Noshtopia

Sweet Pics: Decadent Chocolate Cupcake and Blue Bottle Coffee

2009-07-15T23:09:52-07:00

Are you drooling? Here's a napkin.

I was hanging out at pal Diane's pad the other day, and for dessert we split this decadent vegan chocolate cupcake I bought at the Whole Foods near her house. The cake part of the cupcake was on the dry side but the frosting was divine so I basically just spent my time licking off the frosting like a lollipop.

To go with the cupcake, Diane french pressed some Blue Bottle coffee. I add rice milk and sugar in the raw in my coffee.

If you're ever in San Francisco, you must try the Blue Bottle coffee. It's organic and the stuff is a huge hit with the locals. Definitely buy a bag to take home with you, and try out one of their latte drinks. Even better, try the vegan mocha, it is THE best mocha drink (dairy or non) I've ever had. Seriously! Here's a picture of this chocolately drink from the heavens. The baristas are also very creative and draw cute pics on the mocha.

I'm so grateful for Diane because she's one of those friends who doesn't have any food allergies, sensitivities, or restrictions and who will totally partake and enjoy treats that are food-friendly for me. It's awesome!

Instead of Sour Cream on Enchiladas Try...

2009-07-15T22:46:55-07:00

For dinner tonight, I popped in the oven these Amy's Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas which are dairy free and gluten free. (Nutritional info) Sometimes, it's nice to just eat an easy to heat frozen dinner, and Amy's offers wider choices for the food allergies than most frozen dinner brands.

Normally, I like to put sour cream on enchiladas but today I thought I'd be experimental and dabble on top some So Delicious brand coconut milk based yogurt in Passionate Mango flavor. The coconut milk is nice too if you're trying to avoid soy. I got the yogurt for a smoothie and had some left over, so why not try slathering some of that mango passion on the enchiladas for fun.

Ya know, the passionate mango yogurt topping was pretty tasty. Different, in a good way. The mango flavor is very light and is a nice sweet twist combined with the zesty enchilada sauce. You don't even notice the coconut flavor at all. The yogurt is not as thick as sour cream, but it's not that much thinner. And bonus, the yogurt gives you some active and live cultures.

I enjoyed having something dairy like on my enchiladas!

Why Putting Vegan Mayo On A Hot Dog Is Not Ridiculous

2009-06-29T14:59:09-07:00

Today I tweeted a story from Bon Appetit titled, "80 delicious hot dog ideas from around the world." One of the hot dog ideas had vegan mayo on it and in the comments of that story, one person claimed ridiculousness with that concept:

I edited out the first part of the comment because it was a bit mean spirited. I see where the commenter is coming from, so I'm here to explain why putting vegan mayo on a hot dog is NOT ridiculous.

Food allergies

I have allergies to cow and goat milk, and to eggs. I cannot eat your basic Kraft mayonnaise made with eggs unless I'm prepared for gastric havoc and hours of playing "Pull my finger." It's really tough too because I used to really love eating tuna salad with regular mayo.

Just because one cannot do eggs doesn't mean that life has to be deprived of mayonnaise. No. We just have to use versions of mayo that are not made with eggs LIKE vegan mayo because I can tell you I have yet to see the "egg allergic" mayo. I eat meat. My body just doesn't jive with the animal's by-products.

When you go to the condiment aisle at the grocery store rarely, if ever, do you see products like mayo marketed as "dairy and egg free." There are some niche products, but usually you have to order those from some internet health food store and they are shipped from some far, far away land where non-dairy and egg goodness prevail...Ok, I jest.

It's about marketing

More often you'll see "vegan" mayo or sandwich spread because from a purely marketing verbage standpoint, the vegan market is much bigger than a market of people who are dairy and egg free because of food allergies, just don't like it, or are on some special diet. Having been a former marketeer, I can tell you that packaging is almost always driven by market size.

I get the funniest looks all the time when I eat a hamburger or hot dog and put vegan mayo on it because like that Bon Appetit commenter it is often automatically assumed that you have to be vegan to eat vegan marketed foods.

