Weekend Recap and New Food Finds!
Updated to Include Additional Give-Aways
Hey guys! How was your weekend?! Since I actually got out of the house this weekend *gasp*, I figured I’d do a brief re-cap!
Weekend Re-Cap
Friday I had a hot date in which I attempted to remember what it’s like to get dressed up for night out on the town.
Awkward. I think I have that look plastered on my face 95% of the time…But ya gotta love my thrift store Seven jeans and random brand thrift store top, no? And don’t worry, I’m not jeepin’* on my main squeeze — my hot date was my best gal pal and fellow school nerd. We both have been on self-imposed house arrest and in much need of a drink and a dance floor.
After that hot date, it only felt right to have a hot date with food my boyfriend, so on Saturday we went to my favorite restaurant, Open Sesame. I got the vegetarian platter
The falafel balls were insanely good, but for $11, I would have preferred a bit more roughage. I felt like my plate was all the sides that would accompany a meal and missed the actual “meal.” I think vegetarians might feel like that sometimes. Anyone with me?
Annabel + Henry James = Portrait of a Fatty
This is a serious issue guys. How can anyone stay awake reading Henry James? I thought before that my biography would be perfect reading material for high-security prisons because it’s nauseatingly boring, but I was wrong. The solution to pacifying the world’s criminals is to read them Henry James. 100 pages to describe one little scene and you wonder if it’s actually possible to die from boredom. How does one get through Henry James without stuffing her mouth to stay awake?! Back in undergrad, I found ways to satisfy that inclination to munch by drinking water instead, chewing gum, and basically just resolving to staple my mouth shut unless I was actually hungry. I’m trying to regain that resolve because this weekend was no bueno with all the mindless snacking! I blame you Sir Henry, oh yes, yes I do!
New Food Finds!
Trader Joe’s Lite Kettle Corn — 6-pack individual bags
Nutritional Information (per bag): 110 calories, 4 g fat, 3 g fiber, 2 protein
Ingredients: popcorn, sugar, sunflower oil, salt
Price: $2.99
Survey says: Go for it! Freakin’ delicious and filling. This is definitely going to top my list of fave snacks!
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter
Nutritional information (per 1 tablespoon): 40 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
Ingredients: Pumpkin, sugar, honey, lemon juice concentrate, spices
Price: $2.29
Survey says: Go for it! Half the calories of a tablespoon of peanut butter and equally satisfying on a piece of toast. The texture is like honey mixed with pumpkin puree and it smells like pumpkin pie filling! It has the benefit that it’s too sweet to eat alone (so I won’t gorge on it like I do peanut butter) and you can also put it on your toast first, then put half a tbsp of p.b. on top. When you spread p.b. over this butter it liquefies it a bit, allowing it to cover more bread with less. A very nice sweet treat to welcome in fall!
Luna LemonZest
Nutritional information (per bar): 180 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g fiber, 9 g protein
Ingredients: LunaPro (Soy Rice Crisp [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Malt Extract], Rolled Oats, Soy Flour, Organic Roasted Soybeans, Soy Protein Isolate, Organic Milled Flaxseed), Brown Rice Syrup, Coating (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Lemon Flavored Nuggets (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Cocoa Butter, Oat Fiber, Oat Flour, Gum Arabic, Citric Acid, Lemon Oil, Soy Lecithin, Turmeric Extract), Rice Flour, Lemon Oil, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Green Tea Extract. Vitamins and Minerals: Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Biotin, Zinc Oxide, Niacin (B-3), Ferrous Fumarate (Iron), Molybdenum Glycinate, Calcium Pantothenate, Phytonadione (Vitamin K), Copper, Manganese, Beta Carotene (Vitamin A), Selenium, Pyridoxine (B-6), Riboflavin (B-2), Thiamin (B-1), Chromium, Cyanocobalamin (B-12), Folic Acid, Potassium Iodide.
Survey says: If the extensive list of ingredients doesn’t frighten you, and if you are in need of some quick snacks to take to work or school or wherever, these would be a good option. If it came between these and my new loves the Clif Z Bars, the Clif would win out. I’m not really a fan of all the added vitamins and minerals. Kinda freaks me out, actually. The taste is delicious though!
On A Random Note — Why Jillian Michael’s is a Sell-Out (Or Maniacal Genius)
Have you guys seen Jillian’s commercial for her new weight loss pill QuickStart? I can’t find a link to the video online, but if you’ve seen the commercial I’d love to know what you thought. I think she came off as your typical run-of-the-mill-drill-Sergeant-wanna-be quack selling scam weight loss pills. Does that sound harsh? Good! Jillian is so lucky to have The Biggest Loser platform and a large following. Why would she resort to diet pills that are in stark contrast to her weight-loss ideology. Is she a victim of some stupid PR company’s brainchild? A sell-out? Or simply a genius who will laugh her fit and glorious bottom to the bank? I’m thinking all 3.
In the News
- Food Production Daily‘s, “FDA Approval for Fruit and Veg Labeling Tattoos is ‘Imminent’” (9/1/09) here (Thanks, Hungry Girl, for linking this first!)
- New Scientist‘s, “Mutant Mice Living the Dieter’s Dream” (9/20/09) here
Give-Away Round Up
- Win a copy of the Flat Belly Diet Cookbook here
- Win a copy of the Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook here
- Win a $10 gift card to Inspire Your Walls here
- Win some Nutto Nut Butter here
- Win an EcoUsable Filtered Water Bottle here
Any of you students out there have tips to quell the desire to mindlessly much your way through boring reading material? Find any cool new food products you want to share?! Anyone want a coupon for “Buy 2 Luna Bars, Get 1 Free”? First to say yes, gets it.
