to 30 minutes to roast, stirring halfway through to guarantee even roasting.


Once the potatoes were in the oven, Kaavya got started on the chicken. As one of our seniors, Kaavya will be heading off to college soon and wanted to get her hands dirty by prepping the main course. I stand to be corrected, but this may have been Kaavya's first attempt at cooking chicken on the storetop? She started by pouring one teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and bringing it to medium high heat. While you could use cooking spray to reduce the calories, my students can tell you how important healthy oils are for you. Additionally, our frying pan was not of the best quality and needed the extra lubricant to aide the cooking process. When the oil hated up, Kaavya added half the chicken tenders.


The chicken was seasoned with the Garlic Gold Italian Herb Nuggets and turned several times to allow for even and complete cooking. Kaavya had fun making sure the chicken was seasoned and cooked through.


Remember when I said that the debaters and I were in love with Garlic Gold? And how cooking together creates stories we will tell again? Well Kaavya enjoyed seasoning the chicken, but with extra seasoning beginning to blacken on the bottom of the pan...


The smoke detector went off!!!! The entire team jumped to action after ensuring that the chicken wasn't burning (it wasn't!). From opening the front door to fanning the detector and turning on the vent to opening the windows...


Speaking of windows. Apparently they pop out? They luckily also pop back in... but for a short period of time while the kitchen was airing out, we were worried!

[Thanks for the tip from a seasoned Garlic Gold veteran: "I've cooked a lot of recipes with Garlic Gold, and just be careful not to put the nuggets into high heat conditions for very long... They are already fully cooked and so can burn during pan frying (which is probably why the alarm went off). Better to put on during last 3-4 minutes of cooking." While our dinner was delicious, this would also probably make the flavors POP even more!!!]

While Kaavya finished cooking the chicken, Raghav prepped the lettuce by giving it a good wash. Although packaged lettuce looks clean, you still want to wash it to ensure not germs hopped on in transit.


We then sat down to enjoy a fabulous meal, pictured below. Not to be outdone, Mohit hopped up after dinner to wash up the dishes! Not having to cook AND clean the kitchen is one of the highlights of preparing dinner as a team.


What did I do? Supervised and ate of course! As well as wrote up this review :-)

Chicken and Potatoes (1/5 of recipe): 262 calories/6.5 grams of fat/1.4 grams of fiber/29 grams of protein

Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets, per tsp: 10 calories/.9 grams of fat/0 grams of fiber/.8 grams of protein
Ingredients: Organic Garlic, chopped and toasted to CRUNCHY perfection in Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Parmesan Cheese

Garlic Gold Italian Herb Nuggets, per tsp: 4 calories/.4 grams of fat/0 grams of fiber/.2 grams of protein
Ingredients: Organic Garlic, chopped and toasted to CRUNCHY perfection in Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil,blended with a proprietary blend of Organic Italian seasonings

Garlic Gold is available online but also in over 4,000 stores across the country. If you need help locating a store near you, contact the fine folks at Garlic Gold and they can direct you to the loot!

*** Remember when I said you shouldn't leave your seat? Here's your chance to score a fabulous gift pack and 1 ounce samples of Garlic Gold Seasoning Nuggets courtesy of Brian and the Garlic Gold family! ***

Garlic Gold is offering one lucky Uncovering Food reader a chance to own their own Garlic Gold. The prize package will include this gift basket above (which is available for purchase at their online store), as well as one ounce samples of their new flavors of Nuggets (Sea Salt, Italian Herb, and Parmesan). The gift basket description: "The perfect combination for the garlic lover in your family--a bottle of Garlic Gold, 3.75 oz, crunchy Garlic Gold Nuggets and our own Garlic Gold Oil, the besting tasting garlic infused organic extra-virgin olive oil. Attractively packaged and ready to give as a gift. Or, treat yourself!"

How can you win? Read through the contest rules completely before leaving your comment. Comments that do not meet the rules will not be counted.

1. Visit Garlic Gold's Web site and choosing one of their products, post a comment with a recipe you'd like to try that utilizes this golden garlic ingredient. It does not have to be a recipe on their site... get creative and come up with your own use for Garlic Gold! This comment must be left before additional entries will be counted.