The next time you see someone ordering a meat dish with some vegan side or condiment, remember they could have food allergies.

If you happen to see a bottle of mayo clearly stamped with "Egg and Dairy free" not "Vegan" on it like Vegenaise, please do let me know. Would love to see pictures, and try the product. I've seen Kelkin and Plamil.

Snacks For The Road Trip

2009-06-17T01:21:02-07:00

J and I are heading out on the road trip from San Francisco, CA to Boulder, CO today, and here are some snacks I got for us for our 3 days on the road.

Now, to note, my mom starts to come out in me whenever planning for food comes into play. Those of you with Filipino moms know exactly what I'm talking about. We'll buy enough food to feed 4 people for 5 days, even though the reality is 2 people for 3 days. I also shop at Whole Foods, and boy do I ever have to restrain myself there because I can easily go hog wild.

First up we have some heavier snacks which technically could also be lunch food.

Regular hummus from the cold foods bar. To make the hummus interesting, I also got some Peppadew Peppers, pureed them in the mini food processor and mixed it in the hummus to give it a pinch of sweet heat.
Barley, kale, garbanzo beans, and red pepper salad mixed with some olive oil, garlic, onion, salt & pepper.
Chunks of grilled chicken from the salad bar.
Red seedless grapes

Next we have some dried fruits and nuts

Dried Turkish Apricots
Green Chile Pistachios
Whole Foods 365 brand Organic Banana Chips (in a bag)

For crunchy and sweets

Baked Brown Rice Snaps - Vegetable flavored by Edward & Sons
Chocolate Chip Cookies by Dr. Lucy's. These cookies have no peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, or gluten.
Organic Watermelon flavored Moons Chews by Luna Sport. I got these because I was intrigued by the "Energy Chews" on the packaging.

I was really tempted to get something crunchy & salty like these Pop Chips, but I refrained in an attempt to keep the junk like foods to a minimum. Who knows. If all else fails, I figure we can find a bag of Kettle chips almost any where.

And lastly for drinks:

Bottled water
Whole Foods 365 Organic Lemonade packaged in those 6.75 oz boxes.
Few bottles of Organic Honest Tea in various flavors
Few bottles of Sweet Leaf Tea in Mint & Honey and Mango. There was a sale 4 for $2.99. I love these Sweet Leaf teas. I could drink this stuff all day long.

J brought some goodies too, but I haven't seen them yet, but will update ya'll later. Between the two of us, I think we got some pretty tasty things to nosh on.

For The Juice: Loving Our Body Today

2009-06-17T00:05:00-07:00

If I were to do an episode of "The Juice" a new online show collaborated by BlogHer and Tropicana Trop50 on topics related to nutrition, functional fitness, doing more with less, relationships and mind/body, I would call my episode, "Loving Our Body Today."

Recently, I retired my popular healthy living blog Back in Skinny Jeans after 3 years and 8 months because on my recent birthday it dawned on me, "How old do you have to be to stop obsessing about your body and your looks?”

I mean really, it's a good question to ask because do you want to be 40, 50,...and still be obsessing about your jeans size, wrinkles, flab, and crow’s feet? At what age does it all end? At what age do you finally get to "I love my body?"

I felt it was time to retire Back in Skinny Jeans on a high note because it was time for me to grow up into my higher self. Instead of getting "bikini-ready", I want to get "higher self-ready." My higher self no longer has a need to focus on her body or the subject of physical beauty and blog about it every day. She loves her body and herself today as she is and here are 5 tips that helped me get there:

So, at what age does all the body obsessing end? The answer is any age. The obsessing stops when YOU stop. You can be 20 or 60. Age doesn't matter. State of mind matters, and YOU control that. I follow this mantra: My body is not the root of my suffering, my mind is. And equally, my body is not the root of my happiness, my mind is.

Stop playing the comparison game particularly the Ms. Perfect edition. Nothing will torpedo your self esteem faster than playing the lack game. Instead, play the abundance game. Focus on what is unique and authentic about YOU.

