Monday, May 30, 2011

The (Foodie) ABC's

Well HI guys!




The worst part about this picture is that I'd actually been up tossing and turning for about three hours when I took it. Woo jet lag! Going to London I adjusted instantly; I was up at 7 the first day and went to bed at 11, just like at home. My body will take any excuse it can get to wake up even earlier. Annoying.


Around 5:30, I had breakfast. It was a return of the classic:




Kashi GoLean mixed with SunWarrior chocolate protein powder, a spoonful of Trader Joe's flaxseed peanut butter and a splash of water, topped with a sliced banana and almond milk.




It always feels good to get back into your daily routine after a trip. It's been a week since I went to the gym, so I'm actually super stoked to get there later this morning.


* * *


Since I was bored this morning, I decided to fill out a foodie survey I found on Hungry Meets Healthy:


A is for Apple, what's your favorite variety? Honeycrisp, hands down! But since they can be hard to find, I also go for pink lady, fuji and galas.

B: is for Bread, regardless of nutrition, calories, or whole grains what is your favorite type to have a nice big piece of? Sourdough or whole-wheat bagels. Nothing beats a huge, carby bagel.


C: is for Cereal what is your favorite kind currently (just one!) Currently? Kashi GoLean. All-time? Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

D: is for Doughnuts, you might not currently be eating them but what kind do you fancy? I've never been a donut person. Their stickiness turns me off...it's impossible to eat them without getting glaze all over your face, hands and clothes. BUT I think the pink frosted ones with sprinkles are really cute :)

E: is for Eggs, how would you like yours prepared? I only like eggs soft-boiled with buttered toast strips for dipping. The concept of eggs kind of grosses me out, but my mom used to make them for me that way as a kid.

F: is for Fat Free, what is your favorite fat free product?
Fruit! Most are naturally fat-free :)


G: is for Groceries, where do you purchase yours? Depends where I am! My "regular" grocery store in PA is either Acme or Giant, in NYC it's Morton Williams, D'Ag or Gristedes, and I try to get to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods every few weeks to stock up on my favorites there.




H: is for Hot Beverages, what is your favorite hot drink? Black tea with lemon. I drink so much of it!



I: is for Ice Cream, pick a favorite flavor and add a fun toppingKohr Bros. mint chocolate custard swirl, topped with chocolate sprinkles. In a cup, so that you can mix it all up and turn it into sprinkle soup.

J: is for Jams or Jellies, do you eat them, and if so what kind and flavor? They're not really a favorite food, but I do love them in a PB&J!

K: is for Kashi, name your favorite Kashi product? Kashi GoLean cereal, as I said in question "C."

L: is for Lunch, what was yours today? Haven't eaten it yet- check back in a few hours!

M: is for microwave, what is your favorite microwave meal/snack? Probably canned soup, doctored up with a bunch of veggies and a Trader Joe's meatless meatballs.




N: is for nutrients, do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best? Carbs. I could live on bread.

O: is for oil, what kind do you like to use? Olive, most of the time.

P: is for protein, how do you get yours? Tofu, tempeh, nuts and nut butters, whole grains, Sun Warrior and seafood.




Q: is for Quaker, how do you like your oats? Made with almond milk and a banana cooked in.

R: is for roasting, what is your favorite thing to roast? Vegetables: carrots, okra, kale, zucchini, parsnips, squash, sweet potatoes, I could go on and on...

S: is for sandwich, what’s your favorite kind? Plain old peanut butter. Can't go wrong with a classic!


T: is for travel, how do you handle eating while traveling? As I did in London, for the most part I just go all out and eat whatever I want, especially if I'm in a different culture or country. 




U: is for unique, what is one of your weirdest food combos? Spicy mustard as salad dressing. It's better than it sounds!

V: is for vitamins, what kind do you takeA multi-vitamin, a calcium supplement and a B vitamin. The first two are in candy form (gummi and chocolate), or else I forget to take them.


W: is for wasabi, yay or nay? YAY! The hotter, the better!