2. Post about Garlic Gold and this contest on your blog. Post link or let me know you linked back on this post.

3. Sign up for the Garlic Gold newsletter (it includes discounts and subscriber only specials!). Leave a comment letting me know you are now subscribed!

4. Become an Uncovering Food follower. If you have already done this, or when you do this, leave a comment here.

Entries will close May 10th at 11:59pm PST. Good luck getting in on this Garlic Gold Rush!

Debaters Dish: The Ginger People Products

I am on the road again with my debaters. Excited by having a coach who writes an "awesome blog" (aren't they cute?), my students came up an idea! Each tournament will now feature a blog segment called "Debaters Dish" which will focus on products used during travel and teen friendly recipes and products. With the number of weekends I am on the road with these kids, expect a fabulous selection of topics that are both healthy and helpful!

For those who are not familiar with high school debate: a coach wakes up at 6am on a weekend day, rallies the troops of students dressed in suits into the minivan or sports utility vehicle. We then trudge on to Starbucks or other caffeine equipped location before making our way to a high school or university. It is at these locations where we then coach our students and judge other students through round after round of academically rigorous verbal battle where logic, reasoning and evidentiary support reign supreme. In between rounds, we discuss how to answer new arguments heard in the previous round and we grab quick bites to eat. The tournament usually wraps up well after most people have had dinner, and many have gone to bed. We may grab another bite to eat before heading back to the hotel du jour and preparing for the next day of caring for our charges and coaching for educational and competitive success.

We also have to travel to get to the tournament. Many times by car but also by bus or plane.

Want to know a secret about this coach?

I get motion sick. It isn't pretty!

How, one might ask, does a person who get motion sick in a fast moving elevator handle trapsing around the country while caring for high school students?

When I was in college, the answer to my troubles was to medicate with over the counter and prescription anti-nausea meds. However, since I usually have to drive when the plane lands, and even the non-drowsy meds still knock me out, I needed to find something that would do the trick but leave me energized in the process. I am also not a fan of using medication for things when I can possibly find a natural solution.

Luckily, I did some research on the topic and now I will share it with you. There are a number of studies that exist that suggest ginger may help ease the symptoms of nausea. While it may not work for everyone, and it is recommended you speak with your physician before starting any herbal regime, I decided to test out this theory. Worst case scenario, it doesn't work...?

Over the last two trips, I had the opportunity to test out three products made by The Ginger People that all contain the herb that would save me in my travels. Ginger Chews Original, GinGins, and Gin-Gins Boost can all be found on store shelves near you or can be ordered online. The Ginger People is a family-owned and operated company with factories in the United States and Australia. They specialize in a number of ginger products including juice and baked goods, however their portable individually wrapped ginger candies would serve my needs perfectly as they travel well in a purse and are low-calorie to boot!

Ginger Chews Original: This was my first exposure to ginger candy. This is, as the name implies, a chewy ginger candy. The flavor is incredibly strong with both sweet and spicy notes. I used it instead of gum upon take-off, which both gave me a dose of ginger but also helped with my popping ears. I enjoyed two of them on that flight and was able to endure the turbulance over the Rocky Mountains! There was mild nausea but no where near as bad as previous trips. I am guessing if I had a bit more ginger, it might have helped. These candies come in at 20 calories a piece and contain cane sugar, ginger and tapioca starch. Apparently there are a variety of these chews including apple, peanut, and coffee.

Gin-Gins: These hard candies claim to have double the strength of the original chews. The Ginger People recommending using these as throat lozenge. While they aren't as sweet as the chews, I also think the spice level is more subtle. And as someone who is feeling under the weather today, I am actually enjoying one of these as I type the review. When I used these on a flight, there was no turbulence. However, I was also able to watch a movie en route, which is something I have to normally avoid on planes. Each of these candies contain a half gram of ginger and three candies is only 35 calories. The ingredients are cane sugar, glucose sugar and ginger. I will be dosing these out to students, who after speaking all day sometimes have scratchy or sore throats. It's working for me!