You are whole. You can have damage, flaws, and imperfections, but know that you are still whole. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Well, it’s the same thing for feeling whole. No one can make you feel "I'm not enough" without your agreement. No one can make you feel you’re not beautiful, talented, or worthy of love without your permission. No matter what happens on the outside, on the inside you are whole.

Be your own best friend. It makes no sense to be kind, loving, and supportive to everyone in your life, then go beat up on yourself. If you cheer others on, cheer yourself on as well.

Your body is a Wonderland not a Slum. Feed yourself foods that make you feel vibrant. Feed your mind thoughts that nourish your self esteem. Surround yourself with people and places that bring meaning to your lifehood.

So what are some other tips that helped you start loving your body today?

We're Going On a Road Trip. So How Do I Eat Healthy?

2009-06-16T14:10:15-07:00

One of the hallmarks of summer is the road trip, and starting tomorrow 6/17, I am going on a road trip with J across 5 states as you can see above. Woo-hoo, road trip!

We're starting in the SF Bay Area and ending in Colorado. One of the cities we'll be seeing which I've just been dying to check out is Loveland, CO. US News & World Report recently named Loveland as one of the 10 best to live in the US, so we're going to go see first hand the fabulousness that is Loveland. I just dig that name. How can you not be feeling all kinds of happy vibes in a city called Loveland?

Besides being fun, road trips are also another opportunity to eat horribly because well, "road trip" is almost like a carnival on the road eating at rest stops, diners, and stop-n-gos. So, the challenge for us noshers is how can we eat healthy or at least mostly healthy on a road trip?

The next challenge for J and I is that we both have food allergies to contend with like no dairy and eggs. J is also gluten-free, and we both avoid soy. I'll have soy things from time to time, but in general I eat soy products minimally because too much soy can affect your metabolism and it can boost estrogen levels because of the estrogens it contains, and I have family history of female issues.

For the next few days I'll be blogging about the road trip and our adventures in food. Stay tuned!

Review: Cascade Fresh Activ8 Probiotic Bar. Noshing Good Bacteria Bar Style

2009-06-08T01:07:13-07:00

One of the benefits of eating yogurt is all that probiotic goodness. All bacteria are not bad. There are the good bacteria that help your innards stay in shape, and that's where eating foods like yogurt with active cultures can help.

I'm limited to eating soy, rice, or coconut based yogurts because of the type II cow and sheep milk allergy and as much as I'd like to beef up on the probiotics I don't want to eat yogurt all the time. So, seeing this Organic Activ8 Peanut Chocolate Chip Probiotic Bar by Cascade Fresh was a fresh surprise because besides the probiotics, the bar has chocolate and peanut butter which is always a head turner in our book.

Colony-a-plenty

The Activ8 bar claims to contain 5.55 billion CFUs (Colony Forming Units at time of manufacture) of probiotic cultures which is more probiotics than 12 cups of typical yogurt. Sounds like a super duper food to me.

This Activ8 bar is organic, gluten-free, low sodium, and cholesterol free, but it is not dairy-free. The ingredients list is here along with the nutritional info. I thought it cool that the bar had agave syrup and Quinoa, two of my faves.

I ate the bar and was not reactive because I think the dairy ingredients are minuscule and the bar is organic. I could be totally wrong as I'm no pro, but that is me, so double check with your doctor.

The Peanut Chocolate Chip Probiotic bar was really delicious. Who knew bacteria loaded food could taste fabulous. The bar has to stay refrigerated to keep the cultures kicking.

I haven't tried the other flavors: Blueberry Acai, Cherry Vanilla, and Pomegranate Goji, but I definitely will now. You try the bars? Share your two cents.

Season 5: Next Food Network Star is Back!

2009-06-08T00:09:40-07:00

Last night, Season 5 of The Next Food Network Star premiered and to keep it nibbly and interesting like a zesty tapas dish, we're gonna serve up our thoughts on Epi One tweet style.

btw, spoiler-ish alert...If you don't wanna know, how about a mosey over to check out our recipe for a Mojito Guacamole with Cassava chips.

Meet the cast of 10. I have two clear favorites already but I'll keep you guessing on that one.

Overall: Will this cast be more exciting to watch over Law & Order Criminal Intent in same time slot? Magic 8 ball says: Cannot predict now.