*Who knows what movie that phrase is coined in?!
<3, The Cranky One
Tags: Falafel, Henry James, Jillian Michaels, lite kettle corn, Luna Bars, Luna Lemon Zest, Open Sesame, QuickStart, The Biggest Loser, trader joes
21 People have left comments on this post
Here’s what I do to stay awake while doing homework: I ride.
I love the bike. I take up a stationary bike, set a resistance that won’t jostle me around and prevent me from following a line of text. I am moving, burning calories, creating those endorphines, and getting my reading done at the same time. Might work for you, might not, but it’s worth a shot
I am doing to be doing some Middle English reading tonight at the gym, in fact.
I was pretty disappointed at JM hawking diet pills. She used to be about hard work and dedication, but money talks, I guess.
I love the Lemon Zest Luna bar, but my very favorite one is the Chai bar. Yum!
I love your outfit for your ‘date’
Sevens at a thrift store? UNHEARD OF! You look great in them!
I was really disappointed in Jillian’s sponsorship of a diet pill too. I wonder how she could have made that decision and even if she made that decision, wouldn’t it be appropriate to actually come out and talk about why she is supportng a diet pill? Doesn’t that go againts the hard work, sweat & fighting for weight loss that she preaches?
You looked great for your hot date!!!
I am so jealous of the pumpkin butter! Sounds yummy!!!!
Okay I don’t think Henry James is all that bad! What are you reading by him? And yes he does take a while to get into–that’s for sure. I am almost done with The Portrait of a Lady, which has taken me six months to read. But I will persevere.
I cannot believe Jillian Michaels. Seriously. I’m feeling slightly ripped off by her right now. She was all about hard work and toughing it out. Then she started to get a calmer approach (in her new book MAstering your metabolism, she’s all about balance) but now she’s all about the diet pills. I mean WTF Jillian?
And she always seemed to really hate the sponsorship shit that she had to do on Biggest loser, guess that was an act.
Very disappointing indeed.
I have no good solution for the munching problem. I don’t really eat when I study, I find the chewing distracting. I do take lots of eating breaks though…. A problem for sure. I like Jessica’s idea to cycle though. Maybe I’ll give that a try.
Yeah, the Jillian Michaels diet pill thing really irks me. I wonder if she quit doing her radio show before they launched so people wouldn’t call in and berate her for selling out. I really don’t get it.
What Henry James are you reading? I had to read The Ambassadors for an American novel class in grad school, and it about killed me. I don’t have any tips for avoiding the munchies, since I unfortunately gained about 30 pounds while in grad school. :/ Good luck!
ugh I hear ya on the reading thing chica.. we’ve been tons of Puritan documents in my American Lit class.. but food is soooo much more interesting! I like to use hot tea as my vice
lookin’ fly girlfraaaan! xo
Yes
Did I win the Luna coupon?
I am very jealous of you after reading this post for 2 reasons:
1) You found Seven jeans that look amazing on you at a Thrift Store.
2) That vegetarian platter as I LOVE me some falafels and hummus.
You are so funny. Fortunately I never had to read Henry James, but if I get hungry out of boredom, I’ll usually just make a low cal, but really filling smoothie. 2 to 3 cups water, tons of frozen spinach, Jay Robb protein powder, handful of ice. That usually fills my belly and keeps me from wanting to put anything else in my mouth…’cept for maybe those falafels.
Jillian is hawking diet pills. Wha?
Thanks for the link love.
I think my first comment got spammed. All I said was “yes”
Man, you look good, girl! Great outfit!
Oh, thanks for the reminder…pumpkin butter is going on my “to make this fall” list.
Love the outfit…thrift stores are just full of gems or junk…seems to depend on your luck.
Love the outfit!!!! Not a vegetation so I am not knowing about feeling that way!
Had not seen/heard the Jillian thing. NOT GOOD! Very disappointed! I will have to find it online & check it out to see what this pill is she is hawking. And after the all about hormones book!!!!!
OK, I love the fall & pumpkin & spice. Next TJ trip, looking of that pumpkin butter!!!!
I LOVE Tjs pumpkin butter so yummy! My favorite new product is this hand cream by Burts Bees….so lovely!
You look great for hot date night! I have some seven jeans I found at a store for 20 bucks. Woohoo! They are my new faves as well. As for the veg food, I can’t relate, but there are a lot of places I see listed as the vegetarian plater: choice of 3-4 side dishes. Hmmmm…
My fave bars right now are fiber one (pretty much any flavor), zone bars, and powermax (if I want some major protieny filling breakfast).
**cough** sellout poor role model **cough**
ohhhh pumpkin butter – i have never tried that! if it’s at TJ’s, I am there
you look adorable…love a good steal!
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous…inside and out!!!
Thanks for the tip on the pumpkin peanut butter…I will definitely have to try it. I am known for sticking a large tablespoon into the jar and consuming mass quantities…to the point of almost choking! How pathetic!
One tip I have for hunger, but it only works if you like pickles. When I get home from work and am at that place where I didn’t eat enough during the day (shame on me) and I’m ready to eat my own fist, I eat a dill pickle. It curbs my appetite…not sure why…maybe it’s the vinegar. Anyway … works for me!
I know what you mean about the house arrest… I’m sooo jealous of your thrift store and Sevens… I’m gonna go pout in the corner (it doesn’t help that you have yummy kettle corn too!)
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