Gin-Gins Boost: Labeled by the company as the "little potion for the motion" this candy is 30% ginger in every small bite. Not as hard as the Gin-Gins, the Boost is slightly chewy but small and oval shaped like it's sibling. It is also a bit spicier, warming your mouth with the complex ginger flavor. While I left the box at home with the calorie count on it (I promise to update in a couple days but I remember it was the lowest in caloric count), the Boost contains cane sugar, glucose, ginger, modified cassava starch, non-hydrogenated palm kernel oil (trans fat free), salt, and soy lecithin. I enjoyed the Boost on Friday and was able to read article after article on the debate topic as well as grade papers on the plane. If that doesn't speak to potency, I am not sure what will.

If you don't suffer from motion sickness, ginger is also touted as having energy boosting properties. A quick google search shows a number of other preliminary studies that claim ginger may be used for a variety of ailments and preventative care. However, no matter what the reason for enjoying ginger, The Ginger People have a variety of candies that are sure to please the palate. I guarentee they will be in my carry on for the remainder of the season!

Chocolate and Mint and Tea... Oh My!

There are days when this girl just craves mints and chocolate. But when I face the number of calories and chemicals in a Thin Mint cookie, it is hard to enjoy them like I used to.

Luckily, Teavana, my favorite source for loose leaf teas has found the answer to my craving in their Cacao Mint Black Tea. For tea purists who don't like to mix it up, this is not your basic black tea. However, if you are willing to accept that teas can be mixed with a variety of fabulous natural ingredients to get new and unique flavors, then I recommend you check this one out.

One of the newer teas in the Teavana canisters, I have enjoyed Cacao Mint as both a morning tea (minty fresh breath without the chemicals of sugarfree gum!) and as a dessert tea (chocolate and mint in a warm liquid form = yum!). I have only had it warm, although I think it would make a perfect summer drink over ice with a sprig of fresh mint. I brew a 12oz mug with a half teaspoon of German Rock Sugar for a sweet low-calorie treat several times a week.

Black tea doesn't get the play that it's relatives White and Green have been getting lately. However it is just as effective as the others in providing health benefits. Rutgers University has done a number of studies on black tea including one that found a link between drinking tea and it's effects on colorectal cancer!

One of the comments I got on my last tea blog was about the cost of loose leaf teas. Cacao Mint is $6.80 for 2 ounces, which is a fair amount of tea considering you only use one to two teaspoons of leaves for each drink. I promise you spend more on a can of soda then you would one of these satisfying mugs of minty chocolate goodness.

Ingredients: Black tea, cocoa bits, hazelnut pieces and peppermint leaves.

Tea lovers... I would love to hear about your favorite teas and tea blends! Please feel free to share!

Morning Delight! Honeyville Steel Cut Oats and Freeze Dried Berries

I am a breakfast girl. I need food in my stomach within an hour of getting up or I am out of whack for the day.

I am also not a morning person. I like to sleep as LATE as possible. In fact this morning, I found out I was a "sleep snoozer". I have been told this is what someone who hits the snooze button in their sleep is called. Which I did so many times this morning, I missed my run!

Luckily, I had made breakfast last night! And it was still delicious this morning.

Oatmeal has been all the rage for blogging foodies. But most people like the convenience of quick cooking rolled oatmeal. Which is understandable if you have a need for speed. But let me take a couple minutes to try and convert you to something that takes a little more preparation but is well worth the wait (and can be prepped ahead of time!):

Steel Cut Oatmeal!!!

The fine folks at Honeyville allowed me to opportunity to sample their Steel Cut Oatmeal as well as their Freeze Dried Strawberries and Freeze Dried Blueberries. I was excited to try out something new from a family owned company with a longstanding reputation for working with restaurants around the country. What does that mean for an individual consumer? Their online store is fantastically inexpensive! And if you have a larger family or big event, the bulk ordering is also a great deal! Not to mention the inexpensive shipping cost.

But enough about how awesome the company is and how great the prices are. Let's talk about taste!