X: is for XC Foodie, why is she so awesome? Huh?

Y: is for youth, what food reminds you of your childhood? Soft-boiled eggs with buttered toast strips, pastina with butter, delivery pizza, chicken fingers, chocolate croissants, Maron Sui's cups, sirop de cassis, Kinder Surprise, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Wawa Italian hoagies, Tastycakes, Reese's peanut butter cups, rice pudding, potato bread with Nutella...I was a really healthy eater.




Z: is for zucchini, how do you prepare it? I'll eat it just about any way, but my favorite is definitely grilled!



Your turn: tell me your answers to a few of the above questions!


PS- Don't forget to enter my British snack bar stash giveaway!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

The Best Ball Thrower

Home, home again!! And while this vacation definitely flew by way too quickly, I was excited to return to Pennsylvania and see this sweet face:


Miss Maggie! She was overjoyed to see my dad especially, since he's the best ball thrower...


I love my dog.


Though the plane ride was rather long- 8.5 hours, gate to gate- it thankfully went off without a hitch. I bought the newest Shopaholic book at Heathrow and spent a few hours reading the whole thing, then watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows followed by The King's Speech. I've wanted to see the latter for ages, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Colin Firth was perfect in the lead role!


During the flight, I ate a ton of snacks I'd packed and purchased: a sandwich and two fruit cups from the Pret a Manger in the airport, an apple, carrot sticks, a Luna protein bar, a pack of pretzels and a squeeze-pack of Justin's almond butter.  Despite all the snacks, though, I was hungry for dinner the moment we walked in the door! I made myself the easiest thing I could think of:


A salad beast with spinach, tomato, carrots, cucumber, tuna and hummus, eaten with two unpictured slices of toast.


Plus red grapes and two squares of each Lindt sea salt and chili dark chocolates.


Later, I had a few serving of herb-roasted nuts and several spoonfuls of peanut butter. I don't think I ate any nuts in London, so I guess that's why I was craving them.

A few weeks ago, my dad built a raised vegetable bed and planted a bunch of tomato plants in it. They totally sprouted while we are away, and I'm looking forward to some fresh tomaters soon!


Funny aside: we use composted soil made from our own kitchen scraps, so the earth is full of egg shells, peach pits and apple stickers. Tons of apple stickers.


I already want to go to sleep, but I'm forcing myself to stay up a few more hours to get back on US time. I'll probably be waking up at like 3 am tomorrow morning, yay.

Hope you're enjoying your holiday weekend!

How are you spending this Memorial Day Weekend? And do you have your own vegetable garden?

British Snack Bar Giveaway

I'm kind of a weirdo when it comes to shopping. While I like getting new clothes, one of my favorite things to shop for is food- especially new foodie finds! I've been overwhelmed by the new products I've seen in London and couldn't resist buying a bunch, and since I know many of my readers are the same way, I decided to pick up a few treats to share with you all in a giveaway!


One winner will receive a British bar stash: a package of granola, protein and raw food bars not available in the US (at least that I've seen!).


This includes:

  • A Nakd cashew cookie bar
  • A Fruit Doctor Charge fruit & seed bar
  • A Tropical Whole Foods mango and brazil nut bar
  • A Frutus mixed berry bar
  • A Wallaby Passionfruit, Mango and Guava bar
  • A GranoVita organic flapjack bar
  • A Pulsin raw chocolate brownie
  • A Pulsin Bliss Bar
  • A Seed Stacked carob-topped bar
  • A Lovers Jackson bar
And, because I'm always in the mood for baking, I'll also send you a batch of my favorite homemade vegan Super-Charge-Me cookies, with your choice of mix-ins.


There are four ways to enter: 

1. Tell me what your favorite snack bar is (Lara? Luna? Clif? etc)
3. Tweet about this giveaway: "@uneviesaine is giving away a British snack bar stash! http://bit.ly/lyEHuT"

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway will close at noon EST on Wednesday, June 1, and I'll announce a winner that afternoon. Good luck, and thanks as always for reading!!