Arby’s Angus Three Cheese & Bacon Toasted Sub
[source]

April Fools? 660 calories, 33g fat (13 saturated), 0.5g trans fat, 1810mg sodium, 2g fiber, 3g sugars, 47g protein

Highlights of Joy:

• A load of calories and fat coming from processed meat, bread and cheese. Your body will not metabolize these as efficiently as less processed food calories [see here].
• Processed red meat, which is linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, since it’s got those lovely sodium nitrates. See here and here.
• Trans fat (from the bread) is pretty unanimously considered a bad fat (it’s synthetically produced). Trans fat is shown to increase bad cholesterol and reduce good cholesterol, which increases risk for heart disease. You know a food has trans fat not just from the nutrition label (since, technically, if a food has less than .5g trans fat/serving, the product can list “0g trans fat”), but also from the ingredients list as “partially hydrogenated __ <insert type of oil here>.” The World Health Organization recommends zero consumption/daily.
• More sodium than is recommended in a day for about half of the U.S. population. Consider that the USDA’s 2010 dietary recommendations (published 2011) included reducing daily sodium intake to < than 2,300 milligrams (mg) and decreasing intake to 1,500 mg for persons 51+ and those of any age who are African American or who have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease [via Fooducate here].
• Azodicarbonamide. Say that with me three times. According to Fooducate, it’s a dough conditioner found in bread products that also bleaches the flour. Unfortunately: “It’s considered safe in the US at up to 45 parts per million, but is banned from use in Europe because studies showed it could cause asthma or allergic reactions” [via Fooducate's "5 Bread Ingredients to Avoid" here]. If Europe bans it, I consider it banned here.
• DATEM. No, this isn’t an abbreviated command to “date him,” it’s an acronym for Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Monoglycerides found in the bread. According to Fooducate: it’s a dough conditioner that is “considered safe by the FDA, but a study in 2002, on rats, showed ‘heart muscle fibrosis and adrenal overgrowth.’” [via Fooducate's "The Top 20 Ingredients Used in Bread" here].
• High Fructose Corn Syrup in the Parmesan ranch sauce. Though it’s still considered safe by the FDA, the jury’s still out on just how safe this chemically altered sugar is.
• “Caramel coloring” (in the meat) is linked to cancer [here].

And, honestly there’s even more to investigate. What’s propylene glycol alginate (in the Parmesan sauce) or natamycin (in the cheddar) or L-cysteine (in the bread)? It would take me a day of research to unravel the many “good mood”-inducing horrors of this toasted sub. And I’m tired. And cranky. And I have a full day of more good-mood-inducing research tomorrow, though this time on Jack Kerouac, On the Road & ecocriticism. Fun times

Are you feeling that good mood yet?

<3,

The Cranky One

Watch the commercial here:

Are you paying more attention to calories in the packaged foods you buy from the supermarket? According to the recently released “Shopping for Health 2010” — the 18th annual study by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Prevention (published by Rodale Inc.) – 43% of consumers polled said they’re paying more attention to calorie amounts than they were two years ago. However, 41% are not paying attention to calorie counts at all. Additionally, it appears that those who do “watch” their calories may be grossly underestimating them.

[photo cred] 500 calories, 3.5g saturated fat in a large order of McDonald’s French fries

The most interesting part of the report, to me, was the calorie estimates polled consumers gave for their meals. Check it out:

From the report (and my notes italicized): “Many shoppers greatly underestimate what they consume by meal type. In total, the majority of them believe they consume the daily-recommended amount of calories.

• Breakfast – 60% say they consume 300 or fewer calories (Bagel with low fat cream cheese= 460 calories)
• Lunch – 61% say they consume 300-500 calories (Turkey sandwich on whole wheat=480 calories) A Happy Meal with low-fat milk has 580 calories…
• Snack – 74% say they consume 300 or fewer calories (4 Chocolate chip cookies=640 calories) Add up all those 100-calories packs you eat, every apple (80-100 calories), every banana (70-120 calories)…
• Dinner – 65% say they consume 500 or more calories (¼ chicken and sides=640 calories)”

This hits close to home because before I had done my research and become indoctrinated into the “health conscious community,” I had made many false presumptions about the health-worthiness and/or calorie counts of my foods. I’d often say, “well I just had a muffin for breakfast and a Happy Meal for lunch!” It hadn’t yet registered to me that a giant Costco chocolate muffin had 600+ calories and that the small soda in my Happy Meal had 160 calories alone! Not to mention that I had no clue how bad the fat, sugars and refined carbs in these items were for my body.