I started by preparing two cups of steel cut oatmeal (8 servings) in twelve cups of boiling water. The process took approximately 45 minutes, but aside from stirring, was really easy. It cooks up to somewhere around a cup a serving cooked. The reason for prepping a larger batch was so I could portion it out for later.
The oatmeal itself is extra creamy and smooth with bites of whole oatmeal. I feel healthier eating it but also more satisfied. It not only filled me up this morning but kept me full for the couple hours before I got my caffine fix. It is high in fiber and protein which helps make it so filling. I wanted more for lunch but alas I didn't bring any to school!

When I preportioned the cooked oatmeal, I took a couple of servings and mixed in 1/4 cup of strawberries or 1/4 cup of blueberries. The strawberries are slices that are also great for munching (guess what is going in my carry-on for next week's championships!) and the blueberries are large and whole. Both are crispy and full of flavor. Did I mention how low in calories they are?
Back to the oatmeal. Adding the fruit in was the idea of Chris over at Honeyville. His suggestion was fabulous! The creaminess of the oats and the natural sweetness of the strawberries made the perfect morning treat. As a child, I loved Strawberries and Cream instant oatmeal. This reminded of that... only ten times better because it wasn't overly sweet or full of chemicals.

I look forward to sleeping in and just popping my oatmeal in the micro each morning. Honeyville made a believer out of me that taking the extra time is worth it for flavor, nutrition and satiation.

Ingredients in Honeyville Steel Cut Oats: Whole Grain Oats

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup uncooked Honeyville Steel Cut Oats: 160 calories/3 grams of fat/5 grams of fiber/6 grams of protein

Ingredients in Honeyville Freeze Dried Strawberries: Strawberries

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup Honeyville Freeze Dried Strawberries: 15 calories/0 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/0 grams of protein

Ingredients in Honeyville Freeze Dried Blueberries: Blueberries

Nutritional Information for 1/4 cup Honeyville Freeze Dried Blueberries: 30 calories/0 grams of fat/1 gram of fiber/0 grams of protein

Strawberry Kiwi Salsa

1/2 pint of strawberries, diced
2 kiwis, diced
2 small/medium vine ripened tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 jalepeno, deseeded and dehulled, diced
1/4 cup chopped white onion

Toss all ingredients gently and let rest for five minutes or more. A couple of notes: I keep the skin on the kiwi because according to a number of sources including the Cancer Resource Center, kiwi skin carries a number of nutrients. As long as you scrub well and dice small, you won't notice the skin and you will get bonus health benefits. I also served the salsa in a mini pita from Trader Joe's (70/.5/0/2) and 2 ounces of grilled boneless, skinless organically fed chicken breast. The salsa was also just great eaten by itself (I definitely had a couple spoonfuls).


The nutritional information is for 1/4 of the recipe. I did not measure it out but I can tell you that is over 1/2 cup of salsa since I just put away 2/3 of the recipe and it barely fit into my 2.5 cup container!

Nutritional Information: 116 calories/7 grams of fat/5.5 grams of fiber/2 grams of protein

I am also including it for 1/8 since I realized just how much salsa it makes (I tried eating a quarter of the recipe and it is a LOT)!!!! You probably won't even need this much but it is just THAT good!

Nutritional Information: 58 calories/3.5 grams of fat/2.75 grams of fiber/1 gram of protein

Exploring White Teas, a review of Teavana's White Ayurvedic Chai

Growing up with an Australian mum and grandmum, whenever I was sick or stressed or cranky or tired, I knew what the cure would be. Tea. And while I have grown up and live on my own now, tea is still my go to for all that ails me. According to scientists at the Second International Science Symposium, the matriarchs in my family were right! My friends can tell you that when they complain about being sick, I tell them to enjoy some tea.

Having spent a fair amount of time looking for the fullest flavor and most benefits in a cup, I did some research. I wanted to explain to you why I primarily drink loose leaf teas and avoid the commercial bags. There are four general categories of tea leaves: Whole Leaf, Broken Leaf, Fannings, and Dust. Commercial tea bags get the dust and fannings of the tea which means that you don't get the full flavor of the teas. You can find more information about the different categories can be found here.