Flay, Bob, and Susie are back. We liked watching the culinary point of view on TV like season 4. This time gotta watch the web vids.

First act: Impress A-Listers of the Food Network at FN's Sweet 16 party. Access Hollywood in the house. zOMG! Toss the newbies in the pit.

Red team: Shitake happens when you have no list. Likey the David Copperfield with zucchini. One makes us want to shimmy with Go-Go boots.

Green team: Bubba, seriously? High 5 for mango & jicama but not the shrimp. Everybody loves sweet tarts. Dimples can't save the taterfail.

Our guess for the final 4: Jeffrey, Jamika, Michael, Melissa/Brett. Melissa is more reachable but Brett is more entertaining. Toss up.

The one who gets sent home was not a shocker. Wish the judges would add a bit more heat to their assessments.

Feel it in our bones. One of them will end up on the new Food 2.

If you want full play-by-play of Epi One, Foodie in Disguise has the meaty deets.

Your two cents?

Slow down and savor your food

2009-05-27T01:17:51-07:00

Originally posted on my healthy living blog: Back in Skinny Jeans

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I was shooting the breeze with pal Deidre, and she was telling me that the one thing she admired about the French and their relationship with food is that they truly savor and experience their food at meal time.

For example, dinner can easily run 2-3 hours because people will slowly chew their food to really taste it. They will chat about the preparation of the food, the ingredients, and the memories of other times they've had similar food experiences.

Meal time is an experience to share with others and yourself. There is great pleasure. They savor.

In America, most of us scarf food, shovel it in, or chew like we're trying to win a gold medal for fastest eater. We are constantly in a rush and thus don't typically spend the time to just sit with food and relish all the wonderful sensations and flavors.

And because we wolf the food down, we quickly over stuff ourselves because the food is going in faster than the stomach can communicate to the brain, "Hey stop eating! We're full."

We eat plenty of fast food, frozen food, and left over food. There is plenty of instant gratification but not much savoring. That pizza got into your stomach in 5 minutes but did you taste the basil? Did you find pleasure in the chewiness of the mozzarella? Did you envelope the smell of the sauce and the toppings?

For many of us, the answer is no because we're more focused on instant consumption. This fast eating though is one factor that contributes to weight gain.

This week, take one day and make dinner a slow and lingering experience. Go out to one of your favorite restaurants or cook dinner, and really take the time to chew your food slowly, to smell your dish, and to enjoy the beauty of the preparation of the food laid out on your plate.

You may find the dining experience highly pleasurable.

Non-dairy Smoothie: Cherries and White Peach

2009-05-13T21:36:06-07:00

I noticed cherries at the grocery store the other day and got a bit nostalgic. Cherries bring back fond memories of childhood when I lived in Traverse City, MI where it seemed like cherries grew from everywhere...at least in my kiddo memories.

White peaches are also a favorite of mine. When not in season, you can find these peaches frozen. Here is a quick recipe for a non-dairy smoothie at about 195 calories. You can switch out the fruit and put in your fave. If you add banana, it will thicken up even more.

1 cup Organic Rice Milk Original* (110 calories, 2.5g fat, 20g carb, 1g protein)
10 fresh cherries (45 calories, 10g carb, 1g protein)
1/2 fresh medium white peach (a whole peach is 40 calories, 9g carb, 1g protein)
handful of ice cubes

Pit the cherries, and the peach. I keep the skin on the peach because there are plenty of nutrients in the skin. The blender pulverizes the fruit anyway so you won't be swallowing any chunks of peach skin.
I only put half the peach in so that I can enjoy the other half to munch on.
Put all ingredients in a blender and frappawhiz.
Sometimes I will throw in a couple teaspoons of flaxseed oil to get some Omega-3s in my body.

* I use Whole Foods 365 brand Organic Rice Milk because it's just as good and a bit cheaper than most other organic versions of other brands, at least in my area. You can use Vanilla flavored Rice Milk but it will add a bit more calories and carbs because it contains more sugar. I go with organic as well because I consume organically as much I can.)