If you’re currently unsure as to how many calories you consume a day, or whether you’re eating a healthy and varied diet, try food journaling for a week. Use Calorie King or Fit Day to keep track and to see just how many calories, saturated fat and sugars grams you’re tallying. You might be surprised…

The report also reveals that more polled consumers are preparing their own meals rather than eating out, that the majority (58%) swap their fave products for its healthier version when trying to eat healthier, and that many are using (or like the idea of using) Smartphone apps to make healthier decisions, write grocery lists, and learn about grocery market deals.

Compared to two years ago, are you more conscious of the food labels on products you buy from supermarkets? Do you feel you understand what exactly food labels “say” and how to interpret them? Do you currently use Smartphone apps to make grocery market/food decisions?

Pre-Chewed News/& Shameless Self-Promotion

• My second official single with Pristina, “One Past, Two Stories (Feat. Annabel Adams)” is now available on iTunes and Amazon.com.
  I hope you’ll check it out! To see info. on my first single, please click here.
• Want to know about my other life as a marketer? Check out my guest post on professional service marketing on the WordView Editing blog here.
• Campbell’s SpaghettiOs recall alert! See here for details.
• If you live in the So. CA area, celebrate Vegan Earth Day in Fountain Valley, CA (Orange County) on Sunday, June 27th, from 11 am – 7 pm. Click here for additional details.

Come back later for Nadia’s third weight-loss challenge update! To see her first update, click here; her second, click here.

<3,

The Cranky One

Humina Humina *Drool* Hummus Quesadilla
In the eloquent words of Joey from Friends, “we may not be great thinkers or world leaders, we don’t read a lot or run very fast, but dammit! We can eat!” <– that’s me, alright! And in the spirit of not being the brightest bulb, but certainly having an affinity for food, I am rather proud to impart the following rather simple mathematical equation upon you:

2 Trader Joes’ Blue Corn Tortillas + 1 Hummus Classic Snacker Pack = HEAVEN

Spray a pan with Pam Cooking Spray, place one tortilla on bottom, top with the other tortilla that has been layered with one snacker pack tub’s worth of Hummus, hummus side down, grill over medium heat until somewhat crispy, flip and grill for the same amount of time.  Remove. Cool. Devour and float on cloud 9.

Not the prettiest picture, but who gives?  I dare you — yes DARE you — to try this and not tell me it doesn’t taste like a real quesadilla.  The boyf, who usually scoffs at anything that’s not in its full-fledged fatty version, thought the hummus tasted “sharp” like cheddar and truly enjoyed his nibble.  Yes, a nibble is all he got.  I will not share this with you no matter how much I love you. Most girls say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, I say my hummus can take your diamonds any day.

Nutritional stats on the entire “quesadilla”: 220 calories, 4.5 g fat, 6 g fiber, 8 g protein, 0 g sugar
Vegetarian & vegan & fool-proof.

A Drive-By Rant (‘cuz it’s brief, folks!)

I have not watched a full episode of Drop Dead Diva.  I’ve seen a part of it and thought the main character was adorable, but I could just tell I would be annoyed with a lot of the dialogue and plot lines.  That said, I have devoured a lot of commentary on the show, including Kate Harding’s review here.
Source

So…all I have to express is really not related to the show as much to the network or whomever is in charge of the “brought to you by” messages.  Am I the only one who is APPALLED that the show is “brought to you by” the O-BAND — bariatric surgery?!?!  Are you f’n kidding me?!  That’s exactly the type of mixed-message, talking out of both sides of your mouth, kind of crap that affects our impressionable youth!  Seriously!  That’s like promoting a show for its “cultural diversity” and then having a “brought to you by WASPS of America” message.  That’s like promoting a show for representing empowered women and then having a “brought to you by Men for the Glass Ceiling” message.  It’s total b-s.  I mentioned a similar problem here when I wrote about an article depicting the “Phantom Fat” phenomena and noted that embedded in the article were ads for weight loss surgery.  How do we wonder why girls starve themselves, barf up their food and aim to look like Gumby or 12-year-old boys when we keep pulling this double-talk?  We praise Glamour for showing a plus-sized chick – but she was in the back of the magazine, guys – kind of an accidental phenomena.  Lora Stone, a U.S. size 4 model, thinks she’s fat.  I don’t know what I want — double talk is inevitable in society at large and inevitable especially when there are dollars to be had and industries tied to a bottom line.  Perhaps I want to be happy for our “baby steps” — but our “baby steps” don’t seem like steps at all.  They seem like the same message we’ve always gotten, just more manipulated and veiled: fat is not desirable.  Fat is other.  Fat is only acceptable in so much as it is raking in the dough.

And on that bright, cheery note…

In the News

• Science Daily‘s, “Social Background Weighs Heavily On Teenage Diet” (9/26/09) here

So there you have it — a post on a hummus quesadilla and Drop Dead Diva.  Both made me want to drop dead, but for different reasons!

xoxo

- The Cranky One

I sought and received some free samples from Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts after hearing about them on Jenny’s blog.  You say “muffin,” I say “gimme, gimme!”