One of the great things about teas is how many types there are! Today, I want to take a closer look at White Tea. White teas are leaves that are not oxidized or cured. According to author S. Elliott, "Undergoing less processing than many other tea varieties, white tea can have ten times the antioxidant power of vitamin E and impressively high concentrations of polyphenols and catechins. This power punch can help fight the ravages of aging caused by free radicals in your system. It can also help lower cholesterol and inhibit the development of cancer cells. Side benefits include white tea's ability to help increase bone density, aid the immune system, and help lower blood pressure."

My favorite foodie stores is Teavana. I enjoy perusing the latest loose leaf teas and walking away with bags of beneficial finds. Teavana is what their name implies, a heaven of tea. In addition, they give away part of their proceeds to CARE which is totally awesome in my book. Plus they also take orders online which made it easy to get tea when I am away from my local tea shop.

Today, I am sitting in a hotel in Indianapolis trying out some of Teavana's White Ayurvedic Chai Tea. Ayurveda is a traditional medical system that originated in India and has existed over 5,000 years. According to the Teavana web site, "this Ayurvedic tea will keep you aligned and balanced in your everyday life. White tea has a very high amount of antioxidants, which help to reduce the risk of certain cancers and inhibit their growth. White tea has also been shown to strengthen your immune system, increase your metabolism, detoxify your body and hydrate your skin. By hydrating your skin, it reduces fine lines and wrinkles, which helps you look younger. Contains approximately 1% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee."

The first thing I do when I get a new tea is smell it. This is one of my favorite parts! I am sure people who see me giggle but there is nothing I enjoy more that inhaling over a new tea (or one of my favorites!). The White Ayurvedic Chai has a complex nose with strong hints of the cloves, pepper and cinnamon. In the back of your nose you can smell the sweetness of the lemongrass. There is also coconut in the blend which may be the smooth sweet smell that ties the package together.

I added 1/2 a tsp of German rock sugar to a 24 ounce pot which was plenty (and added less than 20 calories to the whole pot)! This tea is sweet and spicy all at once. It does not need any other additions because the flavor is full and rich without being overpowering and too spicy like so many chai teas on the market. When the tea first hit my mouth, the smooth sweetness of the coconut glides over my tounge, leaving behind the subtle spices that almost overpowered the unbrewed nose. The complexity of the flavor leaves me drinking more, so I can continue to find ways to describe how much I am enjoying it!

Because the caffine content is so low, I enjoyed it as my dessert after a long day of traveling. It was so good I drank four cups! I strongly recommend this tea to anyone who is looking to improve their health while enjoying a flavorful cup of goodness.

Product Review: Tree Top Trim Strawberry Kiwi

When I first read about Treetop Trim online, I knew I had to try it! According to BevNET.com, "After months of extensive research and finding out what consumers wanted, Tree Top developed, trim, the first beverage to provide one full fruit serving coupled with weight management functionality."

“We wanted to create a beverage unlike any other in the juice aisle,” said John Baranowski, Tree Top’s Lead Food Scientist. “We learned consumers wanted a weight management benefit 2 to 1 over any other function. My challenge was to create a beverage that gave consumers what they wanted, while still tasting delicious. I think we’ve done that.”

Tree Top also claims that one serving of Trim helps promote a healthy metabolism and curbs your appetite. And it is a fruit serving too?

End of the promo quotes and claims... I decided I had to try this beverage and let my readers know if it was worth your time. The final question I had was what it was what are the ingredients?

There were quite a few ingredients that I didn't recognize, so I am linking to definitions or articles for others who may wonder:

Ingredients: Water; Concentrated Juices of Apples Pears and Watermelons; Dextrin; Natural Flavors; Citric Acid; Kiwifruit Juice Concentrate; Orange Juice Concentrate; Strawberry Juice Concentrate; Garcinia Cambogia Extract; Cochineal; L-Carnitine Fumarate; Acesulfame Potassium; Sucralose; Chromium Polynicotinate

While Trim does use some artificial sweeteners, there was no aspartame. The drink also contains a plethora of juices but is about half the calories of a serving of pure fruit juice. I know it is better to eat the fruit whole, but sometimes a girl just wants a sweet drink!

Now for the review. The drink is sweet and fruity. It has more depth than your average fruit drink that is not 100% fruit juice. It lacks the artificial taste that most low-calorie fruit beverages have. I am not sure if the kiwi and strawberry were the predominat flavors because the boyfriend said he could "taste the apple juice" when he kissed me after (I didn't tell him what type of juice I had drank before he commented). However, I like the overall fruit combination and could imagine drinking it on a warm summer day while relaxing in the shade. I would love to serve it in a chilled martini glass as a special sweet treat.

Does it work to reduce hunger? I drank one serving 30 minutes before writing this when I was feeling minor hunger rumblings in my stomach. I have a dinner to leave for in a bit and didn't want to attend either ravished or snacked out. And I am currently satisfied!

I hope Tree Top will continue to package these drinks in single serving cans, as I can see storing a couple at school for those days when lunch isn't coming fast enough. It is a sweet pick-me-up that is enjoyable to the palate. I wouldn't drink it everyday because I try to avoid artificial sweeteners when I can... but this is the best low calorie juice option I have found in all of my searching thus far and for those of you who aren't concerned about sweeteners but are looking for sweet treats to aide your weight loss journey, I would buy the store out!!!

Nutritional Information: 60 calories, no fat, 3 grams of fiber, no protein

Product Review: La Croix Lime Water

I was wandering the food aisles at Target on Saturday in order to find some quick snacks for a party I was heading to. I don't like to drink a lot of alcohol anymore, and sodas are either sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup or Aspartame. So I figured I should bring my own beverages.

I started searching through the beverage aisle when my eye fell upon this lovely green box. Was it soda? No! In fact with was lime flavored sparkling water! Was it sweetened? No! And it was less than $3 for a 12-pack. What a bargain!

The water comes in 12 ounce cans and are easy to transport. With the lower prices than the other flavored sparkling water brands, I expected the flavor to reflect the price.

While the flavor is not as rich as some of the higher priced waters, it does not taste bad. The lime is lighter and I can detect some notes of aluminum. It reminds me of airline canned water. Which not a terrible thing. The bubbles are refreshing and the hint of lime keeps it interesting.

Would I buy it again? For approximately a quarter a can? You betcha! This zero calorie beverage may be my new "soda" staple at work.

Ingredients: Carbonated water, natural flavors

Tea, tea, fabulous TEA (Warmth on a Cold Day Blend)

This isn't a recipe. Well not a real recipe. But just one of my current favorite tea blends. During the summer I love to make my own shaken iced teas and in the winter, there is nothing more soothing to the soul than a warm cup of tea. I should warn you though, I am a tea snob. I will drink almost any unsweetened tea in a pinch, but when given a choice, I must have loose leaf teas. Only loose leaf teas can be messy when in a hotel or at school. I use the Teavana teamaker when I am at home, but it is bulky. So I have purchased filters to make my own tea blends. I purchase the larger bags, even though I use them for single cups, because it allows the leaves to fully expand.

As I make blends, some are so delicious, I want to share them! Unless you add milk or over sweeten your tea, it is a fabulous low-calorie and high antioxidant beverage.

One teaspoon of each of the following (this tea can be brewed several times, the strength and sweetness will decrease but it is still yummy for at least one or two extra cups):

Gingerbread Cookie Tea
Honeybush Vanilla Tea
Haute Chocolate Rooibos Tea
German Cane Sugar

Mix together in tea bag and tie up the bag. Toss it in a mug and pour hot water over tea. Steep for 2-5 minutes. Enjoy!

Spicy Sweet Butternut Squash Fries

1 small butternut squash
seasoning salt
cinnamon
chili powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray cooking spray onto a cookie sheet. Peel squash with a vegetable peeler and slice into equal sized strips. Lay spaced on pan and sprinkle with all three spices. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

Points will vary based on serving size and serving size will vary based on size of squash.