Muffins are a dessert that has often masqueraded as a breakfast item and even as a health food item — but don’t be fooled.  Just because your muffin is “bran” or “blueberry” doesn’t mean it’s good for you.  Have you seen the size of some muffins?  A lot of times they are the size of my head and have more than the FDA’s recommended daily cap of fat in one serving.  Crazy!  That’ why I think it’s such good news that companies are coming out with legitimately healthier alternatives that are smaller in portion size and made from natural ingredients. After researching and sampling Penny’s products (it’s a tough job, but some one’s gotta do it), I thought that it would be more helpful if I provided a comparison to their very similar competitor, Vitalicious, instead of just going “this tasted good!” which is completely useless to anyone who does not have my exact taste buds…oh so that’s all of you, whoops…

Enter our two contestants…

Product Review and Comparison:  Penny’s Low-Fat Desserts‘ Muffin Tops vs. Vitalicious‘ VitaTops

To be fair in the comparison, I will compare side-by-side the two most similar products from Penny’s and Vitalicious — each of their chocolate muffin tops.

Penny’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin Top

Ingredients: Water, whole wheat flour, erythritol, wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), dried plums, chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, dextrose, soy lecithin), milk, chicory root, cocoa (processed with alkali), sugar, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate), cellulose, natural flavors, rice syrup solids, palm oil, salt, soy lecithin, cinnamon, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, guar gum. Contains wheat, milk and soy.

Nutritional Information for serv size: 2 oz (56g): Calories 100, Fat Cal 15, Total Fat 1.5g (2%DV), Saturated Fat .5g (3%DV), Transfat 0g Cholest. 0g ( 0%DV), Sodium 180mg (7%DV), Total Carb 27g (9%DV), Fiber 5g (18%DV), Sugars 6g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A (0%DV), Vitamin C (0%DV), Calcium (10%DV), Iron (6%DV).  Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Price/1 muffin top: $1.44 (*Note: Must buy in 24-pack, $34.49, + $8.69 shipping)

vs. Vitalicious’ Double Chocolate Dream VitaTop

Ingredients: Water, whole wheat flour, organic evaporated cane juice, egg whites, white chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa butter,whole milk, milk fat, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), cocoa (processed with alkali), soy fiber, inulin, erythritol, dried honey, wheat gluten, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), tricalcium phosphate, fruitrim (grape juice, brown rice syrup), natural flavor, lecithin, sea salt, xanthan gum, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, iron, biotin, zinc. CONTAINS EGG, MILK, SOY, WHEAT

Nutritional Information for serv size: 2 oz (55g): Calories 100, Fat Cal 15, Total Fat 1.5g (2%DV), Saturated Fat 1.00 (5%DV), Transfat 0g Cholest. 0g ( 0%DV), Sodium 150mg (6%DV), Potassium 170mg (5%DV), Total Carb 23g (8%DV), Fiber 6g (24%DV), Sugars 11g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A (50%DV), Vitamin C (50%DV), Vitamin D (50%DV), Vitamin E (50%DV), Calcium (20%DV), Iron (50%DV), Thiamin (4%DV), Riboflavin (10%DV), Niacin (4%DV), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12 (50%DV), Vitamin B6 (50%DV), Pantothenic Acid (12.5%DV), Biotin (50%DV), Zinc (50%DV). Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Price/1 muffin top: $1.33 (*Note: Must buy in 12-pack, $16.00, + $8.50 shipping)

**My Thoughts?**

• Almost identical in nutrition and ingredients with the biggest exception being that VitaTop has added vitamins whereas Penny’s does not.
• Almost identical in price and shipping costs, but it sucks that you have to buy a 24-pack of Penny’s (though note, she does offer a sampler pack for $18) whereas you’d only have to buy 12 from Vitalicious.
• VitaTops are more widely available in stores (Whole Foods nation-wide).  Penny’s is currently only available in Whole Foods, Sacramento and Redwood City, CA/ Get Healthy America, Plainview, NY/ The Diet Shop, Ronkonkoma, NY.
• I like the taste of Penny’s better.  To me, they tasted more wholesome (I found there to be a chemical after-taste to VitaTops and if you recall here, I was a bit disappointed with the product, but later admitted here that I at least liked the Triple Chocolate Chunk VitaTop).
• Whether you end up being a Penny’s or Vitalicious advocate, just remember how both fare in comparison to this muffin or that muffin.  Yowza.

Have you tried any products from either Penny’s or Vitalicious?  If yes, did you like and which was your fave?  What’s your favorite muffin flavor?

—

Noteworthy in the News/Blogs

• Science Daily‘s, “No Comfort In Comfort Foods During Tough Economic Times, Study Finds” (8/20/09) here
• That’s Fit‘s, “Coconut Oil:  Diet Friend or Foe?” (8/20/09) here — Wait, you mean I can’t chug coconut oil from the bottle and expect to lose weight?! Blasphemy!

Give-Away Round Up

• You have until midnight PST tonight to enter my give-away here
• Win some Larabars here
• Win a So You Think You Can Dance Fitness DVD here
• Win some Clif Bars here
• My fave give-away right now is at The Special K Treatment here b/c it’s like a pen-pal, Secret Santa, type of give-away where you offer up your fave thing and get a random person to send it to and vice versa.  There’s no need to “re-tweet” or “link-back” or “add to blogroll” — just share with someone for the sake of sharing. It makes me all gooey inside!

<3,  The Cranky One

Do you guys ever feel like your life needs a little spring cleaning? I have!  I recently quit a job that was making me terribly unhappy. It was a scary decision to make given the instability of the economy and the Mount Everest of our unemployment rates, but, at the end of the day, it was an easy decision.  I decided what sacrifices I was willing to make to stand up for my self-worth because, at the end of the day, I was getting a paycheck but clearly digging myself an early grave.  I feel like the convictions and passions I had often sacrificed to be a “player” in this world, are no longer pushed aside or put in storage.  Instead, they’re all off their shelves, and I’m dusting them off and cradling them because it’s just been too long.  It’s never too early or too late in our lives to do a little spring cleaning, don’t you think?

When you were little and people asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” what did you say? I doubt any of you defined your future selves in terms of a physical goal with clearly defined parameters.  In other words, did any of us really answer, “I want to be 135 pounds, svelte and toned!”  Doubtful (*I hope*), which is why I’m finding it ironic that now in my older age, I have been so preoccupied with such arbitrary and superficial goals when, clearly, I had it more together when I was a little girl and answering that question with the variety of answers that included: 1. a killer-whale trainer at Sea World; 2. a singer; 3. a fiction writer; 4. a veterinarian; and 5. a baker. Those goals of what I would “be” really were related more to whom I was and what I was passionate about than anything else.  Reflecting on those goals, I see so little has changed over the years in terms of what I am passionate about! Have your passions changed much over the years?

The future Feed Me I’m Cranky

I think it’s important to continue to ask ourselves “what (whom) do you want to be” — no matter how “grown up” we get.

Spring Cleaning of Life = Eating of Clean(ish) Food
Squash the Negative & Eat A Pizza

Ingredients

• One pita (I use Western Bagel Company’s Alternative Pita) — 110 calories, 0.5 g fat, 8 g fiber, 7 g protein
• One garlic clove, crushed – 4 calories, 0 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, 0.2 g protein
• 1/2 tomato, chopped — 15 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.75 g fiber, 0.5 g protein
• 1/2 yellow squash, sliced — 20 calories, 0 g fat, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein
• 1 oz. low-fat mozzarella cheese — 45 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g fiber, 5 g protein
• Dash of oregano, red chili pepper flakes
• Nutritional information for entire pizza: 194 calories, 3.6 g fat, 9.85 fiber, 13.7 g protein
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
• Spray the pita with one spray of Pam Cooking Spray and spread crushed garlic evenly across the pita
• Add sliced squash evenly on top of pita
• Add tomato evenly on top of squash
• Sprinkle the cheese over the squash
• Add oregano and red chili pepper flakes to taste
• Place pita on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until squash is tender and cheese is melted

Noteworthy in the News & BlogLand

• Eating Bender‘s Interview with Hungry Girl (8/6/09) here– I love the discussion that goes on in the blogging community about Hungry Girl, processed foods and a healthy lifestyle.  I ranted a bit in the comments section (what else is new?), but really seek out your opinions on what a “healthy lifestyle” actually means to you and how the Hungry Girl lifestyle either does or does not fit into it.
• Living Healthy in the Real World‘s blog posting on “Defining Eating Disorders,” (8/7/09) here — How would you define an “eating disorder”?  Do you think calorie restriction is a form of disordered eating?
• Science Daily‘s, “Fat Hormone Influences Baseline Dopamine Levels And Our Motivation To Eat,” (8/7/09) here

Give-Away Round Up

• Win a $100.00 grocery store gift card (nota bene — you will have to register with the site before you can enter) here
• Sign-up for a free sample of Honey Nut Cheerios and a $1 coupon off the cereal here

p.s. Speaking of passions…did you notice the singing-related link that very inconspicuously appeared in my About Me page?

What are you weekend plans?!  The boyf and I are going to an art museum and going to the beach as per usual!

<3, The Cranky One

“Hmm you know what would be really effective?  If they set up hibachis right in front of the treadmills!” *Giggles to self*

“yea, yea and I will yell my order out as I’m running, then the chef will calculate the calories for my order and tell me how long I have to run to burn it off.  He’ll start cooking and the sight and smell of the food will propel me to keep running!”

I think I spend too much time at the gym because I’ve been having those sorts of crazy “entrepreneurial” ideas… Do you guys ever find yourselves coming up with some random thoughts while exercising?

On to the treats!

Somersault Snack Co.

This is my “full disclosure face”

I got two free samples of Somersaults all-natural snacks simply by clicking on the company’s website — one snack for me, the other for my twin (and you can get a free sample here, too!).  I’m writing about them because these are so good I would seriously purchase them if they became more widely available (i.e. available at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods). They are described as “crunchy nuggets with sunflower seeds & toasted grains” and there are three flavors available: chez cocoa, s.s. sea salt & salty pepper.  They are about the size of a nickel and taste like little sunflower encrusted crackers.   The texture and taste are amazing.

The above flavor, Chez Cocoa, is sweet in a very SUBTLE way.  It is in no way sweet as in “dessert sweet.”  But it is damn good.  So good that I ate the entire bag and then realized that the serving size on the back was for TWO servings not one.  Yikes! One bag has a total of 300 calories, 12 g fat, 6 g fiber, 12 g protein *le sigh* I had thought I was only eating 150 calories, so, honestly, I would suggest to Somersault that they adjust the nutritional info. to reflect one serving, not two, as the size of the bag resembles a snack-size and one might be compelled to presume it’s one serving.  In other words, please make your nutritional info. idiot-proof for yours truly.

In order to provide a more rounded opinion on these snacks, I had my boyf try the above flavor, s.s. sea salt. He said they were the best “freebie” I’ve gotten so far.  He thought the sunflower seed taste was the most prominent flavor and he really liked them.  One bag has 300 calories, 14 g fat, 6 g fiber, 12 g protein.

You can purchase these snacks via the website for $1.79/2 oz. bag + shipping. Or, you can find them at select stores (Pete’s Coffee where I live…).

Two New Home-Made Sweet (& Wholesome!) Treats

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from the Whole Foods’ Market recipe here

The big cookie was the boyf’s idea

Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter –1517 calories, 130 g fat, 15.5 g fiber, 64.7 g protein
• 1 egg — 74 calories, 5 g fat, 0 g fiber, 6.3 g protein
• 2/3 cup honey – 640.20 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 1.1 g protein
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Nutritional information for one cookie (36 total): 61.98 calories, 3.75 g fat, 0.43 g fiber, 2.0 g protein
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Line cookie sheet with foil, spray with Pam
• Stir together all ingredients
• Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet, pressing lightly with the back of a fork. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly set
• Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling
• These cookies are fantastic — so easy to make and they do not taste like a “health food”

Orange Quinoa Burst
Inspired by the Quinoa Pudding recipe here

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry quinoa — 636 calories, 9.9 g fat, 10 g fiber, 22.3 g protein
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries – 280 calories, 0 g fat, 4 g fiber, 0 g protein
• 2 cups orange juice — 220 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 4 g protein
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Nutritional information for entire recipe: 1136 calories, 9.9 g fat, 14 g fiber, 26.3 g protein
  
• For one 6th of the recipe: 189.33 calories, 1.65 g fat, 2.33 g fiber, 4.38 g protein
• This is a great way to get the excellent benefits of quinoa, but the orange juice flavor is very prominent, so if O.J. is not your thang, this will not be for you!

Directions

• Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Allow to drain, then place quinoa in a medium saucepan with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan with lid, lower heat, and allow to simmer until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
• Mix in all other ingredients. Cover pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes longer. Serve warm.

Have you guys tried quinoa?  How often do you bake and what’s your favorite thing to bake? Have a wonderful day!

<3, The Cranky One

Enter, the tofu-lentil mash-up tacos…

Tofu is a relatively new product to me in terms of preparing it myself.  Each time I’ve made it, I’ve used this amazing recipe.  For the sake of novelty, I tried a different recipe found here, and as follows with nutritional info.:

“Tofu Balls” (not my title!) – Instead of making them as meatballs, I made them as “ground beef”

Ingredients

• 1 lb. extra firm tofu – I used 14 oz. as that’s how it’s sold at Trader Joe’s – 350 calories, 20 g fat, 5 g fiber, 40 g protein
• 1 small finely chopped onion – 29 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1 g fiber, 0.6 g protein
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce – I used Trader Joe’s Reduced Sodium – 45 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter — I used Kirkland’s organic brand – 300 calories, 22.5 g fat, 3 g fiber, 13.5 g protein
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs — I used 1 slice of toasted Oroweat double fiber bread – 70 calories, 1 g fat, 6 g fiber, 3 g protein
• Fresh basil or oregano
• Nutritional information for entire pan:  794 calories, 43.6 g fat, 15 g fiber, 57.1 g protein
• 1/8th = 99.25 calories, 5.45 g fat, 1.87 g fiber, 7.14 g protein
• A note: I link to Calorie King for items, particularly fruits/veggies, that do not have nutritional info. listed.  If I do have access to the exact nutritional info. on a package, I list that instead of linking to a calorie estimator site.

Directions

• Easy. Drain the tofu, then mix all the ingredients and mash into the texture of ground beef.  Wow, this should be in my own version of “Vegetarian Cooking for Lazy-Butts.”
• Saute over medium-heat until browned. Voila!
• I then mixed the cooked tofu “meat” with lentils made via this recipe.  You have no idea how good this tastes in a corn tortilla.  Like party in my mouth and no one is invited because I’m not sharing good. Add a slice of avocado + spinach + Tapatio = Bliss.
• Calories estimate for serving of tofu (99.25) + serving of lentils (56.13) + 2 corn tortillas (110 cals) = 265.38
• Note: The lentils used in the above are so delish by themselves in a taco as well.

It’s been a while since I’ve showed my obsession with love for black beans and I’ve been having BB withdrawals.  Here are some “re-fried” black beans sauteed with orange, yellow and red bell pepper, onion and tomato and placed in a corn tortillas with spinach and Tapatio.

Yum.  Calories estimate? 110 for tortillas + 220 for a cup of beans (generous estimate) = Around 340 calories and good taste for days.

Give-Aways Round-up

• Did you see all the give-aways listed on this post as well as my own Crispy Green freeze-dried fruit give-away? Enter if you haven’t!
• Happy Herbivore is having a Swanson’s spices give-away here.

Did you know?

• Trader Joe’s website offers recipes here?  They also allow you to select product lists, here, based on “vegetarian” options, “gluten-free” options, etc., so you can see all the products they sell that fit your particular food restrictions/life-style.
• Whole Foods Market’s website offers cooking videos and recipes here.

Ever complete a taxing task and think, “boy, I deserve a treat for that!” and then head to the nearest Cold Stone’s or Dunkin’ Donuts?  Or ever reward your children with a dessert for eating their vegetables or doing their homework?  Some of us do tend to use foods as a reward, no?

I guess the problem lies primarily in 2 things:  1.  the psychology of reward — we may want to eat sweets to reward ourselves for jobs well done even when we are not hungry, etc. (which is why even rewarding with “good” foods may not be a good idea since it teaches us to eat not out of hunger, but as a pat on the back) and we’ll learn to prefer reward foods over other foods; and 2. the reward foods themselves — these foods are usually highly addictive, highly unhealthy foods, which creates a whole other set of problems.

There is a lot to this issue, but I don’t want to bore you!  So, I’ll quickly point out some food for thought (hey, maybe we should start rewarding our kids with “food for thought”?! It’s calorie-free brain-power!):  There seems to be a dilemma in the psychology of eating that Deborah Lupton calls the asceticism/consumption dialectic in her book Food, the Body and the Self. That “dialectic” is fancy talk for the socially-ingrained desire to practice food restriction with foods we have learned to attach moral values to (i.e. some one restricting her intake of chocolate because it’s “bad”) versus our desire to give in to impulse, to live and enjoy foods — even “bad” ones — just because, and to reward ourselves.

What do you think?  There’s so much more to be said, but let’s get to the interesting part. I went through memory lane and thought of the top foods used to reward me when I was a kid, or that I used to reward myself earlier in life.

Starbucks’ Venti Mocha Frappuccino with Whip
BohemianRaspberry on Flickr
500 calories, 17 g fat, 1 g fiber, 9 g protein. See full nutritional info. here.

Thrifty’s (now Rite Aid) Ice Cream Scoop
WallaceChane on Flickr
About 188 calories, 14 g fat, 0 g fiber, 3 g protein for the ice cream + 17 calories, 0.3 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, 0.3 g protein for the cone =205 calories, 14.3 g fat, 0.1 g fiber, 3.3 g protein.

Baskin Robbins’ Chocolate Blast

1290 calories, 58 g fat, 1 g fiber, 28 g protein. See here. (Info. based on “large chocolate shake with chocolate ice cream” since “Chocolate Blasts” no longer exist)

Jamba Juice’s Sourdough Parmesan Pretzel
Smalltownholly on Flickr
410 calories, 10 g fat, 3 g fiber, 14 g protein. See here.

+

Jama Juice’s Original-sized Razzmattazz

455 calories, 2 g fat, 4 g fiber , 3.2 g protein. See here.

=   865 calories, 12 g fat, 7 g fiber, 17.2 g protein

Wow.  That’s all I’m sayin’…

Were you bribed or rewarded with food as a child?  If so, what types?  Do you use food as a reward either for your children or for yourself? Do you think of foods as “good” and “bad”? Can I trick my future children to think cleaning their rooms is a reward?

I’ll admit –  I don’t really have “reward” foods anymore.  I can’t tell whether it’s because I’ve de-conditioned myself or if I just don’t crave them.  Either way, I think it’s a good thing!

**

News

• Food stamps to be accepted at Atlanta Farmers’ Market! Sweet! Food Inc. will be proud.  See article here.
• What to eat before and after exercise.  A p’n'b sandwich? I do! See article here.
  

<3,

The Cranky One

My brain’s off on some deserted Island sipping Pina Coladas, so I am simply going to show two new food concoctions of mine — one an entree, the other a lazy snack.

Bella’s Vegetarian Enchiladas (Clever title, no?)

These were made primarily for my twin so I was not as conscious of cheese usage as I would have been had I been making them primarily for myself.  I encourage you to adjust the ingredients as you see fit, but let me tell ya…these were so amazing I dropped to my knees and thanked the can of Rosarita beans for being such a flexible vegetarian menu option.

Ingredients

• 10 corn tortillas — 550 calories, 7.5 g fat, 15 g fiber, 10 g protein
• Red enchilada sauce – 14 oz – 140 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein
• One 16 oz can of vegetarian refried pinto beans – 420 calories, 7 g fat, 21 g fiber, 21 g protein
• One medium tomato, chopped — 22 calories, 0.2 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 1.1 g protein
• 1 cup sweet, canned corn, rinsed — 133 calories, 1.6 g fat, 3.3 g fiber, 4.3 g protein
• One medium white onion chopped finely — 49 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 1 g protein
• One small red bell pepper chopped finely — 19 calories, 0.2 g fat, 1.6 g fiber, 0.7 g protein
• 1 cup  Trader Joe’s Lite Shredded Mozzarella Cheese — 360 calories, 24 g fat, 0 g fiber, 40 g protein
• 1 cup cup Trader Joe’s Fancy Shredded Mexican Blend — 440 calories, 36 g fat, 0 g fiber, 24 g protein
• Nutritional information for entire recipe:  2,133 calories, 76.6 g fat, 43.9 g fiber, 102.1 g protein
• For one enchilada: 213.3 calories, 7.66 g fat, 4.39 g fiber, 10.21 g protein
• *Note* — The estimated calorie content of this recipe is super inflated since you won’t end up using all the cheese and, in fact, if I hadn’t been making these with other people’s taste buds in mind, I would have used hardly any cheese at all and would have only used the low-fat variety. Also, I would have used whole-wheat tortillas instead of corn. But, honestly, these enchiladas taste absolutely decadent and delicious the way they are!

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 and spray an 11×8 pan with Pam Cooking Spray
• In a saucepan, saute the tomato, corn, onion and red bell pepper in Pam Cooking Spray until translucent.  Add the entire can of beans and heat until warm.
• Heat the tortillas over the stove (I do this ghetto style where you heat them over an open flame, but I’d suggest you heat them in a pan sprayed with Pam Cooking Spray.
• Place enchilada sauce in a bowl and dip the heated tortillas, one by one, until covered on both sides with the sauce.
• Fill each tortilla with some of the bean mixture and some of the low-fat cheese. Roll up and place in the cooking dish.
• You should be able to fit 10 enchiladas in the dish.  Cover with the remaining enchilada sauce, about an inch over the tortillas.  You will have leftover sauce.
• Sprinkle the remaining low fat cheese and all of the regular fancy cheese on top.
• Cook for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.

Sweet & Spice On the Greek Isle

A slice of this…

Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread — 80 calories, 0 g fat, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein

+
Some of this layered on top…

Oikos Organic Fat-Free Greek Yogurt, Vanilla (4 oz) — 80 calories, o g fat, o g fiber, 11 g protein
=

YUM.  That’s a sweet and hearty snack that totals 160 calories, 0 g fat, 2 g fiber, 14 g protein

Free Stuff?

Wanna win some cheerios and also see what other contests are out there?  Check out this post here (I’m lovin’ this chick’s site!)

Monday

Hey, guess what tomorrow is!!  It’s weigh-in day!  Dun, dun, dun!  Check in with Jen and me tomorrow to see how we’re coming along with the challenge. This will be week 6 and we’ve only got 3 more weeks to meet our goals! Not only are our egos and wallets on the line, there are some sweet-ass prizes to be had — but only if we reach our goal.  Think we can do it?

How did you guys do this weekend? Don’t tell me any of you fell off the wagon, did ya?

Whole Foods

First things first — I was charmed by all of you entering the Whole Foods give-away!  It was a chance for me to take my own non-scientific poll on what healthy foods and items you guys are lovin’ and also a way for me to, sneakily, learn about some new blogs out there! Buahah!  Ok, cross your fingers!  The winner is **drum roll**

Andrea at Andreas Wellness Notes! Yay!  Please e-mail me your address and I’ll send right away!

Fatty Foods

Remember when I revealed here that The Cheesecake Factory had released the nutritional information for its menu items? And we all gotta a little bit pissed, crabby and cranky?  (And check out Elina who wrote about it here, too).

Well…I don’t know if this is old news to you guys, but I’m going to run with it anyway.  The boyf and I went to the beach, he was hungry afterward, and so we headed to Claim Jumper. Even though CJ is one of my fave restaurants, I knew I had yummy food at home to devour, so I opted out of ordering anything.  While the boyf was choosing his meal, I perused a little guide called The Saloon Guide (NOT the menu) that was placed inside a little holder behind the drinks menu.  Lo and behold, the back had the NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION posted!  Claim Jumper has notoriously avoided posting calories. How did I not know this info. had been released?  How did it take serendipity (or doom) for me to find it?  There was no press release distributed (you’ll see why), no big televised announcement (ditto), so what gives?  Well, my friends, it’s even worse than The Cheesecake Factory.

Here are the ones that made my jaw drop and made the water works want to pour out (don’t worry, I didn’t actually cry, but I heard a voice inside my belly scream, “NOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooo”):

• Asian Pear & Glazed Pecan Salad (starter/appetizer size):  841 calories, 12 g sat. fat
• Citrus Chicken Salad (large): 2548 calories, 33 g sat. fat
• Citrus Chicken Salad (small): 1497 calories, 21 g sat. fat
• Cobb Salad (large): 1829 calories, 41 g sat. fat
• Both nacho appetizers and artichoke dip appetizers: All 3 are over 2200 calories each
  
• Appetizer combo: 3525 calories (however, says less on online menu), 58 g sat. fat
  
• Ham & Spinach Quiche: 3348 calories, 108 g sat. fat
• Beef Ribs (entree): Over 4200 calories

Tragic. I mean, obviously, you go to Claim Jumper and know you can’t bank on eating a meal for less than 500 calories.  And, obviously, if you’re health-conscious, you’re not going to order something that’s obviously fatty.  But here’s where obviousness becomes ominous.

Did you really think it’s possible to consume over 2k calories in a salad with chicken breast? I mean you can guess that if you order it without the dressing it will be a couple (even a few) hundred calories less; but that is still one insanely fatty salad!  How do they do it? Seriously – that is a feat of ingenuity.  They must covertly stick slabs of lard in between the lettuce leafs. Look, I get it.  Claim Jumper wants their salads to sell.  They want people to think they taste good.  But no one in her right mind would order this salad when she could get an entire cheeseburger for less calories (unless she was a vegetarian, in which case she might just order the 2k calories nacho platter!).

Another thing — do the stats for the burgers, etc., include the sides?  If you search online, you will not find stats for the fries, however, on the hard copy guide, they were listed as about 800 calories.

Any good options?  Few.  Here are three:

• The Halibut Fish Tacos (Small bites appetizer = 2 little tacos): 358 calories, 1 g sat. fat
• Chinese Chicken Salad (lunch-sized portion): 517 calories, 10 g sat. fat
• Vegetable soup (bowl): 147 calories, 2 g sat. fat

All menu items listed online here.  Pass it on.

If you remember from my post here, my favorite thing to order from CJ is the veggie burger with quite a few alterations.  Without alterations, the veggie burger comes in at over 1k calories (found exact facts on hard copy, but nothing is listed online).

Do you guys feel like we should just expect that unless we’re eating at a specialty restaurant the foods are going to be made with the least amount of health-consciousness in mind?  Is it the restaurant’s responsibility to take health concerns into account? To make the info. public and widely accessible? To offer healthy alternatives?  My boyf repeated what Gary Hirshberg, Founder of Stoneyfield Farm Organic Yogurt, said in the movie Food Inc., and that’s that whenever we purchase something we are voting for it.  I agree.  But I also ask…what if we don’t even know what we’re voting for?

How frequently do you guys eat out? Do you have “restaurant food phobia”? Do you check out calories before you eat at a place?

I hope you have a wonderful Friday!

- The Cranky One

p.s. Go check out the cool new site Healthy Yum where people post photos of their delectable and healthy eats (hey, who can really get enough food porn?!)